Tag Archives: 30 Seconds Of Tech

Printers, eBooks, SmartTVs, Laptops, Tablets and Romance…

  By Alex | May 24, 2011 - 7:27 pm | 30 Seconds Of Tech, Published
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A busy day here — both in the office and out and about.

Firstly, at CNET, a review of a larger-than-normal printer:

Canon Pixma iX6550: “The iX6550 isn’t awash with features, but those after a somewhat compact A3 printer should find it good value.”

Then at Geekspeak, two columns covering the rise of the eBook and SmartTV concepts:

Smart TVs: Are They Smart? “I’ve been working in the tech industry for long enough to see some real clunker products along the way…”

Have eBooks become must-read articles? “Electronic books have been around a lot longer than most people think…”

Out and about today then for a pair of 30 Seconds Of Tech Articles. Firstly, on a boat with Dell:

 

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And then in a hotel room with Asus and a giant robot. Or at least the name suggests that.

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Finally, something that I had absolutely nothing to do with.. but wish I did!

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Making The Big Money And Dropping The Thin Notebooks

  By Alex | May 18, 2011 - 11:19 am | 30 Seconds Of Tech, Published
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It’s all about the money, apparently. Except if you’re a journalist; while it’s an intellectually rewarding profession, it’s rarely what you’d call genuinely lucrative.

Which is why, in my idle moments, I dream up get-rich-quick-schemes, like the one outlined in this week’s Hydrapinion:

How to build your own Android Smartphone and MAKE MILLIONS!* “Just follow this simple ten step guide, and you’ll be on the path to riches in no time at all!”

Meanwhile, 30 Seconds Of Tech makes a comeback via a very thin notebook that can survive a surprising number of drops. Drops, it later transpired, that technically aren’t in fact covered by the warranty:
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iMacs, Xooms, Atrixes and Mobile Broadband (Oh my…)

  By Alex | May 6, 2011 - 9:03 am | 30 Seconds Of Tech, Published
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Would the proper plural of Atrix be Atrixes or Atrixii? It makes my brain hurt just thinking about it.

In any case, yesterday’s launch of Motorola’s Xoom tablet and Atrix smartphone led to a 30 Seconds of Tech:

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Just a couple of hours earlier, I also had the chance to check out Apple’s new iMac range, which got a similar video treatment:

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Finally, there’s this month’s issue of PC & Tech Authority. Now, I’ve had cover lines before, and contributed heavily to many publications. I think, however, this is the first time I’ve pretty much been the entire cover; through an awful lot of rather tedious broadband testing that included mystifying the residents of a town with fewer than 700 residents and nearly getting thrown out of a Sydney coffee shop along the way, I’ve tested all of Australia’s mobile broadband carriers across USB Modems, Portable WiFi Hotspots and iPad MicroSIMs. Does Telstra still reign supreme? Can Vodafone stage a last minute comeback given its recent woes? You’ll have to buy the issue (also available on iPad) to find out!

I’ve sometimes been accused of being something of a head case…

  By Alex | April 19, 2011 - 9:26 pm | 30 Seconds Of Tech, Published
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But today I went head to head with a hangar of full of Samsung products and only 30 seconds to make them interesting

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(and yes, it’s yet another 30 Seconds Of Tech starting with the letter S. No, I don’t know why either)

Before dealing with more than a dozen iPad 2 cases over at CNET.com.au:

Best iPad 2 cases in Australia: “The iPad 2. It’s thin, it’s shiny, and at the time of writing, it’s in astonishingly short supply relative to demand. If you have managed to get your hands on an iPad 2, it would be wise to protect it with some sort of case. But which case is best?”

I turned into a cameraman so gradually, I barely even noticed…

  By Alex | April 15, 2011 - 8:29 pm | 30 Seconds Of Tech, Published
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A big day on the 30 Seconds Of Tech front, with three videos going up. Predictably, one of them features the letter “S” prominently.

Firstly, HTC’s Incredible S takes on the world of Fish. Can simple marine creatures best a cutting-edge smartphone?

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Then LG’s launch of its newest 3D-and-application-capable TVs

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And finally, 30 Seconds Of Tech goes game-centric at the launch of Sega’s Virtua Tennis 4

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Letter P: Playbook and PC User

  By Alex | April 14, 2011 - 12:54 pm | 30 Seconds Of Tech, Published
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I had the chance yesterday to spend some hands-on time with a near-finished version (the hardware’s complete; the software may not be) of Blackberry’s Playbook tablet. Naturally, that leads today to a 30 Seconds Of Tech on it:

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Meanwhile, in the May issue of Australian PC User, I’ve contributed a feature review on backup software as part of the overall Backup Made Easy cover feature. Sure, you might get free backup software on many external hard drives, but does that mean the paid alternatives aren’t worth considering?

