* Posts by Chris Beach

150 publicly visible posts • joined 29 May 2007

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Facebook IP protection is only for companies that join

Chris Beach
Go

FaceBook

tbh I'm with FaceBook on this one. If you’re not going to have a page and use FaceBook, then why should FaceBook 'protect' your string of characters?

Ok if a person with a 'trademarked' name page has slanderous or damaging statements about said trademark then Facebook should shut it down pronto.

Trademark law like copyright law is being abused by companies who assume their rights trump everyone elses.

waiting for the news story about 'running out of trademarkable words'...

Google aims at mobile operators' money supply

Chris Beach
WTF?

Screw the Operators

Not sure why the operators can get away with all this whinging over revenues? It seems slightly illogical to offer something at less than it costs, and then whinge that your not making money.

It really isn't our fault your business practice and management skills suck.

If the price is too high for the consumer, then either you will invest and make it cheaper to run and therefore lower cost to us. Or the whole thing will be replace by something cheaper/better/faster.

Keeping it going with alternative and technically unrelated income streams is just stupid in the long term for the operators and the consumers.

TechCrunch dubs Linux a 'big ol’ bag of drivers'

Chris Beach

drivers

Drivers are actually the biggest issue.

Ok so chrome os works on the standard intel atom...ok wonderful...doesn't allow me to browse the net though, as I've got a 3g dongle which needs drivers.

So if Google realise this, and work with Huwaei (is there *any* other manufacture of 3g dongles???) and make sure that all of their dongles work without issue. Then Google might just be on to something.

As although I've got more than just a browser loaded, 95% of my use is web, and another 3% msn and other chat progs.

Orange UK exiles Firefox from call centres

Chris Beach

Security Reasons

Some of the web dev guys here wanted FF or IE8 but were told they couldn't have it due to 'security concerns'...wtf? All we can possibly think is that with IE6 they can and have locked down the internet options (all of them, but specifcally the proxy). And they are worried that having a different browser would allow us to bypass said proxy.

Microsoft enlists WSUS, ex-Superman, and puke in IE8 push

Chris Beach

Just got IE6

bah, we've just got IE6 too...

iPhone v Pre - the celebrity smartphone deathmatch

Chris Beach

Keyboard = Full Screen

grr, another one! Yet another review that fails to point out one big advantage/disadvantage to physical v virtual keyboards. The display! On every virtual keyboard to date you loose anywhere from 33-70% of the screen.

Which means all the fancy UI gets covered and you get about 2-4 lines of text in, just like an old school nokia ...wonderful progress that!

The Pre's keyboard may not be the best but at least you can still see the email/text/web page your typing your reply to!

HTC Touch Pro2

Chris Beach
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Android

If only HTC would take the nice designs and build quality and replace the Win3.1 homage with a proper up to date OS.

Hell why not offer both OS's? Winmo for the poor suits tied to exchange and Android for the rest of us.

So what we do when ID Cards 1.0 finally dies?

Chris Beach

Benefits

There needs to be some benefits for the public, otherwise whats the point? No, 'reduced costs' and prevention of terrorism aren't benefits because we don't get the money saved and we're not actually terrified to begin with.

So if I'm going to have my addresses stored on a centralized database, then I should never need to tell any financial/utility company ever again that I've moved, and in fact it should then become illegal for random companies to store my details.

Or I should be able to go to this centralized database and tick 'no spam mail/phone/email' and some one sends some then it should be an instant fine (proceeds split between me and the gov)

If I'm eligible for a benefit then I should get it, instantly, after all you know all my details, so there should be no more of this OAP's/families having to constantly form fill.

Microsoft cries foul over Google Outlookware

Chris Beach

Fix it?

Instead of whinging maybe MS could fix the bug that caused Google to turn of the indexer?

Do people really think that Google would make such a choice for fun? or spite?

Non-beta Google betas may lose beta tags

Chris Beach

Kill the lawyers...

Maybe that's the plan, after all its due to them that this kinda stupidity has to exist. Without the beta tag Google would need an old IBM-style army of lawyers to protect itself form the mass of moronic muppets raising lawsuits every time they changed something.

