After discovering that I couldn’t restore notes from iCloud to my new iPad I set about discovering if there was a way I could recover the notes I had backed up through iTunes. It turns out that there is indeed a fairly straight forward process.
Why am I in this predicament?
When I first booted the iPad I did not restore from my previous version and I initially turned iCoud off. This meant that I had a virgin iPad that I then proceeded to load with apps. Some time later I realised that I had no previous notes! There doesn’t seem to be a way to restore notes from a backup that was made on another iOS device, so that means you need to be a little bit creative in your approach to getting to the data.
If like me you have had several iOS devices the chances are you have loads of data backed up on your computer from those devices, but there is no easy way to read this data. You therefore need to install a couple of apps that make this process easy.
Step 2: Launch iPhone Backup Extractor and click on the “Read Backups” button and proceed to choose which backup you wish to recover. At this point you you need to select the “Extract” button which will ask you to select a target folder to place the extracted files into.
Click on read backups and choose which backup you wish to recover
Select iOS files and extract
Specify where you want the extracted files to go
Step 3: You now need to launch MesaSQLite which you will use to read the data in your iOS backup. If it doesn’t automatically ask “which database would you like to open?” go to File > Open Database and navigate to the folder you extracted your iOS backup to. As we are going to recover notes, you need to navigate to iOS Files > Library > Notes > and choose notes.sqlite
Step 4: Near the top left, where it says “Table Name”, select “ZNOTEBODY” and below that select “ZCONTENT”. Next select “contains” and finally hit “search”. This will return any notes that have been backed up to your Mac. From here, simply double click on the text and copy and paste into a text editor and save your note.
If you know of an easier way to do this please do share your knowledge in the comments below.
I eluded in my previous article that you the reader can improve how you consume news. There are currently many apps that improve the user experience and in this article I take a look at my favorite apps.
Reader in Safari
Through a web browser
Of course one of the easiest routes to take is to go direct to the website, but I find that a laborious task and who can remember to visit all of your favourite sites anyway?
iReader
If you do go direct use “Reader” on Safari to clear away the clutter, it’s that little button in the address bar.
iReader is available for Chrome.
RSS icon
If you recognise this little icon (to the left) you know that you can subscribe to the RSS feed for the site or section. You can use a variety of tools to read RSS feeds from your web browser to your email client, but my preferred approach is to use google reader to manager my feeds and browse through them on the web.
You may also choose to subscribe to email alerts. Hint: we offer an email subscription to this site, it’s right over there to your right
These services generally send you a daily email with either all the latest stories or an editors selection. You should be able to unsubscribe at any time.
flipboard
Apps
Flipboard, exclusively available to iOS users is one of my favourite apps, but the fact it’s not on android means I can’t always use it. Like it’s name suggests, you simply flip the page to reveal the next story. This app is a good all rounder as it integrates with google reader, twitter and facebook, pulls in other feeds as well, saves articles for later and enables discovery. What more could you want? (An Android app )
Pulse
Pulse, not as pretty as flipboard but equally as useful and available across iOS and Android. If you create an account with Pulse you can sync your sources across devices. Adding content is easy, you can either add packs curated by Pulse or add you own favourite news sources. However, there is no google reader integration.
Google Currents
Google Currents surprised me because I tried not to like it, yet it works really well and is one of Google’s better designed apps. Google Currents is a available on both iOS and Android devices, you can add your google reader feeds, discover new sites as well as subscribe to the more mainstream news.
Feedly is once again available on multiple devices and as a chrome extension, but is my favourite app for wading through my RSS feeds on my phone. It connects to your google reader account and pulls in the stories in a magazine style layout and with a simple swipe to the right you navigate to your next story. I use feedly solely with my google reader account as I feel the other apps are better for discovery.
Feedly
Zite is my least favourite of these picks, but it’s good for discovering articles and sites that you would not normally come across. The main reason I don’t like it is because ‘I’m stuck in my ways’! I have spent years curating my own RSS feeds, I know what I like and that’s what I want to read and Zite doesn’t make it easy to read my feeds. However, I can imagine using Zite as a magazine replacement at the airport or at a cafe. It’s one of those apps where you could spend an hour discovery new content.
