Sat nav built in is much better than via a separate device. You never forget it, it's designed to get a good signal, if you turn the voice on it'll interrupt the radio/music (although that's one reason I turn the voice off) and it does work on a 'how do I get from the current location to the destination' basis with no interrupts.
However, the biggest benefit is that by being integrated with the radio, it's able to use the traffic signals sent via the radio and update itself to avoid jams.
Since the sat-nav needs a decent sized screen, why not display other information on it too: time, temperature (internal and external), radio station, tire pressure warning..
My car has multiple buttons, but only one screen for its electronic goodness. This is fine, I only ever change one thing at a time.
It has an entirely separate dashboard with driver aids such as speed, rev counter, current gear (I drive an automatic), serious warning lights, etc. So when driving I glance at that, when adjusting settings I look at the sat-nav/settings screen.
Most of the time I look at the road, my mirrors and the world around me.
It blows my mind that anyone would want to drive for any non-trivial distance without cruise control.
If I'm going a non-trivial distance, I'm going to be driving pretty fast. Far too fast to let my attention wander by letting something else control the flow of fuel into the engine.
Cruise control is wonderful and I'm glad I have it, but when driving fast I want to be forced to pay attention to the road.
And yet.. I kind of like my climate control, my sat nav, my textual warnings that I'm running low on windscreen washer fluid.
I can choose an MP3 playlist while paused at a red light. I can turn on the heated seat without looking away from the road (and in no more time than taking my hand from the wheel for a gear change). I can retune the radio without letting go of the steering wheel.
Why is this a bad thing? My car isn't just a tool to take me from A to B, it's a place I spend much of my time in. Being comfortable while going from A to B makes that time less irritating, and doesn't detract from the driving experience itself.
I can't get my head around the idea of releasing a general purpose computing appliance.
Without a keyboard.
I'm sure it's wonderful. I'm sure it will sell well, and a lot of people will be delighted with it and use it a lot.
I just can't see where or when I would use one ahead of a device with a physical keyboard attached, that I can treat as a genuine general purpose computer and install my own software on to do what I want.
an easy way to see if a diaper is wet would be very handy
As an approximate rule of thumb, is it on the baby?
Centuries of leaving babies wearing a wet nappy a few minutes longer than necessary hasn't killed off the human race, you're probably ok.
Although it could be an interesting life for your child if it learns that it gets swift attention for wetting itself (rather than merely crying at the discomfort).
And I will buy the first smartphone that does let you hook up a REAL keyboard and has a notes application
Nokia n900 works with bluetooth keyboards (full 105 key ones), has TV-out if you want to hook it up to a fullsize screen and has both built-in and downloadable notes apps (which I find as usable as the one on my Treo).
I strongly suspect you could get an Android phone with similar capabilities (possibly not the tv out) but haven't had a play with any Android v2.1 phones yet.
As someone that owns a higher resolution multi-tasking phone that supports Flash (and has a better battery life than my colleagues' iPhones) I'm highly amused by your dismissal of such features.
Incidentally, I will grant that streaming Internet radio over 3G and using the FM transmitter to play it on your car's sound system while using the built-in Sat Nav is hard on battery life, and I appreciate that as an iPhone user you haven't had that problem.
You challenged someone's credibility when they named Firefox as crashing a couple of times a week. In response I highlighted a major cause of instability to the platform.
So no, you don't need to repeat yourself.
If it helps, you can also avoid mentioning spontaneous crashes, memory leaks or the stability of other platforms; none of these things have been mentioned as an issue with Firefox (which is what we were trying to discuss).
So surely there's an appeal possible around a plea of self-defence, and indeed remarkable constraint in not putting the border guard's head through his car window?
Just as high definition is going to mean the end of actors with skin blemishes (imho)
You clearly aren't a Leone fan. Forget HD, he filled an entire cinema screen with the eyes, let alone the rest of the face. Blemishes were turned into the landscape, not hidden.
Coming into more modern times, have you really not noticed the marks on Morgan Freeman's face? It's terrible how nobody will employ him as an actor because of them...
Still about 50% above what I would deem reasonable.
So go to two movies a week.
Hell, I watch 2-3 'new' films every week anyway, I just tend to watch them on DVD (via rental) or on TV (via subscription film channels). Both of those are costing more than £12/month. If the cinema around the corner from my office offered an equivalent to the Cineworld deal I'd be delighted.
none of them are capable of striking US soil from Europe.
