I wouldn't lose hope for the iPad/touch thing. Using your other hand for a mouse or to point with your fingers isn't as difficult as playing lefty in Guitar Hero.
Yes, I've tried both:p In fact I broke my left wrist as a kid so I found out about trying to use your opposite hand for basically everything, and I tried switching around on Guitar Hero just for fun a couple of years ago, it's surprising how well your brain translates to the opposite side. I found I could use all 5 buttons pretty much immediately, whereas it took me weeks to get to grips with all 5 in normal orientation, despite being able to play guitar for real.
I have workarounds for all of those, apart from the bus thing, so if you use busy public transport a lot then it could become a "need" I guess.
I can imagine someone with major health problems or disabilities might really need a mobile phone in case of emergency, but indeed most people could get by without if they wanted.
Well, with shopping bags I just flip the handles up around my wrists or whatever if I want to use my phone.
I used to use a briefcase but now I have a rucksack, so my hands are free most of the time. If you're carrying a briefcase that doesn't have a shoulder strap then the one handed convenience would indeed start to get pretty important.
Likewise I used to think I'd hate an onscreen keyboard, but I'm pretty happy with it on my Dell Streak. Then again if it was on a device with anything smaller than a 4" screen I think it would start to become very awkward.
im not even going to go into the fact that he has helped americans to discover that their government was betraying their trust, their funds and their rights.
You mean they didn't know already after the war and the PATRIOT act? Wow, people are dumb.
They used their proprietary memory card tech in the PSP and PS3 because
PSP, PS1 and PS2, yes. PS3, no. The PS3 can use any USB storage device.
The Xbox 360 limits you to a certain memory limit if you try plugging in a general storage device, and only works fully with MS approved peripherals.
Don't think the Wii can really use external storage at all. Maybe for GameCube games.
Every company tries to push their own stuff sure, but I think it's more important how easy they make it to also use other formats more than whether they include their own format or not. Having said that, I just bought a Kindle and am not too worried about Amazon going out of business anytime soon. If they do then I should still be able to convert and load eBooks onto it somehow, or can just get whatever more modern reader is available by then. Hopefully all eBook distributors will soon settle on ePub or another standard anyway.
It's a little slower, it's a little more cumbersome... But you need to be able to do it
Need is such a strong word. In what situation do you really need one handed usage? When you only possess one hand of course, and when chaperoning a kid perhaps.. but as someone who doesn't have to deal with either of those, I've never absolutely needed to use my phone with one hand. I generally prefer to use two. I don't make and receive many calls though, and if I did I could get a hands free kit and use voice dialling, so I could basically go no-handed there.
I genuinely would like to hear what cases people have that they must only use one hand, as I can't really think of any (driving doesn't count for me, it's illegal to use a phone while driving in the UK).
The iPhone would be FAR better with a slide keyboard. "Touchscreens" are shit-poor interfaces for trying to type on a mini-chiclet keyboard space unless you are using a stylus;
I used to think this, but the touch keyboard on my Droid is a lot better than I expected (though it is 5" rather than the iPhone's 4"). After a couple of weeks getting used to the touch keyboard I didn't really make any more mistakes than I was making on my physical keyboard. Also with Android 2.2 the auto-correct is pretty good at knowing what you meant to type even when you make mistakes. I don't think that feature was available in 2.1, either that or I had it turned off. So now I can type even faster and sloppier but still get good results:p
All things considered, I think getting rid of the keyboard is good for keeping weight and size down, and reduces the number of moving parts which has got to be good for durability. Despite my phone having such a large display, it's still pretty light and elegant.
Verizon are either already doing the iPhone, or will be doing it very soon btw. Also, this story just seems to be about iPads, so you may still be okay with an iPhone if you really want one. There's so much more flexibility with Android though that you're more likely to get a device tailored to your preferences.
My iRiver 120 was way better than the iPods available at the time (maybe 1st or 2nd gen?). I recently bought a 2nd hand iPod though, just so that I could connect it into iPod aware accessories.. car stereo, portable speakers, even the treadmills at the gym have iPod connectors so you can watch movies on the treadmill screen. They won't work with any other media player though. Bleh.
I wish everyone would get on board with some media-streaming-over-USB standard.
Yeah, the analogy threw me off a little, sorry. I generally agree with your point, but it also reminded me of those who think that the current music and film industry is too full of crap anyway, and made me wonder if this group intersects highly with the group who want to shorten copyright terms, which wouldn't make that much sense.
