Posts by Jason Hindle
300 posts • joined Wednesday 24th June 2009 22:30 GMT
Re: That could have been me....
That would depend on the type of data we're talking about (I think). For example, looking at the data consumed, the way the S3 does Exchange Services, particularly is push is involved, seems quite inefficient. Using Onavo Extend, for example, I was able to turn megabytes into less megabytes (but still megabytes) and I suspect the corporate email was somehow bypassing this (Onavo reports zero savings for Exchange Services).
That could have been me....
Fortunately, I was paying attention. At £8 per MB, with no package available where I am at the moment, my S3 pissed away three megs of data overnight, with no benefit to me! I switched off mobile data after that. I never had this problem with the Blackberry or iPhone that came before it. Android seems particularly bad in spite of my best efforts to reduce data consumption.
"– though, in true Wikipedia fashion, that "wisdom" often proved fairly dubious."
What? Is El Reg saying we are not mostly harmless?
How are Apple (or Amazon) acting illigally
If there is no legal obligation for Apple to repatriate profits earned outside of the US, then Apple isn't breaking any law. Tim is right. If the idiots don't like the consequences of the law they are responsible for, surely they should change the law?
Re: Conf calls are what you make them
" Also a conf call seems to head straight to catastrophic meltdown if the number of participants gets anywhere near double figures, while physical meetings of 20 or more are perfectly productive."
They work well for a few participants. They can be made to work well enough for many participants, as long there's a clearly defined agenda, and a chair with a virtual baseball bat and the resolve to keep order.
Besides, in my experience, once you get more than a few people in any type of meeting, the collective IQ quickly ends up being inversely proportional to the number of participants. Small and focused is always better.
"There is an economic argument based on the potential multiplier, and the fact that HS2 is a good old-fashioned bit of Keynesian pump-priming."
Yes, assuming there are not better options for spending the money.
Re: I'm not so sure....
"1) Apple didn't even invent the tablet form factor, there is a substantial body of prior art, including Kubrik's 2001."
That certainly didn't make computing ubiquitous.
"2) The term "ubiquitous computing" appears to be something that Mark Weiser came up with in 1988."
Sorry, I didn't realise anyone had to come up with the idea. There are two words: ubiquitous and computing. You can look them up. When combined, surely you can make your own mind up as to what this means? To me, it means lots of people using computing devices constantly throughout their lives and doing computing type things (i.e. using useful apps and services). The desktop computer didn't achieve achieve this since you can walk away from a desk. Ditto for the laptop since its lack of immediacy detracts from the portability in this respect. The early smart phones didn't make computing ubiquitous because users largely ignored the smart part.
The modern phone and tablet form factor (i.e. the combination of hardware, software and immediacy) OTOH do make computing far more ubiquitous. Who would you like the credit for that to go to? Kubrik? Kay? One of the doers who actually made it happen?
"I sincerely hope that you treat Apples IP as respectfully as you treat IP belonging to others."
What the hell are you going on about? I didn't infringe anyone's IP.
I'm not so sure....
Intel will make some of the components that drive the sixth wave. Apple invented ubiquitous computing with the iPad, though they lack the breadth of Google's vision, which is quite frankly frightening. However, Google's Glass presents more questions than answers. I don't think this kind of clunky technology will be truly useful until we have implants to do the job. Then we will all be assimilated.
BYOD? Perhaps when Hell Freezes over
I struggled through school, further education and then university exams with terrible writing, so I'd not object to being able to type answers to the essay type questions. However, I think BYOD is insane. One way or another, people will find a way to BYOMOC (Bring Your Own Method Of Cheating).
Not sure this is news
The new (and improved) Samsung only app has been out for a while now and has mostly worked fine for me (notwithstanding the fact it is counter-intuitive and won't even exit on pressing back). Hopefully they'll have ironed out the issues by the time they'll let me download it to my Nexus 7.
Waiting for Adobe's U Turn
The major pro cameras from Canon and Nikon have all been recently updated, and are fully supported by a very capable CS6. Same goes for the mid-low end. I think most users will simply not bother to upgrade for the next couple of years, substantially harming a significant revenue stream for Adobe.
Re: Welcome to the parallel surveillance society
"Some police already wear shoulder cams - protesters aren't always without guilt."
And, unfortunately, nor are the police. I've no issue with bad guys being sanctioned, but ultimately I'm a big fan of transparency and the rule of law. I merely note a potential enabler to both 8).
Welcome to the parallel surveillance society
If enough people wear these things to a demonstration, the police are going to be in for a shock.
