Is it a phone? Is it a car? No, it's an iChange. Yes in a desperate bid to rejuvinate the moribund motor vehicle industry, Swiss auto powerhouse Rinspeed is hoping its revolutionary new car will have the heads turning at the Geneva Motor Show next week, just as the iPhone had geeks the world over turning crimson with desire when it launched two years ago.

The new super-car, Sneak learns, is in many ways built around the iPhone. As Rinspeed explains: "Gone are such mundane things as a key. Its role is filled by an Apple iPhone, which also controls the most important vehicle functions." Yes, you plug the iPhone into the dashboard to unlock the car and start the engine etc.

And that's not where the innovation ends, oh no. It can change its shape too: "At the push of a button the rear end of the teardrop-shaped car magically pops up", and the one-seater vehicle has suddenly become a three-person car. It's lithum-ion powered too (of course) and is fitted with more state-of-the-art technology than there is in Sneak's entire bedsit. Which is a lot.

An Intel processeor-powered Harman/Kardon infotainment system, a 3-D vehicle navigation system which calculates the most enegery-saving route, and high-performance auxiliary car heaters from the Esslingen-based Eberspächer Group to name but some of the whizz-bangery. According to the Rinspeed boss Frank Rinderknecht, the vehicle is more than just a clever concept car, it is "a symbol for the fundamental changes the auto industry is undergoing worldwide". Sneak would love a spin, only problem is he doesn't have an iPhone. Wonder if it works with a Nokia instead?

February 28, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ryanair, which recently announced that it would let its passengers use mobiles while flying, may not be so keen on phones being used for updating blogs mid-flight. The firm has been left red-faced, and more than a bit flamed, after calling bloggers 'lunatics', and telling them to keep the blogosphere to themselves.

The situation arose after one internet user, developer Jason Roe, discovered a glitch on the Ryanair web site. He did what any sane person would do and shared the glitch over micro-blogging site Twitter, only to be insulted back via a comment. This is a blogger and web developer being insulted, so he was unlikely to let it lie. So he set about discovering where the response came from.

Perhaps surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, the comment Roe received calling him an idiot and a liar were traced back to Ryanair's own headquarters, which really should have embarrassed the company. Only it didn't.

Rather than apologise, the firm decided to make this announcement: "It is Ryanair policy not to waste time and energy corresponding with idiot bloggers and Ryanair can confirm it won't be happening again. Lunatic bloggers can have the blogosphere all to themselves as our people are far too busy driving down the cost of air travel."

You got that bloggers, don't bother trying to engage with Ryanair using social media, the firm is not interested. And you will only end up looking stupid. Well, in Ryanair's eyes you will anyway.

Everyone else will think it's the other way round.

February 26, 2009 Travel, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (5)

Determining the veracity of surveys has always been something of a favourite pastime of Sneak's. And in his line of work, receiving about ten IT vendor-sponsored pieces a day, there is plenty of material to digest.

The latest was a tidbit from internet service provider Tiscali, that may make rather infuriating reading for the music industry. Yes, the firm has been asking UK consumers where they stand on illegal downloading of music. Around half of them said they use P2P sites such as BitTorrent and Limewire, but hilariously, 53 per cent said they "have never knowingly downloaded illegally". Sneak can only think of one way these consumers manage this, given the quantity of illegal content knocking about on these sites - they must cover their eyes as they click on "download". Or get an elderly relative to hit return instead.

The research also revealed that a quarter of UK consumers are deterred from downloading illegally because they like all the extras that come with a CD, including sleeve notes, artwork and lyrics. Really? You'll be lucky to get the lyrics reprinted in your CD sleeve these days, Sneak reckons. More likely is a flimsy bit of cheap paper adorned with an image that looks as if it has been designed by a first-year art school student.

February 25, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Those bemoaning the government's less than total commitment to getting tough on e-crime, and getting tough on the causes of e-crime, may be pleased to learn today's news that Justice Secretary Jack Straw's email account has been hacked.

Yes, according to reports, the Hotmail account Straw uses for his Blackburn constituency office was infiltrated by hackers, believed to hail from Nigeria, who then used the classic 419 scamming technique to try and con money out of contacts in his address book.

The scammers sent emails to those contacts, purporting to be from Straw, claiming that he had lost his wallet while in Lagos on official business, and needed $3000 to settle hotel bills and sundry items.

The Blackburn MP was at pains to point out that no government business was at risk from the hack, but it must be ever-so-slightly embarrassing for the Justice Secretary, who was instrumental in setting up the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit when he was Home Secretary back in 2001.

However, it remains to be seen whether incidents like this will do anything to impress upon our lawmakers the need for greater funding for e-crime units, and more international co-operation to shut down the botnets and crack the e-crime rings.

February 24, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Just when you thought the Daily Mail couldn't get any worse, comes the story of the year, nay, the decade from every magistrate judge and Little Englander's favourite rag. Apparently Facebook causes cancer. Yup, according to new "research" printed in the Biologist, the journal of the Institute of Biology, increased isolation from social contact, as perpetuated by social networking sites and our modern day obsession with online communications could "upset immune responses, hormone levels and the function of arteries", the Mail reports.

The story will sit perfectly with other Mail classic scaremongering articles such as "Menopause drug once thought safer than HRT 'could raise risk of breast cancer relapse'", and "Drinking just one glass of wine a day can INCREASE risk of cancer by 168 per cent, finds shock new study". Although, to be fair, the comments from loyal Mail readers have been a mixed bag, with a fair few dismissing the news as "tosh", "twaddle", "bunkum" and balderdash.

