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Why the Kill Switch Makes Sense For Android
Technologizer writes "It came out this week that Google's Android phone OS, like the iPhone, has a kill switch that lets Android Market applications be disabled remotely. But it's a mistake to lump Google's implementation and Apple's together — the Google version is a smart, pro-consumer move that avoids all the things that make Apple's version a bad idea."
I live in the UK and find it funny as hell.
I'm not racist, but it's creative.
..and reboots randomly in the middle of phone calls, requires a monthly hard reset, won't have any manufacturer support once the next model comes out, etc etc
I agree.
His point boils down to "I'm sure Apple will abuse it, and I'm sure Google won't abuse it." For example, this sentence:
Overall, I would compare Google's decision to remotely disable troublesome apps more to its malware detection service than to Apple's kill switch.
The exact same thing is a "kill switch" if Apple does it, but "malware detection service" if Google does it. There is no factual basis for this distinction. Apple has said that they intend to use the kill switch to disable malicious applications. They have not used it to disable any other application so far, even though they would have had opportunities to do so, should they want to use the kill switch for nefarious purposes. Even so, Apple's kill switch can't possibly be a "malware detection service", while Google's can.
There's obvious bias in this article.
Jailbreaking DOES void the warranty
Repeating a lie doesn't make it true.
It is not a lie and you have not demonstrated otherwise. Jailbreaking does void the warranty.
Apple will not service a Jailbroken phone - but that doesn't mean they will not service a phone that has been restored to the original OS, an operation that takes about five minutes. Once restored Apple cannot tell if it was ever Jailbroken or not.
The scenario you are talking about here is a case where the user has voided the warranty by jailbreaking the phone and then hides that fact. That's an act of deception on the part of the user. Restoring the original OS does not unvoid the warranty.