The theme should be looking a hell of a lot more usable now in IE… apologies for the ould inconvenience.
Author: Ken McGuire
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Legal Issues Around Keywords & Meta Tags
TJ McIntyre takes a look at some of the issues (legally) surrounding the use of meta tags and keywords, in particular the use of competitors brands and trademarks as keywords in your meta tags.
Trade mark law was not drafted with metatags or keywords in mind, making it difficult to bring these situations within the legislative language. There will be some situations where the trade mark use is legitimate, for example, a company which manufactures spare parts for BMW cars might be entitled to use “spare parts suitable for BMW†in its metatags.
(via)
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Samsung i600 – Worlds Thinnest 3G Phone
Being the thinnest phone isn’t a title you get to hold onto in the current mobile market for too long, but Samsung can say they’ve got the world’s thinnest 3G qwerty phone now thanks to the release of the i600, the first 3G smartphone with HSDPA and its running Windows Mobile 5.0.
It also comes with built-in Wi-Fi, bluetooth (2.0) and support for podcasting and RSS feeds. Tasty stuff.
From the press release…
Samsung Ultra Messaging i600 users can listen to stereo-quality music and view high quality video clips with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile and a Bluetooth stereo headset. Internet browsing rivals the PC experience due to the device’s large 2.3†high-quality color screen and wireless broadband capabilities. The Samsung Ultra Messaging i600 also includes a speakerphone, built-in voice recognition and support for a 1.3 megapixel digital camera that can record video.
Built-in Pocket MSN offers consumers the consistent and familiar user experience that they currently enjoy with MSN Messenger on their desktops. With this offering, users will automatically have a separate Inbox for Hotmail messages on their device. They will also be able to view their buddy list and chat instantly with their contacts, whenever and wherever they want. All of these features are packed into a slim design, which makes the Ultra Messaging i600 the ideal balance of work and play. The Ultra Messaging i600 is comfortable to hold with a slim body and has a soft finishing which gives it a good grip.
I would have expected their camera (at 1.3mp) to be a little stronger for 3G use (though you also have the now-standard camera at front AND back on the phone). Interesting to see how it fares in the UK market or if we see it hit the Irish one.
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Technology Is A World Dominated By Men
Technology is a world dominated by men, and we’ve seen of late (not bringing up old discussion) that blogging in Ireland is an area that is predominantly male. Then of course, the female bloggers list came out If thats the case, wouldn’t it be great if men and women were all bloggers and iPod users and heavy IMers, RSS junkies and all the rest? Would it make meeting people in your line of business that bit easier?
Maybe, maybe not.
For your morning coffee break (right about now…. good latté on the way) Eric Jordan plays the techno sexual dating game…
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An Apology For IE Users
Just a quick apology for those visiting the blog through IE, I’ve screwed with the theme a small bit and just haven’t gotten around to fixing it as I’m still playing catchup after getting home from Toronto. Noticed it when I was away but I’ll get to it shortly…
Of course, you could just make the world a brighter place and use firefox 😀
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Two Batteries For Apple iPhone?
Rumours are a great thing. When people started over a year ago to mention the possibility of Apple releasing a mobile handset, some laughed, some raised eyebrows and some kept their mouths shut in a hope that that they wouldn’t spoil anything for the future by raising speculation.
Now though it seems that we’re closer and closer to the release of an Apple handset and a few more facts are starting to leak out, including one on the batteries – two batteries in the handset, not just one. The reason being that one battery will power the phone and the majority of its functions while the other one is there to provide juice for MP3 playing so as not to drop your standby/talk rates for battery life.
Cellphones etc (Canada) has a bit more…
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Now Celebrities Ban Mobile Phones
Hospitals ban them, airlines ban them (though this is gradually being reduced through improvements in the security of flight navigation equipment) and now it looks like the new celebrity thing to do is ban everyone on a movie set from using mobile phones – this time its Reese Witherspoon, outlawing mobile phone usage to prevent pictures of her being taken with co-star Jake Gyllenhaal in an attempt stop tabloid rumours about her relationship with her co-star following her divorce from Ryan Philliope last month.
No mention of course of what happens if they’re seen using a mobile. Whatever will they think of next….
