Samsung vs Mac
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No, not about the lawsuits...
I am a long time Mac user, not using Mac's exclusively, but the Mac is my main system and I do not own any Windows system. Two years ago I bought a Samsung Galaxy S, today I tried to update it again to the latest firmware. I have done updates before, but they always involved going to a shop and getting my entire device wiped, or running Windows on my Mac which doesn't work since I upgraded to Lion (other long story). However, since about a year Samsung even has a Mac version of Kies, the software to manage your phone. So I download and install this software, running into many WTF:
- Kies is called version 2.0 on the web, the downloaded disk image is called 1.3.0.12052_14. The installer is called kies20mac_s8173 and the version installed is 1.3.0.12052_14 again. At least 2 out of 4 are the same.
- Directly after running Kies pops up a message that it can import settings from my iPod Touch backup and a message that a new firmware version is available. Both are model dialog and the one having focus is not the top one. Only way to resolve: Force Quit
- Second try: only one popup for installing the new firmware, I tell it to go ahead and then get a message to disconnect and reconnect the phone. After that I get a message that I should not disconnect while it is downloading the firmware or it will brick the phone. Firmware download crashes...
- Looking into the logs to see if I can find any cause I notice a couple of logging WTF's:
- about 500 messages about not being able to open a log file, without specifying which file.
- above log message is ignored after the first 500 because it was sent more than 500 times per second.
- hundreds of lines saying
Kies: writestring ====>>> AT+PROF=CONTINUE, timeout = 15.000000
- all together Kies logged about 2600 messages in less than an hour of trying, averaging at 1 log message per second, and it would be much worse if logging wasn't throttled
- Browsing through the logs I found these interesting messages:
21-05-12 23:45:33,111 [0x0-0x30030].com.samsung.Kies: objc[325]: Class MDGPBManager is implemented in both /Applications/Kies.app/Contents/MacOS/PIMsManager_10_7.dylib and /Applications/Kies.app/Contents/MacOS//PIMsManager.dylib. One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined. 21-05-12 23:45:33,121 [0x0-0x30030].com.samsung.Kies: objc[325]: Class BTUIPodcastXMLConverter is implemented in both /Applications/Kies.app/Contents/MacOS//Device.dylib and /Applications/Kies.app/Contents/MacOS//MTPService.dylib. One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined. 21-05-12 23:45:33,122 [0x0-0x30030].com.samsung.Kies: objc[325]: Class BTUIPodcastXMLConverter is implemented in both /Applications/Kies.app/Contents/MacOS//Device.dylib and /Applications/Kies.app/Contents/MacOS//UMSService.dylib. One of the two will be used. Which one is undefined.
So maybe that explains the crashing...
In the end I didn't manage to update my phone, so I just did a factory reset in the hope that it would at least fix the worst issues.
Of course I'm the real WTF for trying to use a Samsung phone as a Mac user...
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I'm never getting a smartphone.
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OP: Wait, so you have an Android phone? Why are you plugging it in for updates? You should be able to get those OTA. This isn't an iPhone.
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@dhromed said:
I'm never getting a smartphone.
I'm never getting a cellphone. It pisses me off when people assume I have/need one
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@serguey123 said:
I'm never getting a cellphone. It pisses me off when people assume I have/need one
Cellphones are handy. You should get one. Those pocketputers are not.
That is to say, not to me.
That is to say, there's a strong negative outcome of the cost/benefit analysis as I perceive it so far.
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@dhromed said:
Cellphones are handy
How so?@dhromed said:
You should get one
Let me refer you to my previous post
@serguey123 said:It pisses me off when people assume I have/need one
@dhromed said:Those pocketputers are not.
I'm guessing pocket computers or something like that, why on earth would I ever own something like that? For the record I don't like gadgets in general, they seem pointless, that is why I never buy them. I like to keep clutter to a minimun so I tend to own very little, it gives a certain spartan air to the place.
@dhromed said:there's a strong negative outcome of the cost/benefit analysis as I perceive it so far
Why?
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@serguey123 said:
Why?
They're handy because I am often (enough) in a position where I need to communicate directly at the present time, and have no other channels available.
Does that answer your question?
