Posts by Chris Gibson 23 publicly visible posts • joined 1 Nov 2007
I was using the WiFi on a Virgin west-coast train last week, and as much as I hate to compliment a company like Virgin Trains, it actually worked really well. Certainly far better than my "Three" 3G dongle, which as other poster have mentioned, is complete crap -- it just doesn't seem to work at all as soon as the train is more than three miles away from the nearest city. WiFi is free in first class, as well.
This is possibly the most laughable thread I've read on El Reg, and let's face it, there's some serious competition for that accolade.
I'm not sure which is more risible. The idea that anyone in government will, or should, pay any attention to a half-arsed online petition like this -- or the theory that the police are secretly monitoring it, and they'll be coming to get you if you sign!
You really think that you're striking a blow against the heart of government by adding your email address to this list? You really think that by doing so, you're sticking your head above the parapet in an action akin with standing in front of the tanks at Tiananmen Square? You pathetic, pompous, self-important twats.
@AC: I think you take a picture of your contact, and then later on, click on that person's face in the photograph to call them...? Or have I missed the point?
Either way, I completely agree that this is never going to be a "quick" interface. Honestly, if "scrolling through your phone’s address book to find someone to call or text can be a chore" then you really need to get a better handset.
Some interesting points there, Jim, albeit with the slightly pompous overtones that these kind of posts often have. I can imagine you typing it out and thinking, "Hah! Steve Jobs thinks that I, Jim Coleman, will be switching to the iPhone, eh? Well, let me tell him why I won't! Let's see what he makes of this little list!".
A higher resolution screen would be nice, as would a better camera / video recording, although I still think that if you want to take a decent photograph, you'll always be better off with a separate camera. Where I do disagree, though, is with the Word/Excel creation and editing. Do you honestly, genuinely write Word documents on your HTC?
I used to have a Vario II, with the pull-out QWERTY keyboard, and writing a Word document would have been painful to say the least. If I'm away from my desk and need to write a long document, I'll invariably have my laptop with me -- it'll take a fraction of the time to type, regardless of how good the keyboard is on the handset. I don't see my iPhone as a computer replacement -- it's something that's great for checking email, firing off quick replies, managing my calendar and contacts and so on. If you want your mobile to essentially act as a very small laptop, then the iPhone probably isn't -- and never will be -- your best option.
I think the same goes for copy-and-paste. I can count on one hand the number of times it might have come in handy in the last couple of years. Anyone who can't write a text message or email without getting to the end and thinking, wow, I wish I could restructure that... to be honest, you might just need a bit more practice writing emails.
37 comments here, all passing verdict on this mobile or indulging in the usual juvenile "I hate the iPlop!" / "Windows suxx!" nonsense. This is based on a *picture* of the handset? With only very brief specification? And no details of the interface, or how it'll work? What a complete joke.
I'm sure this used to be a serious IT website -- now it's just a forum for teenagers and help-desk drones to slag each other off, based on their OS or mobile of choice. Pathetic.
Cue fifty posts along the lines of "The MacBook Air is crap because it doesn't meet my needs / I can't afford it / I hate Apple" and so on.
Case in point above: "It might break if you look at it the wrong way! LOL!", writes Mike Giggler. It's actually an extremely solid laptop -- I think that one of the most impressive things about the MBA is that although it's very thin, it doesn't feel flimsy at all.
Just my opinion, though. If you want a laptop with a load of ports, of if you need a really powerful machine, or if you're looking to spend less than a grand, or if you just think there are better alternatives, don't buy a MacBook Air. Seems pretty simple to me.
One day I hope to have enough time to read every single article on The Register, then post snde comments about the ones that I think may not have taken long enough to write.
Instead, like a sucker, I have a job that takes up a lot of my time, so instead I just flick to articles that I think will be of interest to me, like this one. Lo, it was. What a time saver!
Anyway, I've got no flag to fly for Parallels, but I would say that the upgrade to v4 has gone smoothly for me, and my virtual machines run well. Then again, I only use them to run IE6/IE7 for browser testing, so if I tried something more heavy-duty perhaps they'd slow to a crawl.
Nothing like the subject of cars and taxes to bring the idiots out of the woodwork.
The government is simply stating that if Manchester introduces a congestion charge, the government will top up the money raised with additional funding. How is that bribery? If you don't think that the additional funding will make up for the fact that there'll be a congestion charge, don't vote for it.
