Apple Upgrade

Google leads the way to a hitchhikers guide

2009-12-04T22:41:00.002Z

With Android, Chrome OS their search offering, Google is fast creating a device like the guide book in Hitchhikers Guide th the Galaxy. How long before the create an ebook/tablet device of their own?

They have also just taken another step towards the babelfish device. The Bablefish translated all languages. Google has speach to text via the iPhone spoken search, they also have real time language translation. The last step would be text to speach, which I'm sure they could easily arrange.

Given a few more years of hardware advances, and more refining of their current technologies, how long before a Google device is able to convert English to German as I talk?

Welcome to the future, it's Googletastic!

O2 v's Orange

2009-09-29T20:42:00.001+01:00

I was an Orange customer for approximately ten year, but that all changed when O2 won the contract to supply the iPhone to the UK market. At the time, I was reluctant to go, but I had to have the iPhone. That’s when my issues began.

Leaving Orange was a nightmare. They didn't cancel my contract when I had asked them to, they then proceeded to charge me and kept billing me. They didn't acknowledge the recorded delivery letter I sent to them, and after a long battle, and several hours on the phone to them, they finally credited my bill.

They left me with 1p outstanding on my bill. I was aiming to go into an Orange store to pay my 1p, but they rang me to collect payment, which I happily paid using my credit card. I did ask them if they really wanted to collect 1p, with a 20-30p charge on the transaction, but they wouldn't credit the 1p!

I will never go back to Orange, and after talking to a sales woman at phones4u, it sounds like they treat most of their customers like trash.

So I moved to O2. Mmmm, everything went well, with helpful staff and new iPhone. Then came the end of my contract. I love my iPhone, but I needed to reduce my contract, so I called in to the Lincoln branch of the O2 store to see about cancelling my current contract, with a view to getting a new contract on the Pre or an Android phone later in the month.

The lady in the store said she could help me out, by reducing the cost of my contract, by putting me onto a simplicity sim contract, which is a 30 day rolling contract with 600 minutes and 600 texts for £20/m. It also came with unlimited data and wifi, which for £20, is better than the original contract! The deal went through within the hour and all was well in the world.

I was checking my bill/contract online, when I noticed that I had been charged £2.85 for data, and that I only had unlimited wifi on my contract. Expecting the same treatment that I received at Orange, I braced myself for a battle, as I had a paper contract showing I was entitled to unlimited data.

The guy on the line listened to my plight then asked me to bear with him as he checked the details on my contract. He came back to me within 30 seconds, and said that he thought it was down to the system, as normally you can only get either FOC wifi or data, and I had been given both. He said he would credit the amount showing on the bill, so that would clear that, and he would get his manager to add the FOC data on, and it would become active within the next 24 hours.

I was left speechless and stunned. I expected a fight, and received really good service.

I have just learned that Orange may be getting the iPhone, and my suggestion to you, avoid Orange, and go with O2.

On a side note, I had to organise a new mobile phone contract for the company I work for, and guess what, yes, we left Orange for O2, and yes, they did try to bill us an extra month, and didn't cancel the contract when we asked them to. The business manager that I dealt with was very good, and did provide the best quote for the 20 mobiles I required.

I need a little lift!

2009-09-27T17:27:00.000+01:00

Oops.

Chronicfathead

Refreshing little lift

2009-09-27T16:57:00.001+01:00

Lincoln city centre.

Fresh take on tagging

2009-09-08T23:19:00.001+01:00

Meta tagging involves attaching words to a file, in the hope that it will make finding it easier. Imagine a photo of Big Ben in London. It was saved by the camera as DSC0300021.jpg and you saved it somewhere on your mac. Not good.

Try searching for that exact photo. Bet it would take a while to find.

Now take that photo and "tag" it with "big", "ben", "tower", "clock" and "london"

Open spotlight, and start typing in big ben. It will find it within seconds.

Fresh is the program to tag your documents (any file type) with these searchable words. Its light weight, low cost, effective and it also has some extra features up its sleeve. How about, keeping track of files you recently used or downloaded? Click on the fresh icon, or on the quick start bar on the right hand side of the screen, and there they are, your recently handled files.

From this view you can tag the files, open the file, drag the file to where you need it, all without having to know where it is. It also gives you a shortcut to selected files, so if you always want quick access to a document without cluttering the desktop, you have it. You can also drag the document you want to tag onto the icon or the bar on the right, and it will open the tagging window.

For $9, this app is a bargain, that will save you so much time. For a short while you can get it from macupdate for $4.95, but hurry, it's a limited time offer. They often offer it at a reduced price for a while after as well, so don't panic!

Watch the demo video on the Fresh web site.

Warhammer Space Hulk promo video

2009-09-06T22:20:00.001+01:00

A most professional video created by the staff and customers at the Lincoln branch of Games Workshop.