@serguey123 said:
Why?
Because I've seen only one or two apps that I think would benefit me. Notably, a weather app that tells me the rain status with radar images (to decide whether I will bike to work or not), and maybe a map thing. Maybe not even that last one.
Two apps is not nearly enough to justify the cost of the device and/or the subscription, the incessant charging, the management and the junk software as described in the OP.
Does that answer your question?
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@dhromed said:
I am often (enough) in a position where I need to communicate directly at the present time
I'm almost never in that position
@dhromed said:Does that answer your question?
I guess.
@dhromed said:a weather app that tells me the rain status with radar images
I turn the tv on the morning to hear the weather report while I have breakfast.
@dhromed said:Does that answer your question?
Sure
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@serguey123 said:
I'm almost never in that position
You are surprisingly disconnected from people in general.
@serguey123 said:
I turn the tv on the morning to hear the weather report while I have breakfast.
I don't have a TV and my computer is off in the morning. In this case, a tiny always-on device would be cool. But since I have eyes and can probably look out the window, it's fine not to have this luxury.
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@dhromed said:
You are surprisingly disconnected from people in general
I have always found odd that people want to know about others all the time, I never understood FB and all the other social network sites and the ability to reach me all the time any place seems more like a curse than convenience
@dhromed said:have eyes and can probably look out the window, it's fine not to have this luxury.
Weather can be tricky, at least around here it can change at a moment notice. However I watch the weather report more out of custom than convenience, like reading printed newspaper. Hmmm, maybe I'm just an old fart.
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@serguey123 said:
I have always found odd that people want to know about others all the time, I never understood FB and all the other social network sites and the ability to reach me all the time any place seems more like a curse than convenience
The frequency of being reached is strictly related to the size of your circle. Having a cellphone doesn't mean suddenly everybody's going to call you and it's not magically going to clutter your life with all kinds of people. So far, today, I've sent and received 0 texts and made 0 phonecalls.
And it's not about "knowing about others all the time". Shit man, do you think I make extensive phonecalls just to talk to people about "stuff", for "fun"? What a quaint idea! I have things to do! So do the people I know! No, it's a strictly functional apparatus; not a social one.
While I'm at my computer I can properly discuss things over IM or email, but I'm not always within reach of a communications device in order to synchronize short-term actions, such as buying groceries or meeting up for a band 30 minutes in advance. It's basically star trek communicator badge.
Oh, it's also my watch.
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@serguey123 said:
Weather can be tricky, at least around here it can change at a moment notice.
Yeah, it's a really diverse landscape over there.
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@dhromed said:
The frequency of being reached is strictly related to the size of your circle. Having a cellphone doesn't mean suddenly everybody's going to call you and it's not magically going to clutter your life with all kinds of people
Of course not, but the people I know will pester me more often and in a irregular schedule
@dhromed said:t's a strictly functional apparatus; not a social one.
Yours maybe but the world is moving in another direction.@dhromed said:
The Facebook Phone Rumor Is Back | TechCrunch
Once upon a time Michael Arrington broke the news that Facebook was developing its own phone. That was in 2010. However in a followup interview with TechCrunch, Mark Zuckerberg killed the notion, saying they're pursuing a horizontal strategy that will put a social layer on top of existing platforms...
t I'm not always within reach of a communications device in order to synchronize short-term actions,
This is where we diverge, I find this superflous.
@dhromed said:it's also my watch.
This is something I don't do either, I don't need a watch or any device to tell time, I stopped using them when I entered college, never looked back.
@dhromed said:It's basically star trek communicator badge
Yeah, of all the star trek devices, why couldn't they invent a replicator or a universal translator or any of the more useful gadgets?
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@dhromed said:
Yeah, it's a really diverse landscape over there.
Nah, not really but the weather can be odd and all over the place, it is even a recurring joke in tv shows and movies.
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@serguey123 said:
@dhromed said:
It's a strictly functional apparatus; not a social one.
Yours maybe but the world is moving in another direction.
The Facebook Phone Rumor Is Back | TechCrunch
Once upon a time Michael Arrington broke the news that Facebook was developing its own phone. That was in 2010. However in a followup interview with TechCrunch, Mark Zuckerberg killed the notion, saying they're pursuing a horizontal strategy that will put a social layer on top of existing platforms...
