* Posts by James Whale

70 publicly visible posts • joined 22 Jun 2007

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Android is a mess and needs sprucing up, admits chief

James Whale

"Even Google+ is a data collection mechanism, not a social network."

Actually, like most social networks, it's both.

Up your wormhole: Star Trek Deep Space 9 turns 20

James Whale
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Good article. :-)

I didn't enjoy DS9 when it was on the first time round but re-watching it recently am now convinced it provides some of the best storylines (not to mention epic space battles) ever seen on Star Trek. The writing and characterisation are consistently richer than TNG or Voyager, and the length of the various story arcs, and arcs within arcs, while making it more of a commitment, also result in much better pay-offs for regular viewers. Definitely a series that has improved with time, and well worth revisiting as an older viewer.

Major Freeview EPG revamp to go ahead after appeals rejected

James Whale
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Re: Sounds great...

The Humax HDR-Fox T2 (1TB) is a lovely piece of kit. =)

Tablet tech is really a Psion of the times

James Whale

"just before the big leap"

Not sure you should make light of the suicide of sweatshop workers?

Asus Transformer Prime tablet reboot fix fails to show

James Whale

ICS is already on the Prime - it was this update that intriduced the random reboot bug in the first place.

The delay is almost certainly due to the issues caused by the US release, the Americans having acted almost as beta testers for the 9.4.2.13 update. Although for many it has fixed the random reboot issue, there are reports that some people with previously-perfect Primes are now suffering from wake-up lag / sleep of death issues (tablet takes ages to wake up, or won't wake from sleep without a reboot) and a significantly faster-draining battery. Some suspect this is because Asus appear to have increased the minimum idle clock speed from 102MHz to 475MHz per core, so even when the tab is asleep the Tegra 3 cores aren't able to power down anywhere near as low as they could before.

March release for Samsung Galaxy S II Android 4.0 update

James Whale

Latest build already pretty good

Running the latest leaked build (LPB) for a couple of weeks now and it's pretty damn good. Battery life is waaay better than stock Gingerbread, and it's faster too. There are a few issues with wallpaper/gallery locking up, as well as Settings crashing when exiting Wi-Fi hotspot mode. On the whole though, it's rock solid, fast and power-efficient. I can only imagine Samsung will have made it even better by release time. =)

Asus posts patch for Prime random reboot bug

James Whale

The ICS download was 9.4.2.11 (17th Jan) - that's the one that introduced the random reboot bug. Tthe update out today is 9.4.2.13 and should solve it, according to reports over at XDA. If you've not had 9.4.2.13 OTA yet, it's worth hanging onto your Prime for another 24 hours as it should improve quite a few things about the device.

James Whale

No sign of the OTA update on mine as yet. :(

My reboots have been few and far between - usually when I'md demanding more of the tab graphically, or in performance mode.

Retailer drops Eee Pad Transformer Prime, claims quality issues

James Whale

Lockups and reboots after installing OCS

All info contained in this thread:

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1449992

I got my Prime last Saturday with Honeycomb installed, which ran like a dream. Got ICS upgrade prompt shortly afterwards, and decided to take the risk. Ever since my Prime reboots randomly, once or twice a day. I haven't used it intensively yet, though - suspect if I did the reboots would be more frequent. I'm lucky insofar as many people have near-constant reboots (every 5 mins or so), so once or twice a day doesn't seem too bad.

Mine is a C1 serial number and newer model than some - it seems earlier "B" serial numbers, broadly speaking, might be worse-affected. The reboots only began after the ICS upgrade (firmware version 9.4.2.11).

Asus should have a patch available in the next day or two. There are reports that version 9.4.2.11.1 (only beta so far and undergoing select testing among a few customers) solves the problem.

'Mobiles bake men's balls' bog ad is cobblers - new ruling

James Whale
Meh

Still...

I don't imagine that having a 3G/4G/wi-fi antenna next to your balls does them any good, either.

We know that radiation in high doses is damaging - it's kinda common sense that radiation in small doses might be *ever-so-slightly* damaging, though at levels which are much harder to detect. We've got a lot more research to do before anyone can conclusively say RF signals are 100% safe to human tissues.

Here's a recent story about laptop wi-fi possibly affecting male fertility: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15943816

HTC reckons 'WinPho will give Android a run for its money'

James Whale
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Totally agree

I love Android, but having played with Windows Phone I absolutely agree it's going to be big. It's such a pleasure to use. Mango in particular is just a joy - there's a smoothness and an intuitiveness to the UI that has thus far eluded Google et al.

Dual File Manager XT

James Whale
Happy

Gingerbread?

