29/06/2008 by Gavin.

Engadget is reporting on Dell’s new Tablet PC, the XT2.  The XT was well received but was expensive.  There are good reviews by Rob Bushway over at Gottabemobile.

It’s good to see continuing support for tablets as a convertible is my favourite device to have for inking or typing.

Posted in Dell, Tablet PCs | Print | 1 Comment »

26/06/2008 by Gavin.

Ok, you’ve bought that house in the Scottish countryside, all is well. Then you try and order ADSL, only to find you are now in the 1% of the population who cannot get broadband. Out comes your old 56k modem……<shudder>.

Well, there is hope! The Scottish Exec has awarded a contract to Avanti Caledonian Broadband to provide internet access by ‘using a mix of technologies including satellite and wireless’. This is being funded to the tune of £3.3m for 3800 businesses and households.

I’m intrigued to find out what they come up with. Give everyone a 3G card and take the money and run? OK, that’s the cynic in me but how will the ongoing infrastructure support be funded? What will it cost each user per month? Everyone could get Satellite access right now but you’ll pay a princely sum every month!

The Scottish Exec press release is here.

Posted in Broadband | Print | No Comments »

26/06/2008 by Gavin.

Starting this Summer, Sony is rolling out it’s Video on Demand service starting with the PS3.

“Sony will increase network and wireless connectivity across its family of devices and build a
service platform to provide a seamless user experience across our key hardware devices and
content. We are planning to expand services that will enable our customers to enjoy content such as motion pictures and television programming through the network on a variety of Sony
products such as BRAVIATM LCD TVs, PS3, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) and Walkman® video music players”.

The press release can be found here.

I’ve used the XBOX 360 Movie service once to watch a high def film.  What I want to know is why does a hi def download cost more than the standard def version?  I wonder if Sony will do the same, charging more for the ‘quality’ of the experience, whether high def on the PS3 or lower quality on the PSP.

Posted in Sony, Home Entertainment | Print | 1 Comment »

25/06/2008 by Gavin.

You know that great competition over at Gottabemobile?

Looky here!

Many thanks to all at Team GBM!

Posted in Competitions | Print | No Comments »

24/06/2008 by Gavin.

I’ve been trying out an app called Dashwire on my HTC Advantage.  Basically it syncs over 3G or WiFi all your contacts, texts, pictures, videos,  and ringtones.  You can also SMS from the desktop.  All of this is done in a web browser with a client app installed on the phone.

Install involves creating a new account and navigating to a mobile web site on the phone to download a cab.  Once installed (in main memory) the prog syncs all your data.  No calendar sync though.

The app is free and there is a client coming for S60 phones and Blackberry.

Looks good and I’ll update once I’ve used it a bit more.

Posted in Phones | Print | 1 Comment »

24/06/2008 by Gavin.

One of my favourite gadget sites is GottaBeMobile.  There’s a good mix of mobile tech news and comment with a terrific user community.

Santa Claus himself, AKA Rob Bushway is having a mid season grotto clearout of ’stuff’ ranging from t-shirts to slate tablet PCs!  How can you get your hands on any swag?  Just contribute to the site, via comments or in the forums and the GBM team will choose a daily winner!

Posted in Competitions | Print | 2 Comments »

22/06/2008 by Gavin.

Asus has certainly done its bit to ensure that all the world’s geeks get one tiny computer each, but now the ickle notebook maker wants to sell us an ickle desktop PC full of Windows XP goodness.

It is expected to unveil its Asus Eee Box in August and it has plenty of green credentials, such as a low-power Intel Atom N270 processor running at 1.6GHz, although other eco-friendly info about this device is shrouded in mystery.

Specs-wise, it comes with 1GB of memory, 80GB of storage, wireless (802.11n) and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity. There is also support forSD, SDHC, MS, MS Pro and MMC card formats.

As well as XP, the machine also comes with a Linux-based Asus Express Gate OS to let users get on the internet in less than seven seconds, it claimed.

Asus also claimed that the Eee Box would be almost completely silent in operation and small enough to fit on the tiniest of desks. Pricing info has yet to be detailed.

Posted in PCs | Print | 1 Comment »

21/06/2008 by Gavin.

This is a MUST buy for all you audiophiles out there. Check out the amazing customer reviews here and hit that buy button!

Posted in Are you having a laugh? | Print | No Comments »

21/06/2008 by Gavin.

Wow, and at the time I thought that it would have been so cool to be able to do what Matthew Broderick did in Wargames to his grades…..

Link

Posted in Are you having a laugh? | Print | No Comments »

19/06/2008 by Gavin.

James Kendrick of JK on the Run has posted a common question on favourite gadgets and if you could only have ONE device.  Here’s my reply:

Very difficult question.  If it REALLY had to be just ONE device then yes, it would be the HTC Advantage (T-mobile AMEO) as I could use it for everything I do.  Yes, other gadgets can do individual things better but hear me out!

I can surf the web.
I can read RSS feeds.
I can email.
I can IM.
I can make telephone calls.
I can record meetings.
I can use GPS with TomTom software.
I can watch movies, look at pictures and listen to music.
I can read ebooks.
I can play SCUMM
I can play DOOM, Heretic and Hexen
I can edit excel spreadsheets vis pocket Excel or even better, Planmaker which supports advanced functions.  Similarly with Word and Textmaker.

I can give training presentations via powerpoint using the VGA out capability.
I can carry out audits and take pictures/videos via its 3 megapixel autofocus camera on sites and input into Onenote.
I can review CAD drawings
I can read PDF files (anyone know of ny PPC PDF editors)?
I can remote access and control my desktop and other family PCs.
Finally, I can use a full size monitor, mouse and keyboard via USB host or BT.

Whew, bound to have missed stuff but it would be possible to use only the HTC Advantage to fulfil my needs.  Course, I wont be giving up my iPod Touch, Portege M700 or Fujitsu P1610 anytime soon!

Posted in Gadgets | Print | 1 Comment »