I thought it was obvious that dhromed was speaking for himself. I feel similarly about my situation, and in particular, I think that smartphones make sense for poor people who can't afford a computer or for people who don't already sit in front of a computer all the time. I don't fit into either category, and cannot justify the expense of a smartphone or its data plan.
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@boomzilla said:
think that smartphones make sense for poor people who can't afford a computer
You can buy a computer for the prize of a expensive unsubsidized smartphone
@boomzilla said:cannot justify the expense of a smartphone or its data plan.
Same thing with me and a cellphone, even thought they are cheap, I would hardly use it
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@serguey123 said:
You can buy a computer for the prize of a expensive unsubsidized smartphone
Poor people aren't buying unsubsidized smartphones; they're getting a free smartphone on 2 year contract from Verizon. And they have to buy a data plan, but they'd have to buy Internet for a computer, too.
I don't use my smartphone for "apps", really. What I do use it for is email, GPS, 3G hotspot, finding something on Google Maps and occasionally looking something up on the web. I guess these activities aren't limited to smartphones only, but the industry does seem to be moving towards them.
I think the concept is okay, but the execution is flawed. For example, Android is just fucked. Google decided to let OEMs create their own GUIs and pre-load all the undeleteable shitware they want. The result is that UX between Android devices can vary wildly and there are a ton of junk apps on your phone you can't get rid without rooting it. Then the whole thing is written in Java.. I don't know if that's why it's so slow, memory-hungry and crash-prone, but it's probably it. When I bought my phone the Verizon sales girl told me "You really have to download an app called 'Advanced Process Killer' that will let you terminate background applications, otherwise you'll have problems with everything being sluggish due to low memory." And of course requiring a task manager on a phone is a pretty big fail.
Add in the fact that apps like GMail and the web browser (apps provided by Google themselves) just crash randomly (at least once a week for me) and I can't blame people for buying iPhones instead. The only two things on my phone that work well are Google Navigation (GPS) and the 3G hotspot (so any wifi device can access the Internet--very handy if you run Linux and don't want to screw around trying to get drivers for a 3G USB or Expresscard modem).
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Have you tried a windows phone?
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@dhromed said:
Have you tried a windows phone?
Was considering it, but I've heard negative things about WP7. WP8 might be much better, assuming anyone sells it. I think most of the manufacturers have ditched M$, which is unfortunate.
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@morbiuswilters said:
Poor people aren't buying unsubsidized smartphones; they're getting a free smartphone on 2 year contract from Verizon. And they have to buy a data plan, but they'd have to buy Internet for a computer, too.
Even so, I don't think it would be cost effective in the long run
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@serguey123 said:
@morbiuswilters said:
Poor people aren't buying unsubsidized smartphones; they're getting a free smartphone on 2 year contract from Verizon. And they have to buy a data plan, but they'd have to buy Internet for a computer, too.
Even so, I don't think it would be cost effective in the long runVerizon Wireless' cheapest smartphone data plan is $30 /month. That's probably a bit less than what you'd be paying for Internet for a computer.
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@morbiuswilters said:
Wireless' cheapest smartphone data plan is $30 /month. That's probably a bit less than what you'd be paying for Internet for a computer.
Here, that's €42 for what I think is 16 or 20MBit down.
I say "I think" because the bastards keep adjusting their plans under the same name to match the market and technical possbilities, so having something like "Plan Super Yay" means jack shit after half a year.
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I've had two Windows Phones, the Samsung Focus & the newer Focus S and I love both of them. In fact, I upgraded to the Focus S off contract because I loved the original one so much. Honestly, they are great phones and the only problem I've have is that the noise level / static when transitioning from one song to the next is pretty bad when plugged into the aux port in my car. This is only with the newer Focus S as the original Focus did not do that - it's transitioning was clear. Both had Mango, so it definitely was not an OS problem.
My personal opinion is if you are a regular user and just want a phone that works 99% of the time with some bonus features like internet and game playing, go with either an IPhone or WP7. If you are a techie and/or want to do weird stuff with a phone then go with an Android. I count weird stuff as rooting / installing you own hacked Chinese version of ICB or running Apache, etc.
