Posts by Frank N. Stein

QWERTY-tastic BlackBerry Classic actually a classic

I don't know why BlackBerry won't just do a thin 5.2" phone with a side sliding keyboard. Best of both worlds. 5.2" screen for all the screen tap stuff you want to do, and a slide out keyboard to let you tap away to your heart's content with a physical keyboard. SHRUG.

Everything your users ever need to know about BYOD

I've been supporting corporate end users since 1996 and the only BYOD devices I've ever had to support are Smartphones in an MDM environment, managed by Airwatch, Good, and Mobile Iron. I feel for any tech support rep who has to support BYOD laptops or Tablets.

PHONDLESLAB-ULOUS: Motorola Moto X Android phablet

I could get the 32GB Nexus 6 on my carrier (Sprint) for $299, so price is not an issue. I'd very much like the big 6" screen, as I do not have little girlie hands, so screen size and phone size is not an issue. I also don't require "customization" and prefer Vanilla Android to crapware, so customization is not an issue. This is a nice phone and all, but I'm looking for a Phablet and this certainly is not that.

That dreaded syncing feeling: Will Microsoft EVER fix OneDrive?

Maybe these OneDrive issues are for a problem for Windows users, but on my iPhone and Macbook Pro, there is no OneDrive problem. In fact, I was easily able to backup the files from my old Macbook Pro to OneDrive and download the files to OneDrive on my new Macbook Pro. Funny that it seems to work better on Apple products than Windows. Good thing I don't bother with OneDrive on my Windows 8.1 PC. That is only users for gaming. SHRUG.

DEATH fails to end mobile contract: Widow forced to take HUBBY's ASHES into shop

This is why I don't do automatic bill payment. I pay my bills manually. Automatic billing systems just can't be trusted.

Ex-NSA lawyer warns Google, Apple: IMPENETRABLE RIM ruined BlackBerry

So, the NSA put the crush on the company who supplied the secure smart phones that they and Enterprise customers use to favor? And this bloke implies that they will put the crush on Apple and Google. Yea. Right. Good luck with that.

BOFH: Stop your tiers – when it comes to storage, less is more

Simon is my hero. He says and does all of the things we wish we could say and do.

Men who sleep with lots of women lessen risk of prostate cancer

Isn't this a technology news site? Exactly what technologies does this article have to do with? Not that re-productive health isn't an important issue, but who's idea was it to post a non-technical news article on a technical news site? Just saying...

Lawyers mobilise angry mob against Apple over alleged 2011 Macbook Pro crapness

I reckon I'll be avoiding Macbook Pros that were produced between the affected dates in 2011 and 2012. My Macbook Pro 2008 just hums along with Yosemite on it.

PEAK APPLE: iOS 8 is least popular Cupertino mobile OS in all of HUMAN HISTORY

I see that Apple still hasn't dealt with the inability to pinch to zoom pics in use for wallpaper. That has been pants, since iOS 7.

T-Mobile US chief SUCKS UP to Apple, gently ridicules rivals over SIM lockdown play

Or to make it much simpler, simply buy a WiFi ipad and use it at the numerous places where WiFi is free.

SHOW ME THE MONEY! Ballmer on Amazon: 'They're not a real biz, they make NO cash'

If a business isn't making money, how is it growing and what is it growing? Increasing sales while still losing money doesn't really equal "growth" because what isn't growing is the money they should be making. This is odd, because if Apple, Microsoft, or Oracle were losing money, there'd be a shareholder revolt. Remember how things got for HP when they were losing money? Who else can you think of who's sustained continuous loses year after year while increasing sales? The positive is that they apparently have the cash to keep the business running and making increased sales. Hopefully some day, that will amount to money. I didn't realize until I read this article, that Amazon had been round for 20 years and has never made a profit. How long can they continue to operate at a loss like this?

China is ALREADY spying on Apple iCloud users, claims watchdog

"a marked reduction in demand for Apple's high-priced iPhone"? Imagine that? What other phones could fashion conscious punters be using? BB Passport?

iPhone 6 shunned by fanbois in Apple's GREAT FAIL of CHINA

Most ordered online in China, rather than be among the 100 standing in line at the store. Funny thing is that they will likely get their iPhones before US punters who paid and ordered online in September, but have yet to receive their mobe.

Apple hit by INSIDER LEAK: New iPad Mini 3, iPad Air 2 blabbed

Maybe Apple will do a better job of supply chain management with the new iPads than they have with the iPhone 6 and 6 plus. We shall see.

Microsoft left red-faced after DMCAs dished out to Windows bloggers

Microsoft should web search for product keys on Warez sites. Shared product keys are still happening there.

Apple's iPhone bonk to 'Pay' app launches on Monday

I see no reason or use for bonking my iPhone to pay for anything. It takes the same amount of time to pull out my wallet and swipe my card. What's the real benefit to the end user, other than having one more thing that makes your iPhone attractive to a thief? And as it's been already pointed out, Apple had a hard enough time securing celebrity newd selfies with iCloud. I heard a long list of businesses that have no current plans to deploy bonk to pay services for the iPhone.

Is Apple incubating a Macbook, iPad bastard child?

