Despite my musings on the subject about 18 months ago, last Tuesday I purchased a Sony PRS-350 ebook reader!
For a long time I've been unsure about the latest medium to go digital. I was staunchly pro paper, concerned about the impact of DRM, multiple formats and cost. However, I decided that now really was a good time to give it a go.
My eBook History, and DRM Troubles
The situation came about a couple of weeks ago when I thought of re-visiting some old ebooks I'd purchased back in 2006 when I experimented with reading on my iPaq PDA. These books were in Microsoft's .LIT format requiring Microsoft Reader to view them and the associated MSN Passport account.
Infuriatingly I found that through lack of use, my Passport account no longer existed and that Microsoft was discontinuing the format. Although I could for the moment still get the reader, I couldn't associate it with a valid account and therefore couldn't get the books.
This is exactly the situation I was worried about - not being able to access books I had legally purchased thanks to over-restrictive DRM.
Fortunately I still had my account details for the store where I bought the books and having contacted them they kindly allowed me to re-download the books in another format - EPUB. Still DRM restricted, but much more accessible being supported by many different devices. Kudos to ebooks.com for their customer service.
So having re-gained access to my books and having discovered how to read them on my Android phone I discovered the benefits of effectively being able to keep a book in my pocket to read whenever I had a spare 5-10 minutes. I found the amount of time I would spend reading significantly increased.
A Dedicated Reader
The big problem now was the screen size, battery life and reading on a backlit screen. It wasn't the most comfortable experience. Not as pleasant as reading paper. So for that reason, and the fact that my real bookshelf is now full to bursting, I decided I might as well get a proper e-Ink device.
There were only two real contenders as far as I could tell based on various internet searches: the Amazon Kindle or a Sony Reader. Not wanting to be locked in to a specific store or device, the Sony seemed the best option. Wanting something pocketable, I chose the PRS-350 - it's smaller than the kindle with a 5" screen and no keypad, and it sports a touchscreen display. Importantly it supports the EPUB format (as well as others) meaning I had a few stores to choose from.
6 Days of Reading
So I've now had the device for nearly a week. I've already read one novel and am half-way through another. I find it very easy to keep with me and to read a chapter every now and again.
The Pearl e-Ink display is a pleasure to read with crisp, clear text; no viewing angle issues and a reasonably quick refresh rate. This particular device having a touchscreen interface makes reading as near to the paper experience as possible with a swipe of the finger across the screen turning the page.
In terms of the experience of reading, I'm really quite happy!
Downsides
There are however a few issues that I believe need to be sorted out, not with the device but with the purchasing of books and their accessibility.
EPUB books are generally sold with DRM restrictions. Fortunately there is a way around this, but whilst the procedure is not difficult I wouldn't expect technically illiterate people to follow it. The Sony Readers can be associated with an Adobe account to permit access to DRM protected books, but I'm wary of doing this based on my past experiences with Microsoft's DRM system. I should state here that I do NOT agree with illegally sharing and obtaining books and I do not indulge in such activities, however I also do not agree with DRM restricting what I can do with books I have bought and therefore have no qualms about de-restricting books I have purchased.
Prices can be interesting. I've found numerous ebooks that are either cheaper than their paperback equivalents or at least on par with them but in some cases, the opposite is true. For example, right now Waterstones are selling Stephen Hawking's 'The Grand Design'. As an ebook it costs £15.99 but as a paperback it costs £8.99 (it's actually £4.99 but that's with a 50% off offer). That is simply crazy and I cannot see any reason for it. Kobo Books is selling the same book for £6.49 so it is available at a reasonable price - why isn't Waterstones (and WHSmith for that matter) also selling at a more reasonable rate?
Related to price are discount codes. Today, Kobo Books has a 20% off code valid for one purchase. Great, I thought, and off I went to purchase Brian Greene's 'The Hidden Reality'. At checkout I was disappointed to note the text 'Due to publisher restrictions Promo codes are not allowed for this product.' This was actually the case for about five different books I tried to use the code with. Perhaps this is an issue with the store in question - maybe they should have a page indicating on what books they code can be used. They didn't however and I can't help but wonder if this is a problem with the ebook system.