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@dhromed said:
@morbiuswilters said:
Wireless' cheapest smartphone data plan is $30 /month. That's probably a bit less than what you'd be paying for Internet for a computer.
Here, that's €42 for what I think is 16 or 20MBit down.
I say "I think" because the bastards keep adjusting their plans under the same name to match the market and technical possbilities, so having something like "Plan Super Yay" means jack shit after half a year.
I used to pay $70 for 20/5 cable. However, there are cheaper plans, although I think they bottom out around the $35 mark.
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@morbiuswilters said:
Poor people aren't buying unsubsidized smartphones; they're getting a free smartphone on 2 year contract from Verizon. And they have to buy a data plan, but they'd have to buy Internet for a computer, too.
I just a few days ago put down £145 for a brand new unlocked SIM-free Nokia Lumia 710, should be a nice upgrade from my current Samsung D600. I wish I'd spent a bit more on postage for next day.
I would never outright buy a smartphone like that at their non-fire-sale prices of £250-£500, but £145 is a bargain for what'll be (to me) an iPod Touch with GPS.
If you're hoping for some kind of point to this post, I'm sorry to disappoint.
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@dhromed said:
The frequency of being reached is strictly related to the size of your circle. Having a cellphone doesn't mean suddenly everybody's going to call you and it's not magically going to clutter your life with all kinds of people. So far, today, I've sent and received 0 texts and made 0 phonecalls.
Odd. By your own definition, your circle and mine are the same size.
No, wait. I got a call from a wrong number or unknown telemarketer about 2:30 this afternoon. So my circle is slightly larger than yours.
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@da Doctah said:
@dhromed said:
The frequency of being reached is strictly related to the size of your circle. Having a cellphone doesn't mean suddenly everybody's going to call you and it's not magically going to clutter your life with all kinds of people. So far, today, I've sent and received 0 texts and made 0 phonecalls.
Odd. By your own definition, your circle and mine are the same size.
No, wait. I got a call from a wrong number or unknown telemarketer about 2:30 this afternoon. So my circle is slightly larger than yours.
I've been getting frequent (at least 1 a week, a few a day the last several days) calls with a prerecorded message trying to sell me home security systems. I've been reporting them to the FCC because it's illegal to have prerecorded calls to cellphones, but considering how many other people online I see complaining about this same company I figure it's not going to do any good.
I'm this close to tracking these fuckers down, driving them out to the desert and making them dig their own graves. I would straight-up take the life of whoever is running this company.
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@morbiuswilters said:
I'm this close to tracking these fuckers down, driving them out to the desert and making them dig their own graves. I would straight-up take the life of whoever is running this company.
Do it.
Report back here, in private.
Then, never show your face again.
Disappear.
I can help.
You will take on the new identity of Willius Morbits, certified CPA accountant.
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@morbiuswilters said:
OP: Wait, so you have an Android phone? Why are you plugging it in for updates? You should be able to get those OTA. This isn't an iPhone.
Except that Samsung disabled the OTA updates and forces you to use Kies :(
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@dhromed said:
I feel exactly the same way. However, you and I are apparently the only 2 people in the universe who operate that way and it's not surprising that people associate cell phones with "knowing about others all the time":Having a cellphone doesn't mean suddenly everybody's going to call you and it's not magically going to clutter your life with all kinds of people. So far, today, I've sent and received 0 texts and made 0 phonecalls.
And it's not about "knowing about others all the time". Shit man, do you think I make extensive phonecalls just to talk to people about "stuff", for "fun"? What a quaint idea! I have things to do! So do the people I know! No, it's a strictly functional apparatus; not a social one.
- Went out to dinner. When we sat down at our table, the woman at the next table was talking on her phone. We ate dinner, sat around for a while and then left. We were there for about an hour and the woman at the next table never put down the phone. She was still on the phone as we left.
- If there are any people in the restaurant under the age of 20 they will spend at least 90% of their time staring at their phone.
- Visiting my wife's parents on Christmas. Her brother, who is 40, was also there and spent most of the evening staring at his phone.
