Author Archives: Robert McGovern

The iPhone Screens

Posted by on November 22, 2011 No comments

Now that my wife is back from a couple of days away I ended up comparing some bits between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S, particularly download speed wise (with the SpeedTest app) and I noticed that the screen on the 4S was yellower/murkier than the iPhone 4 I used before.

Part of this evening I’ve been comparing the two screens and I struggle a bit over which I prefer, some colours look better on the yellower screen, at the cost of some detail in photos as its a bit more washed out, and others look better on a bluer screen, for instance I looked at the same photo on both a iPhone 4 and 4S screen and a purple/pink was much more striking on the bluer iPhone 4 screen than the 4S. However the grey and greens looked more natural on the yellower 4S. The other cost with the yellower screen is that the text of the App Icons isn’t quite as clear

I kind of forget the difference when I don’t look at the iPhone 4 but there is a part of me that is bugged knowing that some of the detail in pictures is lost / washed out and icon text is a bit harder to read.

Its not an unknown issue and also occurred when the iPhone 4 was released. Its quite varied, some like the yellower tint, some the bluer tint and the chances of getting exactly the one you want is slim unless you somehow convince Apple to let you swap lots of times.

Have a look at this photo by Jason Yeaman in the AppAdvice thread, which shows the variation in the iPhone 4 screens.

When I got my original 3GS I loved its screen to death (I honestly think it was on the yellow side of neutral), but the casing (dock connector area) cracked and I ended up taking it to the Apple Store and they kindly replaced the phone. Then began a nightmare of 6-7 replacement phones which had varying degrees of problems (dead pixels, vibration unit and so on) including quite different degrees of screen colours; none though had as good a colour as my original 3GS had and I ended up with one that was quite blue, too blue even and so I gladly upgraded to the iPhone 4 when I could.

When I got the iPhone 4, the first one was quickly replaced because the phone had a strong green aura when taking photo’s of white surfaces and I had struggled with it compared to the 3GS; while camera shots were great outdoors I couldn’t trust the camera indoors; I still don’t. The replacement 4 was yellower than the original 4 but I went with it with the intention that I could change it down the line if I didn’t get on with it. Since then I’ve gotten used to the yellower look of the screen, but had to constantly ignore the fact that the top part of the screen (status area) was dimmer than the rest of the display (most noticeable on white pages in Safari, particularly if rotated horizontally). In the end I didn’t exchange it again as I didn’t want to go through what I went through with the 3GS.

And now we come to the iPhone 4S which is yellower again than the iPhone 4. At the moment it stands like this there is a:
2G which is reddish
3GS quite blue(red)
4 most neutral (to my eyes)
4S yellow

Excuse the photography, it is an iPad 2, but it shows the difference in the screen colours well enough in both this first side on shot. The dimist, on the left, is the original iPhone, then the 3GS, 4 and then finally the 4S.

Side on shot of our iPhone family. It shows the difference is the display panels.

Then we have a face on shot of the phones, again 2G, 3GS, 4 and 4S and it again shows the variation in the screens.

Face on shot of the iPhones, all on full brightness and auto Brightness off.

I’m not entirely sure how i will leave it, whether I will waste my time and Apple’s and try and change out the phone, part of me definitely wants to as I find the screen that little bit more yellow than the 4 and it makes the text a bit harder to read. On the other had, its not a big issue and I should learn to live with it how it is; particularly as I have no idea what the replacement will be like, it could be yellower or bluer. Its a lot of money, even subsided, and it irks when its not “right”.

There is the note that was said when the iPhone 4 came out, the part of the yellowing was actually the glue which hadn’t dried yet and that basically you just need to use the phone for a week, ideally at full brightness to help it finish the drying process. I will try that out but really that was suggested more for people who had yellow splotches on their screen, rather than their screen being yellower overall compared to another iPhone. (As some have noted in this thread)

iPhone 4S thoughts

Posted by on November 21, 2011 No comments

This was the results of my dictating part of this entry.

Just a quick couple of observations about the iPhone for S and quite impressed with itself on the camera is much improved as ROP upload speeds dancebeats on 3G network about three times Fastmap banners but three times faster than on the iPhone for Siri is amazing though struggles with my accent somewhat and OsmoPrep you raspy voice for instance

Which should, of course, have been (without the correct punctuation as I forgot to tell Siri to add any.

Just a quick couple of observations about the iPhone 4S. I am quite impressed with it so far the camera is much improved as are upload speeds and download speeds on the 3G network about three times faster than on the iPhone four Siri is amazing though struggles with my accent somewhat and also my raspy voice for instance

I’ll add more to this later.

(had one instance were diction failed, showed purple dots and then just stopped)

Siri doesn’t like how I say cold, he (UK English) tends to think I mean call or called, as you can see in the pic.

20111121-001914.jpg

Also my attempt at

Tea Earl Grey Hot

didnt really work out.

20111121-002016.jpg

There is definitely something amiss with battery life. Phone just sitting there and not being used is dropping % quite quickly. It was down about 3% in 20 minutes.

