Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category

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Twitter ye not!

Saturday, December 18th, 2010

No news is good news, or at least that’s how the saying goes. Look at the date of the last post here, around three weeks ago. The reason? Apart from the usual suspects of a busy and full life, I’ve become addicted to Twitter. I opened an account for PoloDriver.com a few months ago and primarily use it to send post headlines to the social site automatically. This then hopefully encourages readers to go to the site to read the latest updates.

All very clever, but I’d resisted the temptation to open a personal account as I thought it was just yet another thing to update and read, and what with numerous daily RSS feeds from other websites, Facebook updates and the never-ending pile of reading matter at home, there just simply aren’t enough hours in the day.

Until now, that is. No, I haven’t managed to bend the rules of science and make my days longer, but I have found that I can integrate Twitter into my daily jobs list with literally no effort. As with other ‘news’ and update sources, I pick and mix what I want to read, but already it’s proved useful, enabling me to download music tracks from my favourite artists and find stories for the Polo website.



Of course, you have to have a smartphone to use it, and the availability of Nik’s first-generation iPhone was timely. At the moment, I think the novelty is still there, and I can’t wait to see what everyone’s been up to, and what my favourite pop stars and car magazine writers are up to. A late adopter, yes, but as a way of ‘mini-blogging’, it’s brilliant, and allows you to connect to friends without the sometimes overly-intrusive nature of Facebook.

I’ve still got to learn about ‘retweeting’, replying and other such essential tools for would-be tweeters, but I’m getting there, slowly. And although my number of followers is small (PoloDriver has more), I’m hoping that in time, they’ll grow. Catch me at www.twitter.com/gooding2shoes and if you’re interested in all things Volkswagen Polo, follow the PoloDriver feed at www.twitter.com/polodrivercom

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Apple iPad

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Say ‘Hello’ the iPad. I played with the new Apple device after Nik brought one home from work at the weekend, and I can honestly say it’s as good as all techie geeks dared hope. And I wasn’t expecting to ‘get’ that much from the much-hyped Apple tablet (I have little desire for an iPhone as I barely use my mobile as it is), but, I will have to admit, it could – rightly – be the start of something big. Swiping and tapping has never been so easy.

If Apple plays it right and keeps up the development, it could have another iPod on its hands, it’s that good. It’s just so intuitive to use, the Apps look good and as is customary practice from the Californian developers, it looks beautiful. Just playing with it for 90 minutes on Saturday night was enough to make me want one. It’s perfect for using sitting in front of the TV, or for watching TV on.

The sound’s good, too. And then there’s the Maps, the Mail and the internet browsing. All easy, all fast and all very well integrated. Whether or not the iPad will change the publishing world is yet unclear (and it’s something we’re debating at work at the moment), but the iBooks store and application is as impressive as any other aspect of this lovely machine. Due for launch in the UK later this month, try one and see the future of computing.

And while it might be best to wait until a second, third, or even fouth-generation additional feature-packed device, I think the outcome will be the same. You may well just be saying ‘Hello’ to your own personal iPad sooner than you imagine.

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Nokia 6303 Classic

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

Four years is clearly too long to keep a mobile phone. I’d been on the Orange ‘Everyday 50′ tariff for at least 10 years. So long in fact, that the company stopped offering it to new customers a long time ago. At the time I switched, it suited me fine – I could easily use the 50 free minutes per day, but as time has gone on, it’s become less and less relevant to the way I live my life.

So, I’d planned to get the necessary files off my old Nokia 3230 and then switch to something more modern and more reliable. One of the first ‘smartphones’, it was never the most relaible, and the advancing years and failing Symbian software didn’t add to its cause. It died spectacularly, though, last week, and in doing so, took all my files and contacts with it. Thankfully the photos are on a memory card, so I have them, but new contacts and texts, they’re gone. Game over.

Nokia 6303 Classic

Looking for a new mobile deal is never fun. I knew what I wanted though, so it wasn’t too difficult and didn’t take too long. I barely use a mobile these days, so a cheap tariff was a must (which ruled out the £30 and upwards iPhone plan), and in the end I settled for Orange once again, switching to its ‘Orange 10’ plan. I now have 100 minutes a month at no cost along with 300 texts, all with a free Nokia 6303 Classic (left) and even my old number, which I didn’t really relish losing.

