Is that an iPad in your pocket or.. well yeah it clearly is an iPad in your pocket.

Urban Dictionary definitions for Gadgey:

Non specific person in Scotland; ‘joe bloggs’. Often used to refer to workman, or random person in street/crowd.

Another word for a ned in scotland.

Derogatory Scottish term for someone who’s not so well-off.

I’m obsessed with gadgets, and never more so than now, when I’m trying to stop myself from buying any (I have a wedding to save for you know). I’ve spent most of my evenings this week compulsively ‘researching’ various expensive items that I can’t really afford. But a little voice in my head has been telling me that I ‘deserve’ to treat myself. After all when was the last time I bought a cool gadget? It was 18 months ago that I bought my iPhone 3G.

Part of me realises that all I really want is a shiny new toy to play with, so trying to justify any new purchase as being in any way necessary would be to lie to myself, and you.

Now I knew I had an addictive personality, but I didn’t realise that shopping for gadgets could also become so all-consuming a hobby. According to the 99% however, I’m not the only one, and there’s even research to say why it’s so addictive.

But most of us gadgeys just don’t have a spare five hundred quid lying around to splash out on Apple’s latest gizmo so we have to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of any new purchase in detail.

E-Readers – the new Kindle (3G & Wifi) vs iPad

I like to think of myself as a writer, and therefore I love books, and am always reading several at once. I like their physical form, but I also believe that e-readers are the future (in fact they are already outselling hardback books in the US according to Amazon).  Also I live in a small flat and there just isn’t room for all the books we already have, never mind those I will want to get in the future.

Whilst the iPad clearly does a whole lot more besides being an e-reader, I see Amazon’s Kindle as having the following benefits:

• E-ink is easier on the eyes. Everytime I go to the optician my eyes have deteriotated – this can’t be helped by the amount of time I spend staring at a computer screen at work and at home, or squinting at the lcd screen on my iPhone. Whilst iBooks on the iPad has a built-in dimmer switch, it is still a backlit lcd screen – e-ink is meant to be much easier to read with. (I haven’t actually tried a kindle so I’m just going by what I’ve heard)

• It has free 3G. The wi-fi model is only £109, but for £149 you get free 3G which means you can download books wherever you are, and also use the ‘experimental’ web browser feature, without the costly monthly subscriptions necessary for the 3G iPad. I’m not expecting this to be very good compared to the iPad but if I can at least read my google reader feeds on it then I’d be happy.

• Amazon is good value. Whilst Waterstones is peddling the Sony e-reader for the bargain price of £99, according to the Register buying 36 books from them will cost around £80 more than to buy the same books from Amazon.

• Plus despite daft UK tax laws which means e-books have inflated prices here, Amazon has discounted many of their best-sellers in the new UK Kindle store – and from a cursory glance at Apple’s iBooks store, it seems that Amazon is (unsurprisingly) better value – and provides a far wider choice.

Of course there are downsides – the Kindle is only black and white, which already makes it look somewhat dated when compared to the gorgeous iPad screen, and doesn’t do any of the multitude of things the iPad can do. But as useful as having an all-purpose item is, sometimes it’s better to go for the dedicated device that does one thing but does it very well. I reckon the lure of all the other apps on the iPad would mean I never actually got round to reading any books on it. Of course I still want one…

Related reading:

Engadget: One Device to Rule Them All?

The Next Web: Kindle Outselling iBooks 60 -1?

After a slow start I’ve finally, slightly reluctantly, got into the Edinburgh Festival spirit. Although I enjoyed covering shows as a reviewer for the Edinburgh Evening News many moons ago, I have to admit I also have mixed feelings about it – after all the huge influx of tourists and increased pedestrian and road traffic is an almighty hassle for residents who are working and trying to get on with their lives (of quiet desperation – or is that just me).

However a lot of this is just bitterness because every time I’ve gone out during the festival I’ve had a brilliant laugh, an it’s most likely that my mixed feelings are just based on my jealousy of all the lucky swines who are prancing around for  month getting boozed up while I have to get up for work.

