Did someone miss the bit

where it says manufacturers aren't signing up to the new format? When it stops being cost effective to sell drives/tapes then they will stop being made full-stop whether your individual shop uses them or not. THAT was the point of the article.

It was only a matter of time...

If you make these traditionally dumb devices into fully functional portable computers then naturally they'll have the same vulnerabilities to exploit. This sounds worse than the traditional email trojan which you can preview without risk before deciding to mark it as spam though...

Long overdue

Now they just need to stop the bullshit double dipping with separate eBay and PayPal fees -- that is really taking the piss and why I sell my stuff on Amazon Marketplace where possible. I still buy from eBay sellers, but I think my selling days are gone.

That would certainly help

I've been with 3 for a few years now and the lack of signal penetration into structures by 3G signal even when I've got masts nearby is a real problem. I've actually considered moving to O2 just to be able to have a phone that could be run 2G rather than 3G so I can get better signal in my flat!

Mobile is mature enough that hopefully we can avoid the non-interoperability of hardware that the US was saddled with during the time when Europe enjoyed the increased competition afforded the GSM interoperability.

I say bring it on; if Vodaphone and O2 get some of their share taken away (they didn't pay for it in the first place, so they have no right to complain) and assigned to other carriers it can only benefit the consumer. I know I'll be more likely to stay with 3 if I can get a phone that does 900MHz (selling iPhones wouldn't hurt either).

No issues here

I didn't install the beta; I'm running 10.4.11 on an iBook G4. Faster than 3.x and I like the Top Sites page as an alternative to straight tabs.

How about extinct arthropods?

Most of the things on my home network are named after Burgess Shale organisms: marrella and wixwia are my PAL and Japanese Wiis and yohoia is my printer. I've extended it further to my red ipod which is sanctacaris and my mobile phone is known to my computer as opabinia when it needs to download some photos for it. No danger of running out of names for quite some time!

Other than the odd routing issue no problems.

I don't use the services indicated, but I have seen issues in the past month with timeouts hitting sites, so if they have a routing problem and are fixing it I'm happy!

Too late

My trip Stateside was booked months ago. Good thing is it doesn't sound like I'm going to get stranded there and the flu strain is milder. I suspects all the facts aren't known yet on what exactly is happening in Mexico that's killing people. Either that or the virus spread has mutated to the point where it's not as dangerous.

this will never be used for packaged media

Archive only consumer or commercial, but given how niche blu-ray is, I think packaged media is looking at the end of the road. DVD-quality downloads are the future unless someone feels like flushing a lot of money on yet another consumer disc player.

Why not go private?

I really don't understand why McNealy wouldn't just take the company private if he really values what he created and get shut of all the stock market nonsense.

Um, what about infrastructure?

I'd be interested and I'll be needing a new car in a few years' time potentially, but as I live in a flat where am I supposed to charge the thing?

Gee, Steve thanks.

@Steven Jones: My response was directed at comments like this:

"It's fairly easy (at least by nuclear chemistry standards) to separate americium and plutonium..."

which are completely irrelevant without having read the man's work. I'm all for educated speculation, but the amount of that happening in threads like this tend to be on the light side.

See Scott Swarthout's response for the same p.o.v. as mine, but longer and without abbreviations you object to.

Enough with the thumbs down already

Until you read this fellows published paper and have a well-reasoned response STFU.

Finally.

I do enjoy 7digital, but their search interface is pretty shit, so being able to get iTunesPlus tracks from more than just EMI is something I've wanted for a long time...

I'm cool.

I've got a load of CDs, but I use 7digital on occasion; now that it's 320kbps DRM-free stuff and a reasonable price.

I cannot see CD dying completely for a while, but it would be nice to see the backside of CD singles like the Xmas number ones that will only end up in landfill or the countless compilations that serve no purpose I can see and are of equally dubious quality as the digital downloads people bemoan.

Emulation of OS X is a good thing

If they will also eliminate the idiotic way XP locks focus on every config window that opens up then I might be able to finally use it without swearing. THAT's the part of OS X they SHOULD be copying.

Standard SD would have been better

If it was a full-size SD card I could see it; there's more devices that support them; the packaging idea is pretty stupid though. Why would you buy a format that takes up less space to do the opposite? Better to use a cardboard sleeve with a small plastic case inside I think.

Another reason for failure is that SD card slots aren't standard on computers; optical drives are. It seems a bit to soon for this technology, frankly. A CD deck with an SD card slot that could dub CD to SD and encode for you would appear to be a better device to market as a test to see if people are ready to move to a different physical format.

Not necessarily the down to the owner.

ANY dog can "go crazy" or snap at any time. The notion that they cannot is foolish and naive as you cannot be sure what will set an animal off, unless you have a telepathic link with your house pets?

That's why only an idiot would leave a dog unattended with a child -- even one that "loves kids" -- let alone walk it off-lead in public.

In this case it sounds like a dodgy breed and an owner that didn't take enough care (or have the sense not to have this animal in the first place, though the description I read was that this person was fostering the animal) to secure it.

