Posts by Bad Beaver

Apple's iPod: ten years old

Say what you want

Ouf of all iPods, I still like this design best. Ten years already *sigh*

Ten reasons why you shouldn't buy an iPhone 5

Worst clickbaitin' dribble ever

This is way below your standards, El Reg. Completely pointless article.

iPhone has become mainstream, therefore it has lost most of its lustre. Android is for the hordes of Geeks who like to differentiate themselves by buying huge, ugly phones that nobody can tell apart. It is a pity that HP MURDERED WebOS as that was at least interesting in terms of interface design.

You know what is interesting? That NOKIA – of all people –  managed to give the N9 so much fashion allure. Apparently they are very, very serious about this device, and damn that thing is sexy. Looks like they actually managed to milk the innovation tree this time. It will get most interesting once they actually manage to ship that thing to some people. Of course the geeks and usual FUDers will bitch and moan about it being "stillborn" and whatnot – but hell, just let them buy another SAMSTC Ultra Nova GLX III and hand over all their data to Google. I'm too old to be bothered by what other people waste their time and money on. I just need something that works for me.

HP may NOT spin off PC biz

This is madness – THIS IS HP!

So they noticed it was kind of a bad idea, huh? Like, bad, huh? Damn… did anyone tell them to go &%!$* themselves lately? It sure seems appropriate.

Btw, buy a Nokia while they still run Symbian, those thingies are pretty nice.

Why modern music sounds rubbish

Yeah, well

That's why the little music I still buy tends to be SACD versions of older recordings. It's not necessarily the medium that allows for better sound (it does, to a point) but the better mastering that goes into making a "better" SACD disc. Luckily there are much more good recordings than I ever have time to listen to. Nevertheless, it's a shame in terms of art and craft.

HP Pre 3 webOS smartphone

Well, thanks

75% is a little on the low end then, eh? I guess the rating is due to HP and not to the device itself. Thank you very much for rubbing in that this is a very decent device and was actually worth the wait, ONLY THAT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET ONE at a sane price. My disregard for HP grows with every passing day. I can only begin to imagine the fury burning inside those actually invested in the platform. I cannot remember seeing a brand doing so much deliberate damage to itself in so little time.

Official: Samsung spurns WebOS

Awwwfugettaboutit

I just put my money on Symbian. Yes, it's a dead end, but for the next couple years, Anna and Belle look just delightful. At least Nokia – as much as I am disgusted by their pitiful decision to move to WinMobile – is not only willing and able but actually making an effort to maintain their installed user base. So long webOS, we could have had a great time. Maybe I'll see you in a year or two, in the company of someone who actually gives a damn about you.

What is this Bada thing and why should I care?

£69 Pre 3 spied on HP UK website

Plain and simple

FUHP.

HP: webOS will still run PCs and printers

Worse and worse

Every single day.

Ultra-cheap HP TouchPads to hit UK at 6pm

now what about the Pre?

I really don't need the fondleslab but would be happy to pick up the Pre 3 … at €99.

HP's WebOS mess: When smartphone assets go toxic

Überfail

That's what HP is. They had a golden opportunity and they just … failed. Big time. Even IF someone has the mercy to pick up webOS (and it deserves to be out there, it's a nice little thing) it will be forever until hardware is available. I now suffer from smartphone depression. First Nokia FAILS with the E7 and now this. It's pathetic.

HP chief bows to Jobsian cult

Not enough traction?

Yeah, well, you announce the unique phone and then don't get around to selling it for half a year. Instead you try to peddle the me-too product that nobody really cares about. Of course you fail, and you deserve to. Who does not deserve this is the people invested in webOS.

HP, you have just decided to fuck your customers, existing and potential. Prepare for them to give you the finger.

HP to 'spinoff PC biz'

Don't believe it

It's HP, tomorrow someone else will just say "naa, it ain't true" and that will be the end of it. Or not.

Damn, this company …

Good idea.

webOS is the only thing I see out there that could motivate Apple to get out of their arse again. They need competition.

So pick up some Pre 3s folks, show them you want it. Cause nobody buys the bloody touchpad. I will.

Apple Mac Mini 2011

Thank you for reminding me

After ONE MONTH I almost forgot how pissed off I am regarding this "upgrade". Idle much? ;)

You buy a Mac mini, you know you are being shafted. It has always been little more than a glorified notebook without a screen. You buy it because it is a small, stylish and quiet way to not being forced to use a glossy display but rather on of your choice. Specs are fine for most uses. So you pay the fruit-tax and chug along happily.

Taking away the drive though, that is a step too far. It makes the whole machine incomplete for many of its intended uses. Also, you just know that this is not about the "obsolescence of the disc" but about their walled garden. Dammit, I do not want to have to rely on something as flaky as internet-access only to watch a movie. And I do not wish to clutter my desk with extra drives or set one up each time I need a disc.

