Mazen Al-Angary's Official Blog
Posts tagged Photos
Camera+: Editing Photos on iPhone 4
Jul 28th
By now you all know that there are a ton of photo editing an manipulation app available for iOS devices. One of those apps is Camera+ a $1.99 great iPhone app that I got way back when I had my iPhone 3GS, and thought that I would never need to use it when iPhone 4 comes out, was I so wrong.
Using Camera+ on any iPhone including the new one is simply a pleasure, since you can edit and retouch your images using the apps light box feature. Both images included in this post have been edited using the app to get that HDR effect, on the above image, and a vintage effect on the one bellow. You can get Camera+ from iTunes store by clicking on this Link.
eSkyGuide: Travel Info at Your Fingertips
Jul 28th
While preparing for my vacation, I was introduced to a new app on the iPhone called eSkyGuide.
The whole purpose of the application is very straight forward, it lets you navigate changes and track all your air travel plans. Using your current location it would locate nearby airports, giving you updated flight schedules, since you can lookup availabilities and flight options for the next 7 days.
eSkyGuide gives you a 7 day weather forecast for airports that are listed in your itinerary.
The app truly shines when it provides you with contact information for airlines, hotels, car rentals, and travel agencies at your destination with numbers that you can tap to place a call right from your iPhone.
During my vacation to Europe, I tested how the app operated and functioned, to find it quite useful when it comes to providing me with needed information right at my finger tips.
eSkyGuide is available on the app store and sells for $4.99, Personally I think that the price is steep for what the app has to offer, where I find that a $1.99 price tag would be the sweet spot. Yet this is one of those apps that I will always keep in my iPhone’s Travel folder to find what I want when I need it.
iPad Scam: A True Story [Updated]
May 1st
A friend of mine wanted to buy a new iPad — almost like anyone else — and with the ridicules prices available in the Saudi market, he thought of getting one form the US.
He started searching for the best bargain he could land, till he found a way to buy it from a well known online site through one of its resellers, when he placed the order, that well known site rejected the order and refunded him with out any explanations on why the order has been canceled.
So while still scratching his head, my friend got a direct email from the reseller telling him that he can still order the iPad directly through him using PayPal. So he went ahead and placed the order.
Jumping with anticipation to get his hands on his shiny iPad, the carrier’s website stated that the device was missing. He initiated emails and over-seas calls to check on what was going on, they simply stated that there was no iPad.
“You [Beep] where is my iPad, you stole it!” said my friend to them over the phone.
“No we didn’t, check with your supplier, please” was their reply.
He sent the supplier an email telling him that something isn’t right. The supplier told him, that the carrier stole his iPad, and gave him a link to the US Postal Service where he can download the shipping details. So that was what he did, and provided it as evidence to the carrier, whom told him that they will investigate the case and get back to him by the end of the week.
Five Days Later…
My friend met staff members from the carrier service, to break the bad news to him.
“An iPads shipping weight is 3.3Lb, the document you got from the US Postal Service states that the shipping weight is 1.6Lb, which means that the seller shipped you an empty iPad box”
The whole world span for a couple of minutes in my friends head, how can that happen?
The moral of the whole story is to make sure where you are buying your stuff from, and never get tempted by prices or hype, the World Wide Web (or as I like to call it the Wild Wild West) isn’t a safe place, so you have to be always carful.
Below you will find pictures captured by the carrier.
UPDATE:
I would like to thank everyone for commenting on this post.
Here are some clarification: As my friend bought his iPad from the well-known online store, he got confused when the order got canceled, and during that period he got the email from the third party (the direct seller) not giving him enough time to make heads from tails.
Regarding the name of the sites, the whole purpose of this article is to warn you, not to defame a specific store or seller.
Did my friend get a refund?
Up and till now, the answer is not yet, he informed the credit card company about the situation, who told him that they will look into the case, and might file a law suit against that seller. Yet they need to check if the empty box was sent by mistake before taking such drastic measures.
Apple iPad: Bigger Than Life
Apr 8th
Well finally the wait is over, Apple delivered the iPad on the 3rd of April as promised, and I got mine delivered on the 8th, given the fact that my iPad flew all the way from China to the US, visited France, the UAE, till it reached my hands in Jeddah Saudi Arabia.
Now I am sure by now that you read a ton of articles, reviews, and opinions about the iPad and what it can and can’t do. So this won’t be a review, this will be an experience.
The first word that crossed my mind when i first held the iPad out of its box was “WOW!” after firing up some apps the whole iPad experience started to sink in, now i fully understand what Apple has created, and I think this is what got many people confused, they try to label this revolutionary device as a portable computer, or a netbook, or in some cases as a giant iPod touch (or iPhone). Yet Steve Jobs made it very clear when he said that this is something in-between a mobile phone and a laptop, created for ultra mobility.
