The MOT Tech™ News+Blog has officially purchased its own domain name! 

To get a preview of the new site, visit mottechblog.com

<UPDATE> The new website is now fully operational. Please visit us at mottechblog.com

Having just purchased Adobe Photoshop CS3, I have officially gone Photoshop crazy. 

The being said, I have made a small background for both Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista.

To download it, just right click the photo above and click Save Image As. Or, alternatively, go to www.flickr.com/photos/mottech and download the background in full size.

Enjoy!

Well, here I am. Back from the Sydney CBD after queueing for an hour and a half to get into the new Sydney Apple Store! I do have to admit though, the wait was well worth it.

Here is the low down on what happened.

I made my way into the CBD, to only find a gargantuan queue of people waiting to get into the Apple Store when it opened its doors for the first time. I joined the line about half an hour later. The line stretched all the way from the entrance on George Street, around the block to York street. The queue worked in sectors. Since there were so many people queueing, the line actually continued down across to the other side of York Street. I joined the line in sector 8. About half an hour later I was in Sector 5. So you could say the sectors did not move fast, but they were quick enough.

When I entered the store it was amazing! I was clapped in by about six members of Apple staff, got several ‘High Fives’ and, of course, my complimentary t-shirt. When you get inside you immediately see a huge banner that is advertising the MacBook. The first floor is entirely devoted to the Mac Computer. They have iMacs, MacBooks, MacBook Pros, MacBook Airs and Mac Pros. The second floor is all about iPod. There is another banner on the second floor advertising the iPod Touch. There is literally iPods and Accessories around every corner on the second floor. However, at the west end of the second floor is Mac accessories and software. The third and final floor has the famed Genius Bar, the ‘Kiddie Zone’ as I like to call it & is the place where classes in Mac and iPod take place. At least Australia has a place in Apple History since we have the world’s largest Genius Bar. 

So Yes, I would without a doubt recommend going to the New Store, if only for the experience. I am sure many of my colleagues and friends will be visiting the store on a regular basis.

Well, the much anticipated Apple Store Sydney is now open. Of course, as an Apple Enthusiast, I am here. Updating the blog on the New 24″ iMac. The store is without a doubt one of the aesthetic wonders of the modern world. If you love Apple, I suggest you come down and check it out.!

We will have more updates later tonight.!

“iPhone Killer”. This term refers to any mobile phone that will put up a good fight against Apple’s iPhone. Now of course, whether the user prefers the ‘iPhone Killer’ or the iPhone is completely up to them. Here are some of the supposed, “iPhone Killers”

BLACKBERRY BOLD. (Released August)

Blackberry is a well respected smart phone company. They have done pretty much what no other smart phone company has ever done. The key to their success in my opinion is without a doubt the ability for almost any Blackberry to be able to check your e-mails 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

The Bold will be available on four different carriers. It comes with 3G HSDPA, wi-fi compatibility, & GPS, (Ironically all of the things iPhone has).

HTC Touch Diamond. (Release in Coming Months)

HTC has made the HTC Touch & The HTC Cruise, (Failures in my opinion). They are now moving on the their latest endeavor, the HTC Touch Diamond. 

The HTC Touch Diamond is going to be the iPhone’s key competition in my opinion. To quote Louisa Hearn from the Sydney Morning Herald, “The Touch Diamond is its answer to the mass market appeal of the iPhone” ‘It’ being HTC in this case.

The overall foot print of the handset is not really that big with a small, rectangular shape of only eleven millimeters. The screen is High Resolution. It also boasts animated access to applications such as TXT messaging, e-mail, photos, music and weather. The key part of the HTC Touch Diamond’s OS in my opinion is the fact the the touch screen is 3D. That means that some of the things on the screen will be 3-Dimensional.

The handset has a look alike of Apple’s iPod Touch Wheel, HSDPA, Wi-Fi Support, 4GB of storage, GPS and a 3.2 Megapixel camera.

So, there you have it. iPhone’s supposed killers. In my opinion the iPhone is better, but I could not pass judgement on handsets that are yet to be released.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

I have owned several brands of computer mice including Microsoft, Apple, Verbatim & Logitech. I by far, think that Logitech makes the best mice out of all the mice I have used. I have experienced a few problems with one Logitech Mouse, and that was dealt with sooner or later.

