Posts by Sampler
441 posts • joined Wednesday 16th May 2007 19:25 GMT
Posted in Review: HTC One
Re: No microSD AGAIN
I have mine sync to dropbox over wifi, it's simple, free and thoughtless...and doesn't depend on the memory card surviving the toilet dunk..
Re: Most people
I had Sky broadband for a day exactly for that reason. I got an offer, six months three and then the ongoing price being half what I pay Be* it seemed too good to be true - it was.
The naff little sagem router they gave me look like it came out of a kinda surprise. I googled how to dump the firmware to get the login details I needed to use my own router, an N-Spec wifi with gigabit switch (mobile broadband's ace) to no avail so I called them.
Ten minutes on the phone to a customer service monkeh asking for my PPPOA details (or whatever they were) - no, not the router login details, I was informed you're not allowed to use your own device "for better customer service" - I was only calling customer service because they were stopping me doing what I wanted!
It honestly had never occurred to me they'd pull such a dick move, especially as I'd been with Be* for so long, they have a similar policy, they issue a relatively bland router but they also let you use your own. You call customer services, they ask are you using the Be* router, you tell them no and they tell you to plug it in and call back - why couldn't Sky do that?
It has the same benefits to the company of a generalised platform so they don't have to hire intelligent people for the call centre, just those capable of clicking responses on a screen and reading out the next but it has a vastly greater end user experience.
I asked to be put through to cancellations, which they were more than happy to do as it was something they could actually do and put down as an achievement for the day. Cancelled not only the internet but the phone and television (was moving over to the phone with the internet, had the TV for a few years).
Called Be* back up, sobbed it was all such a big mistake and they not only welcomed be back but gave me two months free to sooth the pain. Can't recommend them highly enough either - the service when I've contacted them with enquiries has been superb, never had any peak slowdown (though I guess it's subjective form exchange to exchange) and not had any problems - even used it for remote working that I had a job for eighteen months, two days at home a week without any trouble.
Screw Bruce Willis
There's a lot of talk of sending Brucie up to battle this bad boy - what we really need to remember is to NOT send Steve Buscemi!
Posted in Review: HP ENVY x2 Windows 8 convertible
I was hoping for something to replace my aging TX2050 - this looks the part but the CPU & Storage aren't worth the price tag. Plus I'm still not keen on Windows 8 (and for all those who say "have you used it on a touch device", yes, I used it on the TX2050), can always roll back to 7 I guess (driver dependent).
Re: Correlation != causation
Exactly what I came in to post, also, it may be the other way around, those heading towards depression might be looking for the sweet sugar rush given by cans of pop?
(can I have my PHD now please?)
Did I just read a patent article
That was well reasoned and made sense...maybe those Mayans were on to something..
Posted in A valid use for Windows 8?
Tablet
I tried using the consumer preview on my tablet pc (traditional, actual laptop with a swivel touchscreen, not one of the keyboardless/oddless trendy things floating around today) and didn't get along - even though I was probably in the target audience having touchscreen ability I just found it too much hassle to do anything with the new UI making simple tasks harder for a person who's used to desktop work and I think the longest I lasted before rebooting to the win7 partition was two hours. It was just easier in every aspect to do what I wanted.
But that's me, others may differ and I can see it being a hit with the people who don't really know how to use a computer - ie most folk.
Re: Sense-less
Sense is just a UI - others can be used, you're not tied to it..not that I have, been using sense since early win-mo's back on my Prophet (then Kaiser, them Rhodium, Desire, Desire Z and now OneX), some of us quite like it, but if you don't it shouldn't stop you getting a HTC
I downloaded GTA III the other day as it was 73p (10th Anniversary offer or something) and would say it would be suited for something like this, also games like Dead Trigger would probably work better with a controller than touching the screen - or maybe it's just me being shit at touch screen controls.
Both run fine on my HTC OneX so should be fine on this as they're similarly spec'd.
