Posts by Rob Davis

The hoarder's dilemma, or 'Why can't I throw anything away?'

Help is at hand: IT recycling, charities, museums and scanners

I've been throwing out stuff for the last few years and feel all the better for it. I don't worry about hoarding something "that might become valuable". Apart from a few sourvenirs of travels, concerts, family and loved ones photos, most things I am disposing of in the following ways, see below. Life is about experiences not things.

IT recycling charity: Jamie's Computers: http://jamies.org.uk/

- Proceeds from re-sale, salvage of materials goes to homeless (they are part of St James charity)

- they take anything IT or electronics: working/broke - from consumers/households for free - if delivered to them during their opening hours

- If it works they may sell it in their ebay store: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/jamiescomputers/

- If it doesn't they will dispose of it following WEEE guidelines or (I believe) sell to scrap dealers (rare earth materials)

Sell or give to friends/family the stuff that is still useful, still works, but not any use to you anymore

- I've done this a few times

Computer Museum: http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/

- Took my Acorn RISC PC (I DHLed it from Staples for 25 quid out of my own pocket - I'd rather do that than just dump it on the local WEEE tip, gone to a good home to give others pleasure). I have a RaspberryPi now - so I will be able to run RISC OS on that.

IT recycling: http://www.viridor.co.uk/

- they take old floppies and CDs/DVDs: break them down into pellets to be used as low-grade mouldings OR as fuel to heat homes

Old Documents - scan in with Double-sided auto document feeder (ADF) all-in-one printer/scanner: Epson Stylus Office BX635FWD

http://www.epson.co.uk/gb/en/viewcon/corporatesite/products/mainunits/overview/10882

Old film-based (pre-Digital) photos: Major town/city branches of Boots The Chemist on your local high street with a dedicated onsite Photo department and processing service do a great, efficient negative scanning service to CD.

Games, music, DVDs: Charity shops: British Heart Foundation, OxFam music and book shops etc.

Finally - some wise words on clutter - The Many Reasons We Rely Upon Our Clutter written by Leo Babauta.

http://zenhabits.net/crutches/

(I gain no benefit from any of the organisations mentioned, nor work for them - I've simply found them all useful)

That said, I still have quite a lot of stuff: One MacBookPro, Desktop PC, netbook (all of which I've upgraded in one way or another, I love to rejuvenate, the netbook, a Toshiba NB100 will be getting a Samsung 840 Pro SSD soon - why replace - upgrade!), 2 digital radios, 2 TV/monitors, freeview boxes, CD/DVD/Blu-ray burners, speakers, audio mixing console, synthesizer, digital camera, external drives,ebook reader. But all of these are being used actively - when they cease to be, they will be disposed of in one of the ways I mention.

I'm enjoying a less cluttered, minimalist-ish flat.

Fanboys order 2m iPhone 5s in 24 hours

Re: Not surprised.

+1 I agree about the evolutionary product philosophy. My iPod Touch will be able to run iOS 6 (though perhaps some features absent). This shows Apple recognises that longevity is quite important to the consumer; it makes them more willing to part with cash with the knowledge that the device will still be relevant 1, 2 or 3 years or more.

Ten iPhone 5 challengers

But are they all 4G / LTE capable?

...did I miss something but I couldn't see any mention of 4G / LTE compatibility. The iPhone 5 supports one of the standards.

If these phones don't support at least one of the 4G / LTE standards then the claim that these are equivalent iPhone 5 alternatives is incorrect. Preferably for them to have a real edge over the iPhone I think they should support the same standard that the iPhone 5 supports AND the other standards -- for when O2, Vodafone etc. eventually catch up with Everything Everywhere in offering 4G / LTE faster mobile broadband.

(Not an Apple/iPhone fanboi, a HTC Desire Z owner)

Google's stats show few Android tablets in use

Ergo Electronics have some nice Android-based machines

Birmingham UK based Ergo Electronics have some nice ideas based around Android, some of their products are available now while others have just been announced. http://www.ergoelectronics.com/

I don't work for them but think their site is great and the functionality of their products is relevant: USB host, microSD slots, HDMI outputs, keyboards...

Ten digital radios to suit all budgets

Roll on 4G & more WiFi hotspots - TuneIn Radio already works well on 3G & WiFi, Revo RadioStation

Assuming mobile internet availability continues to improve, DAB will become less relevant.

TuneIn Radio is an great mobile app - works well on Android on iPod touch in the home. Instead of spending 100 pounds on these radios why not spend it on a cheap Android phone such as the Orange San Francisco or similar, download TuneIn radio from the Android market and hook up some speakers. For the same cost of many radios here, you would have a more versatile, multi-purpose device, that is portable around the home.

