Man alive, time has flown.
Tomorrow, Annabelle will by 8 weeks old! She's over 60cm in length and somewhere well over 12lbs. And indeed, we will be celebrating her first Christmas very soon!
It's amazing. I have managed to get through work and bumble through home life and Annabelle is happy and sleeping and feeding and putting on weight.
So, nearly the end of another Djanogly term. It's been a heck of a ride since September - but very rewarding! I'm now the permanent Faculty Leader (or "Curriculum Leader") for Technology & Art (or "Creative") and start this properly in January. This is making the big, yet obvious assumption, that the proposed remodelling will be put through.
Anyway, back to work...
17 December 2010
27 October 2010
No, Annabelle. I am your father
Indeed, I am now the Father of a wonder daughter called Annabelle. She's beautiful and happy and amazing. I'm only going to write a bit here, but will aim to give regular updates on how its all going.
Tim: husband to a beautiful wife, father to beautiful daughter.
Tim: husband to a beautiful wife, father to beautiful daughter.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3
30 September 2010
Woah, where did 56 days go?
That's right, we have 21 days remaining until the due date. People keep reminding me that that means, "any time now, then!" I hope not, as Ofsted are coming to do a subject specific Inspection next week. Art, Craft and Design. On my watch! I can't believe it!
That's right, Ofsted chose to come and look at one half of my faculty and the work we do within that! |I'm not saying too much, suffice to say that I'm going to be busy over the next few days! (They're with us on Tuesday and Wednesday).
So, 21 days! I know, time has truly flown! 3 weeks. The nursery is done. Most of the big stuff is bought. My bro and fiancée got us the baby monitor (very cool) and my parents are bringing a Moses basket on Sunday. Sarah is making sure we have all the baby clothes we need and has (almost) packed her bag. There are a few small things to sort out, but we're mostly ready. I need to read the chapter on emergency deliveries, just in case we're caught short...
I've discovered www.we7.com and it's awesome. I'm making my way through Joe Satriani albums and loving every minute of it!
I'm still waiting for FroYo. All sorts of nonsense from Orange's end in my opinion. They haven't upgraded the early adopters to the latest 2.1 build which means the 2.2 version (whilst ready) is not downloadable. My phone keeps telling me it's up to date. Clearly it isn't! Eugh.
Google have released a few things, Instant for one and goo.gl - a URL shortener. As I exceed 400 tweets, I'm using URL shorteners more and more and am pleased that Google have released this.
I'm sure there's loads more to write about, but I'm on holiday soon, so I shall catch up then...
Back to work...
That's right, Ofsted chose to come and look at one half of my faculty and the work we do within that! |I'm not saying too much, suffice to say that I'm going to be busy over the next few days! (They're with us on Tuesday and Wednesday).
So, 21 days! I know, time has truly flown! 3 weeks. The nursery is done. Most of the big stuff is bought. My bro and fiancée got us the baby monitor (very cool) and my parents are bringing a Moses basket on Sunday. Sarah is making sure we have all the baby clothes we need and has (almost) packed her bag. There are a few small things to sort out, but we're mostly ready. I need to read the chapter on emergency deliveries, just in case we're caught short...
I've discovered www.we7.com and it's awesome. I'm making my way through Joe Satriani albums and loving every minute of it!
I'm still waiting for FroYo. All sorts of nonsense from Orange's end in my opinion. They haven't upgraded the early adopters to the latest 2.1 build which means the 2.2 version (whilst ready) is not downloadable. My phone keeps telling me it's up to date. Clearly it isn't! Eugh.
Google have released a few things, Instant for one and goo.gl - a URL shortener. As I exceed 400 tweets, I'm using URL shorteners more and more and am pleased that Google have released this.
I'm sure there's loads more to write about, but I'm on holiday soon, so I shall catch up then...
Back to work...
05 August 2010
77 Days to go...
The Nursery:
I've just spent the last 4 days plus today working on the nursery. I've repainted the walls, the ceiling and the woodwork as well as constructing the furniture and putting up a shelf. It's very satisfying and very exciting.
Antenatal classes:
Yesterday was our first antenatal class. We learnt a thing or two about what equipment we might/might not need as well as what to pack in the birth bag.
We also discovered that the lovely bumper that we bought for the cot-bed is not necessary. We're going to have to decide what to do about that!
77 Days
It is indeed 77 days to go. Or 11 weeks. That means that 29 weeks have passed. The little baby is getting bigger and is really quite active. She seems to be a lot of fun already and even responds to my voice!
