Friday, November 23, 2007
RAM
11:30PM Tamar Weinberg | You’ve got the hard drive and PCI card installed, but do you have your RAM seated properly? Two years ago, you learned how to speed up your PC by installing new RAM. More »
Using Apple’s database app Bento as a productivity tool
11:55AM Sarah Stokely | Anthony at Pocket Mojo has just reviewed Apple’s new database creation application, Bento. The review is particularly interesting because he used Bento to create a productivity tool for himself. Check the review to see his walkthrough of how he used Bento to organise his workflow, by taking advantage of Leopard’s ability to directly read and write iCal and Address book data:
“As all my workflow is now in iCal I can sync it to my mobile phone and access it from within iCal and Mail – applications that I always have active.”
Good stuff Anthony! Any chance you can share the app you created? It sounds neat. :)
More » PayPal launches payment by mobile
11:21AM Sarah Stokely | PayPal users can now use their mobile phone to check balances or shop at retailers who accept PayPal. You can activate the new Mobile Checkout payment ability through your PayPal account on the website.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the new Mobile Checkout payment method is available from Deals Direct, Ready Flowers and Mobile Wine Club, while Hoyts and Warner Music are expected to start selling tickets and music via mobile phone by Christmas. PayPal also told the SMH it would add the ability to transfer money peer-to-peer and buy products or give money to charity via text message, by early in the new year.
Once your account is activated, you should type m.paypal.com.au into your phone’s browser to get started. If you want a faster log in, go to m.paypal.com.au and activate your phone by creating a PIN.
Anyone got experiences with mobile payments they’d care to share? All I’ve ever done is paid for a coke from a coke machine using my mobile phone. :)
More » Google’s mobile guru talks Android
11:08AM Sarah Stokely | Well we were hoping for a Google phone, and what Google’s delivered instead is Android, an open software mobile phone. Google’s fostering development on the platform by releasing a developer kit and offering $US10 million in prizes for the best software developed for the new platform.
ZDNet has today published an interview with Andy Rubin, head of mobile platforms at Google, where he talks about Android, Linux, the iPhone and the “Dream” prototype phone. Read it here.
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Find a nerdy name for your newborn
10:53AM Sarah Stokely | If you don’t think you can count on your poor parenting skills and the angst of existence in our hellbent society to ruin your child’s life, why not ensure it by chosing a nerdy name for him or her from the annals of science fiction? You have to wonder just how nerdy we’ve become when Sci-Fi Baby Names: 500 Out-of-This-World Baby Names from Anakin to Zardoz gets published. It got me to wondering how many girls are running around out there named Leia. Nice name, but do you think she’ll ever forgive you for it?
I guess parents have been embarrassing their kids like this forever – my dad’s middle name is Rhett because my grandmother was watching Gone with the Wind while in labour, and I’ve met a couple of people named after Lord of the Rings characters. So, do you have a nerdy name, or know someone who does? Spill all in comments please!
Aw, little Nuchadnezzar has your dimples! [Wired's Geekdad blog]
More » Coming next week: Full review of ASUS Eee PC
10:44AM Sarah Stokely | We’re expecting a review unit of ASUS’s Linux-based mini-laptop to arrive at Lifehacker’s door today, so you can expect a full review next week, but I’ve already discovered one thing which I thought was worth correcting immediately. At the launch the other day, an ASUS rep told me it gets up to 5 hours battery life, and I duly quoted this in my writeup of my first impressions of the laptop. But when chatting with another journo I found out she’d been quoted 2-3 hours! I contacted ASUS to get the story straight, and their official response was:
“The battery is a 4 cell: 5200 mAh with an average life of 3.5 hours.”
That’s a lot less than the “up to 5 hours” I was originally quoted, so I’ll be checking battery life carefully when I do the review!
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Lifehacker guide to election day
9:42AM Sarah Stokely | It’s election eve in Australia, so we’ve compiled a roundup of all the information you need for voting tomorrow. Below the cut you can find information on the best information available online to find out who your candidates are and where to vote, along with the a wrap up of the election guides that are available online, and even how to get the election results SMSed to you!
Don’t forget to vote, and if you’re having an election night party, have fun! :)
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