iPad By Davis: “BlackBerry chief Thorsten Heins says iPhone is now dated and being left behind” plus 7 more

BlackBerry chief Thorsten Heins says iPhone is now dated and being left behind
Young penguins find gaming on an iPad easy and lots of fun too
Loren Brichter's influence on mobile app design
Review — Wheel of Fortune for iPad
Community spotlight: Thinking about leaving the iPhone for the Galaxy S4?
Weekend iPad Wallpapers: Guinness!
Cool Things: Penguins Playing iPad Games
iMore show 341: Boring, still a phone

BlackBerry chief Thorsten Heins says iPhone is now dated and being left behind

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 04:09 AM PDT

BlackBerry chief Thorsten Heins says iPhone is now dated and being left behind BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins claims that rapid advancements in the global smartphone market has left Apple trailing when it comes to innovation. Speaking exclusively to The Australian Financial Review ahead of the US launch of the new range of BlackBerry 10 handsets Mr Heins said last week's launch of the Samsung S4, along with a wave of recent smartphone releases had reeled in the lead Apple used to hold in the market.

"Apple did a fantastic job in bringing touch devices to market ... They did a fantastic job with the user interface, they are a design icon. There is a reason why they were so successful, and we actually have to admit this and respect that," Mr Heins said. "History repeats itself again I guess ... the rate of innovation is so high in our industry that if you don't innovate at that speed you can be replaced pretty quickly. The user interface on the iPhone, with all due respect for what this invention was all about is now five years old."

He went on to explain that one area where he felt that BlackBerry 10 devices had overtaken the iPhone was in the area of multi-tasking. Apple has its fast app switching which saves the state of an app without closing it. It allows certain apps like audio apps to run in the background. BlackBerry 10 devices do things in a different way and allow up to eight apps to run in the background and when you open a ninth app, one is automatically closed.

There is no doubt that a lot of iPhone users are pinning a lot of hope on the upcoming release of the next iteration of Apple's iOS firmware. Hardware appears to no longer be the difference in mobile technology; as all top end phones seem to have reached a really high specification. It is certainly going to be interesting to see how Apple will wow us with iOS 7 when we finally get to see it; hopefully in the not too distant future. Maybe then, it will put an end to comments about it being old and dated!

Source: The Australian Financial Review

Young penguins find gaming on an iPad easy and lots of fun too

Posted: 18 Mar 2013 02:43 AM PDT

Young penguins find gaming on an iPad easy and lots of fun too One of the main reasons that the iPhone and iPad have proven to be so popular is how easy they are to pick up and use. Nothing demonstrates this more than a video of penguins using an original iPad to play a game . The iPad was loaded with the app "Game for Cats" and soon enough, the penguins became extremely curious and started following the on-screen mouse around the screen.

Sure enough when Jeremy and Newsom noticed the iPad in the exhibit they both waddled on over. Jeremy was the first to try it out but Newsom was the one that really got into it. Stalking the virtual mouse intently he tried to pick it up repeatedly with his beak. Newsom especially seemed to like the squeak that the mouse made when he put his beak on the virtual critter. The mouse was self reinforcing for this penguin. Newsom set the penguin high score of 1600 for the game.

Normally male penguins have other things on their mind this time of year however these two boys are a little too young to think about that. Instead, while all of the older male penguins are trying to impress the opposite sex, they can enjoy a few hours using an iPad and not feeling so left out of all of the excitement going on around them.

You can see the penguins in the video below. Try not to get too concerned when you hear the sound of their beaks hitting on the iPad's glass screen. I am sure it has a screen protector on there!

Source: Aquarium of the Pacific

Loren Brichter's influence on mobile app design

Posted: 17 Mar 2013 06:25 PM PDT

Loren Brichter's influence on mobile app design

Loren Brichter got his start working on the original iPhone at Apple, then created and ultimately sold Tweetie to Twitter, and is now responsible for the phenomenal word game, Letterpress. Jessica E. Lessin has profiled Brichter, and elaborated on his influence on mobile interface design in the Wall Street Journal:

When Dominique Leca wanted feedback on his Sparrow mail mobile app in 2010, he sought out Mr. Brichter. Mr. Brichter responded to Mr. Leca with copious notes about the Sparrow app, including suggesting an adjustment to Sparrow's text placement and advising Mr. Leca to "delay the fade-out animation by a second or so." Mr. Leca says he followed much of the advice and asked Mr. Brichter to be an adviser; Sparrow later received much acclaim and was acquired by Google Inc. last year.

Pull-to-refresh, sliding panel layers, and swipe-to-reveal are just a few of the things the WSJ reports have been picked up by everyone from Apple to BlackBerry to Facebook to Google. I think they even try to stick him with hamburger buttons and basements, the now ubiquitous 3-line icons that reveal a sidebar filled with menu items. Busted, Brichter!

The full article is a great read, but might be blocked by a paywall. This Google search link might get you in.

We've been honored to have Brichter talk about his background and work on both Iterate and Debug:

Congratulations to Brichter. I'm a huge fan of his work and I'm looking forward to this "arcade game" they tease as his next project.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Review — Wheel of Fortune for iPad

Posted: 17 Mar 2013 02:10 PM PDT

Wheel of Fortune was a family tradition growing up. Every weeknight, my family would tune in to watch Pat Sajak and Vanna White turn letters on a giant wall. It was awesome. Each one of us would try and see who could guess the puzzles first — my sisters and I got pretty good at it. We even had a computer game at home we'd play together for hours on end.

