Steam sale!

Its that time again!

I've picked up some great cheap games as well as some Mac compatible games! I'm not going to list prices as they are constantly changing but be sure to keep an eye out. I don't even think i've spent over £30 yet!

http://store.steampowered.com

Games i've bought for Mac:
FTL: Faster than light
Counter Strike: Global Offensive
Civ 5 (Deluxe)
Avseq
Legend of Grimlock
RollerCoast Tycoon 3: Platinum edition
Limbo

Games for Windows:
Sniper: Ghost Warrior (It was like £1.75, don't judge me..)
Sim city 4 deluxe

If i didn't already own ARMA:CO I would have got that as well as it has an awesome mod call Day Z that i'm yet to try but have read some hilarious articles on.

How to Identify Slow Speed as a Fault on FTTC Superfast Broadband Lines

ISP review:
http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/12/when-slow-speeds-become-a-fault-on-bts-fttc-superfast-broadband.html

A great bit in there is that they know of one example where the customer was about 2000m from the green box (PCP) and getting 16 Mbps. If that's the distance to the PCP it makes you wonder what they would have got on ADSL2+ with the copper going all the way back to the exchange.  Probably barely anything if the downstream attenuation was above 70dB.

Ofcom Fines BT UK £95m for Overcharging on Wholesale Ethernet Services

From ISP review:
A two year legal battle between BT and several major ISPs has finally ended with Ofcom forcing the national UK telecoms operator to pay a fine of £94,823,000 after it was found to have overcharged the broadband providers for Backhaul Extension Services (BES) between 2004/6 and 2011.

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/12/ofcom-fines-bt-uk-94m-for-overcharging-on-wholesale-ethernet-services.html

Ofcom announce the 4G auctions bidders

Interesting not to see Virgin in there as they were running some 4G trials.

BT are in the mix via Niche Spectrum Ventures Limited.

I was kinda hoping for a surprise from a a big name fixed line ISPs but it seems they aren't interested.

B Sky B have The Cloud.

TalkTalk operate an MVNO

So I guess they consider the fix line market a core technology for another generation at least.

Going forward with fibre, the speeds will certainly beat 4G but 4G does bring down the latency on mobile connections. It'll be interesting when there is a mature 4G network in place, we might see more and more people willing to forgo a fixed line to save costs.

Thinkbroadband:
http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5637-ofcom-announce-the-4g-auctions-bidders.html

More good news on the world not ending...

Looks like an asteroid is going to miss us in 2040...Its a good week for news on the world not ending..Time to re-instate that pension plan...

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/12/21/us/space-asteroid-threat/index.html?hpt=hp_c1

Wordament on iOS with XBOX achievements!

A great game thats been exclusive to MS products for a while, but is now heading over to iOS. The big deal is that it'll be the first game to include xbox live achievements on a non microsoft system.

MS are still trying to encourage users to go with a MS ecosystem as the game will only have 50 points  as opposed to the 200 on Windows phone 8 & Windows 8

http://www.wpcentral.com/wordament-heads-ios-achievements-and-what-means-windows-phone

People just don't like Apple's Maps service...

Google Maps for IOS sees 10 million downloads in two days -The Inquirer.

Link:http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2232708/google-maps-for-ios-sees-10-million-downloads-in-two-days

I've also been branching out and using Nokia maps alot recently: http://m.maps.nokia.com
Nokia have control over their own data unlike Apple so can make adjustments quicker. 

Crucial firmware upgrade for SSD

From the email I got today:

"New firmware available for your Crucial® SSD!
Crucial SSDs are designed to support periodic firmware upgrades that provide enhancements to optimize how our drives perform. We're happy to announce that the latest firmware upgrade (040H/04MH) is now available for your Crucial m4, Adrenaline, or mSATA SSD on our SSD support page. This is an optional firmware update, but by upgrading you can benefit from the following improvements:
Faster boot up – we improved the time between when you press the power button on your computer and when the drive is ready to accept commands
Faster TRIM – we improved how our drives clean up files to make them more efficient
Better power management – we improved some power consumption elements so that our drives can draw less power

At Crucial.com, we're proud to deliver first-rate support to our SSD customers and that includes firsthand upgrade news. While you're on Crucial.com downloading the latest firmware, why not see if you can further improve your system's performance with a DRAM upgrade? Our innovative Crucial System Scanner accurately identifies the memory in your system and provides a list of guaranteed-compatible upgrades. Just another great service we can offer – thank you for being a valued customer!

-The team at Crucial.com"

At least its not a bug fix this time. Nice to see they are continually improving the product to keep it competitive. 

Cinema tech to look out for: IMAX, HFR, 3D, Dolby Atmos

Going to see 'The Hobbit: An unexpected Journey' today in IMAX 3D. I had hoped to also see it with HFR and Dolby Atmos but Kingston Odeon doesn't have all of those technologies combined as of yet. In fact there aren't many cinemas that do just yet!

2013 looks set to add something to cinemas which your home cinema can't reasonable offer with a surround sound systems far beyond what you'd have (or want) in your living room.

Now if only cinema prices would come down a bit.. £28 for two tickets! ( $45.63 USD!!)

http://www.dolby.com/us/en/professional/technology/cinema/dolby-atmos.html

http://www.slashfilm.com/what-is-high-frame-rate-anyway-the-hobbit-themed-faq-attempts-to-educate-audiences/

UK cinemas with IMAX HFR 3D are:

ODEON Manchester & IMAX – Manchester, UK
Cineworld Nottingham & IMAX – Nottingham, UK
Cineworld Sheffield & IMAX - Sheffield, UK
ODEON Swiss Cottage & IMAX - London, UK

Nokia reiterates: Windows Phone 7.8 update not arriving on Lumia devices until 2013

http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/18/nokia-reiterates-windows-phone-7-8-updates-2013/

Nokia share price rising.

They are moving in the right direction but they need to make big changes to smooth out their products and faults... Having experienced such annoying problems like owning my own personal domain linked to a MS account which prevented me from syncing contacts, calendar, tasks to dust getting in through the ear piece and messing up the proximity sensor.

I love the device but it pushes my limits sometimes...

http://www.wpcentral.com/nokia-rising-stock-breaks-through-4-share-upon-news-strong-demand

Cisco selling home router division Linksys!

"Cisco is planning to sell home router company Linksys, a company it purchased for $500 million in 2003."
http://www.zdnet.com/cisco-plans-to-sell-router-division-report-7000008877/

Christmas gadget buying suggestions

I was going to do a Christmas buying guide but I haven't really got around to it.

Instead, see below for some gadgets I would happily like to receive / that would go down well with a gadget enthusiast:

Free ebook: Introducing Windows 8: An Overview for IT Professionals (Final Edition)

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/microsoft_press/archive/2012/11/13/free-ebook-introducing-windows-8-an-overview-for-it-professionals-final-edition.aspx?loc=zatf_zTS3&prod=zWin8&tech=zOTtech&prog=zPress&type=zOTtype&media=zBK

TFL Buses first to siphon cash from NFC bank cards & mobiles

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/13/tfl_nfc/

Google maps for iOS is back!