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New iPAQs Launched In Japan
I was a lover of my iPAQ HW6515 (pic featured) until I ended up having it repaired, the main board swapped out, and then returned with a bunch of sticky keys (which is likely the main reason that stopped me using it). Of course, when I was in Toronto over the last 9 days or so I dropped into a mobile store offering the same model (the 6515) to see if they had any customer complaints – their simple response being that they had more upset customers than happy ones, each experiencing the same problems I had (having to reboot the phone as the keyboard or joystick might stop working, occasional hangs, sticky keys).Not to let that disappoint you (or me much further), hopefully HP will have learned from any mistakes around that model as they’ve just launched three new GPS iPAQs out in Japan, all offering integrated bluetooth, wifi and Windows Mobile 5 as standard (something the 6515 couldn’t do due to issues with the hardware).
Maybe some day again, if I find myself somewhere warranting a good GPS setup.
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Why Are Apple So Expensive In Europe?
Is there a particular reason that Apple are so expensive in Europe? I’d been reading through a US published magazine (whose name eludes me now) that featured an article on Apple forsaking their European market, then a day later when I hit the Apple Store at the Eaton Centre I was offered a copy of of Microsoft Office (for the Mac) for a price around EUR 250 only to find that when you look at the Irish Apple store online, the same copy is EUR 499. Whats the craic there?
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The K800i In Toronto
If you’re thinking on getting a mobile upgrade around Christmas look no further than the K800i (if it is a camera-based phone you’re after). To be honest, I’ve never been a big fan of them – five or so mobiles I’ve used in the past few years (from the Motorola v300/600, Sony Ericsson P900, HP iPAQ 6515w etc) and I’ve never bothered with them to take pictures.
Until now.
While the phone worked a charm in all other aspects (picking up RSS updates while strolling around down town Toronto – I’ve been away there since November 24th, just back today – , no problems with the roaming for calls and texts), it was the camera that impressed most. Not just the fact that you’re getting fine quality images at 3.2mp but the absolute ease of use – slide down the lens cover and the phone jumps to camera mode, snap, close it over and you’re back to your main phone display.I had even brought along a pocket camera (5mp Konika Minolta dImage X60) but where I took 3-4 shots on the Minolta, I wound up with around 100 on the K800i, just strolling, randomly snapping away. I can’t, honestly can’t, compliment it enough. Now, to try get them on flickr… 🙂
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Almost forgot to add….
…I just had to treat myself.
I don’t even mind the US keyboard layout (seen as my natural keyboard wound up a US version when I ordered it on eBay a few months back). When its priced at around EUR 1300 and not EUR 2100, you can’t very well leave it there now can you? 🙂
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Canada: Back On Home Soil
I miss the place already, have to say the time I had there in the last 8/9 days exceeded any original expectations by a mile and more. Flight back was a bit rough around the edges, awful lot of turbulence but “have iPod, will sleep” was my motto getting on board, that and the glass of wine in the airport coupled with the fact that on Thursday night we had been out until 4:30am to mark the fact we were going home.
Wouldn’t mind a holiday to recover from this one – but you might be glad that blogging will resume its normal service after the weekend. I’ve also started piecing together a map (through Google) of everywhere we hit since last Friday, if anyone is interested, I’ll post a link on Monday I reckon.
For now though its back to business as usual, gig tonight with 3epkano which means I’m on duty in about 2 hours having only stepped foot in the door (left Belfast airport at 8am for the drive home). Kudos to Belfast though, I would never fly out of Dublin again for an international flight, they make things too easy. 30 minutes between landing (stepped off the plane at 7:31am local time), collecting baggage, security checks and back to the jeep (8:02am)… can’t fault it.
Pics up through flickr whenever I find the energy after tonight.
If you’ve ever thought about getting away to Canada, or Toronto in particular – do it. I’m already looking at dates for next year to get back again 🙂
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Canada: Time To Get Home
So here we are, sitting in the kitchen getting readey to head for the airport, the trip to Canada comes to an end. Been away from the blog for a day or two, too much going on around in fairness – was a most fantastic week. Nothing but highs all round, nothing but good things to say. Plenty of things seen, food eaten, drank, good sushi, good pints, good music and plenty of time to relax which was the main thing.
Rumour has it that the plane is on time so we’ve about 30 minutes before taking the 401 back to the airport, flying out around 8:30 and landing in Belfast about 7am home time.
Farewell Toronto…. 🙁
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VOIP Expansion For Nokia
VoIP technology just got better with Nokia, the Finnish mobile manufacturer announcing an expansion to their VoIP range of services. Such a serviceis Nokia’s provision of software to allow users of the N80 handset to make VoIP calls over wi-fi networks using Gizmo by SIPphone. Also included will be Skype support for the N73 model.
