Digital-Lifestyles

June 2006

  • The World’s Most Expensive Mouse Mat?

    The World's Most Expensive Mouse Mat?Designed exclusively for idiots with more money than sense, the official Formula 1 carbon and leather mouse mat can now be bought online for just £260 ($489, €380)

    Whereas most folks are happy to go along with some wafer thin promotional freebie or a tatty old mouse mat bought for a fiver, the Formula 1 mat is clearly designed for loaded types who go through life struggling to find a connection between common sense and value.

    The ‘none-more-black’ mat has been hand-made in England exclusively for Formula 1 by specialist composite technicians who make Formula One monocoques.

    I guess we must be a bit thick here because we had to look up what ‘monocoques’ meant. We can now, however, tell fellow ignoramuses that it means, “a type of vehicle design in which the body and chassis are in one piece”. So now you know.

    The World's Most Expensive Mouse Mat?The blurb on the Formula 1 webpage insists that the carbon mouse mat was designed “using state of the art automotive 3D modelling software.”

    We’re not entirely sure what 3D car design tools are needed to roll out a piece of flat material, but we can tell you that the mat is made of solid polished carbon fibre with an inlaid leather mouse area.

    It looks like it might just be able to take the almighty stress of having an optical or ball-operated mouse rolling over its surface too, with the carbon being “cured to 120º C at 100 psi.” Thank heavens for that.

    The World's Most Expensive Mouse Mat?(There is a rather better looking all-carbon version available for ‘just’ £250, but this won’t work with an optical mouse).

    Just in case no-one’s noticed that you’re the owner of an outrageously overpriced mat – backed with the finest Italian black suede we’ll have you know – the thing is embossed in carbon with the F1 Formula 1 logo.

    We bet that will impress the ladies. Not.

    F1 store

  • Mobile Consumers Are Lapping Up Convergence

    Mobile Consumers Are Lapping Up ConvergenceSad but (supposedly) true: a new study by Nokia has found that over one in five mobile owners said they’d find losing their phone more upsetting than their wallet, credit cards and – unbelievably – even their wedding ring.

    Tempted though we are to find those people and give them a reality-introducing slap around the face with a wet fish, the survey does reflect the growing importance of mobiles in everyday life.

    Clicking ticking mobiles
    Nearly half (44 per cent) of mobile owners now use them as their primary camera – 68 per cent in India – with over two thirds predicting that music-enabled mobiles will soon rule the world, replacing MP3 players like iPods.

    It doesn’t look like a good time to invest in Timex stocks, with the study finding that seventy two percent of mobile users no longer own a separate alarm clock – and nearly three quarters use their phones as their main watch or clock.

    Mobile Consumers Are Lapping Up ConvergenceNokia commissioned the research in 11 countries around the globe to discover people’s attitudes towards current and future mobiles, and generally found that people *heart* the things the planet over.

    Such is the love for mobiles that users want to see them integrated even closer with their lives, with 42 per cent wanting their phones to be able to chat to their home networks, printer, PC, stereo, TV and mobile devices.

    Curiously, 72 per cent of Saudi Arabians also wanted their fridges to be included in this network.

    Mobile Consumers Are Lapping Up ConvergenceSurfing on the move
    Mobile surfing continues to rise in popularity, with over a third (36%) of respondents browsing on their mobiles at least once a month, with Japan going for it big time, with 37% going online daily.

    “The results strongly demonstrate that people are buying into the idea of convergence – they really do want one device that does it all, from taking quality images, to storing their music collections and operating a digitally connected home,” commented Tapio Hedman, senior vice-president of marketing, multimedia at Nokia.

    Nokia

  • A Third Of UK Business Employ Email Snoopers

    A Third Of UK Business Employ Email SnoopersNew research from messaging security specialists Proofpoint has revealed that more than a third of blue-chip companies in both the US and UK hire dedicated staff to snoop on their employee’s emails.

    Their survey of 112 “email decision makers” at UK enterprises with 1,000+ employees found that 38 per cent of firms employed staff to read, analyse or generally sniff about outbound emails from staff (a figure that rises to 40 per cent for companies with more than 20,000 employees.)

    A total of nearly 62 per cent UK companies were found to perform regular audits of outbound email content.

    UK companies estimate that nearly 1 in 5 outgoing emails contains content that poses a “legal, financial or regulatory risk” with the most common form of non-compliant email content containing “adult, obscene or potentially offensive” content (or, more likely, staff trying to lighten the misery of their dull jobs by sharing a joke).

