Gadgets

Seamless Update From The 1st Gen iPhone 2G to 4s… Dream On

November 19, 2011, by No comments yet
6058177608 7731f89383 m Seamless Update From The 1st Gen iPhone 2G to 4s... Dream On

Ever since my GF (hi Jo, yes I blame you) stood on my HTC HD2 about 18 months ago I’ve been back rocking my 1st gen iPhone 2g. So when t-mobile called and asked if I wanted an upgrade a full 4 months early I jumped at the chance to move with the times and get one of those new swanky iPhone 4s’s everyone has been talking about.

I’m not much of a gamer however when a game does grab me I play it every waking minute. I completed FarmVille (lvl 70) on Facebook and got caught up in Tiny Tower on the iPhone so I’m not proud to say that one of my major concerns was that my games should continue after the upgrade. So with my technical head on I headed over to the Apple forums and started asking about upgrading and how data is backed up and if I’d keep my game data intact during the transfer.

Everyone seemed to say the same thing:

  1. update your iTunes software to the latest version
  2. backup your old phone by right clicking on it in iTunes and selecting ‘Backup’
  3. plug in the new phone and restore the backup when prompted

After about 15 minutes my new iPhone was working but to my horror all of my app data was nowhere to be found. Ive tried copying my apps from the 1st gen iPhone into iTunes (no can do), selecting backup application data from the options and anything else i can think of without success.

I guess when Apple said it was discontinuing support for the 2g iPhone a year or so ago this was one of the things they meant. If you have an iPhone 3G or 3Gs then I’d expect you to be having the same problems within the next 12 months.

As for the iPhone 4s, it’s pretty nifty, definitely faster in every way from loading apps to switching tabs (Twitter I’m looking at you) however the speaker volume is still insanely quiet on voice calls which is something I’d have thought they’d fix since its been a persistent problem since the original iPhone and I haven’t noticed much data speed increase in 3g compared to the old 2g GPRS data speed from my previous phone.

My next purchase will be the SGP Neo Hybrid 2 case in champagne which looks to provide some protection whilst keeping the bulk to a minimum.

If anyone has a solution to my problem then let me know. if it requires a full reinstall then that’s fine as I’ve only had the phone a few days.

Volcanos, Flights and Confusion

April 18, 2010, by 1 comment

I was supposed to be going to a well deserved relaxing all-inclusive holiday to Fuerteventura last Friday however the Volcanoes in Iceland appear to have different ideas. I thought it would be funny to document just what went down as I’m sure in the months to come i will be able to look back at the last 36 hours and laugh… just not right now.

Thursday – approximately lunch time
Had a joke with the girls in the office that I didnt know if my passport had expired.

Thursday – 5pm
Listened to Radio 4 heard about Volcanic eruptions in Iceland causing havoc with flights. Told to check with airline to see if we’re still flying.

Thursday – 6pm
Last minute dashing around trying to buy a beach towel which was needed after reading a review on tripadvisor.com that stated there wasn’t enough sunbeds at the  hotel and that you needed to get up early and stake a claim to enjoy your spot in the sun.

Thursday – 7pm
My gf showed up and laughed at my checklist of items being packed in my luggage and turned house upside down looking for my NHS card which is needed to get treatment overseas.

Thursday – 8pm
Checked with manchesterairport.co.uk to see if the flight was cancelled…nope says its still flying.

Thursday – 11pm
Checked again with manchesterairport.co.uk, it appears they stopped updating the site at 10pm WTF!

Friday -4am
Alarm rings I rush over to the computer to check flight details. BBC News and other sources state that everything has been grounded, i check with manchesterairport.co.uk and it says it’s sill flying.

Friday – 4.15am
Try to call the specific Manchester Airport on the phone number suggested on their website… not open until 9am (helpful!). Try to call airline… not open until 9am (helpful!). Scoured Internet for any additional numbers.

Friday – 4.30am
Located a non-descript number for Manchester Airport and got through to a woman who said the flight had been cancelled.

