* Posts by James 51

3426 publicly visible posts • joined 23 Jun 2009

Thai kids find free tablets hard to swallow as govt scheme hits trouble

James 51

Give them all playbooks. I am sure that BB would be willing to do a deal. They are robust and capable. Not latest spec but should do everything they want them to do.

NSA: Yes we 'experimented' with US mobile tracking. But we didn't inhale

James 51

Pesky rules, they only get in the way. Most of the NSA stories seem to be about the accumulation of power in general rather than targeted allocation of resources to tackle specific threats to nation security. Power like this needs serious restricted access and powerful oversight. There was in interesting program on Radio4 recently about how ineffective the oversight for surveillance is in the UK.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03bdsyk

Dixons preps home 3D printer for plastic-piping punters

James 51

I have an all in one printer and I use the scanner far more than the printer.

Replacing broken parts is an obvious application and even if it would be more expensive, it would be much more useful.

James 51

If it had a build in 3D scanner as well it might be worth it. It would also need software that was easier than CAD to produce 3D objects. Would love to make a replacement case for my ereader or a cover for the new sony which has a light that actually works but we're some way off that too.

Profit healthy, sales up, 4,000 staff face axe. Cisco CEO, here's your pay doubled to $21m

James 51

I wonder what the wages of the people who faced the axe came to.

Facebook sharpens ad-shifting tool: Soon users will eat creepily SPECIFIC ad-gloop

James 51

And if you hide all ads or none?

I'm looking forward to ignoring all those ads for basket weaving classes based on the random like spree to salt the data.

Global execs name Apple 'most innovative company' – again

James 51

I think they have mistaken being cool or profitable for innovation. For things like the eye control I would rate Samsung (even if the thngs they do are a bit gimmicy).

French data cops to Google: RIGHT, you had your chance. PUNISHMENT time

James 51

If the US can nab UK businessmen for offering online services which are legal in the UK then why can't France grab him if they get the chance?

Samsung proposes 'remedies' to EU antitrust chief in fine dodge hope

James 51

Wonder what they''ll make of the sim region locking in the Note 3.

Don't wait up for BBM on iPhone, Android – BlackBerry

James 51

Had an n95 8gb. Slightly bigger screen but slight smaller keyboard (when held up and compared to my borther's n95). That was a great handset. Only gave it up to part pay for a n900.

James 51

Re: Paranoid explanation

If it was a leak of an earlier version, the bug may well have been spotted and fixed in a later version.

Thorium and inefficient solar power? That's good enough for me

James 51

So, just like computers, there's never a good time to buy solar panels?

Sounds like it would be a good way for apartment blocks to create and store energy. Enough surface area to put the panels on and a big enough build to put the necessary equipment underground and you're spreading the cost over lots of apartments.

Come to think of it, you might see more of this kind of thing on military bases first. Less need for fuel for generators and there’s bound to be other benefits too.

Apple: Now that you've updated to iOS 7... YOU CAN NEVER GO BACK

James 51
Joke

Title is too long.

"Some dyed-in-the-wool Apple fans have been grumbling about the new design of iOS 7, complaining about its saccharine colour scheme, unfamiliar new processes and redesigned icons."

They're just looking at it wrong.

WD unveils new MyBook line: External drives now bigger... and CHEAP

James 51

6TB over USB2? Ouch.

British Gas robo home remote gets itself into hot water

James 51

This only applies in the areas with mains gas and there are plenty out there without that.

Perhaps all these new houses should have ground source heat pumps or solar water heaters with underfloor heating.

(First though I'd need to fix the fittings in my windows and insulation in the loft. Builders did a shocking job on those.)

Elop's enlarged package claim was a cock-up, admits Nokia chairman

James 51

So, how many "Mission accomplished Agent Elop, welcome home." comments there will be?

Still trying to find the equal of my N900.

The NSA's hiring - and they want a CIVIL LIBERTIES officer

James 51

"the post of Staff Rabbi to the Spanish Inquisition"

Laughing at this got me a few strange looks but it's only ten minutes till lunch.

Fandroids at pranksters' mercy: Android remote password reset now live

James 51

Isn't this in iOS7 and has been available for BB phones for years.

Greece ends extra hols for civil servants forced to use hated computers

James 51

Re: Turning up for work

Okay, I should have prefixed that with the same number of casino bankers who seem to need to be compenstated rather than paid.

James 51

Re: Turning up for work

" Apparently they have already lost a bonus they used to receive for turning up to work

Most companies in most parts of the world offer a bonus for actually turning up for work, the common name for this bonus is called "PAY". I though a lot of Greece's problems was that in the past many employees were able to claim the bonus, AKA PAY, without bothering to turn up for work."

Hey, it works for bankers and look at how productive it makes them.

Circling the RIM: BB10 becomes chamber of horrors for BlackBerry

James 51

"including a bloated public sector" As opposed to?

Might mean I get a Z30 at a knock down price. If not it will be a Z10. At least they just launched the bridge app for BB10 so that's the last reason to hang onto BB7 when my contract expires is gone.