The final issue I have is relatively minor and may not be an ebook issue, but it is quality control. I noticed a couple of spelling and grammar errors in my copy of Cold Granite by Stuart Macbride most of which should be detectable using a spell checker. I don't know if these errors exist in the paper copy though so I'm not going to dwell on them.
Conclusion
Overall I'm very happy with my eBooks reader and it has increased the amount of reading I have done significantly.
I hope over time that the issues I experienced above will be ironed out - particularly the DRM issue. I just need to remember to shop around for the best price and be aware that in some cases I may just have to purchase the paper copy where it is significantly cheaper.
There's been a lot written in the technology press recently about e-book readers - tablet like devices with e-ink screens used primarily for reading e-books but also, in some cases, as a basic media player.
Whilst the concept of e-books has been around for a number of years with the likes of Project Gutenberg and reading on PDAs, actual dedicated readers are only around 5 years old though; with more being released with the last year than in the 4 years previous.
The growth of the reader has probably been spurned on by the launch of the Amazon Kindle reader sold by the internet behemoth initially in the US. Now, the latest version is available in the UK and Waterstones have been pushing a Sony model in its stores.
As a gadget, I'm quite impressed. The thin, book size devices - perhaps with a nice leather fold-over cover - with a battery life measured in page turns rather than minutes or hours (when reading at least) certainly results in an appealing gadget but the question is will I buy one?
For some reason or another, I've been pondering this over the last couple of days. Initially I was firmly in the 'NO' camp. I couldn't bear the idea of getting rid of my ordinary books. Bookshelves look nice. They make a home look lived-in. Somehow, an e-book reader would not have the same ambience. My opinion hasn't changed greatly during my musings, but I have moved ever so slightly away from the steadfast 'NO' to "No, but I won't rule it out".
You see, there is a part of me (and it is a small part) that likes the clutter-free home. Where a living room is rather minimalist; dominated by furniture but that's all - books, DVDs, blu-ray discs, CDs are all out of site.
The technology-lover in me reminds me that at one time I thought I'd never embrace music downloads ... now I have a monthly subscription of 75 songs.
I then think of the times I carry books around in my bag and the tatty edges they earn like trophies awarded for the many miles they may have travelled. None of that for a nice e-book reader.
Before I cry 'Vive le (gadget) révolution' and rush to Waterstones waving my wallet shouting 'take my cash, take my cash', there are problems that draw me back into the 400 year old world of print:
If all of these problems are addressed, and I'm sure many if not all will be over time, then I'll reconsider my position on e-books. Until then, paper is my friend.
Whilst the concept of e-books has been around for a number of years with the likes of Project Gutenberg and reading on PDAs, actual dedicated readers are only around 5 years old though; with more being released with the last year than in the 4 years previous.
The growth of the reader has probably been spurned on by the launch of the Amazon Kindle reader sold by the internet behemoth initially in the US. Now, the latest version is available in the UK and Waterstones have been pushing a Sony model in its stores.
As a gadget, I'm quite impressed. The thin, book size devices - perhaps with a nice leather fold-over cover - with a battery life measured in page turns rather than minutes or hours (when reading at least) certainly results in an appealing gadget but the question is will I buy one?
For some reason or another, I've been pondering this over the last couple of days. Initially I was firmly in the 'NO' camp. I couldn't bear the idea of getting rid of my ordinary books. Bookshelves look nice. They make a home look lived-in. Somehow, an e-book reader would not have the same ambience. My opinion hasn't changed greatly during my musings, but I have moved ever so slightly away from the steadfast 'NO' to "No, but I won't rule it out".
You see, there is a part of me (and it is a small part) that likes the clutter-free home. Where a living room is rather minimalist; dominated by furniture but that's all - books, DVDs, blu-ray discs, CDs are all out of site.
The technology-lover in me reminds me that at one time I thought I'd never embrace music downloads ... now I have a monthly subscription of 75 songs.
I then think of the times I carry books around in my bag and the tatty edges they earn like trophies awarded for the many miles they may have travelled. None of that for a nice e-book reader.
