Recently I decided to give my dedicated Garmin GPS to my girlfriend, seeing as she would use it a lot more than me, but I still needed to have sort of navigation system for myself, so I decided to start looking what the appstore has to offer. There are quite a decent number of GPS titles available, but NDrive was the most popular navigation app in the SA appstore. I got hold of a review copy and here are my impressions.
At $69 it is slightly cheaper than equivalant products from TomTom and Navigon, and so far I am very impressed. The interface is decent, and the routing is accurate. I have been driving with it for the past few weeks and the maps seem pretty up to date. Have to say, being a mapping company in SA cannot be easy at the moment - with all the construction going on for the World Cup, roads changes are very frequent. Luckily, NDrive worked fine everywhere I drove, and I only once drove on a road that it did not know of. Much better than the latest Garmin mapsets.
Graphics within the app is very decent, with a nice frame rate while you are driving (I was used to Garmin GPS's which only updated frames once a second, and that was a high end unit). The app also functions perfectly in both landscape or portrait orientation. My guess is most people will prefer the landscape orientation - it just suits the display of routes better.
While the accuracy of the GPS was a little off at first, it became better once I put it underneath the windscreen - I guess the iPhone does not have the most powerful GPS chip. Talking about power - I was surprised that the battery did last a bit longer than I expected, especially compared to using Google Maps on your phone. The major difference of course is that with Google Maps the phone is constantly downloading map info. For longer journeys I do recommend getting a car charger however, and maybe a cradle as well.
Driving instructions were slightly more frequent than on the Garmin - it keeps on making sure that you "keep left" or "keep right" even if the highway clearly has a turnoff, and you are heading straight. While some might find it annoying, I found it handy on a recent trip to Gauteng, where I had no idea where I was.
Finding addresses or POI's is easy enough on the app. It functions similiar to other apps - I found that it was pretty up to date, and I could easily find restaurants, banks, etc. Route calculation is quick as well. What I did like is that route deviations can be easily entered - by clicking the green button on the left, you can inform the app of roadblocks, and it it will quickly recalculate. "Safety" camera warnings are also given clearly - it also prominently displays the speed limit on the screen. The user can also enter a speed at which it should give a warning beep. So if you have a heavy foot, that might come in handy.
One point of criticisim I have for the app is the use of its own keybaord, instead of the iPhone keyboard. While it is perfectly functional, I do prefer having some consistency in apps. I spoke to the guys at NDrive, and supposedly they are working on integrating the iPhone keyboard in a future update. NDrive is also a much better product when used on a iPhone 3GS - the extra RAM makes everything a lot smoother. If you are using it on a iPhone 3G I recommend you use a memory management tool to first clear the device RAM, then it is quick as well.
Music that you want to play through your iPhone has to be selected beforehand, and tracks will then need to be changed with the "double click the home button" method. If you need to change the playlist, you need to exit NDrive, change the music, then reopen NDrive. NDrive will then give you the option to just resume your previous navigation. This is more of limitation of the platform rather than the app however.
Overall I am very impressed by NDrive - despite the limitations that the iPhone platform presents, the app is well rounded and easy to use. As a primary GPS device I think the iPhone has become powerful enough to replace the dedicated GPS unit - yes there are caveats, but nothing beats the conveniance of have having of not having to carry another device with you. As Richard Mulholland puts it - the cellphone has truly become the perfect predator - it just keeps on eating dedicated devices...
PS: I have one copy of NDrive to give away. Valued at $69 it is worth quite a bit as well. What I want from you is to give your best single tip for a South African iPhone user. It can be anything - accessories, apps to download, tips and tricks. It should only be one single tip... As long as it has a specific use for a South African... (also, dont copy other people's tips, it wont fly. So if you have a good tip, and you are first to post it, then you are eligible) Competition ends 21 November at 12:00.
Update: Well done edwinwatson - you win the app. Thanks for the tip!