- Went to the local mall. Groups of 3 or 4 teenage girls walking around, staring at their phones, almost never looking up or never even looking at their "friends" around them.
- As I'm driving into the parking lot of a store, there is a line of cars
coming out. Every car, without exception, the driver is talking on a
phone.
- Every time I go to a store, there is always at least one asshole in the checkout line who is on their phone and trying to do everything with one hand because the other hand is holding the phone for that phone call that is so fucking important it can't wait 2 minutes while they pay for their shit.
- I'm in a parking garage and a woman is trying to maneuver backwards into a very tight parking space, while talking on the phone.
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@El_Heffe said:
the woman at the next table was talking on her phone. We ate dinner, sat around for a while and then left. We were there for about an hour and the woman at the next table never put down the phone.
I've seen one such person. They're insane, but you know she's an exception.
@El_Heffe said:
ocd phone events
Meh, I really don't think any one of those people is rationally considering it a stayintouchatalltimes device, but the device strongly enables that behaviour with pretty much zero threshold, and therefore it must happen.
It's basically avoidance/habitual/addictive behaviour, incited by a piece of jewellery.
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Where do you live? Phone use in my State is nothing like that.
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@solitario said:
@morbiuswilters said:
OP: Wait, so you have an Android phone? Why are you plugging it in for updates? You should be able to get those OTA. This isn't an iPhone.
Except that Samsung disabled the OTA updates and forces you to use Kies :(
Ha ha ha, what the fuck?
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@blakeyrat said:
Where do you live? Phone use in my State is nothing like that.
Yeah, that's weird. I've seen some people being idiots on the phone, but not nearly so widespread.
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could be confirmation bias.
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@El_Heffe said:
@dhromed said:
I feel exactly the same way. However, you and I are apparently the only 2 people in the universe who operate that way and it's not surprising that people associate cell phones with "knowing about others all the time":Having a cellphone doesn't mean suddenly everybody's going to call you and it's not magically going to clutter your life with all kinds of people. So far, today, I've sent and received 0 texts and made 0 phonecalls.
And it's not about "knowing about others all the time". Shit man, do you think I make extensive phonecalls just to talk to people about "stuff", for "fun"? What a quaint idea! I have things to do! So do the people I know! No, it's a strictly functional apparatus; not a social one.
- Went out to dinner. When we sat down at our table, the woman at the next table was talking on her phone. We ate dinner, sat around for a while and then left. We were there for about an hour and the woman at the next table never put down the phone. She was still on the phone as we left.
- If there are any people in the restaurant under the age of 20 they will spend at least 90% of their time staring at their phone.
- Visiting my wife's parents on Christmas. Her brother, who is 40, was also there and spent most of the evening staring at his phone.
- Went to the local mall. Groups of 3 or 4 teenage girls walking around, staring at their phones, almost never looking up or never even looking at their "friends" around them.
- As I'm driving into the parking lot of a store, there is a line of cars
coming out. Every car, without exception, the driver is talking on a
phone.
- Every time I go to a store, there is always at least one asshole in the checkout line who is on their phone and trying to do everything with one hand because the other hand is holding the phone for that phone call that is so fucking important it can't wait 2 minutes while they pay for their shit.
- I'm in a parking garage and a woman is trying to maneuver backwards into a very tight parking space, while talking on the phone.
Try a college campus sometime. It's honestly safer to walk in the grass and stay off the sidewalks because literally 70%+ of pedestrians are staring at their phone AND are wearing super-loud earbuds. So basically they are completely blind and deaf to the outside world and seem to navigate by muscle memory alone. They meander around the sidewalk in such a way as to make drunks who could fall over, pass out, and die of alcohol poisoning at any moment look like Olympic gold medalists. They'll bump into you or each other and not even notice. It's very dangerous to ride a bicycle because of them. Thankfully I've since graduated and navigating our office is much safer. If I had more time I could probably have quite a bit of fun putting obstacles on the sidewalks and watching them trip, of course while recording and uploading to YouTube.
