iPhone Reviews Summary

The reviews for the iPhone are coming hard and fast ... most like what they see, and are impressed by what Apple have produced. However below I've listed the good and the Bad. Good Things - It's a great iPod with some web capabilities Cover Flow feature is awesome Orientation sensors are cool Display quality excellent. The UI is excellent and has only served to raise the bar... Battery life is more than most of us expected. 'Visual Voicemail' is pretty cool... The glass screen is remarkably resilient. Microsoft Exchange is supported The bad: No User Replaceable Battery ... Shame on you Apple yet again for being so inconsiderate!!! (A Phone without this, is a truly pathetic omission). The virtual keyboard is frustrating with a learning curve... The Absences of 3G is a mistake. Web browsing is real slow unless your use wireless. OS X uses 700MB of the 4GB/8GB Memory. No A2DP support – Stupid considering it's a media device!!! No cut, copy or paste options for text – staggering No MMS No editing of PDF, Word or Excel documents. No browser support for Flash or any other embedded video Poor voice call quality 2MP Still camera only – no video recording. No support for MP3 ringtones. Contacts must be scrolled through – no searching or voice dialling... No Memory Card slot!!! No GPS... The bottom line is that it makes a great iPod, but the phone capabilities and several features need a rethink... Links: David Pogue Walt Mossberg Edward Baig Steven Levy

Apple Patches Safari 3 Beta

Apple released its second security patch for the Beta of Safari 3 browser. The patch for Safari 3.0.2 for Windows fixes security holes in the previous version, improves text display, and improves upon launch times. The update also fixes a security vulnerability by which an attacker could spoof a website in the browser's address bar, tricking users into thinking they were at a valid site instead of a fake one, possibly conning them into revealing confidential information and passwords. The Mac update for Safari improves support for Mail, iChat, and Dashboard, and fixes problems with parental controls and Google Reader.

Virtual Bubblewrap

Bandai Asovision has produced a gadget based on one of the most addictive products on the market. PuchiPuchi, is a gadget that emulates the sound and feel of popping bubble wrap. The PuchiPuchi simply features eight buttons that each make a popping sound when you press them. There is more to this toy but to be honest with you it's too sickeningly cute for me to bother with. if you want to read more visit kilian nakamuras, Trends in Japan blog.

iPhone Preview?

Engadget, who have been very positive about the iphone haveupped a post with comments from an "insider" whos had some experience with the iPhone. it's worth a read and if true will require apple to put some effort into redesigning/upgrading the interface somewhat. It seems the central issue is that the phone will require you to use a finger for text entry as most peoples thumbs will cause too many errors. To read more visit engadget.com.

iPhone To Include YouTube

Apple have announced that iPhone owners will be able to watch YouTube content using a special player and using the higher quality H.264 codec. This is the same codec that YouTube uses for new videos, and for the older ones that need re-encoding. Looks like the net is heating up with rumours and announcements just ahead of the release of this much anticipated device.

Solar Power - Portable Charger From Brando

Hong Kong based company Brando have released a Solar Panel/Charger which will retail for about £35UK or US$69. The unit looks like it supports a variety of output voltages and devices. Features: Intelligent voltage adjustment, meaning that it can output voltage and current at 4 different levels. Double short circuit protection Tri-coloured LED light to indicate charging or discharging Technical Parameters: Solar Panel: -Peak power: 1.54W -Operating voltage: 5.5V (Max) -Charging current: 280mA (Max) / 3.8V Solar Charger: -Battery capacity: 2500mAh / 3.8V Output voltage: 4.5V-9V (adjustable) Output current: 1A (Max) Output power: 4W (Max) Dimensions: 137x79x24mm Weight: 240g Specifications: Input interface: DC interface Output interface: USB interface Material: Fireproof plastic (ABS) Flash light as a torch: Bright white LED for lighting Control switch: ON/OFF/LED Output voltage switch: 4.5V / 5V / 6.3V / 9V Package Contents: Universal Solar Charger 100-240V AC adapter USB Cable 7 connecting charger heads User manual Visit the product page for more info.

