Tag Archives: Broadband

30 Seconds Of Tech x 3: Huawei Product Showcase

  By Alex | June 29, 2011 - 2:58 pm | 30 Seconds Of Tech, Published
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I frequently get asked if I’ll make the 30 Seconds Of Tech videos longer. The answer (so far) is no, but where there’s more than a few products to look at, I will shoot multiple videos, as I did today at Huawei’s event, showing off modems, tablets and smartphones.

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Expressive Mice, Telstra Broadband Deals and Yet More Android Musings

  By Alex | June 8, 2011 - 3:48 pm | Published
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It’s been a very busy week… and it shows no sign of slowing down any time soon.

Over at CNET, I’ve reviewed a mouse. As I explain in my review, it’s just a mouse…

Microsoft Express Mouse: “Back in the late 1980s, Madonna insisted that it was important that you “Express Yourself”. A year earlier, pioneering hip hop artists N.W.A. did the same, albeit with a little help from Charles Wright along the way…”

At PC & Tech Authority, I’ve taken a look at Telstra’s current push for better broadband value in the context of full bundled plans.

Telstra Home Broadband: The State Of Play: “Is the ISP that’s traditionally been Australia’s most expensive becoming Australia’s best value? We look at the numbers to work out what’s happening with Telstra’s home broadband offerings.”

And at Hydrapinion, my second week of switching from iOS to Android continues by way of Pulp Fiction. No, really…

Can an iPhone user switch to Android for a month? Part 2: The Little Differences “I’m still not sure whether Android is Vinnie Vegas or Jules Winnfield, however. And after this week’s reveal of the features coming in iOS5, I’m even not sure they’re different characters at all.”

Cloudy Puns & Tony Stark’s Mouse

  By Alex | June 7, 2011 - 3:18 pm | Published
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I’ve not written a lot of stories about the Cloud, which probably marks me out as exceptional amongst Australia’s IT journalist community. Even the games journos who only cover Barbie-themed games have written a few Cloud pieces by now. So today, I broke with that silence via an analysis of Apple’s announcement of iCloud overnight at the ABC’s Technology & Games portal:

Is Apple’s future in clearing up the cloud, or raining with problems? “In case you’re seeing cloud and thinking white fluffy bringers of precipitation, a quick primer…”

Meanwhile, over at CNET.com.au, an Arc Mouse. No, not the type that powers Iron Man’s armour, although it’d probably shift a few more units if it did. Or be prohibited from export by the US Military.

Microsoft Arc Touch: “It’s rather like what we’d imagine The Terminator would feel like if he were a Muppet.”

Taxicabs, Broadband Sites & Smartphones Made Of Chocolate?

  By Alex | May 25, 2011 - 11:29 pm | 30 Seconds Of Tech, Published
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It’s been a busy day today. Too busy, actually. So, what have I been up to?

At Hydrapinion, my Carry column looked at how taxi drivers view GPS:

Taxicab Confessions: “I was in the back of a cab yesterday — no, before you start wondering, this isn’t one of those kinds of stories…”

At PC & Tech Authority, I reviewed sites that compare Broadband offers:

What is the best way to compare broadband plans? “Australians spend too much on broadband, but which of the sites that help you compare ISPs actually help?”

Before finishing off the day in a fancy launch venue looking at Smartphones for 30 Seconds Of Tech. Warning: May contain traces of tasty, tasty chocolate:

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To B, or not to B?

  By Alex | February 9, 2011 - 11:47 am | Published
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Let’s see how far I can take this alliteration thing, shall we? A bewildering and beautiful bevy (a barrage, one could say) of brilliantly scribed features await your consideration today.

Broadband to begin, at PC & Tech Authority:

Internode cuts plans down to keep things “Easy” “Sixty different Internode plans bite the dust while add-on packs proliferate. So should you be taking a closer look at Internode’s four types of Easy Broadband plans?”

From Broadband to budgetary considerations at Hydrapinion, as I ponder on my next bag-suitable computing purchase:

Notebook, Netbook, Ultra-light? “Competition in the notebook space has rather blurred the differences between all three types of notebooks, and that leaves me pondering several options.”

