The death of Palm OS? Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

I've had a succession Palm PDAs over the last five years, and I've become more and more dissatisfied with the hardware and, perhaps more importantly, the user interface as it lagged behind the expectations raised by Nokia's Series 60 smart phones, and Apple's Powerbooks and Mac OS X operating system.

I'm not even going to go into the horrible development environment and the ghastly mess that writing code for a Palm OS device turns out to be, even compared to writing J2ME for Series 60 device, let alone the simplicity and rapid development offered by the Python for Series 60 port from Nokia.

So with the last of my data copied off my ageing Treo and wrapped safely inside Apple goodness I discovered I was carrying the PDA less and less. The canonical version of my "life", my calendar, address book, and the other meta-data you accumulate was all on my laptop.

This was fine to a point, but even the 12" Powerbook is a bit bulky to carry around everywhere, and you don't really want to pull it out of your rucksack when you're down the pub. There was something missing, I really did need a PDA it seemed. The latest release from Palm, the Lifedrive, wasn't really what I was looking for, and some of the same user interface hassles that were depressing me about my Treo seemed to be still hanging around.

So I've been following the forthcoming release of the HTC Universal with interest. It's a quad-band, 3G phone, with WiFi and Bluetooth support along with a proper VGA screen and a QWERTY keyboard. In other words it has everything...

CREDIT: Engadget

The HTC Universal
The only problem? The fact that it runs Windows Mobile...

However today my Orange contract was up for renewal so I took the plunge and ordered their new SPV M5000 which is their re-branded version [1, 2, 3] of the HTC Universal. It's back ordered, and late, but I'll still be one of the first to get my hands on the new phone. Look out for a review in a couple of weeks, once I've had my hands on it for a while, to see if I get on with Windows, or if I decide to drop the entire device directly into the bin...

The cost? Because of the crazy way that the UK mobile industry subsidises their handsets to new (and existing) customers, I picked up this bleeding edge £400 (US$700) device for free. Which is a lot less that I would have had to have ponied up to get myself a Lifedrive.

Why didn't Apple come out with a replacement for the Newton so I could have just bought that instead? I would have actually paid money for that...

Update: My first impressions...

Tags: HTC Universal Orange SPV M5000 Mobile Phone Upgrade GSM 3G WiFi PDA Palm Palm OS Treo Lifedrive Apple Newton Powerbook Mac OS X

Shadowing del.icio.us? Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Over the last week or so Del.icio.us has expanded it's search function, rolled out new functionality and fixed some interface issues. Maybe I'm naturally suspicious, but you have to wonder, is this a response to Shadows (via TechCrunch) perhaps?

Tags: Web 2.0 Tagging del.icio.us Shadows

Dan's Parrot post-mortem Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Last year at OSCON 2004 I sat and listened to Dan Sugalaski talk about Parrot in the real world, and although my blog post during the session didn't show it much, I was impressed by the deep magic. Enough, in fact, that I talked about it at the London Perl Workshop later that year...

In a recent post to his blog Dan talks frankly about why he decided to step down from the Parrot project. The post caused a lot of discussion on the London.pm mailing list, and for those people waiting for Perl 6 its an interesting look inside the Parrot development process.

Tags: Dan Sugalaski Perl Parrot OSCON 2004 London.pm

Google buys TTL Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Err, sort of...

CREDIT: Liverpool John Moores University

The Liverpool Telescope
The rumours about a possible buyout of TTL having been floating around the community for a while, most of them just plain wrong. It's good to have all this out in the open. But, okay, I lied about Google...

Tags: Google TTL JMU Las Cumbres Observatory Wayne Rosing

Linehaul delay Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

The TNT consignment tracking query for our new iMac is currently returning,

Potential Linehaul Delay Due To Technical Problems.

Our new iMac, which will be doing double duty as a file server and a development box for the astrophysics cluster, is currently sitting in Pudong International Airport just east of Shanghai, its been there a while now.

Update: ...its now been for a couple of days. Does anybody know what a linehaul delay actually is? or how long it might last?

