27" iMac - stunning value!

Most Micromasochists denounce Apples for being, amongst other things, too expensive.

But the stunning new Apple 27" iMac is just €1799 (for the quad-core version). If you subtract the current market price of a 27" IPS LED screen (let alone one with 2560 by 1440 pixels resolution), that leaves you paying (I reckon) about €500 for a quad-core computer with 4GB RAM and a 1TB drive, plus top notch wireless keyboard and mouse, DVD drive, etc. And since the lesser models still have the same screen, that means the dual-core computer (at €1499) comes more or less free with the display!

Now who can say that Macs are expensive?

New Apple candy!

Well, knock me over with a feather! Apple has done it again!

Fabulous new 27" iMac... I'll definitely have me one of those!

And less than a month ago I blogged that I'd like a Trackpad built into a keyboard. Trust those clever chaps at Apple to go one better... the new Magic Mouse with the multi-touch built into the entire top surface! Inspired! Brilliant! Bravo!

Navigon and iPhone - perfect!

I've had the Navigon software on my iPhone for a few days now. On Monday evening I went to meet an old friend for dinner in Lagos, which is not familiar territory for me. The Navigon system took me straight to his hotel (buried in the tiny back streets) and then we headed for a restaurant on the other side of the town. Our destination was in a pedestrian street in the heart of the old city. This proved the value of having the SatNav in my phone - seeing from the (very clear) display that we were within a few hundred metres of the target, I spotted a parking place and dived into it. It was then a simple matter of pulling the iPhone out of its dashboard mount, changing the journey "profile" to "pedestrian" and completing the journey on foot. Flawless!

This aspect of needing to complete the last part of a journey on foot convinces me absolutely that it's better to have a phone-based navigation system rather than a dedicated SatNav. Although some of the aftermarket systems have battery support, you'd feel a bit of an idiot walking along with a 7" Navigon screen in your hands! And even less useful would be a SatNav built into the car - once you've parked, how are you going to remember the 8 turns between your parking place and your destination?

iPhone rocks!

Navigon and iPhone

I just got the Navigon SatNav software for my iPhone. Finally, the iPhone is now the "do everything" tool it's supposed to be. I chose Navigon rather than TomTom on the advice of a friend, who told me the 3D display is better.

Since I'll only need it occasionally I dismiss absolutely the argument I've seen elsewhere on the web that it's "not as good" as a dedicated unit. Since I already have a dedicated dash-mount (with charger) for the iPhone, it does the job efficiently and safely.

I have to do a quick trip up to Lisbon tomorrow, to a place I've never been before - so that will be the "acid test".

Did somebody actually listen to me?

As a follow-up to my earlier post on Languages and Locations, maybe it just a coincidence, or maybe somebody in Google actually read my post and acted on it.

Fact is, all of a sudden, the Blogger toolbar at the top of my blog (which was previously in Portuguese) is now in English!

Well done, Google!

Languages and Locations

This one has been annoying me for some time now.

Every browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc.) has a setting allowing the user to specify their preferred language. Indeed, you can also specify additional languages so that a site can display itself in the first available language in your list. A simple mechanism, understood by all browsers and all web-servers.

More recently, a number of clever geeks have started selling software which locates you, the internet surfer, geographically, according to your current IP number - that being the "coded address" used by the internet to make all the magic happen. Being able to tell that a website visitor it located in Portugal is useful to some sites, in a variety of obvious ways.

Unfortunately, as with every technology, this new capability is already being abused and misused. Microsoft themselves are guilty of misusing it: if I go to look for some technical information on their site, chances are I'll be shown the required document in Portuguese (since I am physically located in Portugal), even though my browse setting clearly states that my preferred language is English and the document is obviously available in English.

Google are also guilty, both on their search site, which regularly tries to make me use their facility in Portuguese, and also on their blogging site, where this blog is hosted. The little tool bar at the top of my blog insists on remaining in Portuguese, in spite of my browser setting AND my stated preference in the blog settings.

This is a clear case of geeks being thrilled with a new toy but failing to think the problem through properly. Come on Microsoft and Google (and countless others) - use the established mechanism for choosing the language and confine your use of that ever-so-clever new geo-location toy to choosing which of your many servers should send me the requested page IN THE LANGUAGE I HAVE SPECIFIED!

Scary stuff!

Are you an adrenalin junkie? Do you like to jump out of airplanes or scuba-dive with sharks, just to get your blood pumping? Perhaps you're the more passive type: do you watch scary movies to get a buzz?

Well, I just came across an alternative. Right here. No white water rafting or crocodile wrestling required: just spend a few minutes to watch this video. I guarantee you'll be frightened.