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iPad shopping advice – Pre-orders pushed out further?

Trevor Long — Tue, 25 May 2010 20:43:12 +0000

Apple’s “Magical” new iPad goes on sale in just over 48 hours here in Australia, and for those of you thinking you want one… Some thoughts and advice…

If you really wanted one – Like me – you’d have pre-ordered one on May 10. People who did this will receive their iPad by courier on Friday. Simple as that.

For those who didn’t get their pre-orders in so soon, until now the shipping advice has been that your purchase will ship on June 7. However as of this morning the Apple website shows shipping date as “June” – with no specific date. The optimist in me says this means it could ship on June 1, however the realist knows that it’s likely to be further into June than that! possibly even later than June 7.

iPad pre-orders out to 'June' sometime

So, if you can’t wait – where should you go on Friday?

Well there is the obvious choice – the Sydney City Apple store on George St (Cnr King St) which opens at 8am Friday. Sure fire bet there will be a reasonable stock level there. However there will also be a queue. It won’t be ridiculous, but expect tens of people, perhaps a hundred.

Next choice is Bondi Junction. Brand new store, opening for the first time on that very day (May 28), and again at 8am. Due to the attention on this store, you can again expect good stock levels, after all, Apple want to see images of people walking out the store with iPad’s on the TV news.

Then there are the other Apple Retail stores, most open at 9 (9.30 Chatswood). All good options too.

However, for a dark horse, keep your eye on Harvey Norman. My information is that Harvey Norman have a large stock of iPad’s coming, and while I’m not sure, I think you’ll find they have the most of the major retaillers so might be your best bet for iPad shopping on Friday if an early morning start is not possible.

Anything after Friday might be difficult though, if you happen to Jag an iPad in store on Saturday – let me know where!

Your Tech Life – #25 – 2GB Sydney (15 April 2010)

Trevor Long — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 11:31:32 +0000

Here’s the audio from tonights show. Now part of Money news with Ross Greenwood.

As of Next week, I will also appear on “In Melbourne Tonight” with Luke Grant on MTR 1377am – Wednesday 9.30pm

(Right Click Here (Save As) to download as Mp3)

CLICK HERE to Subscribe using iTunes

Aussie iPad sales delayed 1 month

Trevor Long — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:08:46 +0000

Apple announced in the United States overnight that ‘International’ deliveries of the much anticipated iPad had been delayed by 1 month due to ‘far higher’ demand than expected.

Added to this, Apple has large numbers of US orders for the 3G version of the iPad which is yet to go on sale there yet and is due at the end of April.

So, all eggs in the US basket – bit of a shame.

Pre-orders will start on May 10, with the iPad available ‘Late May’.

The New York Times also reports that Vodafone has announced it will offer data plans for the 3G iPad in Australia (and some other countries) with prices on that to be announced also in May (expect that on May 10 also).

UPDATE: Telstra have announced they too will offer dedicated iPad plans from late May. Be very interesting to see the price comparison Vodafone to Telstra

So, pretty disappointing for those holding out for an iPad here in Australia – but we wait, and we wait…

My tip for pricing ranges from $669 to $1129 depending on the model – David Flynn at APC MAG has them slightly lower ranging $649-$1099 – Certainly we’re both in range I’m pretty sure.

The final line in the overnight announcement is a little silly: “We know that many international customers waiting to buy an iPad will be disappointed by this news, but we hope they will be pleased to learn the reason—the iPad is a runaway success in the US thus far.” – Um, No, I couldn’t care less what is happening in the US… bring it here – please!

3D TV Pricing

Trevor Long — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:04:00 +0000

For those who missed it, I made some comments on Tonight’s episode of A Current Affair – looking at 3D TV and how we all know – PRICES WILL DROP!

Check it out here: http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/3d-tv-savings/xcstaye

F1.com’s official Blackberry App

Trevor Long — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 12:30:10 +0000

Anyone who knows me or has listened to me knows I am a Blackberry addict – otherwise known as a Crackberry for that very reason. If there is one other key addiction it is motorsport – for as long as I can remember I have watched, attended and followed all forms of Motorsport.

So, how to combine these two passions? I never expected it to be in an App. Well, that’s not true, I expect a lot of Apps to come and go over time, but frankly for me, Twitter for Blackberry, Google Talk and Google Maps are the only App’s I’ve truely used and kept using – so for that reason I was a bit sceptical when I heard that Formula 1 had released an iPhone AND Blackberry App for the 2010 season.

