fuchikoma

It takes some willpower, but I agree with FDS. You use technology, not the other way around.

Yeah, VGA/SVGA etc are 3 rows of staggered pins, where HDMI is a grid layout, often with a wide flat pin on one side, sometimes with two blocks of 3x3 pins beside it. I also ran into the same problem with my Samsung TV. It displays 1366 x 768, but takes signals up to 720p or 1080i. On HDMI, the image is scaled, and the edges of the screen aren't even visible (to which I say "what the hell? It's a digital signal and nothing else cuts it off like that. It's not like the 'tracking' is off or something...") So I used a VGA cable and got native resolution. Silly.

I'd actually never use FLAC or ALAC. OGG would be nice once in a while though. I've been thinking lately that the Lumia 920 looks really attractive if apps, interoperability with other phones and so on weren't issues. If we could go back to the era before apps, I'd get it in a heartbeat. In fact, we may see about that anyway... Apple has seriously started to play dirty with OS updates this week. It seems OS 6 conveniently put itself onto my phone, waiting to be installed... permanently... so I removed the installer manually with a third party desktop app and blocked it from downloading again with a hack from Cydia's repository, and instead of freeing up space, it seems to have magically used up another 1.5 GB for removing it. A system restore would probably fix that, but that's no longer supported with the current OS version. So... the advantages of iOS are rapidly dwindling here.

I'm kind of inclined to agree here. At first, they had an uncommonly easy browsing interface that they largely lifted from Creative Labs. For playback features, they used to have background playback of movie audio, but took it out. Now their strength is mostly formats - native MP3, MP4 (AAC), WAV, AIFF and ALAC. Decent shuffle, good search, cover art, double speed playback... pause on headphone disconnect. It's nice, but it's not really exceptional. Mainly, if one of them is enjoying an app, I just have to ask the name of it, go on the store, and there it is. Also though, multiplayer games like Real Racing 2, and social features like Game Center. I'm not saying Android doesn't have this, just that if I had one, it'd rarely come up with the people I know.

I've always written long posts. When someone doesn't get what I'm saying, I try to explain. You should see my Kotaku history... or the piracy thread (while I put in way too much effort there, it was actually pretty fun.) Anyway, I've already explained where USB fell short so far, why even some Android phones decided to go beyond it, and how a less common adapter has already lasted through multiple different technology implementations, resulting in fewer connector changes. But if you didn't see that already, or see it and disagree, saying it again won't change anything. *shrug* The funny thing about this is that for questioning some of the things on Android, I seem to be cast as some Apple fanboy, when I never was, and lately I've been thinking more about differences in the two systems than usual because of all the things I'm unhappy with Apple over. But I guess it's unusual not to think in black and white about these things, even these days... I'm willing to admit there are ups and downs to both - but when it comes to connectors and exploits, I'd definitely go with Apple - and believe it or not, when it comes to using the same apps as my friends, it's Apple by a landslide (not fair, but hey, that's how I got a 360 too...) User experience and firmware flexibility? I'd say that's skewing more and more to Android, certainly - especially with the trouble Apple goes to to prevent downgrades lately, and the longstanding tradition that if it's not on the app store, you can't run it without a (very simple, but sometimes thwarted) hack. Apple's updates mostly seem to mess things up after OS 3, while Android gets slicker and more varied interfaces and options. But for me, [REDACTED] - you know what, never mind the conclusion - the main issue that's kept me from Android has been discussed elsewhere already and the responses I got were just as slanted. This is not a place to rationally discuss platforms so I'll just let this stand where it is.

So Zellers, a big, old department store chain in Canada is going through its death throes and liquidating everything now. At least they haven't lost their sense of humour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_rHRUOxUtA

Seriously? You leveled an ad hominem that utterly failed to check out, so to deflect scrutiny you drop a strawman that's just as misplaced? You say some strange things when flustered. Remember, I'm the one addressing the points and you're the one questioning the speaker's state. I just made what I thought was a pretty uncontroversial statement and then spent several posts responding point by point to waves of arguments. At the end of the day you're going to think what you want to think anyway; I just thought I'd raise some points and see if there was a good counterargument to them (you see, there are actually a few Androids like the S3 that I think look really good - but there's the issue I mentioned of being almost the only guy with one if I got it. I want one in the world Samsung shows, not the one I live in.) I didn't realize how much of a holy cow this was though, so I guess I'll leave it alone in the future. And yeah, of course USB is a common connector. Several generations ago, mini-B already became ubiquitous and as phones got smaller, micro USB rose in popularity. There was a real need to standardize back when each cable only worked with a handful of phones. Like I said, I just don't think it's such a big deal if Apple releases a new proprietary connector every decade or so because it's seriously not that inconvenient, and it's nicer to have more features than less (though apparently even that is controversial, who knew?) Besides, micro USB has only been around about 1/3 as long as the 30-pin dock anyway - it requires just as much retooling and cable/adapter buying - at least it would for me, since the only things it'd go into are a Bluetooth headset and a hypothetical phone. It'd be nicer if everything did everything with cheap universal parts that everyone had lying around - I just don't see that happening with either solution - at best you can choose to do everything or accommodate everyone, and even the latter isn't that realistic yet, though with it you could switch brands if you buy a lot of phones. Ah well, at least we know where we stand on this, but it seems like a sticking point regardless.

