I went several years without getting any mod points, then a few months ago started getting them again. Can't remember if I had any since the outage last week.

I don't see them mention that they use AWS. Seems like all the tin-foil hat types love DuckDuckGo. Sometimes I think those hats are actually antennas.

You just said it in your question. For the BlackBerry, messaging is not one of the many things it does, it's the focus of what it does. Here are some simple differences: I get a separate icon for each inbox on BlackBerry, whereas on Android I get one mail 'app' that has drop-down menus for each inbox. With BlackBerry I automatically get true push email, but Android only offers that if I'm using a Google hosted email account (yes, probably some way to fix this, but BlackBerry it is automatically set up on every account). BlackBerry is loaded with really great shortcuts available at all times because the physical keyboard, which allows me to accomplish routine tasks in a fraction of the time required on an Android. If you deal with high volumes of email (both receiving and sending -some people receive lots of email, but rarely respond, so that wouldn't matter), pick up a BlackBerry and try it out. If you don't deal with high volumes of email, then you probably will never understand why such a tool is better.

My experience with the 9900 is only with OS 7 and then OS 7.1, the only notable difference to me was increase in battery life, making the stock battery tolerable. Never had any notable issues with viewing websites or attachments, other than the screen is tiny, though PPI is great. Even YouTube embeds work fine. I don't like the keyboard on the new X device and I have a fondness for physical buttons and trackpads. On the very rare occasion that the OS browser isn't playing well with a website, usually due to screen size and text flow, I just switch to Opera Mini, which magically renders the pages perfectly, though has as really crappy interface. I used the 8700c and then the 9000 before the 9900. I actually miss the jog dial for scrolling websites.

Physical keyboard and OS focused on messaging. For those who don't deal with a high volume of messages, such as a salesperson does, the advantages are not really seen, which is why I find the other devices better for personal use.

It's fungible.

Who said anything about BES?

I can tell you the only BlackBerry I enjoy using is the 9900/9930. It's the best work productivity messaging tool I've found. It's not a toy, like my Samsung personal phone.

Continuing on with your straw man, I see.

Oh. My. God. User Overzeetop must be commended on what might be the finest example of a straw man ever posted. Bravo!

Technically, if we're going to bother considering what the U.S. Constitution has to say on the matter, a sales tax is not authorized as it is not a tariff, excise tax, or income tax - the only three taxes currently authorized.

As an aside, I find it interesting that parent comment gets voted up while A.C. comment directly above it gets voted down into oblivion. I guess the current crop of slashdot mods prefers unconstitutional sales tax to world peace.

I recall observing around the time the Palm Vx came out that handhelds are about 10 years behind desktops.

Controllable flush volume is not 'fancier' since it contains all the same elements as the fix-volume toilets. In fact, the controllable volume toilets are likely less sophisticated since there does not need to be any sort of mechanism to determine flush volume - just a simple spring-loaded valve.

I agree. This is far more dangerous than cruise control and hand-free talking on the cell phone, dealing with kids in the back, arguing with a passenger, fumbling with other car controls, etc., and should not be allowed in vehicles, because the drivers wouldn't be able to handle it.

Higher water ratio requirements shouldn't preclude more efficient toilets as it may not be where the volume of water comes from. We still have washing of dishes in sinks, dishwashers, clothes washers, washing of hands, showers, baths, etc., contributing water to the waste system.