Google maps is back for iPhone.

"Android's advantage

Features Google has introduced that were not available in its earlier iPhone app include:
Voice guided turn-by-turn directions, with estimated travel times.
Indoor panoramic images of buildings that have signed up to its Street View Business Photos service
3D representations of the outlines of buildings that can be viewed from different angles
Vector-based graphics based on mathematical lines and points rather than pre-created bitmap graphics, making it quicker to zoom in and out of an area.

Among the facilities Google's iPhone app lacks that are present in its Android equivalent are indoor maps, the ability to download maps for offline viewing, and voice search."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20694028

O2 is increasing its contract prices - The Inquirer

Not a good time for O2 really. They've been bleeding subscribers on the broadband side due to playing catchup with products and now they'll be shedding a few more here unless the other providers follow.

O2 is increasing its contract prices- The Inquirer

Sky go comes to more devices.

Compatibility is expanding to more devices. Note that if you root your device you will no longer be able to use it.

• HTC: Desire X, One X, One XL, One S and One V
• Google: Nexus 4 and Nexus 7
• Samsung: Galaxy S3 LTE, Galaxy S3 Mini, Galaxy Ace 2 and Galaxy Note 2
• Sony: Sony Xperia S, Sony Xperia T
• LG: LG 4X HD

This is in addition to the phones already supported:

• HTC: HTC Desire, HTC Desire S, HTC Desire HD, HTC Incredible S, HTC Sensation, HTC Sensation XE
• Samsung: Samsung Galaxy S, Samsung Galaxy S2, Samsung Galaxy S3, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy Note

Graphics upgrade?

OK so I have some fairly hefty constraints on what I can upgrade my ageing Shuttle PC with.

First and foremost is power constraints with only a 450W PSU in the case ...
Then comes dimensions...With a precarious motherboard power connected in the lower left. I barely got my GTX 275 in there!

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-275,2266-14.html

http://www.nvidia.co.uk/object/graphics_cards_buy_now_uk.html

I'm thinking this Zotac will fit the bill in terms of size and power draw.

http://www.ebuyer.com/393783-zotac-gtx-660-ti-2gb-gddr5-dual-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-zt-60801-10p

Huawei eyeing Nokia talent?

"The group aims to employ over 14,000 in Europe within three to five years, doubling the current workforce of around 7,000, and also plans to spend 70 million euros ($91 million) over five years on the new R&D center in Finland." - Reuters

Reuters: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/12/10/us-huawei-europe-idUKBRE8B90DF20121210
Engadet: http://www.engadget.com/2012/12/10/huawei-finland/

What I'm reading...

Just picked up JAM by Yahtzee Croshaw and only a few pages in but it looks like a fun read. Still need to read his previous endeavour called Mogworld as well. Looking forward to finding the time to read it.

First official indications of Fibre on Demand pricing from Openreach

Thinkbroadband mentions wholesale prices for next year. Looks like the installation costs are going to be high which will deter a lot of people. Then again its understandable given the massive cost to rolling out infrastructure.

I can see fixed line providers looking to lock customers into lengthy contracts in order to cover any subsidising of the initial installation costs, which'll be look news for them given that 4G services are going to bring faster mobile data rates with lower latency causing increased competition..

Thinkbroadband: http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5614-first-official-indications-of-fibre-on-demand-pricing-from-openreach.html

6UK Scrapped After Failing to Encourage IPv6 Adoption Among UK ISPs

Not a great thing to see. There are a few IPv6 ISP's out there but most of the top ones are not rolling it out right down to the end user.

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/12/6uk-to-be-scrapped-after-failing-to-encourage-uk-ipv6-adoption.html

More info ok the UK government and requirements for new network equipment:
https://update.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/psn_common_req_0.pdf

Corsair H80i review

A nice all-in-one water cooling system. Corsair H80i review

Apple snaps up UK White hat hacker.

Reading the article gives quite a portfolio of feats there. GSM hacking to causing Microsoft delays in the release of Vista...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/12/06/apple_hires_kristen_paget

Why i'm starting to hate loving my Nokia Lumia 920

There seems to be an issue with the proximity sensor where on calls the screen will go dark straight away as if you have the phone pressed to your ear. The only way to get the screen on for a fraction of a second is to the hit power button and then try and tap the hang up button before the screen goes off. As you can imagine, using IVR menu systems is a pain and i've left countless voice-mails.

Google revealed that I wasn't alone in this issue and it looks like when dust gets in the ear piece it can easily travel across to the front facing camera and the proximity sensor... What a design flaw!!

So so the phone is less than 28 days old so I give Phones4u a ring (Mines a offline Lumia 920 red) and they ask me the usual questions:

Have you got a screen protector on?
Have you tried resetting the phone?
Are there any other issues?

I hadn't done a factory reset but agreed to do this. I had to call back after 40 minutes as the spinning cogs logo hadn't progressed and they advised me it was bricked. I'd already googled and wp central suggested its bricked, although there was an unofficial workaround I didn't want to void the warranty if the device had any flash counters.

I got a replacement code but nearly every damn Phones4u in the SW London area didn't seem to have stock of this particular model so I now have to wait to send my device back and then they will send me a new one. Awful customer service on Phones4u's part. Pretty poor QA testing on Nokia's part... I was seriously considering jacking it in for the HTC or Samsung WP8 devices... We'll see how the replacement goes...

But can it run Crisis?

Maximum PC: You Built a New PC, But Can It Run Crysis 3?

Wow, my Nvidia GTX 275 simply doesn't cut it with just under 1Gb of ram and no dx 11...That's just for the minimum specs!

Doom 3 BFG gets its source code released

There are a few exceptions in there but this is probably a rather nice insight for any game dev

https://github.com/id-Software/DOOM-3-BFG

Alcatel-Lucent goes to Goldman Sachs for a loan- The Inquirer

Alcatel-Lucent goes to Goldman Sachs for a loan- The Inquirer

Opinion on USB 3 micro connector...

Who the hell thought this form factor was a good idea... Thats ridiculous and mobile phone manufactures will hate it! The whole point of them pain painstakingly designing normal sized USB 3 ports into the same form factor was for compatibility. Why they couldn't have miniaturised and split the extra contacts around the edge of the current form factor I don't know... 

Picture source: Wikipedia

Update: I wonder if Apple can fit USB3 down the lightening connector. If they pull it off I think other manufactures will be up in arms wanting a smaller form factor for their devices. Circuit board space matters to them! 

Windows phone 8 Lumia owners get mirrors edge free!

As the title suggests. This game now appears to be free when you go to the product page although in the listings amongst other apps it still shows the price. Nokia Lumia owners only.

Source: http://www.wpcentral.com/mirrors-edge-gets-update-free-lumia-owners

EE launches its 4G SIM-only plans- The Inquirer

Its like buying a sports car and being told your only allowed to go 40mph and for only 100 miles....

