http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/forum/commenting en-US Thu, 18 Mar 2010 06:57:06 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.1-alpha q http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/search.php http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/review-blackbox-c18-noice-cancellation-earphones#post-747 Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:03:34 +0000 Ben 747@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>The Blackbox C18 earphones use the same Phitek noise cancellation technology that V Australia and Singapore Airlines use in their first class cabins. Read on for my review&#8230;</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2009/11/review-blackbox-c18-noice-cancellation-earphones/">Review: Blackbox C18 Noice Cancellation Earphones</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/surprising-tivo-uptake-is-unsurprising#post-1825 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:29:28 +0000 Ben 1825@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>I seriously wonder at the decision making behind releasing something like TiVo, let alone TVNZ investing millions into it. It&#8217;s a fringe device at best, hobbled by ISP exclusivity, and with no point of difference other than the brand name. A back of the envelope calculation should be enough to pin that as a losing proposition from the outset.</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/03/surprising-tivo-uptake-is-unsurprising/">Surprising TiVo Uptake is Unsurprising</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/learning-from-the-vodafone-htc-magic-debacle#post-1877 Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:08:20 +0000 Ben 1877@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>Today, for reasons yet unknown, Vodafone NZ has completely removed the HTC Magic from sale in New Zealand. They&#8217;ve removed all mention of it from their website, and removed existing stock from store shelves.</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2009/07/learning-from-the-vodafone-htc-magic-debacle/">Learning from the Vodafone HTC Magic Debacle</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/hey-orcon-can-you-hear-me-now#post-1042 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:03:33 +0000 Ben 1042@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>For the last month I have been having trouble with my connection to Orcon. The connection has been disconnecting at random times, and moreso when under load, like downloading a large Linux ISO over bittorrent.</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/02/hey-orcon-can-you-hear-me-now/">Hey Orcon, can you hear me now?</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/mixing-about-with-windows-phone-7#post-1680 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:46:14 +0000 Ben 1680@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>I won&#8217;t lie to you: I&#8217;m excited. It&#8217;s my first trip to Ameristan, and I&#8217;m hoping to get some hands-on time with some Windows Phone 7 gear.</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/03/mixing-about-with-windows-phone-7/">MIXing about with Windows Phone 7</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/navman-my500xt-bouquets-and-brickbats#post-357 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:10:17 +0000 Ben 357@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>It&#8217;s no secret that I found the Navman S200 appallingly irritating. So you can imagine my trepidation when I was accosted by a charming PR person (do they come in other flavours?), bubbling about the new Navman range, now with integrated traffic information for New Zealand. Casting aside my black mood towards GPS units, I grudgingly accepted the offer of a review unit. [...]</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2009/08/navman-my500xt-bouquets-and-brickbats/">Navman MY500XT: Bouquets and Brickbats</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/video-kitchen-gadgets#post-1611 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:38:29 +0000 Ben 1611@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>My kitchen is a temple to technology. Cooking is an adjunct, from which I find a reason to use the gadgetry available. I was pleased this morning to be able to share some of my latest acquisitions with Paul and Pippa.</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/03/video-kitchen-gadgets/">Video: Kitchen Gadgets</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/the-ipad-killer-app#post-1572 Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:24:24 +0000 Ben 1572@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>I believe I have discovered the killer app.</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/03/the-ipad-killer-app/">The iPad Killer App</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/a-question-which-phones-can-i-use-on-xt-and-vodafone#post-942 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:05:12 +0000 Ben 942@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>The question machine has transmitted a question about cellular networks:</p> <blockquote><p>I have been importing small numbers of chinese cellphones that take dual and triple sims.<br /> These phones can handle 900/1800/1900 networks. Is it possible to throw a telecom sim into these phones?</p> </blockquote> <div id="attachment_1723" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 160px"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-1723" title="XT Cell Site" src="http://www.ben.geek.nz/wp-content/uploads/XTCellSite-150x150.jpg" alt="Image credit Steve Biddle" width="150" height="150" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Image credit Steve Biddle</p></div> <p>This really is an interesting question. Until about a month ago, there was no question at all. Telecom was on a CDMA network, and Vodafone had added WCDMA 3G to their GSM network. Despite the similarity in naming, there really is zero compatibility between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDMA">Code Division Multiple Access</a> (CDMA) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCDMA">Wideband Code Divition Multiple Access</a> (WCDMA) celllar networks. There was no way to take a phone from one network and use it on another.</p> <p>More recently, with Telecom launching their brand advertising agency&#8217;s wet-dream (aka the XT network), with its use of WCDMA and the associated SIM card phones, everyone is rushing to plug XT SIMs into Vodafone phones and visa versa. Their limited degrees of success can be associated with the variation in frequencies being used.