Last week I spent a few days in New York City with board meetings at Foursquare, Stack Exchange, Trello and a new company we haven’t announced just yet (coming soon). There is so much energy and creativity in the city.
It was also great to hang with my friend Josh. Josh is an amazingly talented photographer who sees light in a way that I only dream of. He’s also extremely kind. I’m grateful to know him.
(disclaimer: This isn’t meant to be an sort of extensive review of the iPhone 6 or iOS 8. Just some thoughts on using my new phone and OS for the last few days with some apps i’ve used for a long time)
I received my iPhone 6 Friday morning like many readers of this blog.
The short review: it’s the best mobile device I’ve ever owned.
It’s interesting that many apps I’ve used for a long time feel so different in this new form factor (ie bigger screen + iOS 8) while others do not. Just some quick observations of some better known apps that released updates on Friday in time with the new phone and OS.
Tumblr.
The new Tumblr for iOS 8 and the bigger screen is absolutely stunning. Photographs bleed edge to edge and text renders beautifully. Everything is in it’s right place. It’s a pleasure to see the team continue to execute a year or so after the Yahoo acquisition.
I’m an Instagram user but I must say Instagram now looks dated on my new device. Photographs don’t look as good as they did previously. I see many users posting non-square cropped images thanks to 3rd party apps like this. I imagine the square format at Instagram is as sacred as 140 characters at Twitter. Nevertheless it would be a huge improvement if they allowed for full screen mode of the photos. Maybe a long tap a la Snapchat would be a good way to do it.
I’m loving the new profile page on Twitter for iOS. They look great. I discovered a little bug in the timeline. Tap on a photo and it fills the screen. Rotate your phone to landscape the photo doesn’t fill the screen. Otherwise it’s another really nice refined improvement to my darling Twitter.
Facebook on iPhone 6 now looks just like using it on an Android device. I’m sure it was intentional but I think it’s a mistake. I prefer apps on iOS that look native for iOS.
Hype Machine
This app wasn’t updated on Friday but it looks even more gorgeous on the big screen. Kudos to Anthony and team for designing such a wonderful product.
Evernote
I like how Evernote created a widget for iOS 8. I like having their tool bar within one swipe. Love to see Swarm, Trello and Runkeeper widgets in the future.
Keyboards
I’ve tried a number of 3rd party keyboards. I still the native iOS 8 keyboard. It’s substantially better than iOS7’s keyboard and feels smoother than 3rd party alternatives.
1Password
The new version is a game changer with iOS 8
That’s it for now. How ya liking the bigger screen and OS?
My man David sent me this Nada Surf awesomeness this morning. Thanks, I needed it.
Happy birthday to my little girl, Ellie.
It’s interesting how kids develop. My oldest one loves urban life. Get her in the country and she doesn’t feel right. My middle one is simply the opposite. She doesn’t get city life at all, the crowds, the pace, the scene.
But an afternoon at the barn and everything is in the right place.
I am having so much fun shooting film. These days I’m only picking up my digital cameras 10% of the time.
Last week I was at a local camera store and saw a Canon EOS 3 sitting on the shelf. This model came out in 1999 and was discontinued by 2007. It’s a film SLR camera. It has a beautiful viewfinder, feels great in your hand and works with all of Canon’s L-series lenses. Asking price: $99.
I handed the man my credit card for the camera and a battery and off I went.
I’m not sure how often I’ll use this camera to be honest. Probably just for the kids sports when I need something fast. But I couldn’t let this gem sit on the shelf. It may be discontinued but I’m keeping it alive.
The last few nights have been quite cool in the Boston area. When I took our dog Sam for an evening walk last night, my phone told me that it was 47 degrees outside. I threw on my denim jacket and a scarf. The flip flops were pushed to the back of the closet.
So here are some of the last photographs of summer.
Over Labor Day weekend we made a day trip to Crane Beach which is about an hour from our house. It was our first time there. The beach just beyond the parking lot was extremely crowded. But a 15minute walk south along the water, was quiet and wide open. It was a gorgeous day. The sun was out, the sand was hot and the waves were cool.
I cherish days like that.
(All photographs taken with a Leica MP and Kodak Portra 400 film scanned at Richard Photo Lab in California)
Sam
