Tag Archives: MacTheBlog

I have the power!!!

  By Alex | January 22, 2010 - 2:01 pm | Published
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OK, maybe I don’t. But the name of a thing is important — some marketing types would say it’s very important — and that’s the subject of my weekly Mac blog at MacTheBlog today:

MacTheBlog: Names Have Power: “OK, so Apple’s doing something next week. I’ve emphasised something there, because for all anyone outside of Apple’s elite inner leak circle knows, based on the invite, it could be releasing a new range of non-toxic body paints. Sure, it seems unlikely now, but ten years ago would you have picked Apple as one of the world’s biggest music sellers?”

Well, I had two weeks of vacation time coming…

  By Alex | December 14, 2009 - 11:20 am | Published
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No. No I didn’t. I’ll be more or less working through the festive season, with only a couple of significant days off. Such is the life of a busy freelancer. Sure beats being an unemployed freelancer, though.

The subject line’s original song is brought up in one of my articles currently live, though, at MacTheBlog:

MacTheBlog: Chrome: Not So Shiny? “How many large balls of twine are there out there, anyway?”

And, reliable as always, I’ve got new reviews up at CNET.com.au. Today, it’s printer day! (Also Monkey Day, but that’s not strictly relevant to the subject of these reviews)

HP Photosmart Plus B209: “The Photosmart Plus has a great touchscreen interface, but average printing quality at best.”

Lexmark Platinum Pro905: “Lexmark’s latest printer comes with a platinum card style price point, but it’s too slow for all but the most patient print users.”

Fame… makes a man take things over..

  By Alex | December 8, 2009 - 8:27 am | Published
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Thankfully, while the thin white duke is pretty famous, I’m not. Or at least not to the best of my knowledge. If there’s any paparazzi out there stalking me, they’re doing a very stealthy job of it.

There’s a lot of my work out there that I haven’t particularly plugged as yet. I’m blaming the 3,000km I drove over the weekend, including 1,500km in a single stint. Ow. My everything either hurts or feels like it’s dropped off. I’ll check which is which while you get on with reading it all.

Firstly, CNET.com.au has three reviews of mine:

Dell Latitude XT2 Tablet: “Dell’s tablet isn’t cheap, but it’ll appeal to the business crowd who desire a solidly built system.”

Asus O!Play HDP-R1 Media Player: “We can’t help it. We’ve tried long and hard, but every time we even think about mentioning the name of Asus’ HD Media streaming box, we have to suppress a childish giggle, simply because, by calling it the O!Play, we’re instantly reminded of a certain yoghurt brand…”

Jawbone Prime: “The Jawbone Prime’s ability to filter out nearby sounds is astonishingly good. We suspect black magic is at work here.”

And then at MacTheBlog, I’ve pondered Apple’s rather interesting attitude to how much memory should cost:

MacTheBlog: Memories: A Pricing Game: “There’s a certain small argument there, in that memory sticks put together by a guy in a shed in Dubbo probably aren’t quite as good as Apple’s, even if you do get a slab of beer with every order. But not all memory is sourced from Dubbo.”

Now let’s get right on down to the skit…

  By Alex | November 27, 2009 - 1:00 pm | Published
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A little De La Soul to finish out a busy week. Albeit De La Soul laced with a little Philly soul courtesy of Messrs Oates and Hall…

While I’ve been busy banging the Movember drum so hard it’s nearly shattered, I’ve also been scribing the odd word here and there.

First of all, a new blog up at MacTheBlog:

MacTheBlog: i7 iMac: an odyssey of space: “Alex Kidman goes to Jupiter, and beyond…”

And then a couple of reviews at CNET.com.au:

Philips DAB AE5230 Radio: “Philips’ inexpensive entry into the digital radio world offers few surprises, either nice or nasty.”

Cars Race-O-Rama: “Cars Race-O-Rama is a terribly generic racer aimed at the younger crowd. It’s neither great nor awful, just absolutely middle-of-the-road gaming.”

And you’ve got to fight on…

  By Alex | November 13, 2009 - 1:39 pm | Published
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A busy day here at Alexkidman.com. And I’ve yet to update my daily Movember photo and details, even..

(subtle….)

Anyway, CNET.com.au has another of my reviews up:

Laser DVBT-MP32 Multimedia Plus: “It’s not the prettiest PMP on the block, but the inclusion of digital TV support makes the MP32 a great little gadget.”

