Neil Duckett » Technology

Factron Quattro For iPhone

Neil — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:10:17 +0000

The ultimate in iPhone cases would have to be the Factron Quattro as seen on Engadget Japan.

Not only is it built from Aluminium and bolted together with metals screws it comes with a range of bolt on lenses from a fish eye to wide angle and macro.

It looks very well built but i can`t help to think the weight would be significantly increased.

As for putting it in your pocket, it`s only going to be harder with these sharp corners.

I`d be interested to see how the camera add-ons perform … but at the end of the day it`s still a phone camera.

At a price of about USD$175 for the case and between $15 and $50 for the lenses it`s probably too highly priced for most.

All things considered, I`ll just stick with my iPhone as it is.

Check out the manufacturers` site, only in Japanese, for more info on the Factron Quattro and other accessories for lots of Apple products.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Factron Quattro For iPhone

HP Mini 2140

Neil — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:10:38 +0000

I’ve had cause recently to pick up a new laptop. I didn’t want to go to the expense of buying a hamburger with the lot and truth be told, i don’t need that level of computing at the moment anyway.

With a combination of size and performance being the major concerns i started shopping around the increasingly popular “Mini PC” market and after some due diligence settled on the HP Mini 2140.

How’s that for a headline too by the way, MJ dying this morning?!

It takes a while getting used to the lower screen resolution and the keyboard is probably 80% if not more the size of a full size PC.

It runs on XP although lots of people seem to have opted for Mac OS, which is an after market install.

Spec wise it’s got a 1.6Ghz processor, with 1Gb memory and a 160Gb hard drive. It does the job.

For the price they’re a great little PC.

You can get them from about 30,000 yen and up to 80,000 depending on what you’re after, the HP Mini 2140 from yodobashi costs a bit under 60,000.

For more info check out the CNET Reviews on Mini PC’s in the market today.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

HP Mini 2140

Flight Control iPhone Game

Neil — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:35:25 +0000

By far my favourite game on the iPhone is Flight Control so when i saw that New Airfields had arrived i couldn’t download it quick enough.

I often wondered why there was a need for a 5 digit number in the score, considering I’ve only ever reached 100 on 3 occasions and currently have a highest score of 154 which gives me “1st Officer Status”

The you go to YouTube and type in Flight Control and see guys like this belting out scores of greater than 10000. Some serious time on the iPhone to get that high a score, time i just don’t have at the moment.

So if you’re a Flight Control fan then get over to iTunes and download the update right away.

OK, So i know it’s Friday and there’s no J-Babe Of The Week ….. I’ve been busy of late and will be for a while yet, with some changes expected around here. The J-Babe Of The Week will be back … just not every week.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Flight Control iPhone Game

Japanese Phone Technology Revealed

Neil — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 03:54:11 +0000

When i first came to Japan i was excited about getting a mobile phone that could do more than the ones back home, like hold money which i could use to pay for goods and services at different places.

I have no idea the technology to implement this feature was so basic.

Even though there’s no capability to store money in it, I still prefer my iPhone any day of the week.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Japanese Phone Technology Revealed

iBonsai iPhone App

Neil — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:12:52 +0000

Here’s an interesting iPhone app that lobbed in my email this morning called iBonsai.

Is it “useful” ? No … is it a game? No .. nor is it meant to be either. The intent from the creator is it’s an app “more about relaxation and meditation – along with beautiful 3D art”

It seems it’s been well received by many and there’s already a plenty of pics of iBonsai trees popping up on flickr.

If that’s left you wanting and just not quite funtional enough for you then you might care to check out Ken Lees’ app called Size because according to Ken size does matter.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

iBonsai iPhone App

Viewing Your iPhone Bill Online

Neil — Thu, 14 May 2009 01:33:46 +0000

There’s nothing easy about navigating around the Softbank and trying to check your iPhone bill online, unless of course you’re extremely competent in Japanese.

I knew i’d been able to do it before but getting there again wasn’t easy at all so here’s the step by step, with pictures, on how to check your iPhone statements online.

Go to the My SoftBank website and here’s the screen you’ll see. Enter your User ID and Password in the appropriate area then hit the black box below it that says “Login”

Provided you’ve entered your password correctly you should be in.

See, success it says i’m “Logined” ….. now hit the black button where ‘X” marks the spot.

