Gadgets for the Family Man

Microsoft Office Word 2007 to post to a blog

2009-05-19T12:31:00.001+01:00

Well it turns out that it is so easy to write a post in Microsoft Word 2007 and post it to my Blogger account.

How come I did not do this before?

New Mobile Phone - Nokia N95 8GB

2008-01-10T20:35:00.000+00:00

Well after a few months deliberating over which Phone to get and which Mobile provider to try I've finally taked the plunge and gone for a Nokia N95 8GB on Three here in the UK.

My trusty old O2 XDA IIi had served me quite well for almost 2 years, but was becomming incresingly unreliable as a Phone and callers were always commenting "This must be a bad line"...

It was a tricky decision to move away from Windows Mobile, but my XDA experience told me that Microsoft did not quite have the Pocket PC / Phone integration quite right.

OK, so the XDA was Windows Mobile 2003 and Windows Mobile 6 is available now.... but I wanted a device that was more of a phone, than a pocket PC.

Though the Nokia N95 8GB has been out for a while, Vodafone had an exclusive on it until the end on 2007. So I had to wait and bide my time, wondering if it would be worth going for the original N95.... or a new XDA from O2..... or an iPhone.

In the end, the Three datapackages proved to be very good, and as I can't get any T-Mobile reception at home, I've decided to go with Three

Sync Outlook with Google Calendar - SyncMyCal

2008-01-10T20:33:00.000+00:00

I've been looking for a good tool to Syncronise my Outlook and Google Calendar's for a while now.
I've tried a few but they did not seem to work too well.

I've just downloaded the Lite version of SyncMyCal
Share Outlook Calendar Free, Google Calendar Sync, Pocket Outlook Google Sync - SyncMyCal
I have to say I'm impresses.
I'm using the Lite Outlook2002 version and it works quite well updating my Google Calendar with the events from my Outlook Calendar.

The lite version only does 7 days of events (Today, three days in the future and three days in the passed), but it's good and it works well, though I have to remember to Sync by hand.

The Pro version is just $25 and allows unlimited date ranges and also will schedule Sync's automatically to keep Google and Outlook together.

I'll be upgrading to the Pro version ASAP.

HOWTO stream to a mobile phone. - Slim Devices : Community : Forums

2007-12-20T13:54:00.000+00:00

Another article about Streaming Music to the Nokia N95, this time using Slim Devices Slimserver.
Is there anything that this phone can not do!
HOWTO stream to a mobile phone. - Slim Devices : Community : Forums

All About Symbian Review: Nokia N95 - part 2, The Music

2007-12-20T13:47:00.000+00:00

Now this is an interesting article about the Nokia N95 and using it as a UPNP client.
I already have a UPNP streamer the Netgear MP101 and am using Twonky as the Media Server.
This article seems to indicate that the Nokia N95 comes with a UPNP Server called Simple Center and this works both with the N95 and other UPNP clients, including the MP101.

All About Symbian Review: Nokia N95 - part 2, The Music

Installing Vista on the Eee - i've done it and it works! - MoDaCo

2007-12-18T10:20:00.000+00:00

Here is how to install Windows Vista on an ASUS EEE PC.
Installing Vista on the Eee - i've done it and it works! - MoDaCo

Asus Eee PC Tweak Guide

2007-12-18T10:17:00.000+00:00

Yet another guide to Tweaking and Hacking the ASUS EEE PC.
As it's so cheap, people are really keen to take this Notebook apart and see what's inside.

Asus Eee PC Tweak Guide

Windows XP Installation Guide - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion

2007-12-18T10:12:00.000+00:00

Here is a step by step guide to installing Windows XP on a Notebook or Laptop, with some specific information about ASUS notebooks.

Windows XP Installation Guide - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion

Pocket PC UPNP client - Rudeo Control

2007-12-15T21:42:00.000+00:00

I have been running a UPNP client on my home PC to serve my MP3 files to my Netgear MP101 for quite a while now. I use Twonky Media server and it all works well.

