Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The Southern Apps

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  • Kim Sokolich,

    Moroccan roll...

    That upside-down-bass player is one funky disguised dude. At least I assume he's a dude...

    Since Oct 2008 • 47 posts Report Reply

  • HORansome,

    My source at Renaissance tells me that the version of Keynote on the iPad was a bit of a rush job (it is incompatible with certain features of Keynote 09) and that it will get updated and we will see an improved presenters screen.

    Tāmaki Makaurau • Since Sep 2008 • 441 posts Report Reply

  • Kim Sokolich,

    Ok, maybe not upside down but definitely a smooth player.

    Since Oct 2008 • 47 posts Report Reply

  • nothingelseon,

    Speaking of things Southern, I'm recommending this very good analysis of "the Dunedin sound and the myth of isolation" from the excellent Mysterex site.

    ^^This. It really is an excellent read

    Welling-Town • Since Mar 2008 • 38 posts Report Reply

  • Don Christie,

    I didn't find it that big a deal, really.

    Well, Apple think jailbreaking is a big deal. They tried to persuade Congress that it was. Now they claim it is a breach of copyright, patent law and anything else they can throw at you.

    But, you keep presenting this to punters as "not a big deal". Why?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1645 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    "Irritating"..."little"...?

    Just what are you willing to sacrifice to the bonfire of Apple gagetisation?

    I can show presentations, web browsing, YouTube (in a nice dedicated app), photos, etc, etc, on a second screen or projector -- it's trivially easy for developers to support mirroring, if they want to -- but the OS doesn't do it at home screen level.

    This is really only a problem if you want to demonstrate the use of the iPad itself -- how fast apps launch, that sort of thing. There may be a good reason for this, but it's not apparent to me.

    So yes, "little" and "irritating" are appropriate.

    and really, yet another Apple review? Come on Russell, you're better than this.

    Don, I was actually interested to see how they'd worked a professional presentation application into a multi-touch UI, so I committed myself to trying it out. As it was, it was a mixed bag, but given that I basically taught myself to use it while I was working, quite impressive. Multi-touch is a great way to resize and move objects, and I was quite struck by how focused I got on the work.

    I should probably read a Help file some time, and train my stubby little fingers better with the copy-and-paste skills (and compared to a mouse, it does require skill), but I wrote my comment above in the front seat of the taxi home from the airport. I've never done that with a laptop.

    But really, Don, why so angry? I conveyed my impressions of the device when I got it, and now I've road-tested it with a content-creation job. I hardly think that's reason for you to be despairing of my character.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    But, you keep presenting this to punters as "not a big deal". Why?

    For goodness sake Don, calm down read the comment again. SteveH and I were discussing the decision to have the iPad act as a remote when Keynote is in play mode, rather than simply mirror. It's probably not the best design decision, but I don't see that it's evil or anything.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • SteveH,

    I didn't find it that big a deal, really.

    Well, Apple think jailbreaking is a big deal. They tried to persuade Congress that it was. Now they claim it is a breach of copyright, patent law and anything else they can throw at you.

    But, you keep presenting this to punters as "not a big deal". Why?

    Misinterpret Russell's words much? He's talking about the limitations of Keynote and you've taken those words as a defense of Apple's arbitrary restrictions. Of course a lot of people would like iOS to be a more open platform. But I'm certain that the vast majority of users don't really care, just as they don't care that they can't hack their Wii/PS3.

    Since Sep 2009 • 444 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Call me picky, but I prefer a platform where of there's a functionality hole, users can fix it by coding, not obsequies.

    Of course, open cellphones will take down the network. My Android did only last week. Didn't you notice the smoke?

    Rooting (technical term, heh) your smartphone in breach of its EULA to achieve extra functionality or application support was recently deemed to be not a breach of US law, but it's still a breach of the EULA, and still requires a jailbreak. Here's a list of licence-breaching hacks for a variety of Android phones. They're not open in the sense that a PC is, at all.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • HORansome,

    Believe me, the fact that I can't hack the micro-controller on my microwave to do other than it's lockdowned task really gets on my nerves.

    Tāmaki Makaurau • Since Sep 2008 • 441 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    My source at Renaissance tells me that the version of Keynote on the iPad was a bit of a rush job (it is incompatible with certain features of Keynote 09) and that it will get updated and we will see an improved presenters screen.

    Yeah, that makes sense. I think there are a couple of glitches with PDF support in it too.

    I was impressed that they were able to ship the whole iWorks suite so soon. It's not just a port, it's a rewrite for a new device and seriously different UI.

    I think one of the problems with the UI is that you can't festoon the top of your screen with menus (and you wouldn't want to), so you have to provide other ways of accessing features, and users are obliged to learn some new skills to get at them. Tap and tap-and-briefly-hold are different actions with different results, and it takes a little while to get used to that.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    SteveH and I were discussing the decision to have the iPad act as a remote when Keynote is in play mode, rather than simply mirror. It's probably not the best design decision, but I don't see that it's evil or anything.

