Digital Technology for Digital Living.
September 15, 2004
iPodder, RSS and MP3 Converge.
Just like RSS (Real Simple Syndication) and Bittorrent convergence, weblogger Adam Curry has released an application, and the source, that allows you to automatically download MP3 files to your iPod by keeping an eye on RSS feeds. Called iPodder, the concept is that you can set filters for particular keywords to watch for, when the application sees it within a file, it’ll download straight to iTunes or Windows Media Player. The site also has a list of places that provide shows that you can use iPodder with. It’s still in early development, so don’t expect a flash user interface.
Thanks to Paul for the link to ExtremeiPod.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Music, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
September 08, 2004
Lifeblog Earns Its B.
Nokia’s Lifeblog finally gets to earn the “b”. We’ve mentioned the application before. The news just announced is a new partnership between Six Apart, the company that created Movable Type and Typepad weblog tools. Currently Lifeblog doesn’t publish to the web, it’s an application on a mobile that will sync with a Windows PC, so really it’s just a Lifelog, but with today’s announcement we’ll see that change in time. The announcement makes a lot of sense, given that Joi Ito has a close relationship with Nokia and Six Apart.
“The blogging capability of Nokia Lifeblog is based on the open ATOM standard, and will be available early 2005.” The question is, does this mean it’ll work while mobile, or will it need to first sync with the PC?
Gadgets boy | Comments (1) | Mobile Phone, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
September 05, 2004
Ogg Vorbis For Smart Phones.
Hard core geeks rave about Ogg Vorbis as an audio format, mainly because the specification is in the public domain allowing developers to use it freely for commercial or non-commercial use. That and the smaller size for the files produced. So it’s not surprising that some one has developed an Ogg player, OggPlay, for the Symbian OS, that’s found on many smart phones. The current version works on the Nokia 6600, 6620 and 7610, with older versions supporting Siemens SX-1, Nokia NGage, Nokia 7650, Nokia 3650, Motorola A920, Sony Ericsson P800 and P900.
Link thanks to AAS News.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Mobile Phone, Music, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
September 02, 2004
Microsoft Media Center Confirmed For October Release.
ARNnet confirms that Microsoft’s Media Centre will be released to the Australian market on October 13. However, as suspected here at Gadget Lounge, the article throws some doubt on the story from DCN which suggested they will have a program guide at the time of launch.
“The Australian media wants to manage its intellectual property rights and revenue streams,” Schroder said. “The skip function can destroy revenue streams so we need to work through digital rights management with those organisations.”
Gadgets boy | Comments (1) | Digital TV, PVR, Software, Videogadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 24, 2004
Photon, Straight To The Web Photo Publishing.
Anyone with a digital camera, an Apple Mac and the interest in publishing their photos from iPhoto to the web should consider Photon. Just out of beta the software is a plugin the the Apple standard OS X photo software, allowing the user to publish straight to a Movable Type or Typepad “publishing platform”. Gadget Lounge was privy to an early release of the software to test, and we were very impressed. It’s got the normal ease of use Mac affectionado are used to, making it as easy as exporting the photo, but with the benefit of it publishing the image and a thumbnail straight to the Internet, for the small price of about $AU14.73.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Digital Camera, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 23, 2004
Media Center To Launch At Melbourne’s Intelligent Home Show.
As we reported a few weeks ago, Microsoft’s Media Center is due to be launched in October, now known to be at the Intelligent Home Show in Melbourne on October 15. As well as a speaker they’ll have at the event they also plan to have a large stand. HP will also be launching their hardware for Media Center, according to Digital Connect News. A couple of important ingredients for the release will be simple hardware, like a set top box that plugs and plays, which unless HP do something different, doesn’t look like the case, and as discussed previously, an Australian Program Guide. I’m sure we’ll get more reports before the day.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | PVR, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 12, 2004
Airport Express Encryption Decrypted.
For the seriously braniac amongst us, DVD Jon, the man behind breaking DVD Region Codes, has broken the Airport Express encryption used by Apple. Currently his blog is having trouble keeping up with demand, but he has released Justeport, a command line application that allows anyone to send any Apple Lossless formated audio to an Airport Express. Boing Boing has a snippet, including the RSA Public Key for those interested.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Music, Software, Wirelessgadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 11, 2004
iSync 1.5, Still No 7610 Support.
Apple has released iSync 1.5 today. If you thought that it might support the latest smart phone from Nokia, the 7610, then you’re right out of luck. The new release claims to add support for more Sony Ericsson and Motorola phones, and makes us wonder how Nokia has managed to damage the relationship. Fortunately, for those that own one or any other phone not supported, BluePhoneMenu helps make up for some of the missing features like sending SMS and seeing incoming calls, and they’ve just released their new version today. We’re still waiting for true Address Book and iCal syncing though.
Update : (August 11 2004) It now appears possible that Nokia has done nothing wrong, and it’s just Apple’s slow to support Bluetooth phones in general. The Unofficial Apple Weblog points out that the new support for some of the Motorola phones are via USB only.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Mobile Phone, PDA, Portable, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 10, 2004
PiXPO, Peer-To-Peer Photo Sharing.
