Posts by Lewis Burgess

Sur-Pies! Google shocks world with sudden Android 9 Pixel push

Re: Survey...

Surely CityMapper is a better option than Google Maps for this?

Re: Survey...

I know my way to work very well, but I can take 3 main routes which all roughly take the same amount of time but have many more little alternative tweaks. The traffic can vary so massively from day to day, a 35 minute journey on a Wednesday could easily be a 60 minute journey on a Thursday, just 'because'. So, I ALWAYS set a route to work to show traffic conditions and then use my own knowledge of country lanes to pick the best option based on where traffic is worst.

Apple Maps showing an over-view of the whole journey that auto zooms in to the map as the journey progresses is ideal. I don't need turn by turn, just traffic indications.

So, anything which does this is a good thing.

No one wants new phones – it's chips that keep Samsung chugging

Re: maybe apple should....

I am in the market for a new mobile. I've got an iPhone 7 and want to break up with Apple. Soon. I'm over them. They've lost their way and feel Ive is just going over the top with form over function across all devices. Don't get my started on how crap Macs are for education now.

I definitely don't want a Samsung, unsure about Huawei, find the OnePlus camera a bit lacking and have a significant main requirement that my new phone will receive regular updates. So that leaves me looking forward to the Pixel 3. An over priced, dull looking phone, but one that probably fits my requirements more than most. I'm happy to pay more for a likely non innovative device (albeit with a great camera), because it's pure Android and will still fit in my pocket. Google will gradually get more unification with manufacturers and the Chinese devices are disrupting the market with bang for buck. Huawei devices are very, very good.

I think Apple will bring out an iPhone with 2-3 years that has no ports at all - wireless charging, bluetooth etc. Not sure how this will go down with non-wireless CarPlay owners, but I can see it happening.

There's still plenty of room to improve the OS, software and UX in both camps, but hardware-wise, until we see further improvements in battery technology, flexible screens (maybe?) or some other breakthrough, we've reached almost as far as we can go with current tech, other than minor iterative updates and pointless me-moji type gimmicks.

Laminate this: Inside Argos' ongoing online (r)evolution

Hilarious

I find it hilarious that I can now drive to Homebase in town, tap on a tablet through the Argos digital catalogue, to order something. Which will be delivered at some point and possibly involving me having to go back out to get it.

Or I could just open the laptop and do the same thing without mingling with potential morons in the store and have someone shove it through my gate when I'm not in or to Reception at work.

That said, Argos didn't bother to fulfil my previous web order. Promised delivery but then forgot to mention they'd run out of stock, after I ordered it. Way to go! *clickety to Amazon instead*

Spotify updates hated privacy policy ... with exact same policy

Deezer.

That is all.

Spotify climbs down on new terms and conditions

Hello Deezer.

Now if you could just make your Mac client a bit better so I don't have to use the browser version for new releases, mixes etc. Means needing a 3rd party plugin to change tracks for the browser version.

Anyway, see ya Spotify. You're the king of streaming music, but account cancelled, playlists migrated and app removed. Shame.

Either this was a BIIIIIG mistake or the cat is out of the bag (and back-pedalling). Either way, meh.

BT broadband in broad-based brownout and TITSUP incidents

Re: Bt have finally admitted there is a problem

I wish people would stop blaming Windows 10 for this! It started before it was released/Patch Tuesday.

50p says that a firmware update has caused this. It's been getting gradually worse as the update is pushed out to more routers.

Been getting progressively worse since Saturday for me.

Typical service for me - tell BT about the problem... Wait for them to deny it... Repeat for a significant amount of time; Finally they'll start joining up the stacks of reports in to a single incident and escalate it to someone who has a clue.

Sky asks Ofcom to unlock BT cabinets

Re: Hasta la vista, baby

No they don't own Easynet. They used to, but offloaded it to venture capitalists in 2010.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/21/easynet_sky/

Throttled customers rage over Virgin Mobile UK's tight cap

Super quick T-Mobile 3G

Whereas here, in leafy Surrey, I'm getting 20.4Mbps down and 14Mbps up on T-Mobile. Just a shame I'm limited to 1GB/month. Also a shame when the phone switches to Orange and it's like treacle.

Just thought I'd brag.

Quarter of Eastern cell towers BLOWN down BY SANDY - FCC

Re: If they didn't have all their electricity cables above ground...

Did on Reigate Hill ... of all places given how many hundreds of trees were felled 1/2 mile away. No power failure all night or the next day.

But anyway...

Apple's first batch of iPhone 5 preorders sold out in an hour

October shipment now 21st Sept arrival

Maybe I got 'lucky'... I ordered my white iPhone 5 32GB late on Friday afternoon. At the time the 'shipping date' was 2-3 weeks, then 2, then 'October' on my order'. I got an email this afternoon to say the phone will be arriving on the 21st.

Perhaps they can't count?

'Amazon plans iPhone-killing Android mobe' – report

Re: If I was a betting person...

I know what you mean - the iPhone just isn't sparkling in some aspects compared with Samsung's offering.

However, one of Apple's biggest cash cow's the App Store. It makes huge amounts of free money so why they'd choose to cut this off just because they couldn't be bothered to keep incrementing the iPhone each year with a slightly better spec, wouldn't seem sensible.

That said, there's plenty they *could* do with the iPhone and yet still manage to disappoint the hardcore fanbois by not fulfilling 95% of their wet dreams.

Google dumps all 11+ million .co.cc sites from its results

Maybe less Fake AV in the Google results?

Perhaps we'll see slightly less FakeAV popping up in the Google Image searches then - which appears to be the primary way that our users get duped and kicks Sophos in to a hissy fit many times a day having to deal with it.

Southpaws up in arms over iPhone 4

As a lefty

Am I concerned as a lefty? No.

I will either hold it so my fingers don't touch the antenna.

Or like most sensible people, I'll be putting a case on it to protect it both physically and to prevent accidental touching of the aerials.

That or I'll just not worry about it and live with it, like again, most normal people.

BT Tower restaurant reborn for Olympics

If you get the chance to go... Go.

Having recently been to the top of the tower at sunset on a clear spring evening, I could have kicked myself for not taking a good camera up. It is an amazing experience and potentially very romantic.

If you get chance to go to the top, do so. It's a fantastic experience and tops the Eye any day.

BBC mobile gets pimped

Not on my iPhone

Oddly enough it's not working on my iPhone...

"Thanks for visiting the BBC customisable homepage beta. The service hasn't yet been optimised for your device, though we do hope to extend support in the future."

Steve Jobs takes medical leave from Apple to focus on health

Poor guy

Regardless of whether you're a fanboy or an anti-fanboy, it's a shame that Jobs' health isn't getting better. Apple is not Jobs, but he's done a pretty good job of turning their fortunes with some pretty good products.

Also nice to see that the Reg has refrained from sarcasm in this story. Maybe when the London hacks are back in the office tomorrow, that might change of course!

O2 buckles under 3G iPhone demand

Well that went well...

Same happened in East Grinstead - a queue of about 30 people already by 7:40. The doors opened at 8:02 as promised with plenty of iPhones available. 25 minutes later and nobody had come out. The manager tells us that the system is b0rked and it's taking 15-20 minutes per customer. They had about 35 8GBs and about 6 16GBs. Needless to say, I had a cat in hells chance of getting a 16GB so I walked.

Carphone Warehouse in Grinny had similar system problems and they only had about 3 iPhones (were meant to have more but didn't come in). Was trying to "instant delivery" for Tuesday but they went out of stock at the warehouse during the process.

O2 were totally shambolic this week, particularly on Monday and Friday.

Bummer. It's gonna be a long long wait.