Disqus - Latest Comments for somerandomnerd

Re: Apple versus (after John Gruber)

SomeRandomNerd — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:03:39 -0000

1997… that was also before the "I'm a Mac/I'm a PC" ads, right?

Re: Radio Shack lands the Verizon iPhone 4 on September 15th, just ahead of iPhone 5

SomeRandomNerd — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:43:06 -0000

Radio Shack has been selling the iPhone 4 since 15th September?
I'm not in the US, so can't pay the store a visit, but their website doesn't have anything about it…

Re: http://littlebigdetails.com/post/7497293249

SomeRandomNerd — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:06:51 -0000

Nice... but it isn't Safari iOS. Looks like a different app, although I don't recognise it- I'm guessing that the left hand button would be "open in Safari"?

Safari iOS looks like this- http://images.apple.com/iph...

Re: ∞ iPhone 5 will not launch in June

SomeRandomNerd — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:50:59 -0000

2007- original iPhone launched, contract-free.
2008- iPhone 3G launched, tied to a 2 year contract.
2009- iPhone 3GS launched- a relatively minor upgrade.
2010- iPhone 4 launched, just as those first 2 year contracts were expiring.

If you're looking for patterns, then it makes sense not to have a major new launch for the iPhone 5 this year. And if Apple are thinking about the 2 year contract cycle, then is there a good reason to launch anything at all before summer 2011?

The smartphone market has only just caught up with Apple - Android is now #1 in the US (and UK.) If Apple wants to move the iPhone from being an expensive, premium device and compete on price (in the way the iPad is), then this summer seems like a good time to drop things down a level.

So, iPhone 4 dropping to current 3Gs prices, and 3Gs dropping to an even cheaper price point, maybe? (With iOS 5 on all of them...)

Re: PayPal+VP+On+Blocking+WikiLeaks%3A+State+Department+Said+It+Was%26nbsp%3BIllegal

SomeRandomNerd — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 09:32:26 -0000

"As you know, if any of the materials you intend to publish were provided by any government officials, or any intermediary without proper authorization, they were provided in violation of U.S. law and without regard for the grave consequences of this action. As long as WikiLeaks holds such material, the violation of the law is ongoing."

In other words, whoever leaked the documents to Wikileaks is in violation of U.S. law. Not Wikileaks themselves. (Although PayPal's policies probably also include something along the lines of "encouraging, aiding, abetting or assisting" illegal activities.)

Re: Breaking: Me.Com Data Breach?

SomeRandomNerd — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 07:28:22 -0000

Now that "Find my iPhone" is available for free for iPhone 4, I can log in with my Apple ID.
I don't know if Me.com IDs are the same as Apple IDs, but might this be related? (eg. if your Apple ID email address is different to your Me.com ID?)

Re: Scripting News: Angry Birds on MacBook Air

SomeRandomNerd — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 08:09:20 -0000

There's a software architecture idea called "model-view-controller", which involves breaking out all the code that is involved in the "view" to be separate from the "business end" of the code. If you use it properly, then it means that you can use the same model and controller objects for an iPhone and iPad implementation of the same application, but different views for different devices.

So, could you just change the views for a Mac version? Not really- because the touch interface goes deeper into the application than just the views. Try playing "cut the rope", and figure out how that would translate to a trackpad- would you have a cursor on screen for every touch? Would you be able to distinguish between a touch that is just to get a position, and a touch that is supposed to be an interaction with onscreen elements? (And as Gruber mentioned, using gestures like swipes on the iOS simulator using a trackpad is still a long way away from using the same gestures on a touch screen.)

It might save time for someone who has built an iOS utility application and wants to make a Mac version for the Mac apps store- but the crossover between Cocoa and Cocoa Touch means that they are probably already three quarters of the way there anyway.

Re: The+Fragmented+Future+Of+Mobile+Ad%26nbsp%3BNetworks

SomeRandomNerd — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 20:27:27 -0000

Did Apple really say they would "block" Google from advertising on the iPhone and iPad? No.

