I just did a quick Stilgherrian Live Alpha (episode 5.2) from my hotel room in Canberra. The recording stopped after about 10 minutes, so it’s in two parts called, oddly enough, part 1 and part 2. Topics covered include the Politics & Technology Forum, Internet and telephone coverage along the Hume Highway, and what happened to my beard.
Technology review of 2008 (sort of)
The BBC’s Rory Cellan-Jones has a technology review of 2008, including:
September
Apple’s second generation 3g iPhone goes on sale. This time, as well as signing up to Apple’s network partner, customers have to bring a DNA sample to enter on the company database before the phone can be activated. “We’re just trying to make sure iPhone users all feel part of the Apple family,†a spokesman explains.
October
Nokia brings out its latest smartphone, the N99. As well as featuring music, live television, a manicure set and a device for getting stones out of horse’s shoes, it offers an ice-cream cornet with a chocolate flake. “And, unlike, the new 3g iPhone,†a spokesman explains, “it is 4g, making the mobile internet work properly for the first time.â€
Hat tip to Memex 1.1.
Two quick reads, and a quote
Yes, I’ve been busy. I don’t want to fall off your radar entirely, so here’s a couple of things I’ve read recently which will be good for your brain.
- All bloggers can now stop writing. The erudite and exceptionally English Stephen Fry has joined the blogosphere. His first post is an astoundingly detailed and well-informed essay on the evolution of the Smartphone. Anyone who can talk intelligently about Project Dynabook is worth masturbating over, IMHO. Pass the tissues please, Stephen?
- “Karl Rove could put faecal matter on his lapel and call it a boutonnière. Goodbye and good riddance,” said the redoubtable Garrison Keillor in No wonder they called him Turd Blossom. OK, not recent news, but a fun read. Thanks to Perceptric Forum for the pointer.
And the quote?
Admit it — back in the 20th Century, none of you imagined that World War III would be Robots vs Muslims. Seems obvious now.
The quote is from Gizmodo’s coverage of this video of a Packbot robot getting blown up by an IED. Thanks to The Long Tail for the pointer.
And now, to find time to write some more…
A flawed 3G Wonderland
OK folks, an update on my continuing saga to join the wonderful Digital 3G Wonderland… now that I’ve overcome my indecision about network choice, my fears about the Nokia N80’s battery life, my frustration with poorly-chosen web addresses and the annoyance at Vodafone’s crappy telephone etiquette.
I have finally bought a Nokia N80 outright, and plugged it into Vodafone‘s network. Here’s my thoughts so far — after a couple bottles of sauvignon blanc over dinner and a random play with the technology.
- I am very happy with the friendly service of Computer World, where I bought the phone.
- I am thoroughly pissed off that — despite being bought from an independent vendor — the N80 is pre-loaded with Telstra BigPond settings. Now I’m spending two hours removing the BigPond configuration and connecting it back to Vodafone. Not pleased. Even the “Music” button takes me to BigPond Music!
- The case feels a little flimsy — will this phone cope with day-to-day wear and tear?
- The high-resolution screen is very nice.