Update: After 4 days our package has finally moved. It looks like it's made it as far as Arnhem, so with luck it should be here within a couple more days...

Update: It turned up today, so in the end we lost 4 days to the "linehaul delay"...


Our new development box...

Tags: Apple iMac TNT Exeter University

CFP for London Perl Workshop '05 Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

After lots of last minute problems trying to find a venue, the Call for Proposals for the London Perl Workshop 2005 finally went out yesterday evening. This year's workshop will held on Saturday 26th of November at City University, rather than Imperial College like last year.

Last year's workshop was an outstanding success and it was well worth going to, even if you had to listen to my talk, so I might even talk again this year if I can think up an interesting enough topic by the proposal deadline on the 4th...

Update: ...and this time there might be Twister!

Update: The provisional talk schedule has now been published.

Update: All over now, and a good time was had by all!

Tags: Perl London Perl Workshop LPW CFP London.pm

I'm embarrased for them.. Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

No really, when is Slashdot going to figure out the difference between real science and pseudoscience? Their latest foray into the realms of pseudoscience is just embarrasing...

Tags: Slashdot Pseudoscience

Google Base Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Reports and rumours concerning Google's new Google Base service are starting to surface around the web...

CREDIT: Dirson (Posted via Flickr by aallan)

The front page of the new Google Base service

While the screenshots on Wouter Schut's blog seem to suggest that this is a eBay competitor, I think Marc Canter may have it right, this could be Google's foray into the world of micro-content...

The "official" Google response doesn't really address the possibilities of the new service, but Ars Technica have it right. This isn't just a way to get your content indexed by Google, with Google Wallet coming soon this is a way to distribute content and collect micropayments in exchange. I'm sure as well as anyone Google understands this, and the entire Google Wallet thing is starting to finally make sense. There is a plan, they just haven't told the rest of us...

Update: Some sensible discussion on the new service from the assembled hoardes at Slashdot...

Update: More from the International Herald Tribune, although I still think the new service is for microcontent rather than used cars...

Update: The login page is up, although it doesn't look like you can actually login to the service yet...

Update: Google Base finally launches, about a month after the first rumours surfaced, however the initial reaction to the new service isn't exactly very positive.

Tags: Google Rumours Google Base Google Wallet Microcontent Micropayment

Distributing the grid... Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

No, not that sort of Grid, the more traditional sort. With wind turbines and photovoltaic panels becoming more wide spread the BBC asks "Can a home wind turbine make money?"

I think both Donnachadh McCarthy and David Nisbet would agree that the answer is probably yes, but I don't think that this is the right question to ask in the first place...

Surely the question you should ask yourself is, with rising energy prices does it break even over the lifetime of the equipment at the current price point per kWh? I very much doubt that the cost of energy is going to fall, so if you're even close to breaking even distributed generation is probably going to a safe bet, and you get to thumb your nose at the power companies...

With the growing interest manufacturers of small wind turbines are stepping forward to provide solutions like the WES5 Tulipo which is specially designed for urban environments, and despite our dismal weather here in the UK, coupling a small wind turbine with solar hot water or photovoltaic systems could make you almost entirely self-sufficent for power.

With the recent petrol protests there has been a resurgence of interest in biomass energy and Biodiesel. Unfortunately most of us don't have several acres of land to grow our own biofuel. Therefore a good alternative to selling the excess energy from your wind turbine or solar panels back to the National Grid would be to couple them with an electrolyser to produce hydrogen for fuel and invest in a car which run on fuel cells or via Hydrogen internal combustion. Of course both of these technologies have some way to go to reach even the level of consumer acceptance that wind and solar power have obtained.

However which ever way you look at it distributing the generation of power make sense. Forget about the advantages of reduced environmental impact, the 2003 blackout in North America only goes to prove how fragile central generation can be for a developed nation with complex legacy systems in place. Now we have the technology to efficiently generate power locally, we should probably do so...

Update: Looks like the government is having problems with its grants for solar power installations...

Update: Slashdot reports on a new type of wind turbine...

Update: More from Wired on biodiesel as a replacement for heating oil.

