Author Archives: GEEK!

Spotify for the iPod Touch/iPhone approved by Apple!

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Great news Spotify fans! The company has posted on their blog that Spotify for iPhone (or the iPod Touch) will become a reality.

The mentioned in the post that “the lovely people at Apple” had approved their software and that the app would soon be available on the app store.

It’s not all good though – as I may have mentioned already in previous posts – as the app will only be usable by premium members of Spotify, so free users won’t get the benefit of the app.

Still, I’m sure it will encourage plenty of people to upgrade to premium membership, which will be great for Spotify.

Thanks Apple, that’s the news we’ve all been waiting for! I can’t wait to see the Spotify app on the app store.

SiS M672MX drivers for Windows XP [Download]

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If you have a laptop with the SiS M672MX, you’ll be sadened to know that there are no official drivers for Windows XP. However, you’ll be glad to know that I have got some drivers for Windows XP – I found them on my laptops driver disk but I’m pretty sure they work on any Windows XP computer, as long as you’re trying to run it with a SiS M672MX.

I’ve uploaded them to GEEK! so you can download them here on GEEK! exclusively.

Please note: GEEK! does NOT accept liability for any damage – both hardware or software – by use of these drivers. If they do not work, please uninstall them and return to what you were previously using.

If you’re ready to try them out, click the link below:

Download here – approx. 17MB

Once downloaded, simply extract the ZIP and run the setup.exe file in the VGA folder and follow the instructions on-screen.

If they work, leave a comment and let the readers of GEEK! know! 🙂

Are in-ear earphones worth it?

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Sorry I’ve been away for ages. Been on holiday and really haven’t had much time for GEEK! in the last week or so. But have no fear, I’m back and all will resume from now on! 🙂

Anyway, while I was on holiday, I bought some brand new in-ear earphones, mainly because I needed a new pair of earphones and they were only £9.99 at HMV. I thought “what they hey it’s only a tenner” and bought them – I was pleasantly surprised.

I’m actually really pleased with them – they sound brilliant and for £10 they are the best value earphones I’ve ever had!

However, the main reason I’m so happy with them is that they don’t need to be half as loud as my normal earphones. I’m amazed at how low I can have the volume on my iPod with my in-ear earphones and still be able to hear my music very clearly.

In addition, the earphones don’t fall out of my ears all the time, because the earphones are directly in your ear. It used to really bug me when my old earphones constantly fell out of my ears, but I don’t have that problem anymore.

So yes, if you want my opinion, go and upgrade. For what you’ll pay compared to what you get, it is very much worth it! They are more convenient than headphones but less fiddly than standard earphones – perfect!

Will you be getting the new PS3 or PSP on launch?

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I won’t be – I’ve never invested in games consoles. I find they are a waste of money when I have perfectly capable PCs that cope with gaming very well.

If you have a PS3 or a PSP, will you be upgrading? Shortly we have the PSP Go coming out that features a design makeover and onboard memory, and on the 1st of September the new PS3 Slim model with a new slimmer design and better energy efficiency.

It all looks very interesting, but Sony will have lots of work to do if they want me to upgrade. I find they are just far too expensive for what they do. I’d much rather have my iPod Touch which does everything I want it to – email, music, video, games, photos, reminders – the lot!

So sorry Sony, you won’t be reaching into my pocket! Will they be reaching into yours?

Guide: 5 tips to save energy in the technology enabled home

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Yes, I know – how many times have you been told that turning your computer monitor off standby saves tonnes and tonnes of energy? It is a fact though – the amount of energy the average home wastes yearly because of gadgetry on standby is scary!

So, here are a few tips to keep your electricity bill down just a little…

  • Guess what I’m going to say? Yes, turn off your computer at the wall! Leaving your computer and monitor on standby is a huge waste of power! Shut down (or hibernate) your computer and turn it off at the wall, instead of putting it into standby. Also, if your speakers run from the mains, turn them off too when they aren’t in use. Even if they aren’t producing sound, they still pull power from the plug! In addition, consider turning your printer and scanner off at the wall! It doesn’t need to be on if you aren’t using it.
  • Only charge your gadgets when they need to be. If the battery on your iPod or mobile phone is only half empty, don’t waste energy recharging it for the sake of it. Now, this does go with a little thought – don’t run your batteries totally flat as this sometimes reduces battery life in the long term. But basically, if it doesn’t need charging, don’t bother.
  • Only charge your gadgets until they are fully charged. Once they are charged, unplug them. Many modern devices (such as newer Nokia phones) will tell you when they are ready to be unplugged, so make sure you unplug them. It is a waste of energy if you’ve got your device plugged in when it has a full battery, and it can often damage batteries if you charge them for too long.
  • Turn off your router when it isn’t going to be used. If you’re going to be away for the weekend or you wont be using the computer for a while, turn gadgets such as your broadband router off. They don’t use much electricity but when they are on 24/7 the cost does build up. Routers are designed to be turned off now and then so don’t be afraid to – it should remember all of your settings and just reconnect when you plug it back in. If you have NAS (network attached storage), turn that off as well if you don’t need to use it.
  • Turn appliances off at the socket. It might seem silly, but turning appliances such as your cooker, dishwasher or washing machine off at the socket when not in use might well save you a bit of electricity. With modern appliances it is so easy to leave them on standby, but that does use a small amount of electricity. Obviously don’t turn your fridge off if it has food in it!

There you go – 5 tips to save energy in any modern home. It might only knock a tenner or so of your energy bill, but in today’s economical world any savings count!