After my recent iPhone failure, I have realized that keeping your iPhone in a decent case is almost mandatory. Vodacom scruntinizes every phone that has problems – even the smallest scratch can result in them refusing to repair your phone. The fact of the matter is that a iPhone is still a phone – I do think that Vodacom might perhaps be a bit stringent on some cases. Having a scratch on the back of an iPhone is not abuse in my opinion.
Well, rather safe than sorry right? The best cases for iPhone I have come across include the following:
Speck Candyshell: Yes, this is the best iPhone case bar none. It uses a clever enclosure that has semi hardshell on the outside, and a soft silicone inside. It fits the iPhone very tightly, and the best part is that it looks really good on the phone. The older generation Candyshell came in some silly colours which was not really my style (Watermelon pink en white?), but the new generation ones do look a little more neutral which come in plain white or black amongst other. Call me boring, but I like my phone in a neutral colour. Only one downside to the Candyshell – the headphone hole can be slightly small, which gives problems with some headphones. Not a biggy, but it could not fit my car audio system's aux in plug.
Bone Cases: KNR Flatrock have now started importing these cases as an alternative to iSkin cases, which are quite expensive. These Bone cases are much better priced than iSkin, and they are of very good quality. While it does not ooze the quality of the iSkin cases, it does look like very good value. One of the cases I reviewed is called the Wrap, which have a integrated clip for coiling your headphones on. Not really my cup of tea (I don’t carry headphones everywhere), but you might find something like that handy. They make a few other cool cases as well - like the Wave. What I like about Bone cases are that they are slightly thinner - so if you are bothered by cases that make your phone too big, these are the ones to go for.
They go for about R199 at Look and Listen.]
OSIR Carbon case: This is one strange case. These cases are made by the same people who make actual carbon fibre aftermarket parts for cars, and yeah, the case is pricey. $59 in fact. The case is beautiful, light, and made very well. It clips onto the back of the phone, very firmly. When on the phone, it looks like the iPhone has a carbon rear. And therein lies its biggest problem – it has no protection for the front of the phone. And that is a deal breaker. The case is more form than function. (Image: jabella)
On Wednesday morning I headed over to the Nokia The Way we Live Next event in Cape Town. Richard Mulholland did an excellent job of explaining the current mobile landscape. During the presentation a few things were highlighted that really did make me think. Needless to say, the topic soon shifted to that other company who has a fruity name. No, not the Canadian guys.
Nokia was started many years ago, but only stepped into the cellular business in the last 2 decades, with a simple mission. They wanted to put phone in every person's hand. They went about this is by creating specialized handsets for every person's needs. For example, one person might want a big screen, another might need a qwerty keyboard. And this has evidently worked out very well for them.
What has however happened in the last 3 years is that the era of the very powerful hardware with custom software is fading away quickly. We are seeing a shift towards the phone as a platform, more than a focus on hardware (when is the last time you worried about how many megapixels your phone has?). People are interested not only in what the phone can do, but more significantly, what the phone might be able to do in future.
Buyers of the future do not want to be bombarded with 50 different phone models in a cellphone brochure. They want the phone that has the most potential. Case in point - in 2007 the two most notable phones that were released on the market was the Nokia N95 and the original, non 3G, iPhone. At that point in time, the N95 was streets ahead in terms of hardware (except maybe for the screen). Take a look at this 2 years later. The N95 has lost the attention of Nokia, and you are pretty much expected to have upgraded to something newer by this point. Not so much the case with the iPhone. Apple has continually upgraded the phone up until today. True, it might not have the features of the newer iPhones, but its value has increased over time, and the device is much, much more powerful than the day you might have bought it. Before the iPhone, this idea of a phone as a continually upgrading platform was unheard of. Now why would Apple keep updating the software of phones it has stopped making?
Richard made an excellent point - up to now, cellphone manufacturers considered buyers of the phone as the most important part of a successful business strategy. What has now happened is that buyers are still important, but there is a certain group of people who makes or breaks your phone these days - developers. If your phone is OS is difficult to develop for, there will be a lack of apps, which will lead to a lack of sales, seeing as the cellphone as a platform is what is important to buyers these days. If the platform is easy to develop for, developers will rush to be part of it. Phone manufacturers of the future must start looking at other forms of revenue - true, smaller, better, cooler looking phones will always sell, but the revenue models for manufacturers will now change. They will make their money by sharing the income generated by applications. It is for this very reason that Apple has now officially taken over Nokia in terms of handset profits.