Tags: Wind Power Wind Turbine Solar Power Photovoltaic Cells Solar Panels Donnachadh McCarthy David Nisbet WES5 Tulipo Imagination Solar South West Electrolysers Hydrogen Electrolysers Fuel Cells Biomass Energy Biodiesel Trade Fair Environmental Green Energy Electrical Grid Making Money

The next big thing... Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

I think Russell has it right, although of course we'd probably disagree on what the next big thing actually is,

If someone's using a PC to demo the next big thing, then it's not the next big thing...

The desktop system is dead, long live the revolution...

Tags: Russell Beattie Ubiquitous Computing Next Big Thing

The Flock developer preview Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Flock, the most talked about new web browser around, did indeed get their developer preview out the door yesterday....


The Mac OS X Flock Developer Preview
First look? I'm impressed, if they can get it all working. Integrating del.icio.us and using it to tag and store your bookmarks is a no-brainer and the integration of Blogger and Flickr is pretty slick, or at least it would be if I could get it to work properly.

On start-up Flock repreatedly asks me for my del.icio.us and Flickr passwords, despite having them stored in the password manager, and I can't get the Blogger toolbar to work at all as trying to start it up and login to by account freezes the browser solid.

However these are teething problems, the look and feel hints that when its all working, I'm probably going to have to switch browsers. Hopefully they can get the Mac OS X integration up to speed, as its lack is why I'm still using Safari rather than Mozilla.

It's all very Web 2.0...

Update: More from the assembled hordes at Slashdot...

Tags: Flock Developer Preview Release Product Launch Web 2.0 Bookmarks Blogging del.icio.us Flickr Blogger Web Browser

Flock heading for public launch? Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

The rumour is that Flock is going to launch today. It doesn't look like they made their 5pm PST deadline, it's 39 minutes past right now, but presumably they'll be along real soon now. It'll be nice to see what all the fuss is about...

Update: Perhaps a little later than planned, but the Flock developer preview is out the door...

Tags: Flock Product Launch Web 2.0 Bookmarks Blogging Web Browser

No more GMail Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

A trademark dispute, presuambly with these people, means that Google's GMail service has to change its name to Google Mail, at least in the UK...

So if you haven't got a @gmail.com email address already, then from today you'll be a second class citizen with a @googlemail.com address instead. Or will the new addresses perversely become more sought after?

Update: More from the Unofficial Google Weblog...

Tags: Google Gmail Trademark Dispute Email

...and again? Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

As you've probably heard by now, Apple have issued yet another round of press invitations (via MacSlash). What are they going to announce this time, and aren't they a bit afraid of running into the "...another shinny gadget from Apple, that's so last week" problem?

Update: With little more than a whimper, compared to the frenzy surrounding the recent "One More Thing" event, announced so quietly you could barely hear the press turning over in their sleep. A Quad Power Mac G5 or a slightly enhanced PowerBook, anyone...?

Tags: Apple Rumours

EuroOSCON Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

In the lead up to the first ever EuroOSCON which will be held in Amsterdam a few days from now, Nat Torkington talks about the differences between this new conference and the traditional US OSCON.

I wish I could be there, but since I already went to OSCON in Portland this year, I couldn't really justify it...

Tags: OSCON EuroOSCON Nat Torkington

The Search Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

For those of you who might want to get on TV, and love travel, Channel 4 are currently recruiting for a new series called 'The Search'.

The programme is an international treasure hunt, and they are currently assembling two teams and are on the look out for people with specialist skill to contribute such as archaeology, ancient history, problem solving, architecture and cryptography.

Are you excellent at puzzle-solving, do you enjoy team-work, would you like to travel the world?

We are looking for 10 bright individuals to take part in 'The Search', a new Channel 4 programme. Each week our contestants will be taken to a new country rich with history and intrigue, where they will participate in an elaborate treasure hunt.

