Schools, especially public schools, you never depend on a single supplier. They should never buy any software that can only run on hardware from a single company. Yes, I know it rules out any Apple device, but the cost of lock-in is way too high.
I'm pretty sure every flip phone can receive email over SMS. By texting instead of emailing, you are being rude because you are forcing your recipient to reply from a small (phone) keyboard while he may prefer a real one.
I don't see any reason to use SMS, just like I don't use TCP directly to write to my friends. SMS should only be a transport protocol to carry data in a more user-friendly format (such as not be limited to 130 characters).
I have a credit card since I am allowed to have one. I use it for all my purchase. It has never been cloned or compromised. New versions with chip and pin seems secure enough. Even if it wasn't, I am not liable in case of a fraud.
So why would I want another payment system that would be more secure? At least my credit card doesn't run out of juice after 1-2 days in my pocket.
Neither do I. I would carry $30k once if I had too. But I wouldn't carry it for no reason just in case I decide to purchase a trip or a car.
I regularly see people with over $10000 of clothing and jewelry on and nobody gets robbed.
These used clothing and jewelry aren't probably worth more than $500 as soon as they are taken out of the store. Cash is much more interesting for a robber. Also you can loose your wallet. I don't really care if I loose $50. It will bother me to have to call my credit card to cancel the old one and get a replacement, and to do the same for my driver's license, health insurance and such. But I'd be way more pissed off if I just lost 30k$ cash.
The proper term is not 'robbed', it's "civil forfeitured". By confusing the two terms, you sully the reputation of thieves who ply their craft without the aid of crooked DA's and the DEA.
No, I just don't live in the jurisdiction of these agencies.
A $30k payment would probably be blocked by the credit card security feature (I may need to call to unlock). However many different payments of various amount totaling $30k would work just fine.
I wouldn't keep $2k in cash on me all the time either, if you prefer a smaller amount.
Cash equivalents are readily available in those amounts and they can be secured if stolen.
You mean like traveler's checks? Not very convenient.
Secure?
I have no problems keeping on me credit cards with $30k spending limits. Would you keep that amount in cash on you all the time with no fear of getting robbed?
Apple Pay doesn't stop at the contactless number exchange.
The exchange of a credit card number is meaningless as a payment method if you are not connected to banks/credit cards networks. And this still requires proprietary protocols.
Even if Apple Pay was 99% open, the remaining 1% is enough to make it a proprietary application overall. I can't implement an Apple Pay application to run on my non-Apple phone even if I wanted to.
My point is that Apple Pay is proprietary. I never said the Bank apps aren't.
Also if Skype, Hangout, Facetime and Facebook were open standards, you could develop a bridge between your land-line phone and these VoIP protocols. But since they are proprietary it isn't possible.
Ever tried to pay using your work or parking lot RFID card? It doesn't work, even if it's compatible with the NFC standard too.
Even tough Apple Pay uses an open standard (NFC), it is still a proprietary solution. Just like Facetime is a proprietary protocol no matter what's hiding behind.
The HTC One M8 really stands out, thanks to its nearly balanced performance/battery-life ratio
No it doesn't. Just because an arbitrary "performance" number equals another just as arbitrary "battery life" number doesn't mean the device is any balanced.
Except that in practice nobody does that, and if someone does, it will never get mainstream. It could be useful to attach a high end graphic card to a laptop, but:
1. such a case would be very expensive and bulky (power supply)
2. bandwidth is still too slow for high end graphic cards
There was nothing wrong with express card. You could get a cellular modem, wifi, ethernet, usb2, sound card, eSATA card in that format. It was cheap and covered pretty much every use case except, again, graphic cards, for the same bandwidth reason. What killed it is that laptops had pretty much all these functions built-in so there was no need for external cards. Plus laptops keep getting smaller so that slot unused by 99% of us had to go.
In practice the main selling advantage of Thunderbolt is that you save one cable (against using DVI/HDMI/DP + USB3) to connect a monitor.
2) Can it act as an external display for other computers, like some older versions of the iMac?
No. This is what I hate about these iMacs. And especially more since this high-res display. You get a good, expensive display, which you could easily keep for 10-15 years, but are forced to throw it away when you want to upgrade the computer, after say 2-8 years.
A Mac mini duck-taped on the back of a monitor takes about the same space anyways.
Slashdot Mirror
Do you have any other anecdotal evidence to share with us?
Schools, especially public schools, you never depend on a single supplier. They should never buy any software that can only run on hardware from a single company. Yes, I know it rules out any Apple device, but the cost of lock-in is way too high.
I'm pretty sure every flip phone can receive email over SMS. By texting instead of emailing, you are being rude because you are forcing your recipient to reply from a small (phone) keyboard while he may prefer a real one. I don't see any reason to use SMS, just like I don't use TCP directly to write to my friends. SMS should only be a transport protocol to carry data in a more user-friendly format (such as not be limited to 130 characters).
