I recently did a review of the Logitech MX Revolution mouse for www.ioltechnology.co.za.
What I neglected to do before the review went live though, was use the mouse on my MacMini here at work. If I did, the mouse would have received an even higher score than it did, as the Logitech software for Mac OSX is absolutely awesome. And that doesn’t apply just to the MX Revolution’s setup, but even to my dinky old Logitech optical mouse with 3 buttons and a scroll wheel.
The software is so much more intuitive than the Windows equivalent. It allows you to easily change the setup of each individual button, for each individual Application if you really wanted to. I found the very useful for changing (especially) the scroll-wheel’s behaviour between applications, and also the back/forward buttons. For instance, in Firefox I want the scroll-wheel to scroll very quick if I so choose, but in for instance Thunderbird, scrolling up and down through my message list shouldn’t fly through the messages. Back and forward buttons in Thunderbird should take me to the previous and next messages, etc.

The Logitech software just handles this all beautifully. If you run Mac OSX and you’re thinking of what mouse to use other than your Might Mouse (let’s face it, when it comes to number of buttons on a mouse, more is better!), then definitely consider a Logitech mouse…

Tags: review, MX Revolution, Logitech, OSX

Hehehehe, I wish we had a local ThinkGeek equivalent here in South-Africa, ‘cos ordering from them is horribly pricey.

My latest favourite would-like-to-have-for-novelty-purposes is their Desktop USB Missile Launcher.  That’s just cool man!  Pity that it requires 3xAA batteries though, not sure why.  AA batteries are typically 1.5V each, so the three will give the thing 4.5V in total.  A USB port can give 5V, so why not just get the current from the USB port??  Odd.  Either way though, it’s still damn cool! 

Technorati Tags: batteries, gadget, launcher, missile, thinkgeek, USB

Opening the Cape Argus today, I found an Incredible Connection pamphlet.  On the front page of this pamphlet, there’s a bloody good deal to get an Xbox 360…

Here’s the deal.

You pay a once-off sim and connection fee of R202, and they give you a Nokia 1600, and an Xbox 360 Pro System, for free.  You will also then be paying R211.60 per month for 24 months, which gives you a “Business contract” with Vodacom.

So lets do the math.  R211.60 x 24 + R202 = R5280.40

The XBox 360 Pro System sells for R3699 at Incredible.

I suppose it’s not bad if you already have a kickass phone (let’s face it, the Nokia 1600 is not exactly the most feature-rich of phones), and you want an XBox 360, but still.  I suppose this just adds onto the console-phone deals that have made it into the light of day over the past few years…

Technorati Tags: vodacom, contract, cellphone, xbox

It’s been a couple of days since Ol’ Steve released unto us the updated iPod Videos, Nanos and Shuffles, and then of course the other good bits that came with that 12 September “unveil”, like iTunes and the iTV…

I’ve had some time to ingest much of what was said, and I’ve had a look at some of the pictures of the new gadgets.

The new Shuffles are oh-so-cute, just like the first generation…

The new iPod Videos are even better then their predecessors, more disk, brighter screen, just pure yum.

But the new Nanos?  Euch!  They look like mini-Minis!  Those rounded corners, the bright colors on the dull surface!  Yuck.  I never liked the iPod Minis to begin with, and I loved the way the first iPod Nano looked.  But now?! The Nanos look ugly.  Plain and simple.  Ugly.  Sorry Steve, you took a step back here.

I still don’t own a single thing Apple, so it might just be the Apple-Envy coming out here.

The new iTunes 7 is now out, as well as some new Apple iPod’s – all look very interesting (including my favorite 80GB ipod that you can play games on …)

Check out the iTunes 7 (www.apple.com/itunes) where you can also find some more information on the new iPod’s as well.

