Posts by dom0410

Opera embraces Google's open source JPEG killer

PROTIP Number 2:

You can access speed dial items 1-9 even more quickly by simply pressing ctrl+the number. You don't need to be focussed on the address bar to do this.

I am usually a fan of Opera updates however this one messed up the ordering of my speed dial on two computers (and thus the keyboard/address shortcuts) and I had to manually rearrange it. I also don't like the massive + icon for adding a new item to the speed dial but thankfully that can be disabled.

To be honest I'd like a greater focus on stability now: I still find Opera hangs now and again on several machines running Windows Vista and 7 (although no problems on XP).

I like Firefox 4 but it doesn't have the features I want without adding extensions which slow it down, and IE9 is pretty good but again lacking in features (mouse gestures, specifically).

Santander blames Firefox 4 for website fail

Could be worse..

Islington Council's online street problem reporting service doesn't work with IE9, Firefox 4, or Opera 11. In other words I simply cannot use it. Maybe its a convenient way for them to have less work to do..

iPhone to whup Sony PSP 2

I disagree

"Most people still carry MP3 players, even though most phones have had this capability for years."

Most people used to carry MP3 players because the music players on phones were too awkward to use (all phones had different ways of connecting to computers) or they could not use their own earphones (and the phones came supplied with crap earphones). Now most phones use micro-USB cables and 3.5mm sockets for earphones I think most people are using their phones instead. Both myself and my partner and many of my friends have given up on MP3 players/iPods now that we have phones which offer a music experience at least on par with the majority of MP3 players. As far as I can see it the market for MP3 players is dead. Portable games consoles might last longer and that is because phones can't yet match the gaming experience of these consoles.

Virgin extends 100Mb/s broadband reach

Bristol

I imagine that Bristol does not make much business sense to invest in as whilst a lots of people live in Bristol, most of the population lives in low density sprawling suburbs which make the costs much higher than in other cities such as Birmingham, London or Manchester.

HTC 7 Trophy smartphone

Seems like a pretty good phone

A friend of mine got one of these shortly before Christmas as his first ever smartphone. His previous phone was a Motorola Razr so he definitely is a newbie when it comes to smartphones and he is loving the Trophy. It seems that Windows Phone 7 has a pretty good interface that is easy to learn and from my experience I would say it is better for people who want simplicity than Android. The Trophy itself from what I have seen of his is a solidly built phone with a nice sharp screen and he has mentioned that the screen is particularly impressive.

PC World website went titsup on Boxing Day

Comet wasnt so good either

When I went on the Comet website on Boxing Day there was a message saying there was a 'queue' and had to wait 5 minutes and then the site ran very slowly after the wait. Ironically every non technology retailer that I tried had their websites working perfectly fine..

Bummed-out users give anti-virus bloatware the boot

Sophos too

Forgot to mention that I also have Sophos on an old Pentium 4 XP machine. It seems to not impact too much apart from when it updates which sometimes makes the computer slow to a crawl. However it is an older version of Sophos as her employer is yet to distribute a newer version for staff to use at home.

Hacker warning over internet-connected HDTVs

Already had one..

I've only had the TV 2 months and have already had 1 OTA update so far so there is at least some support. I'm guessing internet connected TVs will be able to update over the internet rather than via the TV signal like my TV.

Over the air

My LG TV updates over the air automatically and it wasn't an expensive model so I'm guessing that a lot of TVs will have this functionality.

Reg Hardware Reader Awards 2010

HTC Desire

With Android 2.2 it's the best phone out there. The Desire HD and Samsung Galaxy S are a bit too big, the Desire Z is more of a niche product, the iPhone is too expensive and limited by Apple, Blackberries don't have the range of apps or web browser performance that Android has and Windows Phone 7 has yet to take off. And phones are the best commuter gadgets as they are pocketable devices which can do more than any other device of a similar size so Desire for best commuter gadget.

Reg Hardware Reader Awards 2010

On Android

Google Maps, Opera Mobile (not mini) 10.1 beta, or Spotify. London Journey and Train Times UK are pretty good too. Catch That Bus also is a good one as it gives you satellite tracked or timetable based bus departures for virtually every bus stop in the UK.

Reg Hardware Reader Awards 2010

For Android

Angry Birds is pretty good but only on high end phones, its too slow on cheaper models and the lite version is not yet out. Bonsai Blast is my most used game on my phone, its brilliant and it works on all Android phones really well

Reg Hardware Reader Awards 2010

T-Mobile

When I wanted to get a Desire I rang up the day it came out, they told me the day I was eligible for an upgrade on my contract. They offered to ring me on that day and asked what time would be convenient. They rang me on that very day at the correct time, not even a minute late! Delivery of the phone was a bit slow but that was because of nationwide stock shortages. When the Wildfire was launched in the UK they were quick to release it making my girlfriend another happy customer. Finally their call centres are all in the UK, and are always quick and polite. They even allow you to choose the type of music to listen to whilst on hold although I was only on hold for 3 seconds so I didn't really make the most of that.

Reg Hardware Reader Awards 2010

T-Mobile

Best mobile network in my opinion. The data allowance with Android contract phones is 3GB, the same prices on other networks typically get you 500 or 750mb! Then if you do go over that allowance they will never charge you for the extra data usage. Their network is fast, often faster than what BT can provide on my landline and as a result Spotify and Youtube work really well on my phone. They also have good coverage, better than my friends on Vodafone and O2 can achieve. And customer service is all based in the UK and is fast and friendly everytime. Finally they are consistently cheaper than the other big 4 networks for virtually everything.