Apple have updated the AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule, which are now offering simultaneous 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz dual-band networking “for optimal performance, range and compatibility.” The new models also offer the ability to set up a secondary Internet-only Wi-Fi network to allow family and friends to access the Internet without giving them the password to the primary network or allowing them access to networked drives and other peripherals. Finally, Time Capsule offers MobileMe members the ability to access files on their device’s hard drive over the Internet from anywhere.
A197XP Issues
I mentioned back in July that I was having problems with my (quite old now) Sony VAIO A197X. Back then I considered re-installing Windows, but never got round to it.
I don’t really want to abandon it, as it does have a lovely 17″ screen, 1920 x 1080 resolution, which makes it great for watching video.
Sometimes the DVD player does not work as expected sometimes.
Tonight I was watching BBC iPlayer, I watched Doctor Who and that worked fine, but trying to watch Being Human and it decided that was too much…
I think it may have got too hot.
The video froze, despite restarting the browser, I couldn’t get the video working.
In the end I turned it off and watching iPlayer on my Mac.
I think I will now need to reinstall Windows.
Facebook offers control to users
BBC reports on changes underway at Facebook following recent criticism.
Facebook has responded to criticism over the way it handles user data by handing over control to its users.
Members of the social network will have comment and voting rights over the firm’s future policies regarding how the site is governed.
Founder Mark Zuckerberg said the aim was to “open up Facebook so that users can participate meaningfully in our policies and our future”.
Still no joy with Nokia N810 and JoikuSpot
Today I tried with no success to get my Nokia N810 to get an internet connection through JoikuSpot on my Nokia N95.
Basically it wouldn’t get an IP address from the N95.
I suspect that though the N95 is acting as a wireless router, it is still “seen” by other devices as an ad hoc wireless network rather than an infrastructure wireless network and for some reason the N810 doesn’t like this and therefore does not get a valid IP address from the N95, or perhaps DNS information. Now according to a comment on my blog post (about the PSP and JokiuSpot) on this said:
Actually, I’ve used N810 with JoikuSpot Light in the past. I no longer have the N810 so can’t try it with premium, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work…
I wonder if it is a DNS issue rather than an IP issue.
I know the whole setup was working as my iPod touch was doing fine.
Of course I can use a Bluetooth connection to use the N95 as a modem and get on the internet that way with the N810, but without using JoikuSpot only the N810 can get online and I (and anyone else) can’t use the connection.
Need more bandwidth…
My 2Mb ADSL is just not sufficient for my needs, it just ain’t fast enough!
Basically I seem to be able to do one thing and one thing only. As soon as I try to do more than one thing everything grinds to a halt.
For example I was uploading a 20MB video file and at the same time watching Doctor Who on BBC iPlayer and both slow down… Same happens when downloading video from the iTunes Store or other bandwidth intensive activities.
Alas I can’t upgrade my bandwidth as I am too far from the exchange.
It is worse during peak times when everyone else if using their internet.
No real solution, so I will just have to whinge and moan.
New Mac mini (possibly)
Nearly a year ago I mentioned rumours about a possible new Mac mini.
Then I said.
So it is looking like that we may well see a new faster, better Mac mini.
I do like the Mac mini, it works well as a little Mac for testing and trying things out as well as introducing people to the Mac. I also have used it in the past as a server for various web services and for limited use it works really well – probably would not be too happy if it was a production server.
I did try it as a TV computer, in other words connected to my TV, but I never really used it, in the main as it was an old G4 PPC model and was rather slow for recording and capturing video from an EyeTV USB device. The newer Intel models have the advantage of remote control and faster processors and graphics better suited to video.
I am interested to see where Apple goes with a new model and I may just have to get one.
This week we have seen pictures and video surface on the rumour sites, however similar things were said a year ago.
Yes I would like to get a new one to be a media server under my TV, but will we see a new one. We are going to just have to wait and see.
Fantastic Contraption on the iPhone
One of my favourite sites at the moment is Fantastic Contraption so was well pleased to see an iPhone version.
The online game is described as.
An online flash puzzle game where you build whimsical machines to solve each level.
Well the iPhone version is basically an iPhone version of the online Flash game.
If you have played the website version, the iPhone version takes a little getting use to but you can still build quite complicated contraptions.
The downside is the £2.99 price, which is the most expensive iPhone app I have bought so far.
It’s not the most stable of apps for the iPhone the tutorial caused the app to crash twice and a hard reset of the iPhone.
Overall a really fun game.
What’s that then…
I do go into System Preferences now and again, but not often. I accidently started it this evening and saw this at the bottom.
Hmmm…
I am pretty sure I didn’t install it. Now I know I haven’t downloaded anything recently, but this seemed weird. The name didn’t seem to give any clues.
I opened the preference pane to have a look.
MacFUSE allows you to extend Mac OS X’s native file handling capabilities via 3rd-party file systems. Visit the MacFUSE website for more information.
Well I was none the wiser!
Did you think I was going to click the link, no I think not!
Did a Google search and got this.
Made me feel a little better, as it would appear that it wasn’t some kind of malicious code.
Looked further down and it said in one of the other searches something about NTFS…
Now it was all starting to make sense.
Parallels must have installed it when I installed Parallels the other day.
Must stay on top of these kind of things.
Installed Parallels 4.0
Well my copy of Parallels 4.0 arrived from Amazon who are selling the boxed upgrade for just £32
The install went fine, converting my Vista and Windows 7 images went fine and Windows 7 is working fine. However I did have issues with the conversion of the Windows XP image, with some WMI errors.
The new version of Parallels is an improvement on version 3.0, but still don’t like coherence mode (default) which just doesn’t seem right on a Mac, much prefer using Windows in a window.
New Kindle
Amazon have released a new Kindle
It has many new features and is smaller and thinner.
Slim: Just over 1/3 of an inch, as thin as most magazines
Lightweight: At 10.2 ounces, lighter than a typical paperback
Wireless: 3G wireless lets you download books right from your Kindle, anytime, anywhere; no monthly fees, service plans, or hunting for Wi-Fi hotspots
Books in Under 60 Seconds: Get books delivered in less than 60 seconds; no PC required
Improved Display: Reads like real paper; now boasts 16 shades of gray for clear text and even crisper images
Longer Battery Life: 25% longer battery life; read for days without recharging
More Storage: Take your library with you; holds over 1,500 books
Faster Page Turns: 20% faster page turns
Read-to-Me: With the new Text-to-Speech feature, Kindle can read every book, blog, magazine, and newspaper out loud to you
Large Selection: Over 230,000 books plus U.S. and international newspapers, magazines, and blogs available
Low Book Prices: New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise
One day we might get one in the UK, one day….