A beta of Sony’s virtual environment, Home, is finally available for every Tom, Dick and Harry to download for free to their PlayStation 3.
Way back when the PS3 first hit the shelves Sony was proud to announce an upcoming feature called Home, where users can walk around, interact with friends, own a home, have house parties and meet up in game lobbies.
This all looked fantastic but it was heavily delayed until a closed beta was released a little while ago; and now this beta is available to all, albeit with many features not yet available.
After one final 12-hour delay I downloaded Home – which appears after the latest software update – and began to create my character. I wanted to get going as quick as possible so selected a default avatar, dressed him quite badly, and off I went into a brave new world.
Or so I thought.
Before I complain too much I must say that it all looks really nice, graphics are good and the background is very detailed. An example of this would be the view from your apartment, looking out over a harbour full of boats and a fancy yacht.
But it’s the gameplay that I was most looking forward to; the ability to interact with other players and be completely submersed in a virtual environment.
And to begin with it looked promising. There was a modern apartment to which I presumed I could decorate and add furniture Sims-style; and venturing outside I found many other users – all dressed the same, we’ll get to that in a minute – and several buildings to explore.
These included a cinema, shopping centre and a currently inaccessible monorail station. So I walked around, had a dance with other users to some music that was being played, watching a film trailer in the cinema and played someone at draughts.
This took about half an hour and so far I was quite impressed, but after visiting the shopping centre, I changed my mind. While there are a range of shops selling clothes, furniture, houses and other stuff, the amount of items on sale was tiny and – yes you read that right – on sale…for real money.
While 59p for some jeans in the real world may seem cheap, remember this is virtual – hence everyone is in the same default clothes - and paying 79p for each piece of furniture soon adds up when trying to fill the £3.99 house.
I would much rather see a system where items either became available over time, or by achieving goals – maybe by including more activities to complete in Home itself, or by earning virtual money from the completion of games.
Once over the fact that a tenner wasn’t going to buy me much virtual crap I looked for something else to do and – after raving like a mofo to a PSP advert, and laughing at the overwhelming majority of male characters stalk the females– Home has shown me all it currently has to offer.
I must remind you that Home is firmly in beta stage – apparent by the numerous attempts it takes to login – and much more content will be added over time. This includes a Red Bull Air Race mini game and, presumably, that monorail – wonder where it goes?
Currently, users can interact by typing messages or selecting from a list of default comments, but this list is very short so most conversations involve:
“Hello”
“Where u frm”
“I don’t have a keyboard”
Of course a microphone can be used but no one seems to be doing so – maybe the hot blonde from LA doesn’t want to let on that she’s actually a fat, balding, more-than-middle-aged bloke from Milton Keens.
Another point worth noting is that Home looks different when accessed from America, Europe and Japan accounts, although no extra content is available so it’s probably not worth the bother of learning Japanese or deciphering American slang.
So, is Home a fun way to spend an afternoon?
No, but it does have huge potential to either be a great social space, or become a terribly obvious money-making scheme for Sony.
Time will tell.
Alistair
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Thursday, 20 November 2008
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Karting In The Footsteps of Champions
Yesterday saw the 3rd outing for the amusingly named Koks (Kingston
Official Karting Society) and an endurance race at local track of some
bloke called Lewis Hamilton.
Official Karting Society) and an endurance race at local track of some
bloke called Lewis Hamilton.
The race format involved a half-hour qualification session, followed
by a 1 hour race with teams of 2 and a driver change after 30 minutes.
The karts we used were quicker than anything we have driven so far
this year, reaching speeds of 85mph on the main straight.
I was paired up, at random, with Aaron who has raced with the Koks for
the last 3 years; while feeling I may look crap in comparison, I was
more than happy to let his experiance earn us a decent grid position.
We qualified 8th out of 15 and I was to drive the first stint, a
little aprehensivly as most teams had opted to use their faster driver
first.
Off the line I gained two places up to 6th which I held throughout my
stint, catching the experianced Koks proved impossible although I was
able to drive away from 7th fairly easily.
I achieved my fastest lap on lap 28 and was about 2 seconds per lap
off the fastest guys, which I'm happy with.
I came in on lap 36 for our driver change which went smoothly and
Aaron went out and maintained our 6th position until the end of the
race.
After reading the telemetry printout we were pleased to have
maintained consistent lap times throughout.
Next Wednesday is a test day at the same track, Rye House, for the
national Uni championship and these karts will be even faster; bring
it on!
Alistair
Thursday, 16 October 2008
New MacBook - Hands-on review
Just got back from the local Apple store at Kingston have had a play with Apple's new notebooks. As I reported yesterday I had, up until now, only been able to look at a new MacBook held like a new-born baby by the store manager. Today, however, the entire notebook display had changed, with a whole desk for each new model in various configurations and the white MacBook and Airs have been moved to a side-bench.
I spent most of my time with the 2.4GHz MacBook and only briefly tried the Pro but they are very similar in regards to appearance and the available Pro didn't have anything too meaty to test the improved graphics. Although it is worth noting that the switch from the standard 9400 to the 9600 chip means logging out and back in again...rather annoying.
So after being able to actually hold the new MacBook (MB) I can say that it feels incredible sturdy and strong thanks to the snappily named 'precision unibond aluminium enclosure'. If you pick up a plastic MB with one hand grabbing the palm-rest you can expect the plastic to bend under pressure fairly easily. But this is absolutely not the case with the aluminium model, there is no give at all and even when pressing very firmly on the case, there is no movement to report. The screen is also as stiff as that found on the Air with regards to it not warping when moved from one corner. The new manufacturing technique has also given the MB case a seamless look which I'm a huge fan of.
Like I said yesterday I was not a fan of the black screen bezel when it was first shown but after using the notebook for a few minutes I had got used to it, although the reflections on the black surround were sometimes very bad indeed; granted I was in a bright shop with lit signs behind me, in a home or office it wouldn't be as bad. The screen itself is LED back-lit and as sharp and bright as that found on the Air, a big improvement over the old MB screen - however the 'budget' plastic model still uses the old screen.
One factor that I am personally very interested in is the weight and thickness of the notebook as a more powerful machine with multiple ports would have been a nice replacement for my Air. Unfortunatly the weight does not feel to have gone down from the old MB - it has, by half a pound if Apple is to be believed but in the real world that really isn't much at all and I'm sure I would feel the extra weight of the MB over the Air in a bag after a days work. The machine does feel more compact and while the tapered edges don't quite perform the slimming magic trick as seen on the Air, they do make the laptop nice to hold.
The performance of the 2.4GHz model was good but all I really had chance to do was open many applications at once and see if there was any delay' I'm pleased to report there wasn't but 4GB of memory would be an obvious improvement over the standard option of 2GB.
The trackpad is worth a mention. I had actually half forgotten about the lack of a button and went to open Safari without really thinking and instinctively clicked where the button normally is. It wasn't until after I had clicked that I remembered there is no button and was rather surprised as the click felt identical to that of a proper button. While it is the trackpad itself that does the clicking, it's only the bottom half that actually moves, clicking half way up the 'pad is possible but fairly difficult as the travel is very short, although there would be no reason to be clicking up there anyway. As only the lower half moves it is easy to hold it down with the thumb and drag with the index finger as one would with any other trackpad. It is very easy to forget that the button is not there, which is guess is a good thing although the omission doesn't seem to yield any improvement in usability; it's just plain different. The trackpad does know which half you are clicking, just like the Mighty Mouse, so the bottom-right (or left) corner can be set to perform a right click if you so choose.
I would never have guessed that the 'pad is glass; the texture is different to that of a conventional trackpad as it is, to quote Steve Jobs: "super silky". A good side-effect I can think of is that the middle will be become smooth after a year or so of use - as if often the case when purchasing an older notebook - as the glass will not wear.
As has been well-documented, there is no Firewire support on the MB (FW800 and thus 400 available on the MBP) which does seem strange as there is clearly plenty of room for the extra port. This will annoy the hell out of some potential customers - and I can understand why - but personally I wouldn't find it a problem.
One feature (or lack thereof ) is the back-lit keyboard which is not available on the 2GHz aluminium MB, not even as a built-to-order option. I love the back-light on the Air and this seems a very strange thing to do, presumably as a way of encouraging punters to go for the 2.4GHz model.
