I’ve had the new Amazon Kindle in my possession for over a month now and have still managed not to spend a cent on ebooks or any other content, yet I use it every day. Initially I had signed up to the Irish Times subscription free trial, but quickly realised that paying €16 per month for content that was free online was a little silly.

Thanks to the online application Instapaper (works in your browser via a bookmarklet – even works with Safari for iPhone and the Twitter for iPhone app) instead I am able to queue up articles I wish to read later in a Kindle friendly format. This applies to all the online content I come across and many of the industry specific blogs I am subscribed to publish very long articles that I usually don’t have time to read during the work day (or go cross eyed trying to read them on my computer screen).

The Kindle friendly file you end up with is split into sections (one for each article) and can even handle images, and hyperlinks – so if you’re reading an article that mentions a secondary associated article you can click that link and the Kindle browser will open, you can even switch to “Article Mode” in this browser, and the Kindle will autofocus on the text content for you. Though I’m certainly not blown away by the “experimental” browser, it’s obvious that surfing the web is not something the Kindle was designed for.

With Instapaper I queue up blog posts, newspaper articles and more and then at the end of the day (or sometimes at lunchtime) I download the Kindle friendly file, transfer it to the Kindle using the USB cable and then have a great read, with no distractions, almost like having a highly personalised magazine in front of me. Admittedly it’s very relaxing, and I have no desire to tweet or check my email, so I’m not skimming anymore, instead I absorb the information I’m reading and feel like I’m really getting worth out of the content and not wasting my time.

Kindle vs iPad?

I’m doubtful it would be the same experience with something like the iPad, because reading on the Kindle is an absolute pleasure. I certainly don’t get as tired as quickly when reading on the Kindle in comparison to trying to read a long document on the iPhone or laptop. However, for those of you without a Kindle but with an iPhone there is the Instapaper app for iPhone which makes reading on your iPhone screen that much easier, there is an iPad version of Instapaper too, but I’ll be sticking to my Kindle!

The e-ink screen on the Kindle is incredibly close to reading on paper, but the key factor in how good the Kindle is to read on is the fact that it’s not backlit, so there is no glare when the sun shines on the screen and it won’t keep you awake at night. I’ve written here before about how the bright light of electronic screens suppresses the production of our sleep hormone melatonin, thus making them unsuitable for bedtime use. The readability of the Kindle in low lighting is comparable to that of a paper book, you will certainly need a book light if you plan on reading in low light, but this is preferable to the inability to sleep after using one.

The other great thing about the Kindle is how it’s cut down on paper/printing costs, instead of printing out long drafts of work documents they’re read on the Kindle and I write my feedback into my moleskin. Overall, I feel that it has increased my productivity and I’ve even started reading for pleasure again, by picking up a number of free classic books in ebook format via the Free eBooks by Project Gutenberg website.

Vivity Labs launches online brain fitness platform: This recently launched website will draw comparisons to the Brain Training game on the Nintendo DS. Basing the platform online, however, allows for a much broader appeal. For example, by providing the ability to play against other users, a higher level of motivation to return to play is likely to be achieved, especially for the highly competitive amongst us. Related Article: Video games can make us creative if spark is right.

iReport: Online Terror & Hate: The First Decade (pdf): This report by a Jewish Human Rights group indicates that since 2007 there has been a 30% increase in the number of problmeatic hate (racist, anti-gay, anti-religious etc.) and terrorist websites. The historic roots of online hate-sites is outlined and numerous examples are highlighted. Related Article: A rallying cry against cyberbullying.

Mac users don’t like people touching their technology: A survey was conducted by Cognitive Daily to investigate how willing people were to let others try out their new gadgets. They found that there was a dramatic difference between how much PC and Mac users let friends try out their new devices. Related Article: Bad BlackBerry Manners On the Rise.

Your Blog Can Be Group Therapy: This CNN.com article highlights some examples of the positive aspects of personal blogging, with some interesting commentary from both bloggers and psychologists. Related Article: The Internet and Suicide ; Related Link: The Lives of Others.

If anyone has anything they’d like to contribute to the next digest, or related articles for this volume, feel free to drop me a comment or an e-mail – Sinéad.

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4

The new technology can extend a wi-fi signal between two antennas up to a maximum of 96 miles. Considering Ireland is only about 190 miles wide, why not implement this kind of system? Rather than forcing Irish rural and island internet users to connect via ridiculously expensive satellite systems or leaving them lagging behind on dial-up.

Will someone please let the Department of “Communications” know about this, because according to Silicon Republic (and everyone else in the country) Ireland is below the EU Broadband average, and it’s all down to the rural “deficit”.

See it in action here (link: BBC news video).

For someone that does as much typing (some of this may or may not be chatting) whilst browsing the internet (all in the name of research of course), this would be a godsend. Not only would this replace my completely worn down trackpad and mini usb travel mouse, I can see this completely replacing any mouse I would ever think of using. Being able to switch between typing and navigating at such ease would be bliss.

I must have one of these. Immediately.

Am I the only one who has ever noticed how expensive ALL of the mobile phone tariffs are (especially the data charges), on ALL of the networks in Ireland, in comparison to the U.K? The phone prices are also very different, and the range of phones.