'The Search' will involve solving complex cryptic clues, undertaking difficult skill based challenges, and working under lots of pressure. Inspired by the latest cultural crazes for sudoku, the Da Vinci Code etc, the series combines history, puzzle-solving, art and cryptology with the excitement of a treasure hunt, and will be a truly world-wide adventure. - Sarah Robertson, Princess Productions

If you're interested in applying drop me an email, or leave a comment, and I'll pass on the contact details. You'll have to be quick though, the first episode will start filming on the 21st of October.

Tags: TV Channel 4 The Search Recruitment

What does this button do? Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Quirk Books has just released the amusingly titled Space Tourist's Handbook (via We Make Money Not Art). Co-authored by Eric Anderson, CEO of Space Adventures, and Joshua Piven, author of "The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook" it surely has to be a good read even if most of us are never going to be able to afford the several million dollar price tag of an trip to orbit...

CREDIT: Quirk Books

The handbook includes a helpful list of phonetic Russian phrases such as "Olya che-VOH EH-tah KNOHP-ka"? Which means, "What does this button do?

The Space Tourist's Handbook is available on Amazon priced at $10.85 in the US store, or £6.99 in the UK store.

Tags: Space Tourist Quirk Books Space Adventures Eric Anderson Joshua Piven

The iTunes divide Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

I was excited by yeterday's announcement and after downloading iTunes 6, and despite some people reporting teething problems, I decided that I wanted a copy of season one of Lost. However there was a slight problem...


The USA store (left) and the UK store (right)
Can you spot the difference? So I logged onto the USA store and walked through the purchase of my show, right up to the point where it wouldn't let me...


Why?
Which doesn't really make me very happy, especially since it let me browse the store without a problem, the only indication I got that it wasn't going to let me buy the show was when I tried to pay for it. That is pretty poor design, and very frustrating for the user.

Of course the question you have to ask yourself is, why? Why am I not allowed to do this? It doesn't make sense, I want to give someone money to buy a product and they won't let me because I live in a different country? What happened to the global economy?

Update: For those of you that can buy episodes, C.K. Sample talks about the video quality over on the Unofficial Apple Weblog.

Tags: Apple iTunes TV Lost Frustration Global Economy

The Apple announcement Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

The Apple Fun Event in Feb. 2006
Even with reliable live updates from Apple's "One more thing" event blocked by lack of cell and WiFi coverage news is still leaking out...

The Apple "One more thing" special event...

CREDIT: Dennis Lloyd/iLounge (Posted via Flickr by aallan)

The updated iMac with its remote control...

It looks like we have a new iMac, thinner, and with an iSight built in along with a Bluetooth remote control for the new Front Row application allowing you to remotely control your music, pictures and video.

A new way to experience media. Music, photos, and video from Sofa. Remote control. Apple style. - iLounge.com

We also have a new iPod which has a 320×240 pixel display with 260,000 colours and can handle real time decoding of MPEG4 & H.264. It also has that crucial video out socket. Looks like we got our video iPod after all...

CREDIT: Apple

The new video iPod...
Finally, close on the heels of the last release, we have iTunes 6 which will support Video podcasting. The iTunes store will also carry 2,000 music videos, Pixar movies and TV shows including Desperate Housewives and Lost. You should be buy current episodes the day after they are broadcast on the air. Shows are downloaded commercial free...

Update: You can now watch the keynote webcast...

Tags: Apple iMac iPod FrontRow iTunes

Apple Store down for update Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

So with Apple's "One more thing" special event going on as I type, the Apple Store is down for an update, here we go folk, hang on to your hats...


Down for update...
Update: The Apple Store is now live, and with the special event over, we can now see what new toys Steve gave us this time...

Tags: Apple iPod Rumours One More Thing

New iPod with wider screen? Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Update: This post refers to a previous generation iPod, however you are probably looking for news of the latest iPod, which was announced during the Apple special event on the 12 September 2006.

CREDIT: Dennis Lloyd/iLounge (Posted via Flickr by aallan)

An all new wide screen iPod?

More hints that we're looking at some sort of new iPod from iLounge (via Apple Matters). iLounge has snapped exclusive photos of advertisements that seem to be promoting a new iPod, which rumours indicate will be introduced today at Apple's "One more thing" event in San Jose, California. The familiar silhouette posters seem to show an all-new iPod model with a noticeably larger display compared to the current models.

