Posts by Edwin
387 posts • joined Thursday 12th April 2007 22:03 GMT
Call me older-fashioned...
But to me, LG will always be the manufacturer of the Prime 2C card in my very first scratch-built PC.
Alternative explanation...
Maybe this is all a ploy by Apple's marketing department to attract attention to the new shiny shiny.
Protos from all manufacturers get lost all the time, and while corporate security types get quite excited about it, it's not usually a disaster - especially not this close to launch when any competitor worth their salt knows all about the new toy anyway.
Hacktivists?
I think the term 'hacktivist' lends an aura of respectability where it doesn't belong.
While I don't agree with the ideas behind whole Wikileaks exposé, there at least was a certain defensible point in exposing things that had otherwise been covered up.
What we are seeing now is nothing shy of digital terrorism by a bunch of anarchist script kiddies throwing a temper tantrum.
Throw the book at 'em.
Actually...
...the first article clearly stated:
"We asked Vodafone to comment on the research, but have yet to hear back from the mobile phone giant. We'll update this story as and when we hear more."
I'm assuming this wasn't a "please give us a comment in the next 10 minutes" job by El Reg.
Posted in Movie-goer punts 3D-to-2D cinema specs
Good idea?
Possibly not - imagine driving down the road with a low-hanging sun in front of you and glasses with different polarisation for each eye.
As someone without (decent) stereopsis, I quite like this 2d glasses idea.
sorry
"...they're actually making us pay for it."??? Clearly, Smith is a sucker for advertising. Nobody is 'making' him pay for anything.
And yes, I am a parent of two children young enough to want one of these. However, In contrast to what the three 'experts' from the Sun seem to think, I am more than capable of deciding for myself whether or not the kids should have a given toy. In fact, I'd rather they have a toy McDonalds kitchen than some of the more violent Nerf guns/Wii games/Disney films...
sheesh
to be fair...
Apple has a point here - policing charity donations is a notoriously difficult thing to do.
The solution, of course, would be to allow linking to the developer's website, where further explanation could be posted, free of liability for Apple, or by requiring registration with some of the charity policing organisations already in place in most countries.
Of course, Apple then risks no longer screwing charities out of 30%...
Think Steve will ever have an 'oh, shit!' moment on this business model? Didn't think so...
Posted in Ex-PM blocked Steve Jobs knighthood
I want in on...
...whatever office pool was started in Vulture Central concerning comments on this article.
Yes but
"The ASA’s jurisdiction covers the UK only, so the ASA cannot usually look into complaints about ads published in foreign media or that originated from abroad."
The article clearly notes the ad was broadcast from London, which presumably still falls within the ASA's remit.
Although I would be the first to admit that perhaps (within the EU) the target market should be the deciding factor for jurisdiction...
Why Apple doesn't deserve to win:
Because other companies have been doing this for years, and don't have nearly as much naughtiness in their supplier base.
If Apple is finding this many issues with its suppliers, you have to wonder if they have been deliberately ignoring the whole 'corporate social responsibility' thing for the past few years in order to push profits. Didn't they also score comparatively badly in e.g. the Greenpeace eco-friendly electronics rating?
So - it's great they've finally jumped on the bandwagon, but kudos go to the companies that got on it first.
you're missing the point
There are a couple of important differences here:
First, Wal-mart does not limit your choices. If you don't like their offering, you can buy elsewhere. Apple users don't have that freedom. If you own an Apple product, you can only shop at Apple.
Secondly, Wal-mart does not carry magazines on the condition that - if you take a subscription - they get a cut. You are free to make any deal you like with the publishers. Here, Apple is saying that you are not free to buy your subscription directly from the publisher if you want to use paid content on your Apple device.
Personally, I think the whole business model is reprehensible, but it has obviously paid off very well for Apple, and most consumers don't seem to care much.
As the article says - that may be changing now.
Posted in Flickr flap illuminates cloud concerns
the real issue is consumer mindset
With hotmail, gmail, flickr, facebook and so on, consumers are used to getting something for 'free'. With p2p filesharing, this experience is further enhanced that you can get (nearly) anything for 'free'.
And with all this 'getting' comes (insidiously for service providers) a sense of ENTITLEMENT. Somehow, the industry (or guvmint, or whoever) is going to have to get it into consumer minds that you get what you pay for.
As with antivirus, phishing mails, patching your windows install and so forth, this looks to be a long, slow battle. I wish us all luck.
and @tough Finnish phones...
Nokia states that your battery may not work at these temperatures.
This is subtly different from Apple claiming the warranty is void if you try to use your iPhone below freezing.
Something nice about MS?
I would hesitate to claim any kid of 11 (autistic or otherwise) would appreciate the consequences of having someone else modify their account.