Check out the full disclosure of the new Apple kit from
http://www.macrumorslive.com/

Google just opened up a large number of access points for free wifi access to testers. Not sure where digg.com got these details from, but holy intarnets batman! That’s a whole lotta access points! The link takes you through to a Google Maps interface showing the access points and coverage holes in the Mountain View, CA. area.

read more | digg story

UPDATE (2006-08-02): OhGizmo was a bit slow on the uptake of this story, but they have a nice pic of an access point stuck to a lamp post. I wonder if that’s an actual Google AP or just a stock photo or something. Either way, I wonder how long those access points will stay up there? Here in Cape Town we had a security camera stolen off of a lamp post within a day or two of it being stuck up there… Can’t think it’s any different anywhere else in the world? People steal anything that’s not super glued to a bulldozer…

Tags: Google, wifi

I’ve always wanted a Lego Mindstorms set or ten. Hell, I’ve always wanted more Lego. Now it seems that I might just have to make that extra effort to get some Mindstorms in the near future. Tectonic reports that the next version of Lego Mindstorm will be released under an as-yet undetermined open-source licence.

Never heard of Lego Minfstorm? Shame on you. Go here and check it out.

It also appears that Gizmodo mentioned this subject too, and has some links.

Tags: Lego, Mindstorms, open-source

Just saw this on T3.co.uk. Datel (the same company that brought us all those Max add-ons for all our favourite consoles, see their goodies at www.codejunkies.com), just announced a sweet Media Player add-on pack for the Nintendo DS, all with 4GB storage that fits into the GBA slot, and can play movies, music, etc. For 130GBP. It’s a good price, if a bit on the expensive side.

I personally own both an M3 Adapter(m3-sd) and a SuperCard(sc-sd), both of which come with software to convert movies to a playable format on the DS. I’d have to say that the DS’s screen size and screen quality just don’t compare the the PSP’s, and I wouldn’t want to use the DS to watch any kind of movies on. I’ve tried the M3 Adapters movie converter, and the end result is really bad. REALLY bad. If you truely want a gaming platform that can double as a movie player, then rather get the PSP. But there’s just no beating the DS’s gameplay for a lot of its games.

Tags: Datel, Nintendo DS, M3 Adapter, SuperCard, PSP

Apple’s official Mac gaming solution: Windows

“Boot Camp lets you install Windows XP without moving your Mac data, though you will need to bring your own copy to the table, as Apple Computer does not sell or support Microsoft Windows.” The download includes a driver CD with Windows XP compatible drivers for the ATI graphics chips, Intel’s integrated graphics chips, ethernet, audio, WiFi, Bluetooth, and more. The only unsupported items are iSight, the Apple remote, Apple’s USB modem, and the MacBook Pro’s backlit keyboard.

I suppose it was only a matter of time, either Apple was going to get used to people with too much time on their hands eventually getting Windows to work properly (this was done, but the ATI graphics chip was apparently a big problem) on the new Intel based Macs, or Apple was going to release their own drivers for Windows for their Macs. So there it is.

Now, I still have to ask… Why’d you wanna do that Bob? There are cheaper machines to be installing Windows on, with similar or even better capabilities than the hardware that the new Intel-based Macs bring. I suppose it’s like running Linux on your Nintendo DS. I did that once. Once. I saw a friend run Linux on his iPaq too. Once.

Now, don’t get me wrong. If I had the money , I’d buy the MacBook Pro in an instant (Currently I’d need about R22000 for the top model). Mostly due to the fact that it’s a beautiful machine, and it’s one of those must-haves. If you have the money. And guaranteed, if I ever get one, I’ll install something other than MacOSX and Windows on it. Guaranteed. At least once.

Tags: Windows, Apple, ATI, Linux, Nintendo DS, MacBook Pro, MacOSX

Nokia releases Civilization for N-Gage – Joystiq
Nokia has just released turn-based strategy game Civilization for their handheld N-Gage device.

I haven’t played on an N-Gage since the launch party that coincided with Nokia’s “Totally Board” event on Blouberg Beach in 2003 (with snow and all!), but the screenshots actually look quite good, even if it is for the N-Gage (which, as most will know, has been totally surpassed in every way, by the Sony PSP and the Nintendo DS).

What I would like to see though, is Civilization for the Nintendo DS. Honestly, there are so many mouse-controlled PC games that the DS would be perfect for, with the stylus and all. But, I doubt it’ll happen as an official product, as the DS has, up to now, had largely original titles for it, and, unlike the PSP, not a torrent of re-releases and ports of older titles from other platforms.