Please write your MP

I hope others with join me in writing their MPs about this. This latest article makes the entire proceedings even more of a farce and this man should definitely not be tried in the United States; moreover this extradition law shouldn't apply to the United States if they cannot ratify it even 5 years later, but honestly, I don't see why fast track extradition is warranted at all (the law presently applies to Canada, New Zealand and Australia -- all have reciprocal laws in effect).

When is their DRM-free service coming to the UK?

Hell, where's the Amazon one? I like iTunes+ fine and Digital7 has some DRM-free stuff in 192kbps and 256kbps mp3 format, but the variety is lacking...

whatever...

I rip 256kbps AAC/MP4 44.1KHz/24 and it sounds CD quality to me on my iPod Nano 3G. I wouldn't buy normal iTunes DRM-enabled 128k MP4s, but the iTunes+ stuff sounds perfectly fine.

If there was a viable alternative...

Basically I still use eBay because I cannot find a lot of stuff like import/rare Gamecube games any other way, and if I want to sell something I usually use amazon marketplace, but the fact is that people don't search that as much for anything other than a cheap book, DVD or CD, so trying to sell 2nd-hand consumer electronics is a bust.

Like it or not eBay is here to stay.

I got a good response ...

I sent in a mail a day or two before the ending of the public commentary on the ID card "notion" asking why we couldn't just use passports and issue one of those to everybody, etc. and that this was a big waste of money, blah blah blah.

I was very enouraged to get back a generic response telling me what a great idea it was, which didn't address any of my questions whatsoever and looked like it could have been written two years ago.

I feel greatly relieved that the trials are going forward and we are definitely in safe hands...

Too bad

Here was me buying Philips when possible to support a major European consumer electronics company. Not much point in the future is there?

Bottom line, we don't need them

These weapons have no use in the British military arsenal; given that we cannot even complete manufacture without components from the States they aren't even properly British!

It's a complete waste of money renewing them; our submarine "fleet" would be more effective as a deterrent with weapons we would actually deploy like conventional warheads. If South Africa can give up their nukes in an arguably much more unstable part of the world then we certainly can!

What is the point?

Unless the service is available in the UK, I'm not really interested. So far iTunes+ and 7Digital are the online music sites I use; sadly only partial catalogues are available. Some day music publishers will realise they cannot sell us the same crap in new packaged media and they should just be happy they can sell anything at all...

Exactly Nigee

I wrote my MP (Labour) asking why the hell Blair was in such a hurry to pass this bloody treaty when there were (and still aren't) any signs of reciprocity? Regardless of the location of the systems involved, given the draconian prison sentences passed down in the States for minor crimes to help fuel the massive prison industry over there, the man should be tried here in the UK and that treaty ripped up.

The States would NEVER pass such a treaty because it's bloody unconstitutional over there -- why did we?

Agreed Georgi.

If you don't write or speak the language then it won't affect you to have websites and domain names using it, will it?

It might contribute to fragmentation in the webspace, but failing to do it just means there are lots of people who use languages not written in Roman characters (I can think of a couple of bilion people this is true for) who will not use the net. I think it's clear which is the lesser of two evils here...

Binston what are you smoking?

I had a first-gen Titantium Powerbook that was purchased with OS9 installed and ran through 10.3 nicely with a speed bump at EVERY OS UPGRADE and only replaced it with an iBook G4 -- which apparently also runs FASTER with 10.5 than the pre-installed 10.4 -- after it got dropped a couple of times and suffered a logic board failure. That and the fact that all Macs have had FW as standard for nearly a decade makes your post completely bizarre as well as totally WRONG.

Battery life and signal?

My 3G experience has been marred by crap battery life and signal reception indoors versus good old reliable 2-2.5G phones. I'm happy to see the upgrade and hope it's available on 3 when my contract is up, but I also hope I have the option to switch 3G mode off so I can still use it as a phone without having to charge it every other day and go outside my flat to receive a call.

My contract is up next August

I just bought a new 8GB Nano, so if Apple changes their dealer lock-in strategy maybe my next phone WILL be an iPhone. I just hope the option to turn off 3G is there to save battery life and get better signal indoors. My Nokia slider is fine and all, but compared to the older model 2G one from work it's garbage at actually getting signal or lasting more than 3 days without a recharge.

Don't forget Toucan

They own that crapfest as well. It will be most interesting to see if customer service improves under Vodaphone. If I hadn't successfully gotten out of my contract with them it would be something to hope for!

18-month contract here

I'm probably going to end up leaving 3 for a carrier that's not 3G exclusive, as the inability to switch off 3G mode on my phone means crap signal strength and battery life compared to my 2G work phone and I've finally decided I'd rather get signal and a phone I can have on standby for more than a few days without charging than 3G service that I don't use.

We don't need their crap

Don't pay to see movies at release in the theatre and don't buy first release DVDs/CDs; wait for however many months before it goes on sale. You don't need this stuff to live and you sure don't have to pay top money for it.

