Hardware Forum

So Dani (of Daniweb fame) was asking me to go through a few gadgets for the Christmas season. So of course I've left it until the last minute - with prices going the way they are at the moment (we're into closing-down sales and stuff over this side of the …

“Give me your tired, your poor. Your huddled masses yearning to break free.” It's funny that on the same day that I wrote, [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry3665.html"]Hey Apple, What About iLinux?[/URL], that [URL="http://www.apple.com"]Apple[/URL] [URL="http://www.macworld.com/article/137587/2008/12/macworldexpo.html?lsrc=top_1"]announced[/URL] that they will no longer attend or participate in MacWorld Expo and Jobs won't deliver the keynote address. I …

It really should come as no surprise that Apple apparently does not consider the iPhone to be a phone at all, but rather what John Geleynse, Apple Director of Technology Evangelism [URL="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/12/12/apple_declares_iphone_a_challenger_to_nintendo_ds.html"]calls[/URL] "a console experience." That's what Geleynse told an iPhone Tech Talk developer event in San Jose, putting the …

Mobile phones have become many things, and I am just waiting for the first to appear which does away with that 'make and receive voice calls' requirement. Mind you, there is some argument that the iTouch does that, considering that it is an iPhone without the phone bit. But I …

I've had my iPhone for about a month now and for the most part I'm very pleased with it, but if I could have a meeting with Apple engineers, there are a few things I would tell them to change: [B]1 Protect the Glass Out of the Box[/B] Perhaps my …

When cornered by their wife, men sometimes say the most ridiculous things in order to wiggle out of trouble. However, blaming your iPhone for giving the impression you are having an affair has to rate as one of the best excuses ever. According to a [URL="http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1786497"]posting[/URL] in the Apple discussion …

Was anyone else really looking forward to being able to use the much hyped Google Voice Search feature for the iPhone? I mean, you could not move for news about the thing in the blogosphere last week, even the New York Times ran with a story about it and there …

The BBC is [URL="http://uk.gizmodo.com/2008/11/11/bbc_seeks_gadget_family_for_ne.html"]apparently[/URL] looking for a UK based family which cannot live without gadgets to, err, live without gadgets while being filmed for a new fly on the wall style documentary show. The idea is for a kind of Back to the Future themed series which will transport a …

This week at the Professional Developer's Conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft made a big splash by announcing a new [URL="http://cooney.typepad.com/lauren_cooneys_blog/2008/10/welcome-azure-qa-from-the-experts.html"]cloud computing initiative it's calling Azure[/URL]. It's significant on several levels. First of all Microsoft wants to compete with services like [URL="http://aws.amazon.com/"]Amazon S3[/URL] and offer online storage and online computational services. …

[I]“Informed decision-making comes from a long tradition of guessing and then blaming others for inadequate results.” ~Scott Adams. [/I] There is a battle going on out there in cell phone land involving the 3 hottest-of-hot cell phones. I write of course about[URL="http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/specials/iPhone.jsp"] the iPhone from AT&T[/URL], the [URL="http://www.t-mobileg1.com/"]G1 from T-Mobile[/URL] …

Anxiety over corporate earnings is driving the stock market down this week, with stocks dropping 232 points on Tuesday and the futures market dipping downward in early Wednesday trading. While many companies (like Apple, covered below) are hitting their Q3 numbers, most are forecasting a gloomy revenue picture going forward …

Rumors are flying this week ahead of Apple's big Mac Book event on Tuesday that it will announce the long rumored sub-$1000 notebook. In fact, my friends at [URL="http://www.tuaw.com/2008/10/09/800-for-a-new-macbook/"]The Unofficial Apple Weblog[/URL] are reporting that someone has gotten their hands on a price sheet ahead of the announcement suggesting that …

Steve Ballmer should limit his worries to Microsoft and his advice to his employees. Last week the Microsoft CEO reportedly had the audacity to suggest that Apple "become more like Microsoft," and loosen the bonds between Apple hardware and software. Is he really that clueless? Surely he's aware that it's …

Everyone is all ga-ga this week over the [URL="http://www.t-mobileg1.com/"]G1[/URL], the new HTC phone from T-Mobile, which is the first phone powered by Google's Android phone OS. On one level, the geek in me certainly shares the excitement. It's open source. It's Google's first entree into the phone market. I'm not …

After months of speculation, [URL="http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/16/android-phone-the-g1-to-ship-mid-october/"]TechCrunch[/URL] reports that the first Android powered phone, the HTC Dream is set to be released in the US by T-Mobile on October 20th. T-Mobile did not return my calls to confirm or deny this rumor, but one thing is certain, the iPhone is no longer …

That little spike in semiconductor stocks we saw in Q1 may be coming to a screeching halt, if the new numbers we're seeing are any good. Actually, the drop in semiconductor revenues from Q1 2008 to Q2 is fairly amazing, and I don't mean that in a good way. Here's …