Okay okay so I'm just being awkward. But seriously, whenever I've used an iPad or iPhone, I've wished it had the Android "back" button. So much more convenient than hunting for application specific menus to get back to where you were.
You're missing the point of that adage. The mosquitoes don't stay in the stagnant pool of water once they've bred. They fly off and bite anyone they can find.
Ah, we don't have mosquitoes here so I don't really think of them as a big deal. I've only ever seen them in movies:P
Our midges tend to stay in the vicinity of the stagnant water rather than roaming.
Just give me a good, linear narrative with lots of explosions.
That's what movies are for!
Though having said that, I still love stuff like Half-Life and Uncharted, but the single player stuff only lasts for a couple of days, maybe a couple of weeks at most if you don't have a lot of time to play.
The rest of the time, I much prefer more freeform stuff like GTA where the game world itself is just as entertaining as the story.
Doesn't help:p I only ever experienced AOL on a friend's computer in around 2002. I didn't realise that they actually made any useful changes to the internet landscape.
When I've downloaded custom ROMs for my phones in the last few years (which are legal when it comes to Android at least), they are often hosted on RapidShare.
There are easier ways to get a girlfriend than going to Mars. And having a girlfriend isn't really worth losing the whole internet, your family, friends, etc.
Okay, it might seem like it for your first girlfriend, but you'll get over it.
You mean they wouldn't have disabled OtherOS on the fat PS3s if he hadn't said he intended to enable OtherOS on the slim PS3s
Yes, and like I said he just gave up afterwards, leaving me feeling rather pissed off that I didn't even have it on my fat PS3 any more. Neither do I want to try any of the hacks because I could end up getting my PSN accounts banned.
Slashdot Mirror
Oops. While reading the wikipedia article I thought it said Xeon.
You could have quoted his whole post and said false, and you wouldn't be wrong.
The 360 doesn't even use a PPC processor. The guy has no idea what he's talking about.
I wouldn't lose hope for the iPad/touch thing. Using your other hand for a mouse or to point with your fingers isn't as difficult as playing lefty in Guitar Hero.
Yes, I've tried both :p In fact I broke my left wrist as a kid so I found out about trying to use your opposite hand for basically everything, and I tried switching around on Guitar Hero just for fun a couple of years ago, it's surprising how well your brain translates to the opposite side. I found I could use all 5 buttons pretty much immediately, whereas it took me weeks to get to grips with all 5 in normal orientation, despite being able to play guitar for real.
I have workarounds for all of those, apart from the bus thing, so if you use busy public transport a lot then it could become a "need" I guess.
I can imagine someone with major health problems or disabilities might really need a mobile phone in case of emergency, but indeed most people could get by without if they wanted.
Well, with shopping bags I just flip the handles up around my wrists or whatever if I want to use my phone.
I used to use a briefcase but now I have a rucksack, so my hands are free most of the time. If you're carrying a briefcase that doesn't have a shoulder strap then the one handed convenience would indeed start to get pretty important.
Likewise I used to think I'd hate an onscreen keyboard, but I'm pretty happy with it on my Dell Streak. Then again if it was on a device with anything smaller than a 4" screen I think it would start to become very awkward.
or people putting forward less information because they know what they are doing is illegal (and they will go to jail)
Anyone with access to anything particularly interesting is bound to know already the risks involved with what they are doing.
I didn't know that. He must be one very stupid, or very heroic son of a bitch.
im not even going to go into the fact that he has helped americans to discover that their government was betraying their trust, their funds and their rights.
You mean they didn't know already after the war and the PATRIOT act? Wow, people are dumb.
They used their proprietary memory card tech in the PSP and PS3 because
PSP, PS1 and PS2, yes. PS3, no. The PS3 can use any USB storage device.
The Xbox 360 limits you to a certain memory limit if you try plugging in a general storage device, and only works fully with MS approved peripherals.
Don't think the Wii can really use external storage at all. Maybe for GameCube games.
Every company tries to push their own stuff sure, but I think it's more important how easy they make it to also use other formats more than whether they include their own format or not. Having said that, I just bought a Kindle and am not too worried about Amazon going out of business anytime soon. If they do then I should still be able to convert and load eBooks onto it somehow, or can just get whatever more modern reader is available by then. Hopefully all eBook distributors will soon settle on ePub or another standard anyway.
It's "Corps" btw - as in corporation, and corpse. In this case Corps meaning a body of people rather than just a body.
