TechnoRogue.com

Given this was my first ComicCon, I was in high gear sensory overload — so much to the point that I forgot to take a lot of pictures. Don’t worry, I won’t have the same problem next year, and I still have some to share in upcoming posts. The point of this post is to give those of you reading this a quick look at just how many people attend this conference. As stated earlier, I have never seen this many people congregated into one general locale. The exhibit hall floor, which spans a good majority of the San Diego Convention Center, was buzzing with people. Take a look for yourself –

Navigating through that at times was a challenge, much like rush hour traffic in the Bay Area, although I was much less tempted to bitch slap people at the SDCC. With the exception of the “penning” at Hall H, this is a more mellow crowd then those driving around the Bay Area as well. Next year I’ll definitely try to balance enjoying the event along with capturing video and pictures of all the amazingly geeky things to see!

In a recent article from TiPB.com, “5000 Sex-based iPhone Apps Removed…“, it appears that Apple has laid down the law regarding Apps having any form of sexual content. Really? Based on my most recent visit to the app store, just an hour ago, this doesn’t appear to be the case. Apple’s inconsistencies with respect to the App store continue. Ok, there are a few problems with this new policy (I’m sure there are more than just a few…but I’m only going to discuss a few).

Firstly, why not implement this policy across the board? As I write this, I can still get the Playboy app. There is NO way this app doesn’t have “sexual content”. I’m even considering spending $0.99 on the app just to prove a point. If Apple is going to have a policy like this, then enforce it fairly and equally. Does Playboy give a special kickback to Apple to keep the app in the store? Has Apple just not got to this app yet? Has TiPB.com exaggerated the number of apps to be removed? I don’t know for sure yet, but will look into this further.

Secondly, why not let the consumer determine what they find offensive and non-offensive? There are plenty of apps I consider to be utterly useless and “offensive”, so I protest it by not purchasing the app. I don’t care if it’s in the app store, or even if it’s in the “Featured” or “What’s Hot” lists. Congratulations to the developer for getting it on the list and making some money! You didn’t get my money, so no skin off my nose (or no deductions off my iTunes credit, as the case may be).

Thirdly, if Apple is going to enforce policies such as “No images of women in bikinis” or “Nothing that can be sexually arousing”, then what about medical/educational apps that deal with anatomy? Yes I know anatomy texts rarely have women in bikinis…in fact, they usually show A LOT more. So will these apps be pulled, or will they be saved because they are for educational purposes? I certainly hope the latter is the case. I actually have a few of the bikini/model apps because I use them as reference models when drawing. Sure I could look up pictures via Safari (provided Apple doesn’t pull Safari because it can contain “sexually arousing” images), but it is a lot easier to simply go to an app and find a picture that works. What about the “Art Model” apps currently available in the store? Will those be pulled as well? So “sexy” apps are bad, but “farting” apps are good? Not in my opinion.

Lastly, and here’s the biggest problem I see with this recent policy — if Apple continues to cripple the content available to the consumer, then the consumer will find other means to get what they want, whether it be via different devices, or un-crippling the current device. It’s almost like Apple is forcing us to jailbreak our phones if we want some form of “adult” content. Don’t forget Apple — Safari is on our device and we can easily find that content you are so eager to block. Why not just make a full “18 and over” section to the app store and let the people decide what apps they want to get.

The original title of this post was going to be “iPhone 3GS: To Upgrade or Not To Upgrade”; however, while at the mall, I couldn’t resist the temptation any longer. My tech lust got the best of me (and got the best of my lovely girlfriend who actually purchased the phone for me – Thank you My Love!). Before upgrading, I weighed heavily the pros and cons, thinking that most of the “ooh shiny” new features were mostly part of the OS 3.0 update. After having the new 3GS, I still think many of the “ooh shiny” features are part of the OS 3.0 update. However, given the hardware upgrades of the new 3GS, I have but only one conclusion – it was SO worth the upgrade!!!

The speed alone makes it worth the price and contract renewal. App launching, swiping from screen to screen, and even connecting to my WiFi connection are all significantly faster. General performance improvements in addition to voice recognition, the 3.0 megapixel camera with video capabilities (and yes, a compass) make the 3GS the greatest phone/gadget I have ever owned, ever. Period. For the numbers on the performance improvement, go here: We Get It — iPhone 3GS is Faster than Fast Fast!

I’ve only had the phone for a couple of days, so I’m learning more and more about it each day. For example, I didn’t discover until last night how to actually activate the voice recognition. I could have RTFM’d, but what’s the fun in that? But it’s not all love and infatuation. There has been one disappointing aspect of this tech lust with the new 3GS — some apps no longer work. Granted, I believe that’s part of the OS 3.0 update, and not the actual phone itself, but I upgraded too soon before I could test that out. Hopefully an update will be released soon for the broken apps, or a “bigger and badder” app will take its place. Either way, I love my new “Ooh Shiny” iPhone 3GS.

P.S. For those curious, I’m not another Apple FanBoy ranting and raving about the almighty Apple. I’m a very long time PC user, and only recently turned to the Dark Side. And I have enjoyed every step of my journey.

Greetings! Welcome to TechnoRogue.com, a blog dedicated to technology, and the rogue in all of us. In this blog, you’ll find links to various blogs/articles on technology, gadgets, telecommunications, etc., and my opinion/rants on them. Also, as a major fan (some may say “zealot”) of the iPhone and all the apps available, I will probably spend some time covering the iPhone, apps, and Apple. Don’t worry, I’m still a PC guy at heart

Also, as a practicing “musician” and aspiring “artist”, I’ll be including links, articles, and entries on music, photography and drawing. Enjoy your stay!