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Category: Tech stuff

  • eDay 2009

    Apple computer innards

    Do you have an old computer sitting around at home?

    Is your Cupboard Of Discarded Gadgets getting a bit full?

    eDay 2009 is this Saturday (12 September), giving you a chance to drop off your old PC, laptop, or mobile phone and be sure that it will be recycled safely and used for new gadgets.

    Last year 946 tonnes of e-waste was dropped off for recycling at 33 locations.

    This year there are locations throughout NZ including four in Auckland and one in Wellington (two, if you count Paraparaumu), and Christchurch. There’s a full list of recycling centres on this page.

    You can even volunteer to help out – they’re looking for marshalls and movers on the day.

    Computer circuit boards contain mercury, cadmium, and hundreds of other substances which leach into the environment when simply dumped in a landfill. Transportation and recycling will be carried out by certified disposal companies, so do something worthwhile for the planet, and dispose of toxic waste in the best way possible! (apart from not buying too much in the first place).

    eDay website

  • Solve Your Addiction

    How is your internet addiction today?

    As the internet becomes an integral part of our lives, and more and more of us spend a significant part of our work day in front of a computer screen, many are finding that unhealthy addictions are alive and well in cyberspace, as well.  Some (most?) are addicted to FaceBook, many to YouTube, others to Twitter and so on (then there’s crew.org.nz – a whole new level of there ain’t no going back!).

    This is affecting everyone from students, to employees, to business owners (and often employers themselves).  Grades are suffering, productivity goes south, and the bottom line gets lower and lower. How to solve the problem? Ultimately it is a question of discipline, but to assist with this is a site I came across recently, KeepMeOut.com:

    keepmeout.com
    (more…)

  • Google your past!

    Google

    In celebration of their 10th anniversary, Google have put up a page linking to their oldest available index from January 2001.

    Searching for such things as “iPod“, “broadband“, and even “Barack Obama” (yes – he did not just drop from a cloud in 2006) lead to some interesting results.

    Of note to us types is a search for ADSL which leads the webarchive page of Telstra BigPond extolling the virtues of broadband. One would want it to be very virtuous with prices ranging from $189 (18 month contract) to $399 (3 months) for install. The plans themselves are a snip at a $89.50 for 200MB at 256kbps download speed and 64kbps up, or (more…)

  • A full size keyboard that fits in anyone’s pocket

    Laser Keyboard

    The Virtual Laser Keyboard has been around for a while now, and it looks to be hitting the spot for a number of people. Essentially the device projects a virtual keyboard on to a flat surface and can detect keys that are ‘hit’ and even supplies the clicking noise to go with it. (more…)

  • 3G iPhone. Here it is.

    Firstly – here’s the iPhone software version 2.0 for those who want it:

    (link removed – software is now available directly through iTunes).

    iPhone tear down.

    The guys from iFixit are here in New Zealand to tear it down.  The results will be posted as they do.

    Vodafone New Zealand’s iPhone site can be found here:

    iphone.vodafone.co.nz

    Apple Releases iTunes 7.7

    Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home — a free download from the App Store.

    Currently not showing up in Software Update or on apple.com’s download page, so grab it here.

    From the ‘will it blend’ camp.

    Looks to be a great idea for the iPhone.

    Upset by the 3G iPhone price?

    If you really don’t like the pricing of the iPhone in New Zealand, complain to Vodafone by all means – but if you really want some impact, let Apple know how you feel.

  • Vodafone’s iPhone rate plans – Why???

     

    iPhone
    So what has Vodafone got in store for us?

    Pricing
    iPhone Plans iPhone 250 iPhone 500 iPhone 1GB
    Cost per Month $80 $130 $250
    Included Minutes 120 250 600
    Included TXT 600 600 600
    Included Data 250MB 500MB 1GB
    With plan iPhone 250 iPhone 500 iPhone 1GB
    8GB iPhone $549 $449 $199
    16GB iPhone $699 $599 $349
    • Prepay: $979
    • Outright:  8GB – $979  16GB – $1129

    The general public will be privy to Vodafone’s pricing of the ‘special’ rate plans for the iPhone as at 10am this morning, and I’d hazard to guess that their response will be as yours is now.  So what went wrong? (more…)

  • My Addiction

    Harlequin
         A short post about where I’ve been lately…

    In case anyone is wondering what I’m doing when I’m not flicking bits (and bytes) back and forth chances are the answer is sailing.

    I started sailing in December 2006, as a guest on board ‘Fast Company’ – the craft of the indomitable Tony Smith. Thrown in at the deep end (ooh that was bad) I never had to sit on the rail and earn my spot manning the bow on my 2nd ever outing (during a Wednesday night series race – spinnakers and all!), and surviving. (more…)

  • Apple iPhone coming to New Zealand! (and 9 other countries)

    iPhone

    New Zealand, Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, South Africa and Turkey are the lucky recipients. While this won’t mean too much for those who couldn’t wait and already have a grey market iPhone, for the rest of us it means we get to use the device on a New Zealand network officially.

    What are the benefits of using an iPhone on an officially approved network? (more…)

  • Broadband Providers – how did you choose yours?

    speed - slingshot speed - worldnet speed - Xtra

    Something that has been of interest lately is ISPs, and how the average person chooses their broadband provider.

    The many people I know of who have broadband are broadly split in to two categories. Those who are technically minded, and those who are not.  I know quite a few of the former, due to the fields I work in and my interests, and as with all of us, also quite a few of the latter, being friends, family, etc with less technical knowledge. I have carried out some ad hoc research with a number of people, and the findings are revealing. (more…)

  • Slingshot give away 1TB of data

    [frame_center]https://mothership.co.nz/ms/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/sslogo.gif[/frame_center]

    A better place indeed! How would you like 1 Terabyte of data to use on your broadband connection? Rumours have been circulating recently that NZ based (and owned) ISP Slingshot are looking to introduce a referral reward programme that offers users some sort of reward, based upon how many people they refer who sign up. Now, it appears that this is to become reality. (more…)