Posted in Samsung Galaxy S III
Confused.com
If this is a 1.4GHz quad core vs the OneX 1.5GHz quad core with a companion core how does the Sammy get 12130 Antutu score yet the OneX a 10588?
(source - the OneX review: http://www.reghardware.com/2012/04/06/review_htc_one_x_android_smartphone/page2.html)
It's been a while but last time I looked bigger numbers usually mean better? Or is Antutu just a crap benchmarking app?
Posted in Ten... Qwerty mobiles
No Slide outs?
Having had a HTC Kaiser (TyTnII), HTC Rhodium (TouchPro2) and HTC Desire Z I would've liked to see a slide keyboard amongst all the blackberry clones, never been able to get on with the squished compact keyboards like the ones listed.
TouchPro2 had the best keyboard of any phone I've had - though have to say the change to the HTC OneX and losing the physical board hasn't been as jarring as I expected - the bluetooth board I bought has barely been used.
Posted in HTC peeves punters with One X woes
Surprised
It seems HTC have a reputation for poor quality reading the comments, I never knew that and I've been using them some seven years:
Prophet (Orange M600)
Kaiser (TyTnII/O2 XDA Stellar)
Rhodium (Touch Pro2)
Desire
DesireZ
OneX
Still have most of them (sold the Desire to fund the DesireZ which I've now given my old man) and they all still work - as the OneX is a little large to fit in my TriBag (http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/105957.html) including the Overboard water proof cover I tend to use the Kaiser or Rhodium (whichever's got enough power at the moment) for GPS tracking when out cycling.
Have many friends and colleagues whom have HTC devices and never heard anything bad either - I know they can't make every device prefect (would be nice) but didn't realise they were supposedly this bad, probably won't stop me getting another one after the onex though as my experience has been great so far.
(though definitely not going Orange again, or T-Mobile I guess now they've bought them out)
Posted in Google Drive stalls on LAUNCH DAY
Not just Mac users - mine says it's not read yet either - though it's also trying to install itself to my android phone which is odd as I've not told it to..
Posted in UK government says no to turbo e-bike
I can do double that on the push bike! As for the price, I only paid £500 for my car so that's definitely out! (infact, both bikes, car and all vehicles I've owned previous don't come to that price, or even half)
Surely it's a small demographic of people that interested in cycling they're willing to pay £4.5k for a bike but not that into cycling that they're too physically unfit to propel themselves?
Re: Well said Andrew!
"unless it's on a tablet....then fine, make it the only option and remove the classical desktop" How about No.
I've been tinkering with this most of the morning on my tablet but a little over two and half hours in I've rebooted to Win7 because it's simple easier and quicker to do everything I want and need to do - even with Win7 apparently horrible for touch UI that I've never had a problem with.
Posted in FilmOn
I like living in the future
I clicked the link to the store and hit install, by the time I'd read the comments and took the phone out of my pocket it was installed, fired it up and I'm watching telly on me phone - ain't the future great!
Sounds alot like how Windows Home Server works? I haven't tried WHS as I have a RAID5 array but when I was building it I did read up on it and it was a tempting idea for a home storage solution where I wouldn't lose any photo's/videos/work from drive failure.
Being a bit of a nerd I went for the hardware solution but frankly I don't need the performance improvements over the software one - I guess many smaller home/business users wouldn't either.
This the same Dixons..
..selling fully branded 51" Active Shutter 3D TV's (albiet without the glasses) for £500 last time I was in? Why would you pay £600 for that borked box?
Posted in Toshiba Regza 32UL863 32in LED TV
do you
I thought the whole idea of LED tv's is they emit there own light (the light emitting part of light emitting diode) and therefore require no backlight, edge or otherwise..
I'm with the OP - blatant misrepresentation..
What type of Mini Cooper?
The traditional awesome Cooper or the god-awful BMW Cooper which is larger than most small cars I'm surprised they can call it a Mini?