While I dont expect Nokia to shift away from Symbian, I do see Maemo becoming their more sacred OS. If they can keep the number of devices running Maemo low, while making it affordable as well, they might very well have a real chance at giving the iPhone a go. Developers might like to develop for the iPhone, but the backlash in terms of Apple's padlock is starting to happen. The developer of Facebook for iPhone (which is arguably the most popular app on the phone) has publicly stated he has given up his efforts with the iPhone. These developers that have grown tired of Apple will want to develop for something else - so far it looks like Maemo and Android will be the eager candidates. Android already has the slight disadvantage in that soon there will be too many variations of models that run the OS out there. While the "openness" of Android is great, every manufacturer of Android phones want to create a differentiator in their product line, which leads to more variations that developers have to cater for. Hopefully Nokia will keep the Maemo OS on only a few devices, with a hopefully generic hardware set (same resolutions, relatively similiar capabilities).
At the recent Nokia "The Way We Live Next" event, I got the chance to play around with some new models that are coming. Here are some of my impressions:
Nokia N900:
Nokia N97 Mini:
Just a smaller version of the N97. Nothing to write home about - I never really thought the N97 was oversized, so its difficult to understand why this model was made.
Nokia X6:
Nokia E72:
Nokia Booklet 3G:
iPhone repair/replacement in South Africa is shocking (Updated 4 November)
02 Nov 2009
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Lets face it - we live in a Beta culture where we are used to things not working, and we have almost become content with it. No matter what advertising tells us, the gadgets we use are designed to have a functional life of only a few years, after which we will inevitably replace it. Sometime however, duds fall into the production line of modern devices, and then we as buyers have to go through the entire process of getting a replacement unit. The fact of the matter is that it should be as much effort as it is.
Recently my iPhone 3GS has started to show some weird symptoms - the phone would suddenly become slow, after which it will become very warm to touch. After becoming unresponsive I had to reboot the phone, only to realise that it only reboots after around ten reboots. Something was clearly wrong. So then I did the recommended full restore of the phone, which made the phone work for another day. However, its music library did not index its files, and again, the phone overheated and froze up.
So Saturday 24 October I took the phone to Vodacare Canal Walk, and they booked the phone in. They checked for marks and damage (there was luckily absolutely none) and gave me my job number. Here is my first problem - I had a Invisible Shield on the phone (which costs around R200 at Vodashops) and obviously I cannot remove the film on the device. They said they will reimburse me for the film - but I have a feeling they wont hold up their end of the deal. Their policy is to return / replace the phone within 7 workdays. They also had no loaner phones.
After a technician looked at the phone, I got an SMS on Monday 26 October to tell me the phone is being sent to Vodacom head office. Since then I have not heard anything. Nothing. I had to phone them to enquire what is going on today, and they had not ETA for when my phone will be back. They could not confirm that the phone is being replaced - in fact they did not know what is going on with my phone, or where it is in their system. If I buy a very expensive phone on which I rely every day, I expect Vodacom to at least communicate to me where the phone is, and know what is happening with the phone.
The reason why I am writing this post is that I believe we deserve better service. In the rest of the world, iPhones get replaced on the spot, no questions asked. No reason to send it away, no possible repair. As someone who spends a lot of money with Vodacom, I believe the way they handle these iPhone repairs are poor. Part of the reason people pay more for Apple products is the improved after sales service. Once again, this is only true outside of South Africa.
Update: I posted this on HelloPeter as well. So far Vodacom has replied with a generic "thanks for your feedback" message. Lets see if they come back to me.
