Category: Technology
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It ought to be obvious to everyone by now that it simply isn't possible to stop audio and video content being freely distributed, and the challenge is how to generate revenue around that fact of modern-day life. Recently The Guardian reported on the Monty Python response (Now for something completely different): "For three years you…
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Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I already have a device that can record digital TV. It’s the Now TV/DVB combined set-top box that can receive Now HD and terrestrial digital channels. All you need to do is add an external disk through the USB connector, and off you go. Admittedly the functionality is…
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I’m rather liking Google Chrome. It seems far more intuitive and easier to use that Internet Explorer (OK, that’s not much of a challenge). Of course Chrome lacks some features found in IE and other browsers, but Google clearly decided to start with something simple, and that’s got to be a good thing. So far…
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In the past I have expressed my puzzlement about people who use work email or shared email addresses rather than having their own personal email. The solution is obvious – use a free online email service. GMail is free and it works very well, so why bother to use anything else? You can easily set…
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Now that we have high definition (HD) television in Hong Kong (well, one channel plus ATV’s pathetic two hours per night), retailers want to sell us HD televisions. You will find that you have a choice between so-called ‘HD ready’ and ‘Full HD’ screens. Both are high definition, but so-called ‘Full HD’ is a higher…
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Last week I mentioned that TVB Pearl has introduced a service for watching TV shows (well, one particular show) online. So I had to try it out, but I have to say that I was totally underwhelmed by the experience. The show plays on a tiny embedded screen surrounded by black bars (it’s the plane…
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I thought the Magic TV 5000 was hugely over-priced at HK$4980 (as per their website and Post Magazine), and so I am not surprised that Fortress is now selling it for HK$3999 – which is more reasonable but still too high. There’s another similar box from Topcon, at HK$2199 for 160gb and HK$2599 for 250gb, and…
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There’s an excellent editorial in today’s Sunday Morning Post (Burning iPhone envy? Don’t believe the hype): Undeniably, since its inception in the 1970s, Apple has revolutionised the way we use personal computers and listen to music. iPod’s impact today has been as great as the Sony Walkman, if not greater. Its worldwide popularity forces music…
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Since digital TV was launched in Hong Kong I have been waiting for a personal video recorder (PVR) that uses the electronic programme guide (EPG). They are now available. I came across a curious device in one shop from Picazzo, which claims to “support digital TV recording”, but it lacks a hard disk and reviews suggest…
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Sometimes you have to admire the ingenuity of Hong Kong companies in overcoming problems – and wonder why the government couldn’t make life simpler. Problem #1. Smartone would like to steal some of PCCW’s fixed-line customers, but they don’t have a fixed line network. Solution – launch a mobile service masquerading as a fixed-line service…
Ordinary Gweilo 