Normal Service will be�

On May 1st, Google will will be changing the way they manage my Blogs, and this has an impact on the feeds to Facebook and other social networking sites that �talk� to my blog.

It�s quite a big change, requiring a whole load of tweaks at my end plus the �fun� of transferring six years of blogs without any glitches.

Being a realist, I think it�s fair to say that there may be an interruption to services sometime between now and then!!

What fun!

New NetBook up and running...

Phew! Well that didn't take long. I've managed to install all the necessary software on my new NetBook and it's all fine! I'm sooooo pleased that everything is now back to normal after 'wobbly Sunday'

Size Matters�

Some of you will just be old enough to remember the original Polaroid camera. Remember how we all marvelled at the fact it could print pictures instantly? For younger readers, this was in pre-digital days and the Polaroid was a true miracle, because the only other way to get your pics developed was to rush down to Boots for �express printing�. At best, you might get them back the next day!

So, welcome to 2010 and my latest gadget, courtesy of Maplins. If you�ve got a mobile phone with Bluetooth and it can take photos - and you�ve got 30 quid to spare, this will be the coolest piece of kit this year.

It�s called a PoGo and it�s about the size of an iPhone (but a bit thicker). You take the photo on your mobile. Hit the button on your phone and it prints out the 3x2 picture in about 60 seconds. The photos have a peelable sticky back too, so you can stick it anywhere (stop titteirng at the back!). It will even run on the rechargeable battery � so it�s truly portable.

Genius!!!!!

Related articles

• Polaroid Cameras Make A Comeback At CES 2010 (huffingtonpost.com)

Test Blog from new NetBook

Hello world!

My NetBook throws a wobbly!

It�s been a constant companion of mine now for nearly 18 months , but yesterday, it finally had enough of being shoved into dark places, left in training rooms all alone and forced to travel in the luggage area on planes!

At 3pm yesterday it was fine � windowing away nicely, thank-you. By 5pm, this had been replaced by the infamous �BSoD� (Blue Screen of Death) that�s so common with Windoze XP machines. The message on the screen said �Unmountable Boot Volume�, which in English means, the hard disk has failed.

In spite of a lot of pampering, four hours later, it was no better, so I gave it its last rites � and rather like the parrot in Monty Python, it has now �ceased to be�.

So, it�s bye-bye Dell and hello Samsung NC120 (in a few days).

Don�t you just lurrrrrve technology!

Julie's Rules

Popped round to Julie and Tom's to try and deal with a problem Julie was having with all her emails automatically going into the deleted bin!

It turned out that a 'rogue' rule was to blame.
Technology is wonderful isn't it???

PC Fix

Popped over to Paul and Sue�s to attempt to fix Sue�s PC. For no reason at all, it had started to pop-up warning messages about viruses and spyware attacking her machine. No matter what they tried, they couldn�t get the message to stop appearing.

What was interesting was, that it wasn�t their normal AV program that was giving the messages. Hhhhmmm� I suspect a Trojan of some kind.

After running various tests and downloading a tool that was supposed to fix-it � it didn�t make any difference! But I was lucky enough to find some instructions on the �net on how to remove it manually.

Success! It�s now working fine.

Chish and Fips!

A busy, but ultimately enjoyable day. It didn't start off that way though! For no reason, at about 11am, we lost all connections to the internet for about an hour, just at the point where all the stuff I'd been working on in the morning needed a connection to complete the job. Strangely, email was OK, but any 'net access just didn't work. Then, as quickly as it disappeared, it all started working again! Phew!!

The afternoon was better�much better! I popped round to Tom and Julie's at around 4 for a chat and a coffee. Then, it was back home to get the fish and chips ready for supper with David and Val. Val brought the desserts � yummy!!!

I've become a fan of 'mushy peas'..wonder if there's is a FaceBook page for that!!

USB iz Gr8!

You know me, I can�t go a week without a dabble in technology! How�s this then, for something really neat�and useful too!

