* Posts by James Prior

69 publicly visible posts • joined 10 Sep 2007

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Alan Sugar's YouView loses brand judgment in court

James Prior
Stop

Re: I have not been paying attention

No, not the result of an Apprentice - it's a Lord Sugar company.

YourView is just a call reporting portal for Total's hosted telecoms business, I doubt many people are going to confuse that for a catchup TV service.

Phone lacking NFC pay-by-bonk tech? It can go on a SIM

James Prior
Go

Re: payments, meh

Then you need a Sony Xperia S and some Sony Smart Tags - which do just that.

'Google's crap for business' - CIOs give ad giant dose of reality

James Prior

Re: "Near identical"?

As a user of OWA when on the move I can say with confidence that when using Exchange 2010 the experience is the same in IE8 and Chrome - all the rules and other Exchange tools work perfectly - it even looks identical. Can't vouch for Exchange 2007 which a fair few have mentioned.

Highways Agency plans new speed cameras

James Prior

@ The Silver Fox

The M5 doesn't have ATM, the speeds you see displayed are the same ones they've been using ont he motorways for a decade or so, a guidance (which no one obeys) system mainly.

The only ATM signs that are actually enforcable (when it comes to speed limits at least) are the ones which have a little red circle around them. Oh, and regular signs along the road which says "Variable Speed Limit" on them.

@ Matt Vernon

Not every variable speed limit gantry has a camera on it. You were probably lucky the one you passed under was one of them.

BT extends trials of boondocks broadband

James Prior
Stop

@ AC re Horsham

Horsham may be "urban" but it's just a market town in the middle of no where (I live there as well) - but what about Billinghshurst or other villages just outside that are part of "Horsham District"? They are all served by the Horsham exchange and I'm sure they'd appreciate better broadband.

T-Mobile UK starts shifting iPhones on the quiet

James Prior

Germany

Isn't it more likely these are just german iPhones, as this is where T-Mobile are authorised to sell them?

In which case it doesn't matter whether they're locked or not, it's a T-Mobile phone so will work with the T-Mobile SIM. They also say that it's a "fully-supported device" - does that mean these users also get Visual Voicemail?

Engineer commits suicide after losing iPhone prototype

James Prior

@ AC

You may not be able to see why someone jumped because of a phone, but it's not unusual in China where train despatchers have been known to jump if they send a train off even a few seconds late.

iPod fingered in car inferno

James Prior

@ TeeCee

Not just Rover, BMW and Renault refer to estates, or station wagons, as "Sports Tourers".

Beeb says sorry after iPlayer network fail

James Prior

BT vs. BBC

I thought it was reported a few months back, OK it may be even a year ago, that the BBC were looking at installing servers into exchanges to relieve the bandwidth issue.

Has this moved no closer or have they given up ?

Judge orders Echostar to disable set-top DVR

James Prior

@ Citizen Kaned

You're right, V+ and Sky+ let you do this, and guess what? They've licenced the technology from TiVo.

A patent doesn't mean another company can't do it - it just means they need to ask permission first and pay a fee.

Nokia's N97 flagship to sail in this month

James Prior
Stop

Everyone has it wrong ..

.. a mobile phone should just be a phone, with SMS if you're lucky.

Take the Motorola F3 for example. It's slim and stylish but it's just designed to be a phone. OK so it has vibrate alert and polyphonic ringtones but it's no frills. And thanks to it's e-ink based screen the battery life is huge.

Best thing of all? £25 from major retailers or about £10 on eBay. Damage it? No worries, just get another.

Gov spunks hundreds of thousands on mobe condom clip

James Prior
Stop

Do we really want to stop these pregnancies?

We already have an ageing population (not enough youngsters to pay taxes by the time I'm old enough to need a pension) so do we really want to reduce the number of births even more?

Tram driver crashes while texting

James Prior

@ AC ref DLR

It's not just the DLR, some portions of the Underground are also setup for driver-less operation, with the driver just sat in the cab to hit the big red button if it all goes wrong.

Free mobile broadband from Vodafone

James Prior

@Cameron Colley

It's more likely they just asked Google.

Google often publish a list of most searched for items - Vodafone probbaly just said "Whats the msot searched for items from our IP addresses".

Inside the world's greatest TV remote

James Prior
Stop

Didn't work with the 105" Panasonic ..

