Posts by ROC
7 posts • joined Tuesday 22nd January 2008 04:00 GMT
Re: Both products are a big fail.
Yeah, I wonder sometimes if I wasted $125 on my Android 4 iPad MIni .... er Archos 80 - about same screen size, same resolution, microSD slot, micro USB, full USB, mini HDMI. Granted it is about twice as thick/heavy, but I can't hold anything that big for long anyway without getting my carpal tunnel aggravated, and it does not matter much since I can prop up the Archos on its trademark built-in kickstand. It does all I want from a non-true tablet - not sure what I would do with a "true" tablet that is bigger and harder to hold, and locked down to Apple's walled garden and costs over 3 times as much. But for the price (even times 2 - got the wife one, and that is all she has taken on several trips now to check email/FaceBook/etc), I don't feel enough pain in the wallet to care about it.
YMMV
If MS Wants their phones on my employer's network
they have to be remotely manageable like WinMob 6.x was, and like iOS and Android 2.2+ are now - about anything but WP 7.x. And that's 100K employees around the globe.
A Step Up from Chromebook?
Interestingly, on my wanderings yesterday, I tried out both the new Samsung 11.6 " Chromebook (tethered it on my phone with WifiRouter quite easily since it would not connect to BestBuy's store network), then the RT at a MS pop-up store at a nearby mall. I have read a lot of criticisms of the Chromebook concept for its dependency on network connectivity to be of any use, and I have to concur. If I could not tether it, the CrB would be useless on the go.
The RT is almost in that situation, however it does have enough built-in apps to offset that restriction quite well, and, if it can be tethered (need to see if I can grab one long enough at the mall, and not have a crowd looking over my shoulder...), then it does what the CrB can do, plus a lot more (provided the RT version if IE plays nicely with Google's cloud apps).
And I did like the Surface hardware better, especially the clicky keyboard vs the fuzzy keyboard (neither of which will stay closed over the screen on their own per my test and confirmed by the MS "attendant" - Fail!).
Now if I could figure out a way to put an ARM Linux distro on the Surface....
YMMV
Re: Useful features
No, no, no - Apple has patented WINGS, not mere wheels.
What were you thinking?
Re: What happens.....?
Pretty much like doing that from a Linux PC (which is what I use for personal use on the Web - no Internet Exposer for me, thanks) - you learn to look out for Win exe files, and skip them. No Big Deal.
Re: "Office everyday"? @ Big-nosed Pengie
I think it used to be called MS Works ;-)
Posted in The OLPC XO laptop
Read the "Case Study" of Arahuay Before Opinionating
As posted by "Jansen":
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_Peru/Arahuay
I find it impressive in detailing the XO's impact, but it also highlights the importance of structural preparation and support within the country receiving the XO's. There has to be some kind of educational infrastructure and context in which to integrate the XO. These machines cannot just be "thrown" at the students in hopes something magical will happen - it does take supporting effort, and it seems Peru is making that effort, as well as providing valuable feedback to OLPC to improve the XO, which it seems to have taken seriously.
My wife teaches first grade at a North Carolina inner-city school, and had her eyes opened a bit as to what "underprivleged" means in a non-American context. She has kids on welfare with no parental interest (or often even presence) who would be considered "wealthy" by the Peruvian kids who have received XO's with a great deal of gratitude and keen interest.
I doubt a number of her students would be nearly as appreciative or motivated by an XO because they have been spoiled by ready access to technology for purely entertainment purposes even if they don't have decent housing/clothing/medical care/etc by (US "standards"). It is all a matter of context.
We have ordered an XO with the "Give One, Get One" program to see if it could be of use in her context. I can provide the Linux support, and she uses Mint Linux at home on an almost constant basis (strictly as a "Gnome end-user" ;-), so it should be "interesting".
Think outside the box, but focus on the objective here of bringing the enabling technology to those who have not had any such exposure before. The Arahuay example is very instructive in how much can be accomplished when done right. It remains to be seen how sustainable the effort is, and how well it can be replicated in other locales. It needs CONSTRUCTIVE criticism to succeed, and not just nay-saying based on pre-conceived notions.
ROC
