‘Features & Opinion’ Archives
Opinion: Will Google’s Chrome OS be dead on »
Chrome OS is impressive in many ways but it may be built for a market that has already moved on, says Adam Maguire. Late last week Google gave the world its first taste of Chrome OS - the light-weight operating system that marks a significant shift in the way computer platforms are designed. The appeal of Chrome OS is that it is largely ...Read On »
Feature: Five tips for tech shopping this Christmas »
Christmas shopping can be stressful, especially when you're buying tech for someone else. Did you get the right device? Is it powerful enough? Will it be replaced by something better tomorrow? To make the load a little lighter, here are five tips to keep in mind when you're tech shopping in the coming weeks. 1)Don't be intimidated by ...Read On »
Feature: Five features your next phone should have »
The colour screen was once a unique selling point for new mobile phones - now no manufacturer would dare release a handset without one. The mobile - like all technology - is constantly improving. As a result it is impossible to pin-point the best phone on the market at any given time but it is a lot easier to state what the minimum ...Read On »
Opinion: Free isn’t the future »
Jason Walsh is in favour of free software, so why does he have a problem with the worlds of open source and free content? Here's a saying for you: the best things in life aren't free. After all, if someone can make a quick buck by selling anything to you, they invariably will. Despite this, the last decade has seen the seemingly ...Read On »
Feature: Moving the library online »
Irish universities are getting in on the idea of digitised, interactive libraries, with a new partnership between Trinity College Dublin and Microsoft setting the tone, writes Adam Maguire. THE MOVE towards digitised university libraries is gaining momentum worldwide with copyright concerns creating the only real doubts about how the ...Read On »
Opinion: The folly of tech haters »
Despite all the iPhone-love we have a contradictory attitude to technology, says Jason Walsh. I was once at a book reading by Martin Amis and, having finished reading his (rather good) story, he started prattling-on about the third world in the most patronising way possible. Raising my hand, I asked Amis if he objected to economic ...Read On »
What’s next for netbooks? »
In the run up to Christmas 2008 netbooks were being sold as a cheap entry-level computer for young kids and students alike. Just twelve months later the device-type has grown into a market of its own with a product range and customer base as varied as its more feature-laden sibling; the notebook. Taiwanese manufacturer Asus is widely ...Read On »
Blurring the line between platforms »
Recent manoeuvres in the telecoms industry in Ireland has marked the expanding choice of so-called 'triple-play' services however with such stiff competition the race is on to push things to the next level into the arena of 'quad-play'. Triple-play services can technically mean any combination of three services and is generally used in the ...Read On »
Can the music industry change its spots? »
While the music industry continues to grapple with online piracy and lower-yield platforms like Apple's iTunes a new music programme has arrived that could prove to be its new best friend – or foe. Since October 2008 there has been a growing buzz around Swedish company Spotify and the new business model it is pushing. Founded by Daniel Ek ...Read On »
Are we facing a digital book revolution? »
The book is one of the oldest media still in popular use today but it has also been the last to really feel the effect of the digital age. However with electronic book readers finally becoming practical and affordable the printed word is facing the same kind of revolution that the music, TV and film industries have been grappling with for some ...Read On »