Space Hulk Testing

2009-09-01T19:46:00.000+01:00

I got to watch some of the staff at Games Workshop play testing the new release of Space Hulk. It's a board game featuring two of the armies from the Warhammer 40K universe, where the object of the game was for the Space Marines to get to an ancient relic from the middle of a space craft called a space hulk.

The third release of the game is limited to a run of 100000, worldwide. From the play I saw, it's going to sell fast. My son already wants a copy for Christmas!

Charlie is in the red t-shirt.

Posted via Blogpress

40K Terminator Charlie

2009-08-30T18:04:00.001+01:00

The guys at the Lincoln Games Workshop store were building an outfit for the release of Space Hulk. They allowed Charlie to try it on while we were in the store.

Posted via Blogpress

Walking with Dinosaurs part 3

2009-07-21T07:33:00.001+01:00

The general concensus was that it was amazing. The sheer size of the dinosaurs was amazing. If you get a chance to see it, book early, as it does seem to sell out.

Walking With Dinosaurs part 2

2009-07-17T19:46:00.001+01:00

So far, the Walking with Dinosaurs performance is amazing. My picture can't convey how cool they look, or how realistic they look.

Posted via Blogpress

Walking With Dinosaurs

2009-07-17T18:55:00.001+01:00

I have had a busy week this week, and it's about to get more exciting.

I'm at the Walking With Dinosaurs Arena tour in Nottingham, UK. It's not started yet, but the place looks good.

Ten minutes to go before they start appearing from the giant jaws!

I'll try to update during and after.

Google Chrome OS

2009-07-08T22:43:00.001+01:00

It took a while, but Google have announced that they are going to release an OS for everyday computers. It will work on x86 and ARM processors, and sounds like it will be browser based, running on a Linux kernel. They have a target of the second half of 2010.

Original official Google blog post can be found here:

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/introducing-google-chrome-os.html

iMac support

2009-07-01T22:23:00.001+01:00

This afternoon I spent quite a few hours upgrading a customer, from a G4 Powermac to a 24" iMac. He was making the leap from OS 8.6 to 10.5.7, and expected that all his old programs would still work.

I managed to export all (180) his contacts from Outlook Express into Address book, but ClarisWorks 2.1 was causing me big problems.

I stayed too long, and got home late, but felt happy to be helping a fellow Mac user. I get nothing but grief from my place of full time employment, all because I use a Mac.

All in, a good day.

My Hosting provider

2009-06-28T23:42:00.001+01:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had moved to another hosting provider. The original one was OK, but it had a few issues and limitations.

My new host is HostMonster. They offer an unlimited domains package at a great price. It's allowed me to consolidate several sites into one hosting package. I did worry that the package would be all hype and no substance, but I am prepared to say I was wrong.

I haven't had need t contact support, but everything has worked as expected, the site has never been down as far as I know, and the best bit is the price. I'm blown away by the cost. I won't put the prices here, but lets say, I'll not be moving anytime soon.

If you want to set something up, and you don't want to move anytime soon, try HostMonster.

Site upgraded

2009-06-28T17:47:00.001+01:00

I use an application called RapidWeaver to create this site. There are loads of plugins for RapidWeaver that allow you to add all sorts of advanced functionality, some of which I use. I had paid for, and originally used a plug in for creating and posting my blog to Google's Blogger service.

About a year ago it all got messed up, and all my posts had what looked like HTML code (stuff that the Internet is written in) all over them. It was a mess, and I couldn't get it to work as intended, so I removed the plugin and went back to the RapidWeaver created blog system, which looks good but is slow to update.

I moved my site to another host about six months ago, along with about four other sites. I started looking at the plugin FAQ earlier today, and it mentions poor PHP implementation on the hosts side causing the issues I had been having, so idecided to give it another go.

It works again!!!

I can now use Blogo and Blogwriter to update my blog. I have added a digg submission button, which I could never get working before, and I have also set up a store for you to buy through.

If you do buy through my store, you are actually buying the items from Amazon; I don't get involved at all, but I have trimmed it down to only show Apple/Mac related products. I do get a slight kickback if you buy anything, which helps me to pay for my hosting, but the price should be the same as on Amazon direct.

This post was created on my iPhone, while sat outside the Games Workshop store in Lincoln, UK. My son is busy beating the staff at Lord of The Rings!

The Invasion promo

2009-06-24T19:26:00.001+01:00

Link to the Invasion promo video. I'm the green tinted one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlJlnXOCEXQ

Find out about the invasion at jamesmelzer.net

The INVASION

2009-06-18T21:12:00.001+01:00

Just got my self involved in the INVASION.

http://jamesmelzer.net/2009/06/the-invasion-starts-now/

Join us in the fight.

Prediction time again!

2008-09-04T19:50:00.002+01:00

Apple have announced that they will be holding a press event on September 9th 2008. We have previously been told that we should prepare for a drop in profits from Apple, as they are going to release some big products, and they will be pushing them hard. I think they have stated that they may introduce some revolutionary products again.