Update: ...and this looks awfully like a pre-production sample.

Update: The Apple Store is down for an update, here we go...

Update: Amongst other toys we did indeed get our video iPod...

Tags: Apple iPod Rumours One More Thing

Google going after del.icio.us? Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

A while ago Google introduced a personalised search service. I'm actually too paranoid about the amount of information Google now holds about me to actually use the service, but apparently they have now added tagging to the bookmark section.


Google's personalised search service
Having had a look around the new additions, I think del.icio.us still has an edge, in my view it's properly Web 2.0, despite not being an AJAX application, because it has open API. If there isn't an API, how do we build mash-ups?

Update: Looks like Dion Almaer just spotted the same article as I did, and he makes some good points. This would be a lot more useful if they allowed you to tag your search history rather than your bookmarks. It still needs an open API though...

Tags: Web 2.0 Tagging Mash-up Google del.icio.us API AJAX

One more thing... Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Well today is the day, and while so far I've deliberately steered clear of indulging in the frantic rumour mongering, I can't really resist it anymore. Apple Matters have a few good ideas about what's going to be announced, but I think suggestion from TUAW that the entire thing is an apology for the ROKR iTunes phone might be a little bit off the wall, although it would be very nice to have one, other than the iPod nano of course...

CREDIT: Engadget

One more thing...
Personally I'm still betting on the launch of the much rumoured iPod Video, although of course I've been wrong before!

Update: Well apparently ThinkSecret have done another about turn and is back to predicting that we're going to get our iPod Video after all...

Update: Last minute rumours seem to indicate that we're looking at a new wide screen iPod?

Update: The Apple Store is down for an update, here we go...

Update: With the event over we did indeed get our long anticipated video iPod, but we also got lots of other toys...

Tags: Apple Rumours One More Thing

Rely on the Japanese? Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

I was reading Jeremy Clarkson's take on the demise of Concorde last night. I've had similar thoughts myself. The fact that today we can no longer travel to New York in 3 hours, or in fact return to the Moon at all, when at one point in history we could, shows that as a culture we're sliding backwards rather than pushing forwards. That can't be a good thing...

CREDIT: JAXA

Images of test flight at Woomera
So today I greeted The Register's report on the successful test flight of the scale model of the Japanese SST at the Woomera Test Range in Australia with mixed emotions. Well done to JAXA and the Japanese, but why isn't it us any more?

Update: BBC News, Slashdot and the International Herald Tribune all have more...

Tags: Concorde JAXA Woomera Test Flight SST

Shallow thoughts at Web 2.0? Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Jim Lanzone recently spoke at the Web 2.0 Conference on the blogosphere, asking the question, which feeds matter?

CREDIT: O'Reilly Media

The Web 2.0 Conference
He finds that Bloglines has only a little over a million feeds that have more than one subscriber, only 36,930 feeds have more than 20 subscribers, and only 437 feeds had more than 1,000 subscribers. Based on this Jim has made some decisions about what feeds matter. But I think he's missed the point...

He's assuming that Bloglines is a statistically neutral cross-section of people who read feeds. What evidence does he have for this? For instance Safa Rashtchy's session at the same conference seems to have proved, amongst other interesting things, that teenagers don't use Yahoo.

So what is the demographic that Jim Lanzone and Bloglines are basing their conclusions, for instance I know that Bloglines makes up about 1/100th of my subscriber base. But am I typical? Atypical? Widely aberrant? I'd be more interested in seeing something like this from the Feedburner guys...

Tags: O'Reilly Web 2.0 Blogs Bloglines Jim Lanzone Safa Rashtchy Yahoo Teenagers

IKEA outage Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Those of you who are married probably know all about IKEA. Those of you who were intending to drive a hundred miles, or so, tomorrow to your nearest IKEA are going to be pretty annoyed to find that they don't seem to have a website right now...


A distinct lack of IKEA
There, that'll make the wife happy. Apparently I need more "interesting stuff" on this blog, so I guess that means more discussion of cut price furniture and less geekiness. ..