Next, you’re asked to enter your 4 digit password, this is the one you would have assigned when you bought the phone … then hit the “X” button.

O.K, we’re in …. on the left hand side there’s 3 main areas i’m interested in, ongoing cost for current bill cycle, a summary of your last 6 months bills and also the ability to view your last months bill in a detailed manner and download a pdf of it.

By selecting the first one “Current Bill Cycle” you get the ongoing totals for the month, voice charges (40 yen) , mail charges (1300 yen) and packets (692,633 yen) …. right now i’m glad there’s a cap on the cost of the iPhone’s in Japan!

The second option “Last 6 Months Bill Summary” gives you just that, an itemised view of what you paid.

Lastly the 3rd button “Last Months Detailed View & PDF Download” lets you grab a softcopy to print it out. The buttons at the top (Green and Blue) let you cycle back and forth to the month you want.

There you have it, i think you’d be surprised at how much your iPhone would cost you if you didn’t have a capped plan, i know i was the first time i saw it.

I’d be interested to know who has the highest bill, either the amount you pay each month or the data costs before the cap is applied so check it out online now.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Viewing Your iPhone Bill Online

Stop Motion Animation

Neil — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:24:53 +0000

A week ago i saw a fantastic example of stop motion ( a technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own) on Kirainet which was yesterday followed up with reader Dave Lee sending me in a clip of his.

I wouldn’t have the patience for this sort of thing but i do like watching it.

Experimental Japan from Dave Lee on Vimeo.

Check out Dave’s other stuff on his blog.

Here’s the clip i mention i saw last week, made with 1300 pictures and an extreme amount of patience and creativity by Takeuchi.

If YouTube’s your thing then check out his channel for more of his creativity.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Stop Motion Animation

Shinkansen

Neil — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:15:48 +0000

For my money, i can’t go past the Shinkansen for my means of long distance travel within Japan.

Not only is it a safer option, there’s much less stuffing around than with a plane, no security check, no carry-on luggage restrictions etc …

On my recent trip to Hiroshima and Kyoto i had the pleasure of riding the Shinkansen several times.

Although as a tourist there’s a JR Rail Pass you can get it’s not necessarily the best and easiest option.

Depending on the places you want to go the rail pass will only cover so much which and is limited to several trains not all of them.

I went from Tokyo > Hiroshima, then Hiroshima > Kyoto and lastly Kyoto > Tokyo.

All up the cost of the ticket for me was 40,000 yen, i doubt very much i could have got a plane any cheaper.

It’s so convenient too, all i had to do was get to Tokyo station to begin my journey.

Many of the trains are equipped with power these days and the one i caught had wireless internet from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka

If you get the chance when you visit Japan then i’d definitely recommend a ride on the Shinkansen.

If you plan on buying a rail pass be sure to check it will get you all the places you need to go.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Shinkansen

Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji)

Neil — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:49:16 +0000

The Golden Pavilion or Kinkaku-ji 金閣寺, as it’s known to the locals, was a major highlight of last weeks trip to Kyoto.

Once again i tried my hand at a few HDR images, both with different levels of aggressiveness applied, here’s one reasonably subtle.

The 3 images i used to combine into one using photomatix were.

Overexposed …

Normal exposure …

Underexposed …

Here’s all 3 combined to make another HDR image of the Golden Pavilion Temple, much more aggressive with the settings this time.

All images can be seen better by selecting each image directly or in the HDR gallery on flickr.

Which one do you like best?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.Similar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji)

Tokyo Metro iPhone App

Neil — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:01:28 +0000

It’s no secret, i love having an iPhone, it’s probably been the single best technology purchase i’ve made … and there have been a few.

It’s the applications that make your life easier that appeal to me and catching public transport as often as i do this one does just that, the Tokyo Metro iPhone application.

At the moment you can pick it up for a special price of $0.79 instead of the usual $4.99 … in the Japanese store it’s 115 yen, cheaper than the cheapest fare on the rail network.

The route planner doesn’t require a network connection so it works perfectly in the subway.

You can enter an address in Tokyo and get the closest stations to display.

It comes in English, Japanese, French, Spanish and German …. now that’s handy.

Most people have heard of Hyperdia and that still has it’s merits but i think for the small outlay this application is a must for anyone living or visiting Tokyo.

Via Nihon-SukiSimilar Posts:

Post from: Neil Duckett

Tokyo Metro iPhone App