EE launches its 4G SIM-only plans- The Inquirer

5G mobile network news.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5573-4g-auction-not-over-but-time-to-start-talking-5g.html

Amazon kindle for windows phone 8

It looks like a few apps are playing catch up. One of my favourites for when I forget my iPad is Kindle. Thankfully Amazon have updated the WP7 app and its now showing in the WP8 listings.

Having a quick test, it works nicely just as before with the added improvement of the higher dpi on WP8 devices making the text look very nice and crisp.

iOS gets a pokedex from Nintendo!

Well thats a bit of a shocker. Nintendo release something for another platform! I guess it was becoming inevitable as iOS gained more and more ground in the mobile gaming market. Microsoft did it was Smartglass and a few games. I guess they decided It's better to profit from it that be stubbornly averse to it.

http://www.t3.com/news/nintendo-testing-the-water-with-first-official-ios-app

I've bought a Lumia 920 Red

OK so I got it and its pretty awesome!

There are a few apps which need to be ported from windows phone 7 such as  The harvest and Endomondo sports tracker which I miss but apart from that most stuff is there!

Virgin (on the T mobile network in the UK) gave me a bit of trouble as their sim only rolling contracts don't have micro-sims yet so I had to get creative with a pair of scissors. It all turned out fine.

Virign Mobiles customer services could do with a bit of improving compared to Tesco mobile though. They had a system crash the first time I called which wasn't a good impression for someone porting in. Luckily the port went fine.

The only thing I haven't figured out yet is the NFC payments. I think this is more down to my card than the phone.

Here is a review: http://www.wpcentral.com/nokia-lumia-920-review

If you buy a new Lumia and didn't get a free wireless charger

check this URL on the 16th: www.nokiafreecharger.com

ebay - buyer requirements

To anyone who sells stuff which is likely to get scammed (phones)


You really must set these settings under buyer requirements under your account section!

Buyer requirements


Block buyers who:
Don't have a PayPal account
Have a primary delivery address in a location I don't post to
Have 4 policy breaches reported within 1 month(s)
Have a Feedback score of -3 or lower

UK lumia 920 12 month pricing vs sim only.

EE (4G) have some rather strange pricing on the 12 months plans for the Nokia Lumia 920

Contract	Monthly Price	Handset Price	calls	sms	data	Total
12	46	129.99	Unlimited	Unlimited	500MB	£681.99
12	51	49.99	Unlimited	Unlimited	1Gb	£661.99
12	56	19.99	Unlimited	Unlimited	3Gb	£691.99

So you can treble your data for £5 more a month...

It'll be a close call between this and some of the great sim only 3G (1 month) contracts from the likes of Tesco mobile and Virgin...If the phone comes in at the £500 sim only they it'll look very good comparatively .. If it comes in higher then it starts to eek away its edge...

With the Nexus 4 setting a new standard for low entry to market price points, here's hoping the price will come in low.

http://shop.ee.co.uk/nokia-lumia-920-black/pay-monthly/mobile-tariffs/

Update: If  the US news today is anything to go by then we could be in-store for some competitive pricing as AT&T have put the 920 on sale offline for a VERY low price ($449.99):
http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/07/att-selling-unlocked-lumia-920-449-99/

Update 2: It looks like EE have put the price up in what looks to be even more of a ridiculous move on what was already going to be a slight disadvantage for them. Price wise for people not concerned with fast speeds on low capped usage it now makes even less sense.... I'm hotly looking out for Lumia 920 sim only / pay and go deals with a low monthly sim only 1 month contract.

Here is a good one for the Lumia 820:
http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/nokia-lumia-820-windows-phone-8-4-3-screen-1080p-video-8mp-camera-super-sensitive-1349007

Europe to Open the 2GHz Band for Superfast 4G LTE Mobile Broadband

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/11/europe-to-open-the-2ghz-band-for-superfast-4g-lte-mobile-broadband.html

BBC Iplayer is available on Sky boxes- The Inquirer

BBC Iplayer is available on Sky boxes- The Inquirer

Dell S2340T - Why no reviews?

I can't find any detailed reviews of this! I really want one though!

Windows 8 and Avast won't play nice.

So so I really like Window 8. I started by trying an upgrade of my windows 7 install but was marred by blue screens of death. Not fun.... So I though it would be best to do a clean install (I wanted to anyway, I was just being lazy) but the BSODs continued....

ndis.sys and aswnet.sys were the culprits... This problem proved to be my Avast security suite... One uninstall and hey presto the system was fully functional again.

Avast say that program version 7.0.1473
 (announcement: http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=107531.0 ) is fully compatible but it looks like a fair few people are seeing the same issue:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=107811.0

I think I'll wait for a few more updates before installing it again. Overall I'm really liking the UI of windows 8. It takes a bit of getting used to but once you realise you can just start typing from the start screen to search for what you want its dead quick to navigate!

Windows 8 retail box pictures.

Some pictures of the retail packaging. It's surprising small! 

Windows, reimagined: A review of Windows 8, Ars

I've got my retail copy in the post. Been using the release candidate and at first I didn't like it but its started to grow on me.

I think this would be perfect with a Dell S2340T touch screen LCD in front of you and then a larger LCD just behind slightly raised!

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/10/windows-reimagined-a-review-of-windows-8/

Huawei offers access to source code and equipment

This really does need the US to come out and reveal the 'smoking gun' that was the base of their ruling.

Yes it looks like Huawei have previously copied source code and been naughty on a few occasions but unless someone can prove they are breaching security then its a bit of a brand demanding exercises and nothing more in my opinion.. Huawei certainly seem keen to open up their source code to particular parties, thats not to say its the same across their products but it certain is a positive move.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20053511

Christmas trains for TFL and south west trains around London

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/festive-leaflet.pdf 

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/seasonal/Christmas_2011/sw.html

Openreach blog: Killer RABIT let loose by Openreach

Openreach blog: Killer RABIT let loose by Openreach: We’re now three months into a customer trial of RABIT, known officially as the slightly less catchy 'Major Service Outage (MSO) proactive CP...

EE shoots it's self in the foot with pricing?

Personally I think 4G is a great technology. Providing you have good coverage it has the ability to massively increase your upstream and downstream while keeping latency low compared to 3G. People have banded around that you could even do your online gaming via it.

So why EE would hike the price up massively I don't know! It's not going to help their early chance at market penetration.

It's not something you can hype easily... when people will barely notice others who have it on their phones.
I think they should have just hiked the business prices and went in low with the consumer ones, then increase over time if required.... Other theory is they don't have the capacity just yet for a large scale migration onto it.

http://www.wpcentral.com/ee-announces-first-uk-4g-mobile-phone-plans-not-what-was-expected

Macheist.com software bundle (Charity donation included)

Worth it if you see something on this list you like. If it unlocks BioShock 2 then it's definitely worth it if you haven't played that! A lot of the games are steam codes which makes re-downloading in future dead simple too.