Update 4 Nov: Today I got an SMS from Vodacom telling me the phone has been repaired and is back at Vodacare Canal Walk. I phoned them asking what they repaired - they said they updated the software. Just to clarify - the phone was running the latest software when I sent it in. I also explicitly asked Vodacare to contact me when a technician has the phone - I wanted to explain to him that a firmware restore works, but the phone stops functioning a while later. Needless to say, they did NOT phone me, and simply did a firmware restore (just like I did) and sent it back.
I will now have to pick up the phone again, and if I have the same problem send it again. Then I will have to wait another ten days for another repaired/replacement phone.
Vodacom - you clearly do not have support structures in place for the iPhone. If you have to send a iPhone up to head office, just to do a software update (which I have done already), you might want to look at getting better technicians.
Say goodbye to expensive GPS apps (updated with Garmin and Tomtom's reaction)
28 Oct 2009
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Well this is good news. Today Google showed off their new Google Maps Navigation app for the Android 2.0 release. It looks brilliant, and the interface blows other GPS's out of the water. The features read like a wishlist of a brilliant GPS, but typical of Google, they are making it available for free. Here are some of the new features as described on Google's site:
The most recent map and business data
When you use Google Maps Navigation, your phone automatically gets the most up-to-date maps and business listings from Google Maps — you never need to buy map upgrades or update your device. And this data is continuously improving, thanks to users who report maps issues and businesses who activate their listings with Google Local Business Center.
Search in plain English
Google Maps Navigation brings the speed, power and simplicity of Google search to your car. If you don't know the address you're looking for, don't worry. Simply enter the name of a business, a landmark or just about anything into the search box, and Google will find it for you. Then press "Navigate", and you're on your way.
Search by voice
Typing on a phone can be difficult, especially in the car, so with Google Maps Navigation, you can say your destination instead. Hold down the search button to activate voice search, then tell your phone what you want to do (like "Navigate to Pike Place in Seattle"), and navigation will start automatically.
Traffic view
Google Maps Navigation gets live traffic data over the Internet. A traffic indicator light in the corner of the screen glows green, yellow or red, depending on the current traffic conditions along your route. If there's a jam ahead of you, you'll know. To get more details, tap the light to zoom out to an aerial view showing traffic speeds and incidents ahead. And if the traffic doesn't look good, you can choose an alternate route.
Search along route
For those times when you're already on the road and need to find a business, Google Maps Navigation searches along your route to give you results that won't take you far from your path. You can search for a specific business by name or by type, or you can turn on popular layers, such as gas stations, restaurants or parking.
Satellite view
Google Maps Navigation uses the same satellite imagery as Google Maps on the desktop to help you get to your destination. Turn on the satellite layer for a high-resolution, 3D view of your upcoming route. Besides looking cool, satellite view can help you make sense of complicated maneuvers.
Street View
If you want to know what your next turn looks like, double-tap the map to zoom into Street View, which shows the turn as you'll see it, with your route overlaid. And since locating an address can sometimes be tricky, we'll show you a picture of your destination as you approach the end of your route, so you'll know exactly what to look for.
So far, the only issue I can see with the new Google Navigation app is the apparent data costs - the maps will most probably not be stored on the device, and in countries which do not have uncapped 3G services, this app can cost a lot to run. (Updated: while it does need an internet connection, it does cache the entire route beforehand.) Also, it will only work where there is reception... Please Google, cater for other countries than the US and make maps storable on the device?
Updated: Watch Garmin and Tomtom's stock price drop after the announcement of Google's new navigation features. Well, you guys knew this day was coming. After years of buying map updates from Garmap, I am pretty tired of paying for map updates.... Well Tomtom and Garmin can just drop the prices of their maps and apps to stay relevant.
While I want to disagree with Apple on this ad (Windows 7 is absolutely brilliant), their logic is quite flawless. I would like to think that Microsoft might just prove everyone wrong and this might be a relatively bug free release of Windows though. Apple's Snow Leopard's initial reviews were good, but the bugs are starting to appear, especially one major one that actually erases a user's entire account. Now THAT is a showstopper. Might want to first look at yourself Apple...
