Alex Kidman

If you have that jingle going through your head now, my evil work here is done.

Well, not quite. But it is quite apt to describe today’s output. First up, at Hydrapinion, a discussion about why GPS “voices” are so rubbish:

Hydrapinion: What’s so hard about being able to speak, proper, like? “Thirty years ago, mechanical voices were struggling to get to the enunciation level of Daleks, and it seems as though we haven’t progressed much from there.”

And then at CNET.com.au, a DAB+ review partially inspired by the B52′s:

Grundig Roam portable DAB+ radio: “As a portable DAB+ unit the Roam works well. Stop roaming and connect it up to speakers, however, and the story is quite different…”

This week’s Geekspeak column folds in a fresh news story with something that’s been a pet peeve of mine for some time, namely people thinking that GPS will do the thinking for you.

Geekspeak: Keep your brain in gear when using GPS: “The majority of the problem, however, isn’t in the GPS. It’s in the person behind the wheel ignoring road signs and road rules.”

After a rather lengthy wait, the first issue of MacTheMag is out. OK, technically it’s the second issue, but that’s a long story for another day. Anyway, I’ve contributed fairly heavily to this issue, writing the cover story on iPhone GPS apps, the Mac Rumour roundup, the iPad guide, The MacTheCool pages (including an Apple Pie Mac Mini), and a bunch of product reviews for Mac and iOS products.

The best part? You can read MacTheMag online free. Gratis. For nuthin’, even. Just click here.

Well? What are you waiting for?

So far, the highlight of my day has been nearly (but not quite) getting arrested at North Sydney station. Apparently I look a bit dodgy, and shouldn’t take photographs of things. Who knew?

Otherwise, it’s been rainy and wet and busy, much like any other day. While I get on with it, you can amuse yourself with my latest writing work. First of all, at CNET, a Sony Vaio review with a bonus equine pun:

Sony Vaio VPCS117GG: “Sony’s latest notebook fails to really stand out in performance or battery life terms.”

and then at GadgetGuy, a couple of category roundups for GPS and External Storage. Not so much full reviews; more overviews:

Self Storage: The External Hard Drive Round-Up: “With so much of our lives kept on computers, a computer storage failure can really ruin your day. That’s why keeping backups are so important, and why external hard disks have become so popular.”

The 2010 GPS Round-Up: “Where on Earth are you? We’ll tell you where with GadgetGuy’s round-up of as many GPS devices and iPhone applications that we could get our lost hands on.”

Mmm.. New Howard Jones album. That’ll make up a nice number of subject lines for the next couple of weeks, methinks. With my “showing off” cap, I’m even in the liner notes…. albeit via a patronage/bribe model, but still…

I’ve also been busy writing stuff. At PC Authority’s local Web site, I collected up as many iPhone Apps relating to holy texts as I could find:

Amazing Apps For Your iPhone: Religious Texts: “There’s a lot of Bibles in the App store. A whole lot. Want to follow your faith from the comfort of your phone? These apps make it easy.”

I’m also in the print edition of the current mag, covering off the home networking and connected family portions of the massive Christmas Gift Guide.

Meanwhile, at another publishing house, not so far away, I’m all over the current issue of Australian PC User Magazine. I put McAfee’s Family Protection under the microscope and discover a rather startling omission in its protection engine. Speaking of engines, I used one extensively for a roundup of 11 GPS units, an article I started writing back in July with a massive and lengthy road test that took me from Sydney to Adelaide to Melbourne and back again to Sydney. A whole lot of roads (and a huge quantity of spinal pain) later, and a GPS feature was born. I guess it’s true — you really do have to suffer for the art!

My regular roundups of the best mobiles covers off the snazzy Samsung HD ICON and the slightly schizophrenic DualSIM Mini phones, as well as standalone reviews of the Kogan Pro 26, Logitech S315I rechargeable iPod/iPhone Speaker dock and the very spiffy Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0.

And bills must be paid. So it’s back to work I go. Firstly, PC Authority’s published some tips on getting the most out of the iPhone’s GPS:

Amazing apps for your phone: How to make the most out of your iPhone’s GPS: “Still relying on Google Maps to get around? Here’s a quick summary of how to kit out your iPhone for GPS, including which apps you should try.”

And then at CNET.com.au, I got all storage-minded:

HP SimpleSave Portable 320GB: “HP’s SimpleSave portable drive does make backups simple, as long as your file names aren’t too long.”

