Digital Technology for Digital Living.
November 30, 2004
Make Love Not Spam.
News.com.au has the goss on a new screensaver that’s used to fight spam.
“INTERNET users fed up with spam can go on the offensive by downloading a screensaver aimed at hitting junkmailers in the pocket, net portal Lycos said.
The screensaver - “Make Love Not Spam” - available from Lycos Europe requests data from websites that are mentioned in bulk mailings.
If thousands of screensaver users sign up, the websites’ servers will be running at nearly full tilt, said Frank Legerland, a spokesman for Lycos Europe, based in Guetersloh, Germany.
The demand would slow the websites’ response and hike their bandwidth bills, yet derive no income for them because there will be no response.
Those costs may discourage the sites from hiring email spammers to advertise their wares, he said.”
Rightly the article mentions that this could also effect your internet usage. Depending on the niceness of the process used to request the web sites, either your cpu, network, or ISP could also be hit. No real details are given as to the frequency that each screensaver makes a request, but we’ll guess that it doesn’t flood the users computer or network.
Versions are available for Windows, Mac OS X and OS 9 at their website
Update : (December 1, 2004) It turns out that the spammers have turned the tables on Lycos and launched a Denial of Service Attack on their site. Details at ZDNet. Thanks Trevor!
Update : (December 2, 2004) The saga continues with Lycos claiming they weren’t hacked and that the site was not down due to a DDOS attack. More at ZDNet.
Gadgetman | Comments (4) | General, Software
Australian Broadband 98% Reliable
A study conducted by the ACA reveals that Australian Broadband is 98% reliable. Regional differences in DSL technology are minimal, but cable connections reported large variabilities, as expected. There is also a correlation between the high reliability and the low customer dissatisfaction recorded earlier in the year.
It’s nice that our connections are reliable, but it would be even better if our largest telco was busy rolling out ever faster connections. Companies such as iiNet and Internode, among others, are rolling out their own equipment to increase the bandwidth available to consumers, since Telstra isn’t offering speeds greater than 1.5mb/s for consumer grade broadband.
Ben | Comments (0) | Broadband
November 29, 2004
Australia’s Own Gadget Podcast.
Cameron Reilly and Mick Stanic have started an Australian Podcast called G’Day World. The first in the series talks about Voice Over IP, Windows Media Centre, and Halo2, all from an Aussie’s point of view. So all in all a great feed for junkies like the typical Gadget Lounge reader.
Good work guys, keep it up, we’re looking forward to a regular dose.
Gadgetman | Comments (1) | General
November 26, 2004
Broadband Over Power Lines Close For Aussies.
Gadget Lounge has been waiting for this type of product for a few years now, and hopefully with the first trial over the option isn’t too far away. Whirlpool mentions Aurora Energy and their trial to do broadband over electricity lines, achieving speeds of between 10 and 30Mbps. This type of service will add pressure to Telstra to improve their performance and price, given a recent article seemed to suggest they’d be holding out for fiber to the premises to provide true high speed. Rather than a whole new infrastructure roll out we can rely on our power companies existing lines.
“To access the broadband a PLC modem can be plugged into any power point in the home to receive the broadband signal.”
Gadgetman | Comments (2) | Broadband
November 24, 2004
Pocket Kingdom Launched.
Today, Nokia has released what could possibly be the first incarnation of the killer app for the mobile game device genre. A MMOG (massively multiplayer online game) called Pocket Kingdom : Own The World, a game only available on the Nokia N-Gage platform.
“The phone functionality of the N-Gage platform allows Pocket Kingdom gamers to connect to the N-Gage Arena where they can find other Pocket Kingdoms to pounce upon and inflict grievous harm in their quest to reach the top of the All-Time Owner Board or All-Time Looter Board.
Pocket Kingdom contains a number of innovative features that give gamers a mobile gaming experience like no other. For example, the Own The World News Report is a 24-hour news channel that reports on real-time developments in the Pocket Kingdom game world. Aspiring entrepreneurs can sell off items they capture from other players for “loot” via the game’s Auction system.”
The game web site describes the game :
“You build up your kingdom by raising armies and conquering other players. Watch out though - all the other players out there trying to do the exact same thing as you!
