Posts by esque

Apple's iPhone 12 woes spread as Belgium, Germany, Netherlands weigh in

Re: Follow the money

> Who triggered this investigation?

What does it matter? It only matters if the products Apple sells are compliant with the relevant regulations or not.

Framework starts taking orders for 16-inch repairable, upgradeable laptop

Re: Thinkpad

Yes. There are "X62" and "T62" mainboards around: https://www.notebookcheck.net/X62-Laptop-Review.211598.0.html

Google: If your Android app can create accounts, it better be easy to delete them, too

Re: Is this the same Google

"All that it is doing [...]"

And giving you a way to synchronize your app purchases across devices.

Apple complains UK watchdog wants to make iOS a 'clone' of Android

Re: 99% er

"Once web-apps become practical, once apps can be loaded from other stores or sideloaded from the web then the 99% of Apple users you refer to will find that apps disappear from the Apple store as the devs take them somewhere else that's cheaper"

Yeah, just look to Android where third-party stores are a reality and every dev moved to cheaper stores...

It's funny how such arguments are repeated again and again when we have a real world example that shows us that they are just untrue.

Re: But...

"True it isn't keeping up with the latest standards as well, but some of that is deliberate - not implementing "standards" that Google pushed through that allow the browser to access bluetooth, USB, NFC etc. that it has no business accessing."

So you don't like Webauthn?

Apple preps for 'third-party iOS app stores' in Europe

Re: I hope there's an option to block this nonsense.

"To be honest, the EU has been a massive disappointment when it comes to anti-competitive behaviour"

AS compared to...?

Certainly not the US or the UK, both of whom led companies do what they want.

Europe's USB-C deadline: Lightning must be struck from iPhone by December, 2024

The CABLES have to support 100 W, not the chargers. (At least according to this article.)

EU makes USB-C common charging port for most electronic devices

Re: Does this mean there can now never be a USB-D?

"It took the EU over a decade of quibbling to approve this mandate. "

This is misrepresenting the facts to some degree.

A decade ago the EU gave the manufacturers the chance to sort the standard out themselves. (Note the mention of a "moratorium of understanding" in the article.) Only after it became clear that that wouldn't work (mostly because of one company using a fruit as their logo and name) did they start the process of implementing regulation. This took a few years, sure, but not a decade.

Also, the regulation contains language that allows for a review of the relevant standard without going through the full process again.

So yes, switching from USB-C to a yet to be designed new standard will be a lot faster than you expect.

Airtag clones can sidestep Apple anti-stalker tech

Re: "we condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of our products."

"These guys have found a way to use the Find My network with a device that isn't Apple's, which is already not supposed to work"

Please tell that to Chipolo and other companies that quite officially make Find My Network compatible trackers: https://chipolo.net/en/products/chipolo-one-spot?cl=header

US Senate to vote on stopping Big Tech extracting 'monopolist rent' from app developers

Re: Aim high

"Apple will become another Android, or maybe they will actually adopt Android and the Google browser, as they won't have the income to keep up alternative development."

What? Do you have any idea how much money Apple makes by selling iPhones and iPads? Those pay for the development of the OS and stock applications several times over.

The 30% store tax is Apple double-dipping is Apple living their best robber baron life.

Website fined by German court for leaking visitor's IP address via Google Fonts

Re: So if

Well, maybe you should think about the consequences before using any resources from third parties.

Nobody forces you to use Google analytics of fonts or anything.

Bloke breaking his back on 'commute' from bed to desk deemed a workplace accident

It's not up to insurance companies to decide that. A court ruled and now the insurance companies have to live with it. Or try to appeal the case to a higher court.

Re: Is that only valid for working from home?

This is standard in Germany: Your commute is covered under the employers insurance. But only the direct commute, no excurses to Starbucks or shopping for groceries.

This is nothing new but well established.

New is that a court found that under specific circumstances, this also applies to your commute from bed to work desk.

Windows 11 will roll out from October 5 as Microsoft hypes new hardware

Re: That was fast

"swore left and right that Windows 1 0 was going to be the last version"

You have a source for that statement?

Or are you refereeing to that one statement one Microsoft employee made once that probably was just badly worded and should have meant "latest Windows" but that certain Media people are referring to over and over again?

Re: How do I opt users out of this "upgrade" ?

Windows 10 with WSL is the way to go.

Corporate is happy that we use Windows for Office and all those Windows-only company tools. And for actual work we use Linux in WSL and ssh to the servers and other systems.

