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End of 2010 (nearly) – Here Comes The ’11

What’s this? An update? Don’t worry – it’s not yet another attempt at a fully fledged update; just a reason to justify my hosting fees every month!

Since the last update in October we’ve finally got fully working internet at the new place… we’ve been dumped with mucho snow to the point where as I write this, some ten days after it fell, the footpaths outside are about as preferable as walking through certain parts of Iraq. I’ve (forcibly) changed jobs, with the beloved R-word rearing it’s ugly head early in October – although luckily, by the time I was booted out, I was able to land in a new job the very next day. And of course, we had Christmas – peace and good will to all men and all that! Of course, in the run up to Christmas we’ve had all of the adverts for various video games, mobile phones, DVDs, Blu-Rays, and all other sort of technological goodies that you could have given folks for Christmas.

Away from Christmas though, we’re ready to enter 2011 – a new year, a new dawn, new beginnings and all that. Personally, next year will be a huge year for myself as I’ll be getting married in March. Virtually everything is ready for the big day: the suit, the rings, the dresses (that bit isn’t my domain)… all we need to do is practice our lines! Should be pretty straight-forward. If you’re waiting for photos, they’ll likely appear on Facebook sometime after this summer’s Dominican Republic snaps end up on there (and we’re still waiting!)

Compared to the big day, anything else in 2011 will seem trivial, so I’ll just put some short bits up here for you to digest/give advice/mock before I come back with bigger updates:

  • Thinking of getting Gran Turismo 5 – not a big fan of driving games, but I like the more artistic ones. Shame GAME in Oxford Street decided to a) have a dozen boxes of GT5 out on the stands, including the limited edition version (none of which were priced, which would lead you to take it to someone and ask “how much is this?”… and with nobody on the shop floor, the only place you could realistically ask is at the till…), only for them to announce at said till that they were sold out. So why have a dozen boxes out with no signage?? At least Sainsburys had the foresight to place “SOLD OUT” over its boxes… guess my money will again be spent online!
  • Next year I’ll be looking to change my phone; although with the wedding it’ll likely be in the second half of 2011. By that point I’ll have had my 3GS for a full two years and will be way out of contract (so due a change!) By that point, Apple will probably have unveiled the iPhone 4GS/4.1/whatever they’ll call their new handset, while the various folks producing Android phones will have released a raft of new devices. Personally I’m growing a little weary of my iPhone, with various bugs cropping up more and more often – stuff like my phone suddenly losing signal in the open air, refusing to regain it until I turn my phone off and on again. Stuff like my phone suddenly powering down when I lock the screen, and only unlocking with a hard reboot. Then there’s all the customisations that irk even the hardest of the Apple hardcores. What do you mean, I can use my iPhone in a little known language, but I can’t use my own customised tone to tell me I have a text message? Boy, that’s great in an office full of iPhones, when every “ding ding!” makes everyone reach for their phones in case it was their handset that got a message. I’ll be fishing for Android handsets a little later… looking to grab one SIM free, as I don’t particularly want to give up my O2 package with unlimited data (read: “I don’t want to upgrade to the iPhone 4 because O2 will make me changed my contract to a fixed data plan)

Anyway, that’s about it – I should come back with an update sooner rather than later (although given my recent updates, I’ll probably see you in April!) – and if that’s not the case, Happy New Year everybody!

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Tech Hell!

Take two!

It’s been over two months since my last update as a holiday and a house move took affect. It’s been six weeks since the move and there’s one thing missing – t’internet.

Anyone following my twitter will be aware of the issues I’ve had with Sky broadband and all of the engineer call-outs, etc… This month since we were due to be switched on has highlighted how much we rely on the web nowadays.

Internet banking – much easier than going between banks withdrawing and paying in cash between accounts. Checking car insurance renewal prices – easier online as opposed to calling a million folks.

Checking emails? Okay, it’s good on the iPhone, but as I’m finding now, thumbing out a long piece of text is painful!

Away from everyday stuff, a lack of Internet has been noticeable. Although I’ve been able to rip my media and source legal videos from another Internet connection, I’m really missing the bells and whistles of YAMJ on my Popcorn Hour.

Speaking of which, how is it that half a mile away, I can get a 7Mb connection… yet at our place, when it worked, all I could get is 1.5Mb?? It’s enough to make me splash out on a mobile broadband dongle. Except the 0.2Mb speeds my iPhone gets over the air would probably infuriate me more.

Hurry up and get fixed, Internet!

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Tech Holiday!

It’s that time of year again – everyone’s off on their summer holidays. For a lot of people obsessed with tech, gadgets can be a tricky, and sometimes expensive, thing to take with you. (more…)

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DVRs vs Sky+ (Just Watch It Live!); MITB

If you wanted to record a TV programme back in the “old days” (God, I’m sounding older than 27 here!) it was a little fiddly. Ten years ago, you had to put a video tape into a machine, set timers (or enter a code, if you had and trusted Videoplus) and hope that your show either didn’t start late, run late, or get bumped from the schedules. (more…)

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We’re Doing It Wrong!

Nobody likes being told that they’re doing something wrong. Especially when you know deep down you’ve been doing it right for your whole life.

But that’s essentially what Apple told everyone on Thursday night with their “you’re holding it wrong” response to the dropping signal issue on the new iPhone 4.

When it was unveiled at WWDC, my concerns over the external aerial were more about them overheating in long calls. It turned out that Apple found a way around that: just not let you make any calls while you hold the **mobile phone**.

Don’t get me wrong. I am something of an Apple fan boy. But when you effectively tell people that they have to buy a case to make their new phone work… then you’ve got problems.

Charlie Brooker wasn’t far off the mark when he lambasted the iPhone for being such a beautifully designed bit of kit that “you need to put a condom on it to use it outdoors” (paraphrasing Charlie there…) – but to need a sheath to make the damn thing work at all? I’m just glad I waited before diving for this iPhone.

My 3GS is basically a souped up 3G with the kinks worked out. Can’t wait for the 4GS equivalent when Apple find a way around these signal woes!

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iPhone 4 – Gonna Be Waiting

For Christmas I was given a subscription to T3 magazine – being something of a tech aficionado, I kinda like to keep up on the latest in the world of tech, even if these days that seems to pass for “what’s the latest mobile phone?”

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Popcorn Hour is Go – A200 First Week Thoughts

Another month, another update. I swear, after the house move, these will get more regular!

Anyway, last weekend I took delivery of my Popcorn Hour A-200, as my hunt for an all-in-one media player for our new “entertainment system” continued. Well, it looks like I’ve found the answer, and it’s a little plastic box! (more…)

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Mini Thoughts: Wrestling, Kanyon, Travel, Tech

It’s been a while since I’ve done an update on here… since WrestleMania, in fact. But nothing much has really grabbed my eye, so rather than a long, badly thought out post about nothing, here’s a long, badly thought out post about a lot of little things! (more…)

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Can We Stop Rationalising The iPad?

Okay, time to try again! At the weekend I tried to write a tutorial on how to use Calibre to convert files for your eReader, but that kinda hit the skids for a while. Then last night, I had this big post on the iPad typed up, only for the post to disappear when I tried to edit it via the WordPress app.

Anyway, the iPad is out in about a month, and after all of the hype, I’m still struggling to work out what it’s all for.

Apple fanboys should look away now! And this is not aimed at anyone in particular, rather a slice of the market. (more…)

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