Opinion

Ever since 3G networks were unveiled and we could get excited about handsets such as the Nokia 6680, things have stagnated a little in terms of mobile devices. You see, the 3G phones that emerged to run on these new, faster networks were just 2G phones with the additional radio. Ok, Video Calling crept in as an extra feature, but that didn't exactly set our hair on fire did it? At 50p a minute it's not hard to see why.

So, yes, devices stagnated. The music-playing phone became about ...

It's not just electronic toys (ahem, tools) I'm obsessed with, it's the electronics and, really, electricity, that goes with them. Being such a fan of electricity, I often think about where it actually comes from and how we all rely on such a centralised system for such an essential stimulant to modern life.

Electricity, you see, cannot be stored. Not in any meaningful amount. The National Grid actually has to balance electricity production to demand. This means the electricity supply ...

The problem with Mobile Broadband is that it's a black box. Sure, an Internet connection in the Mbps shoots out one end, but the user has no idea about what happens in the middle.

For a certain market, that's fine. Home networking and home routers have always been somewhat mystifying. However, as the plug-in-and-go market becomes saturated, the mobile operators will need to provide new levels of flexibility on Mobile Broadband and open it up so the end user can control what's going ...

Occasionally in my working life I communicate with the police in order to respond to their requests for information.

Without going into details, information is usually sent back to the police via email.

Sometimes, due to the nature of the requests, the information contains swearing and other questionable language.

This is when insanity kicks in. The police have implemented a very Labour "wrap employees in cotton wool" filter that identifies ...

Unless you've been hiding out with Osama Bin Laden for the last few months, you'll know that the 'thinnest' laptop in the world is the, rather curious, Macbook Air (MBA) - proudly announced by Steve Jobs as the next insanely great thing.

Other than a shrunken version of Intel's Core 2 Duo processor, the MBA doesn't actually sport a lot of new tech. The very thin integrated battery is interesting, but manufacturers have been able to make custom-shaped batteries for a few years now. ...