    If there is a circle of hell for this heinous crime, I'm sure it's still several rungs farther from the bottom than the one where the designer of PowerPoint is going to be spending eternity.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • Shaun Lott,

    does seem to understate the problem. It is a mysterious and apparently deliberate defect that makes even Apple's own software essentially useless for the task it was designed for: not even Keynote will show the slide on both screen and Pad.

    Actually, that's not correct at all. Any app can support mirroring and plenty do. The browser app I also used yesterday even did the nice trick of not showing the virtual keyboard on the second screen while I was typing URLs into the browser window on the iPad.

    It's just that they decided in Keynote to make the iPad act as the remote control rather than presenter's monitor. I did n't find it that big a deal, really.

    OK, I stand corrected! The Keynote implementation still sucks IMHO. In a big lecture theatre where the screen is above and behind the presenter, you absolutely need to be able to see on screen what is being projected. Isn't this mode of operation implied by providing a 'virtual laser pointer'? So I did find this a big deal for using the Pad as a presentation tool. I was pretty bummed actually, as I'd paid the money for Keynote and $50 for the dock-to-VGA adaptor. Is there a keynote replacement app out there that does support screen mirroring? In other aspects the iPad is a great little machine - excellent for the PDF annotation jobs I had in mind when I bought it: Aji iAnnotate is great for that task.

    Waitakere • Since Aug 2009 • 113 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    I'm sure it's still several rungs farther from the bottom than the one where the designer of PowerPoint is going to be spend eternity.

    The powerpoint dude is well above whoever designed Microsoft Word's 'save as html' feature. Only useful for unembedding images from word docs I've found.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • giovanni tiso,

    I find it invaluable when writing my blog, I must confess.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report Reply

  • recordari,

    If there is a circle of hell for this heinous crime, I'm sure it's still several rungs farther from the bottom than the one where the designer of PowerPoint is going to be spend eternity.

    A Faust App?

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report Reply

  • Brenda Leeuwenberg,

    Friday Fabulousness from the mid-90s. Get your SuperGroove on this weekend!

    ...

    Ah stink, can't even embed my own videos :(

    Friday fail from me - so go here for some groovin'! http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/you-gotta-know-1994

    Wellington • Since Oct 2008 • 41 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen,

    Believe me, the fact that I can't hack the micro-controller on my microwave to do other than it's lockdowned task really gets on my nerves.

    I SO want to hack our microwave. The uh person who designed it thought it would be a great feature to have the microwave beep when it finishes cooking, fine, then they had the idea that a reminder beep a minute later would be good ... ok I accept that. But then they thought well we should just leave the microwave beeping once a minute forever until the user opens the door - at this point yes I do want to hack my microwave.

    Either that or I want 5 minutes alone in a dark alley with the designer of that feature ...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Bart Janssen,

    Sadly I saw the title of the post and thought Russell had found some cool app designers or designers of cool apps on the other island.

    Still haven't found the perfect iPad game

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Is there a keynote replacement app out there that does support screen mirroring?

    Using PDFs with GoodReader seems like a reasonable alternative.

    I haven't tried 2Screens, but it claims to support Keynote files (along with many others), which would seem to solve your problem. It's also a web browser. It'll cost ya $6.49 though ;-)

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Shaun Lott,

    Using PDFs with GoodReader seems like a reasonable alternative.

    Thanks for the tips - I'll try it out. Good Reader claims to render iWork files too, so we'll see how that goes...

    Waitakere • Since Aug 2009 • 113 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Microwave hacks, in order of try-at-homeness:

    - measure the power output by heating a known volume of water
    and calculating from the temperature rise

    - place matchheads wrapped in silver foil inside and make micro ball lightning

    - remove personal information stored on chipped passports and the like

    - defeat the door circuits and build an aluminium foil waveguide to heat stuff from a distance.

    (posted from my firewalled work desktop, tethered to an Android).

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • JackElder,

    Wellington • Since Mar 2008 • 709 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Ah stink, can't even embed my own videos :(

    Gah. That's ridiculous, I agree -- why has it never occurred to either of us before?

    Let's have our developers talk to your developers and get NZ on Screen supported in our player so people can paste in your videos.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    I've been on Orcon's Purple+ at my new home for a couple of months now, and absolutely love the speed (we're training at 20Mb/s, and getting nearly all of it at the desktop), but am really disappointed that the O-zone appears to have stagnated in the 15 months since it was launched. The launch partners are still the only content providers involved, despite there being many, many sources of streaming media and large, legitimate downloads around NZ.

    Happily, the news is that NZ On Screen is joining the O-zone.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

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