The Brooks Review

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Leica Sofort 2June 13, 2024
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Casio Duro MDV-106 Re-ReviewDecember 15, 2022

Recent Articles

  • iA Writer for iPhone

    iA Writer is now out for the iPhone (universal app) and it looks fantastic. I do most all my long form writing in Writer — love it.

    iA Writer is now out for the iPhone (universal app) and it looks fantastic. I do most all my long form writing in Writer — love it.

  • Instapaper Placebo

    Classic and well done. [via Marco Arment]

    Classic and well done.

  • ‘Forget LTE — the Real iPad Wireless Story Is Bluetooth’

    Kevin C. Tofel points out that the iPad will now sport Bluetooth 4.0, which is a very nice upgrade. He lists out the reasons why it is great, including extra battery management. Here’s hoping that Apple adds this to all its devices, especially the keyboard and mouse — because man do they churn through batteries.

    Kevin C. Tofel points out that the iPad will now sport Bluetooth 4.0, which is a very nice upgrade. He lists out the reasons why it is great, including extra battery management. Here’s hoping that Apple adds this to all its devices, especially the keyboard and mouse — because man do they churn through batteries.

  • iPhoto for iPad Edit Buttons

    Dave Caolo is also stumbling with iPhoto for iOS: >None of them are labeled and I don’t know what they do. Tapping the icons on the left only deepens the confusion. I hear ya Dave, I hear ya.

    Dave Caolo is also stumbling with iPhoto for iOS:

    >None of them are labeled and I don’t know what they do. Tapping the icons on the left only deepens the confusion.

    I hear ya Dave, I hear ya.

  • ‘Mobile Hotspot Included in Verizon’s iPad 4G LTE Data Plan’

    K. T. Bradford has more info on Verizon tethering with the iPad: >However, a Verizon Wireless spokesperson informed me that for tablets (including the new iPad), the mobile hotspot feature is included in the data plan’s price. iPad owners won’t have to pay extra to activate mobile hotspot, even with the 1GB plan. Nice, still…

    K. T. Bradford has more info on Verizon tethering with the iPad:
    >However, a Verizon Wireless spokesperson informed me that for tablets (including the new iPad), the mobile hotspot feature is included in the data plan’s price. iPad owners won’t have to pay extra to activate mobile hotspot, even with the 1GB plan.

    Nice, still waiting word from AT&T…

  • AT&T and Verizon Confirm: No Personal Hotspots on New iPad

    Bryan M. Wolfe: >According to the report, AT&T and Verizon, through Twitter posts, both indicated the hotspot feature won’t be available, at least not when the new tablet is launched March 16. This, of course, is regrettable given that these are the only two US carriers offering LTE plans for the iDevice. I am shocked,…

    Bryan M. Wolfe:
    >According to the report, AT&T and Verizon, through Twitter posts, both indicated the hotspot feature won’t be available, at least not when the new tablet is launched March 16. This, of course, is regrettable given that these are the only two US carriers offering LTE plans for the iDevice.

    I am shocked, *shocked*, I tell you. Also, who wants to bet that Verizon enables it before AT&T? ((Another reason I chose Verizon this time around.))

  • Shawn Blanc’s Membership Drive

    Also, on the subject of my pal Shawn, he is running a membership drive this week. There are some great prizes, but more importantly [diapers are expensive](http://shawnblanc.net/2012/02/noah-blanc/) so go sign up.

    Also, on the subject of my pal Shawn, he is running a membership drive this week. There are some great prizes, but more importantly [diapers are expensive](http://shawnblanc.net/2012/02/noah-blanc/) so go sign up.

  • How Big Will Retina Display Magazines Be?

