Every techie loves a list, especially a Top 10 at Christmas, so I was intrigued by the recent Top 10 gadgets of the decade in The Telegraph.

Personally I have 9, 4,3, 2 and 1. Have used a 5 and liked it, and am a big fan of GPS. Would love a Slingbox at some time …

10. Slingbox (2005)
The Slingbox is a TV streaming device which allows you to shift (or “sling”) television shows from your TV or personal video recorder to a computer anywhere in the world. It means you can watch the latest episode of Coronation Street from a hotel room in Dubai, or catch up with The Wire in Madrid. You can even “sling” shows to your mobile phone, to watch on the move.

9. iPhone (2007)
Apple’s iPhone redefined the mobile phone experience – its elegant touch-screen, superlative ease of use and handy features (including a built-in iPod and navigation software) set the new standard for phone design. And it is responsible for our insatiable appetite for apps – since the App Store launched in 2008, we’ve downloaded more than a billion restaurant finders, games and guide books on to our iPhones.

8. Asus Eee PC (2007)
The Asus Eee PC seemed too good to be true – an ultralight, ultraportable laptop that cost less than £200. The Eee PC kick-started the “netbook” trend – the emergence of a new category of inexpensive, low-spec computers designed for sending emails, accessing the internet, and carrying out simple word-processing tasks on the go. Dozens of other manufacturers have since jumped on the netbook bandwagon, but we’ll always fondly remember the Asus Eee PC for getting the ball rolling.

7. Flip (2007)
The Flip was the first pocket-sized camcorder to punch above its weight. Incredibly easy to operate, the Flip could capture around an hour of surprisingly good-quality footage for such a small device. But its best feature was the built-in USB stick that flipped out from the side of the camcorder, enabling users to instantly edit video and upload it to the web. It became the tool of choice for the YouTube generation.

6. TomTom Go (2004)
Once upon a time, if you wanted to get from A to B, you had to use a map. This meant knowing lots of things about cryptic Ordnance Survey symbols, and being able to find a way around traffic jams at a moment’s notice. But the sat nav changed all that; the TomTom Go was arguably the first truly mass-market sat nav device that appealed to people of all technical abilities. Farewell folding maps; hello advanced lane guidance, automatic congestion detection and re-routing, and speed camera alerts.

5. BlackBerry (2002)
We didn’t know it at the time, but the arrival of the BlackBerry meant life would never be the same again. With its ability to pick up emails on the go, the BlackBerry was the tool of choice for high-flying businessmen who needed to be in touch with the office at all times. But its always-on connectivity also meant the working day was never really done, with people expecting you to answer emails in the evenings, on weekends, and even on the family holiday – no wonder it’s been nicknamed the CrackBerry for its addictive qualities.

4. Nintendo Wii (2006)
Nintendo’s inexpensive, family-focused games console is credited with bringing a new generation of players to video games. It uses an innovative motion-sensing controller system, where players wave their Wiimote controls to mimick hitting a ball or cracking a whip. More than 56 million Wiis have been sold worldwide, and players can use it to experience everything from snowboarding to armed combat to balancing exercises.

3. USB stick (2000)
The arrival of the USB stick condemned the floppy disk to the dustbin of history. In 2000, IBM launched DiskOnKey with a then-huge 8MB of storage, around five times that offered by a floppy disk. It soon became the quickest and easiest way of transferring files between computers, and carrying backups of important documents. Modern USB sticks can hold gigabytes of data, and the future of the USB stick looks assured for some time to come.

2. Sky+ (2001)
Before Sky+ came along, taping your favourite television show meant navigating the complicated recording menus on your VCR, and then scrolling endlessly through VHS tapes to find the show you wanted to watch. Sky+ was a breath of fresh air – it was an easy-to-use personal video recorder with a capacious hard drive, allowing viewers to record hundreds of hours of programmes at the touch of a button. You could even pause and rewind live television, or record every episode in a series using the “series link” function.

1. Apple iPod (2001)
The undisputed gadget of the decade is Apple’s iPod music player. When it went on sale in October 2001, few could have predicted that this device – which could store up to 1,000 songs on its tiny hard drive – would revolutionise both the way we consume music, and the music industry itself. The iconic white earphones of the iPod soon became ubiquitous on Tubes and trains, while the launch of the iTunes music store, which allowed users to digitally download songs on to their iPod, has been blamed for the death of the album. The iPod made it possible to carry your entire music collection with you, and laid the foundations for the current generation of music players and mobile phones.

Related posts:

1. Orange watch phone goes on sale August 27 Gadget fans will be able to get their hands on the £500 LG watch phone when it goes on sale next Thursday. The device,...
2. Mobile Broadband Last time I was in the UK I got fed up with having no WiFi, or having to pay stupid prices (£5 an hour...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Telefónica has been accused of holding back on the sale of the upgraded model

iPhone users in Spain have complained that they cannot buy the new 3GS model as Telefóncia is holding back their sale so they can get rid of stocks of the older iPhone model.

The model was launched in June and since then El Mundo reports that thousands of Telefónica clients have added their names to the waiting list.

The company has explained the situation as being the law of supply and demand, with a spokesperson claiming that ‘Apple is not making large numbers’.

The new model is quicker and has extended battery life by two hours. (Via Original Article)

Related posts:

1. The iPhone in Spain After my discussions with Tim over the months regards the iPhone and the way Spain approaches technology I thought this was pretty interesting! To...
2. Tethering iPhone On Movistar (Spain) Getting a 3G iPhone running 3.0 to ‘tether’ to a Mac seems to depend very much on the carrier you are with. I posted...
3. Apple iPhone 3GS: O2 customers express anger over upgrade costs Disgruntled customers have been flooding web forums and Twitter with complaints about the fact that they will have to pay for the remaining time...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I really like the Garmin Zumo 550 that I use on the Harley Davidson Road King Classic and in the Cherokee Jeep, but there has been one thing missing (well two actually) for me, that I have just rectified with the Garmin GTM 21 FM TMC Traffic Receiver and the Garmin External Microphone.

Here is what I think of them:

GTM 21 FM TMC Traffic Receiver

The GTM 21 FM TMC Traffic Receiver provides the main function of a GPS that I have missed with the Garmin Zumo 550, and that is notification of traffic congestion, road works etc.

The GTM 21 FM TMC Traffic Receiver is an FM -band traffic receiver that provides real-time traffic information to compatible Garmon GPS automotive navigational products. Using this data compatible Garmin products can alert the user to local traffic hold ups and displays graphical map symbols for improved awareness.

The cable replaces your existing power source, so in the Jeep it plugs into the cigarette lighter replacing the existing cigarette charger, and on the Road King Classic it plugs into the external cigarette charger that I have fitted, replacing the fixed power source that I have also fitted (which is a bit of a shame but unless I want to buy two units I will have to live with this). The FM receiver then attaches (preferably vertically) to the windshield with two small but effective plastic suction cups.

The version of the GTM 21 FM TMC Traffic Receiver that I bought cost £37 from Amazon and came with a lifetime premium subscription from Trafficmaster for the UK, BUT can also be used in other countries that provide FREE TMC Traffic Services, of which there are 14 including Spain!: UK, Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Importantly there is no software to install, in fact the whole thing genuinely is plug and play.

And it works!!! On both the Road King Classic and the Cherokee Jeep it picked up traffic hold ups (traffic jams in the UK) pretty early on and quickly calculated and communicated different routes. The graphics were highly visible and easy to understand which is crucial on the motorbike, and it has a neat colour coded severity indication:

Green = low severity: traffic moving normally
Yellow = medium severity: traffic is a bit congested
Red = high severity: traffic is heavily constipated congested or stopped.

All in all I am very pleased indeed with the GTM 21 FM TMC Traffic Receiver

Garmin External Microphone

This simple and relatively cheap ($11.94 from Amazon) microphone plugs into the Microphone socket on the Garmin Mount (both the bike and the car one) and enables hands free operation of a mobile phone, when the mobile phone is connected to the Garmin Zumo 550 via Bluetooth. So once the iPhone has connected to the Garmin Zumo 550 via Bluetooth it is possible to not only use the Garmin Zumo 550 to make a receive telephone calls, but you can also talk hands free.

The microphone comes with a mount that can be stuck to a dry surface, so in our case the rear view mirror in the Jeep, and although you have a cable dangling it works really well. With the microphone mounted between us both Sands and I were able to hold a conversation at the same time, so it picks up your voice pretty well. The quality was fine as well.