</p> <p>Ignoring the complexities of encoded digital tranmission and cellsite handoff (among others), your cellphone is not too dissimilar to a transistor radio that can only listen on a set frequency. It doesn&#8217;t have a dial that you can spin to pick any frequency. If a cellular network does not use a frequency that your phone can hear, you can&#8217;t use your phone on that network.</p> </blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2009/06/a-question-which-phones-can-i-use-on-xt-and-vodafone/">A Question: Which Phones Can I Use on XT and Vodafone?</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/lg-sl90-review-skinny-428243-full-hd-lcd-tv#post-782 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:06:10 +0000 Ben 782@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>I often measure gadgetry in terms of ambivalence, but understand this: I have physical anxiety at the thought of having to return the 42&#8243; LG SL90 I&#8217;m reviewing. It&#8217;s gorgeous.</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2009/12/lg-sl90-review-skinny-42-full-hd-lcd-tv/">LG SL90 Review: Skinny 42&#8243; Full HD LCD TV</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/weight-weight-don8217t-tell-me#post- Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:57:06 +0000 Anonymous @http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/this-is-the-future-i-remember#post-1370 Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:59:07 +0000 Ben 1370@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>Now this is more like it. We&#8217;ve been in space for decades: cramped, smelly space with broken toilets. Not the space of my childhood Sci-Fi dreams.</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/02/this-is-the-future-i-remember/">This is the future I remember</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/buzzing-morning-report#post-1187 Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:27:11 +0000 Ben 1187@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>I talked to Morning Report on Radio New Zealand this morning about the launch, what went wrong, and what it means for the future of Buzz</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/02/buzzing-morning-report/">Buzzing Morning Report</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/review-lego-mindstorms-nxt-20#post-277 Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:38:19 +0000 Ben 277@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-2976" title="Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0" src="http://www.ben.geek.nz/wp-content/uploads/Lego-Mindstorms-NXT-2.0-300x249.jpg" alt="Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0" width="248" height="206" />Back when we had two incomes, no mortgage, and no kids, I found it scarily easy to succumb to the attraction of the original <a href="http://www.peeron.com/inv/sets/9747-1">Lego Robotics Invention System</a>. It was quite the achievement at the time: two motors, a bunch of basic sensors, and a whole heap of Technics. The software was barely stable, but if you worked at it you could create a line-following robot or perhaps a humanoid that could take a couple of steps before toppling over.</p> <p>Since then, Lego have revised their robotics kit completely with the original NXT, and are now set to release the Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 kit. The kit will be available in New Zealand from September, with a retail price of $499, unless you can grab it in a Toyworld sale. So what do you get for your money?</p> <ul> <li>The NXT 2.0 &#8220;brick&#8221;. This is the nerve-center of the kit. A chunky brick that takes 6 AA batteries. It has three motor outputs and four sensor inputs. It connects to your PC via USB or Bluetooth to receive program updates, and can talk to other NXT bricks via Bluetooth too.</li> <li> <!-- Begin Google Adsense code --> <div style="float:right;margin-left:5px"> <script type="text/javascript"> GA_googleFillSlot("Main_Inline_Rectangle"); </script> </div> <!-- End Google Adsense code --> The NXT 2.0 software for your PC or Mac. This is what you&#8217;ll use to program your NXT brick. Don&#8217;t think of it as esoteric code with FOR loops and semicolons. Everything is done via drag-and-drop. Blocks for turning motors on and off, sensing colour, and playing sounds all slot together as easily as physical Lego blocks.</li> <li>Three honest-to-goodness servomotors (I&#8217;m not positive, but I don&#8217;t believe they are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepper_motor">stepper motors</a> &#8211; can anyone inform me otherwise?). In the old days you had to turn the motors on for a predetermined time, and just pray that they ran at the right speed for the right number of rotations. The NXT kits use feedback to determine how far the motor has turned, so you can command them to turn 90 degrees, or 4 rotations, and they&#8217;ll do just that (or churn through batteries trying to).</li> <li>Two touch sensors &#8211; just basic momentary switches as far as I can tell.</li> <li>One ultrasonic distance sensor, designed to look uncannily like a pair of robot eyes.</li> <li>One colour sensor (including a tri-colour LED lamp). This was the only real issue I had with the kit: the colour sensor didn&#8217;t work so well in bright sunlight. It worked fine at night or indoors in the shade.</li> <li>A metric vatload of technics parts. I&#8217;m not going to list them all here, but serious Lego geeks can check out a <a href="http://www.nxtprograms.com/help/parts/8547.html">comparison</a> of NXT 2.0 parts vs the previous version, or a <a href="http://www.peeron.com/inv/sets/8547-1">complete breakdown</a> of parts in the kit.</li> </ul> </blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2009/08/review-lego-mindstorms-nxt-2-0/">Review: Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p> http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/topic/weight-weight-don8217t-tell-me#post-1037 Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:06:12 +0000 Ben 1037@http://www.ben.geek.nz/forum/ <blockquote><p>Hark! The WiFi Scales from Withings.com. Once you&#8217;ve set these up with a bit of your standard jiggery-pokery (nothing too onerous), you simply stand on them once a day, and everything else is taken care of.</p></blockquote> <p><br/><a href="http://www.ben.geek.nz/2010/02/withings-wifi-scale-review/">Weight Weight, Don&#8217;t Tell Me</a></p> <script type="text/javascript">AKPC_IDS += ",";</script><p class="akpc_pop">Popularity: unranked <span class="akpc_help">[<a href="http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress/popularity-contest" title="What does this mean?">?</a>]</span></p>