You mean just like email? Wow.
Most providers have email to sms gateways. So there is no reasons for using SMS directly. Also, even with 2G you can send emails just fine.
It's the one universal method to reach someone (other than calling).
What happened to email? Way more universal as you don't need to write it on your phone. And you don't even need a cell phone.
I have a credit card since I am allowed to have one. I use it for all my purchase. It has never been cloned or compromised. New versions with chip and pin seems secure enough. Even if it wasn't, I am not liable in case of a fraud. So why would I want another payment system that would be more secure? At least my credit card doesn't run out of juice after 1-2 days in my pocket.
Yes. I don't live in a violent ghetto.
Neither do I. I would carry $30k once if I had too. But I wouldn't carry it for no reason just in case I decide to purchase a trip or a car.
I regularly see people with over $10000 of clothing and jewelry on and nobody gets robbed.
These used clothing and jewelry aren't probably worth more than $500 as soon as they are taken out of the store. Cash is much more interesting for a robber. Also you can loose your wallet. I don't really care if I loose $50. It will bother me to have to call my credit card to cancel the old one and get a replacement, and to do the same for my driver's license, health insurance and such. But I'd be way more pissed off if I just lost 30k$ cash.
The proper term is not 'robbed', it's "civil forfeitured". By confusing the two terms, you sully the reputation of thieves who ply their craft without the aid of crooked DA's and the DEA.
No, I just don't live in the jurisdiction of these agencies.
Cash equivalents are readily available in those amounts and they can be secured if stolen.
You mean like traveler's checks? Not very convenient.
Secure? I have no problems keeping on me credit cards with $30k spending limits. Would you keep that amount in cash on you all the time with no fear of getting robbed?
What you call "existing standards" include many proprietary solutions. They are no more standard than Windows is an operating system standard.
Apple Pay doesn't stop at the contactless number exchange. The exchange of a credit card number is meaningless as a payment method if you are not connected to banks/credit cards networks. And this still requires proprietary protocols.
The merchant has to get a proprietary terminal compatible with the bank's proprietary network.
Even if Apple Pay was 99% open, the remaining 1% is enough to make it a proprietary application overall. I can't implement an Apple Pay application to run on my non-Apple phone even if I wanted to.
Bad analogy. Apple Pay was accepted everywhere NFC payments were accepted, no additional equipment required
Yes, because it rely on proprietary networks/protocols owned by credit cards company and/or banks. Apple Pay is just an additional middle man.
My point is that Apple Pay is proprietary. I never said the Bank apps aren't. Also if Skype, Hangout, Facetime and Facebook were open standards, you could develop a bridge between your land-line phone and these VoIP protocols. But since they are proprietary it isn't possible.
Ever tried to pay using your work or parking lot RFID card? It doesn't work, even if it's compatible with the NFC standard too. Even tough Apple Pay uses an open standard (NFC), it is still a proprietary solution. Just like Facetime is a proprietary protocol no matter what's hiding behind.
Why isn't "balanced" to have 200% in battery compared to performance? Where does the 1:1 ratio comes from?
The HTC One M8 really stands out, thanks to its nearly balanced performance/battery-life ratio
No it doesn't. Just because an arbitrary "performance" number equals another just as arbitrary "battery life" number doesn't mean the device is any balanced.
Android didn't need a new design overhaul. I just hope the new OS is fast and functional.
Except that in practice nobody does that, and if someone does, it will never get mainstream. It could be useful to attach a high end graphic card to a laptop, but: 1. such a case would be very expensive and bulky (power supply) 2. bandwidth is still too slow for high end graphic cards There was nothing wrong with express card. You could get a cellular modem, wifi, ethernet, usb2, sound card, eSATA card in that format. It was cheap and covered pretty much every use case except, again, graphic cards, for the same bandwidth reason. What killed it is that laptops had pretty much all these functions built-in so there was no need for external cards. Plus laptops keep getting smaller so that slot unused by 99% of us had to go. In practice the main selling advantage of Thunderbolt is that you save one cable (against using DVI/HDMI/DP + USB3) to connect a monitor.
Great, so you can buy another expensive Thunderbolt PC to connect to this bulky, power hungry monitor once the computer inside is becoming too old
2) Can it act as an external display for other computers, like some older versions of the iMac?
No. This is what I hate about these iMacs. And especially more since this high-res display. You get a good, expensive display, which you could easily keep for 10-15 years, but are forced to throw it away when you want to upgrade the computer, after say 2-8 years. A Mac mini duck-taped on the back of a monitor takes about the same space anyways.
Thunderbolt is useful for a niche market. Just like firewire, it won't last long. Too expensive.