Re: Apple Touchscreen?

I've never understood the need for a touch screen on a desktop or laptop computer. That's what you have a mouse or trackpad for. I don't want to be reaching over my keyboard and mouse to tap on the screen of a monitor and it's just not necessary for my Macbook Pro. No one that I know has a touch screen laptop or desktop Monitor. This is just some crap that Microsoft tried to push on everyone as an excuse to make the Metro Interface make sense to most of us. Obviously, that didn't work very well, as Windows 8 is less popular than 7 and businesses aren't running around buying touch screen monitors or laptops in large quantities, due to price. What do you gain by tapping on a screen, versus using a mouse? Looking cool to Teenaged girls while using your touch screen laptop at McDonalds?

Re: This sounds like Windows 8 territory

Someone within MS wanted to force everyone to switch to the Metro Interface as the main mode of operation. Consumers, developers, and businesses all avoided the Metro Interface en masse and thus, Windows 8 failed. Judging by Apple's past OS updates, they won't make jarring changes all at once to iOS or OSX. They're more likely to make big changes under the hood and add features and functionality that users will actually use and like. We shall see.

It would be hilarious if Apple did make a two in one device and it outsold the MS Surface Pro, especially if the price was lower. It would be even funnier if the price is close to the Surface Pro and it sold like crazy. At that point, the only choice MS would have is to lower the price of the Surface Pro.

Microsoft confirms Surface NOT DEAD YET, next-gen version coming

The lack of Surface Pro Tablet sales has nothing to do with performance. It can't be blamed on Windows 8. The problem quite simply is PRICE. Apple can convince consumers to buy Macbook Air's because Apple has convinced consumers that they are worth it, as high end laptops. Microsoft simply hasn't been able to convince enough consumers and more importantly, businesses to cough up $1,000 for any Surface Pro tablet, particularly given the fact that Microsoft doesn't include a type cover with Surface Pro. No one sees the value in over spending for a Surface Pro Tablet and then having to spend another $120 for a keyboard. One would think that by the second generation of these things, they'd have figured it out and priced them competitively. Apparently not.

Google AXES AndroidScript app used by 20,000 STEM coders WITHOUT WARNING

Who does Google think they are with this tactic? Apple?

Adobe spies on reading habits over unencrypted web because your 'privacy is important'

Good thing I have no interest in reading e-books. This could've been a problem for me if I did.

Sprint starting mass layoffs to 'improve operational efficiencies' in mobile network

Re: Confused

A company may hire staff when they're customer base is growing and they don't have enough staff to meet their Service Level Agreement.

You don't have to be mad to work at Apple but....

So, Apple is full of management workaholics who expect everyone else to be workaholics? That would make sense if they were actually innovating, rather than producing iPhones that are just now receiving screen sizes that Android had 3 years ago. I could see if Apple were producing iPhones and iPads with unusually high battery life and higher performance than the other platforms, but obviously, they are not. All that extra time in the office didn't amount to an iPhone that couldn't be bent by hand. So, apparently working long hours doesn't really equally higher productivity. It equals obsessive compulsive disorder. Not much more.

Vanished blog posts? Enterprise gaps? Welcome to Windows 10

This is one of the things I never liked about Windows 8. I figured out how to create a local account and just ignored Microsoft's urging to use my Microsoft account just to locally log into the PC I built and own.

Control freak network administrators will like the whole "Windows Azure Login" thing. Microsoft will have to come up with more than that to win back business customers. Company's I've worked for since Windows 8 launched, have avoided it like the plague. Windows 10 will have to be better to win business and consumers back. We shall see.

US Attorney Gen latest to roast Apple, Google mobe encryption

Is that phone encryption going to stop the NSA from monitoring your phone? Probably not, so Holder is full of it.

What's the Gov worried about. Doesn't the NSA have "alternative means" to get in?

Let it go, Steve: Ballmer bans iPads from his LA Clippers b-ball team

TV commentators are routinely known for getting themselves fired, such as that bloke for ESPN yesterday?

Man, its smartphones are SQUARE. But will BlackBerry make a comeback with them?

I still say that a thin 5" screen device with a side sliding keyboard, would get the job done. Real keyboard for this who want. 5" Touchscreen for those who don't.

I sold 10 MILLION iPhone 6es at the weekend, says Tim Cook. What did you do?

Make it 6" screen and call it a day. Eliminate the iPad Mini and make the 6" iPhone 6 Plus.

Ex-basketball star CUFFED on suspicion of stealing Apple gear worth $14k

Of all the things he could steal and pawn, he steals Apple Technology, which can be found? Way to go, genius.

Apple Pay is a tidy payday for Apple with 0.15% cut, sources say

Apple has managed something with Apple Payments that none of the others have since it became available, when? Apple didn't invent NFC any more than they invented the Smart phone or Tablet, but they do seem to have a knack for improving upon existing tech in a way that gets Enterprise Businesses to play ball with them.

Apple's SNEAKY plan: COPY ANDROID. Hello iPhone 6, Watch

No Sapphire screen, wireless charging or nano-coating to resist water? BLAH. YAWN!!