This falls in line with a number of other fruit-FAILS of late. The whole ship is headed into a direction I do not like, turning into company that I care about less and less. Which is somewhat sad, as I have been a loyal customer for 15 years, sending lots of people their way.

HP WebOS tablet to ship early July

don't care one bit but

when can I get my hands on the Pre3? That's where my money's at. The battery in my Nokia is getting weaker by the day and I don't want to invest in the damn company anymore.

HP exec: WebOS tablet will trounce iPad

Despite all the bs

I am still looking forward to getting my hands on a Palm3. Not necessarily the tablet unless it turns out really nice. But WebOS has something about it. Maybe it's the "more professional than consumer crap" positioning.

Arcam FMJ BDP100 Blu-ray Disc player

So...

... no proper codec support and no SACD playback either. For more than £1000. Thanks, but no thanks.

Nokia E7 Qwerty slider smartphone

I so wanted this one

Back when they announced it. Honestly, Nokia outdid itself with the wait this time around. And then they kicked this phone into the trash mere days before its release with the Windows thing. Good bye!

I like my Nokias. I always did. They work. I wanted this one for the great keyboard. But it is too little and too late, and it is too frickin' expensive for what you get. I also fail to see a single raving review. So I'll wait for the Palm 3 with its likely shoddy hardware, because Nokia MESSED UP BIG TIME.

HP to put a WebOS in every PC

huh?

Who is this Microsoft you are talking about and why should anyone care?

Now, Nokia, what about the hardware?

You're supposed to use them, not look at them

Regardless, Nokia phones tend to look pretty good. At least you can distinguish them from other brands. And the E Series is spelled with an E for excellent hardware. They are the phones with wonderfully crafted shells and outstanding keyboards that work great and last forever.

Anyway, moving to Winwhatnot, it is kiss kiss bye bye from me. There are things I will not have in my pocket. I guess I'll go for a Pre now.

Android's on top – will Nokia and RIM let it in?

No way.

There is no way I am buying a Nokia with an MS OS on it.

Google axes Jobsian codec in name of 'open'

What is this "Chrome" thing?

What? A browser? Thank you, I already have three.

Nintendo disappoints over 3DS battery life

So...

Can you, like, carry a spare battery?

In-flight fight for stubborn iPhone-loving teen

Be concerned, go to jail

Now that's some logic. A great illustration of why western "civilization" will come to an end rather soonish though. I am 31 and I feel old as hell reading this.

This year's classy compact cameras

Are you serious?

I know you just scrape together the consumer-junk you reviewed over the past year, that's why I only waste a single blink on asking myself why in the world there is no SIGMA DP in this lineup. 'Cause, you know, it could use a camera that is truly compact and produces outstanding pictures – if you have the slightest bit of a clue about what you're doing. No HD-3D-BS mode though, pity.

Top secret payload fired into orbit aboard private rocket

Lovely

Just lovely.

Facebook unveils 'next-gen' messaging system

Great

Even more opportunity for the tards that can't be assed to check or reply to their E-Mail on a regular basis. "Why don't you send me a message on FB?!" - Barf. Some of these people have a Blackberry and still won't reply. I especially love academics who solely rely on a webmailer and then complain about the inconvenience of E-Mail. At least with this "invention" you'll be able to reach them without having to log into freakbook. Regardless, thumbs down. DOWN!

US military builds laser backpack for 3D indoor mapping

Can't wait

I can haz automap!

Apple iMac 21.5in 2010

Nifty little machine

I use this at work. Very zippy little bugger. The screen is indeed nice to look at but at times the gloss is incredibly annoying.

Before the iPad, there was the Newton

Keep the green!

Ahh, sweet Newton bliss. My first one actually was a 130 and I still have two 2100s around. Both of which still work despite me lugging them around for years, having them squeezed, twisted, and repeatedly tumbled down whole lecture theatres. Superbly sturdy and very ergonomic hardware. So what if they are not as slick as todays devices? The bugly eMate could be thrown against the wall and would still work. Being designed for EDU, it just had to be that robust.

As Christian wrote, Newton OS provided a truly innovative interface with excellent pen-implementation. It often mimicked physical office-equipment in both look and also operation while adding incredibly useful features that are amiss in many of today's devices.

1984's MacPaint source code hits web

Love it

I remember how I first used MacPaint and how impressive an experience it was.

Color ebook reader for 200 clams? Yup

eReader, color, TFT – whut?

Ah, so it's not only cheap shit from China, it's cheap shit from China with a (likely very, very) shitty display. Just like blackworx, "eBook" tickles my "ePaper" gland, and had it been a 200 bucks ePaper device I would have been all over it.

Usenet's home shuts down today

Ah, fuggem!