I'm really looking forward to expanding the Raybould family. Being a father is going to be the most amazing thing in the world!
I've just spent the last 4 days plus today working on the nursery. I've repainted the walls, the ceiling and the woodwork as well as constructing the furniture and putting up a shelf. It's very satisfying and very exciting.
Antenatal classes:
Yesterday was our first antenatal class. We learnt a thing or two about what equipment we might/might not need as well as what to pack in the birth bag.
We also discovered that the lovely bumper that we bought for the cot-bed is not necessary. We're going to have to decide what to do about that!
77 Days
It is indeed 77 days to go. Or 11 weeks. That means that 29 weeks have passed. The little baby is getting bigger and is really quite active. She seems to be a lot of fun already and even responds to my voice!
I'm really looking forward to expanding the Raybould family. Being a father is going to be the most amazing thing in the world!
19 July 2010
Android App: SwiftKey (Beta) [UPDATE]
SwiftKey is an alternative keyboard input system for Android... I'm going to give it a spin and see what happens.
http://gizmodo.com/5589320
[UPDATE]: Decided to uninstall as the program has access to personal data in the sense that it reads your texts and gather info as you type. Plus, it's not set up for hi-res screens and so looks fuzzy.
[UPDATE 2]: After some thought, I reinstalled and then bought the full version (60p) since the resolution has improved and it really is a fast typing experience!
[UPDATE]: Decided to uninstall as the program has access to personal data in the sense that it reads your texts and gather info as you type. Plus, it's not set up for hi-res screens and so looks fuzzy.
[UPDATE 2]: After some thought, I reinstalled and then bought the full version (60p) since the resolution has improved and it really is a fast typing experience!
12 July 2010
01 July 2010
Android App Review: RealPlayer (beta) [UPDATED - 12/7/10]
The stock Android multi media functions are OK. The music player plays music has a lot of ways to view your music. But there are isn't an equaliser and the sound isn't bassy enough. The video player is very basic and is only accessed through the photo album. Not sure about that. The main gripe for me is that it doesn't start a video where you left off - it always starts back from the beginning. Anyway, this isn't a review about what's already in the box, it's about an App.
So, RealPlayer has a very good reputation as a multimedia player. Does the Android app hold up? (Bearing in mind of course that we're looking at a beta version).
Starting the App
Starting the app presents you with 3 options: Music, Videos and Photos. So far so good - all multimedia in one place!
Music
At the top of the screen there's a lovely little home button - this returns you to the opening screen. In the music mode, there are a variety of viewing options. Albums, Artists, Genres, Ratings, Most Played, Recently Added, All Music. They do what they say on the tin, so not much to talk about. Some of the views have album art - and if you haven't added art, you get a double crotchet symbol or a CD depending on whether it's a song or a album.
Selecting an album then shows you the tracks in the album. The main fault here is that the tracks are listed alphabetically and there aren't any other views. Clearly this is something that a full release of RealPlayer needs to address.
Playback of music is pretty standard. You have options for skip track, shuffle, repeat, play/pause, scan. You can also rate your songs with a 5 star rating system. There's a little button in the corner that brings up the track listing. This works well. Press it again, and there's your album art... There's no swipe to change tracks, but pressing a button isn't that hard. Playback does continue in the background and you can return to the app quickly through the Notification screen.
There isn't a lockscreen widget, nor is there a homescreen widget. These are things that a full release needs, as it increases the usability of the app, particularly when using the phone as a music player and putting it in your pocket.
On the main music screen, you are limited portrait screen view. Landscape is available throughout the rest of the app.
Videos
On selecting the videos option, you're presented with a list the vids on your device. There are lovely little icons as well as time information.
Playback of videos is as you would expect. The quality depends on the quality of the file. On the HTC Desire, it is smooth and full screen. Touch the screen and a transparent control panel appears at the bottom. Play/pause, skip and a slide bar are present. Again, no equaliser.
There's not much else to say. You are limited to landscape only view, so watching a movie in a desktop stand isn't an option.
Photos
When you select the photo option, you see a thumbnail view of the pictures on your device. 3 across and 4 down. Although it's essentially infinite down as you then scroll through your images.
Tapping on an image selects it and a set of onscreen controls let you turn music on and off, play a slide show, zoom or skip to the next or previous pic. You can also swipe to select next picture. The controls fade out and return on a tap of the screen. Generally, things are intuitive and fit with the rest of the Android UI.