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@morbiuswilters said:
@da Doctah said:
@dhromed said:
The frequency of being reached is strictly related to the size of your circle. Having a cellphone doesn't mean suddenly everybody's going to call you and it's not magically going to clutter your life with all kinds of people. So far, today, I've sent and received 0 texts and made 0 phonecalls.
Odd. By your own definition, your circle and mine are the same size.
No, wait. I got a call from a wrong number or unknown telemarketer about 2:30 this afternoon. So my circle is slightly larger than yours.
I've been getting frequent (at least 1 a week, a few a day the last several days) calls with a prerecorded message trying to sell me home security systems. I've been reporting them to the FCC because it's illegal to have prerecorded calls to cellphones, but considering how many other people online I see complaining about this same company I figure it's not going to do any good.
I'm this close to tracking these fuckers down, driving them out to the desert and making them dig their own graves. I would straight-up take the life of whoever is running this company.
I always get called by debt collectors with the wrong number, and they never believe they have the wrong number. And usually they're trying to collect some credit card debt from the 80's, or something equally ancient and obscure. Usually I'll look up the phone number online and see it's associated with scam artists who try to scare people into paying old debts that aren't even theirs. I created a special contact titled "Scam - Do Not Answer" in my phone and I always dump these numbers there. I think I have 15 - 20 numbers associated with that contact.
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@mott555 said:
I always get called by debt collectors with the wrong number, and they never believe they have the wrong number. And usually they're trying to collect some credit card debt from the 80's, or something equally ancient and obscure. Usually I'll look up the phone number online and see it's associated with scam artists who try to scare people into paying old debts that aren't even theirs. I created a special contact titled "Scam - Do Not Answer" in my phone and I always dump these numbers there. I think I have 15 - 20 numbers associated with that contact.
Report them to the FTC.
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@blakeyrat said:
Where do you live? Phone use in my State is nothing like that.
I bet it is. But you haven't noticed because you aren't an old fart who hates people.
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@El_Heffe said:
@blakeyrat said:
Where do you live? Phone use in my State is nothing like that.
I bet it is. But you haven't noticed because you aren't an old fart who hates people.
That can't be it
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@mott555 said:
@El_Heffe said:
I recommend replacing part of the sidewalk with a 15 foot deep covered (but obvious) pit with a very muddy bottom.@dhromed said:
Try a college campus sometime. It's honestly safer to walk in the grass and stay off the sidewalks because literally 70%+ of pedestrians are staring at their phone AND are wearing super-loud earbuds. So basically they are completely blind and deaf to the outside world and seem to navigate by muscle memory alone. They meander around the sidewalk in such a way as to make drunks who could fall over, pass out, and die of alcohol poisoning at any moment look like Olympic gold medalists. They'll bump into you or each other and not even notice. It's very dangerous to ride a bicycle because of them. Thankfully I've since graduated and navigating our office is much safer. If I had more time I could probably have quite a bit of fun putting obstacles on the sidewalks and watching them trip, of course while recording and uploading to YouTube.Having a cellphone doesn't mean suddenly everybody's going to call you and it's not magically going to clutter your life with all kinds of people. So far, today, I've sent and received 0 texts and made 0 phonecalls.
I feel exactly the same way. However, you and I are apparently the only 2 people in the universe who operate that way and it's not surprising that people associate cell phones with "knowing about others all the time":
And it's not about "knowing about others all the time". Shit man, do you think I make extensive phonecalls just to talk to people about "stuff", for "fun"? What a quaint idea! I have things to do! So do the people I know! No, it's a strictly functional apparatus; not a social one.
- Went out to dinner. When we sat down at our table, the woman at the next table was talking on her phone. We ate dinner, sat around for a while and then left. We were there for about an hour and the woman at the next table never put down the phone. She was still on the phone as we left.
- If there are any people in the restaurant under the age of 20 they will spend at least 90% of their time staring at their phone.
- Visiting my wife's parents on Christmas. Her brother, who is 40, was also there and spent most of the evening staring at his phone.
- Went to the local mall. Groups of 3 or 4 teenage girls walking around, staring at their phones, almost never looking up or never even looking at their "friends" around them.
- As I'm driving into the parking lot of a store, there is a line of cars coming out. Every car, without exception, the driver is talking on a phone.