Also, why on earth would you only poll motorists? This is a quality of life issue for everyone who lives in Manchester. You might as well say, "What should I fund the fire service for? My house isn't on fire".
Oh, and moaning about speed cameras is pathetic as well. If you don't want to get caught on a speed camera, don't speed past it. If you think that speed limits are unfair, or too low, then argue that point -- don't just fantasise about setting fire to the cameras. Perhaps you think that everyone should be able to drive as fast as they want? Fair enough, but you might change your mind if you ever kill someone while doing 40 in a 30 zone. Then again, I suspect that you also hate traffic wardens, and that you'd like everyone to be able to park wherever they want, whenever they want. I bet that'd work really well in practice.
Finally, saying smugly, "Of course, this country isn't really a democracy" is a sure sign of being a complete tit. This is an additional chance for people to have their say, in a fair vote, on top of local and general elections. You think that emigration might be the only answer? Well, why don't you emigrate to Zimbabwe, or Georgia, or Russia? Go and tell people there that we don't have democracy in the UK, and see what they think.
Are you all mad? "I hate Apple... I hate Microsoft more... Apple are arrogant... M$ produce crap OS...". Why don't you all just find an OS that you prefer, and use that?
Personally, I never liked Windows much, and switched to OS X a few years ago. I like OS X, and I'll stick with it. If I find that a future version of OS X becomes too slow, or buggy, maybe I'll give Linux a go. That's kinda the end of the thought process for me... I grew out of arguing the point back and forth when I sold my Amiga.
Seriously, if you really can't find a single Operating System that you actively enjoy using, well... it might be time to move away from computers and do something else.
"I'm just wondering when this mediocre, slow-acting 'phone' will be recognised as the pretty but poor device it really is."
Don't worry, Paul, it's only a matter of time. People like me, who own an iPhone and love it, will soon realise that people like you -- who I'm guessing have only seen an iPhone on TV, or played with it for five minutes in an Apple store -- are in fact correct. Please try and tolerate our ignorance until this happens.
Seriously, I'm so bored with the "I hate the iPhone!" posts. "It's not 3G! It's too expensive! Hang on -- the new version is 3G, and it's cheaper. Er... wait... that's polishing a turd! I think...? Well, I hate it, anyway. Anyone who disagrees, and who likes their iPhone, is therefore an idiot."
@dervheid: "Gullible" is reading a technology story in the Daily Mail, and assuming it's true. Or did your rabid desire to slag off iPhone users override your common sense?
This is clearly rubbish, a revised form factor wouldn't make any sense. Everything about the iPhone is built around a large touchscreen. Swapping this for a smaller screen and a "scroll wheel"...?! Personally, I very strongly doubt this will happen.
Someone at the Daily Mail has sat down and thought, "Hey, if Apple have released an iPhone... and there's already an iPod... and there's an iPod Nano... maybe there'll be an iPhone Nano! Let's print it, the 'kids' love iPods and this will make us look trendy. Can we invent an 'anonymous industry source' to add some gravitas?".
Stating "i've said it once, i'll say it again" doesn't really count for much when you don't put your name against your posts.
I agree with you about the 3G issues, the iPhone will clearly be a better handset with a 3G connection. However, I'm amazed at how many people on this website -- surely primarily aimed at IT professionals? -- object to the cost of an iPhone. Are you really saying that the iPhone isn't a "serious purchase" unless it's free?
For what it's worth, I've "said it once and I'll say it again": if you're on a tight budget, the iPhone probably isn't the right handset for you. In fact, I've just checked the O2 website, and they'll charge you £99 for an N95 on an 18 month £35 p/m contract anyway. So why recommend the N95 over the iPhone? Does that extra £70 really make all the difference?
Ah, thanks for the clarification. What was it about the iPhone that you didn't like when you used one, though? Did you find that the 2.5G connection was far too slow? Personally, I don't find it too bad, but I'd be interested to hear your thoughts...?
Hang on. You have used one, right? No -- wait -- you just hate it because it's not 3G. When the 3G model is released, you'll hate it because it's not got MMS. When MMS is added in a future firmware update, you'll hate it because... er... it's too expensive. Oh, and because it's made by Apple. I hate Apple! Waah!
Personal bickering aside, I'm really interested to see what Nokia come up with, but there's more to a decent UI than the physical interface. I've thought that the Nokia interface has been getting steadily worse since the 8210, and they're going to have to do more than bolt on a large touch-screen to make this a great handset, iPhone "killer" or not.
