Palm taking the micky with iTunes syncing
Friday, July 24, 2009
iTunes might be free for the Mac & PC, but it is not free for anyone to financially benefit from as a feature of their product. So when Palm released the Pre, everyone was surprised that it synchronised with users iTune libraries. Yes, Palm had taken a somewhat risky move in my opinion. They had done nothing less than hacking into Apple's software, to find out how to make the Pre appear as an iPod (or iPhone). Instead of Apple setting the lawyers loose, they simply released iTunes 8.2.1 to fix the so-called problem.Well, Palm are either stupid or ummm stupid, as they have now released webOS 1.1.0 for the Pre. Their release notes cite in black and white that the new version "Resolves an issue preventing media sync from working with latest version of iTunes (8.2.1)."
They may well be spelling this out to gain publicity from writers like myself. So, to a certain extent, they are getting some free publicity. However, let me put you right, if you are reading this as a Pre owner (or someone who is considering this product). For a company to release a mobile phone, capable of playing back music and video files, to hack into another company's software is very underhand... and that stupid word comes up again. How lazy, they have the manpower to do their own software. From a buyers point of view, how annoyed will the dozen or so Pre owners be, when they have relied on iTunes from day one, only to find that it no longer works (and believe me, Apple will make sure that it stops working).
Apple is being very kind about the situation. They are well within their rights to slap Palm for this and if it went to court, the conclusion is pretty obvious. Maybe Palm are already admitting defeat, clocking up as many Pre sales to pay the big legal bill that they will likely face. In my opinion Apple deserves recompense for every version of iTunes that has been used to sync a Pre... that would be sweet justice for Apple, but if it is on a per-Pre-sale basis it might not equate to much.
Labels: Opinion
Ring Automotive E: Can Power Inverter Review
If you need to charge your USB devices on the move, then there are plenty of options. However, if you need to power something a little bigger, like a laptop, then you need a power inverter. Why not get something that can do both tasks. Check out my review of the E:Can.
Product: E: Can Power Inverter
Price: £39.95
Supplied by: Ring Automotive
Contact: +44 (0)113 213 7389
Canon Legria HF-200 HD Camcorder Review
Two videos for you on the Canon Legria HF-200. This HD camcorder promises great recording quality straight to SDHC memory card. In the first video below, I show you what you get for your money. The second video is here, click this link to see some actual footage and comparison with a Sony HDR-HC7 HD MiniDV camcorder.
Labels: Digital Photography, Reviews
Technoline BL-700 Intelligent Battery Charger Review
If you (like most of the population) get fed up with having to throw away alkaline batteries, then you need to get some NiMH ones instead. If you are a heavy user, then a good charger is also an essential piece of kit. Check out the review below of the Technoline BL-700.
Product: Technoline BL-700 Battery Charger
Price: £39.99 (for current BL-900 model)
Supplied by: Battery Logic
Contact: 0800 066 4668
Labels: Digital Photography, Gadgets, Reviews
Apple Store is Down - New iPod touch?
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The Apple Store is not taking orders at the moment. This normally means that they are either making some small changes to their store, or even better, adding a new product or two. My guess is that a new iPod touch will appear today, we will probably know what is happening by 13:00 GMT. Check back here soon.
Labels: Apple News
HTC Hero to hit the UK 21st July
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
If you are fed up with all things iPhone, then you should be aware, very aware, that there is a rather sexy looking Android offering hitting the UK mobile phones scene. HTC are giving us oodles of quality in their new Hero phone, which runs the Google Android operating system.This little darling has a 3.2-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen, which is ripe for playing back the supported MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 and Windows Media Video 9 movie files. You also get MP3 playback, a 5.0 megapixel color camera with auto focus, plus Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. I almost forgot to mention the internal GPS and Compass.
As if that wasn't enough, you can also download a whole host of applications from the Android Market, which is accessed right on the handset. This gives you access to superb games and utilities to further enhance the handset.
It takes a different standpoint from the iPhone. If you are familiar with the Apple device, you will know that applications are presented as a single screen (or multiple screens) of icons, you tap one and launch the application. To post something to Twitter, you tap the icon, type your tweet, then close the application and get on with something else. HTC have added an overlay to the Android OS called 'Sense'. This gives you up to seven home screens, which you can personalise with different apps, widgets and feeds. So, Twitter can occupy a whole screen, constantly updating and informing you of new tweets. No need to launch the application, it is just always on and looking for those important updates.
There is a whole lot more to the handset than I have mentioned here. It is due any day, either in a graphite grey colour on contract from Orange, or in white Sim Free from various resellers for around £400.
The video reviews are online, you can find them on the links below. A full review of this handset will appear later this week. Many thanks to Clove Technology for supplying the Hero.
Video coverage;
Part One - Unboxing & Goody Bag
Part Two - Performance & User Opinion
Part Three - Teflon coating, camera & gallery app
Part Four - Widgets, widgets & more widgets
Labels: Mobile Phones, Opinion
Microsoft Office 2010 - The Movie - Awesome!
Yes I am a Mac Fanboy, but this still made me laugh. Awesome!
Labels: PC Software
Razer Sphex Ultra Thin Gaming Surface Review
Monday, July 13, 2009
If you are serious about your desk comfort and mouse performance, then having a decent mouse mat is just as important as your mouse selection. The Razer Sphex might not look much, but check out my video to see exactly what I think of this ultra thin mouse mat.
Product: Razer Sphex
Price: £10.99 : $14.99
Supplied by: Razer USA Limited
Labels: Gaming, Mac Accessories, PC Accessories, Reviews
Acer Aspire Timeline 4810T Laptop Review
If you want a slim laptop with a Windows flavour, you could do a lot worse than check out my Acer Aspire Timeline 4810T Review.
Product: Acer Aspire Timeline
Price: £549 to £749
Supplied by: Acer UK
Contact: +44 (0)870 853 1005
Labels: PC Hardware, Reviews
Competition Time - July 2009 - Win iPhone 3GS cases!
In this month's Competition two lucky viewers have the chance to win one Ted Baker case for the 2nd generation iPod touch. The prizes were kindly put up for grabs by www.proporta.co.uk
Labels: Apple iPhone, Competition
Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive Review
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
If you want a cost effective Network Hard Drive, that does what it says on the tin, then check out my review of this tidy unit from Iomega.
Update: There is a new firmware update available here for this device. It adds Remote Access, Torrent Download, Time Machine and FTP support.
Product: Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive
Price: £110.99 (500GB as reviewed)
Supplied by: Iomega Europe
Contact form here
Labels: Mac Peripherals, PC Peripherals, Reviews
Apple Tablet ? Cue the Archos 9 !
Whilst we all wait (very) patiently for Apple to bring us their version of the tablet or netbook Mac that we all want, Archos have announced a very interesting device. Take a look at the Archos 9 PC Tablet below, running Windows 7, with its Atom processor and 80GB or 120GB hard drive.
Look down the left hand side of the screen and you find a 1.3 megapixel webcam, plus shortcuts buttons for setup, on-screen keyboard and left/right mouse buttons. Along the right side is the power button and an optical navigator for moving your pointer around the 9-inch screen. There is also stereo speakers and a mic. That screen looks quite nice too. It is a resistive touch screen, with multi-touch, so you can use it with your finger or a stylus.
For multimedia nuts it has a kick stand at the back, so you can sit it on a desk for movie watching. It also sports twin antennas for Digital TV reception on the go. This includes HD reception with recording too. Optional 3.5G sim support for internet on the go, all bundled for £450-£499, not too shabby.
Now, if Apple take this concept one step further and add their design flare, this would take such a device to another level. Imagine a sleek aluminum shell, wi-fi, bluetooth, iPhone OS with a rear facing 3-megapixel camera too. iChatAV right out of the box. iPod dock connector for charging and displaying content on your HD TV. This could be one serious piece of kit. Being an Apple OS lover, the only thing holding me back from this Archos device is Windows 7... that just sucks!
Labels: Apple Rumour, Gadgets
Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10 Review
Monday, July 06, 2009
If you want a snap happy little camcorder, that does HD, check out technolicio.us review of the Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10.
Labels: Digital Photography, Reviews
Bejeweled 2 - get addicted to iPod gaming
Our second iPhone/iPod touch game review, brings you Bejeweled 2 by PopCap Games Inc. Check out the video review below.