Zite
All of these apps allow you to share a story with your social media accounts and save them for later. It’s this saving for later that might be making you curious so how do these apps do that?
Simply, they integrate with two other great apps: Pocket & Readability. By sharing or saving an article to these apps you create a list of articles that you want to read at a later date, maybe offline on either your phone or tablet. You can also install browser extensions or bookmarklets that allow you to save an article for later. So for example if I’m reading a long piece (e.g. a preview to the Masters) and I want to come back to it later, I simply click the button in the browser and it magically gets saved to either my pocket or readability account so I can read it later.
Did I mention all of the apps above are free?
Of course, these apps are mainly for reading the news. Tunein radio is a must download in my opinion for both android and iOS. This app will let you listen to both live radio and podcasts while on the move. The BBCs iPlayer app gives you access to both radio and TV and of course no roundup would be complete without including YouTube – yes even YouTube has news channels!
What are your favourite apps for reading the news?
In this article I’ll be looking at the different ways we consume News from print to TV to online and highlight how habits are changing. I’ll also show you how I consume news.
Print
Let’s have a show of hands on who buys a newspaper? Do you actually go into a store and purchase a newspaper? Be honest. If you raised your hand, you are clearly in the minority.
Matthew Symington in his article states “The only constant in print journalism is decline” and continues to argue that “a newspaper with no money would steadily become a stenographer of the rich and powerful, and if this were to happen to our newspapers we’d be better off without them at all.”
Newspapers could vanish over night and I wouldn’t notice. If you consider the monthly ABCs, my friends probably wouldn’t notice either. The fact is, most people don’t buy newspapers.
In a market that is facing declining distribution numbers and declining advertising revenues newspapers have flocked to the internet to provide their content for free to anyone with access to a web browser. Madness. In an instant, newspapers have devalued their product in the hope that they will compete with alternative ‘news’ websites such as blogs and industry specific forums. Today it is difficult to measure the real value to our society of print news.
The rise of the paywall
Rising up to challenge this free nature of news are papers such as the Irish News who do not provide free online access to their content. To read the Irish News, you either buy the paper or subscribe to their online edition. That is what you call a business model and demonstrates a company that is sticking to its strategy of providing premium news.
What is premium news? In this case premium (a newspaper website that establishes a paywall) does not mean or imply better, it simply means you pay to access content.
Is the news that is reported in the Irish News better than the news reported in the Belfast Telegraph? That will be a matter of opinion, but the fact remains that I can pretty much read everything that is produced in the Irish News, somewhere else. I’ll probably have to go to several different sources and wait a period of time, but that content will eventually appear. The question then becomes, am I willing to pay for convenience?
Exclusive opinion pieces are another carrot often dangled before our eyes. Again it depends on how much you value those opinions. I would argue that professional analysis is worth paying for, but I can easily create a counter argument: that opinion can be found, analysed and debated, on countless forums and blogs the world over. This crowd sourced approach will inevitably provide a more interesting read.
The internet provides a massive opportunity for us as users. In this world we have access to pretty much anything we want at a time and place that is convenient to us. The user then becomes the editor. I choose what I want to read. I choose when I want to read the story. I choose how I want to read the story.
TV and Radio
Where does television and radio fit into this equation?
I point the finger straight at these guys for slowly but surely killing the newspaper. We don’t “pay” for news on either the TV or radio and this created the notion that news is free. Arguably these platforms are more convenient than print and offer better content in the form of programming. So why aren’t the newspapers creating online news channels? Why aren’t they trying to compete?
I’ll be perfectly honest, I don’t remember the last time I watched the 6 o’clock news or any other news bulletin that wasn’t on Sky Sports News. Multi channel TV, digital radio and the internet have created so much choice for me as an individual that mainstream news has no place in my daily routine. This wasn’t always the case. I was raised on the news. First my Dad made us watch the national news, then it was the local news and then it was more local / national news. You see we (and I mean I) didn’t have Sky or the internet back then. The year was 1995!
