Posts by Madbury

Your security is just dandy, Apple Pay, but here comes Android

If you're a tiny bit OCD then the main problem with entering a pin on a pad is the hygiene factor. Do I really want to be dabbing the same keys that a thousand other people have pressed that day? I suppose you could use a key or something to provide some physical separation from the filth magnet that is the key pad.

I'm only being half serious really. There is a marginal convenience and time improvement with contactless in my experience and as a result it is my preferred method.

As far as I can see Apple pay is completely pointless for the following reasons:

1. I have to carry my card with me anyway in case I wish to make a purchase at a store which does not have a contactless reader - presumably this problem will diminish to zero ultimately

2. My card has no battery to go flat, is relatively small (I don't carry a wallet) and therefore easy to carry. I can leave a backup (different) card in my bag too in case I lose my main card.

3. My card is free (effectively) whereas an iPhone is really rather expensive.

In short I think it will be a long time before I leave the house without a credit or debit card in my pocket and since the contactless card is already very convenient I don't see the need for Apple pay other than as a novelty.

I'm completely ignoring the security points in the article here obviously, but this is just the way I see things.

Pitch Black: New BlackBerry Classic is aimed at the old-school

Who stole my QWERTY

I would absolutely consider a BB with a proper keyboard, but I'm probably too invested in Android now to switch.

It is baffling why there is no single manufacturer turning out an even half decent QWERTY equipped Android phone. In fact I made a pretty radical decision last month to downgrade (or perhaps sidegrade?) my original Samsung Galaxy Note to a Motorola Verizon Droid 4. The decision was purely because I missed having the slide out keyboard for the last 2-3 years. I'd fallen in love with the keyboards on the G1 and G2 (Desire Z) and had settled for the Note as the only logical way of retaining some of the power-user functionality once it was clear that nobody was going to be making decent QWERTY sliders anymore.

People wibble on about why one would need a physical keyboard when the onscreen keyboards are good enough and to an extent I would agree that for input they're not bad with something like Swype. The real charm of the physical keyboard though is in the speed with which you can flit around apps. Keyboard shortcuts to the browser, phone, email, calendar and sms applications make it a doddle to whiz around jumping from one to the other. Also you're not using up a whole heap of screen real estate with a virtual keyboard, making it much easier to take in information and input text into forms etc.

I'm still getting used to the Droid 4 and it is a little disappointing in some respects. The display is pretty nasty by today's standards and the unit does have quite a heft to it, but it's so easy to forgive these little annoyances for the utility and feel of the great little keyboard that is tucked away under the screen. If they ever release a Droid 5 I'm in.

Oi, Android, get gaming sorted out NOW

RC Sim

Support for a Wii classic controller via bluetooth would be nice for the RC sim. Agreed the helicopters are unbelievably hard to control with the onscreen controls. I think some of these problems might be alleviated if you were to play on a pad. Sadly I don't have 400 quid burning a hole in my pocket to find out.

Some good points, but perhaps I can be of assistance

Yes, Android isn't as good as iOS as a gaming OS, but then most of the iOS stuff I have played has proven, to me, that the iPhone/Pad hardware doesn't really push gaming forward in an interesting way due to the limitations of the harward (yes I'm talking about a lack of physical buttons).

Without wanting to go into a list-a-thon, perhaps I can offer something to at least numb the pain of Android gaming and address many of the gripes in the article.

First up the market

1. download and install the new market .apk (available from xda developers), this gives the new app categories and has staff and editor picks. It's certainly an improvement over the old market and has a nice whizzy look

2. try browsing through the web based market from time to time. I've found it much easier to hunt down fresh games through the website and do a remote install compared with scrolling through lists of garbage on my phone.

3. If you are rooted then install MarketEnabler as this allows you to change your phone's region and dl apps not available in your country. I used this to get the US only release of the Android port of the classic Konami X-Men arcade game. Shame the game runs like a dog on my G2/DesireZ and the onscreen controls are awful.

Now to the games. Here are some that are genuinely good, I'm not going to bother with the emulators as most people will know and love this aspect of gaming on Android

1. GRave Defense HD - fantastic tower defence game

2. Karoshi

3. Leo's RC Simulator - having done the real thing this is a good sim

4. Meganoid

5. MineDroid - Minecraft level viewer and editor, good to have until we get the full game

6. netHack - best played with a keyboard enabled device, one of the best RPGs ever

7. Noiz2 - One of Kenta Cho's great shmup titles.

8, PewPew2 - best twinstick shooter on Android

9. Picranium - not as nice as Picross on the DS, but close enough.

10. P.N.F. - not the prettiest of games, but solid gameplay

11. Spectral Souls - Port of a decent PSP TRPG that works great on Android

12. Speedx 3D

It might be worth trying the OpenTTD port to android too. It was virtually unplayable when I last gave it a punt, but hopefully they've ironed out a few of the kinks by now.

Finally a comment on Onlive. The apk for the viewer is available from xda. It works with a good wifi connection and at present you can only spectate, but the promise is there.

Inventor of the Workmate dies

R.I.P.

As an Elan Plus 2 owner this is sad news indeed. As a piece of automotive engineering it's a design that has stood the test of time and continues to live on in the Mazda MX5.

Thank you Ron for designing me a car that puts an ear to ear grin on my face.

R.I.P. Ron

As an Elan +2 owner this is sad news indeed. To echo dak's comment above the +2 always puts an ear to ear grin on my face. It's a car that teaches you how to drive, something which is so rare these days. A masterpiece of engineering and a design ethos which lives on in the Mazda MX5.

Samsung Galaxy i7500

So in summary it's an Android phone then

I understand the need for a comprehensive review, but a lot of the criticism leveled here would equally apply to any phone running a vanilla donut (1.6) build.

That's the whole point of Android really isn't it. Don't like the stock music player or camera application then download an alternative from the market. Many of which would address some of the criticisms in the review.

Maybe I'm the only person who doesn't want some glossy custom UI overlaying the stock Android experience. I certainly don't want to have to relearn the interface when I eventually trade up from my G1, so the bog standard UI is a win in my book.