I now am the proud owner of a Logitech V470 Cordless Laser Mouse. What really persuaded me to purchase this mouse was the fact that it connected via Bluetooth. As my MacBook Pro has Bluetooth built-in to it, I no longer have to use a receiver. Apple also offers a variant of the Mighty Mouse which connects via Bluetooth. However, as I am sure many will agree, the Mighty Mouse is horrible. 

Now I have owned Logitech’s famed MX Revolution, and it was a brilliant mouse! However, I found it annoying to have to use a receiver and lose one of my USB ports for the privilege of using a mouse & I also had a few problems with the receiver, that I will save for a different post though.

So if you are considering a Bluetooth Mouse, I would easily recommend the V470 to you.

The photos of the V470 are now up on Flickr. Why don’t you check them out? www.flickr.com/photos/mottech 

Ever wanted to know something about a particular iPod but didn’t have internet available? Well, here is the solution to your dilemma.

There is a freeware program out in cyber-space called iGuide. iGuide gives almost every little bit of info. regarding a particular iPod or iPhone (No 3G included, sorry.). 

You can download iGuide at http://mac.softpedia.com/get/iPod-Tools/iGuide.shtml

As most Tech enthusiasts would now know, at WWDC this morning Apple CEO Steve Jobs finally announced the 3G iPhone. 

This announcement has been long awaited by many iPhone users and critics of the iPhone. In fact, one of the main criticisms when the iPhone was originally introduced was that it lacked 3G speeds. Well, many of the critics who criticized the iPhone are now pretty much bowing down to it.

The 3G iPhone is will be available in over 70 countries including Australia, New Zealand and even the Czech Republic. It is going to hit the shelves on July 11th 2008. This is a rather wise move by Apple as the much anticipated Australian Apple Store will open in Sydney. The pricing for AUS is yet to be announced but the 8GB model will cost $199 US, so with conversion to Australian currency, the 8GB model will  be about $210 dollars. However, since Apple is famous for their high prices, expect the iPhone to be marked up to around AU $240.

Will I be purchasing one? Of course! Being an Apple ‘fan-boy’ I would never pass up such an opportunity.

More information of the 3G iPhone is now available on the Apple Australia Website.  www.apple.com/au

The Apple Mighty Mouse, in my opinion (and many others), needs a serious ‘back to the drawing board’ approach from Apple. Now yes, I will grant the fact that the device performs its intended use, but with some difficulties. 

Firstly, the scroll ball. The scroll ball, I know to many peoples disappointment, the scroll ball has been a very bad idea from Apple. Now, like myself, many Mac users now do not use the Apple Wired or Wireless Mouse that is pre-packaged with their new Mac, or purchased through an Apple vendor. Instead, we prefer the standard or more ‘traditional’ mouse with the scroll wheel. 

Secondly, the side buttons. The side buttons were a good idea from Apple to start with, however, I have found that you have to press the buttons simultaneously and uncomfortably hard in order to actually make the Mighty Mouse side buttons perform their intended task. Now many other Computer Mice have side buttons, however they are not designed as Apple designed theirs. For example, the Logitech MX Revolution, has 3 side buttons with a variety of optional assignments for each one. The buttons are simple, thin buttons. 

Finally, the design of the mouse. The design of the Mighty Mouse, I found, is incredibly uncomfortable. Apple needs to redesign the aesthetics of the Mighty Mouse, if only to make it more ergonomic. Apple does an excellent job with their keyboards, the comfort level is amazing when typing on the Apple Wireless/Wired Aluminum Keyboard. Why does Apple not then improve the comfort level of the Mighty Mouse?

If you all have been tuning in to the Flickr Stream lately, you would have noticed that the title has changed from MOT Tech Photostream, to Tom Wilkins ™. This change is due to the fact that I am now making the blog and blog-associated things more personal.

A domain name is also ‘in the works’, I am still yet to purchase the domain. Also, the theme of the blog will be slowly changing over time.

Stay tuned to the blog as it will be rapidly changing, very soon!