As I understand it, the official HTC Gingerbread ROM just released on their developer site strips out some of the stock HTC apps, one or two others such as Facebook, and removes all operator bloatware and customisations. Although this was only done to make Gingerbread install-able on the Desire in the first place, it might, counter-intuitively, leave you with a little more space?

I'm assuming you already use App2SD, of course. :-)

Samsung Galaxy S II dual core Android smartphone

James Whale

No task killers from Froyo onwards

The general consensus seems to be that task killers are not required from Froyo onwards, due to the OS's much-improved memory and application handling. I've used ATK since Donut, but recently uninstalled it on Froyo after reading a very convincing article (http://www.droid-den.com/android-guides/android-guide-should-i-use-a-task-killer) - it seems to have had a positive impact not only on the battery life but the general usage and reliability of HTC Desire.

I'd say with the further improvements in Gingerbread, Task Killers are very quickly becoming redundant.

Ten... wireless keyboards

James Whale
Stop

What? No MS Arc?

Very surprised you missed out the MIcrosoft Arc! Easily one of the most pleasing keyboards I've ever used - compact, ergonomic, thoughtful design which gives that Apple a run for its money.

Android rebellion: How to tame your stupid smartphone

James Whale
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This article is utter crap

You have collated a few unusual problems and used them for the basis of a pretty pointless and transparently-biased article to bash an excellent platform and one which will soon be outselling iOS because of its openess and ease of use.

The issues you mention are not typical. The majority of Android users have a very positive experience and its rapid increase in market share supports this.

Carnivorous plague mice 'wiping out towns' in US Midwest

James Whale
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Awesome...

...truly awesome; has brightened my morning considerably.

Bravo El Reg. =)

Apple iPhone forums gripped by deleted thread paranoia

James Whale
Happy

Steve Jobs walks into a bar...

... which disappears because of the way he's holding his iPhone.

Google chief: Nexus One was 'so successful, we killed it'

James Whale
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I take issue with this:

"At launch, Google said that the Nexus One belonged to a new super class of handset — even though it couldn't match the Motorola Droid (according to none other than Google open source guru Chris DiBona) — let alone the iPhone."

Piffle - the iPhone is technically inferior to the Nexus One in almost every respect. The only thing that distinguishes it is a slicker UI.

Google outs source code for Android 2.2

James Whale

HTC Desire to get Froyo "within 2 weeks"

Apparently. According to some bloke who heard it from another bloke whose mum once slept with someone who used to work for HTC.

iPhone 4: Perfect for everyone, except humans

James Whale

Just don't use it left-handed...

ccording to Engadget, it's touching the bottom left-hand corner (where the GPS/Bluetooth/Wi-Fi antenna meets the GSM antenna) that causes the problem:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/24/some-iphone-4-models-see-signals-drop-to-0-when-held-left-handed/

Stephen Fry's truly terrible mistake

James Whale

Faulty premise

Arguing that DAB is inferior to internet radio is not a valid premise for suggesting it should not replace FM.

Google Nexus One

James Whale
Happy

Android 2.1 on Hero

Isn't Android 2.1 due out on Hero any time now? Or did I dream it?

Microsoft claims 90m sales of Windows 7

James Whale
Unhappy

Unusual

I'm running an almost identical setup with no problems and bought Win7 last October. Installed fine on my quad-core, SLI rig and has run like a dream ever since. No hardware problems AT ALL (the OS found every driver by itself) and plays demanding games perfectly.

Your experience of Win7 is far from typical.

James Whale
FAIL

Crazy

Suggesting the Win7 user experience isn't tested is bonkers - it was the most user-tested OS ever under beta and even now, nearly 6 months after launch with all the positive reviews, you still don't trust it?

James Whale

SP1

Unlikely there'll be an SP1 in the traditional sense - MS are much more into incremental updates these days.

Apple is suing HTC

James Whale
FAIL

Bad move

Makes Apple look petulant, or worse, threatened.

The Equality Bill: Hidden agenda?

James Whale
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Far-fetched but not impossible

I think you are slightly misinterpreting the clause. The point of this part of the bill is to help employers, when faced with two candidates who are so equally-matched in every respect that deciding between them is resultantly difficult, the employer can use positive discrimination. This is actually quite sensible, and in reality, actually, will be used once in a blue moon, considering the likelihood of having two candidates who are that equally matched.

T-Mobile UK earmarks two tariffs for scrappage

James Whale
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Grrrr...

I like my Flext tariff as I don't want to have to keep an eye on allowances and it's great not having to worry about how I'm using my phone. Only last year we were being told by T-Mobile and consumer groups alike how popular Flext is - now they're saying the opposite. This is an annoying move by T-Mobile - Flext really was unique in the marketplace. I wonder if the merger with Orange has anything to do with it...