There are a few basic image manipulation options: crop and rotate in fact. Photoshop Mobile is a much better photo editing app.
Other Bits
There's a logo in the background that disappears when you scroll and then reappears when still. Strange. Probably something that the full release will change.
There is an option to download content when you're browsing - but it didn't work when I tried it. Never mind.
Conclusion
And that's your lot. On the whole, the program does what it says on the tin. There are pros and cons. The main pro is the video player - it's better than the stock player. Main con - track listing is only alphabetical.
All in all, a great app that's clearly in development. I'm going to keep using it as it's free and has pretty good features that can only get better.
[UPDATE]: the music player controls on the headset do not control the realplayer controls. Disappointing.
[UPDATE 2]: the video player doesn't adjust to the aspect ratio of the video. It just goes automatically to full screen. Again, disappointing. No one likes distorted people on their screen.
So, RealPlayer has a very good reputation as a multimedia player. Does the Android app hold up? (Bearing in mind of course that we're looking at a beta version).
Starting the App
Starting the app presents you with 3 options: Music, Videos and Photos. So far so good - all multimedia in one place!
Music
At the top of the screen there's a lovely little home button - this returns you to the opening screen. In the music mode, there are a variety of viewing options. Albums, Artists, Genres, Ratings, Most Played, Recently Added, All Music. They do what they say on the tin, so not much to talk about. Some of the views have album art - and if you haven't added art, you get a double crotchet symbol or a CD depending on whether it's a song or a album.
Selecting an album then shows you the tracks in the album. The main fault here is that the tracks are listed alphabetically and there aren't any other views. Clearly this is something that a full release of RealPlayer needs to address.
Playback of music is pretty standard. You have options for skip track, shuffle, repeat, play/pause, scan. You can also rate your songs with a 5 star rating system. There's a little button in the corner that brings up the track listing. This works well. Press it again, and there's your album art... There's no swipe to change tracks, but pressing a button isn't that hard. Playback does continue in the background and you can return to the app quickly through the Notification screen.
There isn't a lockscreen widget, nor is there a homescreen widget. These are things that a full release needs, as it increases the usability of the app, particularly when using the phone as a music player and putting it in your pocket.
On the main music screen, you are limited portrait screen view. Landscape is available throughout the rest of the app.
Videos
On selecting the videos option, you're presented with a list the vids on your device. There are lovely little icons as well as time information.
Playback of videos is as you would expect. The quality depends on the quality of the file. On the HTC Desire, it is smooth and full screen. Touch the screen and a transparent control panel appears at the bottom. Play/pause, skip and a slide bar are present. Again, no equaliser.
There's not much else to say. You are limited to landscape only view, so watching a movie in a desktop stand isn't an option.
Photos
When you select the photo option, you see a thumbnail view of the pictures on your device. 3 across and 4 down. Although it's essentially infinite down as you then scroll through your images.
Tapping on an image selects it and a set of onscreen controls let you turn music on and off, play a slide show, zoom or skip to the next or previous pic. You can also swipe to select next picture. The controls fade out and return on a tap of the screen. Generally, things are intuitive and fit with the rest of the Android UI.
There are a few basic image manipulation options: crop and rotate in fact. Photoshop Mobile is a much better photo editing app.
Other Bits
There's a logo in the background that disappears when you scroll and then reappears when still. Strange. Probably something that the full release will change.
There is an option to download content when you're browsing - but it didn't work when I tried it. Never mind.
Conclusion
And that's your lot. On the whole, the program does what it says on the tin. There are pros and cons. The main pro is the video player - it's better than the stock player. Main con - track listing is only alphabetical.
All in all, a great app that's clearly in development. I'm going to keep using it as it's free and has pretty good features that can only get better.
[UPDATE]: the music player controls on the headset do not control the realplayer controls. Disappointing.
[UPDATE 2]: the video player doesn't adjust to the aspect ratio of the video. It just goes automatically to full screen. Again, disappointing. No one likes distorted people on their screen.
Skyfire 2.1
Just downloaded the Skyfire browser app for Android. Going to give it a spin...
Review coming soon!
Review coming soon!
28 June 2010
Summer Sports
World Cup
Well, England were well and truly whipped by Germany. 4-1. 12 of the English "stars" were hopeless (inc subs). David James played well. I'm not going to go on about it too much, suffice to say, I now support Holland who have a quarter final clash against Brazil. A lot of work needs to be done to get some pride back. A bunch of the older generation need to be dropped and the FA need to look to the young English stars of the future. That's that.
