Posts by Paul Webb

What a clockup! Apple's Swiss clock knock-off clocks up $21m fine

Or just looked at his MONDAINE wristwatch

Like the one I've had for years.

It has an infinite number of rounded corners, y'know.

Judge drops TV ad-block block: So how will anyone pay for TV now?

Watching TV feels like...

Alex's 'treatment' in A Clockwork Orange.

Bargain! Desperate Comet SLASHES price of £4,400 iPod Nano

Re: Best (stolen from the internet) Comet joke so far:

It doesn't matter what the price is, they simply never had the right products in the first place. Went in last weekend ahead of any sale and looked at laptops, tablets, printers, cameras, TVs, washing machines, cookers, fridge/freezers, vacuum cleaners, deep-fat fryers, can openers,.... didn't have the right brand/model or was old stock -- three year old MacBook Pro anyone?

That said, to prove us both wrong, parents went back after their kettle died and bought a new (good) one cheaper than anywhere online. There again, it had been marked down multiple times and never underestimate my mum's ability to spot a genuine bargain.

But the reality is more like one potential customer I overheard complaining that he'd previously seen a TV for sale for less then the new sale price just a month or so ago. Staff couldn't help - 'Sorry, I can't help you -- I only work here' and walked off. Perhaps understandable in the circumstances but sadly no change from how they behaved anyway. Not to mention the deceptive "30% off RETAIL PRICE" posters - when on earth were the items offered at that price and who would have bought them anyway?

<-- Yep, wallet still firmly in pocket.

Apple is granted a patent on the rectangle. No, really

iMoebus

Courtesy of 1 Infinite Loop.

El Reg seeks hoardiest reader for crap-stashtic honour

Personally, I find "three spare pairs of underpants and socks" rather excessive.

And mother is still here, in the cellar.

Tiny Ubi Android machine pre-orders open

Re: What people?

'The only discomfort in talking to people these days is that they're too stupid to understand half the time.'

Apple must apologise for its surly apology on its website on Saturday

Arial

Did they deliberately use this font just to rub Apple's nose in it or will Apple just smugly cite it as another reason the judges don't know what they are on about? And shurley it should have been Arial Rounded in any case.

Re: Lets face it

Yes, and you'd have been doing so since Monday... that would almost qualify you to work for El Reg X)

Sony turned off by CEA's 'Ultra HD' TV label

How about 4Years

Because it will take that long before we can get/afford one.

Microsoft reveals Windows Phone 8 support for Mac

Re: Microsoft reveals Windows Phone 8 support for Mac

Jeckyll AND Hyde??

Ailing Comet at last prayers: Cawing of accountants and VCs fills air

Re: Where I live.

Same here, they might even share half a shed each - can't really remember because although I practically walk past quite frequently I do just that, walk past. I'm sure I wouldn't even notice if they closed down.

El Reg acquires wildly dangerous laser cannon (with lightsabre option)

Re: Where on earth can you still get a spare 500 MB drive?

Gut one of these:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/23/new_mac_mini/

Trade you for your 8"!

Slideshow: A History of Horror in 20 Scary Games

"Limbo", especially the audio

See http://limbogame.org/ (winner of a 'Best Horror' award from IGN).

More about the audio here:

https://www.develop-online.net/features/1434/Heard-about-Limbo

("How easily the ‘nothingness’ – the ‘notional silence’ – could have been tromped on and thereby the intensity and involvement diminished.")

Steve Jobs' Apple-powered yacht makes belated first trip

"Workers on the boat even got given specially engraved iPod nano's"

What is this, Foxconn-style wages?

Snoopers Charter is for 'incompetent criminals, accidental anarchists'

Re: Oh dear, I see a logical progression from Anonymous and viruses

"Really incredibly obvious terrorists" aka R.I.O.T.

Good job we have 007 to see off this new threat to our liberties.

Man the floodgates! David Cameron takes to Twitter

Re: when did the role of Prime Minister turn into

With his mentor, Blair.

Harvester garners iFans with first UK Passbook e-voucher

Mere crumbs of comfort,

for actually finding the place.