And MacTheBlog has my musings on what exactly needs to happen for a Mac Tablet to actually become a worthwhile reality:

MacTheBlog: Time to take our Tablets? “If there’s one thing Apple doesn’t tend to do, it’s introduce an all-new product category that cannibalises an existing or ongoing one…”

He come groovin’ up slowly…

  By Alex | October 23, 2009 - 8:38 pm | Published
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Another busy week winds to an end. And the next two weeks will be even busier, as I somehow juggle full-time work and going back to the full-time-stay-at-home-dad-with-three-kids while the lovely wife has a two week prac placement at a nearby preschool.

So I’d better get busy writing. And you’d better get busy reading.

First up, analysis of Apple’s product announcements — and specifically the “Magic Mouse” for MacTheBlog:

MacTheBlog: It’s A Kind Of Magic: “Apple makes some of the best hardware in the business in notebooks and desktops. Paradoxically, it also makes some of the worst at a given price point in peripherals..”

And if Apple’s not your particular type of fruit, then CNET.com.au has a more AV-centric review of mine to keep you busy:

Toshiba 22DV615Y LCD TV/DVD Combo: “Toshiba’s 22DV615Y LCD TV/DVD combo unit is compact and simple to use, but screen quality could be better.”

What do you do with a B.A in English?

  By Alex | October 12, 2009 - 8:39 am | Published
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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.”

To get things done, you’d better not mess with Major Tom…

  By Alex | October 8, 2009 - 1:36 pm | Published
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And I’ve been getting things done. Mostly Apple-centric stuff today, at least in terms of what’s been published.

At MacTheBlog, there’s my ruminations on Augmented Reality applications:

MacTheBlog: Reality needs augmentation: “Now, before I start, I should point out that I really hate the term “augmented reality”.”

And then at PC Authority, on a completely different tack, there’s my weekly iPhone Apps column:

Amazing Apps For Your Phone: Score a shopping bargain: “Is the bargain in the shop in front of you really all that cheap? Your phone can let you know. Here’s how.”

PC Authority
While still on the PC Authority beat, I’ve also got a couple of pages in the current issue of the print magazine, covering (what else?) the best Free iPhone/iPod Touch Apps that money… umm… can’t buy in this case. Unless the developers decide to start charging for them, which hopefully they won’t. In any case, it’s on sale now.

Let the slaughter commence

  By Alex | September 28, 2009 - 4:05 pm | Published
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A couple of Apple-centric articles to keep you informed and amused today. Firstly, PC Authority has my roundup of Australian public transport Apps:

Amazing Apps for your Phone: Get from A to B on public transport: “Your iPhone can help you navigate the maze of public transport in major cities. We hop aboard the best apps.”

Then over at MacTheBlog, I’m busy counting to 1, finding WiFi signals and culling orphans with extreme prejudice. (dons Evil Black Cap and Goatee) Hey! They’re orphans! Who’s going to miss them? (removes evil black cap and goatee)

MacTheBlog: Li’l orphan Apps: “Note to self: All this talk of culling orphans would make a great movie, the out-of-copyright works of Charles Dickens be damned!”

Peoples of the Universe, please attend carefully…

  By Alex | September 19, 2009 - 12:59 pm | Published
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“The message that follows is vital to the future of you all. The choice for you all is simple; a continued existence under my guidance — or total annihilation.”

Now that’s my kind of ultimatum. Straight, to the point, and with a clear-cut choice as its basis.

I somewhat felt like giving my own ultimatums (ultimata?) to a certain well-known (and oft self-scribed) fruit themed computer company this week. I’ve chronicled my adventures in product returns over at MacTheBlog:

MacTheBlog:When new iPhones go bad: “My new iPhone had a rattle, and while I do have kids, they’re beyond the age where rattles might amuse them. It certainly didn’t amuse me…”

There’s even an addendum to the story; my replacement model had a stuck pixel fault out of the box, which initially had me seeing a particularly bright shade of red. Thankfully, a little twiddling around with this stuck pixel fixing page saw it all good. For now, at least.

Sticking with all things Apple, I’ve also reviewed the fifth generation of the iPod Nano in a couple of locales. Firstly, there’s a simple appraisal of its camcorder feature at Australasian Camcorder, and then a full review at GadgetGuy.com.au:

Apple iPod Nano (5th Generation): “Apple’s thrown everything short of the kitchen sink at the fifth generation iPod Nano, with a raft of new features designed to get the iPod crazed public excited. While it’s still a great music player, the new features certainly aren’t enough to warrant an upgrade, and there are better value iPod models in our estimation.”