Kind of unrelated to the device, but the first tune he plays (from Final Fantasy), where did he get that? Maybe I am looking for a different title on the music store.
I have one of the first big commercial phones, which featured a GPS reciever (Nokia N95), and I can testify that it works without a network of any kind. It's fully capable of handling the GPS without a carrier.
However, you can opt-in to use A-GPS, which use cell towers and what not to locate.
I really don't think it should be the vendor's choice whether or not to screw their customers.
Really nothing you can do about that. And they have done that for YEARS with Symbian too.
I don't see a problem with this. It's the same with a lot of hardware.
If you don't agree with a vendors methods, use another vendor.
Regardless, the operation system can't be blamed for being TOO open, which is in reality what you're doing. They give vendors permission to do pretty much what the hell they want.
From their it's up to the consumers to choose.
I can choose to install a generic Android 2.2 on my phone if I want. However, I may void warranty with the vendor, which is perfectly understandable.
The carriers in my country, let the customers roam pretty free.
Only one major carrier is still SIM locking the phones, the rest doesn't.
So I don't see that changing anytime soon. Besides, we got laws against this in my country. Not allowed to lock a phone permanently to a carrier.
Sure, the carriers release applications that most likely only work on that carriers network, but that's just a feature if you use that carrier.
I see the problem with the applications though. I didn't know it was that much of a problem, I thought applications developed for Android 1.5, would work on ANY Android 1.5 (ignoring vendor/carrier specific lockdowns here).
Some wouldrun it slower due to hardware obviously.
HTC said phones released this year, will get Froyo in the second half of 2010.
[...] if your phone was launched this year, we will most likely offer an upgrade for it to the Froyo version. This includes popular models like the Desire and Droid Incredible as well as hotly anticipated phones like the Evo 4G, MyTouch slide and upcoming models. We will announce a full list of phones and dates once we are closer to launching the upgrades. We are working closely with Google and our other partners to ensure we have the earliest access to everything we need to provide a complete and solid Sense experience on Froyo. We expect to release all updates in the second half of this year but can't be more specific yet.
Vendor or carrier specific firmware isn't anything new. Symbian has done it for YEARS.
The carriers custom fit the firmware, either removing certain things or add carrier specific applications. It's no different with Android phones.
Which mean what when a new Android is released, the vendors and/or carriers have to custom fit the new version to their own and then release it to their customers. As you can probably imagine, this can take quite a while.
Ever since I started with Symbian many years ago, I've reinstalled with generic firmware as fast as possible. If HTC is as slow as I've heard, I'm gonna do the same when I get my HTC Desire next month.
I understand your point completely, but how about giving the benefit of the doubt for once?
I know it's the old story of "but they promised!", but currently I see no signs that Sony is moving currently free services over to Premium services. And why should they? It's a huge selling point for the PS3 still. Free online multiplayer. Taking that away, could seriously cut down their userbase.
I think this idea, on paper, is great. Add new features and services, but only available to paying customers as opposed to the current PSN where everyone is roaming free for "basic" services (buy games, download trials, play online etc).
If people want some of the more exotic features, you pay a subscription. You don't have to, it won't cripple your current experience. If Sony manages to keep this strategy, I really can't see a problem with it.
No, if we give up, we loose the fight. This trend with no dedicated servers, has got to stop.
What happens now if IW gets shut down? What if they shut down the IWnet servers too? MW2 is dead then.
But if we had control over our own server systems, we could still play on dedicated servers. Like, you know, they've done for decades.
I am not willing to give up on this issue, as old as it may get. I own pretty much all consoles and a high-end PC for gaming, so I'm not taking sides per se (no PC fanboi, nor a console fanboi)
But I feel screwed over as a PC gamer. They remove features we've been accustomed to for YEARS.
And before anyone scream piracy, I spend at least an average of $300 on games each month, so keep me out of that endless loop.
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Ah wait, I made a mistake.
I skipped the first song somehow the first time (that video loads extremely slow for some reason).
It's the SECOND tune he is playing I am referring too.
Hmm it sounded like One Winged Angel.
That's a nudge in my geek card.
Kind of unrelated to the device, but the first tune he plays (from Final Fantasy), where did he get that?
Maybe I am looking for a different title on the music store.
That's just wrong.
I have one of the first big commercial phones, which featured a GPS reciever (Nokia N95), and I can testify that it works without a network of any kind. It's fully capable of handling the GPS without a carrier.
However, you can opt-in to use A-GPS, which use cell towers and what not to locate.
Think "Waynes World".
Maybe they had other reasons, but needed an excuse to lay her off?
"oh, the carriers in the U.S are going to disable that WiFi hotspot thing well before they ship any OTA updates"
Corrected it, however you're most likely right none the less.
I really don't think it should be the vendor's choice whether or not to screw their customers.
Really nothing you can do about that.
And they have done that for YEARS with Symbian too.
I don't see a problem with this.
It's the same with a lot of hardware.
If you don't agree with a vendors methods, use another vendor.