Also, my three year old Revo RadioStation portable WiFi/Internet/DAB/DAB+/FM radio is still going strong.

I'm looking forward to forthcoming 4G / LTE roll out this/next year and the expansion of WiFi networks such as in London. Both of these are set to improve the availability of mobile internet to support internet radio apps such as TuneIn. I can already listen to internet radio in my car and hope that the drop-outs due to lack of mobile coverage will reduce as these new mobile networks are rolled out.

Why Java would still stink even if it weren't security swiss cheese

Programming is embedded in another career as much as it is in devices

I think what the author of the article and some posters may not realise, when they talk of mediocrity or worse among Java programmers (and perhaps those of other languages) is the trend of programming being part of another job. There are many jobs which involve programming but aren't purely software engineering or development roles. Much as a lot of software is found in machines and devices that aren't general purpose computers themselves but something that performs a specific task or tasks: TV, washing machine, car, etc. (However I would say that those who write software for embedded applications need a high level of discipline in memory and CPU usage, ensuring code executes when expected (real time constraints) and extensive testing.)

Would it not be a good thing for those whose job title is not 'programmer' but who can write programs to solve the problems in their field: empowering. This is a development of the trend whereby use of computers is no longer the preserve of computing professionals but for everyone. Further along, the trend suggests that just about *every* job will involve some kind of programming in the future.

In support of Java: reader "colin the aardvark"'s sensible viewpoint in another Reg article forum

I thought that this post from fellow Reg reader "colin the aardvark" was a sensible viewpoint in support of Java and is realistic about it's limitations but with a real world view of Java's technical competencies as well as the industries it can work within and the skillset issues too:

http://forums.theregister.co.uk/post/1191612

'Young people don't want to become like us', say IT pros

Theatre plays are like real time software

I would agree it's all about presentation and context. I was in a lovely theatre play a few years back and if I wanted to put an "interesting" (define that!) spin on computing (if it ever needed it), I would describe a theatre play as having things in common with real time software:

Multiple-threads of execution - multiple actors doing different things

Real time nature - things HAVE to happen at certain times

Synchronisation - some things have to happen in sync with others

Testing - rehearsals

Debugging - removing/modifying troublesome parts of a script (actor's lines or sequence)

Scripts!

Version Control - we all had to edit our scripts in the same way at the same time to be sure we knew what we were supposed to be doing

Subsystems - different parts of the the Theatre's Company (different roles)

Can you think of any more?

Apple introduces 'next generation' MacBook Pro with retina display

Impressive specs, would buy but I will remain content with my 2010 MBP for a few more years at least

Impressive specification in the new Mac Book Pro.

Apart from the performance, the build quality of Apple notebooks are very good - clean, light and strong. And I will remain content with my 2010 MacBookPro 17" for another 2 years at least. I'm no fanboi - I also use a Windows 7 / Ubuntu dual boot desktop and a Windows XP netbook.

By then, if I was considering replacing, in 2 years time perhaps hexacore or octocore notebooks with multi core graphics chips, 100Gbit optical Thunderbolt and even faster and bigger flash would be the new state of the art, making those who buy today's latest release as envious then as I would be of them buying this latest update out now.

One can't win at the game of having the latest, as technology marches on. The key is to accept this and be content with what one has for the useful life of the item and realise that most tasks can still be done on that, even if it involves a little more waiting.

Ten... Qwerty mobiles

Sony X10 Mini Pro and HTC Desire Z

+1 for everyone here praising the Sony X10 Mini Pro. It's a dinky little marvel!

I don't own a X10 Mini Pro but I have a HTC Desire Z which I am happy with.

Google+ dying on its arse – shock new poll

Give it time. Facebook going for 8 years. G+ underpins other services.

Facebook has been going for 8 years.

G+ is a relative newcomer which is its disadvantage competing against the established.

People's tastes will change too which may work in the favour of G+

G+ shouldn't be directly compared to Facebook. G+ binds lots of services good in their own right together (Gmail, Youtube, Blogger), providing convenience of sign on and sharing.

Too much focus on G+ itself when it is more a underpinning fabric for these services.

A Facebook weakness I can see is being too time-oriented: it's not easy for example to see all the things you Like as a list, there is no notion of favourites or categorised tagging.

