Then... I have an idea -- why don't you go tell them that. Someone over there thinks there is a critical need for a device at that price point. It's easy for us first world residents to say they should be buying iPads instead without any appreciation at all for what life is like in that part of the world. The last time I was there, the houseboy slept on the floor in the hallway outside my hotel door, because it was more comfortable than his home. (I asked him.) Away from the cities, the great majority don't have access to any of the things you take for granted -- GPS, cell service, access to the internet. It's a totally different environment. *We* think you're a little nuts for camping outside the AT&T store in the rain waiting to replace your 4 with a 4s. People in *that* part of the world think you're batshit crazy.
True, especially if you always use the same login name, or it requires an email address for login and you've had the same email address since like forever.
I don't think it was trolling, it was rather obvious sarcasm. "megahertzes" should have been a clue, also that the SR-71flew five years before Intel released the 4004.
(And didn't they use slide rules on the moon missions?)
> You're assuming that any device is necessarily better than no device.
Um, no. He's assuming that the Datawind tablet is better than not being able to use the applications the tablet provides. I know this is hard to understand, but if you need to run an application to help you plant your crops, a device that doesn't happen to have a trendy metal bezel and won't play Angry Birds is still better than not planting your crops.
It's not about the device, it's about access to content.
Well, for an Apple fanatic, that's a viable choice -- if you're unwilling to sell your kids and cow to buy an iPad 2, you just don't want a tablet bad enough.
Keepass is available for Blackberry, ios, android. (even Windows 7 Mobile, if that's how you roll.) You can migrate database files between PC and handheld device. (Although you should be careful of having company passwords on a personal device -- there might be a policy against that.)
In your case, I'd spend an hour of quality time in keepass changing your passwords, sync it to work and home PC and whatever device you carry, then make all your websites conform.
As to websites you haven't visited in a long time and have forgotten about, I don't have an answer. I have essentially the same problem with forums that require you to register to participate. I may only visit the forum once, but my login is forever.
I hope you're right. The processors in even a total homebrew have to come from somewhere and I can see the content providers requiring DRM being built right into the CPU. (As I write that, I can't imagine that MPAA folks could even understand the issue, but anyway.)
I agree with what you said about content being created elsewhere. A series I watch regularly started life as webisodes, and I believe Netflix is already creating original content. And that has *got* to scare the living crap out of Hollywood. If you can make a popular series in Lubbock with equipment from Best Buy and released on Netflix, what the heck do we need Hollywood for?
I had a friend like that... bought a bike for eighteen grand, rode it for eight years, when he went to sell it, he insisted the price was eighteen grand. Didn't get any takers.
They're often out of Unicorn horn but the real issue is trying to find a virgin. You know, you try to schedule at least one for every shift, and then she gets sick or has a wild night and you're stuck.
The argument could be made that if they *did* take it down, it was admission of responsibility for content. ISPs wrestled with this a few years ago. (The "common carrier" thing.)
Point (5), Competition from other choices, is a very real threat to theaters. Home systems approach the apparent screen size (adjusted for distance) and the audio quality of theaters. Home systems exceed theaters in many, many cases, where theaters are ill-maintained as a profit-enhancing measure. And as the subject says, at home I can have the beverage of my choice and the snack of my choice, whereas every Regal has the same five or six snack choices and exactly one brand of soft drink. Great if you like Coke and Malted Milk Balls, otherwise not so much. (At least Century has Starbucks and real ice cream.)
And going along with (6), lack of choice, another advantage of seeing movies at home is that I can have the four or five martinis necessary to get through another Transformers movie.
...But besides that, Ebert is right on target -- there are a whole bunch of movies out there released every single year that are well written, well crafted and enjoyable, but don't have the minimum number of explosions necessary to make it onto the Regal roster. Instead we get identical "blockbusters" playing in two to four theaters apiece, and nuthin' else. All this and sticky floors too. Oh, *and* high prices. Um, and limited snack selection... have I left anything out?
As Ebert points out, there are exceptions. A couple of theaters in my area allow consumption of alcohol, although in "adults only" rooms so I still can't have a beer when my kid sees Twilight, (and God did I need one) [1]. My living room is still superior in this respect.
Used to be, our family would see one film a weekend and maybe two or even three over the holidays. I think the last film we saw in theater... you know, I can't remember. Maybe Sherlock Holmes (the first one)?
And finally, I'd like to add my voice to the plethora of responders who said: (8), if the movies didn't SUCK!.
[1] That was said in jest [2]. As a matter of fact, my teenage daughter HaaaaaAAAAAtes Twilight, in fact the entire teenie genre, preferring foreign films like "Son of Rambow" and "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging". I prefer... oh for instance, anything by Duncan Jones.
[2] We *did* sit through the second Twilight film, solely because I have a lot of respect for Dakota Fanning as an actress. Although, less now...
My favorite comment by far is the one accusing the article originator of being a "platform snob" for trying to decide between multiple Android tablets rather than just, you know, buying an iPad. Because, of course, if all your devices are from Apple, you are not a platform snob.
This is second only to the poster in a previous topic, who seriously believed that buying an Android tablet contributes to e-waste, but could not for the life of him understand that buying a new iPhone *once a year* (in his own words), was contributing to e-waste to a degree a purchase of a single device couldn't possibly approach.
You just can't make this stuff up.
But back to the original topic. Daughter's first laptop was the original Eee PC, which she used for years and finally gave away to a friend when she upgraded. She now carries the previous Asus touch netbook, the Asus T101MT, and really likes the hardware. (She uses it for artwork.) The only issue is that it runs Windows 7, which doesn't do touch at all well, so it works very well as a netbook, but not so well as a tablet. However, based on the hardware alone, and on our general experience with Asus products, the Transformer Prime is on my list, (waiting for an app to be released before purchasing) seeming to be the best of all worlds.
> I've even seen ones where the touch screen flips around over the keyboard to make it tablet like.
Asus T101MT. My daughter has one. She uses it for drawing. The only real issue she's had with it is that it comes loaded with Windows 7 home (which doesn't have touch support) and even after upgrading it to Pro (which is supposed to have touch support), the touch interface isn't very good. It's ok for drawing if you use the stylus and have a drawing program that supports touch, but you won't be using it much as a tablet. A limitation of the OS, we think, not the hardware. Most of the time she uses it in netbook mode, turned around so she can use the keyboard, and only when she's actually drawing will she turn it around and use it like a slate.
Had we to do it over again, we'd have gotten the Asus Transformer Prime. Not because the hardware is any better, but because the OS is more conducive to touch.
On your first point, Yes, as Froyo was an important update and Samsung took an outrageous amount of time pushing it out. What they did afterwards is immaterial, they had already lost considerable face at that point. Now, because of that but mostly because of the terrible build quality, I wouldn't buy a Samsung product if it included a free puppy. Based on the forums, I'm not the only one who feels that way.
> But wait... bad gyros? The phone doesn't have a gyro....
I knew someone would pick up on that. Typo on my part. The position sensor -- the part that tells the phone whether it's in portrait or landscape. I used to work in military electronics; had a flashback there for a second.
> Also Android, a 3+ year old OS which has been through many major updates is "new technology"?
Yes. Oh, hell yes. Until it's progressed to the point where it's considered commodity. Let's talk again when Android has a decade under its belt. At that point, I might feel more comfortable buying a device knowing it won't ever have a major OS upgrade.
Mind you, I'm still an Android customer because I think it's a worthy technology with a lot of promise. But at this stage, it's still vital to pick your vendors carefully. The trivial example (which has no direct bearing on the Samsung debacle) is the deluge of crap foreign Android slates, and the very few nice foreign Android slates. It's important to recognize the signs, be able to tell which is which.
I encourage people to follow the link in the summary and read the n-control press release. It is absolutely brilliant. I don't think I've ever read an apology so sincere, or a PR termination notice so complete and profound.
My favorite part: “I can’t worry about the fact that there isn’t a bus big enough for me to throw Paul Christoforo under. The internet did that for me. I think they set him on fire too.”
When HTC actually does this (announcements are one thing, results are another) they've pretty much staked down their position as my top vendor.
Someone asked if this would also be true for Windows phones. That's an interesting point. Years and years ago, when I had a Windows Mobile 5 Treo, my primary daily fantasy was to be able to flash it with the other operating system Palm was selling at the time because I just couldn't stand the pain anymore. However, flashing a different OS was never practical, and I dumped the phone for a Blackberry soon after.
And so, people who are issued or otherwise acquire a Windows 7 phone... I wonder if this means they can flash it with Ice Cream Sandwich. That might come in useful.
