The iPhone is anything but unencumbered. You can't even use all of its features outside of the Cingular network due to requirements of proprietary support for the Cingular network's voicemail sysem.
And since it's not even out yet, and nobody has answered the question, you still don't actually know if the phone will be sim locked to Cingular, which it most definitely will be. And even better, it has little chance of being unlockable.
Also, there is nothing "standards" based about this phone above and beyond any other handset. Just vendor lockin for media, and OS X-like software interfaces, with a questionable touch screen interface.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm very interested in the device. But as a cell phone enthusiast, I can say with affirmation that you have no idea what you're talking about, and you should not be surprised when the product does fail as Ballmer is suggesting. Apple doesn't seem to understand the cell phone market at all. The price is way too high for the feature set.
That said, I hope it does succeed to some degree, just enough to convince apple to do a more open and logically designed second revision. The only nice thing about this phone is the 8gb iPod built in. Everything else is just eye candy on top of the same old features, and no third party software (not even J2ME, apparently) to boot.
From personal experience I know that XP can handle at least 3 gb of memory in 32 bit mode with a special patch. Search around for it, I know it's out there someplace. I haven't had to install it for almost 2 years so don't expect me to know where it is:)
Actually, for casual watching, you'd be surprised how much light can be tolerated with even a half-decent brightness projector.
I use a few lamps setup to cast ambient light mostly around the rear of the room and the floors while keeping direct light off the projector screen and this gives just enough light to read, particularly if what you are watching has lighter colors as they tend to be brighter (at least on DLP, probably on LCD too though).
Of course, for a under $100 you can get a cheapo classic tv for the casual watching I s'pose. I have this sanyo job I picked up at walmart that works well for that. It even has component input for no apparent reason! heh
As far as cash for the whole setup, my credit card... well let's not talk about that:) I remain solvent by swearing off the public cinema and signing up for Netflix to provide that shiny new movie every few days.
I think their target market is high-end home cinemas, but at that price and at that power usage, I would think an HD projector would be more economical. The monitor is useful in daylight though, you can't really say that for most projectors.
I use a projector at nearly its full throw. It maxes at 110" and I use 100". It's not HD, at only 1024x768 (though it's happy to emulate with some interesting results up to 720p) but it looks great for DVD with my xbox 360. The games look really nice too. I use the VGA output cable for the 360.
But, your comment about daylight usefulness is a point of contention. I had this problem for a minute. Then I took the time, and $50 to make myself a set of curtains with velcro at the ends, and lined with... tin foil.
Yes, tin foil. It was cheap. It allows zero light to pass through it. It is now not an issue to use the projector during the day.
However, if I had my way I'd have a house of my own and not just an apartment, in which case my theater setup would be in the basement, and all windows removed if there were any, and replaced with something solid.
At any rate, my point is that it's pretty easy given a slight bit of time and effort to eliminate the usual problems associated with projectors. Also, don't discount the usefulness of a proper screen. The price seems high but the image quality is improved particularly for movies and the light is reflected much more efficiently than walls or painted wood, and other surfaces commonly used to save $100 bucks.
That's a good point, however, I have specific reasons for why this doesn't work. The speakers I have sound horrible at their peak volume. But just the perfect amount of adjusting down and they sound great, no crackle, they are quiet when unused, and everything sounds good at all volumes (set by the computer).
I've had several speakers like these. They are called "cheap." But even $150 set has had this problem.
So I prefer to keep the speakers at a static setting, and change the signal. And yes, the knob does do more, it was just one example. On another computer I actually have a media keyboard that, instead of buttons, has an analog knob for volume control and it was the original motivation for my purchase the griffin item.
The worst thing about computers these days is how much media stuff they try to do without giving you a good natural feeling interface to something as simple as volume control.
Solves my problem. I really prefer being able to twist a knob to adjust volume. I realize it's a simple thing, but it makes the whole computer a lot more human. Clicking buttons, dragging things on screen, or keyboard shortcuts have never felt right. Twist the knob and the volume is adjusted: perfect. This is great particularly in games, or when watching a movie or anything like that where volume can be an issue. Regular computer use with beeps and bongs isn't really the driving factor for my desire of a regular ol' knob for volume.