Friday – 9am
Tried to call airline… engaged.

Friday – 9.05am
Tried to call airline… automated answer, told to call different number… rung off WTF!

Friday – 9.10am
Called travel agent, told they’ll take our details and get back to us with any news.

Friday – 9.20am until 11.30am in 5 minutely intervals
Calling airline… get engaged tone.

Friday 11.30am
Went to get some supplies for breakfast. Ate bacon butties.

Friday 11.50am
Get back , my GF has called the travel agents again and been told that the flight has been cancelled and that we’ll know more at 6pm.

Friday – 12.00
Calling airline… get engaged tone. Call airport parking company and told we can move our booking by 30 days free of charge.

Friday – 2pm
Visit brothers to fix his email, set up his new phone and move his contact across. He’s supposed to be flying BMI today and is experiencing the same difficulty in getting information.

Friday – Approximately 4pm
manchesterairport.co.uk stops updating the online flight timetable.

Friday -Approximately 4.30pm
thomascook.com updates their alert page telling people that the deadline has been moved back to 1am.

Friday – Approximately 5.30pm
thomascook.com adds a statement telling us we can either opt for a refund or reschedule our holiday within the next 30 days.

Friday – 7.30pm
Go to local restaurant to have a slap up holiday style tea… Yum Seabass.

Saturday – 8.30am
Wake up, shower, get dressed, head off to Bury to visit travel agents before the rest of Fridays passengers do to try and arrange new holiday.

Saturday – 9.30am
In travel agents. All Thomas Cook resorts are fully booked so can’t move flight. Find a new destination and upgrade for £5.45 (bargain) to a 4 star hotel with apartments on all-inclusive nice)…searching tripadvisor.com on my phone while the agent is recommending hotels to make sure we don’t get stuck in a $#1!hole, looking at pictures of the resort on Google Images and finding the location using online maps. Told to disappear while the travel agent tries to contact Thomas Cook to arrange refund.

Saturday – 10.30am
Call back at travel agents, no luck they can’t get through either. We leave the £5.45 in good faith and go shopping in Manchester.

Saturday – 5.30pm
Call from travel agents to confirm booking we just need to go in tomorrow to sign the paper work.

Saturday – 7pm until 11pm
Order curry from takeaway, get plastered on Jack and Coke.

72 Hours with the T-Mobile Pulse Phone

January 20, 2010, by 3 comments

When my iPhone contract ended in April (last year) I was hesitent to jump on the band wagon with one of the smart phones of the time, mainly due to the massive whispers about Android and the leaked shots of some of the new android devices (Samsung Galaxy, Hero, Leo and the now X10) so I moved my contract to o2′s rolling contract (saving myself a fortune) which left me free to change/cancel my contract with a months notice when one of these new blisteringly cool phones came out.

I decided to leave the Hero and Galaxy as the screen size was too small as I really wanted an android based iPhone like experience. The HTC HD2 was a disapointment not due to the hardware or features, but because it was stuck on Windows Mobile 6.5 so I kept my fingers crossed for the X10 or Driod/Milestone to be in the UK for a pre christmas release.

Fed up of the constant delays in releasing a next-gen android phone in the UK I went phone shopping and over the course of a few months built up a big list of the phones I didnt want.

Last weekend I found the T-Mobile Pulse and was instantly smitten. The screen size was perfect it had Android (1.5 not 2.0), a cool form factor and was pretty snappy. So I signed up on a bargain contract and took the phone home happy as larry.

t mobile pulse 1 72 Hours with the T Mobile Pulse Phone

T-Mobile Pulse

Over the course of the next few days I began playing with the phone, optimising the settings ala iPhone to max out the battery life, adding the usual apps like Facebook, TweeDroid and the likes with a view to having a really sweet setup.

