Technology Log

Nokia and Microsoft enter strategic alliance on Windows Phone, Bing, Xbox Live and Office

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:07:16 +0000

Nokia and Microsoft enter strategic alliance on Windows Phone, Bing, Xbox Live and Office

Google, SayNow, and Twitter team up to make Tweeting from Egypt possible via voicemail

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 18:40:40 +0000

Google, SayNow, and Twitter team up to make Tweeting from Egypt possible via voicemail

Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver is still fiction -- but not forever

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 07:48:24 +0000

Doctor Who's sonic screwdriver is still fiction -- but not forever:

That’s right, the do-it-all device owned by The Doctor, may not be that far away after all.. According to Professor of Ultrasonics Bruce Drinkwater at Bristol University.

Ok, so it may not have the full functionality that original did, but the possibility of fusing devices, and things like scanning the air or electronics would be possible.. After all, we’re not that far away with current smartphones and the range of capabilities they possess..

So, what’s next, Daleks?

NASA Finds New Life (Updating live) [Breaking]

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 19:59:08 +0000

NASA Finds New Life (Updating live) [Breaking]

Human Brain Lends Computer Some Helpful Processing Power

Wed, 01 Dec 2010 17:11:41 +0000

Human Brain Lends Computer Some Helpful Processing Power:

So, it turns out the Borg aren’t way off in the future, rooted in sci-fi, it’s here. now.

A Columbian University has figured out how to tap into the unconscious mind to perform advanced calculations (in particular with ‘fuzzy’ categories that computers may struggle with).

So, the next supercomputer may not be just 300 PS3s stringed together - it’ll be you!

Kinect 3D Video Capture Just Got Even More Insane [Video]

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:32:28 +0000

Kinect 3D Video Capture Just Got Even More Insane [Video]

Japanese Vending Machines Use Facial Recognition to Suggest Drinks

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:14:11 +0000

Japanese Vending Machines Use Facial Recognition to Suggest Drinks:

Scary. And amazing.

BlackBerry PlayBook and iPad go head-to-head in a browsing showdown

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:22:29 +0000

BlackBerry PlayBook and iPad go head-to-head in a browsing showdown

A Few Picks for the Most Useful Inventions of 2010

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 21:49:47 +0000

A Few Picks for the Most Useful Inventions of 2010:

Some fantastic tech here - concept and real!

3D Glasses Go Gaudy with Gucci [3D Glasses]

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:23:57 +0000

3D Glasses Go Gaudy with Gucci [3D Glasses]

Apple Delays White iPhone Until Next Spring

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 07:42:27 +0100

Apple Delays White iPhone Until Next Spring

No more optical drives? Software Reinstall USB drive comes with new MacBook Air

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:28:05 +0100

No more optical drives? Software Reinstall USB drive comes with new MacBook Air:

So, as a further death toll to optical media (I’m talking CDs / DVDs here), Apple looks to be discouraging the use of the external - optional - disc drive for the MacBook Air for their latest release. Instead a USB key with the software is included.

Although I applaud going down the “no more discs” route - Is the USB key actually needed either? Many Windows PCs now encourage you to burn your own software disc as a backup when getting a new PC and aren’t actually supplied with a Software CD - why not encourage users to create their own USB stick if needed?

(Admittedly that may make things more complicated for the end user, so perhaps a USB key be the easiest option after all..).

Prescription 3D Glasses On Their Way Soon, For Samsung 3DTVs

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:08:39 +0100

Prescription 3D Glasses On Their Way Soon, For Samsung 3DTVs:

Seriously, the glasses requirement for 3DTV must die before it’s adopted by the masses.

FaceTime for Mac in beta - but where's iChat?

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:51:53 +0100

FaceTime for Mac in beta - but where's iChat?:

I’ll say it.. I was a little disappointed in this one. Here we have iChat, an instant messenger program that does video calling, and an entirely separate program to do, um, video calling.

I’ve got more reading to catch up on this one, but where was the thinking here? Surely Apple is all about simplicity and minimalism, so why make us swap between two programs to do a similar function?

Ok, yes, one is for calling PCs and one mobiles, but Skype doesn’t have that differentiation. Open Skype, choose contact, hit ‘call’.. and they’ll pick it up on mobile or laptop depending on which they have logged in at the time.

Give the choice of how to receive a call to the person picking up, not the person making the call..

Kaspersky gets their own virus

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:46:12 +0100

Kaspersky gets their own virus:

Kaspersky - A company historically associated with anti-virus software - had their own website attacked and was serving visitors to their website the wrong content.

Surely this is the equivalent of a locksmith leaving their front door open? Makes it hard to trust them to provide ‘secure’ software.

Having said that I feel a little sorry for anti-virus software companies who must be under daily attack just for the challenge of doing so - but at the same time if you can’t protect your own computers, how can we possibly expect you to protect ours?!

Steve Jobs Promises "A Few Surprises Left" This Year [Apple]

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:18:50 +0100

Steve Jobs Promises "A Few Surprises Left" This Year [Apple]

Windows Phone 7 and removable storage - death to removable media

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 10:16:59 +0100

Windows Phone 7 and removable storage - death to removable media:

Here’s an interesting note regarding Windows 7 Mobile devices and memory cards: they’re not meant to be removed.

Initially I was confused by this decision - for the longest time mobiles with smart cards have been hot-swappable, however for this new OS it’s under the battery. Why?

