Comment Re: Huge notch on top, huge black bar on bottom... (Score 1) 74
All android phones in this price class pretty much work the same. I care far more about 'small size, but still large screen' than about stuff like a second front camera.
Comment Huge notch on top, huge black bar on bottom... (Score 2) 74
Hi,
I didn't buy last year's Pixel Phones, because of the poor screen-to-body ratio. Had high hopes for this this year's edition to fix this, but it doesn't...
What's with the ridiculously large notch? Why the huge black bar on the bottom?
Hey Google, it's 2018...
All the best,
Till
Comment True. Example: Email (Desktop an Mobile) (Score 1) 220
Hi,
True. Example: Email. Gmail is nice. The web interface is good, but when not using it (sometimes necessary in a corporate environment), it fails.
- Desktop usage: The Google SMTP server is horribly unreliable. "Temporary failure", esp. when sending attachments, on an almost daily basis.
- Mobile usage: The Android Gmail client is mostly good, but has some peculiarities which simply prevent usage in a corporate environment:
* You can't set the "From:" address. That works fine in the web interface, but in the Android client, your stuck to using an @gmail.com email address. Of course a no-go when you're sending mail from a company account
* Detection of phone numbers in emails is very bad, to the point of being unusable. So when you get an email from your secretary, "Please call (06151) 12345-589", you simply can't simply tap on the number and call it. Even worse, since some current Android phones don't allow pasting in the Dialer, you actually have to REMEMBR the number and dial manually. WTF? Even 3-year old Nokia phones performed that task perfectly.
bye,
Tillmann
Don't Stop File-Sharing, Says Former Pink Floyd Manager 243
Barence writes "The former manager of Pink Floyd has labelled attempts to clamp down on music file-sharing as a 'waste of time.' 'Not only are they a waste of time, they make the law offensive. They are comparable to prohibition in the US in the 1920s,' said Peter Jenner, who's now the emeritus president of the International Music Managers' Forum. 'It's absurd to expect ordinary members of the public to think about what they're allowed to do [with CDs, digital downloads, etc]... and then ask themselves whether it's legal or not.' The comments come as Britain's biggest ISP, BT, said it was confident that Britain's Digital Economy Act — which could result in file-sharers losing their internet connection — would be overturned in the courts, because it doesn't comply with European laws on privacy."
Symbian, the Biggest Mobile OS No One Talks About 423
blackbearnh writes "The iPhone vs. Android wars are in full swing, but no one talks about the mobile operating system that most of the world uses: Symbian. Part of the reason, perhaps, is that the Symbian developer infrastructure is so different from the Wild West approach that Apple and Google take. Over at O'Reilly Answers, Paul Beusterien, who is the Head of Developer Tools for the Symbian Foundation, talks about why Symbian gets ignored as a platform despite the huge number of handsets it runs on. Quoting: 'Another dimension is the type of developer community. [Historically, Symbian's type of developers] were working for consulting houses or working at phone operator places or specifically doing consulting jobs for enterprise customers who wanted mobile apps. So there's a set of consulting companies around the world that have specialized in creating apps for Symbian devices. It's a different kind of dynamic than where iPhone has really been successful at attracting just the hobbyist, or the one- or two-person company, or the person who just wants to go onto the web and start developing.'"
Comment Re:Navigation on Nokia phones works very well (Score 1) 300
Hi,
I can put the Nokia N82 in my car (regular car, not a convertible) between the front seats - not even below the windshield - and it still works. Fix is reasonably quick also. Of course a factory installed car GPS will give better accuracy, esp. in tunnels, but still the cell phone is good enough for normal usage. I have driven thousands of kilometers with the phone, sometimes under difficult conditions (e.g. through inner city Rome as a foreigner, during rush hour), and what can I say, it works.