One outraged reader however, exploded, "I'm not at all shocked by this!"
"Under "Brown's Britain", street crime has soared and so it's no surprise that kids would choose to stay at home and use Facebook rather than go out and get stabbed," he wrote. "This is what happens when our so-called government decide to give every kid a computer."

To be honest, the less Sneak says about this story the better, not wanting to spread this kind of hokum any further around the world wide web. One question remains though, given that this story was first reported by the Mail; surely gypsies cause cancer? or Lady Di's driver? Or something...

February 19, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Remember the cartoon detective Dick Tracy and his cool futuristic wristwatch phone? Well, now this looks like becoming reality thanks to LG and Orange, which have announced they are bringing just such a product to the UK later this year.

The LG G910 Touch Watch phone does indeed take the form of a wristwatch, with a touch-screen interface and HSDPA network support, plus the ability to make video calls. The only drawback is that you need to use a Bluetooth headset to actually make yourself heard. No mention is made of battery life, but it seems likely to be on the short side.

Move over BlackBerry and portable video players, Sneak can see this will soon become the new gadget of choice for those poser prats on the train who insist on conspicuously demonstrating to everyone else that they have more money than sense.

If in future, you are sitting opposite someone on the 8:27 from Dorking who seems to be staring intently at his wrist while having the "train" conversation ("I'm on the train!!! No, It's not moving!! What?? Can I call you back when I get to the office???"), you'll know what's going on....

February 17, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (1)

Except he isn't. However, if you live in South Africa you might have been forgiven for thinking that he was, for three seconds at least.

According to reports, and we presume eye witnesses, a South African television channel mistakenly broadcast the news that the departed president had, um, departed. The channel displayed a banner across its screen reading "George Bush is dead", however this was down to a technician testing out whether such banners work. Well, they do.

From here on in the station intends to use gobbledegook in its test banners to avoid any repeats of the incident and future confusion. Sneak suggests these gobbledegook phrases: "Dead rise from the grave"; "Princess Diana working in chip shop"; and "Missing radioactive rabid monkey spotted in built-up shopping area - caution urged!".

In Sneak's opinion these are less likely to create as much interest as the one the station mistakenly used.

February 11, 2009 Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0)

This week's totally unseasonal appearance of snow wreaked the usual havoc on the transport infrastructure of many parts of the UK, causing many workers (Sneak included) to work from home.

Another predictable effect of the weather was a flurry of press releases either jumping on the opportunity to publicise the advantages of home working (usually from purveyors of mobility tools), or pointing out the dangers of remote working (usually from purveyors of security tools).
Sneak would concur that working from home sounds a good idea on occasions like this, especially if your work is heavily web-based and needs little other than a computer, internet connection and a phone.

However, it can quickly turn into a nightmare for those workers with a corporate IT department that believes the only secure system is one that nobody can actually access.

Sneak's company email system is based on Lotus Notes, with external access provided by a web-based tool called iNotes. The version Sneak has access to is virtually unusable and requires a different set of credentials to the Notes client on the network (naturally), but it also proves to be incompatible with modern browsers, refusing to work properly in FireFox 3 or IE 8, even with compatibility mode turned on. Fortunately, Sneak was saved by having an old PC at home still running IE 6.

There is also the problem that several documents Sneak was working on happened to be on a PC hard drive in the office, meaning they had to wait for another day to be completed.

Oddly, Sneak didn't used to be bothered by difficulties like this, because tools like GoToMyPC and LogMeIn allow you to reach your office PC via the web, so you can access your desktop email account and copy across any files you need in a flash. Unfortunately, someone in the IT department decreed these to be a security risk, and blocked them at the firewall.

Flexible, remote working is possible now, but a change in mindset is needed or we might as well not bother having all this modern technology. Now, Sneak is going to make another cup of tea before frustration causes him to do something that might invalidate his computer's warranty....

February 4, 2009 Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some good news for all you pick 'n' mix fans out there: Woolworths is to relaunch online.

After the high street chain collapsed late last year, Shop Direct, which also owns catalogue firms Littlewoods and Kays, has reportedly paid an undisclosed sum for rights to the Woolies brand. The plan is to relaunch the store as an online shopping business in the summer.

According to a message posted on Woolworths.co.uk in the early hours of 2 February, the store will be "back soon". Although the Woolies site is now "undergoing essential maintenance", the original message can be viewed from Google's cache.

"We've got high hopes and big ideas for the Woolworths we want to bring back to you!", the message reads.

It goes on to request feedback from visitors on "what you liked most (or disliked!) about Woolworths so we can make sure we'll be even better when we return". The page includes a comment box and space to leave an email address to be updated on the latest Woolworths news.

Whether Woolies fares any better as a web-only store remains to be seen. In its old incarnation it had an accompanying web site and catalogue division but this area of the business lost the firm around £10m per year. Woolies online will also continue to face tough competition from supermarket giants such as Tesco and Asda, which offer huge discounts in-store and through their web sites.

Furthermore, new owner Shop Direct is going through an organisational restructure to focus more closely on its online business, which currently accounts for 56 per cent of overall sales, up from only 18 per cent three years ago. As part of these plans, 1,150 jobs are under threat, so it doesn't look like many - if any - of the ex-Woolworths employees will be in line for a post at the new company.

And then of course there's the problem that pick 'n' mix, that staple of the Woolworths brand, might not have the same appeal as an online shopping proposition. Where's the joy in having someone else picking out all the sweets for you, Sneak wonders.

February 2, 2009 Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0)