Ten... freeware gems for new PCs

PFrank File Renamer, ImgBurn, Fast Duplicate File Finder, Picasa, Folder Size, Truecrypt

PFrank File Renamer

- Probably the most powerful and flexible Windows-based filename renamer there is and it's free. Well supported in forums. Powerful regex, derived names, generate logs of the renames, etc, undo, with built-in commonly used presets - all done from a Windows application.

http://www3.telus.net/pfrank/

ImgBurn

Reliable CD,DVD,Blu-ray burning software, burn files direct to disk, or make image files and burn those. Very comprehensive logging, preset Wizard quick guides. Well supported in forums. Free.

http://imgburn.com

Fast Duplicate File Finder

Free basic non-trial version (pro, paid for version provides extra features). Find same files with different names. Uses CRC. Exclude folders from being purged as duplicates (i.e. define the master location).

http://www.mindgems.com/products/Fast-Duplicate-File-Finder/Fast-Duplicate-File-Finder-About.htm

Picasa

Photo image browsing across multiple folders. Define which folders get looked at by the program. Free.

picasa.google.com/

Folder Size

Adds the missing folder size feature to Windows 7 - see how much space the contents of folders are taking up. Free basic non-trial version. Paid version provides extra reporting.

http://www.mindgems.com/products/Folder-Size/Folder-Size.html

Truecrypt

http://www.truecrypt.org/

All this talk of erasing sensitive data using Eraser or CCleaner. Use truecrypt instead to encrypt the data before it gets written to the hard drive in the first place. Transparent and integrates with Windows, requires you to define a password that you enter once on boot up or if accessing an encrypted drive. Free.

NHS's chances of getting world's best IT: 80% ... maybe*

Re: Two different languages

+1 Good point. This seems to be a common problem in my experience of working in 5 organisations. For example, different departments have a different name for the same thing.

Wasted conversations clarifying things, confusion among new hires, poor training. At best people agree at worst people don't get this, let alone a solution.

There needs to be a recognised job function - "master term dictionary" maintainer or something.

Content management systems can help like the open source Drupal provide taxonomy (category) management, including synonyms. Another example is the stackexchange.com sites - see how tags for things are well managed here.

Re: Disunity

+1 on interoperability.

And to further support the point, different systems is a fact of life and this is not a problem if they can interoperate electronically (APIs etc) and automatically (if required) to achieve what is required.

HTC to produce exclusive Facebook smartphone, bitch

Root phone and forfeit using apps like PingIt money transfer

Barclays PingIt won't work on rooted phones apparently. Quite a useful app for paying people you owe money to. Well phone users in Kenya seem to like the idea of phone based money transfer - which is where the idea gained popularity before it came here - and we're all tech-aware people here, embracing new ways aren't we?

Reason being for not allowing it on rooted handsets is there is a risk perceived with rooted phones and perhaps possible extra support costs.

The risk being that even though the published modded/rooted source and firmware are available, you have to take the supplier of these word for it that the firmware was produced from the source. Ideally you want to believe them (and probably can for some rooted vendors) but the risk is there.

I can see the sense in this policy, given that in the past some freeware sites have been hijacked with malware (always check the MD5 checksums) and the concerns over security on smart phones (perhaps some hysteria but still...) Indeed Barclays offer internet security apps to those who wish to use PingIt.

Panasonic DMP-BDT320 3D Blu-ray player

Indeed it looks great, but will it compete against Sony Playstation 3 at that price?

For that money one could buy a Playstation 3 and have some change.

I'm guessing the Panasonic has more refinements aimed at the audio fan (like the Super Clarity Mode) as mentioned and perhaps the disc transport itself is quieter.

I hope it does well but there is competition as said.

Thoughts?

Getting rich off iPhone apps is b*llocks, say UK devs

Difference between getting rich and earning a respectable amount with correct app pricing

I'm wondering if the article and posters here have confused the article with getting rich and making a decent amount of cash.

It seems unnecessary black and white to me: the incorrect inference seems to be: "if you can't get rich doing it then why bother at all?" when actually there are shades of success and some might be able to earn a decent income - particularly if apps are priced sensibly.

Moreover perhaps some developers might rightly view success as income from an app being a secondary income to supplement a main one. Sure they can't live off it alone, but it's jolly handy and compensates for their time spent in front of a screen when they could have been doing something else.

I do hope there isn't an artificial debate about app pricing, saying that apps aren't worth more than 99p when some should be priced more.

And what about application rental? This might be another option of developers and actually Adobe for example has launched more rental schemes with its CS products for desktops.

Laptop computers are crap

Love my 9" Toshiba NB100 XP machine

Dinky versatile swiss army knife of a machine.

Three years old running Windows XP home on 2Gb and a 1.6Hz Atom, 120Gb HD and still a swift little work horse.