Jony Ive: Apple iWatch will SCREW UP Switzerland's economy

Re: When a design is essentially perfect why change it?

My 96' Volvo 850 GLT runs whisper smooth and has 292,600 miles on the Odometer. I doubt any of the newer models can claim that kind of endurance.

PHABBA-DABBA-DOO! Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Edge, Gear VR – feast your eyes

T-Mobile is calling my name, Sprint.

Too slow with that iPhone refresh, Apple: Android is GOBBLING up US mobile market

Apple only does one re-fresh a year. After the release of whatever the new iPhone is, those who are want it will get one. The legions of others who don't, will likely wait for whatever Android Phone strikes their fancy. We'll see what that thar September 9th event has in store...

Larger iPad could target big biz, save Apple from low-end scrum

While it's possible that a 12.9" screened iPad might sell, if the price point comes too close to the Surface 3, then Apple could find itself not as the chosen one in the large screen Tablet market. Bean counters in Enterprise firms will be asking why they need to authorize purchases for 12.9" screen sized iPads when the iPad Air and Mini do the same thing at lower price points and are more portable. I can see top executives getting the largest screened iPads while others lower on the chain receive the iPad Air and iPad Mini, but Executives are fewer in number than middle managers. As for Microsoft and WRT, that failed twice already. I can't see a reason for them to try and fail at it again. Clearly, few are interested in WRT. Surface Pro needs to come down in price to gain any real momentum.

Women-only town seeks men

How many of you chaps are lining up to ditch your own lives to go and be with a bunch of hot feminist Brazilian babes? :-) Think I'll just pass on that.

HUGE iPAD? Maybe. HUGE ADVERTS? That's for SURE

Isn't "Liquid Metal" toxic? Mercury definitely is Gallium is less toxic, but still toxic, nonetheless. I don't think Apple wants to take on the tree huggers on this one...

Is it an iPad? Is it a MacBook Air? No, it's a Surface Pro 3

The reason we see a bunch of Macbook Airs in businesses but no Surface Pro 3's is that, Apple products are considered to be premium brands. No one considers a Surface Pro 3 Tablet to be a premium brand. At the management levels that would authorize a business purchase of a $1,000 to $1,200 Surface Pro, the user isn't going to "need to run Windows apps" because the primary apps in use (MS Office/Office 365) are already available and in use on Macs. So the use case for a Surface Pro 3 as a "must have" is pretty week and Microsoft attempting to position the Surface Pro 3 as a MBA alternative, isn't attracting business buyers any more than it's attracting consumers buyers. Besides, re-conditioned MBA's can be had for less than the price of a Surface Pro 3, making the Surface Pro 3 no bargain and less of a "must have".

Chromebooks to break out of US schools: Netbook 2.0 comeback not just for children

Re: Cheap Windows PCs with Bing

The average user is someone I get to support daily. Most of them don't know what they have, what it does, or how to do much of anything accept write and read e-mail and surf the web. And this is all with Windows computers. Give them something different, such as "Chrome" and they most certainly will have difficulty with "change".

POW! Sprint kills T-Mobile US bid ... BAM! CEO Hesse is out

Legere may have a point. I'm trying to think of what Hesse did that did any good for Sprint customers during his tenure. All I can think of is the unlimited everything plan. If Sprint didn't have unlimited everything, I wouldn't still be a customer. The coverage is better now than last summer, but there are advantages with T-Mobile when traveling to Europe, that Sprint doesn't have. NO ROAMING FEES. Hmmm....

HIDDEN packet sniffer spy tech in MILLIONS of iPhones, iPads – expert

Well, if Apple builds back doors into their products like everyone else, then having a closely guarded app store doesn't prevent the hackers from reverse engineering that back door info, does it? What's the point of choosing any platform for it's better security, if every platform is Swiss cheese, security wise, anyway?

PROOF the Apple iPhone 6 rumor mill hype-gasm has reached its logical conclusion

My 4S camera flash use to light up during notifications. That tended to annoying onlookers. I'd imagine there will be no hope for an iPhone 6 case with a closed back, so as to not display the Apple logo?

Bloodied Samsung's profits down 25% as it clings to mobe crown

Is Samsung going to produce that Sapphire display for the new iPhones? If so, that should tidy up their financial books rather nicely, shouldn't it?

BlackBerry knocks Google's KNOX LOCK PICK for Android

Chen should know that this technique (dumping on the technology that's outselling yours) won't work. Microsoft tried it with their Surface tablets and it didn't cause an increase in sales of the Surface or Surface Pro. What would help Blackberry more than trying to talk Enterprise customers into buying BES is for them to partner with Airwatch to make the Blackberry a more compelling choice from an MDM standpoint with tech that Enterprise customers already use to manage their mobile devices (Airwatch).

OMG, sorry about 'poor comms' on Facebook secret emoto-meddle tests. Laters!

Wasn't there some sort of mass murder attempt somewhere, earlier this year after someone red some depressing boulder dash on their Facebook Timeline?

Girl gamers sexism row: Top e-sports federation finds reverse gear

Wait until companies start gender bending and offering up gender neutral awards. The Gender Swap Awards.