The sad thing about ID cards
Is that they could be genuinely useful things that members of the public would want. Labour was so busy with its multi billion plans to put everyone on a database (with every biometric possible), it missed this point and bought a great deal of public mistrust in the process.
Labour also missed another very vital point. We already have an optional, robust form of ID called the passport. Producing of small format version of the passport photo page would probably have bought ID cards into the market far sooner, and would have greatly expedited public acceptance of the idea.
Thinking on, it's fine by me
Android gives you two options for installing software, the nice, safe, curated app store or you can change your security settings, download and install packages. If Google wants to tweak the terms and conditions of their on-line store front, that's fine by me.
I think we're seeing a distillation of the market
Into those who are mostly information consumers, who only really need a tablet, and those who both consume and also produce a lot of information. Laptops aren't going to go away, but they will get more expensive, under the guise of the current low cost options becoming increasingly scarce (i.e. going the way the NetBook is going).
Nice try, but I suspect no cigar.
Tried it at the weekend and wasn't impressed
As it is easy enough to switch off, it is worth trying. I did and ended up wondering what all the fuss is about. The home screen is nice, but nothing IMHO that couldn't have been achieved with a better widget (i.e. one designed to take up a whole screen). Also, it's buggy. One of my screens as a set of folders to short cuts (with names like Travel, News, Office and so on). Since the Facebook launcher doesn't seem to support folders, what I found was my short cuts were all strewn, seemingly at random across multiple screens. That didn't cut the best impression.
Oh, and I didn't see how the product puts people at the centre of everything. If you want to make a call or send a text message, its back to the TouchWiz applications and address book.
Re: Reliable 5Mbps is good enough for most
If it's reliable, then they can stream HD content. That's as good as most consumers ever need. Only businesses who need to shift a lot of data around really need super fast connections.
Not bad....
Samsung's marketing have done well, bearing in mind the S4 is hardly an earth shattering upgrade to the S3.
Re: mes petits singes capitulards
You owe me a new keyboard.....
Re: Unlike your cousins on the PC, you won’t be getting OneNote, Access or Publisher.....
No - you have to buy the professional Office package to gain Outlook for the Mac. 365 doesn't look so bad in this respect.
Are you sure it's Photoshop?
If they're adhering to the principles of the Great Leader's Juche Idea, surely the free peoples of the Democratic North must be using a home grown image editor?
Well, I'd love for them to find evidence of a bit more than water and a microbe or two, but I assume it's quite possible the place once had water and no trace of any life whatsoever.
Not sure I see the problem....
Are Google just aggregating to build a model or are they actually using the data to sell targeted advertising aimed at impressionable individuals? I couldn't care less about the former. The later OTOH would be a problem.
Very much agreed with the article though - Microsoft's online offering is mostly good enough to compete with Google.
Oh, when does this one get royal ascent?
I guess I need to change the settings on my Flickr and Smugmug accounts to allow nothing bigger than a postage stamp.
This is Microsoft's one and only chance
The low end Win Phones deliver a fine experience compared to a lot of the low end Android handsets. Even the lowly Lumia 610 approaches Apple levels of slickness. This weakness in Android is Microsoft's one and only chance to build a credible market share and build it its mobile ecosystem.
Mine's the one with S3 written on it, but my next spare phone (and for sticking in foreign SIM cards) will likely be a Lumia.
About time
This aspect of the licensing has struck me as somewhat absurd for a while. On the one hand, Microsoft embraces the cloud and actually produces some pretty decent web apps. On the other, it relies on licensing stuck in the last century for its desktop software. If Google ever develops their own office software enough to get the basics right, they will kill Microsoft IMHO.
Re: Great SOH ...
She recently did "An Audience With" type show and they've screened it on (I think) Sky Arts. She's looking a bit frumpy these days but yes, the sense of humour is wicked. If Carrie Fisher wanted a second career as a stand up comedienne, it wouldn't be too much of a problem for her.
Absolutely agree
For most of us, I think 3G is that thing we use between WiFi sources (i.e. home, office, restaurant, pub). LTE can have its biggest impact in the third world, where land line broadband availability is virtually none existent in many areas. In this respect, parts of Africa are already leapfrogging the UK.
Of course, weren't we all just as cynical when 3G services first launched in the UK? LTE will mature and become widely used, but it's not necessarily the revolution some might claim it to be (in fact, the clue is in its name).
