And then Go! (golang) fired up the discussion by mandating the curly braces go on the same line as the conditional statement, so that they could get rid of semicolons - which to me is a much more worthy cause than eliminating braces.

I have had an extended battery for my Droid Incredible since not long after I got it, and was never disappointed with battery life. Then one day, I went back to a (new) standard-sized battery. I haven't gone back. I'm the kind of user that plugs in my phone on the nightstand to charge while I sleep, and even if I forget a night I can generally make it through the next day as well. My usage profile does include quite a bit of widgets, web browsing, et cetera (though no games), and I'm quite satisfied.

I think for a lot of users it's the games or Netflix that does it. Or, living in an area with poor signal quality where the radio power (and power consumption) is automatically increased to compensate. With those situations, I could definitely see someone being disappointed in the battery life - but that's on just about any smartphone platform.

You do have the option to use your Google account to backup certain things. I also know that when you log into a new device with the same Google account you used on another one, you have access to re-download (not re-BUY - good for them) any apps which you have purchased to the new device.

On a serious note, I'm betting on "Jujube" or "Jelly Roll", or even "Jelly Donut".

In addition to what the other responder said about android:configChanges="keyboardHidden|orientation", it's possible with most mobile platforms for the application developer to include a soft-button in their interface that does what you describe.

Personally, I do actually like the feature on the Xoom, included with Honeycomb 3.0, that allows one to globally lock screen orientation. Short of the 'orientation-flip' button you describe I find it a fairly reasonable alternative.

Another reason I'm a fan of Android though (see my other post to this thread), is that every update has actually made my Droid Incredible *faster*, or at least not any slower.

The phone is just as capable as the day I got it, and even though I consider myself an advanced user I have yet to see any reason to upgrade. The only real features that have been added to smartphones since its release are front-mounted cameras and faster/dual-core CPUs. I could care less about the front-mounted camera; while the upgraded CPUs are nice on Javascript-heavy websites and such, it's not enough of a difference for me yet to upgrade.

I say this as a user or former-user of just about every smartphone platform under the sun (extending all the way back to Palm's first phones, but admittedly with the exception of Blackberry), and I don't think I've ever kept a single phone for so long. This includes a couple of iPhones - where I certainly *did* complain about the slowdown that seemed to come with every new iOS release.

I've actually been very pleased with the update support from Verizon/HTC for my aging Droid Incredible (original, not version 2). This phone started out with 2.1 (Eclair), and shortly received an update to 2.2 (Froyo). The phone was actually 'end-of-life'd this past March but that didn't stop them from providing an update to 2.3 (Gingerbread - the latest version available for phones prior to 4.0's imminent release) just this past September. These are all vendor-sponsored updates mind you, no CyanogenMod required.

So essentially, I've been provided with an update to the latest Android every time a new version has come out since the release of the phone. Can't ask for much more than that.

That's not to say that I'm necessarily expecting an update to 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), but with today's uber-short product lifecycles I'm pretty happy with the support for this 1.5-year-old phone. And if they *do* update the Droid Incredible to 4.0, that's going to significantly enhance my loyalty to Verizon/HTC to the point where I'll probably insist on the same carrier/vendor when I upgrade.

Well, at least now they can just hold the phone up to your face while you're tied up instead of beating you senseless with a $5 wrench...

http://xkcd.com/538/

Er, they do derive the majority of their revenue from advertising. So it's probably fair to at *least* call them an advertising company (which isn't exactly the same as marketing - but it's close!) :)

...can someone give that to me in jiggawatts?

I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment, but maybe I'm just too out-of-touch with the way NASA works. It seems like something like the issue you describe would be better handled internally instead of a very public lawsuit?

Is there a technical reason that Apple can't provide over-the-air updates for their devices?

Better still: become truly evil, give yourself over to the Dark Side, and become an Expert Witness. :)

Seems like a silly choice if you ask me. Especially when the guy is 80-years-old and a national hero. Moon rocks, I understand - they're in limited supply and of real research value. A camera? C'mon.

As a sidenote, Space is about the only topic outside of friends and family that can still bring a tear to this grown man's eye. For me, it's the last romantic pursuit of mankind, and one which I treat with the utmost reverence. It's a shame that it's so wrapped up in politics.

There is a much easier way to deal with 'land hoarding' (though I don't believe it's as big of a problem as you make it out to be). Instead of instituting a punitive tax and hoping everyone sells before it takes effect, remove the ability to game the property tax system (where speculators sit on under-assessed land that in actuality is worth much more). Case in point, the "Agricultural"-zoned land, owned by people hoping to rezone commercial/residential and make a profit. If this land was assessed at a value more in-line with its intended use, the property taxes would be higher and it would not be as profitable to hoard it.