The hype for the trailer was a bit of a let down. It has given me second thoughts about the game too. Is it really going to be worth the price of a 360?
No. Of course one game is never actually going to be worth the cost of an entire video game system, and appropriate accessories. However, couple it with some Gears of War, Assassin's Creed, Blue Dragon, etc. and I believe you have a strong argument for the system.
On one hand you can't justify a system for a single game, but, on the other hand you have so much more to consider with the 360 than just this little rehash.
Pages is excellent. It's perfect for just about any word processing needs. Even mail merge is supported. Obviously the super-advanced folks want more, and they can get it fine with MS Office because those dorks are using PC anyway:P Seriously though, I think it hits the nail on the head for a word processor.
However, your point about missing a spreadsheet app is notable. I have an occasional need to view and/or edit a spreadsheet. In fact, I use one each month to handle my bills and so forth. It's simple enough, just giving me an outlook of estimates vs. real values and so forth. The solution I'm using until Apple gets a "Sheets" application, is http://docs.google.com/
The spreadsheet on docs.google.com has a large portion of functionality from OpenOffice (Sharing its expressions, for example) and works shockingly well on all platforms' Firefox. It also works fine in IE6/7. I haven't tried any other browsers with it (that it actually supports). Anyone still wondering what to do with spreadsheets on Mac until a more mac-like spreadsheet app becomes available should seriously consider this option. I think you'll be surprised with how comprehensive the app is, despite being a webapp.
What a ridiculously backwards representation of the point the articles on this topic actually make.
The title of this entry should be: Chest Compressions Alone Nearly Always as Effective as Full CPR
All in all, neato. Though the instant phone call tripped the tin-foil hat wearer in me.
If that tripped your foil, you should've been there when google labs had the dial-up voice search thing going on. You called a toll free number, spoke your search criteria, then clicked a link and voila, search results.
p.s. I didn't bother to check if they still have this feature available
Everything they are doing, is what Microsoft is ALREADY doing...
I think that is proof enough Microsoft is on the right path with the XBox360
What are you talking about? The 360 doesn't have any of these features. It most certainly doesn't have any kind of 3d world you interact with. And I've never heard of any plans from MS to add it.
I'm a 360 owner so I'd be interested to know if you are emitting something verifiable, or just the usual random crap slashdot is accustomed to.
Maybe you can't handle its keyboard, but I can. I have much practice on small keyboards, which, I'm sure if you had you'd be fine too. Plus, this is based on an OS that's actually designed to deal with the deficiencies of small limited devices.
It has a flip out keyboard with similar total dimensions to what the previously mentioned E90 will have. I easily take notes, manage my PIM, browse the web (and it's a very nice web browser, even handles javascript dropdown menus and other things you might not expect from a phone browser). I manage, read, and edit Word and Excel documents regularly. I use my work Exchange server email and also my gmail via pop, with the gmail J2ME app for extended access to searching and other gmail features.
I have an IRC client, a google chat client, a podcast aggregator, an ebook reader that supports plain text files (see: Project Gutenberg). Did I mention this thing supports WiFi, Edge, and 3G?
All of these features plus more (read: 800 pixels wide internal screen!) will be available on the E90. I will not be able to justify a laptop after this device. With a powerful desktop at home and a powerful desktop at the office, there is absolutely no reason for my to carry a device that can't fit in my pocket and won't run for more than 2-4 hours on a charge. I easily make use of my E70 for 10-12 hours of active use per charge, plus many more inactive hours.
Those who mentioned subnotebooks, you are probably right. This little thing does remind me of that. But, those who think sony did it first? Try again, subnotebooks have been done by Toshiba for at least 10 years. They STILL sell the libretto! Also Fujiitsu actually has some nice subnotebook offerings.
Honestly though, I'd take the E90 over any of these alternatives, simply because I'm going to have a phone in my pocket 24/7 anyway, it may as well give me nearly all of the features I get from a laptop without the disadvantages of poor battery life and huge space requirements, and of course, the weight of a laptop.
