TechWire

Get directions in Dublin on this website. (Walking, bus, Luas, Dart.)

Hittheroad.ie: I like this website. Just drag and drop two locations on the Google Map of Dublin and it will tell you how to get from A to B, using a combination of walking, bus routes, Luas routes or Dart routes.

Very simple.

Just happened across this site: the developer is a guy who responded to a tweet of mine.

Playing with Nikon's d3100

Just a few random shots taken over the weekend (spent in coastal Mayo) with Nikon's new entry-level d3100 (which costs €690 in Irish shops, but is cheaper online). These shots are just point-and-shoot on automatic, no adjustments before or after.

Here's the camera (comes with an 18-55 lens kit):

3 Android phones, compared

This Christmas, it looks like Android phones (collectiviely) will be the big sellers. In fact, some analyst reports predict that Android phones will outsell iPhones and Blackberrys by 2012.

There are some differences between the handsets on which Android is offered, though.

I've been using three, in particular, over the last few months. They are the HTC Desire, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and the Samsung Galaxy S. So which would I recommend? Overall, it's a toss-up between the Galaxy S and the Desire, with the X10 lagging on the latest version of Android and not quite as smooth on the touchscreen (although it has, by far, the best camera).

Here's my scorecard for each phone.

Screen
X10 -- 4.0 inches; bright
Desire -- 3.7; decent, but poor outdoors
Galaxy S -- 4.0, best of the three, super-Amoled

Android version
X10 -- 1.6, oldest; soon upgradeable to 2.1
Desire -- 2.1, soon upgradeable to 2.2 (Froyo) on unlocked phones
Galaxy S -- 2.1, soon to be upgradeable to 2.2 (Froyo) on unlocked phones

Camera
X10 -- 8MP; very good; also has its own dedicated camera button
Desire -- 5MP; average
Galaxy S -- 5MP; average; but only one of three to have second, front-facing camera. Also, HD-recording.

Battery life
X10 -- 1 day
Desire -- 1 day
Galaxy S -- 1 day

Design
X10 -- has its own dedicated camera button; nice feel, but edges
Desire -- nice curves, nice materials; practical rubberised back casing
Galaxy S -- glassy

Touch
X10 -- average; not as smooth as rivals
Desire -- very good, iPhone quality
Galaxy S -- very good, iPhone quality

Memory
X10 -- 8GB
Desire -- 8GB
Galaxy S -- 8GB

Price/availability
X10 -- from free on O2 billpay
Desire -- €120 on Vodafone billpay or from €40 on Meteor billpay
Galaxy S -- from free on 3 Ireland billpay