Before I cry 'Vive le (gadget) révolution' and rush to Waterstones waving my wallet shouting 'take my cash, take my cash', there are problems that draw me back into the 400 year old world of print:
- The cost. With e-book readers costing upwards of £150, I would be quite wary. Reading in the living room, or at work in the staff room would be great but what about reading in public: on the bus, tube, train or plane, on the beach, in a cafe? Can I engrose myself fully in the book knowing that I hold in my hand what could be quite a desirable object? Advertising to thieves? Also thinking of the beach, what would sand do to the device, or salt water for that matter? Reading in the bath? No thanks. If I drop a paperback in water, I've lost maybe £10. To loose £150 is another matter.
- The cost of a book. As I understand it, e-books aren't significantly cheaper than real books. The argument is that editing costs etc. are the same. I argue that distribution costs must be vastly reduced and the lack of a physical product naturally reduces the value. If I can't get books for cheaper digitally then I'm unlikely to embrace the idea.
- Formats. Amazon uses it's own e-book format for which a Kindle is required. Other readers use more open formats. I don't want to get involved in a format war, so I will wait until a standard for all stores appears that works on all e-book readers. Much like most digital music is now available in MP3 and will play on anything.
- DRM. I know piracy is likely to be an issue, just like with music. However, just like with music, if the product is cheap enough and easy to use I believe many people will opt for the legal option. I won't enter this market if it is riddled with DRM. I don't want to have limits on how many devices I can use, or have the possibility of a book being deleted from my device because of a publication problem.
If all of these problems are addressed, and I'm sure many if not all will be over time, then I'll reconsider my position on e-books. Until then, paper is my friend.
A little more than one week ago, I took delivery of the T-Mobile G1 (otherwise known as the HTC Dream); a smartphone available in the UK exclusively from T-Mobile. It runs the brand new and shiny Android operating system developed by Google and the Open Handset Alliance.
About the Device
The device is primarily a touchscreen unit and competes with other smart phones such as the Apple iPhone, Windows Mobile devices, the newer Nokia telephones and the other equipment that leaves the owner wondering why on Earth these machines are still called 'Mobile Phones' when that particular aspect is modest amongst a profusion of other gadgetry!
At 117.7mm x 55.7mm x 17.1mm, the G1 is not a slight phone by anyone's standards (unless you have been transported from the depths of 1989, where a portable telephone needed four wheels and a combustion engine to move it), but it is on par with other PDA devices and part of the bulk can be forgiven due to the inclusion of a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
The phone features a 3.2" 64k 320x480 (HVGA) touchscreen, a small number of buttons below this, the aforementioned QWERTY keyboard, a MicroSD card slot which will accept up-to at least 16GB of memory, a 3.2MP camera, WiFi, GPS, 3G and Bluetooth. In fact, the only common connectivity protocol I can think of immediately in which it is lacking is IrDA (no infra-red port) but that is becoming quite out-dated and I shouldn't think too many would miss it.
A 1150mAh battery is included (obviously), along with a SIM Card (still stating the obvious?), 2GB MicroSD card (oh how I wish camera manufacturers were this generous), Earphones and an adaptor to connect the 'phones to the G1's MiniUSB socket - that's right, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack. A small carry pouch is provided, a screen protector and a cloth to polish of those pesky finger marks that blight the screen.
First Usage
Once everything is setup, the G1 takes a minute to boot up and the first thing one is asked to do is sign in to a Google account. This is an area which people will either love or hate. The G1 is heavily tied in to Google features such as GMail, GTalk and Calendar and by adding your Google account to the G1, these apps will be continuously synchronised unless specifically told not to. This means that emails will be received almost immediately, calendar items will appear on the phone and on the website, contacts in GMail will appear in the phone contacts. Some won't like this level of integration with the search behemoth but one could always sign up for a Google account and then not use it. There is no other synchronisation option though so these users will loose out.
Once booted, the Android operating system presents a home screen which is split into three desktops containing a selection of icons linking to the various Google services and telephone functions such as SMS messaging, contacts and the phone dialler. A drawer is placed at the foot of the screen which contains all installed applications. The top of the screen contains the notification area and the usual suspect of icons indicating battery life and signal strength.
The interface feels quite intuitive, with a quick swipe of the touch-screen to the left or right to move between desktops. The notification area can be dragged down to see details of any notifications that have been received. Likewise, the drawer can be dragged up to open it and then the screen can be swiped up and down to scroll through the icons.
Applications work in a similar fashion. The web browser for example will show a full webpage which can then be navigated by dragging the screen.