They said similar things about the iPhone, before we knew what was coming, so I think they are doing the same sort of thing again. One area, which Apple has shown an interest in, more of a hobby than a true product, is with the AppleTV. It's been out a while!

I think they may decide to make a hard push into everyone's home with a new AppleTV with PVR functionality. They have possibly hinted at it a few years/months ago, when some patents showed up. Take a look at the patents, and bear in mind the photo's of a new iPod Nano, which could be touchscreen? An AppleTV that you can record and watch live TV as well as view rented content. I think the AppleTV name says it all, and if Apple made a big push into everyone's home in the same way they have with iPods, then Apple could very quickly become the no.1 choice of computer in the home, and with that will come acceptance in the business environment.

I give Apple 5 years before they are THE choice for the whole home experience! I don't want a computer, I want a relationship, an experience!

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/03/13/apple_tv_dvr_interface_revealed_in_patent_filings.html

New Forum

2008-07-06T14:17:00.002+01:00

I have created a new forum for SproutCore developers.

http://www.sproutcoredev.com

SproutCore is a Javascript based framework for creating web based applications that look like desktop applications.

Read up about it here:

http://www.sproutcore.com

Almost right

2008-06-13T22:47:00.000+01:00

Well WWDC has been and gone. I got two predictions right. The 3G iPhone was a cert, but Snow Leopard was a shot out of the blue.

I like the idea of Apple saying, we brought you loads of innovation with Leopard, but it hasn't been the most stable, so the next version we are going to concentrate on making the OS faster, leaner and more stable. I'm sure there will be new features, as they have already said that it will include a function that uses the graphics card to provide extra umph for the OS.

I can't help but feel that Leopard has had it's fare share of niggles, but I think that since 10.5.2 it has been stable.

Mobile Me. I'm still not totally convinced, but it does make more sense than .Mac. I think it could turn into another iTunes, where they keep adding extra's and linking up to more devices. Watch this space.

iPhone price is lower, which is a kicker, as I only bought mine when the price dropped to £169. I still love my iPhone though, and when the software update is released it'll never leave my hands. I think it's the most used piece of technology my wife and I own.

Apple WWDC

2008-05-29T21:40:00.002+01:00

Well it's coming round to prediction time again. I think that the 3G iPhone is a cert, but what about the possibility of a Mac Tablet, 6" screen etc, or a refresh of the Mac Pro?

I would love to see the Mac Tablet, as since getting my iPhone, I tend to do more with it than I do with the Macbook Pro. I know the Mac Pro/G5 design has been around for a long time now, but they still look fresh, and it's hard to think what they could do to improve on them.

I think the lineup is virtually perfect, but if only Apple would Drop their prices by another 10-20%. I know their sales are groing month on month, and I am seeing more of them on installs I do at my main place of work, but they need to push hard to reach critical mass on sales.

I kick myself for not buying Apple shares when they dipped to $120, but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

1. 3G iPhone

2. Tablet Mac

3. Small Tower Mac

4. OSX 10.6?????

New iPhones

2008-05-01T08:36:00.003+01:00

I know three people who have bought iPhones since they dropped the price. Surely this is a sign to Apple and O2. Drop the price make more money.

I think I love my iPhone. It has taken over the role as my main email viewing device, to the point that I rarely pull my MBP out of it's bag, apart from when at work. I can't wait for all the apps to start coming out on iTunes.

I'm hoping for a mileage database app, as I have to record where I go on a daily basis for work. I think if it doesn't come out, I'll be looking to buy the SDK, so I can have a look myself. I need, date, start mileage, end mileage, destination, fuel fill up and cost, private mileage and monthly totals.

I currently use my palm and MobileDB to log everything, but I'd love to get down to 2 devices (private and work) rather than 3.

Updated Pictures

2008-04-03T22:00:00.002+01:00

I've updated my pictures on Facebook and Twitter. I've added friendfeed to my facebook account which posts all my blogging, twittering and flickring onto my facebook page.

How things come round and all link together. Technology.

Qik.com part 2

2008-03-26T21:38:00.002Z

I've been trying to work out how to get qik to post my stream on twitter, and I've just spotted it says I have to press 55 while steaming to get it to post it. I can select post all videos, but I'm not sure if that will post private recordings too.

I'll have to do some testing.

At the moment qik won't work on the Sony P1i, but I could use bambuser.

Sony P1i

2008-03-26T21:29:00.002Z

Anyone following me used a Sony P1i to stream from, on the O2 network?

The phone is like my Sony M600i, with a good keyboard and what looks like a good 3.2MP camera.

I would go with the O2 £35 tariff which I can select unlimited web as a bolt on. That allows me 1GB of data transfer, but it mentions not being allowed to do continuous video streaming. I only envisage doing 3 minutes at a time, possibly 3 times a week, so not continuous!

Anyone tried it (phone or plan)?

Thanks