Posts by Big_Ted

Microsoft plans midnight launch for Surface

If this was Apple......

All they would need to do is place one Ad in a small town paper that a new "shiney" would be available from midnight on the 25th and the ques would be round the block, the worlds press would go crazy on rumors etc, on the 26th when it turns out its a new camera adaptor for the iphone5 the fanbois would be making excuses why its not the mini and Apple would have got a free sample of how much people want it.....

As this is MS i don't expect there to be any ques let alone camera teams from the news orginisations......

Dream on Bulmer, not many will buy from your pop-up stores as those that do want it soonest will buy from places they know they can return it to if its faulty etc.....

Apple: Blue-shirts can fix iOS Maps in their spare time

I see

Google have now added streetview to mobile web App in browser

Also The New York Times has reported they will have a standalone app by the end of the year.....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19832905

Re: Imagery or give any kind of street view

Don't worry, Apple are working on an app that uses your camera and gps any time the phone is in your hand to take pictures of the local area around you.

These will then be sent to your nearest Apple church for the geniuses to sort out, any that are not usable for streetview but of ahem interest, will of course be used to ensure you keep buying from them and get Apple tatoo'd onto your forehead...

Re: Wasn't it Tomtom data?

Its because they are using data from many sources and putting them together. It is not an easy fix like Google that has everything integrated from the start so is a lot harder to fix, add to that the mess that the 3D imaging is adding and its a long hard fix for them as so many points of interest / businesses are wrongly tagged.

But how

are they going to correct the places that don't exist on the map ?

And are Apple going to get their luw shirts to head out in the luch break checking turn by turn etc? If so expect empty stores in the afternoon.....

The easiest solution is to either put the Google app back on or an "app" that is in fact a bookmark to either google or nokia maps in the browser until they get theirs sorted, with luck they could then drop it again by iOS7.....

Virgin Media's 'bye-bye to buffering' ad nuked by watchdog - AGAIN

30 Meg here and the only thing I have seen buffering is the BBC iPlayer at the start of a program.

Using Unblock-US service I can stream USA Netflix HD content to the TV at the same time as to a tablet both buffer free.

Half the time people moan about buffering and its down to the site they are trying to stream from but the ISP gets the blame, the rest is too many people on the service at the same time, at least VM are trying to manage that with video getting priority in the evenings when most people want to watch stuff at the expence of people downloading porn and illegal copies of US tv shows etc. Yes I know some of us use it for the latest distro etc but hey we also don't site there in the evening waiting for it etc but get on with our lives like watching the last epp of Dr Who at a time that suits us.

Oh an my upgrade to 60Meg happens this month....

Momentum builds for iPad Mini launch

Its an iPod Maxi not an iPad mini.....

St Steve would never have allowed an iPad Mini......

Other than that.....................MEH

Thank Freeview for UK 4G by mid-2013 - NOT the iPhone 5 nor EE

Re: Is it just me?

Its the same as the BB for rural areas....2 companies bidding, BT & Fujitsu, johny forreigner put on bad boys list by UK government so only our boys can get the work......

Oh and please don't look to see if BT give any donations to the Torys as that would not be valid at all............yeh right.

but.......but......but......

The iPhone is magic and revolutionary.....

It much be the iPhone 5 that magically pushed the UK public to the revolutionary understanding of digital TV......

We must use the rest of the money left over for a campaign to educate the public about this so they can all worship at their nearest Apple church........

New science: seas will rise due to CO2 ... but not for centuries

Way to go Lewis.......

Lets talk about a small sea level rise and dismiss everything else.

Fo instance lets ignore any possible changes to the weather due to temperature rises, changes in the Jet stream due to pressure changes, changes to the flow of currents in the oceans and seas such as the ulf stream changing weather patterns again, changes to hurricane strength due to warmer seas on the equator, the fact that Bangledesh no longer exists due to either being under water for much of the year or in a drought depending on weather etc etc, after all the only effect of climate change if it happens is the sea will rise a bit........