Negative Points
Since the G1 is relatively new not only in hardware but in the software that it runs, there are some flaws which are worth mentioning.
One of the biggest problems is down to battery life. After a week of usage, I find that the G1 tends to need a charge every day. This is with moderate usage throughout the day using 3G internet, playing music and some games and sending a few text messages. When making heavy use of WiFi, the battery life is significantly shorter. There are 3rd party batteries on the market but I understand that these add to the bulk of the phone.
Another drawback is the quality of the camera. It is very difficult to keep the G1 steady whilst taking a picture not least because one's thumbs tend to push at the sliding screen whilst the camera button is being depressed. There is no flash, so low light pictures are pretty much ruled out straight away. On the plus side, there is a reasonable 3.2MP sensor and auto focus.
If it is the intention to use the G1 for the playing of music, the supplied player is sparse on features. One can browse music by artist, album, song or playlist and embedded album art is supported. The device will play MP3, OGG, AAC and WMA files (assuming these are unprotected files) but there is currently no FLAC support. There is also no graphical equaliser which, to my ear, makes the audio rather lacking and flat. How much this is a problem does depend on how much the user cares for audio quality though. There are additional music applications available from the Android Market. A scrobbler is available to send details to a last.fm account and TuneWiki tries to improve on the default player by integrating other online features such as lyric and community search. Hopefully, over time, audio quality and codec support will be an area that can be improved with new software.
The supplied internet browser does work well but can slow down occasionally on heavy sites. There is a zoom feature allowing more or less of a site to be displayed at once but this can take a bit of getting used to. Unfortunately the screen does not auto rotate into landscape mode when the phone is orientated as such unless the keyboard is exposed. There is no on screen keyboard which some may miss and no text search. Apart from those few small problems though, web browsing is pleasant enough. There is no Flash support at present although rumours are abound suggesting that it could be implemented next year.
Positive Points
But let us not dwell on the bad points of this phone for there are many good features too.
The GPS works very well with the supplied Google Maps application; allowing one to search for a location and navigate to it from the current location. Other GPS applications are available such as software which will record tracks which can be used to calculate a distance travelled, speed and elevation. The data can be exported to Google Maps online for viewing in a browser. Another simple application will just show the status of the GPS receiver such as how many satellites are being utilised, the current accuracy, GPS time and position.
I've mentioned it already, but the Google integration works very well. I have noticed that emails are available within 1 minute of the received date and the syncronisation between the G1's calendar and the Google calendar was very quick too. I have not had a chance to thoroughly test the Instant Messaging feature.
SMS messages are sorted by contact, so all messages to and from one person are grouped together creating the feel of an instant message conversation. This form of organisation makes communication via SMS very friendly - there's no wondering what was said in the last message any more.
The degree to which the device can be customised is a big plus for me. Android does not state that certain icons must appear on the desktop. One can remove all icons if that is what is wanted so that the only elements visible are the application drawer and notification area. I have mine setup with my main applications on the middle screen, internet bookmarks on the right and favourite applications sorted into folders on the left. Like many phones, the wallpaper can be customised and the combination of the two can make for a very personalised front screen.
One of my favourite aspects of the Android system has to be the Market. The applications and games available have really helped to make the device personal and useful. Paid applications were launched to the UK last week. Hopefully over time the Market will grow and some truly great applications will become available.
Conclusion
Overall, I am extremely happy with my G1. It appeals to my love of Open Source software and the potential for Android to become a significant player in the mobile software market is huge. Hardware wise, I find the unit comfortable to hold and not to heavy to carry. The keyboard makes working with email, SMS, instant messaging and the internet a joy.
There is no doubt that the G1 has some faults but I don't find that any of them too distracting. Really, this is cutting edge stuff. Over time, Android will be developed and will improve. Rumours are abound that an update is due soon which will provide an on-screen keyboard and stereo bluetooth support. As long as Android continues to be updated, the G1 will continue to improve.
I would already rate the Android software over Windows Mobile just because of it's customisation options and the range of software that has been built up in such a short space of time. Business users will not agree though - there is no Exchange support or MS Office document support at this time. Again though, this is likely to change through 3rd party development and software updates.
