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Microsoft

Microsoft Outlines Windows Phone 7 Kill Switch 258

nk497 writes "Microsoft has outlined how it might use the little publicized 'kill switch' in Windows Phone 7 handsets. 'We don't really talk about it publicly because the focus is on testing of apps to make sure they're okay, but in the rare event that we need to, we have the tools to take action,' said Todd Biggs, director of product management for Windows Phone Marketplace. According to Biggs, Microsoft's strict testing of apps when they are submitted for inclusion in Marketplace should minimize kill switch use, but he explained how the company could remove apps from the marketplace or phones, when devices check-in to the system. 'We could unpublish it from the catalog so that it was no longer available, but if it was very rogue then we could remove applications from handsets — we don't want things to go that far, but we could.'"

Comment What a useless attitude (Score 1) 89

Perhaps we should start with something more basic, like access to clean water, absence of marauding militias, a level of education somewhere above shockingly bad, etc.

...and perhaps we shouldn't. Just because western infrastructure developed in a certain order does not mean that the developing world should follow the same approach.

I, like many others, believe that delivering Internet access to the masses will be what finally enables the citizens of [poor country] to provide food, water, shelter, education, and a stable government for/to themselves.

Comment Re:Slashdot reaches new degree of separation from (Score 1) 67

We are sitting here commenting on a Slashdot blog post, which links to a Techdirt blog post, which links to a blogs.journalism.co.uk blog post, which links to this news article.

I skipped the blogs and read the article.

Whoops! :/

That link is related to the recent Wikileaks/Shield Law post. Try this one instead: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/01/darpa_vid_search_dough/

Comment Re:Really? (Score 1) 387

There's really a trend in going all "That movie sucks!" against every popular movie, and I'm getting tired of it. It might not be original, and maybe people can say "Oh pocahontas did it first!" but that doesn't change that it was a suspenseful, well-made film with some good points that people could think about.

I would compare it to Star Wars, really. It was an ambitious movie with a cliche plot, passable acting, and very impressive special effects. I enjoyed it in the theaters and now own it on blu-ray. It's not The Usual Suspects, by a long shot, but it is a satisfying movie in its own way.

On a side note, the "Star Wars wasn't really /that/ good" trend is a load of shit, too. 4,5, and 6 are /not/ cult classics or mere nostalgia, they're widely regarded as some of the best movies /ever/ made.

Comment Mobile education in Uganda (Score 1) 316

Here in Uganda an organization called UConnect puts things like the RACHEL open-courseware repository on them for use in up-country solar-powered computer-lab installations. They also have a mobile-education truck which, when deployed, has RACHEL + 8 Edubuntu thin-client workstations + a WiFi hot-spot powered by GPRS/Squid.

Here's a video which shows one of the recent school installations: http://linux.or.ug/node/501
Here's some photos of the truck: http://linux.or.ug/node/518#586

Comment Re:no exceptions for wireless! (Score 1) 254

But I couldn't care less for browsing the web on a screen so small my fingers cover a third of what I'm trying to read/work on.

3G dongles plug into anything with a USB port and my Nokia N900 can create a mobile hotspot anywhere I want.

Here in Uganda I have personally connected Internet cafes, small offices, and health clinics using GPRS/3G + bandwidth management and caching. We're living proof that mobile Internet is capable of far more than delivering YouTube to your cell-phone.

Furthermore, as a consumer these days, why would I pay for a fixed access-point instead of one I can carry around in my pocket?

I actually got rid of my fixed line connection at home because I can use my N900 + 3G all day long anywhere I go. If I need my laptop I throw up a hot-spot. If I'm on the road, go to a friends house, or need Internet while on a boat in the middle of Lake Victoria, I have it.

What good is fixed-line neutrality when mobile broadband becomes peoples primary means of connectivity?

The likes of Verizon know that mobile Internet is the future of the market so they don't give a crap if fixed lines stay neutral. It's a bullshit proposal.

Comment Re:Thank you Facebook (Score 1) 375

Gradually remove all information and apps from your FB profile, in the end leave only the bare minimum that's required to keep the profile alive. Then leave it that way for a while, at least a year or two. Then delete the account.

I recently spoke to a Facebook developer about this at a Uganda Linux User Group meeting. I asked whether or not they keep revision history for profiles. They don't.

So, currently, there's no need to wait 2 years. Simply filling your profile with bad data prior to deletion would be sufficient.

Comment Quake 1 (Score 1) 325

I'm always amazed at how games like Doom and Half-Life get regarded as all-time greats, but people somehow always gloss over the title that put multiplayer gaming on the map.

Where do you all think concepts like Rocket Arena and Team Fortress came from? What about classic map designs like 2fort5 and McKinley Base?

Don't forget that before there was Fatal1ty and his sponsorships, there was D11-Thresh and John Carmack's Ferrari.

Comment Re:Thief & System Shock (Score 1) 325

System Shock ruled. It was the first game I ever played that really made me cower in a (virtual) corner out of fear and not want to move.

I remember it used to get nods from PC Gamers lists back when I subscribed, though they would always note how it was completely ignored by the mainstream. Poor marketing, I suppose.

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