Only point of criticism is that it's unreliable in conditions of extreme air humidity. E.g. when in the tank bag of a motorcycle in heavy rain (which is quite a bummer because when that condition occurs, you really really want to reach your destination quickly), or in the tropics during rain season; this has caused temporary failure for me several times.
bye,
Till
Comment Navigation on Nokia phones works very well (Score 3, Informative) 300
My experience has so far been rather positive. Even an old N82 is an adequate replacement for a dedicated GPS, IMHO.
Comment Re:US vs UK... (Score 2, Funny) 1174
Sockets don't kill people, electricity does!
Comment Works for me (Score 2, Interesting) 1231
Hi,
upgraded, works for me.
The best news is: PulseAudio no longer sucks. The audio system has been vastly improved.
bye,
Till
Some Early Adopters Stung By Ubuntu's Karmic Koala 1231
Norsefire writes to mention a Register piece reporting that early adopters are having a tough time with Karmic Koala, Ubuntu's latest release. "Ubuntu 9.10 is causing outrage and frustration, with early adopters wishing they'd stuck with previous versions of the Linux distro. Blank and flickering screens, failure to recognize hard drives, defaulting to the old 2.6.28 Linux kernel, and failure to get encryption running are taking their toll, as early adopters turn to the web for answers and log fresh bug reports in Ubuntu forums." What has been your experience if you've moved to Karmic?
How To Enter Equations Quickly In Class? 823
AdmiralXyz writes "I'm a university student, and I like to take notes on my (non-tablet) computer whenever possible, so it's easier to sort, categorize, and search through them later. Trouble is, I'm going into higher and higher math classes, and typing "f_X(x) = integral(-infinity, infinity, f(x,y) dy)" just isn't cutting it anymore: I need a way to get real-looking equations into my notes. I'm not particular about the details, the only requirement is that I need to keep up with the lecture, so it has to be fast, fast, fast. Straight LaTeX is way too slow, and Microsoft's Equation Editor isn't even worth mentioning. The platform is not a concern (I'm on a MacBook Pro and can run either Windows or Ubuntu in a virtual box if need be), but the less of a hit to battery life, the better. I've looked at several dedicated equation editing programs, but none of them, or their reviews, make any mention of speed. I've even thought about investing in a low-end Wacom tablet (does anyone know if there are ultra-cheap graphics tablets designed for non-artists?), but I figured I'd see if anyone at Slashdot has a better solution."
Up To 90 Percent of US Money Has Traces of Cocaine 441
mmmscience writes "Scientists have found that up to 90% of US paper money has some cocaine contamination, up from the 67% mark measured two years ago. Looking at bills from 17 cities, it's no surprise that the city with the highest level was Washington DC, where up to 95% of bills gathered there tested positive. From a global standpoint, both Canada and Brazil tested rather high (85% and 80%, respectively), but China and Japan were well behind the curve at 20% and 12%. The researchers hope that studies such as these will be of help to law enforcement agencies that are attempting to understand the growth and flow of drug use in communities."
Gardeners Told to Give Exhausted Bees an Energy Drink
200
In an effort to help Britain's declining bee population, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is urging gardeners to leave out a homemade energy drink for tired bees. The RSPB says that a mix of two tablespoons of sugar with a tablespoon of water makes a perfect bee-boosting drink. Val Osborne, head of wildlife inquiries at the RSPB, said, "Many people keep seeing bees on the ground and assume they are dead, but chances are they are having a rest. Much like us, a sugary drink could boost their energy levels and a simple sugar and water combination will be a welcome treat."
Comment Re:but gps-on-phone guis SUCK (Score 1) 422
Hi,
check out Garmin Mobile XT; it has all of the mentioned features except for "Velocity Made Good".
bye,
Till
Comment Re:Already there (Score 1) 422
Hi,
it's true that both Garmin and TomTom offer mobile versions, which are not as good as the standalone units. However there's an excellent alternative, Route66. Works great on recent symbian phones. The small display of the phone might be somewhat annoying sometimes, but it's no big deal.
Actually, it has happened to me this year that while driving a new BMW I was so annoyed by the user interface of the (expensive) onboard GPS that I switched it off and used my smartphone instead.
bye,
Tillmann