    Shawn Blanc: >What is Condé Nast going to do with their magazine apps? Their current issues (which use images even for text) are going to look horrible on the Retina display and if they start making their files 4x bigger then the downloads will get even more ridiculous — growing into the ballpark of an…

    Shawn Blanc:
    >What is Condé Nast going to do with their magazine apps? Their current issues (which use images even for text) are going to look horrible on the Retina display and if they start making their files 4x bigger then the downloads will get even more ridiculous — growing into the ballpark of an 800 MB file. At that size, after few back issues of The New Yorker and Wired and your iPad’s storage will be maxed out.

    First, isn’t it just 2x bigger on the iPad? But Shawn makes a great point here: the decision of magazines publishers to use crappy image only tools for text is going to show how short-sighted of a decision it was on March 16th 2012. Here’s hoping magazines pull their collective heads our of their collective asses and use better tools.

    Update: About the 4x versus 2x debate. It’s 4x the pixels, but my thought is that is misleading because you are basically just doubling the size. Looks like I am wrong, or at least in the minority on this thinking though. Oh well.

    Update 2: Yeah, I am wrong about the sizes. Not the first time. Carry on, nothing to see here.

  • Marketing Bullshit

    Congratulations. By updating to iOS 5.1 your iPhone 4S suddenly got 4G! Except it didn’t really, because as [Brad McCarty explains](http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/03/08/att-apple-hspa-lie/): >The iPhone didn’t suddenly become an LTE-capable capable device by simply upgrading the version of iOS that it’s running. AT&T is defining its HSPA+ network as 4G, but by the very definition of HSPA+,…

    Congratulations. By updating to iOS 5.1 your iPhone 4S suddenly got 4G! Except it didn’t really, because as [Brad McCarty explains](http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/03/08/att-apple-hspa-lie/):

    >The iPhone didn’t suddenly become an LTE-capable capable device by simply upgrading the version of iOS that it’s running. AT&T is defining its HSPA+ network as 4G, but by the very definition of HSPA+, theoretical speeds aside, it doesn’t qualify as 4G.

    So what the hell, Apple? McCarty sees this as Apple caving to AT&T — and that may well be — but more worrisome is that this move is pretty hypocritical and deceitful. [Here’s Phil Schiller at the iPhone 4S launch as quoted by GDGT](http://live.gdgt.com/live-apple-iphone-4s-event-coverage/):

    >“Where have I heard these numbers before? This is what our competitors call 4G… the iPhone 4S is just as fast as all of these phones, even faster in real-world use.”

    Yet, Apple refused to call the speed `4G` and many people (myself included) applauded them for that decision.

    Now though? Now we have the *same* iPhone 4S and suddenly also get the bullshit `4G` moniker — that would be bad enough, but it gets even worse for users that don’t know about the difference.

    AT&T is pretty horrible about this because if you viewed their coverage map when deciding between your shiny new 4G iPad on Verizon or AT&T — you immediately saw that AT&T appears to have a pretty robust 4G network. [Everything in the darkest blue is 4G according to AT&T](http://www.att.com/network/?wtSlotClick=1-006S2O-0-1) (also note that this is *not* the coverage map that Apple links to on the iPad buying page):

    So the average person is likely going to see that AT&T has `4G` in just about every major city on the two coasts. That’s fantastic — I was almost fooled by this.

    Then you read the map and see that `4G LTE` is by cities, denoted by the large orange blob. Fantastic: no LTE in the Pacific Northwest. So when you look at this map to determine 4G coverage, you really just need to be looking for giant, inaccurate, orange blobs.

    Now, compare that to how [Verizon markets `4G` service](http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/CoverageLocatorController?requesttype=NEWREQUEST&zip=94531&city=Antioch&state=CA):

    Everything in dark, dark, red is 4G LTE — every other red area is simply 3G. Now it is true that Verizon doesn’t have the faux-4G that AT&T does, so they might not be as good as they seem. One thing I can tell you for sure: Verizon has more 4G LTE areas (and a zoomable map).

    Long story short: `4G` and `4G LTE` are not equals, and shame on Apple for misleading iPhone users with the `4G` tag that AT&T so clearly loves to toss about.