Before finally some beguiling buds for your ears (if you’re an iPhone user) at CNET.com.au:

a-Jays Four: “It’s all but impossible to open a review of iPhone-compatible headphones without commenting on the quality of the headphones you get in the box with every iPhone. They’re rubbish.”

Mobile Apps, Mobile Broadband And A Distinctly Non-Mobile Laptop

  By Alex | October 18, 2010 - 8:53 pm | Published
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An unusual mix of articles today… well, OK, one of them was actually published late last week, and I omitted it then because it skipped my attention. Frankly, a laptop that big and glowing should never skip anyone’s attention. From CNET.com.au comes the monster… in 3D!

Toshiba Satellite A660/07R “Toshiba’s 3D-capable laptop works exceptionally well as a desktop replacement, especially for gamers.”

Then at Geekspeak, ponderings on the pricing and speeds of mobile broadband

Could you survive on mobile broadband? “You couldn’t even fill the old axiom about having two out of good, fast and cheap with mobile broadband. All too frequently, it was poor, slow and expensive, and you just had to live with that, because it was theoretically mobile.”

Then finally at MacTheMag, musing on the pricing of mobile applications

The value of an App: “Last week, I had a meeting with my accountant. Perhaps you’re different, but I don’t particularly enjoy meeting my accountant. Not that he isn’t a nice man, or anything like that. For all I know, he spends his spare time helping old ladies cross the road and rescuing lost kittens from trees.”

T-Shirts and Terabytes, Fifty Cent and Choice

  By Alex | September 6, 2010 - 12:58 pm | Published
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Things were so much easier when I picked subject lines based on what I was listening to at the time. Still, the above subject line does make sense. Of a sort.

Firstly, the T-Shirts, over at PC Authority, where I’ve looked over Internode’s new “T-Shirt” 1TB broadband plans:

Internode enters the 1TB race with “T-Shirt” plans: “Internode’s new “T-Shirt” plans offer up to a tantalising 1TB of data. But will they cost you the shirt off your back? We investigate the real value.”

And then over at MacTheMag, my regularly weekly blog considers the exact details of Apple’s new product offerings, by working out how much choice is included. Fifty Cent makes a guest appearance, as apparently Apple’s new Ping social network figures I should follow him. Which I guess goes to prove that Ping may be many things, but a Genius it is not.

MacTheBlog: Please, Apple, can I have less? “The confetti has been swept up, Chris Martin has vanished off to … well … wherever it is Chris Martin vanishes off to when he’s not performing, and what we’re left with is, to my appraisal, not all that satisfactory. To put some specifics to this, it seems that Apple’s gone all out to remove elements of choice.”

Get faster broadband now!

  By Alex | August 26, 2010 - 1:04 pm | Published
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Just send $10,000 in unmarked bills to…

No, it’s not that sort of scam. In fact, I’ve been so busy, I haven’t even had time to sort out what kind of scam I should run.

Instead, an article detailing some simple tips to get the most speed from your broadband connection, live now at CNET.com.au. Common sense to some, rare mystical wisdom to others.

How to speed up your internet connection: “How can you make the connection you’ve got right now work that little bit faster? We can’t provide a magic bullet, either software or hardware to make everyone’s connections quicker, but we can provide some tips that may help speed up individual connections.”

Although I do like the fact that somebody’s already added a step #11: “11. Go to Tasmania for some NBN goodness.”

Surfing the data waves

  By Alex | August 11, 2010 - 3:15 pm | Published
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Today, it’s all about data, data, data and waves. First up at Hydrapinion, I opined about the odd nature of Optus’ latest data promotion:

Hydrapinion: Half price data pricing makes half as much sense: “I mean, really, which sounds better to you — the ‘fake’ 4 to 8c per MB, or the actual 0.5-1c per MB?”

I’m not done with data analysis yet, though, as Internode’s announced changes to its broadband plans go under the analytical hammer at PC Authority:

How do Internode’s new mega-allowance plans stack up? “How do Internode’s new plans compare to Telstra’s recent drastic price drops? We crunch the numbers to assess the real value.”

And then finally at Geekspeak, I go over the basics of Google’s soon-to-be-defunct Wave product:

Geekspeak: Waving Goodbye: “Not every tech product is an instant hit, even when it’s backed by a big brand name.”