To survive, you’ll have to explore the map, gather treasure, and rob your neighbors. Spend your “loot” wisely, upgrade your armies and build new items in your castle’s lab.”
You can pre-order now at eXpansys for $AU70.95, and read a review at Game Power Australia.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Wireless, Portable, Toys
Broadcatching TV How-To.
We mentioned RSS TV a few months ago, and since then someone’s come up with a much cooler term and called it Broadcatching. In their normal style, Engadget have created a how-to document for anyone with a PC or Mac. So, if you’re sick of waiting for an Australian version of Tivo, disappointed with Microsoft’s Media Centre, then you might like to give it a try. One caveat is, this type of internet use, beside being illegal in Australia, can consume an obscene amount of bandwidth. So you’ll need broadband, and you should monitor your usage, unless you’re on unlimited.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | General, Broadband, PVR, Video, Digital TV, Software
November 23, 2004
iPod’s Competition.
Australian IT has a dandy little article that gives a run down of iPod history, but more importantly, the competition that the sexy little device has. They don’t overly rave about many of the other music players out there. The Philips Micro Jukebox just doesn’t have the space, the Sony HD1 currently doesn’t play MP3s, but they do hold out hope for one other.
“If there is an iPod killer gathering strength out there, it is the Zen Jukebox series, which includes the 20GB Zen Touch retailing at $499. After all, Creative practically invented computer sound. True, it missed the boat in the first place with the basic idea of the iPod, and it lacks some of the style and almost all the cultural cache, but it makes up for this with lower prices and a much broader product range. Creative recently introduced the Portable Media Centre, for example, which adds video and photos to the portable music equation. We don’t know for sure, but it looks to us like the latest iPod photo, which stores still photos as well as music files, might have been a reaction to this device, surely a sign of a king nervous about his throne.”
The truth is, we just loved the photo.
Gadgetman | Comments (2) | Music
Is The Nokia Neo Just A Prototype?
Word on the street is that the Nokia Neo we posted about yesterday, and was since picked up by many other gadget sites is a prototype that was subsequently canned. Neither reports are particularly trustworthy, so we’ll hold out for firmer information.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Mobile Phone
Panasonic’s Versatile DVD Recorder.
Australia is creeping toward the ability to do some true home entertainment networking with Panasonic’s latest toys. ARNnet details the DMR-E500H which is a DVD Recorder with a 400G-byte hard drive that provides the ability to store up to 709 hours. The catch is the obscene price, $AU3,299.
It’s so feature rich that no single article really articulates just how powerful the machine is.
“The DMR-E500H features an Ethernet jack enabling connection to other components with a single straight cable, offering an easy way to create a network. Using the Ethernet, the DMR-E500H lets you create a Home Network. By connecting all the components in your home via a network, you can use your PC to view still pictures and video clips stored on your DIGA DVD Recorder, or watch programs recorded on the DIGA DVD Recorder in your living room while relaxing in your bedroom.”
It is also slated as being incredibly quick when writing to the DVD from the Hard Drive. According to Digital Connect News, “transferring a program lasting one hour (EP mode) from the HDD to DVD-RAM (5x) can be done in as little as 1.5 minutes, or alternatively to DVD-R (8x) in less than 1 minute”.
Included is a SD Card and PC Card Slot (Type II) reader which allows a user with a Digital Camera that takes different formats, SD Memory Card, i.e. : xD Picture Card, MicroDrive, MultiMedia Card, Compact Flash, Smart Media, or Memory Stick, to play videos or images direct from the card. It also allows the reverse. Transferring video or images to the card to be viewed in a compatible devices.
Gadgetman | Comments (3) | PVR, Video
Smart Phone Benchmark Tool.
Futuremark Corporation has a benchmark tool for smart phones, SPMark 04, which, the Consumer Version at least, allows you to test the graphics performance on Series 60 or UIQ phones. There are other versions available which appear to test further functions.