On the bike I have the choice of two clamps, and I have found that the smaller one clipped to the helmet strap just under my chin is the best, and I have tended to wrap some sponge around the microphone to try and reduce the impact of the wind. It works, but not great, although I accept that it wasn’t really designed for use on a motorbike, especially a Harley Davidson with its renowned and distinct noise and the open helmet nature of riding. Still it gives an option that allows the iPhone to be stored securely in a pocket rather than mounted on the bike, and that is a big benefit. I only want the option to use the iPhone on the Road King Classic or Fat Boy as an emergency. Not only is it pretty dangerous to talk while riding, you ride a motorbike to get away from the stresses and strains of modern living, not to take them with you!

Related posts:

1. Garmin Zumo 550 I mentioned before that I wanted to add the Garmin Zumo 550 to the Road King Classic. Well having installed it last Friday and...
2. Sat Nav: Handheld or Fixed Driving down to Almerimar from the UK recently in the Toyota Prius Hybrid gave me an excellent opportunity to compare the inbuilt the Sat...
3. Garmin issues patch to exorcise brick from 7×5 series GPS It didn’t take long for Garmin to get into gear, once it acknowledged the firmware update had ultimately brought ruin to its navi 7×5...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

As the owner , and very infrequent user, of two Bluetooth headsets a Jawbone 2 and a Blue Ant Z9, I must agree with the view expressed by Engadget recently:

Join us as we rejoice together: “Finally!” Look, we can’t straight up say that Bluetooth headsets don’t have their place in this world, but seriously, we’ve yet to not be freaked out when walking up to someone who’s apparently speaking to the ghost we can’t see. In a recent survey conducted by the quizzical minds over at Strategy Analytics, they found that only 26 percent of US-based Bluetooth headset owners use their device each and every day. That figure is down from 43 percent in 2008, proving that style may have just notched a minor victory over utility. Of course, the study also found that daily BT headset use was up slightly in Europe, but hey, it takes awhile for these so-called “trends” to float across the pond.

Worrying to see that it is increasing across Europe still though!

Related posts:

1. Jawbone 2 or Apple Bluetooth iPhone Headset Looking around for a new bluetooth headset at the moment. The Blue Ant Z9 is excellent, but on the Road King it doesn’t feel...
2. Bluetooth 3.0 arrives with promise of eightfold speed increase The next version of the Bluetooth short-range wireless protocol officially launched this week, promising an eightfold speed increase to boost the low power protocol...
3. BT-1 Bluetooth webcam for Mac finally ship Those waiting on the edge of their seats since January to get their hands on Ecamm’s BT-1 wireless, Bluetooth-enabled webcam for OS X. Sure,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It means people will no longer have to huddle around a computer or laptop whenever they want to watch a video clip on YouTube or watch a television show they missed.

The Bravia Internet Video range will initially bring Five’s cath-up television service, Demand Five, to TVs, along with video websites such as Daily Motion and YouTube. If successful, the trial might be extended to other broadcasters and websites, including perhaps the BBC’s iPlayer catch-up television service.

“Consumers are increasingly enjoying more on-demand video online”, said Nicholas Barendson, a marketing executive for Sony. “However, watching full length TV programmes on a PC, hunched over a screen can be a solitary experience. Bringing these services to the TV allows consumers to share these viewing experiences with a greater degree of ease and simplicity”.

Internet Video will also be available on other Sony products, such as Blu-ray DVD players and home cinema systems.

Some Sony televisions will also feature an integrated satellite receiver, enabling viewers to pick up Freesat, the free-to-air satellite television service, without the need for an additional set-top box cluttering up their living room.

Sony also confirmed that its PlayStation Network Video Delivery service will be rolled out in the UK in November, allowing people to download movies directly to their PlayStation 3 or PSP games console, and share the content between those devices. (Via Telegraph)

Related posts:

1. Sony to install Google Chrome browser on PCs It is thought that Chrome will be installed on select Sony laptops in the coming months, putting Google in direct competition with Microsoft, whose...
2. Sony investigating PSP phone? As recently as May Sony has itself stated that a PSP phone “could happen,” and now a report from Nikkei business daily states that...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

If you get your internet service from O2, there’s a good chance Paul Mutton can remotely log in to your router and make configuration changes that surreptitiously allow him to access computers on your network.

That’s because the UK-based ISP offers its customers free customized routers that are vulnerable to CSRF, or cross-site request forgery, attacks. Simply put, the hole allows him to log into the device using a simple web browser and a specially manipulated URL. Once connected, he can perform many if not all of the same administrative tasks an owner physically accessing the device can.

“This flaw allows remote attackers to take almost full control of the router, including stealing the wireless encryption key (even if the most advanced WPA2 setting was enabled) and forwarding external ports to internal IP addresses,” Mutton, a security researcher located near the UK’s Bath, wrote here.

The port-forwarding bit makes it easy easy for an attacker to intrude into a user’s home network by burrowing into a computer, set-top box, or other device that would otherwise be protected by router’s firewall. Interlopers can probably do other things, including changing the domain name system server to one that silently redirects users to rogue websites that masquerade as a legitimate bank, e-commerce site or search engine.

The flaw resides in two custom-built devices O2 gets from router manufacturer Thomson. Both the TG585n, and the TG585, known respectively as the O2 Wireless Box III and the O2 Wireless Box II, suffer from the bug. Subscribers of other ISPs that use the device are also likely to be exposed to the same threat.

An O2 spokesman said: “We have been notified of a potential security issue with the O2 Wireless box routers. We take this issue very seriously and are investigating it with the router manufacturer, Thomson. We thank Mr Mutton for bringing it to our attention.”

Mutton said that’s a far cry from the statements O2 support people gave him over the past week when he tried to bring the vulnerability to their attention. According to the blow-by-blow he provided, they told him the devices were “secured to a standard that is acceptable for home use” and that the provider was “under no obligation to supply you with a different router.”

Routers and other low-cost devices that come with web interfaces have long been known to be vulnerable to a wide variety of attacks. Routers seem to be the low-hanging fruit, with bugs having been found in gear made by Linksys and Netgear and devices provided by BT on multiple occasions. (Via The Register)

Related posts:

1. Apple iPhone 3GS: O2 customers express anger over upgrade costs Disgruntled customers have been flooding web forums and Twitter with complaints about the fact that they will have to pay for the remaining time...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Over the past decade mobiles have undergone another revolution. Phones are no longer just devices to make and receive calls and texts, they are also for checking emails, Facebook and Twitter as well as browsing the internet.

News last week that Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone maker, is to launch a new “super-smartphone” and start making mini-laptops, is the dawn of a third revolution, which could lead to a blurring of the lines between phones and laptops.

Smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone and Research in Motion’s (RIM) BlackBerry, are so powerful, users are finding themselves using their phones to check emails and the latest football scores even when their laptop is lying to hand.

“Sometimes it’s just too much effort to lift the lid of your laptop, when you’re phone is almost as quick at browsing the web,” says Mike Brook, editor of T3 technology magazine.

Apple, which appears to have almost psychic powers in predicting the next big technology trends, took a gamble two years ago by branching out into mobile phones following the phenomenal success of its iPod music player.

So far the company has sold 21.2m iPhones worldwide, including more than 1m in the UK.

Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, highlighted the success of the iPhone in helping the company achieve record profits of $1.23bn (£747m) for the three months to the end of June – Apple’s most successful non-Christmas quarter in its 32-year history.

Following Apple’s success, a string of other computer companies, including Dell, are entering the smart-phone market.

Dell’s founder, Michael Dell, had previously ruled out ever entering the mobile phone business because Nokia’s 40pc market share would be too hard to crack.

But earlier this month he confirmed long-running rumours that Dell plans to launch a smartphone running on Google’s Android operating system.

The lure of big profits achieved by Apple and RIM has also attracted some unexpected technology brands into the smartphone mix.

Garmin, the satellite navigation company, launched a touchscreen mobile, which specialises in navigation, in the Far East this summer. The device is expected in Europe next year.

Despite other new challengers, including Palm’s Pre and Taiwan’s HTC Hero, the iPhone remains “the phone to beat” and all the traditional mobile phone makers – Nokia, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, LG and Samsung – are desperately struggling to compete.

Smartphone sales grew by 27pc in the second quarter according to analysts at Gartner, the research house, and are expected to account for up to 70pc of all phones sold in Europe by 2012.

At the same time sales of middle-of-the-range phones are expected to drop for only the second time since the industry began. So, the established players need to act fast to bring out serious challengers or risk losing the market to the upstarts with PC-pedigree.

Nokia had been caught sleeping at the wheel without any handset close to the iPhone and its hastily-produced N97 has been described as a “dud” by experts. The Finnish company has seen its market share drop from 39.5pc to 36.8pc.

But Nokia is fighting back. Last week it revealed its latest attempt to regain ground lost to Apple’s iPhone. Nokia said its touchscreen N900 will hit the shops in October priced at about £400, although it could be much cheaper depending on contract terms.

Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia’s executive vice president of markets, said: “What we have is something that is fusing the power of the computer, the internet and the mobile phone, and it is great to see that it is evolving in exciting ways.”