You are aware that aircraft can cross the Atlantic these days? And in wargames, the RAF have a strong track record of breaching US air defences?
Even if the USAF made extravagant claims and were believed, there's still that inconvenient vehicle known as a submarine.
Yes, if it reached that level the Atlantic could quickly be made to extend through to Norway, Belgium and Holland. That 1/30th the arsenal could still put the USA back into the middle ages is probably enough to make US leaders consider whether it's really worth the effort.
I don't think we even have 1/30th the arsenal; my main point is that you're kidding yourself if you think European powers couldn't attack the US.
No, I fear you have falsely assumed a right to interpret electromagnetic waves crossing your property when in fact you don't even appear to think you have a right to the property.
Indeed - wait a couple of years and you'll be able to get all three campaigns and any DLC for an all-inclusive price of just £20.
The only thing you'll miss out on is the multiplayer frenzy on first release, and if multiplayer RTS is your thing then you generally don't care so much about the single player campaigns anyway.
Of course, it would cost more than 150Euros. The cost of mine included the hearing check, the occasional return trip to get them cleaned, getting them programmed to match my hearing loss (with different programming for left and right ear) and molded to specifically fit the insides of my ears.
Even though 'programmed' in this instance just means setting the equaliser properly it still needs dedicated hardware, training to use it and the hour or so of medical professional sat with me while it happens.
I don't doubt for a moment that there's a massive margin in the hearing aid business, but I do expect prices to stay rather higher than 150 Euro.
Slashdot Mirror
Tex Mex.
There isn't a decent Tex Mex restaurant in the UK.
Sat nav built in is much better than via a separate device. You never forget it, it's designed to get a good signal, if you turn the voice on it'll interrupt the radio/music (although that's one reason I turn the voice off) and it does work on a 'how do I get from the current location to the destination' basis with no interrupts.
However, the biggest benefit is that by being integrated with the radio, it's able to use the traffic signals sent via the radio and update itself to avoid jams.
Since the sat-nav needs a decent sized screen, why not display other information on it too: time, temperature (internal and external), radio station, tire pressure warning..
My car has multiple buttons, but only one screen for its electronic goodness. This is fine, I only ever change one thing at a time.
It has an entirely separate dashboard with driver aids such as speed, rev counter, current gear (I drive an automatic), serious warning lights, etc. So when driving I glance at that, when adjusting settings I look at the sat-nav/settings screen.
Most of the time I look at the road, my mirrors and the world around me.
It blows my mind that anyone would want to drive for any non-trivial distance without cruise control.
If I'm going a non-trivial distance, I'm going to be driving pretty fast. Far too fast to let my attention wander by letting something else control the flow of fuel into the engine.
Cruise control is wonderful and I'm glad I have it, but when driving fast I want to be forced to pay attention to the road.
Cruise control is for speed cameras. Especially average speed ones.
My auto has a six gear speedbox. 4 people? It can tow a twin-axle caravan up a hill, while also seating four adults.
Still only 4 cylinders, and a 1.9l engine. But I guess the hills must be bigger in 'SoCal'.
And yet.. I kind of like my climate control, my sat nav, my textual warnings that I'm running low on windscreen washer fluid.
I can choose an MP3 playlist while paused at a red light. I can turn on the heated seat without looking away from the road (and in no more time than taking my hand from the wheel for a gear change). I can retune the radio without letting go of the steering wheel.
Why is this a bad thing? My car isn't just a tool to take me from A to B, it's a place I spend much of my time in. Being comfortable while going from A to B makes that time less irritating, and doesn't detract from the driving experience itself.
I can't get my head around the idea of releasing a general purpose computing appliance.
Without a keyboard.
I'm sure it's wonderful. I'm sure it will sell well, and a lot of people will be delighted with it and use it a lot.
I just can't see where or when I would use one ahead of a device with a physical keyboard attached, that I can treat as a genuine general purpose computer and install my own software on to do what I want.
So yeah, I'm very confused by the iPad.
hmm. I want to live where you live. I pay over 1/3 of my income in direct taxation.
Sadly the MP3s on my n900 don't contain live coverage of the cricket.
an easy way to see if a diaper is wet would be very handy
As an approximate rule of thumb, is it on the baby?
Centuries of leaving babies wearing a wet nappy a few minutes longer than necessary hasn't killed off the human race, you're probably ok.
