What do you think Apple should change for iTunes 9?
More stories I’ve written for TechRadar.com
Here’s my take:
10 things Apple should change for iTunes 9
Apple promised big things for the launch of iTunes 8 last September, and what did we get? A music recommendation engine and another layer of UI glossiness in the Grid view. Genius? Not really. What we really hoped for and expected was a complete ground-up revamp that prepped iTunes for the future. Why?
iPhone movies made easy
More stories I’ve written for TechRadar.com
Get blockbuster movies on your iPhone
We all know that the iPhone is no ordinary phone - it’s also arguably the best iPod Apple has ever made. Its gorgeous widescreen display is perfect for watching movies on your daily commute. We’re going to show you how to get them on there. Ready?
BT iPlate reviewed and rated
More stories I’ve written for TechRadar.com
BT iPlate review
This £12 add-on to your BT master socket promises to boost your broadband speeds to an exponential degree. The big question is: does it work?
The 21 best iTunes 8 add-ons
More stories I’ve written for TechRadar.com
21 great adds-on for iTunes 8
iTunes 8 may be great, but it isn’t perfect. To help you get the most from it I’ve come up with a list of brilliant add-ons that make the experience even better. Get over for TechRadar.com to find out more
Britney tops worst celebrity flashers poll
This is gadget-related. Kinda
Britney Spears has topped a poll about celebrity flashers: women who ‘accidentally’ show off their undercrackers (or the lack thereof) whenever they hop out of a car in front of the paparazzi.
To help them avoid the same fate, women all over UK have been calling for a gadget - see, told you - that could help them avoid such mishaps.
Hence the ‘launch’ today of the Exi-quette Car Curtain from insurance group Sheila’s Wheels.*
The top five worst celebrity flashers
Britney Spears’ underpant-free antics have put her streets ahead of her rivals, which include British luminaries such as Jordan and Jodie Marsh. The full results are below:
- Britney Spears - 31 per cent
- Jodie Marsh - 17 per cent
- Paris Hilton - 17 per cent
- Jordan a.k.a. Katie Price - 15 per cent
- Lindsay Lohan - 7 per cent
I’m sure if you try really hard you can find supporting evidence on the intertubes.
* Of course the Exi-quette Car Curtain doesn’t really exist. It’s just an excuse to talk about insurance.
Hang on, so that means… erm… hurrah!
Is it really only Thursday?
Blu-ray sales stumble, fall
Who needs high def discs now?
Whether you agree with my 5 reasons why Blu-ray will die article or not, the latest news from Nielsen VideoScan in the USA won’t make for happy reading - especially for the PS3 fanboys out there.
Blu-ray sales for the week ending 14 September fell 13.39 per cent, according to Nielsen VideoScan. That gives Blu-ray just 8 per cent market share in the US, compared to 92 per cent for DVD. DVD’s market share even went up slightly.
It’s obviously not fair to make sweeping generalisations based on sales for one week in September, but Blu-ray should be doing much, much better than this by now. Sony predicted that Blu-ray’s market share would be 50 per cent in the USA by the end of 2008. It’s not even remotely close.
Ars Technica says a combination of high Blu-ray player and disc prices, along with the credit crunch, have helped stymie Blu-ray’s growth. But HD downloads are also a factor, as I pointed out in my original piece.
6 of the best sounding speakers for iTunes - reviewed and rated
More stories I’ve written for MacFormat
The October 2008 issue of MacFormat (MF 200) is out now, and includes a 4-page group test of great sounding speakers for iTunes written by yours truly.
The group test eschews the cheap, shonky boxes that normally pass as multimedia speakers and instead focuses on great sound quality with music. The speakers featured in the group test are:
- Bang & Olufsen Beolab 4 PC
- Dynaudio MC15
- Eclipse TD307PAII
- Ferguson Hill FH007
- Genelec 6010A
- Scandyna Micropod SE Active
You can pick a copy of MacFormat up from your local newsagents, or why not subscribe?
8 things you need to know about Ultra HD TV
More stories I’ve written for TechRadar.com
After 1080p: All you need to know about Ultra HD
Ultra HD Is being touted as the eventual successor to the high definition resolutions we have at home today – most commonly 720p and 1080p. The BBC and Japanese broadcaster NHK teamed up earlier this week to run an experimental broadcast showing Ultra HD’s potential. It could be the next big thing in TV…
Microsoft drops Seinfeld ads, goes on Apple offensive
Seinfeld out, “I’m a PC” in
A Microsoft PR has confirmed to Valleywag that the company is to can its controversial - not to say mystifying - TV adverts featuring Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
Instead Microsoft now plans to take back ownership of the ‘PC’ brand, which has successfully hijacked by Apple for its series of I’m A Mac, I’m A PC ads. The Apple adverts claim that PCs are dull, worthy and crash-prone, with particularly glee reserved for Microsoft’s problems with Windows Vista.
Microsoft now aims to run a series of adverts showing how the PC is far from being dull, worthy and crash-prone - a risky strategy that could easily backfire.
The existing Gates / Seinfeld ones are already being used as an example of how out of touch Microsoft is.
Aping Apple’s own successful advertising campaign could add credence to the idea that Microsoft isn’t very good at being original - an accusation both Apple and Mac users are fond of making.
LittleSnapper makes Safari screenshots easy
New app from RapidWeaver creator Realmac Software answers our prayers
Taking quick ‘n’ dirty snaps of webpages or other desktop phenomena has never been particularly easy in Mac OS X. You have to fire up Grab, remember some pretty arcane keyboard commands or plump for a third-party app like SnapzPro or Web Snapper - each of which have their own set of problems.
Salvation could be at hand with LittleSnapper, the latest app from RapidWeaver creator Realmac Software.
LittleSnapper enables you to capture a complete webpage or bits of it - just like Webclip does in Safari. It then stores them conveniently in a screenshot library, rather than scattering grabs randomly over your desktop.
Realmac Software says LittleSnapper will be available later this year - let’s hope it lives up to the hype.