While using the new MB I did glance over at the Air many times - I would have compared side by side but this wasn't possible - and although a very large part of me wanted to eBay the Air and go for the MB (which is £988 for the 2.4GHz model after my university discount) I simply can't ignore the super-thin profile and low weight of the Air; and that black screen surround, while attractive, is basically a mirror in certain lighting.
As the (1.6GHz) Air is my only machine and, admittedly, it does sometimes struggle when I'm having a video call on Skype, watching TV and using MS Word; but it is great to carry it around everywhere I go. The MB would cope far better performance-wise but I'm not sure about the extra size and weight. Ideal solution would be to get an iMac (£700 with discount) and keep the Air...maybe something to look into after new-year...
So anyway, to conclude; the MB and MBP are now very, very similar - in fact one guy was on a MB thinking it was the Pro - and I love the flush aluminium look. The trackpad is great, although not entirely necessary, the black screen looks good in the right light but a bit dodgy otherwise and the specs of the 2.4 model are decent. For an Air owner the extra power and ports, while keeping the design, is tempting; and for an old MB owner the new design is a vast improvement.
Alistair
I spent most of my time with the 2.4GHz MacBook and only briefly tried the Pro but they are very similar in regards to appearance and the available Pro didn't have anything too meaty to test the improved graphics. Although it is worth noting that the switch from the standard 9400 to the 9600 chip means logging out and back in again...rather annoying.
So after being able to actually hold the new MacBook (MB) I can say that it feels incredible sturdy and strong thanks to the snappily named 'precision unibond aluminium enclosure'. If you pick up a plastic MB with one hand grabbing the palm-rest you can expect the plastic to bend under pressure fairly easily. But this is absolutely not the case with the aluminium model, there is no give at all and even when pressing very firmly on the case, there is no movement to report. The screen is also as stiff as that found on the Air with regards to it not warping when moved from one corner. The new manufacturing technique has also given the MB case a seamless look which I'm a huge fan of.
Like I said yesterday I was not a fan of the black screen bezel when it was first shown but after using the notebook for a few minutes I had got used to it, although the reflections on the black surround were sometimes very bad indeed; granted I was in a bright shop with lit signs behind me, in a home or office it wouldn't be as bad. The screen itself is LED back-lit and as sharp and bright as that found on the Air, a big improvement over the old MB screen - however the 'budget' plastic model still uses the old screen.
One factor that I am personally very interested in is the weight and thickness of the notebook as a more powerful machine with multiple ports would have been a nice replacement for my Air. Unfortunatly the weight does not feel to have gone down from the old MB - it has, by half a pound if Apple is to be believed but in the real world that really isn't much at all and I'm sure I would feel the extra weight of the MB over the Air in a bag after a days work. The machine does feel more compact and while the tapered edges don't quite perform the slimming magic trick as seen on the Air, they do make the laptop nice to hold.
The performance of the 2.4GHz model was good but all I really had chance to do was open many applications at once and see if there was any delay' I'm pleased to report there wasn't but 4GB of memory would be an obvious improvement over the standard option of 2GB.
The trackpad is worth a mention. I had actually half forgotten about the lack of a button and went to open Safari without really thinking and instinctively clicked where the button normally is. It wasn't until after I had clicked that I remembered there is no button and was rather surprised as the click felt identical to that of a proper button. While it is the trackpad itself that does the clicking, it's only the bottom half that actually moves, clicking half way up the 'pad is possible but fairly difficult as the travel is very short, although there would be no reason to be clicking up there anyway. As only the lower half moves it is easy to hold it down with the thumb and drag with the index finger as one would with any other trackpad. It is very easy to forget that the button is not there, which is guess is a good thing although the omission doesn't seem to yield any improvement in usability; it's just plain different. The trackpad does know which half you are clicking, just like the Mighty Mouse, so the bottom-right (or left) corner can be set to perform a right click if you so choose.
I would never have guessed that the 'pad is glass; the texture is different to that of a conventional trackpad as it is, to quote Steve Jobs: "super silky". A good side-effect I can think of is that the middle will be become smooth after a year or so of use - as if often the case when purchasing an older notebook - as the glass will not wear.
As has been well-documented, there is no Firewire support on the MB (FW800 and thus 400 available on the MBP) which does seem strange as there is clearly plenty of room for the extra port. This will annoy the hell out of some potential customers - and I can understand why - but personally I wouldn't find it a problem.
One feature (or lack thereof ) is the back-lit keyboard which is not available on the 2GHz aluminium MB, not even as a built-to-order option. I love the back-light on the Air and this seems a very strange thing to do, presumably as a way of encouraging punters to go for the 2.4GHz model.
While using the new MB I did glance over at the Air many times - I would have compared side by side but this wasn't possible - and although a very large part of me wanted to eBay the Air and go for the MB (which is £988 for the 2.4GHz model after my university discount) I simply can't ignore the super-thin profile and low weight of the Air; and that black screen surround, while attractive, is basically a mirror in certain lighting.
As the (1.6GHz) Air is my only machine and, admittedly, it does sometimes struggle when I'm having a video call on Skype, watching TV and using MS Word; but it is great to carry it around everywhere I go. The MB would cope far better performance-wise but I'm not sure about the extra size and weight. Ideal solution would be to get an iMac (£700 with discount) and keep the Air...maybe something to look into after new-year...
So anyway, to conclude; the MB and MBP are now very, very similar - in fact one guy was on a MB thinking it was the Pro - and I love the flush aluminium look. The trackpad is great, although not entirely necessary, the black screen looks good in the right light but a bit dodgy otherwise and the specs of the 2.4 model are decent. For an Air owner the extra power and ports, while keeping the design, is tempting; and for an old MB owner the new design is a vast improvement.
Alistair
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
New MacBook - Hands-off review
Just got in from the Apple store and while they do have the notebooks in stock, they are currently being put on the system and therefore not yet on display.
I walked in at about 10:20am, took a quick glance at the notebook benches to see the old line-up still on sale. After spending a few minutes at an iMac - thinking of buying one in the near(ish) future - I saw a group of staff gathered round the manager who had a shiny new-out-the-box MacBook in his hands. I immediately walked over to have a better look.
After first seeing the black screen yesterday I was left undecided but seeing the product in person has changed my mind and now I quite like it. What I do really like is the sturdy-looking case and the flush finish thanks to the new manufacturing technique. The aluminium and glass give it a much more 'pro' look than the slightly childish white plastic of the base-model and while I haven't yet seen the new Pro in person, I'm sure that they look very similar indeed. Despite asking I was not able to have a go, due to the system not yet being activated (we had just finished watching the Leopard intro movie).
The track pad looks to be the same size as that found on the Air, minus the button. I really wanted to try the clicking feature of the button-less 'pad but a member of staff was able to say the (glass) texture was "very usable" and the pressure needed to make a click is "just right". Personally, I'm not convinced he has actually had a go...
What struck me was the reactions of the staff when the notebook was brought onto the shop floor, they were gathered around the manager, talking loudly and grinning from ear to ear. After the MacBook was taken away one female member of staff came back to her colleagues claiming "its just amazing!" with a similar expression to that of a child who has just seen Santa Clause.
I'm unable to return today due to other commitments so I'll be back tomorrow to get a proper hands-on review of both models.
A member of staff informed me that the new cinema display and updated Air will, as expected, not be on sale until mid November.
So will I be tempted to trade in the Air for something with more power and ports, while keeping the aluminum design? Not until I've felt the weight, that's for sure.
Alistair
I walked in at about 10:20am, took a quick glance at the notebook benches to see the old line-up still on sale. After spending a few minutes at an iMac - thinking of buying one in the near(ish) future - I saw a group of staff gathered round the manager who had a shiny new-out-the-box MacBook in his hands. I immediately walked over to have a better look.
After first seeing the black screen yesterday I was left undecided but seeing the product in person has changed my mind and now I quite like it. What I do really like is the sturdy-looking case and the flush finish thanks to the new manufacturing technique. The aluminium and glass give it a much more 'pro' look than the slightly childish white plastic of the base-model and while I haven't yet seen the new Pro in person, I'm sure that they look very similar indeed. Despite asking I was not able to have a go, due to the system not yet being activated (we had just finished watching the Leopard intro movie).