- Every time I go to a store, there is always at least one asshole in the checkout line who is on their phone and trying to do everything with one hand because the other hand is holding the phone for that phone call that is so fucking important it can't wait 2 minutes while they pay for their shit.
- I'm in a parking garage and a woman is trying to maneuver backwards into a very tight parking space, while talking on the phone.
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@Anketam said:
I recommend replacing part of the sidewalk with a 15 foot deep covered (but obvious) pit with sharpened bambo spikes.
FTFY
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@Anketam said:
@mott555 said:
Try a college campus sometime. It's honestly safer to walk in the grass and stay off the sidewalks because literally 70%+ of pedestrians are staring at their phone AND are wearing super-loud earbuds. So basically they are completely blind and deaf to the outside world and seem to navigate by muscle memory alone. They meander around the sidewalk in such a way as to make drunks who could fall over, pass out, and die of alcohol poisoning at any moment look like Olympic gold medalists. They'll bump into you or each other and not even notice. It's very dangerous to ride a bicycle because of them. Thankfully I've since graduated and navigating our office is much safer. If I had more time I could probably have quite a bit of fun putting obstacles on the sidewalks and watching them trip, of course while recording and uploading to YouTube.
I recommend replacing part of the sidewalk with a 15 foot deep covered (but obvious) pit with a very muddy bottom.And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the use case for the La Brea tar pits.
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@da Doctah said:
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the use case for the La Brea tar pits.
Now that we have our hypothetical user, we can optimize the interface.
Maybe with a ribbon.
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@dhromed said:
Maybe with a ribbon.
The Ribbon destroyed my life! Bring back hundreds of tiny, indecipherable icons!
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About the aforementioned "static between songs" problem - does it happen if you say open a piano app, play a note then let go for a few seconds? I've noticed that when running out to external speakers a few seconds after all sound stops there's a loud pop as the audio amp gets shut down to save power.
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@morbiuswilters said:
@dhromed said:
Maybe with a ribbon.
The Ribbon destroyed my life! Bring back hundreds of tiny, indecipherable icons!
Fool! Now your icons randomly vary in size an will reflow themselves depending on window width! You'll never train that muscle memory, you hear me?! NEVER!
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I got a mobile (cell) phone for work, originally - specifically, so that if bad things happened to the overnight BI run, I could get an alert sent to my phone and log in remotely to fix it. (This was also the same reason I originally got broadband internet, Remote Desktop over dialup being a bit of a pain.)
Since then I've found it to be useful in other ways, mainly so I can coordinate things with my wife when I'm in transit, or if we've split up at the shops or whatever (when you have three kids, that sort of thing is not uncommon), or to ring my mum and say "We're just leaving the shops in your suburb, is it all right if we bring the kids over for a bit?" I've used it to do things like look up the address of a particular shop in an unfamiliar town and work out how to get there, once it became clear that the road we'd thought it was on wasn't the right one. And I use it as a handy internet device when I'm not at home or at work.
One of the factors that makes it more useful is that as the number of mobiles in circulation has increased, the number of public phone booths has decreased dramatically. So now if you need to communicate while you're out and about, in many cases having a mobile phone is the only real option.
Currently I can't imagine there's much I'd use a smartphone for that I can't do with my mobile, except GPS which my phone doesn't have; but realistically, I hardly ever actually need GPS, so there's not much point for me in getting a smartphone.
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@morbiuswilters said:
Verizon Wireless' cheapest smartphone data plan is $30 /month
That's still quite expensive on a world-scale. I'm on a $15/month plan which includes more than enough minutes for me and 1GB data. Of course it's a BYOD plan so there's no subsidy, and I only have a cheap Nokia, but the SIM would go into (virtually) any smart phone no problems. I was eyeing off a cheap Android: my Nokia is now over 4 years old and even though it's a 5-series I'm now sure how much life it has.
Still better value than having a landline phone: I pay $23/month for that and get nothing included. I have to have it for DSL, which is the only reason it's still connected. (I was considering going to cable: it is actually cheaper to get 100/2+phone than standalone 30/1 cable! Telstra hates upload speed (but charges for it) and static IPs, so it's not a no-brainer for me.)
