Yeah I know, its’ 2010…
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“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shore of Orion. I’ve seen C-Beams glitter in the dark near the Tenhauser gate.“ – Roy Batty from Blade Runner
We began 2010 with the usual chat about our tech week, or two in this case. Our gifts of tech were indeed wondrous to behold, Gareth’s Drobo and my Time Capsule. Then on to a chat about the Great British weather and the big freeze currently hitting this country, more interesting then the LA weather, with it’s positively balmy 55 degree average in December. Then, on to the really big question, the Dr Who Xmas special, was it awesome, okay, or did it suck.
The Googlephone is here – The Nexus One has arrived. The ultimate Android ‘superphone’ is here. It’s going to kill the iPhone, cure disease and bring about world peace. Or alternatively, it could just be the best Android smartphone yet. With all the build up, you could be forgiven for thinking that something ground breaking was coming. Apart from the fact you can only get them online and they come unlocked for $600, to go on the network of your choice, or subsidised on T-Mobile for $180. Guess what, it’s just another droid smartphone.
Bono prognosticates – The Irish rockstar has spoken, he has pronounced. And it appears that ISP’s are to blame for file sharing, and they should put up a firewall like China, that great beacon of freedom and tolerance, to protect the hard pressed record companies and millionare rockstars. It’s amazing to see a talented musician disappear up his own ass. But that’s what he’s doing, either that or he’s been wearing those silly sunglasses because he’s blind. Shut up and sing you tax evader you.
CES, 3D everywhere – There were 3D cinemas, video cameras and a shed load of 3D TV’s. Even the 3D Blu-Ray spec was finalised. So we have 3D everywhere, all we need now is content with some real depth.
AT&T want to chuck out the POTS – The Plain Old Telephone System that is. Like the incumbent operator this side of the pond is already doing. AT&T is asking Congress, if they can turn off the old PSTN system, and go over to IP switching. You’d think if they had the huge amount of money required to do this, just lying around, as it were. They’d invest some in improving their mobile network. Just a thought, no pressure.
Must have FireWire – A story from Cult of Mac suggested that all external hard drive sold in Apple retail stores must carry a FireWire port. The story came off a Buffalo spokesman at CES. It’s quickly been proved incorrect, with many people pointing out it was plain wrong. Although it would be nice for Apple to support their own standard. Trust them to get BS from a Buffalo.
Your mobile has been cracked – The algorithm that encrypts the calls of over 4 billion mobile phone users, has been cracked. So now anyone with a few thousand dollars of electronics and the right software can listen to your calls. Just in time the GSMA are rolling out a new algorithm to protect us all again, until this one is broken anyway. But before you start feeling too safe, the Feds have been able to listen in the whole time.
