modded down?

>>Why would you want spam filtering on ANY phone?
Maybe because I don't want to flick through 10 spams for every email?
Look, I can write a Bayesian classifier in a couple hundred lines of code. Trivial. Adding training is just a bit more work and it's not a matter of consuming some precious resource -- counting word frequency (the heart of the algorithm) is not exactly processor intensive and as for storage requirements for the corpus, that won't be much larger than an eBook.

But Apple won't allow a background task (so no proxy server), and they won't approve an app that replaced core functionality (so that rules out a "Mail" replacement app). I can only conclude that they are working on something themselves or are hopelessly naive about the frustrations we users suffer. So for now, I endure.

>>As for printing, how in demand is it for someone to plug in an electronic device that allows you to view the document already to print it to paper?

For all the same reasons as one might wish to print from a desktop or laptop system. At this point the iPhone is very close to replacing my need for a laptop. Occasionally I might like to print a contract, or a project plan, or a burndown chart for the project board. It's not like I'm asking for a magic pony here, just want the same functionality as my old Apple Newton had. (which could copy & paste, and print to a variety of inkjet and laser printers, even across a network, AND search all the system soups (data and metadata) from day one.)

Let me guess -- you work in engineering, not marketing?

I'll start the list:

* printing
* spam filtering on email ...

>>How about the hours that go into training one or many users in a company on using that new OS? Compatibility problems? Setting up specialized software?

Still probably cheaper than having your entire network (and all corporate data, financial plans, product designs, confidential data, HR information, payroll, etc.) owned by a botnet and copied to who-knows-where.

What is wrong is that doesn't tell the whole story because it fails to measure real-world performance except for one rare edge-case -- Max CPU duration.

It would be like automobile MPG being estimated based on full-throttle driving on a race track -- it doesn't mirror how the product is actually used. Instead we have city/highway ratings which attempt to mimic two use cases.

The difficulty with automobile engines is that they must operate efficiently across a variety of RPM ranges and trade-offs must be made to strike the best balance. If EPA tests were only at full throttle we'd soon see products tweaked for the test -- very, very efficient engines at high RPMs which are nearly unusable at lower speeds.

Unless they're in a server farm, PCs typically aren't run @ 100% except in short bursts. Most of the time, they're idling while the user reads a webpage or waits for an IM. Gaming is a bit of an exception in that it's more demanding. The idling of a CPU is an immensely important part of the power efficiency profile for a PC since it takes advantage of (frequent) opportunities to conserve, but your recommendation would ignore it.

>>This happens in every industry

This is a bit different from a breakfast cereal saying "now even tastier" or a soap promising "more suds!" The first is subjective (personal preference) but the second is objective -- it can be quantified and proven/disproven.

In this case with batteries, rather than taking an actual measurement of performance, the industry is building an estimate from a combination of measured behavior + a calculation based on a performance variable. It's no different than the automobile industry stating "EPA Estimated MPG city/highway" which is not based on a dynamometer test or actual performance measurement but instead is calculated based on the amount of CO2 which exits the exhaust pipe of the car! Is it any wonder, then, that hybrid cars which shut off their gasoline engine when stopped and at low speed/light acceleration, would give grossly inflated figures? Well, they did (and do), which explains why real-world MPG is often far less than this calculated (not even simulated) performance.
In short, they're both lying and it's obvious. Yet companies wonder why consumers are so cynical and therefore difficult to reach with advertising.

What is needed is real-world testing -- dynamometer ("rolling test track") testing for autos where the wind resistance, temperature, barometric pressure, etc. can all be carefully controlled. Similarly with computers, a pure performance-based measurement is needed which should account for idle time, network activity, etc. Just as an automobile is not tested at full-throttle for 3 hours, neither should a PC, but instead a variety of benchmarks (gaming, web browsing, spreadsheet, word processing, ???) could show performance figures for various activities.

In short, manufacturers, we want real numbers free of hype.

Low pay, stimulants, sensory deprivation, monitoring wires, memory loss for an unknown goal; So just how long have you been a video game developer?

>>The other possibility is "iPhone Pro".

Uh, no, unless it includes a telepathy feature, because NOBODY is going to hold a 10" tablet computer up to their ear to talk. Regardless, the laughter from onlookers would drown out the conversation.

In this age of compact electronics with organic forms, an iPhone Pro based on the platform in discussion would simply be iPhone's take on a 1985 bag phone.

Infrared photograph of everyone in the theatre. Mark my words, this is coming. For "security" reasons, to fight terrorism, etc.

Just like the outrageous crap in most EULAs, this will be posted somewhere on a wall, saying "by entering these premises, you are consenting to be photographed"

Even if that doesn't happen -- IMO, the amount of energy being poured into technology such as this seat tracking software would be better spent creating films worth watching. Between the smug know-it-all antics of the Hollywood crowd and the deep-as-a-puddle content of most dialog and storylines, there's just no compelling reason to attend.

LOTR was the most recent film I saw in a theatre. At the rate things are going, it may be the last film I see in any theatre.

Getting framed sucks... but what if it's all part of a setup?

Wasn't there some discussion about Obama wanting a new helicopter but "for the good of the nation" "considering today's economy" (nudge nudge, wink wink*) he decided against buying new helicopters.

But now that the security been breached, well, he just *has* to have a shiny new one, right?

(*What's a few hundred million dollars for a helicopter when we're committing to spending more money than the entire world's GDP, as computed using GAAP standards?)

And then they ask for a refund.

Ruthless!

Regardless of what you do as far as utilizing the servers, call your insurance agent straightaway and make sure that equipment is insured! Business property is very unlikely to be covered by your homeowner's policy so theft/fire/whatever could leave you financially exposed (or even liable, should the investors choose to come after you for reparations).

The electoral college was put in place so that there would be a check on the power of the uneducated masses...

And we've all seen how well THAT worked out.
To wit: http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=194983 (Howard Stern Interviews Obama "Policy" Voters)
Sure, it happens on both sides, but that was the most striking example that comes to mind when I think of uneducated voters.

OTOH, if you're running low on fuel/power, just cruise up onto the sidewalk and mow down a few unsuspecting pedestrians. *KaThumpKaThump* *KaThumpKaThump* Presto! Enough juice to make it home (after a quick run through the carwash, of course). Thanks, MIT!!