* Posts by ratfox

3721 publicly visible posts • joined 3 Sep 2007

Yes! New company smartphones! ... But I don't WANT one

ratfox

Good points

It's starting to be hard to add bells and whistles that are "must haves". And so, battery life and familiarity become the important part. The good news for alternate systems like Blackberry (how the world has changed) is that they can catch up to iPhones and Androids simply because there isn't much more that can be added to smartphones. Or at least, anything that users are actually interested in.

Volvo tries to KILL SHOPPING with to-your-car Roam Delivery

ratfox
Coat

Re: The obvious flaw is someone in a changing room

Indeed. It seems like someone didn't get that the entire point of shopping is to try clothes in a changing room.

Believing that the point of shopping is to buy something is like believing that reinstalling a different Linux distro for the nth time is to actually have the computer working better, as opposed to simply mucking about for the fun of it.

Let's say, I'll try the coat with the big red buttons… And the small black one… And the one which really does not fit my style, but I want to see how I look inside… And this one just to check if the size is right… And… And…

Apple to beef up its North Carolina megadatacenter – again

ratfox

Strange

What's wrong with building bigger and planning for future needs? It's not like Apple lacks the cash to do that… And in general, they do plan for the future.

Project Tango: Google's all-ringing, all-dancing 3D-sensing smartphone

ratfox
Go

Finally!

A phone that can warn me of incoming lamp posts!

Winklevoss twins flash their Winkdex at Bitcoin price-trackers

ratfox
Paris Hilton

Nudge nudge, wink wink

…say no more!

MEPs demand answers from EU antitrust chief about planned Google search biz deal

ratfox
Pint

Curious to see how it will go

Ramon Tremosa has urged Almunia in the past to promptly send a Statement of Objections to Google, so it's pretty much clear how he thinks this should go. On the other hand, Almunia is visibly quite convinced that this solution is just fine.

I'm not sure how much pressure Tremosa can apply on Almunia to change his mind. Technically, I guess that politics should not enter in such a debate, but considering the importance of Google, it's pretty inevitable…

Need a popcorn icon, so beer will have to do.

Google gives Maps a lick of paint, smears it over screens worldwide

ratfox
Happy

They have expanded the 3D maps too

Now most big cities are covered. I can waste a frightening amount of time flying around London.

Google's paid link settlement plan will lead to fresh wave of abuses, claims Euro rival

ratfox

Re: But the move has stirred up criticism among high-ranking EC officials

It's a better legacy than working four years on a solution you touted as better and more efficient than litigation, just to end up saying "Sorry, we do need ten years of litigation in the end; I have wasted four years without anything to show up for it."

Reports pump fuel into iCar gossip: Apple in 'talks' with Tesla

ratfox

I assume he means that the advantage of hydrogen is filling up is way faster than recharging a battery; and that the loss of energy efficiency is too small to be considered in regards of this advantage.

Google slurps sound-powered security upstart SlickLogin

ratfox
Happy

Voice based authentication

Or "how to make it impossible to log in while having a cold"

Wii got it WRONG: How do you solve a problem like Nintendo?

ratfox

Memories

I remember seeing a presentation from an expert explaining how the Wii was the on the "next gaming curve" while the Xbox and Playstation were on the "previous gaming curve".

And now it seems like the Wii was just a one-off niche product… Goes to show that only hindsight is 20/20.

Google's SECRET contracts: Android lock-in REVEALED!

ratfox

How is this "Android" lock-in?

Google puts constraints on phones that use the Google Play app store, and have Google apps like Google Maps or YouTube. Android has nothing to do with it. Amazon distributes Android phones with a different app store, and they can do whatever they want.

Call it Google Play lock-in, or Google Apps lock-in, but this is not Android lock-in.

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

ratfox
Angel

Nice

"The Mac Pro starts at about £2,500, but can be upgraded up until it costs more than £7,000."

...good to know it can be expensive enough, then?

It's a scientific fact: Online comment trolls are sadists

ratfox
Trollface

Love it

You all nerds living in your mom's basement keep trying to find reasons to feel good about the fact you never can win an argument on the web!

DARPA wants to out-Google-Google

ratfox
Devil

They're doing it for the children!

That's all right then, right? …Right?

Apple investor Icahn backs down on share buyback plan

ratfox

Tim Cook does not, in fact, have $145 billion in cash

Most of that cash is overseas… And so, to buy more, Apple would either have to pay US taxes on that money (when pigs fly), or borrow money (through bonds).

iPhone maker Foxconn to pump $1bn into new Indonesian factory

ratfox
Devil

Illuminating

Spend $40M in the US; spend $1B in Indonesia.

…I'm glad that they are serious about expanding in the US.

NYPD dons Google tech specs: Part man. Part machine. All Glasshole

ratfox

Re: Coming soon, privacy masks

Depending on the country, that's already forbidden. E.g in France, it has the amusing and completely unintended effect of banning Muslim-type face veils.

