At last. I've been moaning for months about locked iPhones and the iniquities suffered by contracted users who cannot use foreign SIM cards when abroad. Now, according to Macworld UK, O2 are to unlock phones from today at no charge to contract holders. Pay-as-you-go users will be charged a reasonable £15. Now this makes eminent sense; I have never understood Apple's policy of locking the iPhone. If you get a discount when taking out a long contract, you're committed to the monthly payment for the duration. So it really doesn't matter whether the phone is locked or unlocked: Until you want to take it abroad, that is. 

According to Macworld UK, O2 will start unlocking customers' phones from now, irrespective of the period left on the contract. PAYG users will have to wait until 12 months after the purchase of the phone. 

Apparently, the unlocking process takes up to 14 days (why, I wonder?). You just fill in a request form, wait the fourteen days and, on receipt of a text message, you insert a non-O2 SIM card and connect to iTunes. This is certainly something everyone should do before collecting a stack of overseas SIM cards from every visited country. I just file them away and top up on the day of arrival.

It appears that this change of heart on the part of O2 follows the introduction of iPhone by Orange and, next January, by Vodafone. Orange claim to have sold 30,000 iPhones in the first few hours of availability. O2's move, which will surely be emulated by the other service providers, is welcome and, at last, breaks the infamous locking rules. Perhaps, now, we will finally see an end to locking of phones. 

I'm a great fan of the Novatel MiFi 3G router, as you know, and it is coming into its own here in Australia. It's providing a personal internet connection for both my iPhone and my laptop, powered by an Australian Vodafone 3G data card. This animal cost me A$99 (£55) and includes one gigabyte of data. Subsequent top ups cost A$29/GB (£16). The SIM card came with an obligatory modem dongle, which I will add to my ever-growing pile of useless accessories. Set up for the MiFi was straightforward except that I had to get the APN for the pay-as-you-go service. In the UK and many other counties, the data contract APN is simply "internet". Vodafone Australia were extremely cagey about disclosing the APN, which the MiFi needs to establish a connection, but eventually gave in. Sssh, don't tell anyone, but it is "vfprepaymbb". 

The £16 per gigabyte compares favourably with O2's roaming charge of £6,000 per gigabyte. Scandalous, or what? Isn't it about time that the EU really clamped down on the networks and banned such extortion? If they introduced more reasonable charges people like me might even use their overseas services. For the moment, though, I'll have a SIM in every port.

In fact, my O2 SIM has been filed away until I return. I got a local Australian phone SIM for A$30, including A$30 of calls. This handles local calls, while the MiFi permits Skype to be used on the iPhone for all other calls. Joy.

For nearly a year I have been using the NetNewsWire application on my iPhone. I was quite happy with the performance, although it was a nuisance to navigate out of the application to Safari every time I wanted to see a story in full. Then came a series of emails telling me that NewsGator, the source of the NNW content, was going to concentrate on the corporate market and I would have to migrate all my feeds to Google Reader. This I didn't like, mainly because I was resistant to change, so I left it to the last minute.

Now, however, I have downloaded the latest NetNewsWire for iPhone and set up all my feeds in Google Reader and can see many benefits. The new NNW application for Mac is superb and presents all the stories in logical format. If I want to see more, the source website comes up in the NNW application itself, thus avoiding all the previous juggling.

Joy of joys, too, the slickly designed NNW iPhone app does the same thing. I can stay in NNW and read all my news stories, in full if necessary, without having to flick back and forth to Safari. This makes the best of the iPhone's single-application-at-time limitations. So far I have absolutely no complaints and I would rate NetNewsWire as excellent, both in Mac and iPhone iterations.

Rumours of the so-far-vaporous Apple/Mac Tablet, the unicorn of the computing world, are swirling around the sites again this week. We have stories of Apple folk making more frequent trips to the Far East; of meetings with Australian newspaper magnates and regurgitated rumours of similar conflabs with US publishers. 

Whatever form the new device takes, the target market is becoming clearer. The machine is likely to be a media centre for on-the-go consumption; and not just for videos, photos, streamed tv and music but with a strong emphasis on the published word.

There is little doubt that with the right product and the success of the iPhone and iPod under its belt, Apple could take the book market by storm. The current crop of electronic readers, such as the Kindle and the Sony Touch, suffer from a major problem: they are single-function devices in a world where everything is moving towards convergence. Why, people ask, carry around two computers when one will do everything? Even the iPhone can do everything if you are content with the small screen, so an Apple tablet will be that much more attractive as a convergence device.

Subscription-based newspapers are also the future (this is why, of course, these meetings with press barons may or may not have taken place). Again, Apple with its iTunes store and proven track record is ideally placed to push this new technology forward.

The current book readers have an Achilles' heel which is, strangely, also their crowing glory: the screen. The technology may be slow a-refreshing and not very good in low-light conditions, but it is very miserly when it comes to power consumption. My iPhone needs charging at least once a day; the Sony Touch can stagger along for two weeks on a charge, even with heavy use. I can imagine that an Apple backlit LED screen would offer a better reading experience, but at what cost?

