I know I'm replying to an AC, but what the hell, it's Friday
The surface is both a poor tablet and a poor laptop. If you absolutely have to have a single device that can be both, it's adequate. No more. Windows 10 is nowhere near as good a tablet experience as either Android or iOS - there's still too much desktop getting in the way. For example, if you want to open a file in a universal app you get the good old classic Windows file selection dialog which is fiddly and awkward to use in tablet mode. Most of the settings can be configured through the touch friendly settings page, but advanced ones require control panel applets. If you don't let it hibernate after a few hours (and therefore pretty much require a reboot next time you use it), battery drains too quickly - based on my experience with iOS and Android I expect a tablet to start instantly (and OSX proves you can have a full blown OS sleep properly with minimal battery drain and still wake up instantly)
On the laptop side, it's too much of a compromise. If I want to use a laptop I want to be able to use it on my lap - the clip on keyboard arrangement only really works on a desk.
The main problem with the idea is what happens if you're sick or in an accident that leaves you unable to make contact for N days without advance warning? There goes your data.
If you have a good enough internet connection, you can get a three month NowTV subscription (enough to cover the 10 weeks of GoT) for about £14 (special offer if you sign up for three months instead of the usual rolling month).
If you have no way to stream it to your TV and don't want to watch it on a PC or tablet, you can get a Chromecast for £30 that comes with a voucher for, IIRC, 30 days free NowTV. Or a NowTV box, which is basically a rebadged Roku, but I'd go with the Chromecast as it supports the 50Hz output that some TVs need for smooth playback (NowTV / Roku hardware uses 60Hz, which is the US standard, leading to juddery playback unless your TV can cope)
That's what I'm doing to get GoT season 6 legally.
I assume you need to unlock? I'd say contactless cards would probably be quicker than unlocking a phone, even with fingerprints? That said, I believe you can do it with an Apple watch, and that's even quicker - I know someone who uses his on the London tube instead of an Oyster card - just taps his wrist on the reader, no need to even get anything out of a pocket
It's not necessarily possible for that to be an intelligent decision - most TVs now have some smart features, so you'll often have them whether you want them or not. My TV has apps. It also does 3D. I don't want 3D, but the cheaper ones didn't have other features I wanted or a good enough picture. It's Panasonic, though, which doesn't have a great range of apps
When it came time to replace my ancient DVD player I bought a cheapish smart Samsung Blu-ray player. There's an Amazon Prime app for it, as well as all the usual suspects. Samsung seems to have the best range of apps - most of the others seem to have different subsets. Roku have decent apps as well, if you don't want or need DVD/Blu-ray - including a dedicated Google Play app separate to the Youtube one (so you don't have to sign in to Youtube!)
I've used a Surface 3 with a Microsoft Pen, and it's... OK. Not great. Palm rejection sort of mostly works in the OneNote universal (previously metro) app, but less well in other apps.
By contrast, I tried a friend's iPad Pro with Pencil and it seemed like a smoother experience. It's the first time I've felt like I was writing naturally on a screen.
You could also try an Adonit Jot - the bluetooth version that'll work with your iPad and offer palm rejection and pressure sensitivit when coupled with an app that supports it (Penultimate is the one designed to work with Evernote)(
I assume you've looked into and rejected Evernote? MS OneNote is quite good as well (yes, yes, MS being recommended on here, sky will fall...) but it's more of an 800lb gorilla of features. Evernote still keeps things fairly simple.
I don't mind the idea as long as it can be globally disabled. I don't like the idea that if I'm particularly heavy handed one day I'll tap an icon expecting one action and find it does something different. Or I jab at it when I'm in a mood and again, different action.
And how does this help with discoverability? That seems to be going out of window of modern UIs. Want to delete something? Er, is it a swipe? A long tap? Could it now be a harder tap? Who knows - nothing in the UI to help.
Performance will take a hit as well. I put the fastest SD card I could find in my phone and ran a disk read/write speed test on internal storage and then on the SD card, and the internal came out 2-3x quicker
OK, point taken on the practicality - it could be equal to existing keyless entry systems - but you'd still want to take your key fob as backup in case your phone died.
