Seeing all the comments on "infotainment" systems, I'd like to add that MMI is much more than that. Many of the car's systems are controlled/customized through MMI, including steering and throttle response, suspension settings, interior and exterior lighting systems, service intervals, GPS navigation, etc.
Wow, Toyota is going to "allow" bluetooth pairing in next year's models? Welcome to 2005 Toyota! This is 2013, right?
I've had no pairing issues in my 2013 Audi with the MMI system. It works flawlessly with my Lumia over bluetooth. It even detects changes in contacts on my phone re-syncs it with the MMI system whenever the car is started. Using MMI I can also access placed and missed calls, my voice mailbox, etc. Call transfers and multi-party calls also work.
What's this "fee" for using your phone as a hotspot? Oh right... US carriers. Carry on...
Seriously, this is a MAJOR problem with the so-called "news" in the US. It's so US-centric (and crime and entertainment-centric) that even the prime minister of the UK is not known by name.
'All that foam cushion and padding probably didn't add all that much comfort. All that's been taken out,' he said. 'You haven't really lost all that much if the airline does it right.'
Pure speculation at its finest and spoken by a person who probably doesn't travel much.
If it ain't broke, then why does MS still keep pushing out patches for XP? Because there are exploitable holes, that's why.
The whole thing falls apart after April 2014 when MS stops pushing out any patches for XP. Zero-day exploits will undoubtedly appear shortly thereafter, and now black hat hackers will have a huge incentive to target XP machines because they know that once they are in, a patch is not coming to close the hole. Think about that for a moment...
The only way to keep an XP machine safe from attacks after April 2014 is to unplug it from the internet completely.
Please let it die, it's had a good run. It's time to move on.
"*Big Pharma Companies* have been powerless to stop the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and are increasingly desperate to develop novel drugs."
Here's a hint: Stop indiscriminately throwing antibiotics at everything that moves. It's precisely the over-use of these drugs that has created the problem in the first place.
Same here in Finland. My last two cars (VW, Audi) did not even require routine service until they hit 30,000 km (19k mi). With my daily commute that's about 2 years. In between, just top off fluids, if needed. The routine service is little more than a simple oil change, checking the brakes, tires, etc.
I completely support Tesla's idea of selling direct, even if I'm not an owner (yet). I hope that they someday find a solution for batteries in Nordic climes, so it's a viable car here as well. After all, we already use the grid to keep our cars warm and start-able in the winter.
I find it appalling that some states, including my own home state, are using legal means to try and block Tesla from entering the market. Whatever happened to the so-called free market in the US? This sounds decidedly less free market.
I would replace "Android" with "WP8" for almost all of those (all, once Amber drops on my device), because I've got karma to burn at the moment and it's true. There's a shit-ton of copying going on in iOS 7 from WP8, WebOS... and Android.
I can confirm this as a US citizen who travels to Brazil every 12-18 months. It's not quite as bad as Russia, but it is a pain to have to go to the Brazilian embassy and get a visa just to go to Brazil on vacation, plus the additional costs of the visa.
Exactly. A similar thing happened in Finland a few years ago. The previously state-run mobile phone and internet provider was sold to a Swedish company and as a result, the hub for all the data flowing into and out of this provider moved to Sweden. The problem was, the Finnish government used this provider, and suddenly all government data was "overseas". This was/is illegal. So, they had to quickly build new datacenters in Finland to host all the government data. I would also speculate that Sweden's close ties with the US had some impact to the urgency as well.
Note, this was well before the whole Assange affair which also seems to smell of US interference/cooperation with the Swedish government in order to get him on Swedish soil so he can be extradited to the US for prosecution.
No, this belongs on a "news for nerds" site. If you are so dependent and coddled by the whole app-store experience, then you are not a nerd and you need to use that other news site you mentioned.
A real nerd/geek/whatever label you want to use is not going to be bothered that he/she can't get their apps through a single source.
