Review: Sticky Windows

I've been using Sticky Windows for about a week now and I've got to say I'm impressed. This great little app sits in the background and is launched on start-up. It is an alternative to minimizing windows to the dock which I've got to say I'm not a big fan of. I find that doing this I often forget about what I have open and using the application switcher can often work in unexpected ways. With Sticky Windows you drag your window to the side of the screen and it morphs into an elegant tab. You can see what you have open but the windows aren't all cluttering your desktop. If you're anything like me you have several windows open at once, this is a great way to manage your workspace. That is until Leopard arrives and we have Spaces, but more on that soon.

Today's mood

Yesterday at work was one of those 'nothing works' days. It is sad but true that even with the best mac/pc set-up sometimes things do go wrong. Ok so this was one day where the app I am creating had lots of bugs that seemed unfixable which was incredibly frustrating. But sometimes the best thing you can do is just walk away from it all and come to it fresh another day. I saw this video and it made me laugh. There is so much mac/pc rivalry these days but I do feel pretty much beyond all that now. I don't really care if people decide to buy a cheap pc and struggle with all the malware and viruses. I don't buy into the form over function thing that mac spouts. I just want a machine that is reliable and fast. And I do have that in my G5 set up at work. But really it is time for an upgrade (I've put my request in for a top of the line Mac Pro so here's hoping).

got milk?

This has got to be the most gorgeous looking desk out there and having a nice sleek Mac sitting on top all the better. It seems to be perfectly designed to fit a pro mac upon its shiny surface and almost follows the form of the Apple Studio display and iMac design to the T. iWant people iWant.... Check out the site here.

iblinds

Apple has done it again. To complement their range of gorgeous computer wear they are branching out into the realm of interactive office furniture. Featured here with the iBlind. Yes window blinds that interact with your music. Essential? Maybe not. But a great video here with brilliant and rather hypnotic use of stop-motion video. Enjoy!

all about the iPhone

If you can't laugh at yourself...

iPhone Nano anyone?

The shape of things to come????

iPhone tastic

Apple has done it again. I haven't been this excited since the launch of the original iPod six years ago. This truly is innovation at it's very best. A big welcome everyone to the iPhone.

What is really interesting about this device is how it fills the gaping hole in the mobile device market. "What?" you say but we are totally saturated with phones with all kinds of capabilities. Phones can surf the net, get emails, take pictures, take notes. So what exactly is the iPhone bringing that is new to the market. Short answer NOTHING. But what it is doing is getting it right. This is the device that people have been calling out for. A fully syncable pod-like unit that pairs up with your desktop Mac thus keeping all your photos, music and video with you wherever you are. For me this is the amalgam of two devices I carry with me to work everyday. My iPod and my phone. Perfect.

The Apple iPhone does purport to take pictures and does so with a 2 mega-pixel camera. This is obviously not going to win anyone over who is a serious photographer but if they are using the same technology found in their laptops for iChat the quality will be great. We should note that Apple is not showcasing this feature on their iPhone site so obviously not the selling point. No, what this is meant to be is a storage device for all your personal media AND one that you can use to make phone calls with.

What is absolutely superb though is the user interface. This is the point where your jaw will literally drop open. You have seen nothing like this before. For one there are no buttons on this device. It looks like an elongated iPod but with a huge display and no click-wheel. Yes it looks like that revolutionary patent has been banished to the history books. Apple has now devised a user-interface whereby the iPhone can detect your finger movements without the need for a stylus. This is touch-screen done right. You can view your photos and videos by holding the device in either potrait or landscape. It will detect which way up it is and turn your media the right way up (check out the music and video demos here). What I found breathtaking is the way you can literally thumb through your album art.

The phone capability of the iPhone does exactly what you would expect it to but encased in a gorgeous and intuitive user-interface. You scroll through your contacts in much the same way you would your music library. As you place your finger on the device you flick up or down and the list rolls as though you were spinning a rolodex (check out the video here). One entirely unique feature here is the ability to view your voicemail messages and to select which one you would like to play in whatever order.

Added to all this is the ability to browse the net and send email. The iPhone sports a slimmed down version of Mac OSX and graphically it is stunning. Using the miniMail application feels exactly like the Mail program we all know and use. Browsing the net is like nothing I have ever seen on a mobile device. It loads the entire page giving you a large thumbnail of the page and you can zoom in on any section and click on the links. The way you zoom is by using two fingers and spreading them apart. (Intuitive). It has to be seen to be believed.

My only question is when is it available and will I be able to use all these features here in the UK.

Jed's Poem

I have seen this video a while ago but I just sent it round the agency and it was a hit. I thought it was worth a revisit. This is made in code on an Apple II. Genius. Enjoy!

iPod the next generation

So it is holiday season and Apple look set to clean up AGAIN. I was in the London Apple Store today buying gift certificates for my cousins and lo they have an express lane for buying an iPod (and thankfully gift certificates). Seriously they have lined them up like sweets in a sweetie shop and with all those sugary colours it was difficult not to walk out with a paper bag full of goodies.

It looks likely that Apple will be updating it's line of mac products in the very near future and to be honest I think a total refresh of it's brand is wise. Now that Vista is just about released and looks like a clone of Aqua (2 releases ago) thus today the rumours started flying about a total revamp to it's interface named Illuminous . This iPod demo is something I would be very excited to see as I think it really pushes the boundaries of interface design. Now couple that with a phone and decent camera and you really are talking :)