Yeah, I hadn't thought about keyless entry (don't have that on my car!), even less need for this.
The only case I can think of is if you want to leave your car somewhere for someone else to pick up later, or to borrow it from your drive when you're not home. You could grant access without having to leave the keys hidden somewhere. It's such an edge case, though, that I can't see it'd be a big selling point.
I'm not sure how this is more convenient for the main user... compare "get keys out of pocket, click button, put keys in ignition" to "get phone out of pocket, unlock phone, open app, press button on app"... OK, it's one less thing to carry, but then you'd probably end up carrying the keys anyway as backup in case your phone died or the app crashed.
I've been experimenting with home automation. While having lights come on automatically via various rules is nice, it's a pain to go into the app to turn them on and off manually when you need to - easier to get up, walk across the room and flick a switch. This feels similar - a solution in search of a problem
Very similar to my experiences with SmartThings - despite being sold here in the UK in a major high street store, it's not really ready for primetime, but you can work around the limitations. I haven't gone beyond lights and a plug socket yet, plus the motion/door sensors that come in the starter kit. It's been a bit of fun, I like playing with gadgets, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone just yet
Sounds like the big difference, when compared with Vera, is that ST is cloud based and the development options are... let's say quirky, at best.
OpenHAB is one option, with a Z-Wave/Zigbee USB stick it might be able to replace a SmartThings/Nest kind of set up - if you don't mind a lot of work getting it all working (kinda like using Linux in the early days)
Also look for devices that don't need the cloud but use it for additional features. Philips Hue lights talk to a hub that does talk to the cloud for remote control, but that hub has a simple REST API for local control. If you wanted to, you could block the hub from talking to the internet and use a home server / dynamic DNS setup with a home-brew web application to control the lights.
Sadly most don't that - although you may be able develop your own code for SmartThings and the like, it all has to run in their cloud.
I went there without the adblocker and couldn't read the article because of the animated ad next to it that didn't stop. I can't concentrate on reading when there's something flashing in the corner of my eye like a migraine. So as well as the other risks, they're choosing to use ads that render their content unreadable.
The permissions thing came in with Android M. It's a pain for apps not specifically compiled for it though, because every time you update the apps you have to grant them all the permissions they want and then go and remove them again. But the feature is now there. If your phone vendor/carrier has given you M of course.
I use Google Apps with my own domain, but I was lucky enough to get in while it was free and so far it remains free for users who'd already started using it before the charges came in. It's ideal - if Gmail disappears, I can just find an alternative service and point my MX records at it - no tie in at all. Even if I was starting now, I'd consider it worth the cost - a few quid a month to have relatively hassle free email.
I connect via IMAP on my desktop, with it set to keep all mail, so I have a permanent archive if I need it. Using Thunderbird for that, so basically it's mbox. That gives me the benefit of a simple plain text archive with all the convenience of gmail. The Apps accounts don't get ads either, which is another plus.
Yes, it's more hassle to set up than just using gmail or outlook.com or whatever, but it's not like I've got to maintain mail servers myself - just a domain and a couple of DNS records.
And Sony, at least on the Xperia Z5. I know Sony isn't popular around here, but I like the fact they also offer a compact version for people who want a pretty decent spec phone that will actually fit in a pocket.
I actually use and like the feature. Gmail works best in a browser, but I still like having pop up notifications of new mail. I have my inbox configured so that only useful mail reaches it, and it's nice not to have to keep an eye on the browser when I've got another application maximised.
It might make me unusual, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. Shame google can't keep niche features that some people use, I'm sure now it's been developed that it can't cost a lot to maintain. But then I thought that about Reader as well, so I ought to know better by now.
Er. Me. I use ImageMagick - a command line image manipulation tool - for batch resizing and conversion. It works under Windows, Linux and OS X, so I've been using the same scripts for years, even though I use Photoshop now for the heavy duty editing. Although Photoshop has batch conversion options, I've never felt the need to investigate them. The scripts I built around ImageMagick commands years ago still do the job perfectly.