Oh and for the issue of storage, when is 2GB not enough for documents and the like? The practical uses of these tiny devices are easily covered in such an amount of space. 2GB Transflash/microSD are available for a relatively low price, so nothing stops you from buying a couple, one for work/documents, and another for your multimedia desires, or whatever.
I'm waiting for all the arcade ports to come to the Wii. The games I'm thinking of just can't come to the other consoles without extra effort. I'm thinking of games that are more physically involving. We already have somewhat similar instances. For example, there is this silly samurai game that is played with a foam sword in a sensor cage at the real life arcade. Red Steel has this aspect to some degree. But honestly, I wish it was "on rails" like the arcade game. I know some people hate games on rails but that *IS* the arcade experience.
Some games are there in some form or coming, like batting in Wii sports. If it was a little more simulation-like I'd be happier. Golf, bowling, etc. All games played frequently with odd physically interactive controls in a real arcade.
Of course, I have a 360 and definitely find the XBLA to be a great product of that system. However, I've yet to encounter a game that I can justify a purchase for. I'd be up for any suggestions anyone might have, so long as you are willing to describe your reasons for the suggestions.
As it is I'm enjoying graphically intensive, FPS, and RPG games on the 360 and casual, action, and adventure games on the Wii. Not to mention the Virtual Console allowing me to easily play (read: not with a contrived and obnoxiously designed emulator setup) some of my favorite games of all time on my 110" projected screen. Every time I boot up Super Mario Bros. I have flashbacks to "The Wizard.":)
It's far simpler than an attempt to stop innovation. It's simply the only way the telecoms know how to increase their gross income per customer metric that is the bread and butter of their financial goals. T-mobile wants to force anyone who desires games or ringtones to pay t-mobile directly for them. Any value-added services, currently offered, or future planned will fall into this category as well. Apparently the whole navigation software thing is catching on, and I can imagine t-mobile would rather get you to use something they half-heartedly put together in the coming months than the free g-maps midlet and service.
The sad fact is that currently, your average idiot american user has no idea that he's carrying around a smaller, slower general purpose computing device everywhere he goes. And those that do realize this often don't realize how potentially useful third part software can be. This is only made worse by having no true killer apps for mobiles.
Personally my "killer app" that got me headed down the path of smarter, faster, higher resolution phones is JABPLite. A free app available on freepoc.org... I can't imagine managing my cash accounts without this. I don't use a checkbook and can't remember for 20 minutes what I've bought on my debit card. This midlet makes my avoidance of overdraft fees possible.
Since then I've come to enjoy far more utilities on my phones, but that remains the one true requirement of any phone I buy.
And to comment on the firmware lockout, that's fine. But that's not new at all. T-Mobile has been doing this on random handsets in random ways for years. Perhaps lately it has just been on more phones than usual. Fortunately it sounds like it is not being done to any phone I would consider a worthwhile purchase anyway. Just the cheap crappy low end overpriced "feature phones." And the people buying those? They probably don't have the slightest idea of how to get a copy of tetris on their phone without paying t-mobile anyway.
Anyway, will there ever be a solution to the bigger issue of consumer awareness of mobile devices? Until there is, there is little hope of every having consumer power in this market. You make a good comparison to the early internet. It had the same issue for a very long time. But, at this point, I'm not really sure what the killer app was. I'm not sure there ever was one. And it's entirely possible that the only reason the internet is "open" now is because it was not designed to be closed easily in the first place. The mobile devices and networks, however, have been designed for operator locking for years:(
The fact is, T-Mobile has changed their network access multiple times per year, every year, at random for at least 4 years. I have been using their network for various reasons for that long at least.
I just tested Google Maps and had no trouble. Chances are, anyone experiencing problems is experiencing them because of one of two reasons: A) Your region has different network access settings. The uplinks are PER CELL. Try driving 30 miles away from your house one day and see if you hit different results someplace else.
Or there's B) Perhaps your phone is outdated and incompatible. While EGPRS/EDGE is supposed to be backwards compatible, there are variations on the protocol and it might mean your phone does not support the proper slots orientation required by your region's cells.
These are just guesses as to why it doesn't work for you but does for me.
Regardless of all of this. Who cares about this sort of thing and doesn't have WiFi enabled phones already? Seriously, despite having a Nokia E70, I still use the EDGE occasionally. For the 10-20 minute ride to work and for the moments of severe boredom I endure while waiting for my fiancee at the mall.