The track pad looks to be the same size as that found on the Air, minus the button. I really wanted to try the clicking feature of the button-less 'pad but a member of staff was able to say the (glass) texture was "very usable" and the pressure needed to make a click is "just right". Personally, I'm not convinced he has actually had a go...
What struck me was the reactions of the staff when the notebook was brought onto the shop floor, they were gathered around the manager, talking loudly and grinning from ear to ear. After the MacBook was taken away one female member of staff came back to her colleagues claiming "its just amazing!" with a similar expression to that of a child who has just seen Santa Clause.
I'm unable to return today due to other commitments so I'll be back tomorrow to get a proper hands-on review of both models.
A member of staff informed me that the new cinema display and updated Air will, as expected, not be on sale until mid November.
So will I be tempted to trade in the Air for something with more power and ports, while keeping the aluminum design? Not until I've felt the weight, that's for sure.
Alistair
New MacBook and MacBook Pro
So we all saw Sir Steve present the new Apple notebooks last night and confirmed that they would be in stores ASAP. I was hoping to call into my local Apple store (Kingston, London) but as of 10:35am they are still selling the 'old' notebooks with no signs of new products yet.
Bit of a disappointment as I was hoping to have a play with the new button-less trackpad...ah well, I'll ask in a minute, might have stock in later today or tomorrow...
Alistair
Sunday, 5 October 2008
Top Tech For Uni
Today I thought I would give a quick run-down of the tech I have brought with me to university. Some are a tad pricey, admittedly, but others could save you a small fortune once the grant has run out.
Apple MacBook Air £1,199 - After handing the aging MacBook over to my mother I invested in a shiny, new 1.6 GHz Air. While the RRP may seem a tad steep, I found an un-opened example on eBay for £850. The weight and size of the Air make it the ideal laptop for the university student who finds himself walking a fair amount with a bag full of books on his back. Some may find the performance inadequate but, as I’m doing English and Journalism, I won’t need to encode HD video anytime soon. The lack of ports is a problem, however, and I currently have 4 USB’s plug in via a hub, a VGA cable and audio jack crammed in the side of the Air and I could still do with more.
iPhone - free to £169 - My first generation iPhone has saved me a couple of times so far with it's brilliant Maps application. Not knowing the area (Greater London) I have got completely lost a few times now and punching a nearby road name into Maps brings up the quickest way home. Another use so far has been the wireless sync to Mobile Me - and thus my laptop - so adding a new friend’s number adds it to my laptop’s address book too.
Win TV HVR 900 - £50 - While the idea of watching TV on your computer is not that new, its something I’ve never bothered with; until coming to university. I wasn’t going to bring my TV from home, so I was faced with either buying a small TV or one of these USB sticks. The device comes with a fairly shabby portable ariel, but if you can hold it in such a way that you get all the Freeview channels then you won’t have to pay the £139 license fee - you’ll be covered by your parents’ license back home. I tried this but, sadly, I couldn’t pick up enough channels so I took the plunge and bought a cable to plug into the wall-socket and a license. Now I can watch most of the Freeview channels, have a fairly decent EPG and the ability to set stuff to record while I’m out sampling the Student Union bars.
Skype Unlimited - £22.43 per year - I’ve been using Skype for years now, with its free computer-to-computer calls and found it to be very good, despite random dis-connections and lag for time to time. While I did know about Skype's ability to call proper phones and remember clearly burning through £10 alarmingly quickly when calling a mobile, the Unlimited service is new to me. For just over £20 per year, or about £2 per month if you prefer, you can have unlimited calls to UK landlines. You can also select a landline number to go with your account, so when I call someone from Skype it appears as a London ‘020’ number on the receiver's phone. So there’s no excuse for not keeping in touch with family and friends back home.
Hanns-G 21” monitor - £150 - While I could have used the laptop’s 13" screen for everything, I felt that taking my desktop display was a must to provide extra screen-space. My set-up involves having my laptop on a stand (Griffin Elevator) to the right of the main screen; this works really well as I can watch TV on one screen and use applications on the other. The brand maybe fairly unknown but it works well enough and with a VGA and HDMI input I can have the laptop and PS3 plugged in together.
Ally Capellino Satchel Laptop Bag - £109 - I did bring a laptop bag with me but, and I know this sounds shallow, the colours and design really annoyed me. The khaki-green and orange was pretty horrible and the velcro was embarrassingly loud in lectures - told you it was shallow. So anyway, with my student grant and loan burning a hole in my pocket, I purchased the new bag. While the cost is rather high, as soon as you hold the bag and feel the quality of the zips and straps, you know you have bought a quality product that will withstand anything university has to throw at it. The bag is fairly small but able to carry the Air and many accessories and/or books with ease.
So there we are, a quick run-down of what I have with me at university; I do have other bits and pieces such as speakers and a camera but they weren’t really worth a mention. Oh, and don’t, whatever you do, forget about insurance. I have everything covered and my phone and laptop are covered wherever I take them, even from accidental damage. At £120 per year its well worth it to make sure you are fully covered.
Alistair
Apple MacBook Air £1,199 - After handing the aging MacBook over to my mother I invested in a shiny, new 1.6 GHz Air. While the RRP may seem a tad steep, I found an un-opened example on eBay for £850. The weight and size of the Air make it the ideal laptop for the university student who finds himself walking a fair amount with a bag full of books on his back. Some may find the performance inadequate but, as I’m doing English and Journalism, I won’t need to encode HD video anytime soon. The lack of ports is a problem, however, and I currently have 4 USB’s plug in via a hub, a VGA cable and audio jack crammed in the side of the Air and I could still do with more.
iPhone - free to £169 - My first generation iPhone has saved me a couple of times so far with it's brilliant Maps application. Not knowing the area (Greater London) I have got completely lost a few times now and punching a nearby road name into Maps brings up the quickest way home. Another use so far has been the wireless sync to Mobile Me - and thus my laptop - so adding a new friend’s number adds it to my laptop’s address book too.
Win TV HVR 900 - £50 - While the idea of watching TV on your computer is not that new, its something I’ve never bothered with; until coming to university. I wasn’t going to bring my TV from home, so I was faced with either buying a small TV or one of these USB sticks. The device comes with a fairly shabby portable ariel, but if you can hold it in such a way that you get all the Freeview channels then you won’t have to pay the £139 license fee - you’ll be covered by your parents’ license back home. I tried this but, sadly, I couldn’t pick up enough channels so I took the plunge and bought a cable to plug into the wall-socket and a license. Now I can watch most of the Freeview channels, have a fairly decent EPG and the ability to set stuff to record while I’m out sampling the Student Union bars.
Skype Unlimited - £22.43 per year - I’ve been using Skype for years now, with its free computer-to-computer calls and found it to be very good, despite random dis-connections and lag for time to time. While I did know about Skype's ability to call proper phones and remember clearly burning through £10 alarmingly quickly when calling a mobile, the Unlimited service is new to me. For just over £20 per year, or about £2 per month if you prefer, you can have unlimited calls to UK landlines. You can also select a landline number to go with your account, so when I call someone from Skype it appears as a London ‘020’ number on the receiver's phone. So there’s no excuse for not keeping in touch with family and friends back home.
Hanns-G 21” monitor - £150 - While I could have used the laptop’s 13" screen for everything, I felt that taking my desktop display was a must to provide extra screen-space. My set-up involves having my laptop on a stand (Griffin Elevator) to the right of the main screen; this works really well as I can watch TV on one screen and use applications on the other. The brand maybe fairly unknown but it works well enough and with a VGA and HDMI input I can have the laptop and PS3 plugged in together.
Ally Capellino Satchel Laptop Bag - £109 - I did bring a laptop bag with me but, and I know this sounds shallow, the colours and design really annoyed me. The khaki-green and orange was pretty horrible and the velcro was embarrassingly loud in lectures - told you it was shallow. So anyway, with my student grant and loan burning a hole in my pocket, I purchased the new bag. While the cost is rather high, as soon as you hold the bag and feel the quality of the zips and straps, you know you have bought a quality product that will withstand anything university has to throw at it. The bag is fairly small but able to carry the Air and many accessories and/or books with ease.
