Posts by guybles

New Scottish Apple Store appears, then VANISHES off map app

Re: I wonder if they'll have a new product range for the Jocks!

It's prone to rain up here - you might want to wear a Mac.

(thank you, thank you, I'm here all week, try the deep-fried Mars Bar)

Facebook: Yes, we made you SAD on PURPOSE... for your own good

A peer-to-peer Facebook alternative. Isn't that what used to be called "talking"?

Shazam! Record labels shovel $9m into name-that-song app

Re: Wake Me up...

SoundHound claims it can do this...but given how atrocious most people are at humming, I can only assume it uses some kind of witchcraft to show any kind of accuracy.

(goes and tests)

Apparently, I was either humming Celine Dion's classic My Heart Will Go On, or the equally classic 'N Sync number, Tearing Up My Heart. Go figure.

Macy's: Now with Apple's Minority Report ads system that TRACKS your iPHONE

Re: So you need to have downloaded an app

Just think, technology that can transmit information to and receive information from a handheld electronic device. Whatever will these crazy computer geeks think of next?

(hint: if you turn BlueTooth off, then the iBeacon technology is useless to track you atall)

US insurer punts 'bestiality' to wide-eyed kiddies, gasp 'mums'

Re: It's an improvement......

Having never seen the gecko adverts, I can't possibly comment on their artistic merit. However, I'm willing to bet that it's about a million times better than (not even dignifying them with a name) having an opera singer as their mascot, then trying to make up for it by repeatedly killing him.

PC sales in the toilet? Excuse Lenovo while it gut laughs at you

Re: PC Sales in the toilet

A wall-mounted vending machine, located in a public toilet, would certainly explain why the iPad appears to sell so many...

Bruce Willis didn't Buy Hard: His girls can't inherit his iTunes

Right, so, the news site that "Bites that hand that feeds IT" is now reprinting stuff it read in The Sun. Whatever next - Fortean Times? National Enquirer? The Watchtower? Honest John's Blog o' Ill-Informed Bile?

IIRC, the standing argument about music ownership is that the various retailers were forced to apply DRM by the music industry. Maybe, if Mr Willis wanted to give a true "yippee-ki-yay Mr Falco", he might want to take on the RIAA and their industry mates and ask about why they only let him rent music.

Meanwhile, all the major music retail sites are DRM-free, so you could happily leave your files to whosoever you wanted. Admittedly, if you bought old iTunes tracks, they still have the FairPlay DRM on them, but it's trivial to 'upgrade' and have that removed.

Galaxy Tab case tweaked to evade Germany ban

Alas, amusing as though your proposal is, lawyers do occasionally manage to display the faintest glimmer of intelligence. I know, a crazy notion.

Anyway, you're far more likely to hear the Apple lawyers holding forth on how "Samsung has copied design elements from the Apple iPad, but have succeeded only in delivering a Steaming Turd."

Much better to shut all the legal teams in a room with some lengths of 2x4.

Apple said to have 3G-enabled iPod in pipeline

Let's take a look around

The Kindle seems to manage just fine with built-in 'Whispernet' 3G (on selected models). So, for all those conspiracists who love to talk about Apple trying to tie-in people to iTunes, it's a no-brainer.

Just sayin', like.

Mac OS X Lion debuts in July as $29.99 upgrade

Best. Reg. Comment. EVAH!

That is all.

Bing to offer Facebook-slurping 'friend search'

Oh, marvellous

I believe it was Scott Adams who observed that "You can never underestimate the stupidity of the general public".

So, by that basis, it looks like Bing will be upgrading their search results...

Apple under siege: Antitrust probes and product delays ...

Haters gonna hate

@AC, @DrXym, @TheBigYin, @Naughtyhorse

Loving the internal logic: if Apple can't make free apps pay, they should force the customers and/or the publisher to pay money. Presumably, you're setting yourselves up for further comments here about how Apple is abusing its position to force people to give them money.

If you ever bothered to stop reading propaganda, you'd see that Apple requires the developer to include the option to subscribe through iTunes *in addition to* the option to subscribe through an external service. Either option is available to the customer. The same price is payable in both locations.

The difference is that, if Apple do the subscription, the developer no longer has to pay for hosting, bandwidth, availability, payment control, security and all those other things that happen when you start selling content through a website.

Apple's casual Xbox: Apple TV seeded for online gaming

@magnetik

Apple do allow Netflix on the Apple TV...in fact, it's built into the system:

http://www.apple.com/appletv/#netflix

Cold call scareware scammers aim to bring Mac fans into the fold

Some sport to be had

I've had these buggers twice - the first time, I managed four-and-a-half minutes before revealing I was using a Mac, at which point they couldn't hang up fast enough. However, as the article points out, they decided to try again and pointed me to a (legitimate) remote access software site.