Tell that to the American Mid West which is in a long drought that its ok because the drought is just a periodic thing and so its not going to happen more often or that your lands will be waterlogged in the future......

Oh and one last thought, what if rainfall increases a bit over coastal glaciers without the temperature being low enougth to freeze it, well then it sits on the surface and melts the ice under it, that then goes under the glacier, then the glacier moves quicker and more breaks off into the sea / ocean quicker, it doesn't need to melt quickly as its there and already adding to sea rise......

Paul Allen: Windows 8 'promising' yet 'puzzling'

Different views

Paul Allen says "Users can avoid some of these sudden transitions by adjusting Windows' file type associations, and he explains how with detailed instructions."

I say you can avoid them by not installing this OS......

However for myself I just learned how to use the new OS and only see the "Start Screen" on startup before I get to desktop. All my work and stuff is done on desktop and then I have a shortcut to do shutdown. I love the OS start speed and shutdown speed plus it is quicker loadin my programs etc so I for one will stay with it, however if MS offer to give me back the start button I wouldn't say no but I don't miss it that much anyway as thats what the windows button on the keyboard is for.

iPad mini to go on sale in one month?

Please lets get this right....

Its not an iPad mini

It just a big iPod......

Will still be too big due to not being 16:9 to fit in most coat pockets so you will need to buy an iBag to carry it round in....

Motorola's Germany Xbox sales ban castrated by US judges

So the US are saying that.....

they have the right to enforce their laws and court decisions on us in the EU etc ?

Well I say sod off to them, how dare a district court in the US that can't enforce all its decisions inside the US due to different state laws think it has the right to dictate to another country.

I say the EU should set its diplomats on the US government and get them to get the US attorney general to tell this court to stop making themselves look like they think they run the world.

And why would they have the right to tell Motorola where they can sue MS even if a case has already been started, I don't remember Apples favortie judge telling them they had to stop all other actions against Samsung world wide as they were already in court in the US.....

Sharp punches out über-retina phone screen

Re: And in a private message from Samsung to Apple

read the story, its Sharp not Samsung...........

O2, Vodafone allowed to hop onto each other's towers

This will only work is they both win 4G bandwidth

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/27/virgin_lte/

Interesting outcome if Virgin bid for a segment and win it over O2 or Vodafone, seeing as a large amount of data uses VM fibre to the tower already VM might end as a major player in the mobile world, they already have the sales side sorted with Virgin Media and also loads of fiber in a lot of cities. On top of that with the 4G tests and tests of fiber over telephone poles to supply fiber to the home completed it would be quite easy for them to set up a business for 4G and do a deal with another company to supply the 2G/3G part when away from 4G area. VM need to be relivent in the future and really need mobile under their own control to ensure it.

Wonder wht O2 and Voafone will do if one of then does lose to a VM bid......4

Nokia lops UK Lumia prices ahead of Win 8 phones

The 800 on PAYG £159.95 inc £10 topup

White: http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_payg_details.asp?itemkey=641386

Black: http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_payg_details.asp?ItemKey=641379

Cyan: http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_payg_details.asp?ItemKey=641375

Pink: http://www.phones4u.co.uk/shop/shop_payg_details.asp?ItemKey=641387

Intel: Behold the TABLETS of our partners, proof of Win8's MIGHT

Re: This is all well and good BUT....

From Stevie B's comment a week or so ago they will be priced at around the $400-500 dollar for RT (iPad competition) and ultrabook ie $800-1200 for the Pro versions (As stated by him weeks ago that they would be ultrabook prices). On top of that it looks like the keyboard cover will be another $199 on top from an article here a couple of weeks ago with an apparent leaked advert.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/09/17/ballmer_has_no_doubts_about_windows_8/

RIM shares bounce on BlackBerry 10 optimism

Re: So basically...

Watch the vids and tell me your post is the same word for word.

http://crackberry.com/tags/bbjam-2012

It looks very nice and easy to use and will I expect be a hit with company IS departments if not those higher up who make the decisions. Plus the integration of BBM overall will be a hit with the youngsters so could keep it as their phone of choice for a few more years.

