The Brooks Review

Top Posts

Leica Sofort 2June 13, 2024
Grand Seiko SBGX261February 23, 2023
Casio Duro MDV-106 Re-ReviewDecember 15, 2022

Recent Articles

  • Decoding Microsoft’s Fantastic Passive-Agressive Numbers Post

    Great translation of Microsoft’s numbers blog post.

    Great translation of Microsoft’s numbers blog post.

  • OWC Data Doubler Optical Bay Hard Drive/SSD

    Macsales.com: Configuration flexibility is yours when you replace your MacBook or MacBook Pro’s internal SuperDrive with the OWC Data Doubler. This custom engineered black anodized aluminum bracket with attached PCB circuit board comes ready to mount any 9.5mm tall 2.5″ SATA hard disk drive and even Solid State Drives. This is on my to-do list.

    Macsales.com:

    Configuration flexibility is yours when you replace your MacBook or MacBook Pro’s internal SuperDrive with the OWC Data Doubler. This custom engineered black anodized aluminum bracket with attached PCB circuit
    board comes ready to mount any 9.5mm tall 2.5″ SATA hard disk drive and even Solid State Drives.

    This is on my to-do list.

  • iPhone Halo Effect

    When the iPod came out with a version that allowed Windows syncing there was a lot said about the ‘iPod Halo effect’ ((See Wikipedia for a definition.)) – essentially because the iPod is so popular Apple would sell more Macs to people. The same thought has come about with the iPhone. Essentially pundits are arguing…

    When the iPod came out with a version that allowed Windows syncing there was a lot said about the ‘iPod Halo effect’ ((See Wikipedia for a definition.)) – essentially because the iPod is so popular Apple would sell more Macs to people. The same thought has come about with the iPhone. Essentially pundits are arguing that people will like their iPod/iPhone so much that they will want to give Apple their computer business.

    The Halo Effect I Saw

    Standing in line on Thursday I witnessed a very pronounced halo effect from the iPhone. The first part was from those in line. While standing in line a lot of people came by asking why we were in line and if it was ‘worth’ it for a phone. Every person who answered these questions extolled how awesome the phone was (though they had never used it) and talked it up quit a bit. People walked away stunned and you could see that their interest had been piqued. This alone is not a halo effect but it takes us right to the most pertinent part of the halo effect.

    A lot of the first time buyers that I talked to had never been inside an Apple store, which is a shame as it is probably the best retail experience you will get. From what I could see inside the store is that the people who already purchased their iPhones really did not want to leave the store. No they wanted to stay and look around – leading to a lot of frustrating delays outside the store. Apple employees were using Macs to activate phones – with very little trouble. They were using an iPod touch to sell you the phone and so forth.

    The halo effect I saw was not from people loving their iPhones so much that they wanted to try a Mac – it was people loving the store and immersion in the products so much that they wanted to try more stuff.

    This is not to say that people there is not the traditional iPhone halo effect (where people love the phone so much they buy other Apple products) – I am simply saying that there is another component that is often ignored. The Apple Store is such a great retail experience that it makes people want to come back, and want to stay for quite a while. Even – especially – on the stores’ busiest day.

  • 5 Ways iPhone 4 Will Influence Future Smartphones

    Hard to argue with any of those points.

    Hard to argue with any of those points.

  • My Life Without Facebook

    I have not missed it one bit. Believe it.

    I have not missed it one bit.

    Believe it.

  • iPhone 3GS versus 4

    Bare Feats: We ran SunSpider on the Sprint EVO 4G. The iPhone 4 is 27% faster overall. The iPhone 4 as expected was faster than the 3G S in all tests, most likely due to the new A4 processor.

    Bare Feats:

    We ran SunSpider on the Sprint EVO 4G. The iPhone 4 is 27% faster overall.

    The iPhone 4 as expected was faster than the 3G S in all tests, most likely due to the new A4 processor.

  • iPhone 4’s first-day sales may top 1.5 million

    Electronista: An early estimate by Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner suggests Apple may have sold as many as 1.5 million iPhone 4s on just its first day of sales. Assuming that Apple sold about 750,000 phones in the US, including 600,000 pre-orders, 100,000 walk-in purchases, and 50,000 Best Buy units, he believes that the number roughly…

    Electronista:

    An early estimate by Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner suggests Apple may have sold as many as 1.5 million iPhone 4s on just its first day of sales. Assuming that Apple sold about 750,000 phones in the US, including 600,000 pre-orders, 100,000 walk-in purchases, and 50,000 Best Buy units, he believes that the number roughly doubled when including international sales in the few countries that also had the iPhone 4 in its first-wave launch

    It was funny standing in line yesterday there was a huge consensus with the people I was standing next to (I was not in agreement) that Apple was purposely making the sales process slow so that they could create an illusion of demand. This of course I knew to be absurd, but people kept pointing out that it would be great free advertising as the news outlets were sure to be covering the lines. While I can’t disagree that any PR is good PR, I think Apple was doing the best job they could do yesterday.

