iPhone syndrome
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Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Tablets in particular are made for content consumption, but someone who uses smaller streaming video sites will often find that they're locked out from viewing content on their ithing because the sites were constructed to use flash.
Someone used to playing Flash games will likewise have a problem.
The main thing that happens is that people don't understand that the thing they have is not a computer and so they assume that anything their computer can do, their tablet is likewise capable of doing. Which is how you get to weird discussions about finding compatible printers or why you can't plug in a thumb drive.
In some cases, Android devices do allow those things. My phone has a printing application. I save the file, I open it in the printing program and it uses lpr to make printing happen. Some tablets have real USB ports that allow access to USB input and storage. And some do support Flash, which if nothing else allows those devices to be closer to the conception of a device as capable as a desktop computer.
Someone used to playing Flash games will likewise have a problem.
The main thing that happens is that people don't understand that the thing they have is not a computer and so they assume that anything their computer can do, their tablet is likewise capable of doing. Which is how you get to weird discussions about finding compatible printers or why you can't plug in a thumb drive.
In some cases, Android devices do allow those things. My phone has a printing application. I save the file, I open it in the printing program and it uses lpr to make printing happen. Some tablets have real USB ports that allow access to USB input and storage. And some do support Flash, which if nothing else allows those devices to be closer to the conception of a device as capable as a desktop computer.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
I think the people who are saying "it doesn't matter" are also people who don't have to support other users. I had to go to three different meetings to explain to one of my customers that the reason they couldn't "just get ipads" for all their students was that there was zero chance of getting any of their other classroom technology they had to work with them; their whiteboard systems didn't even support OSX, let alone iOS.
Granted, that's more about USB connectivity than Flash, but the issues are sort of related in the root assumption that the device is the same as a PC.
Granted, that's more about USB connectivity than Flash, but the issues are sort of related in the root assumption that the device is the same as a PC.
I still consider Flash support and desktop replacement to be two separate items. I agree that tablets are not a desktop replacement. They're proprietary appliances built for a very specific task. If they choose to work with your printer...good luck.
Removing the dependency for flash on all devices and moving to a more-open standard will make each device more seamless for web-related usage. The fact that web browsers even make a plugin-container process to handle the shortcomings and instabilities of Flash is a clear sign that we're doing something wrong. Rather, Adobe is doing something wrong. Their tools and software which drive large portions of the web are for-profit. I don't support them for that. Flash likely helped drive a lot of innovation into moving the html standard into a more multimedia-rich platform. They're slow as molasses and people needed a richer experience. Flash filled the gap for a while, now it's time to move on.
Removing the dependency for flash on all devices and moving to a more-open standard will make each device more seamless for web-related usage. The fact that web browsers even make a plugin-container process to handle the shortcomings and instabilities of Flash is a clear sign that we're doing something wrong. Rather, Adobe is doing something wrong. Their tools and software which drive large portions of the web are for-profit. I don't support them for that. Flash likely helped drive a lot of innovation into moving the html standard into a more multimedia-rich platform. They're slow as molasses and people needed a richer experience. Flash filled the gap for a while, now it's time to move on.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Does anyone not hate Flash? I've hated it since forever. But part of hating it is wrapped up in the fact that other people expect to be able to use it for whatever reason. Including web developers and end users.
Santilli
Hairy Aussie
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2002
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- 5,257
I posted a thread earlier about trying to make my computers flash free, with no joy. I just need it for some of the stuff I use. Hence the concerns about phones running it.
For example, when we went to test the internet connection on the iPhone, the websites
I use to test both use a flash based program that wouldn't work on the iphone.
For example, when we went to test the internet connection on the iPhone, the websites
I use to test both use a flash based program that wouldn't work on the iphone.
Those same web-based tools used to check internet speeds via a flash application...have an iPhone app. I know, I have them.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
Counterpoint: Why should the automatic reaction to wanting some bit of internet functionality be to go look for it in Apple's store, rather than a generic tool that works with pretty much every other computer?
Apps running native to my appliance can often times perform better and make use of the local video rendering better than a web-based tool can do so unless the creator of the tool has accounted for mobile devices through the use of HTML. There is often times the augmentation of additional hardware within said phone/appliance that isn't typically on a PC (such as GPS, motion sensors, etc). The apps provide the merging of the internet-based tool and these sensors. It's not always a fit, but a lot of times it is.
Mercutio
Fatwah on Western Digital
I have a general disagreement with the idea that everything needs to be an app, which is apparently part of the iOS user mindset. iThing people apparently want and like having an icon on their screen that represents a single-purpose viewer for one particular web site or service, which is largely a workaround for having the limitations of using an iThing in the first place.