Bitcoin value plunges as Mt.Gox halts withdrawals and Russia says 'nyet'

ratfox

Interesting

I am curious to see if we will end up in the slightly insane situation where most governments make virtual currencies illegal, which should not be enough to stop the underground trade.

I look forward to explaining my children why it's illegal to exchange messages consisting in large numbers.

CERN outlines plan for new 100km circumference supercollider

ratfox

Re: Why not space?

Not to mention the barely-above-zero temperatures.

Google's tax returns are trop petite says Hollande

ratfox
Boffin

obviously

Netherlands manages with low taxes by taxing the many rich companies that are attracted by its low tax rate. If everybody had such low rates, Netherlands would not be competitive any more, and wouldn't manage.

Nevertheless, the reason Google does not pay much taxes in France is not related to licensing deals. The reason is that Google France does not do much business in France. It is Google Ireland which does a lot of business in France, and has no reason whatsoever to pay taxes in France, since it is an Irish company.

If Europe does not want to abolish the rules which make it possible to earn money in the whole continent and pay income taxes in a single country, they should consider having country to country payments to cover transborder earnings. Thus, companies still pay taxes in a single country, France gets some money from Ireland, and countries like Ireland and Netherlands have less incentive to undercut other countries on income taxes.

Jean Michel Jarre: Je voudrais un MUSIC TAX sur VOTRE MOBE

ratfox
Trollface

Well, if he isn't happy with how much he's earning…

Maybe he should find a proper job then!

Android users running old OS versions? Not anymore, say latest stats

ratfox
Trollface

So why didn't you buy an iPhone?

Or more seriously, why not keep your old contract and buy an unlocked Moto G? I understand it's reasonably good and costs less than $200... Far from this "added $1300" you are talking about.

Schmidt gets $100m in Google stock on top of his $6m bonus

ratfox

Re: Bistromathics

Just look at the news today about Google and the European Union, and I think you will have a pretty good idea of what he did for the company. He seems to be the one who has been in contact with Almunia.

When you think of it, Schmidt fits quite well in the role of diplomatic envoy to bureaucrats and politicians.

Apple's STILL trying to shake off court-imposed antitrust monitor

ratfox

Strange strategy

Apple may be trying to garner points with their fans with these complaints, but I can hardly imagine anything more likely to raise the hackles of a judge.

All in all, I would think it more clever to handle the whole monitorship as discreetly as possible.

Rivals attack Google's antitrust search settlement deal with EC

ratfox

Almunia's comments

"I know what you said last time, I know you're going to say the same thing again, and I'm not impressed"

Google and Cisco sheath swords in patent-war deal

ratfox
WTF?

Has Google ever asked for royalties?

"The firm is still wedded to extracting royalties"

Wait, what? Are you confusing them with Microsoft or what? Google did continue the lawsuits started by Motorola, but you can hardly say they make it a business model...

By and large, Google is on the receiving end of those suits.

Anonymous means NO identifying element left behind – EU handbook

ratfox

It's all shades of grey

Obviously, the only way for the data to be completely anonymous is to contain no data at all. This is why these rules contain sentences like "by exercising reasonable effort" and "disproportionate amount of time, expense and effort".

Ultimately, the limits are blurry, and you can fully expect people to get too close, get sued, and receive a half-random decision from the courts.

But it's good that governments are getting in the business of deciding what is privacy, and what companies can do. Currently, T&Cs are designed to be as vague as possible, in order to protect companies from lawsuits. The only way to get sane limits is to have them be set by the law. (Though obviously, this is not going to stop governments from spying on us…)

Is modern life possible without a smartphone?

ratfox
Go

Re: My quality of life has improved

Having a smartphone allows me to read the Reg during my commute. I used to hate public transportation because I would be forced to wait at the stop, then wait in the bus; to the point I would drive just to be less bored. Now, commuting is actually enjoyable free time.

Microsoft-backed lobby group demands market test of Google's proposed 'search fix'

ratfox

I don't believe it

Almunia is an accomplished politician, and knows how to play both sides. Last time there was also a claim that there would be no market test, and there was one in the end. He is playing a brinkmanship game, if only to avoid complaints from politics that he is not trying hard enough.

But in the end, his goal is to extract a settlement; and he will leave office soon…

I'm really curious what the new propositions are. I really wonder how they can be "much better" than the previous ones…

Lenovo reveals convertible Chromebook

ratfox
Headmaster

Laptop, tablet, tent and stand

If I understand correctly, in stand mode, the keyboard is facing the table?

If so, the sideways picture on the Lenovo page are totally misleading, and show the laptop almost-closed and useless instead of in proper stand mode.

Google Glassholes, GET OFF our ROADS, thunder lawmakers in seven US states

ratfox

How about dashboard mounts for cell phones?

Are those allowed? If anything, they'd be more distracting...