Some people said that the device is so heavy, I find it very light and balanced (Recommendation: Try lifting some weight you wussies), you can feel that you’re holding a quality product, not a cheap piece of plastic tablet wannabe.
Many news sites reported that the new Apple product has issue connecting to the Internet, I found it connecting to many networks with no problems, so I guess in the quest to get more web-hits and Google juice, those site got there hand on a single incident to make a huge air-balloon out of it.
Let’s be logical, Apple placed a lot of betting chips on those product, they won’t ship out a defected device, especially when every other company dreams of finding a crack they can stab at.
The WOW Factor
Bottom line, the iPad is the best ultra-mobile device ever created, hands down.
It is the best Internet tablet (you can really touch the web for the first time), the best music device, the best HD movie player, the best creation on-the-go device, the best mobile gaming device, and the best book, magazine, and comic book reader you can ever dream of buying.
In the past I managed to travel naked with my iPhone, as a dear friend likes to say, now I can be even more productive and move lighter with the iPad, with everything merely a finger tap away.
P.S. This article has been drafted on an iPad, and if I had the SD card adaptor I would have posted directly to the web, thanks to Pages app on the iPad, so much for creating. Now scroll down and enjoy the images.
iPad thickness compared to iPhone 3GS
Reading books on the iPad
Drafting this article on the iPad using pages and exporting seamlessly through iTunes.
UPDATE: Regarding battery life, I have been playing with my iPad for about 3 hours with WiFi turned on, it consumed about 9% leaving me with 91% full battery.
Copyright 2010 © Mazen Al-Angary, All Rights Reserved.
The New BMW 5 Series @ Yas Formula 1 Raceway
Mar 21st
Just came back for a quick trip to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where I tested the brand-new BMW 5 Series at Yas Marina Formula 1 raceway circuit. Since I am so tiered at the moment to write a review of this amazing car, you can watch this exclusive video shot on the tarmac of the raceway circuit.
All the shots and the video have been taken today, so this is as fresh as it gets 
And here is the Video, which was shot on my iPhone 3GS, since my HD camcorder’s 4GB card is full with a 1hour HD video of the whole event. Enjoy 
I would like to thank BMW Group and their Middle East Office for this great event and opportunity.
Copyright 2010 © Mazen Al-Angary, All Rights Reserved.
Nokia Now Comes With Music
Feb 17th
Had the pleasure to be invited by Nokia to attend the Comes With Music event in Beirut, Lebanon. Where Nokia introduced their new fresh take on how to consume music.
To make it simple, if you buy a Nokia device (like the upcoming Nokia X6) that has the “Comes With Music” logo on it, you will get unlimited number of songs (both Arabic and English) for a full year to download whenever you want, and the best part is that you can keep it for life.
The Nokia X6 has direct access to the Ovi Music Store so that you can download your year-long free music over WiFi or 3G directly to your device, this slick unit will be available in the Saudi market by the first week of March, and will cost roughly $600 (about SR 2250).
The interesting part is that Nokia has secured deals with all the major label companies around the world and in the Middle East in order to give you access to 4 Million songs to download 4 Free, 4 Life.
Before I let you go and watch the video I shot during the event, I would like to reflect on this for a second… You can get any song you want, any time you want it, unlimited number of songs… Free… Yours to keep… I swear it is yours to keep, now go out there and enjoy it.
You can also check out this video I shot of the main announcement below, enjoy.
Copyright 2010 © Mazen Al-Angary, All Rights Reserved.
It’s 2010… Already?!
Dec 11th
A friend of mine sent me a link to the Saudi telecom STC new services site, which should offer a free application that can be installed on you mobile phone with a comprehensive directory of all the services. Unfortunately the service doesn’t support the iPhone.
But what is truly interesting is that we are living in 2010. You just don’t know it.
The Colosseum by Mazen
Aug 6th
I shot this in front of The Colosseum in Rome, I thought I should share this with you since I am planning on printing a large scale version of this image to hang on my wall.
Letting the Cat errr… Dino out!
Jul 27th
Okay some of you might not know that I used to be a photographer, way back when the dinosaurs used to roam the Earth while cavemen ran around shooting them with their SLR cameras.
I am so old school that I still find previewing my image on my new DSLR’s screen magically enchanting.
Back in the day (dino days) we used to shoot till the whole role of film is over then after going through the darkroom process… Okay the point is, I am really feeling alive capturing light again
And I have some really stunning pics that will be out soon, and this is just one I call Platform 4a.
Sit Tight: Updates Coming Soon
Jul 22nd
I know it has been a while since I updated the blog, thing is am constantly on the move from one city to the other.
Right now I got about 8GB worth of images and Hi-Def videos so will be splashing content all over the place, just need the time to settle and process it all.
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