Recently I've been looking for ways to try and access the MP3's from Twonky but on my Laptop or Pocket PC. It's proving difficult to find a client that works for the Laptop, but I've just discovered Rudeo Play & Control form the Pocket PC.
Rudeo Control
There seems to be several different parts to the program
- Pocket PC Rudeo Play & Control (UPNP, WMP, IR) $19.19
- Pocket PC Rudeo Control for Windows Media Player $19.95
- Rudeo MCP Control for XP Media Center $29.95

I'm only interested in the first one to access my UPNP server.

Installation
Installing on my O2 XDA IIi was easy as I already had the .Net CF 2.0 framework installed.
The rest was just a standard install.
I'm running the 14 day trial version just now

Running
To get it to work all I needed to to was fire up the XDA. Conntect to my Wireless network and start Rudeo. Click on UPnp Servers menu item and click Rescan Network. It found Twonky easily and I was away!

Thinks I like:
- Connects to Twonky
- I can browse my MP3's in the same way as on the MP 101 (Album, Artist, Genres, Folders, etc)
- It downloads the MP3's to my Memory Card, so I can play them offline later.

Things that could be better:
- I have to use the stylus as some of the icons are so small
- No album art
- Navigation of files on device is a bit basic.

Conclusion:
This is great. FAB that I can access my MP3 files from my Twonky server. It's great that they are downloaded to my memory card so I can play them offline later.
Think I'll give it a few days then buy it!

Lifehacker, tips and downloads for getting things done

2007-12-13T20:51:00.000+00:00

This looks like a great site for every day tips and tricks on how to get the most from your software.
Well worth reading.
Lifehacker, tips and downloads for getting things done

Nokia N95, N95 8 GB and N82: The evolution of the multimedia computer

2007-12-11T16:07:00.000+00:00

I'm looking for a new mobile phone and the Nokia N95 8Gb is looking good.
However I have to wait till the new year before it becomes available on 3 here in the UK.

This is an interesting article comparing the N95, N96 8Gb and N82.
It has set me thinking... N95 8Gb or N82.... hmmmm
Nokia N95, N95 8 GB and N82: The evolution of the multimedia computer

Eee PC: better with Windows? | Reg Hardware

2007-12-07T16:41:00.000+00:00

Interesting Article on upgrading the Eee PC to use windows.
It seem quite easy to do....
Eee PC: better with Windows? | Reg Hardware

gVisit.com - Track visitors to your website using Google Maps

2007-12-05T09:40:00.000+00:00

This looks like a nifty Google Maps 'Mash Up'.
It's a free service to track the most recent visitors to your web site, and plot them on a Google Map.

gVisit.com - Track visitors to your website using Google Maps

Route Scanner - UK Traffic news and speed cameras personalised for your journey

2007-12-04T12:42:00.000+00:00

This is an impressive Google Maps Mashup site.
You can enter a journey and it will calculate a route for you and then tell you of any reported traffic problems there might be on the way.
It will also tell you where the Seed Cameras are too!
(I think that it only works for the UK though).

Route Scanner - UK Traffic news and speed cameras personalised for your journey

Mobile Phone: Nokia N95 8GB versus the Apple iPhone

2007-11-30T09:14:00.000+00:00

I've been thinking about my next mobile phone for a while now.
I'm fairly sure that I'll get a Nokia N95 8Gb, but I did get a chance to play with an iPhone the other day and is was nice.

This article over at www.allaboutsymbian.com is a good comparison between these phones.

AAS Feature: The Black Beauties Christmas Showdown - Nokia N95 8GB versus the Apple iPhone

Seems that the N95 8Gb wins easily.

Now all I need to do is wait till after Christmas for Vodafone's exclusive N95 8Gb deal to end.

Google Maps

2007-11-29T10:16:00.000+00:00

Google have released a new version of their excellent Google Maps software for Mobile Phones.
Version 2.0 is still in beta, but it does now include a new My Location feature.
If you have a device that does not have GPS, My Location tries to work out your position from the mobile phone masts near you. My Location then makes a best guess as to where you are.
A report from Arne over at http://www.theunwired.net suggests that it's quite good, and can guess your position to within 200 meters or so, which is not bad!

Google Maps

Update: 30/11/2007
I've installed this on my O2 XDA IIi and the My Location feature does not work :-(
When I click on Help, About. At the bottom of the page is says
myl: N/A
Which means that my phone is not reporting and cell information.
More details here.