The phone’s great. It would have been £80 on a pay as you go deal and even then you’d have to put at least £10’s worth of credit on it every month. The Nokia’s very smart, and still does more than I need. MP3/AAC player, radio, 3.2 megapixel camera with flash, microSD card slot, internet, maps and TFT screen technology. Of course, it does all the usual texting and calling stuff, too.

It was definitely worth the switch. Not that I’d want one at the moment, but I’ll even get a new handset after 18 months. I’ve now signed a three-year contract, but that’s not a problem – as I said, my mobile use is few and far between these days. But, who knows, this shiny steel new handset could make mobile use fun again…

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NVDRSTape

Friday, March 27th, 2009

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We’re all for retro at goodrichard.com, and big lovers of music, so this new MP3 player is perfect. Designed by industrial designer Stefano Pertegato based in Milan, the NVDRSTape is an MP3 player that resembles an old school, old-fashioned cassette tape.

Playing on the emotions of thirty-something technology lovers, there have been retro gadgets masquerading as cassettes before, most notably the Mix Tape USB memory stick.  But, although the NVDRSTape has a USB plug, it goes lots further and ticks more retro boxes than perhaps it useably should.

The genius lies in the fact that to maximise its nod to the world of chewed up tape and 80s sounds, dodgy clothes and even dodgier haircuts, the NVDRSTape comes with a choice of 45, 60, or 90-minute playing times. Of course, that means that you have to be even more selective than with an iPod Shuffle with which MP3 files you’d like to listen to, therefore only choosing your absolute favourite tracks.

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Further retro coolness is added when charging the kinetic battery. Wind the spool and charge is added; do the same and tracks can be rewound or fast-forwarded. Not entirely practical granted, but the bright, period colours will put a smile on your face, and add to the appeal of the designer machine. It even comes in an opening cassette case (which can be used with headphones) to protect it, and displays the time elapsed in the ‘tape’ window.

No price has been given for the NVDRSTape (and you can guarantee it won’t be available at old cassette prices), and only 1,000 units are to be made at first to test demand. On idea alone it deserves to be a hit, although you’d need another MP3 player with you if you’re easily bored by listening to the same music over and over again, or are prepared to change the playlist every day.

Nostalgia freaks as we are, we like it, though admit that it scores low on a few practicality points. Speeding back or forward through tracks will be a chore, and may add ‘spool finger’ to medical dictionaries. The limited capacity and plying time might be an issue, too. But, in a world of multiple downloads and formats, it brings the selective art of the mix tape back. When did you last make one of those?

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Pedalites

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

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It’s ironic that just as the brighter mornings and evenings arrive, I finally get around to fitting the Pedalites that Nik bought me for Christmas. The self-powered lit pedals have sat in the shed for the last three months waiting for both the time and the weather needed to fit them. But, both arrived last weekend, and so now I’ve joined the thousands of Pedalite users around the world.

A bit of a pain to fit granted (although with a fitting the same as your previous bicycle pedals), but it was worth the effort. What are Pedalites? The clue is very much in the name. Costing £34.99 a pair, Pedalites are pedals with flashing lights in them, for greater visibility and safety when riding your bike.

And they’re bright, and even brighter in the shed. I didn’t christen Nik’s pair ‘disco pedals’ for nothing. The technology is relatively simple. As soon as you start to pedal, the Pedalites collect kinetic energy from the crank turns, and store it, so that the lights continue to flash when you’re freewheeling or are at a stop, for as long as 5 minutes.

The makers claim that traffic can see the lit pedals from up to 1 km (half a mile away), and that they give the rider ’360 degree visibility’. And, Pedalites are not only very bright, but also strong, too. The pedals themselves are made from Dupont polymer with metal stud feet grips, and the lenses are polycarbonate.

Overall, I’m very impressed with the battery-free Pedalites, which of course come in more than a little useful when you forget your usual lights, or it’s not quite dark enough to warrant using them. The company that makes them has recently branched out into other products, too, such as lights for running.

Some would say Pedalites are a little pricey, but it’s no cost if they keep you safe, and anyway, the cost should be recouped when compared to the typical cost of batteries otherwise. But of course, don’t forget that safe road manners are free, and however good Pedalites are, they should be used with a high visibility vest, other supplementary lighting, and a cycle helmet.

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