When I purchased the 3G iPhone, I didn’t think twice about the feature-set changes from the original iPhone. I was simply excited at the fact New Zealand would be one of the launching countries of the new phone after more than a years waiting.

The two new phone features over the original - 3G and GPS really didn’t interest me much on paper, however now having had the phone in hand for a few months I’ve really woken up to the true power of 3G and GPS capabilities.

I’ll be the first to admit when in larger cities, and on occasion even my own I’m a little directionally challenged, which becomes extremely frustrating when my mates pick up on the fact, and chirp in my ear sarcastically at every wrong turn.

Google Maps on the iPhone has helped me a number of times working out directions for myself, friends, and family including figuring out traveling times and distances to and from different cities/areas, including bus times and walking routes when available.

How has having GPS on your phone helped you in the past few months?

As a teenager it’s perfectly normal, and almost expected of ones self to view the power of bass in sound systems as a number one priority.

Sure, when I’m cruising around in the car with my mates I love a bit of punch in my system, but outside of the car I’ve realized there’s so much more to good sound system than one which represents the lower frequencies well. I’m now after a system which will really please my ears and accommodate to sound frequencies all over the board - exactly why I’ve started looking into studio monitor speakers.

Paul Stamatiou recently wrote a very informative article on his purchase of the Rokit RP5G2s, on the lower end of the scale of studio monitors (yet still very high performing). The post looks super helpful for reference down the line when hooking the monitors up to a MacBook Pro.

I’m looking at purchasing a pair of the M-Audio Studiophile BX5a Deluxe, which are 70-watt Bi-amplified Studio Reference Monitors. Basically, I’m after a little advice if anyone out there is knowledgeable in this area on the in’s and out’s of this, or a similar system.

Apple’s new line of notebook computers have been well received by a vast majority of the online demographics, both in the blogosphere and on Twitter. The usual cycle of an Apple notebook computer followed this transition.

- Initial product release.
- Processor updates and faster bus speeds.
- Slight increase in hard-drive capacity.
- Rinse and repeat every 8-12 months.

Apple has generally kept the same design on their products for an extended period of time. The first Intel Macintosh, the MacBook Pro kept the same design (following the above transition list) for close to 34 months, nearing three years. Over the past 6 months, consumers have started speculating the need for a refresh of the line - here we have it, 34 months after the initial design was revealed at Macworld Expo 2006.

Inclusion Of Innovation

- Two NVIDIA graphics chipsets: 9400M and 9600M GT

By far the most innovative feature on the new MacBook Pro is the inclusion of two NVIDIA graphics chipsets. When you’re unplugged and on the go the lesser power card is utilized for superior battery life, however when plugged in to your MagSafe adaptor the powerful card kicks in for some serious performance.

- User accessible hard drive

The single reason I haven’t changed the internal hard-drive in the Santa Rosa MacBook Pro is the long and strenuous process of actually doing it. I could pick up a 320GB drive for pocket change at todays rates, but the idea of ripping the machine apart doesn’t sound very attractive. The hard-drive is now as easy to change on this new generation of the MacBook Pro as it is to change the battery.

- Glass Multi-Touch trackpad with new Multi-Touch gestures

No - I doubt there’s much of a change seeing touch screens on Apple’s portable lineup anytime soon, however Apple’s made up for it with the inclusion of a new glass multi-touch trackpad in each of their new notebooks. Tap, flick, twist, turn - it all works to control various gestures within your favorite Apple applications.

Apple today announced a new product to its display lineup, the 24″ LED Cinema Display which consumers have been waiting on for some time now. Entering the product line at a price of $899 the new display is poised to impress.

Compatible with MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro systems with Mini DisplayPort, yet we’re still unsure on how, and if we’ll be able to connect the new display to older machines - including the Mac Pro.

One of the fancier features is that the LED Cinema Display includes a MagSafe connector that powers and charges your laptop. The connector sits on your desk, ready and waiting which means there’s no need to unravel the MagSafe which came with your MacBook/Pro. This should excite those working in office environments who take their machine home with them each night. No more lugging around an extra power brick all day long.