No doubt this whole story got quite a bit bigger than mom anticipated, so I think it's a nice gesture by Microsoft. A decent thing to do, the more so since they didn't have to.
HOW many of us?
Either El Reg or Strategy Analytics needs to do a little clarification here...
Will 15% of smartphones contain multicore processors by end 2011?
Will 15% of the world population be using smartphones with multicore processors by end 2011?
Will 15% of Reg readers be using smartphones with multicore processors by end 2011?
Will 15% of new smartphones sold contain multicore processors by end 2011?
Will 15% of the smartphone models on the market contain multicore processors by end 2011?
The numbers involved in the different cases are pretty dramatically different...
News because it's an app?
I'm sorry El Reg, but this story is utter tripe.
As all the commenters above have noted, this is tech that has been in frequent use around the world for years. Finnair has offered SMS boarding for years and Lufthansa, KLM and others have offered 2D bar codes on ALL mobiles using THE INTERNET rather than some Jobsian-controlled binary interface to a subset of smartphones.
Maybe other airlines are not releasing boarding pass apps because THEY ALREADY HAVE ONE . it's called a browser.
The only innovation I see here could be the ability to buy the ticket while on the go, but any detail on that real news seems to have been cut in favour of Cupertino eye candy.
Posted in Online sync'n'store services
Missing feature?
Some NAS boxes are able to use one or more these services, which can be quite handy. My Synology can use S3, which from my perspective is a big vote in favour of S3.
The concerns voiced in other comments with regard to data privacy are enough to have kept me off it so far.
Posted in Ace Reg reporter in career suicide shock
Cheers!
And maybe we could get a new column on the joys of reporting on tech to myopic luddites?
If you're going to be pedantic...
...then please get it right!
Only Danish and Norwegian (well, and Faroese) have the ø. Swedish, Finnish, Icelandic and the various Sami languages don't.
(and clever title btw)
Bigend?
Oh dear... that's really bad. Does he know Apple stopped using Motorola chips a few years ago?
Whew
...and I thought it was just me that had noticed this rampant fanboiism. Thanks Stob!
And yes, the other books are just as bad, if not worse here and there. Tech bits aside, though, they're not bad reading.
I have noticed that any author using fruity products tends to describe them in loads of (irrelevant) detail, whereas those using non-fruity products seem to stick to the plot (and get equally many techie bits wrong). I can't help but wonder why that is... Does Apple pay for product placement? Or do these guys get decent service when their kit breaks?
Confused...
Wow. That is a properly Gordian knot of interpersonal relationships. Just goes to show time travel is a bad idea.
Luddite judiciary
Let's take this a step further: if I have push mail on and my smartphone receives an email (or short message for that matter) while in possession of police, is that fair game? I didn't have that message on me when I was arrested.
Another question: if my phone is locked, are they allowed to hack it? Presumably no, since they did not have access to the information on the device when I was arrested, but it's a slippery slope in any case.
OTOH: any perp that doesn't use an autolocking phone is probably dumb enough to have made lots of other mistakes as well, so it may not make a difference in terms of conviction rates...
you're missing the point
I don't think anyone is worried about the transmitting bit, though I am frequently gobsmacked by alleged adults who cannot control their crackberry/mobile addiction long enough to taxi to the gate (although I know many places let you use your phone as soon as the plane clears the runway).
The point here is that if something goes wrong on landing, the little tyke won't be able to hear cabin crew instructions and may do something stupid, dangerous or both.
I don't condone beating the little shite, but the parents have clearly overlooked something in the upbringing here (and yes, I am a parent too).
Digital Data Carriers
Amusing Dutch term - it means media such as CDs, DVDs and flash drives, but can also cover hard drives, etc. I wouldn't read too much into that though.
Posted in Gear4 UnityRemote
Way cool!
until Jobs decides to block hardware interface apps from the AppStore.
Hope they come up with Symbian & Android editions of the software, but they do seem to be a Cupertino-only shop...
a license for re-entry?
This is most amusing.
How does that work? You need a license from the FAA if you want to deorbit above US airspace? Or do you need one to land in the USA?
"I'm sorry sir, but your license to deorbit has expired. You will need to wait while your new application is considered"
The big deal...
...is stuff like portability. i.e. I can rip the SIM out of my handset and put in a SIM from a different operator and voila: my handset works for a different operator.
Simlock partially blocks this, but most countries have rules on removing simlock. In any case, it beats the pants off having to port a whole handset from one network to another.
Software SIM might be nice, provided you get the same handset portability.
the real problem is...
...when someone stuffs their bra with semtex and blows up a plane. Then these same privacy whiners will be asking who is protecting them.
