Split screen...what next...

I find all of this talk about "split screen" pretty amazing, think about the logical progression whereby you may want something small, like a calculator app to appear over the top of a word processor?

How, could you achieve this? Maybe by allowing the app to be resizeable and ... moveable...maybe something similar to "Old Windows". Isn't it laughable that as MS try to make everything full-screen to mimic tablets here is a tablet getting closer to mimicking Windows!!

Not surprised they're threatening to strike

After all the tube drivers managed to get a bump as a result. As did the bus drivers.

I'm intrigued to know how a tube driver is working any harder as a result of the olympics.

Bing needs to improve

I leave a couple of my browsers defaulted to Bing but quite often simply don't see the search results I expect.

So then I go to the URL, change the bing to google (leaving all the parameters in place), hit enter and find loads more, relevant hits.

Bing's image search is very good but in every other aspect unfortunately I have to see it's inferior to Google.

We need it to improve otherwise there'll be no competition in the search engine space...

But Vostros have no Dock

...and often don't use latitude-compatible PSUs which are literally the only two reasons I've not bought one.

Come on Dell, make a pretty laptop with a docking connector...

I don't get it

*WHY* not run a GUI on a server, I mean if my DECT phone can have a basic GUI, and my phone support a GUI not far off Win NT 4 are we really saying that it's too much of a resource hog? Really?

Windows servers have GUIs...the clue is in the name. Seems like a pointless waste of time to me.

What kind of deal is that?

Half the races? wtf!?!

This is the *ONLY* sport I watch. I hope that F1 see the error of their ways and realise they benefit more from having it on the BBC beyond what they get paid directly.

Salsa Sense is good

I ran a Salsa-based ROM on my HTC Hero for a few weeks. The Hero was just a little bit too underpowered to stop it being frustrating however the UI was IMO very good indeed. I especially liked the new lock screen

How cool is that!?

Don't often think that about new tech, but I'd love to see this 'in person'

That Pro7 Looks Nice....

...if they get it running Android I may be interested. Am getting a bit fed of onscreen keyboards now with the latest phones not even having physical start/end call buttons (unlike my HTC Hero).

Buttons are still useful for making calls!

I thought salesforce.com was running on Oracle...

So the question is thus what database engine are Salesforce actually using to run this? I thought it was fairly common knowledge that it's currently Oracle anyway.

Regarding the actual service - they have a long way to go before they have a database that is useful for all activities you need to do. For example I replicate lots of Salesforce.com instances to SQL Server so that we can do ad-hoc joins and aggregates across the whole dataset. This isn't possible on SOQL.

A good example is show me all Accounts joined to leads on a semi-normalised phone number? A query you may want to run to see leads which are from existing customers.

What about iPlayer?

I mean if MS were serious at pushing the Xbox in this direction then why would they still be unable to negotiate a deal with the BBC to integrate the iPlayer?

From what I remember MS only wanted to include it as part of the subscription service. Why MS couldn't see that the advantage of offering the BBC service (and why not 4od or ITV) is increased sales of consoles I do not know.

The new "YouView" boxes being discussed would also start moving this way so MS better get a move on.

As someone who bought the Xbox 360 as it was the 'best value' media center extender this is welcome but I don't think MS have the right approach to make it happen. Oh, and I think I'd go insane if I had to listen to my '360 everytime I watched the TV - the fans are stupid noisy.

No...don't do it...

I buy (and recommend to others) to buy a PC / Android Phone because it gives us choice. It's that simple.

I bought the last of the first generation Acer Aspire One netbook last year from eBuyer for £149.99 inc.VAT + Delivery. It came with a strange Linux distro which I whipped off and dual booted Ubuntu (for home stuff) and Windows XP (for emergency SQL server management).

IMO this is the right place for Acer, selling cheap machines. I'd like to see them increase quality before they start trying to get in to software. A decently styled tablet running Android (or a choice of Windows) like the new Dell 'flip screen' would be cool too...

Ah...the memories...

I'm not sure about Time Crisis, it's a little too modern but for me Silent Scope is the best in the 'got gun' category.

Anyone in Reading should go to the Allied Arms pub where there's still the table version of bomb-jack. Classic.

Street Fighter has to be the number 1.

This doesn't seem very evil...

...sure this was Google?

I think they've got this one right!!

I'm not sure who it really hurts for the bleeding edge version not to be publicly available.

iTunes?

Am I the only DBA that cringes of the thought of any kind of 'business' database being user/replicated via iTunes of all applications?

Android 2.2

"Although the Wildfire has Android 2.1, it takes time to update Sense to the next version, so don’t expect Android 2.2 just yet"

In fact if you want Android 2.2 wait and buy a phone with Android 2.2. I bought my HTC Hero with v1.5 and waited, and waited as HTC kept slipping the deadline. The whole time they were releasing new Sense UI phones with v1.6 + v2.1.

Then I'm pretty sure Orange/HTC still haven't released anything newer than v1.5 for the UK Hero so if it weren't for villainrom.co.uk I'd still be without.

This is a real shame and honestly my only gripe with my first Android handset

x64 Flash for Windows?

I've been waiting for x64 flash ever since I got my first 820 based cpu and ran XP x64 on it. I can't believe that Adobe _STILL_ haven't got support for x64. Now you can quite easily buy a machine with 4Gb RAM running Windows 7 - where's the x64 flash plugin? Still no where.