Carry it around like a hardback book on the move. At home it hooks up to my 22" 1920x1080 display for extra space and I then forget I'm using a sub-notebook/netbook. Love it. Best of both worlds.

Ice Cream Sandwich gives Android mobes brainfreeze – Sony

If it doesn't help provide faster mobile internet and longer battery life...

then I'm not interested. Of course software alone would never make these possible -capable network hardware and phone hardware are required.

But I'm looking at a smart phone from a black box point of view, from the experience of it. In other words, any Operating System version beyond Android 2.3 is low on my list of wants.

Oneupmanships

Comments here full of:

"I'm alright Jack, mines just fine. Problem with your phone. Bad luck."

Ten... FireWire 800 hard drives

No review of Lacie Rugged triple? (FW800, USB3.0/2.0)

http://www.lacie.com/uk/products/product.htm?id=10553

Canon PowerShot S100 GPS compact camera

Great review for a great camera, corroborates with other views, discussion on DSLR vs Compact

e.g. at kenrockwell.com and on amazon.co.uk

Also, for an informative discussion on DSLR vs Compact look at:

http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/14510/is-there-at-least-one-reason-why-i-should-buy-an-entry-level-prosumer-aps-c-dslr

Re: 90%

+1 Agreed.

Warner Bros boss moots 'disc-to-digital' scheme

Re: "In other words they want you to rent rather than buy"

Depends on the additional services that the cloud can offer as to whether the cloud is really inferior as you might claim

- there is an overhead of time managing your own files: backups, organising, cataloging. A cloud service looks after all that for you. I've done all of these things with my own media and it can be very time consuming. Fast Duplicate File Finder, Beyond Compare, mp3tag. PFrank File Renamer -- help a lot though!

- a cloud service can track how much you have watched/read and synchronise this information to all the authorised devices. Think Kindle, for example.

- a cloud service can potentially make your media available anywhere. Again think Kindle.

Don't get me wrong, I see the pitfalls of proprietary cloud services. But today, I'm also not one to collect physical media. Most films I might watch once or just a few times. A few I might want to keep for longer.

But I prefer the minimalist clutter free life; can't take it to the grave and life is all about experiences and all that. I'm partly over the need to own something tangible.

As one commentator put it very well right here on ElReg, DRM'd services are like a perpetual hire of the material, that might actually suit some more than the albeit small worry of looking after a DVD collection that might not even play on machines in the future, become obsolete.

They can't and never will be able to DRM the discussions one would have among friends about a film, a tune or a book.

Powerful, wallet-sized Raspberry Pi computer sells out in SECONDS

Sells out like Glastonbury. Computer Science is the new rock and roll.

The rapid sell out reminds me of the same with Glastonbury in previous years. However, unlike that festival, they can make some more... and more... so hopefully no-one is disappointed, eventually. I'm so pleased for them for the well deserved popularity. I look forward to the next batch so that I can buy mine.

EU shoves telly signals aside for next-gen mobile broadband

LTE/4G More socially useful than community TV (Jeremy Hunt MP Culture Secretary's idea)

I would favour an alternative to the community TV plans outlined by Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP for the UK and use this bandwidth for 4G and LTE services to provide high speed mobile broadband services where possible.

Surely such services are more socially useful than community TV. 4G and LTE services promise high speed mobile internet: a 2 way, many to many form of high speed communication enabling rural business, connecting local communities, including rural and enabling whole new applications and innovation - as well as providing TV services via iPlayer or live streamed.

Contrast that with TV - a limited, passively consumed, one to many broadcast platform. Exacerbate that limitation with the small concerns of community TV where there may be a struggle to find worthwhile content (and hold viewers interest), without the critical mass, reputation and economy of scale of a large broadcaster. But I would definitely say that by contrast that community *radio* can and does thrive, particularly being audio there is less resource required and people can do something else while listening.

But community TV and radio can be provided on LTE and 4G services - and not have any broadcast range footprint that such services would have through a transmitter.

Google limits Android support for CDMA phones

Solution: Is it possible the same signing key as the CDMA .apk binaries?

Please educate me here:

"when an individual creates a custom build from the AOSP source code, they don't use the same signing key as these CDMA flies [sic] were signed with."

Would a solution not be to use the same signing key as the CDMA .apk binaries?

Or is such a key not disclosed? I would guess so, as if not then this wouldn't be a problem.

Australia should head-hunt Michael Gove

Coding X Factor on Saturday night TV? Culture and role models, stereotypes. Great article.

Culture and role models are part of the solution as is RaspberryPi - can't just revolutionise computing learning on its own.