Re: Love Swiftkey
Same here. I'm typing with it now. Only problem is, I need to remember to proof read what I write. Sometimes SwiftKey tries to be too clever!
It appears BT have broken rule #1
Which states you shouldn't pick a fight unless you've already won.
Posted in Fashionably slate
The UIs aren't great
Watching Netflix content is superb on our Samsung Smart TV. Finding content and making it ready to watch (i.e. finding, clicking play and letting it run for for a couple of seconds) is far easier to do on the laptop, the Android tablet, the iPad, the Android phone or the iPhone (I say again - too many toys in our house)!
Not a nice looking phone
Normally, I regard the Vertu as a phone for people with more money than sense. In this instance, I think we can safely replace sense with taste.
The subscription model could be made to work
The pricing would need to be attractive and Microsoft could make money from one off charges for none core features of the OS. Such a model might also avoid the peaks and troughs in income associated with Microsoft's traditional business model. Investors are often a bit too thick to understand that. A model with a nice, steady (but growing) income stream is, OTOH, easy to understand.
Re: Shhhhhhh.......
There are those here who like to bash MSFT like it's 1999.
It's worse that that.....
You'll be darned to heck!
Re: Actually, if BAe built the Death Star
It would have a catastrophic, single point of failure; a relatively unprotected exhaust vent leading all the way down to the reactor at the centre of the otherwise impregnable battle station.
Am I missing something about the price of RT devices
Even factoring in the fact that someone like Dell needs to make a profit on hardware, the cost of the first gen RT devices seems absurdly silly. Granted, you can run real, actual Office out of the box (an area where Android seems particularly weak) but it's a big premium to pay for it.
OTOH, this is the most compelling looking RT device I've seen.
A fish/foul dysfunction in the making?
At least that's the feeling I got from a brief play with absurdly expensive RT devices (Surface and the Lenovo Yoga). The only Windows 8 devices I've liked so far are those with a conventional laptop form factor + touch screen. Of course, YMMV, but at least Android and iOS feel like they're designed for the devices they run on.
Re: Well, I did watch the first episode
And I quite enjoyed it. It has an ambitious, Machiavellian leading character and the comparisons with the great, British original pretty much end there.
Re: Talk talk are fine
That is until you have a problem and need help from them. Then, they're pretty crap.
I will watch it
But I hope Netflix will also carry the original.
If you're into gaming, they're not a terrible investment
Our first gen model finally died on us a couple of weeks ago (fan issue - we'll probably get it repaired) so five years isn't bad for a bit of modern tech, and it isn't even obsolete at the moment. So, I just bought the new slimline model and hopefully that'll last a further few years (the PS4 or whatever they call it will be optional).
Ahhh, I mourn the NetBooks passing
My Eee used to go in the checked in bag, a spare laptop and got me out of trouble on a number of occasions. I've had one HP and two Dells develop plumage issues in bits of the world where getting a replacement is difficult/expensive and the Eee (900, if I remember) was a life saver in a way the tablet would struggle.
For the author's problem, the 11" MacBook Air would probably be perfect albeit an expensive solution to the problem. Just buy a pre paid, LTE MiFi device in the US perhaps?
Yawn
If El Reg could give tight arsed me a teensy weensy little warning of the fire sale? That would be much appreciated. Oh, and thanks in advance.
J
If you use office at work, work from home
I think Office is pretty much mandatory, at least if you're working complex documents and spreadsheets. If you just need an office app for simple stuff (letters, short reports, a bit of number crunching) then Google Docs will do. For most home users, MS Office is going to be overkill.
If Microsoft want a slice of the tablet market
They're going have to stop shooting themselves in the foot. The kind of politics that might hold back the existing RT applications, Outlook for RT or even Office for none Windows platforms (where they can name their price) is exactly the kind of politics that nearly killed Nokia (which may yet be in a terminal death spiral).
Re: Not a terrible lot of facts in the reporting
"Of course, I wouldn't want to suggest his light sentence had anything to do with him singing like a canary. No, I'm sure he manned up and kept schtum about all his Anonyputz buddies..... Would you trust this guy enough to involve him in a future cyber gang? Probably not."
Well, at least he'll not be sharing a cell in a privately run jail, with a man called Bubba, where it delivers more shareholder value to keep you longer, if they can find an excuse.
Of course, if I was to go purely on El Reg's article, I might think he's be found guilty by association. I'd hope the plods had rather more evidence against him than who he spoke to.
Yay, meet the iPod Touch
Built by children, for children. Reminds me of the Onion's spoof Gap ad.
