Mrs H added another year to her collection this weekend so we decided to take a weekend away and chill out in the country. But my inner geek also saw an opportunity to test out the new iOS 5 BETA for the iPhone 3Gs…well, because it had new camera functionality so….that’s my reasoning anyway. Loading a new iOS before going away can be a gamble, but loading a BETA version can bring the hardiest geek out in a cold sweat. My poker game nerves paid off as I’ve yet to experience an out of the ordinary glitch (touch wood….a whole forest of oak in fact).
I’m glad to report that iOS 5 is impressive. When first fired up it felt no different than the current iOS apart from a few new icons on the main screen – reminders, news stand, and the new music and videos icons (iPod seemed to be missing from this BETA version so assume it’s now split). Reminders is a welcome addition to the iOS as the current notes app didn’t quite fulfil the requirements of a forgetful so-and-so. Yes, there are existing apps for that in the App Store but the location based integration that Apple promises is an exciting prospect for the full release. I can’t comment on news stand at this time as it’s currently a US based functionality.
As mentioned, I wanted to test the improved photo capability of the new iOS. A welcome addition is the quick launch camera button on the lock screen, great when you want that spur of the moment shot. That said, you do need to double tap the home button for it to appear on the lock screen. Another improvement is the new shutter button – you can now take a picture using the volume up button which is much easier, and more camera like, than touching the screen. There are editing capabilities in the new iOS but they’re not available for the 3Gs, one would assume because of processer power.
But my favourite enhancement by far is the new notification center. I had a real issue that Apple were slow to deliver what the Android platform has had for years – a slicker way of showing when you received mail and also social feed updates. Finally, it’s here and Apple do it with style. A quick slide down of the thumb from the top of the screen pulls down the notification center. A good comparions is the dashboard on the Apple OS. Here you can see the weather, the stocks ticker (wasted on me) plus emails you’ve received, missed calls, texts, and updates from Facebook and Twitter. When the phone is locked these updates all show in a nice, combined and organised update list so you don’t need to access the phone straight away to see that your new emails are just spam. Another nice touch is whilst using apps a small ticker pops up at the top of the screen to show you what’s been received, and then scrolls away tidily.
Whilst speaking about social, the fact that Twitter is integrated within the iOS is a nice feature for its users. I’ve also been able to log a few Twitter accounts which has helped keep up to date with everything. Shame there’s no Facebook integration but guess Zuckerberg and Jobs have their reasons.
As a multiple Apple user I’ve seen a nice touch when purchasing apps. When buying an app on my iPad (still iOS 4) an alert came up on my iPhone saying I could download the same app on multiple devices. Nice touch.
Sorry to say there’s no news on the iCloud feature at the moment as it’s not even launched. But looking in the settings area there appears to be a lot to come.
Overall, iOS 5 looks like a good step forward for the platform. The new features will keep my support, and money, with Apple. Android has been gaining my attention recently but Apple have done what they do well – lock you in to their devices and platforms with cross device integration.
iPhone heats up when listening to music on Spotify. One morning it got so hot I had to turn it off to cool it down.
The battery life had diminished. I’d put this down to the notification center. But I’ve hardly used the iPhone outside of my pre iOS 5 use and it’s 2/3rds empty.
6:30pm – iPhone death. Battery completely gone despite half hour charge in the day. Usually lasts all day on no charge.
As I extend my self pretty thin with all the projects I am working on let’s add back a task to my full plate. Let’s talk about food news and events again (albeit with less regularity than less year).
Anyway, as I mentioned in the prior post La Tour Cafe is up and running. If you are more curious about the Bakehouse read about it here at the Honolulu Weekly. I highly recommend the cafe’s macaroons (Yuzu especially), mint water, and their French dip.
Jade Dynasty is now open at Ala Moana Shopping Center. This Hong Kong-style eatery replaces the Kyoto Ohsho location with a $3.5 million dollar renovation price tag. Read more about it at Honolulu Magazine here.
Love food? Love trucks? Love food trucks? Well, Honolulu is having its 1st Food Truck Rally. Sounds fun, delicious, and cheap (well, not with the way I order plate lunches) . . . check out the flyer here for more info.
Roberto Viernes, over at Midweek, writes about how snobbery can ruin the wine experience. I think he has much truth for someone who is an expert in wines. He would rather learn to improve himself and his experience. I enjoy how he ends his piece:
So let everyone enjoy it [wine], and if you have something that will add to the experience, I’d love to hear it. Otherwise, please fill your glass and mouth with wine.
I think some food writers are like the critic in Disney’s Ratatouille and may need a swig of wine or stew to remind them that snobbery can ruin anything.
Personally, I love Izakaya food and I recently noticed two that I have been hearing about. Izakaya Naru, near TCBY and Sushi King and Izakaya Shinn. Both sound pretty tasty and if anyone has suggestions what to order drop a line.
Anyway, last thing, Art After Dark is coming up and the food at this always fun event is being down once again by Town and Downtown. For more information click on this link.
I stumbled across this website when I was looking for suggestions on how to pair wine and cheese together. Now, this is a) on the internet and b) it is called “2BASnob” . . . I’m not sure how trustworthy its “snobbery” can be when it is doling out info on the net and is using “1337” speak (if you don’t know what “1337” means that is a good thing).