Ahhh, Usenet – full of knowledgeable people, short on trolls. Yet most people are to lazy and ignorant to even use eMail properly.

Mafia Wars dons deprived of pit bulls

So you play a game about being a nasty gangster

... but deep inside, you want to know that your evil digital mobster is a good guy, all PC about animal rights, kind with the hookers, never cutting the coke etc.

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE BULLSHIT, PETA!

Phillies fan tasered for field incursion

Zap zap zap me, bro!

Anyone else think all this tasing is rather disturbing?

TASE US INTO SUBMISSION, YOU UNFIT SLOBS!

Really, they tase the shit out of people lately, for every miniscule reason. Don't like it.

Cambridge Audio Azur 650BD

me like

Nice stuff! I assume it plays SACD via HDMI? For some reason it seems to be €850 around here...

HTC Desire

Screw iTunes

I don't buy from the iTMS. Regardless, I want a phone that syncs to my Mac – without pumping all my data through three loops including Google. As long as it doesn't support iSync or at least comes with a standalone sync-app for OS X, I simply don't give a rat's ass about Android. Nice phone though.

Chinese hunters capture 'yeti'

Beat me to it

Poor thing looks terrible and must be mad with fear. Sure caught half of the bruises inside that cage.

Woman finds Romanian living in shed

wanna see my shed?

"She recounted: "He was just lying there quite happily and put two thumbs up at me when I opened the shed door and said 'Nice shed'. It was all very bizarre.""

Indeed. Did he say it with a funny voice, too?

Anyway, if the UK is a place where 22 year-olds not only have their own sheds (and nice ones at that!) but also use them so little that they don't even notice a potential immigrant infection – I think I'll hitch a ride, come over and find me some sweet shed-goodness myself, sippin' me some juice and dispose of it in the right container.

Apple 'real cost' comparison shows inflation beaten mercilessly

About to throw up

Don't you just love your affluence to be based on cheap, slavish labour – elsewhere?

Energizer battery rechargers still haunted by trojan backdoor

WTF?

Why in the world would I want to charge batteries off USB anyway? Am I supposed to drain my lappie's batty on the go just to charge some AAs that I can pick up just about anywhere? Are we really that deprived of outlets? The mind boggles!

LG InTouch Max GW620

How about OS X

Is there some proper way to use the 'droid with iSync, or am I still supposed to hand over all my data to Google?

Whatever happened to the email app?

I'd pay for a new Eudora

Not that it stopped working, it works fine actually, but it could need a major overhaul in terms of OS X feature implementation – one that ends you up with a frontend that actually LOOKS like Eudora, not some slightly modified Thunderbird.

Oh, and I know a number of hotmailing academics who have zero clue that something like mail-clients actually exists. It's sad because it's true.

Mozilla becomes latest to dump Mac OS X 10.4 support

Well, duh?

It's tons of legacy code, of course they want to get rid of it. I still run 10.4.. Suits me perfectly well and it is not really worth it to spend money on 10.5 when I plan to get a new machine with 10.6.x later this year anyway. So I guess I'll keep running the present version or Safari, the old barrell of molasses.

Regardless, they are just losing users this way.

Hubble peers closely at Pluto

four years for that?

We'll see how much redder it got when the probe arrives in five years. I'm dithering at the mere thought!

Steve Jobs dubs Google's 'don't be evil' motto 'bulls**t'

ROFLMAO

"Instead it turned out sinister and disturbing, like waking up to find someone's shoved a dirty bog brush through your letterbox in the middle of the night."

DUDE, I'm trying to work here! Quit putting Eraserhead stuff in my mind!

Can't agree with anything else you wrote though. If you think that *anything* Stevo goes on stage with did not pass his personal approval process you clearly have no idea whom you're talking about.

Ericsson ups jobs cull to 6,500

naaa

You're just bitter. Race to the bottom, gotta love it. Won't backfire. Ever. Or else, look forward to your kids having mandatory training in 3rd-world-languages so they can have a bright future in a callcenter, catering to the needs of the former 3rd-worlders we sold all our industries to.

More problems for Apple's top desktop

duh...

... maybe it's time to make them elsewhere, eh? CSFC ain't cuttin' it anymoo!

Oh, and of course I'll chime in with the choir: That's not the top desktop my dear, that's not the top desktop my dear. Techsite should know better.

Steve Wozniak, your time is up

What is wrong with you?

Rik, without the genius of people like old Steve-o you would likely be canning coleslaw on a band-conveyor somewhere in Leeds. So cut him some slack, will you?

Apple lawyer smacks Gawker with Mac tablet hint

I say

it's getting interesting. Rumors fine and well, but as long as Apple states "no comment" I don't care. If they get on edge, even if it is just because they are fed up with stuff like this bounty, the entertainment value is far higher.