Nokia’s chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo denies that Apple is dictating the company’s strategy. He said Nokia is switching the business model away from mobile phone sales towards services such as mobile banking, games and music.

“It’s not simply fighting against your competitors like Apple, it’s claiming new ground. It’s claiming no-man’s land,” he said.

However, the company is pushing into the backyard of its PC-making rivals by launching its own mini-laptops into the fiercely competitive but fast-growing netbook market.

Nokia said it will provide more information on its Booklet 3G – which is just 10 inches wide, less than one inch thick and weighs only 1.25kg – at its glitzy Nokia World conference in Stuttgart this week.

The company, which used to make everything from Wellington boots to gas masks, pulled out of the PC market in 1991 after it lost ground to larger rivals.

“This is Nokia fighting back a little against Apple and Google’s invasion into its territory,” said Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner. “It’s a clever move by Nokia as it can use its established route to market through mobile phone operators and shops.”

She said the mini-laptop would probably be sold as a second contract alongside a Nokia mobile phone, a plan which would be popular with mobile phone operators looking to expand customers’ data use.

“These moves by Nokia just highlight how the mobile and laptop markets are converging,” Mr Brook said. “No one ever thought the marriage of the phone and laptop would come together, but it looks like they just might.” (Via Telegraph)

Related posts:

1. 2009 iPhone models surface in Dutch T-Mobile systems Seemingly confirming Apple’s basic iPhone product strategy for next week, T-Mobile Netherlands’ phone catalog is showing 16GB and 32GB iPhones for 2009 as well...
2. T-Mobile UK starts shifting iPhones on the quiet T-Mobile UK has started supplying iPhone 3G handsets to selected customers, while O2 UK continues to believe it has a UK exclusive on Apple’s...
3. Amazon Mobile for iPhone Native app for Amazon.com is a must-have for any shopping trip This was an interesting read over on Macworld, for anyone that likes Books,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The pioneering PC, known as the Spacebook, is the brainchild of Alaska-based technology firm gScreen.

While growing numbers of office workers – especially in the financial industries – use several desktop monitors to track many programmes and information sources at the same time, no manufacturer has yet released a portable equivalent.

The gScreen Spacebook will boast two 15.4 in screens which can slide away to fill the space of a single screen when the laptop is being stored or transported.

The first photos of the pioneering gadget have been obtained by Gizmodo, the US technology website.

Gordon Stewart, the founder of gScreen, told the website that the first Spacebooks should be available on Amazon by December this year, once final modifications are complete.

“We designed this knowing that many may not need the extra screen at all times,” he said.

The dual-screen laptop is aimed at professional video editors, photographers and designers who need to flick between different applications to carry out their work.

But anyone willing to meet the expected $3,000 (£1,835) price tag should be warned that the double screen is likely to push the weight of the Spacebook significantly above standard laptops. The energy demands of running two monitors will also prove a drain on the computer’s batteries.

Other technology firms have produced laptops with smaller bolt-on second screens, but this is believed to be the first model with twin monitors of equal size. (Via Telegraph)

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Gadget fans will be able to get their hands on the £500 LG watch phone when it goes on sale next Thursday.

The device, which measures just 1.5in square, allows users to tap out text messages using its scratch-resistant touch-screen display, and has a built-in speaker to make and receive calls.

The watch phone, which is made by Korean firm LG, will be available exclusively on the Orange network in the UK, and the handcrafted gadget will cost £500. It will be sold through Orange’s Bond Street shop in London, on a first-come, first-served basis, with further watches available online from the Orange store in mid-September.

The device runs on the 3G mobile phone network, enabling users to brows the web, make video calls and even check their emails on their phone, as well as use it to listen to music.

“The LG touch-screen watch phone is one of several ‘future phones’ we’re bringing to UK consumers this year,” said Francois Mahieu, director of devices for Orange. “Being handmade, the device really is highly original and exclusively limited, so you’ll be the envy of all your friends if you’re fortunate enough to get your hands on one.”

The launch of the watch phone marks a change of focus for Orange, which is seeking to secure exclusive deals on cutting-edge devices in order to compete more closely with Apple’s iPhone and other forthcoming handsets, like the Palm Pre.

Rival phone maker Samsung also plans to launch a mobile phone wrist watch later this year, and its device, the S9110, will cost around €450 (£390) when it goes on sale in France.

“It’s clear that LG has worked really hard on making this watch phone easy to use,” said Kat Hannaford, news editor for gadget magazine T3. “But the high price means it’s unlikely to be in many people’s stockings this Christmas.”

Gadget fans can pre-order the device at www.orange.co.uk/watchphone. (Via Telegraph)

Related posts:

1. T-Mobile UK and Orange to merge T-Mobile UK and Orange are to merge – becoming the UK’s biggest mobile phone firm with 28.4 million customers. The deal between Orange-owner France...
2. Nokia N95 8GB It sometimes takes me a while to get round to things (more so lately it seems) but having posed the question If not an...
3. Top 10 gadgets of the decade Every techie loves a list, especially a Top 10 at Christmas, so I was intrigued by the recent Top 10 gadgets of the decade...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

MacBook Pro owners plagued with annoying hard drive beeps and clicks have not yet had Apple publicly address their issue, but as the number of complaints continues to swell, reports suggest the Mac-maker is quietly working on a fix.

In a thread hundreds of posts long over at the Apple Support forums, countless users have complained that their 7,200RPM hard drives will randomly click and beep, and some have experienced slower access times. The issue appears to have grown since it was first reported in January.

In recent days, numerous users have posted in the thread on the Apple Support forums, stating they were told on the phone by AppleCare representatives that the company is working on a fix. On Friday, user jgcamil wrote that he was told by Level 2 support that Apple is “highly” aware of the issue and it is one of the company’s “highest priorities.” But, he was also told he would have to “live with” the issue until an update is made available.

Last month, MacNN reported the issue may have arisen from the Seagate Momentus 7200.4 G-Force hard drives, specifically that the drive’s protection system may be incompatible with Mac hardware. In addition, the G-Force technology is not needed on the MacBook Pro, which has pre-existing anti-shock protection.

One AppleInsider reader whose MacBook Pro beeps occasionally said he’s frustrated that Apple has remained quiet on his costly investment. He said after researching the problem, he believes it’s caused by the original firmware for the hard drive.

“The crazy thing is that you can read comments about AppleCare Engineers stance on this issue: ‘Its normal behavior,’ (and) ‘Apple´s Working on a fix,’” he told AppleInsider. “Also, some of them are recommending doing a complete reinstall, when this issue is factory related.” (Via AppleInsider)

Related posts:

1. Apple releases MacBook Pro, iMac firmware updates Apple’s newest aluminum MacBook Pros are pretty slick in most regards, but some investigative folks had discovered what they believed to be a shortcoming...
2. Apple’s new MacBook family: non-removable batteries, lower prices Apple just let loose a new 15-inch MacBook Pro at WWDC 2009, with what appears to be the same built-in, non-removable battery (or, non-user...
3. White MacBook last MacBook standing Apple wasn’t totally clear about this earlier, but it turns out all the unibody MacBook models are now MacBook Pros — the only remaining...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It’s hardly a reverential name for some of the most significant social pioneers in Britain today: “yogurt knitters”. But this is how armies of determined campaigners were dismissed when they set about bringing broadband to the countryside.

For just as it is probably rather tricky to knit yogurt, so sceptics said it would be impossible to connect outlying areas to the internet.

No one accuses them of knitting yogurt now. Instead, they are knitting together far-flung communities by providing villages with customised internet connections. In one village, locals went out with shovels and dug trenches for new fibre-optic cables, enabling every resident to talk to their doctor via video link.

This movement is changing lives, providing a slip road on to the information super highway for rural folk who had faced only road blocks. After all, it is those who live in Britain’s remoter nooks who would benefit most from the internet’s social and commercial possibilities; if you’re off the beaten track, you’ll jump at the chance to go online. More rustics than urbanites use the internet to make transactions, and with public bodies demanding we contact them electronically, the internet is no longer mere luxury. The Commission for Rural Communities even calls it “the fourth utility”.

Remarkable stories telling how small groups of socially concerned individuals have hooked up entire villages to the net come as the Government dithers over providing fast broadband for all of Britain, or whether to leave us divided. Disraeli would recognise the emergence of our two internet nations: one with fast broadband, one without, one part of society, one excluded.

Superficially, all is well. Gordon Brown, in a rather ominous echo of Harold Wilson’s brave talk about “the white heat of the technological revolution”, promises universal broadband by 2012. But just as all that white heat turned out to be hot air, this will be about as fast as a rusty Morris Minor with Miss Marple behind the wheel. Brown has promised two megabits per second, which sounds fine until you hear South Korea plans universal coverage at 500 times the speed. And while the haggling continues, 42 per cent of rural areas don’t even reach Brown’s modest standard. And with 20 per cent of England’s population living in rural areas (more in other nations of the UK), that’s a lot of people.