Ann�s car came with a �usb port for music�. After briefly reading the manual (boring!), I ordered an 8Gb stick from Amazon in a nice �girly pink� (about 20 quid)and then copied a load of MP3s to it. Then, it was just a matter of plugging the stick into the slot in the car and switching on the music!

The track title and album name shows up on the display when it�s playing too! Fantastic!!!!

No faffing about with iPods and cables then - just copy any MP3 to the stick, and away we go! It probably means I can get around 5000 tracks - all her music - onto the one stick and that saves leaving loads of CDs in the car.

As a famous meerkat once said �simples��

Page 100

 
Screen courtesy of mb21

Readers of a �certain age� will remember a uniquely British technology that led the World, appearing on TVs in the early 70s - in fact, the service was first launched on 23 September 1974.

It was called teletext and back then, it was a must-have for techy-nerds like me! In later years, all TVs would have it as standard.

Why write about it today? Well, today is when most of it gets switched off. Some other of its commercial parts like horse-racing, dating and holiday services will still remain, but it�s the end of an era for the free information service � the majority of the content.

Teletext�s demise, ironically, was caused by another information technology � the internet. And, because most of Teletext�s services were paid for by the revenue from advertising, it became a commercially unworkable business model. The service had seen a massive decline in readers as those same readers flooded to the internet instead for the same information.

A passing of an era�

Ooh, that�s clever! (4)

Here�s a clever thing. I can see my mobile phone screen on my PC and use the mouse to control it!

If you use a Windows mobile phone, you can download the FREE software from the my mobiler site HERE

Family Weekend

Saturday
We started the weekend heading off to Roger, Jane and Oliver's. - and popped into see Anthony, one of Ann's ex-JS colleagues on the way � he lives in Letchworth with his wife, Sue.

We got to theirs about 2.45 after a couple of trips up-and-down their road trying to find the house. What a lovely place � a 1920s building with an extensive garden. We had a long chat and tucked into tea and cake. We also saw their chickens! (brilliant beasts..they eat crumpets and mice!!!). Roger phoned to see where we were and that prompted us to get on our way. I'm sure we'll be seeing Anthony and Sue (and their chickens!) again. 

Arriving at R, J and O's around 4.45, after a short delay, the security gates opened!!! (Roger loves his gates!!). We unpacked the pressies from the car and quickly headed inside � it was freezing! They all looked well, and Oliver was as energetic as ever!

The evening meal was excellent � a beef casserole with a gorgeous sauce made from port and cranberry sauce.

Oliver was packed off to bed around 7.30 and by 9.30 we followed! We're such party animals!!!

Sunday
We both slept well, and I slept through until 7 � very unusual for me�

I grabbed a shower and on my return found that Oliver had taken my place in the bed � as lively and as noisy as ever!!!

Oliver continued to contribute to Ann getting ready by pretending to be a hairdresser and arming himself with Jane's curling tongs. I'm pretty sure Roger wouldn't be too chuffed if Oliver chose that as a serious profession!

We had a quick breakfast, sorted out the DVD player we'd given them and showed Jane how to move some documents to Roger's account on their PC..and then it was time to go � busy busy!

We'd taken the precaution of avoiding the major roadworks on the M25 near Waltham Cross and travelled via Harlow. It turned out to be a good journey and we got Mum's just before 12. A quick natter and then we drove to The Spinning Wheel at Westerham, just down the road - Mum had booked it ages ago for our Christmas get together.
Mum�s looking and sounding a lot, lot better. The �patches� that the doctor prescribed to ease her aches and pains seem to be doing the trick and it was good to see her more like her old self again.