Worryingly, they were very defensive when I told them that I knew what they were up to; clearly they want to take it to the bitter end. One sniff of possible cash and they won't give up.

Gov gone wild: Mad new pub glasses, bread freedom introduced

+1

You, sir/madam, are absolutely right: the only people who will "accidentally" order the wrong size of beer are the ones ordering uber-trendy yellow water that they saw in an advert. If they are too lazy to discover real beer, then I'm happy to leave then to their ignorant overspending ways.

iOS 4.1 out today, iPhone hackers say

Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station!

Similarly, I have no beef with the jailbreak community, as long as they remember they take all responsibility for whatever they do to their device.

However, I would assume that any jailbreaker with half a braincell would remember not to automatically hit the "update" button in iTunes as soon as they receive notification from the Death Star...er, Cupertino.

Apple TV: Third time unlucky, Mr Jobs

Apple inside?

Good point - Freeview boxes are an excellent example of external functionality that has eventually been incorporated into the TV itself.

However, that doesn't stop set-top boxes being sold for various purposes - just look at Tesco selling their Freeview HD boxes for £70.

In any case, by the time "eventually" comes around, all the functionality of the Apple TV will be integrated into the TV itself?

Apple kills browse-and-get-hacked bugs in iOS

Seconded

Well said that man!

Perhaps we can also suggest that El Reg includes a mandatory first comment on any story referring to Apple, which simply says "iPhone, iPad, iPod: Nobody makes you buy them".

iPads for hospitals: is this a good idea?

Feel the rage

There's a lot of hate in here, for something that looks like an experiment on the other side of the planet.

But then again, the mere suggestion of anything Apple-flavoured does seem to stir the haters in the El Reg forums into shooting their mouths off without reading (or understanding) the original article.

Perhaps some of the experts on here might like to try asking questions about the horrific IT kludge that's being forced on the NHS, rather than worry about how our antipodean cousins are choosing to invest/waste their cash.

Microsoft prices up cheapo Xbox 360, Kinect bundle

Two too many

I'd imagine that a significant number of Windows users would prefer to raise just a single finger to make MS go away.

Loons speak brains on gov Treasury crowdsource site

Tagging

Thoughtfully, some bright spark has already started labelling various suggestions (using the term in the losest possible sense) with the "daily mail" tag:

http://spendingchallenge.hm-treasury.gov.uk/@@search?Subject=daily%20mail

Makes it a lot easier to identify the people with rabid mouth froth.

Interesting just how many involve the word "immigrant". I think I can already hear the strains of Tomorrow Belongs To Me...

O2 apologises for iPhone 4 glitch

True...

I know I'll still be on O2, for all intents and purposes, but I'll be paying less for the privilege. Plus, in my dreams, I'd like to think that O2 will weep and wail at the loss of any customer.

In any case, based on the crazy queues in the centre of town, I don't think I've got any chance of upgrading anytime soon.

I'll look elsewhere

I suppose I can see why O2 have done it - got to keep the big spenders happy - but the slightly insulting attitude towards the rest of us customers means that I'll be asking for my PAC and moving to those very, very attractive tariffs with Tesco Mobile - complete with a contract that's only twelve months.

Meanwhile, I think I can probably wait for the beta testers to sort out the glitches in the new hardware.

Want to leave work early? Torch a filing cabinet

She did what?

Setting a fire something in a company with the word "oxygen" in the title?

Only nine months is a pretty good option, compared to a Darwin Award.

New wave of superphones poised to challenge iPhone 4

Darn right

Yes, how dare they name it after a part of the human body. There's no rods or cones in there, and what about a blood supply to let it function? And it's not actually attached to the inside of an eye. It's marketing gone mad, I tell you.

Meanwhile, here's some science:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/06/10/resolving-the-iphone-resolution/

Apple adds 'make the web go away' button to Safari 5

Ah, sweet misunderstanding

iAds can be used in iPhone/iPod touch apps only. Developers of apps can choose to use them, if they wish. General internet browsing is entirely subject to whatever advertising the advertiser the site's owner has chosen to use.

But, y'know, don't let research or facts get in the way of your anti-Apple rant.

Now, if you happened to be Google, then you might have something to say...

Rash of Facebook 'likejacks' still flaring

Re: Exactly

But of course the thumbs are important. How else will the Microsoft/Apple/Android zealots be able to carry out their respective quests to make the opposition look...well, more thumb-y?