Would I recommend this phone to another? Well that depends. Heavy phone users who do not have access to power throughout the day should perhaps think again. Those who just want to pick up the phone and get going without having to investigate 3rd party applications and customisation, I'd say probably not. But for those who want to support Open Source projects, want to have their phones at the cutting edge of technology and are happy to put up with a few niggles then yes. I'd recommend the T-Mobile G1 in an instant.
About the Device
The device is primarily a touchscreen unit and competes with other smart phones such as the Apple iPhone, Windows Mobile devices, the newer Nokia telephones and the other equipment that leaves the owner wondering why on Earth these machines are still called 'Mobile Phones' when that particular aspect is modest amongst a profusion of other gadgetry!
At 117.7mm x 55.7mm x 17.1mm, the G1 is not a slight phone by anyone's standards (unless you have been transported from the depths of 1989, where a portable telephone needed four wheels and a combustion engine to move it), but it is on par with other PDA devices and part of the bulk can be forgiven due to the inclusion of a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.
The phone features a 3.2" 64k 320x480 (HVGA) touchscreen, a small number of buttons below this, the aforementioned QWERTY keyboard, a MicroSD card slot which will accept up-to at least 16GB of memory, a 3.2MP camera, WiFi, GPS, 3G and Bluetooth. In fact, the only common connectivity protocol I can think of immediately in which it is lacking is IrDA (no infra-red port) but that is becoming quite out-dated and I shouldn't think too many would miss it.
A 1150mAh battery is included (obviously), along with a SIM Card (still stating the obvious?), 2GB MicroSD card (oh how I wish camera manufacturers were this generous), Earphones and an adaptor to connect the 'phones to the G1's MiniUSB socket - that's right, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack. A small carry pouch is provided, a screen protector and a cloth to polish of those pesky finger marks that blight the screen.
First Usage
Once everything is setup, the G1 takes a minute to boot up and the first thing one is asked to do is sign in to a Google account. This is an area which people will either love or hate. The G1 is heavily tied in to Google features such as GMail, GTalk and Calendar and by adding your Google account to the G1, these apps will be continuously synchronised unless specifically told not to. This means that emails will be received almost immediately, calendar items will appear on the phone and on the website, contacts in GMail will appear in the phone contacts. Some won't like this level of integration with the search behemoth but one could always sign up for a Google account and then not use it. There is no other synchronisation option though so these users will loose out.
Once booted, the Android operating system presents a home screen which is split into three desktops containing a selection of icons linking to the various Google services and telephone functions such as SMS messaging, contacts and the phone dialler. A drawer is placed at the foot of the screen which contains all installed applications. The top of the screen contains the notification area and the usual suspect of icons indicating battery life and signal strength.
The interface feels quite intuitive, with a quick swipe of the touch-screen to the left or right to move between desktops. The notification area can be dragged down to see details of any notifications that have been received. Likewise, the drawer can be dragged up to open it and then the screen can be swiped up and down to scroll through the icons.
Applications work in a similar fashion. The web browser for example will show a full webpage which can then be navigated by dragging the screen.
Negative Points
Since the G1 is relatively new not only in hardware but in the software that it runs, there are some flaws which are worth mentioning.
One of the biggest problems is down to battery life. After a week of usage, I find that the G1 tends to need a charge every day. This is with moderate usage throughout the day using 3G internet, playing music and some games and sending a few text messages. When making heavy use of WiFi, the battery life is significantly shorter. There are 3rd party batteries on the market but I understand that these add to the bulk of the phone.
Another drawback is the quality of the camera. It is very difficult to keep the G1 steady whilst taking a picture not least because one's thumbs tend to push at the sliding screen whilst the camera button is being depressed. There is no flash, so low light pictures are pretty much ruled out straight away. On the plus side, there is a reasonable 3.2MP sensor and auto focus.
If it is the intention to use the G1 for the playing of music, the supplied player is sparse on features. One can browse music by artist, album, song or playlist and embedded album art is supported. The device will play MP3, OGG, AAC and WMA files (assuming these are unprotected files) but there is currently no FLAC support. There is also no graphical equaliser which, to my ear, makes the audio rather lacking and flat. How much this is a problem does depend on how much the user cares for audio quality though. There are additional music applications available from the Android Market. A scrobbler is available to send details to a last.fm account and TuneWiki tries to improve on the default player by integrating other online features such as lyric and community search. Hopefully, over time, audio quality and codec support will be an area that can be improved with new software.