I didn't remember The Spinning Wheel at all, but both Mum and Ann said I'd been there before (old age creeping on maybe?). We quickly chose from the menu - Mum had steak and chips; Ann had Fish and chips and I tried the sausage and mash. Being the generous sort, I helped out Mum and Ann with her chips! I guess all-in-all the food was 'OK' rather than something better. What was memorable however, was how cold the place was, and how the service deteriorated the longer we were there. By 2pm we had just got our dessert (we'd got there at 12.25) and I took the executive decision to ask for the bill at the same time. Luckily (and maybe predictably), that arrived very quickly!!

We dropped Mum back at her flat, said our good-byes and headed home. Leaving at 2.30, it was trouble-free journey until we got closer to home, where a four-mile queue near the A14 turning slowed our progress. After stopping off at Kettering station to pick up a ticket for next week, were indoors by 5.15.

It's been a full-on weekend, and it's been good fun!!

Ooh, that�s clever! (3)

OK, this utility didn�t come with the phone, but I downloaded it from the Microsoft Apps Marketplace for a mere two dollars. It�s called Trackah and it uses the GPS chip in the phone to track your journey � car, bus, walking etc. The result is a file that when clicked on either on the phone or on a desktop PC, launches Google Earth and shows your journey.

What�s more, it shows how many miles covered, average speed, altitude and - sorry officer! � maximum speed during the trip. It can also be used as a simple speedometer, as an altimeter, or act as a stopwatch.

Ooh that�s clever! (2)

Not satisfied with now being able to watch programmes on the BBC iPlayer on my mobile phone, I�ve discovered a bit of free software that allows me to program my Sky+ Box from my mobile phone!

You can download the free software from HERE

Ooh that�s clever!

Alexander Graham Bell could have never imagined that his invention of the telephone would evolve into such a useful gadget. In fact, it�s not so long ago � around 1990 if memory serves � that mobile phones were only good for  err� making mobile phone calls!

My latest, the HTC HD2, now allows me to watch catch-up TV via the BBC iPlayer � how clever is that?

O2 officially launches the �HTC HD2�

According to the O2 NEWS website, the phone is being launched �this week�, but there is still no sign of it to buy on the normal O2 website. The video below shows an O2 sales guy extolling the virtues of the phone.

Glad I got mine last week from O2 then, before the official launch!!!

Yes, October!, No, late October!, No err, Yes, early November!, Maybe, No, 23rd November! No, the 30th November, No, maybe December 2009!!!

After quite a few false-dawns resulting in a massive 240,000+ posts on the O2 Forum (that only started on 24 September), the new HTC HD2 phone has finally arrived on O2! I�d actually resigned myself to the fact that it wasn�t going to be available until Monday, 23rd � next week -at the earliest, and some were even saying it would be as late as DECEMBER!!


I�m out for most of next week so there would be no-one here to take delivery of it, and If I recall correctly, because it�s a high-value item, the couriers won�t even deliver it to a neighbours. I�m therefore glad I decided to take a look at the O2 Discussion Forum this morning to see if there was any any new news of its availability.

Surprise, surprise! a few new posts revealed that some customers had been advised by O2 customer services that the phone could be ordered TODAY, ahead of the official launch on Monday

I thought I might as well try as well.

Success! Easy-peasy! I�ve acquired the phone for 97.86 on an 18 month contract of 35 quid per month and that includes:

• 600 minutes
• 1000 texts
• Unlimited data
  

Now I�d call that a good deal!

Full review HERE from 4WinMobile
 
It could be here tomorrow! Boys and their toys ehh???

Cambridge, here we come!

Ann, Nicki and I set of for Cambridge just before 8am, to finish off the Christmas presents. The weather was truly atrocious � gale force winds virtually everywhere in the UK. We had a smooth journey there and were soon amongst the hundreds shopping at The Grand Arcade. I managed to get the last of Ann�s gifts and the girls did pretty well too!

Ann also bought me a beautiful Rado watch for our forthcoming 25th Anniversary in December. I need to get my act together and reciprocate!!