Probably because Panasonic have a "feature" where you have to press and hold the standby button. Cycling through loads of them within 70 seconds isn't going to be long enough to switch it off.

Dell launches perfume ad teaser site for Macbook Air rival

James Prior
Stop

Why not the E4200 ?

Why would you buy the Adamo over the E4200? Already an ultra-light 12" model which, going from the photos of the Adamo, doesn't look any thicker and can be upgraded to quite a powerful machine (max 5Gb RAM etc.)

Pentax K-m entry-level digital SLR

James Prior
Stop

Are you sure about the AF?

I've got the older model which uses the same AF system.

In my case the camera does tell you which AF spot it's using because it flashes it red, very briefly, when you half press the shutter button.

I'd be surprised if they've ditched this on the newer model so are you sure you haven't just missed it?

Woolies to be resurrected as online-only store

James Prior
Stop

It'll only go under again

An article about this on the BBC News site also added that Shop Direct are having problems of there own - having recently made quite a few staff redundant.

Sky hints at 3D TV launch

James Prior
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You really think ..

.. the BBC don't spend money on R&D ? All those "I'm glad they spend our money on TV than silly innovations.." really don't know what the BBC do.

They spend a *HUGE* amount of money on R&D every year. A few years back they spent a fortune on developing a plasma TV with a company called Delphi - which to be honest was really pants anyway. Did sell a few units because of it's "Developed in conjunction with the BBC" sticker but wasn't worth the huge price tag.

Third-gen Apple iPhone in development?

James Prior
Paris Hilton

What is the obsession with Cut'n'Paste?

I've never ever missed having Cut'n'Paste on a phone - what do you think it is, a word processor?

My N95 didn't have it, my current LG didn't have it, our BlackBerry fleet at work doesn't have it .. can someone please explain?

LG demos super-contrast ratio TV

James Prior
Stop

Never believe contrast levels

As all manufacturers measure contrast ratios in different ways you can't use them to compare sets. Some only turn 20% of the screen black, some a more equal 45% .. they use different methods of actually taking the readings ..

It all looks very impressive on paper but you can't beat actually watching a DVD of your choice on various screens in store.

Empire Direct goes titsup

James Prior
Stop

@ BLoad

You think KPMG are bad? You're just lucky it's not BDO - they shut down every company they go into with no intention of delivering stock.

At least other companies sometimes try and keep the company going to sell it off as a going concern. BDO are the lovely company that made me redundant from unbeatable.co.uk in 2005 so I'm bound to hold a grudge :)

iPlayer finally makes friendly with Mac and Linux

James Prior
Stop

@ TimM

I get "Play High Quality" on Firefox (and on a Mac) so it's not dependant on browser or O/S.

The one thing I did notice is that it's not available for all shows.

Is filming someone in the street a breach of privacy?

James Prior
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ICO

The Information Commisioners Office has a lot of guidance on this kind of thing, mainly geared up for CCTV usage and you have to learn it all if you are a CCTV Operator.

For example, I can't put a camera on the side of my building if it captures people walking up and down the street and that come no where near the building. I can only keep it for a period of time that is appropriate (i.e. how long do you think it'd take you to work out a crime had been commited - don't keep it for longer than that) and you have to respecet everyones right to see footage of themselves.

That's right, you can write to your local Supermarket and request a copy of any footage that contains you. They'll charge a £5 admin fee or something but it's your right. Likewise you could write to your local council and request a copy of all footage of you walking around town.

If you see it and suspect that they shouldn't have it, for example it's more than a few months old, you can speak to the ICO and ask them to destroy it.

And most importantly, they can't use it for any kind of commercial gain.Whether or not the same applies in her country is a different matter.

Sky mulls PVR software rollback

James Prior
Thumb Down

@ Neil Stansbury

Since when did you need planning permisison to put a dish on the side of your house? Not since the 80's at least - planning rules have an exception in them letting anyone put a dish on a house unless it's a listed building or in a conservation area.

@ Nano Nao

Sky's new EPG (for HD customers only at the moment) offers all of the features you describe - except the bit about unreserving the HDD space.

IT Crowd: spot Reg gear

James Prior
Go

I work in an IT Support office ..

.. with a girl geek genuinely called Jen, a tall bloke with big hair that's very much like Roy (including the attitude) and someone who is a spitting image of Moss (complete with the dressed by his mum look)

To me this is just like watching out department on the CCTV.

