Monday 31 October 2011

iOS 5 release notes if you missed reading them when you updated your iPad


iOS 5 Software Update

This update contains over 200 new features, including the following:

• Notifications
◦ Swipe from the top of any screen to view notifications in one place with Notification Centre
◦ New notifications appear briefly at the top of the screen
◦ View notifications from lock screen
◦ Slide the notification app icon to the right on the lock screen to go directly to the app
• iMessage
◦ Send and receive unlimited text, photo and video messages with other iOS 5 users
◦ Track messages with delivery and read receipts
◦ Group messaging and secure encryption
◦ Works over mobile networks and Wi-Fi*
• Newsstand
◦ Automatically organises magazine and newspaper subscriptions on Home Screen
◦ Displays the cover of the latest issue
◦ Background downloads of new issues 
• Reminders for managing to-do lists
◦ Syncs with iCloud, iCal and Outlook
◦ Location-based reminders when you leave or arrive at a location for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4
• Built-in support for Twitter
◦ Sign in once in Settings and tweet directly from Camera, Photos, Maps, Safari and YouTube
◦ Add location to any tweet
◦ View Twitter profile pictures and usernames in Contacts
• Camera improvements for devices with cameras
◦ Double-click the Home button when device is asleep to bring up a camera shortcut on iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch (4th generation)
◦ Volume Up button to take a picture
◦ Optional grid lines to line up shots
◦ Pinch to zoom in the preview screen
◦ Swipe to camera roll from preview screen
◦ Tap and hold to lock focus and exposure; iPad 2 and iPod touch (4th generation) only support exposure lock
• Photo improvements for devices with cameras
◦ Crop and rotate
◦ Red-eye removal
◦ One-tap enhance
◦ Organise photos into albums
• Mail improvements
◦ Format text using bold, italic or underlined fonts
◦ Indentation control
◦ Drag to rearrange names in address fields
◦ Flag messages
◦ Mass mark messages as flagged, read or unread
◦ Customise mail alert sounds
◦ S/MIME
• Calendar improvements
◦ Year view on iPad and new Week view for iPhone and iPod touch
◦ Tap to create an event
◦ View and add event attachments
• Game Center improvements
◦ Use personal photos for your Game Center account
◦ Compare your overall achievement scores with your friends
◦ Find new Game Center friends with friend recommendations and friends of friends
◦ Discover new games with custom game recommendations
• AirPlay Mirroring for iPad 2 and iPhone 4S
• Multitasking Gestures for iPad
◦ Use four or five fingers to pinch to the Home Screen
◦ Swipe up to reveal the multitasking bar
◦ Swipe left or right to switch between apps
• On-device setup, activation and configuration with Setup Assistant
• Software updates available over the air without tethering
• iCloud support
◦ iTunes in the Cloud
◦ Photo Stream
◦ Documents in the Cloud
◦ Apps and Books automatic download and purchase history
◦ Backup
◦ Contacts, Calendar and Mail
◦ Find My iPhone
• Redesigned Music app for iPad
• Hourly weather forecast
• Real-time stock quotes
• Wireless sync to iTunes
• Keyboard improvements
◦ Split keyboard for iPad
◦ Improved auto-correction accuracy
◦ Improved Chinese and Japanese input
◦ New Emoji keyboard
◦ Personal dictionary for auto-correction
◦ Optionally create keyboard shortcuts for frequently used words
• Accessibility improvements
◦ Option to light LED flash on incoming calls and alerts for iPhone 4S and iPhone 4
◦ Custom vibration patterns for incoming calls on iPhone
◦ New interface for using iOS with mobility-impairment input devices
◦ Option to speak a selection of text
◦ Custom element labelling for VoiceOver
• Exchange ActiveSync improvements
◦ Wirelessly sync tasks
◦ Mark messages as flagged, read or unread
◦ Improved offline support
◦ Save a new contact from a GAL service
• More than 1,500 new developer APIs
• Bug fixes

Products compatible with this software update:
• iPhone 4S
• iPhone 4
• iPhone 3GS
• iPad 2
• iPad
• iPod touch (4th generation)
• iPod touch (3rd generation)

* Normal carrier data rates may apply. Messages will be sent as SMS when iMessage is unavailable; carrier messaging fees apply.



For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

SD Times

Software Development on SDTimes http://www.sdtimes.com/

Tuesday 16 August 2011

If you get this message from me, then your email was probably poor

Hi there,

Thanks for your PR "outreach" here...

What's the software application development angle from an individual programmer's perspective?

Although I do obviously cover "software" as an industry, I predominantly focus on hard core software engineering considerations. So think tools, APIs, components and command-line centric language related issies.

I presume you know that this is my "beat"?

Adrian

Monday 15 August 2011

Specialties - Adrian Bridgwater

Shorter than a CV, just tell it straight.

Blogging, news reports, technical writing, features, analysis pieces, case studies, white papers, media training, copywriting, web content, communications strategy, webinars, public speaking, public relations consultancy, thought leadership, strategic brand positioning, social media management, InDesign layout, subbing services, on-camera interviewing, podcasts, creative brainstorming, comedic deconstruction.



Saturday 30 July 2011

THINGS TO CHANGE ADDRESS ON WHEN YOU MOVE HOUSE

(do you think I missed anything?)

1 - TV license
2 - Clients
3 - EDF Energy - leccy
4 - EDF Energy - gas
5 - Trev (landlord)
6 - TalkTalk
7 - Home Insurance
8 - Council Tax
9 - Driving License
10 - Bank
11 - Family
12 - Tax Office HMRC
13 - Car Insurance

Wednesday 27 July 2011

My mad conversation for house purchase hell

Solicitor - you need a letter of reference

Adrian - what kind?

Solicitor - one personal and one professional

Adrian - ok, I'll get these

Solicitor - oh and one from your bank too

Adrian - OK, same kind of content?

Solicitor - oh no, much more complicated

Adrian - OK so how?

Solicitor - have your bank manager call me and then charge you for the service

Adrian - great, thanks!

Solicitor - oh and I'll need to mail you the example letter, but I'm not going to tell you that, I'm going to wait until your bank manager tells you

Adrian - oh nice, this is fun

Solicitor - when you mail me them, I'll probably cause trouble, charge you extra money and just general act like a pain in the arse OK

Adrian - yup, works for me

Solicitor - oh and I'll drop in LOADS of industry terms like "deed of covenant" and crap like that to confuse you OK?

Adrian - roger that

Solicitor - OK so all clear then?

Adrian - why didn't you tell me about these letters last week so I could have got them done before

Solicitor - it wouldn't have been HALF as much fun now would it?

Adrian - I guess not

Solicitor - got all that then?

Adrian - yes, did this set of emails also cost me money

Solicitor - let's call it 50 bucks right?

=============

Thursday 7 July 2011

Britney is here

WYSIWYG editor

Once your have set your blog up, writing is a breeze with the basic WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor. This is a pretty simplistic interface but it’s nice and you might find that it’s all you need. If you feel you do want a bigger canvas to craft your blogs on then you can use Google Docs to post to your Blogger blog – plus, if you are up for it, you can even get your hands dirty with some basic HTML editing.