Bundle Contents

Scrivener
DiskTools Pro
Bejeweled 3
Radium
Artboard
Jurassic Park
PDF Signer
Sam and Max
Courier
HDRtist
Strong Bad
Evernote
Printopia
MacGourmet Deluxe 3
Firetask
BioShock 2
Corel Painter Lite




http://macheist.com/

Sky Broadband Sky Hub pictures and hands-on

I was part of the trial for this and find it a really good (free when you sign up) consumer product. The WiFi is definately better compared to the previous Sagem models.

So far I've changed the subnet, Secured the interface, Allowed remote connections (make sure you change the default password if you do!!!), forwarded a few services and reserved DHCP IP's. All of which are working fine.

No issues with any devices including an Onkyo Amp, Xbox, Wii, Macbook, Panasonic Blu-ray, Sky STB's and various switches (cheap and expensive).

It's a shame they didn't go for a gigabit Ethernet ports as more and more integrated devices in the home evolve but its not a massive deal. I just use one port into a gigabit Linksys cisco switch as home as I move a lot of files about between SSD's.

Review: http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/48017/sky-broadband-sky-hub-preview

Review: http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5504-new-sky-broadband-router-reviewed.html

O2 dumps network partner Ericsson after major outages- The Inquirer

O2 dumps network partner Ericsson after major outages- The Inquirer

A look inside a Google data centre

FTTH Ultrafast Fibre Optic Broadband Connections Pass 175000 UK Homes

ISPreview: http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/10/ftth-ultrafast-fibre-optic-broadband-connections-pass-175000-uk-homes.html

Virgin extends free London tube WiFi coverage till 2013

I've enjoyed using this at Waterloo / Aldgate East but I would never pay for it unless it covered the tunnels as well as it's only for quick travel checks / updating new articles / pulling e-mails, all of which I can do on my way into the station....

Would have loved for The Cloud to extend into the Underground as I really like their service top side in Waterloo. Helps me catch football matches on my way home from work in the evenings.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/17/virgin-media-tube-wifi-extension/

UK Virgin Media Broadband Users Hit by Peak Time Congestion and Latency

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/10/virgin-media-broadband-users-hit-by-peak-time-congestion-and-latency.html

Looks like i'll be bootcamping a little less

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/news/announcing-guild-wars-2-for-mac-beta/

Canonical Work to Improve Gaming on Ubuntu

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/10/canonical-work-to-improve-gaming-on-ubuntu

Whats inside the Wii U?

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-what-is-inside-the-wii-u

Special offer on FTTC Simultaneous Provides in New Year

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5478-special-offer-on-fttc-simultaneous-provides-in-new-year.html

Hack temporarily turns WoW towns into piles of corpses

Bit late on this one but what a interesting exploit. Would have been infuriating at the time!

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/10/hack-temporarily-turns-wow-towns-into-piles-of-corpses/

EE coverage maps (Orange + T Mobile) UK

http://ee.co.uk/coverage

Also:

Brits who don't live in Swindon, Southwark or Reading (4G went live for them today) will be able to get their mitts on 4G LTE from 30 October, when EE launches its 4G LTE network. µ

(Take from The Inquirer here)

Some interesting technologies.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CLEO_(router)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRIS_(Internet_Routing_in_Space)

Apple Mac, Wheres the hash (#) key!

I can't believe that in the age of Twitter Apple hasn't got round to printing the hash # symbol on the number '3' key. At least for the UK rMBP (retina Macbook Pro) keyboard i'm using anyway! They've done it with the euro € symbol...

It's Alt + 3 for anyone wanting to know what it is! 

The register gives PureView tech a look

http://www.reghardware.com/2012/10/05/review_nokia_pureview_808_phone_camera_tech/

Sharp punches out über-retina phone screen

http://www.reghardware.com/2012/10/01/sharp_punches_out_cg_silicon_full_hd_phone_display/

Tuesday 2nd October is Crunch Day for a UK 4G Mobile Broadband Agreement

ISPreview: http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/10/tuesday-2nd-october-is-crunch-day-for-uk-4g-mobile-broadband-agreement.html

Unreal Tournament bots appear more human than humans

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/09/unreal-tournament-bots-appear-more-human-than-humans/

Network boffins say Terabit Ethernet is TOO FAST

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/28/terabit_ethernet_too_fast/

Cisco acquires WiFi data firm ThinkSmart Technologies

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/26/cisco-acquires-wifi-data-firm-thinksmart-technologies/

Openreach announces next phase of superfast broadband roll-out

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5461-openreach-announces-next-phase-of-superfast-broadband-roll-out.html

Nokia reveals Lumia 820 and 920 pricing and release date- The Inquirer

Nokia reveals Lumia 820 and 920 pricing and release date- The Inquirer

Virgin ramps 4G to a whopping 90Mbps - and switches it off

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/27/virgin_lte/

iOS 6 becomes 15 percent of Apple mobile device traffic within 24 hours

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/21/ios-6-becomes-15-percent-of-apple-mobile-device-traffic-in-24h/

Apple integrates Facebook into Mac OS X with 10.8.2 update - The Inquirer

Apple integrates Facebook into Mac OS X with 10.8.2 update - The Inquirer

Samsung may have paid up but it's not over...

HTC Windows Phone 8X hands-on review - The Inquirer

It's thicker than it looks!
Plus points: Beats audio and a very high ppi on a 4.3" screen.

HTC Windows Phone 8X hands-on review - The Inquirer

Raspberry Pi patch adds warranty-safe overclocking

Some pretty impressive performance increase there. Stick a small heatsink on that and it it'll spend longer at those speeds as well most likely.

http://www.reghardware.com/2012/09/19/raspberry_pi_gains_1ghz_overclocking_turbo_mode/

Netgear D6300 mates 802.11ac WiFi with ADSL, risks one heck of a mismatch

Hmm Engadget sees this as a bit strange but the fact that people have a lot of traffic flying between devices internally with media centres etc make this seem like common sense to me. A lot of people will reside on ADSL 2+ until FTTC/P reaches their price point they are willing to pay...

http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/17/netgear-d6300-mates-802-11ac-wifi-with-adsl/

Linkedin tops 10 million users in the UK - The Inquirer

Linkedin tops 10 million users in the UK - The Inquirer

Google has 400 million users - The Inquirer

Google has 400 million users - The Inquirer

Windows 8: Never mind Office, it's for GAMING

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/18/windows_8_as_a_gaming_platform/

BT gets postcode knickers in twist, plants Shoreditch on Mount Everest

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/14/bt_postcode_mix_up/

Got $1000 to spare? want your name in a game?

I've had my name in the credits of a game but I think this might even be cooler! Obsidian is offering people to name a character in their next game which they have gone to kicker starter for due to the pains of publishers.

Check it out:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity

Update: I also like how they have structured their project with certain goals meaning they will match various criteria ($1.6m for a OS X version and $2.2m for a Linux version). The only thing I have an issue with is that the'd likely be building the game engine from the ground up with the expectation of being multi-platform already. Still its unique and I praise them for it.

New tech roundup.