Article is spot on about kids with "thick glasses" tinkering with technical stuff. That's still a stereotype being perpetuated.

There is bit of inventiveness and enthusiasm for technology, I reckon, in more (young) people - but they haven't expressed this openly.

Part of the reason for more people not exploring technology might be the geeky stereotype and lack of positive, compelling and non-stereotypical role models. Fame culture might also be to blame, so what about some kind of coding X Factor on a Saturday night?

Also, success with computing has proven to be not just about the technology, entrepreneurship counts but there is a pessimism about this I feel. Partly down to programmes such as Watchdog which seem to me to give entrepreneurism a bad name by TV for its own sake highlighting the worst of it.

The Watchdog TV programme need to be scrapped and merged with Dragon's Den to give a balanced programme so that both the interests of the consumer and entrepreneur are supported and presented in a balanced way and how they can work together.

The Apprentice needs a new entrepreneur for each series to celebrate more role models we have. What about Richard Branson next time, or less well known ones like Charles Moir - featured in the Reg.

Success is also down to multidisciplinary approach - Facebook's Zuckerberg studied psychology along side computing - so he was equipped with the human aspect of technology its application.

There are some great course modules in Computing degrees at UK universities covering the human, economic and societal impact.

Both thumbs up and down welcome - but a reason why would be appreciated. Thanks for reading. Why isn't Reg's thumb votes AJAX based for same/in-page voting? Quite clunky!

How Apple won the West (and lost the world)

Still love my Nokia 5500 sport (symbian s60 v3)

+1 for your comment about the 1110.

Even though I have an Android phone, I take my 5500 with me when I go to the beach. It's Symbian/S60 inside its fairly rugged form and with GPRS I can check my train times online for the journey home.

I love it that it is basic but Facebook, email also work well on it. I'm not precious about the odd grain of sand scratching the casing. It's had its casing and keys replaced a few times, cheaply, thanks to spares on ebay. The only original parts are the logic board and screen and camera.

Such a shame Symbian seems to have been declared dead by Nokia's leadership - for people like me who might enjoy the freedom of simplicity from time to time - and for the developing countries where a healthy market still exists for cheap and power frugal handsets.

If Nokia don't want all those symbian phones and indeed pre-Symbian such as the classic 1110, 3210s then why don't Casio buy them? Given that Casio make cashier machines and that mobile is the first form of internet for many developing countries - and a means to transmit money, I can see that Casio would bring some new ideas to the table.

Chrome passes Firefox in global browser share

Google-owned Orkut social network site perhaps reason for Chrome popularity in South America.

Presumably Chrome is promoted through Orkut like other Google's products - e.g. when you go to google in Internet Explorer, you are invited to install Chrome. Also on YouTube - sb.tv promo. Some statistics show Orkut as being popular in Brazil, though that said, I see facebook catching up.

For me the overriding appeal of Chrome is 2 things: speed and uncluttered UI. Firefox comes second with speed, Internet Explorer 3rd.

Adobe axes 750 jobs to focus on HTML5, cloud

HTML5, Media, Canvas, Jquery and SVG...

can probably do all that Flash can do. And they're open standards - the ethos of the original web specification.

I believe Adobe was trialling a Flash to HTML5 converter. Perhaps it would make sense to develop this further.

WHSmith Kobo Touch wireless e-book reader

Another review: Kobo vs Kindle vs Nobo

http://www.businessinsider.com/kindle-vs-nook-vs-kobo-2011-6

Conclusion: They say Kindle is best on grounds of page clarity and size of ebook store - which would compensate for the lack of removable storage provided the content you read comes from amazon and not elsewhere.

convert epub to mobi

epubs can be converted to mobi for reading on kindle.

pdf to epub via calibre for re-flow

convert your pdfs to epubs which will reflow the text to fit the page.

Distance selling regulations

No way they could get away with this. If you don't own the books why should you pay. If you can prove it then you should get your money back.

Ten... digital voice recorders

You missed Olympus WS-510M: sub-100pound high quality stereo MP3 recorder

Available on amazon here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Olympus-WS-510M-Digital-Recorder-Player/dp/B002650XNQ

Specs here:

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_archived_product_details.asp?fl=&id=1458

Records WMA and MP3 at stereo 256kbit/s with a free firmware upgrade.

Standalone recorder, 4G flash memory, stereo, USB for transfer to computer, USB charging!

And with this XLR to jack, cable adapter, you can plug in any passive (i.e. non-phantom powered) XLR pro balanced microphone:

http://www.audiospares.com/product.php?productid=1618&cat=775&page=2

I wouldn't bother with anything that records only to .WMA, especially since flagship audio editing program Adobe Audition CS5.5 has dropped it.

