To do for international/otherwise rebellious iPhone users

I invite anyone who knows what they're talking about to take a stab at answering the questions presented in this table, like this

1a. Write answer to square pertaining to 1a
1b. Write answer to square pertaining to 1b
And so forth and so on

Nintendo & Apple: Lets take a look at the scene

My friend just lent me his Wii. I like it. And being the Apple fanatic I am, I can't help but wonder what integrations between Apple and Nintendo would look like.

So let's take a look at the scene, shall we?

The three stationary current-generation game consoles are Xbox 360, PS3 & Wii.

Xbox 360:
-Made by Microsoft
-Console features that rival those of Apple products:
Xbox live video vs. iTunes
Media set-top box (vs. AppleTV)
-Microsoft products that rival those of Apple:
Zune vs. iPod
Windows vs. OS X
Windows mobile vs. iPhone

PS3
-Made by Sony
-Console features that rival those of Apple products:
Media set-top box (vs. AppleTV)
-Sony Products that rival those of Apple:
Computers
Cell Phones
Mp3 Players

Nintendo
-Made by Nintendo
-Console features that rival those of Apple products:
Watching Youtube on a set-top box
-Nintendo products that rival those of Apple:
I would argue nothing. No one will ever ask the question, do I need an Apple Product or a Nintendo Product to get this done.
-Interesting to note, the interface of the Wii and the interface of the iPhone both represent attempts to innovate and improve the UI experience. Both very different in their technology, yet similar in their goal.

Of these three companies and consoles, Nintendo and the Wii seems the one that gets in the way of each other the least. So if they're not competitors, how could these companies help each other out? Well...I have a couple ideas...

1. Internet surfing on the Wii is really cool, yet inconvenient. The only reason for this is because of the lack of a keyboard to type in web addresses, user names, passwords, comments, blog entries, pretty much EVERYTHING. So hows about Nintendo gets Apple to market a new (or the existing) bluetooth keyboard to Wii users. It means more options for a better experience on the Wii, and increased accessory sales for Apple.

2. This one is a bit less likely/realistic , but bear with me. Internet surfing on AppleTV is non-existent. All features on AppleTV can be enjoyed on a network not connected to the internet except for YouTube. But the AppleTV COULD be an internet machine. The interface device of AppleTV, the Apple Universal Remote, is absolutely not cut out for internet surfing. To surf on an AppleTV, one would need a mouse type interface device, as well as a keyboard. So what if Nintendo released a Wiimote sensor-to-USB connector, and marketed Wiimotes to AppleTV owners? The Wiimote could be used more or less the same way it is to surf the web on a WiiI know it seems a bit far fetched. But the truth is, even by licensing this technology to Apple, the AppleTV would NOT cannibalize the sales of the Wii and vice versa. Both devices would be made more useful, but because no one would ever buy either of these devices solely for internet surfing, would not cut out of each other's sales.

Think about it, Apple!

iPhone accessories/features je veux

A couple iPhone accessories I would buy and features I would appreciate

In the car:

Full iPhone auto integration: Installation of this system will allow the iPhone over bluetooth and/or wireless to play music over the car's sound system, play videos on an auto LCD screen, such as the ones that currently are used to play DVD, and automatically set answered phone calls to speakerphoned when they come through. A cable to charge the iPhone would certainly be a part of this set up

Garage door setup: Use the iPhone's wireless capabilities to have it control the opening and closing of your garage doors

GPS: Not much more to add here. I don't actually think you need GPS, unless you get seriosly lost. If you're not lost, its not a HUGE deal to just type in a start address, and let the machine know when you're turning.

At home:

Airtunes control: A really cool feature of iTunes is Airport, where there's a computer in room A that's wirelessly streaming music to an Airport in room B that's connected to speakers. However, there is no way of controlling that music without being in room A to have access to the music library. So, you use your iPhone to control music that's being played over Airtunes! Have a widget called Airtunes that lets you choose which computer's music you'd like, select a song, and the iPhone will stream the music from that computer to the speakers. And if you are visiting a friend's house with your iPhone, stream music from your iPhone to your buddy's Airport-connected-speakers.

In Class:

Keyboard: I don't care how good the keyboard on the iPhone is for typing short emails and SMS messages, I would like to be able to use the iPhone to type notes in class by plugging it in to a keyboard with a dock for the iPhone. Except with a twist. I think the iPhone could be much more useful in landscape mode for typing notes, so the dock connector would plug into the iPhone horizontally instead of vertically.

Other:

Slideshow: While presenting a Keynote or powerpoint presentation, the iPhone display a thumbnail of each of the slides coming up. This would be especially useful if slides have been prepared to answer questions the presenter considers may be asked of him, as he could pick the slide he has prepared that is relevant to his answer.

Word Processor, Spreadsheet: Well Apple isn't going to get a lot of help from Microsoft for creating a mobile word processor/spreadsheet for the iPhone, but Apple is already on pretty good terms with a company that offers simple word processing and spreadsheet solutions: Google with Google Docs! I say Apple should bring Google Docs to a form that compliments the iPhone similar to the way they brought Google Maps to a form that is very complimentary to the iPhone. I think that level of integration would be phenomenal.