What they said was that they wouldn't allow them to collect data about the devices/users. And only for in-app advertising- no such restrictions for websites. (Apple want developers to make money by developing iOS apps- so it would make no sense for them to shut off a potential revenue stream. What iAd is about is making sure that Apple control the most lucrative revenue stream for mobile apps and keep it Apple-exclusive.)

I don't think there is anything wrong with the fundamental premise of this article, but it's a shame that the way it sets the scene is based on a half-truth.

Re: Fraudsters+Drain+PayPal+Accounts+Through%26nbsp%3BiTunes

SomeRandomNerd — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:22:01 -0000

I have absolutely no idea what you mean.

Re: EU May Force Flash Onto Apple Products

SomeRandomNerd — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 05:01:38 -0000

Yes! Brilliant idea!

Presumably, this means I'll also be able to run Linux software in MacOSX, have Windows applications on my iPhone, and be able to play Wii games on my portable CD player.

Or maybe this interpretation of the EU document is completely misguided. It would be interesting if they regulated that all web browsers had to be fully compliant with W3C standards (which is much closer to the idea of a "ICT fora and consortia standards" than either Apple or Adobe's closed shops.)

Or maybe it's about getting Microsoft to publish the full Windows APIs...

Re: A lesson from Apple writers on how to write, and not write, depending on the audience

SomeRandomNerd — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:37:48 -0000

@howardweaver,
It certainly will if the same feature appears in the Safari web browser on the iPhone and iPad.

Re: Facebook Blocks Defriender, App for Tracking Friend Removals

SomeRandomNerd — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 12:41:54 -0000

This is the same Facebook who decided to make everyone's Friends lists open to the public? (Or rather, to all registered Facebook users...)

Re: Open Thread: Since When Is "Hacker" a Bad Word?

SomeRandomNerd — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 11:48:30 -0000

I take "hacker" to mean someone who is good at making things do things that they aren't supposed to do.

It's also something that you can't call yourself; you can try to hack some code together, but if you claim that you're a hacker, then you aren't. If someone else calls you a hacker, then you are. Which, in a nice twist of social hacking, means that if someone means to call you a "hacker" in a derogatory sense, they are actually paying you the highest compliment (at the same time as displaying their own ignorance of hacker culture.)

(Incidentally, I have the same opinion of the term "Social media expert"; anyone claiming to be one, isn't one- by definition. Your expertise is defined entirely by other people's opinions- not your own claims.)

Re: TechCrunch Giveaway: A Google Nexus One #TechCrunch

SomeRandomNerd — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 09:04:02 -0000

Having got an iPhone and a Macbook air over the last couple of years, I need to prove to myself that I can still get excited about non-Apple devices before I start buying black turtlenecks and building an altar to Steve Jobs in my living room. (And quickly, before the tablet!)

Re: Just in case

SomeRandomNerd — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 08:11:20 -0000

Yep- according to ReadWriteWeb at least;

http://www.readwriteweb.com...

Re: This Is Why The Internet (And Twitter) Wins

SomeRandomNerd — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 17:03:30 -0000

…but by the time the camera crew had got there and set up, someone probably would have tweeted something.

Re: Google Holding Chrome OS Event Thursday. Complete Overview And Launch Plans To Be Revealed.

SomeRandomNerd — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:57:14 -0000

…because Microsoft don't have an ad network, or behavioural targeting.

Re: Murdoch Warns That Without eTablets, "Newspapers Will Go Out Of Business."

SomeRandomNerd — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:54:42 -0000

+1.
Would like to see the actual interview myself...

Re: Google Chrome OS to Feature Single Sign-On for Chrome Browser

SomeRandomNerd — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 10:21:21 -0000

Sony's PS3 and Apple's iPhone are another couple of operating systems that come bundled with a browser and no alternatives for the user.

As has already been pointed out, Windows and Internet Explorer was a completely different problem. Let's not forget that;

1) Microsoft had already agreed to stop bundling new "Applications" with Windows in a previous antitrust agreement (although new "Features" were allowed)

2) Internet Explorer was previously given away as an Application

3) In Windows XP, it became a "feature" of the OS

4) The complaint was that Microsoft were using their monopoly share of Operating Systems to gain an advantage in a different market (specifically, bundling Internet Explorer to attack the Netscape browser while also including IIS with Windows server software to undercut the Netscape web server software that their business relied on- funding development by funneling cash from other areas of their business.