Xda Stellar Review - 4WinMobile.com

2007-11-27T09:29:00.000+00:00

Xda Stellar Review - 4WinMobile.com
This is a great review of O2's latest XDA model the Stellar.
The phone is based upon HTC's TyTN II.

Interesting that Daron Brewood has been using this phone for 3 months and has only had to reset the phone 4 times.
My current XDA IIi needs resetting once a week!

UltraMobileGeek by ThoughtFix: Asus Eee Ease of Speed Test

2007-11-23T15:47:00.000+00:00

UltraMobileGeek by ThoughtFix: Asus Eee Ease of Speed Test

I've been following ThoughtFix's blog on the Nokia N800 and N810 and find his view of these great machines really interesting.
As he has had to send back his pre-production N810 he has turned his attention to the Eee PC.
I'm looking forward to what he can make it do!

Green Battery - Rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydride & Lithium Batteries.

2007-11-19T12:52:00.000+00:00

Green Battery - Rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydride & Lithium Batteries.

This is an interesting site, they sell Rechargeable batteries, but have a 'Green' view on choosing batteries.

Now without batteries there would be no Gadgets, and this blog would not exist! So batteries are somewhat "close to the heart" of this blog.
Kids toys always need batteries and we are constantly replacing them when they run out.

I'll be investigating the NiMH Nickel Metal Hydride batteries further and also 'Intelligent ' battery chargers.

The only down site about this site is that they charge 5% extra for PayPal and Credit Cards.....better find my cheque book!

Asus Eee PC 4G sub-sub-notebook | Reg Hardware

2007-11-16T12:06:00.000+00:00

Asus Eee PC 4G sub-sub-notebook | Reg Hardware

Here is another review of the lovely ASUS EE PC.
The folks at the Register give it 90%.

EeeUser.com > An Unofficial ASUS Eee PC EeePC 701 Community

2007-11-16T09:00:00.000+00:00

I've just been reading an article on the Register about the ASUS EEEPC and they mention this site EEEUser.com.
I just had a quick look and it does seem to have loads of useful stuff on this excellent device.

EeeUser.com > An Unofficial ASUS Eee PC EeePC 701 Community

Asus Eee 701 PC laptop Review - Pocket-lint.co.uk - gadget news and reviews

2007-11-15T11:29:00.000+00:00

Yet another positive review of the Asus Eee PC.

Asus Eee 701 PC laptop Review - Pocket-lint.co.uk - gadget news and reviews

(( litefeeds )) mobile RSS

2007-11-14T20:48:00.001+00:00

It works! Read feeds and post to your blog while mobile.

www.litefeeds.com

Ultra Portable PC / Laptop for just £169+VAT

2007-10-12T22:05:00.000+01:00

I found this article over at The Register about the release of a Sub-Notebook by RM.
RM readies Linux sub-laptop... for £169
This looks like rather a good machine, 900MHz Intel Celeron M processor with either 2GB or 4GB of solid-state storage, built in 802.11g Wi-Fi, along with a 10/100Mbps network card.
The two machines will retail in the UK for £199 and £234 respectively, which is a shame as they are going for $200 in the US.

You can pre-order them from Clove Technology for £220 here.

The best thing about these machines is that they boot up in around 15 seconds! Yes just 15 seconds! How cool is that.
The machine is being aimed at the Education market, but for me it's a really interesting idea for an household Internet device using the built in Wi-Fi. As it's so quick to start, you can use it to quickly check your e-mail, take it into the kitchen when you are doing your Internet grocery shopping, etc.

The machines come with Linux installed, and also a Browser (FireFox), Email application, Open Office, etc. All you need in a MiniBook.

I found quite a full review over at Notebook Review Asus Eee PC First Thoughts

And also a few YouTube videos below.

This is definitely going on my Gadget List!

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Just watch how quick it starts up!

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And here is a video showing how it's possible to install other operating systems. Yes even Windows XP boots in under 30 seconds!

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Chad Vader

2007-10-12T21:50:00.000+01:00

For the Star Wars fans out there, I found this excellent series of 8 YouTube videos that I just had to share.
Chad Vader is the Day Shift Manager at a grocery store.

Episode 1

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Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Episode 5 (Holiday Special)

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8