Elsewhere in the issue, I’ve reviewed the Sega Dreamcast Collection, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, Sony Music Unlimited, Pro2 IPP200, Billion BiPAC 7700N, HTC Desire Z, D-Link DSM-380 Boxee Box, Blackberry Bold 9780, HTC Trophy and Wintal DAB10W Digital DAB+/FM Radio. As an added enticement, I’ve given one (and only one) of those products the lowest score I’ve ever given anything in PC User. Can you guess which one it is?

Well, you don’t have to guess — just head to your nearest purveyor of magazines and buy a copy now. You know it makes sense.

Mega Flipping Out And Going Radio Gaga

  By Alex | April 14, 2011 - 10:37 am | 30 Seconds Of Tech, Published
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Bigger, better, faster, more; it’s a constant refrain in the technology industry.

Except, of course, if you’re canning a product. This week’s Hydrapinion looks at Cisco’s decision to can the Flip:

Cisco Flips Out: “I’ve got to admit, when I read about Cisco’s decision to cull the Flip line of personal camcorders, I was a little surprised. At first, anyway.”

When you’re launching a product, it’s all go, go go, as evidenced from last week’s launch of a new line of PURE digital radios. That gets a rundown at Geekspeak:

Are you still gaga for radio? “Radio’s one of those technologies that you probably don’t think about that much at all. It’s just there.”

Finally, what better way to describe your product than to declare it ‘Mega’? Well, actually, I can think of several, but that hasn’t stopped Vodafone from using it to describe its latest USB modem, which gets the 30 Seconds Of Tech treatment:

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Notebooks aplenty, media streamers, portable gaming and 90 Seconds Of Tech

  By Alex | April 7, 2011 - 6:46 pm | 30 Seconds Of Tech, Published
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My, I’ve been a busy boy this week. But enough about me. What do you think of me?

Before you answer, consider this week’s offerings, which have been keeping me up late at nights. Mostly because that’s when I’ve been able to work this week.

First up, this week’s Hydrapinion, which pits Nintendo’s glossy 3D-capable handheld against Sony Ericsson’s Crash-enabled smartphone. Except in this case, Crash is a good thing.

3DS or Xperia PLAY? “I’ve spent a lot of time over the past week playing with two different, very game centric portable devices…”

Then over at CNET.com.au, a regular deluge of content. Firstly, a media streamer I wanted to like a whole lot more than I eventually did:

AC Ryan Playon!HD2: “The Playon!HD2 is an unusual mix of excellent format support with terrible documentation, serious stability issues and whacky GUI control choices. It’s inexpensive, but unless firmware updates can address the control and stability issues, it’s a poor choice.”

Then a tablet notebook with an exorcist-style spinning head:

Fujitsu Lifebook TH550: “The Lifebook TH550 is a well-built system with the kind of expected high price tag that Fujitsu usually applies to its PC wares. It’s a nice convertible tablet for the business market, but those on a tighter budget may wish to look elsewhere.”

Then another Tablet notebook, this one almost impossibly light:

Panasonic Toughbook CF-C1: “If your work environment would kill a regular tablet, Panasonic’s CF-C1 could be just the ticket, and a surprisingly light ticket at that. It will, however, leave your wallet feeling similarly light.”

And finally an inexpensive but unexciting laptop, just to maintain cosmic balance. Or something like that.

HP G62-400: “HP’s G62-400 isn’t a stunning laptop — it’s just a fairly priced budget model for those who want a basic laptop.”

Finally, in the world of me improving my video shooting/editing skills (and drooling over but not yet reviewing shiny new technology products), not one, not two, but three new 30 Seconds Of Tech videos

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I’m ready to be fired from the Cannon… or is it Canon?

  By Alex | March 30, 2011 - 8:31 pm | 30 Seconds Of Tech, Published
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One of the more common spelling mistakes you’ll find, along with “Phillips” for the consumer tech company.

Late last week I travelled up to Byron Bay with Canon (disclaimer: They paid for my transport and accommodation. Make of that what you will) to field test a number of Canon products; most prominently cameras, both DSLR and compact digital. That led to the Balloon Flight I posted a couple of days ago, and it’s also led to a couple of camera-centric opinion columns. First up, at Geekspeak, a column pondering whether it’s time for ordinary consumers to “step up” to a DSLR:

Is it time to step up to a DSLR? “Happy snappers could get adequate pictures from point and shoot models, while those who yearned for more control or specific types of photography would make the costly trip into DSLRs.”

Then at Hydrapinion, I’ve taken that argument in the opposite direction, pitting Compact Point & Shoot cameras up against Smartphone cameras:

Have smartphone cameras killed the compact digital? “It’s not that the average DSLR weighs ninety kilograms, or is the size of the Partridge Family bus, or anything.”

Moving completely away from cameras, I’ve also cranked out another 30 Seconds Of Tech, this time shot at a rather awkward angle. I blame my head cold.

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