I think that the iPhone has broken the idea that users want MORE functionality. What your average user wants is a good experience with a popular product that has an excellent price point. If they can do what they want to with a device, feel good about owning it, and pay as little as possible for it then that device WILL be a success.
Now all Google needs to do is fire the marketing people behind "droid" and find someone who will make the Chrome OS devices appear trendy while making sure they work well and cost as little as possible.
There's your "beat the world" strategy for any product or service that you care to sell.
Expected on call 24 x 7 without being paid for it? I don't think so. I value my free time too much for that. How can you ever go fishing, hunting, camping, or be at a movie if you're expected to answer the phone?
The firefighter is not really paid for that small but crucial amount of time that they are in action. They are paid for the time that they're hanging around the station house unable to do anything BUT respond to fires.
Why is it that your yardstick of "Itness" only revolves around Programming and Linux? Us poor saps who keep your LAN running and maintain your WAN connectivity can have some serious skills of our, they're just different skills than yours.
In the FF 1.x series there was an update that broke its ability to authenticate with Exchange. I forget the numbers but it happened all the same. I was able to logon to OWA until I updated. It's possible that their Tier 2/3 guy was trying to help you. He may have logged onto OWA with your credentials using another browser and found that it worked correctly. That left him with: 1) You're a typical Luser and can't remember or type your password, 2) FF is suddenly incompatible with Exchange, 3) Your system is jacked up and needs a reboot.
If I had a dollar for every time I've proven that a "power user" like yourself was the cause of your own trouble I could probably retire by now. Most of you are far more headache than you'd believe and know far less than you think you do.
Adults do it too, the only reason it becomes "horrible" when kids do it is because kids tend to be less discrete so it become EMBARRASSING. Otherwise I don't think most adults would care.
Try Johnson or Kennedy! The Corps knew those levies weren't strong enough since the middle 1960's! They'd been asking for funding to address for 30 years!
It's because the ACoE DIDN'T fuck up. They'd been calling for upgrades since the 60's and couldn't ever get the funding! The secondary problem was the lack of maintenance. The dollars for maintaining the existing levies did exist but the LOCAL, as in not the ACoE, boards kept rejecting the maintenance requests and spending the money on other projects. Such as golf courses and on/off ramps.
So in this case the analogy of roofs and rain, as presented, is broken. It's more like you told the roofing contractor you wanted a lightweight roof and the contractor said you should really have one made of tiles. You say you don't want to pay for that so build the cheap. The contractor builds the cheap one, tells you again that it's insufficient for the storms you get in your area and then keeps coming back to your house asking to do upgrades and repairs...which you refuse to allow even when the contractor is willing to pay for it.
The store you went to was populated by morons or thieves. Verizon's upgrade plan does NOT work like they told you. I've had a family share plan since they were available and I've upgraded individual handsets with no problem under the "New every Two" plan. My wife and I are eligible for upgrades three months apart and, my father is almost a year "out of sync" and so is my son.
You should have called Verizon itself rather than relying on the idiots in their stores.
Just because an AMERICAN would consider a country "virtually communist" or socialist doesn't make it so.
The PP is correct when he states that TRUE socialist societies do not work. You reference "virtual communist" Canada, which isn't true, and " hybrid socialist" European nations, which also isn't true, as counter examples.
TRUE Socialist states do not work and have never worked. What Canada and Europe have are hybrids, as you stated, where people are still somewhat rewarded for working harder than their neighbor. They are not true Socialist states.
Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.
Yes. I'll put my Garmin etrex Vista HCx GPS up against any cell phone based GPS for accuracy. The discrete device is more accurate, has FAR superior battery life, a better screen for reading outdoors (doesn't wash out), is waterproof, floats, is dustproof, is vibration proof, etc, etc.
So if you're an outdoors user, like I am, then yes, the standalone GPS unit IS superior in every meaningful way.
Please bolt your smartphone to the handlebars of a four wheeler and spend two days off road with it. While you're out there in the back country go fishing and fall in the water.
Wincing yet? Now you understand why people will continue to choose discrete devices. A ruggedized smartphone would be more expensive, bulkier, need interchangeable standard alkaline cell batteries, and very probably be LESS ACCURATE than a discrete device from Garmin.
