Dropbox
Setting up Dropbox is pretty easy. Sign up for an account – free for a 2Gb starter plan – and then download and install the required software. The software is available for Windows, Mac, Linux and even iPhone – so there are no limitations by platform.
Once installed you will have a Dropbox folder and anything saved into this folder will be automatically uploaded and saved into your online, secure, space. The way I set this up was to move my entire documents folder into the Dropbox. It took a bit of fiddling to get everything pointing to the right place – but once done all of my work documents are transparently saved online.
Elgato EyeTV for DTT Deluxe
I recently took delivery of the EyeTV DTT Deluxe, and it is barely larger than the USB plug itself! It comes with a clip-on telescopic aerial, a separate aerial for area’s with less signal strength and an adaptor for plugging into a normal TV socket. Also included in the pack is a remote control and software that turns your Mac into a fully-fledged DVR (Digital Video Recorder). The unit is an HD digital receiver and the picture is sharp and clear.
Pogo Sketch
The Pogo Sketch is a stylus designed to work with todays capacitive touch screen devices. The tip (described well by Leo Laporte as a ‘puffball’) is a spongy material that mimics the action of the finger tips on the screen. It is very effective when gloves – such as surgical gloves – have to be worn so the touch interface would not otherwise work.
Augmented Reality
For some time web applications such as Google Maps have been overlaying data onto the maps and we have become quite used to finding information about surrounding businesses in such a way. The iPhone 3GS allows developers to go one step further – taking away the 2D view of the map and replacing it with a real-time view of the world using the camera and screen as a viewport.
iPhone 3GS and Snow Leopard Announced
This week has seen a swag of new goodies coming from Apple announced at the World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco.
The one that will undoubtedly get the most attention is the new iPhone- the 3GS.
iPhone 3G First Impressions
Okay, I admit it, I’m a geek and an early adopter! Usually this simply means I end up paying more to access technology early. With the iPhone 3G, I am beginning to long for a return to my Nokia N95… Now don’t get me wrong. As a gadget, the iPhone isn’t so bad. I am enjoying playing with the applications from the iTunes App Store, and as long as I am on a Wi-Fi network at home or in the office, I get good results. Leave the office and rely on 3G and the problems start – poor signal, sometimes no service and slow download speeds.
MobileMe
MobileMe is the new service from Apple to replace their .Mac online service for Macintosh users. Launched with the new iPhone to much fanfare, it may well represent Apple’s most painful product introduction. It seems Apple underestimated the demand on the service when the new iPhone was launched, and existing .Mac users were switched across. For some users this caused a 2 week period of intermittent outages. Personally, I found that things were working within about 48 hours, and given the scale of the transition, I felt this was acceptable. Apple has given all users an extra month free as compensation.
iPhone 3G
By Christmas, iPhone 3G is likely to be THE ‘must have’ gadget for the cafe crowd everywhere – but the real excitment should be for what is happening behind the scenes – third party applications and Apple’s new MobileMe service.