When I heard Wheel of Fortune was available on the iPad, I jumped at the opportunity to relive that nostalgia and enjoy a game that's fun, educational and competitive. While the game was fun and a little educational, there was one thing it wasn't: competitive.

The game has three playing modes: solo, pass n' play and "spin together," which is when you play with friends online. Unfortunately, none of my friends had the app so I wasn't able to play the "spin together" mode, so I...

Read the whole entry... »

Given how many great phones are coming out these days, it's not wonder one of the hottest topics on the iMore forums is iOS vs. Android, or more specifically, the iPhone vs. the latest and greatest Android phones. Every so often community members start to wonder out loud about jumping ship and trying their hands at Google's mobile platform. Being someone who enjoys new technology myself, I can understand the curiousity, and, of course, the feeling that the grass always greener on the other side. One particularly interesting discussion this week comes from the thread leaving iOS for Android and more specifically, the Samsung Galaxy S4.

offdaglass started us off asking if, given the Galaxy S4's specs, an iPhone 5S-style update would be enough to keep us on the Apple path this year:

With the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S4 and the leaked specs coming out, will this be enough for you to want upgrade to the 5S? Or do you believe the S series will be outdated when it finally does arrive as compared to the software and hardware being offered by Samsung?

jclisenby says it's not about specs or the latest and the greatest, but about the overall experience:

For most smartphone users it's not about which phone has the latest specs or newest OS. It's about what platform gives you the experience. Apple has consistently delivered the best experience for a smartphone, even more so with each subsequent device release. Sure, the new Sammy may have a quad core processor or 12 MP camera, but that doesn't mean it'll outperform the new iPhone. Apple builds their devices for what the OS needs to perform at top speed. Their phones don't need quad core to support the OS. Android phones are getting dual and quad cores and still having lag issues. In the end, it's all about choosing which experience and ecosystem you want. My choice is Apple and will remain that way unless there is a better option. It's not Android, WP, and definitely not BlackBerry 10.

MasterofPuppets agrees, adding great hardware needs great software to make it shine:

Doesn't matter how good the hardware is if the OS lags. Hardware specs mean nothing. It's all about useability. iOS runs like butter, Android lags (it's better with Jellybean, but still not as fluid). I had an HTC One XL, and although the hardware was awesome, Jelly Bean still lagged even though I had it running a custom rom and kernel.... and it was overclocked. I am sticking with Apple.

cardfan has a different perspective, worrying about the bigger screen gap:

It's absolutely unbelievable [Apple doesn't] have a bigger screened branded iPhone launching this year. Sure, it could come next year but that's an awful long time to concede that space to the competition. A retina plus 4.8" iPhone could make the HTC One or Galaxy S 4 look silly. It would only be a band-aid for what is really hurting Apple but it would be a well placed one that could help give them time or at least right the marketing ship.

jvernwald is concerned about battery life and build quality

I find myself becoming bored with my phone within a few months so, I'm constantly bartering and swapping to find my next device. I must say that I have never really been impressed with Samsung phones. I've owned the Galaxy S 2, Note and Galaxy S 3 just to name a few of the many. My largest complaint with all of these devices (and possibly just Android in general) is battery life... I've not owned the iPhone 5 but would like to. I read the posts on here about battery life and wonder if I'll actually see a difference. When it comes to gizmos and gadgets I would have to say that Samsung is really trying to stay ahead of Apple with limited success. Apple and the iPhone are known for their quality of build. Sadly, the same can't be said about the plastic, cheap feel of Samsung phones. Who knows, maybe I'll hold the Galaxy S 4 in my hand and decide it's the perfect device for me! Or maybe not.

Personally, I just love new devices and I'm always trying them out, regardless of OS or manufacturer. There are a lot of factors to consider, however. If you live in the Apple ecosystem with your Mac computer, iPad and iPhone, and you're used to using iTunes to manage your media, iMessage to avoid SMS fees with international friends, and you've spent a lot of money on apps and games, Apple has you right where they want you.

On the other hand, if you are not heavily invested in Apple products, you can switch around far more easily. Take it from me, if you are considering the switch to a device such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, stop and consider all the pros and cons, and if there are no deal breakers, then by all means give the Galaxy S 4 a chance. It looks to be a powerhouse of a device. If you do have concerns, though, jump into the iMore forums and get into the discussion. We'll help you make the best, most informed descision possible!

leaving iOS for Android and more specifically, the Samsung Galaxy S4

Weekend iPad Wallpapers: Guinness!

Posted: 17 Mar 2013 09:58 AM PDT

It's March 17, St. Patrick's Day. Of course today's iPad wallpaper pick is in keeping with this auspicious day.

Guinness. Nothing says St. Patties Day more than a beautiful draught pint that's always worth waiting for.

I found this image of two pints of Guinness at pickywallpapers.com – and it looks almost as good as the real thing on my iPad home and lock screens. Here's the original for those of you who have thirsty iPads: