Yeah where digital is 'crystal clear sound' right? Except that it's 128kbps layer-ii audio and so full of horrible artifacts. Thanks but I'll stick with FM - DAB is a complete face.
Note: In other countries they do use proper bitrates per channel but in the UK we've got 50 of exactly the same sort of garbage pop radio station vying to get into each multiplex. Quality in programming seems to have taken a back seat.
Publishers are the guys that fronted the money which fed all of the people who made the game all of those years it was in development.
They do that and even then, they don't know if it'll really be any good or if they'll make any money out of it.
That's why when a publisher manages to lock in a developer like Valve, they'll fight tooth and nail to maintain the agreement since it's one of their franchises which does make money.
As for Valve being the good guys. Well let's see, the last good thing they did was Half-Life, what five years ago? Since then they've been nothing but a pack of broken promises (TF2, haha - my God I saw them demo this on HL2 engine at E3 many years ago...), destruction of Counter-Strike into a weenie shoot because they couldn't play FPS games and finally Steam. The gaming world's worst idea ever.
If those guys are the good guys then jesus wept, where to I sign up to the mob?
Steam is the best thing to happen to Valve since Counter-Strike... my God, you have so little clue that it just makes me fear for the entire human race.
I'm not sure what's up with iRiver and the broken promises of new firmware. iRiver apologists have been banging on about how this is all a bonus and one should live with the state of the player as shipped but... iRiver certainly made a selling feature of the upgradable firmware.
On the other hand, there isn't a hard-drive player on the market which touches the iHP-100 range (sadly including iRiver's next product the H300-series) and I've pretty much tested them all in a professional capacity as a journalist. The existing firmware is, it must be said, damn good. The way it just works with your file structure if you prefer (and I do), the way navigation works, the way settings work, switching modes, voice recording etc - it's all just right.
So iRiver really do know what they're doing when it comes to software engineering. It's actually the iRiver software that makes it stand out from the crowd. However there's a few glaring problems - the biggest, for me, is the lack of a real shuffle mode. It's easy to end up with the 100-series playing the same sequence of tracks when in random mode. That sucks. Gapless is the next most important for me with the rest of the options such as on-the-fly playlist editing and and file deletion taking up the rear of my priority list by some margin. I can live without that, to be frank. (You can still be Ann)
But let's look at what's good here. With the existing software, you can configure what sorts of play modes you like including shuffle modes. Then when you press and hold the A-B button (on the unit itself or the fantastic remote control), it will cycle through just your preferred modes and not every one of them. Brilliant.
What iRiver needs more than anything else is just a rocket up them to fix the issues and deliver what they've promised. They're a fairly typical Korean company in that 99% of the noise out there from customers doesn't reach anyone making decisions but I think that will change now a slashdot story about a vaporware opensource alternative has appeared.
That's why it's good news. Of course if someone could pressure them into dumping the proprietary software and incorporating the same USB mass storage approach as the 100-series for the otherwise-brilliant iFP-700/800 flash players, that would be the icing on the cake. Then I could switch to something smaller and lighter for the British summer.
(Meanwhile most other manufacturer's of flash-based MP3 players tell you that you don't need USB 2.0. Sigh)
I'm amazed by the moaning about the prices quite frankly. The firm builds high-performance good looking PCs out of the best components with a price tag to match.
No one moans about the coast of a Ferrari. You either have the money and want the goods, or you don't. Why does every computer for sale in the world have to be $999 and made by Dell?
I should think Alienware has plenty of people 'in the know' that purchase their hardware too. Other people 'in the know' might have different values and different budgets than you do. Crazy but true.
...by Asus GameFace. The idea being that you could set up a video conference to a friend you are playing in a multiplayer game and their face is superimposed on your actual game, via a translucent overlay.
I've tried it and it's pretty cool. It's great so see the expression on your opponents face when you roll your army of tanks into his left flank when he's least expecting it.
You reckon they kids with brand new mobile phones actually know about the furst Star Wars movies? They've got Jar Jar Binks ring tones fer Christ's sakes. *
* I use that to make the point, I'm not entirely sure how you would make a Jar Jar Binks ring tone but it's too horrible to contemplate anyway;
That's just such nonsense, my God. Sony is a huge empire that stretches from virtually all facets of consumer electronics to dominating the games industry and market leading in televisions, notebook computers and others.
As I write this, they have the top five notebooks in the top ten notebook sales charts here. The TR series alone just hasn't been touched by anyone else in terms of specification and design.
Well. I dunno about sexy, most of the Vaio range has been cheap and plasticy but definately a better design than most PC notebooks.
Sony actually woke up to super sexy when they introduced the Sony TR1MP and the other verions of that in other countries. That's still the best looking sub notebook ever made and... it's remarkably better quality than most Vaios too. Just as well for the money.
I can't recall a case in which Microsoft had viable products and decent sales and exited instead of spending more money to compete more effectively.
They did exactly the same in the games controller market. They were the market leader and were making a profit but pulled out anyway.
The reason is, they don't like competiting in hardware with low margins. Strategically it's not something Bill wants to do.
Given that your battery will go flat after no more than two hours, it's only going to cost you about a tenner anyway:o)
My Sony TR1MP which I use on the train every day, goes for a lot lot longer than that - as do a number of Centrino laptops.
There's no wifi on my train but there's a couple of hotspots accessible from a couple of stations on the way. I use Avantgo on the PC and load up all the web sites I want to use over the Wifi broadband quickly, so I can read them when I have no signal later.
The boom in notebooks/laptops is a large part of the revival of the fortunes of IT. What's more, it's actually consumer notebook use which is the big sector which has been on the rise and most of the notebook vendors realise this.
Even business stalwarts Toshiba launched bulky widescreen notebooks into the market last year. Barely portable, these devices are designed as crosses between desktop replacements and media PCs. Sony even have a compact PC system which comes at it from the other angle.
Why is all this happening? It's because notebook prices are now at around the price which consumers are willing to pay for new computer systems. So if you walk into a shop and you can afford a notebook, it's an attractive proposition in the home. You don't need to build a huge permanent home for it, you can move it from room to room and people like the idea they can take it with them if they need to.
But really they're after compact luggable home computer systems, the real desktop replacement if you like.
The real news wont be 'is this is a joke' (which indicates to me that the poster doesn't understand the current market very well but this is Slashdot after all...) but when a vendor makes a notebook without a battery.
"in case you're implying that the problem is american design philosophy"
No, I wasn't implying that. I know full well that Americans can build excellent practical cars. Indeed half of the European firms are owned by various American firms.
"ever seen a german ford taurus wagon?"
No but I saw an American Honda. It seemed that they added extra steel and a bigger engine and of course the ubiquitious column shift...
Oh I agree with you, I also prefer Japanese. But I prefer the stuff they make for the European market since it has a small efficient engine and has handling which lends itself to turning corners.
Interestingly, this could just be a perception thing, but I also think there's a vastly wider variety of vehicles - particularly Japanese models - in Europe than I see in the US. Anyone agree?
Well, probably the only thing made in Britain that is ridiculous enough to do well in the US would be anything from Astin Martin I'd suggest.
Obviously someone likes stuff like Hummers, or they wouldn't exist. Thankfully they're all in the US and don't bother the rest of the world very much.
I drove a Hummer actually. Is it supposed to handle like that? Makes me think they were aiming for a tank but ran out of money when it came to the tracks.
There's a wide range though, if you're talking about European made cars. You've got BMW, Mercedes at the uber reliable end and then Fiat and Alfa Romeo at the other end.
For every Rover there's someone like Saab or Volvo.
Slashdot Mirror
You do know that's how audio CDs work, right?
* Note for Americans: Australia is not in Europe.
Note: In other countries they do use proper bitrates per channel but in the UK we've got 50 of exactly the same sort of garbage pop radio station vying to get into each multiplex. Quality in programming seems to have taken a back seat.
My kingdom for BBC 6 Music in 256kbps...
I rent an office in OMD. Now the posters on the wall talking about the power of viral marketing are making rather more sense...
HL1 engine, I meant...
They do that and even then, they don't know if it'll really be any good or if they'll make any money out of it.
That's why when a publisher manages to lock in a developer like Valve, they'll fight tooth and nail to maintain the agreement since it's one of their franchises which does make money.
As for Valve being the good guys. Well let's see, the last good thing they did was Half-Life, what five years ago? Since then they've been nothing but a pack of broken promises (TF2, haha - my God I saw them demo this on HL2 engine at E3 many years ago...), destruction of Counter-Strike into a weenie shoot because they couldn't play FPS games and finally Steam. The gaming world's worst idea ever.
If those guys are the good guys then jesus wept, where to I sign up to the mob?
Steam is the best thing to happen to Valve since Counter-Strike... my God, you have so little clue that it just makes me fear for the entire human race.
On the other hand, there isn't a hard-drive player on the market which touches the iHP-100 range (sadly including iRiver's next product the H300-series) and I've pretty much tested them all in a professional capacity as a journalist. The existing firmware is, it must be said, damn good. The way it just works with your file structure if you prefer (and I do), the way navigation works, the way settings work, switching modes, voice recording etc - it's all just right.
So iRiver really do know what they're doing when it comes to software engineering. It's actually the iRiver software that makes it stand out from the crowd. However there's a few glaring problems - the biggest, for me, is the lack of a real shuffle mode. It's easy to end up with the 100-series playing the same sequence of tracks when in random mode. That sucks. Gapless is the next most important for me with the rest of the options such as on-the-fly playlist editing and and file deletion taking up the rear of my priority list by some margin. I can live without that, to be frank. (You can still be Ann)
But let's look at what's good here. With the existing software, you can configure what sorts of play modes you like including shuffle modes. Then when you press and hold the A-B button (on the unit itself or the fantastic remote control), it will cycle through just your preferred modes and not every one of them. Brilliant.
What iRiver needs more than anything else is just a rocket up them to fix the issues and deliver what they've promised. They're a fairly typical Korean company in that 99% of the noise out there from customers doesn't reach anyone making decisions but I think that will change now a slashdot story about a vaporware opensource alternative has appeared.
That's why it's good news. Of course if someone could pressure them into dumping the proprietary software and incorporating the same USB mass storage approach as the 100-series for the otherwise-brilliant iFP-700/800 flash players, that would be the icing on the cake. Then I could switch to something smaller and lighter for the British summer.
(Meanwhile most other manufacturer's of flash-based MP3 players tell you that you don't need USB 2.0. Sigh)
No one moans about the coast of a Ferrari. You either have the money and want the goods, or you don't. Why does every computer for sale in the world have to be $999 and made by Dell?
I should think Alienware has plenty of people 'in the know' that purchase their hardware too. Other people 'in the know' might have different values and different budgets than you do. Crazy but true.
Clearly it needs to be used in conjunction with games that electrocute players as they are doing badly. :-)
I've tried it and it's pretty cool. It's great so see the expression on your opponents face when you roll your army of tanks into his left flank when he's least expecting it.
* I use that to make the point, I'm not entirely sure how you would make a Jar Jar Binks ring tone but it's too horrible to contemplate anyway;
I don't know, I do it all the time.
As I write this, they have the top five notebooks in the top ten notebook sales charts here. The TR series alone just hasn't been touched by anyone else in terms of specification and design.
Well. I dunno about sexy, most of the Vaio range has been cheap and plasticy but definately a better design than most PC notebooks. Sony actually woke up to super sexy when they introduced the Sony TR1MP and the other verions of that in other countries. That's still the best looking sub notebook ever made and ... it's remarkably better quality than most Vaios too. Just as well for the money.
My Sony TR1MP which I use on the train every day, goes for a lot lot longer than that - as do a number of Centrino laptops.
There's no wifi on my train but there's a couple of hotspots accessible from a couple of stations on the way. I use Avantgo on the PC and load up all the web sites I want to use over the Wifi broadband quickly, so I can read them when I have no signal later.
Even business stalwarts Toshiba launched bulky widescreen notebooks into the market last year. Barely portable, these devices are designed as crosses between desktop replacements and media PCs. Sony even have a compact PC system which comes at it from the other angle.
Why is all this happening? It's because notebook prices are now at around the price which consumers are willing to pay for new computer systems. So if you walk into a shop and you can afford a notebook, it's an attractive proposition in the home. You don't need to build a huge permanent home for it, you can move it from room to room and people like the idea they can take it with them if they need to.
But really they're after compact luggable home computer systems, the real desktop replacement if you like.
The real news wont be 'is this is a joke' (which indicates to me that the poster doesn't understand the current market very well but this is Slashdot after all...) but when a vendor makes a notebook without a battery.
The day is coming.
The point of DeCSS is single fold, to decrypt commercial DVDs.
Sigh. This GT36.
No. I meant the GT36.
Sigh, if only they made one with fuel cells :)
No, I wasn't implying that. I know full well that Americans can build excellent practical cars. Indeed half of the European firms are owned by various American firms.
"ever seen a german ford taurus wagon?"
No but I saw an American Honda. It seemed that they added extra steel and a bigger engine and of course the ubiquitious column shift...
Oh I agree with you, I also prefer Japanese. But I prefer the stuff they make for the European market since it has a small efficient engine and has handling which lends itself to turning corners.
Interestingly, this could just be a perception thing, but I also think there's a vastly wider variety of vehicles - particularly Japanese models - in Europe than I see in the US. Anyone agree?
Obviously someone likes stuff like Hummers, or they wouldn't exist. Thankfully they're all in the US and don't bother the rest of the world very much.
I drove a Hummer actually. Is it supposed to handle like that? Makes me think they were aiming for a tank but ran out of money when it came to the tracks.
For every Rover there's someone like Saab or Volvo.