The display features three self-powered USB 2.0 ports on the rear, but consumers lose out on Firewire devices as there’s no Firewire ports like the previous generation. It also features an iSight camera, microphone, and stereo speaker system all in-built to the bezel. No more having to leave your laptops lid open for video conferences.

The new 24″ LED Cinema Display is 90% of everything people have been wanting in Apple branded displays for some time now. Personally, I’m hoping we won’t have to wait long for a 30″ variation and simple solutions to use it on an older Macintosh.

Vincent Laforet had the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II in his hands for 72 hours over the past weekend and created this low budget ($5,000) short film with the prototype camera.

First impressions of the body from Laforet are extremely positive, he believes it’ll be a big ‘game-changer’ in the industry.

More on the 5D Mark II soon.

Three months ago by the way of TechCrunch, I stumbled on a one-of a kind celebrity website named Coolspotters.

Coolspotters isn’t your average celebrity site. For one, it’s not all about the latest (and often ridiculous) news posted on sites such as US Magazine and Pop Sugar - Coolspotters completely does away with the news, and focuses on products individual celebrities are using, cars they’re driving, places they’re visiting, pets they own, publications and movies they’ve been featured in, and more.

Effectively - Coolspotters is the only place you need to go to find out about your favorite celebrity. See Ryan Sheckler sporting a cool new pair of shades and want a pair of your own? Hit up the website, enter his name, and check out his profile for the products he’s using, wearing, and driving.

Would you rather search through a pile of magazines and a list of blogs to discover the latest stuff used by the coolest people, OR would you like to have all the information on the latest celebrity products and trends in one place. All searchable, and cross-referenced with some of your other favorite things - movies, TV, music, etc.

I signed up to the site and participated as an active user spotting celebrities and adding product profiles for a couple of months, before contacting Co-Founder Aaron LaBerge regarding intern positions within the company.

Yesterday was my first official day working part-time for the new startup company. I’m super excited to see how things turn out and see how the company progresses in the near future. We have some exciting deals lined up with a handful of large corporations which should give the company an even further push in the right direction.

Check out Coolspotters and sign-up yourself.

Update: I don’t quite understand the people who are saying things such as “don’t forget my tech audience here.” Coolspotters is a separate venture which has nothing to do with the direction of my blog. Just like some of you go out and work elsewhere along with writing a personal blog.

It’s possible to be excited about several things in life. I’m taking a step in a different direction with this internship (in terms of topic) - but it has nothing at all to do with this blog, two separate ventures guys.

When it was announced the iPhone 3G would be released in New Zealand a couple of months back, I was extremely excited having lived under over a year of rumors of the phone coming into the country.

Three days before its arrival in New Zealand, Vodafone NZ released a statement saying the iPhone would retail for just $199. Two days before release, my initial plan of picking up an iPhone on the morning of release was darkened with the phone plans revealed by Vodafone. Sure, you could get the phone for $199, but only on the high end $250 per month contract - on the cheapest plan, the 16GB phone was $699.

Five weeks later & I decided it wasn’t just lust that made me first want the iPhone, I was still wanting the phone even though I had decided to stay well away from the phone/Vodafone after they way they treated their potential iPhone customers when revealing pricing and plans. I placed an order for the phone against my initial plan.

Yesterday, my 16GB white iPhone 3G arrived on my doorstep. The base plan of 120 minutes, 600 text messages, and 250MB of data transfer for $80 is ridiculously overpriced in comparison to AT&T in America, but completely worth it now I have the phone in hand and friends are all fighting for their chance to play with it.

I’ve been severely lacking in recent times to keep up the blogging proficiency I displayed over 2006 and 2007 which I’m very regretful toward. I enjoy writing, I enjoy producing fresh content, but it hasn’t been motivation I’ve been lacking this year, it is simply a lack of time due to my high school studies nearing an ending.