Google in new Maps patent row - but not with Apple

I'm in shock

"Now Skyhook claims that Google wilfully infringed on its patents, which it found out about during talks between the two companies. Google's map app - which was recently thrown off Apple's iOS platform - can look to nearby Wi-Fi networks to work out where the user is, provided the networks' locations are known to the search engine.

"Google has been aware of Skyhook's patent portfolio since at least 2005, when Michael Shean, Skyhook's senior vice president, communicated with various Google employees regarding Skyhook's patented wireless location technology," the complaint states.

"Mr Shean further met and communicated with additional Google employees in 2006 and 2007 regarding Skyhook's wireless location technology.""

What they never noticed the option in Android where you decide to use location services as part of the setup.

There has been an option for that for as long as I can see.

On top of that Google have been in the news for years for slurping data from wifi routers, what the hell have this company been doing? if they have valid patents on this then they should have sorted it or been in court ages ago.

This looks to me like another company desperate to get one of 3 results, a big payoff to go away, Google to buy their patents for big money again to get them to go away or for some other company to buy them for trolling purposes....

Windows Store size doubles: Now 0.3% the size of Apple's

MS need to up the number of apps if they expect people to keep their RT tablet more than a day after buying it and finding there is no desktop mode to run all their old programs.

They need more than anything for companies that create programs for windows now to produce tablet alternatives or I can see a high percentage of people taking the tablet back as not fit for purpose due to it not doing what the cheapest netbook can do....

Don't panic: Arctic methane emissions have been going on for ages

Re: Oh dear.

"Big Ted,

This is rediculous, why would I entertain alarmist nonesense about what looks like might happen or possibly has happened with no actual evidence that it is going to happen? Its like you saying to me that that mutant chickens could take over the world because they mutate into 20 times their normal size and eat the rest of the world!! Rediculous drivel!!!

Also, you are making this up, with a statement like "not likely to happen any time soon", how the heck do you know???"

What ?????

Haven't you seen that documentary Food Of The Gods..... http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074540/

Chickens are the least of our worries.

As to what might happen, we might get an ice age due to Greenland ice melting and stopping the Gulf Stream, or the Arctic could go ice free or...or...or... anything is possible including my post, its as likely as no change due to it being Sun Spot activity etc the deniers keep taking comfort in.

Just accept my point for what it is, an extreme consequence of global warming that happened several times in the past and "could" happen again.

Re: Oh dear.

"Big Ted,

More alarmist nonesense caviated with in your words,"could" and "believed", with no cast iron evidence."

Seeing there is no evidence that is 100% either way then your comment is pointless, at least accept that my point is fair and that there is a danger if as beleived this happened before it could happen again, ok its not likely to happen any time soon but it could be a conciquence of not doing anything and in fact the oceans heat up a couple of degrees and start a feedback with more methane causing even more warming....

Oh dear.

Its now the fact the its been releasing for hundreds of years that's the problem, its the rate of release.

Now if you could prove that there is no more being released now than a couple of hundred years ago then that would be news.

The danger with this stuff is that we could reach a tipping point on temperature which leads to a massive release all at once as is believed to have happened during the Permian-Triassic change and participated in the kill off of up to 96% of all marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species becoming extinct. It is the only known mass extinction of insects. Some 57% of all families and 83% of all genera became extinct.

Einstein's brain FOUND ON APPLE iPAD

Can I just say euh......

BT to fibre up another 163 exchanges, coy on exactly where

Re: Does that 75% and 25%

Its a big ripoff using 75% 25% as its 75% of home/businesses not 75% of the country, almost all of Scotland and Wales will not see Fiber from BT, so no to you I'm afraid your best bet for the future in flat Norfolk is 4G.....