Official F1 Blackberry App - Races

I downloaded it immediately. Let me be clear – this is in the top two all time visually impressive Blackberry apps. Tweet Genius from Boy Genius is neck and neck because of its graphic design, use of transitions and pop ups away from the standard blackberry O/S. The F1 app is the same. It looks nothing like a Blackberry when you are in it.

Essentially the app has five key sections:

Official F1 Blackberry App - Home

Home – Here you’ll see the same countdown to the ‘next session’ you are used to from the F1.com home page, along with links to the sessions at that grand prix. Using arrows on screen you can scroll to other events.

Official F1 Blackberry App - Live Timing

Live Timing – As it’s named, this is where you see Live timing – I will test this thoroughly for Melbourne.

Official F1 Blackberry App - Races

Races – Shows a list of the events and dates all of which you can click to then view session information and times.

Standings – Lists the Drivers and Constructors standings on a single scrollable page.

Official F1 Blackberry App - Help

Help – Contains help information on each section.

This is a VERY simple app, and for that reason has some downfalls. Such as – why not include latest news, or driver profiles – in fact any content that is available on the F1 website.

Developed in conjuction with Vodafone (I assume due to the branding all over it), there are some glitches too. I constantly get a connection error – then it just comes good.

Connection Error?

And MOST anoying of all, you can’t ESCAPE back to your home screen, in fact you cannot through any menu – only by ALT+ESC can you switch application to get out. That’s a bit weird!

All in all, TOP MARKS for visual and UI design. The true test will be how well the live timing performs, I shall test that side by side with the F1.com live timing and TV coverage this weekend in Melbourne.

Have you downloaded it? Let me know what you think! If not – try it here http://mobile.formula1.com/download from your mobile device.

Mobile Phone Spying

Trevor Long — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:06:57 +0000

I was shocked to find out about software that is available that allows someone (after they get physical access to your phone and install the software) to monitor your emails, calls, sms’ and locations.

Its simple – and worrying – Check it out – on A Current Affair: http://video.au.msn.com/watch/video/mobile-phone-spies/xz7fl8b

Fixing a Plasma with a Baseball bat

Trevor Long — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:43:52 +0000

Here’s the Video I mentioned on tonight’s show. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!

iPad – Possible Australian pricing

Trevor Long — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:05:58 +0000

With Steve Job’s announcement of the iPad today, we’re not getting global pricing – which is interesting. Normally products are announced globally and local prices are set.

So, we can only speculate right now.

For my mind, here’s what we’re up for:

iPad 16GB = $669 AUD

iPad 16GB + 3G= $849 AUD

iPad 32GB= $809 AUD

iPad 32GB + 3G= $999 AUD

iPad 64GB = $949 AUD

iPad 64GB + 3G= $1129 AUD

These are just guesses, based on the iPod Touch pricing.

I guess $999 for the 32Gig version with 3G isn’t too bad.. we’ll soon see!

But then – take a moment to see what else you can get for $669 – you can get a top quality Netbook. Hmmmm

Your Tech Life – Radio Show #13 (21 January 2010)

Trevor Long — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:58:48 +0000

Thanks to everyone who listened, and to all the callers.

(Right Click Here (Save As) to download as Mp3)

CLICK HERE to Subscribe using iTunes

A big thanks to Heather and the team at Nintendo Australia for helping out Darren our caller who’s daughter is in Hospital recovering from an operation to remove a Brain Tumour.

Detailed show notes coming soon, until then, below is my Laptop Buying Guide – I will expand on this in the coming days, and also the notes for Ingrid on how to turn off AutoRun on Windows.

AutoPlay – Windows.

Firstly, Ingrid should check that her new Broadband Modem is only connected via a network cable, which is more square on the end, like a phone connection yet bigger. NOT by a USB connection which is a narrow rectangular plug.

If its not, then try do the following for all her drives like CD ROM and REMOVABLE DISKS

Open Windows Explorer by pressing the Windows + “e” key.
Right-click the desired CD-ROM and select Properties from the menu.
Select the AutoPlay tab.
Select each item from the pulldown list and for the Action to perform, select “Take no action” to disable autorun, or pick the apporpriate action to take if enabling autorun.
Select OK.

