* Posts by Lance

47 publicly visible posts • joined 3 Aug 2007

Vendors launch sticker chart to boost 3G take-up

Lance

One key issue

One key issue is that the majority of the phones from the largest phone manufacturer doesn't support the US 3G bands. Nokia has only a few models that support the US 3G spectrum but most of them do not. They don't even have a tri or quad-band 3G phones available. Australia uses some of the same bands as the US, their phone options are slim as well.

If they want people to use it, then the devices need to be available.

'I've cracked Nokia S40 security', claims researcher

Lance

@Webster Phreaky

And the iPhone is so secure. It is hacked as quickly as they release new firmware updates.

T-Mobile dates BlackBerry Bold launch

Lance

Only 1GB?

That seems rather low when you have plenty of new models that are already available that have 8GB+ in them.

American man too fat for execution

Lance

Only $0.50

Use a bullet. Quick, painless (if placed correctly) and probably cheaper.

How about a short career finding landmines?

Apple is sorry (again) over MobileMe

Lance

It should be free by now

I wonder if anyone will have to pay for service at the rate they are going.

eBay breaks bread with luxury goods firms

Lance

eBay is not a retailer

"Representatives of the luxury goods industry said the eBay-Tiffany ruling was a disservice to customers. "Counterfeit or fraudulent goods are rampant in the marketplace, and internet retailers must accept the responsibility to protect the consumer by guaranteeing the authenticity of the luxury goods they sell," the Luxury Institute."

But eBay doesn't sell anything. The seller is the one posting the auction/buy it now and the buyer is buying from the seller who posted the auction. A retailer eBay is not.

Apple drags its heels on iPhone security patches

Lance

@Andy

But the software is available for public release now. When the new phone goes on sale on the 11th, it will have 2.0 on it. Those units are in boxes sitting in a warehouse. So why hasn't Apple released the update to fix the issue?

FCC preps puritanical broadband

Lance

Carlin

Too bad George Carlin has apssed away. Then he could make a clip that couldn't be shown on the "free Internet" and be named; the seven dirty words that can't be watched on the "Free Internet." The FCC needs to let go. When they made the rules there were a few stations; so people were limited. Now with the multitudes of media sources, if you don't like something, you have plenty of other choices.

Time Warner gives America metered internet

Lance

What contract?

I keep hearing about contracts. What contracts? The three times I have had TW it was month to month, you can leave when you want. There is no contract.

Bush tests Castro with mobile phone gift barrage

Lance

@John Widger

And Walmart would be out of business.

Comcast mulls overage fees for bandwidth lovers

Lance

@Alex

You are confusing volume and bandwidth. They paid for X amount of bandwidth, like 8Mbps. So if they use 8Mbps, they get what they are paying for. It doesn't matter if they use 250GB or 2,500GB, the bandwidth has always been the same. Of course you probably won't get a constant 8Mbps as TCP won't allow it unless both sides are tweaked and the server and client are in close proximity; but that is a different matter. Another issue is congestion from other users.

Patent holders take 4G pledge of allegiance

Lance

Screw Qualcomm

All companies should just stick it to Qualcomm when they want to produce their LTE chips. Do the same exact things that Qualcomm does to them for 3G patents. Make the cost of their products so high no one will buy them and let the go out of business.

BBC vs ISPs: Bandwidth row escalates as Tiscali wades in

Lance

@Anonymous Coward

All content providers already pay. They do have connection(s) to the Internet and those are not free. So, you think the BBC (or anyone else) should pay that and then for the consumer as well? Then what is the consumer paying for? What you are asking for is that the ISP’s can get paid twice to provide the service? The content providers pay the cost for their pipe and the consumer and then the consumer pays as well.

Google cops to puppeting Great American Wireless Auction

Lance

You need to report the facts, not make them up!

What does the “Jesus Phone” have to do with the AT&T 3G network and its build out? There were quite a few places that have had 3G for awhile now and it is much bigger in Europe. Apple also stated the reason why the iPhone doesn’t have 3G is due to size, not AT&T. For the most part, it is the same chip that handles GSM/GPRS/EDGE will also handle UMTS/HSDPA. Apple didn’t include it for other reason rather than size and it wasn’t AT&T either.

@Chris,

That is part of the game. Verizon Wireless didn’t need to raise their bid, they could have let Google have it. They decided they wanted it more. Verizon has always had a higher cost basis using a technology that was not very popular; IS-95/CDMA, then 1xRTT and then EV-DO. They had the opportunity to bypass EV-DO and go with UMTS/HSPDA and they decided not to. There are more equipment manufacturers for UMTS/HSDPA than EV-DO.

Best Buy calls copper on unsatisfied shopper

Lance

Nothing new

Best Buy doesn't live up to their name, provides crappy service and just doesn't care. Besy Buy ha sbeen in plenty of hot water for their business practices and deception.

WiMAX has 'failed miserably'

Lance

@Anonymous Coward

Using "DSL" lines has been used for years by carriers. Ever heard of a T1? They run those over "DSL" and it is not what you think. The Internet has nothing to do with it. You can have P2P DSL lines.