    For starters Apple had tons of employees on hand, along with AT&T reps to solve any AT&T related problems. They had food/water/coffee free for all people in line. The slow down was the activation process. When the original iPhone launched they verified you could get the upgrade price and sold you the phone. You went home and activated (this of course caused AT&T servers to crash). This time around you bought the phone (after they checked your eligibility) and then you had them open it, plug it into a Mac and activate it. This is what was taking so damn long (about 2 minutes to do this).

    So no this was not an evil ploy. If you still don’t buy it – think of it this way: If Apple was able to sell 1.5 million phones on day one, and had kept the line waits to an hour or less – imagine how much better that would be for Apple and AT&T from a PR stand point. Now do you get why it is in everyones best interests to keep lines short?

  • iPhone 4 Reception Issues

    As many of you may know already iPhone 4 users are reporting reception issues when the phone is held in the left hand with the hand bridging two of the antennas. I have had my iPhone for two days know, my wife has one as well, and I have tried to replicate this issue on…

    As many of you may know already iPhone 4 users are reporting reception issues when the phone is held in the left hand with the hand bridging two of the antennas. I have had my iPhone for two days know, my wife has one as well, and I have tried to replicate this issue on my phone.

    It might be my iPhone, or my hands – but I have yet to be able to replicate the problem. I have no doubt that it exists and is a real problem. It would seem however that it does not effect everyone – perhaps just those with sweaty hands. Drop me a note if you are not able to replicate it as well.

  • Right of Passage (iPhone 4 Launch Day)

    Today I went through and Apple right of passage – I stood in line for 9.5 hours to get my wife her iPhone 4. I was in the non-reserved line at the Bellevue, WA Apple store from 5:30a to 3:00p. A lot of people wondered why I did this for my Wife, given that I…

    Today I went through and Apple right of passage – I stood in line for 9.5 hours to get my wife her iPhone 4. I was in the non-reserved line at the Bellevue, WA Apple store from 5:30a to 3:00p. A lot of people wondered why I did this for my Wife, given that I already had mine.

    The bottom line is that a lot of screw ups led to me getting an iPhone a day before it launched and my wife not getting hers at all. I decided that since I had never stood in line for one of these launches, and that I am a diehard Apple fanboy, and I love my wife – that I would go stand in line for her.

    I honestly thought that I would be done by 10-10:30a at the latest. When noon came and went I was really hungry, but at no point was I on the verge of leaving. I think I set a record for the number of tweets I have ever made in any 9-hour period, so if you follow me I am sorry.

    The Experience

    What an experience this was, interestingly there were quite a few people in line next to me that were first time iPhone buyers. Nobody that I was next to really knew a lot about the iPhone – all they knew is that it was the best phone you could get. There were a couple of people that I talked who were finally getting one because they were tired of waiting for a Verizon model.

    Starbucks and Specialty’s Bakery were handing out drinks and snacks to everyone the entire time I was there – courtesy of Apple. This was absolutely great, had they not been there I probably would not have made it past hour 5. Apple employees also came around with water (Smart Water) and there were two employees just circulating to answer questions. The most common question I heard was: “Will there be enough?”, to which the response was a very cheery “We think we are doing really well and you are looking really good where you are in line!”. Yep.

    In the end I would gladly do it again – only this time I would bring a chair and wear tennis shoes. 9.5 hours in dress shoes, and standing was not all that great.

    Thanks to all those around me in line for being awesome.

    Here is a shot of the line just before the Mall opened (sales had started about 2.5 hours before I snapped this).

  • Google uses remote kill switch to uninstall Android apps

    Andrew Kameka: Google has announced that the company has used its little-known remote kill function that allows it to uninstall apps from Android devices. On the Google developer blog, Rich Cannings explained that Google has removed two applications by a research team that “intentionally misrepresented their purpose in order to encourage user downloads.” The app…

    Andrew Kameka:

    Google has announced that the company has used its little-known remote kill function that allows it to uninstall apps from Android devices. On the Google developer blog, Rich Cannings explained that Google has removed two applications by a research team that “intentionally misrepresented their purpose in order to encourage user downloads.” The app was not malicious and did not have access to private user data.

    This was great for them to do, but you better believe that if Apple did this they would be slaughtered by bloggers.

  • Apple Bellevue Update 12:37p

    I have been in line since 5:30a looks like we are getting close probably another hour or two. Oh god.

    I have been in line since 5:30a looks like we are getting close probably another hour or two. Oh god.

  • Apple store Bellevue

    As of an hour ago.

    As of an hour ago.

  • Dropbox Adds Ability to Create a Shareable Link to Any File in Your Account

    Simon Mackie: File sharing and syncing service Dropbox has just released a great new feature: The ability to create a link to any file or folder in your Dropbox account. People following the link will be taken to a specially designed landing page that allows them to view or play your shared files right from…

    Simon Mackie:

    File sharing and syncing service Dropbox has just released a great new feature: The ability to create a link to any file or folder in your Dropbox account. People following the link will be taken to a specially designed landing page that allows them to view or play your shared files right from their browser, and the links are ready-shortened; perfect for sharing via Twitter — here’s an example: http://db.tt/6LZQjh.