The supplied internet browser does work well but can slow down occasionally on heavy sites. There is a zoom feature allowing more or less of a site to be displayed at once but this can take a bit of getting used to. Unfortunately the screen does not auto rotate into landscape mode when the phone is orientated as such unless the keyboard is exposed. There is no on screen keyboard which some may miss and no text search. Apart from those few small problems though, web browsing is pleasant enough. There is no Flash support at present although rumours are abound suggesting that it could be implemented next year.
Positive Points
But let us not dwell on the bad points of this phone for there are many good features too.
The GPS works very well with the supplied Google Maps application; allowing one to search for a location and navigate to it from the current location. Other GPS applications are available such as software which will record tracks which can be used to calculate a distance travelled, speed and elevation. The data can be exported to Google Maps online for viewing in a browser. Another simple application will just show the status of the GPS receiver such as how many satellites are being utilised, the current accuracy, GPS time and position.
I've mentioned it already, but the Google integration works very well. I have noticed that emails are available within 1 minute of the received date and the syncronisation between the G1's calendar and the Google calendar was very quick too. I have not had a chance to thoroughly test the Instant Messaging feature.
SMS messages are sorted by contact, so all messages to and from one person are grouped together creating the feel of an instant message conversation. This form of organisation makes communication via SMS very friendly - there's no wondering what was said in the last message any more.
The degree to which the device can be customised is a big plus for me. Android does not state that certain icons must appear on the desktop. One can remove all icons if that is what is wanted so that the only elements visible are the application drawer and notification area. I have mine setup with my main applications on the middle screen, internet bookmarks on the right and favourite applications sorted into folders on the left. Like many phones, the wallpaper can be customised and the combination of the two can make for a very personalised front screen.
One of my favourite aspects of the Android system has to be the Market. The applications and games available have really helped to make the device personal and useful. Paid applications were launched to the UK last week. Hopefully over time the Market will grow and some truly great applications will become available.
Conclusion
Overall, I am extremely happy with my G1. It appeals to my love of Open Source software and the potential for Android to become a significant player in the mobile software market is huge. Hardware wise, I find the unit comfortable to hold and not to heavy to carry. The keyboard makes working with email, SMS, instant messaging and the internet a joy.
There is no doubt that the G1 has some faults but I don't find that any of them too distracting. Really, this is cutting edge stuff. Over time, Android will be developed and will improve. Rumours are abound that an update is due soon which will provide an on-screen keyboard and stereo bluetooth support. As long as Android continues to be updated, the G1 will continue to improve.
I would already rate the Android software over Windows Mobile just because of it's customisation options and the range of software that has been built up in such a short space of time. Business users will not agree though - there is no Exchange support or MS Office document support at this time. Again though, this is likely to change through 3rd party development and software updates.
Would I recommend this phone to another? Well that depends. Heavy phone users who do not have access to power throughout the day should perhaps think again. Those who just want to pick up the phone and get going without having to investigate 3rd party applications and customisation, I'd say probably not. But for those who want to support Open Source projects, want to have their phones at the cutting edge of technology and are happy to put up with a few niggles then yes. I'd recommend the T-Mobile G1 in an instant.
For the second time I feel compelled to write about a review broadcast on the TV tech programme The Gadget Show, which I believe was unfair.
The review was a comparison of three touch screen based portable media players (PMPs) - the iPod Touch, iRiver Spinn and the Cowan Q5. Testing focused around how easy the units were to use, their audio quality and their video quality.
The first problem I had with this review is the choice of units. The iPod Touch and iRiver Spinn are fine. They are both 8GB flash based players in the same price bracket (the iPod was £170, whilst the iRiver was £149). The third machine, the Cowan Q5, is a hard disk based 80GB player costing £320. This puts it in a completely different class of product to the others and therefore should not have been included.
The second problem is the testing conditions. The claim of the programme is that they were testing audio quality yet they cannot have used the same audio file on all three players as the programme showed the iPod Touch being used to download the test track from the iTunes Music Store. Apple uses a different compression codec for it's iPods compared to other players which will generally use MP3 or WMA. The track purchased from iTunes cannot have been played on either of the other two players so the audio comparison could possibly be influenced any differences in audio introduced by the codec.