But it is not all bleak, thanks to a few enterprising rural folk with the initiative to galvanise their communities. Why wait for Whitehall to clunk into life when it has only ever played a slow game of catch-up with the internet? This week I visited South Witham, near Grantham, amid Lincolnshire’s sweeping wheat fields, where one determined woman has transformed her village.

“People tell me they are quite prepared to go without water for a couple of days,” laughs Helen Anderson, “but take away their broadband, and it’s a real crisis.”

An extreme view perhaps, but even if she is only half right then those bringing broadband to outlying areas should be regarded in the same light as the Victorian visionaries who built pipes, sewers and railways. We would not accept rural letters delivered far slower, so why emails? And before country existence is dismissed as a lifestyle choice, many rustics were born in the sticks. They already earn less; are we condemning them to read less? Besides, with fast rural connection, more people could avoid commuting, thereby helping rural economies and the environment. And should you think dial-up a mere minor inconvenience, Anderson takes me to a neighbour, Sarah Barker.

“We couldn’t afford a phone line,” the nurse tells me. “But I was studying for my exams and really needed internet access. It has transformed my life. As well as my studies, my family are spread out and internet has allowed me to talk to my father on Skype and he can now speak to his grandchildren. My husband had never used a computer, but because of the internet he has learnt and gained a lot.”

When she has been unable to pay and had the connection cut off, Anderson has later reconnected her without additional charges.

There are plenty of tales in this village of people having their lives transformed by the internet, from the Microsoft employee who considered moving in search of broadband, to the 79-year-old who has discovered social networking. Best of all, this village activism has helped bind a community, with Anderson and other volunteers teaching the elderly how to log on, or the technically challenged how to download digital photos. The project has spawned a village website, community radio station, frequent parties and even a ball. Spare funds from broadband subscriptions have been spent on computers for the disadvantaged.

It all began in 2004 when Anderson, a former secretary, realised through her role as a parish councillor how isolated some fellow villagers were. She also grew frustrated that her internet connection “was like watching paint dry. But back then, a lot of the village didn’t know what broadband was. I was having a drink one night at the Angel Inn and just thought ‘why don’t we set up our own broadband?’”

Well, she reasoned, it’s straightforward to link one computer to another. Why not an entire village and then one village with another? With skilful begging she and a few helpers secured a grant and acquired access to a satellite. As interest grew she threw a “sign-up supper” to see if villagers would actually cough up. Far from finding it difficult to collect subs, Anderson was faced with folk from neighbouring villages brandishing cheques for a year in advance. “Some were so desperate they were in tears. Businesses were particularly keen: you don’t appreciate how many there are tucked away in villages.”

Soon people were making contact from across the district, so as well as 260 homes signed up in the village, she persuaded 100 further afield. Anderson realised her operation was outgrowing her amateurish club. “We needed bank accounts, limited liability and so on, and I wanted to set up a not-for-profit company,” she says. “Our situation cut to the heart of the digital divide.”

Ministers began to take an interest and set up a small fund for community broadband networks. Anderson learnt that other villages had set up similar schemes independently. Soon her project expanded to mentoring internet activists across Britain, while she was fêted at awards ceremonies from Brussels to Vienna and even at a breakfast with Gordon Brown.

But while BT had shown scant interest in settlements miles from the exchange, Anderson began to fear the lazy leviathan would, however languidly, improve its service and put her out of business. To fight back, Anderson upgraded her system and has such a loyal following people beg to remain part of her online network when they move away.

“We thought ‘b—– it, we now know as much about broadband as anyone else’, so we decided to sell our service like any other provider.”

But being small-scale, Anderson says scope for profit making is minimal. She seems more interested in the social rather than entrepreneurial possibilities. Still, there must be commercial openings. “BT limits broadband connections to people six kilometres from an exchange, but we’ve had people up to 14km away. And there are lots of such people.”

While BT ensures connection to a house, Anderson’s technicians rummage around inside to set subscribers up online: “We are always here: if someone has a problem, we will try to help. We had an elderly woman yesterday who complained her broadband wasn’t working. It turned out she’d unplugged her computer to do her vacuuming.”

Laudable and ingenious though these local schemes are, they rely on highly motivated, technologically accomplished individuals. Not all rural areas are so blessed. Most experts agree to the principle that broadband should be universal, for hard-headed economic as well as social reasons: 27 per cent of England’s businesses are rural, contributing £300bn to the economy. And businesses follow the bandwidth.

The scale of the communication chasm has been brought home to me over the past fortnight on a tour through the craggy gorges of Wales and Scotland. Colleagues in London were exasperated I couldn’t file an article instantly, but many hotels are without internet, with owners complaining copper telephone connections are so decayed they can barely cope with voice traffic. Even many internet cafés are still on dial-up, and BlackBerry signals are intermittent. Is it any wonder remote corners of Britain are growing estranged from London, when their contact is so limited?

Against that, a compromise that might provide a semi-fast service across the country risks leaving our cities with a slower system than cutting-edge companies demand. It is a thorny dilemma.

Inevitably, the problem is money. Like universal benefits, universal broadband sounds nice, but who pays? The recent report by Lord Carter into Britain’s digital future rather skated over this vulgar question, mooting a 60p a month telephone tax, but there seems little consensus on what budget is needed and to achieve what.

In fairness to the Government, it cannot on its own afford to replace copper cables with fast fibre-optic connections. By some estimates, it would cost about £300 per urban home and £2,000 for rural ones. After years of largesse, minsters are slashing spending deemed peripheral. Yet try squeezing the money out of private providers such as BT and the pips wouldn’t merely squeak, they might stop sounding altogether.

Perhaps the cost should be spread. In Kirriemuir, Scotland, bills are shared between provider and customer, following similar experiments in Sweden. Alston, a village on the Cumbria-Northumberland border, had run its own broadband service similar to South Witham’s. As an example of how so much government spending could have been better directed if left to local people, Alston folk hired village builders to dig trenches and lay fibre-optic cables – at a fraction of the cost of government estimates. (BT quoted £120 per metre, Alston Cybermoor cost £10 per metre by using local contractors and negotiating access over open farmland, and by putting local knowledge and contacts to work.)

Now the NHS is contributing, so every home there will have “telehealth”. These are all patchwork solutions, but if Britain is to become a more devolved country, as most would like, then it might well fall to councils to negotiate deals to serve local communities.

Individuals would also pay something according to the level of service they require, or can afford. The need now is to get going. Alas the Broadband Stakeholder Group, comprising BT and sundry service providers, thinks we can jog along “consulting” for up to a year. BT is naturally rather wary of the word “patchwork”, for it threatens the last vestiges of its former status as a nationalised monopoly.

Ministers, rarely terribly adept at responding to the dynamism of either market or technology, seem happy with the cheapest option of all, more yadder-yadder. The Conservatives, meanwhile, make melodic noises but offer nothing by way of harmonious policy.

One senses this could become highly contentious come the election, judging by the volume of emails on telegraph.co.uk. “One issue constantly flagged to us is broadband access,” says a CRC spokesman. “Ofcom has just found cable customers have much faster speeds. But in villages, cable access is just 1.5 per cent. Inspirational as local schemes are, Government and the industry needs to be involved.” “Involved” is code for “pay”.
So far, no politician has taken “ownership” of the issue as Paddy Ashdown did at the dawn of the internet age. This might change when broadband campaigners complete a map highlighting marginal constituencies with poor connectivity.

Meanwhile, Brown’s plans for the super highway sound suspiciously like improving the efficiency of the horse and trap, a fair pretty time after the invention of the motor car (Via Telegraph)

Related posts:

1. Without fast broadband, rural areas will wither At first glance, the Government’s recent commitment to a universal broadband service by 2012 may sound welcome. In fact, it could be catastrophic for...
2. Britain is lagging behind Europe in broadband technology Britain is lagging behind many other European countries in terms of its broadband technology, according to latest research. Countries such as Sweden, Norway, Andora...
3. Broadband important for rural areas Without broadband, Becky Collins would be out of business.Collins, owner of Granny B’s Clothesline, said she was able to leave her job filing out...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

On the day that O2’s data network crashed for the third time in a month, it was reported that the Spanish-owned carrier is on the point of losing its exclusive deal to sell Apple’s iPhone.

Mobile Entertainment reports that it has seen documents which state explicitly that the arrangement will end on October 9 with Orange and T-Mobile the apparent favourites to start marketing the 3G version of the iPhone. The site says that O2 may retain exclusive rights to sell the new 3GS.