(Seriously, those things are bigger than my K11 Nissan Micra!)
Red Dwarf or Battlestar Galatica - both unmentioned and I'd go for fairly realistic depictions of starcraft, though if you want balls to the wall crazy design you also have the cyclon base stars..
That's why the impulse engines are based in the "neck" of the craft at the rear of the dish - least the model of the Enterprise-B that I had made as a child did.
Also whilst it'd be possible to put the artificial gravity plates in all manner of configuration (possibly, they may conflict with each other) just think what a pain in the arse it would be to navigate the ship, one minute you'd be on the floor than walking up a wall to across the ceiling - it would disorientate the common passenger which lets not forget is a position space travel is in by the time Star Trek is set.
Also the article mocks some space craft for there aerodynamic designs - such as a bird of prey, but a bird of prey is capable of atmospheric landing to which point aircraft aerodynamics come into play - just look at our own (now consigned to the dustbin of time) spacecraft - the shuttle.
All this just goes to show - you will still get people bickering about your starcraft design as much as your hacking depiction as, even though we've no authority, it's never held us back before :D
Posted in Google TV receives (much needed) upgrade
Why not release it as an app
For folk with PC connected TV's - something akin to Boxee, this way the installed user base will be larger so more lure for app developers and content providers.
Love my Boxee though - if it would interface with my DVBS2 card for live TV too it'd be the perfect TV interface.
Licence
If you only have an analogue TV (ie no digital tuner built in) do you need a licence since you no longer have "equipment capable of receiving a signal"?
Crashed and burned?
I mean come on, it's not rocket science...
Posted in Crystal Video wireless HDMI kit
Straight dongle
So it stick's out at a 90 degree angle to the TV - So your fancy expensive thin LCD you've hung on the wall has to be some three inch from the wall to accommodate the wireless link - what was wrong with sticking the connection on at a right-angle?
I mean about the only reason I could think of needing such an expensive solution would be for wall mounted displays - but then I'd still rather channel a cable duct into the wall for that price.
the S Pen… to introduce a new type of user-experience
Presumably introduced to those who haven't seem the one HTC released already...
Make it wireless
And knock a third of the price and I'm interested - as long as your view shifted with it using gyroscope sensors or something - otherwise it's going to be pretty disorientating moving the head and the image staying as is.
Definitely stop the other guy in two player looking at your screen.
Posted in Windows 8 ribbon entangles Microsoft
User interface and Human Interface Devices
The ribbon approach may be annoying waste of screen real-estate when you have a keyboard but isn't one of the stated implemenations of Win8 tablets? Smaller touch interface devices may benefit from a larger chunky, finger friendly ribbon bar.
As long as you can switch it off I don't see the problem ;)
Posted in Samsung SH100 14Mp Wi-Fi compact camera
I was about to go buy one
Until I read the remote feature is samsung only mobiles so I can't use my HTC - as that was the only feature I cared for it's not worth swapping for my current camera.
Posted in Samsung plops out waterproof smartphone
GPS?
Would be the perfect sports tracking app - save having to risk the DesireZ in an Overboard pouch everytime I'm on the roads
"All models are age 18 or older."
Is on the disclaimer for Shagbook - at least this is an honest dating site that admits upfront the pictures used to entice you in aren't the people you're likely to meet in real life if you ever locate a woman on there that doesn't sound like a bunny boiler...
Posted in PlayStation phone prices plunge
Will they be giving away..
..a bunch of free games to those who paid full price? No - didn't think so..
Well to be fair
If I got caught and were looking at that kind of sentence plus forfeiture I think I'd be more than a little depressed too..
Three weeks without the wife?
And a perfect excuse when you finally do see her again?
Here was I hoping..
He'd left the camera recording - that'd been an awesome bit of footage!
Is this the same eye-tracking
That they have in digital cameras - the one that at least on mine seems to identify everything but eyes (got to hand it to it though as it has a rather a penchant for boobs),
Secondary affect
If you need a code to play online that those whom didn't necessarily buy the game in the first place won't have the code either so this could be an effective measure against pirates too.