The other day I downloaded the latest version of iTunes and discovered the much-heralded Genius feature is a not-so subtle way to sell content on iTunes. When I heard about the Genius feature, I mistakenly thought it was like Peter Gabriel's [URL="http://byronmiller.typepad.com/byronmiller/2007/04/filter_tool_for.html"]Filter[/URL] tool, a very cool utility for iTunes, which …

Apple today had one of 'those' events in San Francisco. At 10am PDT, under the banner of Let's Rock, Steve Jobs made a number of important product announcements. These included a brand new version of iTunes in the shape of iTunes 8. This comes with support for HD television programmes, …

According to a [URL="http://gizmodo.com/5046463/apple-admits-british-man-invented-ipod-in-1979-uses-him-to-win-patent-lawsuit"]Gizmodo post[/URL] published on Sunday, a British man claims he invented the iPod (or at least a prototype of what would become a portable music player) way back in 1979, the same year the [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walkman"]Walkman[/URL] cassette player first went on sale in Japan. Up to that point, …

[I]"Jerry, I have to tell you something. This is the dullest moment I've ever experienced." - George, watching laundry, in "Good News, Bad News" episode of Seinfeld. [/I] I woke up this morning to find a [URL="http://startupmeme.com/microsofts-first-seinfeldgates-ad-a-home-run-to-trash-can/"]Tweet from Startupmeme[/URL] that the first Seinfeld ad for Microsoft had hit the airwaves. …

A new service coming online soon may have us hearing the phrase "Quick, take out your cell phone!" a little more often. I suppose it was just a matter of time before somebody came up with a way to stream cell-phone video to the Web and store it there. That …

I laughed out loud when I saw this headline on the ars technica Web site: “[URL=http://arstechnica.com/journals/microsoft.ars/2008/07/16/monkey-see-monkey-do-microsoft-launches-mobile-app-site]Monkey see, monkey do: Microsoft launches mobile app site[/URL].” It’s so typical of Microsoft in recent years to desperately emulate companies it perceives as its competitors, even at the expense of its own embarrassment. The …

By all rights, iPhone consumers should be storming the gates of Apple headquarters this morning in true [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastille_Day"]Bastille Day[/URL] fashion after Friday's mishandling of the iPhone 3G launch, but as far as I know all remains calm in Cupertino, and consumers remain strangely silent over the whole affair. In a …

[I]Nothing's wrong as far as I can see We make it harder than it has to be and I can't tell you why ~Eagles, I Can’t Tell You Why. [/I] Apple and Adobe have both gotten some press lately for going to the trademark police after a couple of small …

Amidst the carnage that is Wall Street this year (the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 20% since last October, classifying the stock market as being in official “bear” territory), there are glimmers of good news, and a good portion of it is coming from the tech sector. The latest …

[URL="http://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2008/06/always-read-small-print.html"]According to the New Scientist[/URL] it appears that Apple has decided to cover all bases when it comes to how iTunes is used. Apparently, buried deep within the [URL="http://developer.apple.com/softwarelicensing/agreements/pdf/itunesqtsitelicense.pdf"]iTunes End User License Agreement[/URL] is this little gem of a clause: "Licensee also agrees that Licensee will not use the Apple …

With Father's Day here in the UK fast approaching (hint for my own kids: it's on Sunday!) research published today by the world's 2nd largest digital music store, [URL="http://www.emusic.com"]eMusic[/URL], suggests that nearly half of us lie about the music we have on our iPod. It seems that us Dads are …

Linux not only wants to dominate the Data Center and your Desktop but now it wants your unused CPU power as well. Nightlife is a grid-based computing effort that is Fedora Linux-specific. Designed for scientific and medical research, the Nightlife project starter, Bryan Che explains the project's goals below: [COLOR="Green"]Fedora …

Of course. That's the answer. Easy. Japan has sorted it all out. They're planning to [URL="http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/05/07/ipod_tax_japan/"]put a tax on MP3 players[/URL]. This will be an interesting move not because a single country is planning such a tax - let's be honest, I'm in the UK, the chances are most readers …

How stupid do you have to be to get caught by spam email with the subject line of 'we caught you naked [your name] - check the video' is a question I have been asking myself today. Not because I have been caught naked, and if I had my only …

[URL="http://www.itpro.co.uk/news/187851/apple-iphone-vulnerable-through-safari.html"]According to IT Pro[/URL] the Apple iPhone is vulnerable to Denial of Service attacks. These can occur when an iPhone user opens a JavaScript containing HTML page which triggers the vulnerability. An application Denial of Service attack can then crash the Safari browser on the phone, and quite possibly the …

As [URL="http://www.macrumors.com/2008/03/28/3g-iphone-in-bidding/"]rumored[/URL] around the web, the Apple iPhone with 3G support is coming out soon! The iPhone has been a revolutionary tool for consumers, corporate America, and users around the world. I held back from purchasing an iPhone largely in part because it lacked stable support for the 3G network. …