@ Anonymous Coward: "I can't believe people actually gave up their HTC TyTN for a Jesus Phone."
I didn't "give up my HTC TyTN" for an iPhone, I just got so fed up with it that I bought an iPhone instead. Personally, I hugely prefer the iPhone. If you prefer the TyTN, that's great -- but what did you think about the iPhone? You *have* used one, right...?
Back on topic, the mention of "PocketNav" and closing programmes via "Memory control panel under settings" sums up, for me, why the iPhone works so well. I don't want to fiddle around with menus and submenus, or -- worse! -- install some third-party software, purely to stop my mobile running at half its usual speed because so much junk's built up in the background.
I personally feel that losing background applications is worth the trade-off, to keep the core system running smoothly and not clogged up with rogue processes. Disagree? Then stick with Windows Mobile, it sounds like exactly what you need. Or just post irrelevant whines about Apple and "fanboys", of course...
Couldn't agree more. What my iPhone needs is hundreds of applications that refuse to close, hogging resource and introducing the kind of features that my old Vario II had -- namely, requiring a total reboot every day or so because it slowed to a crawl.
It's unbelievable that Apple have take this stance, forcing this clearly essential LogMeIn application -- useful to almost 0.02% of all handset owners -- onto other platforms. When will Steve Jobs learn that instead of marketing a hugely usable device to the masses, he should be focusing all his efforts on the arcane, niche requirements of bearded nerds?
I always read the comments on iPhone articles with mixed feelings of amusement and despair. The iPhone, for me, is by far the best mobile 'phone I've ever owned. This is from a fairly long list of handsets; an ancient Ericsson, several early Nokias, later Sony Ericssons and most recently a T-Mobile Vario II. Not one of them compares to the iPhone, in my opinion, which has a User Interface and overall feature set that blows them all away. I think that the SDK sounds great, and I can't wait to see what new applications are released.
If that makes me a "fanboy", so be it. If you disagree, fair enough -- don't buy one. I just cannot understand the reaction of some readers, which is to post foaming rants at the very mention of the iPhone. Yes, it's locked. I don't like it either, but unlocking mine took about five minutes. No, it's not 3G. Personally, I find browsing the web to be quicker and easier than on the Vario II, which was 3G. No, you can't send MMS, and if you're 13 that might be a problem. Yes, it's a bit expensive... but again, if your main source of income is a newspaper round, Nokia do some great PAYG handsets within your budget.
Ultimately, I've used an iPhone, and I love it. How many of the apoplectic posters above have actually *used* an iPhone?
I've got all my numbers stored in +44 format in my iPhone, and this hasn't been an issue at all. Incoming UK calls within the UK are correctly recognised. I certainly haven't needed to store numbers multiple times in different formats.
Has anyone else had this problem, or is this story based purely on the experiences of one individual who -- for all we know -- could have cocked something up at his end?
I bought an iPhone over the weekend and unlocked it using this technique. While it is a bit fiddly, it's really just a case of following some clear step-by-step instructions: see http://iphone.unlock.no/OTB112unlock.htm.
In fact, having just checked that link, the same site is now discussing an "Ultrasimple" method that will apparently unlock a new iPhone in three minutes.
How does one laptop provoke such rage in guys like Marco? Ranting about the MacBook Air is like hating the Smart car because it only has two doors and a tiny boot. A Ford Fiesta has four doors, a larger boot and costs less, so why would you buy a Smart car?
The thing is, some people like Smart cars, some people like Fiestas. Each to their own. Personally, I reckon a MacBook Air will suit my own needs perfectly and I'm going to get one. I just can't imagine foaming at the mouth because someone else wants to buy something cheaper, bigger and more expandable. What's the problem?
I'm fairly sure that the "Boot Cap" comment was a joke...?
it does seem to me that asking users to install some software that knackers their machine -- even going so far as to trigger the Operating System's built-in "Woah, this could be dangerous, best ask for the Admin password to make sure this user knows what they're doing"-mechanism -- is pretty feeble. What happened to Boot Sector viruses on copied floppy disks? Now, they were clever, and genuinely difficult to avoid.
It's depressing, though, to see the Comments section even on a grown-up site like The Register descend so rapidly into the usual foaming rants about "fanbois" and virtriol towards other users/platforms. Maybe we've not moved on that far from the Amiga/Atari days after all.
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