The news comes at a bad time for O2 which is facing a torrent of complaints about the data speeds that mobile users are able to get on the iPhone. The handset supports High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) download speeds of up to 3.6 megabits per second (mbps) but hundreds of users have complained on Twitter that they are not achieving speeds of anything approaching that.

A series of tests run by Telegraph staff around London in areas that O2 claims have full HSDPA coverage have achieved download speeds far below 7.2 mbps. In some cases, the speeds have been a fraction of that advertised with figures of just 200 to 300 kilobytes per second common.

On Wednesday, much of O2’s data network crashed entirely leaving tens of thousands of mobile users without internet or email access – the third time in a month that it has failed.

Telegraph.co.uk is mapping data speeds achieved on O2’s network. If you would like to take part in the survey and add your test results to our map.

A spokesman for O2 said: “Our 3G network today covers 84pc of the UK population. We have rolled out our network based on where we see demand and usage and concentrate on depth and quality. In addition to coverage, we have invested in increasing data capacity and building complementary capabilities such as 2.5G EDGE, and WiFi hotspots.

“We complete very regular drive-by coverage testing and the speeds we record in London deliver a good experience for email and web browsing.

“Naturally, as data usage grows, we continue to significantly invest to deliver the best end to end service experience possible to our customers. As with all operators, there are several factors affecting the speed a customer will get. This includes distance from the exchange.

“Independent testing has shown that our network is comparable if not stronger than other operators.” (Via Telegraph)

Related posts:

1. Apple iPhone to have two batteries, no network ties? I am not a big fan of just regurgitating existing news but I will happily make an exception in this case as I am...
2. Telegraph launches free Apple iPhone app The Telegraph has launched a new and improved version of its news application to help Apple iPhone users keep up with the latest headlines...
3. iPhone Dev Team releases PwnageTool 3.0 for iPhone OS 3.0 jailbreak The iPhone Dev Team has released their latest iPhone jailbreak tool – PwnageTool 3.0! This latest version of PwnageTool will allow anyone with an...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Apple’s iPhone now accounts for 8% of all mobile phone revenue and a whopping 32% of the industry’s handset profits, according to figures published by Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi.

The numbers, published by All Things Digital blogger John Paczkowski, aren’t limited just to the smartphone segment market, but look at all mobile phones sold in the first half of 2009, a $65.7 billion industry.

Apple earned just over $5 billion in the first half of the year, making it the fifth biggest player in terms of revenue, behind Nokia, Samsung, RIM, and LG. Apple lead the world in actually making money however, with just over $2 billion in operating profits. The company earned just over $100 million more than second place Nokia, gobbling up a 32% share of the global profits made in handset sales and achieving operating margins of 40%.

Because these numbers reflect the first two quarters of 2009, they only take into consideration less than two weeks of the surge in sales generated by the new iPhone 3GS. Historically, the first half of the year has been the slowest for Apple’s mobile sales as buyers begin to anticipate the next refresh.

In terms of operating margins, second place RIM earned closer to 20%, while Nokia, Samsung, and LG made closer to 10% margins. Sony Ericsson and Motorola continued to actually lose money in their handset sales, with the former losing $841 million and the latter loosing $762 million.

Ignoring the losses of Sony Ericsson and Motorola, but still considering their $8 billion in sales, Apple’s 8% share of the industry’s revenue still accounts for 25% of the world’s profits earned from phone sales.

The numbers vindicate Apple’s strategy of exclusively selling smartphones, rather than trying to soak up unit market share by marketing huge volumes of many models of low profit ‘feature phones.’ Nokia, the leader in phone sales worldwide, has watched its market share evaporate under competition from Apple and RIM by doing just the opposite.

Apple’s smartphone business is structured similar to the company’s approach to selling computers, where it owns a disproportionally large segment of the premium market. As with feature phones, Apple has largely ignored low profit PC segments such as high volume but low priced $400 desktops. (Via AppleInsider)

Related posts:

1. Apple says iPhone 3G S pre-orders will be filled on time Despite warnings from AT&T that claimed high demand for the new iPhone 3G S would prevent it from shipping pre-orders by the June 19...
2. 12% of early iPhone 3G buyers report ditching their BlackBerry Approximately 12% of consumers who visited a retail store this past weekend to make their iPhone 3G S purchase said they were replacing a...
3. iPhone conquers half the (smartphone) world Apple’s iPhone now accounts for 50 per cent of worldwide smartphone usage, according to a new report. But off in the distance, there’s an...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

T-Mobile UK has started supplying iPhone 3G handsets to selected customers, while O2 UK continues to believe it has a UK exclusive on Apple’s last-generation handset.

Apple’s 3G handset won’t be available to just any T-Mobile customer – only high spenders who threaten to leave need apply, and only 150 of those a week will be lucky enough to get their hands on an officially-supported T-Mobile iPhone, though even that risks annoying Apple and will certainly have O2 up in arms.

We previously reported rumours that T-Mobile, and possibly Orange, would be getting the iPhone 3G later in the year as O2’s exclusivity period ended. But when we spoke to O2 this morning, the operator assured us that its exclusive deal included the iPhone 3G, and was still firmly in place.

So T-Mobile has imported an unknown number of iPhone 3G handsets from a European distributor, which it will be supplying to customers paying more than £75 a month if they threaten to leave – the latter clause enforced by allocating the handsets through 50 agents in the retentions department, and limiting those agents to three a week each.

Despite this apparent coup, T-Mobile won’t be crowing from the rooftops: there are a very limited number of handsets and the company can’t risk its own exclusive deal with Apple in Germany, and upsetting the lads in Cupertino could seriously damage long-term relations. So it’s last year’s iPhone, to a small number of customers, without attendant PR. You might be forgiven for asking why T-Mobile UK would even bother.

The answer to which is that T-Mobile is on the forecourt marked “For Sale”, and just like any Arthur Daley the owners are applying a bit of spit and polish to make the company seem more attractive. That includes cutting down on goodwill payments, which topped more than a million quid last year, and reducing the options and hours in the cafeterias: small things that reduce operational expenditure and give the company a better bottom line even if they’re not sustainable.

Anyone interested in making an offer on T-Mobile UK can now see a company offering the latest handsets with low opex: something worth having even if an iPhone 3G on T-Mobile UK isn’t. (Via The Register)

Related posts:

1. O2 to start unlocking iPhones Apple’s original UK iPhone partner O2 will start to unlock customers’ phones. Rival provider Orange started selling the iPhone Tuesday, while Vodafone is expected...
2. T-Mobile UK and Orange to merge T-Mobile UK and Orange are to merge – becoming the UK’s biggest mobile phone firm with 28.4 million customers. The deal between Orange-owner France...
3. 20% iPhones sold unlocked in France Orange, the mobile phone company with the ‘rights’ to sell the iPhone in France have reported that 20% of those sold have been sold...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

iPhone owners could be at risk of having their mobiles hacked after two researchers reveal their findings at a conference in Las Vegas.

Security experts Charlie Miller and Collin Mulliner have found a flaw in the way the device handles text messages which could allow hackers complete control of the phone.

The hack would come in the form of a burst of SMS messages which contain a single square character.

They would let the hacker control dialling the phone, visiting websites, the phone’s camera and also sending texts to other iPhones, allowing control of them as well.

Mr Miller said: “This is serious. The only thing you can do to prevent it is turn off your phone.

“Someone could pretty quickly take over every iPhone in the world with this.”

Mr Mulliner told Sky News Online: “In the business world this could have high value, if you could stop decision makers making or receiving phone calls.

“Mobile security is really taking off so we are just the first to discover this bug. There is no way this would have stayed secret.”

Mr Miller will reveal the flaw in the Apple phone during a speech to the Black Hat cybersecurity conference today.

He claims to have told Apple about the potential bug over a month ago, but the company still hasn’t released a patch to combat the potential hacks. (Via Sky)

Related posts:

1. Apple working to fix unreleased iPhone SMS exploit Tipped off by a Mac OS X security expert, Apple is working to repair a serious security flaw in the iPhone’s operating system –...
2. AT&T’s iPhone 3G S pre-orders already sold out Bad news for folks hoping a pre-order would save them from that yearly camp out in front of their local Apple Store: iPhone 3G...
3. Find My iPhone has its first real world success story In what is almost certainly the first incident of many to come, iPhone owner Kevin Miller was able to retrieve his lost and stolen...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Apple addicts need no longer wait until early 2010 to get their hands on the firm’s long-rumoured tablet PC, because – contrary to an earlier report – it’s since emerged that the firm’s gunning for a launch within months.

People briefed on the subject recently told newspaper the Financial Times that Apple’s working towards a September 2009 launch date for the tablet PC.

While specific technical details are still scare, the unnamed sources did apparently reveal that the tablet will have a touchscreen display measuring up to 10in. A potential price hasn’t emerged, yet.