I ran into a problems with the phone including battery life, keypad usability and it wigging out every so often so I dialled 150 and decided to give T-Mobile support a call… only the phone doesnt work with ‘press 1 for this, press 2 for that’ call systems it seems… so back to my iPhone I called through and got through (no problems there) and asked them about battery life. Even with some mamoth full charges lasting overnight, my Pulse was only giving me about 1/2 days charge with super light use, no calls or text (im waiting for the number to move across). I checked online and im not the only one experiencing this. I plan on using my phone at Glastonbury so need it to run for at least 5 days with limited use, which the iPhone managed no problem.

It seems t-mobile wont let me swap the phone over the telephone and that any change is at the discretion of the store manager where I purchased it as ‘I have time to look over the phone in the store’ which I hardly think is a long enough period to text a new piece of technology, so I’m going to have to go back to manchester to pick a new phone this weekend.

I might go for the HTC HD2/Leo after all, as theres some great noises about porting android to it using blends of Nexus One etc firmware. Its a shame really becaue the Pulse had a lot going for it. It just needs the buggs working out.

I suppose the moral of this story is that when buying phones, protect yourself by buying online. That way your’re subject to the 30 day cooling off period.

Update: After lots of faffing, the Manager at the branch agreed to swap my Pulse for the HD2 (I relented as it is a good phone but I still want android on it so I hope the developers of haret get it working soon on xda-developers forum. I’ll post my review of the HTC HD2 later.

iPod Dock Reviews – Top 10 Speaker Docking Systems Like The dc910/05

November 2, 2009, by 4 comments

This post is a work in progress.

I’ve been asked by my GF to buy her some iPod dock / speakers for Christmas and have spent considerable time researching the best iPod dock for under £100. A few days ago she says shes changed her mind and decided to get a phono cable connecting her iPod to her hi-fi instead so I thought I’d document my research, final choice and recommendations below for anyone who’s looking for the best value, highest audio quality iPod dock system this Christmas.

The Market Leaders

Before I start, If you want the best sounding iPod dock and youve got around £500 to spare then there are really only two contenders, both provide amazing sound quality and all of the bells and whistles

you’d associate with a high end audio system. These are:

B&W Zeppelin iPod Speaker

31gdcK8DOTL. SL500 AA280 iPod Dock Reviews Top 10 Speaker Docking Systems Like The dc910/05

B&W Zeppelin iPod Speaker Dock

Bose SoundDock iPod Speaker

51PIcHDUFfL. SL500 AA280 iPod Dock Reviews Top 10 Speaker Docking Systems Like The dc910/05

Bose SoundDock iPod Speaker Dock

It’s also worth mentioning that all high end systems suffer the same issue. Should low quality MP3′s be played through them then you can audibly hear the distortion due to compression.

iPod Dock Selection Criteria

My criteria for choice is:

  • The iPod dock must cost around £100
  • The iPod dock must provide the best sound quality
  • The iPod dock must be loud!
  • The iPod dock most appeal to the female sense of aesthetic
  • The iPod dock must be independently reviewed and recommended i.e. not from shop reviews

iPod Dock Review Sources

I’m an internet research shopper and as such I know how to fathom out the best priced deals on the net, however finding reviews for iPod docks from credible sources was hard as the item is called many things including iPod speakers, Portable iPod speakers (portable? Really?) and a host of other terms. In the end I tried Richer Sounds, CNet, Which, the Gadget Show and a few other review sites on which to base my purchasing decision.

My Recommendations for the top five iPod docks for under (or around) £100

#5. Klipsch iGroove iPod Speaker System

41bhlEjA3EL. SL500 AA280 iPod Dock Reviews Top 10 Speaker Docking Systems Like The dc910/05

Klipsch iGroove iPod Speaker Dock

Buy from Amazon – only £94.99

#4 Philips DC910/10 iPod Dock

41eXgX1hhML. SL500 AA280 iPod Dock Reviews Top 10 Speaker Docking Systems Like The dc910/05

Philips DC910/05 iPod Docking Station

Buy from Amazon – only £99.99

#3 Logic3 iPod Dock

414dxGuq5lL. SL500 AA280 iPod Dock Reviews Top 10 Speaker Docking Systems Like The dc910/05