Oh and when I'm at the store eating lunch. However, in that case I simply haven't bothered to setup the free wifi hotspot there.
Anyway all this babbling was meant to tell you that you are all concerned about nothing. Chances are the network will go back to normal. Or you simply have things misconfigured (T-Mobile USA has at least 4 different APNs for packet data and randomly requires a proxy server configured in the phone to work at all!). Give it a week and if nothing changes then learn how to find WiFi access points in all of your favorite places:)
Or just pay for unlimited internet access for $20/mo which doesn't block anything you're using and thus obviously works fine with third party apps. It also offers the benefit of unlimited use of T-Mobile hotspots which are some of the most ubiquitous hotspots in the US.
I can relate to this panic though. There simply is no better carrier in the US for anyone who likes to geek out on phones. For one thing, T-Mobile uses bands far more compatible with the general gray market phones than cingular. Cingular uses 850mhz in many regions and that's a USA thing exclusively. That means you either have to limit yourself to quad-band imports or a small selection of 850mhz supporting imports.
The same way you have open encryption schemes of any variety.
Without divulging all the details, just consider the open encryption methods involved in OpenPGP or GPG or anything comparable.
Being open does not mean being limited. It just means that it's standardized in such a way that anyone can implement one side or the other without consent or license to the owner of the technology.
I had one of these as a kid. At least 16 years ago. Funny how the fun toys tend to stick around. (No pun intended).
However, if they would just make one small improvement to the design (yes I know it's super cheap, but still): put some softer material behind the velcro catching pad so the ball doesn't bounce off the disc. A layer of impact absorbing material like foam rubber would be perfect.
There is no way this will be practical to enforce, particularly in the presented venue of NYC. However, if you are a cabby and you hit some hot chick in the crosswalk while they are listening to Death Cab For Cutie then you've now got an inception point for a new legal precedent to avoid even manslaughter charges.
It's the sort of law that mainly presents itself after the fact.
I have walked hundreds of miles with headphones one, through busy city streets (though not as busy as NY) and have never had any problem looking around myself when I get to an intersection. Anyone can be walking around doing anything and be distracted. There is no reason to believe that this situation is anything more significant. But, hey, lawmakers have to do something to make it look like they deserve a paycheck.
This article is citing numbers that make no sense at this point. First of all, as a Wii fan I realize it's tough to provide any information in a light that even slightly favors the PS3. But let's be somewhat more objective and come together in a conclusion that helps us realize why this article should not have been posted anywhere, let alone Slashdot:
Sony has not yet released Japan shipment figures for the PS3. But the company is tallying results and will release them "soon," said Nanako Kato, a spokeswoman for Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Kato couldn't comment on the Enterbrain figures, but said there may end up being a discrepancy between the domestic sales, which were estimated by Enterbrain, and the actual shipment number.
We really don't need any more than this to realize that the numbers are just guesses. But let's consider what we already knew from before. The PS3 had manufacturing issues. The market could not be flooded to critical mass for optimal sales simply because there were no PS3's to buy. Not only does this have an initial negative effect on the sales numbers, but it also turns the general consumer off of the product, and if there are competitors, they will consider those instead. This repercussion can be seen in two examples.
1) The stores around my house have PS3's sitting around now. I don't believe it's because Sony caught up to demand. I believe that the demand shifted to the Wii because they were available. Also, since Christmas is over, parents are out of the running for camping stores for their stock.
2) Consider the advantage of an apparent lack of supply that the PS2 received. The advantage came only because there was no new alternative. You could not have the "newest" console without buying the PS2. In contrast, this year you could have the Wii instead. You were still getting the next generation, and still within a fair time frame to consider it also "the newest."
All of these number games are pointless at this time. It's obvious that the PS3 would undersell the Wii. Both companies have more than enough of a following to sell out for a few months. The fact that the Wii had more units available than the PS3 is all that these numbers confirm.
Remember, I'm no Sony fanboy. I think you're a moron for spending $599 on a gaming machine. But Slashdot doesn't need any more bias than it already has. Let's stop posting these worthless articles for the sake of the horde ok?