Eric Schmidt: Ha ha, NO Google maps app for iPhone 5

Re: maps.google.co.uk

m.google.co.uk/maps

thats the one for mobiles

Samsung slams Apple patent jury, wants new trial in US

Oh dear

"AND then Android has to keep up with iOS and Windows Phone as well."

This has to be one of the most ridiculous comments I have seen today, where please tell does Apple have anything that Android is trying to keep up with ?

Don't bother with the UI, thats 4 years old and was never going to be copied by Android, so come on anti up.

As to Windows, we have to wait to see just what Windows Phone 8 and 7.8 for older handsets offers, once again ignore the UI and where is it better?

I say ignore the UI as that's a purely personal choice issue on the basis of what you like better to use, ie Apples easy to use for anyone, Windows tiles and its compatibility with new windows for desktop/laptop or Android with widgets etc and much more configurable home screen.

Um that's the whole point

"Lot of Samsung employees / fandroids on here. just wait until HTC, Motorola or Asus come out with the next 'best' Android handset and you will drop Sammy like a pile of warm .... well you know."

I have an HTC One not a Samsung as its nearly as good spec wise, but has sense on it as I prefer that.

As an Android user I am not stuck with just the one supplier but have a choice of good handsets from the Huawei Ascend G300 (£100 or £60 at Tesco if you can find one) right up to the top of the line S3 etc, Windows users will have the same choice of budget to high end phones on the OS of their choice, Apple users have on one choice, the iPhone, and any of them you can buy are at premium prices with lower specs than top end Androids and Windows phones (Using the new ones with Windows Phone 8 not the older ones).

Re: why should they?

" Sure, Samsung took a lot of inspiration from Apple's design and processes, just like Apple did from other designers and manufacturers."

I read in an article here about the case that the first thing Apple did was buy a load of different phones and break them down to see exactly how they worked both on software and hardware.

They then used this to come up with a baseline for the iPhone, next they went through the design etc process obviously watching the newer handsets that came to market so as to ensure they didn't leave anything out.

This is ok in their view as they didn't "copy" others however anyone who looked at the iPhone and did the same as they had are evil nasty copiers who should be find gazillions and banned from selling their phones.

Samsung deserve to have a retrial and it should take place as soon as possible and be allowed to accept as much evidence as each side wants to submit. On top of that firstly all bans etc against Samsung should be dropped and they should need to place say 2 Billion with the courts in case they lose but before any of this there should be a case to decide is any of the patents either side are claiming are in fact patent-able or if they should be denied, once that is done we can then get down to a case with a fair result for the winner.

What the US needs more than anything at the moment is a court to be set up with experts who can look at disputed patents and decide quickly if they are ok or not before so much time and money is wasted in court cases. The crazyness is shown up where Samsung have a case with Apple for 8 patents infringed and that is not due to go to court until March 2014, thats 18 months.........

Had to be an AC didn't you

You would never post this comment under your real id as being called out as a pathetic isn't nice.

just go buy an iPhone and use the mapping app to walk around a bit and you will hopefully fall into a river.....

Last remaining reason to order an iPhone 5 disappears

This story misses the point......

The real story is that Apple will make some people wait up to 5 weeks.

So thats 5 million orders and up to 5 weeks to produce them, so on the basis of them having been making them for a while before release they will not sale 50 million before the next one comes out as they can't make enough, more than 80 Million iphone 4 and iphone 4S sold, this would mean a drop of aroung 40% in sales and only just being better than 3G sales.

http://www.imore.com/can-apple-keep-setting-new-iphone-sales-records

Now thats a story for the Reg to post........

ps who do I sned my analyst fees invoice to ?

Motorola, Samsung smash Apple's touchscreen patent claim

Re: Now if they made it two lawyers...

Nah even the cockroaches won't survive.........only the script kiddies and leeters will..........then they will start eating each other.

Microsoft Research man: It all starts with touch

Sorry but

Except for use in games consoles and the like I see no way anything will replace the keyboard and mouse for normal/business use until we get direct input via an implant into the brain.

Too much can't be done without a direct impact on others around you.