“Master Moderator’s Best Bolognaise Sauce in the World”

Posted by on September 25, 2011 No comments

I tried making this http://www.forumthermomix.com/index.php?topic=6305.0 recipe last night

Ok… it’s about time I posted one of my specials!!!! This is seriously delicious!!

Servings: 6-8

Cook Time: 40 min.

Ingredients:

•   2 medium sized onions
•   3 garlic cloves
•   500g minced beef
•   I canned tomatoes (or 250g fresh tomatoes)
•   100g tomato paste
•   Small glass of red wine
•   1 teaspoon Dried Basil
•   20g Olive Oil
•   I teaspoon Dijon Mustard
•   1 teaspoon Dried Basil
•   3 teaspoon sugar

Instructions:
Place onions (halved) and whole peeled garlic cloves. Push on that TURBO button until finely chopped. Scrape down sides of bowl and add olive oil. Cook on 100ºC for 3 mins      Then add the canned or fresh tomatoes and hit the turbo button a couple of times.

Now add all of other ingredients. Separate the minced beef with your fingers, whilst placing in bowl. Give it a good mix around with spatula. Now cook for for 35 mins, 100ºC     Halfway through cooking time, give it a good stir… Let stand for a few mins before serving.

That’s it.. Easy but delicious!!

Serve with pasta (of course) and a nice rocket, cherry tomato and feta cheese salad (dressing made of olive oil and balsamic vinegar)

But it failed badly, there really wasn’t a sauce so to speak and it was more stodgy mince. I followed a suggestion of using Passiert (about 300g) rather than the Puree but I don’t think it helped.

I hate Mini Me

Posted by on January 30, 2011 No comments

After 4 months and apparently 700 odd games I still can’t topple Mini Me from the top of the score board. (Playing Solitaire with draw 1 card, Can cycle through deck 3 times) BTW Solitaire City is easily my favorite of the various iPad solitaire apps.



Choc Chip Cookies

Posted by on January 20, 2011 2 comments

While I have a couple of other food entries to do too, I thought I’d tackle this first as I made them today. {Note I have tweaked the formating for the moment as I couldn’t get the post to format as I wanted, with some pics between the text}

When I was looking at the many recipes over at Forum Thermomix, I spotted this simple recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies that dede converted from somewhere. Given we all like cookies I figured I’d give it a try (though admittedly I prefer soft cookies over crispy cookies).

To quote Dede’s post:

Choc Chip Cookies

150g Butter
100g Brown Sugar
85g White sugar (or Raw)
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
220 g Self raising Flour
choc chips as desired (I add 100 grams)

1) Pre heat oven to 180 degrees and line baking trays.
2) Place butter, sugars and vanilla into TM bowl and cream together for 20 seconds on speed 6, scrape down sides.
3) Add egg yolk and beat on speed 3 and gradually add flour, set lid to closed lid position and mix for 30 seconds on Interval speed.
4)Add choc bits and mix for 20 seconds on reverse + speed soft.
5) Roll mixture into balls and place 5 cm apart on prepared trays. bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Being not particularly thoughtful I started to go wrong from the start. To begin with I only had 100g of plain flour so I ended up using 120g of Bread flour for the rest, with 2 tsp’s of baking powder per the suggestion in the thread.

As I couldn’t find an choc chips in the supermarket I was in I ended up buying a chocolate bar and trying to grind it up in the Thermomix. That kind of worked (I had meant to take a photo), though I had a bunch of “powdered” chocolate and a bunch of chunks. Initially I gave it about 3 or 4 seconds on speed 4 to see what it would do, and thats why I had a bunch of powered chocolate as it mostly just knocked pot marks into the chocolate cubes. I then ran it for a few more seconds at speed 8 which gave more of the desired effect. (I think this was part of the reason for the darker look)

I wasn’t sure what “1 tsp vanilla” referred to so I used the “Vanilla Bourbon” (its a non artificial Vanilla extra that we used in some other dish a few days ago). I used 5g’s worth (about the tsp listed in the ingredients) but I feel it was too strong.

The brown sugar I used had been open a little while so was a bit too lumpy and hard. Some bits didn’t break down well during step 1.

I messed up step 3 somewhat. For whatever reason I switched my brain off for step 3 and beat the egg in at speed 3 for 44 seconds before I started adding in any flour.

The dough at the end of step 4 seemed to come out sensibly enough, though my initial shaping had the cookies being a little big.

For whatever reason though I had to give them way longer than the suggested 10-12 minutes, with tray 1 I think they had nearly 25 minutes (due in part to 4 of them being huge) and tray 2 had about 17 minutes.

Overall the kids and my wife enjoyed the cookies, though Bob (the wife) did comment that she’d prefer them softer and a little sugary (though it didn’t stop her having a few). Me, well I don’t like them particularly I don’t like the taste & feeling it leaves on my tongue (which may be the brown sugar, the baking powder or the vanilla) but its unfair for me to fully judge when I botched making them a bit.

Some photos:

The completed cookie dough, not bad if a little vanillaie, rolled into ball nicely

As you can see the cookies in tray 1 are a little large

This was the first cookie from tray 1 I felt was ready to remove

These are the first tray of cookies

This is the second tray of cookies, more sensibly sized

This is tray 2 part way through cooking