In the US, almost NOBODY buys mobile phones off-contract. Yes, most of us know that is the worst way to buy a mobile phone, but the simple fact is most Americans don't want to pay up-front for the phone. The average US consumer will not do the math and figure out how much more they are paying on-contract, not to mention that US mobile call and data rates are among the highest in the world. I've been trying to convince my parents in the US, who are in their 70's and retired, to get phones off-contract, but they just don't get it. All they see is the bigger up-front cost. It's a cultural thing, Americans tend to want their stuff now and with no starting cost, even if it costs them more over time. I see this both in the consumer and business worlds.
Carrier lock-in via contracts and locked devices is still a big issue in the US, unlike many other parts of the world.
Disclaimer: I'm an ex-pat American living abroad for 12 years.
Sounds to me like you're just lazy. XP is missing all of the usability improvement that came in later versions (not necessarily counting 8). How do you snap two windows side by side in XP? Oh wait, you can't. How do you utilize more than 3GB of your memory in XP? You don't, unless you use the bastard child that was XP 64-bit, which almost nobody supports by the way. For me, 8GB is a good starting point for RAM for what I use a PC for.
There are LOTS of usability tweaks in later versions. Please, just let XP die, it's had a good run but it's time to bury it. It's also ugly as hell next to a modern OS.
I won't hesitate to guess that a majority of people are hanging on to XP only because they've got a cracked copy and don't want to buy a legitimate newer version.
Ever heard of the internet? I hear you can search for things and actually download them!/sarcasm off
Totally agree, they should mass produce these and make them available at multiple touch points for anyone to pick up, train stations, kiosks, shops, etc.
To further refine that, it's a lack of mental healthcare PLUS the easy availability of guns that is the problem. One without the other would not really be a problem.
Slashdot Mirror
Seeing all the comments on "infotainment" systems, I'd like to add that MMI is much more than that. Many of the car's systems are controlled/customized through MMI, including steering and throttle response, suspension settings, interior and exterior lighting systems, service intervals, GPS navigation, etc.
Wow, Toyota is going to "allow" bluetooth pairing in next year's models? Welcome to 2005 Toyota! This is 2013, right?
I've had no pairing issues in my 2013 Audi with the MMI system. It works flawlessly with my Lumia over bluetooth. It even detects changes in contacts on my phone re-syncs it with the MMI system whenever the car is started. Using MMI I can also access placed and missed calls, my voice mailbox, etc. Call transfers and multi-party calls also work.
What's this "fee" for using your phone as a hotspot? Oh right... US carriers. Carry on...
Oh, and what OS is running in the device that you connect your BYO to? Surely, you don't think that's an analog connection these days...
Nah, he's just a 'Murican!
Seriously, this is a MAJOR problem with the so-called "news" in the US. It's so US-centric (and crime and entertainment-centric) that even the prime minister of the UK is not known by name.
... the beginning of the end is near...
Interesting study.
Now please explain Sarah Palin.
I love it:
'All that foam cushion and padding probably didn't add all that much comfort. All that's been taken out,' he said. 'You haven't really lost all that much if the airline does it right.'
Pure speculation at its finest and spoken by a person who probably doesn't travel much.
Maybe so, but you can bet the manufacturer keeps track of the items shipped by serial number and to whom they have been shipped.
If it ain't broke, then why does MS still keep pushing out patches for XP? Because there are exploitable holes, that's why.
The whole thing falls apart after April 2014 when MS stops pushing out any patches for XP. Zero-day exploits will undoubtedly appear shortly thereafter, and now black hat hackers will have a huge incentive to target XP machines because they know that once they are in, a patch is not coming to close the hole. Think about that for a moment...
The only way to keep an XP machine safe from attacks after April 2014 is to unplug it from the internet completely.
Please let it die, it's had a good run. It's time to move on.
"*Big Pharma Companies* have been powerless to stop the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and are increasingly desperate to develop novel drugs."
Here's a hint: Stop indiscriminately throwing antibiotics at everything that moves. It's precisely the over-use of these drugs that has created the problem in the first place.
+1 Insightful, where are my mod points when I need them.