Rugby
Despite a generally poor showing in Australia, England did win one match against the Aussies. That's good. And, to be fair, a lot of young players are finally being given the chance by Martin Johnson. The team can probably take some momentum into the winter tests and then into the 6 Nations. That should hopefully set them up well for the 2011 RWC - yes, it's come around again!
Cricket
England have just completed a 3-0 whitewash of Australia in the 50 overs form of the game. Easy, peasy! The one day team is simply awesome at the moment. I'm loving it!
Tennis
It's Wimbledon again. Murray is through the quarter finals. Federer keeps winning, despite "poor" performances. Nadal is also looking strong. I like a good match, but I'm no that into it...
Le Tour de France
It's on its way...
Well, England were well and truly whipped by Germany. 4-1. 12 of the English "stars" were hopeless (inc subs). David James played well. I'm not going to go on about it too much, suffice to say, I now support Holland who have a quarter final clash against Brazil. A lot of work needs to be done to get some pride back. A bunch of the older generation need to be dropped and the FA need to look to the young English stars of the future. That's that.
Rugby
Despite a generally poor showing in Australia, England did win one match against the Aussies. That's good. And, to be fair, a lot of young players are finally being given the chance by Martin Johnson. The team can probably take some momentum into the winter tests and then into the 6 Nations. That should hopefully set them up well for the 2011 RWC - yes, it's come around again!
Cricket
England have just completed a 3-0 whitewash of Australia in the 50 overs form of the game. Easy, peasy! The one day team is simply awesome at the moment. I'm loving it!
Tennis
It's Wimbledon again. Murray is through the quarter finals. Federer keeps winning, despite "poor" performances. Nadal is also looking strong. I like a good match, but I'm no that into it...
Le Tour de France
It's on its way...
25 June 2010
RealPlayer App
Downloaded the RealPlayer app this evening. first impressions are good although it looks as though tracks are sorted alphabetically and not in track no order. however, videos start where they left off... will review in a few days...
Published with Blogger-droid v1.3.6
24 June 2010
23 June 2010
Android Battery Life - Pt II
I mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to follow some of TechRadar's suggestions for increasing Android battery life...
So, yesterday, I unplugged my HTC Desire @ 8:15ish to see how the battery would fare having changed a few settings.
This is what I did:
So, yesterday, I unplugged my HTC Desire @ 8:15ish to see how the battery would fare having changed a few settings.
This is what I did:
- Reduced the screen brightness from full to 1/3. This hasn't had a big effect on visibility, but must have contributed overall.
- Changed updates for Twitter and Facebook to every 4 hours (instead of every 15 mins!). It's not so bad as you can manually refresh when you open the app.
- Turned the data connection off when not in use. This has its implications, but if you're not waiting for an important email, it's not essential.
- Only had WiFi turned on at home - from about 5pm until the end of the test.
In terms of phone usage, it looked something like this:
- Sent a handful of texts
- enjoyed a 16 minute phone call
- browsed the Internet (not sure of time)
- Used the notepad (with screen left on for about 30 minutes)
And the result? After 15 hours and 9 minutes of time since unplugging (yes, Android tells you that!) the battery life went down to just half. Usually, by the end of the working day, it's gone at least onto orange (which I think is a third) and sometimes to "less than 14% remaining."
This is by no means an accurate test, but it is a fair reflection of my daily use of a phone, albeit a smart one. It's impressive in that I didn't miss having 3G turned off - I have a widget to quickly toggle that - nor was I frustrated at having the social apps refresh on a slower basis (although they can't refresh at all with 3G off!).
Today, I have left my USB cable at home. I believe that, whilst at work, I have a battery saving set up that does require it.
Long live Android!
22 June 2010
Android App Review: Blogger-Droid
So, I've used Blogger-Droid for a few posts on The Photos of Timo and have a few things to say about it.
Start Up
On start up, the app asks you to log into your blog host - I logged in with my Google credentials. You're then asked which blog you'd like to be the default (this can be changed in preferences later if desired).
Entering a post
From then on, when you start the app, you're taken straight the entry screen. You have the title, a picture and the main text. You complete the fields with the relevant information and hit the "Post Blog Entry" button. Simple but effective.