The trouble is, it's so hard to function now without web access. My father recently got his first computer at 71. His reason? So much information is now only available on the web, or using the internet saves you money. So without a computer he'd have been cut off from society in a way that wasn't true even ten years ago. So much is now internet only that your life is certainly much harder without it - maybe not "ruined", but certainly difficult.
I have recent experience of this. My 71 year old father recently got his first ever computer. I've been around computers since the days of the ZX Spectrum, have used everything from DOS, most flavours of Windows, OS X and Linux, so it was a real eye opener to see how difficult it is for someone with absolutely no previous experience.
He's intelligent and willing to learn, but even basic concepts take a lot of time to get across. I'm lucky in that he lives reasonably close to me, so I can show him things. Trouble is, he's got a Windows 8.1 laptop, and even I find that frustrating and counter intuitive. I thought it might be easier for someone with no previous expectations - he's never used other versions, so the changes shouldn't bother him - but the mix of metro and desktop applications is just so counter intuitive. I had tried nudging him towards a macbook, but he couldn't justify the price difference. Perhaps a chrome book would have suited him better, but it might have been too limiting.
I dread Windows 10 and having to start again, I know that. User friendly is only user friendly if you're already familiar with computers, but I suppose it's a problem that will fix itself when the generation that never used them dies out.
Annoying Oracle can't be a bad thing. I can't believe they bundle it when Java is needed for so many enterprise apps - surely the reputational damage is worth more than the revenue from bundling the toolbar? It makes them look cheap and certainly not enterprise.
So yeah, good for Microsoft. They're doing some good things these days. Perhaps a bit like IBM when they were knocked off of their perch, MS now realise they need to actually produce good products and play nicer with customers.
That implies that all sites need Javascript. Whatever happened to plain old HTML, perhaps with a side of CSS? If i want to serve largely static content for anyone to read, with no bells and whistles, why do I need https?
Slashdot Mirror
I know I'm replying to an AC, but what the hell, it's Friday
The surface is both a poor tablet and a poor laptop. If you absolutely have to have a single device that can be both, it's adequate. No more. Windows 10 is nowhere near as good a tablet experience as either Android or iOS - there's still too much desktop getting in the way. For example, if you want to open a file in a universal app you get the good old classic Windows file selection dialog which is fiddly and awkward to use in tablet mode. Most of the settings can be configured through the touch friendly settings page, but advanced ones require control panel applets. If you don't let it hibernate after a few hours (and therefore pretty much require a reboot next time you use it), battery drains too quickly - based on my experience with iOS and Android I expect a tablet to start instantly (and OSX proves you can have a full blown OS sleep properly with minimal battery drain and still wake up instantly)
On the laptop side, it's too much of a compromise. If I want to use a laptop I want to be able to use it on my lap - the clip on keyboard arrangement only really works on a desk.
You're basically describing a variation on a dead man's switch.
.
The main problem with the idea is what happens if you're sick or in an accident that leaves you unable to make contact for N days without advance warning? There goes your data.
If you have a good enough internet connection, you can get a three month NowTV subscription (enough to cover the 10 weeks of GoT) for about £14 (special offer if you sign up for three months instead of the usual rolling month).
If you have no way to stream it to your TV and don't want to watch it on a PC or tablet, you can get a Chromecast for £30 that comes with a voucher for, IIRC, 30 days free NowTV. Or a NowTV box, which is basically a rebadged Roku, but I'd go with the Chromecast as it supports the 50Hz output that some TVs need for smooth playback (NowTV / Roku hardware uses 60Hz, which is the US standard, leading to juddery playback unless your TV can cope)
That's what I'm doing to get GoT season 6 legally.
