Life & Technology

The ‘Flip’ is an all new personal video recorder, designed to make it easy to video, edit and post your video’s online. The hype on this product over the last few months has been deafening, but me, Um I don’t see what all the fuss is all about.

I love technology, and it usually excites me. However, from the very moment Cisco bought the company that made the Flip, right up to it’s local press event last night. I don’t get it.

It’s a video camera, and it’s not the first of its kind to do what it does. Creative released one years ago called the Vado, so it’s nothing new. It costs around $300, which means you can get a Samsung HD Omnia on a $50 plan and get a much better device.

Cisco, the global networking company bought the company that made the Flip for US$590 million earlier this year. I guess they are planning to sell a bunch of these things, but I think I’d stick to HD Omnia or something similar.

Clip courtesy of the Kerri-Anne Show

Spoke with Kerri-Anne about a few of the applications of the Windows 7 operating system that has just been released by Microsoft. I like the new iteration of the software, and most techies seem to approve, which is more than can be said about versions of the past (remember Windows ME?).

Couple of things to remember: Parents can be administrators on all the computers in the house. Kids will hate this, but this will give parents the ability to decide how much time a kid spends on the computer, or what rating a game is that they are playing on the PC.

Then there is the touchscreen capabilities of the new software. If you have a PC with a touchscreen, you can then use your computer without having to use a keyboard. I don’t recommend you doing this if you are writing a thesis, but if you

For more info on the operating system go here.

I finally got my hands LG’s new watchphone, which is about to hit the market. This is outstanding technology and I believe it will be hot to trot within the next 18 months. It has 3G capabilities, and you can bluetooth to an earpiece, or there is a speaker that you can talk into.

Steve mentioned that a woman wearing a Cartier watch would hardly be interested in one of these due to its size. I concur, but there was a time when mobile phones were the weight and size of a brick, and if there is one thing that is certain, it’s that technology is always changing.

Darren asked if he could get a mobile printer for his handset. He can, but he has to remember to make sure his iPhone is set up for bluetooth, has a rechargeable battery and that he can get a printable driver via the iPhone.

James, Lynn and Pam were all having set-top box issues with their digital gear. What people need to remember, unless there is an actual manufacturing fault with your set-top box, it will not be the problem. It is your reception, so therefore it is a aerial problem so you will have to get a technician out to have a look. I also mentioned that by 2013 the Federal Government has said it will stop analogue broadcasting, so digital television is here to stay.

Steve asked if he could download the details from his old Palm Pilot handset to his new iPhone. As long as the details are already on his PC, or he has the original Palm dock, he can. Just import the folder into iTunes and then export it to the iPhone.

Jeff was looking to upgrade his video camera. Prices have really dropped in this area of consumer electronics and there is a tonne of good gear out there from the usual suspects – Sony, Samsung, Panasonic etc. I did advise that you get one that has steadycam, to stop those jerky movements, as well as 1080p resolution.

Finally, Norman was looking at getting a blu-ray player. A good time to get one, with a huge range out there. You should be able to get a decent one for about $300.