Me, Saul Kropman, Gary Meyer and Marc Forrest decided to start up a Apple orientated podcast catering for South Africa. This week we take a look at locally developed iPhone apps, buying a new Mac, the relevancy of the Mac mini and Apple TV in South Africa as well as a few hints and tips for your Mac. We hope you enjoy it, and look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions.
You can listen to it here,or you can subscribe to it in iTunes here.
Some of the tips and tricks we speak about in this episode is RadioPod, Perian, easy removal of icons in menu bar, a great free virtual machine software package called Virtual Box and the best iPhone Apps of the week.
- mac:about Team.
At last Google Maps has gained the ability to provide directions in South Africa! This small but very significant feature was always missing for South African maps. A while back I wrote that hopefully the 2010 World Cup will bring this functionality soon enough, and thankfully here it is now. It is currently available on the Google Maps website, but also on mobile platforms like the iPhone and Android. Here you can see it in action on my iPhone. The interface is simple enough, and the guidelines are clear, turn by turn. No voice navigation though, but its still great. It integrates neatly with your contact's addresses as well.
Of course the website is even more powerful - here is a screenshot:
PS: To my overseas readers, sorry that I get so giddy about something so small. We South Africans are not used to it yet - we had to rely on dedicated GPS devices or expensive add on software to get this functionality.
Every now and then I come across one or other gadget that I cannot help but wonder why they are not more popular. Many people living in SA have developed an almost paranoid like sense of their surroundings which is frankly very stressful. Therefore we invest in expensive home security systems, constantly locking up everything around us which has become entrenched in our lives. In fact, it is kind of difficult to believe the stories like "when I was young we left the key in the car..." etc.
I decided to test out Doberman's computer focused alarms which are very handy for paranoid people like me. The Laptop Defender attaches onto your laptop lid by adhesive, and then you activate them to start sensing sudden movements (like someone snatching your computer). You set up your own security code and simply press ARM and then your alarm is armed. Easy enough. A blinking light warns you that it is armed, and also moving the notebook will cause the alarm to quickly warn you with a loud beep. I think the Laptop defender is ideal for people who often use their computers in public places - for example, if you frequent airport lounges often, it now enables you to leave your laptop at your table to go get a snack. If someone snatches your laptop, a piercing alarm goes off which will of course attract attention. It seems like the Laptop Defender works better on a solid surface like a table. I tried to use it while the laptop was on my lap, but I got a warning after a while. While it is sensitive, it would not go off just by someone typing on the machine for example.
The Laptop Defender charges with USB - I have no idea how long the battery lasts, but I have used it quite often in the last few weeks and so far the battery is still fine.
In the manual they warn you that the alarm can create hearing damage - I would say that is a valid concern. In testing I let it go off in my office - my ears sang (is that the right term?) for the next few minutes. It will definitely attract a lot of attention if someone is running with this alarm going off...
Both of these products seem to be built very sturdily, and the Briefcase Alarm actually looks pretty decent as well with a leather finish loop which attaches to your bag. If you are someone who travels a lot or uses their laptop in public often, it is indeed a very good buy, especially at the price.
The Laptop Defender is currently going for around R350 and the Briefcase alarm for about R250.
Even though I think iPhone has the best user interface of any smartphone out there (although Android comes close), it really needs to rethink its home/idle screens. If there is one thing I dont think is great, is that the iPhone does not use a today screen which can easily show relevant up to the minute info on the homescreen. I do not want to unlock, and then check each app just to see what is up. While I am not fond of the Nokia N97 widget interface, I do like the idea that teehan+lax came up with. Apple please take note:
iPhone OS 4.0 maybe?
PS: As @henre has pointed out, this is pretty close to the Windows Mobile today screen. Agreed.
Recently a Lenovo netbook I use had a sudden hard drive failure, and the drive was not properly backed up. The drive would still spin up, but I could not get it to boot up into Windows. So what to do?
So next I opened up the netbook and removed the SATA hard drive inside. From there I plugged it into a USB to SATA interface (you can use any external SATA enclosure as well). When I connected the hard drive Windows refused to open the filesystem simply telling me that the drive is corrupt. So then I had to somehow get a method of opening the filesystem (the drive was physically damaged after all).
