Posts by dave thomson

Apple to charge iPod Touch owners for new OS - again

why no charge for MS serive packs?

Because that is bug-fixes, not additional functionality. The same reason why Apple Updates aren't charged either.

It's very simple (if you want to understand)

- Bug fixes to existing applications, no charge

- Additional or enhanced functionality, charge required.

How many of you get huffy when MS charges you to buy the next version of MS Office?

Nokia admits DVB-H still not taking off

Mobile TV works in Japan

...But it works because they did it sensibly.

The keitai's (mobile phones) receive digital TV over the air, not over the mobile network so there are no charges to use it.

And to deal with the issue of spotty coverage or using on the underground - the keitai can record TV so you can play it back later. I believe you can even download TV on your keitai and transfer it via memory stick to your PC or PSP but I haven't tried this.

Old Sony console outsold PS3 in US last month

Here in Tokyo....

..we have a PCone, and two PS2's (old model and new model). Planning to buy another PS2 to replace the PSone as well.

Thought about buying a PS3 - but only have 1 game we want to play on it so far.

Also the worry is that with the big screen, the 2 PC's, the DVD player, the cable box and the heated carpet that we will trip the circuit breaker if we add the PS3 as well. It's actually a real worry and too hard to change the circuits so will hang back on the PS3 until it becomes more pressing.

Nokia to turn cameraphones into foreign food finders

2D barcodes - already here

"I vaguely remember something not a million miles from this which was going to turn your mobile's camera into a 2D barcode reader and the barcodes would be everywhere, posters, magazines, you name it."

We have this in Japan for years, the 2D barcodes are on most things. If you take a photo of the barcode with your kaitei it will normally translate into a URL where you get more information.

Number of characters

TS said -

"There are also another 73 characters for basic Japanese called Hiragana, and another 73 characters for English based words callled Katakana."

You got the general idea right but a bit of an exageration - there is only 43 Hiragana and 43 Katakana characters.

This function wouldn't be so useful for native japanese, but for us gaijin it would be a godsend.