Mac OS X Updated To 10.4.10

OS X 10.4.10 has officially been released for consumption. 10.4.10 addresses a number of issues which Apple officially listed as being in the following areas: Bluetooth Addresses an issue in which a Bluetooth headset may show up as an available device for sound output in the Sound preference pane after it had been removed from Bluetooth preferences. Third-party Adds RAW image decoding support for the following cameras: Panasonic DMC-LX1, Panasonic DMC-LX2, Leica M8, Leica D-LUX 2, Leica D-LUX 3, Fuji S5 Pro, Nikon D40x, and Canon EOS 1D Mk III. Also resolves an issue in which some DNG images may appear tinted or distorted. Improves compatibility of Mathematica 6 with 64-bit Macs. USB Improves reliability when using the IR remote control after waking from sleep. Improves reliability when mounting external USB hard drives. Resolves an issue in which a TomTom GO 910 may not be recognized when connected via USB to an Intel-based Mac. Other Improves responsiveness when using the Control-Eject key combination to display a shutdown dialogue. Addresses a specific issue in which users importing video from a DV camera may experience dropped frames. Includes recent Apple security updates. Addresses issues with calendar calculations in certain applications. Addresses issues when rounding decimal numbers for display in certain applications. For Motion, addresses an issue on Intel-based Macs in which some texture corruption could appear in Motion if VRAM is full. This update comes ahead of the proposed release of Leopard. For more info visit the updates Info Page at Apple

Safari Beta Released for Windows

Yet another web browser for us to be confused by ... It looks like Apple are serious about the Web and taking on Microsoft again. They have released a Public Beta of Safari 3 for Windows user. Just quite what it does I'm not sure but Trusted Reviews have published a review.

Direct X 10 Put To The Test

Twitch Guru have put Direct X 10 to the test using Lost Planet on a Dell XPS running Vista. In their Test they compared the same game on the Dell XPS with Vista against a similarly configured Windows XP system with DX 9. The bottom line is that there are differences in performance and detail but not as great as we've been led to expect. Visit Twitch Guru to read more...

Apple Says ...

Apple today announced that iPhone will deliver significantly longer battery life when it ships on June 29 than was originally estimated when iPhone was unveiled in January. iPhone will feature up to 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback.* In addition, iPhone will feature up to 250 hours-more than 10 days-of standby time. Apple also announced that the entire top surface of iPhone, including its stunning 3.5-inch display, has been upgraded from plastic to optical-quality glass to achieve a superior level of scratch resistance and optical clarity. So I might have jumped the gun a bit, if these figures prove correct on the playback and usage times ... I still think that Apple screwed up what could have possibly been their best product to date by not allowing users the capability to switch power packs with ease...

Apple iPhone Views

I can honestly say that the apple iPhone has captured the imagination of many... However one of the problems with this tech is that even though it will most likely be a financial success and net Apple Millions the phone itself will suck for several reasons. The first is that it is too cool and although it has a reported battery life that will allow you to play up to 8 hours of music, what happens when that battery has been exhausted and even got forbid it actually fails? I can assume a couple of scenarios (quite probable ones too): 1. The user in the event of the battery being exhausted will have to plug in an external back up power pack (external, because there is not capacity in the unit for exchanging the internal powersupply with a back up). 2. Find a place where you can charge the uselees unit up so that you can use it again. 3. In the event of failure send the phone back to Apple for a replacement power pack because you can't just siply open the unit up yourself to change the power pack ... In the words of many a Brit, Apple are elitist wankers who haven't given a real thought about the consumer in this particular area of the phones usability. To all you poor saps who buy this phone, good luck ... I'll be keeping an eye open for your reactions, when you try to use the phone after watching your first movie on the phone and then run out of juice 5 minutes into the next call you get ... let hope I'm wrong.

Archos Unveils 5th Gen Portable Media Devices

Archos launched its fifth generation of players this week with the 605 WiFi. This unit represents the companies vision of their future in Portable Media Players. This PMP features a 4.3in touchscreen but unlike its predecessor, the resolution has been boosted to an awesome 800 x 480 pixels. It also features WiFi which will be a major feature in their new generation devices. Other PMP's in the line will include the 105, 405 and 705. For more info on the 605 visit Archos.