The carriers like the DSL T1 lines because they only use one pair instead of two. Copper is expensive the DSL T1 lines also allow them to troubleshoot the remote end and get more information about line quality.

Oh, 3G also has more latency than EDGE/GPRS.

Motorola cuts off gangrenous right arm

Lance

@Anonymous Coward

Motorola just didn't screw Apple, but themselves and their investors as well. Lose a customer and lose revenue.

Juniper acquires Sun's chip chief with one Yen

Lance

To combat the QuantumFlow processor

Maybe they hired him to design a chip to combat the QuantumFlow processor Cisco.

Mozilla CEO blasts Apple for putting security of the internet at risk

Lance

Mozilla and security

Mozilla has helped provide insecurity in the past. They discovered a flaw that affected both Firefox and Opera. The day after they informed Opera, they released an advisory. That didn’t give Opera enough time to provide a fix.

Shouldn't Firefox be called Firefix?

Sun decides TI's not so ab fab

Lance

Not really news

The DSP’s that Ti makes do not see any improvements below 32-nm. This is one reason why Ti is not going to further refine the manufacturing process. There are some parts that would see improvements but their core business would not. This was announced sometime ago.

Investors cheer Toshiba plan to drop HD DVD

Lance

@Ian

Paramount had an out clause and that was if Warner Brothers jumped went exclusively to Blu-Ray. When they did, Paramount was able to leave as well. That would have left just Universal in the HD-DVD camp. I don’t know what clause Universal has. If HD-DVD folds then it is an automatic out.

Nokia parades recycled handset

Lance

How about better software

How about fixing bugs in the OS rather than just releasing a new model.

Moto and Nortel talk wireless merger

Lance

Ummm, no

Nortel is probably the last person you want to cozy up to. Having used their equipment, it is just pieced together and not very well done to boot. They don't understand IP at all. Look no further than the VoIP products. Companies used their PBX's but Nortel could get a hybrid or full VoIP system in place until longer after their competitors both new and old had theirs.

Why do you think carriers will go away? Someone needs to support the infrastructure. You tend to think WiMAX will be free. Wouldn't WiMAX just be another form of broadband?

Lance

Goodbye Moto

What wil the new company be called, No-Mo or No-Moto. Both are fine with me.

Oh, and good riddance of Motorola, they haven’t made a good digital phone since they started.

Microsoft acquires Sidekick designer

Lance

@Geoff Mackenzie

It is, they just needed to reinforce that point.

Just think of the new Phone; Will Robinson.

Apple to announce iPhone and iPod Touch price cuts?

Lance

@Greg

When does a company need to announce a price cut? The proper way is if you have a new product coming out, you drop the price of the old or just discontinue it and bring the new one in at the price point you want.

Memory prices fall all of the time. If you buy a mirco-SD card and in a few months when it is about half the price when it was when you bought it, do you complain and ask for a credit?

Technology gets cheaper; always has and always will.

Lance

Why wait?

Why wait when you can buy it now and then complain about the price drop and get a store credit from Apple?

Is Verizon gaming Google in US wireless auction?

Lance

@Herby

In around 2000, Verizon Wireless did some layoffs and in some areas, the people that tested the network were laid off. I found it funny they use “Test Guy” showing they test their network when in some areas they fired those people. Most companies use a 3rd party as one company can test the coverage for all operators at the same time. Of course those people wouldn’t be employees like VZW makes it look like.

I think it is time they find a new ad campaign; the current one is too long in the tooth.

Monster-capacity PS3 in the pipeline?

Lance

What about the RSX and Cell

@Andy Gibson

Because smaller drives are cheaper; as manufacturers want to phase the smaller drives out, the larger ones decrease in price and usually match the same price point as the smaller drive. Sony is already subsidizing the price of the PS3.

The real question is if the Cell Processor will be 65-nm as well as The RSX GPU.

Apple to charge $20 for iPod Touch update

Lance

@Demon

You are so wrong. Let’s use your logic and see how it applies.

Nokia has added new features to existing phones. They are not new products; Nokia has sold for a number of years. It’s just that they allow current owners to update to the same firmware that new phones will ship with.

Nintendo has provided updates to its products and they have been making consoles and handhelds for years. Once again, not a new product.

The PSP is new to Sony, but a console is not and Sony continues to add new features to the PS3 through updates.

The above have all been free. How can they do it and not Apple?

Also, Apple has provided free updates that added new features to the iPod in the past. Do a search and find them!

Nokia, Sony and Nintendo are all publicly traded companies, just like Apple. Ever think that Apple is using the interpretation of SOX as an excuse to charge?

Also, using your thinking, wouldn’t Apple need to charge an extra $20 for a new iPod Touch to cover the new software? Of course not, the R&D will be paid for by new sales. You just don’t write it once and never update it.

Xbox Live account takeovers put users at risk

Lance

@Andy

The IP address can change and most users have an address assigned by a DHCP server. Since it can change, banning it won’t do much as you can easily get a new IP. With that said, you also can’t look at before and after to see if it is legitimate or not. You could look at the ISP as that should remain constant, but that is not always the case either as people can take the console somewhere else. They could see which registry the IP is assigned too though.

