* Posts by Sp0ck

36 publicly visible posts • joined 22 May 2012

Not one, not two, but a trio of hinges to potentially break in OPPO's bendy concept phone

Sp0ck

Re: Why?

Ahem, the Motorola Startec of 1996 was a flip phone.

Worldpay stops turning in the UK, leaving trail of thoroughly miffed retailers and customers

Sp0ck

Re: Intresting...

I had the exact same issue yesterday, with the same resolution. Gotta be related.

TomTom bill bomb: Why am I being charged for infotainment? I sold my car last year, rages Reg reader

Sp0ck

Oh my, I've not read every comment but holy moly Ben has the patience of a saint, I've no idea how the hell he hasn't smashed his phone, laptop or whatever device he was using to reply to all of the people that couldn't grasp that he was being charged for something he never signed up for.

Also, £9:99 a month for SatNav? Really, what the hell do you get for £9:99 a month?

Chinese mobe flinger OPPO aims £219 A72 handset at penny-pinching Brit youth

Sp0ck

Re: More marketing bumph

5G in a £219 phone, you're joking right?

Screen res is in the article, very impressive (for the price) it is too. It''ll be an LCD for that price, there will be no OIS on the cameras.

The only thing I cannot take a stab at will be the SD slot or headphone socket.

BoJo looks to jumpstart UK economy with £6k taxpayer-funded incentive for Brits to buy electric cars – report

Sp0ck

I saw this reported yesterday and thought it was a great idea as I'm in need of changing my little runabout (a 14 yr old Fiat Punto 1.2). It passed the MOT last year fine albeit with some advisories. Those are going to cost a few hundred quite to put right for this MOT (car is worth £150 tops) so I thought I'll run it till the MOT, see what happens and if it fails replace it.

I was looking at a used Fiesta (or similar) as a replacement, a decent spec one for around £10-12k so thought that with the extra £6k I might be able to get an EV instead. Hohohohoho, I'd never (properly) looked at the prices of EVs before. The cheapest EVs are a smidge over £20k (with the current £3k government grant), but I don't want the *cheapest* I can get as I've already got that and want something a bit nicer this time around, so that pushes it up to at around £18k (taking the full £6k off) which is £6k over my budget. I priced up a new e-up! and that came in at £18,130 if you take £6k off the full RRP, the Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo electric are £2k and £1k cheaper so still at least £4k over budget.

Back to another used petrol for me then.

The only thing I can think that it will benefit will be the companies that provide the charging infrastructure.

A couple of other things....

Is this £6k going to replace the current £3k grant or is it a scrappage scheme on top of that (cannot see the gov giving £9k away!).

If it is a scrappage scheme and replaces the £3k grant it will not be any good for people with a car worth over £6k so they'll have to pay full price, meaning every EV will go up by £3k, so could actually stall EV sales.

Or.....is it an either / or scheme? If you've a clunker you'll get £6k (in reality a £3k scrappage), if you've a car worth more than £6k to part-ex or no part-ex you'll still get the current £3k grant?

I would also assume that there will be the *you will have to have owned your clunker for at least 3 (or possibly longer) months* to be eligible for the £6k.

Wall Street analyst worries iPhone is facing '2nd recession' after 2019 annus horribilis

Sp0ck

I'm an Android user, the wife and child are both Apple. They're great devices and now they don't need to replaced every 2 years, a 3-4 year cycle is more the norm. If you could get an IOS device from someone other than Apple I'd go for it. I don't like the SE/8 the bezels are huge and all the others they do are far too expensive. So Android is where I'm staying, luckily for Apple my wife is more than happy after upgrading her 5s to an 11 Pro Max!

BOFH: Will the last one out switch off the printer?

Sp0ck

Ha, Monopoly, my wife refuses to play with me cos she says I cheat, she only says that cos I win all the time, her fixation on Mayfair and Park Lane are always her undoing.

Samsung calls it a day on liquid-crystal display, says quantum dot is really hot

Sp0ck

Re: OLED is great

This article is incorrect when it says Samsung are moving to only produce QLED, they are infact moving to produce OLED and QDLED only. QLED is an LCD based tech.

