Category: news

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Netflix, now in the UK

Today saw the release of Netflix in the UK.

Just download this free app and you can instantly watch TV shows & movies streaming from Netflix.

I have been somewhat interested in Netflix after listening to rave reviews about the service in the US on podcasts such as TWiT. I quite like the idea of “all you can eat” subscription video service, the key though is the content and how often it is refreshed.

I wrote over three years ago now how I subscribed to the GO!VIEW service for the PSP from Sony and Sky. This was a video subscription service (downloading for the PSP mind you, not streaming) however I only subscribed for two months, not for any technical reason, purely content, once I had watched what I wanted to see, and there was no refresh of content within those two months, I couldn’t see the point of continuing my subscription. Now of course GO!VIEW is defunct and no longer available.

When we got our new TV, which has internet services built in, I did consider getting a Lovefilm subscription, but wasn’t that impressed with the content back then.

With the Netflix announcement I have been looking at the content available, and importantly how easy it will be to access. Alas my TV does not have Netflix, though it may come in with an update later. I thought my LG Blu-Ray player would be a possibility, but alas no luck there either. Good news however the PS3 does have Netflix capability and there is an app for the iPad and the iPhone. I suspect that we may see a future update to the Apple TV that gives us Netflix on that box.

So apart from the content considerations, I am also concerned about the impact it will have on my broadband cap, I have a bandwidth limit on my fibre connection and in recent months we have got quite close to the limit. My concern will be if I start using Netflix I will (obviously) be using more bandwidth and if I have to increase my cap that will cost me more money. Not sure if I will watch Netflix instead of iPlayer, that may be a possibility so may not have such an impact after all.

So what about content? Well that has to be a serious consideration and you don’t subscribe to Netflix if you want the most recent film and TV releases. For example it only has the first four seasons of the new Doctor Who, so no Matt Smith (though some may think that is a blessing). There are a few 2010 films, but most are much older.

So not sure yet, but hey you can have a month’s free trial and that may well be the way to go.

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Take a break

I get a fair bit of junk mail at work, but one of the most bizarre I got recently was a KitKat!

Underneath the KitKat though was a QR Code. Well you know me I just had to scan it…

Though whoever used it hadn’t realised that the border or padding around a QR Code is an integral part of the pattern and it helps the scanning software to identify the code amongst the rest of the page.

As a result it took me a little longer for Optiscan on my iPhone 4 to recognise the code.

The code sent me to a YouTube video which was a good idea.

As I eat the KitKat I can watch a video about the company on my phone.

Overall, apart from the graphic designer losing the integral border on the code, this was a good way of using a QR Code on a piece of marketing material.

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“Replaced” my Airport Express


In Bristol yesterday I took the plunge and replaced my Airport Express. I have had ongoing issues with the Airport Express for a while now.

The main problem I was having with the Airport Express was that it just stopped working and then “vanishing” from the network. As a result it would need to be power cycled to get it working again. I have an Airport Express, even though I also have an Airport Extreme, as the Extreme is the router on my network, which broadcasts at 5GHz 802.11n. I use the Airport Express in 802.11b/g mode for legacy and mobile devices.

The reason for two wireless networks is that the 802.11n network can work at the full 300Mbps speed, whilst legacy and mobile devices will work just fine on a slower network. If I had a single wireless network it would be “slow” for all devices. This usually isn’t too much of a problem, however I do stream video across my network, and when I use to do this in the past (with standard definition video) on an 802.11g network, I found that due to network congestion I would get buffering which was annoying. iPlayer wouldn’t work either very well over the wireless. With 802.11n I can stream high definition video easily across the network to my Apple TV or my iPad. It also works well in moving large files across the network. 802.11n also makes much more sense when using FTTC (fibre) for internet with its higher speeds.

Looking back I did write something similar about the older Airport Express it replaced. Part of me thinks that there may be an underlying technological reason or flaw for the constant failures of the Express on my network. I am wondering if the setup I have is the problem and there is a flaw in the Airport Express in bridge mode which means that it “vanishes” now and again. I can’t see why and I’ve not always had this problem. Looking at dates I am now wondering if the move to FTTC was the issue, at that point I configured the Airport Extreme for PPPoE whereas before it was a bridge with an ageing Netgear ADSL Modem acting as the DHCP router using PPPoA. However as I can’t turn off PPPoE not sure if that is a road worth going down. Also the Airport Express is about six years old.