Such a large display will obviously make the Apple tablet a target for movie fans – a conclusion that led one entertainment executive to tell the newspaper: “It’s going to be fabulous for watching movies”.

The tablet will also connect to the Internet, it was reported, but probably won’t be able to make telephone calls.

Apple’s tablet PC will be launched alongside a music album entertainment deal, internally nicknamed “Cocktail”, sources also told the newspaper.

This will see reportedly record labels EMI, Sony Music, Warner Music and the Universal Music Group bundle interactive booklets, sleeve notes and other interactive features in with music downloads bought through iTunes. (Via Register Hardware)

Related posts:

1. Apple Keynote Event Scheduled for Early September? MediaMemo reports on claims from music industry sources that Apple is planning a keynote event for the week of September 7th. Time to get...
2. Highlight of Apple’s Sept. 9 event predicted to be Steve Jobs With so many seemingly concrete rumors tied to Apple’s Sept. 9 event, one Wall Street analyst doesn’t expect any big surprises from the iPod...
3. Apple WWDC 2009: Apple confirms Steve Jobs’s return. Phil Schiller says that Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, is due back at work at the end of June as planned. Jobs has been...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It has to be said that I have always taken the view that the iPhone is a great consumer phone, but I am not convinced at all that I would have had one if I was still in business. The majority of applications are ‘fun to have’ rather than meaty pro appplications, and the whole focus of the iPhone to me is on ‘fun’. Don’t get me wrong I love it to bits, but the battery life, the unreliability (still freezes up too much), the lack of certain features all mean it wouldn’t be my weapon of choice yet in a business environment.

The iPhone has evolved from a casual smart phone into one with the potential to serve businesses across the globe. Its latest iteration, the iPhone 3GS, comes packaged with an encryption feature supposedly perfect for sensitive information stored on the device.
But information has surfaced that the iPhone 3GS can be hacked in two minutes with readily available freeware. Is the business world ready to ditch the tried-and-true Blackberry in favor of Apple’s offering?

Apple should beef up its encryption code immediately. Corporations who are already using the iPhone deserve this update so potential data theft can be avoided. Businesses who haven’t yet decided whether to choose the Blackberry or the iPhone should take this information under advisement. (Via Macworld)

Related posts:

1. Security Cam app turns your iPhone into a security camera Couldn’t resit giving the 99¢ Security Cam application for the iPhone from Crowded Road even though I couldn’t see the point of it! Apparantly...
2. Apple announces “Find My iPhone” phone-locating service We’ve already had a pretty good idea about what’s in store for iPhone OS 3.0, but Apple naturally still had a few tricks up...
3. Another Apple Phone Rumor: Now Slightly More Plausible, But Not Really Would this design work for you? I have moved from candy bar to flip over the years and I think in general I would...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

One of the big changes discovered in the latest iPhone 3.1 Beta released tonight was that it seems to disable tethering hacks for AT&T customers in the U.S.

Tethering is the process by which you can share your iPhone’s wireless internet connection with your laptop via USB or Bluetooth. This allows you to have access to the internet from your laptop, using your iPhone as a wireless modem. While tethering officially arrived with the 3.0 firmware, U.S. AT&T customers have been unable to officially take advantage of it.

Shortly after the release of the 3.0 firmware, however, several hacks began circulating allowing U.S. AT&T customers to unofficially enable tethering on their iPhones. The latest beta firmware, however, seems to disable this functionality.

AT&T plans to provide an official tethering solution later this summer, but will certainly require an additional charge beyond the standard data plans. (Via Mac Rumors)

Related posts:

1. In UK, O2 to hobble free iPhone internet tethering O2, the iPhone service provider in the UK, claims it will disconnect anyone using the new tethering feature in the iPhone 3.0 update without...
2. iPhone Tethering and MMS Hacks Surface Many AT&T iPhone customers have been disappointed by the carrier’s lack of support for both Internet tethering and MMS at launch for iPhone OS...
3. Tethering iPhone On Movistar (Spain) Getting a 3G iPhone running 3.0 to ‘tether’ to a Mac seems to depend very much on the carrier you are with. I posted...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

What could possibly knock the super-popular Flip Mino off its pedestal? Why, an Apple-made video camera, of course. According to rumors trickling in over the blogosphere, Apple may embed cameras similar to those found in the iPhone 3GS—therefore capable of capturing video—into its line-up of iPods.

Most likely the iPod touch and iPod nano will receive the cameras, as earlier rumors have suggested. Cameras in the iPod touch are a no-brainer—the device is already so similar to the iPhone, it only makes sense that Apple mirrors the two. And though I have my doubts that something as small as the iPod nano could handle the energy- and memory-sucking power of capturing and storing video, a digital camera is certainly feasible. It’s unlikely the iPod classic would get one, and the iPod shuffle is out of the race for obvious reasons.

So where did these rumors come from? One comes from TechCrunch. According to its sources in Asia, Apple has purchased a massive number of camera modules just like the ones in the iPhone 3GS. Due to the substantial size of the order, it is assumed that these cameras are meant for the iPod line.

Another rumor comes from MacRumors in the form of protective iPod cases. Leaked cases are actually a pretty reliable indicator of what’s happening with iPods; it is exactly how the latest version of the iPod nano was revealed ahead of its time. These supposed cases for the iPod touch and iPod nano sport a little hole where a camera eye could peek out.

If these rumors are true, the Flip video camera is in for some heavy competition. Everybody wants an iPod, and if they come packed with cameras, consumers seeking an all-in-one media device need look no further. The Flip Mino stands a chance if it lowers its price-point (currently hovering around $180) or incorporates additional features. Flip Mino aside, if Apple puts its weight behind the video recording market, you’d better believe it’s going to dominate, and competitor innovations are going to come fast (Via Macworld)

Related posts:

1. Another Apple Phone Rumor: Now Slightly More Plausible, But Not Really Would this design work for you? I have moved from candy bar to flip over the years and I think in general I would...
2. How many iPods is too many? This is something that has been bouncing around in my mind for some time now. It reawakens every time a new iPod is released...
3. Apple Wants You to Buy Lots of iPods Apparently Apple Wants You to Buy Lots of iPods. You mean people actually only have one iPod!!! Damn I wish I knew that. My...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Reports of overheating and discoloration on the new white iPhone 3GS have been circulating over the past week or so, but a new report from frenchiPhone (via Hardmac) claims that the discoloration is due to contact with some third-party cases and not associated with overheating. The discoloration reportedly can be removed by wiping the back of the iPhone with alcohol ……. Vodka should do it LOL

- After numerous calls to Apple technical service and maintenance of contact with a level 3 (engineer) the problem seems to come not from a hot 3GS but contact with some covers! This was evident by ourselves on a device with a small sticker (a warning not to listen to music too loud) remained stuck, part of the hull below remained white.

- A simple solution to the problem is to clean the back of the iPhone with alcohol, tested by myself I can confirm that it works and reassure you it is safe for your precious

No details have yet been revealed on which third-party cases may be responsible for the discoloration. (Via Macrumors)

Related posts:

1. iPhone overheating problems could see aid from new patent As reports of battery problems causing discoloration on the white model iPhone 3GS continue to grow, a patent from Apple published for the first...
2. White iPhone 3GS reportedly overheats, turns a browner shade of white Why am I not at all surprised by this: Right after its launch, we noted the sundry problems reported by new iPhone 3GS owners,...
3. UK iPhone Virus Woes Virus or Trojan? Facts are a 11 year old kid has managed to exploit a security whole left in iPhones that have been ‘jailbroken’...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Just read this list in The Times. Would like to point out that I have the LinkSys Wireless G and I agree it is great (you can see it here ), but I run it on the Mac so they are WRONG when they say it is PC only!!!

Best for: value

LinkSys Wireless-G Internet Home Monitoring Camera £95

Despite the low price, this wall or surface-mounted camera comes close to the performance of costlier rivals. Once connected to your wi-fi network, and using a built-in web server, it streams video that can be watched live on a computer with broadband or on a 3G mobile phone. Once the straightforward setup software (PC only) has been run, the camera no longer needs a computer for it to operate, although it has no memory, so recorded video must be saved over the network to a home PC. Recordings can be regularly scheduled or triggered by motion detection. Like all the cameras on test, except the hidden one from Spy Shop, it can capture video at 640×480 pixels (0.3Mp) — which is easily enough to make out details across a room. The Linksys can send a short clip to up to three e-mail addresses. The only letdown was the sound quality from its tiny microphone.

