Surprise! Vodafone says it's great

Seen all those roadside posters trumpeting Vodafone's outstanding records for call completion, coverage, etc? Most of the percentages seem to be in the late nineties, presumably all designed to make us feel all warm and fuzzy about Voda and its great network.

But if you follow that little asterisk at the side of all the claims, you'll notice that they come from an internal Vodafone survey. In other words, it's not independent research.

Can we believe them? Given that Vodafone is among those who insist we're not getting screwed on call prices - but won't provide transparent evidence - you can make your own judgment.

An iPod in a phone

Coming to you today from Amsterdam, where Nokia has just launched a trio of new handsets, called the N series. The most surprising among them was a music phone, with a 4GB hard drive and Wi-Fi built in.

The N91 (couldn't the big N ditch that unimaginative naming convention?) is hardly an iPod killer, given that it's slated to cost €700 without contract. But as a compromise device (phone, player and camera), I've seen worse. Looks slick, works well (bar the usual screwy Nokia keypad) but you'll have to wait until October to get your hands on it. Quite what the Wi-Fi will be useful for is another question. Voice over IP might be possible but there's no software for Nokias to implement that yet, nor is it likely the N91 has the horsepower for audio decoding/encoding.

The N90 wants to shatter the maxim that you'll never get a good photo from a cameraphone. Like all of the N series, it has a two-megapixel sensor but is augmented by a Carl Zeiss lens, which addresses a serious weakness in such devices.

The last of the trio, the N70, is merely an update of Nokia's high-end 3G phone, the 6680, lacking in any radical features but its small size.

Apple gets to work

In this week's column, read about Apple's iWork productivity suite. For a suite, it's a bit short on components, containing only presentation software and word-processing/layout (Microsoft's suites usually have at least four elements). But the learning curve is shallow and the templates mighty fancy. Shame compatibility with both MS PowerPoint and MS Word is spotty at best.

Don't forget, the next version of Apple's operating system, codenamed Tiger, is released on Friday. Selected shops around the country will be staying open late for the official launch at 6pm. Visit the Tiger site for details of where to go and watch out for a review in the paper next week.

In games, Doom 3 hits the Xbox and it's no Halo killer. Looks outstanding but plays like the last 10 years never happened, ie, linear and lacking in surprises (not counting the trouser-spoiling ones when the demons emerge from nowhere and close enough to smell).

Also reviewed are Viewtiful Joe 2, a second helping of the pseudo-balletic superhero (not much new to report but it was a humdinger to start with), followed by and Tak 2 (kids' platformer whose uneven difficulty is its worst enemy). Lastly, there's EyeToy: AntiGrav - a smart idea (using the motion-tracking camera to trigger the moves of an on-screen boarder) which doesn't come off because of technical troubles.

Xbox and PSP hot tips confirmed

We know the name of the next-generation Xbox and now we know what it looks like. Erm, probably. Pictures of a curved, sleek, grey box with prominent branding of the Xbox 360 logo have leaked onto the net, filling in the final pieces of what Microsoft is doing with its super-powerful console.

It appears to be much smaller than the black hulk of the first generation and reminds me more than a bit of the Sky+ box. Could, of course, be an elaborate fake.

Still with consoles, Sony has confirmed the worst-keep secret of the month by admitting the awesome PlayStation Portable is delayed from European shores until September 1. Pricing has been set at €255 for the standard machine but at least you'll get a 32MB memory card (bloody useless capacity!) and carrying pouch in the bundle.

Voda calls up Wi-Fi

Vodafone was the one notable holdout against the spread of high-speed Wi-Fi across Ireland but the mobile network has finally jumped in with a partnership deal that enables its customers to use hotspots from competing providers BT and Bitbuzz.

The double deal gives post-paid Voda users access to about 140 wireless zones around Ireland, though this is less than half the number which Eircom subscribers have on that rival network (though many of those points are just phone boxes!). The pricing structure is the same as BT's rather optimistic tariff of €10 an hour. This compares poorly with Eircom's rate of €12 a month (only if you're an Eircom broadband subscriber, otherwise €30 a month if you're an Eircom phone customer, otherwise - eek - €70 a month), though in many cases whether it's worth the money comes down to the location of each hotspot and your immediate need.

