Quick Review: Improving My iPhonography with the OlloClip
Since MacWorld/iWorld I have seen a bunch of posts about the OlloClip a 3 lens system for your iPhone 4 or iPhone 3. For a few years now there have been several companies who introduced lens’ for the iPhone they required either a bulky case that had the lens built in or some required you add a metal ring to your iPhone camera lens so they could use magnets to attach the lens to the phone. None of these options really appealed to me, I hate bulky cases and I have strong distaste for stickers on phones.
The OlloClip though is very different its a 3-in-1 system that easily slides on and off your naked (case/bumper free) iPhone. The reason I like it is because it just works and gives your photos a whole new feeling. The 3-in-1 system includes, a fisheye, wide angle, and macro lens. The fisheye lens is my favorite because it totally changes the feel of the photo and will give your photos a fun curved feeling. The wide angle lens is great as well it really increases the width of your photos, allowing you to take photos of large groups and sweeping landscapes. The macro lens doesn’t do much for me yet, you can use it to take really crisp close ups. I also don’t like that you need to screw off the wide-angle lens to access the macro lens.
The accessory is built really nicely. The clip attachment is made from plastic and slides effortlessly onto the phone. The company even took into account the iPhone’s lock button by leaving a cut out so the clip does not automatically lock the phone when attached. The lens casing seems to be constructed from metal and the lens’ are made of glass. The accessory comes with two lens caps and a little carry case. Although it is small enough to just sit in my pocket with out its carry bag. I like that it is very small, smaller and lighter then a roll of quarters and it does an excellent job.
The lens works with any of your favorite camera apps for both still photos and videos. I have tried it in the standard Camera app, Instagram, and Camera+. It works great in all applications.
The only major issue beside the macro lens issue I wrote about above, is that you cannot use the flash with the lens attached. The plastic clip attachment covers the flash and if the flash goes off while using the attachment the picture is completely washed out. I would imagine there is a way to avoid this by maybe cutting out an additional circle to uncover the flash but I think that would make the accessory much larger then it is now.
Pros:
- Small
- Light weight
- Well Built
- Quality Lens
- Works with any app
Cons:
- Macro lens
- No Flash
Recommendation: If you’re looking to enhance your iPhonography with a lens attachment the OlloClip is an excellent way to do it.
(Photo Source: Tech Journal)
Quick Thoughts on Apple and Education
Today Apple made some announcments regarding new applications for education; textbooks, a textbook builder/creator, and a reimagining of iTunes U. While I believe this will all be excellent products, I don’t believe they will penetrate the market the way many would hope.
The new textbooks and textbook builder could be great tools. I remember in college many time receiving binder ring bound “books” of articles that my professor chose instead of a hardback textbook. Often times these provided a better in class experience then a standard textbook. However they were often more expensive and you could not sell them back at the end of the semester. The new iTextbooks (as I assume many will call them) could eliminate the printing cost and really allow a professor to create something very unique for there class. The problem is what about all the student who don’t own iPads they are still going to need a printed version.
The re-imagining of iTunesU is very interesting, in that it provides a complete course management system, that looks beautiful from the photos I have seen. Currently most universities use a software called Blackboard for this very task. The website is ok but many students and professors find the program to be confusing and unintuitive. Apple’s app on the other hand will likely be the complete opposite and be very user friendly. However, their was no mention of a web interface similar to the iCloud interface and this will inherently pose a problem.
While the iPad has undoubtedly penetrated the market and millions have been sold, there are still hundreds of thousands of students who do not own one, nor can they afford to. While I believe that these new apps can seriously improve education they will only do so if it can impact the broad spectrum of students. I believe Apple can do this by doing two things when the iPad3 is released. In order to have the right impact on education Apple should, introduce an iPad at a $299 price point and give students $100 discount. As well iTunesU needs its very own web interface that easily works in any web browser. This will open up the platform to almost anybody making Apples new iEducation initiatives an experience for the masses.
Update 1:50 PM: Cult of Mac echoes my sentiments on the sub-$299 iPad.
A Television - "is a guaranteed product for Apple"
Nick Bilton writes at the NY Times that an Apple branded television is a foregone conclusion. The idea of incorporating Siri into the alleged device excites me a lot.
Just imagine telling your TV “I want to cook chicken” and it brings up a bunch of recent Food Network shows that show chicken recipes.
Also the TV Guide, which was revolutionary would be obsolete. You could tell siri, “show me the latest episode of How I Met Your Mother.” Then the TV just plays the episode.
If Apple gets it right this could be revolutionary. However for sometime now the current version of the AppleTV has been called a hobby project. These advances would surely bring it to the forefront.
“Here’s to the Crazy Ones” — the first of Apple’s “Think Different” commercials. But this one is a bit different. It’s narrated by Steve Jobs himself.
Pretty much the greatest thing ever.
Source: youtube.com
iPod nano, this is your life
The first iPod nano was released on Sept. 7, 2005, and in the six intervening years, it has undergone a lot of changes. In fact, the nano has one of the most mercurial design histories of any Apple product. Here’s a quick look back at the history of the iPod nano over the years in pictures.
Nice little slideshow. Though I never owned one personally, “Fat Nano” is still my favorite design wise.
Source: minimalmac
Perhaps the difference between Steve Jobs and the ‘visionaries’ at other great companies was his ability to not only see what the future of technology could be, but to work toward that vision without obstruction.
Source: curiositycounts
