When the café is closed...

Turned away from my normal beachside coffee shop for being too early, I took a wander along the cliffs before giving my money to Costa. Here are a few snaps from the iPhone.

Note to indie cafés: Accommodate me and I won’t go to the major chains. Just saying...

iPad and Velcro

Guy Kawasaki posted this video on Twitter today via AllTop which got me excited about the options available for the iPad... if you have some Velcro handy. While some of these ideas aren’t advisable (who would stick an iPad to a motorbike!?) a few look truly brilliant. Check out the video above and open a new world of iPad convenience for your home.

Valve continues its excellent Apple-esque marketing for Mac games

The video above dropped into my inbox earlier today and shows just how well Valve Software knows its new Mac-using audience. Its trailer for Half-Life 2 for Mac (out 5/6/2010) apes the original “1984” commercial used to promote the original Apple Macintosh and continues Valve’s excellent marketing campaign that I covered on iCreate’s blog back in March. 

Find out more about Steam for Mac here

Why I spent an extra £100 on my iPad

As Apple prepares to launch the iPad in the UK at the end of this month, I’m tapping out this post using the “magical” new device from my office in Bournemouth, UK.

Yes, I got hold of a US iPad a month before it was due to go on sale here and I couldn’t be happier. 

How? I went down the same route as many a frustrated, European fanboy and threw some money at eBay. This flagrant disregard for the safety of my hard earned pennies came about after the excellent BundleBox.com stopped taking any more iPad orders just short of my payday. 

The positives are obvious. I’m playing with an iPad right now, I’m the envy of my peers and I’m getting a head start on other UK-based tech freelancers who are, no doubt, pre-ordering today. The negatives? I could have saved £100 pounds if I had waited or, for the same price as I bought my 32GB Wi-Fi model, I could have bought a 32GB Wi-Fi & 3G iPad.

But I’m still happy, for these three reasons:

1. If, a couple of weeks ago, someone had told me I could have an iPad in my hands the next day for an additional £100 “handling fee”, I would have bitten their arm off. This is effectively what I did although, to the best of my knowledge, the charming eBay seller who shipped me the device still has both his upper limbs.

2. The brilliant guys at Three.co.uk have loaned me a MiFi portable Wi-Fi hotspot for a feature I’m writing, so 3G on the move isn’t a problem for me right now. It also means the iPad is starting to “pay for itself” through freelance work already. 

3. My girlfriend LOVES this thing. I can see me upgrading to the 3G at some point in the next year and I know my original will go to a good home while keeping domestic peace for a few months. 

My next question is, do I head down the same route for the iPad accessories I now MUST have or actually be patient and go to a local Apple Store this time? Given how long this post took to write on the iPad’s “virtual keyboard”, I’m starting to see a UPS delivery in my near future...

EDIT: The accessories are now available for pre-order on the UK Apple Store. Looks like I’ll be doing that then!

My first day as a freelance writer

So here goes. I’m up nice and early, got a coffee (in the mug above) and I’m about to tackle my emails. It has been a long time coming but I’ve now made it to the first day of working for myself. I’m hoping this is one of the best decisions I have ever made. 

I’m setting myself a daily agenda so I retain some kind of timetable but with the added benefit that I’m in control of its completion. No surprise meetings, no delegating, no answering queries from readers or the team. Just me. 

This morning it’s all about the iPhone and its apps for a well known website as well as a popular book on the subject. Then there’s a quick admin meeting over coffee... with myself. And then on to some blog posts which should fill up my afternoon. The sun is shining and I’m excited. 

Let’s do this!