* Posts by billyad2000

9 publicly visible posts • joined 11 Oct 2010

40,000 Apple fanbois demand ethical iPhone 5

billyad2000

And at the same time put a great many children on the street.

Gotta be careful when applying western values to poor countries, often the outcry will often do more harm than good.

Verizon to sell iPhone 4 this month

billyad2000

The title is required, and must contain letters and/or digits.

I'm pretty sure that it would not be possible to do that.

Verizon does not use SIM cards, and even if they did, it uses an incompatible network.

Brits blow millions on over-priced ink

billyad2000
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This is a poor article.

A little like comparing an ePad with a iPad.

Just because something is cheaper does not meant it is better. Buying cheap cartridges in my experience is false economy.

I used to buy 3rd party epson inks, and while there was a significant saving of something like 60% over epson branded cartridges. I used them for a little while, until I realised that I was wasting most of my saving emptying the carts by needing to clean the nozels. I remember in one instance replacing a black and by the time I had cleared the nozels enough for a decent print it was half empty, as where the rest of the cartridges.

There is also the matter of colour quality in photos and longevity.

3rd party were definately not worth the trouble.

I now have an HP C8180 and buy a full set of inks for about £30, the pack also includes 150 sheets of photo paper. This works out at about 5p per photo, not an excessive price really.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Android tablet

billyad2000

Maybe

While I do love the iPad, a smaller device (yet larger than the iPhone) would be better in some situations, it is with this in mind that I have been watching the development of these smaller tablets with some interest.

The Galaxy tab certainly ticks the size buttons, but to be honest, my previous experiences with Android puts me off. This is an expensive device, yet Android developments may make it obsolete within six months. I am aware that Samsung have said they intend to upgrade to both Gingerbread and Honeycomb, but if the device does not sell very well, I have no doubt they will renege on this.

I also will be looking very closely at the Playbook, from early previews it certainly appears to have a lot of potential, and is rumoured to have a cheaper price point that the Galaxy Tab.

Gov may restrict unfair dismissal claim rights

billyad2000

Were you there.

Unemployment did shoot up in the 80s, infact the highest unemployment figures since the war were recorded in 1986 when over 3 million people were jobless.

Android phone sales up 1,309%

billyad2000
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I couldnt agree more

The iPhone is no more expensive, and often cheaper than it's competiton. The Galaxy s for example is £400 - £450 depending on where you buy it. When you consider the fact that you will also need to buy a [slow] MicroSD card, the price is not that much lower than the iPhone 4 and about the same as the 3GS.

If your figures are accurate (you provide no source) then you have only confirmed my earlier comment where I suggest that Android is only outselling the iPhone because of the cheap and nasty handsets that are available, and that the high end handsets that every one uses to rave about the virtues of android are not coming close to the sales numbers that the iPhone has.

billyad2000

All Android devices are not equal

TBH, I'm not sure the sales numbers can be used as a representation of peoples preference of Android vs iOS.

Personally I own an Iphone 4, and I love it, but there are Android phones that compete with the iPhone quite well on function and performance such as the Galaxy or Desire, while dirt cheap phones such as the ZTE Racer cannot really compare to either, and does not suggest a prefference for Android, merely a preference for a cheap smartphone.

I guess what I am trying to say is that a big part of the numbers are not comparable, a similar comparison would be android tablet sales compared to the ipad. I dare say that there are likely more android tablets manufactured than the ipad, they are everywhere, yet with only a few exceptions, they cannot really be considered compitition.

To be honest, I have to wonder if this sort of comparison may ultimately damage Android, since it seems to suggest that all Android phones are equal, and for a person who buys a cheap android device, it may be that the first device will be the last.

Jobs dubs Google's 'open' Android speak 'disingenuous'

billyad2000
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He has a point.

Just about a year ago I invested in my first smartphone, the much anticipated, and much hyped G1, only to discover that the phone was obsolete a third of the way through the contract. Eventually it was upgraded to android 1.6, but that was it.

By rooting my phone and Installing Cyanogen mods I have managed to keep the software fairly current, but this is without the support of the provider (T-Mobile), who insisted that the G1 was incapable of >1.6.

Despite this, I may have considered another Android phone, until I bought an iPad anyway. I had always avoided Apple as being overpriced, but I have always liked the idea of a small touch controlled table device, and the iPad seemed to push all the right buttons for me. I had one or two doubts concerning for example the lack of adobe flash, but bought one anyway (The fact that the promised flash lite on the G1 never materialised showed me that I can easily live without).

Ultimately Apple, through the iPad, have gained a convert, and next month when my contract expires I'll be getting an iPhone 4. I do like iOS and the benefits far outway the cons. I expect that the phone will be supported by Apple for at least the length of the contract.

I know that the iPhone4 is expensive, but no more than a high end Android phone, that may or may not have the latest Android version, and may or may not get updates.

Foxconn faces leaked report of worker abuse, violence

billyad2000
Stop

Any action will cause more harm than good.

It is a difficult thing to realise, but we need to stop applying our own morality to other countries.

Several years ago I considered boycotting business's that use cheap or child labour. After much soul searching I decided that I would be doing more harm than good.

In many situations we are putting at risk what little these people do have. Already Foxxcon has started relocating some of its business, and I doubt that the locals would thank us for our interference.

I addition to all this, I can't help that the media is trying make something out of nothing. According to Wikipedia, Foxxcon employs 920,000 people. I would like to see the data being waved around compared with other groups.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne only has a population of 259,000, and I dare say there are many more than 12 suicides each year.