God September has been busy. Here is a roundup of some of the major announcements:

Mobiles:
Iphone5:
http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/
http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/14/3328436/iphone-5-apple-secrecy
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/12/iphone-5-hands-on-video-details/
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/14/iphone-5-contract-prices-UK-networks-vodafone-ee-three-orange-tmobile/
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/review/2205420/apple-iphone-5-interactive-guide

Nokia:
http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/nokia-lumia-920-what-you-need-to-know-1095066
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Nokia-Lumia-920_id7471
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/47333/nokia-windows-phone-8-devices

Samsung:
http://www.samsung.com/global/ativ/ativ_s.html

Sony:
http://www.t3.com/news/sony-xperia-t-uk-price-announced

Nintendo:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/14/nintendo-wii-u-pre-order-amazon-uk/

Nvidia:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/13/nvidia-geforce-gtx-660-650/

RIPE NCC Begins to Allocate IPv4 Address Space From the Last /8

End end is nigh!

http://www.ripe.net/internet-coordination/news/ripe-ncc-begins-to-allocate-ipv4-address-space-from-the-last-8

Mobiles...

So much choice!

iPhone 5, Nokia Lumia 920, and the Galaxy S3 are all really nice phones but even the 'tier 2' runners arn't looking so bad. Sony's Xperia T looks pretty nice and the Samsung Note got a refresh for those who like their phones in the XL fashion.

I feel like I should repent for getting a retina Macbook Pro and get the Lumia:
http://www.wpcentral.com/iphone5-versus-lumia-920

Ubuntu 12.10 Beta 1 Available for Download

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2012/09/ubuntu-12-10-beta-1-available-for-download

The Cloud First to Enable Default UK Internet Censorship on its Public WiFi

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/09/the-cloud-first-to-enable-default-uk-internet-censorship-on-public-wifi.html

Apple takes Iphone 5 memory orders away from Samsung - The Inquirer

Apple takes Iphone 5 memory orders away from Samsung - The Inquirer

Apple Vs Blu-ray

It still really annoys me Apple haven't given hardware support for Blu-ray in their product lines. Although saying that my Macbook Pro doesn't even have a optical drive.

On the flip side you can get third party drives and software from http://www.macblurayplayer.com/. I'd really like to see a thunderbolt blu-ray super drive though!

MacBook Pro retina.

Wow, that was a bit of hassel but i'm finally there.

MacBook Pro retina with boot camp windows 8 RC fully working!

I've got Guild Wars 2 working nicely as well.

The reason it took a while... The laptop came with lion, not mountain lion... I had to go off to Apple, apply for mountain lion with my serial to get the free copy (that was quick) and then wait for it to download the whole OS.

Next I had to download Windows 8 RC and boot camp assistant took an ages as well download windows content for the install. Once into Windows 8, the boot camp install took a while and me being me, took a while to realise i needed to hold 'alt' when booting the machine to get the boot choices (I'm used to GRUB just appearing with Ubuntu)...

[edit] Here is a quick screen grab one week in:

Amazon Appstore arrives in Europe

http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/30/amazon-app-store-arrives-in-europe/

Firefox 15 arrives, supports compressed textures for impressive 3D gaming

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/08/firefox-15-arrives-supports-compressed-textures-for-impressive-3d-gaming/

802.11ac: The Fifth Generation of Wi-Fi Technical White Paper

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/prod/collateral/wireless/ps5678/ps11983/white_paper_c11-713103.html#wp9000454

Three picks Samsung to supply 4G LTE equipment - The Inquirer

Three picks Samsung to supply 4G LTE equipment - The Inquirer

Why passwords have never been weaker—and crackers have never been stronger

An interesting read:

http://arstechnica.com/security/2012/08/passwords-under-assault/

Networking industry to collaborate on TERABIT Ethernet

Got to love that opening sentence in the article:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/20/ieee_terabit_ethernet_group/

Intel Brings TRIM to RAID-0 SSD Arrays on 7-Series Motherboards, We Test It

The CPU and the motherboard might cost a bomb at the moment but you can get some impressive results for the SSD's with Intel's TRIM for RAID-0!! (latest gen only )

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6161/intel-brings-trim-to-raid0-ssd-arrays-on-7series-motherboards-we-test-it

Asia's fastest data cable links Japan to Singapore.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/asias-fastest-data-cable-links-japan-to-singapore.aspx?pageID=238&nID=28171&NewsCatID=374

New blog: www.bbhelp.co.uk

I've moved some of the DSL related stuff from this site to a new dedicated blog: http://ukbroadbandblog.blogspot.co.uk/ which will eventually end up on a nice short domain:  http://www.bbhelp.co.uk (give the domain 24hrs as some DNS servers are being slow to update).

Sky 3D channel free for a week

Between Monday 13 and 20 August all HD customers get free access to the Sky 3D channel as part of the Sky 3D Free Week.
http://www.sky.com/shop/tv/3d/

The Register: Ofcom: 4G won't knock out granny's personal alarm

The register: http://www.reghardware.com/2012/08/16/4g_srd_interference/

Following on from the earlier keyboard theme...

Razer Deathstalker gaming keyboard announced:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/15/razer-deathstalker-gaming-keyboard/

And the award for most mental keyboard goes to: Mad catz!

BBC gives itself a gold in 700Gbit-a-second Olympic data race

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/08/14/bbc_olympics/

Virgin Media starts blocking Newzbin2 - The Inquirer

Virgin Media starts blocking Newzbin2 - The Inquirer

Akamai - state of the internet.

Hong Kong takes the lead... http://www.akamai.com/stateoftheinternet/

Cool video.. probably not so cool production time...

I thought I was OTT with colouring cells in spreadsheets....

Google to pay just £6m UK tax on £395m profits

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/google/9459671/Google-to-pay-just-6m-UK-tax-on-395m-profits.html

Windows 8 RTM will include 'do not track' by default for Internet Explorer 10

Microsoft really seem to be trying to emphasize privacy at the moment with their new outlook.com not scanning your e-mails and giving targeted ads (Gmail) and with this move in Windows 8.

http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/08/windows-8-rtm-ie10-do-not-track-default/

See all the Bonds on Sky Movies HD

http://skymovies.sky.com/see-all-the-bonds-on-sky-movies-hd

Samsung's lawyer gives it some to Apple.

A fun read over at Ars: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/08/samsung-lawyer-forces-apple-hired-expert-to-highlight-subtle-differences/

Broadband forum reading

This isn't a blog post, just some links I want to read at a later date.

TR-069: CPE WAN Management Protocol v1.1

http://www.broadband-forum.org/technical/download/TR-069_Amendment-2.pdf

TR-143: Enabling Network Throughput Performance Tests and Statistical Monitoring http://www.broadband-forum.org/technical/download/TR-143.pdf

Level 3 Wants Broadband ISP Subscribers to Pay More for Internet Acces

I don't see things changing any-time soon, especially from the multi-service providers who are more versatile and able to adapt to cost changes in their business. 

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/08/level-3-wants-broadband-isp-subscribers-to-pay-more-for-internet-access.html

Intel working on Next Generation Form Factor SSDs

Intel working on Next Generation Form Factor SSDs

US plans to block any plan to give UN more control of the internet

Apart from the stupid opening up of the domain name system (I quite liked it with a finite amount of possibilities) I can't think of much ICANN have done wrong. I kind of agree with the bit that the UN might bog the system down with taking too long to make decisions.