Happy birthday, Linux: From a bedroom project to billions of devices in 30 years

Re: I've got a suggestion...

English is not my native tongue, but I'm pretty sure no comma belongs in either of these two sentences.

BTW, in German we have something very similar. And no, there isn't a comma missing in either of these, neither:

"gut zu Vögeln", "gut zu vögeln"

Apple responds to critics of CSAM scan plan with FAQs, says it'd block governments subverting its system

Let's see:

How many apps on the Apple app store are junk? Did you check? The answer might surprise you.

There's a lot more malware on the Apple app store than you might think. Apple is just trying very hard to play it down.

Nobody is denying that Google is trying to gobble up all the date. But this is known and accepted and allows people to make informed decisions and to do something about it.

The false narrative that Apple is all about privacy when in fact they're not is lulling Apple users into a false sense of safety when they should be cautious.

Also, on Android I have the freedom to not use any Google services. Try to get rid of Apple on an iOS device.

And finally: If an Android device doesn't get any support from the manufacturer we are still able to install aftermarket systems like LineageOS, Sailfish or others. Try doing the same on an iOS device that Apple decides not to support anymore.

Stand back, we're going in: The Register rips a 7th-gen ThinkPad X1 Carbon apart. Literally

Re: My Dell Latitude beats it

"Dell actually posts instructions on how to disassemble each single component in the user manual"

For 25-ish years, Leneovo and before IBM have provided for each Thinkpad model a Hardware Maintenance Manual (HMM) that details the complete disassembly and reassembly of the device.

The great wearables myth busted: Apps never, ever mattered

Re: The main reason for wearing a watch

I cannot talk for everyone, but I use my watch to tell the time. I never, ever look at my phone to get the time.

Thus I made sure to get a smartwatch that has actual hands to tell the time, and that runs for days on one charge.

Getting notifications from my phone mirrored on the smartwatch was the next thing that was important to me. Everything else like fitness tracking is nice to have, but not important.

Last week: Microsoft accused of covering up rape claim. This week: Microsoft backs anti-cover-up law ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Re: No existing laws?

No. What's expected from Microsoft is to react to such instances of abuse and create or restore a work environment were people can work without fear that such behavior continues.

But many companies try to keep their image clean by silencing the victim, rather than fire or discipline the perpetrator after an internal investigation found grounds for the accusation.

How should a victim work in peace if the perpetrator is still their boss or colleague? Why should the victim move to a different team or made to leave instead of the perpetrator?

We'll drag Microsoft in front of Supremes over Irish email spat – DoJ

As far as I know some of Megauploads servers were hosted by Carpathia Hosting in the US.

Re: They dont want to use the MLAT.

Yes, corporations are working on alternatives: Here in Germany, Microsoft is building a data center for Azure and Microsoft services together with T-Systems. T-Systems own and runs the data center and controls the access, and Microsoft sells the services.

This set-up was explicitely done so that German users can be (relatively) sure that their data stays within the EU and US LEOs can not access it in cases like the one from the article. Since Microsoft doesn't control the access to the data, they are unable to comply to demands to give the data to US LEOs.

Who killed Cyanogen?

Did I write a single word about Wordperfect, Lotus, DR-DOS or OS/2? Pretty sure I didn't.

Before you put on your tinfoil hat and look for clues how something Google or any other third party did may have led to the downfall of Cyanogen Inc., look at their own words and actions first.

"We will take Android away from Google" (or whatever the exact quote was) was something Kondrik said. And if that is not a sign of an inflated ego, I don't know what is.

The deal with that Indian phone company that collided with an already established contract with OnePlus is another example of how Cyanogen Inc. hurt themselves.

Praising the independence from Google and then bundling Microsoft apps with Cyanogen OS.

And the list goes on.

All that were steps in the wrong direction that Caynogen Inc. made, nobody else.

Ever heard of Occam's Razor? The simple solution (they did it themselves) is more likely than a convoluted conspiracy theory that Google is to blame.

So.... all of Cyanogen Inc's problems are due to Google cheating and abusing it#s power, and not at all due to CyInc being over-ambitious and making bad decisions. Did I summarize the article correctly?

Always funny to ses Andrew give us a glimpse into his world where facts don't matter if they collide with his world view.

Oh, and in case you want my answer to the question posed in the title: Kondrik did kill Cyanogen (Inc.).

