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

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.

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.

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…

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.

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?

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.

Tuesday 3 March may well become a life-changing day. To make for a smoother publishing workflow, we’ve all switched platforms to Macs in the office. Though it’s still early days, and some of us are still adjusting to the new (and better) ways of working the new hardware enforces, most would agree that the switch has proved successful.

Not just at work, either. Though I’d used the publishing fraternity’s favourite machines in my previous job, that was over seven years ago, and they didn’t like the network at all. Since then, I’ve been an exclusive PC user in the office and at home, but not any more. Goodbye slow operating system and blaring cooling fans and hello faster, prettier working and barely whispering aluminum unibody MacBook Pro.

Living with someone who writes about Macs everyday, the switch was always just a matter of time. The machines’ arrival at work was inevitable and we knew they were coming, but I was unprepared for how fast I would want to ditch the Microsoft way of doing things (even though I did find it terribly frustrating). I’m now proud to be well and truly a Macophile, and can’t see me switching back to a humdrum and anonymous PC again.

This of course, does bring about its own set of problems. Like software programs that need new versions downloading and documents that need converting to work on the new platform. But, my old HP laptop has virtually been stripped of my stuff, and is almost ready to be mothballed. I’ve not missed it at all, and can’t wait to start using the neglected and slightly battered PowerBook G4 that has sat around in the study for ages.

It sounds silly, but an unexpected side effect is that I feel strangely happier and less stressed in my (almost) Windows-free world. And, although I’m still treating the new work machine way too much like a baby, welcome shiny new Mac world. It’s going to be fun.

While the BBC had a furore on its hands three years ago with its current map that sweeps under the forecaster’s arm when speaking about the weather for a particular UK region, the corporation’s slots have long been the best. On Wednesday night on the other hand, we decided that ITV‘s are still the worst. Why? Both national and regional broadcasts are not detailed enough. But, most displeasing of all, they use cheap-looking, and outdated symbols and graphics.

Modern-day broadcasts are a long way from the weather forecasts on the Beeb from the late Seventies and early Eighties. There were no green or blue screen maps and no digital imagery back then, and the few-minute slots were all the better for it. Yes, they seem antiquated and outdated now, but will there ever be weather symbols more iconic than those of BBC Weather from thirty years ago?

Simple, stylish cloud-like outlines, with clear graphics attached to denote hail, rain, snow, or sun, the forecasters stuck the magnetic symbols onto the forecasting chart behind them, moving the pictures where necessary from one part of the country to another, to show changing conditions. Of course, as technology advanced, the boards were gradually disposed of, but even when computer graphics were first used, the symbols stayed.

In the older forecasts, the BBC’s presenters used to walk around the studio, too, from one board to the next, and the satellite pictures were no more than photocopy-looking grey and grainy scans. The blue outlined map on them looked like it was drawn with a felt-tipped pen, and with the absence of a hand-held clicker to change the picture, symbols and areas of the country were pointed at by big sticks and pencils.

All endearingly low-tech, and the like of which we’ll never see again. No doubt there’ll be many more  innovations and high-tech solutions to help the forecasters inform us of our changing weather patterns, but they’ll no doubt be cloudy and foggy compared to those bright and sunny forecasts of yesteryear.

One thing that makes my internet surfing a much better experience, is Firefox, the open-source browser launched by the Mozilla Foundation in 2004. I’ve not been a fan of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer for a long time now, and even though it’s still the most widely used browser in the world by some margin, Firefox does just about everything better.

Whether surfing and reading pages, downloading media files, or buying online, the programme that uses the fox wrapped around the world as its logo makes the internet simplicity itself. Others agree; most of my friends use it, and 15% of worldwide online users are Firefoxers, too. And with plentiful plug-ins, smooth running on both PCs and Macs, and customisable looks, it’s easy to see why.

And so it’s with great anticipation that the latest version, Firefox 3.0, is launched today. Mozilla senses that anticipation, too, and so aims to set a record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours. It’s not even just any record either; it’s aiming for a Guinness World Record.

‘It’s a global effort to make history,’ the developer says. Is it aiming too high? Who knows, but with over 1.6 million downloads of version 2.0 in 2006, it might just do it. A reported 1.3 million users have already pledged to download the new version (myself included) when it goes live at 18.00 BST.

Tech-savvy users love Firefox, and the update promises many new features. Automatic warnings when users stray onto web pages booby-trapped with malicious code is one, and the ‘Smart Location Bar’ is another. This lets users return to sites they have visited before, but not necessarily bookmarked, also helping those who cannot remember the name of a site that they really liked. Improved security and faster browsing are but bonuses.

There’s no actual record for software downloaded in 24 hours, but ‘Download Day 2008’ aims to get 5 million copies of the programme onto existing users’ machines. Around 2 million users currently use the ‘fox, so Mozilla are obviously counting on word of mouth and promotional internet campaigns. Click the banner below to get your copy of Firefox 3.0, and help challenge Internet Explorer’s dominance.