Preferences
Preferences allows you to change your blogger account, set your default blog, decide whether to have a picture or not, set image size and image quality. Finally, you can choose to receive notification if the blog was successfully posted or not... These are a basic set of options, but they are intuitive and are essentially the ones you would expect to see.
Overall Impressions
The application really is a simple one, which may not be to some tastes. However, for blogging on the move, it's ideal. There isn't any faffing around with editing options etc. Also, when you are viewing a photo in the native photo app and select "share," Blogger-Droid is now an option, so you're always only a couple of taps away.
Start Up
On start up, the app asks you to log into your blog host - I logged in with my Google credentials. You're then asked which blog you'd like to be the default (this can be changed in preferences later if desired).
Entering a post
From then on, when you start the app, you're taken straight the entry screen. You have the title, a picture and the main text. You complete the fields with the relevant information and hit the "Post Blog Entry" button. Simple but effective.
Preferences
Preferences allows you to change your blogger account, set your default blog, decide whether to have a picture or not, set image size and image quality. Finally, you can choose to receive notification if the blog was successfully posted or not... These are a basic set of options, but they are intuitive and are essentially the ones you would expect to see.
Overall Impressions
The application really is a simple one, which may not be to some tastes. However, for blogging on the move, it's ideal. There isn't any faffing around with editing options etc. Also, when you are viewing a photo in the native photo app and select "share," Blogger-Droid is now an option, so you're always only a couple of taps away.
iPod Touch 1st Gen now out of date...
In November 2007, I received an iPod touch for my birthday. It's been a faithful companion for music, videos, email and web browsing. Apple have continued to update the software along with other iterations of the Touch and the iPhone. Until now. iOS 4.0 has been released, but not for 1st gen devices. It means I don't get any of the new functionality of the new OS, nor do I get to use iBooks.
Thankfully, I have my HTC Desire, but that's a generic smart phone (albeit a top of the range one), very good at doing everything, but not excellent in a specific area, namely music and video. Compared to the Touch, the Desire is lacking. Yes, it plays music and has a basic, very usable interface, but there is no equaliser coverflow doesn't work anywhere near as well as on the iPod. And, yes, it plays videos, but with a very simple player. It doesn't even start where you left off if you close the App. And you have to find your vids in the photo album.
So, some questions have been raised - do I get a new iPod touch? I'm guessing a new one will be released in September, as is the norm with iPod and Apple. Or, do I wait for a version of the Android OS that includes better music and video playback with more options to suit one's listening and viewing needs?
The second option would be cheaper (or indeed free). And I don't really want a variety of devices in my pocket. It looks like I've answered my own question... :o)
Be good,
T x
Thankfully, I have my HTC Desire, but that's a generic smart phone (albeit a top of the range one), very good at doing everything, but not excellent in a specific area, namely music and video. Compared to the Touch, the Desire is lacking. Yes, it plays music and has a basic, very usable interface, but there is no equaliser coverflow doesn't work anywhere near as well as on the iPod. And, yes, it plays videos, but with a very simple player. It doesn't even start where you left off if you close the App. And you have to find your vids in the photo album.
So, some questions have been raised - do I get a new iPod touch? I'm guessing a new one will be released in September, as is the norm with iPod and Apple. Or, do I wait for a version of the Android OS that includes better music and video playback with more options to suit one's listening and viewing needs?
The second option would be cheaper (or indeed free). And I don't really want a variety of devices in my pocket. It looks like I've answered my own question... :o)
Be good,
T x
21 June 2010
Android Battery Life
Smart phone batteries do not last all day, discuss...
I've had my HTC Desire for sometime now and, whilst it functions exactly as I would like it to, the battery life is poor.
If I'm using Google Navigation in the car, with the in car charger attached, the battery life still drains quicker than the the phone can be charged!
So, what am I doing about it? Well, the guys at Tech Radar posted an article suggesting 13 ways that battery life could be increased.
I'm going to follow maybe 8 of their tips and see what happens...
18 June 2010
Blogger App
Found one... it's called Blogger-Droid.
I've just found it on the Android Market and made my first post (to my mobile blog - which is my photo blog).
I'll return with a review...
I've just found it on the Android Market and made my first post (to my mobile blog - which is my photo blog).
I'll return with a review...
It's a Girl!
That's right folks, I'm going to have a baby girl! (Unless the sonographer was wrong, and she said she is right only 85% of the time!). Anyway, very exciting!