This is rather belated news, but I figured it was worth posting anyways. Apple has recently unveiled larger capacity versions of the iTouch and iPhone. The iTouch, originally only available in 8 gig and 16 gig versions, now boasts a whopping 32 gig version with a $500 pricetag. The iPhone …

In an effort to compete with the Blackberry, and gain momentum in the business world, the iPhone now has full support for Microsoft Exchange, one of the major factors holding the professional back from splurging on an iPhone. While Apple is now going full force trying to make the iPhone …

The [URL="https://www.blackhat.com/"]Black Hat[/URL] security conferences are always good for a crowd pleasing demonstration or two, and security researcher Adam Laurie was happy to oblige at the latest DC based event. In a 'look no hands' fashion, he was able to pull up account data including name, account number and expiration …

While I'm not yet a [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1968.html"]Mac convert[/URL], I've always been an iPod convert. I bought my first iPod in September of 2003 and can't say I complained. Reminiscing, it was a 40GB 3rd generation that I paid $475 for on eBay. It wasn't cheap, and I was fresh out of …

So, MacWorld finally came and went. For months, I've anticipated this event. After Apple released [URL="http://www.apple.com/macosx/"]Leopard[/URL] in November, I had my eyes set on moving over to the Mac world. But without any guarantees that Apple would preinstall Leopard on existing laptops in their inventory and after hearing about numerous …

How often is it that we hear stories from people who work as tech support about the stupid people they have to deal with? Indeed, it seems as though working as tech support could potentially be an extremely entertaining profession, provided that you have a good sense of humor. Of …

According to a report at [URL="http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/10/08/ipod-burns-geezer-trousers"]The Inquirer[/URL] an Atlanta airport worker was a little surprised to discover, upon looking down to see where the smell of burning was coming from, that it was him. Well, it was his trousers to be precise. Apparently the chap, one Danny Williams, had an …

Well the iPhone has been launched, woop. Now i ask the question, "What is the point?". A device which combines 2 items which most people already own, a phone and an MP3 player. Now i own a phone and an MP3 player (not an iPod i must add) so why …

Hi again, Bennet has been ranting about how useless and crappy dells are (we know that already) now he has turned his Scottish anger to the simple company of Apple. (Bennets anger is here: http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry1474.html ) Quite funny if you read it But to the defence of Apple (i am …

A school in Meridian, Idaho, is banning iPods and other digital music players during tests due to the fact that students were using them to hide answers, as one teacher overheard. The iPods in question could be loaded up with notes hidden in song lyrics, or recorded lectures stored on …

Today, [URL="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/09ipod.html"]Apple announced that they have now sold over 100 million iPods[/URL], which comes after they had released the first iPod 5-and-a-half years ago. Grammy award winner John Mayer said about the iPod: "Without the iPod, the digital music age would have been defined by files and folders instead of …

What better use of an iPod than to save a soldier's life by stopping a bullet? [URL="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tiki/445618364/in/pool-appleusers/"]This photo[/URL] appears to prove it, although the actual story was that the iPod [I]alerted[/I] the soldier to the fact that he had been shot, but it was his armor that actually stopped the …

Leading security vendor [URL="http://www.kaspersky.com"]Kaspersky Lab[/URL] has uncovered the first ever proof of concept virus designed with the sole intention of infecting the iPod media player. Like all proof of concept viruses though, Podloso poses no real world threat to users. For a start it requires a Linux installation, not on …

They say it is a ‘man thing’ this fantasy about swapping their wife or partner for someone new. Unfunny jokes about trading up to a newer model abound, some even indulge in a swinging lifestyle. But now it seems that some 13% of men in the UK, according to new …

In response to [URL="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,241557,00.html"]this article[/URL], claiming that the DVD format war may soon be over, I highly doubt it. In the article: [quote]The high-definition DVD format war, which has slowed consumer acceptance of the new players, may soon be over.[/quote] They go on further to state that hybrid players coming …

While Apple has displayed a [COLOR=Black][URL="http://www.apple.com/"]new banner[/URL][/COLOR] on its website declaring Happy New Years, "The first 30 years were just the beginning. Welcome to 2007," the [URL="http://projects.info-pull.com/moab/"]Month of Apple Bugs[/URL] has been launched, as if to scorn Apple's website banner. The Month of Apple bugs aims to reveal a new …

If previous reports of iTunes music store sales lulling were worrying analysts, they've got nothing to worry about now –– the iTunes store sales have more than quadrupled during the Christmas season, according to a report made by E-Commerce. People using their iTunes gift cards and new iPod users recieved …

As of late, many conflicting reports are saying that altough iPod sales continue to rise, iTunes store music sales are decreasing. They go on to state that sales now are 65% lower than in January, with average transaction sizes dropping by 7%. I think this is really crazy. Why? Apple …