How2Share has launched an application for Windows that allows for easier sharing of photos online. Instead of e-mailing or posting photos to a web site, PiXPO is a peer-to-peer network that allows for sharing of photos. They aim to allow people wanting to share photos with family, friends, or to build new communities. There are public and private albums to make sure you only show those photos to the people you want. Because it is peer-to-peer, there is no need to have a host service, all the photos exist on the network, just like file sharing networks like KaZaA. There is a free 30 day trial, and a license will set you back about $AU41.75 ($US29.95). Gadget Lounge is looking forward to those little mistakes where private photos are accidentally shared to the world.
Thanks to BIOS for the link.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Digital Camera, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
OS X 10.3.5 With Bluetooth Remote Control.
MobileWhack notes that the latest dot upgrade for OS X, 10.3.5, comes with a feature similar to Salling Clicker. OS X now natively has support for remote control for Desktop, Media Player, and Presentation. The new upgrade mentions that there is greater Bluetooth support for the Apple Wireless Keyboard and Mouse and Bluetooth phones. There are no details on which phones have been added, but Gadget Lounge can tell you that the Nokia 7610 is still not supported. Perhaps when the iSync 1.5 is released, which we hear is close by.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Mobile Phone, Software, Wirelessgadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 06, 2004
Microsoft’s Media Center Set For October Release.
According to Digital Connect News, Microsoft will release Media Centre in October this year, with a program guide. It’s been fairly obvious for some time that Microsoft have been in talks with providers of TV guide data in Australia. With the recent OzTiVo debacle and a few discussions that Gadget Lounge has had with content providers it is certain that the negotiations have been happening thick and fast. DCN’s article mainly discusses the support of the hardware vendors, which there is no doubt about. Who isn’t going to want to be a part of the the convergence. It remains to be seen though if Microsoft’s program guide will include all of Australia’s networks, and how that will integrate or compete with Foxtel’s new set top box come PVR from NDS, when released next year. In the mean time we can all ogle Amazon’s info or Microsoft details.
Gadgets boy | Comments (1) | PVR, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
August 04, 2004
SymbianWare PowerNavigation.
SymbianWare can now offer you PowerNavigation 2.0 (sounds like it needs an Xtreme stuck in front of it to us) for your Series 60 or UIQ mobile phone. Team up this software with a Bluetooth GPS receiver, and you may never get lost again. Or at least, if you get lost, you’ll be able to call someone to tell them where to send the rescue squad.
It supports basic GPS operations, like waypointing, satellite monitoring/information, direction, speed, distance, etc. You can also create maps with the free map creation software for use with PowerNavigation.
We don’t often find ourselves lost in the urban jungle, but you never know when something like this might come in handy… for impressing your friends.
Ben | Comments (2) | Mobile Phone, Portable, Software, Toys, Wirelessgadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
July 28, 2004
Skype Launches 1.0 For Windows.
Skype 1.0 for Windows has just been released. For those who aren’t aware, Skype is the same group of people that released KaZaA, and they have a peer-to-peer client that makes calls to other clients via Voice over IP (VoIP), and recently has added the ability to call to mobile phones and land lines through the same network, known as SkypeOut. This is where the service starts to get interesting.
Last night my wife wanted to call a friend in Dubai. Through Telstra this call would cost $AU1.14 per minute on their best plan. We use Encircle to make international calls, which offers VoIP from any phone in Australia. They charge 71 cents per minute. On todays exchange rate, Skype would charge 37 cents per minute (see their rates). So there are savings to be made. For 22 countries, of which Australia is included, they offer a rate of 3 cents per minute.
Worth a look for Windows, Linux and Pocket PC users.
Gadgets boy | Comments (0) | Broadband, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
July 20, 2004
Turn Your Bluetooth Phone Into A Remote For Your Mac.
BoingBoing points to an incredible application for those people with a Bluetooth Phone or PDA and a Apple Mac. Salling Clicker turns your Bluetooth device into a remote control for your computer. It includes the ability to control iTunes, DVD Player, EyeTV, VLC Media Player, iPhoto, Keynote, PowerPoint, Mail, and the list goes on with expandability by AppleScripts. For anyone that plays iTunes on their laptop through their Hi-Fi, downloaded movies or DVDs by plugging it into their TV, gives presentations, or just likes one upping colleagues with their latest toy, it’s worth a look. Just $US19.99 will buy you a license if you get sick of the 30 click limited demo.
As it advertises, “Embrace your laziness!”
Richard | Comments (0) | PDA, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
July 16, 2004
Nokia Lifeblog.
Nokia’s recently released 7610 phone works with new beta software called Lifeblog. The software runs on your PC (Windows only) and the 7610 allowing you to sort your “photos, videos, text messages, and multimedia messages into a clear chronology you can easily browse, search, edit, and save”. It’s not a weblog, given there is no way to move the images to the internet, so we’re a little confused by the blog term, but it operates on the PC in a similar fashion. It’ll be a hit with the thumb tribes.
Richard | Comments (1) | Mobile Phone, Softwaregadgets,gadget,gadgets shop, latest gadgets, new gadgets