Sp0ck

OLED is great

There is no mention in this article that the panels they're moving to are QDLED (which are electro-emmisive) but just their bogo standard QLED panels which are LCD panels backlit by LED with a fancy schmancy QD panel that alters the light from the LEDs. There are two types of TV for sale at the moment (if you discount micro LED). LCD and OLED, all TVs that are not OLED are LCD of some form or another, it just depends how they're backlit. It's marketing tosh that makes them sound like something they're not.

My Panasonic Plasma died a while back and I replaced it with a Panasonic OLED, boy what a picture, it's flippin' amazeballs. I looked at the QLEDs but in stores the pictures are just so over saturated and over bright.

Now don't get me wrong, a well calibrated QLED Samsung is a match for an OLED but I like the proper blacks you get from an OLED, my Plasma (which I thought was awesome) couldn't do a black black!

HP printer small print says kit phones home data on whatever you print – and then some

Sp0ck
Thumb Up

Re: polluting the well.

Astoundingly well done sir. I doff my cap.

Well done, UK.gov. You hit superfast broadband target (by handing almost the entire project to BT)

Sp0ck
Thumb Up

I live in a little village on the outskirts of Hythe in Kent and was lucky to get 1Mbps until the village got a grant. I was expecting BT to get the money, instead a small outfit called Callflow solutions won it and bunged in FTTC and I now get 24Mbps (on an upto 30Mbps service) and am extremely happy with it. I could pay £8 extra per month for an upto 100Mbps service but for my usage I wouldn't see any benefit.

The thing is Openreach are now putting overhead fibre into the village so we're now going to have a good bit of competition.

First-day-on-the-job dev: I accidentally nuked production database, was instantly fired

Sp0ck
Facepalm

Documentation issue.

Definitely a docs issue, clearly written by a really 'clever' person who knew what they meant and assumed everybody else reading (using) the doc was as clever as them.

Docs like this need to be properly idiot proof, you need to ensure that whoever is using them cannot get anything wrong.

Oh and working, verified backups is a good thing too!

Huawei Honor 8 Pro: Makes iPhone 7 Plus look a bit crap

Sp0ck

I've a Honor 7 which came out in July 2015 and I got an OTA update to it this weekend, I've a feeling that well be be its last though. I am truly impressed with this phone, I paid a smidge under £200 and it has been bloomin' marvellous. I'm not one for updating my phones all the time so am happy with this one for now. I would certainly buy another Huawei device based on my experience with this H7.

New iPad revealed. Big price cut is main feature

Sp0ck

Re: 32/128Gb only

Same here, they must either have a huge stock of 32Gb memory hanging around or they know that people who buy the 32Gb fill it up quite quickly and then need to upgrade because they can't put a flippin' memory stick in it!

Millions of Brits stick with current broadband provider rather than risk no Netflix

Sp0ck

Pretty sure lots of users also stay with who they're with because it is faster service than moving to a cheaper solution? I live in a rural location that benefited (2 years ago) from the installation of FTTC through a government grant. The trouble with this is there is only a single provider that can use this FTTC (small private company), if I were to move to anyone else I'd be back on a copper line to an exchange that is over 6kms away and I'd be lucky to get 1.5meg, I get 32meg on my FTTC connection.

No brainer really.....yes I pay more but I'm not going to move provider unless I move house!

One BEEELLION dollars: Apple sues Qualcomm, one of its chip designers

Sp0ck
Facepalm

So....is it all the fault of QC for the fact that Apple (have to) charge an extra £100 for 96gig of memory rather than the fiver it probably really costs them?

Caption this: WIN a 6TB Western Digital Black hard drive with El Reg

Sp0ck

And you say they'll be launching a selfy stick for it in the next week or so too? I'll take it!

BT's taxpayer-funded broadband monopoly may lock out rivals, says independent report

Sp0ck

Where I live I assumed BT were going to win the rural broadband contract but a small company won (call flow solutions), where I was lucky to get anything over 1.5meg dl speeds I now get 24meg. The issue is I won't ever be able to change provider if I stay in this house, I can't see them opening it up. Having the monopoly they didn't have to give any incentives for signing up. I pay £44 for line rental (evening and weekend calls) and broadband. I was paying £29 before with talktalk! Swings and roundabouts I guess.