It's a little slower, it's a little more cumbersome... But you need to be able to do it
Need is such a strong word. In what situation do you really need one handed usage? When you only possess one hand of course, and when chaperoning a kid perhaps.. but as someone who doesn't have to deal with either of those, I've never absolutely needed to use my phone with one hand. I generally prefer to use two. I don't make and receive many calls though, and if I did I could get a hands free kit and use voice dialling, so I could basically go no-handed there.
I genuinely would like to hear what cases people have that they must only use one hand, as I can't really think of any (driving doesn't count for me, it's illegal to use a phone while driving in the UK).
The iPhone would be FAR better with a slide keyboard. "Touchscreens" are shit-poor interfaces for trying to type on a mini-chiclet keyboard space unless you are using a stylus;
I used to think this, but the touch keyboard on my Droid is a lot better than I expected (though it is 5" rather than the iPhone's 4"). After a couple of weeks getting used to the touch keyboard I didn't really make any more mistakes than I was making on my physical keyboard. Also with Android 2.2 the auto-correct is pretty good at knowing what you meant to type even when you make mistakes. I don't think that feature was available in 2.1, either that or I had it turned off. So now I can type even faster and sloppier but still get good results :p
All things considered, I think getting rid of the keyboard is good for keeping weight and size down, and reduces the number of moving parts which has got to be good for durability. Despite my phone having such a large display, it's still pretty light and elegant.
Verizon are either already doing the iPhone, or will be doing it very soon btw. Also, this story just seems to be about iPads, so you may still be okay with an iPhone if you really want one. There's so much more flexibility with Android though that you're more likely to get a device tailored to your preferences.
My iRiver 120 was way better than the iPods available at the time (maybe 1st or 2nd gen?). I recently bought a 2nd hand iPod though, just so that I could connect it into iPod aware accessories.. car stereo, portable speakers, even the treadmills at the gym have iPod connectors so you can watch movies on the treadmill screen. They won't work with any other media player though. Bleh.
I wish everyone would get on board with some media-streaming-over-USB standard.
Yeah, the analogy threw me off a little, sorry. I generally agree with your point, but it also reminded me of those who think that the current music and film industry is too full of crap anyway, and made me wonder if this group intersects highly with the group who want to shorten copyright terms, which wouldn't make that much sense.
Sorry, I have adblock so didn't notice, and I liked the Wisegeek article better than the Wikipedia one, which is even lighter on .
Great feature for those with missing fingers!
Okay okay so I'm just being awkward. But seriously, whenever I've used an iPad or iPhone, I've wished it had the Android "back" button. So much more convenient than hunting for application specific menus to get back to where you were.
You're missing the point of that adage. The mosquitoes don't stay in the stagnant pool of water once they've bred. They fly off and bite anyone they can find.
Ah, we don't have mosquitoes here so I don't really think of them as a big deal. I've only ever seen them in movies :P
Our midges tend to stay in the vicinity of the stagnant water rather than roaming.
Just give me a good, linear narrative with lots of explosions.
That's what movies are for!
Though having said that, I still love stuff like Half-Life and Uncharted, but the single player stuff only lasts for a couple of days, maybe a couple of weeks at most if you don't have a lot of time to play.
The rest of the time, I much prefer more freeform stuff like GTA where the game world itself is just as entertaining as the story.
Doesn't help :p I only ever experienced AOL on a friend's computer in around 2002. I didn't realise that they actually made any useful changes to the internet landscape.
Playing devil's advocate here, but here goes:
If all of that stuff is so stagnant, why are you bothered about the copyright lease being so long? Look for cheap or free indie media.
When I've downloaded custom ROMs for my phones in the last few years (which are legal when it comes to Android at least), they are often hosted on RapidShare.
I'm with AC on this one.
With such conditions it seems possible the-thing-we-don't-speak-about will see some renaissance at some point.
AOL? Dear gods.
There are easier ways to get a girlfriend than going to Mars. And having a girlfriend isn't really worth losing the whole internet, your family, friends, etc.
Okay, it might seem like it for your first girlfriend, but you'll get over it.
You mean they wouldn't have disabled OtherOS on the fat PS3s if he hadn't said he intended to enable OtherOS on the slim PS3s
Yes, and like I said he just gave up afterwards, leaving me feeling rather pissed off that I didn't even have it on my fat PS3 any more. Neither do I want to try any of the hacks because I could end up getting my PSN accounts banned.