It’s been a bit quiet around this blog for a little while — a necessary side-effect while I take on board some rather drastic changes to the way I work, who I work for and what I do. Interesting times, and all that.

In the meantime, though, it hasn’t stopped already written material appearing, both in print and online.

Online, first, at CNET.com.au, you’ll find these two reviews:

Acer Aspire Timeline 4810T: “Since when did vendor battery claims actually represent the truth?”

Belkin Powerline AV Networking Adapters: “Belkin’s take on power line networking benefits from a streamlined design compared to many Ethernet over power products, but still doesn’t deliver on the hype.”

Then in the print world, I’m all over the place. That’s not a reflection of my mental state, and more a reflection of the widespread use of my words across the consumer tech magazine marketplace right now.

In the July issue, which will also now be the penultimate issue of Australian Netguide, you’ll find my reviews of GPS devices from TomTom, Navman, Mio, Uniden, Nokia and Garmin, as well as standalone reviews of Roxio Easy VHS to DVD, Quicken QBi 2009, Genius BT-03i Touch Wireless Headset, AOC Verfino V22 Monitor, Asus SDRW-08D1S-U External DVD-RW Drive, Sanyo Xacti VPC-CG10EXBK HD Dual Camera, Canon Digital Ixus 95 IS, Kogan Agora Pro Netbook and Nintendo DSi, as well as games reviews of Wheelman, Stormrise, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Singstar: Queen with Wireless Mics and the Broadband Buyer’s Guide.

The July issue of PC User magazine features a comprehensive guide to iPod-compatible earbuds, featuring brands such as Ultimate Ears, Altec Lansing, Panasonic, Philips, Genius, Sony and Sennheiser. My regular gig reviewing mobiles kicks into gear with reviews of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic and Blackberry Curve 8900, as well as gadget reviews of the Nintendo DSi, Genius Trio Racer FF and Altec Lansing Orbit-M speaker.

Meanwhile, in PC Authority’s July issue, you’ll find my words — and even a small picture of my face, back when I had a goatee — plastered across the Apple pages. This month’s column deals with essential Mac OS X Leopard Tweaks, and how I apply them. Some obvious, some not. And in games, EA’s The Godfather II gets involved in a bizarre comparison between itself, Grand Theft Auto and Peggle Nights. It all makes sense. Trust me.

More news, reviews and not-terribly idle speculation today. It’s enough to send one GaGa…

First up, at PC Authority:

Macworld 2009 rumour mill: Windkintosh? “Unofficial “official” WiFi drivers brings the Mac Netbook ever closer — albeit in a shady legal fashion.”

And then a pair of reviews at Gadgetguy.com.au coming out of the recent Adelaide road trip:

Mio Moov 370: “We took the Moov 370 out for a short spin. Just from Sydney to Adelaide and back – a Sunday drive with a bit of attitude, if you like.”

Navman S300T: “We were impressed by the speed of its initial lock-on, satisfied with the directions it gave and the general interface choices – except one. Unfortunately for the 300T, it’s a big one. “

That Simon Le Bon. A true lyrical genius, on a level with Vanilla Ice.

Still have plenty of tales of the road to write up. If only I wasn’t so darned busy just writing. A conundrum, no?

Still, it pays the bills, or so they tell me. One of the perils of being a freelancer is never quite knowing when payment will come in. Oh well, there’s always the fame I suppose. Come with me, and bear witness to my fame (or lack thereof)  with these these reviews, live right now at Gadgetguy.com.au:

Navman S80: “Navman’s S80 is a stylish GPS unit with a great display. It’s easy to use, will synchronise nicely with your Bluetooth mobile phone and is a snap to install. It’s a pity that it only runs a crippled version of the company’s excellent Navpix navigation, however…”

Hitachi MMP501B: “The MMP-501B is a huge GPS with quite a lot going for it. Its text-to-speech could be better, and we’re still not sold on in-car AV through your GPS…”

TomTom ONE XL:  “On the one hand, the ONE XL is a competent and effective GPS system that does what it says on the box; it routes you efficiently to where you need to go. On the other hand…”

Binatone Carrera X350: “Our only complaint here was that it consistently gave us contrary instructions, some of which could have been quite fatal. Perhaps it just didn’t like us, but we’re still trying to work out why it wanted us to continue straight into a gorge and fifty metre drop…”

Nokia 330 Auto Navigation: “Nokia’s 330 Auto Navigation system (or GPS to you and me) is, in many ways, a terribly conventional unit…”