Minibyte

  • Tech Tools: LG External DVD Writer

    August 29, 2009 @ 11:53 am | by Ciara

    Netbooks may be great for carrying around, but sometimes the trade-off between portability and functionality is a little too inconvenient.

    One of the main annoyances is the lack of optical drives, making it more difficult to install software, for example.

    (more…)

  • D-day for PS3

    August 18, 2009 @ 2:12 pm | by Ciara

    The rumours of a PS3 Slim have pretty much been laid to rest today with live links for pre-orders popping up online.

    Sony is due to give a presentation Gamescom Expo in Cologne later this evening, where it is expected that the official word will be given on the Slim, but links have already shown up on Kmart and Sears, according to Engadget.

    The site has a picture of a poster bearing the new price tag of $299 for 80GB version, meaning we could see a price cut on these shores too.

    Incidentally, the industry is also expecting some Xbox announcements, with rumours that Microsoft is planning to ditch the 60GB version and drop the price of the 120GB console instead.

    UPDATE: it’s official - the PS3 slim exists and will cost you €300. Lots more announcements later

  • O2 launches mobile TV

    @ 11:36 am | by Ciara

    Remember back in 2007 when O2 trialled its broadcast TV service? It was only a pilot scheme, and it was only available in Dublin, as far as I can recall.

    The phones were also a bit unwieldy, but then they had to be if you weren’t going to go blind from squinting at them while trying to watch Home & Away on the bus on your way home every evening. It was entertaining.

    And then we heard nothing.
    (more…)

  • Jalou targets the style conscious

    August 14, 2009 @ 2:32 pm | by Ciara

    I get the impression that Sony Ericsson’s latest handset, the Jalou, may be aimed at those of us who are more in touch with our fashion and/or feminine side. It’s just a hunch, but consider the evidence from the accompanying press release.

    (more…)

  • Social networking sites ‘a distraction’

    August 13, 2009 @ 11:58 pm | by Ciara

    We’re a skiving lot apparently. According to new survey, more than half of office workers are logging on to social networking sites they should be working.

    So instead of answering calls, emails or generally keeping our employers’ business running smoothly, half of us are logging on to play Bejewelled or throw a sheep at someone. Or Twittering incessantly.

    Of course, that’s only the 52 per cent who are admitting to it. Who knows what the real figure is.

    (more…)

  • It just…fell apart. Honest.

    @ 11:02 pm | by Ciara

    Being a tech-minded person,  I’m often handed some piece of non-functional technology and asked to fix it. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t.

    But I even I couldn’t do anything with this.

    (more…)

  • Microsoft, Nokia team up

    @ 10:30 pm | by Ciara

    Another week, another unholy alliance. Hot on the heels of the “Micro-hoo” deal comes the news that Nokia is to join forces with Microsoft to try to oust the Blackberry as the phone of choice for the business market.

    (more…)

  • News Corp to charge for content

    August 7, 2009 @ 7:10 pm | by Ciara

    Has anyone else got a sense of deja vu?

    A few years ago, it was all about free content online. The idea of paying for any content online was laughable.  It would never work, we sniggered.

    Then things changed. Companies realised that the dot-com bubble had burst and investing thousands and thousands in websites with little or no return was no longer sustainable. Something had to be done.

    (more…)

  • Twitter taken out

    @ 5:15 pm | by Ciara

    Seems like yesterday’s Twitter outage was down to Russia. Or so says a pro-Georgian blogger, Cyxymu, who is thought to have been the target of the denial of service attack that took down Twitter and Facebook.

    Facebook’s chief security officer confirmed the attack was aimed at Cyxymu. It’s not the first time either, with the blogger being targetted last year in a similar incident.

    Meanwhile, productivity across the globe probably increased during the downtime for both Twitter and Facebook. But what did you do when Twitter was down?

  • MyHome gets realistic/depressing (delete as appropriate)

    @ 5:10 pm | by Ciara

    Weirdest email of the day: from MyHome.ie just after lunch today with the subject line “Record Number of Homes Repossessed: Could you be next?”

    Half an hour earlier and I would have been choking on my cheese sandwich. Maybe they knew something I didn’t.

    Anyway, slightly odd for a company that are trying to sell you property to warn you of potential repossessions.

  • Things the internet has taught me this week

    August 6, 2009 @ 7:28 pm | by Ciara

    I’ve been peeling bananas wrong my whole life.

    Who would win if Miss Universe and a crocodile faced off.

    The five-second rule may not work.

    What a Twitter purge is.

  • UPC launches HDTV

    @ 8:50 am | by Ciara

    UPC has launched its own high definition TV service, unveiling it yesterday to customers.

    Could it be a way to regain some of the TV subscribers it has lost in recent months?

  • Apple’s latest woes

    August 4, 2009 @ 3:56 pm | by Ciara

    It’s not shaping up to be a good few weeks for Apple. If it’s not the FCC looking for answers over its rejection of Google Voice from the Apps Store, it’s tales of exploding iPods and over-heating iPhones.

    (more…)

  • News links: PS3 Slim, Twitterphones and Apple’s tablet

    @ 1:51 pm | by Ciara

    The PlayStation 3 hype has begun, while Sony is reported to be killing off the 80gb console.

    INQ’s new Twitter phone.

    The Apple Tablet speculation continues.

    Twitter has quietly introduced a new function to try to block malicious links.

  • Ads missing the mark?

    August 1, 2009 @ 9:25 am | by Ciara

    Inspired by Karlin’s piece in yesterday’s paper on Facebook ads, I’ve had a look to see what the social networking site throws up for me.

    (more…)

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