Image by Roman Reisenberger via Flickr

I have been traditionally distracted by the Football (Soccer) World Cup over the the last couple of weeks, and of course a new job.  So that is why there has been a lack of posts on TBL.  And how bad is the timing with all the tech news going on at the moment. You have to admit that I have done a good job to ignore it all, but it may just be the lack of sleep.

One thing that I could not ignore was the release of iOS4 for the iPhone 3GS.  Now I was a little late to the party in getting it, but that just meant that I didn't have to compete with the rest of the world to get the uber-large download.  So Now that I have had a few weeks working with the new OS, here are 5 things that I like.

1. The Camera

If you have used the iPhone's camera app, you know that it could get a bit slow.  Slow in the way that once you hit the button it seem to take an age for the shutter animation.  Well, they have fixed that in iOS4, plus they have given 3GS Zoom.  The first time I took a photo after the update, I missed it.  They have sped up the speed of taking a photo considerably which improves the app, and the camera no end.

This is one of those smallish things that Apple seem to do just to try and improve the user experience.  The previous camera app worked well, but in a way that so many phone makers don't, Apple shows that they are focused on the platform rather than the money.  If the platform seems more up to-date and punchy then stick with it, and the money follows.  Most of the old school mobile phone manufacturers would use such a update as a feature on new hardware.

2. Folders

I have read a few negative things about the Folders feature on iOS4, but as I haven't had access or used a Folders feature on phone, for Apps, I was coming into this with fresh eyes.  I kind of like it.  Once I worked out how to use it, and really I was looking for a more complicated implementation, I had one of those "why didn't they do this in the first place" moments.

I have cut my 9 pages down to 2 and found the Apps side of the iPhone usable again.  I have to admit that I was losing the Apps vs organisation war.  Now though I can find or at least organise my "organise your life Apps".  The restriction on the number of Apps per folder is kind of silly, but I guess it would be just as annoying if I had to scroll to find Apps, so I'll give them that one. Also it would be nice to just make folders, rather than having to have 2 spare Apps to rub together.  But I guess the process makes folders a bit more straight forward for the non-techie, which is the iPhone's market.

3. Wallpapers

This may just be the theme geek in me but one of the things that always annoyed me about the iPhone is the lack of customisation of the interface.  Now to be fair, the interface has always been part of the success of the iPhone.  But I like a change every now and again, and simple things like the wallpaper and colours shouldn't be a big deal right?

Well I get half my wish, because as we know, Apple knows best.  I can now have a wallpaper or photo on my unlock screen, and a different, or same, wallpaper or photo on my home screen.  It may not sound like much, but it is a step in the right direction.

4. SMS Counter

This is just a small thing but often the most useful things are, and that is a ability to turn on a counter to track the length of SMS's.  Settings -> Messages -> Turn on "Character Count", and after a 20 or 50 characters you will get a count down.  It is one way to get that stressful Twitter feeling while messaging.

5. Performance

Now you may take this next feature or leave it.  I wasn't going to put it in, but it has been such a noticeable part of my iOS4 experience so far that it had to be mentioned.  You may wonder why I'm not talking about Multi-tasking in this post.  That is because I have talked about my feelings on Multi-tasking here.  And really there hasn't yet been any good Multi-tasking Apps, for Australia at least.  So as the Multi-tasking has been a bit of a non-event, the performance change I have noticed is worth talking about.

It may be just the fact that it has been freshly installed that gives my iPhone 3GS a boost, but I have to say that the whole phone has felt much sharper.  Even with the new transitions, multi-tasking, and the older hardware, I find the iOS4 experience to be a lot better than I was expecting.  In this day and age, getting a good experience on older hardware is a plus.

The overall here is that Apple has continued to move forward with their new way of doing the mobile device/phone platform.  Even though the older hardware has fallen by the wayside, Apple has proved once again that simplifying and standardizing their offerings is the way to success.

And maybe Microsoft have woken up to this with their recent axing of the Kin.

I think it has to be said that the iPhone, iOS and Android platform are proof that we are moving away from the one device, short term mobile market.  And shifting to a "Long tail" strategy where the platforms and even the devices need to be seen as evolving, instead of through away.  This is something that Apple seems to have right, but Android may need to settle down its install base to perfect.  Android can take iOS if only it can give the consumer confidence that they can get the best version, and be supported.

Jason Remnant

...if it isn't Broken, speed up the camera App.