Judge: Google owes patent troll a 1.36% cut of AdWords' BEELLIONS

ratfox

Re: Obligatory adblock comment.

I don't think even Adblock can save you from having an ad play before you see the video you want.

Apple blows past (most) Wall Street moneymen's expectations

ratfox

Re: On the contrary; you are the one expecting too much from the stock price

The fact that their bank balance has climbed was expected. The stock market is not a place where you can buy today for $1 something which everybody knows will be worth $2 tomorrow.

In other words, the value of Apple in September was already taking into account the fact that their bank balance was going to grow. If this was not the case, the market cap of companies would always be exactly the sum of their bank balance and what you could get by selling everything it owns.

ratfox

On the contrary; you are the one expecting too much from the stock price

AAPL is at the same level as last September, just before the new iPhones were announced. At that time, the stock went down on uncertainty whether people would like the new phones. Then, investors realized the new phones were selling well, and the stock came back up. There was some exuberance which brought the stock higher, and when the numbers got released, the stock went back to its September level.

Fact is, there is nothing at this point which makes Apple a more valuable company than in September. They had a record-breaking quarter as expected, but since it was expected, there is no reason for the stock to be higher than September.

ratfox

Re: Peak apple?

I'm not desperate; I'm just showing numbers and explaining that people find them disappointing. If anything, your post shows a lot more angst than mine.

If you have Apple stock, don't worry and wait for summer; it will go back up. However, I wouldn't expect Apple to double next year like it did so often in the past decade (to my personal benefit, I might add).

ratfox
Alert

Re: Peak apple?

A peak happens when the numbers are at their highest, not when they are going down. Consider the evolution of the number of iPhones sold in Q1 of the past years:

2011 Q1: +82% YoY

2012 Q1: +128% YoY

2013 Q1: +29% YoY

2014 Q1: +5% YoY

No matter how you cut it, investors are disappointed that Apple beat its own record by so little.

Google close to inking search biz deal with Brussels: report

ratfox

"Whatever happened to the ethos that only the strong survive?"

Mandatory ethos quote:

Say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos!

And once more, Godwin was proven right.

Google requests hush-hush radar tests

ratfox
Coat

obvious application is obvious

It's a radar to be integrated into cell phones, so that your phone can warn you of incoming lamp posts!

Android holds steady as iOS and Windows Phone slip in Kantar reports

ratfox

Re: Just wondering

I saw an old beggar woman in India pull out a feature phone from her purse. We're practically there already.

Microsoft slices Azure prices just days after Amazon's cloud shave

ratfox

"far more expensive than on-premises kit maintained by a knowledgeable sysadmin."

...does that include the salary of the knowledgeable sysadmin?

HP Chromebook 11 quietly slips back on Google Play shelves... but where's the FIRE?

ratfox
Happy

^ this

Schools apparently enjoy very much the idea that they don't need to worry about viruses in whatever the student downloaded. Lack of features as a feature!

Margaret Hodge, PAC are scaring off new biz: Treasury source

ratfox

"without contributing to its upkeep"

That is unfair. I think you'll find they do contribute by providing jobs, which contributes not only to tax revenue but also to the economy.

Apple plans to waggle iNormous 4½-incher in fanbois' faces

ratfox
Paris Hilton

How about two sizes?

Should Apple only ever sell one iPhones size at the time?

Some people have small hands…

Spam drops as legit biz dumps mass email ads: Only the dodgy remain

ratfox

Solved problem as far as I am concerned

Spam filters have become quite good.

Eight EXCELLENT languages for the fondleslab-friendly Intranet of Thingies

ratfox
Paris Hilton

I actually know about Go…

First time I heard of this D thing though.

Survey: Yoof too COOL for Ferraris, want state-sponsored hybrids

ratfox
Devil

Good, good

Here's to hope the sports car drivers become outdated has-beens!

Almost everyone read the Verizon v FCC net neutrality verdict WRONG

ratfox
Stop

Consumers not realizing Netflix is blocked

Surely, they would realize that; but what if it is occasionally throttled? Suppose AT&T throttled Netflix, five minutes at a time? How many customers would realize the glitches in their movie are the fault of AT&T, and not assume Netflix is to blame? Realistically, it would be difficult even for an expert to know what is going on.

And really, even though I'm a Reg reader, sometimes I have no idea if the video is slow because of my WiFi network, my provider, or YouTube. If this only happened with YouTube videos, I might well blame YouTube... Though it might just be a clever strategy of my provider.

Now we're cookin' on gas: Google crafts sugar-alert contact lens for diabetics

ratfox
Happy

Why can't it be both?

Google Glass driver told she CAN wear techno-specs while on the road

ratfox
Paris Hilton

What about mounted cell phones?

You can buy mounts for holding your cell phone on the dashboard. Of course, you're supposed to use them as GPS and not to watch YouTube while driving. But I wonder whether this law applies to them.