It’s nothing to do with the iPhone itself, it’s the same old adage in this country it’s “what the market can bare” rather than “best value for money”. O2 keeps its prices high because they can, and people are still going to buy the iPhone despite the download cap and excessive pricing.

As far back as September 2007 I suggested that those desperate for an iPhone would be better off with an iPod Touch instead. The iPod Touch has everything the iPhone has except it’s not a phone (though the iPhone isn’t exactly brilliant at being an actual phone – no MMS messaging, difficult SMS input etc.,) oh and let’s not forget that the iPod Touch doesn’t have that god awful 2 megapixel camera, what a loss.

Buying the iPod Touch is even better advice today because of the Joikuspot Software. Or, you could take Pat Phelan’s advice and go to the North, buy the iPhone and get it unlocked to use on any network. But that means being stuck in an 18-month contract and paying a monthly fee for minutes you will never get (though I doubt this is possible as you need to be a resident of the U.K to sign up to a mobile contract IN the U.K).

Even if you DO have an unlocked iPhone and use it on another network – you will still have to pay the high prices for Edge mobile data, so what’s the point?

The second USB key has become corrupt, but totally out of the blue! That’s what I get for buying cheap (bargain?) memory, from Hong Kong, on eBay. I wonder how long my 2-week-old 2GB of laptop memory is going to last? *cries*

For Irish consumers (and Apple Fanboys) hungry for mobile internet through Apple’s mobile version of Safari this could finally makes it a reality. JoikuSpot will, in essence, enable you to make any iPhone or iTouch 3G capable, and a 3G connection as we all know is far superior to Edge, which the iPhone currently supports. Infact, why buy an iPhone at all when an iTouch is cheaper, already available in Ireland and much slimmer in size? Pair your iTouch with a s60 nokia connected to either Vodafone or Three and you’ll have mobile internet at high speed with that wonderful Apple interface, and at a fairly reasonably price.

The only caution to heed is the fact that the wifi connection you create using JoikuSpot is actually an unsecure one, meaning anyone else nearby with an iTouch (or other wifi enabled device) could also connect to the internet. Connecting to 3G and wifi at the same time will also drain your battery down quite quickly, so I wouldn’t expect this to work for more than two hours or so (at least on your handset).

Currently the software is in beta and only supports the higher end N-series and E-series handsets, but I’m sure that will change as newer versions emerge.

Update: Rob wrote about this too – “Joikuspot – Euro iPhone Killer?“

There are some minor drawbacks, however. This IS of course the case with most technology these days (what, you expect it to work out of the box?!) Despite what the sales people drone, even an iPod won’t play your DVDs for you straight out of the box. A number of minor tweaks are required.

Guide to the Creative Zen

The first step with the Zen is to update the firmware for the device. Firmware is a computer program, it’s similar to an operating system (like Windows) and it can be updated in order to have new features added (just like Windows). You can find and download this on the Creative website, or directly from here (links to the European site). All you have to do is make sure your Zen is connected via USB before opening the downloaded file.

The second step is to download and install the newest version of Zen Media Explorer (this is a very handy utility for transferring files to the player), also on the Creative website, or here. Once this is done, your player and transferring files will run smoothly. If you don’t follow these two steps be prepared for the occasional need to reset the player and you might also encounter a few issues with transferring large numbers of files.

So, now you’ve got music… but what about a few videos? Personally, I don’t even bother ripping DVDs, I get all my video goodies online, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t still have to convert them. Unfortunately, Zen Media Player doesn’t convert videos very well (just trust me on that one). Thankfully there are many free converters out there. I currently use iRiverter, which you can download here. This will convert videos you’ve downloaded from the Internet, like movie trailers etc., but it will also convert DVDs to play on your Zen.

The reason I’ve chosen to recommend this software is because it is the fastest I’ve tried, but in order to get iRiverter working for you (as the name suggests, it’s not exactly designed with the Zen in mind), you’ll need to download this file (links to anythingbutipod.com, registration is required). The folder where you have installed iRiverter has a subfolder called “profiles”, unzip the file and save it in this subfolder. When you’re using iRiverter make sure that you change the device that you want to convert the DVD for to “iAudio” and then “D2″, the reason we do this is because the settings for the iAudio D2 player are the same as the Creative Zen.

Ripping DVDs is can seem like a daunting task, but all it requires is some patience and you’ll eventually get the hang of it. Depending on the length of your DVD, it can take quite some time to convert and this all depends on how much computer memory you have for the task. If you find it’s taking a long time, don’t sit and wait for it to finish, go be productive elsewhere for 30 minutes. Although, converting video files you already have on your computer takes very little time in comparison.

What changes would you make to an existing piece of technology?

I’d love it my Sony Ericsson w850i had a QWERTY keyboard and a slightly larger screen, so I could write longer e-mails and not get frustrated with text message input limitations. Besides, most of the smart phones out there at the moment that have QWERTY keyboards are the size of bloody toasters. (No thank you!)

So… what changes would you make to an existing piece of technology?