HP makes great hardware on the large format printer segment (24", 36" + rolls). I know of one engineering firm that switched brands specifically because HP drivers were so bad they got tired of jumping through hoops to get what they wanted on paper.

For example tell a KIP to print a 24" x 36" page, and you get one. Exactly. Tell HP to do the same and you will likely get something 1/4" off in both directions. That forced them to pull tricks like printing barely visible lines at the right place in the margin to fool the printer. One of their offices gave up and made huge margins on all of their pages.

It became much easier to just switch brands and not fight the driver, even though they likely had best of class hardware.

The release products before they are complete. It would help if they waited until products were ready for prime time before releasing them.

My wife has a factory unlocked iPhone on T-Mobile. They are the only discount carrier with coverage nationwide, especially outside of metro areas (getting away from Verizon's dropped calls at our home was very welcome).

AT&T and Verizon either outright block, or charge not so discount rates, for iPhones on their prepaid branches. T-Mobile actively encourages them on prepaid talk / text / data plans that start at $50.

If this merger goes through, she might have to switch to a windows phone 7 device. At least she is free to sell it and switch at any time.

We need healthy competition to Intel, to keep pushing tech forward and prices down. Sadly AMD simply has not performed over the last year or two, with no real answers to Intel's I series.

Wow thanks, that is the best explanation I've ever seen on this debate. Too bad scores only go to 5!

The problem with all these hidden taxes is the government infrastructure it takes to run it. A few simple straight forward taxes that everyone pays their fair share is really all we need.

You could argue some small taxes are necessary to cover specific purposes that are not used by the general population; for example aircraft fuel tax pays for airport upkeep and the FAA. Too bad here in the US they want to turn that simple tax into lots of little taxes, creating a whole new tax bureaucracy in the process.

This and other malware issues (Google deletes them from app store regularly) make Android just seem like Win 98 to me. I was trying to buy my kids an Android tablet last Christmas (none ready for prime time), and now will likely never own an Android product. Getting excited about Windows Phone 7 recently.

Lots of levers and knobs? Can i simply say... yikes?

Not gonna happen. Apple only makes premium products at high margin. Amazon is selling this at or below cost, and making money selling the content.

Many companies have what appears to be great years right up to the point they go bankrupt. One of the leading indicators they are in trouble is erosion of margin, or their ability to make a healthy profit on each widget (handset) sold. This is happening at RIM. They are in trouble. There is hope. Most companies the size of RIM have enough capital to reinvent themselves. In their case that might mean building a healthy OS, something they have not done yet. It also means being really focused, again something they are absolutely terrible at.

Only in the US are most phones sold on contract. North America is only about 5% of the world population.

Carriers certainly know what is on their networks, but the only people publishing numbers are analysts who have a very poor record of accuracy.

What has to stand out is the OS and the ecosystem, with solid hardware. Right now if you do not like iOS, your choice is Android.

Android has many issues from fragmentation, to very inconsistent user interfaces that vary by brand, to an app store with regular malware culling, to battery life issues, to out of date builds with no updates. To say there is not room for another solid competitor is simply wrong. While Android is growing like crazy, survey data is suggesting people are buying on price or dislike for iOS, and are not that in love with the actual OS (the dreaded "would you buy again" question).

WP7 brings a lot to the table. Perhaps the best OS of the three? The answer will depend on personal taste of how you expect your OS to function, but certainly has a very well thought out and original interface.

Microsoft is building an ecosystem that ties into their Xbox platform, and entertainment platform that Android lacks. (Outside of Amazon's and similar, which is why they will succeed).

It uses windows development tools that are very solid, and have an army of windows developers. iOS and Android developers will not have terrible difficulty porting their apps. Microsoft has the resources to develop apps equal to or better than Googles (except search *cough*).

Many of the Advantages of Android over iOS will likely not exist with the WP7 ecosystem. For example a wide range of hardware and multiple price points. Most likely companies will build one device, and sell models with both OS's.

They are just now shipping competitive hardware, and the OS is really just now starting to mature. Sales will take off soon.

Just a quick non researched reply, but obviously WP7 has enough compelling reasons for it to exist. While I likely will not buy one, I wish them well, competition is good.

 

Often wondered about the feasibility of a lightweight high speed rail system that uses solar, with lightweight aerodynamic cars that hold 4-6 people. The control computer could group cars with similar departing times for aerodynamics, even adding and subtracting "on the fly". Place solar panels above the rails for power with a grid connection for consistency.

If it is possible to build something durable enough for a reasonable amount of money, build the rails elevated similar to a roller coaster track (yes, probably dreaming here), above the tree canopy, traditional rail, or highway below. In this way the only thing touching the ground would be a series of supports and we could double use existing right-of-ways, or cross treacherous terrain without bulldozers.

Build a hub and spoke network across the US to all the major cities. Have a touch screen monitor on the dash to select destination and pay. Place an emergency button on the dash that would bring up a live operator with camera able to see into the car to help until the closest station is reached (too far?).

Just today's crazy idea, no idea about feasibility, but the US needs to start dreaming big again.

mmmmk.

The real Siri grew out of one of the largest artificial intelligence Darpa funded projects ever. Then SRI raised 24 million to continue development. Then Apple bought the company and threw a lot of man hours refining it further.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siri_(software)

And they successfully copied it in a few hours? Should fit right in on the Android app store.

We sorta have one in the X-37. No idea if it is big enough to haul a satellite, or if it even has a robotic arm capable of catching one.

I believe they are looking for new missions for this spacecraft to justify continue development. Perhaps the reason for the suggestion? They are currently proposing a "C" model that is 20% larger to provide the capability to haul astronauts in the cargo bay.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_X-37