The iPhone has arrived in the US. Even if it were available in New Zealand I still wouldn't buy one. I'm happy to wait for the large beta-test program (i.e. 1 in 5 US adults) to refine the product first. That said, I've been looking for a way to converge my mobile devices (phone, PDA, iPod) for some time. Sadly the 1st generation iPhone does not look like the device to fill this need. Relative to other Mac-friendly alternatives it comes up uniquely short in a number of areas on my feature wish-list. But of course I haven't seen or held it in the "flesh", and it is only a 1G device—so I can't be overly critical. Or can I? Most of the pre-launch focus has been on iPhone's interface (not unimportant), but what about comparative features? It's clear that while the iPhone offers few unique features (iTMS DRM playback, bookmark syncing) it's also immediately apparent that, relative to comparable products, the iPhone has the most limitations.
Continue reading 'Mac-friendly alternatives to Apple's 1G iPhone'
Tag archive for 'skype'
Now that the expensive but excellent Firewire-based iSight is no more, Mac users lacking a built-in (USB-based) iSight webcam face a dilemma. Although Mac OS X 10.4.9 introduced iChat support for USB Video Class (UVC), and using such webcams means no extra drivers are needed, it is far from easy to walk into a store and choose a one that is certain to work. I threw my once-loved Cyberphone, blaming the non-native drivers for poor audio performance on my Intel Mac. Any cheap webcam (as with the Cyberphone) is likely to have poor Mac driver support, so a driver-free UVC camera seemed like the answer. But would the built-in microphone be recognised? Google didn't seem to come up with a definitive answer to this question. Furthermore, reports said that Vista-certified cameras "should" work—but elsewhere I read that some Vista-certified webcams support UVC and others do not. So how can you send high-quality Skype video and audio without hogging all your USB ports?
Continue reading 'A Skype and Mac-friendly alternative to iSight'
We knew we would spend the first month of our stay in a Wellington apartment that had no phone line. We also knew that our UK-sourced mobile phones would work fine in New Zealand. Furthermore, being addicted to fond of Internet access, we knew we would want to get online as soon as possible (OK, "we" in this context means Bruce). More than two-thirds of New Zealanders have home Internet access—and you can't go back to dial-up once you've tasted the broadband fruit. So what were our options?
Continue reading 'Keeping in touch and online in New Zealand'
After a recent run of rants, it's about time I found something to rave about. Enter "a low cost way to make calls from Skype to friends who still use those traditional landlines or mobile phones. That means calling anyone, anywhere in the world at local rates" (q.v. SkypeOut). Add to this a USB phone that does VoIP (voice over IP) and integrates with Skype (q.v. VoIPVoice Cyberphone K). We have family and friends in Germany and New Zealand and international calls contribute to most of our £80-90 per quarter phone bill. If you're serious about reducing BT's profit margin, you might want to check out this pairing.
Continue reading 'SkypeOut + Cyberphone K VoIP phone'
You have a Mac; they have a PC. What IM software will let you type, talk, see, and send across the Great Divide?
Continue reading 'Instant messaging matrix'
