Posts by Mitch Kent

Suitably-endowed punters lured into bonking for Vaseline loving

Evidently I must be the only one.

Lets start with QR codes. I've used them, my missus (a nurse) has used them. They aren't rocket science once someone has explained how and are a lot easier than manually typing in web links.

As for NFC, I have a Galaxy Nexus and a bunch of NFC tags. When I get home, I tap the tag in the kitchen. Wifi is turned on, brightness turned up, etc. When I tap the tag on my bedside table, alarms are set, brightness set to low, media volume set to low...

Oh and the tags mean you don't even have to open an app. Putting your phone next to a poster is virtually zero effort. (Whilst QR codes basically have no extra cost to the advertiser)

You're restricting these technologies to advertising a little prematurely, and they do have a purpose, so what's the harm if they help even a few? I don't get the hate.

Ten... e-cars and hybrids

Re: MPG?

My Honda CBF125 gets just over 100mpg to and from work (25 miles each way).

Plus I get to filter through the traffic...

When the electric bikes start coming, that's when I'll really be interested!

NHS strikes new deal with CSC for electronic patient records

Re: Turkey

"They should be looking at what NZ have done - specify how stuff talks to each other and let the market sort it out."

I seriously can't believe this isn't an obvious thing. Specify how they talk and then each node is a much smaller project, more manageable, and if one invariably fails it's much less of a big deal, can be rolled out into phases, some existing systems might only need translation/façades... Boggles the mind...

Cash-strapped graduates sell their own faces

Re: Paying off your student loan is the worst idea possible

My main gripe was with all the presumptions you made, and, well, they're in full force again.

I worked full time every summer, and part time during term. How do you know what terms my student loan are on or who had worse? Perhaps I never got the full loan because of my parents earnings, but then maybe my parents never gave me money for uni? (Nor do I see why what they earn is relevant, I'm 18+, and shouldn't be tied to my parents in that way, but that's a different debate)...

How do you know whatever amounts we individually got would go as far in Lincoln as it would in London as it would in Loughborough etc?

I have no intent of going through my bank statements of yesteryear, all I ask is that you stop making presumptions as to financial status of others.

Re: Paying off your student loan is the worst idea possible

Whilst I'm pleased you're one of the many who can afford these things, not all of us had the privilege of being able to afford university on Student Loans alone. If these guys are able to pay off the debt as well as stick some in savings, then great for them, but please don't assume everyone can get through uni on the same finances as you.

Microsoft licensing hike sparks UK piracy, bankruptcy fears

Re: Re: DEAR MICROSOFT...

I don't think you can have several languages at once, but you can reinstall from a disk and choose english. That's what I did when I bought my laptop in Germany. Takes a while to get used to the character keys being in different places but you'll be an expert touch typist in no time!

Love lure malware turns up at Android marketplace

There is a middle ground here I feel

Yes, most apps will ask to use the internet for ads etc, can't help there. But, for making calls or sending texts or other potentially high cost actions I think the warnings, whilst already there, could be more pronounced.

A popup for example

"This application wants to be able to send SMS messages. The explanation from the developer is below. Only accept if you accept the consequences and potential costs" Then a text box the dev can fill in saying "I need to do this because I want to send MMS of cats to your family" or whatever.

Facebook, Google, and the war to lock you in

Still need to prove you are who you say you are

Having just done this to take a crappy phone to the festival I daren't mention, they required outright that I supply them with valid ID for them to note down else they wouldn't be able to give me a PAYG sim card and insisted it was a legal requirement, even when I pushed back hard.

Ten... festival survival gadgets

In the dead of night

A lot of thieving goes on late late at night - as long as it wakes you and the tents around you up (They'd probably be grateful as they would either have just been or be next on the list) then it sounds like a good idea to me.

As for taking phones, we bought cheap Nokia's especially. Tenner each, battery lasts forever, don't care if they got lost. Easy.

Agree that anyone who takes speakers needs a kick in the arse.

Background checking in the palm of the hand

Makes me seriously consider...

Changing my name to John Smith...

Terrafugia flying car gets road-safety exemptions

I wonder

How much those figures will grow in the ten years since they were published?

Hackers jailbreak iOS 5 in under 24 hours

I admit I work in IT, but...