Ultimately, Microsoft's problem was tying Internet Explorer into the OS so that it could be called a "feature", rather than a stand alone "application"- and not in a way that had issues like security at it's heart. The reason it's been so important to decouple it from the OS (first by sandboxing it in Vista, and by completely seperating it in Windows 7) is probably more to do with the security/marketing fallout than the EU anti-competition case.

The whole point of Googles Chrome OS is that it's built around the browser to run web applications, so you don't need to install local applications- so you don't need to worry about malware. Enabling users to install an alternative web browser goes against the most basic idea that it's built around. Comparisons to what Microsoft did with IE seem ill-informed, at best...

Re: Updated: Who’s bad! Michael Jackson “bought” Twitter followers from uSocial

SomeRandomNerd — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:08:29 -0000

Considering what his death revealed of his Facebook popularity, it would have been a pretty pointless exercise;
http://pagedata.insidefaceb...

Re: From iPhone 3G to 3GS

SomeRandomNerd — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:50:30 -0000

I'm not sure that "iPhone Pro" would be a great name for the 3Gs- because it would probably put off a big chunk of the market. How many people who were waiting for the new version before shelling out for the latest piece of smartphone technology consider themselves a smartphone "pro"? Probably not nearly as many as interested users who are making their first entry into the Smartphone world. The unspoken implication that the 3G is for "amateurs" would probably be a selling point for some who might otherwise spend an extra $100/£100.

I think the 3G/3Gs distinction is more of a "premium" than "professional"- you buy a Macbook Pro because you need the extra power, because you are using it all day, day in, day out. (If you just want shiny MacBook action, you'll probably tend towards the Air.)

Re: How to make your business card a smart card

SomeRandomNerd — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:28:46 -0000

It would be interesting to use a slightly different URL for the QR/barcodes/tags and track how many people use them compared to the URL. (Obviously, you'd need to use a different "typed" URL as well to separate from "normal" online activity- maybe a .co.uk where you usually use a .com, for example?)

I can't help but think that at the moment, most people would be more likely to use the URL than the QR code- although that's not to say that there isn't a branding value from using those codes on your business card and selling yourself as living and breathing digital and technology!

Re: The $0 iPhone

SomeRandomNerd — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:06:33 -0000

It's worth noting that the iPhone has been available for free in the UK on certain higher-end contracts since the 3G was launched (£45 a month for 18 months when the 3G launched.)

I think it's more commonplace for handsets to be heavily subsidised by contract costs in the UK. Also worth noting that the mobile phone market over here is one of the most "advanced" in the world- not in terms of high-end technology where we're nowhere near the likes of Japan, but in terms of wider penetration and usage.

I'm fairly sure that there's a direct connection between that and the wide availability of cheap/free phones...

Re: Nice concept, Phorm, pity about the execution

SomeRandomNerd — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:22:20 -0000

It was quite clear at their last town hall meeting that they aimed to paint a picture of their detractors as a small bunch of people with personal vendettas, hiding behind online screen names.

The impression I got from the Q&A session afterwards was that there was still a lot of mistrust about the privacy issue, the opt in/opt out question.

This looks like an emotional reaction- and not a clever one. By "naming and shaming" their critics in this way, Phorm have completely lost any moral high ground that they might have had. It also raises some uncomfortable questions- I've voiced my own concerns about Phorm on my own blog. Should I expect to see my name on their new smear site any time soon? (I guess my username undermines their tactic of putting pithy taglines against "the enemy.")

It certainly doesn't sit too well with their "we're all about user privacy" brand position, does it?

The bigger question is how an advertiser would feel about their brand being associated with Phorm- not just because of the privacy issues that their tracking technology raises, but because they would then by extension be associated with this public smear
campaign?

Re: Evan Williams Predicts That "Normal People" Will Use Twitter In Five Years

SomeRandomNerd — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 09:22:40 -0000

Sometimes I wish blog comments had "unfollow" and "block" buttons..