Showing posts with label iPhone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iPhone. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Perils of Face Time

I recently upgraded my iPhone to version 4 (not the version with Suri) and have been loving the new experience. However, one feature that I haven't even been tempted to try is FaceTime. Hell, I don't even like talking on the phone, much less doing it via video.

The FaceTime thing always reminds me of a wonderful riff from Infinite Jest where DFW details the quick rise and demise of video phones. Money quote:
The answer, in a kind of trivalent nutshell, is: (1) emotional stress, (2) physical vanity, and (3) a certain queer kind of self-obliterating logic in the microeconomics of consumer high-tech.
The whole section needs to be read in its entirety - it's easily one of the best portions of that over-long, frustrating, fascinating book - but you can read a brief  excerpt at kottke.org here.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

An App, Improved

After my AllSportGPS rant the other day, I learned that a new version was forthcoming. It's out now, optimized for the OS4, and I have to say that it's a big improvement. My runs and walks are no longer being marred with long periods of "resting" when I was in fact moving. The GPS lock even seems to be quicker, which is extremely nice. In addition, the save to the database appears to be faster as well.

The one thing I have noticed is that you still can't hit play before the GPS lock and expect the app to start recording as soon as the GPS lock is achieved. If you do this, you need to hit "lap" to refresh the app and then it will start recording your movement; otherwise, it's another resting period. Also, one new feature that I won't be using is the ability to upload activities to Twitter or Facebook. It's a nice feature if you're into that, but personally I think it's oversharing along the lines of people who clutter up your News Feed with MafiaWars or Farmville moves.

Having said that, the bottom line is that an app that wasn't working for me at all has been resurrected, so I can now capture my running distances and times, which is why I bought it in the first place. Nice work.