I did consider replacing it with the new 802.11n Airport Express, but having had two Expresses go on me, I decided to stump the extra cash and get an Airport Extreme. I had a few reasons, the main was that if my existing Airport Extreme failed I had a replacement on hand. It comes with three ethernet ports and I can then have a few more wired gigabit ethernet devices on the network which is of course much faster than wireless and means more stable Skype and video streaming on more devices, as well as faster file transfers. I can also add a USB hard drive as network storage too.

I didn’t get a Time Capsule as they seemed to add very little to the equation, cost more money and have in my mind more things to go wrong.

Have not yet replaced the Express at this time, so the Extreme is still shrink-wrapped.

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Instagram – “iPhone App of the Year 2011”

Apple have said their iPhone App of the year for 2011 is Instagram.

I do like Instagram, I was less sure when I first looked at the app in October 2010, however since then I have used the app regularly and I like the ease of use, the filters and the social aspect.

Richmond Castle

I said back then

The social network can only be accessed from the phone and that limits it in my opinion. As a photo app it’s great, as a social networking tool, less so.

With any social app the key is the community, now that many more people I know are using Instagram, the social aspect, even though it can only be accessed from the phone is much better and more social.

I do like the multi-posting ability, so usually not only will I post to Instagram, I also post a link to Twitter and upload the image to Flickr.

I have also been using it more and more now for creating images for use with my blogs, especially my food blog.

Squid

Uploading to Flickr allows me to embed the image without needing to download and then upload the image.

I know some people think that the filters that come with Instagram are cheesy and in some respects they are, but this is not a serious photography app, this is a fun app for sharing photographs with friends.

If you haven’t downloaded Instagram, download it now (it’s also coming soon for Android) and if you do have it, why not start using it?

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Podcast Choice #06 – Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s Film Reviews

I have been asked a fair few times about the different podcasts I listen to. I not only have a lengthy commute to work, but also travel a fair bit for work, so it’s vital to me to have something to listen to. This series will discuss and review the different podcasts I listen to or have listened to. In a previous blog post I spoke about the why and how I listen to podcasts, now we look at the actual podcasts I listen to.

This week’s podcast is Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s Film Reviews.

Mark Kermode discusses the latest film releases with Simon Mayo. Lively, controversial and unmissable movie discussion. Broadcast live on Fridays at 2pm on BBC Radio 5 live.

I have often thought that the best movie critics to listen to are the ones that correlate with your own views on films. If you like films they like, then films they recommend will probably be ones you will enjoy.

Unfortunately I don’t go to the cinema as much as I use when I was younger, now that I have a young family. However I do find that I enjoy the weekly banter about what is coming out in the cinema between Mark and Simon. It keeps me informed about what is fresh and new in the world of cinema, whilst also enabling me to make a list of films that I will buy on Blu-Ray, download from iTunes or rent from my local library. I often refer back to previous shows when a new film is released on DVD to check what Mark thought of it before making a purchase decision.

On the surface I would not have correlated the films I like with the ones that Mark likes. He is a fan of horror films, in particular the Exorcist, and I really don’t like horror films and probably would never see the Exorcist. However I do remember when Mark reviewed Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro. A Spanish language film I would probably never have seen if I hadn’t heard Mark Kermode rant on about how good it was on what seemed at the time a weekly basis. When it did come out on DVD, I did go out and buy it and thought what a wonderful film it was. Since then I have listened and learned from Mark about films and cinema and have enjoyed many movies that I otherwise may have missed. I also enjoy the regular rants on those cinema releases that are not really up to scratch and the discourse is really entertaining to listen to. I also like the fact that Mark can surprise me, a film I would be sure he would hate, he loves and vice versa.

The show or podcast itself is though more than just a series of film reviews the banter and discourse between Mark and Simon is as much of the why I listen to the show as for the reviews. There are a few in-jokes that add to the enjoyment too; hello Jason Isaacs! You can tell this is an important part of the show, as I rarely listen to the podcast if Mark and Simon are on holiday and some other people are doing the show; I would even say I was disappointed to find that they are not doing the show. The key factor I think for me for the podcast is the fact that it is Mark and Simon. I also rarely watch or listen to Mark on other shows when he is on his own, it certainly is for me the relationship and energy that this pair have that makes this an entertaining and a must listen podcast for the week.