Perhaps iOS6 Maps is actually a bonus here?

OLYMPIC SECRETS to stay locked up for 15 YEARS

"up to 15 years"

Does this work in the same way as broadband advertising in that the reality is closer to one year?

I bet they have printed it all out too.

<- Coat of many cubits.

iPhone 5: skinny li'l fella with better display, camera, software

Order now to avoid disappointment...

By actually playing with one first.

<-- Puts wallet back in coat.

Pasty munchers scoff at £300m council deal with comms kingpins

I hope it is as successful as Southwest One

Because that's going well:

http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/somerset_news/9912056.Somerset_County_Council_statement_on_legal_dispute_with_Southwest_One/

(And El Reg's take on the whole sorry matter: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/03/ibm_somerset_council_dispute/)

Paul

Processor pioneer Victor Poor dies of cancer at 79

Re: Hmmm...

Actually, the 4004 is mentioned but not by name.

On p34, Poor says: "And Ted Hoff [Intel] had this 4-bit calculator chip he was building, designing for a Japanese firm."

As for what became the 8008, On p35 Poor goes on to say:

"It was an external design. I mean, we were in no position to dictate how it would be implemented internally."

[...] "they [Intel] took that-- they came-- and then there was some give and take. They came back

with some changes and some ideas. I can't tell you who was finally responsible for the design. I mean,

there were so many people in the act."

Intel eventually implemented an 8-bit design but by then, as you say, a Computer Terminal Corporation's 1-bit MSI implementation was already in production in the 2200.

I do like what Poor says about Intel's 'spec' for this (p33):

"And we kind of merged what Harry and I had done with what they wanted. They wanted-- they had an idea. They want-- they had done some "market research". <laughs> They said they wanted a machine that had the same footprint exactly as a Selectric typewriter, the same keyboard layout as a Selectric typewriter, the same feel. They wanted a screen that had the same dimensions for character size and spacing as the type on a Selectric typewriter. "

Acer Iconia Tab A510 10in Android review

No Nexus 10...

... but how about the just announced Galaxy Note 10.1?

Apple Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion review

Re: Word of warning.....

There is no USB (or DVD) version - this is available as a download only.

Microsoft promises Metro developers 'fame and fortune'

Is this the fame and fortune they are talking about?

That Metro UI is (bed)spreading in the most unlikely of places:

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/londonspy/olympic-village-beds-just-68-inches-long-041600723.html

I'll get my pj's...

Google urged to rethink mobile in crunch EU antitrust talks

Why isn't there anything about 'rethinking mobile' in the actual story?

The other stuff can wait wait until next week when there might actually be something to write about.

Dell Inspiron 17R SE 17in Ivy Bridge notebook review

"The battery life is underwhelming, but that’s the only real weakness"

Really? How about:

- No SSD

- Only 1920 x 1080

- Cramped keyboard

Not worth it.

It costs $450 in marketing to make someone buy a $49 Nokia Lumia

Oh how I wish the Lumia ran OS/2 Mobile!

As per title.

Dell seeks Linux fans to try cut-price Ubuntu Ultrabook

If I wanted a new dev laptop...

Then it certainly wouldn't be a crippled oxymoronic Ultrabook.

Ten... Ultrabooks

Re: No mention of Ivy Bridge?

I totally agree about Ivy Bridge unless you are more interested in the fact these will soon be discounted. And, having been on the market for a while, will have given other people plenty of time to try out various breeds of penguin.

Fabulous execution prompts Apple to rein back Q3 outlook

Apple to rule for a thousand quarters

Others not so lucky:

http://www.ironsky.net/thetruthtoday/news/crisis-for-computing-industry-as-users-no-longer-buying-pointless-upgrades/

Ten... Bedroom Gadget Treats

If this article is all there is to read in the morning...

... Then I'm going back to sleep!

<-- Dressing gown.

