* Posts by Ed

309 publicly visible posts • joined 5 Oct 2006

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Furious Apple revokes Facebook's enty app cert after Zuck's crew abused it to slurp private data

Ed

Re: But but - Apple protects our privacy!

With recent iOS versions you need to do more than just tap through prompts to install an enterprise-signed app. You need to go into the settings and manually approve the certificate. It's a pretty convoluted process - and one that the OS doesn't explain to you (intentionally, I assume, to minimise this occurrences of this sort of issue).

We all love bonking to pay, but if you bonk with a Windows Phone then Microsoft has bad news

Ed

Re: NFC? No fucking chance.

I'd say it saves more than a few minutes, at least with my usage.

On average I make a couple of Apple Pay/contactless payments a day (excluding tube/train travel). If that (conservatively) saves me 5 seconds of having to insert my card, wait, then type in my PIN that's about an hour a year saved.

Do not adjust your set: Hats off to Apple, you struggle to shift iPhones 'cos you're oddly ethical

Ed

Re: Have to agree....

I've noticed with my parents how Touch ID was often an issue for them. I was skeptical about Face ID, especially for payments but I've actually found it works better in almost every situation. The only real issue is unlocking the phone while it's in landscape mode which can be a bit annoying.

Productivity knocks: I've got 99 Slacks, but my work's not done

Ed

Stride

We use Stride in our tiny 3 person startup - mostly because it's cheaper than Slack, and because we used to use HipChat. Given we're 3 people, mostly in the same room, we don't use it a huge amount, but two things seem quite broken with it:

- Uploading files: The UI is really unclear what's going on while a file uploads, this is especially noticeable on a slow internet connection.

- Notifications: These don't seem to reliably come through. HipChat used to support sending email notifications, but this was removed in Stride. We've seen notifications frequently fail to arrive on at least one of our Android devices, unless Stride is running in the background.

Between these two things, it's quite a frustrating platform, and I don't think we'd stick with it if we grow.

Nest cracks out cheaper spin of its thermostat

Ed

Re: Why only one thermostat?

I agree, even in our 1 bed flat, having a single thermostat is really suboptimal. It heats the living room quite effectively, but leaves the bedroom freezing (the bedroom is north facing, the living room south facing). We can balance the radiators to some degree, but this just has the effect of making it slower to warm the living room - which isn't great either.

We have very unpredictable schedules, so the nest is useful, but we'd certainly investigate individual thermostats for each room/radiator in the future. This seems a lot more logical.

So thoughtful. Uber says it won't track you after you leave their vehicles

Ed

Re: while using

Good question, but iOS 11 is removing the ability for apps to force you to give it permission either all the time or never, so all apps will support 'while using', so this becomes irrelevant then.

Happy Motherboards day: Here's some (Optane) memory

Ed

That infographic is silly, I can't really believe that the _average_ user restarts their computer twice a day and opens apps 77 times. I can't see the source, but I bet they were paid by Intel.

iPhone-havers think they're safe. But they're not

Ed

Re: Any indication

I don't believe that's true. I use an app that just uses the coarse (wifi-based) location and that always shows the location services icon in the status bar.

All the cool kids are doing it – BT hikes broadband and TV bills

Ed

Vodafone are far cheaper

I switched from the fastest BT Infinity package to Vodafone a couple of months back. BT had been charging me about £50 a month (including line rental), Vodafone are charging me £28. I was a little wary of Vodafone initially - it's hard to find reviews of them online - but they have been good so far, the speed is the same as BT, the router seems a bit more reliable than the BT one and when I had to speak to their support to find out where the router had got to, they were friendly and pretty quick to answer the phone.

The only downside is that it's an 18 month contract, which is quite long for a broadband contract.

Blighty's Coastguard goes into battle against waterborne Pokemon

Ed

Re: Chasing?

The trap of knowing what you're talking about before writing an article about it?

UK.gov's hated Care.data project binned

Ed

Re: Buried

There aren't many quiet news days at the moment though, are there?

When DIY is not enough: Web-snack firm Graze has an offline awakening

Ed

And despite him saying it twice, you still didn't remember it correctly! It was eBay and PayPal.

It's also not an actual Georgian building - I think it was built in the 90s.

Ed

Re: Not for me...

We had their cereal version for maybe 6 months, which seemed more useful (there's more of a necessity for cereal than snacks).

The problem with it is that over time, it loses its novelty and you also start ending up with more and more that you don't really like as much as the few that you do.

We ended up screwing with their algorithm and saying we hated all but one of the cereals. As you'd expect, that meant that we got a box with four of the same cereal in (the one we liked the most). Then we cancelled it.

During the 6 months we had it, I don't think they launched any new cereals - at least, not a significant number, so the main value that Graze has - novelty - wore off.