Slashdot Mirror
The iPhone is anything but unencumbered. You can't even use all of its features outside of the Cingular network due to requirements of proprietary support for the Cingular network's voicemail sysem.
And since it's not even out yet, and nobody has answered the question, you still don't actually know if the phone will be sim locked to Cingular, which it most definitely will be. And even better, it has little chance of being unlockable.
Also, there is nothing "standards" based about this phone above and beyond any other handset. Just vendor lockin for media, and OS X-like software interfaces, with a questionable touch screen interface.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm very interested in the device. But as a cell phone enthusiast, I can say with affirmation that you have no idea what you're talking about, and you should not be surprised when the product does fail as Ballmer is suggesting. Apple doesn't seem to understand the cell phone market at all. The price is way too high for the feature set.
That said, I hope it does succeed to some degree, just enough to convince apple to do a more open and logically designed second revision. The only nice thing about this phone is the 8gb iPod built in. Everything else is just eye candy on top of the same old features, and no third party software (not even J2ME, apparently) to boot.
If only Google Reader would add filtering so I don't have to accidentally click on Zonked Slashdot posts!
From personal experience I know that XP can handle at least 3 gb of memory in 32 bit mode with a special patch. Search around for it, I know it's out there someplace. I haven't had to install it for almost 2 years so don't expect me to know where it is :)
Actually, for casual watching, you'd be surprised how much light can be tolerated with even a half-decent brightness projector.
I use a few lamps setup to cast ambient light mostly around the rear of the room and the floors while keeping direct light off the projector screen and this gives just enough light to read, particularly if what you are watching has lighter colors as they tend to be brighter (at least on DLP, probably on LCD too though).
Of course, for a under $100 you can get a cheapo classic tv for the casual watching I s'pose. I have this sanyo job I picked up at walmart that works well for that. It even has component input for no apparent reason! heh
As far as cash for the whole setup, my credit card... well let's not talk about that :) I remain solvent by swearing off the public cinema and signing up for Netflix to provide that shiny new movie every few days.
I use a projector at nearly its full throw. It maxes at 110" and I use 100". It's not HD, at only 1024x768 (though it's happy to emulate with some interesting results up to 720p) but it looks great for DVD with my xbox 360. The games look really nice too. I use the VGA output cable for the 360.
But, your comment about daylight usefulness is a point of contention. I had this problem for a minute. Then I took the time, and $50 to make myself a set of curtains with velcro at the ends, and lined with... tin foil.
Yes, tin foil. It was cheap. It allows zero light to pass through it. It is now not an issue to use the projector during the day.
However, if I had my way I'd have a house of my own and not just an apartment, in which case my theater setup would be in the basement, and all windows removed if there were any, and replaced with something solid.
At any rate, my point is that it's pretty easy given a slight bit of time and effort to eliminate the usual problems associated with projectors. Also, don't discount the usefulness of a proper screen. The price seems high but the image quality is improved particularly for movies and the light is reflected much more efficiently than walls or painted wood, and other surfaces commonly used to save $100 bucks.
And he was lying there in the dirt only slightly longer than it took Slashdot to catch on to this news.
That's a good point, however, I have specific reasons for why this doesn't work. The speakers I have sound horrible at their peak volume. But just the perfect amount of adjusting down and they sound great, no crackle, they are quiet when unused, and everything sounds good at all volumes (set by the computer).
I've had several speakers like these. They are called "cheap." But even $150 set has had this problem.
So I prefer to keep the speakers at a static setting, and change the signal. And yes, the knob does do more, it was just one example. On another computer I actually have a media keyboard that, instead of buttons, has an analog knob for volume control and it was the original motivation for my purchase the griffin item.
The worst thing about computers these days is how much media stuff they try to do without giving you a good natural feeling interface to something as simple as volume control.
t e/
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powerma
Solves my problem. I really prefer being able to twist a knob to adjust volume. I realize it's a simple thing, but it makes the whole computer a lot more human. Clicking buttons, dragging things on screen, or keyboard shortcuts have never felt right. Twist the knob and the volume is adjusted: perfect. This is great particularly in games, or when watching a movie or anything like that where volume can be an issue. Regular computer use with beeps and bongs isn't really the driving factor for my desire of a regular ol' knob for volume.
