Channel 4 are having problems delivering their 4OD, Geo-restricted content to their UK-based consumers.
Following the launch of 4oD on wednesday, we were really keen to try the service out. It became available a little after the expected mid-day launch, but frankly who’s counting.
We got the software down and were really impressed with the way it looked. Channel 4 really know how to design stuff that looks good and is easy to interact with. Bold use of large graphics and well executed example pieces of video viewable, just my mousing over. A really good job.
We thought we’d initially test out service by using the freely available porgrammes, two of which are given away each week. Plumbing for Trigger Happy, we clicked with some excitement.
Disappointment hit when we found that Channel 4, or at least their geo-sensing service thought we were outside the UK, and therefore refused to deliver the content to us (see image).
Geo-sensing is used by a growing number of Web-based service, as it gives them knowledge of where users are coming from. By looking up the originating IP address, the theory is that they can tell which country you’re in, or in even more detail than that sometimes.
It’s features are all the more important to distributers of content that has a restricted license, like video content. If the content is licensed for UK use, the rights holds want assurance that it can only get to people in the UK.
This is all fine and dandy – if the geo-sensing is correct. We’re with Metronet, now part of Plus.net. They’re a significant player in the ISP game, so much so that BT has made a cash bid for them.
We reported the problem to Channel 4 a couple of hours after launch, providing various pieces of helpful information over a number of emails. We understood that they’d be getting right on to it. While we know that these things take a little time, we pretty surprised that it hasn’t been fixed two days later
We’re sure that other people with different ISP’s are able to view the content, just surprised that companies who are selling geo-sensing service are not correct as to what is in the UK and what’s outside.
We hope that Channel-4 and their geo-sensing provider can get their wrinkles ironed out – they’re missing income here.
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) movement got a boost this week when their first production model arrived at their offices. 
For us, the biggest surprise is the sheer smallness of it – when you see it sitting on top another ‘normal’ laptop it will be clear. 
We’ve been avid followers of the OLPC or $100 laptop as it used to be called since the 
Slowly taking shape through the fug of a host of iffy Japanese web translations is the Epson Endeavor ST100, an ultra-small PC. 
The specs look like they’ll handle all your office jobs too, with the Endeavor being powered by a fairly beefy 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo T6700 mobile CPU. 
There’s also a healthy 2GB of RAM onboard, with a generous 160GB 5400rpm SATA hard disk and a DL DVD burner for storing all your stuff. 
Smartphone unit sales are soaring, with sales almost tripling between 2004 and 2005, and increasing a further 50% in the first half of 2006 compared to the previous year. 
Despite the spectacular sales, Hughes advised caution, pointing out that many smartphone users continue to lug around the very devices that smartphones are supposed to replace. 
To defeat the pain of trying to enter text using an on-screen keyboard using your gaming controller to peck out a letter at a time, Blue Orb have released Texter, a small device that sits between the game controller and the game box. Using some general cleverness, the box will appear as a USB keyboard. 
We’ve not tried it yet, but looking at the usage diagrams it initially looks a little complex. That’s not to say that using it wouldn’t become easier after some practice. We’ve had a lot of experience in having to use different ways of putting text in, normally by having to review so many different mobile phones. Once you get past the initial pain of using the new method, some of them can be pretty fast.
If you fancy yourself as a bit of a Cool Hand Luke kind of character when it comes to gambling, then Texas Hold’Em No Limit poker is a great way to practice your skills when you’re on the move. 
Interface
For the asking price of $20, this a great little game for passing away spare hours on the train (or perhaps wasting time at the office) and for poker fans it could prove a nifty way to hone your bluffing skills. 
UK firm Moixa have come up with a rechargeable battery that can be re-charged on a USB port, as well as more normal battery chargers. 
It achieves this flexibility by popping the top of the AA battery off to reveal a USB connector. Charging the currently available 1,300mAh cell fully takes six hours, but we understand that quick 10 minutes charges will give results too. Moixa claim the batteries don’t suffer from ‘battery memory,’ where capacity can be quickly lost by brief charging. 
A bit of background on Moixa. You may have heard of them before, they’re behind the PDA folding keyboard, which is in use in over 2 million products worldwide. 
Handmark have released the latest version of their consumer survey-based dining, travel and leisure information program, Zagat To Go v5.0. 
The program now carries survey rankings for over 25,000 restaurants and nightspots in 70+ cities, with automatic free content updates. 
Zagat To Go v5.0 is available for the Palm OS, BlackBerry, motorola Q and other Windows Mobile Pocket PCs and Smartphone platforms and comes as free upgrade for existing customers forking out the $29.95 yearly subscription fee. 
Apple have just announced that they have signed deals with six major airlines, offering the first seamless integration between iPod and the planes in-flight entertainment systems. 
Those crazy hep cats at Sennheiser have launched a range of seven new economy-priced headphones aimed at da yoot. 
The next model up, the MXL 51 Street, is bundled with a lanyard and case for another fiver. 
An old school neckband pair of cans, the PMX 50 Street ‘phones wrap up the new range and come with exchangeable design parts and retail for £25.