Mr. Hooman Sherafat is a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Kingston Hospital NHS Trust. He is general ophthalmologist, performing operations such as cataract surgery, as well as having a special interest in ophthalmic plastic (oculoplastic), lacrimal and reconstructive surgery.

Setting up his practice under the London Eye Clinic moniker we were chosen to design an identity for the LEC and produce a website to showcase Mr Sherafat’s surgery.

Talking about Apple and swooning over their products like an obsessed fanboy is boring. But what can’t be ignored is the sheer hype machine that IS Apple. The volume of queues for two days this time round for the new iPhone 4 must surely mean they’re doing something right? First off the new iPhone. The new iOS4 is great and best served by the gorgeous new hardware that it now sports. Bit of a summary below and in my next post I’m going all out Apple fanboy as I explain WHY I love Apple, even though they often infuriate me.

Apple have leapfrogged every other smartphone right now with the iPhone 4. Android offers some great devices but the OS remains fiddly and the entire package is not yet a slick match for Apple’s hardware / software / App integration.

What’s to like about the new iPhone? Lots. The display has a crazy pixel resolution and looks fantastic. The engineering of the phone (Antenna issues aside) is so meticulous it makes the outgoing 3GS seem like a toy – you can only really ‘get’ this when you hold it in your hand. The speed of the device means that Apple’s ‘multitasking’ seems to work well, even if it isn’t really true multitasking but more ‘fast app switching’. The camera is improved, the new iMovie for the phone is a nice touch and in general it’s a big move forward even from the 3GS.

The only thing that does bug me with the iPhone is the complete lack of a dashboard display showing all your stuff at once. Even though multitasking now makes things easier it’s still not as good as showing your mails, social media nonsense and other bits and pieces all on one screen. A shame because I think if Apple turned themselves to such a dashboard it would be great. Oh well, maybe next year then. I’d also love some form of LED notification system on the hardware instead of badges which I find crude.

The new phone seems to be even more of a hit than the 3GS with practically no handsets available in the UK today. Crazy stuff.

What does interest me is that all networks now can sell the iPhone but not one of them is really doing anything on price. I expected THREE to come in with unlimited data as their usual data plans are generous but no such luck. Bizarrely whilst I don’t really rate their network I’ve decided to stick with O2. They seem to be the only people doing visual voicemail (Which I couldn’t live without) and their prices don’t differ too much from anyone else. As for the nasty 500mb data cap – well, go online and see what your data use is each month. I use my phone all day long and don’t really ever go above the 500mb mark.

So in summary the iPhone 4 is a worthwhile upgrade, even for 3GS users. WIRED have a video if you haven’t been able to have a look for yourself yet:

Having owned Apple products since the ‘Classic’ it’s often been a mysterious journey following the groundbreaking tech firm. What is common over the years is a sort of jump and dip in Apple innovation. Some years see a real emphasis in hardcore computing power (Think back to the G4 ‘supercomputer’ ) whereas recently we’ve seen a much more consumer focused company with the advent of the iPod, iPhone et al.

For a while I felt a bit dissapointed in the Apple keynote speeches. I was seeing rehashed technologies banded about by Apple as real innovations but with the keynote from yesterday firmly in my mind it becomes evident to me how all of Apple’s products are converging into objects that can placate high end users AND consumers alike. For the first time in a few years I see Apple as really pushing the envelope. When the iPad was launched I was cynical but in use it’s a joy. I love having something that is Apple but is smaller than my 15″ MacBook Pro workhorse. I also love the huge battery, the fact that I can check my email, review documents, play games, watch movies, speak to friends via IM but still have power to spare at the end of the day – all on something so well designed that it garners coos from every corner wherever I take it.

So Apple’s iPad DOES have a genuine place in not only consumer electronics but also for us powerusers who don’t want to be on their work centric machine all the time. It’s fun, not expensive, beautifully made, technically advanced and it’s also only the beginning.