Staying with testing conditions, the video playback feature was not tested in the same conditions for all players. The iRiver was only tested outside in a fairly open park area, whereas the other models were tested both indoors and out, with the outside being in a fairly built up area. Call me picky, but the lighting conditions being different could affect the outcome of the test.
I don't understand why The Gadget Show cannot run fair comparisons between products. If I was being cynical I would imagine it would be to skew the result towards the market leader but I have no evidence of that being the case other than the fact that the iPod Touch came out top in this case. Would it have done so if it wasn't running against the Cowan Q5? I don't know. My instincts tell me it would have, but there is now an element of doubt in my mind.
What I do know though, is that I wish the world would loose it's love affair with all things Apple, and realise that there are decent, sometimes better sounding alternatives to the iPod
The review was a comparison of three touch screen based portable media players (PMPs) - the iPod Touch, iRiver Spinn and the Cowan Q5. Testing focused around how easy the units were to use, their audio quality and their video quality.
The first problem I had with this review is the choice of units. The iPod Touch and iRiver Spinn are fine. They are both 8GB flash based players in the same price bracket (the iPod was £170, whilst the iRiver was £149). The third machine, the Cowan Q5, is a hard disk based 80GB player costing £320. This puts it in a completely different class of product to the others and therefore should not have been included.
The second problem is the testing conditions. The claim of the programme is that they were testing audio quality yet they cannot have used the same audio file on all three players as the programme showed the iPod Touch being used to download the test track from the iTunes Music Store. Apple uses a different compression codec for it's iPods compared to other players which will generally use MP3 or WMA. The track purchased from iTunes cannot have been played on either of the other two players so the audio comparison could possibly be influenced any differences in audio introduced by the codec.
Staying with testing conditions, the video playback feature was not tested in the same conditions for all players. The iRiver was only tested outside in a fairly open park area, whereas the other models were tested both indoors and out, with the outside being in a fairly built up area. Call me picky, but the lighting conditions being different could affect the outcome of the test.
I don't understand why The Gadget Show cannot run fair comparisons between products. If I was being cynical I would imagine it would be to skew the result towards the market leader but I have no evidence of that being the case other than the fact that the iPod Touch came out top in this case. Would it have done so if it wasn't running against the Cowan Q5? I don't know. My instincts tell me it would have, but there is now an element of doubt in my mind.
What I do know though, is that I wish the world would loose it's love affair with all things Apple, and realise that there are decent, sometimes better sounding alternatives to the iPod
If there is one thing I hate about driving, it's driving in the dark on an unfamiliar, unlit B-road when it's pouring with rain. As many drivers will testify, even with fairly new white lines, it can be nearly impossible to see the road. To make matters worse, the markings on some of these roads are nearly non-existent anyway.
To make things a little easier, cats-eyes have illuminated some roads for years but they have a habit of becoming dull over time as dirt covers their reflective surface. Of course, cats-eyes aren't even present on some quite dangerous roads.
To help improve the situation, the 21st Century version of the cats-eye has been installed on some UK roads. LEDs in the traditional green/red/white/amber colours have started replacing cats-eyes leading to a dramatic increase in visibility and an appearance which is not dissimilar to a runway.
This LED system is powered by electricity generated from solar paneling. During the day, sunlight provides enough charge to power the lights throughout the night and although there is no word on whether dull winter days would cause problems providing the required amounts of energy, this seems to be an excellent system which will genuinely help reduce accident rates - as long as they are sited on the right roads of course.
Source: Engadget
To make things a little easier, cats-eyes have illuminated some roads for years but they have a habit of becoming dull over time as dirt covers their reflective surface. Of course, cats-eyes aren't even present on some quite dangerous roads.
To help improve the situation, the 21st Century version of the cats-eye has been installed on some UK roads. LEDs in the traditional green/red/white/amber colours have started replacing cats-eyes leading to a dramatic increase in visibility and an appearance which is not dissimilar to a runway.
This LED system is powered by electricity generated from solar paneling. During the day, sunlight provides enough charge to power the lights throughout the night and although there is no word on whether dull winter days would cause problems providing the required amounts of energy, this seems to be an excellent system which will genuinely help reduce accident rates - as long as they are sited on the right roads of course.
Source: Engadget