Posts by Charlie Clark

Re: I've never believed this year would be the next iPhone "supercycle"

The 8 won't be driving upgrades, the only new feature it adds is wireless charging which is pretty meh.

Au contraire: wireless charging is becoming standard for other high-end phones so Apple had to react and adopt it (as they did with bigger screens for the 6). The Apple Galaxy X face sensor thingy doesn't seem to excite anything like as much, at least if the fanbois I know are anything to go by.

Whichever way it goes with the X Apple will try and spin it as a win. If they sell anywhere near 200m in a year it then it's hard to argue against, even if expectations are disappointed: "supply constraints" are always a good excuse. And if it bombs like the 5c then it will be quickly, and quietly, buried with whatever "magical" technology it contains due to be reheated in next year's models.

Apple's biggest problem with the Apple Galaxy is probably having to share more of the profits with the phone's maker: Samsung. While Apple has been investing in SoC development, most of the rest of the phone depends on Samsung's technological prowess with the screen being the most obvious example.

This also means that Apple is entering the murky waters of functional equivalence: if what I really want is a stonking edge-to-edge OLED screen, why not buy the original?

The X won't be the end of Apple, it's just further evidence that the magic is gone.

Re: Why, what?

This is exactly the sort of bug you'd expect to miss testing.

Really? If that's the case then you need to rethink your testing regime. Does the specification for the hint field contain a constraint that it must not contain the password?

Re: Autonomous vehicles

Herbie, NFT

Re: Audio jack

Which makes you think, why didn't they provide a magnetic connection for 3.5mm jack devices?

Not sure you really want magnets there, but, yes the power connections for MacBooks were a great idea. An alternative, mechanical approach would be similar to that developed by Nokia for its phones. I think it was called a "pop-port", Ericsson had something similar. If only the industry had bothered to standardise on something like that… Instead I think 3.5 won out due to the availability of standard components.

USB-C suffers from the same problems because the developers chose to solve the wrong problem. They could have chosen to create a plug that could obviously go one way and concentrated on making the connection robust but also the weakest link so that neither cable nor phone would suffer. Oh well, always hope for the next version…

In the meantime wireless charging is probably going to lead to phones without ports altogether (you can imagine some kind of maintenance port) but an entirely sealed unit will appeal to some.

Re: Lugholes

Most buds come with covers in different sizes to fit different lugholes. Get those right and they should generally stay in.

Different case when you're on the move in which case the cord really ought to go all the way round so that even if the buds do fall out of your ears, you won't drop them.

Sennheiser got this right with the MM200 but stopped making it for some reason. :-( https://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/images500x500/Sennheiser_MM_200_MM_200_Bluetooth_Headset_612598.jpg

Re: Audio jack

I've always found connections to a phone a problem when on the move and have been using Bluetooth phones for over 10 years because of this. A 3.5 mm jack has quite a bit of leverage on a phone an can easily lead to considerable damage by accident. But it can be useful to plug the phone into a speaker (if it doesn't support BT or if the codec support is shitty) so the adapter is a must.

On the whole, like removable batteries, I suspect a lot of people will bitch about this change and buy them anyway.

Re: Sounds like a good way to go insane

Sure, it is fine if you want to communicate basic stuff like telling a cab driver where to take you, or him telling you how much you owe

If it does this well then this could be enough to create and own a new market and it will, of course, vastly increase Google's training materials. There are lots of people who travel to countries where they don't speak the language.

I'm more disappointed by the battery life: my Jabra Sport does 15 hours but these would be more comfortable with the cord. But some kind of pendant with battery and controls would be my preference (like my old Sennheiser)

Re: the Beeb don't do anything that is or requires a natural monopoly

Is that why its agenda is endless faux diversity handwringing

Endless is an exaggeration but for an explanation: it's relatively easy (and cheap) to do this kind of tokenism and thus assuage some very vocal critics. But it does carry the risk of alienating rather than engaging others.