There's probably an app for it.High quality can be achieved on iPhone

I would imagine that there is a dictaphone app out there for the iPhone. If not then anything that a dictaphone can do, can be achieved by post-processing the recordings made by the iPhone, i.e. after they have been made, perhaps doing such processing on the phone itself or on a full general purpose computer.

The dictaphone mode works by having an amplitude threshold setting used in dictaphone mode so that recording is triggered only when sound is louder than this. There is also conference mode, which is just usual recording straight including background. Dedicated dictaphones have this feature, but it isn't rocket science and could be achieved in software on a iPhone or in post-processing software.

iPhones can record at high quality i.e. CD / 16bit 44.1KHz, there are some guitar applications comprising of a software part (the app) and a hardware part (an adapter, connected between the phone and the instrument). The thing missing from current iPhones I believe is audio input gain control, so volume control may instead be addressed on said adapter hardware. So it depends on the quality of the audio input into the phone. External mics will always be better than built-in, for example.

Also, I would advise on making stereo recordings of your classes, as this is how you would hear them, and your own ears and aural centres of the brain may then be able to better filter out the wanted voice from the unwanted noise perhaps due to phase differences in the audio arriving in the left and right channels, reflections etc. The so-called cocktail party effect.

I would imagine that there is a dictaphone app out there for the iPhone. If not then anything that a dictaphone can do, can be achieved by post-processing the recordings made by the iPhone, i.e. after they have been made, perhaps doing such processing on the phone itself or on a full general purpose computer.

The dictaphone mode works by having an amplitude threshold setting used in dictaphone mode so that recording is triggered only when sound is louder than this. There is also conference mode, which is just usual recording straight including background. Dedicated dictaphones have this feature, but it isn't rocket science and could be achieved in software on a iPhone or in post-processing software.

iPhones can record at high quality i.e. CD / 16bit 44.1KHz, there are some guitar applications comprising of a software part (the app) and a hardware part (an adapter, connected between the phone and the instrument). The thing missing from current iPhones I believe is audio input gain control, so volume control may instead be addressed on said adapter hardware. So it depends on the quality of the audio input into the phone. External mics will always be better than built-in, for example.

Also, I would advise on making stereo recordings of your classes, as this is how you would hear them, and your own ears and aural centres of the brain may then be able to better filter out the wanted voice from the unwanted noise perhaps due to phase differences in the audio arriving in the left and right channels, reflections etc. The so-called cocktail party effect.

Having said that, thumbs up your recommended choice the Panasonic

Having said that, I think your editor's recommended is the best choice because of MP3 recording onto microsd card.

In radio broadcast scenarios where live outside broadcast not suitable.

The microsd card can be put into an Android phone and the recording edited on apps like TapeMachine conveniently using pinch gestures.

The resultant work can then be sent back to "base", for broadcast.

IDLENESS sees Brits haemorrhage cash to mobe firms

Overpowered phones, better deal elsewhere but worse coverage? trains, try out others on PAYG

On trains, if the coverage was better and the same elsewhere with another other operator I would switch.

Lower costs would not persuade me to change if the coverage is going to be worse. To me that's a false economy. After all, the primary reason for paying for a phone service is to be able to make calls and use data second, but not to pay less for these. In other words. sounds to me like some of those who switch to get a cheaper deal are doing it for the sake of the deal itself rather than the quality of service. Why pay less for a worse service? I am also wary of networks that say they cover 97% or more of the *population* rather than geographical area, and its no good if I'm out in the sticks and want to use that service.

Smart phones are overpowered I think. I have had a HTC Desire Z since November 2010 and I don't intend to get new phone for long while yet. I even still use my Nokia N82 because the Carl Zeiss lens and Xenon flash is not bad for some point and shoot photography and my Nokia Sport 5500 for outdoors stuff and the beach. Both of them do data and basic internet quite well. I can't see the point in a dual-core phone when the internet connection, required for downloading the rich content that such phone can process, is so variable.

Widespread LTE or 4G in the UK for fast reliable broadband mobile internet, once that is in place, that will be the time I next review my service and phone.

Community Radio: On the wavelength of hopeless dreams

On egos, languages and cultures and Lottery funding

Ego is part of the human persona. It's only a bad thing if it's to the detriment of others. Saying ego is bad is like saying one is vane because they check their appearance is smart before they go to work in the morning. It's OK in the right measure.