Not that their point is invalid, but it's a little too easy to claim this is all about blurry monochrome porn
indeed
'grey-and-slightly-darker-grey' suits me fine, though vizplex was a nice upgrade over the original displays.
not mil-spec
I think the requirements for space use are a little heaver - like radiation-hardening and truly extreme temperature differences.
sour grapes?
seems unlikely, but hey...
Posted in Amazon browserizes Kindle book samples
Nothing new, only a UI innovation
Amazon is far from the first to do this (there are numerous online bookstores that offer excerpts), but somehow it's the company offering the most bulletproof consumer-lock-in that gets the kudos. I guess this is partly because their marketing is more effective, and partly because they spend a lot of R&D money on features that can persuade users to be locked in...
Bit like an iPhone
I wonder if consumer disinterest will eventually kill open standards.
Posted in Moms stand firm against antenna madness
Naaah
Just obey the law and make mobile coverage in town patchy. That should sort the issue pdq
Posted in Steve Jobs no ninja, says Apple
CEOs and violence
Steve Jobs throws stars
Steve Balmer throws chairs
Mark Zuckerberg throws tantrums
Amazing innit. Just like my kids, really.
Silly Aussies
Google is 'merkin. This means that filtering out words that any soap-box mounted bible-thumping right-wing christian fundamentalist might consider objecting to is not 'censorship' but 'consistent with family values'
if only it were that simple
Who decides what 'properly purged' is?
Wikileaks: the second definition for freetard
Posted in Feds admit storing pervscanner pics
Missing the point
As I said in my original post, I'm not defending lying. But perhaps I was a little unclear.
When i look at the media coverage (including El Reg here) it's about banning the machines (perv scanners? puh-lease!) because they store nude pics of pax. Which, as far as I can see, is patently not true. They store vague, low-res grainy images.
Let's try to focus on the lying, and not on the tech please.
Posted in Feds admit storing pervscanner pics
Ho hum
I see thumbnails of hi-res imagery on every page and poster on this topic, but a quick scroll through the 100 images EPIC got suggests that if you get off on these pics, there's something seriously wrong with your vision.
I'm not defending lying guvmint types, but is this really such a big deal?
Posted in Want to use WD diagnostics? Buy Windows
Head parking
can be reconfigured using one of the WD DOS tools (forget which). A compatible freeware bootable DOS USB stick is also available on the interwebs.
All in all it's a shame though - the WD helldesk gave me more or less the same story, and their software (and the head parking issue) is hurting what is otherwise quite a nice drive.
giggles, guffaws and catcalls?
I'm not sure what luddite community plays host to the Reg Hardware offices, but where I live bluetooth headsets (both the simple phoning type and the stereo music type) are very common.
And don't underestimate the bluetooth in cars option either - there is no other technology that even comes close to offering the functionalities: my previous car radio could play carkit for my phone but also accept music streaming over bluetooth. My bluetooth mouse doesn't need a (larger or smaller) USB dongle to work with my laptop. I don't have to get my phone out of my bag if I want to surf the web on the move, or take a call in the car.
I think bluetooth is already a major succes. It's not perfect, but it's ubiquitous, and if (as suggested above) it remains faithful to the concept, it has a lot of life left in it.
Mitnick
Funny you should mention that.
I (foolishly) bought Kevin Mitnick's book a few years ago and had much the same feeling :)
Google's mission
should it be changed to 'Don't be illegal'?
Honesty in advertising
I think they should have a chat with Boeing about who has the most potent portable laser system.
Well, for a given value of portability, anyway.
Another gadget that should by definition not be sold to anyone who wishes to buy it.
Posted in Synology DiskStation DS410 Nas box
Cost?
I was of much the same mind, until I started doing the maths on hardware RAID 5 and power consumption.
In the end, it was a bit of a no-brainer. The DS-410j I eventually bought can be had for €275 ex drives. Chuck in a pair of WD Caviar Green 1Tb drives in RAID 1 and for about €400 I had a 1Tb NAS which draws peanuts in terms of power consumption when compared to a 'real' PC.
One comment worth making is that e.g. the WD Caviar Green drives run into trouble with Linux systems (including the Synology boxen) because of their habit of unloading heads after a fews seconds. This is not trivial for the average home user to solve (requires hanging the drive on a PC, booting to DOS and running a WD command line utility)
Consumer NAS?
I'm having trouble telling the difference between the HP and Cisco boxes and, for instance, the Synology box I have at home. In terms of features & functionality, they look almost the same. The biggest difference seems to lie in the price, and the difference there is very big indeed!
Ooo - oooo - ooooo
How do I get it on my iPhone?
Posted in Quit Facebook Day flops
The real reason it flopped...
...is that most Facebook users just don't care.
Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep?
Wadawadawadawadawadawadawadawadawadawadawadawadawadawada!