Main BBC channels to be broadcast live via web

James Prior
Stop

@ Dick Emery

They could easily prove you have a colour set if you push them hard enough - so try not to be to mean.

With a simple application to a court they could request access to your property. And lets be honest, the BBC wouldn't be refused that by the government.

The best way, certainly if you genuinely don't have a set, is let them come to your house. You may complain about your liberties etc. etc. but once they've been they stop bothering you. My partner just had to do a doorstep interview two years ago and they've not been bothered since.

GPS phones threaten satnavs sales, says analyst

James Prior
Stop

Clearly ..

.. no one has tried to use GPS on the Nokia N95. The longest cold start time I've ever experienced and it's only accurate to about 5 miles.

While GPS on a phone might be very handy to work out where you are when lost, or for geotagging a photo, I'd not rely on it for Sat Nav. When I did attempt to do so with the N95 it constantly kept switching between the motorway I was on and the A road about 50 metres to the left.

In comparison my TomTom 730 locks on really quickly and never decides I'm on a completely different road.

Shawshank thesp erased from NY voter rolls

James Prior
Stop

He can't do math though ..

Voting at this station since 1997 .. that's 11 years not 15.

Tablet MacBook launched... again

James Prior

@ AC "old macbooks only"

So you missed the bit which said:

"Slip OWC $1300 (£795/€1015) and send in your brand new *metal* MacBook, and the company will convert into a tablet it's calling the Axiotron Modbook."

TfL considers life without Oyster

James Prior
Stop

@AC "Screw this...

Why are all the IT Professionals the worst when it comes to conspiracies?

So you use an RFID blocking wallet (more money than sense there) but what about the RFID tags that clothing manufacturers sew into the clothes you buy so they can track it around the warehouse, while it's on the road and then on the shelves? Do you walk around covered in tin foil?

And what about the fact that you can be tracked by your mobile phone with or without your consent? Thanks to the fact that it handily broadcasts it's ID every so often and that's easily picked up by the right hardware. Or are you one of these people that switches off your phone everytime you go into a building?

Really, some people just take things to far .. people that worry like this obviously have something to hide.

James Prior
Go

Geneva

Paper ticketing works perfectly in Geneva so who says we all need to go contactless?

It helps that they don't use any barriers and don't really do ticket inspectors (except on the yellow boats crossing the lake) .. nice and simple - pay for the number of hours you want to travel and that gets you unlimited travel on any form of transport during that period. Strangely you don't get as many people trying to travel for free as well ..

Even better, as a tourist you get all that free during your stay.

VbyV password reset is childishly simple

James Prior
Alert

@ Tom Paine

Actually VbV knows more than just your name, which you rightly say you've just entered into the website .. it actually presents you with your unique VbV id, generally 8 characters or so which does contain, or at least part of, your surname but also some information you haven't entered - a random character and a few numbers normally.

OK - it's another thing you have to remember if you want to use this as a marker for a genuine request but if your bank just uses your surname then they have implemented VbV badly.

More BlackBerry Storm pictures leaked

James Prior
Go

Vodafone

Well as it's the same photo that Vodafone UK now have on-line I would imagine it is accurate.

Orange can't find BlackBerry maps

James Prior

It's not just Orange ..

.. most UK operators put a special version of the phones firmware on - whether it's Vodafone so they can put on an icon for Vodafone Live or o2 adding the o2 button to the softkey options on a Nokia ..

In all cases you should be able to flash the phone to the standard version but you may loose access to a few options that the operator hardcodes into the fimrware.

Sony pairs PS3 with Bluetooth headset

James Prior

New titles?

What about old ones? In GTA4 you can call your friends on the mobile phone and hear what the other gamers are saying ..

Samsung unwraps MacBook Air beater

James Prior

Lenovo X300

As a long term Toshiba R500 fan I was a bit disapointed when I was asked to test drive a Lenovo X300 at work (it's what our parent company issue instead of the R500).

I have to say that although it's bigger and heavier than the R500 (although it's still a lot easier to cart around than a standard laptop) it's much better made. The R500 is far to flexible and it's low power processor really struggles. A real world test that The Gadget Show (Five) did just proves that and the Lenovo is a great performer in comparison.

It's sturdy and although it's quite square it does have smooth edges and a nice slightly rubbery finish. Anyone looking for a easy-to-cart-around laptop should consider one.