Slashdot Mirror
Then... I have an idea -- why don't you go tell them that. Someone over there thinks there is a critical need for a device at that price point. It's easy for us first world residents to say they should be buying iPads instead without any appreciation at all for what life is like in that part of the world. The last time I was there, the houseboy slept on the floor in the hallway outside my hotel door, because it was more comfortable than his home. (I asked him.) Away from the cities, the great majority don't have access to any of the things you take for granted -- GPS, cell service, access to the internet. It's a totally different environment. *We* think you're a little nuts for camping outside the AT&T store in the rain waiting to replace your 4 with a 4s. People in *that* part of the world think you're batshit crazy.
True, especially if you always use the same login name, or it requires an email address for login and you've had the same email address since like forever.
I don't think it was trolling, it was rather obvious sarcasm. "megahertzes" should have been a clue, also that the SR-71flew five years before Intel released the 4004.
(And didn't they use slide rules on the moon missions?)
> You're assuming that any device is necessarily better than no device.
Um, no. He's assuming that the Datawind tablet is better than not being able to use the applications the tablet provides. I know this is hard to understand, but if you need to run an application to help you plant your crops, a device that doesn't happen to have a trendy metal bezel and won't play Angry Birds is still better than not planting your crops.
It's not about the device, it's about access to content.
Well, for an Apple fanatic, that's a viable choice -- if you're unwilling to sell your kids and cow to buy an iPad 2, you just don't want a tablet bad enough.
Keepass is available for Blackberry, ios, android. (even Windows 7 Mobile, if that's how you roll.) You can migrate database files between PC and handheld device. (Although you should be careful of having company passwords on a personal device -- there might be a policy against that.)
In your case, I'd spend an hour of quality time in keepass changing your passwords, sync it to work and home PC and whatever device you carry, then make all your websites conform.
As to websites you haven't visited in a long time and have forgotten about, I don't have an answer. I have essentially the same problem with forums that require you to register to participate. I may only visit the forum once, but my login is forever.
I hope you're right. The processors in even a total homebrew have to come from somewhere and I can see the content providers requiring DRM being built right into the CPU. (As I write that, I can't imagine that MPAA folks could even understand the issue, but anyway.)
I agree with what you said about content being created elsewhere. A series I watch regularly started life as webisodes, and I believe Netflix is already creating original content. And that has *got* to scare the living crap out of Hollywood. If you can make a popular series in Lubbock with equipment from Best Buy and released on Netflix, what the heck do we need Hollywood for?
For once? The geekiest movie trilogy of all time was filmed there.
Great idea. I'd have to convince my current wife. And probably change religions.
Yeah, I see that every... the coffee shop is full of... eesh, I can't do it. Too easy.
I had a friend like that... bought a bike for eighteen grand, rode it for eight years, when he went to sell it, he insisted the price was eighteen grand. Didn't get any takers.
No reason, but guys won't admit to it.
They're often out of Unicorn horn but the real issue is trying to find a virgin. You know, you try to schedule at least one for every shift, and then she gets sick or has a wild night and you're stuck.
Whoosh.
The argument could be made that if they *did* take it down, it was admission of responsibility for content. ISPs wrestled with this a few years ago. (The "common carrier" thing.)
Point (5), Competition from other choices, is a very real threat to theaters. Home systems approach the apparent screen size (adjusted for distance) and the audio quality of theaters. Home systems exceed theaters in many, many cases, where theaters are ill-maintained as a profit-enhancing measure. And as the subject says, at home I can have the beverage of my choice and the snack of my choice, whereas every Regal has the same five or six snack choices and exactly one brand of soft drink. Great if you like Coke and Malted Milk Balls, otherwise not so much. (At least Century has Starbucks and real ice cream.)
And going along with (6), lack of choice, another advantage of seeing movies at home is that I can have the four or five martinis necessary to get through another Transformers movie.
As Ebert points out, there are exceptions. A couple of theaters in my area allow consumption of alcohol, although in "adults only" rooms so I still can't have a beer when my kid sees Twilight, (and God did I need one) [1]. My living room is still superior in this respect.
Used to be, our family would see one film a weekend and maybe two or even three over the holidays. I think the last film we saw in theater... you know, I can't remember. Maybe Sherlock Holmes (the first one)?
And finally, I'd like to add my voice to the plethora of responders who said: (8), if the movies didn't SUCK!.
