I’ve just flashed my TouchHD upto Windows Mobile 6.5 RTM, and very nice it is too. But that’s not what this post is about.

Nope it’s about Twitter clients on WinMo. I’ used to use PocketTwit, it was perhaps a little ‘heavy’, but hey whats a couple of K between friends. It’s got a great interface, and is certainly high on the wow factor, and looks sublime on the HD’s screen.

I tried installing it on 6.5RTM and it’s a no go, not quite sure why, but crashes out every time.

So I went hunting for another client to get me through till PocketTwit  starts working again (and yes tried the dev build).

I bumped into Twikini, I remember trying it before, and then not using it because I bumped into PocketTwit. So downloaded it, Installed and must say it’s actualy quite nice, from another point of view though. Yes it’s not got all the flash and bells of PocketTwit, but what it does do it does well. It’s quick, lightweight, and in it’s way it looks pretty (well it’s clean anyhow).

So if you have a device that’s not upto PocketTwit for any reason (screen size, processor, memory or whatever) then I sudgest giving Twikini a go, you wont be sorry.

You would expect me to post about a new McLaren over on www.f1-blog.co.uk, however this is a newly announced road McLaren.

And it’s quite pretty, reminiscent some would say of the Audi R8, but more organic than the Audi 2 seater.

Price is expected to be about the R8’s £80.000 so not a million miles away from the Porsche and Audi competition.

Frank Stephenson is looking after styling, he comes with a good pedigree (Fiat and Ferrari), and you can certainly see P11 influences in the car.

Slightly shorter than the R8, and similar power levels (450bhp) should make for some fun.

A few people have asked for the drivers that I’m using on Windows 7 for the Samsung NC10.

So here they are, they include the Audio (RealTek) and Lan (Marvel).

So download away.

Was having a play with the Windows 7 Open Search Provider. I’ve knocked one together for twitter, it’s only a ‘general term’ search, might have a look at hooking other search types into it, but that’s for later.

If you want it, just download it and either open from the download or double click it and Windows 7 will ask permission to add the search provider.

Any issues let me know. (oh you might have to right click and save as the file and make sure the file extension is osdx)

Just a quick post to say Merry Christmas.

The wife loves her NetBook (A Samsung NC10) and it runs Windows 7 great, only one driver that’s an issue and that’s the wired Lan, but she never uses it anyway so no problems.

I got all the games and BluRays I wanted, so all good, oh and a 60Gb XBox drive, so makes life easier. Just need a copier cable now.

Puppies had the left-over turkey and beef from dinner round the in-laws (was good!), and the kittens had some pheasant.

I wish you all a good rest of the Yule time.

Just finished watching the last episode (number 9). I have to say WTF were NBC thinking killing the show?

It’s not only one of the best things to come out of American TV in a good long while (let’s be honest Hero’s has run it’s time, and Lost just, well IS) it also had some of the best production, editing and acting from a show that’s come out of the USA.

Now I know that NBC have stated that it’s the ratings that have caused it to be canned, but I’m sure those production values were not cheap, and I bet Slater was far from free.

If that’s the case, then NBC just tell us your short of money, and that you might bring it back at a later point. Let’s just hope that Slater is up for it when NBC come crawling back.

Bumped into TV Scout the other day, and oh yes, if you have Media Center and download Telly, then get it.

It get’s all the meta info and artwork and re-names/organises the shows into seasons and stuff, most excellent!.

Go and get it now for CodePlex

Got a T-Mobile DataStick? Got Windows 7? can’t get em to play nice? OK here we go with a fix, it’s a bit of a hack, but hey it works. This should also work for the Vodafone, 3, Orange variants as they all use the same 3G Data Stick at heart, it’s just the branding of the software that changes.

Things you need :

• T-Mobile DataStick (re-branded Huawei E170, will work with an E172 as well I would think)
• A Windows Vista/XP machine (temporarily I used a VM)
• Switch Port from below

Got all that? good, pop the device into the usb, and when the Virtual CD comes up install the software. Now fire up the VM, insert the USB Stick and make sure the VM captures it (if not VM / Removable Devices / Hauwaei / Connect)

Install the application/drivers and make sure Vista/XP can connect etc, then close all the modem apps down.

Fire up the Switch Port application, and click Find Device, when it’s found click the CDRom to Diag button, it should say all done, disconnect.

Unplug the device and minimise the VM, click the desktop (make sure that the VM is not the active window) and pop the device back into the Windows 7 Machine and watch it detect the device and all it’s hardware.

Right, now what’s not going to work now we have done that? Well the CD-Rom part of the application will not work until you switch it back to CDRom mode (this can be done in Windows 7, Vista/XP  is only needed to switch it back to Windows 7 mode). That means you will be constantly switching between modes, or make sure the machines you want to use it on has the software installed, or have the software on another USB Stick.

Anyhow, I had to get mine going, and the software is on all the PC’s I need it on so matters not to me.

Any problems let me know.

UPDATE : New firmware and Web ‘n Walk Software are available for the E17x Devices.

I’ve been reading all the blog posts, forums, and complaints about Microsoft bringing back their ‘banhammer’ on the 360.

So let’s explain the banning, Microsoft are detecting modifications to the firmware on the DVD-Rom drives and locking the console from accessing Live.

There are lots of complaints about Microsoft doing this, and I cant really work out what people are complaining about, so I’ve decided to post this to try explain some things to people thinking of doing the mod to their consoles.

Now I’m not against people wanting to make backup’s of their game media, in fact I’m all for it and would wish Microsoft would address the problem and allow managed copies of their game disks as I’ve lost a disk or two myself to DVD scratching. This has kind of been addressed with the new NXE update coming soon, as it allows copying to the hard disk, so well done Microsoft.

Now the excuses that people have for doing this. The most common is they want to backup their disk’s, ok, to those that do then great, and in some countries the copyright law allows people to do it. However in most, it’s illegal. However lets be honest, most people do it so they can ‘get backups’ off the internet, and hey I’m not totally against that either, although developers deserve to be paid for a decent product, and most of the games have a decent demo nowadays to try before you buy.

OK, let’s talk about those countries where it IS allowed to copy your own disks and patch your firmware. Now Microsoft are not saying those countries cannot copy disks, they are just saying if you do, and bypass their intellectual rights then you cannot connect to THEIR live service, they don’t stop the 360 work, they just stop it connecting to their proprietary, and free (for silver) online service, and you cannot really blame them, they are trying to protect everyone else on the service. Yes you may be L337, but the 12 year old next door isn’t (well he probably is, but hey) and it’s up to Microsoft to protect them when they use the service. 

Like I said, Microsoft are not killing the 360, just the online connection.

So if you want to use a patched 360 that’s up to you, but make sure your prepared to only play offline, because eventually Microsoft will catch up with everyone that has patched their 360’s.

And before anyone flames me, I have patched the original XBox, it was good to run homebrew, however until someone works out how to do the same or similar on the 360 I doubt I’ll patch mine.