Report: Apple seeking to raise iPhone 6 price by a HUNDRED BUCKS

Sp0ck

The reason the 5C didn't sell wasn't because it was cheaper than the 5S. It was because it was cheaper AND looked it too. My daughter has a 5, my missus a 5S, they look identical. The 5 was free on a contract and is £10 pm cheaper than the 5S, the S also cost £159 up front :( My daughter is more than happy with the 5, I gave her the choice between the 5, the S and the C, she said the S wasn't worth the extra and the C looked cheap and nasty.At the time (when the S & C were first launched) the C was more expensive than the 5 it was replacing.

For the record I run a SGS II as I can't stand iPhones.

Apple poking at idea of bayonet phone fittings

Sp0ck
Pirate

Broken bayonets

A patent for breakable bayonet mountings? OK sounds reasonable. So.....you pop on a lens, drop your phone and the bayonet on the lens breaks, the lens is now useless but at least the phone is not broken, yay :) However, the tiny plastic/metal bayonet mounting pieces are still stuck in the phone. I'm betting a trip to a 'genius' will result in needing a replacement phone to free up the bayonet mounting!

Apple pushes back release date for 'dustbin chic' Mac Pro

Sp0ck

Re: Dell same-day onsite fixit-tards

All manufacturers get bad reviews from people who have had bad experiences. I like Dell, I've got a 3 year old Latitude here that is used everyday all day and has performed faultlessly. The only thing that went wrong was the HDMI slot, this is because the dog dragged it off the table whilst it was plugged in. The machine has the accidental damage + next day warranty. I called them up, they came next day with a new mobo and it was sorted. Is that possible with Apple?

We also have a Dell Studio laptop. This has had a few issues, all sorted the next day by an on-site visit. The issues were pretty minor.....the 'M' key stopped working and the machine half died due to over-heating because the fan vents were blocked. Dell sorted them FOC through the warranty. I'm pretty sure Apple would not have replaced the motherboard and graphics card through the warranty on a macbook if the cooling vents were blocked with fluff.

So, in my eyes, even though Dells might not be 100% reliable their warranty is (IMO) second to non.

LOHAN cops a faceful of smutronyms

Sp0ck

LUBE

Lohan

Umbilical

Break

Equipment

Sp0ck

LECH

Lohan

Emergency

Cut-off

Hardware

Is this possibly the worst broadband in the world?

Sp0ck

Get a new modem....

I too live in Rural(ish) Kent, I was told that my property would never get better than 500k ADSL due to the length of the line (a smidge over 6km). After reading various websites for boosting line speeds, my line now synchs at ~2.8meg.

I removed all of the existing cabling and ran a shielded cat 5 cable from the point where the dropwire comes into the house, twisted two of the pairs together, bought an NTE5 and filtered faceplate, no extensions are run off this socket, the phone is a DECT plugged into the faceplate. I bought a Billion 7700 modem/router and tweak the settings to force the line to synch at ~1db. The line profile is set to 12db and with that I get ~700k, with the forced ~1db I get ~2.8, some days it'll be as low as 1.5meg and the best I have seen is 3.2meg.

My next door neighbour has done none of this and his line speed is less than 500k.

It'll stay up for a few days and then drop, I don't mind having to reset the modem every now and then, it is a small price to pay for a useable speed.

Don't rely on your service provider to give you the best service, do a little bit of research and you can help yourself.

Piracy haven Newzbin2 gives up, can't pay the bills

Sp0ck
Unhappy

Not that Pirates won't pay, more like can't pay

The impression I got was the various providers of payment services refused to allow Newzbin2 as a customer. So the Newzbin2 users could not top up their accounts.

Vodafone will rent you an iPhone 5 for 69p* a day

Sp0ck

The iphone is more......

From what I have read elsewhere the Sgs3 and the note 2 are £47 per month, the iPhone is £59 per month!

iPad Mini's quite a handful

Sp0ck

The problem Apple have now is REAL competition in the Tablet space. The Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 are both as good if not better then their iPad mini / iPad counterparts. Money is in short supply, people who currently don't own a tablet or smartphone (there are some right?) have a real choice for a quality device at a cheaper price than the iPremium you pay to Apple.

This mini is a half-arsed attampt to cash in on the smaller tablet market place that the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire have been plundering.

Near enough every Apple launch over the past 2 years has been all about Retina this and retina that. And then this comes along. Very poor show indeed.