I'll have to take your word for it on Group SMS since it's not even an option here, iPhone or not. I'd heard of the micro-USB directive and feel much the same now as when they brought it in: It's a really laudable concept, though it would have been useful if it was introduced before almost everyone started putting USB mini-B on everything, back in the era when a phone COULD link to a PC, but it was assumed it probably wouldn't. My Nokia 3220 required a $50 (or $80?) OEM cable. I got a $30 knockoff with spotty connectivity and it only worked with a few Nokias. It would have been just as hard to connect my 5165 if there was much reason to. My Motorola KRZR had a USB mini-B port that did everything, but software locks kept most users (of this carrier) from updating ringtones. I really have no problem with Apple's new connector though. If I'm not mistaken, until now, they've been using the connector for the iPod, with wiring for the iPod video. They've kept compatibility-breaking changes to an absolute minimum since 2001 - though in the time up to 2005, the proprietary dock allowed them to add USB, remove Firewire and add a video feed, while maintaining compatibility with older iPod accessories. That is not much waste at all... This is what I envision for the Lightning connector. For now, they connect it to USB 2.0. Maybe later, it will be Thunderbolt. I've heard speculation that 2 pins are reserved so far, and also that it adapts to match its usage - maybe later it'll have a full USB or Thunderbolt connection, and a passthrough to some peripheral or memory expansion (if Apple ever goes that way...) If they just had a USB port, then these changes would require changing the port on the device. Also, it seems MHL may be able to use whatever pins USB has, but not simultaneously while using it as a proper USB port, which is one reason Samsung went 11-pin. What if you want to watch a video off your device on TV while adding files to it? I don't know why you'd need to, but why build a new architecture to barely meet your current needs? So I think the waste reduction directive proponents have their hearts in the right place, but there are also strong cases to be made for exceptions to this. If Apple was dropping a new unique connector every 3 years, it'd be another story.

Well yeah, it's quote city. If you say anything less than complimentary about Android, even if it's , you get browbeat until you shut up about it. I'm just responding to the wave of inquisition that's been levelled at me here for saying the Apple ought to add more features that are on some Android phones, and that it'd be more useful for me there since I only know one Android user(!!) So if you send a group message to everyone, by default, replies will be to everyone. I haven't run into that because it's apparently an American feature and not "standard" elsewhere, but other apps I have such as Voxer or Skype also work that way, as do conference calls. I'm not seeing the proprietary nature of it for that. Also not seeing it because users without iMessage just get standard, universally recognized SMS messages. I guess it's an unusual default apparently? Emoji as Apple did it is a feature for users of the mobile carrier SoftBank, whatever phone they have. It's not Apple's thing - it's more that they supported it, and people found ways to unlock it in other markets. Apple just accidentally brought it outside Japan, where it apparently met an unaddressed need for some. The selfish jab is still very unclear. I guess I'm selfish for not finding features on your favourite OS useful... If I weren't so selfish, more people I know would be using Androids. I'm not calling for it to be removed for anyone. So is it selfish to not see a lot of people using open standards? I'm seeing a definite false dichotomy between Apple and common standards... Yes, Apple supports GSM, HSDPA, MP4, MP3, WAV, AIFF, JPG, PNG, GIF, PDF, DOC, DOCX and other MS Office formats, various Bluetooth profiles now including A2DP... Do you see Apple making their own NFC tech, or is this just speculation? They'll probably do the usual thing and wait until users widely, seriously want it, then unveil it to much rejoicing while other vendors roll their eyes. But seriously, this Apple proprietary thing is taking on the same unthinking meme status as when it's levelled at Sony. Apple is slow to implement standards, but supports common standards, because that's what users need them to do. Cases where they don't are generally with good reason, and low impact. Right now I can think of... one, below. MMS is normal, standardized, and supported by Apple. I was responding to Dean's accusation that "Apple don't do things in a standard manner. Like SMS standard." Well, they supported SMS from the start, and MMS != SMS. Different protocol, different features, different billing. It's an extention. MMS is SMS like Win95 is DOS. Apple should have supported it right away, but it wasn't that they ran off and made up their own standard instead - just that they took their sweet time to put it into their first product in that market, so the point you guys are trying to raise about it is kind of falling flat here. It's not "not doing things in a standard manner," as much as "not doing everything you could ask for on the first try." MHL is a proposed standard that is in development. While I'm comparing the S3 to the iPhone so much, the S3 supports MHL... with a proprietary 11-pin connector to allow use of MHL and USB simultaneously, and let the S3 power the MHL-HDMI adapter. This is MHL compliant, because the connector is not part of the standard, though it breaks compatibility even with many Samsung accessories. Apple had a multi-pin proprietary adapter for similar reasons (USB, audio, video out, controls, charging etc.) which they used for 11 years... now they change it once and everyone flips out on them. Presumably the new one will be used well into the future as well since unlike USB, it doesn't lock them down long-term to a particular standard. They probably didn't want to sit around and wait for something like MHL to become concrete or release a half-baked standard that may change, later requiring people to buy more adapters than necessary. Apple haters will no doubt scoff at this suggestion though because they're already making people buy (well, offering them) adapters once a decade as it is, instead of sticking with a connector from 2001 forever or hacking out features to support a mandate to use dated tech. (edit, edit, edit: Redundancy, grammar, spelling, this post has it all... intermittently)

