Author: Richard

A writer/editor by trade, owner of Word Edit and The Daily Opinion. @richwhite08

N9 Apps #4: My Moves

When Nokia removed the home button and implemented the swipe gesture to control the N9 (and outsimplified the iPhone in the process) it was only a matter of time before the community developed things that also used gestures. One of the most intriguing thus far has been the ability to open the gallery without actually touching the device, instead it uses the proximity sensor to register the gesture. But something else also hit the Nokia Store, called My Moves.

This app utilises the N9’s ability to register gestures as commands to do various things. For example, you can set it so that swiping up, down, left, right, zig-zag or diagonally does certain things. You can swipe down to compose a new message without opening the messaging app, or make a phone call, launch other apps and so on, from wherever you are in the phone without having to scroll through the homescreen to find the app you’re looking for. It’s a simple idea with flawless execution, and gives the inkling that this is the future of interactions with our mobile devices.

Is Apple Developing a Smaller iPad?

Cult of Mac is reporting news of more Apple rumours. Speculation is always rife around Apple, and it quite often turns out to be wrong – from the iPhone 5 announcement speculated to be last year to rumours that it would have a 4″ screen. Nonetheless, the speculations are worth exploring and they sometimes turn out to be true.

One of the arguments is that a smaller iPad will be used to rival the Samsung Note, which is apparently competition because it comes equipped with a stylus. The obvious response to this is that many phones came with a stylus just a few years ago, but the move to capacitive screens – which Apple spearheaded – forced the move away from styluses. The suggestion that the Note will have an impact is to suggest that we should have just stuck with PDAs. As for the Samsung Note being a competitor, it should be mentioned that with the iPad being nothing more than a bigger iPhone, Apple already have an iPad with a smaller stature.

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Jim Marshall Dies, 88

Music pioneer Jim Marshall has passed away at the age of 88.

Along with Les Paul and Leo Fender, Jim Marshall was one of the people to forever change popular music. So much so that the creations of all three remain the cornerstone of electric music today, with the “wall of Marshalls” remaining one of the most iconic sights. Launched in 1965, the Marshall amplifier wasn’t an immediate hit, and it was perhaps Jimi Hendrix more than anyone who popularised it after discovering he could daisy-chain one head to another. Today we can see that almost everyone who’s anyone in music has used a Marshall amplifier from the 1960s to the present day.

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AT&T’s 24 Hours with the Nokia Lumia 900

Nokia’s Operation Rolling Thunder has now started before the launch of the Lumia 900, which will be AT&T’s “hero” device. According to the network, the advertising campaign will be bigger than anything ever before with it, bigger than even their iPhone launches. The first phase appears to be this new video by AT&T, 24 hours with the Nokia Lumia 900.

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N9 Apps #3: ShotMee

ShotMee is another shining example of MeeGo’s open glory. One thing many N900 users noticed on the announcement of the N9 was the omission of a few neat features, like an FM transmitter and the ability to take a screenshot. While Nokia Store for MeeGo may not be crammed with half a million apps, the ones it does have tend to be important and useful, and that’s exactly what ShotMee is.

The app is a free download and is simple enough: open it, minimise it, and you take a screenshot by double-tapping the side of the phone. If you’ve ever taken a screenshot on the iPhone and found it quite frustrating having to readjust how you hold the phone and try not to let go of the power key too early, lest you lock it instead of taking a picture, you’ll appreciate the simplicity on offer here. Regardless of how you’re holding the phone, just take one hand and double-tap it on either side or bottom of the phone (the actual physical side, not the screen), and a screenshot is saved in the gallery. Tap the notification bar immediately after taking the shot and you’re able to share it or use it as wallpaper, and even set it as your avatar.

Free, easy to use, and its intuitiveness means you don’t need to find the gallery to use the photo. What more could you want?