I agree with the PM

Why any child young enough that they shouldn't be unsupervised would need a phone is beyond me. My kid can have a phone when she can buy it herself...

What about the Wii?

Implementation of the Wii to use bluetooth for its controllers has worked quite well; in fact I would gladly see bluetooth replace IR for remote controls on all home electronics as having to have unobstructed view of an IR receiver on a piece of equipment can be difficult and seems out of place in this day and age.

Yes, Dan they are...

I take it you've not visited the iTunes store recently? There is a separate games section...

On-topic, I'd be surprised if this were the case. I think Apple would first need to better promote the Mac as a gaming platform. Historically it's pretty weak; especially when it comes to controller drivers which are limited to HiD specification which can be all over the place.

Sounds like another page from the US lawbooks...

Seizure of assets of dealers upon arrest without benefit of conviction in the States is pretty much SOP now along with jail sentences for multiple possession arrests that make 5 years look like a gift.

Read "Reefer Madness" by Schlosser (the man who brought us Fast Food Nation) for a preview of where we could be heading if the UK continues to ape the worst policies of the USA...

whatever...

Four channels is hardly incentive to replace my existing set-top box. I notice Scotland wasn't mentioned, so I guess it's not happening up here anyway.

Depressing

The number of tossers posting here about people not giving the address when actually READING the goddam article would have indicated that they did. That, coupled with the fact noted by the last AC that they switch AFTER moving means that the VOIP provider is squarely at fault any which way you cut it.

I can only imagine that VOIP providers will be facing fiercer regulatory scrutiny in North America and elsewhere after this; they should definitely be held to the same standards as other Telcos.

Spot on Richard

I've got a plasma because I didn't have a CRT choice except via mail order when I had to get a new telly. I have no HD content delivery system at all and I just don't care. The set is properly calibrated and Standard DVD looks brilliant on it.

The other issue is nicely summed up here:

"c) quality of original footage - a lot of older films simply arent good enough quality to put on bluray! i mean the aliens films arent even good enough quality for DVD! - even the new bond film looks incredibly grainy in 1080p. i think only films like transformers (which i would have bough if it wasnt for the HDDVD only release!), lord of the rings etc will really warrant a HD release until the prices drop significantly"

I'm into films from the 60s, 70s and 80s and HD isn't going to make a significant amount of difference, sorry. Newer films are just either rubbish or not well served by the modest increase from the 576p I get out of my progressive scan DVD player. Unless I'm watching stuff on a display that looks like I'm looking out my window (and the content reflects this quality as well), I just don't see the point of upgrading; especially not to a disc-based format.

BD will be great for offline backup, but that's the only future I see for it.

no surprise

That purchase never made sense...I still don't see how VOIP is a money-maker outside of the business market and I don't think Skype is making the inroads there...

If I record a radio show, what then?

I'm not doing an illegal download, but I end up with a digital track I can put on my iPod if I hook my Zoom H2 up to the analogue output on an FM tuner and record a radio show and then upload it to my computer. Is this a lost sale?

Not actually making an argument, I just want to know people's opinion; it all seems a bit fuzzy to me...

HELLO?!?

I'm pretty sure this kind of crap is exactly the reason why these sorts of laws shouldn't be passed in the first place.

Not much of a surprise to me...

Amazon is your friend...

I've taken to using Amazon marketplace for both buying and selling. Less hassle with creating item listings; less likely to get the wrong item because someone used the helpful eBay supplied listing without checking that their printing/edition of something actually matched; shipping calculation is included; no custom payment scheme/requirement for a bank account to link.

I think if anyone is going to challenge eBay successfully it would be them.

I still use paypal, but mainly just to make purchases from online retailers without giving them my debit/credit card info and to send money to relatives overseas without the hassle of getting a bank draft and the conversion/handling fees that come with that. EBay is still good when I want to find something rare, but it takes time; common stuff I go to amazon marketplace and just buy it.

An O2 customer service rep told me they were an MVNO...

My work phone which is on O2 gets great signal (of course it's a 2 or 2.5G phone, so no surprise), so I called the customer service to find out what their coverage was like; they said it was good, but they don't own their own network, so they couldn't guarantee the signal level of a consumer phone would be as good as my company phone -- I thought they had their own networks, is this person wrong or are they just a big MVNO?

re: Greg

Unless you know the evolutionary history of this particular species, the idea this is backward evolution makes no sense. My impression was this was a species that NEVER had lungs, therefore it cannot be regarded as devolution unless you have confused ideas that evolution==progress and therefore lungs > no-lungs, neither of which is correct.

Sorry, but my inner pedant is irked...

Civets are not cats, they're viverrids, which are related to cats, but are NOT cats!

Sounds groovy. hopefully we'll get an update for the flash plugin as well...

I purchased the Internet Channel after I bought my Wii without complaint, but I don't use it much to be honest. Viewing YouTube or iPlayer through it might get me some use, but if it's a smaller window-within-a-window, that's not a big seller...Still, I might give it a go just because I can.