The show has “evolved” or “mutated” over the years, it use to be under one hour, but since Simon Mayo moved to drivetime on Radio 2 it is now a two hour show which equates to a 90 minute podcast. They have guests to talk about films, usually an actor or director who has a new release as would be expected. Within a typical show you will get a review of the top ten in the cinema box office, a good chance to hear what Mark thinks of the current films in the cinema in an amusing pithy one sentence usually. As well as the interview there will be reviews of the new releases, sometimes long, sometimes quick and a recommendation of the film of the week.

At the end of the day you will either really enjoy this podcast or hate it, and a lot of that will depend on what films you like. If you like what Mark likes then you will enjoy this, if you don’t you may find that even with the banter this isn’t the film review podcast for you.

Subscribe to Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s Film Reviews in the iTunes Store.

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Airport Express Reliability

Despite upgrading my Airport Express to the latest firmware, I have still been having continuing reliability problems with the Airport Express “disappearing” from my network. As a result certain devices (such as my iPhone and my printer) which rely on the 802.11g network can not find the wireless network. The only solution is to unplug the Express and plug it back in again.

There appears to be no pattern to it falling over and as I don’t print that often and I am less likely to need connectivity on my iPhone at home, I am not always aware that it has fallen over and needs rebooting.

I am going to at this point not replace it just yet, but if it continues to fail then I think I will need to get a new one.

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Homebase QR Code

This is another one of those mainstream uses of QR Codes that really fails to deliver for the consumer.

Regular readers of the blog will know that I have been noting where I have seen QR Codes in the mainstream, in other words in the places regular people will see and use them.

This particular QR Code was found on a flyer from Homebase which was delivered through the door with the post.

As you can see, there are instructions telling you that you need to scan it in with your smartphone.

The first issue is that have you seen the size of that QR Code? I have enlarged the picture so if you want to scan it in yourself you will be able to.

The problem is that the URL they are using is too big and the resulting QR Code is as a result very complicated.

http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/HomebaseStaticPage
SecondLevel?langId=110&storeId=10151&includeName=HBCreate
TheLook/createthelook_collections.html&int_cmp=hp_main_beinspired

They should have used a shorter URL so that the QR Code was less complicated. I know from experience that some phones, notably the iPhone 3G and 3GS with low resolution cameras have trouble reading and resolving very complicated QR Codes. Using a short URL would have resulted in a less complicated QR Code and so less potential errors when reading and resolving them when using a phone with a low resolution camera. I should say though that the iPhone 4 with the Optiscan App read and resolved the code just fine.

So once you have read the code where does the it take you?

Well to the standard Homebase website.

This is not a mobile version of the site, no, just the full standard version, which to be honest doesn’t really work on the small screen on a phone.

I did check by opening the page in Safari to see if there was a mobile version, no there was not.

So does this use of a QR Code work?

Well the code does what it says, it takes you to the full range on their website, however the QR Code is too complicated for what it needs to do and the website really should be optimised for a mobile device.

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Open source DTP software

Was recently reminded about Scribus, an open source DTP package for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux.

Scribus is an open-source program that brings award-winning professional page layout to Linux/Unix, MacOS X, OS/2 and Windows desktops with a combination of “press-ready” output and new approaches to page layout. Underneath the modern and user friendly interface, Scribus supports professional publishing features, such as CMYK color, separations, ICC color management and versatile PDF creation.

Could be an alternative for InDesign, Quark and of course Publisher. Scribus website.

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I would like one of these cameras, please…

The popularity of the iPhone touch interface is inspiring manufacturers to think about camera interfaces. Here is one concept from Artefact.

Of course this isn’t a real camera, but I really like the idea of a “remote” back for the camera or as they describe it a wireless viewfinder, interchangeable lenses (aka SLR) and internet connectivity.

Will we see a camera like this? I hope so.

Artefact’s Concept Camera Page

Via jkOnTheRun