LAPTOP BUYING GUIDE

I don’t know if it’s the time of year, or perhaps the increase in marketing for laptops, but one of the most common questions I’ve been getting lately on the email and from people who I run into seems to be ‘which laptop should I buy’

It’s a bit like the old how long is a piece of string.. however, there are some basic tips I can give you…

Firstly, SIZE DOES MATTER. If you intend to do a lot of travelling with the laptop, consider anything with a 13inch screen or smaller. 10 inches and under is a NETBOOK these days, and these are notoriously light weight and great to carry around.

NETBOOKS though are very small, and often too small to do lots and lots of work on.

Finding the right SIZE laptop is the first step, and the best way to do that is to pop into a few retail stores – Dick Smith, Bing Lee, JB HI-FI – and stand at the counter typing on the display laptops, pick them up get a sense for which size you like.

Once you’ve picked the size, the rest is a whole lot easier.

If you’ve chosen a laptop 13inches or bigger, compare the processer. Not necessarily the speed, but the type. Celeron is not as good as Pentium – Core I3 is not as good as I5. This is a tricky part, so I’ll publish a sliding scale on my website yourtechlife.com soon…

Next, compare the amount of RAM available, which will either be 1, 2 or 4 GB or Gigabytes – the more the merrier of course!

4 Gigabytes is going to provide the best performance for all your applications, 2 is fine, but don’t think you’ll be doing anything fancy…

Finally, the Hard Drive – The top end now in a Notebook would be 500Gigabyte – this is the space you can save things like photos, videos, music and new programs.

250GB is the absolute minimum you should have on a Laptop, on a netbook you can get away with 160…

Some other minor things to look for – every Laptop MUST have Wireless – if it doesn’t - don’t consider it.

Bluetooth is useful if you want to transfer files/photos from your phone.. but its not essential.

Netbooks don’t have CD/DVD Drives, but be careful, some Laptop’s don’t too – so keep an eye on that if it’s a feature you want!

As a guide – a netbook should set you back around $500

A 13 inch laptop should be between $1000 and $1500 depending on features, and 15 inchers between $1200 and $2000.. but price isn’t always a great guide!

Most importantly, make sure you like the feel of it – the size, shape and layout are vital – don’t buy just on price… touch the mouse pad, type a few words – you need to feel comfortable with the laptop or you will regret it in the long run…

Headphones – re-defined – Logitech Ultimate Ears

Trevor Long — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:28:38 +0000

When I first heard about the Logitech range of ‘Ultimate Ears’ headphones, I assumed they were the top end noise cancelling style which use a battery powered adaptor to actually cancel out the external sound.

However, these are not. The Ultimate Ears are in fact in-ear headphones that simply mould much better to your ears, and in doing so allow much more outside noise to be eliminated.

On the Super-Fi 5 set I have been trialling I noticed several size bud ends, which are small plastic cups around the headphone that go into your ear, rather than sitting on the edge like traditional headphone buds. There was also a larger mouldable end for them which I tried, but found a little hard to use.

In the end, I picked the plastic cup end to suit my ear size, and off I went.

There is absolutely no doubt about the snug fit of these headphones, and the amount of outside noise that is blocked out by that snug fit.

What I found quite difficult however was the comfort. It is a very different sensation. But one I was very keen to push through. After a few days I found it very easy to use – and I felt more at ease pushing them into my ear for the snug fit they offer. And for me, the pain I get from ‘normal’ ear bud headphones which i have to push into place was gone.

The next Issue I found was one of my own ‘body noise’. You see with so much external noise blocked out, you really notice the noises you make yourself.

Do this – really – right now – sit and stare at the wall, and clamp your teeth together open and shut a few times. Then push your fingers in your ears and do the same – notice how well you hear that clamping? Its quite loud.

Well, that happens with these earphones. And more-over I felt that sound from the bumping of the headphone cord against my face as I walked.

I read the instructions a little better, and came up with an option. Over the ears instead of out and down. What that means is I take the earphone behind the ear, over the ear and then down and Into the ear, so the cord is over and behind your ear. This really minimises the body noise for some reason, and is MUCH more comfortable.

Obscure, and hard to remember to do, however, after a day or so I was 100% comfortable with it.

Once I’d found my place and way of using these – I am wrapped, and hooked.

This is the best gift Idea for anyone who loves their music and their iPods.

I have been hearing instrumental joy from my music like I never have before, and I mean that sincerely – I cannot recommend this style of headphone enough.

They are a bit expensive, however there are various options available in the range.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves their music!