No. Of course one game is never actually going to be worth the cost of an entire video game system, and appropriate accessories. However, couple it with some Gears of War, Assassin's Creed, Blue Dragon, etc. and I believe you have a strong argument for the system.
On one hand you can't justify a system for a single game, but, on the other hand you have so much more to consider with the 360 than just this little rehash.
Pages is excellent. It's perfect for just about any word processing needs. Even mail merge is supported. Obviously the super-advanced folks want more, and they can get it fine with MS Office because those dorks are using PC anyway :P Seriously though, I think it hits the nail on the head for a word processor.
However, your point about missing a spreadsheet app is notable. I have an occasional need to view and/or edit a spreadsheet. In fact, I use one each month to handle my bills and so forth. It's simple enough, just giving me an outlook of estimates vs. real values and so forth. The solution I'm using until Apple gets a "Sheets" application, is http://docs.google.com/
The spreadsheet on docs.google.com has a large portion of functionality from OpenOffice (Sharing its expressions, for example) and works shockingly well on all platforms' Firefox. It also works fine in IE6/7. I haven't tried any other browsers with it (that it actually supports). Anyone still wondering what to do with spreadsheets on Mac until a more mac-like spreadsheet app becomes available should seriously consider this option. I think you'll be surprised with how comprehensive the app is, despite being a webapp.
What a ridiculously backwards representation of the point the articles on this topic actually make. The title of this entry should be: Chest Compressions Alone Nearly Always as Effective as Full CPR
Clearly they are invoking the art of The Seed of Doubt http://imdb.com/title/tt0240900/
If that tripped your foil, you should've been there when google labs had the dial-up voice search thing going on. You called a toll free number, spoke your search criteria, then clicked a link and voila, search results.
p.s. I didn't bother to check if they still have this feature available
What are you talking about? The 360 doesn't have any of these features. It most certainly doesn't have any kind of 3d world you interact with. And I've never heard of any plans from MS to add it.
I'm a 360 owner so I'd be interested to know if you are emitting something verifiable, or just the usual random crap slashdot is accustomed to.
I'll take this instead: http://www.my-symbian.com/s60v3/review_e90.php
Maybe you can't handle its keyboard, but I can. I have much practice on small keyboards, which, I'm sure if you had you'd be fine too. Plus, this is based on an OS that's actually designed to deal with the deficiencies of small limited devices.
I have a similar phone, until the E90 comes out: http://www.my-symbian.com/s60v3/intro_e70.php
It has a flip out keyboard with similar total dimensions to what the previously mentioned E90 will have. I easily take notes, manage my PIM, browse the web (and it's a very nice web browser, even handles javascript dropdown menus and other things you might not expect from a phone browser). I manage, read, and edit Word and Excel documents regularly. I use my work Exchange server email and also my gmail via pop, with the gmail J2ME app for extended access to searching and other gmail features.
I have an IRC client, a google chat client, a podcast aggregator, an ebook reader that supports plain text files (see: Project Gutenberg). Did I mention this thing supports WiFi, Edge, and 3G?
All of these features plus more (read: 800 pixels wide internal screen!) will be available on the E90. I will not be able to justify a laptop after this device. With a powerful desktop at home and a powerful desktop at the office, there is absolutely no reason for my to carry a device that can't fit in my pocket and won't run for more than 2-4 hours on a charge. I easily make use of my E70 for 10-12 hours of active use per charge, plus many more inactive hours.
Those who mentioned subnotebooks, you are probably right. This little thing does remind me of that. But, those who think sony did it first? Try again, subnotebooks have been done by Toshiba for at least 10 years. They STILL sell the libretto! Also Fujiitsu actually has some nice subnotebook offerings.
Honestly though, I'd take the E90 over any of these alternatives, simply because I'm going to have a phone in my pocket 24/7 anyway, it may as well give me nearly all of the features I get from a laptop without the disadvantages of poor battery life and huge space requirements, and of course, the weight of a laptop.