Also, my Garmin etrex Vista HCX will go for days on a pair of standard AA cell alkaline batteries. I've yet to see a smartphone get anywhere near that battery life, even with all of it's communication functionality turned off. The high resolution color screens simply will not allow it.
Why? I don't want to drag a cellphone of that nature around with me day to day. It would be too big and bulky. It's also not likely to run on standard and easily swappable alkaline cells which makes back country power outages a real concern.
There is more to GPS than how to drive from here to there. 98% of my usage of a GPS is in places where there ARE no roads. Anyone who backpacks, hikes, uses ORVs, hunts, fishes, camps, etc, needs a rugged outdoor/backcountry GPS. A cell phone, no matter how cool, does not do the trick.
Ergo Google will not be "taking over" the GPS space. They MAY take over the GPS enabled NAVIGATION space, but not the GPS space as a whole.
Bingo! If you weren't already at +5 I'd mod you up.
This isn't the first time this story has come around and it's as STUPID now as it was then. These 'analysts', and I use that term loosely, entirely ignore the outdoors-man market where a rugged GPS is mandatory. An iPhone or Android phone is not an acceptable replacement for a device that is waterproof, floats, extremely accurate, uses commonly available AA batteries so you can pack spares, vibration proof, and lasts for DAYS on a single set.
GPS enabled phones are not going to replace a standard outdoor GPS any time soon, if ever.
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Doh! I also wanted to say that along with Steady State you could also install the MS AntiVirus product. No cost for that any of that for home use.
Install Microsoft Steady State for her. That will reduce the need for antivirus software.
I think that the iPhone has broken the idea that users want MORE functionality. What your average user wants is a good experience with a popular product that has an excellent price point. If they can do what they want to with a device, feel good about owning it, and pay as little as possible for it then that device WILL be a success.
Now all Google needs to do is fire the marketing people behind "droid" and find someone who will make the Chrome OS devices appear trendy while making sure they work well and cost as little as possible.
There's your "beat the world" strategy for any product or service that you care to sell.
BTW, native PDF support was released for the Kindle on 11/24.
http://ireaderreview.com/2008/01/18/how-to-view-pdf-files-on-the-kindle/
So what you're saying is that your wife is holding out for some nookie. Gotcha.
Expected on call 24 x 7 without being paid for it? I don't think so. I value my free time too much for that. How can you ever go fishing, hunting, camping, or be at a movie if you're expected to answer the phone?
The firefighter is not really paid for that small but crucial amount of time that they are in action. They are paid for the time that they're hanging around the station house unable to do anything BUT respond to fires.
Annie has this one wrong, very wrong
Nope, guess you caught me skim reading. :)
Why is it that your yardstick of "Itness" only revolves around Programming and Linux? Us poor saps who keep your LAN running and maintain your WAN connectivity can have some serious skills of our, they're just different skills than yours.
In the FF 1.x series there was an update that broke its ability to authenticate with Exchange. I forget the numbers but it happened all the same. I was able to logon to OWA until I updated. It's possible that their Tier 2/3 guy was trying to help you. He may have logged onto OWA with your credentials using another browser and found that it worked correctly. That left him with: 1) You're a typical Luser and can't remember or type your password, 2) FF is suddenly incompatible with Exchange, 3) Your system is jacked up and needs a reboot.
If I had a dollar for every time I've proven that a "power user" like yourself was the cause of your own trouble I could probably retire by now. Most of you are far more headache than you'd believe and know far less than you think you do.
There are no girls on the Internet son. That's either a troll or a tranny now stop interrupting my 4chan time.
You know it could have been "free speech zones" at DEMOCRAT gatherings too:
http://camelsnose.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/what-a-denver-democratic-convention-free-speech-zone-looks-like/
If you're interested in an example that you can pass out as information then here is a very well documented one: http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=7567291&page=1
If you're looking for an argument you'll have to go elsewhere.
Adults do it too, the only reason it becomes "horrible" when kids do it is because kids tend to be less discrete so it become EMBARRASSING. Otherwise I don't think most adults would care.
Yes, well, you can blame that on the Louisiana Governor wanting to make George W. Bush look bad. I think that's pretty well documented at this point.