    A Third Of UK Business Employ Email SnoopersWith companies becoming more concerned about internal security breaches rather than external threats, 34 per cent of companies claimed that their business was impacted by the exposure of sensitive or embarrassing information over the last year.

    With all this secret email snooping going on, bosses have been delivering “You’re Fired!” messages with gusto, with more than one in three sacking an employee for violating email policies in the past 12 months.

    There’s also been lots of finger wagging going off in the boss’s office, with over 70 per cent of UK companies disciplining an employee for violating email policies in the last year,

    The report goes on to sat that just over a fifth of UK companies have given employees a shoutdown for violating blog or message board policies in the past 12 months, with 3.6 per cent getting the boot for their troubles.

    Fear the email
    Nearly half of UK companies declared themselves to be concerned about Web-based email being used to send confidential or proprietary information, with 81.3 per cent saying that it is “important” to reduce the legal and financial risks associated with outbound email in the next 12 months.

    Of course, it’s worth noting that the folks who commissioned the survey – Proofpoint – just happen to run a business offering secure/filtered messaging systems, so it might be an idea to seek out the saltcellar when reading their report.

    Email-free workzones
    Looking to the future, Graham Titterington, principal analyst at Ovum, sees the automated blocking of outbound mail as the future security choice for most companies, as it would sidestep the current grey area concerning the legality of monitoring personal emails.

    Quite how they’d the deal with terminally bored employees deprived of a lifeline to the real world may be another matter though.

    Proofpoint

  • LCD TVs To Rule The Roost By 2009

    LCD TVs To Rule The Roost By 2009In a few years time, kids will be clutching their sides and laughing at the thought that their parents used to watch TV on massive great boxes that filled up half the living room.

    We know this because a new report tells us that LCD TVs are the future, with worldwide ownership of the slimline goggleboxes overtaking lardy CRT TVs in 2010.

    According to a new analysts iSuppli, sales of LCD TVs are positively hurtling along, with shipments expected to rise by 74 per cent to 46.7 million units this year – way up on their original estimate of 41.9 million units.

    After wheeling out their extrapolation-o-meter and pulling assorted levers and flywheels, the company predicts that LCDs will account for 48 per cent of TVs shipped in 2009, while chunky old-school CRTs will struggle with just 42 per cent.

    By the next year, the report predicts that LCDs will account for a hefty 56 per cent of all TVs shipped.

    Sales of rear-projection TVs and plasmas look set to remain a small part of the overall market, claiming just 3 percent and 7 per cent of the market respectively in 2009.

    LCD TVs To Rule The Roost By 2009Style over picture
    Although punters are happy to plunge headlong into the lithe, angular world of the LCD TV, many still believe that the ‘umble CRT TV still provides better picture quality – and what’s more, they cost less.

    However, declining LCD TV prices brought about by improvements in manufacturing continue to bring the once stratospherically-priced TVs into the economic reach of your average punter, with the average price of 32-inch and 40/ 42-inch LCD TVs falling by 17 per cent and 14 per cent respectively in the last five months.

    LG.Philips remain the raging King Kongs of the LCD TV manufacturer jungle with the biggest slice of the market, followed by Samsung, China’s Chi Mei and Acer-owned AU Optoelectronics.

    In the fourth quarter, South Korea produced nearly 45 per cent of the world’s LCD TVs, with Taiwan grabbing 40.1 per cent.

    iSuppli

  • Windows XP SP1 Support Ends October 2006

    Windows XP SP1/SP1a Support Ends, October 2006If you’re still running Ye Olde versions of Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Service Pack 1a (SP1a), you’d better get your modem in gear as Microsoft will be ending support for these products on 10 October, 2006.

    From that point onwards, you can kiss goodbye to security updates for these service packs, with Microsoft recommending that customers still running SP1 or SP1a upgrade to Windows XP Service Pack 2 el pronto.

    What version have I got?
    You can check what version of XP you’re running by right-clicking the My Computer, and then clicking Properties.

    If “Service Pack 1” appears under System, you are – believe it or not – running Windows XP SP1, so it’s time to get downloading (by the way, don’t bother installing SP1a – go straight for SP2).

    Out of the goodness of their altruistic hearts, Microsoft have extended the SP1 support end date a whole three weeks from the original 16th Sept, 2006 to 10th Oct, 2006. Gawd bless ’em.