Because of this I never really get round to sitting down and planning to attend any fringe shows, but if the opportunity comes up through a friend I’m more than happy to go along to something. And it’s hard to beat boozing outside, shaking random celebrities’ hands and telling them ‘I love your work’ (at the weekend I drunkenly accosted the bloke from the Gadget Show and renowned luvvy Alan Cumming both of whom were very friendly, if slightly terrified) and taking advantage of the extended opening hours (5am!) at least once during August.

BROKEN RECORDS & BART FROM EAGLEOWL AT LACH’S ANTIHOOT

As usual I’m more attracted to the music stuff that’s happening – the only actual show I’ve been to so far was Lach’s Antihoot on Saturday night – again it was unexpected, I’d been at the cinema and got a text from Dylan who told me Bart from eagleowl was playing. As the Antihoot only starts at half past midnight and goes on to 3, I couldn’t resist hopping on a nightbus after seeing the film at Ocean Terminal  (Inception – which I thought was very good indeed).

The antihoot is on at the Gilded Balloon Nightclub at Teviot (tickets), which was packed and really buzzing, and as well as Bart’s short but sinister song which I think was called ‘Don’t Put That in Your Mouth’ or something similarly suggestive (the video below was suspiciously similar),  the guys from Broken Records played a couple of songs from their new album, both of which sounded great.

We were also treated to an extract from the late night Fringe comedy show ‘Lesbian Bathhouse’ which featured some surprisingly raunchy wet t-shirt action, and other treats included an inspired monologue about vans by the bizarre comedian Paul Foot, a brilliant RnB parody by ‘HP’s mate whose name escapes me’ who has sadly not recorded any of his songs yet but MUST (Pub Grub is a classic) – and a really varied selection of stand-up and songs, most of which was very good, some of which was amusing for all the wrong reasons, but which ultimately led to an extremely entertaining night.

FAMOUS DRUNK & THE DEVIL’S BUTTERMILKERS DO LACH’S ANTIHOOT

Being a masochist, and despite being stressed to the max every time I attempt to play live (and never learning that if I actually practiced the guitar it might make it less traumatic) I’ve signed up to play the antihoot next Saturday night. Having played the Sidewalk Café in New York where the antihoot has been for years, I couldn’t really not take part when Lach brought it to Edinburgh. My friend Iain and I are playing as ‘Famous Drunk’ – and then he and his lovely lady Aileen will be taking to the stage as ‘The Devil’s Buttermilkers’ (you might guess the connection if you’ve been reading the blog recently!).

WITHERED HAND,  STEVE MASON & RETREAT!

I’m also hoping to go and see my favourite Edinburgh-based songwriter Withered Hand and the legend that is Steve Mason (The Beta Band/King Biscuit Time/Black Affair) who are playing as part of the Edge Festival. Also, hotly tipped locals The Last Battle are supporting Mr Hand, and I’ve not had a chance to see them yet so that would also be a good reason to go.

Then the following weekend is the return of the wonderful Retreat! Festival which has a stellar line up of Edinburgh’s best bands (including that bloke Withered Hand again).  I can’t overstate the importance of promoters like Bart and Emily from Retreat!, and Tallah from the Antihoot for making sure the best local acts are involved in the festival this year more than ever before, and actually convincing me to leave the house – not an easy task.

Free Retreat! Sampler:

Of course a couple of years ago we had both Indian Summer and Connect to choose from for excellent festival line-ups in Scotland but they’re both gone now – and with T in the Park slipping further into the commercial shit-swamp, my pal Stu who writes the Tidal Wave of Indifference blog decided FECK IT and went to (gulp) an English festival instead – Suffolk’s Latitude, last month.

It took me a while to get it online but better late than never, here’s a wee interview I did with him about why he ditched Scotland’s biggest festival for something with a decent line-up.

Artists featured: THE NATIONAL THE ANTLERS MITCHELL MUSEUM STEVE MASON JOHN GRANT (FEATURING MIDLAKE), THE DIVINE COMEDY

Over the last few years, as many of you will have noticed, I’ve been a bit of an Apple fanboy (some people spell this fanboi – I have no idea why but seemingly it makes it a much wittier insult). I bought a Macbook, then an iPhone and as time progressed I got more hooked, until I’d imperceptibly gained that air of smug superiority and self-delusion that seems to go with the territory.