So there we are, a quick run-down of what I have with me at university; I do have other bits and pieces such as speakers and a camera but they weren’t really worth a mention. Oh, and don’t, whatever you do, forget about insurance. I have everything covered and my phone and laptop are covered wherever I take them, even from accidental damage. At £120 per year its well worth it to make sure you are fully covered.
Alistair
Tuesday, 23 September 2008
There's a trolley in the corridor...
You join me on my 5th day of University life in the sleeping suburbs of Greater London and I'm feeling more like a student than ever. Having recovered from a fairly meaty hangover I'm now cooking myself a fine meal consisting of, well, Super Noodles. Yum.
Adding that to the fact that I have eaten pasta for the last 5 nights I think its time for some more food-shopping to be done. Think I'll take a walk into Kingston after lunch with a flat-mate who also needs food and supplies.
While I know the train goes past every 2 minutes almost 24 hours a day I thought I'd check how many actualy stop at Surbiton - my nearest station. Turns out most of them do, as trains to London Waterloo are about every 6 minutes or so and take 15 to get to central London.
Just checked the time, can't believe how early it still is...I've been up since 7:30 - yeh, that was difficult - and had two classes from 9 until 11 so I still have most of the day left, which is nice. I've spent the last hour or so chatting with a friend over Skype and recording this week's Tuck In To Tech podcast, I'll edit it later.
A few of us from the last 2 nights out are meeting up again later to go see a hypnotist, should be a laugh watching fellow students believing they are chickens...
That'll be my 6th night out in a row - and this is coming from someone who probably hasn't been out 6 times all year...I guess thats what uni is all about. Last night was especially heavy although not overly late - got in at about 1am - although I fear someone in the flat upstairs may have had a several pints too many. To sum up, there was no trolley in the corridor at 1 am. And as of 8:30 this morning there is indeed a Sainsburys trolley in the corridor.
The Sainsburys is 15 minutes walk away so I'm not taking it back for fear of looking like a complete spanner. I may have to move it outside, its in the way some-what...
OK well my noodles are about ready so I shall hence forth and eat.
Alistair
Oh, and lectures and learning and all that stuff too, thats kind of important.
Adding that to the fact that I have eaten pasta for the last 5 nights I think its time for some more food-shopping to be done. Think I'll take a walk into Kingston after lunch with a flat-mate who also needs food and supplies.
While I know the train goes past every 2 minutes almost 24 hours a day I thought I'd check how many actualy stop at Surbiton - my nearest station. Turns out most of them do, as trains to London Waterloo are about every 6 minutes or so and take 15 to get to central London.
Just checked the time, can't believe how early it still is...I've been up since 7:30 - yeh, that was difficult - and had two classes from 9 until 11 so I still have most of the day left, which is nice. I've spent the last hour or so chatting with a friend over Skype and recording this week's Tuck In To Tech podcast, I'll edit it later.
A few of us from the last 2 nights out are meeting up again later to go see a hypnotist, should be a laugh watching fellow students believing they are chickens...
That'll be my 6th night out in a row - and this is coming from someone who probably hasn't been out 6 times all year...I guess thats what uni is all about. Last night was especially heavy although not overly late - got in at about 1am - although I fear someone in the flat upstairs may have had a several pints too many. To sum up, there was no trolley in the corridor at 1 am. And as of 8:30 this morning there is indeed a Sainsburys trolley in the corridor.
The Sainsburys is 15 minutes walk away so I'm not taking it back for fear of looking like a complete spanner. I may have to move it outside, its in the way some-what...
OK well my noodles are about ready so I shall hence forth and eat.
Alistair
Oh, and lectures and learning and all that stuff too, thats kind of important.
Friday, 19 September 2008
1st day at university
Ok so yesterday was my first day at Kingston-Upon-Thames University, London and I thought I'd share my experiences here for anyone who might find themselves in the same situation over the next few days, or just for those who want to know what I'm up to.
I arrived at about 11am yesterday morning and was shown to my room and told where the laundry services, common room and reception are. After my mum left I began unpacking, obviously heading straight for the laptop and router - which, a note left in the room said, would not be allowed. Well its working just fine and I'm getting an 8MB connection which is great!
I set off to enrole with 2 others after the bus didn't turn up - hope that gets better next week - and, after a 15 minute walk, found ourselves at the main Penryn Road buildings and at the back of a very long queue of fellow enrolers. A couple hours later I left with my student card complete with dodgy photo.
I spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and getting my laptop etc setup and started to wonder why the other 3 students in my flat were being rather quiet. Turns out, after some door-knocking, there wern't any more students in my flat.
Hmm, could have sworn it was THE moving-in day.
After accepting that it was a dinner-for one- I went to put on some pasta but was stopped by a random buzzing which turned out to be, well, a buzzer-intercom-type-thing.
Turns out it was the amusingly named 'Freshers Angels' who were a group of 2nd year students rounding up the freshers to take us to a bar...perfect.
So after taking a 15 minute guided walk feeling like a group of school-kids we reached a cool bar on the bank of the Thames - felt rather good sat out on a fairly warm evening by the river having a few drinks.
Made some new friends - obviously - and it turns out most people were also on their own in their flats, which made me feel much better about my isoltion.
Woke up this morning with a hell of a hangover and will go and explore Kingston and Surbiton later, I need to find a supermarket and the Apple store...
Alistair
I arrived at about 11am yesterday morning and was shown to my room and told where the laundry services, common room and reception are. After my mum left I began unpacking, obviously heading straight for the laptop and router - which, a note left in the room said, would not be allowed. Well its working just fine and I'm getting an 8MB connection which is great!
I set off to enrole with 2 others after the bus didn't turn up - hope that gets better next week - and, after a 15 minute walk, found ourselves at the main Penryn Road buildings and at the back of a very long queue of fellow enrolers. A couple hours later I left with my student card complete with dodgy photo.
I spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking and getting my laptop etc setup and started to wonder why the other 3 students in my flat were being rather quiet. Turns out, after some door-knocking, there wern't any more students in my flat.
Hmm, could have sworn it was THE moving-in day.
After accepting that it was a dinner-for one- I went to put on some pasta but was stopped by a random buzzing which turned out to be, well, a buzzer-intercom-type-thing.
Turns out it was the amusingly named 'Freshers Angels' who were a group of 2nd year students rounding up the freshers to take us to a bar...perfect.
So after taking a 15 minute guided walk feeling like a group of school-kids we reached a cool bar on the bank of the Thames - felt rather good sat out on a fairly warm evening by the river having a few drinks.
Made some new friends - obviously - and it turns out most people were also on their own in their flats, which made me feel much better about my isoltion.
Woke up this morning with a hell of a hangover and will go and explore Kingston and Surbiton later, I need to find a supermarket and the Apple store...
Alistair
Wednesday, 13 August 2008
Macbook Air Review
So a few days ago my shiny new MacBook Air finally turned up after a long wait due to PayPal choosing to pay using an eCheque. Anyway, I'm not here to bitch about PayPal as enough people are doing so already; instead I'll be giving a quick review of the Air.
First thing's first, this thing is so thin and so light - bare in mind I'm coming over from the not-so-chubby MacBook - and what is also striking is the sturdy feeling. When first viewing the Air one may expected it to feel flimsy, or at least for the screen to have some 'give'.
Nope.
No play in the screen, or any of the body for that matter, at all; this thing is incredibly well put-together and the cold feeling of the aluminium case is really ...erm...cool.
Once booted up the next striking feature is the brightness of the LED back-lit screen - I actually have it turned down a notch or 2 most of the time to save my eyes - and the awesome back-lit keyboard. The black-keys-on-silver-background look might take some getting used to for some but this just emphasises the backlights once they are illuminated - which is done automatically thanks to a light sensor by the iSight.
Next up is the large trackpad with small button. The button does take a little getting used to, its not always where u expect it to be and the need to reach a little further is felt while first getting to grips with the Air. The extra size of the 'pad isn't really that noticeable and, although I haven't looked too closely, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find I am using the same amount as I would when using the regular MacBook. Now of course the reason for the extra size is the inclusion of multi-touch to the Air.
