hertenberger.co.za

Early reports that Bluetooth doesn’t cut the mustard are not being given much attention. In fact, an alliance of home entertainment product manufacturers has stated that Bluetooth will be employed to beam media wirelessly between different devices. That’s good news if it means the iPod will be included

There are plans to extend the current standard to be much faster and provide greater bandwidth. With the proliferation of gigabytes of media, such an advancement is needed. Bluetooth UWB (Ultra wideband) is already being built into the latest mobile phones and beams data at a rate that’s almost 100 times faster than the current Bluetooth implementations.

The companies included in the alliance are Nokia, Microsoft and Intel.

via Reuters

Web 2.0 is on its way. AJAX is a new name for the fusion of existing technologies: Asynchronous JavaScript And XML is what it means, rich applications are the result. Google Mail is one of the best examples, but another excellent example of AJAX technology is ajaxWrite.

ajaxWrite is a web-based word processor that can make you think it’s running locally. All functions you’d expect from Microsoft Word or similar.

Even cooler, this application won’t run in Microsoft’s IE! How’s that for a turn of events

Give it a whirl here…

Alexander’s first Happy Meal

Originally uploaded by MHertenberger.

Alexander has the privilege of starting a bad habit that will probably last a lifetime!

Fancy getting a free (well almost) copy of FIFA 06? The latest edition of G.E.A.R magazine is available in two versions – one including the magazine and the other including a DVD and full version of FIFA 06. I haven’t noticed the pack with the game in many stores, so it may be a limited, special edition. I can point you in the direction of CNA, Cresta Center…

The magazine is certainly nothing to write home about. They haven’t even gone to the trouble of updating their website in a while. G.E.A.R is another in a line of publications that has sprung up from the T3 and PCFormat stable.

For R32, a copy of FIFA 06 is not a bad deal, considering the game goes for R191 on kalahari. See the magazine as a freebie that comes with the game

The World Economic Forum has released their global report and Network Readiness Index. South Africa ranks 37th with a score of 0.30. Germany is 17th with a score of 1.18. Claiming top spot from Singapore is the USA. There is no doubt that we have a long way to go. Internet access is expensive and Telkom has a monopoly. On the bright side, there are many offerings available and the range of options seems to be increasing. The issue is that a third world country has problems that require immediate focus. It makes little sense to provide Internet access and e-commerce services to a population that has yet to feed and police itself. Considering that a tiny percentage of the population is actually engaged in any form of network usage brings the ranking and score into perspective.

For the first time, Ridge Racer has been ported to a non-Sony platform (as an initial port, not a subsequent one). The new Ridge Racer 6 takes a tried and tested formula and brings the world of insane drifting action to the Microsoft XBox 360 console. I hope this release will be available for the PS3…else I may have to consider an XBox.

Bert sent me this article, which I quite enjoyed:

Germans are the most intelligent people in Europe, well ahead of the British (in eighth place) and the French (15th), according to a new study by Northern Ireland’s University of Ulster, The Times reported Monday.

They all came out better in the intelligence stakes than the British who rated an even 100 IQ according to the study, ahead of the Spanish (98) and the French (94) who could only comfort themselves by checking the study results for Bulgarians, Romanians, the Turkish and Serbians who languished at the bottom of the table on 89.

We’ve known it for a while: Deutschland über alles!

also via The Mail on Sunday

As a self-confessed Bat- and Lego-nut, this was a treat to discover: new Lego toys related to the Batman franchise. I was actually on my way to the online Lego shop to check out the availability of the new Mindstorms NXT kit when I happened upon this batty goodness

As we all know, the online Lego shop doesn’t ship to South Africa

No pre-order Mindstorms NXT then, and certainly no Batman Lego (for Alex, of course) until some deity here decides to import.

Waiting then…for the first-ever official Lego Batmobile!

Prof. Alex is one of a select few unofficial PR liaisons for a new online venture, run by his aunt Maxine in Australia

Need a fun, memorable gift? Head on over to Maxine’s On The Bag and order that special someone a bag with a difference.

A gadget that involves no electronics! I’ve been researching multi-tools for a while, but haven’t made the decision to buy one. With all the building and never having tools handy, this was a good a time as any. Leatherman is probably the best known manufacturer of multi-tools. They offer a lifetime warranty and immediate replacement. But, access to the blade and screwdrivers requires the entire tool to be folded open. That’s not always convenient and simply wastes time. As a comparison, I looked around at what else is available and found the Victorinox SwissTool. Matching all the features of the Leatherman, access to all integrated tools without having to open the entire caboodle and at a lower price. A must have!

The SwissTool Spirit is the latest incarnation, featuring a more comfortable grip design. The chrome finish does not take kindly to hiding fingerprints, which is something that irks me no end. Overall, an excellent package. The SwissTool Spirit Plus includes a carrying pouch with a ratchet and screwdriver bits. Something I find rather odd: there are two variants available. Mine includes the ratchet. The other includes a corkscrew and bit holder. Why the corkscrew isn’t simply included as a standard part in the tool makes no sense. So that’s an extra purchase. Other than that, no issues. This is an excellent product!

Thankfully, Victorinox are not into software development…with product designations such as 3.0227.N1, I shudder to think what the upgrade path to the newer version would entail!