Alex Kidman

Wednesday kicks off with your choice of not one but two opinion columns. First up at MacTheMag, my musings on iPads, 3G reception and kitchen tables:

MacTheBlog: iPad on the move: “If the Road Runner cartoon I’ve just watched is any indication, your iPad will get blown up, then fall down a cliff before forming a perfect circle of dust. An anvil may or may not then fall upon it, depending on your choice of wacky scheme.”

Then at Hydrapinion, I’ve chimed in with my thoughts on the whole iPhone 4 reception debacle and how it may play out very well indeed for Android handsets generally:

Hydrapinion: Why didn’t Apple bump the iPhone 4 problem away?: “Nice try, Apple, but some credibility is shredded by this whole debacle.”

I’m sensing a recurring theme here. At least today’s stories are cut with a little Android and a whole lot of storage.

First up at CNET.com.au, a hands-on first look at LogMeIn for iPad and Android:

LogMeIn For iPad and Android: hands on: “We got a look at where LogMeIn is heading in a mobile sense with a hands-on demonstration for iPad and Android platforms…”

And then at Geeks2U, another Geekspeak blog is live:

USB 3 has plenty of promise, but when will it deliver? “There’s a problem, though. USB 3.0 requires two things to actively work…”

Somehow, I’ve knitted the above into a single story for APCMag.com today. Truly, my wordsmithing powers* know no bounds. Especially when the story itself is about security software:

Norton 360 to support iPad, Android: “Latest version of 360 “supports” iPad, iPhone and Android. Sort of…”

*And, clearly my humility

Good question. Not one I’ve had to explicitly answer, as my B.A was in History/English/Communication Studies; a weird mixed bag of things that not even my lecturers were aware was within the rules at the time. Then again, I don’t think I’ve done too badly out of it, all things considered.

Today’s offerings include a blog entry at MacTheBlog that might explain why it’s so hard to get anyone at Apple to return my phone calls. Or make it even harder in the future, anyway:

MacTheBlog: Hey Apple: start innovating! “Apple can’t sit still, and it’s shown in the past with the iPod range (and, for that matter, the Mac for much of the 1990s) that this is something it can be guilty of.”

And keeping with the theme of things-you-can-chuck-an-Apple-product at, CNET.com.au has this review:

Panasonic SC-HC3 Compact Stereo System: “Panasonic’s attractive SC-HC3 combines CD and iPod playback with excellent audio quality, although iPhone owners should shop elsewhere.”

I’m somewhat gobsmacked by this end-user license agreement that just came up. This is 100% unedited, exactly what’s come up on screen. Would you agree to it?

I mean, really.

That’s just one of the hurdles in the life of a busy product reviewer, but it’s not all bizarre EULAs and pain. Sometimes, I get to play with fun stuff, like this:

HTC Magic: “HTC’s Magic fixes almost all of the complaints we had against its predecessor, the Dream, with better hardware, a refined operating system and a smoother overall feel.”

Just think of the environmental benefits — Mothra‘s self powering, essentially non-polluting, large enough to carry multiple people (so you’d qualify as public transport, and thus could fly above the bus lanes) and silent when in motion. Accidents would be a thing of the past, as Mothra can protect you from incoming traffic, and any stray Godzilla-related activity.

And who really wouldn’t want to arrive at work astride a mighty lightning-breathing winged steed? Nobody, that’s who. And you don’t look like a nobody to me.

Oh well, I can dream, can’t I?

And that’s an incredibly clumsy segue into my latest review, live now at GadgetGuy:

HTC Dream: “HTC’s Dream merges the generally excellent Google-backed “Android” phone operating system with a handset that is in many respects rather average. The result is still an enticing phone, but we can’t help but think that future Android-based offerings might be even better value.”

Ah, Yakko. Wise beyond your years.

It’s been a weird and highly frustrating week, spent largely (and fruitlessly) trying to set down a path in my front garden, stymied at every turn by the half-truths and evasions of a certain tiling company that failed to deliver on their promises. Oh, and writing work.

I sometimes wonder if my creative juices are fired up by confrontation, or blocked by it. Based on this week (and what I suspect will happen next week, given the paving drama now will continue into next week, thanks to the idiots at Amber Tiles), I suspect that it’s the blocked scenario. I’ve just not been that creative this week in any endeavor. Which doesn’t mean I’ve not written anything, however. Wow. That’s probably my worst segue ever. Read this at APCMag.com, will you? It’ll make me feel better… or something.

Second Google Android phone — Kogan Agora — “Delayed Indefinitely”: “Got your heart set on one of Kogan’s Android phones? Too bad.”