Make no mistake, this is pretty much a gimmick.
Bare with me.
The 3 fingered 'swipe' to navigate Safari - and FireFox 3 via the MultiClutch addon - is useful, altho it moves the opposite way to what you would expect when compared to the iPhone. Meaning that where a swipe from left to right on the iPhone moves to the right, it actually moves to the left (and back a page) on the Air. I'll admit, that's a tiny bone to be picking.
The pinch/pull zooming isn't useful at all in real-world tasks and the 'rotate' feature is also a cool trick to show friends, but not something I'd use while being productive.
While some may winge about the 1.6Ghz processor and the 80Gb HDD (yeh, I got the 'cheap' one) the performance 'hit' is not noticeable during every-day tasks. Sure, I could get out the stopwtch and test encoding speed or whatever but seriously I don't care; for what I need its plenty fast enough.
The fans do have a tendency to speed up after watching streaming video for a while but they are noticably quieter than those in the MacBook.
In relation to the core shut-down problems I have installed CoolBook and after configuring it to what most Internet-users have found most friendly I have had no problems regarding core shut-downs or Kernal panics.
Oh and a quick note on the lack of ports; I can plug in my iPhone when I need to. I can plug in my mic when I need to. I can plug in my USB modem when I want to...my point being I don't need to be using more than 1 device at a time. Although I have bought a small hub...just in case.
Finally, the lack of a disc drive is not important to me as I have pretty much no music CD's at all and most of my films are on Blue-Ray. I installed iWork via Remote Disk and was amazed and how easy it was. Put disc into MacBook, click MacBook in the Air's Finder window and install as normal. Over a b/g wi-fi network it wasn't noticeably slower than installing using a drive directly.
So to conclude, while the Air will be underpowered for some and overpriced for others, the Air fits my needs of a full size Mac which is very portable and looks the business.
Ah, on the last comment; why is it that people kick up such a fuss over a cool-looking laptop being expensive when people pay £1000 for a watch or £150 for some sunglasses for exactly that reason, when a far cheaper alternative will do? Apple has made a laptop that looks good and, in a way, reflects the personality of it's owner.
You can call it 'style over substance' if you want, but you didn't buy that Rolex because it tells the time better than a Casio, did you?
Alistair
First thing's first, this thing is so thin and so light - bare in mind I'm coming over from the not-so-chubby MacBook - and what is also striking is the sturdy feeling. When first viewing the Air one may expected it to feel flimsy, or at least for the screen to have some 'give'.
Nope.
No play in the screen, or any of the body for that matter, at all; this thing is incredibly well put-together and the cold feeling of the aluminium case is really ...erm...cool.
Once booted up the next striking feature is the brightness of the LED back-lit screen - I actually have it turned down a notch or 2 most of the time to save my eyes - and the awesome back-lit keyboard. The black-keys-on-silver-background look might take some getting used to for some but this just emphasises the backlights once they are illuminated - which is done automatically thanks to a light sensor by the iSight.
Next up is the large trackpad with small button. The button does take a little getting used to, its not always where u expect it to be and the need to reach a little further is felt while first getting to grips with the Air. The extra size of the 'pad isn't really that noticeable and, although I haven't looked too closely, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find I am using the same amount as I would when using the regular MacBook. Now of course the reason for the extra size is the inclusion of multi-touch to the Air.
Make no mistake, this is pretty much a gimmick.
Bare with me.
The 3 fingered 'swipe' to navigate Safari - and FireFox 3 via the MultiClutch addon - is useful, altho it moves the opposite way to what you would expect when compared to the iPhone. Meaning that where a swipe from left to right on the iPhone moves to the right, it actually moves to the left (and back a page) on the Air. I'll admit, that's a tiny bone to be picking.
The pinch/pull zooming isn't useful at all in real-world tasks and the 'rotate' feature is also a cool trick to show friends, but not something I'd use while being productive.
While some may winge about the 1.6Ghz processor and the 80Gb HDD (yeh, I got the 'cheap' one) the performance 'hit' is not noticeable during every-day tasks. Sure, I could get out the stopwtch and test encoding speed or whatever but seriously I don't care; for what I need its plenty fast enough.
The fans do have a tendency to speed up after watching streaming video for a while but they are noticably quieter than those in the MacBook.
In relation to the core shut-down problems I have installed CoolBook and after configuring it to what most Internet-users have found most friendly I have had no problems regarding core shut-downs or Kernal panics.
Oh and a quick note on the lack of ports; I can plug in my iPhone when I need to. I can plug in my mic when I need to. I can plug in my USB modem when I want to...my point being I don't need to be using more than 1 device at a time. Although I have bought a small hub...just in case.
Finally, the lack of a disc drive is not important to me as I have pretty much no music CD's at all and most of my films are on Blue-Ray. I installed iWork via Remote Disk and was amazed and how easy it was. Put disc into MacBook, click MacBook in the Air's Finder window and install as normal. Over a b/g wi-fi network it wasn't noticeably slower than installing using a drive directly.
So to conclude, while the Air will be underpowered for some and overpriced for others, the Air fits my needs of a full size Mac which is very portable and looks the business.
Ah, on the last comment; why is it that people kick up such a fuss over a cool-looking laptop being expensive when people pay £1000 for a watch or £150 for some sunglasses for exactly that reason, when a far cheaper alternative will do? Apple has made a laptop that looks good and, in a way, reflects the personality of it's owner.
You can call it 'style over substance' if you want, but you didn't buy that Rolex because it tells the time better than a Casio, did you?
Alistair
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
Dynolicious
While I'm sat waiting for someone to turn up (he's late) I'll quickly
mention a new app for the iPhone called Dynolisious. What this app
does is, once calibrated by holding the phone at various angles,
monitor movement using the phone's accelerometer while you drive your
car. At this point witch-craft happens and it plots - rather accuratly
- your g-force, 0-60mph time and an estimate of your cars bhp figure.
mention a new app for the iPhone called Dynolisious. What this app
does is, once calibrated by holding the phone at various angles,
monitor movement using the phone's accelerometer while you drive your
car. At this point witch-craft happens and it plots - rather accuratly
- your g-force, 0-60mph time and an estimate of your cars bhp figure.
I just had a couple of quick goes on the way to the gym earlier and,
after finding a good position for the phone, I just hit the start
button at the lights, the app then starts recording once I set off.
Haven't had chance to get to 60mph but the 0-40 and 50 times seem
fairly accurate and it states I pulled 0.4 G...I'm sure there's room
for improvement there.
I think the app was about '7 and I'd say well worth it when compared
to dedicated units costing several hundred pounds.
Alistair
Monday, 28 July 2008
Learning To Wait...
While the Internet brings us near-instant music, movies, photos, news, weather and an almost limitless amount of crap to our computers; I am having to learn to wait this week.
I bought a MacBook Air off eBay yesterday, went to pay today once I had the funds in my bank but, sadly, PayPal decided to flag the transaction and pay using an E-Cheque instead of an instant payment. This will not clear until the 6th of August so, despite paying £25 for next day delivery, I won't get my shiny new (and rather cheap with a £350 saving) MBA until the 7th of August.
Despite being annoyed and calling PayPal to try and authorise the transaction I thought - and I hate this 'word' - meh, I can do without for a week or so, and then when it does turn up I'll be looking forward to it even more.
I bought a MacBook Air off eBay yesterday, went to pay today once I had the funds in my bank but, sadly, PayPal decided to flag the transaction and pay using an E-Cheque instead of an instant payment. This will not clear until the 6th of August so, despite paying £25 for next day delivery, I won't get my shiny new (and rather cheap with a £350 saving) MBA until the 7th of August.
Despite being annoyed and calling PayPal to try and authorise the transaction I thought - and I hate this 'word' - meh, I can do without for a week or so, and then when it does turn up I'll be looking forward to it even more.
Sunday, 27 July 2008
MacBook Air
I've just won a MacBook Air off eBay, woop! Can't wait to get it but I
haven't yet paid 'cos PayPal won't let me use my Mum's credit card
grr...I'd pay myself but I'm waiting for some bonds to turn up.
haven't yet paid 'cos PayPal won't let me use my Mum's credit card
grr...I'd pay myself but I'm waiting for some bonds to turn up.
