Tag Archives: Review

what is the Telstra T-Hub?

Computer Aid Posted on by

At first, it looks like a cross between an iphone and an ipad.

The device needs a bigpond broadband internet connection and a phone line.

You can use it to surf the net, and has many built in “apps” like:

  • make a phone call (surprise surprise).
  • web browser
  • online yellow pages & white pages.
  • youtube.
  • weather.
  • news.
  • facebook.
  • sms.
  • calendar.
  • internet radio (but limited in some ways).
  • video (can also play videos from an SD card and USB drive).
  • music player (again, also works with SD card and USB).
  • photo frame (also works with SD card and USB).
  • a few other built-in apps.

but:

  • you cannot customise the layout of existing apps.
  • you cannot get more apps.
  • you cannot use VOIP services like skype.
  • the on-screen keyboard could be better… you have to hit the “number” button to enter numbers… a problem if you are entering something that has text and numbers (like a WiFi password).
  • The battery life if very limited (I’ve heard reports of between 15 min – 1 hour). I would expect this device to have at least 2 hours for something like this… particularly if you want to use it as a phone!
  • the internet radio is limited to telstras selection of radio stations.
  • you cannot make video calls as it has no webcam (you should get a netbook with a webcam to do this)
  • the price is $299. I think that for an extra $100, you are better off with a netbook laptop.

All up, Id say the t-hub is interesting, but it has many limitations in its current form.

For me, the biggest limitations are:

  • battery life.
  • you cannot expand its functionality in the same way as the iphone & ipad, etc.
  • high price (particularly given its lack of application expandability).

To make the t-hub a real success, I’d say a price of $29 is appropriate, given its current capabilities.

So why are Telstra pushing the t-hub?

Most people agree that its an effort to stop people leaving the land-line service, by offering something, that telstra hopes, will get people back to using the old-fashioned land-line.

I think its going to be a dead duck.

Sure, some people will like it, but I doubt many people will go and install a land-line phone service, just to get a t-hub… particularly when it effectively forces you to use telstra services, and deliberately locks you out of competing services (like skype).

I think Telstra need to pull their heads out of the sand; see the writing on the wall, and need to decide to really beef up their mobile network as a full replacement for landlines.

review of ie8 beta

Computer Aid Posted on by

I did a quick test of ie8 beta 2.

I was hoping that microsoft had learnt something from their ie7 mistakes.

My biggest gripe with ie7 is that the most used buttons (back, forward, refresh, stop, home) are scattered around the window, instead of being grouped together (like in ie6 and other mainstream browsers).

Well, guess what:
ie8 looks almost identical to ie7.

It looks (to me) like Microsoft are just not doing good usability testing. So they are not delivering something that customers find convenient to use.

Instead, it seems like they have taken a “we know whats best for you” attitude (which is also evident in their Vista / Windows 7 user interface).

I’ll be trying it out some more over the next few weeks, but so far, I’m not impressed with the update.

To me, the upcoming update from ie7 to ie8 has a very strong resemblance to the upcoming update from vista to windows 7.

Neither warrant the change in version numbers.

For me, windows 7 should be called vista 1.1

and ie8 should be called ie7.1

And another annoying aspect of ie8 is the multiple favorites.

  • There is a favorites menu in the menu bar
  • There is a favorites toolbar… you can try to disable it under view -> toolbars -> favorites bar… but that just shrinks the bar to just a favorites button, which is then placed to the left of the tab bar.

On a positive note, ie8 is more standards compliant than prior MS browsers (about time)

ie8 also includes “accelerators”.

After figuring out what accelerators do, I reckon its a crap name. Its like buying a “microsoft” car, where accelerators are the headlights, radio, indicator stalk, etc

So whats an accelerator?

You can highlight some text on a web page, and then send it to an accelerator “plugin” (eg google search, blogger blog, etc).

Accelerators sound kinda cool, but at this stage, they seem more complicated than they need to be (eg: I can’t see the need for different “sub” categories).

Of course I reckon the most useful accelerator, would be to highlight a url, so that you can then open it in another tab (without the hassle of using copy/paste). Of course this type of accelerator doesn’t exist (yet), even though its been a standard part of Maxthon for years.

Whats amazing about accelerators, is the standard list of accelerators, which includes, google maps, yahoo maps, and various other services from Microsofts “competitors”. Its highly unusual for MS to acknowledge a competitor in their products (unless forced to do so). Is this is the start of a “nicer”, more open, microsoft?

My summary: Microsoft ie8 is still playing catchup on all the other browsers out there.

I’d say the IE family of browsers (including IE8 ) will continue to lose market share, until MS realises that just copying some features of other browsers just doesn’t cut it. Microsoft need to truly innovate (if they know how).