iPhone 5

First things first, this is not a review of the new iPhone. I don't think I have any right to review a product that I don't actually own myself. My girlfriend purchased the iPhone 5 today and so I thought I'd give my brief opinion of the device. I might string some kind of review together once I've had a play with it, or if I ever pick one up for myself.

Personally, I own the iPhone 4 (yeah, retro these days). In fairness, the 4 is still fairly popular and still has a little way to go before meeting it's grave. I love my phone and I'm not quite ready to part with it just yet. It does all I need it to. I don't need a fancy new A6 chip, 8MP camera or 7" screen. The apps I use operate fine with the phone I have.

Visually, the iPhone 5 is stunning. It's a lot thinner, weighs a hell of a lot less and the screen resolution is to die for. Take a look at this beauty:

(Picture from 9to5mac)

I mean, tell me you don't look at that and think, "yeah, it is a good looking piece of kit". Even the Samsung fans should be able to appreciate that the iPhone looks amazing. Likewise, I think the new line of Samsung products (Note II, SIII) are good looking in their own ways.

My contract is up for renewal in May so I'm stuck with my 4 until then. "Stuck" is a harsh word to use though, I do really love my 4 and I'm still in two minds about getting the 5. Currently, I can't justify the £529 price tag - there isn't a massive difference from the 4 (well, not that I would really notice) so, for now, the 4 stays.

Whilst in the Apple store, I did notice that there is an incredibly short supply of accessories at the moment. Bar the Apple made products like the 30-pin adapters and such, it appears that third party manufacturers haven't yet gone full steam ahead into producing the amount of accessories that the 4/4S has at it's disposal. Maybe this is because the 5 is still relatively new, but I would have thought a larger choice of cases, screen protectors, etc would be available by now.

Regardless, my girlfriend seems happy with her new purchase. Just needs to wait for the silly new nano-sim to activate and it'll be all systems go.

If you've got some time, why not leave a comment with your opinion on the iPhone 5. I don't want it getting completely out of hand though, no Samsung vs Apple rivalries please!

Instagram want your soul

So it turns out that Instagram, the online photo sharing website, has updates its Terms and Condition which will allow them exclusive rights to any photo you upload with the intention to sell them to whoever they like. The worrying part about this is they can do it without your consent, and without you even knowing who your photos are being sold to.

The new terms come into effect on January 16th 2013. Any accounts still active by this date will be tied in with the new terms and they cannot opt out. I strongly advise that if you do not want the company to have free reign over your photos, delete it before the 16th January. The new terms state that any account deleted after the 16th could still have it's photos shared, so this is why you must delete it prior to this date if you are not happy with the new terms.

Facebook purchased Instagram in April for a staggering £616m ($1bn). It wouldn't surprise me if the idea for selling the photos to advertisers comes in light of the earlier dip in Facebooks share prices. They have struggled in recent months to keep investors and advertisers happy, especially when the value of the company when floated on the market didn't even scratch the surface on what they initially estimated.

Earlier this month, Facebook stated that they would eventually "monetise Instagram". Is this it?

To me, it is a very draconian way of doing things. It goes completely against everything that Instagram was created for - a free haven for users to actively share their photos to the rest of the world. If you look at rival services, such as Flickr, who offer everything the new Instagram won't, it's hard to see how they will survive.

On the other side of the argument though, some people do state that this is the price of social media. It is a tool to interact with other people so why should we be bothered if the site is sharing our photos. To counter this, I don't think people are bothered if a site shares our photos, as long as we know where they are going, what they will be used for and what safeguards are in place to protect our privacy. Instagram have completely gone against this by not even telling you who is buying or what your photos are being used for.

As far as I can see, neither Facebook or Instagram have commented on this - even though it has caused a massive public backlash.

I'll update the blog if they make any comment.

Pi Life

Okay, so today I went to see The Life of Pi. It's due out on 20th December but I managed to secure some free tickets from showfilmfirst.com. To be perfectly honest I wasn't expecting much. I haven't read the book, nor am I in anyway a religious man but it was free so why not?

The film itself is visually stunning. I am not usually a fan on 3D films. To me, they are a complete waste of money and make your eyes go funny. Unfortunately for me this film was in 3D - luckily the glasses were free! In reality, I am really glad it was in 3D. The tricks it plays on you, the picture coming right out of the screen at you, it was all made extremely well. The 3D effects really make some of the crucial scenes so if it comes out with a choice I would highly recommend choosing the 3D version. You won't regret it.

I'm not one for spoilers so I won't go into too much detail, but basically it's about an Indian boy who becomes stranded at sea with a Bengal tiger and has to discover how to survive. Over the course of the film, you will see Pi struggle with his faith and how he must push himself to the absolute limit in order to continue fighting. It's a brilliant piece of cinema.

What I find most refreshing is Ang Lee (director) chose a completely unknown actor to play the lead role.  Suraj Sharma plays the part of Pi with outstanding professionalism and really shows that he deserves to be there. I genuinely hope he makes the big screen in future. This is exactly what I love, directors noticing young, fresh talent and showing it to the world.

Overall, The Life of Pi is an amazing display and something that should be watched. You can view the trailer for the film below. Feel free to discuss the film or the book below (please keep any conversations clean or comments will be removed).

