Your Tech Life

Your Tech Life – #124 – Webcast (1 February 2012)

Trevor Long — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:48:20 +0000

How do you ensure you don’t get Billshock from your kids mobile Phones? I talk to Rolf Hansen from Amaysim for advice, plus your calls on Macs, Routers, and a follow up on Western Digital – and an interesting chat regarding http://www.lifeinsurancefinder.com.au/ about what happens to our ‘digital life’ when we die?

Enjoy! Get in touch – be part of Your Tech Life – call 1800 157 157 and leave a message – a problem with technology, or a question if you need advice on technology, or email me here on the website.

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

CLICK HERE to Subscribe using iTunes

Your Tech Life – #123 – Webcast (25 January 2012)

Trevor Long — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:02:06 +0000

Your calls this week on networking your home, ebooks and HTC phones, plus we talk to one of the co-founders of RDIO about their streaming media service, plus Patrick Lagana from Sony Playstation about parental controls

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

CLICK HERE to Subscribe using iTunes

HTC Velocity on Telstra – Lighting fast 3G when 4G isn’t available

Trevor Long — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:43:51 +0000

Here’s something you probably didn’t know about the HTC Velocity 4G phone launched today on Telstra. The Velocity is in fact not just the first 4G phone, but it is also the first to drop back to HSPA+ Dual Channel when 4G is not available.

HSPA+ is the fastest version of Telstra’s Next G 3G network – meaning, in 3G areas, you won’t just get the 5-7 Mbps downloads you’re used to on 3G – you will actually get more likely 14-18Mbps as indicated by my regular tests over the last 24 hours.

This puts to rest a lot of the concerns or false reporting that because of the limited 4G coverage the Velocity was in fact not that useful – in fact it’s most likely the fastest 3G phone you’ll find also!

4G Speedtests - big numbers!

Easy to see where we've gotten HSPA+ Dual Channel and not 4G

Telstra’s 4G comes to your phone – HTC Velocity

Trevor Long — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 01:04:23 +0000

Telstra’s 4G network has been around for a little while now, but only available as a ‘Dongle’ for your laptop or PC. Super fast speeds though, so well worth the investment for mobile broadband.

Well today, Telstra took that one step further – launching the first 4G handset in Australia – the HTC Velocity.

This is a great phone, a little bulky and on the heavy side, but stylish and well made as we’ve come to expect from HTC.

It’s what’s inside that sets it apart. 4G. Wow. That’s all I can say!

Click continue reading for speed tests and more

Granted, the 4G network isn’t exactly at capacity, in fact as someone said to me today – most of the traffic on the network is probably going to and from SpeedTest where people check their speed. That said, there is something about ‘hearing’ a phone can do ‘up to 40Mbps downloads’ and actually seeing it.

I work in Artarmon, not right in the city that’s for sure. So I wasn’t confident about getting great speeds.

At my desk, 18Mbps downloads, outside hitting 25Mbps. Drive a little down the Pacific Highway near Greenwich or there abouts and bingo! Almost 40 down and almost 12 up.

Telstra 4G on HTC Velocity

The more you try the more you realise this is a cracking network. Regular 30+ speeds, and this morning – around Camperdown – 40.77Mbps download and 20.07Mbps upload. WOW.

At $0 on the $79 plan the Velocity is well within the reach of those who love their gadgets.

Tether to your PC and you’ve got great speed for your surfing too…

Well worth a look if it’s time to upgrade.

Your Tech Life – #122 – Webcast (18 January 2012)

Trevor Long — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:23:50 +0000

Why Wikipedia was unavailable for 24 hours and why the internet can’t be FREE, CES Wrap, my thoughts and favourites – and calls on Bluetooth cordless phones, TruSim and TravelSim, T-Hub, Telstra issues and more

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

CLICK HERE to Subscribe using iTunes

Your Tech Life – #121 – Webcast (12 January 2012)

Trevor Long — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:03:32 +0000

A full wrap of the first days of CES 2012 – Live from Las Vegas thanks to Intel.

Plus, I speak with the boss of Netgear, Patrick Lo who was in Vegas for the launch of some great new products.

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

CLICK HERE to Subscribe using iTunes

Intel goes mobile with Motorola and Lenovo

Trevor Long — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:03:49 +0000

Intel CEO Paul Otellini took to the stage in Las Vegas last night, not for a comedy or Cirque du Soleil performance, but to deliver a keynote speech here at CES.