Regardless, the operation system can't be blamed for being TOO open, which is in reality what you're doing. They give vendors permission to do pretty much what the hell they want.
From their it's up to the consumers to choose.
I can choose to install a generic Android 2.2 on my phone if I want. However, I may void warranty with the vendor, which is perfectly understandable.
That's not Androids fault, that's the vendors.
Android is the OS, which is quite open indeed.
What vendors do with the firmware on their own phones, is entirely up to them.
Cyanogenmod isn't a generic rom, it's a modified android rom.
The carriers in my country, let the customers roam pretty free.
Only one major carrier is still SIM locking the phones, the rest doesn't.
So I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Besides, we got laws against this in my country.
Not allowed to lock a phone permanently to a carrier.
Sure, the carriers release applications that most likely only work on that carriers network, but that's just a feature if you use that carrier.
I see the problem with the applications though.
I didn't know it was that much of a problem, I thought applications developed for Android 1.5, would work on ANY Android 1.5 (ignoring vendor/carrier specific lockdowns here).
Some wouldrun it slower due to hardware obviously.
heh, I don't even understand how he could have thought otherwise. I never said the ROM's was slow.
Anyway.
The guys over at http://www.androidcentral.com/ had a talk with HTC.
HTC said phones released this year, will get Froyo in the second half of 2010.
[...] if your phone was launched this year, we will most likely offer an upgrade for it to the Froyo version. This includes popular models like the Desire and Droid Incredible as well as hotly anticipated phones like the Evo 4G, MyTouch slide and upcoming models. We will announce a full list of phones and dates once we are closer to launching the upgrades. We are working closely with Google and our other partners to ensure we have the earliest access to everything we need to provide a complete and solid Sense experience on Froyo. We expect to release all updates in the second half of this year but can't be more specific yet.
Source: http://www.androidcentral.com/most-2010-htc-android-phones-will-get-froyo-2010
YEAAAAAAAAAAH!
You can, if you install a generic Android.
Vendor or carrier specific firmware isn't anything new.
Symbian has done it for YEARS.
The carriers custom fit the firmware, either removing certain things or add carrier specific applications.
It's no different with Android phones.
Which mean what when a new Android is released, the vendors and/or carriers have to custom fit the new version to their own and then release it to their customers. As you can probably imagine, this can take quite a while.
Ever since I started with Symbian many years ago, I've reinstalled with generic firmware as fast as possible.
If HTC is as slow as I've heard, I'm gonna do the same when I get my HTC Desire next month.
I understand your point completely, but how about giving the benefit of the doubt for once?
I know it's the old story of "but they promised!", but currently I see no signs that Sony is moving currently free services over to Premium services.
And why should they? It's a huge selling point for the PS3 still. Free online multiplayer. Taking that away, could seriously cut down their userbase.
I think this idea, on paper, is great. Add new features and services, but only available to paying customers as opposed to the current PSN where everyone is roaming free for "basic" services (buy games, download trials, play online etc).
If people want some of the more exotic features, you pay a subscription. You don't have to, it won't cripple your current experience.
If Sony manages to keep this strategy, I really can't see a problem with it.
And you know this how?
I'm worried for my kindsmen.
These pyramids aren't overgrown, they're just big stoned, you insensitive clods.
There, fixed it.
I'm with you there.
Unless MPEG 7 have been sneaking around by another name, this is the first I hear of it.
Well, to be fair, it also includes blu-ray movies and console stuff.
I should had said "on media in general".
No, if we give up, we loose the fight.
This trend with no dedicated servers, has got to stop.
What happens now if IW gets shut down? What if they shut down the IWnet servers too?
MW2 is dead then.
But if we had control over our own server systems, we could still play on dedicated servers.
Like, you know, they've done for decades.
I am not willing to give up on this issue, as old as it may get.
I own pretty much all consoles and a high-end PC for gaming, so I'm not taking sides per se (no PC fanboi, nor a console fanboi)
But I feel screwed over as a PC gamer. They remove features we've been accustomed to for YEARS.
And before anyone scream piracy, I spend at least an average of $300 on games each month, so keep me out of that endless loop.
So no, we won't give up already.
His point was this is a technical site.
He only paraphrased parent on the "elite" part.
Regardless of how it's worded, we on /., cares about wether a system is vendor locked or not.
Most of the regulars anyway.
And what does have to do with VAC?
VAC is the anti-cheat system, and have nothing do with steam itself (billing, etc)
And OP is partly correct.
If you get banned in a source game (by VAC) you're VAC banned in ALL source games.
VAC bans on the engine.
This information is even on the wikipedia page, so not exactly a secret.
But how's that associated with DRM, I do not know.
Of course we (Steam customers) care about DRM.
Sure, Steam is itself a DRM system, but an acceptable one.
The DRM Ubisoft is using is one a completely different scale than Steam's DRM
I believe all microsoft software is written by the exact same people. ... oh come on, they walked right into that one!
I really don't expect single player games to "survive" that long.
And how do you measure survival in a singleplayer game?
I replay old games now and then, does that count as survival?