The most secure passwords comprise upper and lower case characters and numbers. For higher security, change them regularly, with the new password bearing no relationship to previous ones. This may render them harder to crack but also makes them impossible to remember. Consequently, dozens of scribbled Post-It notes soon litter the workspace. Why not tidy things up with this dedicated pad. The bold labelling means that it is easy to find and it has spaces for start and expiry dates so you can plan ahead.

Why not buy one for your chief security officer to show them what an organised, forward-thinking worker you are. The My Top-Secret Passwords pad not only idiot-proofs your system but also proves you're an idiot.

The pad is only available from the US at Think Geek and costs $5.99. Each pad has 60 pages holding four passwords per page and measures 6in x 9in (152mm x 229mm) - a relatively small security hole.

Kindle 2, Amazon's text reader may soon make its long-awaited début in Europe to compete with Sony's Reader family. The Kindle was first launched as a US-only product in late 2007 but, despite its non-availability in Europe,seems to have attracted more than its fair share of attention in the UK press.

Amazon is not committing itself to any marketing plans but the launch of Kindle 2 has kick-started the rumour mill into action. It's possible that there may be some announcement next week while IFA 2009, a technology innovation showcase, is running in Berlin.

The Kindle 2 looks a lot better than the first model and has a larger six inch (152mm) screen. The total unit measures 135mm (5.3in) wide and 203mm (8in) high. It has 2GB of internal memory but only 1.4GB is user accessible and no external memory slots which means that around 1,500 books can be stored, according to Amazon's estimate. It has a 3G wireless module which links to the US Sprint telecoms network using the proprietary Amazon Whispernet protocol. No monthly fees are charged for this service and it is this feature that has contributed to delays in worldwide availability.

It's possible that the larger Kindle DX model may also be released. This has a 9.7 inch (246mm) screen and measures 183mm (7.2in) wide by 264mm (10.4in) high. It also displays PDF files natively. For the standard Kindle PDF is only supported by conversion to Amazon's AZW format. The 3.3GB of user memory allows 3,500 books to be stored, Amazon claims, and battery life is four days per charge.

Both models have a keyboard for annotating texts and support a text-reading voice capability. The DX also has stereo speakers.

Pricing is difficult to estimate because of the uncertainty of how much a European 3G module will affect the cost. In terms of straight dollar to sterling conversion the Kindle would be approximately £180 ($290) and the DX would cost around £300 ($489).

If Amazon goes ahead with the European launch we will do a comparison of the Kindle and Sony's Reader.

Sony's electronic book reader range has grown with a touchscreen version and a pocket-sized edition. More exciting is what might be waiting in the wings - a 3G version with Wi-Fi and possibly a colour version.

Starting with what we know, the Sony Reader Touch Edition PRS-600 has 512MB of storage onboard that the company claims will hold around 350 eBooks. It has a six-inch (152mm) monochrome touch screen which uses the low-power E Ink Vizplex technology to provide up to two weeks of reading time per charge (over 7,000 page turns). This is the main reason why the Reader could be better than a handheld PDA or mobile phone for bookworms, plus the fact that the paper-like quality of the display means that there is no need for a backlight and therefore no flicker.

By including a touchscreen, documents and books can be annotated using a stylus for handwritten comments or an on-screen keyboard. Memory expansion is up to 16MB using MS Duo or SD cards and this gives room for up to 13,000 eBooks.

The extra memory space would be particularly useful; to those users who want a musical interlude in their reading sessions or who may prefer to rest their eyes and listen to an audiobook, the Reader supports MP3. As before, DRM (Digital Rights Management) is supported but now it is not essential and future eBooks will be available without any rights protection.

There is a possible reason for this and the sudden spurt of activity but you'll have to read my next post to find out what this could be.

The Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300 has a respectable five-inch (127mm) display and battery life allows around 6,800 page turns. Like the Touch version, it can hold up to 350 eBooks but has no expansion slots and no audio capabilities.

The Pocket model is 107mm (4.2in) wide, 157mm (6in) high and weighs 220g (4oz) compared with the Touch at 121mm (4.8in) by 174mm (7in) and 286g (9oz). Prices are £179 and £249 respectively, inclusive of VAT

Sony's eBook Library software 3.0 is included to support downloads from Apple Macintosh computers as well as PCs. Formats supported comprise eBook (EPUB), Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, BBeB (BroadBand Electronic Books), TXT and RTF files.

The possibility of seeing a 3G/Wi-Fi version  or a colour version is possibly remote at the moment but such models are believed to be in development.

A new app has been released called 'Nearest Subway' which allows you to walk like an idiot. Let me explain, you get to look at your iPhone while walking through the street to allow it to lead you to a subway (or the tube for those of you in Blighty).