Vodafone realises that Wi-Fi is potentially a huge threat to its flaky 3G network, where the cost of data is humungous relative to its higher-speed but thinly distributed wireless rival. Making free phone calls over Wi-Fi is already eminently possible also so Voda is positioning itself to keep a controlling finger in every pie.

E-mail the Pope

He's 78 but Benedict XVI has already got the hang of this internet thingy. Within a day of his election, Il Papa (or, let's be honest, his aides) has set up an e-mail address where he can be contacted.

Drop a line to benedictxvi@vatican.va and ask him what he thinks of gays, women and contraception.

Sony comes out fighting

In today's paper, read about Sony's plan for a resurgence, having had its thunder stolen by Apple, among others. To this end, the Sony Media Experience was a no-expense-spared tech jamboree for 450 European journalists in the lovely wine country of Bordeaux last week.

We got a glimpse at dozens of Sony's flash new products, including its music players, DVD HandyCams, cameras and TV. But as noted earlier, most hacks were best impressed with the PlayStation Portable - which won't be available here until September.

In games, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory pulls off a third helping of stealth corniness - but only thanks to the Xbox's phenomenal graphics and tweaked gameplay. The PS2 version doesn't cut the mustard by virtue of its vastly inferior visuals and neutered levels.

Also reviewed, Devil May Cry 3 (PS2) is damn hard but improves with repeated play while the limp Rayman: Hoodlums' Revenge (GBA) does our limbless hero a disservice.

Eye in the sky

Inventive web users are putting Google's free satellite maps to good use, with virtual sightseeing the newest game online. Wanna have a look at the Grand Canyon, Bill Gates' house or the Statue of Liberty? Just point and click.

Google acquired the maps through its purchase of digital map maker Keyhole and though the free service covers only the US thus far, Keyhole's coverage extends to the whole world. Europe is only a matter of time, we hope.

One last tickle for Panther

Although Apple has finalised the next release of the Mac OS for April 29, the current version, 10.3, has been given one last lick of paint. A 51MB download, this update to Panther includes a raft of security fixes and finessing to several key components.

Meanwhile, Tiger, AKA 10.4, will cost the usual €130 when it goes on sale in just under two weeks. Unlike Microsoft, which hasn't added any significant features but for security measures since XP was launched in 2001, Apple has rewired the Mac OS four times in the same period if you count the imminent Tiger.

The privilege of keeping up with Apple has been thus about €400 (one of the updates, 10.1, was free) No Windows updates has meant no cost, but the OS has effectively trod water for four years and there's no likelihood of the next version, codenamed Longhorn, before 2006. I know which approach I'd prefer.

A batch of patches

No month is complete without a bundle of fixes from the good people at Microsoft. In April's batch of patches, some nasty little bugs get squashed, including ones in Internet Explorer (of course), MSN Messenger and Word.

Head over to Windows Update for your medicine.

PSP = Pretty Special Powerhouse

To Bordeaux, where Sony is splurging a vault-ful of wonga on launching its new slogan - Sony: like no other - and sneak-previewing its next generation of products, in front of 450 cynical hacks from the four corners of Europe.

Possibly to Sony Electronics' chagrin, the no-expense-spared event - buckets of expensive wine, a stonking performance by Scouse scallies The Coral - will probably be remembered more for the brief hands-on we got with the frankly marvellous PlayStation Portable, which strictly speaking is part of another Sony division.

That one product outshone the dozens of others from Sony Electronics but the most galling revelation (at least from consumers' perspective) is that we won't see the PSP in Europe until September. The reason is because Sony wanted to supply the US market fully before turning its attention to us. But they got the maths wrong because hundreds of thousands of the million units Stateside remain unsold.

But in any case let the drooling begin: the gorgeous screen is terrific not just for gaming but for movies too. Controls, set in the classic PS arrangement and a nice analogue controller. The games themselves (including WipeOut and Ridge Racer) are nothing short of fabulous.

Start saving now. Check next Tuesday's paper for the rest of the rundown from Bordeaux.

BlackBerry feast

In today's column, catch a review of the latest BlackBerry-enabled phones. The highly addictive mobile e-mail technology can now be found in half a dozen devices in Ireland, with O2 selling them all.

A closer look at Siemens' SK65 and the BlackBerry 7100x reveals that though they're much more acceptable aesthetics-wise as phones, they're harder to type on.

Reviewed in games, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is a riot, an FPS as much fun offline as online. Plus there's X-Men 2 for N-Gage (not too ambitious, a little bit dull) and Playboy: The Mansion (Sims-Lite and real nudity to boot).

Trick shots or trick photography?

In what appears to be an ad for a US shoe company, this video shot by a group of skate punks seems to defy all physics as they fire the ball at a basketball hoop and never miss from some incredible angles. There's either some astonishing trick photography going on here or, more likely, the guys attempted repeatedly for days on end until they got the footage they wanted.

A small victory

Spam may just be the goose that kills the fatted calf, or some such metaphor to describe how e-mail is rapidly being ruined. But one small blow was struck in return today when an inveterate spammer was jailed in the US for nine years. The sentence is subject to an appeal, however.

Still, one down, several thousand of the fuckers to go.

Smart-alec knowitall

The Googlers strive constantly to capture all knowledge and fling it back at us in their search results. Last month it started to track movie quotes and seek to link the results to film reviews and other filmic resources. Example: One ring to rule them all. The trick is to preface your query with "movie:". Works too.

Last week, Google added satellite imagery to its tasty maps and today the search engine colonised another territory: encyclopaedias. If you're looking for general facts (say, capital of Ireland), Google's best guess appears up top, linking to a reliable source online.

Funnily, hunting for the best search engine suggests rival Dogpile. How scrupulous.

Pope watch

The pomp and ceremony of today's papal funeral may be positively medieval but the Vatican is on top of this whole internet thingy, offering live TV coverage online of JP's last hurrah.

With a choice of speeds and formats, there's no excuse not to catch the frankly amazing sight - even for atheists - of the teeming millions in Rome.

Bijou printer

In this week's column, read about Canon's iP90 mini photo printer. Just the size of a large hardback, the iP90 still produces the goods at up to A4.

In games, the magnificent Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 wins the prize for longest games title. We can forgive that because it's such an involving squad shooter. Heavy on the blood 'n' guts, though.

Also reviewed: FIFA Street (seems like it would be a great notion, after all who can't recall a thrilling game of street footy - but the end result is a bit of bodge job), Robots (animated movie tie-in is a bit of clunker) and Winnie the Pooh's Rumbly Tumbly Adventure (simple fun but long loading times quickly sap the patience).

Finally, there's a great competition to win one of five copies of Brothers in Arms, if only you can identify the military campaign on which it's based. Clues: 1944, Normandy, parachutes, etc.

Wit and wisdom of geeks

The chatters on IRC are by turns incredibly funny and incredibly stoopid. The sysadmins at bash.org collect the wisest, dumbest and wittiest for your amusement. Start with the top 100 and try not to splutter on your screen.

Warning: it gets extremely crude but persist anyway.

Bit nippy today?

Noticed how your broadband connection is so much snappier this fine Monday? In case you've forgotten, the free speed upgrade for all DSL broadband users came into force today - and you didn't have to lift a finger.

Customers on the standard 512kbps connection (nearly everyone) have been bumped to 1Mbps. Still no word on whether the download cap is being lifted but now we're pushing the speed envelope, why not try grabbing a few (legal) movies at the Internet Archive? We're not talking first-run blockbusters here, think B&W B-movies such as Night of the Living Dead or D.O.A. You'll find a watchable version downloads in about 15 minutes, high quality takes a good bit longer but is worth the wait.

More time for cheap texts

Vodafone has extended its 6c text offer - due originally to finish on March 31. According to the ads on RTE1 tonight, the 100 texts for €6 bargain now runs until May 31.

Shame the terms and conditions on still available on the Voda website still carry the March 31 date.

Two gigs you won't want to miss

Twelve months ago today, Google sprang what everyone took to be an April Fool's by promising one gigabyte of storage in its new webmail service, Gmail. Exactly a year later, Gmail has boosted individual storage to an incredible 2GB, with immediate effect today and with the possibility of more.

Prompted in part by Yahoo's matching of the magic one gig, Gmail obviously had to up its game to maintain its unique selling point. Nonetheless, unlike Yahoo, it's a service which is still not freely available and new users can join only by invitation of an existing member.

Not that Gmail is exactly an exclusive club. Every member, including this column, has 50 invitations at their disposal. You want one? Drop me a line: rprice(at)unison(dot)independent(dot)ie - just say please.