I'll hopefully have it sorted by tomorrow and the seller won't be too
mad at me. Should get posted 1st class tomorrow to turn up here Tuesday.
Hopefully.
Full review will be up once it arrives...
Alistair
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Last FM
While browsing through the AppStore this evening I stumbled upon a real jem of an application, and a reason for owning the 3G iPhone. I used to use Pandora and have heard if Last.fm; both of these websites provide streaming music customised to your tates based on what artists you listen to.
The last.fm app does this very well once you have created an account and logged in, the music takes a couple seconds to buffer over wi-fi and is displayed in a similar way to the iPod app...but it is practically unsuable over GPRS, and so 3G would be a God-send for the app.
When listening to a good song you click the heart icon to 'love' the song, and tell last.fm that you would like more of that type of artist, or click the stop button to 'ban' that genre from coming up again.
One very neat feature of the app is that there is an iTunes store button, so you click that on a song you like, the iTunes app is launched and you can then purchase and download the song..over wi-fi or 3G only.
After using a few applications from the AppStore I've realised that 3G is becomming more and more needed for most apps; originally I felt the handset upgrade wasn't worth it, but I'm changing my mind...
Just a shame I cant buy one and unlock just yet....hoping for PAYG model by xmas for under £300.
The last.fm app does this very well once you have created an account and logged in, the music takes a couple seconds to buffer over wi-fi and is displayed in a similar way to the iPod app...but it is practically unsuable over GPRS, and so 3G would be a God-send for the app.
When listening to a good song you click the heart icon to 'love' the song, and tell last.fm that you would like more of that type of artist, or click the stop button to 'ban' that genre from coming up again.
One very neat feature of the app is that there is an iTunes store button, so you click that on a song you like, the iTunes app is launched and you can then purchase and download the song..over wi-fi or 3G only.
After using a few applications from the AppStore I've realised that 3G is becomming more and more needed for most apps; originally I felt the handset upgrade wasn't worth it, but I'm changing my mind...
Just a shame I cant buy one and unlock just yet....hoping for PAYG model by xmas for under £300.
Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Friday, 18 July 2008
Back from Spain
Got back from a short holiday in Spain yesterday, had a laugh and did the usual of going out drinking by night and sleeping in the sun, slowly burning by day. Met some guys from Birmingham on the 1st night and went to the London Underground club which was rather quiet; as was the whole resort in term of English tourists. I guess the Spanish were getting their holiday in before the Brits on holiday turn up.
Second night went to Linakers' bar and got completely smashed on JD & coke....I was ok while we sang the 'Feed The Fucking Pigeons' song, Youtube it....but after we left I suddenly lost the ability to walk ans crashed to the safe haven of my bed.
Woke up still quite drunk, got a full English breakfast - which I ate very slowly - and spent most of the day on the beach. Come 4pm I was feeling better and we sampled the buffet at the hotel, which wasn't too bad.
The return flight wasn't delayed and we got back to rainy Leeds at about 4pm, collected the car and went home. Overall the holiday was great, a bit short but we were on a budget and had to be back for work over the weekend; driving to France may have been more of an experiance but getting very lost was going to be almost certain.
Will have to do that next year...
Second night went to Linakers' bar and got completely smashed on JD & coke....I was ok while we sang the 'Feed The Fucking Pigeons' song, Youtube it....but after we left I suddenly lost the ability to walk ans crashed to the safe haven of my bed.
Woke up still quite drunk, got a full English breakfast - which I ate very slowly - and spent most of the day on the beach. Come 4pm I was feeling better and we sampled the buffet at the hotel, which wasn't too bad.
The return flight wasn't delayed and we got back to rainy Leeds at about 4pm, collected the car and went home. Overall the holiday was great, a bit short but we were on a budget and had to be back for work over the weekend; driving to France may have been more of an experiance but getting very lost was going to be almost certain.
Will have to do that next year...
Monday, 14 July 2008
Delayed
Kinda predicted it really after the last 3 flights have been delayed but ours has now also incured a "slight delay" of 1 hour and 20 minutes. How can that possibly be "slight"? I was expecting half an hour or so not 80 bloody minutes...
Anyway the good news is that I've bagged a table next to a mains outlet so I've got the MacBook charging while I browse...surprised the plug was live but there we go.
A note to make about battery life...I would have expected between 3 and 4 hours from the laptop with half screen brightness and no wi-fi or bluetooth, but in the same conditions with the USB 3G modem running it lost 60% in about 90 minutes...rather disappointing.
Anyway the good news is that I've bagged a table next to a mains outlet so I've got the MacBook charging while I browse...surprised the plug was live but there we go.
A note to make about battery life...I would have expected between 3 and 4 hours from the laptop with half screen brightness and no wi-fi or bluetooth, but in the same conditions with the USB 3G modem running it lost 60% in about 90 minutes...rather disappointing.
At the airport...
Currently sat in departures at Leeds/Bradford airport waiting for our flight to Malaga, we got here rather early for no apparent reason, spent ages finding a parking space - and in the process spotting some proper pillock-level parking skills.
The scaner thingy didn't bleep for once, which was nice, considering there was a rather larger member of staff donning a pair of rubber gloves...
This airport is incredibly small compared to the likes of Manchester and Gatwick but it'll do for the next 2 hours or so, delay depending.
We're flying with the bargain basement Jet 2 and hoping to blag a free meal - we chose not to pay but I'm betting they won't check, hehe.
Oh and I'm actuallly using my 3G modem stick-thing for a real reason as the WiFi here is about £5 an hour.
The scaner thingy didn't bleep for once, which was nice, considering there was a rather larger member of staff donning a pair of rubber gloves...
This airport is incredibly small compared to the likes of Manchester and Gatwick but it'll do for the next 2 hours or so, delay depending.
We're flying with the bargain basement Jet 2 and hoping to blag a free meal - we chose not to pay but I'm betting they won't check, hehe.
Oh and I'm actuallly using my 3G modem stick-thing for a real reason as the WiFi here is about £5 an hour.
Sunday, 13 July 2008
testing
Just testing how much data it takes to upload a blog post using my usb stick...want to know what I can get for 1mb as t-mobiles reduced charged from £7.50 (!) to £1.50....
But it seems to be going up constantly....weird
Ok test complete and it took 3 web pages and one very small received email to push my recieved data to above 1mb...don't think I'll be online at all and must remember to disable all internet based stuffs on the iPhone as the same costs apply
But it seems to be going up constantly....weird
Ok test complete and it took 3 web pages and one very small received email to push my recieved data to above 1mb...don't think I'll be online at all and must remember to disable all internet based stuffs on the iPhone as the same costs apply
Saturday, 12 July 2008
It's Christmas already....at work it is, anyway
Been at work (garden centre) today and although the weather held up we didn't have many customers as has been the case for a couple of weeks now. So the day was filled with the usual routine of walking around, cleaning up, removing dead fish (lovely) and helping old people to their cars. I had a quick look in the - usually empty - yard to find 12 crates full of bloody Christmas stuff, as in stuff we sell....its July for crying out loud!
That's pretty much all I have to say on the matter, just thought it was weird...
Oh and iPhone dev team have uploaded more videos of jailbroken 2.0; still hoping for a release of the hack next week...while I'm in Spain...bugger.
That's pretty much all I have to say on the matter, just thought it was weird...
Oh and iPhone dev team have uploaded more videos of jailbroken 2.0; still hoping for a release of the hack next week...while I'm in Spain...bugger.
Friday, 11 July 2008
Happy (3G) iDay!
Just finished watching Leo Laporte's 24 hour live video cast of the 3G iPhone launch, what a legend! Personally watched a few hours yesterday, a bit this morning and the last hour just now.
For iDay I headed down to the local Carphone Warehouse store to have a quick go with the new iPhone; was comparing the page loading speeds of the 3G unit with my unlocked model on GPRS and quite obviously it was way faster. AppStore looks good, not tooo similar to Installer. Guy in the store asked if I was upgrading, I said no 'cos mine is unlocked so I'll be waiting for the 3G to become unlocked, he interrupted me saying "oh it's already been unlocked, they did it last night". I did already know this (nice one dev. team!) but to be told by the guy who's job it is to sell me the phone with a contract was quite surprising.
