CrazyGadgetGuru

Today I have a simple tip for you that can "zoom" or crop photos you take and email on the iPhone, on the spot. It won't win any points for quality, it is more about sending a smaller, cropped photo.

Here's an example of the original photo:

And this is the resulting version:

As you can see, the zoomed version isn't quite as clear as the original. But in fact, the area within the photo you choose to send is identical slightly better** in quality to the original. It is a cropped 320 x 480 pixels wide rather than the 600 x 800 that the iPhone produces for emailed photos. Original files, if you pull them down to your computer, are 1200 x 1600. Also note that the zoomed versions are a slightly wider aspect ratio.

Also, in landscape mode the photos will be rotated 90 degrees, which I haven't shown here.

How to do it? Pretty easy. The trick is to use the iPhone's new screenshot capability.

In the same timeframe that Apple sold 1 million 3G iPhones, 10 million applications were downloaded from the new iTunes App Store. The downloads were available not only to "3G" buyers, but to the large "2G" iPhone base, as well as iTouch users who paid for the 2.0 software update. I suspect the average downloader pulled down about 3 applications, which would indicate both a high level of participation...and also strong growth potential.

My personal experience with the App Store is very positive. As a former software developer, I am rather blown away by the distribution model. Apps may be downloaded either on computer or on the device, and either way a simple sync will take care of the installation and/or backup of the software. The "installation" is so simple it defies any existing model, plus application updates (which show up as numbers added to the "Apps" icon), are easily performed. The mix of client app and online distribution/updating is something the computer industry has badly needed for many years, and frankly the "Web 2.0" revolution has gone too far in abandoning the "desktop". Apple's  model shows that good old-fashioned local application files, coupled with a dynamic online data model, are far more sophisticated. None of the web "apps" built for the iPhone can come close to ease of use of even this first wave of "real" applications.

This ease of installation makes it tough to avoid downloading lots of apps to try, show off...and then promptly forget about. A couple that come to mind are the PhoneSaber and RotaryDialer apps, which are just plain silly. Here are some that I find I use use, even when no one is around to see the cool-factor:

1. Ebay. Easier to use than the actual website. It retains your login! Really.
   
2. Pandora. Works great, a little buggy, but actually loads faster than the Flash equivalent on the desktop.
3. Midomi. An incredible application that you sing a tune or talk to with the lyrics of a song into...and it accurately finds the song. Wow.
4. WeatherBug. A great start for a better weather application.
5. Cro-Mag. I prefer this to Monkey Ball, but I tend to prefer racing games.
6. VoiceNotes. Does what it says. Very clean, simple interface
7. NYTimes. To me, this is a strong application to demonstrate the superiority of distributed data/application vs. the web. To bad it has [small] ads.
8. Truveo. Great source of videos, much better than YouTube because it is open to copyrighted material such as network news.
9. myLite. A virtual light. Gives you a white screen. Not a bad idea, but they need to find a way to keep it active so the iPhone power management doesn't cut in. Also if they could boost the power to 100% (currently only available through settings), you could light a room!
10. Monkey Ball. OK, I prefer Cro-Mag, but really, this is a lot of fun!