Now that PS3 piracy has gone nuts.
Posted in Infamous 2
level backwards
Wouldn't a superhero sequel be the perfect setting to try out reverse levelling?
You start out a master of all your powers but each battle takes its toll, you slowly start to lose strength and stamina over time as your exhaustion from battle wrecks your physique. With that you lose grip on your more powerful attacks as you're simply not in shape to perform them.
This then ever increases the challenge throughout the game, instead of becoming a near unstoppable behemoth by the mid-point, battling tanks away as if they were flies, you have to become more tactical in your engagements - should I risk fighting that horde or work my way around, conserving strength for those unavoidable confrontations..
I suppose adding a dimension of realism to a man who can shoot lighting from his bare hands (not bear hands as I initially wrote, he would be too awesome for one game) might not gel that well though :)
I came to post the same question
And who do they pass this database onto - I could think of a fair few government departments rubbing there hands at such a treasure trove..
"Versions for Android are set to follow."
So you can't use the same device with a differing app front end - seemingly because and android user wouldn't have apple friends/partner that they'd like to share the device with?
And what does $8.5bn equate to in Skype code?
Bet you it's a little north of $2/b
Tell you what it's really worth now...
Just goes to show how well one business is run to how poorly another is run if both can purchase pretty much the same thing for vastly different sums.
(speaking technically, I know MS are trying to buy a userbase two which counts for a lot more but there's a totally other argument to why that's going to fail)
how about
randomly sending section reversed but with a flag to be put the right way round when decoded - let's see those linguists get their tongue around that ;)
Polycache.com blocked at firewall level and host files updated to redirect to localhost
now, where's my tinfoil hat..
Not a fan of Eclipse
Had trouble at peak times, barely usable from 4pm to midnight and they changed their limit times from six hours a day to almost eighteen without changing the volume you were allowed to use.
bethere.co.uk have been fantastic for the past two years, can't fault them one iota.
Google Apps for mail
You can use google apps for free for your email needs (so web access and pop/imap) with your own private domains. Just like using gmail.
Fairly easy to set-up and there's also a host of other elements within gapps that come with it that you may find useful.
I feel sorry for whomever has to compile all these suggestions
Neuromancer (whole trilogy if you like)
And can I put a vote in for Ghost in the Shell - even though we have a kick-ass anime already,
Similarly Akira but the final may be difficult to pull off well in live action.
Ideal for nightclubs
You're at a busy bar, four deep and can't hear a word the barman says over the booming techno music.
Or
You wave your mobile over the counter and a list of drinks with prices are displayed, tap out the ones you want and then wave it again and the payment's made - your order number is displayed on the screen which you turn and show the bar who have people putting the orders together at the back and folk at the front handing them to the relevant recipients.
Decreases the waiting time at the bar thereby increasing the amount of money the bar can take and the enjoyment of patrons who may move onto another bar if they can't get served in a timely manner.
And the upshot that when you're too pissed to work your phone you know it's time to hail a cab (using a nfc detector at the rank and then another as you get out for payment)..
Content
Lots of rants on here about the technical abilities of DAB (or lack of) but not a word about there's fuck all worth listening to on the existing radio channels why would anyone want to shell out a fair bit on a device so they can flick through the rest of the channels that were deemed not good enough to be put on real spectrum?
Radio listeners have been turning off in droves for years and it's only going to continue, DAB may well help some of those along..
@Ben Bawden
You do realise that interest is a percentage of what you owe - because the volume you owe is still the same percentage of GDP doesn't mean that GDP hasn't gone up so the amount you owe is up and therefore the interest is even higher still.
Especially when you're discussing numbers as large as the UK's GDP.
Save in boom spend in bust - but only because of Labour who spent spent spent in the boom times we have to scrape through the bust or be in even worse shape.