So after looking around for a decent file system recovery application I came to a realisation - most file system repair software on the internet is total and utter crap. All of them basically do the same thing, yet most of them insist on using malware type practices that keep nagging you when you finally install the software.
Luckily I came accross Paragon Rescue Kit Express. It is completely free (no strings attached) and the software simply burns itself onto a bootable CD. You will of course need more than one drive to copy all the recovered data on. Once you boot up the disc, a simple interface just requests which files you wish to recover, and then it effortlessly goes about its business. I recovered the entire hard drive with any issues whatsover.
To all the other companies who use unethical methods to get me to buy your software (for example, fooling me by saying the software is free when it is not, and then badgering me once it is installed), shame on you.
After all of this effort I decided it was time to switch the netbook to Windows 7 - good move. Read further about that here.
PS: No, no one payed me to talk about Paragon - their software solution was simply the only proper application I could find, and thus I recommend it wholeheartedly. Also thanks to Craig Nicholson for the tip.
Yesterday my Lenovo S10e harddrive became corrupted for some strange reason, which gave me a chance to to finally install Windows 7 on it - I am done with Windows XP. Anybody who helps out friends and family with computer issues will tell you these days the computers that seem to get all the virusses, malware, corrupted disks, etc are all on that little OS we call Windows XP. Say what you want about Windows Vista, XP is where the real problem lies.
While its nothing new to install Windows 7 on a netbook, the process of installing Windows without an optical drive is quite a process up to now. Typically a user had to use the command prompt and go through a long process of making the flash disk bootable as a pseudo DVD.
WintoFlash luckily comes to the rescue - and the process could not be easier. Download the app and run it. From there choose the optical disc you want to transfer to the flash disk (You obviously need something roomy, like a 4GB+ size) and WintoFlash does the rest. It formats and makes the flash disk bootable and transfers all the setup files.
WintoFlash is also handy should you need to install Windows on to a lot of machines - installs go much, much quicker than from a DVD. It also works with a variety of Windows versions, not only 7.
So far I am very, very happy with Windows 7 on the Lenovo netbook. It is a standard s10e model but with 2Gig RAM. Performance is snappy enough, and so far I cannot see how people will stick to Windows XP once 7 is out, even if they run netbooks. Only small issue is that the 1024x600 somehow feels more cramped with the wider new taskbar, so I had to set it to autohide.
Highly recommended. (Download WintoFlash here)
Once these roads are built, Waze tracks users of the service in real time, and these users can contribute to the service in the form of reporting cops, speed camera, slow traffic etc. Despite Waze saying that it is a worldwide service, they clearly are US focussed at the moment. Hopefully that will change soon enough. The service is also available on a variety of mobile platforms including Windows Mobile, Symbian and Android as well. The idea is brilliant, lets hope it pays off.
In the past few days the blogosphere has been going on about Google Wave like its the best thing since sliced bread. Google yesterday made 100 000 invites available for people who signed up early (seems I was not early enough) and now a few people can start playing around with this revolutionary concept. If you are still asking what is Google Wave, here is a nice short video to explain it all: (please excuse the dudespeak)
Google Wave is pretty hard to conceptualize if you have not watched the video. I will try to explain it in Google marketing speak:
A wave is equal parts conversation and document. People can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.
A wave is shared. Any participant can reply anywhere in the message, edit the content and add participants at any point in the process. Then playback lets anyone rewind the wave to see who said what and when.
A wave is live. With live transmission as you type, participants on a wave can have faster conversations, see edits and interact with extensions in real-time.
Basically Google Wave in its most simplest form is a combination of email, instant messaging and wikis. You have an inbox which recieves "waves", and you can reply to them in real time. These waves remain private, but you can easily add users from your contacts on the left. Now these new users can try to follow the conversation (which can contain multimedia elements) by reading through it, or they can replay the conversation in the order it was created.
One can only imagine how this would contribute to collaborative software - no more setting up difficult meetings and messing with network settings. Wave will also have an open API which can enable developers to quickly add more functionality to its rich media features.