Samsung N140

James Whale
Happy

Love my NC10...

...which by the way runs Win7 with similar performance to XP, even with all the Aero bells and whistles turned on, so not sure why the N140 seems to struggle.

Tempted by the better battery life, but baffled as to the webcam downgrade, and it's a shame the nice blue power button on the hinge end is gone. Think I'll be waiting for Samsung to produce a true NC10 replacement...

MS plasters Ballmer's signature on Windows 7 special edition

James Whale
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URGH

I like Win7. Been running it for many months from beta through to RC and it's generally a pleasure to use.

HOWEVER, why anyone would want to tarnish a perfectly decent piece of software by deliberate association with that sweaty inept nutcase of a chief exec MS seem unlucky enough to have been landed with is beyond me. The man is plainly certifiable, embarrassing in the most cringeworthy, leg-crossingly, sphincter-tighteningly, shoot-yourself-in-the-head kinda way, and the less exposure MS give him the better their image and that of Win7 will become.

Brown apologises for 'appalling' treatment of Turing

James Whale

Pleasantly surprised

I must admit I didn't hold out much hope of seeing GB take such a bold stance on this, so I'm pleased to be able to commend him for once.

Celebs join call for official Turing apology

James Whale
Pint

Pigs might fly

I'd love to see Gordon Brown take a bold moral stance on this and deliver a long-overdue apology to a great man. But given his track record of keeping eerily quiet on a plethora of significant issues I'm not getting my hopes up.

Windows 7 — It’s like Vista, only less annoying

James Whale
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Win7 is good - you haters need to get over yourselves

Been using the beta for several months - runs like a dream on my Samsung NC10 netbook (1.6GHz Atom, 2Gb RAM) so should fly on higher specced machines. Take the visual pleasantries of Vista, chuck in the speed and stability of XP and add new dimensions of intuition and polish, and you have Windows 7.

Don't knock it till you've tried it folks - a lot of you MS haters are going to be eating your words quite soon...

Microsoft to offer Windows 7 downgrade to XP

James Whale
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I seriously doubt...

... that anyone who's used Windows 7, even in its current beta form, will want to downgrade to XP - it's shaping up to be a very good OS.

Firefox 3.1 morphs into Firefox 3.5

James Whale
Stop

I can't believe...

...the Luddites who think FF2 is better than 3 just because a few of their add-ons stopped working!

Windows 7 test build 'turns off' Internet Explorer 8

James Whale
Stop

"bereft of detail..."

"Microsoft, which is becoming increasingly good at writing long-winded blog posts about Windows 7 that are bereft of detail..."

Not particularly fair - take this post, for example:

http://blogs.msdn.com/e7/archive/2009/02/26/some-changes-since-beta.aspx

Samsung NC10 netbook

James Whale
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QVC of all people...

...had it for under £300 before Christmas - around the £285 mark I believe. Bargain.

James Whale
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Wonderful netbook

This review is spot on - got one of these for Christmas and have been singing its praises ever since. Excellent build quality, great battery life, lovely keyboard, capacious HDD and a very, very good-looking! The suede carry pouch does a good job of buffing away those pesky fingerprints too.

You get to choose partition sizes for C:\ and D:\ drives the first time you boot up, which is nice. I removed the annoying McAfee trial straight away and installed AVG Free. Samsung's bundled update software is useful and periodically checks for system software updates, etc.

Currently my desktop machine is out of action so I've got the NC10 on performance mode, driving my 22" Samsung Pebble over VGA at the full 1680x1050 with no issues at all - fast, responsive and quite happy playing full screen video. I *love* this netbook. =)

Microsoft delays first Windows 7 public beta

James Whale
Stop

Beta download only working on IE!!

Beta's just gone live and after several attempts at clicking on "Download Now" on the download page using FireFox 3, and nothing happening, I suddenly thought to try IE7... guess what? It worked first time - the Java applet installed and the MS Download Manager started.

FF users - if you want the beta and it's not starting, switch to IE and try it there.

Intentional? Or just sloppy coding by MS that their applet only works with IE?

I sense a drama coming on...

Sony Ericsson Walkman W902 mobile phone

James Whale
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Great phone

I've had my W902 for a couple of months now and having been an SE fan for several years (T610, K700, P910, K750, P990, K800) it's definitely my favourite handset so far. Build quality is good, and HSDPA on an unlimited data plan makes web browsing on the large screen a joy. Considering it's only the first firmware iteration too, it's fast and stable, apparently with none of the bugs that have plagued recent SE handsets at release.