Flapping yours arms, flicking your hands, talking at it, gurning your face due to a beard etc etc

just looking at the adverts for xbox with people flapping their arms to change channel makes the whole thing look stupid and a real risk to knocking a hot coffee out of someones hand.

If they want to change one thing that will make a real difference in how we work and interact on simple stuff like email etc then all they need to do is develop a screen that you can adjust the focus on so that people like me can take off their glasses and refocus the screen instead...........

Apple begs ex-Google bods to fix crap maps app

Its an easy fix.......

Apple just need to use their gazillions in cash, buy Google, spin off the maps division into their own business, shut down the Android part and sale the search and ads parts to Facebook.

Anything left over could be sold on the open market less the motorola patents which they can take for themselves so that they have some real ones at last.

There fixed it for them.......

Christian footie match ends in almighty brawl

Say what ?

How on earth in a city the size of Birmingham can you not find enough christians who want to play for a christian team and have to take in non christians....

This is pathetic, and really sets a great standard where christian football teams are worst behaved than the beer swilling pub team friends.

Peeved bumpkins demand legally binding broadband promise from UK.gov

Heres an idea.

Take back some of that money from BT for being too slow and set up a system where if you can't get a minimum speed AND live in the countryside you get 4G at a reduced rate.

This is to continue until BT complete their roll out and supply proper broadband to everyone within a set distance of an exchange.

Then only those who live outside the distance can get the subsidy.

This would have the double plus of pushing BT to hurry up and also help those businesses that are in the country or are home workers who by being where they are contribute to the local economy and job market without forcing more people to commute.

Apple iPhone 5 review

Read this bit and rolled my eyes....

"What you do see every time you look at the display is the improved colour saturation. It’s noticeably brighter and more vivid than earlier iPhone panels and easily on a par with the gaudiness of the Galaxy S III or the upcoming Nokia Lumia 920."

So an obvious fanbois says that the SIII and Lumia 920 have gaudy displays but the same on an iphone is something special.

Lets be honest here, yes its the best iphone ever, but it is not the best phone out there, the UI is old, stale and boring with what looks like a vtech innotab setup, and oh lok a great new feature that you can make panarama photos with it.....err theres been an app or 50 for that for ages on both Apple and iOS, you can even get apps for 360 degree views as well....

If you love the iphone then yes its an ok upgrade but not a great step forward, otherwise the MEH.....

Sleep easy, Tim Cook: Surface, Win8 tablet shipments looking poor

Re: Win RT is a dead end.....

Thats Windows not OS in first paragraph

Win RT is a dead end.....

As it doesn't have a desktop and only runs apps you are stuck with it and will only see updates like you do now on OS.

Unless you love it from the start you will not be happy in the future as you realize just what you are missing.

iOS at least has full updates with extras roughly once a year even if the UI is the same.

Android has come a very long way since Gingerbread and as long as you hardware can cope you can update the software either via normal route or via cyanogen roms etc.

I expect iOS to start adding widgets etc in the future as the upgrade to refresh and for Android to continue to change.

Add to this RIMs new BBX (BB 10) and that could make a big comeback and take whats left of the others and maybe even head back towards the 15-20% if it takes off in business as well as in the third world.

This will IMHO leave MS stuck on low single figure % unless they compete on price at the $200 range for RT and $400-$600 for Pro version with keyboard included.

Re: Well, I know someone who'll buy at least 2

Better video to watch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSj8GUZDuac&feature=related

Hee Hee

Bo matter how much you dislike Stve Jobs he was a natural on stage compared to the MS goofs....

Lightning strikes fresh iPad Mini shots

ummmm

Yes, it's a small iPad with a display of the same aspect ratio as the current model - witness the identical 4 x 4 grid of app icons.

looks more like 4 x 5 icons to me.

If this was real I would expect it to be released around October not now as many thought purely as it would be less likely to be in competition with the ifoam 5....

Acer takes fight to Nexus 7 with seven-inch Iconia tablet

Looking at the picture

Its either no so long or more likely has much wider side bezels in portrait mode.