Phreakers seize government phone system

James Prior

Why so complicated?

Why do you think this is all so complicated?

Where I used to work we had a Toshiba phone system. If the voicemail answered the call you could press * during the greeting and then hear a complaint that it wasn't a recognised command. The voicemail system would then volunteer to transfer you to an extension if you knew the number.

If the system hadn't been told to deny access to an outside line at this point the person calling could simply put in a nine and access an outside line before dialing any number they want.

COBOL thwarts California's Governator

James Prior
Thumb Up

Young COBOLers

I'm a COBOL programmer and I'm only 28 - and yes I worked on the Y2K problem for a local council at 18.

Only because the college I went to still used COBOL as the higher level language (Pascal in the first year) until 1999 when they switched to VB.

At the time most of the ATM backend systems used COBOL and I'm sure some of them still exist so we do have some demand still.

So how do I apply for my US work permit?

Net shoppers bullied into being Verified by Visa

James Prior
Go

Is fraid that hard to spot?

All it takes is a right click on the iframe to check it features SSL.

And a fake site is going to ask me for the whole password, not the standard 3 digits of said password. If you don't realise that then you deserve to have your details stolen.

Sony Ericsson dials into the posers

James Prior

Mirrors ..

.. have been on mobile phones of all makes for years, not just SE.

Tiscali sues BT for 'defamation and falsehood'

James Prior

Pipex letter ..

I had the letter from Pipex Business, not sure why - I'm a Sky Broadband residential customer.

Vista woes fuel Mac sales surge - analyst

James Prior
Happy

iMac

Got meself an iMac about 4 months ago now and opted for the 24" powered by the 2.8 Core 2 Duo Extreme (the top model at the time).

To be honest it wasn't much more expensive than a similar spec Dell XPS or other brand "power PC". It helped that I didn't buy any extra ram from Apple (about £200) but spent £30 at Crucial and now have 4Gb.

Would I go back? Well I've got MS setup via Boot Camp for any unforseen programs that I must have that I can't get on OS X but I'm much happier with it compared to XP or Vista. OS X is definately much faster. I'm not a "Fan Boy" as I am still happy to use Windows at work but the Mac is far superior.

UK and US agree biometric heavily vetted trusted traveller deal

James Prior

@ Suspect ref "Gatwick"

They should use some decent kit then, even Panasonic make iris recognition systems that are able to verify who you are while you are walking up to a door so it'll open before you even get there.

Devil dog laughs in the face of Taser

James Prior
Stop

Some of you ..

.. are as bad as the chav.

You walk past what appears to be an agressive dog, so you deliberately go back past it but this time with something to injure/kill it with ?

Sounds like you just want an excuse to kill it and are hoping it will go for you again ..

Microsoft chases satnav market

James Prior
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@ Larry

"Let's call it what it is, that is a GPS"

Not quite. GPS (Global Positioning System) tells you what your current position is based on a bunch of flying things in the sky. That's your static position (which can be updated in real time). You can buy a GPS device that has no route planning - typically used by ramblers or other people interested in outdoor pursuits.

SatNav takes advantage of GPS to plot a route from your current location (this is the GPS bit) to a destination you select.

Asus quietly demos Eee Box

James Prior
Unhappy

Looks just like ..

.. a thin client.

And if you buy a decent enough HP terminal (other brands available) the specification and price isn't anything that new or unusual either.

Network Solutions hijacks customer sub-domains for ad fest

James Prior

@s.pam

You say you haven't got any sub domains - well thats why you are not seeing it.

The article says that if you have a sub domain (say one you created because you thought you may need it in the future) but you are not using it for anything then they'll hijack it.

Gates teases bankers with Windows 7 dates

James Prior

2009/2010 is possible

Considering Windows 7 Milestone 1 has already been released to the big MS partners (as per BBC News yesterday).

US teen cuffed for disposable camera 'Taser'

James Prior

@ Steve ref 240 being safe

I've been zapped by 240v from a UK outlet a couple of times. Not a mark on me. I'm not saying it's a good thing, especially if you have any conditions that make you more vunerable. But a zap doesn't mean your dead.

As for disposable cameras .. well I used to work in a photo developing lab. They definately all have warning signs on the back of them. They also make a nice big bang if you throw them into the bin when charged. Never zapped anyone with one though.

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