Radiation snatched from leaky microwave ovens to power gadgets

James 51

No doubt someone will find a use for wireless sensors that could be scattered around the kitchen which are powered using this.

EE still has fastest, fattest 4G pipe in London's M25 ring

James 51

There's far better competition here than in the US mobile market. If they all got together to agree to not compete on their data tariffs, I am sure that would interest the regulators. Besides, every time I’ve heard an industry talking head complaining about driving down roam costs the person held up as paying more in the end are usually people from outside the EU who are roaming within it.

It's probably just a lazy and baseless swipe at the EU in general.

Nokia Lumia 1020: It's an imaging BEAST... and it makes calls too

James 51

Re: I wonder how this compares

"The best camera is the one you have with you. "

Not always. I had a S3 IS and when I tried to use it, people were nervous and the photos were terrible. When I used the camera in my phone, the same people were much more natural and the photos were better (even though the quality of the image was a lot lower).

James 51

Now that Microsoft has got it's mitts on Nokia and the patients behind this, perhaps we'll see those camera apps being intergrated as the new WP standard camera app.

Mobile broadband 'fastest growing technology in history' says ITU

James 51

It's the same problem with the drug companies. There's more money (in the short term at least) in improving services to the rich than spreading them to the poor so the gap between the two gets ever wider.

Office 365 goes to work on an Android

James 51

The playbook was suppose to be a companion device for a BB phone. That's were the email lived and the playbook was just a bigger screen to read it. That way if the playbook was stolen, none of your data was compromised. The bridge is one of the things I am going to miss.

James 51

Using the 9320 as a bluetooth mouse (via the bridge) helps keep the frustration to a minimum. I do have a full sized bluetooth keyboard as well though.

James 51

For pure productivity you're right, a netbook will beat a tablet which cost more every time. Unfortunately most manufacturers don’t put out netbooks these days. I only got my playbook when my AA1 keyboard started to go.

James 51

Document to go on my 9320 and playbook work very well. They do lack a lot of functionality but to edit documents or get a lot of text to be formated later seems to be better than anything the article described.

E-book him! Entire Judge Dredd back catalogue gets iDevice treatment

James 51

That is an excellent deal. Now if only they could follow it up with an epub release.

‘Priceless’ unique Palm ‘FAILEO’ laptop goes under the hammer

James 51

First thought was that looks like a psion netbook.

So, rocket boffin Dr Adam Baker: Will we live long and prosper in SPACE?

James 51

Give this guy some venture funding. Sounds like he knows how to spend it.

London Underground cleaners to refuse fingerprint clock-on

James 51

What happens when the readers don't work? Let not forget how easy it is to fool most of the fingerprint scanners.

James 51

Re: 300 to strike but only 103 voted

By the standards of strike votes, 34% would be a high turn out.

James 51

Out of curiosity, why the thumbs down?

James 51

Cleaners jobs are tough on their hands. This probably doesn't work nearly as well as it should and it might stop working at any point.

ISPs set to install network-level smut filters despite Lib Dem opposition

James 51

Title is too long.

"UK telcos are continuing to work towards flicking the switch on network-level filters that will allow subscribers to block "harmful" content by the end of this year."

So, how long before the lib dem website gets added to the list of 'harmful' sites?

City of Munich throws Ubuntu lifeline to Windows XP holdouts

James 51

Re: Nice idea, but...

There are plenty of distros out there that should work on it. Just need to do a little hunting round on the net or there might be a publicly spirted penguin amont el reg's readers.

From launch to orbit: The new commercial space pioneers

James 51

Re: Michael Laine and Liftport

Agreed but the challenges they face are that much greater.

James 51

It seems like lots of companies have different pieces of the puzzle e.g. one has the right material, another has better engines etc etc. It might take a round of consolidation to bring them together to get something that works and works well.

Privacy lawsuits: Will sueballs lobbed at US cloud services hit you where it HURTS?

James 51

As long as managers get a pat on the back for putting things into the cloud and bear none of the risk, can't see this changing.

European Commission plans net neutrality push

James 51

Re: Here on the small island ....

I hope not.

James 51
Joke

So, what did the EU ever do for us?

Modular smartphones floated by Dutch designer chap

James 51

Is this not superfically similar to Jolia? The phone from the ex-Nokia staffers that comes in two parts that can be slotted together.

Smartwatch news: Sleek-but-vaporous timepiece promised by... NISSAN?

James 51

Title is too long.

"will allow drivers to monitor the efficiency of their vehicle with average speed and fuel consumption readings; access vehicle telematics and performance data while on track"

Is this not what the dashboard is for?

BING! Microsoft plants Xbox Music flagpoles in Android and iOS

James 51

No mention of BB10?

This post contains text.

Assange fails in bid for election to Australian Senate

James 51
Joke

The title is too long.

"North American readers need to imagine a 240-pounder who combines the positions of tailback and defensive tackle"

Quoi?

Data broker Acxiom lifts skirt, reveals your private bits

James 51

"allows people to correct errors in their data"

What happens if you decide to introduce errors? Salt the data to the point were it's worthless to anyone.

Confirmed by cockup: New iPhones will be named 5S and 5C

James 51

5C

Does the C stand for cheap?