Facebook app for iPhone: Let me do all of my facebook stuff without having to actually go to the website. Im talking about News feeds, who's written on my wall, maybe even see my friends' albums in the same way iPhone displays the user's albums. Also having a photo upload feature specific to the iPhone would be great! And you can't forget seamless status updates.

Remote Play for iPhone: You know PS3-PSP connectivity? Use the same theory to stream any video from your computer directly to your iPhone without having to sync it. How is this useful you may ask? Well personally I just want to watch the Daily Show in my sunny backyard, and not have to worry about syncing the most recent episode every day.

EDGE with a computer: iPhone plugged into your Mac? (or PC?), no WiFi reception? No worries, if Apple would allow that computer to surf the web with a full screen using the iPhone's connection

And Finally,

iPhones in Canada: I want one, NOW!!!

Any ideas? Comment them

Effects of the HD Decryption: Apple Edition

1. The folks over at Handbreak will integrate all this into, well, Handbrake
2. Videophiles start buying hard disks by the terrabytes, and many will be pulling out month-old "replace Apple TV hard drive" guides
3. HD on Apple TV!!!

Great idea - Facebook-like tagging in iPhoto

Not much to do with minimalism, more of just a good idea, but as a University student and recovering Facebook addict (I had a friend change my password so I couldn't even access my account), I think iPhoto should have a feature like photo-tagging on facebook. It make great use out of the search bar at the bottom right of iPhoto, as I wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't the only one not using it. So heres my idea,

1. When are browsing photos in iPhoto, there will be an option next to Play that says Tag
2. You click on tag, and click on someone's face in a photo
3. A textbox appears. As you started typing the person's name, names from your address book would show themselves, itunes & spotlight search style, and you could choose a name from this address book list, or type a name that isn't in the address book. If a new name is typed, it is added to the list of names that appear when typing a future tag, possibly with an option to add that name to Address book.

Now here's the cool part

4. When you go through address book, there would be a photo album of each person from all photos that they were tagged in, and automatic iphoto photo albums of the same person or of two or more people people (you and the kids, you and the wife, etc)

From there, Apple could even go on to set up options to send emails of pictures based on these tags, to the point where you could email someone every picture of you and the kids from the last week.

At times like these, I wish I knew how to use Photoshop so I could create a visual example of my idea. Or even better I wish I worked for Apple.

My First Challenge to Apple: Simplify Front Row and iPod

As a University student, the iMac that is sitting on my desk is a strong source of entertainment, be it films, television shows, music, digital photos, or surfing the web. The first four that I mentioned are all accessible through Front Row, with the Apple remote. This is excellent, as I don't have the money or the space in my room for a TV, and definitely don't have the money for cable. When some money comes through maybe I’ll dish it out for EyeTV, but probably not as I’ve been keeping very busy with the first five seasons of Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Family Guy I torrented. When I'm out, my photo iPod keeps me well entertained with my music, in an easy to use and generally clutter-free way

However, Front Row and iPod have not yet hit my Zen, and I'll tell you why. Check out this list of every item that exists in Front Row:

-Music
*Shuffle Songs
*Shared Music
*Playlist
*Artist
*Albums
*Songs
*Podcast
*Genre's
*Composers
*Audiobooks

-Video
*Shared Videos
*Theatrical Trailers
*Movies
*Music Videos
*TV Shows
*Video Podcasts

-Photos
*Shared Photos
*All Albums

-DVD

and iPod's music menu,
-Music
*Playlists
*Artists
*Albums
*Songs
*Podcasts
*Genres
*Composers
*Audiobooks

Bolded are all the options that I use, as for the others, I find they are just visual clutter. To improve these interfaces in a very easy way, all Apple has to do is to not include options in these menus that are empty. When I go into Front Row, or on my iPod I don't want to be reminded of the Media I don't have, I want to focus on what I do have and what I essentially want. As for shared videos, shared music, and Movie trailers, I think iTunes preferences should be able to disable these options in Front Row

The reason I’ve made such a big deal out of what some may think is such a small problem, is because of the nature of the iPod and of Front Row. Part of good minimalism comes from cleverly hiding intricate systems behind a veil of simplicity. Think of a concert. Before a concert starts, the band chooses the songs that it's going to play and it in what order. Then, when they get on stage, there's nothing but the desired show. And the musicians won't make any comments like, if want us to perform magic we can't, and if you want us to read you a book we can't. Now think of iTunes as the backstage, and Front Row and iPod as the Stage, as the band. I believe when you use these interfaces, you, like the concertgoer, should experience only the desired media. While this would put more clutter into the iTunes preferences, and offer what some may consider unnecessary choice, I think the result would be worth it.

Oh and two more things,
Coverflow in Front row, done iPhone style (album flips over to show a list of songs in that album), and don't display file extensions for films in the movie folder

First off, well done Google!

I suppose the best place to start for a blog this would be to compliment Google on producing a fine minimal template to use for blogging. A simple color scheme, a very strong site spatially, and easy to set up for the blogger. I tip my hat to you Google.