iPhone 4

Productivity / Reviews
Clear

Clear, A New Way of Thinking for To Do lists

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Better Way To Do a To Do App

I know what you’re thinking, there are a thousand To Do Apps in the App Store, what do I need another one for. You’re right, there are a thousand (maybe more) out there already, but this one is different. The beautiful way that the developer has taken advantage of the touch screen to create a different type of user interface. Gone are the text lines with boxes carried over from the PC world. In their place lies a slick, intuitive user interface that really makes sense, especially on the iPhone. Instead of showing you screen captures, you really need to see this App in action. Check out this short video made by Clear to see how it works and why you need it!

Clear for iPhone – Available Now! from Realmac Software on Vimeo.

What I Would Like to See

When trying to “pear down” an App it’s sometimes hard to know what things to keep and what things to get rid of. Especially in an entirely new UI experience like Clear. Now that you’ve seen the video, I’m sure you noticed that there are a few things missing… The first thing that hit me was a lace of notification. There is no way to set a notification to go off at a set time with Clear. Along with that is no ability to create a repeating to do item. For me this is kind of important. I set recurring alarms in my other to do App and really feel that this is a feature that should be included in the next update. Also missing is an iPad native version, however this is the first release so I’m sure it’s coming soon.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is Clear has set the standard for not only to do Apps, but for Apps in general when it comes to the UI. The interface is super simple yet works really well. I actually enjoy it and have been using it since the day it came out.

You can get Clear for $0.99 here from the iTunes

 

Accessories
iphone4case

iPhone 4 Case Program Coming to an End: I went with the Motif

In case you haven't heard Apple's FREE iPhone 4 Case Program is coming to an end on September 30, 2010. So if you haven't already ordered your free case for your iPhone 4, you need to download the App and install it on your iPhone 4 to place your order. The question I usually get is "which case did you go with?" Believe it or not I'm not really a case guy. I'm a skin and holster guy. I protect my iPhone 4 (iPad and MacBook Pro) from scratches with custom skins from gelaskins.com. I carry my iPhone 4 in a holster on my belt. I like the holsters from Marware and DLO. However, since Apple was offering up a free case I looked at the choices and ended up going with the Griffin Motif. I gotta say that I really like it. Skins don't protect from dropping your device! Although I'm very very very careful and haven't dropped an iPhone in 3 years (at least not on a hard surface or to cause any damage), it could happen. The thing I like about the Motif is that is VERY easy to put on and take off and unlike Apple's bumper cases it protects the back too. The smoked grey plastic makes it a little harder to see my skin, but I like the overall look and feel of it! Also it still fits in my holster.

Download Apple's Free iPhone 4 Case Ordering App here from Apple

Buy the Griffin Motif here for less, if you've already chosen another free case and want this one instead.

Reviews / Utilities
720tube

720tube Uploads Your HD Videos to YouTube Directly

One of the reasons I upgraded to the iPhone 4 was to take advantage of the built-in HD (720p) video camera. However, I was left scratching my head when I found out that for some reason Apple doesn’t allow you to upload your 720p videos to YouTube at the full 720p resolution. It compresses them down to a lesser resolution (568×320). Now of course I understand bandwidth constraints of cellular networks, however they also compress them even if you upload via WiFi (and email).  That defies all logic with me! Why would I be restricted over WiFi.

720tube Uploads At Full 720p Resolution

Luckily this FREE App allows you to upload your 720p HD movies in all their HD glory directly from your iPhone 4. I’m happy to see this App exist as I now feel much more compelled to shoot and upload a video directly from my iPhone 4. Although this App does exactly what it says, I have gotten some “out of memory” messages popping up during upload, even though the upload completes just fine. I also would like to see support for the YouTube “unlisted” category in addition to Public and Private.

You can download 720tube here for Free from the 720tube

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Accessories
iphone4case

iPhone 4 Case Program App

Last week Apple announced that they would give all iPhone 4 owners (who purchase an iPhone 4 up until September 30th, 2010) a free case to help with reception issues. Today they just released an App to allow you to choose your case and have it shipped directly to you. Making this process into an App helps Apple insure that only iPhone 4 owners order the cases as it probably sends data about your specific iPhone/Apple ID along with the order (just a guess). Also if you already bought an Apple Bumper Case your credit card has automatically been refunded. If you had a Bumper case on order, your order was changed to ship it for free. If you bought your bumper case with cash or from AT&T see more details about how to get your refund here.

Apple is letting you choose between a Black Bumper or several 3rd party cases via their App.

You can get the iPhone 4 Case Program App for FREE here from Apple

Accessories
appleuniversaldock

Don’t buy an iPhone 4 Dock! Buy an Apple Universal Dock instead.

When Apple announced the iPhone 4, one of the accessories they announced was the iPhone 4 Dock. I have iPhone 3G/3GS Docks around the house and I figured that the iPhone 4 would require a new dock since the iPhone 4 is a new design from the the 3G/3GS. So without thinking, I went ahead and ordered the new dock. Of course as soon as the order shipped I realized that I would be better off going with the Apple Universal Dock instead. As a matter of fact I already own a couple of the original Universal Docks. The problem with those though is that when you plug in an iPhone you get the "This accessory may not work with your iPhone" message. Of course it does work, it's just that this dock came out before the iPhone and the pin configuration is slightly different. So I just ignore the message and sync/charge. In other parts of the house where I just want charging and I don't want the iPhone to lay down on the surface I had been using the 3G/3GS docks. Of course the NEW Universal Dock is compatible and doesn't have this message.

Although the iPhone 4 Dock is Cheaper, the Apple Universal Dock is a better deal in the long run

The beauty of the Apple Universal Dock is that you buy it once and whenever Apple creates a new iDevice, they also create "universal dock inserts" for that device. The iPhone 4 is no different. They make Universal Dock Inserts for it too. So instead of spending $29 every time the iPhone's (or iPod's) design changes (3 times so far), you can spend $49 once for the Universal Dock + $9 for the new dock inserts (you get 3 in the package for the iPhone 4). They even include them with new iPods. Apple also includes several dock inserts for various iDevices right in the box with the Universal Dock. You also get an Apple Remote so that you can connect the Dock to your stereo speakers or stereo system and then remote control the playback of your audio/video. You spend a little more up front, but you get a better deal in the long run if you plan to upgrade your iDevices on a regular basis.

One more hidden benefit. Apple sells Bumpers for the iPhone 4. With all the reported iPhone 4 reception issues, you may want to seriously consider getting one until they sort this all out. However, like most iPhone cases, you can't dock the iPhone in the iPhone Dock even with Apple's own Bumper installed. However, with the Universal Dock if you REMOVE the iPhone 4 Dock Insert, the iPhone will Dock with the Bumper in place. Perfect. Lastly I should point out that if you do still have your original iPhone 2G dock lying around, rumor has it that the iPhone 4 fits perfectly in it (without the Bumper of course). 

I'll be returning my iPhone 4 Docks to the Apple Store and getting Universal Docks instead. 

You can get the Apple Universal Dock here for $49.00 (or less).

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