I know a lot of people with Android phones, and I think about 1/10 people I know *haven't* rooted their phones.

Coincidentally, both of those own the Wildfire, the "cheap and cheerful" smartphone.

Chinese teen flogs kidney to buy iPad

This would be a funnier story if...

...he'd done it for a Wii

Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 7 8

I think they've actually bucked their ideas up a bit...

I was a long-time linux user who out of professional curiosity tried the windows 7 RC. I now own a paid copy as I thought it was very good, and a lot better than the ubuntu distro I was using at the time. It's not perfect, but what is?

And, as an android user I also like to tweak my phone. Playing around with launchers I ended up giving one a go that imitates the windows phone 7 UI and you know what? I've kept it. I really like it, it's snappy, useful, and I still have the joys of android in everything except home screen.

There will always be windows haters. But then again, I always thought I would be one of them...

Pint-sized 3D printer produced

Too true...

... though not only for themselves ...

Look forward to all new sorts of harrassment charges...

Council of Europe wants to maintain net neutrality

Forgive my ignorance, but...

... aren't the suppliers of content already paying more, in that they have to pay for a wider tube to upload from? Why is there a second tier needed for us to download X in preference over Y when that payment for extra bandwidth has already been paid?

When is a database not so relational?

"Deep Dive"

For the Next article with "Deep Dive" at the forefront, can we please have a little more than a summary?

Books biz talks up Kindle effect

I forget how easy it is to write to my MP thanks to writetothem.org.uk

And you've prompted me to do so on the matter :-)

Motorola's laptop-dock Android phone out on Orange

I desperately want an Atrix, and am already on Orange, but...

I hate Orange, the network is awful, and I will be waiting to buy Sim Free so I can get out of this god-forsaken contract.

Yes the peripherals are expensive but hey-ho, early adopter premium.

London Olympics ticket grab ends with website wobbles

It was a bit of a mess

And the whole lottery Did you buy/didn't you buy thing is why I just ignored it. We registered but the complete lack of knowledge of what you are going to see means that there just wasn't the confidence to bother trying for anything. I wonder how much they lost out on punters similar to me? (They'll probably make it back though on punters that over booked ;-) )

New tech lets you drink exhaust fumes

Not quite good sire.

You still have all the muck out in the air, it just wont be as wet.

A glimpse at Amazon's app store

Granted I haven't thought on this too long yet, but...

Amazon e-book readers yes eink tech, which android wont run.

They already supply an android app for kindle...

What makes you think they will merge the two? Or are you proposing some sort of amazon android tablet?

Facebook moves towards more video-social networking tie-ups

Completely agree!

Sod movies - put reruns of TMNT, Thundercats, My litte pony et al and you're onto a winner.

UK extends IT spending controls

That maybe true...

.. But *hopefully* 5 smaller projects are easier to manage than one Massive project.

Amazon confirms the terms of its declaration of war on Netflix

Unfortunately wrong.

"However with the purchase of LoveFiLM"

...

http://www.lovefilm.com/features/detail.html?editorial_id=29959

Chinese mobile malware powers click-fraud scam

Exactly

The point often forgotten about here is that you have to install these things yourself, and frankly the second you start searching the 3rd party markets is the second you start really scrutinising what the apps security permissions are.

And yes, there are some people who don't know what this mean, but most of them are caught by also not knowing how to install 3rd party apps in the third place...

Microsoft, Nokia, and MeeGo: Are they all doomed?

I was the same... (though my loyalty was always to symbian, not nokia)

But after less than a year with my N97 I went with the HTC Desire and it is a new league. I miss the qwerty keyboard, the device's hardware was solid, but the desire has sublime build quality as well and the OS is just leaps and bounds ahead. It will take a *lot* to get me back onto a Nokia platform, and even more onto a windows one...

British e-reader readers still not stealing books

Not there quite yet

People still have to fork out more for an e-book than even a hardback sometimes...

But its progress...

Anonymous hack showed password re-use becoming endemic

+1 from me too

If I couldn't give a monkey's uncle about the security of the site, then it gets my standard low grade easy password. I only save the tricky stuff for sites that can charge me money...