In terms of phones Apple doesn't do anything standard and common. iMessage is great proof of that. They haven't had the same success that they've had with AirPlay. Um... iMessage is an optional service that kicks in if the best form of messaging between you isn't just SMS or MMS. Automatic, encrypted texting over Wi-fi. What's the bad part of that? Central Alberta, Canada. I should also note that behind iPhones, Blackberries were sort of common, though trending down fast. You can also get an Android phone anywhere you want to - it's not like they're unavailable in any way. Please, explain how it is selfish to suggest that Apple is getting behind on features and should add things that will help people? Or is it somehow just "selfish" to suggest Android isn't all over the place? Maybe it's selfish just to use Apple products? shows it, though it wasn't the one I was thinking of - wow, they have tons of ads for this thing. They don't show any sync action, and they say it's only on the S3. And I admit I came into iPhones at the 3GS, but it has always supported ordinary SMS. When the first iPhone was launched, it didn't support MMS officially, but that is not normal SMS. (Also, no one is saying they're not slow to support things - like A2DP for instance.) I'm curious about that too. It's a non-issue here, but I figured they'd support it in Europe with the next release. That would require additional, redundant ports to be added for things like video output however, so I'm not really behind that directive. It forces the use of older technologies. IMO it's silly to buy a device that's specifically made for a kind of phone or MP3 player in the first place, but come on... they have now changed connectors once. If I got an iPhone 5 some day and it came with a cable to plug into a PC... there would be literally no problem because I'd no more buy a stereo for an iPhone than for a Motorola RAZR or an oldschool iPod.

Small pool of friends on my phone list, but not that lopsided - when I worked at the local college doing IT support, people would bring phones in all the time to get them set up for email or MS Exchange, and I'd set up about 10 iPhones for every Android (about 1-2 years ago.) And I thought their NFC was only supposed to work within about 5cm? Yet in the commercials here they show photos being shared with people in the area of the same room. That would probably mean Bluetooth or Wi-fi, which are both ancient on iOS. It's how most third party apps do it already; I'm just saying that Apple should do something analogous officially so it's standard and common. For such a dominant platform, you sure leap to its defense a lot whenever anything is questioned, or even discussed about it... I thought it was clear that I was talking about my own experience with it when I said "in my case," so you can spin numbers (or allude to them) but it doesn't make it any more of a practical investment for me personally since it wouldn't bring me much solace knowing that this feature I can't use could hypothetically be used with a bunch of people I've never met. Also keep in mind that the market for a product isn't perfectly smooth and equal worldwide. In Japan, PS3s outnumber 360s 4.38:1. In North America, it's 0.65:1. Where I live, I don't see a lot of Androids in actual use.

Ok, then I know one person with something similar enough to do it. I used to also know one coworker with one, but overall, it'd be a cool feature with nowhere to use it in my case. I think Apple should really get to it, and if it's patented, just license it, because they already make the new "default phone."

