iPod, National Security Threat

Companies, governments, institutions: beware of the dude carrying an iPod. Bernhard Warner, Reuters’ excellent European Internet Correspondent, points out that the high-capacity iPod is getting banned from a lot of places as high-tech security risk. The UK’s Ministry of Defence “has become the latest organisation to add the iPod to its list of high-tech security … Read more

A New, Small Portable Hard Drive

From Akiba comes word of a new USB hard drive that’s a good 5 cm shorter than the usual laptop hard drive in a case, the Transcend 20GB and 40GB portable USB drive. If size is important for you, it looks like a good choice. No price given.

Belkin’s New iPod Microphone Adapter

In an earlier column I mentioned the excellent Belklin Voice Recorder microphone that plugs into an iPod. Now they’ve gone one step better: The Universal Microphone Adapter, that connects to your iPod and to any audio microphone with a 3.5mm plug. You can use the iPod player’s abundant storage capacity to store hundreds of hours … Read more

Bill’s Vision Of Our Home Future

Bill Gates gave his big speech at the 2004 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) yesterday, and there’s been plenty of commentary on it. Here’s a view from WinNetMag’s by Paul Thurrott, that helps explain why the computer is more likely this year to make its way out of the den and into the living room. … Read more

Apple Excites, Disappoints With iPod Mini

As expected, sort of, Steve Jobs has unveiled a new Apple iPod — smaller, more colourful and cheaper (but not as cheap as people thought). About 3.5 inches long and just half an inch thick, the iPod mini looks a bit like the old iPod, with the same jog dial, but comes in five colours, … Read more