BSkyB to scoop up The Cloud in bid to rival BT wireless biz

Less sucky

...if you have sky but not O2 :D

Apache open sourcers welcome Google's unwanted Wave

Looked like it could be useful for tracking the progress of bugs and fixes

But as its google hosted we could never test it out. Give us an open source server we can host and maybe we might be able to make some use of it...

Rogue apps 'worst Facebook feed malware baddies'

The Mensa site once had a similar statistic

They had "2% (1 in 50) can join...."

I just checked but they've removed it since then. You would think those who even know what Mensa is would probably be able to work it out...

Zuckerberg admits fallibility over Gmail block

"Allow automatic export of this address?"

What is wrong with a simple check box next to the email field when you input it, default to unchecked, that says you allow the automatic export of your email address?

No hiding place - facial biometrics will ID you, RSN

I genuinely never thought there would be a use for this...

...but I can flare my nostrils by quite a margin. Worst party trick suddenly greatest hope for privacy of mankind?

Google Maps daddy defects for Facebook

Obviously

Moving to facebook instead proves it.

Mobile devices hit Trevor's spot

Great for typing prose, not for coding/sysadmin stuff

Plus I was getting too fast and found the learning non-existent. If they could combine powers with swiftkey and make it a little easier to, say change mode or something to make it easier for console access, then swype would be my only input. It deserves it's praise, but its still very immature and has a way to go.

WTF is... DLNA?

Try renaming to .avi

It's a problem I've seen on other implementations - no guarantee's but you might get lucky. I believe the phrase used where I read the fix was "inelegant but easy".

Android Market shows hand at 100k Apps

People also seem to forget that Android openness

...doesn't just get you a more open app market, but gets you, if you like, more than one app market.

*sigh*

"I am sure iphone must do something similar."

You can't berate the Android system for not doing something under the *assumption* that the iPhone one does.v Especially when the Android system *does* do this anyway...

Next fashions budget 10in Android tablet

+1

The updates do vastly improve the accuracy, and they are coming out thick and fast. Yes they rushed it out early - too early - but they are catching up quick and in the meantime we have it in our hands.

Orange goes High Definition

Not just calls...

I have issues with data and text messages also. Worse lately (I'm guessing t-mobile integration) but I regularly go without data in areas I know I have had it before and will get text messages hours after they have sent and out of order. Sadly I have at least another year until my contract runs out - so they have time to rectify it - but if they do not I will be going. (that and the crap they stick on their phones as extra features you can't get rid of like monopoly trials really get on my nerves...)

Orange mobile data chucks punters

Exactly the same

And I'm sworn off them for my next contract. Data unreliability is annoying, but the SMS delays are simply unacceptable these days.

Street View hauled into Spanish court

I'm curious...

Who would actually end up being spanked if these various countries find laws broken?

ASA: You can't say 'f**k'

Agreed

Every story that you hear in the media about the ASA always starts with the widespread complaints from < 5 people.

Somehow they kick up enough fuss to warrant the power and news coverage.

Vodafone issues real Froyo update for HTC Desire

Yeah, but...

Chances are these guys paid nada for the phone and got it subsidised by Voda. (Yes I realise you pay for it in the long run etc)

Not that I think they should be allowed to do this - the way I see it is if they subsidise my phone, I actually don't mind them installing some trials and whatever else on my phone - its hindering the ability for me to try, realise I don't like, and remove that is the big no-no for me.

Let's just hope...

...that Orange take note.

Obviously I'm not expecting much...

Perseid meteors - brace for endazzlement

10/10?

My pre-GCSE geography class told me that it was measured in eighths. It was a good few years until I found anything else measured that way...

First SMS Trojan for Android is in the wild

Its not that subtle

The way android tells you what security features each app will use before you install it means that, frankly, this is a user stupidity problem. Subtly recording info and posting it over the network is hard to notice from a rogue app, but a media player that sends out premium rate sms? The warnings are on the install screen and are in red writing.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty

Graphics

I too was disappointed by the graphics, but they are better than pants and its all in the game play. Spot on review from my perspective.

Indonesian parliament gets smut eyeful

Unwritten rule #72 of the internet

If you correct someone's spelling/grammar, you will make a mistake in your own response.