The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/4/3218629/us-terry-kramer-wcit-block-icann

Sky breaks the 4 million broadband customer landmark

Think broadband: http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5364-sky-breaks-the-4-million-broadband-customer-landmark.html

Nokia reportedly planning to sell Qt as more developers are laid off

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/08/nokia-reportedly-planning-to-sell-qt-as-more-developers-are-laid-off/

The next Samsung galaxy note?

http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/03/samsung-galaxy-note-ii-mobile-unpacked-2012/

Well it looks like the prices are already dropping on the current one. I just picked up a 'like new' second hand note (without headphones and manual) from Amazon warehouse for £265! I always wanted one of these but thought it might be a bit big in the long term....we'll just have to see... So bored of the iPhone 4S with it's tiny screen, especially since I got the iPad.

Steam claim Faster Zombies under Ubuntu linux...

Doesn't really sound like a fair comparisona dn there are way too many variables for a fair test but it's interesting to see they are working with hardware manufactures to improve their drivers overall for the platform. It'll be interesting to see how OpenGL keep up with a AAA grade developer on their back for new feature sets to be included in the API (OpenGL's last release was Aug 2011)... Then again Valve might even end up writing some in!

Blog post here: http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/linux/faster-zombies/

Microsoft confirms Windows 8 has been released to manufacturing, OEM partners now have final code

http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/01/microsoft-windows-8-rtm/

Another interesting bit is:
Microsoft showed off its answer to Linux 'Live CD' distributions - entire operating systems which run off a CD, DVD or USB stick with no installation required - with Windows To Go. Sold as a 32GB USB drive, Windows To Go allows any Windows 7 computer to boot into Windows 8 and retains the user's installed applications, files and settings. Pricing for Windows To Go has not yet been confirmed.

Can you guess the top 10 UK games brands from 1996 to 2012?

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-07-30-can-you-guess-the-top-10-uk-games-brands-from-1996-to-2012

A New Dawn for NVIDIA graphics

Hexus: http://hexus.net/tech/news/graphics/42865-a-new-dawn-nvidia-graphics/

Woo hoo, I've got it

I finally got my Raspberry Pi:

http://www.raspberrypi.org/

Hmmm... It's not liking my Logitech g510 keyboard much. Wouldn't boot at first until I fed it with a main connected micro-USB connector. Now I have issues where it types too many of the character I press or doesn't print at all.. It might be to do with my initial configuration of the keyboard though and I didn't have much time to test. 

Broadcom promises triple-speed 5G WiFi for mobiles in early 2013

http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/25/broadcom-5g-wifi-for-mobiles/

Google Fiber launches in Kansas City, promises 1000 Mbps up and down

The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/26/3187990/google-fiber-kansas-city

Moto's Xooms still got it...

The Motorola Xoom still see's support! http://www.androidcentral.com/android-411-finally-pushed-motorola-xoom-wifi-testers

Alcatel Lucent to slash 5,000 jobs after reporting loss

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18995788

Roku picks up financing from BSkyB, News Corp and more, keeps eye on the premium streaming crown

Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/26/roku-picks-up-financing-from-bskyb-news-corp-and-more-keeps-ey/

INFINITE LOOP / THE APPLE ECOSYSTEM OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion: the Ars Technica review

Sounds like a hell of a lot went into this release!
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/07/os-x-10-8/

ARM sees profits rise by 23 per cent to £66.5m - The Inquirer

ARM sees profits rise by 23 per cent to £66.5m - The Inquirer

Press release: http://www.arm.com/about/newsroom/arm-holdings-plc-reports-results-for-the-second-quarter-and-half-year-ended-30-june-2012.php

O2 brings free WiFi to London in time for the Olympics - The Inquirer

Les hope it's better than Virgin Media's patchy coverage on the TFL underground.

O2 brings free WiFi to London in time for the Olympics - The Inquirer

3 UK ISPs Snub BSG Launch of New UK Net Neutrality Code of Practice

I think the interesting thing here is Three are happy to be part of the code and the other mobile operators aren't (They have been well known to restrict VoIP traffic)...

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/07/bsg-launch-of-new-uk-net-neutrality-code-of-practice-snubbed-by-isps.html

Ofcom telecoms-complaints-bulletin page.

Ofcom: http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/enforcement/telecoms-complaints-bulletin/

Just posted here for reference really.

AAISP UK Boss Slams BT Engineers over HomeHub3 Router Bias

http://revk.www.me.uk/2012/07/get-home-hub-3-from-bt.html

He has a fair point. The problems are on both sides though. Biased engineers and ISP's who don't help their consumers understand the difference between BT group's BT Retail and BT OpenReach.... Make it easy, just call them OpenReach!

BT bags MASSIVE £425m broadband rollout deal in Wales

The register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/20/bt_wins_wales_bduk_bid/

0-60 in 2.8 seconds.

I'm starting to like electric cars... Still think they are silly if they are powered off of coal power plants etc in the national grid...

http://www.t3.com/news/rimac-concept-one-electric-hypercar-to-debut-this-september

Net Index - via Speedtest.net

Here's an interesting site that shows speedtest.net & pingtest.net statistics.

http://www.netindex.com/download/

BSkyB punches Virgin Media in ads watchdog fist fight

A win for keeping things simple! That's what I like to see.

The Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/18/virgin_media_bskyb_asa_rulings/

Windows 8 moves to IPv6 Internet

ZDNet: http://www.zdnet.com/windows-8-moves-to-ipv6-internet-7000000991/

Crucial launches mSATA m4 SSD family

Crucial launches mSATA m4 SSD family

Firefox 14 encrypts Google search, but admen can still strip-search you

The register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/18/firefox_14_secure_search_google/

Fujitsu Expands its UK Dark Fibre Optic Network Coverage and Capacity

ISPreview: http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/07/fujitsu-expands-its-uk-dark-fibre-optic-network-coverage-and-capacity.html

Valve brings steam to Ubuntu Linux

Well the rumours have been going around for months so now we have an official confirmation and blog:

http://blogs.valvesoftware.com/linux/steamd-penguins/

There were also rumours about them going into hardware development so a linux derivative in a custom made console maybe coming our way in years to come. They sure as hell have the right platform for it in steam.

OpenReach - Local Loop Unbundling Pricing - Full MPF

Charges incurred for SFI visits that OR deem chargeable.

http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/products/pricing/loadProductPriceDetails.do?data=totid5BwFmkf9vLcBITRyZF9loRxWIbIKK6V7YWmlYAlMnGHsqdC0vzO163bJmh34D91D7M0q8u%2F%0AIlSgtIFAKw%3D%3D

Visit to a BT telephone exchange (CO)

These pictures are of the MDF (Main distribution frame) in a telephone exchange. This is basically where all the wiring from the telephony and data equipment eventually ends up before going out on your line to your home / business. 

