03/11/2017

The archive contains older posts which may no longer reflect my current views.

# Happy iPhone day! ?

200 days

Today I’ve reached 200 consecutive days of posting.

Some days have seen a lot while others might have had something very brief but I’m not forcing myself to adhere to any rules.

I don't think I even achieved a streak like this during Write365 as I missed 5 days throughout the year due to illness.

I've certainly never gotten anywhere close on my own blog and probably not even when I was using Twitter quite a lot.

Mixing things up with both long and short form posts, likes and replies, makes it much easier to post on a regular basis - and, dare I say, more natural.

I'm free to write whatever I want without the restrictions of topic or format whether imposed by platform or self. That’s a radically different outlook to how the blog used to be.

I like it!

24 comments: click to read or leave your own Comments

iPhone X first impressions

I’ve had a couple of hours with the new phone (mainly setting it up as I started from scratch rather than a backup) and I think we’re going to be firm friends.

Feel

The phone feels lovely. It is so smooth and the glass back looks gorgeous (I’ve got the silver model) but I’ve stuck a case on (ultra thin so as not to add any extra bulk) straight away to keep it scratch free.

It is significantly smaller in the hand - and in the pocket - than a Plus but I don’t really notice because of the larger screen. The weight balance is also much better.

Notch

Let’s get it out of the way: the notch. I knew it wasn’t going to bother me and it doesn’t. It really doesn’t. I just don’t notice it as I’m not normally focusing on the very top of the screen.

Even when I do focus on the notch, because of where it is and how crisp the lines are, it almost looks like it’s a software feature rather than hardware. It’s strange.

Screen

The screen is great and I love True Tone. I used to like it when Nightshift kicked in on the 6S Plus as I much preferred the screen warmth but True Tone takes it to the next level.

The only downside is that the off-angle blue tint to the OLED screen is made more apparent by having True Tone turned on but, even then, it just looks like the normal blue/white of an LCD without any warmth correction.

Navigation

Although I made a point of learning about gestures and navigation on the X in advance I’m surprised at how quickly I’ve gotten used to not having a home button. I’ve not once accidentally gone to tap on the “home indicator” bar.

The only thing I have to think about is the control center now being triggered by a swipe down from the top right.

Cameras

The rear cameras are so much nicer than the one on the 6S Plus, and how I’ve been waiting for a dual camera setup having missed the 7 Plus last year.

Portrait lighting looks like it could be fun but I was first mucking about with it in reasonably poor light so couldn’t get the best results.

Face ID has worked very reliably so far but seems quite over zealous and quick to drop back to passcode when someone else is looking at the phone. I shall have to experiment further.

In summary

The X is a lovely device that, at first glance, hits that sweet spot between size and comfort.

As I spend more time with it I’ll be able to refine my opinion but, for now, colour me impressed.

3 comments: click to read or leave your own Comments

# Om Malik has written that Face ID on the iPhone X struggles "when the room is completely dark" but, in my testing, it has worked perfectly.

The thing to remember is that it only works in portrait orientation. That's not to say that the phone has to be upright and perpendicular to the ground but that it lines up with your face, even if you're lying down.