What’s going on in my life at the moment? I’m hard at work to finish my high school education, only a couple of months away from completion apart from a few exams later in the year. Once my education is done and dusted, I’m going to be continuing my saving for a 96-98 Range Rover (my dream accessible car at this point in time) and will be resuming regular blogging and possibly, other online work before making decisions about what to do with myself in 2009.

I feel bad for keeping you all out of the loop for such a prolonged period. Here’s hoping the tail end of my year 13 year goes smoothly.

TemplateMonster are celebrating the 4th of July with a huge giveaway.

First is the holiday lottery. But not just a lottery but a really fun lottery. The world is buzzing about the upcoming President elections in the U.S. and we thought it would be great to play around this event. That is why we hold our elections. Below you see the official Template Monster Ballot – you have to vote for the design that you consider to be better for America-the-beautiful.

Then after the elections are over we count the votes and the ones who voted for the design that eventually became the winner become the participant of the lottery. The voting (and therefore participation in the lottery) is active through June 26th until July 9th 2008.

Everyone who participates in our lottery gets the free Icon Set. All icons included into this free Icon Set also relate to patriotic and 4th of July topic. Additionally, everyone who participates in the lottery has a chance to win one of the special prizes.

The special prizes are:

- 1 Gift Certificate giving the opportunity to get any product from Template Monster database for free.

- Two 80% discount coupons for purchasing any product from TemplateMonster database.

- Three 50% discount coupons for purchasing any product from Template Monster database.

In order to take part in the lottery one should vote for one design or the other. The design which gets the most votes becomes the winner. Check it out here.

Just a little something I was thinking about earlier this morning, if I could have any three cars I wanted with no limitations on price, what would I choose. I managed to cut a list down to around ten vehicles, picking a top three was a very difficult task.

Bugatti Veyron

Porsche 911

Lamborghini Gallardo

Other contenders were the Bentley Continental GT, the Cadillac Escalade, the Aston Martin DB9, and the Mercedes Benz CL.

What would you pick if you were given the choice?

A MacThemes Forum member earlier today posted this image with the following statement attached.

“This app is really running, and it’s so awesome. But it makes me want to buy so much more music on ITMS”

I’d love to see what Apple could have in store for us in the future with its Google/YouTube relationship. They’ve already done exciting things with the iPhone and the Apple TV together, I’m sure that wont be the last we see from the partnership.

Digg the original source.

iPhone in New Zealand. 11th July. 3G 16GB (Black). I’ll be there. Need I say more?

The Glenn Wolsey Show is something I’ve been doing for a while now, but haven’t put as much time or effort as I could, and should have into. However I’m extremely proud of the task I knocked off my to-do list today. I launched the official Glenn Wolsey Show website.

With the new website, I feel I’ll be able to keep a more direct focus on producing show content, as I have a perfect base to distribute it around the web. The official site will act as the launching base as the main area for viewers to catch the latest episode, however there are additional ways to watch:

Glenn Wolsey Show Official Site
Official Site RSS
YouTube Channel
iTunes Podcast Section

I’ll also use this post as a way to announce I’ve crossed 500,000 video views in accumulation from YouTube, Blip TV, and the iTunes feed. This is a huge personal milestone, which I’m expecting to double within the next 6-12 months. Now I have the tools in place to distribute content in an orderly fashion, I’m excited to do it.

I’ve also opened up the option to purchase advertising on the official show website, which are completely separate to the ads embedded on the show. To purchase a 250 x 250 ad on the website for your product, service, blog, or company - see this page.

Saturday night and I’m still hard at work, tapping away at the MacBook Pro into the early hours of the morning for the sixth night straight. On the topic of the MacBook Pro, I’m starting to see slight ware and tear on the casing from where my hands rest while typing. Normal?

It’s been an extremely busy week - with the launch of Desktop Vibes and an array of projects stirring close to launch I haven’t had a chance to take my foot off the floor.