Oh and for the issue of storage, when is 2GB not enough for documents and the like? The practical uses of these tiny devices are easily covered in such an amount of space. 2GB Transflash/microSD are available for a relatively low price, so nothing stops you from buying a couple, one for work/documents, and another for your multimedia desires, or whatever.
40k... Apparently they already know their peak membership numbers!
I'm waiting for all the arcade ports to come to the Wii. The games I'm thinking of just can't come to the other consoles without extra effort. I'm thinking of games that are more physically involving. We already have somewhat similar instances. For example, there is this silly samurai game that is played with a foam sword in a sensor cage at the real life arcade. Red Steel has this aspect to some degree. But honestly, I wish it was "on rails" like the arcade game. I know some people hate games on rails but that *IS* the arcade experience.
:)
Some games are there in some form or coming, like batting in Wii sports. If it was a little more simulation-like I'd be happier. Golf, bowling, etc. All games played frequently with odd physically interactive controls in a real arcade.
Of course, I have a 360 and definitely find the XBLA to be a great product of that system. However, I've yet to encounter a game that I can justify a purchase for. I'd be up for any suggestions anyone might have, so long as you are willing to describe your reasons for the suggestions.
As it is I'm enjoying graphically intensive, FPS, and RPG games on the 360 and casual, action, and adventure games on the Wii. Not to mention the Virtual Console allowing me to easily play (read: not with a contrived and obnoxiously designed emulator setup) some of my favorite games of all time on my 110" projected screen. Every time I boot up Super Mario Bros. I have flashbacks to "The Wizard."
It's far simpler than an attempt to stop innovation. It's simply the only way the telecoms know how to increase their gross income per customer metric that is the bread and butter of their financial goals. T-mobile wants to force anyone who desires games or ringtones to pay t-mobile directly for them. Any value-added services, currently offered, or future planned will fall into this category as well. Apparently the whole navigation software thing is catching on, and I can imagine t-mobile would rather get you to use something they half-heartedly put together in the coming months than the free g-maps midlet and service.
... I can't imagine managing my cash accounts without this. I don't use a checkbook and can't remember for 20 minutes what I've bought on my debit card. This midlet makes my avoidance of overdraft fees possible.
:(
The sad fact is that currently, your average idiot american user has no idea that he's carrying around a smaller, slower general purpose computing device everywhere he goes. And those that do realize this often don't realize how potentially useful third part software can be. This is only made worse by having no true killer apps for mobiles.
Personally my "killer app" that got me headed down the path of smarter, faster, higher resolution phones is JABPLite. A free app available on freepoc.org
Since then I've come to enjoy far more utilities on my phones, but that remains the one true requirement of any phone I buy.
And to comment on the firmware lockout, that's fine. But that's not new at all. T-Mobile has been doing this on random handsets in random ways for years. Perhaps lately it has just been on more phones than usual. Fortunately it sounds like it is not being done to any phone I would consider a worthwhile purchase anyway. Just the cheap crappy low end overpriced "feature phones." And the people buying those? They probably don't have the slightest idea of how to get a copy of tetris on their phone without paying t-mobile anyway.
Anyway, will there ever be a solution to the bigger issue of consumer awareness of mobile devices? Until there is, there is little hope of every having consumer power in this market. You make a good comparison to the early internet. It had the same issue for a very long time. But, at this point, I'm not really sure what the killer app was. I'm not sure there ever was one. And it's entirely possible that the only reason the internet is "open" now is because it was not designed to be closed easily in the first place. The mobile devices and networks, however, have been designed for operator locking for years
I heard Norton is releasing a product to help with this. Something called The Clit Commander!
The fact is, T-Mobile has changed their network access multiple times per year, every year, at random for at least 4 years. I have been using their network for various reasons for that long at least.
:)
I just tested Google Maps and had no trouble. Chances are, anyone experiencing problems is experiencing them because of one of two reasons: A) Your region has different network access settings. The uplinks are PER CELL. Try driving 30 miles away from your house one day and see if you hit different results someplace else.
Or there's B) Perhaps your phone is outdated and incompatible. While EGPRS/EDGE is supposed to be backwards compatible, there are variations on the protocol and it might mean your phone does not support the proper slots orientation required by your region's cells.
These are just guesses as to why it doesn't work for you but does for me.