Nokia's Ovi store mostly unavailable and empty

Chris Beach

Can't even get the app...

Can't even get the app on my N95 8gb...and no the website isn't a good enough alternative.

Google: The internet is 'the right programming model'

Chris Beach

Timing

In typical google fashion the latest dev build of chrome has the video tag support in it.

http://googlechromereleases.blogspot.com/2009/05/dev-channel-release-301822.html

Google accused of selling free clicks

Chris Beach
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beh

Ok so due to malware and squatters, advertisers don't know the quality of service Google provides. Yet somehow the problem isn't with the malware and squatters but Google?

Does he really think the solution is for Google to 'fix' something and leave the malware and squatters where they are?

I think he must have learn't his problem management skills from the government.

Fox terminates The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Chris Beach

Let them Finish

Why don't Fox put in their contracts that the series has to 'end'....not just stop because some it hit some random beancounter number.

Cancelling I'm fine with, but not when the story isn't finished.

btw Dollhouse does get a lot better, and ep1 was arsed about with by Fox (the whole bike bit), and shown out of order, causing silly edits in other eps. However the central concept works quite well.

New Kindle: Wider, but still no broadsheet

Chris Beach

Foxit eSlick

For those that are interested until they see the price...have a look at Foxit's eSlick:

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/ebook/

Public rejects Time Warner metered-bandwidth tests

Chris Beach
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Overpriced!

1$ per gb...that's just silly money. it's might be nice for marketing muppets but its a out and out rip-off for the customers. Is TW's network and peering arrangements that screwed up that it costs 1$/gb to deliver data to their customers?

Google throws secret auto-updater to open sorcerers

Chris Beach

Why?

Why on earth do companies think they need updater's running in the background? Do any of them ever release updated daily? let alone more than once a day?

Why not just do a check when launched?

Secondly, Microsoft really need to open up and promote the windows update, so that users can just use the one update system!

Google chief lectures newspapers

Chris Beach

So

So the newspapers are saying: Google makes money from our online efforts, and we don't. Which really begs the question: Why then are the newspapers still publishing online? Why not scrap all that and save the money.

Oh wait its that new fangled business practise where you depend 99% on a third party, and whinge when their business doesn't make you as much money as you'd like!

Bunch of useless muppets!

Privacy campaigner vows legal challenge to Google Street View

Chris Beach

Public Privacy

It's complete idiocy to expect privacy when your using public services. You have a right to walk on the roads, and everyone else as a right to look at you while your doing so!

Google are blurring faces/number plates which is more than enough to protect the public.

If this moron succeeds then I hope the ruling is then applied to every single 'security' camera, which is no different to google's streetview.

Now as for spying into front rooms (ala mr and mrs boring) then its just a lack of definition. Your house is not defined as private, its just not 'public'.

Google in Chrome rebetafication

Chris Beach
Paris Hilton

beh?

Urm, chrome has had multiple channels for ages, the newest is not beta, but the dev one, which changes almost weekly.

You can change to less stable easily using http://dev.chromium.org/getting-involved/dev-channel, going to more stable needs a reinstall though.

Paris cos she knows lots about well used channels...

YouTube blocks music videos in UK

Chris Beach

Go YouTube...

YouTube are right, the mess of convoluted licenses for entertainment products is insane, and every one of the *iaa mafia and its clones wants a piece of the cut...so the license money never benefits the actual creators at all.

The whole thing needs scrapping and rebuilding.

Vista to XP 'downgrade' lawsuit revised

Chris Beach

MS aren't at fault

If the pre built pc (which I'm assuming it must be) came with vista, then yes, she was 'forced' to buy a vista license, in the weakest sense...as she's not forced to buy anything.

If the reseller was charging more for XP, then she might have a case if they can't justify the costs, but only against the reseller.

MS and Vista don't stop you installing any OS over the top...you just need a valid license for the OS some are free, some aren't.

