Yes, you read it right… It has cracked again.  I’ve been so very careful with it, making sure it’s not dropped or anything.  I’m very disapointed.

I’ve just completed the upgrade of Windows Vista to Windows 7, I’m still learning a little bit about it at the moment so we will see how it goes…

For more visit… The Windows 7 Beta Page

There comes a time when it’s time to upgrade to something new or exciting.  I’ve had my iPhone for nearly six months now and it was time that it was a little more protected on a daily basis.  For me, the beauty in the iPhone is that it’s unique plastic skin is kept as neat and tidy as can be. 

I already have a case which is there for daily use, it’s only a hip case and just protects my phone from the jangling change in my pockets and keeps it at hand for a time when it’s needed.  As you can imagine this isn’t entirely adequate.  I have been in the market for a case which would protect my phone but also allow me the continued use of my hip-style-case.  I ventured into an O2 Shop for the first time in a while to scope out what was available. 

To my surprise I discovered a nifty little case, well it’s not really a case it’s more of second back, it simply clicks on and gives that little bit of added protection to the glossy but incredibly fragile iPhone skin.  I have to say however, that O2′s Shop people leave a lot to be desired, it’s all very well to keep me waiting for about ten minutes but when it’s closer to twenty it makes for an annoyed potential customer, it would seem that a piss up in a brewery would be easier to arrange than a trip to buy something from an O2 Shop.  I believe that the monkies they employ need some more appriate training.  That leads me to something I read the other day and something which has happened to myself on many an ocasion. 

It’s interesting when you’re technically minded you get dragged into many an argument over what’s the best thing to buy or what’s the best option for someone who needs to arrange to have a broadband connection fitted and want the best deal they can get for example. I find myself; being the nosey sod that I am, earwigging in on their conversations with the shop workers and hearing them often being pointed in the wrong direction and just can’t resist saying something to either them or the shop worker.  The people working in said shops should be trained enough to know about what and how their respective technologies work, but more often than not this isn’t the case. When you weigh up the facts I don’t work for them and I’m not on the payroll but somehow I’m compelled to give technical advice, maybe it’s because I just can’t keep my big flapping mouth shut.

As you probably know technology moves so quickly these days and it’s hard to keep up with it, in this post I’m only going to cover two topics that might be of interest to all you geeks out there.

iPhone 3G Update January 2009

I’m still in love with my iPhone, I think I always will be.  Since I got the new one it’s been nice to see how stable the latest update is, there is now very few dropped calls and crashes, yes you still get the odd one or two but that’s to be expected with such a complex Operating System.  It’s nice to see that the App store continues to grow with new applications being released almost daily.

A few notable Apps are:

Facebook Mobile – This App has recently had a barrage of bad press due to wrong times showing and problems with crashes.  I’ve never had the crashes but the time problems are still there with the latest update, I’m sure the FB developers are aware of this and they’ll get it sorted when they find the fault.

Trains – Yes, you do have to pay for this one, but it’s a great little App that uses data from the UK’s National Rail Enquires website to deliver relatively up to date information about where you’re train is and if it’s going to be late. Come on it’s a great application and stop moaning about the price it’s 0.59p!

And Finally…

MMS! -  Our noble friend Ross has been running a service which allows you to send and receive MMS messages directly to your iPhone something which apple deemed unimportant to include in favour of encouraging E-mail as a mobile photo exchange system.  I, for one, always wanted MMS I don’t use it that often but sometimes it nice to one; have it in case you need it and two; send a picture or two to someone when you see something interesting.  Ross teamed up with a chap called Ed and they developed together a native application which is excellent, big thanks must go to these two guys they really have made life a hell of a lot easier with the iPhone now lets hope that both Apple and O2 take note of the applications popularity and add a native built in application for MMS… We’ll see.

Here’s to hoping that all the things we want for the iPhone get added soon.  Come on Apple…

Windows 7 Beta testing

The Best thing since Vista, well not quite, it’s being tagged as the better version of Vista, I quite like Vista I always have.  It works well as long as have a minimum of 3GB of Ram, otherwise it’s just power hungry, at idle on my laptop the Aero theme uses just under 1GB of Ram and that’s with a Dual Core Processor.  We’ll see if the update to Vista is worth anything, I plan to download it on my desktop when it’s publically available again.

So Woolworths has now closed all of it’s stores and business operations across the UK.  It’s been something which has been accepted badly, nobody wanted to see it happen but nobody could save it.  It’s a funny old thing; business.  Sometimes things just don’t work out.

This store has now closed.

We’ve seen a corporation which has existed for ninety-nine years crumble and all it’s stores end up as a cavernous wreckage of memories and regret.  It brings a tear to my eye to see my local Woolworths closed and empty, even the sign on the outside has been removed, leaving just a stained brick pattern behind it.

There are now twenty-seven thousand people left jobless and hopeless, this climate of economical challenge has certainly made it’s mark.  I just wonder to myself which business will be next.

But… If anyone is interested I have a six foot high Woolworths sign for sale at a very reasonable price…

I seem to be having vile mood swings at the moment, this could be coupled with the lack of smoking, but I doubt it seeing as that only lasted a day.  My reasoning for starting again is that having a new years resolution is vaguely religious and being an atheist I should not endorse such fanciful endeavours.  I did try to quit, it just didn’t last, well it only lasted about twelve hours but the intention was there, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

It seems to be that my being vile has no connection to anything.  Although maybe I’m blind sided into not seeing why my moods are worsening.  In depth self-psychoanalysis was never my strong point but I do make a lovely cup of tea; but I do put the milk in first so if you want one, you will have to put with that.

It’s been a funny start to two-thousand and nine, what with the credit crunch and the major chaos on the trains and also the ensuing tension in Gaza; but alas at least the year can only get better.