What's happened since my last post? Well, I've fitted a kitchen in my house. The whole process has offered up its challenges and its rewards. Mostly now rewards. There weren't too many hiccups thankfully, but, when they arose, I dealt with them. So, it's looking very nice. Just some tiling and a few bits to finish off...
I have got on very well with my HTC Desire. No regrets going Android. iOS 4.0 has arrived as has iPhone 4.0. Nothing new under the Sun! Nothing that Android and HTC won't top in the next few months. I believe that iPhone are playing catch up now, rather than Android. Market share is still skewed to iPhone because of the consumerist nature of the device. Technology wise, I think we've hit level pegging, but not for much longer.
The world cup is under way. All teams have played at least one match. Most of which had low score lines - the stand out teams have been Germany, Uruguay and Argentina. England should have won, but, well, we all know about Robert Green! I'm going to be listening to the England-Algeria match in the car this evening, and I'm hoping for a 2-0 victory. But anything can happen!
Finally, I'm only going to be the Head of Year 11 for 2 more weeks! When we get our new timetables and transition occurs, I'll be the Head of Year 7. And I'm really excited about it!
God bless,
Timo
What's happened since my last post? Well, I've fitted a kitchen in my house. The whole process has offered up its challenges and its rewards. Mostly now rewards. There weren't too many hiccups thankfully, but, when they arose, I dealt with them. So, it's looking very nice. Just some tiling and a few bits to finish off...
I have got on very well with my HTC Desire. No regrets going Android. iOS 4.0 has arrived as has iPhone 4.0. Nothing new under the Sun! Nothing that Android and HTC won't top in the next few months. I believe that iPhone are playing catch up now, rather than Android. Market share is still skewed to iPhone because of the consumerist nature of the device. Technology wise, I think we've hit level pegging, but not for much longer.
The world cup is under way. All teams have played at least one match. Most of which had low score lines - the stand out teams have been Germany, Uruguay and Argentina. England should have won, but, well, we all know about Robert Green! I'm going to be listening to the England-Algeria match in the car this evening, and I'm hoping for a 2-0 victory. But anything can happen!
Finally, I'm only going to be the Head of Year 11 for 2 more weeks! When we get our new timetables and transition occurs, I'll be the Head of Year 7. And I'm really excited about it!
God bless,
Timo
10 May 2010
Phones, Football and Stuff
Quickly then: the HTC Desire!
Awesome phone. Does everything I knew it would! Android absolutely rocks the socks off of iPhone in its current form. Who knows what 4.0 might bring. But then, who knows what Android 2.2 might bring. The Desire has everything. The only thing I haven't found on the Market is a decent Blogger app. Shame. Anyway, not much to say, as there are plenty of very positive reviews on www.gsmarena.com, www.engadget.com, www.techradar.com and more.
LEEDS UNITED ARE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!
Finally. 3 years in League One and now we're a Championship side. And it came right down to the last game. All they needed was a win. 3 points. At first I thought, reletively easy. Until Max Gradel gets sent off. And then the opposition score. Hmm, 10 men and one goal down, that's not the script... However, after a flyer of an equaliser, Jermaine Beckford was the man of the hour. He scores a scrambler of a goal, but nonetheless, scores the winner! 3 points, 2nd place, automatic promotion.
Stuff
Well, we have a hung parliament after an inconclusive, yet interesting election. Lib Dems are talking to both Labour and the Conservatives. Mostly the Conservatives. I don't know what might happen. However, some sort of electoral reform is more than necessary. Not going to dwell on this, as I'll have more to say when plans have been laid out...
I'm looking forward to a number of movies at the box office. Iron Man 2 is out. Robin Hood got 4 stars off of Empire (www.empireonline.com) and there are bound to be some nice summer affairs that will be worth £7.50 a ticket!
That's all for now, I'm tired and my neck aches. Oh, and my eyes are sore.
T x
Awesome phone. Does everything I knew it would! Android absolutely rocks the socks off of iPhone in its current form. Who knows what 4.0 might bring. But then, who knows what Android 2.2 might bring. The Desire has everything. The only thing I haven't found on the Market is a decent Blogger app. Shame. Anyway, not much to say, as there are plenty of very positive reviews on www.gsmarena.com, www.engadget.com, www.techradar.com and more.
LEEDS UNITED ARE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP!
Finally. 3 years in League One and now we're a Championship side. And it came right down to the last game. All they needed was a win. 3 points. At first I thought, reletively easy. Until Max Gradel gets sent off. And then the opposition score. Hmm, 10 men and one goal down, that's not the script... However, after a flyer of an equaliser, Jermaine Beckford was the man of the hour. He scores a scrambler of a goal, but nonetheless, scores the winner! 3 points, 2nd place, automatic promotion.