Just checked eBay and there are some on there which customers are selling due to keeping their original iPhone, current prices range from £400 to several thousand....hopefully that'll settle down in the next few weeks.
I'm hoping for a release of the 2.0 hack in the next couple of days - as I already have several AppStore applications to try out - and the PAYG 3G's will be out around Christmas I guess. If the prices of those currently on eBay due to un-regostered upgrades falls to £300 and a SIM hack becomes available then I'll flock mine and get one for sure.
Finally, Mobile Me seems to be online for good although its painfully slow for me, especially when using email, and I'm not sure if its syncing back to my computer at all. Oh and iTunes 7.7 on the Mac Mini still refuses to launch without instantly crashing.Hmm.
For iDay I headed down to the local Carphone Warehouse store to have a quick go with the new iPhone; was comparing the page loading speeds of the 3G unit with my unlocked model on GPRS and quite obviously it was way faster. AppStore looks good, not tooo similar to Installer. Guy in the store asked if I was upgrading, I said no 'cos mine is unlocked so I'll be waiting for the 3G to become unlocked, he interrupted me saying "oh it's already been unlocked, they did it last night". I did already know this (nice one dev. team!) but to be told by the guy who's job it is to sell me the phone with a contract was quite surprising.
Just checked eBay and there are some on there which customers are selling due to keeping their original iPhone, current prices range from £400 to several thousand....hopefully that'll settle down in the next few weeks.
I'm hoping for a release of the 2.0 hack in the next couple of days - as I already have several AppStore applications to try out - and the PAYG 3G's will be out around Christmas I guess. If the prices of those currently on eBay due to un-regostered upgrades falls to £300 and a SIM hack becomes available then I'll flock mine and get one for sure.
Finally, Mobile Me seems to be online for good although its painfully slow for me, especially when using email, and I'm not sure if its syncing back to my computer at all. Oh and iTunes 7.7 on the Mac Mini still refuses to launch without instantly crashing.Hmm.
Thursday, 10 July 2008
Mobile Me and iPhone 2.0 Firmware
Woke up this morning hoping to be able to use Apple's Mobile Me service but, alas, it wasn't up. However some internet dwellers found a way into the application pages of the iTunes store before it went officially live. So I downloaded about 20 of the free apps, despite not being able to use them yet as iPhone 2.0 firmware isn't out or jailbroken.
Mobile Me has been on and off all day - someone at Apple really is having a bad time sorting it out - and when I have been able to get in it looks very good. Basically a website with the appearance of Apple's desktop applications such as Mail, iCal and Address Book. Hopefully that'll be fixed by tomorrow.
iPhone 2.0 firmware has become available somehow before its gone live, I have it downloaded but no point in trying it yet as my phone is hacked and an install would stop the SIM card working. Other users who have a straight iPhone on an official contract have reported that the firmware is safe to install. Hopefully the dev team can get a hack out quickly.
Currently watching Leo Laporte who has just started his 24 hour long live show of the iPhone 3G worldwide launch, wonder how he'll be looking in 20 hours time...
Might head down to the O2 store in town tomorrow and have a play with one, will be waiting for the PAYG model tipped for an Xmas release before purchasing.
Mobile Me has been on and off all day - someone at Apple really is having a bad time sorting it out - and when I have been able to get in it looks very good. Basically a website with the appearance of Apple's desktop applications such as Mail, iCal and Address Book. Hopefully that'll be fixed by tomorrow.
iPhone 2.0 firmware has become available somehow before its gone live, I have it downloaded but no point in trying it yet as my phone is hacked and an install would stop the SIM card working. Other users who have a straight iPhone on an official contract have reported that the firmware is safe to install. Hopefully the dev team can get a hack out quickly.
Currently watching Leo Laporte who has just started his 24 hour long live show of the iPhone 3G worldwide launch, wonder how he'll be looking in 20 hours time...
Might head down to the O2 store in town tomorrow and have a play with one, will be waiting for the PAYG model tipped for an Xmas release before purchasing.
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Day At The Great Yorkshire Show
Got up early(ish) at 8am this morning to go to the Great Yorkshire Show with a few friends. It was a bit of a spur-of-the-moment thing bit actually turned out alright.
Once we got there....
We're not the best navigators in the world - or, infact, in this room - so we had a satnav, Google Maps on my iPhone and a good ol' paper map, just incase. As it turned out we came up with 3 or 4 different routes which were all wrong, the satnav was especially confusing as it was requesting 'a legal u-turn' for miles on end.
So anyway, after a bit of shouting, some lane-hogging and a splash of cutting-up bit trucks we made it in one piece to the showground.
Once there we parked half a mile away in a field and went for a strole. James was especially keen to take photos of the animals and I wasn't going to stop him, so I now have some lovely pics of cows, chickens, sheep and pigs on my computer....nice.
The show had plenty of stalls selling sweets, cheese, wine and all the usual far produce and even a sheep-shearing contest...with commentator! /sarcasm
All in all we had a good, if slightly 'alternative' day out which was a good laugh, even the rain held off 'till we set off home; although having been once, I probably wouldn't jump at the opportunity to go again.
Next up is a trip to the coast on Friday if the others are available, and then France next week if we all have the time off from work. A sick-day may need to be taken otherwise...
Once we got there....
We're not the best navigators in the world - or, infact, in this room - so we had a satnav, Google Maps on my iPhone and a good ol' paper map, just incase. As it turned out we came up with 3 or 4 different routes which were all wrong, the satnav was especially confusing as it was requesting 'a legal u-turn' for miles on end.
So anyway, after a bit of shouting, some lane-hogging and a splash of cutting-up bit trucks we made it in one piece to the showground.
Once there we parked half a mile away in a field and went for a strole. James was especially keen to take photos of the animals and I wasn't going to stop him, so I now have some lovely pics of cows, chickens, sheep and pigs on my computer....nice.
The show had plenty of stalls selling sweets, cheese, wine and all the usual far produce and even a sheep-shearing contest...with commentator! /sarcasm
All in all we had a good, if slightly 'alternative' day out which was a good laugh, even the rain held off 'till we set off home; although having been once, I probably wouldn't jump at the opportunity to go again.
Next up is a trip to the coast on Friday if the others are available, and then France next week if we all have the time off from work. A sick-day may need to be taken otherwise...
Tuesday, 8 July 2008
T-Mobile 3G Stick - Its A Keeper
So after 7 days of pondering, I have decided to keep the USB-3G-modem-stick-thingy from T-Mobile, it'll cost me £15 per month - or, as I like to say, 50p per day. At the moment it doesn't get used that much but once I start university in September I'm sure I'll find myself using it a lot more. And after I end my gym membership in a couple months I'll be 10 quid a month better off!
Finally got my journalism folder handed into college on the last possible day, my teacher marked it over the weeked and the motorator said it was a model answer and will be used to show other students next year. Amazing, considering most of it was written in about 3 hours...
The Goodwood Festival of Speed crept up on me rather quickly this year, its in 3 days, so sadly I'm unable to go as I'm working. Boo! Sunday there then drive to France on Monday would have been epic but, alas, it wasn't to be.
However, we are hopefully going on a roadtrip to France sometime next week if my friend isn't working and my Mum doesn't change her mind. Should be great fun and our plans to film a TopGear-style montage should be a laugh. Will have to remember, to quote Micheal Caine from The Italian Job, "in this country, they drive on the wrong side of the road". Oh, and the speed limits are a tad different for young drivers, and they use KM instead of miles, and they speak French.....what could possibly go wrong?
I would love to keep the blog up-to-date while on the road but I'd imagine the roaming charges for the USB stick will be proposterous, so unless we find free Wi-Fi I won't be bothering. The film will be edited and put on YouTube at some point, so watch out for that.
Alistair
Finally got my journalism folder handed into college on the last possible day, my teacher marked it over the weeked and the motorator said it was a model answer and will be used to show other students next year. Amazing, considering most of it was written in about 3 hours...
The Goodwood Festival of Speed crept up on me rather quickly this year, its in 3 days, so sadly I'm unable to go as I'm working. Boo! Sunday there then drive to France on Monday would have been epic but, alas, it wasn't to be.