Tags: IKEA Website Outage

More Web 2.0 Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Recently there have been a lot of people trying to define exactly what is Web 2.0? Predictably the backlash against the meme has begun in earnest. Probably because despite attempts [1, 2, 3] nobody can agree on what it actually is, and have been reduced to analogies like comparing Web 2.0 to a rainforest...

However people do seem to agree that Google Maps is, at least currently, the only funtional Web 2.0 platform, they also agree that this has to change. A good reference for finding Web 2.0 services is the Mashup Matrix, which show how the different 'base' services have been combined by people. My favourite right now pretty much has to be Placeopedia, which connects Wikipedia articles with their locations.

Of course, Web 2.0 can't be just about mash-ups, Slashdot recently talked about early AJAX office applications with predicable results. Perhaps there might have been a more positive response if someone had mentioned Basecamp, Backpack and Writeboard and Ta Da Lists from 37signals? Or the resurrection of Desktop.com?

Whatever happens, Web 2.0 is here to stay, and will probably continue to be intimately associated with O'Reilly, in one form or another. So you may as well get used to hearing about it...

Tags: O'Reilly Web 2.0 Definition Mash-up Placeopedia Backpack Writeboard Basecamp Ta Da Lists Meme Backlash AJAX

Google Reader Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Another day, another new service from you friendly neighbourhood Google. The release of the new Google Reader, a web based RSS feed reader, has suprised some by not being as highly integrated into their existing GMail service as expected...


The new Google Reader interface
There does seem to be some initial teething problems, perhaps due to unexpected load, the application is painfully slow, and importing from OPML files doesn't seem to work. That said, while integration into GMail is minimal, reportedly Blogger has been imuch more closely tied into the interface, so long as you've linked your Blogger and Google accounts together. I haven't, so can't really test this feature very easily.

My initial reaction is so-so, although to be honest I haven't really given it a thorough work out yet, the slowness of the interface is putting me off...

Update: Blogger Buzz has more...

Update: According to Slashdot, Google Reader was launched at the O'Reilly Web 2.0 Conference, which I guess explains why it blind-sided the rest of us, and why the interface is so damn slow right now...

Update: The Unofficial Google Blog probably has the first proper review of the new service I've seen so far, and they aren't very complimentary. Looks like for once Google wasn't kidding about it being a beta release.

Update: The problems with OPML import, and the general slow interface have been cleared up, at least according to Jason Shellen. However while things do seem a lot faster, I still can't import my feed subscriptions from NetNewsWire at all, so your milage may vary...

Update: C.K. Sample isn't impressed, and I think I sort of agree with him. Even once you get it to work, the Google Reader interface just isn't particularly usable compared to something like NetNewsWire...

Update: The official announcement via the Google Blog...

Tags: Google GMail Google Reader RSS Atom Blogger

De-stealthing 24 Hour Laundry Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

Back in June there was a good bit of controversy about a stealth start-up called 24 hour laundry. Well a couple of days ago they launched their service, intriguingly called Ning.

I immediately grabbed an account and beta developer status and tried to have a poke around, but it turned out I couldn't log back into the site after registering, so I wandered off and did something else for a while instead.

Other people seemed to be better off, so if you might have heard all about this by now, but for those of you who might have missed the fuss, Ning is a web platform for creating social applications, or as the developers put it,

We've built an online service (or Playground, as we like to call it) for building and using social applications. Social "apps" are web applications that enable people to match, transact, and communicate with other people.

I'm not convinced that anyone, except perhaps the folks at Ning, really know what they're talking about, but the site does look intriguing. So now I can actually get back into the site again I'll let you know how I get on...

Tags: Ning24HL Web 2.0 Social Applications Mash-up Stealth Startup

The first (only?) Web 2.0 platform Español | Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Português

I've mentioned before that, to a lot of people, Web 2.0 is all about Google Maps. Well it looks like Marc Hedlund might agree with me...

Tags: Web 2.0 Meme Marc Hedlund Google Mash-up