We ran a quick test on a Nokia 7610, and it’s great fun seeing the 3D Game, which displays a helicopter flying in battle. It’d be nice to be able to control it, even to fly around a small terrain. It’s a neat way to show off your phones display. The results from the test gave this 7610 a SPMark04 3D Score of 554. The 3D Game providing an average of 9.13 frames per second, 3D Fillrate of 1.93Mtexels/s, and a 3D PolyCount of 32.50 Ktriangles/s.
Elite Bastards have a great review which includes some other results. We’d be interested to hear results from a variety of phones. Just for fun.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Mobile Phone
Location Based Services.
Location based services offer a new way of enjoying our technology. Seeker Wireless happens to be an Australian company that plans to provide the service down under.
“Cellular Location is the technology that allows the estimation of the position of a mobile telephone or cellular phone. This is a disruptive technology, as there are no limits to the number of applications that such a technology will enable. Some examples are finding emergency callers, locating the nearest restaurant, sending an alarm if a child is moved from the vicinity of home or school, dispatching the nearest taxi, detecting traffic jams on the road network, and many other applications.”
Link courtesy of Podcasting Avenue, which discusses the exciting possibility of location based podcasts.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Wireless, Portable
November 22, 2004
Foxtel Reaches 500,000.
The internet hasn’t killed TV yet. Not with more than 500,000 people in Australia willing to pay $AU600 or more a year for Foxtel. That’s the news this morning from SMH. Foxtel’s offer for free installation of Digital, and the run up to Christmas has seen an increase in people subscribing or upgrading. We’ll see what happens next year when they start selling their Personal Video Recorder service.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | PVR, Digital TV
Nokia’s Music Phone.
Mobile Gadgets has a little bit of information and photos on Nokia’s soon to be released music phone, which they’re calling the Nokia Neo. It will use a SD/MMC-Card expansion slot for its music storage, so it appears the reason it becomes a music phone is the interface that is very iPod like, given that many new phones have the same storage and capacity. As Mobile Gadgets eludes, the real killer feature will be when they add the hard drive, which they’ve already said will happen next year in some of their phones. People have been talking for a good while about the convergence of the two devices, with Motorola and Nokia announcing music alliances. Apple still has the upper-hand, but only because it has become a fashionable item. Once we move toward convenience it makes sense to include the devices. Perhaps it’s time for Apple to use the iPhone trademark.
Update : (November 23, 2004) Latest info is that this could just be a prototype, that won’t go to production.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Mobile Phone, Music
November 21, 2004
Steal Your Neighbour’s Wi-Fi.
Jason, over at e3 found a great Slate article, How To Steal Wi-Fi, which is great to learn just that, or how to secure your own connection.
“When I moved into a new neighborhood last week, I expected the usual hassles. Then I found out I’d have to wait more than a month for a DSL line. I started convulsing. If I don’t have Net access for even one day, I can’t do my job. So, what was I supposed to do? There’s an Internet café on the next block, but they close early. I had no choice—it was time to start sneaking on to my neighbors’ home networks.”
It rounds out the article with
“set a password that isn’t as obvious as “1234.” There’s an eye-glazing list of Wi-Fi security measures you can implement to block overachieving Russian teens from monitoring your keystrokes, but in real life the only people sniffing your wireless signal are jerks like me who need a place to log on until the phone company wires the apartment.”
So, don’t use the default or a generic password for your Wireless Router. Even better, a few extra simple measures include adding a WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) key, or with newer routers the WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) key, and turn off the SSID (Service Set Identifier), which isn’t possible on all routers (like an older Apple Airport Base-station). If you feel the need, go that extra mile and only allow the MAC Address of the computers you intend to use. Alternatively, leave the network wide open and score major Whuffie!
Gadgetman | Comments (2) | Broadband, Wireless
iPrimus Offers 2Mbit+ ADSL.
Whirlpool points out that iPrimus has announced two new 2Mbit+ ADSL plans. The Total 2000-12000 plan with 12GB downloads for $49.95, and 2000-400 with 400MB at $29.95. The catch is , because of the physics of the signals, it’s available only within 1.5km of an exchange, with their DSLAM equipment (Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer), rather than Telstra’s. Whirlpool also claim that the connections “could potentially go up to 6144Kbps depending on line conditions”. Let the line speed competitions begin :).