Radio almost seems forgotten about these days, yet it’s reach (46.7 million adults each week) is staggering. I rarely listen to live radio, instead I prefer to get my radio via podcasts. This allows me to listen to my favourite shows when and where I want. The advancement of smartphones has made the process much more straightforward, but you can buy radios with onboard recording facilities and an EPG e.g. the Pure Bug (my bedside radio). Listening to online radio also opens the doors to niche broadcasting and eliminates the risk associated with traditional stations i.e. I hear what interests me. It is this phenomenon that can be attributed to the decline in local radio news.
So how do I consume news?
The inspiration for this article is thanks to a conversation I had with a chap about how you can use RSS feeds to gather all of your news into one app on your iPad. “You’ve no need to visit their website” I said, only to be greeted with a blank response. It became abundantly clear in that one conversation that many people could be more efficient at consuming news.
In my life news is broken down into genres, mainly tech, science, sport & business. I use these interests to drive my consumption. Inevitably this means that I consume news from multiple sources. Back in the dark ages (I refer to this time as pre-iPad) I used Google Reader to subscribe to various RSS feeds and so Google Reader became my news aggregator. I could log in and read my news when I wanted to. Even though this is really straightforward I understand that few people actually know or understand RSS. Move forward to today and clever app developers have understood that normal people don’t quite get RSS and this has resulted in an explosion of news curation apps for mobile devices.
I primarily read news on the iPad with the Flipboard app. I’ll be addressing how you can consume news on the iPad and other mobile devices in a separate article, but here is a brief overview.
Within flipboard I can add my google reader subscriptions, I can search by topic, I can refine by platform, in other words, if the content is online I’m pretty much guaranteed access to it from within flipboard.
With flipboard I have my twitter feed, my RSS feeds and any other content that might interest me all conveniently packaged together in one app, which makes it incredibly easy to consume the news.
News is not dead
It is easy to say that news is in decline, but the opposite is actually true. While one form of news distribution is facing a challenge other platforms are booming and we must remember that there is one constant in all of this: there are people who will always want to tell the story and there will always be people willing to listen. News is not dead, it has just evolved.
This article was first published on EamonnMallie.com
97% of Northern Ireland residents have access to superfast broadband1, the highest proportion of any region within the UK. So why are only 60% of Northern Ireland households taking up this service?
Ofcom have published “The first Communications Infrastructure Report” which details lots of interesting facts that no local news outlet seems to be paying much attention to.
Access to the Internet is pretty much a human right these days and you can access the Internet for free at your local library. What student would prepare for an assignment without conducting some form of Internet research? I’d guess that nearly every single office job requires the Internet whether for email or browsing.
The Internet, therefore, is as much a utility as our water supply and is an essential every day service that we need.
So why then has there not been a media frenzy about these figures? Naturally the report does not cater for the need of our tabloid media but it definitely does need reported on.
The BBC reported “Northern Ireland broadband service criticised” which is a misleading headline in my opinion. Yes the report suggests that more could (and should) be done to improve access to broadband, but 97% of us here in NI already have access to superfast broadband. I have it and I’m about to get upgraded to a 30Mbit/s connection. What have you got? 1 in 4 have less than 2Mbit/s which means that you will really struggle to stream video online and most likely your skype call will be pixelated. In my view this is unacceptable and easily rectified with a simple call to your ISP.
Percentage receiving less than 2Mbit/s
Each area has been ranked from 1 to 5 on the percentage of broadband connections that have modem sync speeds of less than 2.2Mbit/s.
1= less than 5%
2= 5% – less than 10%
3= 10% – less than 15%
4= 15% – less than 20%
5= 20% or more
Of course there will be those who argue that you simply don’t need superfast broadband. This is shortsighted and fails to recognise the benefits that come with a fast connection to the Internet. Superfast broadband is now more affordable and the consumer is in a strong position to take advantage of this without having to stretch their budget. Ofcom also reveal that on average we download 17 Gigabytes of data every month. That’s equivalent to about 11 or 12 hours viewing of iPlayer per month. As each year passes we consume more and more content online (up sevenfold in five years) thus making superfast broadband all the more important if you want to watch video online.