Here’s a few things you can expect to see from me in the next month:

1. Brand new personal blog design.
2. Launch of a new web magazine, targeted at teenagers.
3. A new design for Desktop Vibes.
4. Content, and a lot of it spread over the three projects.

I never knew so much planning was involved in launching a project properly, although I’m enjoying every minute of what I’m doing at the moment. Future prospects continue to excite and energize me.

As promised earlier today, I’ve released the “Red Three” theme over at Desktop Vibes. Head over and check it out, I’m hoping you enjoy using the theme just as much as I have over the past 12 months.

It has been a while since my last entry. I’ve barely had a moment to myself at home for two months, back and forth across the Tasman on a very regular basis has made I’d hard to get into any sort of realistic working routine. Now at home for another four weeks before I set off again, I’m motivated to put some ideas and thoughts I’ve been mulling over for some time into action. About damn time too.

What is the go with the blog. I’ve been thinking it over for some time now, and discussed my plans with ProBlogger Darren Rowse in Melbourne last week. Whats the go? Well, a few things actually.

Firstly, taking Darren’s advice I’m launching a new blog - Desktop Vibes. Desktop Vibes will be my new home for technological based content, the decision to move away from the name based domain name and move to something more standard has a few reasons behind it. This includes the ability to bring in guest writers into the fold, an easier and more structured path to building a brand, and the ability to write abut things I wouldn’t have normally done with the site attached to the GlennWolsey.com domain name.

Moving to Desktop Vibes for technological content and leaving this weblog for personal based entries will allow me to focus on the following:

More quality content
More specific niche focus
Ability to build a brand
Positions for guest writers

Please do head over to Desktop Vibes, bookmark both the site and the new RSS feed. I do still plan to keep content flowing through this domain, and have many planned changes/features for the future.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to pop me an email. While this hasn’t been an easy move to make, it’s something which has been cooking for some time now, and I believe the short term pain involved with result in long term gain, for both you and me.

Finishing Note: Do keep an eye on Desktop Vibes over the next few days for the official public theme release of the GlennWolsey.com WordPress theme. After hundreds of requests, I’ve decided to give something back to the community and make this theme public. Theme could be up as early as this evening. Buckle up, it’s going to be an exciting ride.

While on a flight from Auckland, New Zealand to Adelaide, Australia yesterday morning, I was listening to music on my iPod touch for the duration of the flight.

After a few hours, I discovered this glitch with the volume adjustment slider, which was presenting the volume change the same way as the Mac does in OSX. Check out the video for the interesting find.

I’ve had the Canon 135 f/2L series lens in my possession for over two months now, and it has completely exceeded initial expectation - now sitting in the line as my favorite lens, ahead of the marvelous Canon 24-70 f/2.8L.

Sharp wide open at f/2, super fast autofocus, a beautiful smooth depth of field at low aperture settings, and a perfect focal length for long range landscape/short range sports are a few of the areas where this lens really shines.

One of the things I’ve been most pleased with other than the sharpness wide open is the superb autofocus performance. When the lens is switched to focus at 1.6 meters to infinity, focus locks in at a rapid pace, perfect for fast moving subjects in the distance. When set to 0.9 meters to infinity, the 135L becomes a versatile lens allowing excellent macro and close up images to be taken.

The 135L has made me fall in love with prime lenses all again, the same way the Canon 50 f/1.4 did. While the Canon 24-70L is an excellent zoom lens, it never took this kind of effect on me or my images. The 135L will be attached to my camera for some time to come.

It has been my goal for some time now to attend a wedding as the main photographer, a goal I completed over the weekend down in Christchurch, New Zealand - a two hour flight from home.

Overall I found the whole process rather relaxed. My flight arrived in Christchurch the afternoon before the wedding, and I popped into the chapel before heading to my accommodation for the night to check out the lighting, and scout locations for the formal shots.