While earlier in the week Intel touted their backing of the Ultrabook category which will likely dominate the PC market this year, Otellini used this keynote to announce a rather significant move for the company – into Mobile.

You have to admit, with Smartphones and Tablets selling like hot-cakes the one company missing from the whole boom has been Intel. ARM based processors have been the key player here, with Apple too launching its own processors for the iPad and iPhone devices. So, a pretty big market gap which Intel have to jump into if they are to keep in touch with the pace of market change.

Otellini highlighted the Intel® Atom™ processor Z2460 platform, which was specifically designed for smartphones and tablets, with a focus according to Intel on performance and energy efficiency.

This move into Mobile is not a surprise, with former Palm execs Mike Bell and Dave Whalen joining Intel signifying a very clear intention from the company however CES 2012 is the first public display of an Intel designed Mobile phone running the Intel Atom processor.

Discussing the announcement, Mike Bell made it clear the reason Intel built a physical phone to demonstrate the technology was to ensure people could see this was a serious move for the company, rather than just showing power-point slides of performance.

Intel announced two partnerships to kick things off – Motorola, which will launch an Intel based phone late in 2012, and Lenovo who aim to have an device built for the Chinese market in the first half of 2012.

Mike Bell referred to ‘other’ mobile chipsets as “inferior architecture” while speaking candidly about the performance of his own device. When pressed about the use of Dual and Quad core processors in other devices, Bell was quick to point out that the Intel single core processor with ‘hyper-threading’ gives better performance than many of those double and quad core processors – pointing to the fine print of any performance claims from his competitors.

This is clearly a big sticking point for Bell who seems quite passionate about the real world ‘in-phone’ performance of the Intel product.

Time will tell how this move works for Intel. The problem as I see it is at the consumer level. We the people are easily swayed by terms like ‘dual core’ or ‘quad core’ and that in itself while not really understood by the average consumer, is still a marketing tool used to sell mobile phones.

Bell himself describes the use of some of these cores as ‘marketecture’ – rather than it being a powerful chip architecture, it is actually a chip built for the marketing team to use to sell more phones.

Problem for Intel is, that’s what it’s doing. No doubt the Intel brand and “Intel Inside” will help sell some phones, however what will be needed is a compelling case as to why someone should ‘look’ for the ‘Intel inside’ logo as they do now on PC’s.

Bell used the example that it was for Intel to provide the ability to do things, but it was for the manufacturers to take advantage of it and market their phones capabilities as a result of the Intel Chip.

A great example of that would be photography. If a phone using an Intel Chip is able to burst 10 photos in the time other phones take just one, perhaps smart software might enable ‘blink identification’ within photos so a series of photos is always taken and the phone chooses the best one.

HDR is another ‘buzz word’ of the photography world – heck, even the iPhone has a HDR option. HDR requires you to take mulitple photos at different levels of exposure. Again, while other phones may take 3 levels one up and one down from the original, perhaps with Intel Atom processors that range could be wider and the HDR result even better.

Only time will tell. Good to see Intel in the space, but I wouldn’t take the brand for granted if I were them, there is a need at the retail level to justify one vs another at ever feature level of Smartphones and Tablets today – this won’t be any different just because it has ‘Intel inside’

Trevor Long travelled to CES as a guest of Intel

a-JAYS One+ – Android app controlled earphones.

Trevor Long — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:38:03 +0000

Jays have produced some really nice earphones in the last year, the flat tangle free a-JAYS range being the affordable and really the highlight product for the general public.

They complimented those with the a-JAYS “Four” earphones in Black and White for iPhone with the three button control.

But what about those people on Android? Well, they’ve outdone themselves here.

Click continue reading to watch my video review of the new a-JAYS One+.

Your Tech Life – #120 – Webcast (4 Jan 2012)

Trevor Long — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:18:52 +0000

The worlds biggest electronics show is next week – CES in Las Vegas, Your Tech Life will be there, I preview the show, discuss TravelSIM and take your calls on Network and ADSL interference, Online Gaming and Keeping your kids safe, BidFun what is it and should you use it and Modem advice

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

CLICK HERE to Subscribe using iTunes

Your Tech Life – #119 – Webcast (28 December 2011)

Trevor Long — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 11:18:34 +0000

Thank you for an amazing 2011, this week I look back at 2011, some thoughts on 2012, plus I discuss Harvey Norman’s new Direct Import model and take calls on Networking, Internet Choices, Photo Printing, Lotus Notes and Web blocking

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

CLICK HERE to Subscribe using iTunes