Posts

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Dragging images into Keynote 08

One of the nice features of Keynote is the ability to drag a series of images in from Finder and for Keynote to add them as individual slides.

If you are dragging lots of images into Keynote, unless Finder is in column view, Keynote will “mess” with the order.

If you forget and Finder is in list view and you drag the images into Keynote, changing to column view doesn’t appear to fix it and your images will still be in the wrong order. As well as changing from list view to column view, change from the image folder to a different folder and then back to the column view. Now when you drag the images into Keynote, they will be in the correct order.

Don’t know if this dragging issue is still the case in Keynote 09 as I haven’t yet purchased a copy, but will check once I do.

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EyeHome Replacement

Since my EyeHome stopped working, I am guessing it was the transformer again, I have been thinking about a possible replacement.

Choices are limited, Elgato no longer make the EyeHome or any type of replacement.

You can buy uPnP devices, however my experiences with the PS3 make me wary of purchasing a uPnP media streamer.

I am supposing the obvious choice is the Apple TV, however I am not sure if I can connect it to my TV. I don’t have an HDTV, so the connectors won’t really work with a SCART television.

So do I upgrade my television so that I can use an Apple TV?

Decisions.

Going to try and see if I can find an EyeHome power replacement.

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No joy with Sony PSP and JoikuSpot Premium

Last October I mentioned that I had tried to connect an Nokia N810 to the internet via JoikuSpot Lite running on my Nokia N95 with no luck.

Well, no I couldn’t. For some reason though it could  connect to the JoikuSpot wireless network, it would not get to the JoikuSpot launch page and as a result no other internet access was possible.

I have since then upgraded to JoikuSpot Premium and have been very pleased with it in regard to using my laptops and the iPod touch.

The other day I tried to access the internet using a Nokia N810 with no luck.

I have now tried with Sony’s PSP and get a similar experience to the Nokia N810.

Basically it wouldn’t get an IP address from the N95.

As I said before 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 PSP like the N810 doesn’t like this and therefore does not get a valid IP address.

Just as an aside I also tried with a Windows Mobile PDA, and no luck, but then I always have real issues with connecting a Windows Mobile device to any wireless network!

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No joy with Nokia N810 and JoikuSpot Premium

Last October I mentioned that I had tried to connect to the internet via JoikuSpot Lite running on my Nokia N95 with no luck.

Well, no I couldn’t. For some reason though it could  connect to the JoikuSpot wireless network, it would not get to the JoikuSpot launch page and as a result no other internet access was possible.

I have since then upgraded to JoikuSpot Premium and have been very pleased with it in regard to using my laptops and the iPod touch.

Today I tried to access the internet using a Nokia N810 with no luck.

Nokia N810

Hmmm.

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.

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.

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New Bluetooth Headset

For the first time in ages I am trying out a new Bluetooth headset, a Nokia BH-101.

I have charged it and it paired fine with my Nokia N73, though I still need to check it works when I make a call or someone calls me!

I never had too much success with Sony Ericsson headsets, this is my first Nokia one, so will be interesting to see how it performs.

Biggest surprise was the price, which was £15, I remember paying nearly £100 for a headset only a few years ago!

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Sorry, this programme is currently unavailable

I am a great fan and user of BBC iPlayer, great for catching up on what you have missed and for watching things again (especially when repeated on BBC Three at an unsociable time).

I will often use an iPod touch to watch programmes, either in bed or more often then not connected to my TV. However now and again I get the following message.

Sorry, this programme is currently unavailable

You can see this in the Christmas edition of Doctor Who.

Sorry, this programme is currently unavailable

This means that you have to use a computer to watch the programme. I get the same “error” with the comedy Outnumbered episode seven (but not with the previous six episodes of Outnumbered).

I believe that the error (it’s not really an error, but I think it is) is a rights issue. In other words the rights holders have not allowed the programme to be made available to the iPod touch (or the iPhone).

Why?

Well I suspect that the issue is the way in which BBC iPlayer works on the iPod touch and the iPhone. Basically the BBC serve the iPhone with a DRM free MOV version of the programme. On the iPhone you can’t save this file, so it is not an issue, however a quick Google search provides various ways in which you can get your computer to pretend it’s an iPhone and as a result are able to download the DRM free version of the BBC programme.

Of course I don’t know for sure if this is the issue, or it is a technical problem and the programme just hasn’t (yet) been encoded for the iPhone and the festive break is the cause of the delay.

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PSP Games for Christmas

I was lucky enough to get two games for my Sony PSP for Christmas.I got Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command and Gripshift.Squad Command is a strategy based game which will be very familar to those who play the Warhammer 40000 miniatures game.

Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command marks the first time that the brutal, war-ravaged world of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 universe will be playable on the PSP. Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command features fast, action-packed combat through turn-based strategy and an engaging, authentic single-player storyline. Gamers play as the elite Space Marines of the Ultramarines chapter and strive to combat the encroaching evil of the ruthless and daemonic influenced Chaos Space Marines through 13 cinematically-tied missions. With a robust multiplayer mode featuring 9 unique missions, gamers will team up and go head-to-head with other gamers worldwide as either the Imperium of Man or Chaos Space Marines, ensuring hours of unique replayability. Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command will also fully utilize all the portable functionality of the PSP and Nintendo DS, including the dual-screen and stylus, bringing the Warhammer 40,000 universe to life on handheld.

For those looking for an action game you would be better off looking elsewhere. I am enjoying the game and find it tactically stimulating.Gripshift is a different game altogether, a driving puzzle game which I am also enjoying. Basically there are various tracks which you drive over.

GripShift is the first video game for the PSP portable entertainment system to combine high-flying stunt driving and unique puzzle-solving action in an all-out, pedal-to-the-metal driving experience.

Players race as one of six unique characters in supped-up vehicles as they stunt their way through insane twisting levels while collecting power-ups, avoiding traps, beating the clock and challenging friends.Featuring enhanced aerial physics with an intuitive control system, players perform awesome aerial jumps for massive hang time in puzzle-like driving challenges with multiple routes, short-cuts, loops, jumps and power ups. Compete in single player race mode against the CPU, or enjoy multiplayer action with your friends in head-to-head wireless multiplayer. Create and design custom levels to share with your friends or play in one of eight bonus games for outrageous fun.It’s an original break-thru combination of stunt driving, platform action and puzzle solving, designed exclusively for the PSP system.

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BBC iPlayer on your PS3

Amid all the news about BBC iPlayer on the Mac and Linux, you may not realise that it is possible to watch BBC iPlayer on a range of devices, including the Playstation 3 (PS3).

You need to be running the latest firmware, I upgraded mine to version 2.53.

Find out more here.

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Free MP3s from Amazon.co.uk

Seems iTunes is not the only place giving away free stuff over the festive period.

We’ve got an extra gift for you this Yuletide: £3 to spend on anything in our MP3 store on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Visit us on December 25 or 26, then just add your chosen MP3s to your Shopping Basket (you need to use the Shopping Basket rather than 1-Click) and enter code FREEMP3S at the checkout–£3 will be deducted from the total.

Get your free MP3s.

Remember this offer runs out on the 26th December 2008.