North Korea Launches Rocket

So, North Korea today decided to launch the rocket that, previously, the UN and practically the whole of Europe condemned. 

Their first launch attempt failed miserably and no doubt embarrassed Kim Jong-Un. I can imagine a similar scene to the below from the film Der Untergang (which you should see if you haven't already done so). Oh, I almost forgot, you'll need to replace Hitler with Jong-Un.

Okay, so maybe Jong-Un doesn't think the war is lost or that he can no longer lead but you get the idea.

Today's launch happened at around 00:40 GMT and apparently followed it's designated path perfectly, dropping used boosters near Japan (which they weren't too impressed with I might add). The USA has since confirmed that something 'new' has appeared in space - maybe these secrecy mad Koreans actually did what they said they were doing.

I have always thought that their public shows of military might have been nothing more than such. I relate it to the Soviet Union during The Cold War. They publicly broadcast videos showing them with hundreds upon hundreds of tanks and aircraft. In reality the vehicles were simply circling around the block off camera and starting from the beginning again. This created the rather powerful propaganda mechanic of scaring the west into believing the Soviets had masses of military presence.

You can read more on this story by visiting the BBC News website. There are other reports out there, I just find the BBC less biased compared to the likes of the Daily Mail and The Sun. You can find the link for the story here.

Panic over

Ah, the guys over at Facebook HQ work quickly don't they. All is well again in the camp and order has been restored.

'tis a shame really, I was really looking forward to the massive media blow out coverage of the downfall of Facebook. Being the media they would have rocketed it well out of proportion - the joys of journalism I suppose.

Regardless, all you avid Facebookers have your mecca back. Go enjoy it.

End of the world?

Oh noes! It appears Facebook has been... eradicated?

Is this the start of the apocalypse people? Be prepared...


More later.

UK Weather

For all of you who don't know, I live in the UK. Our weather can be completely unpredictable and, as of late, has been on the extremely cold side.

It's not the cold in general that I have a problem with, it's all the side effects that occur as a result. Things like more people in cars because they're "too cold" to get a bus - resulting in increased amounts of traffic. This not only wastes my hard earned fuel but it send me nuts. I'm all for people using their cars but come on! if you usually get the bus because it's more cost effective for you, don't clog up my road space with your car when your privates get a little frosty!

On top of this we have the hugely inadequate road system. I pay over £100 a year to this useless government in road tax. What do I get for the privilege?  absolutely nothing, that's what. I swear, if I was given £1 for every pot hole that I'm faced with on a daily basis then i'd be a millionaire, wouldn't have to work and wouldn't need to drive myself thus saving myself all the hassle.

The rest of Europe laugh at us during winter. There Germany is, with a well structured transport infrastructure and here's the UK. The place where a little white fluff grinds the country to a halt. You would have thought we'd have learnt by now. Global warming is not going to go away overnight and our winters have become a lot harsher. We have snowy and icy conditions every year yet nothing is done. My car is always stocked with the necessary in the event of a breakdown in these conditions but there are many people who aren't so prepared - our own government for one. I was stuck in an approximately 5 mile traffic jam the other day, all because a car had skidded in the ice and blocked the entire road. Now maybe this is just me, but if that road had been correctly gritted I wouldn't have been ranting and raving in my car for well over an hour...

Anyway, ranting aside here are the main items we should all be carrying in this horrid winter weather:

• De-icer (some, even myself, dispute the necessity of this item. Usually a good old ice scraper does the trick and you don't get left with any gooey residue on your windows)
• The legendary ice scraper (if you don't have one, buy one! If all else fails, use your credit card. The plus side of this is you won't be able to increase your debts!)
• Spare tyre and the appropriate changing kit (I would recommend a full size, those mini tyres are a waste of time and most new cars don't even have the luxury of one)
• Food (obviously nothing that requires refrigeration, although the icy conditions may well be just as good as a fridge..)
• Water (I've been told off for keeping the plastic bottled water in my car because the ice could make the bottle explode when it freezes. I've never had a problem though. If you are worried about this, just put some water in one of those flasks and seal it tight)
• Blanket (If you're stranded for a while you will definitely need one of these to escape the chill - especially when you haven't got the luxury of the heaters)

The above list is what I would deem absolutely necessary for all journeys during winter. As I'm a massive paranoid weirdo I carry way more than I need but it keeps my mind at rest and I suppose it may all come in handy one day. 

Important: I am not a professional when it comes to this area. Use my list lightly. If you want any further advise, seek professional assistance. Companies like the AA will provide the key info for free.

To finish things off, I'll give you a forecast for the next couple of days. Just to put you in high spirits..

Monday:

A frosty start to the day, then mostly fine and dry with a good deal of sunshine in most areas. Chance of the odd wintry shower in the east. Chilly. Maximum Temperature 5 °C.

Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:

Staying largely dry and bright with some sunny spells. Despite this, it will stay cold with widespread overnight frosts and freezing fog patches that may be slow to clear.

(all data from the MET Office website and for the North West of England only. Forecasts for your local area are available from the website at www.metoffice.gov.uk)

Until next time, keep trucking.