While I've pointed out security issues on Android, I'd also agree that iOS is getting dated. Furthermore, certain things like the notification area are actually more annoying than they are helpful (it pulls down from the top of the screen at any time.) I'm actually not even that fond of multitasking, as it led to background programs hogging RAM and sometimes downloading hundreds of MB on my data plan after I've finished using them. Now they have to be babysat and not only exited, but killed, when finished. (Quit used to be "home." Now it's "home... home-home... hold icon until it shakes, tap close box... home.") OS3 had some limited background task ability, but was still quick and simple to use. One feature that stands out to me these days is sharing... As it is now, when a bunch of my friends are together, we can play multiplayer games on iOS, except the one guy with an HTC who is on his own. Apple should take advantage of that saturation and have quick sharing features like Samsung is touting. If I had a Galaxy S3, I would never be able to use any of the slick quick-sharing features because I don't know anyone with anything similar to it, but if iOS did it, I'd be able to share stuff with almost anyone. That's doable, but requires everyone to have the same third-party app now. If the quality of the camera permits it, it'd also be nice to have the feature where the handset shoots a quick burst and lets you pick which photos to keep. They have made a slight improvement to the camera in iOS 5 though, since you can now access it directly from a locked phone and snap photos and review them without exposing other photos that wouldn't be accessible when locked. They also allowed using a volume button as a shutter button when turned sideways, which was forbidden, I think all through Steve Jobs' reign. Eleven, the calculator and podcast apps copy work from Dieter Rams, a famous industrial designer. I'm not sure how it works as a replacement, but Google Earth has been available for iOS for a long time. I've just stopped using it because it was a total battery hog.

Dude... I know what you mean. I made this wordcloud from Kotaku posts near the start of 2011. Then, I've been told that I qualify my statements a lot and don't promise things in absolutes (this was by the director for research services at the college I worked at, so he's spent a lot of time analyzing the exact wording of survey questions and the like for potential bias...) Semicolon... is simply a placeholder for either a comma or a period, where either one would make sense, but you don't capitalize after it. That said, I started using them a bit too much, probably a bit inappropriately. That's one of those things that could probably out me online pretty quickly through writing analysis... (/foilhat) Ah, Java, the wacky world where everything is a class... Just wait until you start doing GUI projects. At first I thought "how clever - everything will be nice and flexible and cross-platform this way!" Then I realized that half the code I wrote for each assignment was to layout the form, while the other half was to actually handle the logic!

It sounds like it will be fixed (at least temporarily) with an update. It's more of a wakeup call that this is a viable vector for a no-user-interaction hack (though some have said the phone has to be on and unlocked.) (edit: Also, that their hack mitigation efforts like address space randomization can still be worked around fairly relaibly.) And the extreme RFID hack was to illustrate that "oh, it only works at 5-10cm" has been said before, but soundly disproven. Since radio waves don't just stop sharply at their effective range, it stands to reason something like this could be set up by someone to work at 2-5m, then hit active phones going past an apartment, a car in a parking lot, or less likely spots like a construction site or a storefront, even if it took a 3-5 ft antenna to pull off.

Ain't nothing wrong with that... I often notice when someone uses "that" instead of "who" to refer to someone, while most people could care less...

There is a reason the DoD uses Android... they could hypothetically audit the code themselves, and put their own apps on it easily. This isn't the same as most handsets though - it's the Dell Streak, without Wi-fi, Bluetooth, or the Google Marketplace, with a special custom API to provide secure services like cryptography. Also, the US Navy used WinNT 4 to control whole ships... 13 years ago, I cracked locked up NT controlled manufacturing equipment in 30 minutes with a crappy surplus desktop PC. President Obama uses an iPad with Wi-fi disabled. Who uses something doesn't make it secure. RFID was supposed to be largely for a form of NFC at around 5-10cm, but souped-up readers have managed to work at 69ft. They called it "the Android document viewer" as do all the articles I can find, so that sounds like one that's included by default - if not with all Android distributions, then with the Galaxy S3 and maybe others with NFC? Also, it used vulnerabilities in the app AND the OS - they said they used NFC for showmanship, but the payload was your typical privilege escalator, which in turn installed a trojan that gave seemingly complete control to a remote user.

Yet the exploits found in iOS come nowhere near a given month on Android... And I don't mean to make this an OS war either - OS 5 blows for performance and stability, but it's like every couple weeks I hear about a new trojan or privilege escalation exploit, or other hack that gets out of the sandbox on Android. The handsets and tablets look awesome, if not for that.

So you can send an exploit to a Galaxy S3 via NFC for quick wireless pwnage. I think it's a great looking handset, assuming you know a bunch of other people with them, but I wish it ran a more secure OS...

So there should be plenty of new exploits to boot homebrew soon then...

We definitely have HP sauce in Canada - it's at any grocery store, but no one would know what you meant if you called it brown sauce. I don't use it a lot, but it seems to go well on blander things like roast beef or potatoes. I checked bacon on Wikipedia to see if it's heavily salted and smoked in both places and I saw it's a different cut in North America - it's almost always belly cuts with streaks of fat along the strips. It's usually served fried until crispy, or at least firm and chewy. I know back bacon is sometimes called "Canadian bacon" but I pretty much only ever see it on pizza.

There's gravy... that sounds like the same thing? But I don't know why you'd want to put it on bacon - bacon's already plenty seasoned as-is. On the other hand, bacon itself can, and has been added to almost everything. I think I found another unexplored one... cinder blocks/breeze blocks.