Now my thoughts on the new iPhone 4. Notice it’s not 4G. A shame but not Apple’s fault – I believe the networks really have to step up their game now. If they want customer retention then they need to not only fix the insane amount of dropped calls on their networks but also build the networks of the future. I cannot help thinking that Steve Jobs and Apple are secretly furious with AT&T for providing such a shambolic network right now, forget even thinking about a 4G network! So I cannot come down hard on Apple here. They were demonstrating their ‘FaceTime’ feature as though they had invented video calling and I felt like ranting about how we’ve all been using Skype for years…but Apple do things better and by stressing that FaceTime works only over WIFI they are making sure functionality isn’t compromised by the poor networks.

I’m excited about the new iPhone because Apple HAVE pushed the boat out technically. I was expected a new design relying more on a new OS than anything else but I’m blown away by a few things. First off the display:

The ‘Retina Display’ (I love Apple’s marketing dept!) is insane. To have that many pixels on a mobile device right now IS innovative. It’s going to allow developers to provide the most beautiful graphic experience ever and for people in design allows for close up zooming without quality loss. So the screen is a huge huge thing to shout about.

iMovie on the phone – wow. I mean as if recording 720p HD video wasn’t enough Apple develop a baby iMovie App for use on the new iPhone. Kudos to Apple here, the demo looked incredible – see for yourself here

Then we have a better camera promising better quality snaps, LED flash, front facing camera for video calls, thinner easier to hold body, better materials, faster processor, better noise cancellation…and I could go on but all with a larger battery and better talk time.

In summary Apple have come from two points and arrived at one – they’ve produced a groundbreaking product but improved the weight and size AND battery life.

Roll on June 24th!

It’s the word on many people’s lips, twitter streams and websites – iPad. Like many Apple products nowadays there is a large amount of hype before a product release. I spent a few minutes with an iPad some three weeks ago and whilst I didn’t have an opportunity to test it out in my ‘real world’ (i.e. at home, on the move, with clients and so on) I did like what I saw. It’s much smaller in the metal than in pictures and is easy to hold and use comfortably. It’s also incredibly fast and looks beautiful.

The problem in prejudging the iPad is that until you have one and decide how it can help you, your family or your business then it’s very difficult to form an objective opinion.

I’m looking forward to getting the base version in Vegas this Friday. I think that whilst newer versions will sport better connectivity and a camera I’m keen to get my hands on the first iteration. One thing I think is worth mentioning is the ability in the UK to hook up your own ’3G’ solution rather than have to be tied to a carrier at purchase. THREE produce a wonderful ‘MIFI’ modem right now that I have been using for a month. It resembles a small phone and basically pushes the THREE 3G network to any WIFI device you might have without having to use your USB slots on your laptop.

Hence a perfect solution for getting the WIFI only iPad and not having to splash out on the more expensive 3G version AND not being tied to one of the more expensive UK carriers.

Content is going to be key to the iPad’s success, much in the same way that the iPhone has relied on Apps to revolutionalise the smartphone market with everyone now following suite. It’s early days but I really like what i see from WIRED:

Elite property property acquisition company Investment Logistics required a site to represent their brand. We produced an original logotype for Investment Logistics as well as their site which is now live: http://investment-logistics.com/

We have been approached by Hooman Sherafat of The London Eye Clinic to brand his business and create a website and associated business materials. More details once website is online.

We created a clean looking site for Public Relations firm Jacottet PR. Visit JacottetPR online.

Like coffee? Well even if you don’t we’re looking for two interns to help run the Predicaments Studio. Specifically we need coders adept in HTML / CSS / PHP and familiar with best practice design and coding. A CV is good but more importantly we’d like to see your work and what you can do. We’re based in Finsbury Park which is around 12 minutes to Oxford Circus by tube and a bus ride away from Islington. If you’d like more information please call us on 0208 144 8516 or drop us an email work@predicaments.com

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