StarHub has done something so stupid with its Barclays Premier League programming that I’m sure all the thousands of football fans in Singapore will join me in wanting to wring these idiots’ necks.

On a weekday night when there is a nearly-full Barclays Premier League schedule – 9 matches in all – StarHub has chosen to screen only two of them tonight.

That’s not the worst. Of the two, one of them is – get this – Stoke City vs Sunderland!

This is not gadget-related, but tech-based nonetheless… the respected US newspaper, The Christian Science Monitor, has become the first national US daily to junk newsprint for online editions.

In an announcement today (US time Oct 28), the 100-year-old news organisation says that, from next year, it will shift to an online version where news is continuously updated.

It will also provide daily editions over e-mail, via a subscription. This will let users print out the reports, should they wish to. The Monitor will still print a weekly edition (maybe for those who miss the smell of newsprint).

“Changes in the industry – changes in the concept of news and the economics underlying the industry – hit the Monitor first,” given its relatively small size and the complex logistics required for national distribution, [managing publisher Jonathan] Wells said. “We are sometimes forced to be an early change agent.” -source: The Christian Science Monitor

No surprise there for people watching the death of newspapers over the past few years. Unlike the many premature death knells of the past, this time it’s for real. And the reason is simple: readers’ habits have changed.

While radio and TV were not direct substitutes for newspapers, the Web with its versatility and interactivity, is more than a replacement for good old newsprint, especially for young, connected readers.

It’s not the end of journalism, of course. Though blogs (like this one) offer a wider view of things, respectable newspapers – at least those with sound journalism practices – will continue to offer value to readers through exclusives and commentaries.

At the same time, niche sections in a paper featuring motoring, sports, technology, I’m sure, will have their audiences even as news becomes a commodity.

Yeah, I just blew that massive amount at Sim Lim this past two days. First was an impulse buy – I finally got my ATI HD4870×2, the fastest graphics card on Earth now.

The MSI 4870x2 package

Got myself the MSI version, which comes with an overclocked chip and the Rainbox Six: Vegas game for S$792. Also, with an itchy backside, I picked up a pair of Corsair Dominator RAM modules (DDR2-1066) for  another $120+ at Cybermind.

This ain’t exactly a gadget post but it might just give you a good reason to get a new LCD monitor.

So you think you can really tell your colours apart? A photo and beer enthusiast friend pointed me to this test from colour management chaps X-Rite, that he first discovered via a link on photoblog site The Online Photographer. Here’s the direct link to the test. Try it! It will tell you something about your ability to discern the different hues. Either that or give you a new excuse to go buy a spanking new colour accurate monitor.

And just to show off, I scored a 4 (lower is better) and the blue/greens got me. The test machine was a Lenovo X61. Let us know how you did here!

Win an LG 42-inch LCD TV now.
Contest closes Nov 12, 2008.

Just got word that Bak2U, the homegrown anti-theft software firm, has come up with a couple of services to let users back up their contacts and other stuff online – for free.

The deal is aimed at users who don’t want to install their own software on their PCs or deal with USB cables (I can think of my wife, for example, who lost her phone recently, along with all her contacts and SMSes).

How does it work? By backing up your stuff online instead of onto your own PC. It works like Google’s online offerings, plus Bak2U supports a wide range of phones, including makes from Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Apple.

So go on down to check it out and let us know what you think, and if it’s better than other offerings out there.

Win an LG 42-inch LCD TV now.
Contest closes Nov 12, 2008.

…

The official word’s out – the next big leap in Intel CPUs will come next month, when the chipmaker launches its much-awaited Core i7 chips, also known as the “Nehalem”.

An Intel blog written by its PR folks confirm that the new chip will be out in November, just as supporting motherboards featuring the new X58 chipset start appearing.

These Core i7 babies are the biggest shift in CPU technology since the successful Core and Core2 series of chips started dominating the market in the past couple of years.

From left to right: LG KC910, Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905and Samsung innov8

The high-end, 8-megapixel camera phones war looks set to escalate soon in Singapore. This month should see the launch of the LG KC910, while Sony Ericsson is expected to step into the ring with its Cyber-shot C905 soon, before year-end. They join the Samsung innov8, launched here last month.

Sweet? I have not laid hands on the innov8 yet, so dunno how good it is. But for these phones to replace my regular camera, the aging 8.6 megapixel Leica D-Lux 2, they better have a snappy user interface, fast write times, not too jarring noise artifacts, no shutter lag and be great at indoor shots without flash. These are typical archilles heels of today’s crop, and are many mid-end digicams’ failings too.

Win an LG 42-inch LCD TV now.
Contest closes Nov 12, 2008.

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LG 42LG70YR

Fancy a S$5,000 42-inch LCD TV that not only has stunning Full HD resolutions, but also adjusts to your room’s lighting automatically?

Techgoondu is giving its readers a chance to win a set of the LG 42LG70YR, the latest LCD screen from the Korean manufacturer, as part of its efforts to reach out to the online blogging community.

We are giving away a review set, which has only been out of the box for a couple of weeks, and still has shrink-wrap on it. So, yes, it’s nearly as good as new.

Enter the contest by simply telling us what your favourite gadget of the year is. Check it out.

Asus EAH4870 Dark Knight

Good news for those who have been patient and not bought a new ATI 4870 graphics card yet. Asus has come up with a self-designed “Dark Knight (DK)” version of the card, which until recently have mostly been cookie-cutter parts.

The “DK’d” 4870s come with either 512MB RAM or a souped-up 1GB. The most important improvement is an aluminium heatsink/fan, which should better the original ATI part which many users have complained of heat and noise.

HTC S740

In a move that may seem confusing to potential phone buyers, the Taiwanese firm on Tuesday launched its S740 phone, basically a Touch Diamond that has both a slide-out Qwerty keyboard plus a traditional phone keypad at the front, but SANS the touch-screen features that made the original famous.