Myself I've met some lovely empowering people who became friends during my time at community radio, some I've maintained that friendship with after I left due personal commitments. But people move on and lose touch sometimes.

My programmes were heavily reliant on guests and interviews, booking them for weekly slots sometimes became very challenging. It would have been easier to just pop one record on after another, but then I would never have been given a show on that basis, and personally I wouldnt think I was doing anything worthwhile in that people can get that jukebox style show from their ipods and other stations.

Welsh Language programming: can or should a language (and culture and heritage that goes with it) be preserved at the expense of perhaps more needy causes such as serving disadvantaged? This is candidate for a lottery funded project if there ever was one, I think. Because the lottery is a voluntary tax, my view is its designed to fund things that include either 1) not so popular but a godsend to those it helps 2) non-essential but culturally enriching 3) or useful nonetheless. Or all of the above. It's kind of immune from public outcry that would occur if mandatory tax was spent on such things, and people can just vote with their feet by just playing the lottery.

+1 I agree

"People make communities, not radio stations."

Totally agree with this point.

Also, I suggest that it may be flawed for community media be consumed by this Government's Big Society policy, supposedly bringing power back to the people, locally. The intent might be that they can diminish the BBC arguing that its services to local communities are no longer required.

It's flawed because at some point there are may be many stations, resulting in a diluted and duplicated effort, quality will suffer, when rather there should be a fewer stations that do what they do very well with any public money they are awarded. Several larger outlets have more critical mass, more money to do bigger things rather than money scattered over many small outlets.

Obviously Ofcom aren't responsible for ensuring they are viable, they don't run these stations, they are there merely to offer licenses. So some will fail inevitably.

"achieved in any number of other ways that are far easier to set up and run, and are almost invariably more entertaining."

Agree, there are lots of other ways: the web, youtube, facebook groups, twitter, charities, other organisations, voluntary groups, concerts, festivals...

Good examples of community radio. Local TV might be superfluous in multimedia age.

"The reality is that many Community Radio stations are run as clubs for people who want to make radio rather than services of value to the community"

A sweeping overgeneralisation. From my experience being involved in three still running and thriving community radio stations that began around 2006 (below) I would disagree because they are all examples that have done some good in their respective communities, in many ways.

Here's some examples of that good:

1. Express FM 93.7 Portsmouth: many projects, for example many many live outside broadcasts championing local events and causes, Radio For Change a volunteering project to encourage local people to make programmes about matters that affect them, supported by national VInvolved; a soap opera akin to The Archers involving local people as players, building self-esteem, giving creative input; Wired For Work, a series on case studies of those with disabilities and long-term-illnesses finding work and starting businesses (this programme I produced); various local live music programmes; a programme about Volunteering in the community (a programme I produced and co-presented). Credit to everyone else involved.

2. Skyline 102.5 FM Hedge End, near Southampton

Helped many young people find construction jobs through on-air promotions, helped raised awareness of local charitable causes.

3. Unity 101.1 FM Southampton

Several series discussing the cultures of various ethnic groups in the City: clothes, food and festivals.

--

What of people who like doing radio for its own sake? I would agree that any station can have its share of that type, but if they are good at what they do then they add value to a station by attracting listeners and advertisers from elsewhere. Some people may see the experience as a stepping stone to professional radio - certainly the case for a few involved in the 3 stations above, people there have gone on to work nationally and locally for the BBC and other stations. And what's the problem with that? It's an opportunity for someone, we all need opportunities. I think the key is in balance and having a good mix of people with different personal agendas at a station.

Hopeless dreams? If one doesn't base their entire self esteem on being successful in radio then no, not hopeless at all, and if they see radio as a tool for the toolbox achieve something meaningful, and not for its own sake. If someone presenting a radio show offers something that listeners cannot get for themselves or elsewhere, then this is the foundation to success.

rinse.fm is another community radio station that is thriving, previously an urban pirate station, now legal, it has a track record of developing original artists, for example Katy B. This station is a great story for that reason, no Simon Cowell in sight, or the artificial system of fame in the X factor, these artists developed organically. The station is authentic and true to its roots, rather than 1Xtra reflecting similar genres which although very good, wouldn't exist if the pirates covering the genre existed first. History tells us that a state broadcaster can't necessary develop original talent, think Radio Caroline and then the reaction of the BBC in launching radio 1. But now they are here to stay, those BBC outlets provide worthwhile output and in some cases items that the market alone cannot provide.

"They present an interesting model of what Local TV might be like in another decade or so."