Making us pay tax will DESTROY EUROPE, roars Apple's Tim Cook

Re: Just Heating Up My Popcorn ...

Little nit-pick: Saxony != Lower Saxony != Saxony-Anhalt

All three are German states, but Volkswagen AG is situated in and the company is partly-owned by Lower Saxony.

Microsoft sneaks onto Android while Android sneaks onto Windows

"Performance under AmiDuOS is excellent."

Well, my experience is different. On my Dell Venue 11 Pro with i5 CPU AmiDuOS was a pain to set up, is slow, and crashes every once in a while. (And no, that's not due to some underlying problem with Windows. The Windows installation itself is rock-solid.)

Jide's Remix OS looks a lot better, but it's not "Android on Windows" but Android side-by-side with Windows.

I'm looking forward to tomorrows beta release.

On the other end, Cyanogen OS looks promising for Microsoft. But I read a lot of negative comments regarding the direction that Cyanogen Inc. is going into. Making Cyanogen OS into a Microsoft-Android might just cost them what little goodwill they have left.

OnePlus X: Dinky little Android smartie with one or two minuses

Because they don't use a pre-existing custom ROM as a basis but started from scratch with AOSP.

For the Oneplus One they had a deal with Cyanogen Inc., the company behind the commercial variation of CyanogenMod, but the relationship went sour and Oneplus made the decision to create a version of Android that they control rather than rely on somebody else (well, except Google for the basis of Android).

> there's 16GB of storage, expandable to 128GB with a microSD card

Actually, it's 16GB if storage, expandable BY (up to) 128 GB.

You don't loose access to the build in storage if you add a microSD card.

(In effect, I have 11.54GB + 120GB, according to Android.)

OnePlus ends rationing. You can now buy its phones just like that!

You did it wrong.

I bought a Oneplus One in November 2014 without an invite, and I had it in my hands less then a week later (shipped from the UK to Germany).

I bought my Oneplus X last December without an invite, and it took just over a week until it arrived (from Shenzen to Germany).

A colleague who bought a OPO shortly after I did had similar experiences.

Mostly harmless: Berlin boffins bleat post epic TrueCrypt audit feat

Re: Hmm...

Governments are not monoliths. They can both do good and bad. Sometimes at the same time.

This audit was done to see if TrueCrypt is secure for Government use: Some cryptography solution used by German federal institutions uses parts of TrueCrypt, and thus the BSI (Bundesinstitut für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnologie/Federal institute for Security in Information Technology) ordered this audit to see if the solution is secure for their use.

Thus in this case the interests of the Government and the public are the same.

Deutsche Telekom to file anti-Google EU antitrust charge – report

Re: Not just all or nothing

Strange. I regularly disable GMail, Chrome, Google Drive, Google Play Movies & Music, and never had them re-enable and update themselves.

And I did that on several different devices from different manufacturers with different versions of Android.

Euro privacy warriors: You've got until January to fix safe harbor mess – or we unleash hell

No. The Data protection laws here in Europe have exceptions regarding the transfer of data to unsafe nations for cases like these. If it is necessary for a transaction (like booking a hotel of flight outside of the EU), then the transfer is allowed.

And, Homeland Security wanting to check out people before they enter the US is not the same as the NSA spying indiscriminately and without oversight or rights to appeal by the subjects of their spying.

European data protection laws are not against foreign authorities using the personal data of Europeans in general, but they demand that this access is based on reasonable laws and that the people have some way to find out who accessed their data and how to appeal if necessary.

LaCie to shutter Wuala cloud storage service, data deleted Nov 15

Re: Hardware company non-core service

Can you specify what OS you are using and what exactly you expect/want?

Under WIndows my Wuala storage was mapped as a virtual drive.

OnePlus phone fanbois flock for a shiny phondle

'(Only recently have you been able to buy one without a hard-to-find invitation).'

If by recently you mean 9 months ago then you're correct. I bought my Oneplus One in their web store in November 2014 without an invite. And I held it in my hands less then a week later.

'its only institutional shareholder is Chinese phone vendor Oppo Electronics'

Well, what I heard is that Oppo Electronis is NOT the maker of the Oppo phones, which would be Oppo Mobile: http://www.gizchina.com/2014/04/28/oneplus-responds-oppo-controversy/

So Oppo Mobile and Oneplus share an investor, but are not directly linked.

EU Competition chief: So what if I didn't tame Google? You're all 'irrational' anyway

"the subject of antitrust investigations on five continents: the EU, the USA, Canada, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Argentina and Brazil."