    A little bit of history
    The SP1 release sure has been around a long time, first seeing the light of day on the 9th September, 2002 (blimey, was it really that long ago?).

    Windows XP SP1/SP1a Support Ends, October 2006This added USB 2.0 support and a Set Program Access and Defaults utility, letting users control the default application for activities such as web browsing and instant messaging.

    Service Pack 1a came out later as naughty Microsoft were forced to remove their Java virtual machine as a result of a lawsuit with Sun Microsystems.

    Service Pack 2 (SP2) came out on August 6, 2004 after the usual delays and added new functionality to the operating system, including an improved firewall, better Wi-Fi support, a pop-up ad blocker for Internet Explorer, and Bluetooth support and the rather good Windows Movie Maker 2.

    Service Pack 3
    Crawling over the horizon at Microsoft’s leisure is Windows XP Service Pack 3, currently with a “preliminary” release date of “2nd half 2007.”

    Scheduled for release after the launch of Windows Vista, Service Pack 3 looks set to include their Firefox challenging Internet Explorer 7 browser and Windows Media Player 11 (both already available in beta form), and many other changes.

    But don’t hold your breath on this one.

    Microsoft

  • Google Spreadsheets Heads Into Excel Territory

    Google Spreadsheets Heads Into Excel TerritoryGoogle is ready to shove its size nines deep into Microsoft territory with the launch of a free Web-based spreadsheet program, Google Spreadsheets.

    The new program will allow people to view and simultaneously edit data online while conducting what Google describe as “in-document” chat.

    This new spreadsheet product looks sure to put the heat on Microsoft, who have long ruled the roost with their desktop-based, spreadsheet app Excel long being the de facto office tool.

    Google’s announcement comes hot on the heels of their purchase of Writely, a Web-based word processor, and puts them in direct competition with the Redmond mob who are busy prepping their new online-focused Windows Live and Office Live services.

    Launching in beta form today, Google Spreadsheets supports the import and export of documents in the .xls format used in Excel and the .csv (common separate values) format, although it is not yet compatible with many of Excel’s more powerful features – the program can’t, for example, create charts or serve up control menus by right clicking on the screen.

    Jonathan Rochelle, the Google Spreadsheets product manager, explained that the new service will be able to handle several hundred formulas used to manipulate data in Excel, but it won’t be able to handle more complex functions like Excel macros.

    Google Spreadsheets Heads Into Excel TerritoryHe explained that the program’s main goal is to make it easier for family, friends or co-workers to read and work on the same spreadsheet from different computers at different times, letting authorised users add and edit data without having to keep sending e-mail attachments back and forth.

    “When people want to share and collaborate, we think this product fits in well,” he added.

    Users must have a Google account to use the new service, which will initially only be offered to a limited number of users.

    Google

  • N-Gage Online Game Purchase Launched

    N-Gage Online Game Purchase LaunchedNokia took a step into the world of online content delivery today with the launch of a new Website specialising in downloadable games for its N-Gage device. Gamers can download time-limited demos of games such as One and Pathway to Glory before purchasing at between 19.99 and 29.99 euros.

    The shop, is a significant step for the company allowing them to deliver games directly to customers, an achievement not always matched in stores. It could also pave the way for online games downloading services, perhaps the gaming equivalent of Apple’s iTunes?

    The process? All that is needed is to identify the game that you’re interested in, pay for it, download it to your computer, then load it on to a spare memory card to your N-Gage.

    The N-Gage has not had an easy time. The first version was launched to widespread derision due to its ‘unique’ side-talking feature, which forced users to speak into the side of the device, instantaneously transforming them into raging doofuses. A succession of model changes followed, culminating in the more sensibly configured, 7710, or N-Gage QD as it’s more often known as..

    N-Gage Online Game Purchase LaunchedWhile the concept of side-talking may fuel nerd in-jokes for some time to come (see sidetalkin) Nokia are determined to develop the N-Gage platform to create a multi-player, mobile gaming community which can connect via a variety of devices. The N-Gage platform for multiple devices was announced at the E3 trade show in Washington last month and will roll-out in early 2007.

    “As we move forward with our next generation of mobile gaming, we continue to offer N-Gage owners easy ways to get games,” said Jukka Hosio, Director, Global Sales, Multimedia, Nokia. “The N-Gage platform is recognized worldwide for its high-quality mobile gaming content. By making these games available for download over the internet, we’re making it easier for N-Gage owners to find and purchase new games.”