T-Mobile leaves 300,000 disconnected

James Whale
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No problems

In the interests of balance, I've been with T-Mobile ever since 1998 when they were one2one, and I've never had a problem with them - in fact the service has been excellent.

Sony Ericsson sees profits tumble, turns on workers

James Whale
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Innovation

The C902 is an excellent phone but the first one I've really liked since the K800, while the Xperia X1 is the the first really innovative handset SE have produced for a long time. They produce easy-to-use, reliable phones, but don't push the boundaries often enough with specs/features, and occasionally release phones (e.g. P910 or K850, both of which I've owned) with really bad firmware, effectively using their early adopters to beta-test the bugs out of it for months after release - this is really bad form for any company.

Overall I love SE handsets (particularly the intuitive OS) and wouldn't touch Nokia with yours, but they need to innovate more and stop rushing unstable firmware out the door.

The Top Ten 3G iPhone beaters

James Whale
Stop

Nokia Nokia Nokia...

Eurgh. I'm so bored of the N95 and more generally, of Nokia owners who lazily trot out the same old cliché about how their handsets are the best/easiest/most reliable in the world. These people have clearly never used a modern Sony Ericsson, the UI of which is the most comfortable and intuitive I've ever seen on a phone.

I'm really looking forward to the Xperia X1, the only true iPhone alternative, in my view.

Who will be the next Doctor?

James Whale
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River Song

Sulehir: "In the Library episodes, the woman (can't remember her name) said she recognised the Docter (ni his current form) and had spent a lot of time with him, since that hasnt happened yet..."

I was under the impression that she recognised him but not from his face, though she did know he was young.

Some peeps are saying she might even be a future incarnation of the doctor himself, though I don't quite see this making sense...

Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C902 cameraphone

James Whale

Marketing

The "K" in K850 and previous models is derived from the Swedish for "kamera" whereas the "C" is replacing this nomenclature in future SE models - I assume it stands for "camera" or "Cyber-Shot".

It's worth noting that the K850 firmware, unstable and prone to the BROD as it still is even in its latest iteration, has at least gone through several revisions since launch, each of which upgrades the camera driver. The C902 has only just been released - it would be fair to assume that in time the photo quality will improve in the same way it does with all SE phones as new firmware versions are released.

The lack of a xenon flash in any Cyber-shot handset is disappointing, though...

Firefox 3 Download Day falls flat on face

James Whale
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It came up briefly about half an hour ago...

... and I managed to download my 7Mb in about 10 seconds, then it went down again.

Have to say though that having installed, it's damn quick compared to FF2. Impressed with the browser, if not with with the server outages...

Lesbians like straight men, researchers find

James Whale
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Moral objections to the genetic argument...

...on the grounds that proving a genetic basis to homosexuality opens up the possibility of a 'cure' are outdated.

If it does turn out to be the case that homosexuality is genetically predetermined, then not only is it shown to be natural, but rather than object on the basis that it is then 'curable', the question for society becomes whether they still believe that homo-sapiens should be uniform (most of us don't) or whether diversity is more valuable and indeed, the natural order of things.

We shouldn't be afraid of a genetic basis for sexual orientation - we should embrace it, and then argue the case against 'cure' because collectively we no longer believe that being gay is a disorder to be 'fixed'.

God makes you stupid, researchers claim

James Whale
Happy

Fear and comfort

The most pressing problem for faith is that it's all about comfort. Unquestioning belief in something one can neither know nor prove is driven by fear - fear of being alone out here in the universe - cold, unloved and worst of all, finite. Life's end terrifies us on a genetic, mechanistic level. Hard-wired to survive at almost any cost, it becomes apparent that, ironically enough, religious belief might be a purely Darwinistic response to the prospect of death.

Logitech Z Cinema advanced surround sound system

James Whale
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Superb speakers...

So, after reading this review I threw caution to the wind and ordered a set from Novatech for £180, which arrived the following day. They look great in the flesh and not ugly at all. Build quality is excellent and everything is sturdy and robust.

I've mainly been using them to listen to music to far, but I'm very impressed. The sub is larger than I expected, and produces a filthy, room-shaking amount of bass. However, even on maximum this doesn't outgrow the speakers which max out without distortion. Sound is clear and defined - music from my PC is suddenly a joy to listen to.

The only issue I've noticed is that there seems to be a compatibility issue with my Logitech Quickcam software which causes it to crash when the speaker software loads during startup.

Jihadis: We turned hacked killbots against US troops

James Whale
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Turbans are worn by Sikhs

Perhaps I'm missing something and there's been some kind of unprecedented alliance between Sikhism and Islamic Jihad in the last few hours that's passed me by...

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