Alternative Apps

Ever since Apple “updated” their Mail application to include Notes and ToDos a few years ago I have loathed it’s very existence. Google “recursive inbox Apple mail” and you’ll see that I have a considerable constituency of like minded peers. Sadly because email isn’t a glamorous global position reporting social networking application, it was unlikely that a company was going to pursue creating a better way to manage email for the Mac.

By the same token I put off installing Adobe Photoshop on my new MacBook Pro because I don’t need a starship to drive to the cafe. The thought of spending time on the phone with Adobe to sort out licensing issues because I switched computers had me cringing almost as much as I do when my computer starts to crawl because the absurd Adobe updater is gleefully bouncing in my dock uninvited. My laptop is meant to be a field tool. And in the field, I need to be quick and agile.

So I set out on a hunt to see if alternative applications existed to these seriously entrenched pieces of software. I’m happy to tell you dear reader that I have returned triumphant.

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Waiting for the iPad photo editors

It’s here. Well, it’s there, in the US. It won’t appear here in the UK for weeks yet. But the iPad is out and people will be flocking to buy it this weekend.

Likewise, developers are flocking to fill the iPad App Store with apps. I’ve heard it called a land grab, but I’m not sure there’s really a need to be the first. You need to be the best.

So far, there’s not a lot in the photography category for iPad apps. One app that looks like it might be interesting for photographers is Photogene which is available for just six dollars.

But there’s nothing there yet that really looks like a pro photo editor. According to Andy Ihnatko, the iPad supports RAW image files, and as he says: that’s a big deal. It makes the iPad much more enticing as an on-the-road image editor.

So are we going to see Aperture and Lightroom for iPad? I’d be willing to bet on it. Maybe not for a while, but there’s no rush. I’d rather they get it right than get it out first.

Google buys Picnik

Google announced last week that it has purchased Picnik, creators of an impressive in-browser photo editing webapp.

Flickr users will probably be familiar with Picnik, which is an embedded function for paying users of the photo sharing site.

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Aperture 3 reviews round-up

Apple released Aperture 3 about a month ago now. So what’s been the reception among software reviewers? Photocine News went a-hunting to find a cross-section of reaction.

One noticeable thing about Aperture 3 is its increased consumer-friendliness. Features that started life in iPhoto, such as Faces, Places, and direct posting to Facebook and Flickr, have now appeared in the pro software.

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