Hmm, I think I'll order an iPad Mini on Amazon ... Oh no I won't

Sp0ck

I have a Transformer Prime, it is a flippin great tablet for me. I read books on it, I watch movies and tv show on it. It gets used every day. Well worth the money I paid for it.

If I were in the market for a tablet now, I'd get the Nexus 7, wouldn't even bother with the iPad mini, it is an afterthought, Apple are just chasing cash with that, it is purely a kneejerk reaction to the success of the Nexus 7 and the smaller tablet size.

Japanese toilet can save penalty kicks

Sp0ck

This really does bring a fresh perspective on the phrase "smashing your back doors in"!

Boffins: Our memory film is like your girlfriend - transparent and cheap

Sp0ck

Now all we need is transparent aluminium, sorry aluminum!

Everything Everywhere bags 4G monopoly in UK - for now

Sp0ck

Whats the point when their FUP is not very fair?

I'm guessing that an 'unlimited' 4G data plan from EE will be on the expensive side and not very 'unlimited'.

How quickly will it take somebody on a 4g contract to whizz past the FUP on an unlimited contract and get charged gazzilions over and above their monthly fee?

It would be nice if I got a decent 3g service where I live, I tried a Orange 3G dongle once, I had to try it from the front bedroom to get the best signal, it managed a paltry 160k download speed. Do you think 4G will fair better?

Storming quarter sees Apple reassert tablet dominance

Sp0ck

Re: Nexus

Why does it need 3g? Do you not have a phone? Oh does it not allow you to tether? shame :(

My cheapo Android Xperia Ray allows me to tether, so my non 3g Transformer Prime can be connected to the net if I require it, which is not that often.. Saves me spending a huge amount on a tablet with 3g that I don't need.

And no, you are wrong, the rich punter may well be happy spending hundreds and hundreds on an iPad3 with 3g. Thing is there are people out there who can just about justify spending £200 on a nexus 7 and would be more than happy with it.

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity 64GB Android tablet review

Sp0ck

I have the same issues with as DrXym with my Prime. They are (for me) minor niggles as I mainly use the keyboard for its battery.

As for the ips+ function, I use it regularly on my commute to work. My Prime is used for watching movies or TV episodes on the train and the ips+ function is brilliant when its a really sunny day, I can watch my prime while ipad users are confronted with a washed out screen ;)

Yes the iPad screen is better quality in colour reproduction, but I wouldn't swap.

More reports that Apple plans iPhone 5 September surprise

Sp0ck

I doubt very much that they will have to recompile anything for the ipad mini. It would not surprise me if it had the same resolution as the ipad2.

The New iPhone can't have too big a screen otherwise they would lose the ability to call it retina. But then again retina was supposed to be 300ppi which the ipad 3 and rMBp are not.

Anything over 3.9" on the iphone 5 with the current resolution means it won't be over the 300ppi threshold.

Unless of course they are gonna do a 4.5" phone with a 1920x1280 screen.

Surprise! BT pockets £70m North Yorkshire broadband rollout

Sp0ck
Thumb Down

Same here........

I live in a village in Kent, I'm lucky if I can get 2meg down and 400k up, apparently we have been awarded a government grant to get us high speed access, this has stalled at the tender stage, i wonder if that is because BT are the only ones to have submitted a tender.

This is not really surprising as BT (via openworld of course) own all the copper to the homes, so why should anyone else bid? I for one couldn't give a rats arse who wins the tender, just as long as we get FTTC.

I am (happily) with Talk talk, so once we are FTTC'd up I 'should' be able to take up an 'upto' 24meg service from them. I would be happy with 10meg.

I can't see Virgin bidding as they would have to cable up the whole village and hope for a good take up of services, and tbh, I can't see that happening.

Waterstones stores surrender to Amazonian invaders

Sp0ck
Facepalm

Surely you can download onto your Kindle in store?????

Pretty sure most Waterstones are near a coffee shop with free wireless. If you have to, absolutely have to have a book there and then, why not wander to a place with free wifi and grab your books on you Kindle that way? If you have a Kindle with built in 3g get your books there and then :) If Waterstones are selling Kindles, they surely can't get miffed if you walk around the store checking books out and then downloading them in store?