Not so, radio and TV are different mediums: one can do something else while listening to the radio and radio requires much less technical resource to work well. With TV, lighting, sets, makeup are all required. Because TV is a captive medium, the need to grab attention constantly is much higher and demanding - something I fear is not attainable on the proposed new wave of local TV. The other reason why local TV may not work is lack of cross promotion, something which the major broadcasters, particularly the BBC, enjoy. So if ITV and BBC regional TV had to, by law, go into partnership with and carry promotions of local non-profit TV then it may work.

That said, I'm surprised that a distinction is still made in media organisations in the age of convergence. A radio station should think of itself as a multimedia organisation, with a website, a youtube channel, facebook and twitter pages. That way it can reach the largest audience and justify its relevence. With that, the wave of local TV perhaps becomes irrelevant because existing outlets can already do it.

Nokia X7 Symbian Anna smartphone

Spin off Symbian again please. Still love my Nokia 5500 Sport Series 60 3rd edition.

Nice small-ish rugged phone to take down the beach and not get too precious about. Dropped loads of times, still full signal strength.

Case got tatty several times, so smartened it up with replacement fascia etc for a few quid off ebay, hey presto, brand new phone.

Basic camera but has a torch, web on GPRS fast enough for train times, email and the odd social networking.

Charge lasts for about 4 days on standby, maybe a little more or a little less depending on use. Love the minimalist, simple things sometimes.

A variation on the sticker on old cars would be: "My other phone is an Android." - for when I do want the full web on the move, better pictures.

Facebook's 'awesome' plan to hook up with Skype?

Re-inventing Microsoft; competition is good.

Perhaps the tie ups with Facebook, Skype, Nokia will help wean Microsoft off of its dependency on revenues generated by the Windows platform and develop a more diverse service-oriented portfolio of income. Also perhaps an Ecosystem to rival Apple's.

All companies need competition.

DRM-free music dream haunts Apple's app-store lock-in

Adobe Creative Suite has free cross-grade

From Windows to Mac, for example. This is a transfer of the license from Windows to Mac platform, not the creation of 2 licenses, i.e. where you would run the software on both Windows and Mac simultaneously and independently as 2 user seats - it's not that. However the Adobe T&Cs do allow up 2 to installs of the software on the same platform provided it is only the one same user using one of the installs at any given time: ideal if you want to work on the move on your laptop and at home/office benefit from the other install being on a more powerful desktop workstation.

Nokia's Windows phone outed on video

Sony and Ericsson did it, so perhaps Nokia and Microsoft can.

Sony and Ericsson have managed to produce some decent 'phones, at the forefront of mobile phone photography with Carl Zeiss lenses and Xenon flashes. And now with the Androids and Playstation versions.

Motorola, one of the earliest entrants into the mobile phone industry, has gone through perhaps a phase of phones that weren't favourite, but have bounced back with the Atrix, Milestone and the Defy for example.

So what about Nokia and Microsoft, they could emulate this success. Given that Nokia have the hardware knowhow to build in some of the best cameras into phones. And Microsoft and a mobile XBOX edition (as hinted in another's post http://forums.reghardware.com/post/1102247 )

Apple's new Final Cut Pro X 'not actually for pros'

3rd party conversion for FC7 backwards compatibility may happen - as it did with Adobe Audition

Suite Spot Studios based in Australia provide a collection of conversion tools, some at cheap prices such as the Adobe Audition .ses to .sesx converter, for $20. http://www.aatranslator.com.au/

Adobe dropped support for the old .ses format (in since CoolEditPro over 10 years ago) in their radio industry standard audio editor, Audition, when they released version CS5.5 for Windows and on Mac for the first time. There was an initial uproar: http://forums.adobe.com/message/3271907

And then the announcement of the aforementioned 3rd-party converter quelled all the dissonant voices. And works very well it does too.

So to those unhappy with the discontinued support for older formats: don't speak too soon. Apple can either hire these guys to provide a tool to do the conversion, or, open source the format to allow anyone to have a go. I expect the former.

ARM exec: Open standards will make us all rich

ARM + AMD = ARMD, and ARM-x86 hybrid chips?

Is this announcement testing the water to see how the market and industry react? Perhaps before a merger is considered?

Also given that AMD have an x86 product line what about ARM-x86 cores where the ARM is used for longer battery life while the x86 is used to run legacy and or 64bit more demanding apps. Might be suited to Windows 8 for ARM, allowing legacy x86 apps to run at full or near speed alongside native ARM ones, rather than by software emulation compatibiliy mode.

Also aligns well to Apple's apparent strategy of making x86-based MacOSX more like ARM based iOS in the Lion release, perhaps a hybrid iOS-MacOSX device is an idea being considered?