We decided to have an early lunch and settled in Carluccio�s, close to Lion Yard. Good job too, as when we got there, it soon filled up. The food and the service turned out to be EXCELLENT! We settled for just a starter and mains and then headed home. The queue for the car-park was enormous and we�re glad we arrived when we did!

We got back around 2pm and I popped in to sort out the issue of the repair of my damaged alloys at Kwik-Fit. They�ve agreed to let me have them refurbished and they�ll reimburse me, but it all sounded a bit vague and sloppy � let�s see how it turns out!

We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out catching up with the newspapers. Nicki left earlier than usual as she had to be in Reading by 5.30

It�s been a good great day!

O2 missed the boat!

After all the excitement of the new HTC HD2 mobile phone being launched by O2, it seems that others have got in there first, like Vodafone through mobiles.co.uk. And if O2 can�t offer the phone nor any tariffs, how come mobiles.co.uk can on both O2 and Vodafone?

I�m slightly confused and a bit irritated (like many loyal O2 customers!) and as expected, the O2 support forums are on fire, full of moaning customers!!!

O2, I think you�ve missed a great opportunity!

The Patter of Tiny Droplets

Another in the series of �Boys and their Toys�!!!

My new Canon Pixma 640 All-in-One Printer arrived today. It uses technology where the ink droplets are extremely small - currently, the smallest around � 1 picolitre, (whatever they are!)

This results in ultra pin-sharp images and text, that even at very small point sizes, will rival the best laser printers.

It�s also a scanner/colour copier/make-the-tea device.

(OK, I lied about the last one) It�s wireless too, so this means that it can sit anywhere in the house � all it needs is a mains socket (not even a USB cable) and any of the PCs on the home network can print to it. Marvellous!!

Cleverly, it also prints, at a touch of a button, graph paper, lined paper and/or music paper � it also prints blank diary pages too. I can�t think I�ll ever need any of this but hey, why not?

The print quality is excellent and copying facility is so sharp, you can�t tell the copy from the original.

..and all for just whisper over 100 pounds from those nice people at Amazon.

How fast is your Street?

This is useful. It allows you to enter your post-code and then the resulting web-page shows a comparison of other internet providers� speeds in the area.

Currently, because the data is sent in by people like you and me, there�s not much there, but I can see that when entering our post-code, internet speeds are generally poor in the immediate area, but there are one or two high-speed locations.

Click here for the site

HTC HD2 � Launch date gets closer�or does it?

Depending on where you look on the �net, the launch date in the UK for the most technologically advanced cellphone to-date, is either next week (the 12 or 13th)�or possibly the week after.

In the meantime, those clever people at XDA Developers have managed to acquire the Quick Start Guide and the Full Operating Manual.

HTC HD2 Quick Start click here

HTC HD2 Quick Start Guide click here

Nerd Alert � now that�s what I call a good read!!!


YouTube  have also got an extended walkthrough of the phone � grab a drink and something to eat � it�s nearly 45 minutes long!! � but it�s a really thorough explanation of all the phone�s features courtesy of Paul O�Brien from www.MoDaCo.com

It�s here� NOT!

Well, it�s nearly here - the iPhone killer from HTC and the most significant phone on the Windows platform since the previous phone from HTC running on the Windows platform! :)

It had been the worst kept secret on the �net (or was that deliberate?); and for weeks there had rumors there and rumours here, together with suggested release dates.

When I rang O2 on Monday (the supposed release day), they confirmed it was due �this week� and suggested I ring back after 2pm � so far, so good! I couldn�t ring at 2, so when I rang on Tuesday, I was told it�s not going to around until November�11th!

The O2 Support Forum is going bonkers � and there�s a wager as to how many �pages� it�ll run to before all the excitement does down.

Arghhhhh!

Just a few days left� (Nerd alert!)

If the rumours are to be believed, O2 will be stocking the �iphone killer�, the HTC-HD2, from Monday.

I�m in the queue�!

The HTC �HD2�

It�s official, after lots of speculation, the HD2 is coming out soon � probably mid-October here in the UK.