[1] That was said in jest [2]. As a matter of fact, my teenage daughter HaaaaaAAAAAtes Twilight, in fact the entire teenie genre, preferring foreign films like "Son of Rambow" and "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging". I prefer... oh for instance, anything by Duncan Jones.
[2] We *did* sit through the second Twilight film, solely because I have a lot of respect for Dakota Fanning as an actress. Although, less now...
So you're saying, instead of taking a chance of maybe having a brick fall on your head, why not poke yourself in the eye repeatedly?
My favorite comment by far is the one accusing the article originator of being a "platform snob" for trying to decide between multiple Android tablets rather than just, you know, buying an iPad. Because, of course, if all your devices are from Apple, you are not a platform snob.
This is second only to the poster in a previous topic, who seriously believed that buying an Android tablet contributes to e-waste, but could not for the life of him understand that buying a new iPhone *once a year* (in his own words), was contributing to e-waste to a degree a purchase of a single device couldn't possibly approach.
You just can't make this stuff up.
But back to the original topic. Daughter's first laptop was the original Eee PC, which she used for years and finally gave away to a friend when she upgraded. She now carries the previous Asus touch netbook, the Asus T101MT, and really likes the hardware. (She uses it for artwork.) The only issue is that it runs Windows 7, which doesn't do touch at all well, so it works very well as a netbook, but not so well as a tablet. However, based on the hardware alone, and on our general experience with Asus products, the Transformer Prime is on my list, (waiting for an app to be released before purchasing) seeming to be the best of all worlds.
And yet, netbooks continue to sell.
> I've even seen ones where the touch screen flips around over the keyboard to make it tablet like.
Asus T101MT. My daughter has one. She uses it for drawing. The only real issue she's had with it is that it comes loaded with Windows 7 home (which doesn't have touch support) and even after upgrading it to Pro (which is supposed to have touch support), the touch interface isn't very good. It's ok for drawing if you use the stylus and have a drawing program that supports touch, but you won't be using it much as a tablet. A limitation of the OS, we think, not the hardware. Most of the time she uses it in netbook mode, turned around so she can use the keyboard, and only when she's actually drawing will she turn it around and use it like a slate.
Had we to do it over again, we'd have gotten the Asus Transformer Prime. Not because the hardware is any better, but because the OS is more conducive to touch.
On your first point, Yes, as Froyo was an important update and Samsung took an outrageous amount of time pushing it out. What they did afterwards is immaterial, they had already lost considerable face at that point. Now, because of that but mostly because of the terrible build quality, I wouldn't buy a Samsung product if it included a free puppy. Based on the forums, I'm not the only one who feels that way.
> But wait ... bad gyros? The phone doesn't have a gyro....
I knew someone would pick up on that. Typo on my part. The position sensor -- the part that tells the phone whether it's in portrait or landscape. I used to work in military electronics; had a flashback there for a second.
> Also Android, a 3+ year old OS which has been through many major updates is "new technology"?
Yes. Oh, hell yes. Until it's progressed to the point where it's considered commodity. Let's talk again when Android has a decade under its belt. At that point, I might feel more comfortable buying a device knowing it won't ever have a major OS upgrade.
Mind you, I'm still an Android customer because I think it's a worthy technology with a lot of promise. But at this stage, it's still vital to pick your vendors carefully. The trivial example (which has no direct bearing on the Samsung debacle) is the deluge of crap foreign Android slates, and the very few nice foreign Android slates. It's important to recognize the signs, be able to tell which is which.
"who runs the door at the convention center"???
Really! Wow. What connections!
I encourage people to follow the link in the summary and read the n-control press release. It is absolutely brilliant. I don't think I've ever read an apology so sincere, or a PR termination notice so complete and profound.
My favorite part: “I can’t worry about the fact that there isn’t a bus big enough for me to throw Paul Christoforo under. The internet did that for me. I think they set him on fire too.”
Good point...
When HTC actually does this (announcements are one thing, results are another) they've pretty much staked down their position as my top vendor.
Someone asked if this would also be true for Windows phones. That's an interesting point. Years and years ago, when I had a Windows Mobile 5 Treo, my primary daily fantasy was to be able to flash it with the other operating system Palm was selling at the time because I just couldn't stand the pain anymore. However, flashing a different OS was never practical, and I dumped the phone for a Blackberry soon after.
And so, people who are issued or otherwise acquire a Windows 7 phone... I wonder if this means they can flash it with Ice Cream Sandwich. That might come in useful.