Stuff
Well, we have a hung parliament after an inconclusive, yet interesting election. Lib Dems are talking to both Labour and the Conservatives. Mostly the Conservatives. I don't know what might happen. However, some sort of electoral reform is more than necessary. Not going to dwell on this, as I'll have more to say when plans have been laid out...
I'm looking forward to a number of movies at the box office. Iron Man 2 is out. Robin Hood got 4 stars off of Empire (www.empireonline.com) and there are bound to be some nice summer affairs that will be worth £7.50 a ticket!
That's all for now, I'm tired and my neck aches. Oh, and my eyes are sore.
T x
29 April 2010
Phones...
So, I've ordered the HTC Desire. I think it might be out of stock at the moment (my brother's had some ordering issues with Orange), but I cannot wait until the device is in my hands.
For a while I considered the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, another Android device, offering similar functionality. Large screen, all in one Social Networking, a (very good) camera Apps, widgets and smart phone functionality. However, it was the hardware that was lacking. Less than 400Mb of RAM and no multitouch support were deal breakers. An additional flaw was that it runs Android 1.6. So, with a heavily skinned UI and little RAM, the speed of the phone let it down, despite it's 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
So, will my desires be fulfilled? I hope so. Speed is of the essence here. Add that to HTC Sence UI and some rather handy looking apps and widgets, I'm looking for a wonderful smart phone introduction. Multitouch, 1GHz processor, 576Mb RAM, 5Mp camera, 7 home screens, "scenes," Android, widgets, apps and more...
When I get the phone...
My brother (and colleague) made an original phone call on the Saturday. As far as he was concerned, the deal was made and Orange would call me at 6pm on the Monday. By 7pm, I hadn't heard anything. So, I made the call myself. I have a phobia of calling unknown people, so this was somewhat of a nightmare for me. Anyway, I made the call, made the deal, only to be told, "it's passed 7pm and so the postcode check will need to be made tomorrow. We'll call you back at 3:30..." The following day, 3:30pm cam and went. I called at about 6pm. At first, some system was down: "could you call back in an hour?" "An hour?" I said, "but that's going past 7pm again." "Oh yeah, try again in 20mins."
I gave them half an hour, called them back, everything got sorted and they said that the phone would be with me on Thursday. Great!
My bro on the other hand hadn't received his phone as promised. So, he called Orange. The order hadn't gone through properly! So, they made the order and was also told Thursday. Thursday came along and still no phone in the post. He called again and, once again, the order hadn't been done properly. Now they're out of stock! Wednesday next week at the earliest!
And so, I'm here... I wonder if a delivery has been made, or if they've messed me around too? I'm glad I've moved away from O2: they are expensive and didn't seem to bother too much when I called to cancel. I'm sure that, when I've got the phone, I'll be glad of the switch, particularly with Orange's 3G coverage. Therefore, PATIENCE is the game. Life is stressful enough to worry about when a phone will arrive.
I've rambled. This was originally a post entitled Phones, Politics and Stuff. It's now only about phones.
T-Ray :)
For a while I considered the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, another Android device, offering similar functionality. Large screen, all in one Social Networking, a (very good) camera Apps, widgets and smart phone functionality. However, it was the hardware that was lacking. Less than 400Mb of RAM and no multitouch support were deal breakers. An additional flaw was that it runs Android 1.6. So, with a heavily skinned UI and little RAM, the speed of the phone let it down, despite it's 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
So, will my desires be fulfilled? I hope so. Speed is of the essence here. Add that to HTC Sence UI and some rather handy looking apps and widgets, I'm looking for a wonderful smart phone introduction. Multitouch, 1GHz processor, 576Mb RAM, 5Mp camera, 7 home screens, "scenes," Android, widgets, apps and more...
When I get the phone...
My brother (and colleague) made an original phone call on the Saturday. As far as he was concerned, the deal was made and Orange would call me at 6pm on the Monday. By 7pm, I hadn't heard anything. So, I made the call myself. I have a phobia of calling unknown people, so this was somewhat of a nightmare for me. Anyway, I made the call, made the deal, only to be told, "it's passed 7pm and so the postcode check will need to be made tomorrow. We'll call you back at 3:30..." The following day, 3:30pm cam and went. I called at about 6pm. At first, some system was down: "could you call back in an hour?" "An hour?" I said, "but that's going past 7pm again." "Oh yeah, try again in 20mins."