  • Welcome, Apple from the OpenStreetMap Foundation

    Jonathan Bennett: >The desktop version of iPhoto, and indeed all of Apple’s iOS apps until now, use Google Maps. The new iPhoto for iOS, however, uses Apple’s own map tiles – made from OpenStreetMap data (outside the US). So what are they using in the US?

    Jonathan Bennett:
    >The desktop version of iPhoto, and indeed all of Apple’s iOS apps until now, use Google Maps. The new iPhoto for iOS, however, uses Apple’s own map tiles – made from OpenStreetMap data (outside the US).

    So what are they using in the US?

  • The TSA Blog: Viral Video About Body Scanners

    TSA responds to [that video about the guy walking through their machines with a large metal object](https://brooksreview.net/2012/03/tsa-metal-detection-skills/). Instead of disproving that it is possible to do what the video shows, they just talk about how fantastic their security is.

    TSA responds to [that video about the guy walking through their machines with a large metal object](https://brooksreview.net/2012/03/tsa-metal-detection-skills/). Instead of disproving that it is possible to do what the video shows, they just talk about how fantastic their security is.

  • The B&B Podcast – Episode 50: The K Stands for Class

    We recorded a special mid-week episode to talk about Apple’s iPad event.

    We recorded a special mid-week episode to talk about Apple’s iPad event.

  • ‘(unless you use actual pen and paper)’

    This is gold.

    This is gold.

  • Tweet of the Day: @Arnoldkim

    “iPhoto requires “iPad 2 or later”. Right so iPad 2 or iPad.Gotcha.” — Arnold Kim (@arnoldkim) March 8, 2012

    “iPhoto requires “iPad 2 or later”. Right so iPad 2 or iPad.Gotcha.”
    — Arnold Kim (@arnoldkim) March 8, 2012

  • iPhoto for iOS is Unintuitive

    I have only played with iPhoto for iOS for a bit now, but I am not the only one that thinks it is a pretty unintuitive and confusing app to use. I don’t even know what I did half the time, or if the button I pressed worked. @BenjaminBrooks I deleted a photo accidentally, only…

    I have only played with iPhoto for iOS for a bit now, but I am not the only one that thinks it is a pretty unintuitive and confusing app to use. I don’t even know what I did half the time, or if the button I pressed worked.

    That about sums it up.

  • ‘iPhoto for iOS Not Using Google Maps?’

    Doesn’t look like it to me.

    Doesn’t look like it to me.

  • iPhoto for iOS

    Now live in the App Store. (It doesn’t read the SD card from my GX1 via the Camera Connection kit — no surprise given that Aperture doesn’t read it either.)

    Now live in the App Store. (It doesn’t read the SD card from my GX1 via the Camera Connection kit — no surprise given that Aperture doesn’t read it either.)

  • Apple – The new iPad

    Black, 32GB, 4G on Verizon. At least if they ever take my order…

    Black, 32GB, 4G on Verizon. At least if they ever take my order…

  • ‘How Changing Technology Affects Security’

    Bruce Schneier: >Changes in security systems can be slow. Society has to implement any new security technology as a group, which implies agreement and coordination and — in some instances — a lengthy bureaucratic procurement process. Meanwhile, an attacker can just use the new technology.

    Bruce Schneier:
    >Changes in security systems can be slow. Society has to implement any new security technology as a group, which implies agreement and coordination and — in some instances — a lengthy bureaucratic procurement process. Meanwhile, an attacker can just use the new technology.

  • Quote of the Day: Om Malik

    “When at home, I did a FaceTime call with my siblings who also live overseas. I handed over the iPad to my mom. She had this look of amazement, one of pure unadulterated joy as she chatted with her grandson.” — Om Malik

    “When at home, I did a FaceTime call with my siblings who also live overseas. I handed over the iPad to my mom. She had this look of amazement, one of pure unadulterated joy as she chatted with her grandson.”