Bush? Clinton?
Try Johnson or Kennedy! The Corps knew those levies weren't strong enough since the middle 1960's! They'd been asking for funding to address for 30 years!
So the two years before Katrina outweigh the 30+ years, since 1965 or so, that the Corps had been asking for budget to fix JUST THIS?
Talk about myopic!
It's because the ACoE DIDN'T fuck up. They'd been calling for upgrades since the 60's and couldn't ever get the funding! The secondary problem was the lack of maintenance. The dollars for maintaining the existing levies did exist but the LOCAL, as in not the ACoE, boards kept rejecting the maintenance requests and spending the money on other projects. Such as golf courses and on/off ramps.
So in this case the analogy of roofs and rain, as presented, is broken. It's more like you told the roofing contractor you wanted a lightweight roof and the contractor said you should really have one made of tiles. You say you don't want to pay for that so build the cheap. The contractor builds the cheap one, tells you again that it's insufficient for the storms you get in your area and then keeps coming back to your house asking to do upgrades and repairs...which you refuse to allow even when the contractor is willing to pay for it.
The store you went to was populated by morons or thieves. Verizon's upgrade plan does NOT work like they told you. I've had a family share plan since they were available and I've upgraded individual handsets with no problem under the "New every Two" plan. My wife and I are eligible for upgrades three months apart and, my father is almost a year "out of sync" and so is my son.
You should have called Verizon itself rather than relying on the idiots in their stores.
These days the hard drive is the simplest challenge to solve; you use SSD. The rest of your post is spot on.
Just because an AMERICAN would consider a country "virtually communist" or socialist doesn't make it so.
The PP is correct when he states that TRUE socialist societies do not work. You reference "virtual communist" Canada, which isn't true, and " hybrid socialist" European nations, which also isn't true, as counter examples.
TRUE Socialist states do not work and have never worked. What Canada and Europe have are hybrids, as you stated, where people are still somewhat rewarded for working harder than their neighbor. They are not true Socialist states.
Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.
Yes. I'll put my Garmin etrex Vista HCx GPS up against any cell phone based GPS for accuracy. The discrete device is more accurate, has FAR superior battery life, a better screen for reading outdoors (doesn't wash out), is waterproof, floats, is dustproof, is vibration proof, etc, etc.
So if you're an outdoors user, like I am, then yes, the standalone GPS unit IS superior in every meaningful way.
Please bolt your smartphone to the handlebars of a four wheeler and spend two days off road with it. While you're out there in the back country go fishing and fall in the water.
Wincing yet? Now you understand why people will continue to choose discrete devices. A ruggedized smartphone would be more expensive, bulkier, need interchangeable standard alkaline cell batteries, and very probably be LESS ACCURATE than a discrete device from Garmin.
Also, my Garmin etrex Vista HCX will go for days on a pair of standard AA cell alkaline batteries. I've yet to see a smartphone get anywhere near that battery life, even with all of it's communication functionality turned off. The high resolution color screens simply will not allow it.
Why? I don't want to drag a cellphone of that nature around with me day to day. It would be too big and bulky. It's also not likely to run on standard and easily swappable alkaline cells which makes back country power outages a real concern.
It will also make the cell device more expensive.
I'm failing to see a real upside.
There is more to GPS than how to drive from here to there. 98% of my usage of a GPS is in places where there ARE no roads. Anyone who backpacks, hikes, uses ORVs, hunts, fishes, camps, etc, needs a rugged outdoor/backcountry GPS. A cell phone, no matter how cool, does not do the trick.
Ergo Google will not be "taking over" the GPS space. They MAY take over the GPS enabled NAVIGATION space, but not the GPS space as a whole.
Bingo! If you weren't already at +5 I'd mod you up.
This isn't the first time this story has come around and it's as STUPID now as it was then. These 'analysts', and I use that term loosely, entirely ignore the outdoors-man market where a rugged GPS is mandatory. An iPhone or Android phone is not an acceptable replacement for a device that is waterproof, floats, extremely accurate, uses commonly available AA batteries so you can pack spares, vibration proof, and lasts for DAYS on a single set.
GPS enabled phones are not going to replace a standard outdoor GPS any time soon, if ever.