Jack Cooper

I've been a long time Android user for as long as I can remember, but with my S7 Edge reaching the end of its life after a solid two and a half years of daily service, I fancied a more dramatic, Apple-shaped upgrade.

Don't get me wrong: I still like Android, and will defend it to the naysayers. But after three Android phones on the trot, I wanted a new experience to play with - mostly just so my new device can be satisfyingly 'different'. With that in mind, I dive-bombed straight into the deep end of the pool and plunged into the depths of the Apple ecosystem with the 256GB XS Max.

To save you time, my overall impression is that the XS Max is a damn nice phone, but the price Apple want for it is just absurd. You have to pony up £1,100 for the base model, which comes with only 64GB of non-expandable storage. Applications these days are pretty fat in size: your staple social media apps are approaching half a gig each, and of course the phone is capable of data-heavy 4K 60fps video recording. All of this means that 64GB is just not enough, and Apple know this better than anyone else.

Instead of offering up a sensible 128GB option (which in 2018 would be the sweet spot for a high-end phone), Apple makes you jump straight to 256GB. While nice to have, it means you're now paying £1,250 for a phone just to make it unrestrictive. But hey, it makes for a juicy profit margin for the trillion-dollar behemoth of a company.

Despite the insane pricing, people are still buying these phones at a consistently strong rate. I suppose that's what piqued my curiosity to switch to iOS; these phones must be amazing if they're still pulling in all these customers with that price. So, coming from Android, how is it for me?

Well, there's absolutely no denying just how much more smoother and well-optimised things are in the iOS world. In Android things can feel a bit disjointed with inconsistent UI and app designs (though it's miles better now than what it used to be), but iOS is undeniably on another level with fluidity. That comes at a double-edged sword, however, since the only way to achieve such consistency is to make the software incredibly closed off. So yes, the 'It Just Works' mentality is nice, but the lack of customisation can make iOS feel soulless.

Am I an iOS convert? Definitely not, though I do appreciate it for its own merits. I think if iPhones were similarly priced to Android flagships then I'd be swaying towards Apple more routinely, but at the insane price of the XS Max, I am unfortunately seriously considering a return.

OnePlus is a company that's been around for five years now (!), and in that time it has made strides in the mobile industry, that's risen more than just a few eyebrows. Rocking into the scene in 2013 with the oddly-named OnePlus One, it shook the competition with its top notch specs, and a mindblowing price of just £229. Today, though, things are a little different.

It's not exactly a hidden secret that I am an obsessive car nut; I always have been, and frankly, I probably always will be. At the ripe old age of 20, I've had my licence for three years now, and yet, curiously, I haven't had a car to my name since summer 2017.

The answer as to why that's so is, rather predictably, university. The hashtag student life suddenly makes you really rather poor, so much so that running a car just isn't economical. But I've finished for the summer, I've got a job, and because of that, I now have a new set of wheels. Read on to find out the good, the bad, and the ugly about my 'new' 2007 Corsa 1.3CDTI Design.

If you have a Facebook account, and live in a place of residence that isn't anything smaller than a hamlet, then chances are you've probably heard of the fabled 'Spotted' Facebook pages.

The 'Spotted' phenomenon really took off in 2013 across the United Kingdom, and has since remained strong for many local communities. Spotted pages rely on the locals to drive their content; residents are encouraged to message the page with anything they wish, and the administrator of the page will forward that message into a post that every member of the page can view. Common posts typically include breaking local news, upcoming local events, and general questions about the local area. For Coventry, posts reach over 60,000 people.

60,000 followers for a page is no mean feat, and it's safe to assume that the people behind running such a page have a lot of maintenance and management to keep up. Bearing in mind that all of this work is selflessly for the benefit of the Coventry community and is completely unpaid, I therefore think that the admins of the Spotted pages are, in my opinion, the hidden local heroes of your community. They go about doing their jobs unnoticed, unpaid, and uncredited. With such selfless and time-consuming work, what is the drive for an administrator to continuously maintain a Spotted page?

316,000 strong population, all connected together by one selfless, generous individual online

I got in touch with the administrator of Spotted: Coventry City to find out just that, and more. They kindly agreed to talk to me, but wished to remain anonymous.

"I think that Spotted really does unite the city, because it gets people who would otherwise never talk to each other to unite over problems and queries"

"I don't have a favourite post specifically, but one of my favourite things that Spotted does is help local residents have a voice, and a platform. There's no better page out there to ask for help about a missing pet, or to help find a criminal who's broken into your car, in my opinion."

It's clear that the administrator really does believe in the power of Spotted, and how it plays a role in the modern Internet-connected local community. But what is their motivation to continue running the page for free?

"Running this page just gives a feel-good factor; it's really nice to know that you're helping the residents of Coventry come together."

"I think [the motivation comes from] the knowledge in knowing that Spotted makes a difference. It brings issues and events into the spotlight. The amount of regular participation the page sees tells me that the people of Coventry do indeed enjoy Spotted, and that goes a long way to keep me motivated to maintain this page." 

Should everyone in Coventry participate with Spotted?

"Certainly so. You never know when your help might be needed for the locals around you, or when you may need help yourself! The Spotted community is a really nice, helpful place for discussion, and even helps grab the attention of the council at times."

But perhaps most importantly: do they believe they are a local hero?

"Ha, I don't think so. I don't think serving the community should be something seen as heroic - it should be something that everybody should try and aim to do."

It certainly isn't surprising that the administrator doesn't want to be known as a local hero. But in my eyes, they are. The amount of time and resources that have to be given up to maintain a 60,000-strong Facebook page that many of whom rely on cannot be downplayed.

So next time you participate with your local Spotted page, pause for a moment and consider the person behind the page. This person will be giving up their time for their love of the local community, and as such, the locals of Coventry and other settlements across the nation have their towns and cities enhanced just that little bit further.

Photo: Coventry City Council

17th March 2018

The 2018 Coventry Half Marathon, which was set to take place on Sunday 18th March, has been cancelled.