Hands up if you have an Internet connected TV? I know it’s not just me. If you have a games console, a Blu-Ray player, an Apple TV or have recently bought your TV then you can probably watch YouTube and other online video content from the comfort of your sofa.
Lots of us have laptops, mobile phones and tablet computers and we use them while we are watching television. I would wager that the majority of the time we are using the Internet on those devices either browsing facebook, playing words with friends, updating all of those apps you downloaded from the App store or even sending an email. OK so nobody sends email anymore, but you get the point, we need the Internet just to go about our normal everyday tasks. If you are a typical household with a mummy and daddy and 2.1 teenagers you’re going to need superfast broadband just to keep everyone happy.
The family I’ve just mentioned will all have mobile phones and statistically speaking more than 2 will have a smartphone and in a couple of years (maybe even just one) everyone will have a smartphone. This will not only apply pressure to the home wifi network but will see massive demand for 3G (and soon 4G) services. In other words, we just can’t get enough Internet!
But, we in Northern Ireland are a bit screwed when it comes to mobile Internet.
If you want 3G on the road you better not actually need it outside Belfast and the main roads.
3G coverage by geographic area
3G coverage by geographic area
Each area has been ranked from 1 to 5 on the level of mobile coverage.
1= 90% or more
2= 70% – less than 90%
3= 50% – less than 70%
4= 25% – less than 50%
5= less than 25%
So how does this actually affect us? Generally speaking when we are at home we can make the best use of the Internet, whether that be watching a High Definition movie or making a video call to a friend who lives on the other side of the world. However, this report should be highlighted not because of how I can get access to the Internet on a personal level, but for the stark reality that many businesses and those who travel for their work are not able to make use of superfast broadband connections whether in the office or from their car. This impacts the local economy. This means we are not as competitive and this means jobs are on the line. You only need to have a quick look at a recruitment agency to see that IT plays an important role within our local economy. The wider view is of course that the Internet provides access to a global market. We can now sell services overseas with literally the click of a mouse. The Internet provides opportunity and superfast broadband will enable our local businesses to compete on the global stage which ultimately will boost the local economy. Simple. Well not quite, but I hope you understand how crucial it is that we not only have access to superfast broadband but that we also avail of its service.
Feel free to leave a comment on the issue of broadband access and whether you think it really matters to the local economy or not.
I have in my hands the Advent Vega, a 10.1″ 16:9 Android powered tablet computer.This is not a thing of beauty, but I’m going to recommend that you buy one. Why? Price and it’s hackable.
Even though I’m an iPad fanboy, I’ve come to realise that for many people shelling out £399 on a “gadget” can seem a bit much, even when that gadget is the magnificent iPad. So, what are the alternatives?
There are many Android and Windows tablets on the market right now, but they all have one major disadvantage when compared to the iPad, price. Why spend over £300 when for a few extra pounds you can get the iPad? Check out the Asus EeePad Transformer or the Motorolo Xoom both of which are top of the range Android tablets running honeycomb, but will set you back £350. If you managed to stretch your budget by £50 you would have an iPad 2 with its App store and range of accessories. Now I know these tablets are not quite like for like, but my point is that for most people the entry level iPad 2 will more than meet their needs. I know it works for me.
So, why did I buy an Advent Vega? The Vega has interested me for a while and it seemed to tick all the right boxes, however there is one glaringly obvious flaw with the Vega. The Screen.
Screen
Facts: 10.1 inch, 16:9 aspect ration capacitive touchscreen, a resolution of 1024 x 600 and also supports auto rotate and multi-touch gestures. It is very sensitive and will take some to time to get used to, but it’s safe to say that from an input perspective the screen is good.
The screen is let down when viewed from an off-set angle. It’s ok if you are using it on your lap or right in front of your eye line, but move off to the side and the screen becomes unwatchable or unreadable.
But let’s not get caught up with that, because the Vega really is actually pretty good and certainly great value for money.