    Sweet.

  • Line Update

    Store just opened i am in spot 130 in the non-reserved line. Not feeling too confident I will get one.

    Store just opened i am in spot 130 in the non-reserved line. Not feeling too confident I will get one.

  • Ars reviews the HTC EVO 4G

    Ryan Paul: It’s clear that smartphone makers still haven’t found the sweet spot for large form-factor handheld devices. Simply increasing the size of the screen is not a recipe for building a better phone. The handset makers need to adopt higher resolutions for large displays so that the additional physical space consumed by the screen…

    Ryan Paul:

    It’s clear that smartphone makers still haven’t found the sweet spot for large form-factor handheld devices. Simply increasing the size of the screen is not a recipe for building a better phone. The handset makers need to adopt higher resolutions for large displays so that the additional physical space consumed by the screen will actually translate into extra viewable area.

    Battery life still sucks – FYI.

  • iMovie for iPhone 4 is now available

    I will be downloading that shortly.

    I will be downloading that shortly.

  • In line at Apple Store Bellevue, WA

    Got here at 5:30a line is long. Don’t think I’ll get the phone for my wife. Going rate for front of the line spots is $100 right now.

    Got here at 5:30a line is long. Don’t think I’ll get the phone for my wife. Going rate for front of the line spots is $100 right now.

  • Watch Verizon Squash Attempts to Film the Droid X Next to the iPhone 4

    This is pretty funny. I don’t blame them for stopping the direct comparison, but they could atleast give a clear explanation. Instead of coming up with random stuff off the top of her head she could have just said, “Given the event that we are at we would like the focus to remain on the…

    This is pretty funny. I don’t blame them for stopping the direct comparison, but they could atleast give a clear explanation. Instead of coming up with random stuff off the top of her head she could have just said, “Given the event that we are at we would like the focus to remain on the Droid X and not on the iPhone – we would appreciate it if you did not do a side by side comparison here. You are welcome to do that once you get a Droid X from your office.” Instead of the crap lines that were given.

  • Droid X vs. iPhone 4 (In Pictures)

    Just look at the size difference, then tell me which one you want in your pocket.

    Just look at the size difference, then tell me which one you want in your pocket.

  • Initial iPhone 4 Thoughts

    I got my iPhone 4 at Noon on 6/23/10 since then here is what I am thinking about Apple’s latest gadget. The form factor, being squared instead of round, is very different. Personally I love it, but it won’t be for everyone. The size is also significantly smaller than the iPhone 3G S and it…

    I got my iPhone 4 at Noon on 6/23/10 since then here is what I am thinking about Apple’s latest gadget.

    • The form factor, being squared instead of round, is very different. Personally I love it, but it won’t be for everyone. The size is also significantly smaller than the iPhone 3G S and it really shows. I have noticed it is impossible for me to squeeze the phone between my shoulder and ear when on a call (I am able to with the 3G S) when I am wearing a collared shirt. This size change is most noticeable when you put the iPhone in your pocket, which is a welcome change for all smartphone users.
    • The flash is nice, but is limited in its usefulness. I have found that it is great so far for macro shots of text, they come out much sharper than without the flash.
    • The video and camera are far superior, and will prove to be one of the best reasons to upgrade to this phone.
    • That screen, wow it really is amazing. The text is so damn sharp – it seriously looks amazing, if you don’t believe me go to an Apple store or find a friend with an iPhone 4 and take a look at it for yourself. Open up the text messages or email and look at the text, bar none.
    • Reception is spotty in my office and a regular AT&T dropped call zone (not very cool). In the limited time I have had with the iPhone 4 I have noticed that it gets far more bars at my desk (previously got 1-2 bars now gets 3-4 bars), this is most likely a 3G versus EDGE decision it is making – but I’ll take it.
    • Call sound quality thus far is much different from the 3G S. To me it sounds cleaner, and deeper than it did before. My wife tells me that I sound like I am in an isolation booth (when I am sitting in my office), almost like I am in a bathroom – which I am not sure if that is good or bad. Time will tell what the difference really is – but for now there is a difference.
    • App installations seem much quicker. I installed a few new apps after getting the phone up and running and the installation part (not the downloading part) seems very fast in comparison.
    • Non-optimized iPhone Apps are clear as day – not in a good way. The icons for apps that have not been readied for the higher resolution screen look fuzzy and really are annoying to use. The text is still sharp, as are the Apple UI elements, stray from those and you get a fuzzy view reminiscent of the 3G S’ screen.
    • All I can say about the battery life thus far is that it has a battery. Reports say it is amazing, stay tuned on that front.
    • The iPhone 4 feels about 10 times stronger the my old 3G S that has several cracks in the plastic casing.
    • The fact that there is no light to let me know when the front facing camera is on bugs me, if I am in an app and that front camera turns on, I want to know about it. It isn;t like I can flip the phone over and know that no camera can see what is going on – cameras on both sides prevent this. Don’t get me wrong I love the front facing camera, up until a hacker figures out how to activate it.