Update : (November 22, 2004) ZDnet has an article on the announcement, and if you’re interested if you can currently get the service, check iPrimus Coverage page.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | Broadband
Not Quite a Perfect Draft.
The PerfectDraft website has finally been launched. We mentioned the product in August, but the bad news is that it appears to only be available in Belgium and Luxembourg at the moment, so anyone in Australia will have to wait or import it from either of those countries. Pointless really, unless you want to import the kegs as well. Given Australia’s reputation for beer, perhaps we’ll see it next year.
“Jupiler and Stella Artois teamed up with Philips to offer you a unique experience at home:
Your very own genuine draught beer, always fresh and at the ideal temperature of 3°C.
Discover the pleasure of pouring real draught beer, and enjoying it in the privacy of your own home… Introducing the PerfectDraft® and its 6-litre metal keg with refreshing beer.”
Gadgetman | Comments (4) | General
November 20, 2004
Gadget Lounge Forum.
Gadget Lounge Forum is now open to the public. The aim is to provide a resource that goes beyond Australian gadget news and into discussions, questions, answers, personal reviews, and other gizmo related banter for all Aussies to enjoy. The more it’s used, the more useful it becomes. So please have a look and make use. It includes a XML feed for those people that find using a News Aggregator useful, and can be broken down into the various topics. If you find anything missing, a bug, or would like to request a feature, please let us know.
Gadgetman | Comments (1) | General
Fast Forward Improves Message Memory.
PVR Blog points to a soon to be released study by CBS that shows people who fast forward adverts have a higher retention rate for the commercial messages that people who don’t. When someone is fast forwarding their attention is on the screen for close to 100% of the commercials, where as when they are playing at the standard rate people will take a break or day dream.
While were on the topic. There has been plenty on news in the U.S. about Tivo (the most popular Personal Video Recorder) planning to show banner ads while users use the fast forward feature. Engadget has the latest on the story, with a Tivo executive trying to clarify just what they are planning. What many companies are failing to see is the balance of power is finally shifting from consumer electronic companies to users. Tivo could wake up one morning to realise that by alienating their community, they’ve lost control, and the brand is down the toilet.
We’ve been keeping an eye on IceTV, the Australian PVR that uses digital radio to broadcast program transitions so adverts can be skipped completely at the time of recording. It’s not looking likely, certainly not this year. News has dried up and even the web site has become unavailable. If anyone has heard any news, we’d love to know.
Gadgetman | Comments (0) | PVR, Video
November 17, 2004
Locked In ADSL Modems.
Adam Internet are trialing free modems that lock a customer to their ADSL Broadband service, according to an ARNnet article. They see it as an innovative way to stop customers moving from their service to another ISP, called churn. Adam claims the offer is like buying a mobile phones on a contract for free or heavily discounted. The difference is a mobile phone still can cost several hundred dollars, or in cases, over a grand. Rightly, “IDC research director for telecommunications, Landry Fevre, said network locking modems was not the way to reduce customer churn”. In fact, if Adam Internet think that giving away a $99 item is a way to creative innovative pricing they’ve got a rude shock waiting. $99 isn’t the major concern for most users, it’s the monthly rental fee, download cap and speed that most users are concerned with. In fact, with enough take up of broadband, we’ll see the modem cost reduce further.
Gadgetman | Comments (1) | Broadband
The iPod photo Formally Known As iPod Photo.
The Unofficial Apple Weblog has the earth shattering news that Apple have renamed the iPod Photo to the completely different iPod photo. Stunning marketing there.
The Apple announcement reads :
“The name for iPod photo has been changed - the “p” in photo is now lower case. Please update all electronic and web-based media to reflect this change.
Apple is updating its electronic and web-based materials to accomodate the name change. Please check Apple Sales Web as well as other Apple web pages for new and updated materials as they become available.”
Now this begs the question, why? From a marketing standpoint it leverages the iPod brand, unifies it, and leaves the path clear for other iPods. iPod mini, iPod movie, iPod phone, iPod wireless, etc. It’s a slight difference, but it matters, to some one, we think, maybe.
Gadgetman | Comments (1) | General, Music