Verdict: The unsophisticated software may not allow for a huge range of setup options but you get what you pay for — a practical, useful camera operating at a satisfactory resolution.

www.linksysbycisco.com

Best for: Taking control

Spycatcher Panda-Cam £776

The Panda frees you from wi-fi and networked storage. It can run off a rechargeable battery with a 13-day standby life, uses a 3G Sim card to send data to a mobile and stores video on an SD card. Make a video call to the Panda from your 3G mobile to see what it sees, and pan or zoom (3x optical) with your phone keypad. Fast-moving objects are captured with enough detail to recognise faces at 10 yards but a strong 3G signal is required at both ends for them to be viewed well remotely. There’s two-way sound and infrared night vision.

Verdict: No motion sensor, no snapshots, but great infrared. Despite its price, it’s disappointingly low-tech overall.

www.spycatcheronline.co.uk

Best for: Multiple cameras

Logitech Clock video security master system £254

This fully functioning digital clock conceals a camera that connects to your home network, letting you watch what it surveys via the web or a Windows mobile phone. It can operate solo or, better yet, as the covert component of an undisguised network of Logitech cameras. Unlike the Linksys and Y-Cam, it doesn’t carry its own web server, instead sending clear video through the electrical mains system to a PC, which in turn can stream it on the internet. Unfortunately this needs a PC always to be on. That said, Logitech’s excellent software lets you organise recordings and watch multiple live camera feeds.

Verdict: A slick system geared for a multi-camera setup.

www.logitech.com

Best for: Covert filming

Hidden 3G Camera £695

This is the smallest camera here, hidden in a special VHS tape box. It stays in touch via a Sim card, letting you see and hear with your 3G mobile. Despite this camera’s high resolution of 1.3Mp the box limits its field of vision, and in action you could only just make out a face in daylight at five yards. It’s motion-activated and sends a snapshot to your mobile, so you can then dial in to view video or capture stills.

Verdict: Versatile, but with poor image quality. A hidden camera is no deterrent, and the VHS disguise is old hat.

spyshop.co.uk

Best for: non-windows machines

Y-Cam Wireless Security camera £110

The only one on test to also work with Mac and Linux computers, this easy-to-use camera does the basics well. Once connected to your wireless home network, its motion sensor will start recording, with the option of saving footage to a remote server — so even if every camera and computer in your house is removed, the video will still be preserved. It can also send a feed to a 3G mobile phone; on a fairly weak signal, that video ran at just four frames per second, but was still enough to see what’s going on, with a good 45ft depth of field. The Y-cam can also send SMS or video messages to a mobile. An extra £30 buys the night-vision version, which doesn’t work as well in daylight.

Verdict: Off-site storage and Mac compatibility are big pluses.

www.y-cam.com

Related posts:

1. Nokia N95 8GB It sometimes takes me a while to get round to things (more so lately it seems) but having posed the question If not an...
2. Headset Buddy Picked up a couple of neat headset adapters recently from the aptly named Headset Buddy company, that specialise in adapters for your headsets. As...
3. Flip Ultra Video Wayne sent this in to share with you all. Thanks Wayne!!! As ever if you have anuthing that you want to share I will...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

As reports of battery problems causing discoloration on the white model iPhone 3GS continue to grow, a patent from Apple published for the first this week looks to address both internal and external elements that could have adverse effects on a device’s power source.

Apple continues to adopt non-user-replaceable batteries across its entire line of mobile electronics. As it does, the longevity and performance of those power sources becomes an even more crucial element of the technology in iPhones, iPods and unibody MacBooks.

The new patent aims to address the physical problems inherent in the batteries in electronic devices: namely, the fact that pressures and overheating can inflict damage on battery cells.

The patent, if approved Thursday, would grant the Cupertino, Calif., company “systems and methods for monitoring and responding to forces influencing batteries of electronic devices are provided.”

“Pressure can build up within a battery as the battery operates, for example, due to heat,” the application reads. “Pressure can also be applied to an external portion of a battery, such as by a physically adjacent object. These pressures generate forces that influence effects of the battery, such as the size and shape of the battery. Although some magnitudes of such forces can be normal, more intense forces may be indicative of an impending battery failure. Accordingly, what is needed are systems and methods for monitoring and responding to forces influencing a battery.”

The patent describes a “battery force sensor” that would be able to detect battery problems. If triggered, the sensor could produce an “alarm and a graphical user interface,” the patent reads. Similar elements of such a sensor may already be implemented in the iPhone, which can inform the user that the phone “needs to cool down before you can use it.”

The approval comes as reports and photos of the white iPhone 3GS overheating and discoloring continue to grow on the Web. The first-hand accounts show the back of white iPhone 3GS models turning brown or pink in certain areas, usually toward the edges.

While Apple has declined to comment on the latest issue and even took to closing a large discussion thread on its forum centering on the subject, it’s long maintained on its support page a document on “acceptable operating temperatures,” for its iPhone models, which was updated last week to take into account the 3GS model.

Triggers for the issue can vary, but usually follow sometime after intensive activity that generates significant heat, such as using 3G data extensively, playing games or navigating with GPS. It’s also suspected that engaging in regular tasks for a long time, such as playing music or browsing the web on Wi-Fi, can also cause the symptoms. (Via AppleInsider)

Related posts:

1. White iPhone 3GS Discoloration Due to Third-Party Cases, Not Overheating? Reports of overheating and discoloration on the new white iPhone 3GS have been circulating over the past week or so, but a new report...
2. iTunes 7.2 Problems Last night I wanted (proudly) to show my parents some of Moreno’s movies over the network via Front Row. On every Mac I tried...
3. White iPhone 3GS reportedly overheats, turns a browner shade of white Why am I not at all surprised by this: Right after its launch, we noted the sundry problems reported by new iPhone 3GS owners,...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The world’s biggest mobile phone makers announced a deal today agreeing to a universal standard phone charger that will work on millions of handsets made by different manufacturers.

Until now, phone makers have included a charger with every new handset, often with each charger only working on one type of device. From next year, everything from the iPhone and the BlackBerry, to phones made by Nokia and Sony Ericsson, will be made to work with a single charger that will work across many different brands of phone.

Ten companies, including Apple, Motorola and Samsung, have pledged to start making phones that can be charged using a single charger from next year. For phones sold in Europe, the manufacturers will adopt the micro USB connector across all their devices, already the standard on handsets such as the BlackBerry.

“It’s a small thing, but a big issue for the consumer,” said Ernest Doku, an analyst for mobile phone comparison site, Omio.com. “It was simply a foolish situation. But phone makers wanted to have their own technology for each phone to be stay a step ahead. It’s good for the manufacturers to swallow their pride, as this will be for the end user’s benefit.”

Though the universal charger will be welcomed by consumers as more convenient, the urgency behind the agreement came from the belief that it will also have a positive impact on the environment.

“People will not have to throw away their charger whenever they buy a new phone,” said EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen, estimating that unwanted phone accessories accounted for thousands of tonnes of waste in Europe each year.

The mobile phone industry has long been attacked by environmental campaigners for being one of the least green areas of technology. The GSMA, the trade organisation that represents the mobile phone industry, said that the new universal chargers will consume half as much energy when on “standby” – or plugged into the socket, but not actually charging a phone – as current charging cables. The GSMA hopes that most mobile phones by 2012 will operate using the universal charger.

The new standard charger will replace the more than 30 different kinds of charger that are currently in use across European member states. The deal followed threats by the European Commission to introduce legislation if a voluntary solution could not be found.

The commission said the it will work on “data-enabled” mobiles that hit the high street in 2010. These are phones that can be plugged into a computer to exchange data such as pictures and files. Most phones should be able to charge in about two hours.

There are an estimated 400 million mobile phones in Europe, with 185 million bought each year. The ten companies involved control around 90 per cent of the mobile phone market.

Though the standardised chargers will only be compatible with European phones, the commission said it hoped the rest of the world would eventually follow its lead.

“We’re assuming this new European initiative will have a knock-on effect globally and manufacturers won’t just be doing this on the European market,” Mr Verheugen said.

Mobile numbers

1973 The year of the first mobile telephone call

400 million active mobile phones in Europe

72 million active mobile phones in Britain

40 million pay-as-you-go phones in Britain

90 million estimated handsets unused in British homes

1,712 phones are replaced every minute

(Via Times)

Related posts:

1. Thousands of mobile phone customers have personal details stolen Christopher Graham, the Information Commissioner, said an unnamed mobile phone company contacted his office to warn him about the leak. It is claimed thousands...
2. One third of Europeans have never used the internet A third of people in the European Union say they have never used the internet, according to an EU study published today. The report...
3. 115,000 nabbed for in-car calling More than 115,000 people in England and Wales got fixed penalties for being on the blower whilst driving in 2007, dropping off from the...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

As recently as May Sony has itself stated that a PSP phone “could happen,” and now a report from Nikkei business daily states that Sony is planning on putting together a team as early as next month to build product that would act as a combination of a PSP and a Sony Ericsson handset.