Bang and Olufsen Reveal Beovision 7

Bang and Olufsen announced their latest foray into the home theater arena with the Beovision 7. The BeoVision 7 line should be available in the US this summer. The 40-inch HDTV unit should include 7.1 surround sound speakers, an amplifier and a DVD player. It's also mounted on a motorized floor stand that will adjust the display to keep the viewers in the optimal viewing position. The BeoVision 7 will retail for $13,500 and comes in an assortment of colors.

Apple Gets Into Gaming

Apple last week announced that they had signed deals with EA, its EA Sports division and iD software. The deals signify that titles such as Battlefield 2142, Command & Conquer 3, Need for Speed, Tiger Woods 08, Madden 08, the yet to be announced iD FPS will be appearing on OS-X

Apple MacBook Pro 2007 Edition — More Power

With a starting lineup that starts with the Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz processor, 2GB RAM and a 120GB hard drive, the Apple MacBook Pro 2007 Edition laptop series looks poised to add another bump in sales to Apple's bottom line. They're fast, they're equipped with highly quality screens and there's more than ever before available for Mac OS X. You could do worse than considering a MacBook Pro 2007 Edition if you need a mobile DTP, graphics, video or general multimedia workstation. Nice machines. Check them out at the Apple Store. We did and we liked what we saw, especially the 2.4GHz 17" model. The NVIDIA 8600M GT graphics are lovely (and fast).

Palm Foleo and Other UMPCs a Tech Dead-End?

The Palm Foleo is an interesting little device. Despite very slow acceptance and mostly skeptical interest in the Foleo and other sub-notebook computers, several Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) makers are releasing new and more powerful models including FIC's CE261 and EB's MID UMPC. I still haven't figured out what these things are actually good for, but perhaps my optometrist can suggest some new lenses powerful enough to let me use a UMPC screen long enough to get some use out of it before a headache sets in. Go to FIC or EB to get a better look. FIC is one of the Best Choice 2007 award winners at the massive Computex trade show in Taipei. The Fujitsu Lifebook has also been around for a little while, but it's hard to find and the price is hard to justify. As usual, market research and some serious consumer uptake will tell the tale, but so far there's very little movement toward UMPCs in North America. Some people are touting UMPCs for digital image storage in the field. But if you already need at least a 12" screen to do basic editing, what good is a comparatively tiny 7" UMPC screen? And if you just don't need to haul a laptop around, why not just buy an Epson P-5000?

Apple iPhone Release Date . . . sort of

As anxious crowds begin to form in the days leading up to the iPhone's June 29 release date in the U.S., a number of other countries are still waiting for release timing. The iPhone will both augment an existing market segment and help to better define a technology segment being carved from the convergence of wireless telephony and wireless mobile entertainment. But don't anticipate iPhone avilability in Canada, the UK, Europe, South America or anywhere else outside the U.S. for that matter, until Apple becomes confident that the high risk first release of the iPhone proves worthwhile, and more important, quickly earns wide consumer demand and acceptance. Apple is banking on the large touch screen, 2 megapixel, high quality audio, high speed network, and streaming internet and video capabilities combined with iPod quality audio and lots of internal storage to take over the existing market and grow it very quickly. Connectivity to the iTunes store will be unique in the industry. iPhones will initially be available exclusively on the AT&T (formerly Cingular) wireless network and can be purchased, locked to AT&T, from the Apple Store beginning June 29.

Jobs and Gates Meet & Chat

Last Wednesday night, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates had an intimate sit-down, in which they chatted and shared with an audience much in the way of the history and relationship between Apple, Microsoft and each other. Engadget have posted a review of the meet, so to read more, visit here.

Google Acquire Panoramio

Google have announce the acquisition of Panoramio, a spanish based company that has a free photo sharing web portal. The site allows users to store up to 2 GB of info and photos so that they can record and share their journeys and vacations. The site would appear to be the perfect companion to google earth. Visit Panoramio for more info...