    Gameshop

  • Disney to Sell Movies Over Internet

    Disney to Sell Movies Over InternetPurveyor of fluffy, family-friendly feature films, Walt Disney has become the latest Hollywood studio to offer movies for sale on the Internet, with a new service offering films via the CinemaNow online service.

    CinemaNow, based in sunny Santa Monica, California, has announced that Buena Vista Home Entertainment – Disney’s home video division – will be offering movies on a download-to-own basis for PCs/portable devices on the same day they are available on DVD.

    Starting from today, Disney will be offering both new and back catalogue fillums via CinemaNow, with pricing set around the same price as DVDs (roughly $20 for a new release, and $10 for older films.)

    Of course, studios tend to have a different concept of ‘ownership’ than the rest of us when it comes to all things digital, and in this case punters still won’t be able to do what they actually want to do, and that’s to burn their downloaded copies onto DVDs.

    Disney to Sell Movies Over InternetInstead, the movies can only be copied to a total of three other devices (including laptop PCs and handheld electronic devices) supporting CinemaNow’s copyright-protection technology.

    Disney’s shuffle into the world of online film flogging follows a 3rd April announcement by rival studios to offer movies for sale via Movielink, a joint venture owned by big-league competitors Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Paramount Pictures.

    Visibly purring with satisfaction, Bruce Eisen, president of CinemaNow, rubbed up against the mic, saying, “The main thing is Disney chose us to be first for them to go out with electronic sell-through.”

    Disney to Sell Movies Over Internet“We take that as a real nice vote of confidence,” he added, before trotting off to the litter tray.

    A Disney spokesman said their deal with CinemaNow is a non-exclusive one, so they’re free to make similar deals with other online services in the future.

    CinemaNow
    Disney

  • Nokia’s M-tickets Go Mainstream With Guns’n’Roses

    Nokia's M-tickets Go Mainstream With Guns'n'RosesDandruff shakers looking forward to some geriatric rocking with Guns’n’Roses at the Hammersmith Apollo tomorrow night can forget all about keeping their tickets as a memento after the show.

    That’s because the gig is set to be a high-profile trial of the new fangled mobile ticketing technology, where paying punters are sent barcodes to their phones instead of getting scrapbook-friendly paper tickets.

    The m-tickets are disappointing looking affairs too, taking the form of a boring barcode and some text with event details.

    Powered by technology provided by Nokia spin-off Ticketrush.co.uk, headband-toting rockers arriving at the gig will have to form an orderly queue to get their barcode tickets scanned by door staff.

    It sounds nice and modern, but we’re already fostering fears of long lines of disgruntled rockers waiting in line as the door staff try and work out where the reset button is on their scanners.

    Nokia's M-tickets Go Mainstream With Guns'n'RosesMoreover, we don’t even like the idea of having tickets on our mobiles. What happens if your battery runs out, or if you delete your text message by accident?

    It may save promoters printing costs and make the process of booking tickets all sleek, modern and Metropolis-like, but there are a lot of memories in old ticket stubs and, to misquote Johnny Thunders, you can’t put your arms around an m-ticket.

    You can, of course, attempt to grab a personal record of the gig and annoy the people behind you all night by waving your glowing phone in the air.

    With luck, you’ll end up with a blocky, distorted set of unrecognisable moving blobs in the far distance obscured by a forest of glowing phones in front of you.

    Nokia's M-tickets Go Mainstream With Guns'n'RosesRegardless of what punters want, The Man is pressing ahead for a bright virtual ticket future, with O2 working with technology provider, Mobiqa to provide m-tickets to this month’s O2 Wireless Festival in London – and in their first week, they managed to shift a hefty £100,000 worth of the things.

    For kids too poor to get into gigs – and crafty freeloaders – the new m-ticketing may raise the bar for sneaking in free, but a part of us hopes that some clever nerds find a way to beat the system.

    Otherwise they’ll never know the joys of our misspent youth, where we managed to get into a gig by the mighty Thin Lizzy by drawing a ticket.

    The band were so impressed by our cheek that they signed the well-dodgy tickets after the gig. Try doing that with a chuffing m-ticket.

    Ticketrush

  • Festival Of The Fourth Dimension

    6 – 10 June 2006 This hyper-ambitious, all embracing technology and arts festival looks like it could be quite remarkable. By combining the skills and open-mind approach of the artist with the latest technology – some that are the latest thing now others that will be available in the near future – should turn up some remarkable results. Sophia Antipolis, Nice, Cote d’Azur, France http://www.4dimension.org/