Just back from my second ever TV slot. Much less nervous than the first time around, and though I’ve yet to see the evidence, it feels like it went well. Totally forgot to set Sky Plus so will have to wait for the DVD. Should be able to post it here at some point soon. I was reviewing the iPhone, alongside a selection of alternative devices – the SonyEricsson W910i Walkman phone, Nokia N95, and LG Viewty – kindly supplied by Expansys.com. I’ve now had the iPhone for three days. In that time I’ve had my...read more.

(Written on Friday 7th December on the train down to London – wobbly 3G connection and poor memory = delayed posting) Last night was the first Manchester event for Mashup Demo, an opportunity for tech start-ups and entrepreneurs to present their ideas to a crowd of fellow entrepreneurs, consultants, facilitators, and investors. It provided further evidence that the web and tech industries in Manchester are booming. Not only was there an abundance of good ideas and interesting companies, there was also a good showing from the highly sought-after money men. This has been true for a...read more.

I gave my Book of the Future email address to Apple’s PR team this afternoon, and if they’re anything like me they will be checking this site out for background information. Hello there! Thought I’d best post something quickly because they are sending me an iPhone to review on Channel M on Monday morning. And given my sceptical comments in the past about the iPhone, if I was them reading my blog, I’d be a bit concerned. This is just to say, don’t worry. I have a whole weekend to fall in love with it, and...read more.

There’s one big problem with having a portfolio career, operating with multiple identities at once. Sometimes all of those identities are trying to pull you in different directions. Today I have mostly been a PR person; a TV gadget expert; managing director of a Web 2.0 startup; head of a marketing consultancy; and a blogger. Now I’m off to be a husband and have a well earned drink. More on this topic to come when I have time to spend on just being a blogger for more than two minutes.

First time on TV this morning, apart from appearing on the BBC Holiday programme as a small child. I was reviewing Christmas gadgets for Manchester’s local TV station, Channel M. Have to say it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and one I hope to repeat. Might try to get some better gadgets next time though. The highlight – thanks to http://www.crazyaboutgadgets.com – was a remote control car with a built in metal detector. For the thoroughly lazy treasure hunter.

Half the planet now has a mobile phone – ish. There are now 3.3bn mobile phone subscriptions worldwide according to Informa Telecoms and Media, but many people in richer countries have multiple subscriptions. In the poorest countries mobile penetration is often under 10%, and mobile phones become public amenities. The contrast between rich countries and poor is stark,. But it is often the poorer regions that bring the most interesting uses of technology. Following the example of some enterprising individuals, some African operators are turning mobiles in to payphones, bringing telephony to rural regions for the...read more.

As I’ve noted before in this blog, I’m a big fan of Dr Ben Goldacre’s Bad Science blog and Guardian column. His latest piece on the myths of homeopathy is certainly worth a read. In it he raises an interesting point: why is there such a broad distrust of ‘mainstream medicine’ and science in general? It’s a big issue, and getting to the root of it could be the work of a PhD thesis or three. Whatever the root cause, there’s certainly some people, groups, and organisations who can be accused of promoting the view that...read more.

Just over a year ago I started a company called Eggheads – consumer technology advisors helping people to choose, buy, set up, and use modern technology. Everything from broadband to digital cameras, iPods to home cinema and digital TV. When I started the company I had plenty of time available but now lots of other commitments have overtaken it in my priorities. It ticks over OK, but it really needs someone to run it properly, to inject some life in to it and turn it in to the business it could be. So I’m looking for...read more.

Popped in to the Beeb this morning for another little comment spot on violent computer games. This was all spurred by the launch of the FPS Vest, a new peripheral that looks like a flak jacket and replicates the feeling of being shot for players of first person shooter games. They wanted to know if this accessory was a step too far. There’s no proven link between violence in games, films, books or music and violence in real life. There will always be a tiny minority of people who are already unstable and are affected by...read more.

The UK music industry’s latest crackdown on illegal downloads smacks of panic. I’m not saying there is no justification in their actions: you can argue that downloading copyrighted music is stealing as much as walking out of the shop with the CD. And there is some truth in the argument that without the ‘stick’ of potential prosecution, the ‘carrot’ of easy to use, legal downloads (iTunes) won’t succeed in bringing everyone to the right side of the law. But prosecuting individual downloaders makes the record labels look petty and bullying. They are already perceived as greedy...read more.