Now, let's count:

EU - Europe

USA, Canada - North America

Taiwan, South Korea, India - Asia

Argentina, Brazil - South America

That's four.

So, what is the fifth continent?

It can't be Africa or Australia, as no country from these is mentioned.

So it has to be Antarctica, which several countries claim as theirs. Right?

German court: 'Nein' to Apple 'global consent' on fanbois' privacy

Re: Only Apple?

Non, not only Apple.

But this specific case was about Apple. Because in Apples case their disregard for German laws could be easy enough proven by pointing to their terms of service or privacy policies.

I know that Google got into hot water because of their policies here in Germany more than once. And I'm sure they will again if there is enough proof for further misconduct.

Apple appeals Samsung patent getaway in Tokyo

Re: Looks as if i must cross-post myself....

By that logic, all US media isn't neutral either.

Or does your argument only apply to one side?

German ebook firm aims low with cheap 'n' simple €10 ereader

This article is low on details.

The German press has more details:

The txtr Beagle is not a complete ereader, but mor like an image viewer.

The smartphone will render the ebook and send something probably is nothing more than a bunch of bitmaps to the Beagle. Thus the device can use a smaller and less power consuming CPU.

The claimed battery life still seems exaggerated.

Also due to the pages being pre rendered on the smartphone it seems like you can't change font size, spacing etc. on the fly.

Freetard-idol rock star Trent Reznor gives up, signs to major label

quote: 'So long as your act didn't recoup its advance, you could enjoy a career for years with the best-sellers effectively subsidising you.'

Yeah, right.

The mayor labels are known to stick to artists that don't sell many records and give them the money for a second and third album... Just like FOX is known to give potentially great TV shows the time to build a style and a fan base over 2 or 3 seasons.

Apple Maps to the rescue in China/Japan conflict

Re: Change the record...

You would be right but for the fact that Apple boasted that they offer a better experience than with Google Maps.

(I don't have the exact quote handy but it was something along these lines.)

Instead of giving their own map app time to mature they threw away the working Googpe Maps.

A lot ot the errors in Apple maps should have come up in rigorous testing.

Apple dropped an unfinished, broken app and dared to boast about it.

Google is at least honest enough to label their new services 'beta'.

Publishers, Apple bend over for EU eBooks probe

"While the alleged price collusion is bad, monopolies are arguably worse."

Yeah, right. Like Amazon will be able to push Apple and Google out of the eBook market.

Apple with its vast war chest is far better suited to sell eBooks at or below cost if needed to stand against Amazon.

And Google has a broad collection of services and products as well.

Amonst these three, Amazon is the one that relies most on the profits made from selling books.

This argument that Amazon may gain a monopoly on the ebook market is BS.

Will Samsung's patent court doc leak backfire spectacularly?

Re: Part of a larger problem.

So you think that people with a high income can not afford to lose some of that, people with a lower income on the other hand can?

Sorry, but your logic is flawed.

Apple faces Italian shutdown over warranty skulduggery

Let's see what my Android devices say:

HTC Wildfire S: Used it for over a year, no problems, still used as backup phone; got an update just a few days ago

HTC Desire S: currently in use, update a few weeks ago, ICS update planned for later this month

Archos 70IT: Used it for over a year, got about a dozen updates, including an update to Android 2.3, would still be working if I hadn't dropped it on concrete

Archos 80 Gen9: Bought it about 7 months ago, still working fine, got several updates, including ICS early this year

So all of my Android devices get updates (not always in a timely fashion, I grant you that), and last for more than 6 months. I'm to blame for the only one that isn't working anymore (and actually, it's working fine, except for the screen).

Apple has 7.85in 'iPad Mini' in its labs

So will that be one more thing where Apple/Steve Jobs once said 'nobody needs that, we'll never do that' that's now taken back?

Well, I have an 8" XGA resolution Android tablet for a while now, so I don't need to hold my breath...

German court: Rapidshare must HUNT for dodgy pirate links

Re: As usual

This regional court in Hamburg is known for it's pro-content providers rulings.

Considering that the ruling goes against decisions by a higher court (the mention EU court) it's almost guaranteed to be overruled as soon as Rapidshare appeals the ruling.

Don't judge a country by one ruling by one court!

Viewsonic Viewpad 10e tablet

@Headwest: The ICS update for Archos Gen9 tablets is actually already out. My Archos 80 Gen9 is running ICS for a week now and I love it.