Category: Wireless

Feature Phones vs Smartphones – A Lopsided Battle

Over the last decade I’ve owned a number of mobile phones (as I am sure most people will have as well). To give you a quick idea, these are the phones that I have used: Nokia 7110, O2 XDA (rebadged HTC Wallaby), O2 XDA II (rebadged HTC Himalaya), O2 XDA IIs (rebadged HTC Blueangel), O2 …

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IPTV – The Future of Multicast Content Delivery

At home in our living room, we have our LCD TV hooked up to the Foxtel IQ2 (which is a fantastic device by the way) but there are times when we both want to watch something at the same time and time shifting is simply not an option. One such case tonight was when I …

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Skype – Free Voice and Video Calls for the Masses

Skype (Conversation Window)

Traditionally, people have relied on landlines and more recently mobile phones to keep in touch with their friends and loved ones. Sure, costs to call people interstate or internationally have come down over the years and mobile caps are helpful to a degree but you still end up having to bear the cost of communication. …

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Subsonic – Free Streaming Music

A few days ago, a friend of mine (thanks Mark!) brought a fantastic piece of software to my attention. It’s called Subsonic and it basically allows you to stream your music collection over the Internet to a streaming capable device. You’ll need a Windows, Mac or Linux computer to act as the streaming server and …

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iPad Unboxing, Preview & Review – Locked In

I just ordered an iPad (WiFi + 3G model) from the states. It will take some time to make its way over here but I should have it in my hands in just over a month. I also ordered the case and the standalone dock as well. I will do an unboxing video (which will …

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Electronic Cinema Ticketing – Fantastic When it Works

Earlier today, the wife and I went and saw “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (which had the original title of “Men Who Hate Women) and as usual we booked our tickets online so we could “jump the queue” at the box office. More often than not, I really dislike the notion of having to …

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iPhone App – World Surfer

Just a quick one tonight. Came across an interesting application for the iPhone called “World Surfer”. Basically, using the GPS and compass, you point your iPhone down a street (or in a particular direction) and it will tell you about stores and attractions that exist, their distance and offer more information about them. Vik (my …

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Unsecured Wi-Fi – Protect Your Privacy

My view of the Melbourne CBD as I blog today

Hello from the club at the Grand Hyatt in Melbourne! Just a quick update today. Included with the cost of our room here at the Grand Hyatt, there is also free WiFi available in the club. Of course, with such an arrangement the WiFi is unsecured and unencrypted which can be a concern as all of …

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PAYG Internet Kiosks – Why Bother?

At the shopping centre near my workplace and also outside one of my favourite restaurants, The Palace Chinese Restaurant, there are these Hi-Speed Internet Kiosks. If memory serves me correctly, it costs $2 for 21 minutes and you get the use of a USB port, black and white printer and of course Internet access for …

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Full Body Scanners – Are You Concerned About Your Health & Privacy?

A recurring topic that has appeared in the news the last few weeks has been about the use of full body scanners at Australian airports. In particular, this ZDNet article echoes previous concerns about privacy and how the naked images of those who are scanned could be redistributed. A good example highlighting such a misuse …

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