Unfortunately for her MS have decided not to sell an old product, so what? Lots of companies do it, nothing wrong with it, can't really fault MS here either.

So unless she has proof that MS force the reseller to charge more for the XP license, she's got no case.

Iomega muffs hard drive DLNA testing

Chris Beach
Thumb Down

Pointless standard...

And yet another pointless 'standard' fails utterly and causes more problems that it was supposed to solve.

Has there even been a 'standard' with 100% compliance? The newer the standard the less likely it is to work!

Microsoft SKUs Windows 7 clarity

Chris Beach
Unhappy

Still No Family Pack?

So the advanced home users are screwed over again, and family's are still expected to pay stupid amounts to upgrade all their pc's, which they wont do and just download a pirated copy.

Any news on if we'll get screwed over on the 32/64 bit issue again? Or will they at least make sure each of these sku's just has the one combined disk?

User-generated reviews - blessing or bull?

Chris Beach
Unhappy

Barely Useful

Most UGC is barely useful, you have to dig through pages of crap for a review that says more than just 'its good/bad'. That's not a problem on sites like Amazon or Play, but those 'shopping' sites that tout this crap as 'reviews' need shutting down. They pollute the search results, are factually incorrect or incomplete (if your lucky!).

Google kills iPhone-optimized iGoogle

Chris Beach
Thumb Up

Good for Google

A device specific web page sucks, esp one with such a limited market. They should put the effort into making the one site the more compatible.

Google AdWords: 11 herbs and spices revealed

Chris Beach
Happy

Good for the user

The idea that the same ad doesn't keep appearing sounds better for the user of the site...the more variation in the ad's the more likely you are to read them...maybe even click (though I'm still not sure why anyone does that???)

I know I ignore all ad's i've seen before.

EU says Microsoft violated law with IE on Windows

Chris Beach

Yet is usage is declining...

Given that IE usage is declining, doesn't that show that competition is healthy? and ie's bundling isn't anything to waste taxpayers money on? They are making moves to make IE compatabile, surely that's the actual issue?

This is just pointless MS bashing.

Rogue Android apps rack up hidden charges

Chris Beach

Not the apps at fault

Not really the apps at fault is it?

Android, being basically unfinished, added an option that doesn't work properly.

More mobile makers join Android alliance

Chris Beach

re: ARM Linux

can't see why it would, ARM are mainly about the hardware after all, so they ideally want their hardware running any software platform.

Inside Microsoft's 'New Xbox Experience'

Chris Beach

Harsh

Bit harsh in places...I can't see the similarity with the PS3's or the Wii's. The PS3 is boring beyond belief, with a pita navigation and 2 different 'id' schemes. Luckily its a damn good and cheap bluray player. The Wii's is better, but extremely limited, and suffers from to much plain white. Good for the low res output though.

Both the old and the new xbox interfaces have been bold and colourful though, inviting you to play. The old one was too rounded and cheery and didn't suit the mass of content that the xbox provides. The newer one has toned it down a bit, and improved the handling of content.

Not sure on the avatars (though the customisability is far better than the Wii), they do seem a bit copycaty, and without a point.

I've always thought the xbox is a gaming machine first and foremost, I think the new interface does a good job of keeping that feeling, but making the extra's better integrated.

Without typo-squatters, how far would Google fall?

Chris Beach

How is this Google's fault?

I'm sorry but Google didn't hand over these misspelled domains, but oh wait actually going after the registar's that did would a lot of hard work and without the publicity of attacking a well known brand.

This slam against Google suffers from the same idiocy as a lot of the previous ones, in that some is assuming that Google 'knows', and worse should 'judge' what is a legal or illegal. Which is bullcrap, that kind of decision needs to stay with the courts.

US wireless pioneer to carriers: Don't be European

Chris Beach

Google has content?

what the hell is this guy on about?

google doesn't have much content at all, it just makes more of our content available, in a much easier and simpler manner than any telco could.

If he had properly looked at the euro carriers he would see, every single 'walled garden' approach has failed spectacularly. 3 being the perfect example, if they had launched with open mobile broadband, instead of their 3 pages of content and some pixilated footy clips, they might have done better, as they didn't they are now struggling to compete with mvno's.

utter moron

Google smears Chrome on 'sacred' home page

Chris Beach
Unhappy

you mean like last time

so this story is about Google advertising one of its new products on the home page. Just like it did with iGoogle and various others, and basically couldn't be more un-newsworthy.

but i guess i'm posting a comment, making my whole argument fubar.

Group Test: Wireless music streamers

Chris Beach
Thumb Up

SqueezeBox all the way

I've got the one of the original handbuilt sliMP3 players and one of the newer SqueezeBox3's, both streaming easily from my Netgear/Infrant NAS.

One of the biggest strengths of the SlimDevices/Logitech solution is the software, its very customizable (with gui's for all types of phones, and smaller screens) and it has a very active development. and it looks like Logitech has done exactly what it should have done with the purchase, uses its larger size for more 'fancy' models. The Duet and the new boombox version are good editions. Which you can add (and sync if required) to any existing setup.

Also for the proper audiophile there's the £1k Transporter which has excellent sound quaility (although there is also an active hardware modding scene for the 'normal' squeze boxes).

For someone that likes the idea of multiroom, but have different requirements/space in each room, i'd say the logitech solution is the most flexible.

The Sonos is impressive, but so far I've not seen any review saying it outclasses the squeezeboxes in audio quality, so why pay the extra money??

Reding tells Euro MPs to back telecoms reforms

Chris Beach

Japan?

Doesn't Japan or South Korera already have something like this?

Ofcom considers termination charges

Chris Beach
Thumb Down

Pay for Spam

Wonderful, they now want me to pay for the privalage of being pestered by useless pond scum marketters

Termination fees only just about made sense in the states because of the lack of coverage, unregulated operators and their ancient network.

But as we're seeing, the network over there is maturing slowly (still far behind europe, and a distant speck compared to the asian markets) and termination fees are being dropped.

Dabs.com courier goes titsup

Chris Beach

pity

Big pity that, as Amtrak were a good carrier. Actually offered delivery times for when you were in the house, unlike shitylink which at most offer morning or afternoon (if they can be arsed) between when you leave for work and before you get back.

Deutsche Post axes massive HP services deal

Chris Beach
Unhappy

wish we could dump 'em too

but the muppets at the top just roll over at let HP implement some half backed undocumented desing for the entire enterprise, stuffing us for years to come...but it saved money now, so thats good.

Handset sales drop for first time in mobe history

Chris Beach

Time to market

I think the other reason, is that the operators are far far too slow at bringing out the handsets. Take the HTC Diamond, it was announced ages ago and Orange was mentioned as being the first operator to have, and its still not on the Orange web site.

Now it might be the old paper launch trick, if so the operators really should group together to force the manufactures to only launch when they actually have product!

Personally I've gone to sim free, more choice of better phones, and I can upgrade whenever I like. As long as your sensible and upgrade every 1y/1.5y your not going to loose any more money than with a contract upgrade.

Google's Great American Wireless Auction 'game' annoys US lawmakers

Chris Beach
Stop

...wait...what?

The lawmakers are annoyed at Google? Didn't the lawmakers, sitting in the telco's pocket, put this arbitary trigger in the auction in the first place?

It's a pretty stupid way of deciding policy after all!

If the FCC had done as Google and many others recommended, and make the US airwaves a little less monopolized then this would never have happend.

Google's riches rely on ads, algorithms, and worldwide confusion

Chris Beach

uh, good?

I'm not sure I care that Google's system is complicated and possibly unfair. If your business model relies purely (either for making money, or driving visitors which make you money) on a 3rd party then you deserve to fail.

Should Europeans pay to receive phone calls?

Chris Beach
Alert

moronic

Why the hell do you want to go down the american route? Out of the 3 main mobile areas, Europe, Asia and the US. The US are dead last with there incompatible carriers and last generation handsets.

The pissant coverage, and lack of standards is a bigger reason for the americans needing to pay to receive, its got naff all to do with encoraging use.