It's also easier to take pot shots at the Tories at the moment because, to many people's surprise, the Labour Party has largely managed to unite behind Corbyn and his unfeasible but popular policies. The pendulum will no doubt swing back the other way in time.

The Beeb is about as impartial as Fox News or Russia Today…

This is hyperbolic nonsense.

Re: @ Lee D

And that's why your argument is rubbish - the Beeb don't do anything that is or requires a natural monopoly

No, but it makes the discussion ideological. I, and many others, would argue that a public service (and not state) broadcaster is a key element in keeping citizens informed, something that is essential in a functioning democracy. This is not incompatible with free markets to have members that are not entirely motivated by profits; as the success of the BBC / ITV duopoly from 1957 until the early 1990s shows. Along with the football-based success of Sky, ITV became its own worst enemy.

For examples of an entirely "market-based" approach you can look at newspapers or social media: chasing market share at all costs combined with the exponential rise of partisan echo chambers.

So the calls from politicians (of all colours) to do something about the BBC are almost always ideologically motivated and why the charter should occasionally be reviewed but always renewed.

It's not a tax, it's a licence fee. Tobacco duty is that the level of this is set by the government and the government can do what they want with it: it's supposed to be spent on the increased medical care that smokers need but basically the government can and does do what they want with it.

The licence fee, while negotiated with parliament, goes to the BBC and this is the best way to provide an element of independence and objectivity for the media, above and away stupid attempts to be "fair and balanced" by treating all idiots equally. With financial independence the BBC acts as an anchor for the rest of the broadcast media to measure itself against and compete with. The BBC isn't perfect so commercial operators can compete with it over both quality and ratings.

Arguments about technology are wilfully designed to miss the point: the mixed market of British broadcast media: giving people what they want isn't the same as giving them a choice.

Re: Note to plaintiffs

Why don't we all know what everyone else is paid?

Depends very much and the job but it making pay discrepancies known can lead to workplace conflicts. But there are other reasons why remuneration is generally considered to be part of a private, commercial contract and not disclosed: disclosure can limit both parties in future negotiations.

Re: And people mock me

@Ishtiag Apple is far less open about security than Google and releases updates far less frequently. That said, the lack of large infections of either Android or IOS are testament to improvements in OS security since Windows XP.

The development fits in with a lot of Signal's work which is to act as an example of current best practice. It was this that made Signal's encryption system the de facto standard for messenger services. This too will presumably be peer-reviewed, hacked and improved. Signal already stores very, very little about contacts so that the servers are probably less interesting for the spooks than, say, being able to sneak a compromised version of the app onto someone's phone. But the lessons learned could, for example, be applied in any hashing system that might targeted: passwords spring to mind.

Re: Internet of Silos

I'm largely in agreement with you on this: especially regarding the calling to the mothership. But voice controlled services can be useful in some situations. For example, in the kitchen setting a timer or similar. My brother's got one and if you try it you realise that its use in some situations is pretty compelling.

The advances in voice recognition mean that the speech processing can be done offline but queries can be sent (no different to a search engine). The key privacy aspect is the separation of the speech recognition from the rest.

Regarding the device itself: looks like a typical "solutionist" piece of tat. Amazon's record with phones and tablets isn't spectacular and this is unlikely to enhance it.

Re: Micro SD cards....

Which is why dogs are being trained to sniff them out in searches.

Which is why, if you think that you will be picked out, you shouldn't be carrying anything. That said you can always carry more than one of them. They're also small enough to be swallowed.

Re: Micro SD cards....

Except they're made of METAL.

Not really a problem if they're in something that is metal or has electronics: an electronic car key, for example.

Except, as is standard spy practice, the spy will never being carrying sensitive information with them because, even if it's encrypted and you don't have the key, the authorities might well consider beating the crap out of you to get it anyway. Meanwhile the mule, who the spy doesn't know and doesn't know the spy has carried whatever is needed through or around screening.