However, we are hopefully going on a roadtrip to France sometime next week if my friend isn't working and my Mum doesn't change her mind. Should be great fun and our plans to film a TopGear-style montage should be a laugh. Will have to remember, to quote Micheal Caine from The Italian Job, "in this country, they drive on the wrong side of the road". Oh, and the speed limits are a tad different for young drivers, and they use KM instead of miles, and they speak French.....what could possibly go wrong?
I would love to keep the blog up-to-date while on the road but I'd imagine the roaming charges for the USB stick will be proposterous, so unless we find free Wi-Fi I won't be bothering. The film will be edited and put on YouTube at some point, so watch out for that.
Alistair
Thursday, 26 June 2008
USB 3G Modem....to keep or not to keep?
Its getting towards the end of my 7 day money back offer with the 3G USB stick from T-Mobile UK. I ordered the device to give me decent Internet while on a coach trip of 2.5 hours each way. That was yesterday and I was very impressed with the speed - even YouTube loads quick with no buffering - and just now I downloaded a song off iTunes in 15 seconds over 3G...God knows how quick full HSDPA would be!
Its really quick!
So anyway, the cost to keep the service would be £15 per month and that capped to 3GB per month, but - unlike Vodafone - if you go over the allowence you wont be punished financially the first few times. I currently don't travel all that often, but I will plan to when at University in London in October, and my Dad doesn't have Internet so it would be great when visiting him.
Financially I can afford it with my current job and my £24 per month gym membership will get cancelled in 3 months' time before heading to University, so then I'd be paying less per month as long as my phone bill remaind sensible.
I want to keep it, 'cos its cool, quick and very useful in certain circumstances...but on the other hand I may end up paying for a month having not actually used it in that month.
Its only 50p per day.
Maybe I could become one of those guys who sits in coffee shops all day to make use of it...
Its really quick!
So anyway, the cost to keep the service would be £15 per month and that capped to 3GB per month, but - unlike Vodafone - if you go over the allowence you wont be punished financially the first few times. I currently don't travel all that often, but I will plan to when at University in London in October, and my Dad doesn't have Internet so it would be great when visiting him.
Financially I can afford it with my current job and my £24 per month gym membership will get cancelled in 3 months' time before heading to University, so then I'd be paying less per month as long as my phone bill remaind sensible.
I want to keep it, 'cos its cool, quick and very useful in certain circumstances...but on the other hand I may end up paying for a month having not actually used it in that month.
Its only 50p per day.
Maybe I could become one of those guys who sits in coffee shops all day to make use of it...
Monday, 23 June 2008
Why...? Because I can
Im currently sat downstairs on the MacBook, watching trhe Gadget Show on Channel 5, while blogging via a T-Mobile 3G usb modem, despite having a much faster wifi network buzzing around me. After the setup its a rather good device, seems quite speedy, even on YouTube!
Thursday, 19 June 2008
Quidco
Quidco is basically online cashback and works like this;
you go to, lets say, the Apple store via a link in the Quidco site, you buy something and Apple then pay Quidco 'cos they got your custom through then. Quidco then give that money back to you! Simple as that.
They do ask for £5 at the end of your first year, or however much you made up to a fiver, after that whatever you make is yours.
I've set up my bank account with them and have altered all my bookmarked sites to go through the Quidco link, incase I forget to go to their site first.
Most purchases will see a return of between 2 and 10% but the real good deals lie elsewhere..
For example, if you take out a mobile contract with Vodafone, or mobile broadband which I might do at some point, you get £90 straight up!
Other deals include switching your gas supplier or car insurance, offering in the region of £100 each.
You do have to wait a month or so to get the cash but then its a rather welcome surprise.
I do buy a lot online so I'll keep you posted as to how much cash I get back over the following months....
you go to, lets say, the Apple store via a link in the Quidco site, you buy something and Apple then pay Quidco 'cos they got your custom through then. Quidco then give that money back to you! Simple as that.
They do ask for £5 at the end of your first year, or however much you made up to a fiver, after that whatever you make is yours.
I've set up my bank account with them and have altered all my bookmarked sites to go through the Quidco link, incase I forget to go to their site first.
Most purchases will see a return of between 2 and 10% but the real good deals lie elsewhere..
For example, if you take out a mobile contract with Vodafone, or mobile broadband which I might do at some point, you get £90 straight up!
Other deals include switching your gas supplier or car insurance, offering in the region of £100 each.
You do have to wait a month or so to get the cash but then its a rather welcome surprise.
I do buy a lot online so I'll keep you posted as to how much cash I get back over the following months....
Thursday, 12 June 2008
Media Exam
Got home from a grueling 3 hour media studies exam today. I'm normally alright with media but got kinda nervous today, probably 'cos it actually matter an' all that...
Anyhoo, all went well, except I was sat under an air con unit and was well and truly frozen by 5pm. A quick run to the car and a blast of heating on the way home sorted that out nicely.
I've found that I'm unable to type or write all that well, thanks to a bit of glass stuck in my finger after my, erm...incident with a glass door the other day. And my sunburnt face is peeling like theres no tomorrow, grr.
Anyhoo, all went well, except I was sat under an air con unit and was well and truly frozen by 5pm. A quick run to the car and a blast of heating on the way home sorted that out nicely.
I've found that I'm unable to type or write all that well, thanks to a bit of glass stuck in my finger after my, erm...incident with a glass door the other day. And my sunburnt face is peeling like theres no tomorrow, grr.
Tuesday, 10 June 2008
WWDC 2008
After watching the keynote on Apple's website this morning I'm quite liking the look of Mobile Me; despite the dodgy name. The services offered look pretty neat and if its as quick as we're lead to believe - that includes speeding iDisk up, Apple - then I think I'll be happy enough to pay for it. .Mac was ok, but incorporating the services into a slick looking web 2.0 site is a vast improvment.
The iPhone 2.0 software has pretty much all been seen before - and I've had 1st hand experiance with one leaked build a few months ago. The AppStore is obviously the headline feature of 2.0 and rightly so; the apps shown yesterday do look rather impressive, with decent pricing and over-the-air purchasing from the iPhone is a bonus.
But of course the headlining act at WWDC was iPhone 3G - possibly the worst-kept secret in the history of tech. Despite the like of front-facing camera and larger memory, the rumours were pretty much spot-on with regards to the tapered shape, optional black or white colouring, plastic back, 3G and GPS. Even the priceing was correctly guessed by some, with the second coming of the Jesus Phone coming in at "no more than" $199, which equates to £99 in the UK on the cheaper tariffs. And it'll be free on the more pricy plans from O2. Another point worth mentioning is that it seems to be impossible to purchase the phone and activate at home, resulting in no way to unlock the phone without signing a heafty contract.
However, this would seem not to be the case in the UK, with the O2 site still claiming the ability to activate at home via iTunes, and the mention of a 'Pay and Go' iPhone also available on July 11th; the price for this possibly unlocked phone has yet to be announced. I'd be happy to pay the original price of £269 for an unlocked 8GB but only time will tell on that one.
The iPhone 2.0 software has pretty much all been seen before - and I've had 1st hand experiance with one leaked build a few months ago. The AppStore is obviously the headline feature of 2.0 and rightly so; the apps shown yesterday do look rather impressive, with decent pricing and over-the-air purchasing from the iPhone is a bonus.
But of course the headlining act at WWDC was iPhone 3G - possibly the worst-kept secret in the history of tech. Despite the like of front-facing camera and larger memory, the rumours were pretty much spot-on with regards to the tapered shape, optional black or white colouring, plastic back, 3G and GPS. Even the priceing was correctly guessed by some, with the second coming of the Jesus Phone coming in at "no more than" $199, which equates to £99 in the UK on the cheaper tariffs. And it'll be free on the more pricy plans from O2. Another point worth mentioning is that it seems to be impossible to purchase the phone and activate at home, resulting in no way to unlock the phone without signing a heafty contract.
However, this would seem not to be the case in the UK, with the O2 site still claiming the ability to activate at home via iTunes, and the mention of a 'Pay and Go' iPhone also available on July 11th; the price for this possibly unlocked phone has yet to be announced. I'd be happy to pay the original price of £269 for an unlocked 8GB but only time will tell on that one.
Sunday, 8 June 2008
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