More here…
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Nokia And Yahoo Continuing To Prosper
IrishDev.com takes a look at whats going on between Nokia and Yahoo! with word out that Yahoo! are extending their operating services into the new range of Nokia mobiles (6300, 5300) which will include in-built Yahoo! Mail access. You will also be able to synchronise Yahoo! contacts, tasks and calendars through the PC with your Series 40 mobile.
In addition to the millions of users who can add Yahoo services to their S60 smartphone, today’s announcement empowers tens of millions of people (in relation to S40 users – Ken) with the ability to enjoy their favourite Yahoo services on an even broader ranges of Nokia devices
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Canada: Its only Tuesday
Its only Tuesday and the week is going great, which means of course that once tomorrow breaks we’ll be heading into the business end of things but have to say I’m still in awe of the place.
Monday I didn’t even get near the science centre choosing instead to wander up Queen and into the Eaton Centre, a huge (and I mean huge as in it would take you a WEEK to walk around it) shopping mall. So huge was the case that we entered on the second level, made a bee-line for the Apple store and ended up spending an hour in the place where I fell in love with a Mac Book Pro, played around with it for 20 minutes and spent the rest of the time just browsing and testing, browsing and testing. Left the Apple store and checked into Indigo, another HUGE store (this time going for books, cds and more Starbucks) which clocked us up another two hours. Honest to God you’d need the week to get around, whether we head back before the week is out remains to be seen.
Today however it was on to the Ontario Science Centre to check out their exhibits which pretty much took up the whole afternoon. The phone is slowly clocking up some photos but I’ve yet to get a way to take them off the camera and onto the web.
Tomorrow I’m gonna check out the One Of A Kind Show and maybe drop in to the Hockey Hall Of Fame, see how the day goes.
There’s always that Mac Book Pro tho…. 😀
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Nokia N95 Video
Via slashphone comes this video (below)
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Canada: Enjoying The Session
It takes an Irish man to make a session and thats just what happened last night, sitting in a pub called Dora Keogh’s (next door to Allen’s where we had been on Saturday night after the game) we were enjoying the sessiosn – a few fiddle players, uilleann piper, flute, box etc. Up stepped my father for a song, brought the place to pure silence. Welcome to Toronto!
Spent the day crusing around, drove out to Unionville, an old-style town smack bang in the middle of all the modern developments around the city, enjoyed some good coffee, took in some of the sights and sounds. Also managed to something I wouldn’t normally do – go to mass.
Though it was being more of a tourist attraction, the church seemingly an “eco-friendly” one but really interesting to see how mass was held in this huge building – so far removed from your average parish church, floor to ceiling windows staring out at massive condos, a huge sound system and a priest with a wireless mic, sharing the mass between two alters at either side of the church.
The Guinness isn’t fantastic but the local brews are impressive. Off to the Ontario Science Centre (I think) for a few hours this afternoon, see what the craic is there… The body has finally settled into local time as well, makes things a little easier in the morning!
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Nokia N95? Whats All The Fuss About?
There might not be wireless access as a standard, and there might not be GPS built in (which was a plus in me choosing the iPaq 6515 at the time) but there’s still enough to cause a fuss about with Nokia releasing their sexy N95 model in the new year.
Check the review here on Nokialist.
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Canada: So The Maple Leafs Lost
One full day in Canada behind me and it was some day. The gourmet food and wine expo was fantastic. I was there around two hours, you paid for your entrance and then bought “sample tickets” (with the average sample – glass of wine, glass of beer, plate of food) costing you two “tickets”. So we strolled around, tried four or five different wines that I know I wouldn’t see in the off license in Kilkenny, had a ‘Niagra Blonde’ beer, tried a savage plate of pasta cooked in vodka sauce and topped it off with a Razz-Apple Sour cocktail.
All of that before heading across to the ACC (now that I know the ACC stands for Air Canada Centre) to catch the Toronto Maple Leafs in NHL action against the Boston Bruins. The Maple Leafs lost but I’ve been following the NHL for a decade and the result was never going to matter to me – the sheer atmosphere in the arena, the over-priced beers (at CN$9.25 a pint, the hotdogs that taste every bit as good as they smell – start to finish it was simply a great event.
After that it was taxi ride back to Allen’s on Danforth (bit of an Irish connection) where we caught a trad bands, a few bottles and home to bed in the wee hours.
Have to say – Toronto is MASSIVE, but just so easy to get around. Everything is grid-like, everything huge. Been years since I’ve been this side of the Atlantic so I’ll make no apologies for my awe! Have to find a way to get these pictures off my phone and up into that flickr account….
Now for some breakfast….