LOGIC3 MIP100K Jivebox Speaker Dock For iPod

Buy from Amazon – only £99.99

#2 Gear4 Bass Station iPod Dock

21 Bb5CU1mL. SL500 AA240 iPod Dock Reviews Top 10 Speaker Docking Systems Like The dc910/05

GEAR4 BassStation

Buy from Amazon – only £72.99

#1 Griffin Amplifi iPod Dock

31eaUFEJI9L. SL500 AA280 iPod Dock Reviews Top 10 Speaker Docking Systems Like The dc910/05

Griffin Amplifi 1200-ITSPKR 2.1 Sound Speaker System for iPod

Griffin Amplifi 1200-ITSPKR iPod Speaker System

Buy from Amazon – only £95.00

CNet Review – 7.7 / 10

“A truly outstanding speaker setup for its price, and with the build quality we’d expect of a system twice the price. While the lack of features may put off some, iPod owners who simply want an attractive and powerful set of speakers should seriously consider the Griffin Amplifi iPod dock”

Macworld Review – 5 Stars

“The Amplifi is a high-quality music playback system that competes well on music playback with other more expensive systems available. Combine that with the system’s pleasing design and eye-catching looks and Griffin has a winner on its hands. Budget-conscious iPod users who want good music playback twinned with an extremely simple system need look no further.”

Audioholics Review

“for the money I don’t see how you can beat the Amplifi. The Bose SoundDock is twice the price and the Altec Lansing IM7 is also considerably more. I hope that the sound and construction quality of the Amplifi bodes well for the upcoming wireless iPod speakers that Griffin is introducing this fall.”

Buy the HTC HD2 (Touch Leo) Sim Free for £549.99

October 23, 2009, by No comments yet

31ryeGfxODL. SL500 AA280 Buy the HTC HD2 (Touch Leo) Sim Free for £549.99

I can’t wait until my HTC HD2 arrives as im geting more and more fed up with my old 2G iPhones slow internet connection. The phone looks amazing and im looking forwards to the new HTC HD2′s bigger screen, ability to send and recieve MMS, video and camera with flash… these things dont sound like a big deal but when youve been lumped with apples abandoned G1 iPhone enoughs enough and its time to get back to a real phone.

I know the HD2 runs Windows Mobile 6.5 however due to a little app called Android On HTC, I can dual boot(ish) between the HTC HD2′s default winmo installation and a swanky android  os!

If like me you’re keen to beat the rush and need to keep your phone separate from your tarrif (saving a mint to boot) then theres a really good deal on at Amazon at the moment where you can buy a sim free HTC Touch HD2 for only £549.99 (works out at £46 pcm on a pseudo 12 month contract or £22 on pseudo 24 month contract) Its pretty pricy but then again the HTC HD2 is gorgous.

Buy the HTC Touch HD2 @ Amazon

Then again you could wait for the Sony Xperia X3 which boasts a similar spec and is Android Based.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X3 Buy the HTC HD2 (Touch Leo) Sim Free for £549.99 Buy the HTC HD2 (Touch Leo) Sim Free for £549.99

Buy Windows 7 Home Premium for only £49.99

July 15, 2009, by 2 comments

UPDATE:

The original promotional price has expired and now its closer to the time when windows 7 will be available to buy in the shops you can now buy the various packs pretty cheap on Amazon:

Seems like for once the UK is getting a pretty good deal.

Original Post Follows:

Adam has just given me the heads-up on Microsofts latest promotion for Windows 7 Home Premium which at only £49.99 gives you a massive discount off the RRP of £149.99.

The offer is available from participating retailers and is subject to stock.

Having run the Beta version of windows 7 for some time on my netbook im looking forwards to making the transition with my desktop pc which currently runs vista.

I have to say im not a fan of the bells and whistles that windows 7 has, however the additional speed is a welcomed boost to my productivity.