Anyway, just use this as a guide, but if you are going to one of the nice wine and cheese shops we have around the island many of the owners and workers are really helpful and friendly.
Lastly, bug our sommelier-member if he isn’t too busy. I always find him very informative and smart when it comes to getting tipsy.
“The Hooked on Entertainment program is a fun and informative way to market myself and my impersonating acts. I love to hear how it is growing in popularity after just one year, how easy it is to tell potential clients about ‘hookedonholly.com’.” –Holly Faris
“The folks at Hooked on Entertainment do a fantastic job of promoting my comedy shows. On my second year being at the Borgata, they started publicizing it on social media and the turnout on a Black Friday was huge! This VIP program absolutely works. I forward lists of my upcoming shows to Hooked on Entertainment, and they immediately add them to their Events Calendar and the advertorial they published for me, and then continue to promote my shows on social media. Finally, a company that understands the critical importance of timing when it comes to promoting shows and events.” –Mike Marino
“Hooked on Entertainment’s concept of positive and valuable marketing through their beautiful and informative website is revolutionary and powerful. I am working harder than ever to launch into the next great level of my career in music, and preparing for my debut performance in a new Broadway musical. Hooked on Entertainment’s ability to publicize me and promote my upcoming shows and events through their website as well as through social media posting and press releases has definitely increased awareness as well as attendance at my shows.” –Rainere Martin
“The professionals at Hooked on Entertainment have proven to be a valuable professional asset to my work and the MTEAF Foundation. They are knowledgeable and efficient, carry out extensive research, and produce highly interesting and accurate articles. Hooked on Entertainment also posts and promotes my events on Facebook and Twitter, which strengthens my presence throughout social media. They are also flexible with editing requests and really attempt to produce uplifting content.” – Maria Torres-O’Connor
“Hooked on Entertainment is an exceptional website for keeping abreast of local entertainers, shows, and concerts. Your Events Calendar is great for finding out where and when local musicians are performing. The upbeat articles on restaurants, casinos, entertainers and the area’s music scene in general makes Hooked on Everything a very valuable website for anyone who lives in or visits the mid-Atlantic seaboard.” – Greg Martiello
“I thought that the website “Hookedoneverything.com” was really interesting. It acts as a hub for a lot of different articles. If someone is interested in a specific topic, then they can find a page on this website solely dedicated to that. You can find almost anything on this website. You can also be as broad or as specific as you want in regards to the topics. I can just browse in Hooked on Entertainment and get a diverse range of topics, or I could be more specific and go to Hooked on Comedy or even Hooked on Magicians! I never knew that I would have needed that before I saw it. Overall I think that this website could catch on if it found the right audience. It definitely has potential.” – Michael Colantuoni
“What the Hooked on Everything website has done well is put the categories on the right side which provides more ways of knowing what is on the website rather than just trying to cram everything on the home page. The “hook”image left me with a great impression.” – T. Barnes
”I like Hooked on Everything! I can use their information conveniently and the name is easy to remember. When it comes to travel – I’m going to NYC so I could read about airlines and hotels before booking them. I also found things to do like shows or adventures, and liked reading the comments about other people’s experiences.” – D. Adams
“The idea of ‘hooked’ is really nice! If someone is hooked on a certain type of lifestyle like entertainment or traveling, they could go directly on the site and see a mass number of articles to tickle their fancy.” – A. Kaylin
“I enjoy the layout of the website. While it is a little overwhelming at first, they do organize it pretty well. I love the consistency of the phrase “hooked on” – it’s creative. They seem to cover a lot of stuff, from Oprah Winfrey to Pennsylvania state parks. I think the most important aspect is the bottom with links to share the website on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.” – B. Carlson
“Hooked on Everything does a great job giving information to people about other people and lots of subjects.” – C. Pagano
“This site reminds me of a combination of blogs, specifically WordPress blogs. Since each hookedon category has articles with hyperlinks, comment fields, and hashtags with interesting subjects. It’s cool!” – K. Tully
“Hooked On Everything” is a one-stop shop. It gave me instant answers and also has Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram pages, so it’s all over the internet! And I was able to subscribe to the site’s RSS feed! This is a win-win for people who want to promote themselves or their company, and its great for audiences who are interested in its variety of subjects.” – M. Bradshaw
“This site has the potential to become a creative and credible database of stories and information.” – V. F.
“HOE is huge! The way everything is done on this website is worth praise. There are great articles about everything from traveling to education to entertainment and more. I think it will completely overtake a very important and influential audience. I read the traveling section and it tries to convince me to travel the world because that is how you become enlightened. Many people just travel and learn absolutely nothing.” – N. Julius
“All it took for me to get hooked was to search the entertainment section. There is a great page to check out, with new ideas on where to go and what to see. The articles on the website are also posted across social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Credit goes to them for their thoughtful, in-depth treatment of a website that, until today, I was unaware of. I am sure everyone will benefit from HOE and I will recommend to my friends. It’s amazing the way they pulled it off!” – C. Barnett
“This is is a fun website. I like it and it definitely caught my eye and attention. The texture is great and if the objective is to convince viewers to check out this website and see what it has to offer, I would give it a very high rating.” – M. Rogers
“I love the Hooked on Everything logo. I also like the various social media buttons on the right side of the page because it allows more ways and places to know the organization than just by the website.” – M. Martin