Apple and Cisco begin to map their corporate desires, apps and all

Ed

Re: IBM's IT dept

I wonder if that's mostly because more tech savvy people tend to use PCs. I bet most support departments spent a significant proportion of their time with a fairly small group of their less able users - and they're probably the people who aren't confident enough to switch OS.

That's not to say that I don't think Macs are easier to use - but they're not _that_ much easier to use.

Factory settings FAIL: Data easily recovered from eBayed smartphones, disks

Ed

Re: I admit I'm a little surprised there were ZERO iOS devices recovered

I think you'd have to also leave it without a passcode on as well (which some people do).

Overheating iPhone 6S+ BLINDED my cam, cries flashgate fanboy

Ed

My 6S was very hot while it was downloading the 200 or so apps I have on it after restoring the iCloud backup. Since then, it seems to have been fine.

Ins0mnia bug means malicious iOS apps WILL NEVER DIE

Ed

Re: limited support

I see a remarkable number of people compulsively quitting apps using the app switcher every time they leave one.

Contactless card fraud? Easy. All you need is an off-the-shelf scanner

Ed

I know one of the big mobile company's websites that doesn't check the CVV number when topping up, despite asking for it. You can type any number you like in. This has been the case for the last 2 or 3 years.

For its next trick, Microsoft diminishes the iPad with just a driver

Ed

Haven't Apple/IBM explained what their vision for enterprise apps is here: https://www.apple.com/business/mobile-enterprise-apps/ ?

Force your hand: Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display

Ed

They've supported right click for as long as OS X has been around. Their trackpads have supported it by tapping with two fingers.

What’s new in Office 2016 for Mac (and why it doesn't totally suck)

Ed

I personally prefer the look of the Mac version.

20 years on: The satirist's satirist Peter Cook remembered

Ed

You can hear one of the calls here: http://www.lbc.co.uk/peter-cooks-sven-from-norway-calls-clive-bull-76357

Google sneaks in back door, slips YouTube onto iPhone 5

Ed
FAIL

The app also doesn't support AirPlay, which is another step backwards.

Fake Facebook pull-down tricks social climbers into swallowing vile load

Ed

Does anyone anywhere ever post a news article about phishing or viruses without a quote from Graham Cluley?

Defend your phone against loose networks? There’s an app for that

Ed

Re: Watch out again.

"they perpetuate the myth of (i)OS(x) being impenetrable and free from attacks" - do they? How?

New Oyster online service goes live at TfL

Ed

Re: What's new?

The stations all have local copies of the main database, they only sync up with the central database each night (between 1 and 3 in the morning I believe).

Until recently, this data used to be manually uploaded into the system we see, that's not automated. The delay before you see the data should now be shorter too, I believe.

See the comments on http://www.oyster-rail.org.uk/2012/03/journey-history-2nd-update/ by "oysteronline".

Portal 2 prevails at Bafta game awards

Ed

EA

EA didn't publish Portal 2 - they just distributed it. Valve published it themselves.

Apple announces dividends, share buy-back

Ed

Not really - the best cash ISAs currently available (http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/savings/best-cash-isa) are 3.5% - tax free. 2.6% after tax would be significantly less.

'The new iPad' selling out at AT&T

Ed

Re: I want a tablet...

$399/£329 doesn't seem too bad for an iPad 2? Seems pretty cheap to me.

The Guardian iPad Edition

Ed

I very much like that it doesn't just list headlines - I like that I read it roughly in-order as it means I read things that I wouldn't otherwise read. I consider that an advantage over the more website-style model.

Ed
Thumb Up

I like it

I've been trying it out on my commute for the last few days and I like it. It does lack some of the serendipitous nature of a real paper, but it comes closer to that than most news apps. I quite like having to flip through to find what I'm interested in, as often I'll end up reading things I wouldn't normally read.

It's missing parts of the paper like g2 though, which I normally enjoy reading (on the rare occasion I get a paper!)

Gas bill climbed £13,000 after correct online reading given

Ed

And...

And the same British Gas that managed to take over £400 in advanced direct debit in 3 months and saying I had to wait 8 months before they'd adjust how much money they were taking each month. That could easily have meant that they had over £1000 of my money. Hardly worth it for saving the 5% or whatever it was for using Direct Debit.

The iPhone 4S in depth: More than just a vestigial 'S'

Ed

I like the glass back on the iPhone 4 - it surprised me as I wasn't too keen on the idea before, but now I've had one for a while, I like it.

Ed

I've been annoyed waiting for the camera to be ready - especially on my old 3G, but still occasionally on the 4. Putting it on the lock screen will make a big difference though.

Ed

They claim it works in British English too.