Product: Bejeweled 2 (opens in iTunes App Store)
Price: £1.79
Supplied by: PopCap Games Inc.
Contact: PopCap Games
2401 4th Ave, Suite 810
Seattle, WA 98121
Labels: Apple iPhone, ChillNation, Gaming, iPod Touch, Reviews
Innova innovate with FibaPrint Ultra Smooth Gloss
When someone buys an inkjet printer (in my case the Epson R2880), you often get a sample pack of paper with the device. This is not just out of kindness, it is marketing. Papers are normally developed especially for the manufacturers inks and when you see the results, it is more than likely you will continue to buy their own brand papers. Unless you are in the graphic design industry, it is unlikely that you would even research any other papers, so I have done a little bit of that work for you.FineArtFoto, a specialist retailer of fine art papers and canvas materials for inkjet printers, kindly sent me some samples. The first of which is the Innova FibaPrint Ultra Smooth Gloss. It comes in a range of sizes, A4 thru A2, as well as roll based media for large format inkjet printers. This is a heavy weight paper at 285gsm and has some superb stiffness to it. This is superb for photo prints that you might intend to resell, as it gives a very high quality feel. The finish on this particular paper is ultra smooth, with a high white finish. Unprinted it appears a little mottled, but once it has been shown the ink, the smoothness really becomes aparent.
Before I move onto the printing results, I should mention that Innova have made ICC profiles available for a lot of the Epson printers, including the R2880. This ensures that the printer uses the right mix of inks to deliver consistent and expected results. Download and installation is easy and for the tests I let Photoshop handle the colour management, thus utilising the ICC profile for this particular paper.
The results are nothing short of outstanding (scans and original to follow). The ink lays on the paper nicely and creates a print that appears to stand off slightly from the page. The tonal range (when compared to Epson Premium Glossy) is fantastic, there is just such a natural feel to the print that I was really amazed. The level of detail also improved, with clouds in the sky taking on a more natural look. In darker areas, much more detail was resolved, just proving that it was there in the original photo.
Innova FibaPrint Ultra Smooth Gloss is not something you would use everyday, due to the cost. For those of you who want to make those special one off prints for framing, this is definitely a media you should check out. For the graphic professionals out there, if you intend to resell your prints, then you will be very pleased with how this media performs.
The prices below are obtained by using a special discount code when checking out. The code to use is INNUSG-GEEKS. You can use this online or even if you phone your order through. It equates to about 35% discount off the RRP and can be used on ANY paper order.
Product: Innova FibaPrint Ultra Smooth Gloss
Prices (exc. VAT. Other sizes & quantities available):
A4/25 £14.27
A4/50 £27.30
A3/25 £28.60
A3/50 £54.60
A3+/25 £37.05
A3+/50 £67.60
A2/25 £55.90
A2/50 £108.55
Supplied by: FineArtFoto
Contact: +44 (0) 845 2775555
Labels: Digital Photography, Printing, Reviews
Apple iPhone 3GS Unboxing & Review
Sunday, July 05, 2009
We all know how successful the iPhone has been to date. Here I take a look at the latest version, the iPhone 3GS.
For more iPhone 3GS coverage you can also check out the following links;
iPhone 3GS Actual Video Footage
iPhone 3GS Compass, Video Scrubbing, Voice Control & Cheaper Tariff
Labels: Apple iPhone, Reviews
Sennheiser PMX80 Sport II Earphones Review
If you run with your iPod, then you need effective earphones that stay in place. Check out the review below of the Sennheiser PMX80 Sport II earphones.
Product: Sennheiser PMX80 Sport II earphones
Price: £24.99 (average UK)
Supplied by: Sennheiser UK
Contact: +44 (0)1494 551551
Labels: Apple iPod, iPod Touch, Music Technology, Reviews
The Authors
Dave
Dave has been in the graphic design industry for 14 years. Long time reviewer of technology related products, he is Owner/Editor of Geekanoids.
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This site covers all the latest Macintosh, technology & gadget related news. We also bring our readers thorough, unbiased reviews of computer software, hardware & peripherals, with some alternative products thrown into the mix.
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