A Technology-related Post Cleverly Disguised as a Photo Gallery

More photos.  Meanwhile, in other news…

This is perhaps a little too tech-related, but the new software for the Apple iPod touch has been released, meaning that, for about €8.00, I have what is essentially a new device.  The software update provides a number a new features which are worth noting.

The App Store

The App Store is a new service provided by Apple, which basically allows the user of an iPhone or iPod touch to download and install small applications written by third-parties, either through iTunes on a Mac or PC, or directly on the iPod touch or iPhone using wifi (or the 3G network, if you are that way inclined).  This means in practice that there is a theoretically unlimited variety of programs to increase the functionality of the touch/iPhone, some of which at no extra cost (while some require a small fee).

The Apps Themselves

For a while now, it has been possible to use specially designed websites, which fit the size of the touch/iPhone screen.  These are called ‘Webapps‘ and are good, but are just websites (admittedly clever websites, but websites nonetheless).  These new apps which are now available from the App Store ‘feel’ much more robust and more persistent.  What’s more, Apple has complete control over which apps, from which providers, may be installed on the touch/iPhone.  Whilst this appears a rather closed system, it has a number of advantages in my view.  Firstly, it makes the touch/iPhone much more secure, by allowing Apple to screen any app which is proposed for deployment on the touch/iPhone to ensure it is not a virus and is not harmful.  Secondly, the nature of the system (as far as I understand) encourages the adoption of an ‘Apple-like’ attitude to design, ie. clean, uncluttered and functional interfaces.  Some of my favourite apps so far are the Apple Remote app (which allows the user to control the iTunes music player on a computer using the touch/iPhone as a sort of remote control on steroids), the Facebook app (which is a little limited, but is rather elegantly designed) and Twitterrific (a [perhaps the] Twitter utility).  I’m also looking forward to the purportedly imminent release of an official WordPress app for mobile blogging.

The Whole Shebang

One thing which really comes across when using the new software is that I no longer feel like I am using the Internet when I am using apps such as Facebook and Twitterrific, which are outside of the web browser.  The user is separated from address bars, login names, passwords and bookmarks and the apps form a perfect interface between user and network.  Another thing which I should also mention under this fairly general sub-heading is one small but incredibly clever function which I suspected might exist and only discovered because I tried it out.  It relates to photos.  The iPod touch (unlike the iPhone) has no built-in camera, so, on the face of it, the only way to get photos onto the touch is by connecting it to a computer and downloading them using iTunes.  As it turns out, with the version of the Safari web browser which is part of the new software, if you tap and immediately hold an image in the browser, a menu will appear, offering the user the option of saving the image directly onto the iPod touch.  If I were American, I suppose I would call this ‘neat’.

So that’s my patchy overview of the new iPod touch/iPhone software.