Regardless of all of this. Who cares about this sort of thing and doesn't have WiFi enabled phones already? Seriously, despite having a Nokia E70, I still use the EDGE occasionally. For the 10-20 minute ride to work and for the moments of severe boredom I endure while waiting for my fiancee at the mall.
Oh and when I'm at the store eating lunch. However, in that case I simply haven't bothered to setup the free wifi hotspot there.
Anyway all this babbling was meant to tell you that you are all concerned about nothing. Chances are the network will go back to normal. Or you simply have things misconfigured (T-Mobile USA has at least 4 different APNs for packet data and randomly requires a proxy server configured in the phone to work at all!). Give it a week and if nothing changes then learn how to find WiFi access points in all of your favorite places
Or just pay for unlimited internet access for $20/mo which doesn't block anything you're using and thus obviously works fine with third party apps. It also offers the benefit of unlimited use of T-Mobile hotspots which are some of the most ubiquitous hotspots in the US.
I can relate to this panic though. There simply is no better carrier in the US for anyone who likes to geek out on phones. For one thing, T-Mobile uses bands far more compatible with the general gray market phones than cingular. Cingular uses 850mhz in many regions and that's a USA thing exclusively. That means you either have to limit yourself to quad-band imports or a small selection of 850mhz supporting imports.
The same way you have open encryption schemes of any variety.
Without divulging all the details, just consider the open encryption methods involved in OpenPGP or GPG or anything comparable.
Being open does not mean being limited. It just means that it's standardized in such a way that anyone can implement one side or the other without consent or license to the owner of the technology.
Also don't forget about DReaM!
I had one of these as a kid. At least 16 years ago. Funny how the fun toys tend to stick around. (No pun intended). However, if they would just make one small improvement to the design (yes I know it's super cheap, but still): put some softer material behind the velcro catching pad so the ball doesn't bounce off the disc. A layer of impact absorbing material like foam rubber would be perfect.
There is no way this will be practical to enforce, particularly in the presented venue of NYC. However, if you are a cabby and you hit some hot chick in the crosswalk while they are listening to Death Cab For Cutie then you've now got an inception point for a new legal precedent to avoid even manslaughter charges.
It's the sort of law that mainly presents itself after the fact.
I have walked hundreds of miles with headphones one, through busy city streets (though not as busy as NY) and have never had any problem looking around myself when I get to an intersection. Anyone can be walking around doing anything and be distracted. There is no reason to believe that this situation is anything more significant. But, hey, lawmakers have to do something to make it look like they deserve a paycheck.
According to http://thepiratebay.org/ they haven't resisted everyone.
This article is citing numbers that make no sense at this point. First of all, as a Wii fan I realize it's tough to provide any information in a light that even slightly favors the PS3. But let's be somewhat more objective and come together in a conclusion that helps us realize why this article should not have been posted anywhere, let alone Slashdot:
We really don't need any more than this to realize that the numbers are just guesses. But let's consider what we already knew from before. The PS3 had manufacturing issues. The market could not be flooded to critical mass for optimal sales simply because there were no PS3's to buy. Not only does this have an initial negative effect on the sales numbers, but it also turns the general consumer off of the product, and if there are competitors, they will consider those instead. This repercussion can be seen in two examples.
1) The stores around my house have PS3's sitting around now. I don't believe it's because Sony caught up to demand. I believe that the demand shifted to the Wii because they were available. Also, since Christmas is over, parents are out of the running for camping stores for their stock.
2) Consider the advantage of an apparent lack of supply that the PS2 received. The advantage came only because there was no new alternative. You could not have the "newest" console without buying the PS2. In contrast, this year you could have the Wii instead. You were still getting the next generation, and still within a fair time frame to consider it also "the newest."
All of these number games are pointless at this time. It's obvious that the PS3 would undersell the Wii. Both companies have more than enough of a following to sell out for a few months. The fact that the Wii had more units available than the PS3 is all that these numbers confirm.
Remember, I'm no Sony fanboy. I think you're a moron for spending $599 on a gaming machine. But Slashdot doesn't need any more bias than it already has. Let's stop posting these worthless articles for the sake of the horde ok?