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Comment: Re:Phones are too expensive anyway. (Score 1) 329

by Paco103 (#43694161) Attached to: The Days of Cheap, Subsidized Phones May Be Numbered

The Nexus 7 and Nexus 4 have almost the same resolution despite the screen size difference. The 4 has a higher density. The Nexus 4 also offers 2GB RAM vs 1GB for the Nexus 7, and 4 also includes wireless charging, a Barometer, and Ambient light sensor that are not included on the Nexus 7. 4 has also a Snapdraqon quad core 1.5Ghz processor, compared to the 7's Tegra 3 quad core 1.2 Ghz processor (I am not sure of direct benchmark comparison between these two chips). So, there are other differences, and the Nexus 4 is only $300 for 8Gb / $350 for 16Gb. Though with that said, the Nexus 7 is seen on sale periodically as low as $140 (refurbished).

Comment: Re:Unbelievable... (Score 1) 1388

by Paco103 (#42537361) Attached to: Smart Guns To Stop Mass Killings

I'm pro gun, but I do want to correct one common fact about that hammer and club statistic. Hammers and clubs kill far more people than *RIFLES*, including the oh so scary AR-15 and other "assault rifles". Interestingly enough, handguns are still the #1 murder weapon in the US, but they (mostly) don't have the scary high capacity 30 round magazines or selective fire features that everyone seems panicked about. I don't have a statistic off hand, but I believe a significant portion of these handgun murders are gang related. So lets ban gangs and crazy people, that makes more sense!

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/expanded-homicide-data-table-8

Comment: The problem isn't the new UI (Score 1) 537

by Paco103 (#41740921) Attached to: Are Windows XP/7 Users Smarter Than a 3-Year-Old?

It's that they removed the old one. The new UI is good for a tablet. This would be the most powerful operating system by far if I could carry it around as a tablet and then dock it as a desktop PC with keyboard and mouse and go back to the traditional UI. Who wouldn't want that? But then they screwed that up by breaking the start menu and multitasking / non-maximized windows.

Comment: Re:No huge chunks in Europe (Score 2) 270

by Paco103 (#39985753) Attached to: Facebook Is Killing Text Messaging

I'm guessing in Sweden, you also buy your own phones? In my opinion, the biggest problem with the US market is that phones are included with all your plans (at least from the 4 major carriers). I bought my last phone outright. It was the Google Dev Phone 1 (Unlocked TMobile G1). Did I get a discount for providing my own phone? Nope. Should I have, since I didn't have them pay for it for me? Absolutely.

TMobile I believe finally offers a bring-your-own-phone discounted rate, but they also have weaker coverage than AT&T or Verizon. Since carriers mostly provide the phones (even if you buy them outright from them), they control what's on them. They control whether data tethering is enabled (in my opinion, valid when we had unlimited smart phone data plans, but NOT when I have 200MB or 2GB fixed plans. . . then I get to use it how I want). They control what features are available. (My old Motorola Razr had IMAP e-mail disabled by AT&T, even though the phone was fully capable of it). AND they fill your phone with bloatware crap that you can't remove without voiding the warranty.

I wish they'd be split up. Carriers sell service. They have absolutely no control in the phones. THIS would be better for consumers. They can finance a phone to you, but it has a separate, line item charge for a fixed amount of time. It can be included in the same monthly bill, but it needs to be clear on the bill what is for your service and what is for your phone. My mom is now using my old G1, and my dad is using the same Razr he got 5 years ago, shouldn't they be getting discounts since they haven't taken a new phone from the carrier in 5 years?

Imagine if your ISP had deals like this. If you want a computer that can play all the cool games your friends are playing and share pictures with them, you HAVE to go to Windstream, even though they are terrible. Of course, Windstream may not have service in your area, but that's really not their problem is it? You can buy the computer that Windstream sells used on e-bay, or you can buy it directly from Windstream without a contract by paying full price, but it won't work on any other ISP unless you void the warranty and have some technical skills.

Comment: Re:What? (Score 2) 270

by Paco103 (#39985649) Attached to: Facebook Is Killing Text Messaging

Because it's free. I use Google Voice as my primary number now. Texting would cost me $10/month extra. With Google Voice, I can text all day long for "free" on my included data plan. I get by on the 200MB plan and rarely pass 150MB, even with Trillian for Android on MSN, AOL, Facebook, and Google Talk, Google Voice, and e-mail connected 24/7. Cell phone cost on texting is RIDICULOUS! I have a 900Minute family plan with about 3000 roll over minutes banked, unlimited mobile to mobile, and 200MB data. . . . but they still charge me 10 cents per text message or $10/month, which is outrageous. There should at LEAST be some kind of conversion factor, like 10 text messages per minute, and deduct it from what I'm already paying for. THAT I would accept.

Comment: Re:Don't worry about the mobile carriers (Score 4, Informative) 270

by Paco103 (#39985603) Attached to: Facebook Is Killing Text Messaging

In the US you do. It was accepted on phone calls when cell phones first came out, because the caller does not pay extra to place the call as they do in some countries (if I understand correctly). This was more acceptable since I have the option to not answer a call. With text messages, however, I don't have the option to not get one. In the US, I don't know of any company that doesn't charge for incoming texts, but some do charge less for incoming texts than outgoing.

Comment: ACT's did this too (Score 1) 663

by Paco103 (#39740481) Attached to: Florida Thinks Their Students Are Too Stupid To Know the Right Answers

The science section was more of a reading test than science. I specifically remember one that pissed me off on the practice test, and this was in high school. There was some paragraph about the H2O is something because X, and a bunch of other cause effect patterns, so what is H2O2. Well, H2O2 is Hydrogen Peroxide, which was a choice, so I marked it. Based on all the reading, I was expected to conclude something that was wrong (I don't remember what the "wrong" answer was).

I do well in testing, but that BS just pisses me off. Reading was a poor subject for me, because I'm slow at it, so I never finished in the time provided. Making the science section just another reading test does nothing to test science knowledge. At best, it tests deductive reasoning.

YOW!! The land of the rising SONY!!

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