Five... great iPhone racers

Ed
Thumb Up

Reckless Getaway

I love Reckless Getaway too - really recommend it - has some great set pieces and good replayability.

Nissan Micra DIG-S

Ed
Go

I used to know someone who lived in Victoria Grove Mews (where the second and third picrtures were taken) :)

World's Smallest Camera gives big snappers the finger

Ed

Metro

The Metro covered this today and included a list of three phones as comparison in camera quality. Bizarrely they listed the megapixels _and_ the horizontal/vertical resolutions which were completely incorrect. The iPhone was listed as having a 5 megapixel camera but the resolution they listed was < 1 megapixel. Similar with the other phone models. Another example of journalists just trying to fill up space with pointless (and in this case, incorrect) information.

Samsung preps anti-iPhone 5 lawsuit before it's even out

Ed

You lose out...

You lose out if companies can't protect their R&D and design investment because they get ripped off by copycats as soon as they release an innovative product.

They'll just stop investing in R&D as it won't be bringing their shareholders value.

I disagree with many patents, but the concept of them is to protect inventors and hence they should benefit you as a consumer.

Ed

It's not trolling - Apple actually invented something. Patent trolls just buy up patents.

Apple Mac OS X 10.7 Lion Part Two

Ed

Copy and Paste of files

Copy and Paste of files has been in OS X since at least Snow Leopard.

iCloud: Big step for content management, but not for the cloud

Ed

I like it

I use Google Docs quite a bit, but I really like the sound of Apple's approach. I don't know which I'll end up using - perhaps Google Docs still (for the ability to access in a web browser from anywhere, and the sharing).

I'll certainly be using iCloud for all the other stuff though (contacts, photos, calendars etc).

Apple's approach is, I think, more tangible to the average user than the more caveat-laden approach Google has. I'd never want to get a Chromebook, as I don't want to rely on a net connection. It might make sense if you're always in a big city, but if you ever travel abroad, data roaming charges (and availability) varies so much that it'd be impractical to use.

Plus, I can't entirely see what you gain from the Chromebook, except a whole load of compromises. I can see it suits Google down to the ground, but I'm not sure I'd ever convince my mum to use it (or understand it).

HTC's UK repair centre suffering long delays, confusion

Ed
Go

Apple

Oh, and apparently if you aren't near an Apple Store, Apple will send you a new iPhone before you have to send yours back to them.

Also, you can apparently get Apple Care from the US for about half the price from people on ebay, which works worldwide.

Ed
Go

Apple?

Apple will normally just replace your iPhone on the spot if you can get to an Apple Store. They've done that for me for free a couple of times - once in warranty and once for free out of it. They've also replaced it when I smashed the glass, which I think cost about £130.

Their extended warranty isn't that expensive - £61 for an extra year. I haven't got it - risking it!

You can walk into an Apple Store (with an appointment) and be out of there with a replaced iPhone in 5 minutes. I don't think any other manufacturer does this, do they?

Survey shows slab-fondlers are loving their iPads

Ed
Go

Well...

I was sceptical before I tried an iPad borrowed from work, but since using one for a few weeks at home, I'm quite impressed. It makes casual web browsing a more pleasing experience than sitting at a laptop. It's hard to tie down, but it's enjoyable to use.

I've used it on the train too - and battery life is very good - it used under 10% on an hour's journey using WiFi and a few games.

I honestly think it could be the future of computing, for a lot of users (probably not the people on here!) and certainly have a use for everyone else.

I think suggesting that a smartphone can do the same thing is missing the point - the extra screen space makes _all_ the difference - it changes how much apps can show and it changes the way you interact with it.

Border Agency monitors migrant ITers with inadequate IT

Ed
WTF?

Jobs?

I've been looking at changing jobs recently and there seems to be a lot out there - for programmers anyway, so I'm not sure what they're talking about?

I'm in the games industry though so maybe it's different, but very few games companies in the UK aren't hiring, and a few are hiring for 40+ coders...

Even outside the games industry I've seen quite a lot of jobs advertised.

An introduction to static code analysis

Ed
WTF?

Games

Bear in mind that a large proportion of the games industry uses c++ too.

I thought the article read rather like an advert and was rather condecending at the same time...

Portal 2 maker punts Portal 2 making pack

Ed
FAIL

Lazy?

Rather lazily written article isn't it? Both the 'Stream' typo and "The kit includes a version that Valve used to make Portal 2..." - a version of what?

Google plans cheapo YouTube programs

Ed
FAIL

Tv

Tv episodes of a show like Mad Men cost in the region of 2-3 million dollars, so 100 million could get you a couple of 22 episode length seasons. A mad men season costs about 30 million to make (2.3 million per episode).

Microsoft, Nokia, and RIM's wasted R&D billions

Ed

WebKit

WebKit is Apple's fork of KHTML.

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