As for the MAC. You can change that and it is used for L-2. Every hop along the path changes the MAC address.

All of the above is basic networking 101.

Wal-Mart cans video download service

Lance

What a surprise

Not surprised given the target market that Wal-Mart caters too.

Rogue servers point users to impostor sites

Lance

@ Colin Wilson

Many sites have more than on IP address. Many sites have more than one server. Many sites or housed at more than one location. Publishing an IP goes against what DNS is for!

Moto says hello goodbye to Zander

Lance

Goodbye Moto

Kelly,

While that is true, you still have new form factors and better ways of accomplishing something. In the 90’s, Motorola was late to the Digital era and lost a lot of market share. Their phone designs are all over the map. They used UIQ but decided to sell their stake in Symbian and used Linux. That didn’t work well so off to Windows they went. Hmm, still not satisfied they decided to give UIQ a go again. Companies that buy phones don’t like changes. OS version changes, fine. Totally different OS, they don’t like. Motorola has no consistency.

I have not touched a Motorola phone in over a decade. Their phones were great in the analog days, the first digital phones were junk and I quit using them. For the most part I have been a happy camper with Nokia.

Dell sits on cybersquatters

Lance

Sure.....

Of all of the Dell computers I unfortunately got to use, not one worked right. I find it funny that they said this”

A Dell spokeswoman told The Register that it hopes the lawsuit would send a clear signal about the lengths it's prepared to go to protect its brand.”

If that were truly the case, then they better start manufacturing computers that work properly.

Novell vs SCO will go to court after all

Lance

An offer

Who would offer anything for the UNIX business from SCO? I know of only one company using it and they regret it. The only money in UNIX is if you make hardware that goes along with it; SUN/Solaris, IBM/AIX and HP/HP-UX.

Nigerian keyboard firm sues One Laptop per Child

Lance

Something from nothing

I guess they want to sue so they can get a piece of nothing. Some non-profit companies do make a profit. If OLPC makes nothing, then how could one sue for damages?

Even if some IP was stolen. Could they really claim damages? The OLPC is there to get computers in the hands of those that cannot afford them. They would never have been customers anyway.

Gamer takes Microsoft to court over Halo 3 'errors'

Lance

Bungie is Microsoft

Bungie is owned by Microsoft. So by saying that Bungie has nothing to do with the hardware is not quite accurate.

Cox pulls a Comcast with eDonkey

Lance

Not much thought put into that response

"we take proactive measures to ensure that bandwidth intensive applications do not negatively impact their service"

That is exactly what a RST does; impact their service.

What they should say is so that it does not impact the service of others.

iTunes battles Amazon with DRM-free price drop

Lance

The Beatles

Maybe it’s because you created the Beatles and Apple is trying to get their legal fees paid for somehow.

Flash memory makers propose common card

Lance

Title

In some ways this is a good idea and others bad. Hopefully they go further than just the format factor and look at the file system as well. FAT needs to go away; it has served its purpose and now like the various form factors need to be replaced. ZFS anyone? This would make it easy to add on to the existing flash in the phone and make it appear as one disk.

Novell fills Microsoft Silverlight hole

Lance

@Quinnum

MS isn't damned if they do or damned if they don't. MS just doesn't do a damn thing if it doesn't fall into the windows world. Yeah they have a few Mac products here and there, but that is it. Active-X runs on what? That is right, just windows. They talked about porting it to other platforms but dropped it. .Net is designed to compete with Java? Where is MS is supporting it on other platforms? That's right, MS would let others handle that job. Java runs on almost everything. IE, while MS supported some other platforms, more than half were in beta and were never officially supported/released. Office for the Mac has always been behind the windows version. Past history shows us how MS handles things and even still, they are using the same tactics today.

Lance

Typical MS

Typical MS thinking. They want to take the competition head on and try to compete but not offer full compatibility to all platforms. At least they are going to support OS X, but only the latest. Take Adobe, they support Windows, OS X, Solaris and Linux. They have most of the user base covered. Once again MS has big ideas but small support. This is going to be like when you couldn’t watch videos on the web as almost everyone used wmv. When Flash supported videos it changed everything as for the most part, everyone could view them. MS wants to bring back the dark days.

RIAA gets some class

Lance

Class action is not the answer

Individual lawsuits are better. It will cost the RIAA more and spread their resources too thin to actually defend themselves. Once they are swarming in red, maybe then the record companies will begin to open their eyes and listen to the consumer.

Office 2008 for Mac succumbs to Redmond disease

Lance

Not uncommon

Bill Fresher,

Maybe you should read this:

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2006/nov06/11-062007OfficeRTMPR.mspx

Office 2007 was released in 2006; it wasn't called Office 2006 now was it?

Every year cars are released in September and they have the following year on them. So you can buy a 2008 in 2007.

Lance

Maybe this will help

Forget the sneak peeks, work on the product. Are sneak peeks supposed to make people feel better? Sorry you can’t use the real product, but here is what you would have had but now have to wait.

HP puts customers to another Itanium test with aging gear

Lance

Women and children first

The good ship Itanic has never been fully afloat to begin with.