This video shows a woman walking through the streets using this app but in actual fact she's showing off the fact that she can manage this without walking into people or lamp posts, which I believe is quite a skill.

My favourite part of the video is when she says "I saw your video on Youtube about your nearest application Nearest Subway, what exactly is the Nearest Subway application?"


Now, there is so much wrong with this question. First of all, nowadays you don't need to say 'I saw your video on Youtube' because where you saw it doesn't matter and I love that they show you the video playing in a video that is on Youtube.

And most important of all, surely the name 'Nearest Subway' kind of defines what the app does? I mean it's a bit of a hint isn't it? Also, she'd just spent the first minute of the video demonstrating and explaining what it does so.

Don't get me wrong, I think the app is cool but it's something you'd probably use to find out where the tube is and put it away as oppose to 'following your iPhone'.

I don't really need to add anything to this picture. It's always a tricky when your boss requests friendship but if you do accept, either put them on your limited list or don't say something stupid like:

This is just a quick post to say that facebook is launching Facebook Lite.

So what is Facebook Lite? In a nut shell it's very similar to Twitter. You can see your status updates and your friends' updates.

And it has a left-hand navigation with four categories: Wall, Info, Firends, and Photos & Videos.

That's it really. It is quite similar to the Facebook app on the Nokia N97 (video below).

Have you ever watched someone playing the Wii without looking at the screen? They look quite ridiculous.

So now, Nintendo want us to ride either a pony, dolphin or gryphon in our front room/friends house/in public when we play their games. Call me mad, but I think I'd rather keep my dignity.

Sure, it'll probably be amazing for toddlers but you just know that you're going to go over to your mates house and see him in his front room straddling an inflatable pony telling you it's geat.

It reminds me of when I was working in a department store and the Playstation 2 eye toy had just been released. I was bored and so I went to the electronics section and saw a couple of kids playing it. Eager to look cool I joined in.

While jumping around waving my hands in the air like a fool, I heard my boss shout my name and say "What the f*** are you doing you idiot!".

Later in his office he said I looked like a pillock jumping around like that. I tried to explain what the eye toy was about but he didn't care.

Source [Kotaku]

A video of the Zune HD has come out of the gdgt party in San Francisco. This video of a hands-on demo showing the interface and media playback.

We've heard about the great browser and how it'll support HD but this video really shows off the slick user interface and that gorgeous OLED screen!

I just wish they'd show off the multi-touch. That would be like one of those moments when you're on the train and you se a beautiful girl and you think 'Wow she's beautiful' then she does something to make you completely fall for her.

I love The Metro. There was a story in this morning's paper about a boy that was attacked by a gang armed with a snake.

The reason I'm blogging about this story is because it was mostly about the fact that the "Incident support officer googled 'snakes' on his mobile and showed pictures to the panicked boy" to identify which one bit him. He then sent the image to the control room.

It's so funny that the OMG factor to the story is that he used Google on his phone and not that these crazy kids are using a ****ing snake to attack people!!

Am I mad? What the hell are these kids doing running around with a snake as a weapon? What next, tiger? A dinosaur?

I can imagine it now, the "Incident support officer googled youtube and found clips of the Jurrasic Park trilogy and asked the boy to identify which dinosaur bit him".

Come on people let's get over the fact our phones can go online. The iPhone has been out a while now, it shouldn't make the papers anymore that we can access Google.

Let's find these scary, psychotic kids and stop them using insane weapons to attack people.

Picture from Rex Features.

iPhone vs N97

Smartphones have taken us by storm and none more so than the iPhone. You can't walk through the street without someone bumping into you because their eyes are glued to their 3 and a half inches of technological wonder.

The main pluses are that the Apple iPhone is cool, good user interface, great apps and iTunes while the Nokia N97 has a full qwerty keyboard, 32GB hard disk (expandable to 48GB), great battery life (you can remove the battery) and a 5 megapixel camera.

I think my video (below) demonstrates what I think of the two phones and what the general feel is in the market and among iPhone and N97 users.


So, is the iPhone the best phone out there? Well, it's biggest threat seems to be coming from Nokia with their flagship N97 which may pack a mean punch but it's the apps store that makes the iPhone so addictive.

Below is a Nokia N97 vs. Apple iPhone 3g comparison chart that, on paper, makes the N97 a sure fire winner with up to 48gb hard disk, a full qwerty keyboard and better battery life. But it's the ease of use where the iPhone excels and this is further backed up by it's huge apps library.

Don't get me wrong I think the N97 is a great phone, I have one, the hardware is superior and it's cheaper.

The chart doesn't inlcude all the features that the two operating systems offer, but most of the bases are covered.  You can change the phones by clicking clicking the cross next to the phone and picking your phone from the drop down box.

Check it out: