* Posts by Mevi

30 publicly visible posts • joined 13 Oct 2010

Raspberry Pi Foundation releases operating system for PCs, Macs

Mevi

Re: Acer Revo Nettop

I'll try it out after the Xmas stresses. This Revo has been in my old tech box unused for a few years, each time I load up something non Windows, the audio and/or video is screwed up.....

Mevi

Acer Revo Nettop

If audio over HDMI works, this might be ideal.

Botched Microsoft update knocks Windows 8, 10 PCs offline – regardless of ISP

Mevi

I thought it was my powerline plugs

I've been looking at my powerline adapters as the cause of this for weeks. A repower of either end was getting me back on the network. Not happened for days, so I'll try the netsh commands next time.

Intel's Compute Sticks stick it to Windows To Go, Chromecast

Mevi

power button

I considered one of these for the downstairs wall-mounted TV to keep things tidy, but how do you press the power button when needed?

Otherwise, the stick and it's trailing wires will be sticking out of a side HDMI port... yuk

Still just as cheap to velcro a SILENT 7" windows tablet to the back of the TV, too.

TalkTalk 'fesses up to MEGA data breach

Mevi

Talk Talk *IS* the scam

My partner was told that Talk Talk was a great ISP by a salesman in town and she signed up on the spot.

I have to speak to them whenever they fuck up billing or bundled channels or send the router and engineer to the wrong address when we had someone stay home and then they complain that we were not there..... she gets 'phone rage' pretty easy. I'm putting off our current complaint of regular dropped ADSL connections and missing channels for a few more days as I just can't face another lost evening talking to a script-reading out-sourced Mumbai call centre jockey who WILL hang up the moment we go off-script.

DARPA's 'Cortical Modem' will plug straight into your brain

Mevi

Prime Directives

1: Serve the public trust

2: Protect the innocent

3: Uphold the law

4: (Classified)

RIP Windows RT: Microsoft murders ARM Surface, Nokia tablets

Mevi

I only read this as the Surface RT product line is dead...

"ARM devices will continue to be a crucial part of the range of devices Windows 10 supports, with an optimized experience for ARM-based phones, phablets and small tablets up to 8 inches."

There will still be ARM based tablet devices, only that those with an OG Surface RT or Surface 2 (and,I guess, the other non-Microsoft RT based tablets) will not get W10.

I am imagining a time that OEMs of ARM based <8" tablets get free W10 sans desktop licences, similar to the current "8.1 with Bing" arrangement. I read something, somewhere from Microsoft in recent days that suggested that <8" devices won't get desktop.

Want a cheap Office-er-riffic tablet? Microsoft Windows takes on Android

Mevi

early win 8.x tablet adopter

I have a 10" Lenovo Tablet 2, originally running 8, then 8.1, then 8.1 update.

I only use a few modern apps (mail, games), and stick mostly to the desktop. Mine came with a pressure sensitive stylus, which helps when websites need a mouse hover, or if I need to click something tiny. Firefox runs the Theme Font Size Changer extension to make the buttons big for my sausage fingers.

I read that the short standby time of the tablet 2 was caused by the sound driver preventing a low power connected standby state. Adding a scheduled task to mute the sound going into standby made a huuuge difference. There are built in diagnosis tools for Linx owners to investigate, maybe?

The key to getting 32GB to be workable is to go into the properties of each the library folders (documents, music, video, etc.) and move them to a premium brand fast SD card. I keep meaning to put in some time to reinstall with WIM boot,but it's not a priority.

Thinking of picking up a Linx 7 and velcro-ing it to the back of the TV as a 2nd HTPC. I think my iPad 1 is worth more on eBay than the £30 trade in.

UK retailers in TABLET PRICE SLASH BONANZA

Mevi

Re: IPad 1s for under a ton

don't do it... I was an early adopter.

iPad 1 runs OK on iOS 4.3 (I downgraded mine with a little effort), but with few apps supporting that version. iOS 5 borked the iPad 1 as the 256MB RAM (I think) means modern websites cause safari to crash. OK for playing Angry Birds. Even Fruit Ninja is a low FPS disappointment.

Human DNA 'will be found on moon' – Brian Cox

Mevi

wouldn't... be so bad.... IF... it didn't... take him... so long to say...... THINGS.

Antarctic ice THICKER than first feared – penguin-bot boffins

Mevi
Trollface

Pentium Anniversary Edition, 4.8Ghz overclock on liquid cooling. Great temps say research team.

Tor exit node mashes malware into downloads

Mevi

Never ever trusted TOR enough to use it

Surely, adding multiple anonymous men-in-the-middle to your Internet traffic makes you an attractive, complacent and vulnerable target for malicious anonymous men-in-the-middle?

Big dinosaur wowed females with its ENORMOUS HOOTER

Mevi
Thumb Down

artist's impression....

....needs more feathers.

Firefox's touchy-feeling Windows 8 makeover now in beta

Mevi

TIFKAM browsers are not allowed to use plugins or extensions, as per MS rules..... no adblock plus, no disconnect, no ghostery, no script blocking........ THE HORROR!

I use my Lenovo Tablet 2 in desktop mode, with desktop Firefox.

Big Beardie's watching: Alan Sugar robots spy on Tesco petrol queue

Mevi

Re: App Idea for Google Glass:Ad Blocker for your face

what, like this?

http://youtu.be/JI8AMRbqY6w

Google burns promise of 'no big banner ads'. Don't Be Evil next?

Mevi

Nectar card

I got an email from Nectar, offering me servicing for my FORD. I guess BP and their reg number cameras shared that info.

If I wasn't getting points on company fuel card purchases, I'd probably cut up that mofo card. The nectar card isn't used for any other purchases.

I dropped Google for duckduckgo and disable ad trackers in the browser. This is the reason I use desktop browsers on my w8 tablet, as the TIFKAM browsers can't use extensions or plugins.

Wait for it, waaiiit for it: We update an Atom tablet to Windows 8.1 Pro

Mevi

Article reflects my experiences....

...on a Lenovo tablet 2.

the download was interrupted a few times, but hitting retry resumed that.

it all works apart from the Intel graphics driver crashing (and recovering) when coming out of connected standby. hopefully Lenovo will prepare a 8.1 driver for the Table 2, as Intel won't do that for them.

I am also happy to see 6GB or so of extra eMMC freed up, even when I am a keen CCleaner user.

RIP charging bricks: $279 HP Chromebook 11 charges via USB

Mevi

lenovo tablet 2

My eBay bargain Lenovo charges over micro-USB. Even using the supplied 2A charger, I don't get anywhere near a full charge during my typical 8 hour night of sleep. Nice to only have to put one charger in my bag for my stuff and be able to easily charge off a 12v cigarette lighter adapter.

Microsoft delivers baker's dozen of patches on Tuesday

Mevi
IT Angle

yeah, .NET4. Grrrrrrrrrr.

It's always bugged me that they don't fix the 40MB installer, but tack on that load of patches after install.

Each new patch reveals a new set of patches. A clean install from W7 sp1 needs a few hours of updates and reboots before being fully roadworthy. Can they not just release another sp for 7? Pleeeeeeeeeease?

Acer Iconia W3: The first 8-inch Windows 8 Pro tablet

Mevi

it's a shame

I've been using W8 on my 2nd hand i7 EliteBook lappy since launch and been very happy with it, so when it came time to retire my jailbroken ipad 1, I've been considering a x86 tablet as I do prefer being free with my app choices, browser privacy extensions and functionality.... and being able to PRINT.

I have read many reviews of this tablet and they all state very similar drawbacks.

I went down my local PCWorld for a W8 tablet hands-on and tried out a £429 10" Asus VivoTab (the only x86 on display), which felt quite nice and had a decent screen. Same Atom processor, performance seemed adequate for light use. On a 10" screen, desktop mode was horribly fiddly and the on screen keyboard must be manually launched from the tray.... then takes up half the screen. TIFKAM and IE10 were quite nice to use.

I would probably end up carrying my little bluetooth keyboard/trackpad everywhere with it.... and the PSU. Hey, I have a decent laptop, so for now I will pass. I'll give it 6 months and look again.

Windows 8.1: Here at last, but is it good enough?

Mevi
Meh

that 'start' button on the task bar

It now appears on both the desktop and on the start screen. That just removes the need for a physical start button on Windows tablets, doesn't it? I don't see that it serves any other purpose.

The cynic in me says this is only to the benefit of the manufacturers & hardware designers.

Idaho patriots tool up to battle Jihad with pork bullets

Mevi

Firing meat projectiles

A la rubber bullets. Effective crowd control?

Priest blessing the water in water cannons?

RPBs, Rocket Propelled Bibles..... Ok, now I'm just getting silly.

Windows 8.1: 'It's good for enterprises, too,' says Redmond

Mevi
Thumb Up

I kinda like W8 Pro

I only paid £15 for it.

.....but I don't use the Modern UI or any of the apps. I can't say that i've ever been start menu dependent, anyway. Overall performance and battery life on MY hardware (3 year old i7 EliteBook lappy, high CPU usage music production) is better than W7 Pro. If they can better integrate TIFKAM into the OS and make search less clunky, then it's maybe worth my time to upgrade to 8.1.

I'm due to retire & replace my iPad 1 this summer, and I'd consider a x86 W8 tablet.

Moses tablets ease Noah's flood headaches

Mevi
Alert

Take an umbrella

Capacitive touchscreens don't work properly when wet, or at all if immersed in water.

Boffins build gesture recognition using WiFi

Mevi
Meh

Passive Radar

It reminds me of passive radar, in that it uses the interractions of an object with radio waves of other systems.

Personally, I feel a bit of a knob interacting with tech by waving my arms and speaking loudly and clearly to it..... It's all a bit like ordering food at a restaurant when away on holiday. What is wrong with keyboard shortcuts?

Lovefilm debuts movie streaming app

Mevi
Unhappy

Jailbroken?

The app informed me that my iPad is jailbroken and so streaming content will not play. Damn.

Israeli firm readies pocket-friendly desktop PC

Mevi
Black Helicopters

I think Israeli computers are safe to use

...as MOSSAD is mostly using sharks and vultures to do their dirty deeds these days.

Boxee box to come to Blighty

Mevi
Thumb Down

I really like Boxee, but...... £200?

I run boxee, et al on an Acer Revo 3610 running W7 that I paid just a little more than £200 for.

They gotta get that price down or it's doomed.

Lovefilm confirms PS3 streaming scheme

Mevi
Pint

HTPC

I've got an Acer Revo screwed to the wall behind my TV. Until there's a better solution, I'm watching LoveFilm fullscreen from my web browser. Be nice to ditch the keyboard/mouse and use the WMC remote, one day.

Boxee & NeverMiss.tv take care of a lot of my other online content.

Mevi
Welcome

LoveFilm's content

I have a LoveFilm subscription...

Ok, so there's a few thousand streaming movies, but most of them the kind of give-away guff that other legal movie providers put on their sites to lure in potential paying customers.

That said, if you have the patience to wade through all that crap, there ARE some really good movies and movies that are SOOOOOO shockingly bad, they're just awesome. If you like old B movies and explotation movies, this will tick all the boxes.

Be nice to get an XBOX360 and WMP plugin too.