2009 TB Tech Annual Review
Tom on January 5, 2010
2009 has been and gone – and if the development of consumer technology is as fruitful this decade as in the last, the future is looking very exciting.
However, an important part of developing in the future – both for the consumer tech industry and indeed, for this blog – is reflecting on the past. 2009 [...]
Pictures: HP Mini 110 by Studio Tord Boontje
Tom on December 20, 2009
To help the netbook industry end 2009 with a bang, HP has teamed up with yet another niche design team to create a distinctive and individual run of 10-inch Mini 110 models. This time around, it’s by Studio Tord Boontje – a designer with Dutch-French influence.
And while it’s not as feminine as the blazing-pink Vivienne [...]
Review: HP Envy 15 1015tx notebook
Tom on December 7, 2009
HP’s latest notebook, the 15.6-inch Envy 15, moves the consumer notebook line from HP into a whole new level of luxury, performance, and design. The Envy 15, along with it’s sibling, the 13-inch Envy 13, is designed to sit above the Pavilion line as the premium consumer notebook in HP’s expansive laptop lineup.
In [...]
Personal: My Apple iPhone 3GS
Tom on November 9, 2009
I bought an iPhone 3GS last week, on November 5. A short essay on my thoughts follows the picture set.
In the end, it was the sixteen-gigabyte black 3GS that I went for. Of course, I didn’t wish to buy it outright — I instead opted for a reasonably-priced Telstra corporate plan that includes a [...]
Snow Leopard’s First Day
Tom on August 28, 2009
It happened just by chance, rather than by careful prior planning. It turned out I was in the city, near to the CBD Apple Store as it was today, so I thought I would swing by and find myself a copy of Snow Leopard, merely coincidentally on its first day of availability.
The excitement at [...]
Review: HTC Magic
Tom on July 4, 2009
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
— Arthur C. Clarke.
The latest Android handset from Taiwanese manufacturer HTC, the Magic, may not fulfil dreams of any wizardry taking place beyond its pebble-like form, but is it sufficiently advanced to satisfy Sir Arthur’s definition?
As a fan of HTC’s developing work with the open-source Google Android [...]
Commentary: The iPhone 3G S
Tom on June 29, 2009
An essay by Tom Baker.
I haven’t used an iPhone 3G S yet. I can quite easily imagine what it will be like, though; I’ve used the iPhone 3G running the 3.0 software extensively.
My vision of the 3G S experience was easy to create. This is down to the fact that the 3G S is nearly [...]
Quick Review: Toshiba NB100 netbook
Tom on March 9, 2009
With thanks to Hugh Cameron.
Toshiba has entered the netbook fray – a market frothing with new competitors introduced every other day, with the 8.9-inch NB100. This model is the Business specification – is designed to be a good performer on the business scale and slide easily into the briefcase, or handbag.
While Toshiba’s PR stays [...]
The BlackBerry Bold 9000 for Telstra
Tom on January 24, 2009
Our first look at the BlackBerry Bold 9000 for the Telstra network.
Review: Grooveshark music stream
Tom on January 20, 2009
Grooveshark is a new web service that offers free streaming of a huge catalogue of music – indeed, its tagline is Play any song in the world, free!
And unlike so many streaming music services, Grooveshark actually works. When I say ‘works’, I don’t mean “functions well sometimes”.
This web service has succeeded in holding all the [...]