As said above the Nexus 7 has to be the one to go for as its pure Google Android and you will get fast updates for much longer than I would expect with this.

Apple 'hasn't really run out of iPhone 5s AT ALL'

Re: LOL

Or start manufacturing them 3 weeks earlier by stoping production of the 4S which has seen sales figures drop due to the 5 coming soon press stories....

so no you don't need more capacity just to stop making so many of the old version which won't sale hardly at all for a few weeks until they are cheap enougth

Not again...........

When was the last time they released an iphone or iapd that was OOS within a couple of hours for online ordering.

They know that they will have at least x million online sales by the release day so it would not be hard to get together with Foxconn etc to arrange to have that many plus as many extra needed for resellers and network operators etc and a date when they would be ready.

Its not "Magical and revolusionary" thinking after all, its simple business practice. They obviously want people to think there is a limited supply so they que up at the Apple stores and get online stories about shortages, its the cheapest publicity possible and has the added benifit of getting the Fanbois foaming at the mouth to buy something they don't need if they already have a 4S anyway......

Google defends drowning Acer's newborn Alibaba Linux mobe

..........."Google's response is to argue that while Aliyun isn't Android it does make use of Android frameworks and tools, and includes an Android runtime which has really upset the Googleplex:

"Aliyun uses the Android runtime, framework and tools. And your app store contains Android apps (including pirated Google apps)," says the blog posting from Andy Rubin, concluding: "If you don't want to be compatible, then don't expect help from OHA members.".........."

As I see it Google looked at this OS, said to themselves "They are using our IP without our OK to produce an OS and App store with apps that they don't have permition to use" That is blatant theft, Google then saying to Acer that if they are part of the theft of Googles IP then they can no longer use that IP seems to be to be far and resonable.

If Alibaba want to have their own OS they should not be using Googles Android and donig a parcial rewrite but like others should take Android and add their own extras like HTC sence etc.

Office to propel Windows tablets past Android in 2015

"Microsoft, he feels, both gets the need for a good content ecosystem and has the muscle to summon it into existence, "

OOooo how are MS going to suddenly find millions of mp3's videos and ooks for that content ?

Oh and on the office side you can already view and edit office documents on both Android and iOS devices.

Add to that the purchase by Google earlier in the year of Quick Office which they could add to Android as a standard part like Maps etc and why would Office on a windows tablet be a unique selling point any more......

Once again an analyst prooves that the first four letters of analyst tell you all you need to know about them......

German court turkey-slaps Motorola in patent case

Its just bloody stupid.

You should not be able to patent anything unless you can touch it or its a method for producing something solid.

Everything else should be under copyright laws, it would then be a simple process on all these, if what you have in the UI is something never done before seen before or your code has been coppied etc then you can seek compensation and the removal of the infringment, ie this bounce thing, if it was copyrighted and has never been seem before then Apple could seek damages for infringment and demand its removed from products via a software update.

It should not be possible to get kit banned from sale etc just over something as stupid as this.

Hate the Windows 8 touch UI? Try Kinect-like finger shaking instead

I can see it now....

Every time you eat a sandwich, sip your coffe or scratch you nose etc the screen changes and you have to switch back.

Thanks but no thanks.....

Google's Nexus 7 tabs 'can't perform' if flash RAM crammed

Re: You get what you pay for

"Cheap Tablet = Crap Tablet

Simple"

Crap Tablet = Walled Garden = Apple = Very Expensive Tablet

There fixed it for you

Or alternatively

Do what I did, took the cost of a new iPad and bought the Nexus for at home use as I don't need the storage for video / music / audio books etc as they are on my NAS, then bought a 64GB playbook for all the media needs along with email and browsing at work where apps are not needed so much. Add in the cost of screen protectors, cases and a rapid charging dock for the playbbook and it was still less than the iPad.

Each one does exactly what I want perfectly without the worry of carrying it to and from work as my phone covers that.