I assume you need to unlock? I'd say contactless cards would probably be quicker than unlocking a phone, even with fingerprints? That said, I believe you can do it with an Apple watch, and that's even quicker - I know someone who uses his on the London tube instead of an Oyster card - just taps his wrist on the reader, no need to even get anything out of a pocket
It's not necessarily possible for that to be an intelligent decision - most TVs now have some smart features, so you'll often have them whether you want them or not. My TV has apps. It also does 3D. I don't want 3D, but the cheaper ones didn't have other features I wanted or a good enough picture. It's Panasonic, though, which doesn't have a great range of apps
When it came time to replace my ancient DVD player I bought a cheapish smart Samsung Blu-ray player. There's an Amazon Prime app for it, as well as all the usual suspects. Samsung seems to have the best range of apps - most of the others seem to have different subsets. Roku have decent apps as well, if you don't want or need DVD/Blu-ray - including a dedicated Google Play app separate to the Youtube one (so you don't have to sign in to Youtube!)
I've used a Surface 3 with a Microsoft Pen, and it's... OK. Not great. Palm rejection sort of mostly works in the OneNote universal (previously metro) app, but less well in other apps.
By contrast, I tried a friend's iPad Pro with Pencil and it seemed like a smoother experience. It's the first time I've felt like I was writing naturally on a screen.
You could also try an Adonit Jot - the bluetooth version that'll work with your iPad and offer palm rejection and pressure sensitivit when coupled with an app that supports it (Penultimate is the one designed to work with Evernote)(
I assume you've looked into and rejected Evernote? MS OneNote is quite good as well (yes, yes, MS being recommended on here, sky will fall...) but it's more of an 800lb gorilla of features. Evernote still keeps things fairly simple.
I don't mind the idea as long as it can be globally disabled. I don't like the idea that if I'm particularly heavy handed one day I'll tap an icon expecting one action and find it does something different. Or I jab at it when I'm in a mood and again, different action.
And how does this help with discoverability? That seems to be going out of window of modern UIs. Want to delete something? Er, is it a swipe? A long tap? Could it now be a harder tap? Who knows - nothing in the UI to help.
Performance will take a hit as well. I put the fastest SD card I could find in my phone and ran a disk read/write speed test on internal storage and then on the SD card, and the internal came out 2-3x quicker
I have it, let's call it IncrediJoin!
Leonard of Quirm, is that you?
OK, point taken on the practicality - it could be equal to existing keyless entry systems - but you'd still want to take your key fob as backup in case your phone died.
Yeah, I hadn't thought about keyless entry (don't have that on my car!), even less need for this.
The only case I can think of is if you want to leave your car somewhere for someone else to pick up later, or to borrow it from your drive when you're not home. You could grant access without having to leave the keys hidden somewhere. It's such an edge case, though, that I can't see it'd be a big selling point.
I'm not sure how this is more convenient for the main user... compare "get keys out of pocket, click button, put keys in ignition" to "get phone out of pocket, unlock phone, open app, press button on app"... OK, it's one less thing to carry, but then you'd probably end up carrying the keys anyway as backup in case your phone died or the app crashed.
I've been experimenting with home automation. While having lights come on automatically via various rules is nice, it's a pain to go into the app to turn them on and off manually when you need to - easier to get up, walk across the room and flick a switch. This feels similar - a solution in search of a problem
Very similar to my experiences with SmartThings - despite being sold here in the UK in a major high street store, it's not really ready for primetime, but you can work around the limitations. I haven't gone beyond lights and a plug socket yet, plus the motion/door sensors that come in the starter kit. It's been a bit of fun, I like playing with gadgets, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone just yet
Sounds like the big difference, when compared with Vera, is that ST is cloud based and the development options are... let's say quirky, at best.
OpenHAB is one option, with a Z-Wave/Zigbee USB stick it might be able to replace a SmartThings/Nest kind of set up - if you don't mind a lot of work getting it all working (kinda like using Linux in the early days)
Also look for devices that don't need the cloud but use it for additional features. Philips Hue lights talk to a hub that does talk to the cloud for remote control, but that hub has a simple REST API for local control. If you wanted to, you could block the hub from talking to the internet and use a home server / dynamic DNS setup with a home-brew web application to control the lights.
Sadly most don't that - although you may be able develop your own code for SmartThings and the like, it all has to run in their cloud.
