I’ve been playing with the pre market version of the next major Android release, and it’s been my primary device for the last two weeks.   Maybe I’ll review more fully once we get closer to launch, but in this new guise, the Android is a very accomplished phone, which does most things well.  Apple still have the edge though in UI, and touch screen implementation, but the Android platform handles apps better, especially as you can run two apps at the same time.  It’ll be interesting to see if Apple enable this on the upcoming 3.0 software release

The Guardian finally got round to re-launching their mobile version last week.  It’s way better than the old Avant-Go version, and god knows why it’s taken them so long to get it sorted, but it is a particularly great iteration of a mobile optimised news site. 

Fast, about the right use of graphics, and looks look on a touch phone or in a landscape orientated Blackberry.  It also recognises if you’re browsing to the full site on a mobile, and serves up the mobile version automatically.

Most of the news sites have realised that mobile traffic can be a good boost to their unique users, and there are obvious benefits for consumers to be able to access news and information easily and quickly on the go.

The Kindle 2 is out now in the US.  Kindle 1 didn’t really appeal to me, either as a concept or as a product.  This new one though, is substantially thinner, and a convenient size for commuting.  It’s also cheap, at $350USD, which makes it substantially less expensive than a laptop or even a netbook.

It’s got great Amazon integration, and downloading e-books is just a couple of clicks, and could be done over wi-fi or a mobile network.  I spotted someone using one in Sydney last week, and it looked great.  Not sure how they got it, as Amazon won’t let you order one outside the US.

While idly waiting for our skipper to rock up last night, we were waiting on the jetty next to the inflatable.   Lovely evening, rain had cleared, early evening sunshine peeking through, ducks calmly swimming around minding their own business. And then, virtually silently, a ripple breaks the water, and the jaws of a bull shark clamp around an unfortunate duck and disappears.  Apart from the feathers, I imagine that a duck makes a tasty snack, and a welcome change from fish and the occasional surfer.