Stuff Magazine�s web-site Stuff.tv have managed to get hold of one, and there is a short promotional video on the HTC web-site.

 

Official Photograph � The new HTC HD2

Even if you don�t really care much for phones, you can�t fail to be impressed by this one�

Photo courtesy of engadget

�O2� springs a leak

So, the rumours ARE true. O2 is going to launch the most powerful Windows Mobile phone ever! This page is from a leaked version of O2�s October magazine - and the device hasn�t even been launched by the manufacturer HTC yet!!!

Someone at O2 is going to get their wrists slapped!

..so now all we need to know is exactly WHEN!

Update 12.15: I phoned O2 and they confirmed it�ll be out on 26th October � but they weren�t taking any pre-orders.

HTC �Leo� � The story continues

If you�re a bit nerdy like me AND you like the latest in mobile phones AND the current iPhone 3GS isn�t quite powerful enough for you, then read on�

The �net seems to be falling over itself to report on the new flagship PDA/phone by HTC codenamed �Leo� , (to be renamed the �HTC HD2�), due apparently, in October 2009.

Almost 3 times as a powerful as the iPhone; with the largest screen ever seen -  4.3 inches; the new Qualcomm �snapdragon 1Ghz processor and the new Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, we nerds are positively salivating at the thought of this beastie!!!

Better news still if you are on O2 (like me) where the latest buzz is that it�ll be free if you are on a business tariff at around 45 notes a month.

I can�t help thinking that with O2�s exclusive deal with Apple to be the sole provider of the iPhone 3GS coming to an end soon (Orange and Vodafone will be selling them in the future), the HD2, will be the must-have high-end phone of 2010.

The Buzz

wmexperts Podcast Episode 70
WM Experts
Malatesta and Phil talk up Microsoft's Project Pink, the deluge of HTC HD2 news and the latest in Windows Mobile. Plus, more of your e-mails and a couple of ...
See all stories on this topic

Leo will be Renamed to HD 2 | HTC Phones
By AllHTC
Latest news in the mobile world. HTC smartphones, Android OS and Windows Mobile OS, Other smartphones.
HTC Phones - http://www.htcphones.net/

Mobile Phone News 29th September | Mobile Phone Blog � Mobile ...
By Neil
Dubbed the HTC Leo, it seems the final production name for this product is going to be the HTC HD2. Information on specification is still scarce, but once details are confirmed, we will have a full review available here. ...
Mobile Phone Blog - Mobile Phone... - http://blog.rightmobilephone.co.uk/

Google Web Alert for: htc hd2

No Touch HTC Leo will be HTC HD2
HTC will drop the "Touch" from their device names starting with the HTC Leo...

HTC HD2 (aka, Leo) launching on O2 UK October 12th?
According to said source, the O2 intranet site lists the "HTC HD2" on its future products list with an October 12th launch date. O2 peeps will immediately ...

HTC Leo Snapdragon Processor: 300-percent faster than Touch HD
Phones Review
The Snapdragon toting HTC Leo is looking more and more interesting now that several benchmarks have been announced, benchmarks that could well mean the HTC ...
See all stories on this topic

HTC Rumour: Passion with Android 2.0, Leo's Snapdragon Processor
Product Reviews (blog)
As we know, Windows Mobile runs the HTC Leo; this has lead to rumours that Google Android 2.0 would power the HTC Passion. According to Android and Me, ...
See all stories on this topic

O2 on iPhone Exclusivity: We're Proud to Have Had It
Softpedia
Besides the aforementioned Palm Pre, O2 is also rumoured to plan on nabbing the high-end HTC Leo, a Windows Mobile-based device that sports Qualcomm's ...
See all stories on this topic

Digital Compass in HTC Leo confirmed again � actually comes with a ...
By admin
The latest HTC Leo leaked ROMs however contain an application which makes it very clear the device is in fact equipped with the hardware, and unlike Apple's version the device will actually come with a useful application out of the box. ...
WMPoweruser.com - http://wmpoweruser.com/