Same here in Finland. My last two cars (VW, Audi) did not even require routine service until they hit 30,000 km (19k mi). With my daily commute that's about 2 years. In between, just top off fluids, if needed. The routine service is little more than a simple oil change, checking the brakes, tires, etc.
I completely support Tesla's idea of selling direct, even if I'm not an owner (yet). I hope that they someday find a solution for batteries in Nordic climes, so it's a viable car here as well. After all, we already use the grid to keep our cars warm and start-able in the winter.
I find it appalling that some states, including my own home state, are using legal means to try and block Tesla from entering the market. Whatever happened to the so-called free market in the US? This sounds decidedly less free market.
Native Texan here born and raised, and 100% true.
Fortunately, I decided to leave the state (and the country, for that matter).
Not necessarily stupid, but ignorant. They are not the same.
Nope, it's the kossu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kossu
Secret court finds secret spying OK. News at 11...
I would replace "Android" with "WP8" for almost all of those (all, once Amber drops on my device), because I've got karma to burn at the moment and it's true. There's a shit-ton of copying going on in iOS 7 from WP8, WebOS... and Android.
I can confirm this as a US citizen who travels to Brazil every 12-18 months. It's not quite as bad as Russia, but it is a pain to have to go to the Brazilian embassy and get a visa just to go to Brazil on vacation, plus the additional costs of the visa.
Exactly. A similar thing happened in Finland a few years ago. The previously state-run mobile phone and internet provider was sold to a Swedish company and as a result, the hub for all the data flowing into and out of this provider moved to Sweden. The problem was, the Finnish government used this provider, and suddenly all government data was "overseas". This was/is illegal. So, they had to quickly build new datacenters in Finland to host all the government data. I would also speculate that Sweden's close ties with the US had some impact to the urgency as well.
Note, this was well before the whole Assange affair which also seems to smell of US interference/cooperation with the Swedish government in order to get him on Swedish soil so he can be extradited to the US for prosecution.
No, this belongs on a "news for nerds" site. If you are so dependent and coddled by the whole app-store experience, then you are not a nerd and you need to use that other news site you mentioned.
A real nerd/geek/whatever label you want to use is not going to be bothered that he/she can't get their apps through a single source.
In the US, almost NOBODY buys mobile phones off-contract. Yes, most of us know that is the worst way to buy a mobile phone, but the simple fact is most Americans don't want to pay up-front for the phone. The average US consumer will not do the math and figure out how much more they are paying on-contract, not to mention that US mobile call and data rates are among the highest in the world. I've been trying to convince my parents in the US, who are in their 70's and retired, to get phones off-contract, but they just don't get it. All they see is the bigger up-front cost. It's a cultural thing, Americans tend to want their stuff now and with no starting cost, even if it costs them more over time. I see this both in the consumer and business worlds.
Carrier lock-in via contracts and locked devices is still a big issue in the US, unlike many other parts of the world.
Disclaimer: I'm an ex-pat American living abroad for 12 years.
Sounds to me like you're just lazy. XP is missing all of the usability improvement that came in later versions (not necessarily counting 8). How do you snap two windows side by side in XP? Oh wait, you can't. How do you utilize more than 3GB of your memory in XP? You don't, unless you use the bastard child that was XP 64-bit, which almost nobody supports by the way. For me, 8GB is a good starting point for RAM for what I use a PC for.
There are LOTS of usability tweaks in later versions. Please, just let XP die, it's had a good run but it's time to bury it. It's also ugly as hell next to a modern OS.
I won't hesitate to guess that a majority of people are hanging on to XP only because they've got a cracked copy and don't want to buy a legitimate newer version.
Ever heard of the internet? I hear you can search for things and actually download them! /sarcasm off
Totally agree, they should mass produce these and make them available at multiple touch points for anyone to pick up, train stations, kiosks, shops, etc.
Two words: artificial scarcity
For reference, please refer to gas prices at the pump.
To further refine that, it's a lack of mental healthcare PLUS the easy availability of guns that is the problem. One without the other would not really be a problem.