I have little doubt that we will see convergence between book readers and computers, but Apple (or someone) will have to crack the battery problem. At the moment I find the Sony very convenient. I can set off on a trip without worrying that the battery will give out during a flight. This is unlikely to be the case with the Apple device. Nevertheless, soon as this unicorn becomes reality I shall have my finger on the order button. I am really curious to see if I can now converge my media habits.

MacOldie is off to Australia next week and a lot of thought has gone into feeding the data habit while out there. Roaming charges are much higher outside Europe, so it is not a good idea to turn on data roaming on the iPhone. Nor is it viable to use the Vodafone 3G data card when outside Europe. These days, with our ueber-reliance on data, it can be a big (and expensive) problem. Vodafone Australia has come to the rescue with an AUS$99 data package of 3G modem and SIM card enabled for 1GB of data. A further gigabyte costs $29 but probably will not be necessary. The obligatory Vodafone modem is superfluous because the SIM will work in our MiFi personal wifi gadget. Nevertheless, it's part of the package and can be given away. This tiny MiFi unit will provide wifi everywhere for both laptop and iPhone. Crucially, too, it powers Skype for calls to landlines and mobiles, thus cutting down the call-roaming charges from O2. It will be interesting to see how this fix works out in the field. Financially it is a much better solution that taking an international roaming package from Vodafone or O2 in the UK. Watch this space.

After two years of O2 exclusivity in the UK, the iPhone franchise is being extended to Orange on November 10 and, early in the New Year, to Vodafone. Even 3 has said that they expect to have the iPhone in their lists before the end of 2010. Presumably, though, all these suppliers will be offering phones locked to their particular network. What we really need is the ability to buy unlocked phones, as in many other European countries. I see absolutely no reason why someone who is prepared to pay a reasonable price for an unlocked phone should not be able to buy one in the UK. 

In fact, I see no logic in locking in any case. Users signing a long contract get a discount on the phone and, frankly, does it matter if that phone is locked or unlocked? The service provider has 18 months or even two years of revenue, irrespective of whether or not the user changes to another network. Anyone who is happy to pay full price for the phone should be able to buy it without signing a contract. It is about time the European Union made it illegal to lock phones. 

The main reason for owning an unlocked phone, of course, is the ability to use a foreign SIM card when travelling or living abroad. I have an unlocked phone and know how convenient this can be. In most European countries I can buy a cheap pay-as-you-go SIM card which is worth having even for a brief one-week stay. If you spend a long time in another country, as I do in Greece, it even makes sense to have a contract there, but it is only possible with an unlocked phone.

If ever proof were needed that ebooks are here to stay it is the news that several libraries in the UK (Luton Library in the picture) are making a success out of lending electronic books. Apparently the take up is very encouraging and some libraries are even considering making ebook readers, such as the Sony Reader or the iRex Iliad, available to members who cannot afford their own. It's a compelling argument that electronic readers are ideal for older people because the font size can be zoomed so that anyone can achieve a comfortable reading experience. 

These library ebooks expire after 14 days but, presumably, can be re-borrowed if you are a bit slow and have a couple of dozen pages still to go. Tellingly, they don't suffer from wear and tear, nor are they liable to be stolen. I see a great future for this and when my local library installs the necessary software I will be first in line for the latest best-seller. 

I am more than ever convinced that ebooks are the future and that one of the latest models, such as the Sony Touch Edition, is a strong buy. Some computer-industry pundits scorn the current crop of readers because they are single-function devices when the world is moving towards convergence. The iPhone is a true convergence machine, offering a touch of everything from email to book reading. The much-rumoured tablet, too, will be a better book reading device. However, both suffer from the backlit screen that uses lots of battery power. Readers such as the Sony are basically one-horse machines, but they are compact, light and offer a true replacement for a paperback.

Eventually I believe we will see convergence of phone, tablet and reader, but we need some advances in battery longevity before it becomes a reality. I can certainly see the advantages of reading from a computer-like illuminated screen rather than relying on ambient light as with current readers. For the moment, though, the Sony and its competitors do offer a viable and enjoyable reading experience. 

Welcome to Windows 7. I've been following the approach of the new OS for over a year. Had I been a regular WIndows user I would certainly have taken part in the 7 Beta programme that's been running for many months. And I would definitely be upgrading this week. All the reports I've read have been very complimentary and  I get the impression that, for the first time, Windows offers real competition to Mac's OS X. 

In reality, though, the potential success of Windows 7 is the best thing that could happen to Apple and, in particular, to Mac consumers. Strong competition is a sure-fire recipe for advancement on all fronts. There is nothing worse than complacency. Now, with Windows 7 on the table, there will certainly be no hint of laurel-resting in Cupertino.

At the moment I'm running an old copy of Windows XP in my Parallels Desktop emulator. I'm strongly tempted, though, to buy the new Microsoft OS just for a play. Maybe I will be converted back from Mac five years after I found that Mac Mini on the Damascus road. Then again….

