Archive for the 'tech' Category

Semacode vs QRcode

Sunday, July 13th, 2008

This week has been a big one in the mobile phone world. Debate about the iPhone and the plans available to use here in Australia has been everywhere. At the same time, however, Telstra has been heavily pushing its venture into barcodes with the introduction of QRcodes to the Australian market.
I say introduction because that […]

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the appstore door is open

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

Not officially launched yet, but if you search for likely keywords (try ‘photo’) in iTunes Music Store, your results might include some applications.

Click through to “see all” and you’ll be presented with a heap of apps you can download and install - yay! I’ve only been getting the free ones, but there’s loads in there […]

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make your maps open maps

Saturday, June 28th, 2008

This week Google announced (yet) another new feature of it’s mapping toolset. For a little while now, we’ve been able to ’submit’ alterations via the maps interface - moving things here and there - a quick look at Google Maps Recent Edits shows that it’s quite popular. The latest thing is Map Maker, which is […]

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Apple’s iTunes rip-off

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

I remember waiting with huge anticipation for Apple to launch iTunes in Australia - the rumours got thicker and faster until it finally arrived. The store finally launched with tracks selling at $1.69 each.
At the time, as I recall, the aussie dollar was about $us0.65ยข so we were effectively paying about $us1.10 while the US […]

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A week in touch

Saturday, May 17th, 2008

I’ve had the pleasure of using an iPod Touch for the last week. As much as I like my music, I’ve never really felt the need to upgrade from my old ‘gumstick’ 1Gb shuffle, but we’ve got one at work with the intention mainly of testing podcasts and public facing services.
Yes, the multi touch is […]

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Keep smiling - just in case!

Friday, March 7th, 2008

If you’re hanging around the streets of Melbourne, keep a happy face on. I saw a car on Macarthur Avenue crossing Royal Parade yesterday, that looked very much like the Google Street View car that was seen in Geelong last year. Big thing of cameras and a little round GPS aerial on top of the […]

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This map is open to the public

Tuesday, February 12th, 2008

Regulars will know of my weakness for anything to do with maps. Some time ago, this manifested itself in the purchase of a Garmin eTrex Legend Cx. This device is brilliant, perfect for my needs… walking, riding or driving, and after a few hiccups I got it talking to my mac. The only thing I’ve […]

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Bandwidth thief!

Tuesday, October 30th, 2007

Last month I got ’shaped’ - almost two weeks of excruciatingly slow internet - it was horrible. My ISP’s usage page only gives a total, not day by day, but I’ve never gone close before so it was a bit of a surprise. I got a daily report from the ISP and it didn’t tell […]

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Apple’s forgotten placeholder

Tuesday, September 18th, 2007

Shouldn’t laugh at the misfortune of others - however small - but Apple’s website is usually so perfect, everything in its place, that when there is a problem you’ve gotta make the most of it! In this case, the hoary old chestnut, the nemesis of graphic designers everywhere - forgotten placeholder text.
On the Australian store’s […]

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Google finally embeds My Maps

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007

Like every other Google map geek in the world, I’ve been waiting with anticipation for the release of embedded ‘My Maps’. Most unusual for Google to announce a feature before it’s released, usually it’s just a matter of keeping an eye on the blogs or looking for the “New” at the top of the various […]

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