These are the modern connectors: 

To give a scale of the size (varies in each exchange):

Old style connectors:

 Top of the frame:

I didn't include pictures of the DSLAM and MSAN's as these belonged to various providers. Essentially they will have cabinets with a HDF at the side.

MS Windows has some hidden gems: PSR

Type PSR into your Windows search bar after you click start and you'll be presented with a small record button type icon. I'm not sure why Microsoft didn't just call it by its full name but PSR stands for 'Problem steps recorder' and its bloody useful!

If you've got someone on the other end of the phone or your writing a guide. Get this program open on the computer in question and hit 'start 'record' and it will basically log and print screen everything you do until you hit stop!!!

The future of flash memory: tiny (and extremely tough to build)

Ars Technica: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/07/the-future-of-ssds/

Emulex coughs up $58m in Broadcom fibre optic patents clash

The Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/09/broadcom_emulex_part_settlement/

Rumours B Sky B might bid on TalkTalk

My personal opinion is:

What a nightmare, but if done right could mean some major pressure for BT Retail / Business.

What a nightmare for B Sky B:
Implementation.Interoperability.
Consolidation
Support
Sky lock down their routers. TalkTalk let you use your own.

Why it could be good for B Sky B:
Increased network capacity
New subscriber up sell potential.
Traffic management experience
Parental controls
IPv4 allocation
Static IP's
IPTV experience (Tiscali TV was a true implementation).

http://www.standard.co.uk/business/business-news/market-round-up-bskybs-mooted-bid-for-talktalk-gets-city-tongues-wagging-7917310.html

I've worked at Tiscali (Freedom2Surf, Nildram, Pipex Business), V Networks (TalkTalk Business) and B Sky B.

My broadband page has been updated!

I've made a few additions to the broadband page and changed the format around a bit.

Check it out:
http://www.alpagot.co.uk/p/broadband-support.html

Twitter gets search update.

Check out Twitters blog on the latest update to Twitter and its search capabilities.

http://blog.twitter.com/2012/07/simpler-search.html

Microsoft lines up three critical patches for Patch Tuesday - The Inquirer

Microsoft lines up three critical patches for Patch Tuesday - The Inquirer

Microsoft sets the price for a Windows 8 upgrade at $40

The register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/03/windows8_upgrade_pricing/

Mozilla renames Boot to Gecko as Firefox OS and announces operator backing - The Inquirer

Mozilla renames Boot to Gecko as Firefox OS and announces operator backing - The Inquirer

Users reporting BBM down, joins Instagram in being less social

Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/30/users-reporting-bbm-down/

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean vs Windows Phone 8 Apollo - The Inquirer

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean vs Windows Phone 8 Apollo - The Inquirer

Google Chrome for iPhone hands-on

Better than Safari in terms of actually having all the settings within the app!
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/chrome-for-ios-hands-on/

Google Drive for iOS hands-on

Talk about good timing having just come from a XOOM tablet to an iPad...

Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/28/google-drive-for-ios-hands-on/

Griffin Wins Best UK ISP at Comms Business Awards 2012

Hmmm I always found their support to be decent but they didn't have much competition from the looks of the other contenders (Not a fan of Daisy). Zen are brilliant and would have edged it in my opinion if they were a bit more price competitive.

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/06/griffin-wins-best-uk-isp-comms-business-awards-2012.html

BT Preps New UK Superfast Broadband Cabinets for Exchange Only Lines

ISPreview: http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2012/06/bt-preps-new-uk-superfast-broadband-cabinets-for-exchange-only-lines.html

Measuring IPv6 - Country by Country

CircleID: http://www.circleid.com/posts/20120625_measuring_ipv6_country_by_country/

Facebook changing your displayed E-mail

Beware that a recent change on Facebook is putting your @facebook.com e-mail address as the displayed default instead of your original one.

There is reason for this in that if they keep traffic within the Facebook ecosystem and more people use the @facebook.com e-mail addresses then Facebook increase their marketing value even further.

For people like me with their own custom domain (alpagot.co.uk among lots of others), i'm sure they won't be happy that there was not a more 'in your face' warning. It's easy to go into your settings and 'reveal' your current normal email address again.

It seems the media outlets have picked this up as well and comparing it to what Google did with their Buzz service which failed horribly.

Check out this Kindle book.

Bit of promotion for my computer games lecturer from what I was studying at Essex Uni. 

He has a Kindle book out (well it's been out a while) which I just finished, it's a really good short read and cheap at 77p! It's called Lizzie Lot's Sovereign.

Link to buy: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lizzie-Lotts-Sovereign-ebook/dp/B0058CX7M8

Here is the blurb:

Set in Victorian England on the eve of the Franco-Prussian war, 14-year-old Lizzie Lott is rescued from a life of grinding poverty by a stranger with unbelievably fast reactions who spins a story about a shadowy group of individuals with equally unusual gifts -- the Knights of Saint Judas. He drops Lizzie out of her depth into a world of espionage, excitement and intrigue -- all because she possesses an unnatural physical strength. Can she unravel a dastardly French plot before it destroys the monarchy?

Join Lizzie in her opening adventure, as she strives to become a Knight of Saint Judas herself.

'Twisted light' carries 2.5 terabits of data per second

BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18551284

Sky admits it’s no longer ahead of the consumer - The Inquirer

Sky admits it’s no longer ahead of the consumer - The Inquirer

Microsoft Unveils Touchscreen Tablet

Source (Sky News): http://news.sky.com/home/technology/article/16249251

Spotify brings radio feature to iOS, offers streaming to non-premium users

Engadget:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/19/spotify-brings-radio-feature-to-ios-offers-streaming-to-non-pre/

Finally...

After a lot of hassle I now have my 64Gb 4G iPad thanks to UPS. As far as I can guess it was city link who 'lost' it. Still .....doesn't top the time Parcel Force managed to lose a set of speakers I ordered (the box was MASSIVE).

Anyway i'm on holiday this week so my collating of internet news is a bit behind....
Also, I have made a few minor adjustments to the site. Namely I've removed the twitter feed as mine is restricted to followers (@alpagot) and added some affiliate logos down the side.

Cool video on networks.

ARCHAEOLOGY - Turkey demands return of artifacts

ARCHAEOLOGY - Turkey demands return of artifacts

I've been to the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology twice! It's a really nice place to walk around if ever you get the chance.


Here is a link to my album (Any excuse to share them!):
https://plus.google.com/photos/107188872326328135600/albums/5754594970753881025

Skype drops its BETA, Goes straight to version 4

Highlights from the Skype blog post released yesterday:

• Four major changes in this release:
• We have a new Conversations View where users can easily track all of their chats in a unified window.
• Those users who prefer the old view can disable this in the Chat options;
• We have a brand new Call View.
• Call quality has never been better thanks to several investments we made in improving audio quality.
• We've worked on improving video call quality and have also extended support for more cameras.

• Improved chat synchronization.
• New presence and emoticon icons.
• The ability to store and view phone numbers in a Skype contact's profile.
• Much lower chance Skype for Linux will crash or freeze.
• Chat history loading is now much faster.
• Support for two new languages: Czech (flag:cz) and Norwegian (flag:no).