The morning of the wedding was super relaxed, however I found myself running between two houses shooting the preparation shots from both the groom and the brides sides. I must have swapped lenses dozens of times in the two hour period of shooting preparation shots, though I found myself primarily shooting with the Canon EF 135 f/2L and the Canon EF 50 f/1.4 under the harsh lighting conditions. The primes kept me thinking about composition and created a very ’smooth’ depth of field when shot at low apertures.

The chapel where the ceremony was held was very small, I used the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L for shots of the wedding party arriving, along with the bride walking down the aisle. In saying this, the Canon EF 135 f/2L was a perfect focal length for most of the ceremony, and was attached the the camera for 90% of the time. I feel this could be a different story under different conditions (size of chapel/church), so a little extra focal length might come in handy in the future. One of the upsides of the 135L is its immense sharpness, so cropping is possible if more detail is needed to be pulled from images.

The most invaluable lens of the day was hands down the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L. The versatility when it came to shooting portraits was invaluable. I enjoyed the ability to go from full-body shots to head-shots within a twist of the zoom. The only other way to provide similar versatility would be to have two camera bodies, one with a wide angle lens and another with a medium length telephoto.

If I was shooting another wedding down the line in the future, there are a few extra tools I’d like to pick up.

Canon Speedlite Flash

I didn’t think I’d be needing to use flash anywhere near as much as I did. I thought with my two super-fast primes, I could make use of available light. Although true, I found I used the flash for over 75% of the portraits as fill light to eliminate shadows on faces.

A Canon 430EX purchase looms in the very near future.

Wider Prime Lens

I shot the Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L at two focal lengths the entire day, 24 & 70. When shooting outdoor formals the lens was glued to the wide end - I found myself often wanting to shoot wider.

The Canon EF 14 f/2.8L looks very attractive for this use, bar the hefty price tag it carries. Of course the Canon EF 16-35 f/2.8L must be considered, but I could see myself using the lens glued to the 16mm end - hence the want for the prime.

Extra Camera Body

While a different camera body mightn’t have created better images, it’d have made it a whole lot easier to capture the ones I did. Shooting with an aging Canon 350D wasn’t the easiest thing to do, especially when trying to capture focus for candid portraits when the action was moving very quickly.

Ideally, I’d like something which has a more accurate AF system, better performance above ISO 400, and something with two card slots for redundancy. The last thing any wedding photographer wants is lost images.

Overall, I was extremely happy with the images I managed to capture with the gear I had with me - I’m very excited with the results from the day, and I’m looking forward to the next wedding, whenever & wherever that may be.

The Final Figures

1419 frames fired using one camera body, two Sandisk 4GB compact flash cards, three Canon lenses, and 11.19GB of hard-drive space.

1066 Images - Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L
250 Images - Canon EF 135 f/2L
103 Images - Canon EF 50 f/1.4

I’ve been thinking abut the way I use the computer a lot over the past seven days. A majority of thinking has gone into the process so far and as the week has past, I’ve noticed developing trends regarding which applications I’m using most frequently.

While a switch to a MacBook Air may or may not be on the cards for various reasons, the decision turners for making the change (or not) will fall into its own post later in the week.

The increased use of Safari is also down to moving away from three desktop based applications (Mail, NetNewsWire, TextEdit), moving to three similar browser based Google applications - Gmail, Google Reader, and Google Docs.

After keeping a close eye on which applications I used over a seven day period, I came up with the above chart. Overall, it doesn’t really surprise me considering I spend most of my time on the computer writing, while listening to music, keeping an eye on email and RSS, while occasionally popping open iMovie to export video to YouTube and editing images in Aperture.

The only thing holding me back from the MacBook Air at this current point in time? The 15% area on the chart dedicated to Aperture & iMovie.

Late Addition: I’m going to stick with the MacBook Pro - install a new internal HDD, and see what Apple has in store with the next revision of the MacBook Air. I’ll keep riding this laptop until I see a need to change, adding a 2nd rev MacBook Air at a later stage looks likely - however.