Searching through the station list on Sunday morning was surprising, though. A station named Birdsong appeared in the channel choices, (unsurprisingly) playing nothing but birdsong. Just like Big Brother does when its housemates talk about anything remotely contentious, or exercise their foul and uncouth mouths. First recorded in 1992, the audio track was last broadcast three years ago.

Birdsong is broadcast daily from 06h00 to midnight

It turns out it now occupies digital speech station Oneword Radio’s frequency, before it stopped broadcasting on 12 January, along with another popular DAB channel, Core. The only national commercial radio station offering spoken word entertainment, Oneword Radio first hit the airwaves in 2000, won many awards, and was the commercial riposte to the BBC’s Radio 4.

As well as birdsong, a ‘rural soundtrack’ will be played in place of the station’s programmes for the time being. And although not music, it was strangely (and surprisingly) soothing on a Sunday morning, and seemed to bring the outside indoors. What other aural delights make up a ‘rural soundtrack’, though?

Cows moo-ing? Lambs baa-ing? Cockerels crowing? The Archers already does those sounds more than well enough. That programme’s listeners would no doubt already be listening to other similar programmes on Radio 4.

And therein lays the probable answer to Oneword’s demise. The BBC has been offering a broad mix of spoken word programmes for years.

BBC iPlayer homepage

Having tried and been impressed with 4oD a few months back, I thought it was about time I gave the Apple-sounding iPlayer a go. Good reports about the newcomer were widespread over the Christmas period, with quality and ease of use being the major attractions. I’d missed the first episode of the BBC’s new frothy and dark drama, ‘Mistresses‘, and so settled down to watch it while I worked last night.

One of the main differences between the BBC and Channel 4 services is that the BBC’s service is totally cost-free, and programmes can be streamed online, meaning no downloads and no third party software. Selected programmes on 4oD are available at minimal cost (usually 99p), whereas content on the BBC version doesn’t cost you a penny.

The only catch is that the programme selection is only from the last seven days. However, programmes can be watched online by streaming, or they can be downloaded to your computer where a 30-day watchable window is exercised.

It certainly hasn’t put people off. The BBC reports that over one million viewers have used the service since the Christmas Day launch, and states that over 3.5 million programmes have been streamed or downloaded, averaging 250,000 programmes a day. Impressive figures. Is the service as good, though?

I’ll admit that I haven’t tried to download any programmes to my system yet, so can’t directly compare the iPlayer and 4oD’s similar service, but the streaming content is certainly up to the job if you have a fast computer.

The programme was easy to find through the homepage, and could be searched by the day of broadcast, category, or by its title in an A to Z index. Pressing ‘Click to Play’ started it straight away, with minimal buffering. The screen can be default size of the viewer itself, or can made full screen, for the ultimate TV-like viewing experience.

Like 4oD, the picture was very clear, the sound sharp, and enjoyed very little interruptions, even when buffering was needed again when returning to viewing from a pause. A wholly enjoyable experience then, and I would have no hesitation in using it again, especially as most of my TV-watching habits tend to favour Auntie’s (or Channel 4) programmes.

Fuss-free streaming playback with the BBC iPlayer

Are there any bad points?

If comments from users using the Beta version are to be believed, then yes. Rather mistakenly, the BBC iPlayer can only download programmes to a PC running Windows XP or Vista, due to the digital rights management issues and software, but it is ‘aware of demand to expand this to other operating systems’. It was a foolhardy and shortsighted decision to leave out Macintosh support, although Apple disciples can watch content if they stream it.

In reply to the decision, the BBC states that it hopes that by providing high quality programmes over the internet legally, easily, and at no cost, it will discourage illegal downloading. It says that it ‘uses streaming and DRM software to prevent illegal copying and distribution of BBC programmes to protect the rights of the people who make and appear in them’. That’s all very well, but it can’t monitor every download on every computer.

The Download Manager application has to be downloaded to your computer through Internet Explorer, too, due to Active X controls. But again, the BBC is ‘working on ways of making the Download Manager available on other browsers’.

I only hope that I don’t experience the same sorts of duplicate registering and slow download issues which affected many Beta users, and gave the long-awaited iPlayer a bad reputation among users before it was even launched on a patient and hungry public.

Not one to rest on its laurels, the BBC plans to develop the service further, extending the format choice, and bringing its radio programmes available on the BBC Radio Player into the iPlayer format, so that all the content is in one place.

And, if you don’t fancy sitting at a computer screen connected to the internet and have an old-fashioned TV, then the iPlayer will come to a cable platform near you soon. Just make sure Virgin is your provider, though, as it’s touching down on that first.

Finally, listen up international users. You will also get the full iPlayer experience as soon as possible. BBC Worldwide is fighting for your rights and is working on an international iPlayer so that you can enjoy the programmes which are currently only available to users in the UK.

Then, and only then, will the clever ‘Making the unmissable, unmissable’ campaign message be truly meaningful. But, overall, an impressive first, if a little late, effort.

(The first of ‘Mistresses’ was very good by the way, the lives of the four women developing darkly and nicely, with plenty of potential for drama. A welcome frothy addition to Tuesday nights.)