Well, after thinking about it, it makes sense by reducing confusion for the user.

I’ve been playing around with Android phones, and one of the frustrations I do have is how technical they are - that’s not to say they aren’t fantastic devices if you like customising it ‘just so’, but for someone who just wants to get on and do stuff it can be daunting.

In this case: storage. When you store your content, is it on the phone or the memory card? how do you transfer between the two? are there duplicates?

Not so with Windows Phone 7 - Add in a memory card and it just increases the total storage space of the device, the system just sees it as one giant storage space. Of course you could argue that you can’t take out the memory card and put it in your laptop to transfer content, but then in theory you shouldn’t need to, just plug in your phone and transfer to the new giant storage space there.

The only main downside seems to be that you can’t keep multiple sets of storage (one card for all your movies, one for tv shows etc), but for a non-techie user they’re a) unlikely to have lots of memory cards, and b) won’t want to hot-swap those fiddly things.

Personally, I think this is a move in the right direction.

(Also my theory that removable media is dying is gradually coming true - no more discs or stacks of memory cards lying about, single storage spaces are the way forward!)

Google TV? How about human TV?

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 16:34:02 +0100

I have an anger building.. I’m excited about the future of internet connected TVs, but concerned about the direction they’re moving in.

Confused already? a quick bit of info.. There has been a growing trend for software that compiles and collates online content and stream it through your TV, alongside your normal broadcasting. This may be tv shows, your facebook stream, flickr or any number of other websites.

Of, course, in part this has already existed for some time.. we’ve had internet connected tvs with extremely closed systems, and HTPCs (Home Theatre PCs) have been around for years. These HTPCs were often the DIY solution of taking a miniature PC, connecting it to the tv, running some media based software - however they’ve always been a hack, requiring constant tweaks as codecs and streaming sources change.

“But no more, for now I have Google TV” - Woo, I say. Yes, the big G has produced a set-top box called the Logitech Revue, based on the Android operating system. It leverages Google’s skill at searching to provide the internet alongside your tv viewing. But there’s a problem - it’s effectively taking your PC and cramming it into a tv, not leaving your tv as a media source. Don’t believe me? This is the remote control for your media:

That’s right - There you are, lounging on your couch, but you need a full sized keyboard to interact with it.

Think that’s bad? Sony have just launched their new line of TVs with Google TV built in.. “Hooray, no additional box!” I hear you say. Yup, but you’ll have to content with this monstrosity:

So, is there a solution to getting your media on the big screen? Yes indeedy.. first stop is Apple, with Apple TV:

That’s all it takes ladies and gentlemen. Apple have taken what would historically have been a full size keyboard, and cut it down to the bare essentials, with a user interface that’s easy to navigate. Job sorted, right? Not so fast. If you want to play back your media, you go through Apple. Want to buy a show? it has to be Apple. Want to stream? Apple. Got racks of DVDs you want to put on this thing? You’ll have to convert it to an iTunes friendly format first and cross your fingers..

One last contender: Boxee

This beta software underdog have taken the source code for another project, XBMC, and turned it into a gorgeous, easy to use interface that anyone can use, not just the geeks and techies. It plays back most local media in a range of formats, and integrates with a huge range of online websites to provide streaming media on demand. So, what’s the problem? The Boxee Box launches at the end of November, and at this time (at least in the UK), some of the apps are still not functional, and it doesn’t integrate with all ‘standard’ channel tv sources. But it’s getting there and has potential. So where’s the downside?

The Boxee Box has no storage of it’s own, it requires an external drive. Yes, these are easy to pick up from most electronics stores, but how do you get content on there? a Samba connection over your local network (or plug it into your normal computer, transfer your media, and plug it back into the Boxee Box). That’s not complicated, but if you’re not a techie that’s a few steps too far - for this to really take off, it has to be seamless: Stick in a DVD, it’ll ask if you want to copy it to the hard drive - same with the memory card from a camera, or music CD.

It’ll get there, but companies need to stop trying to hack PCs into TVs, and focus on making them simple human interface devices for what is supposed to be the Media centre of your home.

P.S. the Boxee remote:

"Temporal Analytics Engine" Uses the Internet to Predict the Future

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 14:46:22 +0100

"Temporal Analytics Engine" Uses the Internet to Predict the Future:

I read through the Foundation book series by Isaac Asimov - he wrote about a mathematician who could predict the future, but only for large groups of people.

Although individuals are seemingly random, the average of large groups of people, populations, or even the world could be predicted.

So here we are, with a company who seems to be offering it, wait what?! Ok, it’s not quite future predictions.. From what I can see you choose a topic, and it will hunt the web for what people are saying about future activities regarding that. Effectively you’re crowdsourcing people’s online content to predict future activities.

It’s definitely a little scary, but nothing beyond what you could do yourself by trawling various websites. Still, the future may not be that far off..

NELL: An Automated Supercomputer Teaches Itself Semantics

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 14:33:32 +0100

NELL: An Automated Supercomputer Teaches Itself Semantics:

Scary, scary stuff.. Of course the benefit of self-learning computers are ones that learn our individual habits and can then tailor what they offer more precisely. On the other hand they may become self-aware, and take over the world “for our protection”.

Personally I welcome our silicon overlords - we have become so dependent on computers for daily life anyway, why not give over completely?