It makes plenty of sense, both as a differentiation from Nintendo and as a confrontation of the looming iPhone threat — and hey, it might also act as a decent salve over the lukewarm reception of the pricey PSPgo. Unfortunately, if Sony is just about to get started on this, we likely wouldn’t be looking at any resulting product for a while to come. Sony declined comment according to Reuters, which doesn’t mean a whole lot, but it’s worth keeping in mind that we’ve been hearing this sort of rumoring since back when the N-Gage (as a product) was still almost relevant.

Related posts:

1. Sony unveils internet-enabled TVs It means people will no longer have to huddle around a computer or laptop whenever they want to watch a video clip on YouTube...
2. Sony to install Google Chrome browser on PCs It is thought that Chrome will be installed on select Sony laptops in the coming months, putting Google in direct competition with Microsoft, whose...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It looks exactly like a Samsung Omnia, but don’t be fooled — what you’re actually looking at here is Spain’s first go at producing an Android handset.

Our colleagues from Engadget Spanish were live in Barcelona today for the grand unveiling of the GeeksPhone One, a Cupcake-powered phone featuring a 625MHz PXA310 core, quadband EDGE plus HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, AGPS, 3.2 megapixel primary camera plus a front-facing cam for video calling, and microSD expansion — sounds great, but the package is marred a bit by the fact that it’s rolling with a resistive 3.2-inch touchscreen. Hard to complain with the price, though — GeeksPhone expects to sell the set for somewhere between €250 and €300 (about $352 to $422) unlocked when it launches this fall. (Via Engadget)

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

BT Broadband customers and O2 iPhone owners, rejoice — some 2,500 ATM machines near you will soon be converted to serve as free WiFi hotspots, courtesy of BT Openzone and Cashbox, perhaps the most mismatched pair of commercial metaphors ever put together.

The initial rollout starts with 10 machines this week and numbers are expected to steadily increase. Non-BT users and iPhone heretics wanting to join in the fun will have to shell out £5.88 ($10) for 90 minutes or a more reasonable £9.79 ($16) for 24 hours.

Related posts:

1. Faster Broadband for free? BT has started handing out Broadband Accelerators to customers prepared to stump up £1.20 in postage, and promises an average speed increase of half...
2. BBC goes live… over Wi-Fi NOT for iPhone Though! Although still in beta, the Live TV service is designed to let you watch a selection of TV channels, including One, Two and BBC...
3. T-Mobile UK starts shifting iPhones on the quiet T-Mobile UK has started supplying iPhone 3G handsets to selected customers, while O2 UK continues to believe it has a UK exclusive on Apple’s...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Some time back there was an ad for software that would erase hard disks with the method approved by the U.S. government by writing 0s and 1s on the drive in several manners. Does such a software still exist, what is the name of the vendor, and is it for the Macintosh (PowerPC and Intel)?

Such software does exist and you’ll be happy to know that it’s free and likely already on your Mac if you’re running Tiger or Leopard. You’ll find it this way:

Launch Disk Utility (/Applications/Utilities) and when the application opens select the drive you want to erase in the pane on the left side of the Disk Utility window. Click the Erase tab and then click the Security Options button below. In the sheet that appears you’ll see four options—Don’t Erase Data, Zero Out Data, 7-Pass Erase, and 35-Pass Erase.

Disk Utility provides a variety of ways to erase your hard drive.

The Don’t Erase Data option—as its name implies—doesn’t erase any data. Rather, it wipes out the directory that tells your Mac where your data is. Any number of third-party utilities could scour your drive and recover your data after you’ve employed this option. So, not secure.

Zero Out Data writes zeros over your drive one time. It’s not up to government standards, but recovering data from this drive would be a chore.

7-Pass Erase meets that US Department of Defense 5220-22 M standard about which you’ve heard so many good things. It writes over your data seven times.

And for the truly paran… er, concerned, there’s the 35-Pass Erase option, which, as the name hints, writes junk over your drive 35 times. If you want your data super-mega-ultra-really gone, this is the one to use.

Note that the 7-pass option takes seven times longer to overwrite your data than does the Zero Out Data option. Likewise, the 35-Pass option takes 35 times as long.

If even these options leave you with a slight case of the jim-jams, allow me to propose the Multi-Pass Sledgehammer option. If you need your data to be totally unrecoverable and are willing to sacrifice a hard drive to make that happen, extract the drive from your Mac, take it out back, and beat the living hell out of it. (Via Engadget)

Related posts:

1. Installing Snow Leopard: What you need to know With Snow Leopard, Apple has streamlined and simplified the process of installing Mac OS X. While older versions of OS X made you decide...
2. Apple announces “Find My iPhone” phone-locating service We’ve already had a pretty good idea about what’s in store for iPhone OS 3.0, but Apple naturally still had a few tricks up...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

A sizable number of reports have cropped up today indicating that there’s some seriously wrong with Garmin’s 7×5 series GPS units, with a firmware update seemingly the likely culprit.

Interestingly, it doesn’t look like the firmware update instantly bricked the units when it was installed, but rather caused them all to suddenly seize up at some point on June 22nd. While it’s not saying anything official just yet, a number of folks that have spoken with Garmin’s customer support say that the company is aware of the problem now that the calls are pouring in, although it’s unfortunately not offering much in the way of solutions to the problem just yet (though at least a few customers seem to have been offered a replacement unit). So, has your nuvi left you in the lurch? (Via Engadget)

Related posts:

1. Garmin issues patch to exorcise brick from 7×5 series GPS It didn’t take long for Garmin to get into gear, once it acknowledged the firmware update had ultimately brought ruin to its navi 7×5...
2. Garmin GTM 21 FM TMC Traffic Receiver & Garmin External Microphone I really like the Garmin Zumo 550 that I use on the Harley Davidson Road King Classic and in the Cherokee Jeep, but there...
3. Apple shows iPhone OS 3.0 at WWDC, hits devices June 17th Apple’s showing off iPhone OS 3.0 at WWDC, and while we’ve seen most of it, there were naturally going to be a few surprises:...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Those waiting on the edge of their seats since January to get their hands on Ecamm’s BT-1 wireless, Bluetooth-enabled webcam for OS X. Sure, 640 x 480 / 15fps H.264 can give their hands a break now:

video quality is comparable to what our MacBooks get anyway, but hey, at least you can be a little more artsy on your Skype calls without losing that prime display viewing angle. All that waiting doesn’t matter now, anyway, since it’s finally shipping out. Price is $150 and it includes a mini-tripod and USB charger cable — can’t seem to get rid of wires entirely just yet. As for Windows support, it’s still not there officially, but we’ve no doubt some intrepid young coder with an afternoon to spare will fix that

Related posts:

1. Jawbone 2 or Apple Bluetooth iPhone Headset Looking around for a new bluetooth headset at the moment. The Blue Ant Z9 is excellent, but on the Road King it doesn’t feel...
2. Bluetooth headset use plummets in the US, humanity celebrates a small victory As the owner , and very infrequent user, of two Bluetooth headsets a Jawbone 2 and a Blue Ant Z9, I must agree with...
3. Bluetooth 3.0 arrives with promise of eightfold speed increase The next version of the Bluetooth short-range wireless protocol officially launched this week, promising an eightfold speed increase to boost the low power protocol...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

No animals were harmed in the production of this review!

Now that may seem a strange statement when reviewing a Digital Luggage Scale and I am not convinced that balanzza had weighing cats in mind when they produced it as they don’t show anyone doing it on their Other Uses page, but Sands does a lot of work with the Stray Cats Of Almerimar which involves weighing them for medication (especially the young kittens rescued off the streets), and for flights to Germany when they have found a new home. The balanzza with its easy grip and useful strap has turned out to be purrfect for the job!!

The Balanzza Digital Luggage Scale features a simple way of weighing heavy items without the need to read the weight while lifting it. Simply attached the strap of the Balanzza to the object or luggage, lift it of the ground for a few seconds until you hear a beep sound that indicates the weight has been locked on the display; set the object down, and read the weight on the screen.

The balanzza is really easy to use: insert the 2 AAA batteries (provided) and press the ‘on’ button. You can select to weigh in lb or kg (max weight 110lb or 45kg), and the actual device only weighs 10 Oz (283 Gr). So light enough to slip in your bag once you have weighed it, and at 5.75 inches x 3.5 inches x 1 inch it is small enough as well.

In this day and age with a lot of airline carriers trying to squeeze as much money out of travellers via excess baggage fees and the such, the balanzza is a crucial weapon for the road warrior in their fight against the bullies of the sky! With a RRP of $24.95 it is more than affordable and I have little doubt will pay for itself very quickly indeed …… and as you can see it is flexible enough to meet a number of less orthodox uses as well!

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.