 

http://blogs.skype.com/linux/2012/06/skype_40_for_linux.html

Ubuntu Alpha1 - Quantal Quetzal is out! 12.10

What a crazy name!

Well it's out for the curious and experimental, I've started waiting for the beta's more recently and I think with this, that'll be no different as I don't really contribute.

The big changes are:
Linux kernel 3.4
GCC 4.7
Python 3.0
Link: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QuantalQuetzal/TechnicalOverview/Alpha1

Sophos - Revealed! The top five Android malware detected in the wild

With mobile devices rivalling desktop PC's from only a few years gone by it's a wonder that they haven't started shipping with 30 day AV trials like desktops often do!

With that said, Sophos has a great blog article over at the link below regarding malware on the Android platform.

http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/06/14/top-five-android-malware/

Apple MacBook Pro - opinion

I really like the look of the new Mac book pro, especially the cooling system, the display and the SSD design.

Although an optical drive is not included I'm still baffled that Apple refuse to throw in some major Blu-ray support anywhere, it'd be a dream in conjunction with the Thunderbold I/O

I would actually spend that amount on one as well (see pricing, expect it to be over £2k) because the design is truly intuitive and the specs are impressive. I would love to give the battery a run for it's money as well, 7 hours seems quite optimistic even with a lot of power saving involved at those specs. The graphics core would be working hard at those 'retina' resolutions!

See below for the video:

http://www.apple.com/uk/macbook-pro/#macbookpro

New improvements for Kindle on Android tablets today.

Now able to view two pages side by side with a few other tweaks.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.kindle

Ripe link added to my broadband support page.

Bit surprised I left this one out to be honest!

Link: https://www.ripe.net/data-tools/db

Now on my support page: http://www.alpagot.co.uk/p/broadband-support.html

Buffalo launches next generation of 802.11ac WiFi routers - The Inquirer

Buffalo launches next generation of 802.11ac WiFi routers - The Inquirer

Bit-Tech : Custom PC project - D33P Thought by A Souter

These sort of projects were the reason I started visiting Bit-Tech over 6+ years ago. Totally geeky, over the top but at the same time pretty damn cool and unique. I wish I could justify a new PC build at the moment!


D33P Thought by A Souter

Facebook joins Google in warning DNSChanger victims

Warnings follow decision to withdraw safety net on 9 July The Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/06/10/dnschanger/

Microsoft revives free Windows desktop development tools, didn't mean to make you cry

Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/11/visual-studio-express-desktop/

World IPv6 day.

So some major sites are going IPv6 operational on a permanent basis from today.

Check out the video:

DayZ - This game mod is causing a bit of a wave at the moment.

I posted about ARMA 2: Combined Operations being dirt cheap a while back. Well there is an awesome game mod you should check out for it as well:

http://www.moddb.com/mods/dayz/news/dayz-v1601-released

E3: Xbox SmartGlass links Microsoft's console to tablets

I must admit I do sometime sit there with the tablet viewing achievement guides while playing games such as Dragon Age 2. One game i'm starting to hate for how many missable achievements there are!

Source, BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18325815

Samsung open sources Galaxy S3 source code - The Inquirer

Samsung open sources Galaxy S3 source code - The Inquirer

Introversion Complete Pack

Great games at a great price.

Darwinia
Darwinia Soundtrack
DEFCON
DEFCON Soundtrack
Multiwinia
Uplink
£4.79http://store.steampowered.com/sub/4603

United Nations Space Command helping in Syria

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-05-28-bbc-news-mistakes-halo-unsc-logo-for-un

Skyrim gets mounted combat in new update

 • News • Eurogamer.net http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-05-24-skyrim-gets-mounted-combat-in-new-update

Would an Apple TV kill the console business?

Eurogamer: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-05-18-would-an-apple-tv-kill-the-console-business

IT'S ALIIIVE

so I've finally completed my home setup (for the time being).

Is Facebook about to buy Opera?

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/45795/facebook-browser-opera-software-buyout

Intel creates a UK research lab with Imperial College and UCL - The Inquirer

Intel creates a UK research lab with Imperial College and UCL - The Inquirer

SkyHD | Dolby Digital sound problems

I didn't realise that the audio description features causes issues. I was wondering why mine wasn't working properly.

SkyHD | Dolby Digital sound problems

New gadgets! Onkyo TX-NR616 & Wharfedale DX-1

Just finished wiring these up yesterday and they are simply awesome for the price! 

Wharfedale-DX-1

Onkyo TX-NR616

Edit: After about two years of use these are still amazing. Living in flats, the sub has mostly been on the lowest setting but even on this it has a decent punch to it. Blu-ray movies via my dedicated Panasion player sound simply amazing. 

The speakers come with black grills but to be honest I couldn't stick them on as these speakers are just so good looking without! 

Onkyo Firmware Update TX-NR616 (18-05-2012)

TX-NR616
(Version 1070-5105-0200)

• Corrects problem of video output not working after unit has had the Network standby enabled, then the unit has been placed in standby for an extended time period;
• Improves update functionality.

http://www.uk.onkyo.com/en/articles/firmware-update-tx-nr616-18-05-2012-81061.html

Game Of Thrones Theme on eight floppy drives

I didn't quite know what to expect when I clicked on the link but this scores some major geek points in my book:

Milestone for wi-fi with 'T-rays'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18072618

Retirement of CCIP Certification - The Cisco Learning Network

Retirement of CCIP Certification - The Cisco Learning Network

ROUND 1 : ADSL Nation XTE-2005 Vs BT I Plate

Sync speeds on the Sky Sagem phase 3 router before the I Plate:

Sync speed with the I Plate installed:

Line stats:

Take note for the noise margins (SNR margin's) and the Downstream line attenuation. 

Picture of the I Plate installed with a microfilter attached to the faceplate and a Sky TV splitter on the phone side of the microfilter.  

So there we have it, a very slight increase on what was already a good ADSL2+ line to start with.I was advised that the DLM had increased the impulse noise protection (to 2 symbols) and delay to 16ms as there was small amounts of errors passing on the line during certain times of the day. High sync speeds are great but not if the data passing on the line is unreadable by your router.

As the I Plate has a RF3 filter in I am retesting to see how this effects the line over 4-10 days. I've noticed with Sky that my SNR margins are always kept relatively low which would suggest pushing the line for a high sync speed.

It would be nice to get the line down to 8ms on the delay (interleaving!) and INP down to 1 symbol but only if the line behaves. This would make the line even better for gaming, which is already pretty amazing on this connection compared to my old Talk Talk Business (formerly Freedom2Surf) line which I had a lot of love for. That was a long line with an attenuation of around 47dB so you needed the INP / interleaving on that line more so.

You hear a lot of gamers saying that fastpath is the best approach but it almost never is these days. For gaming, if you lose any data passing on the line, the game either has to guess what is happening or re-request the data from the server which is another round trip instead of a shorter 'save' time made by the INP / delay.