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I find my iPad makes me read a lot more.  Many people prefer books over e-readers.  However, I for some reason am the opposite.    In fact, my iPad makes my iPhone, more often then not, just a phone.

Flipboard is a 2.0 startup that went into beta last week.  Response was so huge, their servers bombed almost instantly and they went offline to sort things out.  Now it’s back out.

Flipboard is an iPad reader app, that hooks into your social networking products and displays links, tweets, status, photos in a magazine format that you just flick though.  I can see this becoming the “must have” iPad application.

Download it here

Today I was on a day’s leave, recovering from a fairly hectic weekend. By lunchtime though, I found myself on a few calls and starting to answer emails. This is nothing new but I really wanted to stay out of work mode today and was getting quite frustrated.

Screwit… I’m off on the bike.

So taking advantage of the first good weather of the year, I took my cbf600 up the north eastern coast of Northern Ireland.  On a good day, this is a fantastic ride, and today was a good day. This was my trip.

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After passing Larne my petrol light came on.  So figuring I have X miles left I plodded along waiting for the next station.  To the next town.. no station, then the next town.. no station, then the butt clenching worry that I have just screwed up, and don’t know my way around this area as well as I should.

I was getting close to the point of no return, where it was 10 miles since the last station.  I knew I would hopefully make it back if I turned around now.  So I pulled in and took out my iPhone and launched the Maps application.  I don’t use it much.  Bringing up the directional search option I asked for directions from here to “petrol station”.  This is what I got.

Would your iPhone lie to you?

The iPhone said there was one 5 miles away.  I took a chance and trusted it.  It was right.  But boy was I sweating.  This got me thinking a lot on the way home (with a full tank of petrol).  Do I love technology?  Yes… I am pretty much as geeky as the next mid-thirties freak-show geek.  Do I trust technology?  No.  Not.at.all.  Years of having software and hardware that was supposed to “just work” and didn’t has turned me into a cynic.  Years of believing the hype that the next version would not have bugs and the next version would never let you down, only to be shat on again and again has left deep scars. I am constantly waiting to be let down by software/hardware at this stage, even if I want it so badly to “just work”.

As an administrator I’m happy to have the scars.  They show experience and promote caution.  But as a geek I need to re-learn to sometimes trust technology, even if it will occasionally bitch slap you upside your head.

This week marks the preview or release
of iPhone OS 3.0.  Although new hardware (i.e. a new model iPhone)
is rumoured for the Summer, there is already a lot of chat about what is
coming with this software build.  My 2c..

• Cut Copy Paste functionality
  I think this is a no-brainer with this release, and I’m sorry but releasing
  a feature that has been a default of all operating systems, mobile or desktop
  for em.. ever will not impress me

• Improved GPS functionality
  I think there is a decent chance of better SatNav ish software coming out,
  but Im not too sure

• Chicklet (icon) organising
  Again, a no-brainer.  Better methods of oraganising your icons, and
  possibly doing it through iTunes

• Using your iPhone as a tethered modem
  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make this happen.  I think its a no-brainer as
  Steve Jobs responded to a query on that ages ago saying "it was being
  looked into"

• Background task support
  Doubtful

• Video support
  Apparently the current hardware just cannot support it reliably, or at
  least in a decent performance mode

• Better roaming support
  For the US people that may not know, the
  iPhone completely sucks at switching networks
  when you cross a border into another country, making it completely useless
  in the corporate environment in Europe.  Guys, taking up to 10 minutes
  to let me find a new network when I land in an Airport is just not acceptable.

I do think the Palm Pre lit a phone
up Apple’s ass.  Lets hope they act on it.  Also, lets hope they
start to realise that opening up support to IBM software may, em, help
them be accepted in the corporate world?

Seems like its not just Google
that are screwing things up today.

The new apple store in Belfast

Originally uploaded by pmooneynet

This is gonna be expensive

Update: Yep… purchase of an Apple TV complete. Although there is massive hype over here (1000 customers entered the shop in 24 minutes), I am curious as to intentions of flogging Macbooks and Pros just before a hardware refresh. I do believe in “buyer beware” but flogging all this new kit in the first store in Ireland, only to have it replaced in the market seems unfair to me. Apple staff told me that they would replace the outdated kit after the refresh to anyone that complained, but still, to me that sounds like inconvenience

The first Apple store in Ireland is due
for open soon in Victoria
Square centre in Belfast.  Apparently
now all construction work for the store is finished but Apple have not
give the centre an opening date yet.  But it will be soon.
Methinks it’s time for an Apple TV.