I went there without the adblocker and couldn't read the article because of the animated ad next to it that didn't stop. I can't concentrate on reading when there's something flashing in the corner of my eye like a migraine. So as well as the other risks, they're choosing to use ads that render their content unreadable.
The permissions thing came in with Android M. It's a pain for apps not specifically compiled for it though, because every time you update the apps you have to grant them all the permissions they want and then go and remove them again. But the feature is now there. If your phone vendor/carrier has given you M of course.
I use Google Apps with my own domain, but I was lucky enough to get in while it was free and so far it remains free for users who'd already started using it before the charges came in. It's ideal - if Gmail disappears, I can just find an alternative service and point my MX records at it - no tie in at all. Even if I was starting now, I'd consider it worth the cost - a few quid a month to have relatively hassle free email.
I connect via IMAP on my desktop, with it set to keep all mail, so I have a permanent archive if I need it. Using Thunderbird for that, so basically it's mbox. That gives me the benefit of a simple plain text archive with all the convenience of gmail. The Apps accounts don't get ads either, which is another plus.
Yes, it's more hassle to set up than just using gmail or outlook.com or whatever, but it's not like I've got to maintain mail servers myself - just a domain and a couple of DNS records.
And Sony, at least on the Xperia Z5. I know Sony isn't popular around here, but I like the fact they also offer a compact version for people who want a pretty decent spec phone that will actually fit in a pocket.
I actually use and like the feature. Gmail works best in a browser, but I still like having pop up notifications of new mail. I have my inbox configured so that only useful mail reaches it, and it's nice not to have to keep an eye on the browser when I've got another application maximised.
It might make me unusual, but I'm sure I'm not the only one. Shame google can't keep niche features that some people use, I'm sure now it's been developed that it can't cost a lot to maintain. But then I thought that about Reader as well, so I ought to know better by now.
Er. Me. I use ImageMagick - a command line image manipulation tool - for batch resizing and conversion. It works under Windows, Linux and OS X, so I've been using the same scripts for years, even though I use Photoshop now for the heavy duty editing. Although Photoshop has batch conversion options, I've never felt the need to investigate them. The scripts I built around ImageMagick commands years ago still do the job perfectly.
The trouble is, it's so hard to function now without web access. My father recently got his first computer at 71. His reason? So much information is now only available on the web, or using the internet saves you money. So without a computer he'd have been cut off from society in a way that wasn't true even ten years ago. So much is now internet only that your life is certainly much harder without it - maybe not "ruined", but certainly difficult.
I have recent experience of this. My 71 year old father recently got his first ever computer. I've been around computers since the days of the ZX Spectrum, have used everything from DOS, most flavours of Windows, OS X and Linux, so it was a real eye opener to see how difficult it is for someone with absolutely no previous experience.
He's intelligent and willing to learn, but even basic concepts take a lot of time to get across. I'm lucky in that he lives reasonably close to me, so I can show him things. Trouble is, he's got a Windows 8.1 laptop, and even I find that frustrating and counter intuitive. I thought it might be easier for someone with no previous expectations - he's never used other versions, so the changes shouldn't bother him - but the mix of metro and desktop applications is just so counter intuitive. I had tried nudging him towards a macbook, but he couldn't justify the price difference. Perhaps a chrome book would have suited him better, but it might have been too limiting.
I dread Windows 10 and having to start again, I know that. User friendly is only user friendly if you're already familiar with computers, but I suppose it's a problem that will fix itself when the generation that never used them dies out.
Annoying Oracle can't be a bad thing. I can't believe they bundle it when Java is needed for so many enterprise apps - surely the reputational damage is worth more than the revenue from bundling the toolbar? It makes them look cheap and certainly not enterprise.
So yeah, good for Microsoft. They're doing some good things these days. Perhaps a bit like IBM when they were knocked off of their perch, MS now realise they need to actually produce good products and play nicer with customers.
That implies that all sites need Javascript. Whatever happened to plain old HTML, perhaps with a side of CSS? If i want to serve largely static content for anyone to read, with no bells and whistles, why do I need https?