Hardware
I paid £129.97 which gets you a lot for your money. In a tablet measuring 275 x 178 x 13.6 mm (W x D x H) and weighing 750g you get: stereo speakers, MicroSD Card slot, HDMI output, front facing camera, microphone, USB port and a headphone port.
It’s encased in black plastic, but it feels comfortable to hold and solid enough that I’m sure it can survive the odd knock.
Operating System
The unique selling point of the Vega is the active developer community, and before you all click away, it’s really actually quite easy to install a custom ROM on the vega.
Out of the box, the Vega runs Android 2.2 froyo which is ok, but I’m used to gingerbread, and frankly shipping froyo with a tablet is a silly business decision because it highlights how bad the operating system is and thus dosen’t allow the Vega to look and perform like it could.
If you buy a Vega you must install a different operating system on it. Developers call this installing a custom ROM, but don’t worry, this is not dangerous and it is impossible to brick your Vega. Just follow the instructions very closely and read various forums to learn what it is you’ll actually be doing. It is quite straight forward providing you have some patience and can follow instructions.
At present the best ROM to install is VegaComb which is a community built version of Google’s honeycomb (which was never open sourced) and transforms the Vega into an iPad competitor. Well ok, it doesn’t really, but what it does is highlight how quickly Android tablets are going to dominate the market once IceCreamSandwich gets released, because cheap tablets will flood the market that will actually be pretty good.
I had not used an Android tablet before (aside from a quick play in stores) and although I use an Android phone, the UI is different (thanks google!). However, it really isn’t hard to pick up and thanks to the Android Market all your previously purchased apps are available for you to download to your new device.
Apps
There really isn’t a lot of apps available for android tablets, but what I’ve found is that phone apps actually scale quite well on the Vega. On the iPad you get the choice of original 1x view or a 2x zoomed view which dosen’t always do the iPad justice. Apps on the Vega just stretch or zoom to fit the screen which can lead some odd views, but overall they seem to look ok.
I’m happy with the apps I have, I’ve basically just duplicated what I have on my phone and they all work fine.
Video
One of the main reasons I bought the Vega was so I could plug it into my TV and watch movies that I would store on the Vega, thus the Vega would become my main media hub. Unfortunately this isn’t quite perfect on vegacomb as it leaves a 2″ black bar down the right side and along the bottom. I can live with this for now and I’m sure it will be fixed soon enough. Apart from this, the HDMI out works well mirroring the Vega in every way. When you see the Vega outputting over HDMI to a 32″ LCD it looks great but this just demonstrates how poor the screen on the Vega actually is.
The Vega is perfectly happy to stream flash videos such as iPlayer but it will also play .avi and .wmv files through the QQ Player which is free to download in the Market. Video play back is smooth.
Camera
The Vega has a 0.3MP front facing camera which is compatible with Skype and Google Talk. It’s actually ok and you will use it to make video calls if that’s your thing. I can’t imagine ever using the camera to take a still image but it works, and so would do in an emergency.
Keyboard
There are many keyboard apps in the Market, but the stock honeycomb keyboard works well so I don’t see the need to recommend anything else. For instance I use Swype on my phone, but I would have no need for that on the Vega. I can type comfortably onscreen and there doesn’t appear to be any lag.
Battery
Battery life on the Vega is fine for a working day but I’ve found that it doesn’t hold it’s charge more than a couple of days on standby which is disappointing. I think the perfect example of battery life is to compare it to your smartphone. The more you use it the faster the battery dies! I haven’t run any tests but I reckon you can expect to get 5 or 6 hours of screen time which is acceptable.
Form
When holding the Vega in your hands it feels light and comfortable but also a little strange due to its 16:9 aspect ratio. However, I like this view and it sits well when rested on my lap. You can of course view it in portrait mode which is great for reading books and webpages. When compared to the iPad 2 the Vega feels better in the hand.
Real world use
I will mainly use the Vega in the house as a consumption device. I can see me surfing the web, reading email, updating twitter, or watching movies via the HDMI out, but other than those I’m not sure what else I would want to do on it. So if you’re in the market for a cheap Android tablet you could do much worse than the Advent Vega.
If you want to find out more about the Vega check out these resources:
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