HTC Leo won't support multi-touch for Pocket Internet Explorer ...
For those who plan on browsing the web on the HTC Leo with Pocket Internet Explorer, you'll be sad to know that multi-touch won't be supported...
Phone Arena - Latest News - http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/Verizon-launches-Teaser-webpage-article-a_2074.html

HTC Leo Snapdragon Processor: 300-percent faster than 300 percent ...
By James
HTC Leo Snapdragon Processor: 300-percent faster than 300 percent faster than Touch HD on Phones Review.
Phones Review - http://www.phonesreview.co.uk/

New Details about HTC Leo (Touch HD2) | HTC Phones
By AllHTC
Latest news in the mobile world. HTC smartphones, Android OS and Windows Mobile OS, Other smartphones.
HTC Phones - http://www.htcphones.net/

HTC Leo Snapdragon Processor: 300-percent faster than 300 percent ...
By trakkrz-admin
The HTC Leo packs a Snapdragon 1GHz processor which ups the game in smartphone performance as benchmarks show that the HTC Leo is over 300% faster than the HTC Touch HD and on all 3D grap[...] read full article. Tags: htc, Mobile Phones
Gadgets - http://gadgets.trakkrz.com/

HTC Leo benchmarked, leaves blisters
Sep 27, 2009 ... The HTC Leo has already got hearts-aflutter the world over with its high-end spec sheet and huge capacitive touchscreen, but now that some 

HTC Leo could be called HD2, oh and there's a video of the UI ...
Sep 26, 2009 ... The HTC Leo has been churning in the rumour mill for quite a while but it's all coming to an end - it's launching in October.

HTC Leo

OK gadget fans � Since Wednesday�s blog about this phone, the internet has suddenly become flooded with more rumours of HTC�s �iPhone-killer�. The latest news suggests that it�ll be called the HTC HD2 (which is logical, considering it looks a bit like the original �HD�). Rumours also suggest that it�s an October 12 launch� in the UK anyway� and the best news of all (for me anyway!) is that it�ll be available on O2.

No prices yet, but I reckon it�ll be in the 40 quid a month/2 year contract region.

I want one � and I want one NOW!

The Rumours�

HTC Leo coming to O2 on 12 October?
By Duncan Geere
HTC Leo coming to O2 on 12 October? - O2 intranet suggests imminent launch.
Pocket-lint.com : Latest News - http://www.pocket-lint.com/

HTC Leo coming to O2 October 12th?
By admin
HTC Leo coming to O2 October 12th? September 24th, 2009 | Author: admin. htc_leo_01-02. Engadget is quoting a �tipster with a proven past� who states the much anticipated HTC HD2 is coming to O2 as soon as October 12th. ...
WMPoweruser.com - http://wmpoweruser.com/

HTC Touch HD2 (HTC Leo) to launch in the UK on October 12th ...
By admin
According to a tipster over at Engadget, UK mobile operator 02's intranet list the �HTC HD2? (also know as the HTC Leo) as being launched on October 12th. Only time will tell, but I'm not holding my breath. The HTC Leo/HD2 isn't ...
MobileTechWorld - http://www.mobiletechworld.com/

Tipster says: O2 UK October 12 Launch for HTC Leo (HD2) | RSS For ...
By admin
We have just come across some amazing information about the sexy HTC HD2 aka Leo and its launch date. According to Engadget they have had the amazing news ...
RSS For Gadgets - http://www.rss4gadgets.co.uk/

Technology News: HTC Leo will be launching on October 12
By maradona
Resource Engadget, citing a "reliable source" told the release date communicator HTC HD2. According to reports, under this title at the British operator O2 may receive model HTC Leo. This unit has not been officially announced and its ...
Technology News - http://phonestechnology.blogspot.com/