You can buy your copy of windows 7 at the following retailers:

Read the original offer here.

iPhone 2g OS 3.0 Verdict

June 17, 2009, by No comments yet

ive just updated my 2g iPhone to os3.0 and…

Not Working

  • no video :(
  • no mms yet (waiting for settings from o2)
  • no shake to shuffle
  • no focus on camera
  • no voice commands

Working

  • White Balance Works
  • Cut, Copy & Paste Works
  • Landscape Keyboard Works
  • Spotlight Search Works (swipe right from the home screen to activate)
  • Voice Memos Works

Thought video would work at least, thats really gonna mess with my head sad iPhone 2g OS 3.0 Verdict

Dell PWND Nvidia Quatro FX 4600 for £5

January 12, 2009, by No comments yet

Just been given the heads up on an error on the Dell site where theyre selling £1000′s of graphics card, the Nvidia Quatro FX4600 for £4+delivery (£12 in total).

Just go to dell.co.uk and search for item number a1662660.

Whoo! eBay here I come!

Update: BOO! They cancelled my order so no quick cash for me!

Web Design for Netbooks

October 18, 2008, by No comments yet

The last 9 months have brought to light not only the need for website varients catering for mobile browsers such as Safari on the iPhone, but more recently design for the increasingly popular netbooks.

Now in all fairness theres not much in the way of additional consideration needed, the main thing being the catering for the 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, which if you’re as long in the tooth as I am, brings back a time when design for 800 x 600 screens were common.

So what standards should you follow now?

My recomendation is:

  • 1000px wide (max – its actually 1004 but whos counting 4 pixels)
  • 420px for first fold on IE6 (its a little more for IE7, Firefox and Opera etc)
  • 590px second fold for standard 1024 x 768 monitors

Dell Mini 9 First Impressions

October 12, 2008, by No comments yet

So I finally made the jump and opted to buy a Dell Inspiron Mini 9 – mainly because I know you can successfully install and run a fully working version of OS X on it compared to the spotty compatibility related to Asus, Samsung and MSI netbooks.

Although its not new news, It’s a first for me.

I plan to use my new shiny Dell as a presentation machine – I know the screen is tiny, however my other choice being a 17″ laptop from Dabs, I opted for something that wouldn’t look ridiculous being man handled out of a satchel during a meeting.

Update: The unit arrived last night so here’s a few things you might want to know from first boot:

  • Installation takes AGES
  • There’s tones of bloatware on there which kills your machine when you first hook it up to the net as everything tries to update itsself
  • Its super light and absolutely silent
  • No bag / pouch :(
  • Batteries arrive uncharged but fitted (unlike other netbooks)
  • Sound is OK for a laptop

I did some tweaking removing almost all installed software including MSWorks etc and playing around with themes and services to make sure its as fast as I can get it (use Revo to find all those undeleted files and registry values)

Installed:

  • MS Office 2007
  • Firefox + extensions
  • Artweaver (because Photoshop would kill it)
  • CCleaner
  • 7-zip
  • VLC
  • Winamp
  • XNView
  • Sumatra PDF (compact version of Acrobat)
  • PDF Creator
  • Clamwin
  • Filezilla
  • Notepad++
  • Pidgin

Things ive left on include:

  • Dell Support Center
  • Dell Video Chat
  • Dell Webcam
  • Bluetooth

All this done the boot time is well under 30 seconds and the machine is fast and responsive.

Still to do:

  • Screen calibration – its way too white

Things I don’t like:

  • The 1024 x 600 resolution breaks what id consider to be a standard caveat for web design, that of the fold being at 595px, on the Dell mini its now more like 1000 x 420 (with the fold being at the standard hight for an old style 800 x 600 site)
  • Keyboard layout is very cramped with , / @ ? > all being on really thin buttons, also the delete key is in a weird place and no f11 keys for browser maximisation :(
  • I’ve got pretty acidic skin (ewww I know right) which means the plastic front is going to suffer from acid erosion over time.

Reference sites:

Update: True to form, as soon as I buy something (iphone etc) they bring a new one out a couple of days later :/ Theres talk of a new 12 inch machine on Engadget tho at 12 inch its more like a laptop… I think ill stay with my mini;)