After all, heaven forbid that El Reg forums contain measured discussion and debate.

DoJ pokes Apple digital music biz practices, says report

Re: Clarity

The original Billboard article is a little fuzzy on what Apple has threatened - the only thing that Apple is specified as doing is "withdrawing marketing support for certain releases featured as Daily Deals". Which, I will agree, is a pretty sly thing to do with a brand new release, but not the same as banning anything from iTunes.

Still, you make a good point about the DoJ getting in now, learning the market and (hopefully) reminding the players to behave themselves. Thank you for making shrewd observation without the random anti-Apple mentality that seems to haunt these forums so often.

Dear Steve (Balmer)

Not apologising, just trying to understand. Feel free to explain what is going on, based on the facts presented. Please try not to resort to shouting, a spurious example selected from "Hating Apple for Dummies" and vague, unsubstantiated references to "other anti-competitive practices".

My interpretation of an "exclusive" is that nobody else can buy the product except from an approved supplier. It may only be for 24 hours, it may be for two years. The principle is exactly the same.

I don't disagree that Apple's business practices are biased in their favour, but nobody forces you buy an iPhone, get your music from iTunes, run Mac OS X on your iMac or even have anything to do with Apple in the first place.

If you want to argue with Apple apologists, go and comment on Roughly Drafted. I'd just like a little clarity here.

Let me just get this straight...

So, Amazon wants to corner the market with an exclusive track/album (i.e. prevent any other retailer from selling the track until 24 hours after Amazon creamed the early customers).

Apple appear to be using their (not inconsiderable) influence the make the same deal available to all customers at the same time (i.e. iTunes, Amazon, 7digital and so on), and subject to each retailers individual pricing and promotional methods.

Right. Obviously, Apple are evil monopolists and want to crush customer choice. Aren't we lucky that Amazon sending forth its winged monkeys...er, I mean, that the DoJ is standing up for the little guy.

Paris, because she knows all about letting people have exclusive access twenty four hours before allowing everyone to see the goods.

Jobsian Vendetta - Flash stabbed by Mac the Knife

No relation?

I assume that "Tim Cook" is not the same "Timothy D Cook" who is the COO of Apple Inc?

Unless, of course, El Reg is being read by the most influential people these days...

Apple strips top shelf, leaves corporate smut in place

Research isn't what it used to be...

"but it doesn't have any kiddie filtering software"

Oh, apart from the passcode-protected "Restrictions"?

http://www.ehow.com/how_4527941_iphone-tips-parental-controls-restrictions.html

"I spent some time investigating it"

Yeah, that took 0.12 seconds to find on Google.

That said, never underestimate the resourcefulness of kids on a quest for pr0n. There isn't a system in the world that will stop a determined teenager...

Apple to take iPad orders this week?

Alternatives?

"Just wondering what will be the optimum use of this ?? Lemme think."

Apparently, your alternative consists of an N97, a "decent camera", a photoframe and a BlackBerry, all gaffa-taped into one big lump of uncommunicative uselessness.

While the iPad may not appear to be the sleekest or best equipped device in the world, it certainly sounds a lot more attactive than watching you rummaging through your pockets, looking for the gadget you need for whatever task is at hand...

Apple vs the iPad Bedwetters

At last!

It's taken about two weeks, but here is a reasoned discussion about the iPad and what it actually means.

I'm sure that El Reg has enjoyed the many, many pageviews for the umpteen stories about the latest shiny Apple tech, not to mention the earnest (and pointless) comment wars by people quoting specifications and dogma at each other.

This article started to steer the debate in the right direction: Apple are selling an appliance for people who want to passively consume small segments of the internet, along with their own content (or anything else they choose to buy). They are not the sole supplier of music, video, apps and books; while they may seek to set a standard, they will never manage to take over the world.

Perhaps the clue is in the older Apple adverts: "For the rest of us". Those users who want to do more complex things will buy the device that best suits them.

Rogue phishing app smuggled onto Android Marketplace

...and while I'm dreaming, I'd like a pony.

Unfortunately, the world is full of people who will take advantage of the lazy, gullible or inattentive. The closed marketplace (especially for big names staking their reputation, such as Google or, say, Apple) is unavoidable, unless you somehow magically expect everyone to just be nice.

Paris, because she doesn't intend to be tight, opaque or closed.

Facebook swipes user's vanity URL

.com is not the whole world...

Last time I checked (about two minutes ago), squaresheep.net is available for registration.

Not that it will make any difference: when you whore your life out to Failbook, you are dancing to their tune.