Do Adobe have any x64 products?

Well bluetooth isn't in everything...

Many corporate laptops and low-end netbooks are lacking Bluetooth. However I think that if new WiFi hardware is required surely it's easier to start putting bluetooth onboard.

There's a good reason that there's so many proprietry solutions out there - setup. I don't mean ease of setup but simply that if you use standard bluetooth (say to an onboard laptop bluetooh receiver) where software wise do you pair it to your keyboard? Then is this pairing active on the bios screen? What about on the logon screen?

Proprietry solutions can just 'plugin and go', I don't see this WiFi solution being any better.

SaaS

Has to be said, this is where SaaS genuinely makes the IT department's job easier. By this I mean that you shift the responsibility for enforcement and management of licenses back to the vendor.

So in your hosted CRM system you can quite clearly see how many licenses you have purchased and who is using them.

If only the vendors provided the same functionality in their on-premise software - no reason they couldn't.

Just ask for a laptop with no OS !?

I'm on my fourth Dell laptop each time I dealt with business sales and asked for no OS. I guess if you're after a 'home' machine then it may be more difficult but I've always found them happy to supply Latitudes with no OS.

See I have an MSDN and MS Action Pack subscription so have no need to buy another copy of the OS.

Let's hope we see them on laptop supplies

Many years ago I worked for a laptop repairer and used to see lots of smashed screens where basically the 3-pin plug had been put in the outer compartment of the laptop bag and an impact had pushed it through on to the screen.

This would stop that - well done!

BIOS Passwords are just a pain...

I can't see any reason why Lenovo can't reset motherboard passwords, the use of the motherboard doesn't pose any high security risk. Also it's a specialist item which is just wrong to bin due to some software on it!

However, harddrive passwords I think they're completely correct not to unlock, afterall it's the data that people care about losing (mostly). If you forget your HDD password then tough luck - you've lost your data and since a HDD costs less than fifty quid now it's not an expensive or difficult item to replace.

Profiling?

We all know what's going to happen, if you're brown or black you go through the scanner, if you're not then you keep your dignity.

It's all ridiculous.

But it's free!?

I'm sure no one likes new competition, especially from a company with a wallet the size of Google's. However, unless I'm mistaken Android is still a free mobile OS.

This means that handset manufacturers don't have to re-invent the wheel or license in Windows Mobile - that has to be compelling still.

MS has used in one of it's products..

..MS Office Accounting. Really good product, 100% managed code - SQL Server back-end, easy to backup etc.etc.

Then they killed it. Cheers.

I hate poorly used Flash!

How many of us have been to websites that are just constantly twitching? or worse still Design agencies whose websites are Flash ONLY!

However my personal favourite is the Kiss 100 radio player that manages to consume 100% of my Core2 Duo T9500 2.6Ghz.

And don't even get me started on lack of x64...

It's only reasonable and polite

That you don't ask someone to write you a report at their own cost and in their own time that you have absolutely no intention of taking any notice of.

If they want advice in private and that they can ignore without ramifications then they should pay for it. If they pay for it then the scientists etc have no right to speak out in public should it be ignored as they've been adequately compensated for their time and they're not doing it as a service to the pubilc.

Just another example of weasel politicians IMO.

@Chris Miller - Why Gigabit?

These days there's a better case for Gigabit at home than to the desktop in Business IMO. I find myself shifting large volumes of 10Megapixel photos, camcorder video files between the computers around my home quite regularly. Not to mention backing up to my Windows Home Server.

So sure there is a point that my Devolo 200Mbps (of which I get about 30Mbps from my late '80s home wiring) can't keep up.

Hidden Cat 5 Wiring is impossible internally due to the concrete floors, and loft conversion upstairs.

XDA-developers

Bah, buy it with Windows Mobile then head straight over to xda-developers.com where I'm sure there'll be an Android release waiting. Only issue is that it may not have the actual Google Apps or bizarrely the HTC modifications...

Fibre?

Does anyone know how VM get away with stating that the service is fibre?

Especially when they bang on about ADSL being over 'old copper telephone cables', when in reality their service is over 'old TV aerial cables'.

ASA anyone?

Can Outlook 2010 do Print Selection yet?

And if not why not? Talk about required functionality - I mean I don't want to print a 20 page email trail just to print some directions from mid-way through. And I shouldn't have to copy+paste to Word, afterall it's meant to be the Word 'rendering engine' that's getting everyone's back up (again!).

I have plenty of clients still avoiding Office 2007 due to the ribbon, it's a learning curve employers just don't need. I really wish they made them optional at least in 2010, really it can't be hard.

Just got an A150 for £149.99 inc VAT +delivery

I had been pining over a Dell Mini 10v, mostly for the 1366x768 screen, but then I added the better CPU, bluetooth, and before I new it I was close to Samsung money.

Then an email arrived from eBuyer for an Aspire A150 for under £150 all in. I installed my MSDN XP Pro on it and I've not looked back. As others have mentioned the spec is completely adequate (1.6Ghz/1Gb/120Gb).

I needed the harddrive to install the apps I use and also to card music + video about. I completely accept the battery hit. I just wish it could boot off of one of the SD slots so I could fall back to Linux to squeeze that life back. Oh and built in 3G would be nice...

Roaming Charges?

This would all be fine while you're home in nice 3G coverage. Go on holiday and crop a photo or something and watch your roaming data charges climb...