I’ve written a lot about Apple on this blog, and even written for Just Another iPhone Blog about the technological wonders that Steve Jobs and co have brought into the world.

But recently I’ve started to have doubts. Have I been hooked into some kind of faux-religious fervour that’s making me blind to the faults of apple products and willing to spend disproportionate amounts on their shiny and pretty but insubstantial wares (as Charlie Brooker suggests in this rather superb article)?

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand”

It all came to a head when I was discussing the new iPhone with a friend just before it came out. She suggested that it was overhyped and that there was always some kind of fault being reported in the press with previous iPhones. I could have patiently explained, in the patronising manner which is part and parcel of being a fanboi that certain aspects of the tech press were “out to get” Apple because of their huge success and in fact Steve Jobs’ every move is divinely ordained.

Instead however, I petulantly retorted “I wouldn’t expect you to understand”. She was, understandably a little offended by this, and I realised I was being overly defensive. I had lost all objectivity on the topic. And she was proven right when despite early reviews of the iPhone 4 suggesting it was the most advanced smartphone ever, antennagate hit.

(In case you don’t know, customers were reporting that the new iPhone’s antenna, which is actually part of the phone’s structure, had a weak spot at the bottom left hand corner of the phone, and if held there, in the normal way anyone would hold a phone (using what has become known as the death grip) it would drop calls!)

Touch Me

I still think Apple’s achievement with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad are extremely impressive – bringing touchscreens into the mainstream and most definitely changing the face of computing whether the Haters (or should I spell it Hatas) like it or not. Of course their success is partly due to the groundbreaking functionality of the technology, partly due to the slick design, and partly due to their extremely clever marketing which makes you feel like one of the wealthy and supercool elite if you own their product, and like an unwashed peasant if you don’t.

However where they fall down is in their treatment of their so-called fans. They seem to believe that once you’re hooked into their never-ending sales funnel, you lose all perspective, all decision-making ability and all objectivity and are willing to keep shelling out no matter how badly you’re treated.

Now clearly on one level antenna-gate was blown out of all proportion; however as other commentators have noted, this was mainly because of the dismissive treatment of the early complaints by Apple, not least Steve Jobs himself, who personally replied to one complaint “just hold it differently”.

Eventually of course they had to call an emergency press conference and give cases away for free, which went some way to calm the storm, but what the whole episode showed was their arrogance in dealing with valid customer complaints. And the sacking of Mark Papermaster, Apple’s senior executive overseeing engineering of the iPhone and iPad, proves that something had indeed gone badly wrong internally.

Now things are even worse for the poor users of the iPhone 3G, which simply doesn’t work properly once updated to the latest 4.0 operating system. Apple have apparently, several weeks later, said they are “investigating” the matter, but this just isn’t good enough. It’s not an extravagant claim to suggest they are deliberatingly phasing out the 3G in order to force customers to buy the next model, even though many do not have a spare £400 sitting around with which to do so (and if you get it on contract expect to pay £800 over the course of 18 months).

Ok, so the new iPhone is twice as powerful as the 3G and so the old model can’t be expected to do everything as well as the new one – but my 3G had been working just fine up until the update – and it doesn’t even allowed multi-tasking on 3Gs, which proves they can easily adjust how the update affects different models, so there’s no reason why it should make it run so slow.

Screw You!

I was actually ready to purchase the iPhone 4 when my contract ran out at the end of July but I do not like the feeling that I’m being forced into it. And because my iPhone has a crack on the back that I only noticed after the warranty had run out, I can’t even get a decent amount to recycle the bugger. Plus, although I don’t believe the faulty antenna would be a big issue for me, it is likely to adversely affect the resale price and given the problem I have with the cracked 3G I am going to have to be more careful about these sorts of things.

So sorry Steve, but I’m waiting it out for now. And as for the iPad, well screw you. I do want an e-reader, but I’ll be looking at the new Amazon Kindle, which is a fraction of the price.

Not fans of Steve Jobbies