Although it could be an interesting life for your child if it learns that it gets swift attention for wetting itself (rather than merely crying at the discomfort).
She is whacked out if she's female and a teabagger. Or maybe it means something different where you live..
And I will buy the first smartphone that does let you hook up a REAL keyboard and has a notes application
Nokia n900 works with bluetooth keyboards (full 105 key ones), has TV-out if you want to hook it up to a fullsize screen and has both built-in and downloadable notes apps (which I find as usable as the one on my Treo).
I strongly suspect you could get an Android phone with similar capabilities (possibly not the tv out) but haven't had a play with any Android v2.1 phones yet.
As someone that owns a higher resolution multi-tasking phone that supports Flash (and has a better battery life than my colleagues' iPhones) I'm highly amused by your dismissal of such features.
Incidentally, I will grant that streaming Internet radio over 3G and using the FM transmitter to play it on your car's sound system while using the built-in Sat Nav is hard on battery life, and I appreciate that as an iPhone user you haven't had that problem.
You challenged someone's credibility when they named Firefox as crashing a couple of times a week. In response I highlighted a major cause of instability to the platform.
So no, you don't need to repeat yourself.
If it helps, you can also avoid mentioning spontaneous crashes, memory leaks or the stability of other platforms; none of these things have been mentioned as an issue with Firefox (which is what we were trying to discuss).
Security through obscurity is *never* a suitable engineering principle
Nonsense. It's an excellent principle.
It just isn't a replacement for other security principles.
Clearly you never visit sites that use Flash or other plugins.
Firefox the browser may not crash often. Firefox the platform does. And when it does, it takes down all my open websites.
I still use it anyway of course - no switching until AdblockPlus (or equivalent) is available for a worthy competitor.
So surely there's an appeal possible around a plea of self-defence, and indeed remarkable constraint in not putting the border guard's head through his car window?
Just as high definition is going to mean the end of actors with skin blemishes (imho)
You clearly aren't a Leone fan. Forget HD, he filled an entire cinema screen with the eyes, let alone the rest of the face. Blemishes were turned into the landscape, not hidden.
Coming into more modern times, have you really not noticed the marks on Morgan Freeman's face? It's terrible how nobody will employ him as an actor because of them...
Still about 50% above what I would deem reasonable.
So go to two movies a week.
Hell, I watch 2-3 'new' films every week anyway, I just tend to watch them on DVD (via rental) or on TV (via subscription film channels). Both of those are costing more than £12/month. If the cinema around the corner from my office offered an equivalent to the Cineworld deal I'd be delighted.
Robert Rodriguez films are always worth watching. His commentaries and filmschools are also enlightening.
none of them are capable of striking US soil from Europe.
You are aware that aircraft can cross the Atlantic these days? And in wargames, the RAF have a strong track record of breaching US air defences?
Even if the USAF made extravagant claims and were believed, there's still that inconvenient vehicle known as a submarine.
Yes, if it reached that level the Atlantic could quickly be made to extend through to Norway, Belgium and Holland. That 1/30th the arsenal could still put the USA back into the middle ages is probably enough to make US leaders consider whether it's really worth the effort.
I don't think we even have 1/30th the arsenal; my main point is that you're kidding yourself if you think European powers couldn't attack the US.
No, I fear you have falsely assumed a right to interpret electromagnetic waves crossing your property when in fact you don't even appear to think you have a right to the property.
Indeed - wait a couple of years and you'll be able to get all three campaigns and any DLC for an all-inclusive price of just £20.
The only thing you'll miss out on is the multiplayer frenzy on first release, and if multiplayer RTS is your thing then you generally don't care so much about the single player campaigns anyway.
Sorry, you have a right to property?
Can I have some? I'd like a few acres please, ideally with a bit of woodland and a large pond.
I'd buy a Sennheiser hearing aid.
Of course, it would cost more than 150Euros. The cost of mine included the hearing check, the occasional return trip to get them cleaned, getting them programmed to match my hearing loss (with different programming for left and right ear) and molded to specifically fit the insides of my ears.
Even though 'programmed' in this instance just means setting the equaliser properly it still needs dedicated hardware, training to use it and the hour or so of medical professional sat with me while it happens.
I don't doubt for a moment that there's a massive margin in the hearing aid business, but I do expect prices to stay rather higher than 150 Euro.