Comment Super... (Score 1) 371
Super duper phone!! So will it fly too? It will probably have the Ballmer mode enabled (automatically throwing chairs at Android users).
Submission + - Is Android really open? 1
An anonymous reader writes: Dear Slashdot,
A few months ago, I bought myself an Asus Transformer Android tablet. One of the reasons was the freedom iOS doesn't offer, but after using it a few months, I have yet to experience that freedom.
When I first got the device, I couldn't help but notice how nothing was open-source. The firmware was closed-source, the pre-installed applications were closed-source, the operating system was closed-source. I couldn't tweak the user-interface like how I am used to in Linux with config files. I couldn't view system files in the file browser. The market prohibited me to download applications that were not fully compatible with my device or region. It was also impossible to download Market applications on my desktop. I couldn't get root access on my device because it wasn't rootable (according to XDA developers), so I couldn't for instance create a full backup or use the Market enabler.
And one of the biggest frustrations was not being able to just plug in a USB stick loaded with a (ARM-based) Linux live image. The first obstacle being the proprietary dock-connector on the Transformer, the second obstacle being the unrootable Android, the third obstacle being the closed firmware.
So I am asking you, is Android really open?
A few months ago, I bought myself an Asus Transformer Android tablet. One of the reasons was the freedom iOS doesn't offer, but after using it a few months, I have yet to experience that freedom.
When I first got the device, I couldn't help but notice how nothing was open-source. The firmware was closed-source, the pre-installed applications were closed-source, the operating system was closed-source. I couldn't tweak the user-interface like how I am used to in Linux with config files. I couldn't view system files in the file browser. The market prohibited me to download applications that were not fully compatible with my device or region. It was also impossible to download Market applications on my desktop. I couldn't get root access on my device because it wasn't rootable (according to XDA developers), so I couldn't for instance create a full backup or use the Market enabler.
And one of the biggest frustrations was not being able to just plug in a USB stick loaded with a (ARM-based) Linux live image. The first obstacle being the proprietary dock-connector on the Transformer, the second obstacle being the unrootable Android, the third obstacle being the closed firmware.
So I am asking you, is Android really open?
Comment I wonder... (Score 1) 341
Are Voyager 1 & 2 the only space crafts to venture this far out? Did the Russian's launch anything similar?
Comment Patched when? (Score 5, Insightful) 236
Jan. 10, 2012? Why not immediately? Do Adobe coders suck that bad...
Honestly I think when a major vulnerability is found, companies should fix it immediately or face penalties.
Comment Re:Irony? (Score 1) 80
Could not have recalculated it better!
Comment Irony? (Score 1, Funny) 80
Higgs boson + Christmas = God Particle?
Comment It seems... (Score 2) 272
that the whole .xxx issue is causing more problems than solutions. If porn gets its own TLD then why don't gun companies have their own TLD extension?
Because violence is okay and porn is dirty? Double standard...
Comment So... (Score 1) 140
Who or what entity has been hacking into major US companies if it's not China? North Korea, nope. Russia? Not their style.
Comment Very little info (Score 1) 261
The article is weak on facts...Need better evidence.
And yes China, state-sponsored or not is hacking away at our infrastructure...
Comment Once again... (Score 1) 190
Why is it that foreign countries get the good stuff, the 787 Dreamliner made in good ol' USA, while here in we get to fly in mini-penis sized planes? Pathetic.
