Jorge Quinteros

» Separate Twitter Apps

Unknowingly I seemed to have established a framework for how I handle my participation on Twitter. The biggest thing to remember about the service is that it’s a tool for strengthening our communication and not bringing on more confusion to try to keep up with everything that happens.

At first glance it may seem contradictory that I have several Twitter Apps installed but they each serve a distinctive purpose that maintain sanity in my involvement with the service.

Twitter Apps I Use

• Tweetie 2 - Just recently upgraded from Tweetie 1 and this is the dominant App responsible for any form of Twitter interaction you can think of. It’s just beautifuly designed, super fast and it’s the epitome of what a Twitter experience should be like.
• BirdBrain - I turned off email notifications to track new followers and now rely on this App to brief me more on them as well as controlling spammers.
• Birdhouse - Indespensible App that literally contains a litany of Tweets that may or may not see the light of day as well as pre-written content that I intend on publishing when the day comes.
• Twitbit - Another well-designed Twitter client but I have to admit that I don’t publish much content from it but what justifies its presence is the push-notification feature that I enjoy. It works perfectly and any mentions that I get, I launch Tweetie to reply to them.

Wouldn’t it be great if we had just one App that accomplished all of these functions? With the exception of push-notification intergration in all Twitter clients, my answer to the question would be no.

Too many features just equals too many problems, which leads to cluckiness which later leads to forsaking a product that sounds appealing to use in theory but not in reality. I love having separate Apps that excel in one function only.

Features sell but if they get in the way of making them work for you, it defeats the purpose saying you have a product that does everything.

October 10, 2009 |   Tags: twitter apps iphone

» Free Apps with Appulous

I assume that within the social circle of people that I follow on Twitter, very few have taken the leap in jailbreaking their iPhone because not often do I come across any chatter on the topic.

I’ve shared in the past my reasoning in being a daredevil with the device but rarely spoken on the added sweetner that comes with having pages full of Apps that may have not reach my iPhone by traditional means.

I buy Apps all the time. In fact, perhaps a little too much and I have the App Store Expense Monitor to remind me of it daily but as much as you’re inclined to purchase one, there’s always that bit of doubt that lingers on whether this expense will meet your expectations. Applications generally don’t cost too much but small charges add up.

So essentially the problem is that there’s no method for you to test drive an app without commiting to buying it first. Why hasn’t Apple implemented this? Don’t know but I surely feel more pursuaded in purchasing a book once Amazon has allowed me to download sample chapters for it first on the Kindle.

Solution to the Problem

Like I said, I do buy Apps and I do it because that sense of obligation exist in supporting the talented single person or crew behind applications that I truly enjoy.

But before I reach that “supportive” level, there’s a dark side that I rely on to ensure that I’m going to take pleasure in whatever I’m buying 90% of the time. With a jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch, you also inherit a pass to take part in a community site called Appulous -

Appulous is a collection of links to allow iPhone and iPod touch users the ability to try out full, unlimited versions of device software before making the decision to buy it.

Yes, you read right and that my friends is how I’ve been able to be very judicious in the Apps that I actually buy as oppose to just winging it and hoping that anything I purchase will be a keeper.

Is this illegal?

Appulous states on their site -

Appulous is not illegal. This website is merely a collection of user-submitted links, and Appulous takes no responsibility for what users submit to this site or use this site for. Appulous does not host any illegal files, does not submit any of the content, and does not police its database.

Absolutely no money is generated by this web application. If you feel the need to spend money, use it to purchase your favorite iPhone applications, showing developers your appreciation and encouraging them to produce more excellent work

And this is exactly what I do. I try an App and if I love it, I go ahead a buy it, already knowing that my experience with it was amazing. No regrets, no second thoughts, just pure commitment to something you deem worthy investing in. I would be a hypocrite if I said I don’t keep Apps that I haven’t paid for because I do.

Is everything there?

No all the newest Apps are always readily availble. It generally takes a couple days or weeks but the wait is worth the money you could end up regretting spending.

How do you do it?

• AppSync is a patch that’s needed in order to install all the Apps you download on Appulous, so we have to add the source to it so that you’ll be able to find it on Cydia.
• Launch Cydia and click on Manage
• Go to Sources
• Click on Edit on top righthand and then on Add
• Add source http://www.sinfuliphonerepo.com
• It will take a couple minutes to install but once complete, do a search in Cydia for AppSync and install it.

Once the operation is complete, I simply head over to the Appulous, search for a particular app and once the download is complete, it automatically imports into iTunes and appears as if it had just been purchased on iTunes. The next step is to just sync your iPhone to load the Apps.

Safari for some reason doesn’t do all this automatic import process and downloads the App format differently, which is why I recommend Firefox for any downloads on Apppulous.

So there it is. That’s what I do and it’s mostly because I hate this feeling that Pat Dryburgh goes through which I’m sure a lot of other potential buyers go through and this is my way around it.

October 8, 2009 |   Tags: article iphone jailbreak

» Instant Pocket Shots

When someone looks at a photograph, there’s generally two thoughts that come to mind and depending on which side of the fence you stand, that will determine how much creative breathing space you could have in believing that you too can capture the most amazing photographs just like the ones you admire.

First thought - Wow, that’s an amazing photo. What camera did you use?

As an avid photographer and tech enthusiast, I’ll be the first to admit that the more you get involved in the craft, the easier it becomes being dependent and wanting the latest equipment to produce great photos. Certainly overall expensive gear does help but it’s nothing compared to capturing the right moment at the right place.

This first thought is very gear oriented, so immediately the assumption is that the reason why this photo is “amazing” is because of the camera.

Second thought - Wow, that’s an amazing photo. What was your thought on getting this image?

I love to hear photographers talk passionately about their work as much as I enjoy listening to chefs introduce their dish to a panel of judges on a Food Network series. From the idea, to the execution and to the approach in formulating elements that focus on highlighting the end product and not the instruments used to make them.

When you start approaching photography with this mentality, it becomes easier believing that you don’t take photographs with a camera, you make them with it.

With this mindset, I’ve become less worried about carrying my D90 with me everywhere and rely on my iPhone to turn those chances I come across into a photographic opportunity. During travels, of course the DSLR takes precedence and the iPhone becomes a support.

Until a couple days ago, the photos I took with the iPhone existed only in the device but if something you experience means anything to you and if you have interest in photography, then share it. I now share those quick moments through a creative space I call Pocket Shots. Photos captured, edited and uploaded exclusively with the iPhone.

October 5, 2009 |   Tags: photography iphone mobile