I gave them half an hour, called them back, everything got sorted and they said that the phone would be with me on Thursday. Great!
My bro on the other hand hadn't received his phone as promised. So, he called Orange. The order hadn't gone through properly! So, they made the order and was also told Thursday. Thursday came along and still no phone in the post. He called again and, once again, the order hadn't been done properly. Now they're out of stock! Wednesday next week at the earliest!
And so, I'm here... I wonder if a delivery has been made, or if they've messed me around too? I'm glad I've moved away from O2: they are expensive and didn't seem to bother too much when I called to cancel. I'm sure that, when I've got the phone, I'll be glad of the switch, particularly with Orange's 3G coverage. Therefore, PATIENCE is the game. Life is stressful enough to worry about when a phone will arrive.
I've rambled. This was originally a post entitled Phones, Politics and Stuff. It's now only about phones.
T-Ray :)
13 April 2010
Opera Mini
So, there is an alternative browser on the iPhone and the iPod touch. It's called Opera Mini. First impressions are OK. I'm not blown away by it. But I've temporarily replaced Safari with it on the "dock." I do like the home screen with nine favourites. I'm going to give it a whirl and report back...
UPDATE 29th April:
I've given up on Opera. It didn't appear to be any faster and I didn't like it rendered the zoomed out view. Also, it didn't default to mobile view as well as screwing some pages up (including Include Solutions' very own site!)
UPDATE 29th April:
I've given up on Opera. It didn't appear to be any faster and I didn't like it rendered the zoomed out view. Also, it didn't default to mobile view as well as screwing some pages up (including Include Solutions' very own site!)
12 April 2010
General Musings
Well, really I'm just going to have a general muse about stuff.
I'm currently in the middle of building a website. The design and layout is done. All images are sorted. The main page is online with a URL and everything! There's an associated blog, a Youtube channel, a Twitter feed and a Facebook fan page. The website has been built using Dreamweaver CS4 and I've really enjoyed learning it. I didn't know anything in January, now I have a working website (under construction!).
Enough about that! Movies. Avatar was awesome. Kick-Ass was so cool. What am I waiting for? Iron Man 2. The trailer has left me wanting more. I cannot wait.
What else has been in my thoughts? The HTC Desire. Oh yes. I no longer crave for the iPhone. Android has surpassed the OS of Apple's device. I don't think OS 4.0 will better Android 2.1 let alone 2.2 (Froyo). The Desire is out on 29th April. I will be first in line!
Busy day tomorrow. Diploma stuff kicks off. I've a nice little project planned.
T x
I'm currently in the middle of building a website. The design and layout is done. All images are sorted. The main page is online with a URL and everything! There's an associated blog, a Youtube channel, a Twitter feed and a Facebook fan page. The website has been built using Dreamweaver CS4 and I've really enjoyed learning it. I didn't know anything in January, now I have a working website (under construction!).
Enough about that! Movies. Avatar was awesome. Kick-Ass was so cool. What am I waiting for? Iron Man 2. The trailer has left me wanting more. I cannot wait.
What else has been in my thoughts? The HTC Desire. Oh yes. I no longer crave for the iPhone. Android has surpassed the OS of Apple's device. I don't think OS 4.0 will better Android 2.1 let alone 2.2 (Froyo). The Desire is out on 29th April. I will be first in line!
Busy day tomorrow. Diploma stuff kicks off. I've a nice little project planned.
T x
28 March 2010
Will Leeds ever be Promoted?
I'm not confident of this! Leeds seem to be on a downward slide to the end of the season! Too many losses and draws in the last 10 games or so has left us on the same points as Millwall! Only goal difference is helping us - and that won't last too long if the losses keep happening.
The boys have got to pull something out of the bag if they have any hope of automatic promotion. And it has to be automatic. Leeds' recent record in play offs is woeful.
Come on Simon Grayson, sort it out!
The boys have got to pull something out of the bag if they have any hope of automatic promotion. And it has to be automatic. Leeds' recent record in play offs is woeful.
Come on Simon Grayson, sort it out!
08 February 2010
Where did January go???
It's February 2010! Wow. All I want to say is that I'm loving using Dreamweaver. Developing websites is a lot of fun! Just looking at how to link twitter, facebook and a blog onto the website using html stuff.
Nice
Nice
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)