Blighty's 'leccy power plant reform deals gas a winning hand

"Carbon capture and storage promises..."

are likely to remain just that, given the government's record so far (NAO report):

"Carbon capture and storage: lessons from the competition for the first UK demonstration"

This competition was launched in 2007 with insufficient planning and recognition of the commercial risks and cancelled four years later. With commercial scale carbon capture and storage technology still to be developed, DECC must learn from the failure of this project.

http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/1012/carbon_capture_and_storage.aspx

Samsung staffer says 7.85in 'iPad Mini' in the works

Interpretation of 'iPad mini' quote wrong

I read "... Apple is planning to release a smaller iPad" as suggesting this is definitely going to happen. The only uncertainty is the actual screen size, "probably with a 7.85in screen", not whether it will happen or not.

Paris, because size matters.

It never ends: TV exposé tags new Android privacy howler

Just part of MWR's attempts to get noticed at MWC

It's just taken this long for the mainstream media (well, C4) to run with the 'story'.

Ten... top iOS games

Re: siegecraft looks nice

Siegecraft is available in several versions in the Android marketplace.

Labour targets Tories' Google problem

Microsoft ate Labour...

... now Google are 'The Beast' it's their turn to dominate the incumbent government.

Same game, (not so ) different players.

India seeks new supplier for $35 Android tablet

Perhaps they changed the requirements so they could take the project in-house after seeing what their neighbours have been doing:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/02/20/pakistan_pacpad1/

SPRAY-ON antennas waved about at Google's techfest

Combine it with this...

Typical geek, here's one the fashionistas made earlier:

"Spray-on T-shirt: 15 minutes and it's ready"*

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/video/2010/sep/16/spray-on-t-shirt?fb_action_ids=10150590146174831&fb_action_types=video.watches&fb_source=other_multiline

Mine's the one with the spray can in the pocket...

* Warning, contains embedded advert.

Saudi oil minister praises renewable energy

This isn't really about green energy.

It's about heading off a 'Saudi Uprising' due, in part, to a young highly educated but unemployed population. No doubt we will play our part by continuing to supply arms to the ruling regime.

Dixons cuts Ice Cream Sarnie ready Xoom to £225

Still available at the Dixons wesbite for £249.00

Just bought one (at 11:09am). Unless I get a message about it not being in stock after all.

Apple to take sales space in posh people's shop Harrods

Moving downmarket then?

Will Apple adopt the Harrods motto:

"Omnia Omnibus Ubique—All Things for All People, Everywhere"

As long as it's shiny.

Now, who's that going through my pockets?

Osborne to SAVE ECONOMY with help from Media 2.0 websluts

Silicon Roundabout

By the time anything significant or substantial emerges from there, fondleslabs will be given away as magazine cover mounts.

CableJive DockBoss Plus

80%???

What is the point of this device? It doesn't make any special use of the connector so what does it do that I can't already do with my charger and a 3.5mm cable? From the CableJive website: "dockBoss+ doesn't provide integration features like device control or playlists. It simply provides power and audio signals. "

Am I missing something (other than more coffee)?

Inside WD's flooded Thai factory

I know just the man to help...

Expenses MP auctions duck island for charity

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11202494

[Fire Sale icon, obv.]

Paul

Google plants self on Silicon Roundabout

Not the Emerald Roundabout then?

No comments about Twitter and Facebook being based in Ireland?

Telcos: up your prices, lose customers

Shameful article.

This article should be about poorly selected data sets and woefully mis-interpreted statistics not the twaddle it purports to be about.

Humax HDR-Fox T2 Freeview HD DVR

This looks lovely...

.... But at £329? Not a Chance!

The Sun saves parasailing donkey's ass

Are you sure that donkey isn't...

Lord (Jeffrey) Archer of Weston-super-Mare? Plenty of donkeys but only one real ass.

I'll get my (straw) hat...

Synology DiskStation DS210j Nas box

Says it supports Mail Station...

... on page 1 of the review:

"For business users, there is also a Server Backup tool and iSCSI Target support, plus Mail Station allowing users to run their own mail server."

Terence Conran slams 'appalling' Olympic mascots

Indistinguisable and non-descript

Thy even have 'M' and 'W' on their heads so you can tell them apart. Why not just turn one upside down?

ps: please do a Logowatch on Rackspace and the British Humanist Society.