This one slipped under the radar as far as I'm concerned. In addition to all the usual iTunes goodies, including podcasts, we now have the iTunes University. As an avowed podcast fan, I was fascinated to find that university lectures and, in some cases, complete courses, have their own iTunes section and are available for downloading now. I'm halfway through a series on Old English by Dr. Stuart Lee of Oxford University and I have also downloaded two audio tours of the British Library which I will try out on site at the Library in the near future. The concept is excellent and the list of content grows by the day. Definitely worth a browse.

The Apple Stores have been an undoubted bonanza for the company. I have to say I feel a little sorry for approved resellers caught within the catchment area of a new Apple Store. All their custom is drawn like a magnet to the shining new palace. Or, should I say, church. To many, an Apple Store is the place to worship the blessed Steve and all his doings.

So what can we expect from Microsoft? I certainly look forward to a store full of gadgets and I might even find something to buy. They will be a welcome addition to the High Street. But I can't help feeling that there they are on an uphill slope because of the need to be fair to a wide range of partners and computer manufacturers. It will be difficult to please everybody all of the time. 

Apple's great strength is its focus: Software and hardware all under one roof. If you are an Macista, your choice of computer is limited to a pro, a consumer desktop and a family of four laptops. Immediately the choice is narrowed and it becomes relatively easy to make a decision. If you stick to Apple, you are not always wishing you'd bought something else ("should I maybe have got the HP or the Sony, or perhaps even the Dell?…."). The worst you'll suffer is doubt over a 13in or a 15in MacBook Pro. The choice in the Microsoft chapel will be far ranging and the poor customers won't know which sect to choose. It's a very broad church, held together solely by the operating system. It is by no means certain that the Apple model can be reproduced that easily.

By Paul Gauntlett

Offsite backup is the holy grail for those of us who want belt, braces and a pinch of salt to throw over the shoulder. I've tried lots of alternatives and my current choice is Mozy. It's ok for the price but I have encountered unexpected slowdowns and connection problems that other testing proves is nothing to do with my ISP. I was happiest with Jungle Disk but found it relatively expensive for the amount of data I am storing (130GB). Memopal was also a great favourite (a bit like Dropbox but the Mac software is not yet up to the mark). I'm only on a monthly contract with Mozy so could move elsewhere at any time. If I could face three weeks' backing up all over again that is.

I kept this informal list of frustrations as I tested each service. Bear in mind, though, that several of these tests were done some time ago and things might have changed. There is a vast list of factors that can influence the speed and efficiency of a backup service, not least of which being your own ISP's upload speed. Typically, upload speeds are a low fraction of the advertised download capability. Most of these services take weeks to do an initial backup of even, say, 35GB: From then on it is considerably faster.

• Steek: 100GB limit
• Elephant Drive: 1GB file limit
• iDrive: Uses a lot of memory
• Jungle Disk: Too expensive the home use
• Backblaze: Seems slow but offers zip-file restoration
• Mozy: Bad past experience, including slowness
• Safecopy: No way of seeing speed of transfer
• Novastor: PC only
• ADrive: 50GB limit and expensive
• Diino: 100GB limit, clumsy software
• Spideroak: $10 per month per 100GB
• Data Deposit Box: $2 per GB per month!
• Memopal: Allows file search, instant updating (like Dropbox) and download links. Slow, buggy software (seizes up)
• Carbonite: Uses up huge amounts of CPU, backup sometimes slows to a glacial speed.

So offsite backup is not yet for the faint-hearted, but it does work once you have overcome the initial obstacles. Michael Evans, who uses Carbonite, has had a number of issues and is currently working them out with the help of technical support. He'll report on his findings when (if) the problems get resolved. 

By Michael Evans

Apple's fourth-quarter results are quite staggeringly good against a backdrop of gloom and recession. It is clear that Apple is making progress in almost all its product categories and the iPhone, in particular, seems unstoppable.

Everywhere you go these days there is someone stabbing away at an iPhone screen, presumably texting or emailing. Even more noticeable, though, is the number of people wearing the distinctive white iPod earphones. The iPod and iPhone have exposed millions to Apple products and philosophy for the first time; I believe this is by far the best advertisement for Apple. I wonder if anyone has done research to find out how many iPod or iPhone users, satisfied with the user experience, have gone on to try a Mac. I am convinced the percentage of converts would be surprisingly high. 

Visit any Apple Store on a Saturday afternoon and the crowds are amazing. Apart from the stuff to see, where else can you go for a free half-hour on the internet? It has reached the stage where genuine prospective buyers have difficulty getting near a machine to a make test run. 

Up to this last year Apple was a niche marketer. Macs have been making steady progress for years, but it is the iPhone that has transformed the company. The danger now is that Apple becomes another bloated Microsoft and begins to forget the enthusiast user-base that has supported the company through thick and thin over the past 25 years. I love to see Apple succeed, not least because I do own a few shares, but the company has a difficult balancing act to perform in the coming years. I hope not to be disappointed.