They honestly are proposing that we pay for the spam calls from mobile shops pretending to be your operator, or any other random muppet that accidently calls us?

It also goes against the rest of the policys the EU pushes where all costs should be upfront, clear and obvious.

There is only one case where the receiver should possibly pay, and that if its consumer calling a business...ie call us anywhere anytime its free type of thing.

IPFI chief says it's time to hose down the networks

Chris Beach
Paris Hilton

Idiocy.

bit of a rant but...

They still don't get it. The entertainment industry cannot blame the decline of their business models on anybody else but themselves.

ISP's cannot and will not filter if they want any hope of still being in business, and why should they? Is the IPFI offering to compensate them for the loss of customers? Are they going to compensate any legitmate users who's traffic gets blocked incorrectly by overzealos filters?

Besides how can you have technological solution to something that can't be fully stated and defined? how can the filter correctly know whats copyright, or whats fair use? when the highest courts in the various countries can't?

Btw where is the news about films & TV being canned or artists being dropped? Why are they still producing content if they keep telling us its not making them enough money? Surely thats a bit daft?

Warner to back a single HD disc format?

Chris Beach
Stop

Capacity WONT win it

To those that cling on to the fact the bluray has the higher capacity, means its better and will therefore win...you are overlooking a major point: 2 is better than 1. i.e. marketteers everywhere know that 2 disc editions will sell more than 1 disc, even when the 1 disc contains all of the 2 disc!

2discs also mean that the 'extras' disc can be universal language, and only the feature disc needs the extra subtitles etc, which means cheaper production costs.

Are there any movies that even use the full capacity of bluray?

I'm still surprised that there are any bluray fans left after all of this profile pissing about. A fanboy would go through 3 players before we get to profile 1.2 which we think is final version! PS3 is by far the only bluray player worthgetting...pity its odd shape and nonstandard formfactor make it useless for home cinema nuts with their av cabinets!

Just get the samsung dually!

Google fitted with (temporary) Digg implant

Chris Beach
Alert

and shopping sites

it'd also be good to remove those crappy shopping price checkers, esp the ones that pretend to review as well!

also why bookmark? if your browser loads google by default, then typing a word is probably quicker than picking it from a list (esp if you've got a smaller screen and don't have the bookmarks sidebar visible.

Google Maps Mobile knows where you are

Chris Beach

Orange had this ages ago

Orange's Near Me portal feature had this ages ago, I remember using it on the first windows mobile smartphone. It was handy for pub finding:)

Modest reform efforts mask tough issues in gTLD reform

Chris Beach

Or Highly Regulate It?

One idea would be to highly regulate the gTLD's.

In the example given, Apple the pc/ipod manufacture would only be eligible for apple.com, as its a global commerical enitiy. Apple the organisation would be eligible for apple.org. Apple Co the mom & pop store would only be eligible for apple.co.us being a commercial entitiy in the us. It would not be eligible for appleco.com, as its not a global corporation.

If there are two global Apple corporations, or two local Apple's then it would first come, first served.

If Apple wanted a specific url for the uk, or for a product, then they are entiled to use prefixes...ie uk.apple.com, or ipod.apple.com, they wouldn't be able to just grab every url with any mention of any product they might or might not release (see ati/nvidia for abusers of this).

i.e. base the tld's on the exisiting and well established business rules first.

Microsoft vs European Commission: the verdict

Chris Beach

Bundling wasn't the issue!

The problem wasn't the bundling of media player, but that a 3rd party couldn't 'replace' it, with the same level of functionality. And its disappointing that the EU didn't have the ability to work that simple fact out.

and where are the actions against Apple? Isn't it the same issue, you can't remove QT or Safari and still expect the OS to work. At least I can get 3rd party apps that can fully playback WindowsMedia, I can't say the same for mov's!

Any port in a storm: the display tech battle

Chris Beach

HDMI not for Pro's

I thought that professional installers didn't like HDMI at all, the lack of secure connections meant that loose connections are a problem. And that shouldn't have existed on a modern connector.

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