Archive for May, 2010
Orange’s tiny E5832 converts 3G to WiFi, making the iPad 3G superfluous
You really don’t need an iPad 3G in France. Just use it in conjunction with Orange’s E5832, a tiny device that runs on its own dedicated SIM card and converts a 3G signal to a high-quality, fast WiFi network. You can use it not just with your iPad, but with any of your WiFi-enabled devices, including a Mac or even a camera, in conjunction with an Eye-Fi SDHC card. It’s also better value than Orange’s existing iPad 3G plans.
The iPad will remain a relatively useless gimmick until proper application standards emerge
I won’t be using my iPad for much apart from reading books, newspapers and magazines or in special situations like meetings or plane and train journeys. Until application standards emerge that provide users with a way to interact more effectively with the device, which can only happen over time, it will remain essentially a glorified PDF reader. The iPhone already does most of what the iPad does and, indeed, does some of it, like listening to music, better. I can’t see the point of switching to the iPad for any of those tasks until developers write much better applications than are on offer today.
What should a Tory government stand for in 2010?
Following last week’s inconclusive General Election result, I’m struck by how people have focused on the short-term issue of how a functioning administration can be cobbled together, to the detriment of what a Tory government, which must still be the most likely eventual outcome, will actually stand for. There would a lot to be said for it refocusing on its traditional values: pride in tradition, an end to constitutional vandalism, inclusiveness in the conservative sense, and a clear commitment to protecting the environment.