It's not specific to Apple devices. All your Andoid phones have them also. I understand your point, but not all things work correctly through a web browser. There are some cases where your opinion is true. You're also forgetting that in order to make use of the other features of the phone, you need a specific application to do so.
For example, I can load up Amazon to buy things through my mobile web browser. I bet it's not entirely different from your Android phone. Instead, I can use the Amazon app for the iPhone. What does it give me? Well, the screen layout is better (though they could render a mobile web page to make this better, but that's not an iPhone limitation). I have often times made use of their photo-identifying feature for product finding. Aside from an app, how else would I do this? Alerts can be triggered to notify my mobile phone. How else do you do that without an app? I guess email would work, but it's not as seamless.
Now lets take Pandora (or insert other favorite streaming music service). Pandora is a web based service. They also offer an app. On an iPhone, I can load Pandora's page, but they won't let me play music that way. They direct me to download an app. Even if I could play music this way, I don't believe the browser would allow audio playback in the background like the app does. How does that work on Android?
Look at the app for Shazam. If I want to identify an audio clip because I want to buy it later, how would that work without an app? Can you invoke the microphone in a web browser?
Lets also look at twitter. For those who like this service, you could use the web for it. Using the app also gets you better notifications. Integrating it to manage your photos and videos also works better.
The rendering speed of the GUI in most if not all iPhone apps is far more fluid and faster than rendering the counterpart in the mobile web browser. This could very well be the limitation of the device or the mobile browser. I can't compare this to Android web browsers first hand, but from reviews and examples I've seen, fluidity has never been their strong point. Using an app takes advantage of one of the stronger points of an iPhone/iPod/iPad, and that's the fluidity of the UI.
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
Based on an all-IP packet switched network.
Peak data rates of up to approximately 100 Mbit/s for high mobility such as mobile access and up to approximately 1 Gbit/s for low mobility such as nomadic/local wireless access, according to the ITU requirements.
Dynamically share and use the network resources to support more simultaneous users per cell.
Scalable channel bandwidth 5–20 MHz, optionally up to 40 MHz.
Peak link spectral efficiency of 15 bit/s/Hz in the downlink, and 6.75 bit/s/Hz in the uplink (meaning that 1 Gbit/s in the downlink should be possible over less than 67 MHz bandwidth).
System spectral efficiency of up to 3 bit/s/Hz/cell in the downlink and 2.25 bit/s/Hz/cell for indoor usage.
Smooth handovers across heterogeneous networks.
Ability to offer high quality of service for next generation multimedia support.
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
That's marketing baloney, and you know it. It's a CYA for the companies who rolled out non-compliant technologies, but called it 4G.
LTE and WiMAX do not meet the 4G standards, therefore, they are not 4G.
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
Both data and voice use the same radio. In GSM systems, the standards for data and voice or separate and require different radios.
Verizon is actually rolling out an LTE network. The LTE-capable phones will need a separate radio to connect to the network, and could theoretically allow one to talk and surf at the same time. However, that would be at the loss of backwards compatibility to the old CDMA data network.
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
Sprint announced that they will *also* be rolling out an LTE network and ditch WiMAX.
As I understand, they will be using 1900MHz band that they own, as well as 1600MHz band from LightSquared and 2500MHz band from Clearwire.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
Take it up with the ITU if you don't like the way they've set the standard.
sechs
Storage? I am Storage!
It's not the standard. Neither LTE nor WiMax meet the standard.
The ITU is just saying that if you used either of these technologies you can *call* it 4G, even though it's not.
The BlackBerries are being removed and destroyed. T Mobils seems to have the cheapest plan.
Apples first OTA update appeared to be a flawless process but the battery debate rages on. Historically with any update there seems to be a major debate about battery life changes, forums are filled with them but I have never really noticed much myself.
I really don't like to see applications I like just go dark.
I would really like to see a ventrillo app and there was one until it was pulled for GPL infringement. I think I would rather blame the ventrillo team though, their complete apathy in bringing their platform forward with new features is really evident. I even made an account on their forum asking about it but it never even got approved for posting.
I'm going to try to convince my friends to switch to teamspeak, they at least seem pretty interested in building and improving their platform.
My favorite book reader stanza just got an update from amazon (whom bought it two years ago) to support iOS 5 which was a big win but they also announced they were sunsetting the app. That makes me sad, why buy the app from the developer if you are going to just kill it and never use the better reading features in your own reader?
I'll use stanza until I can't anymore, after that it seems ubooks has the closest reader window but brings some other things in book management I don't like so much. Also occasional crashing.
I really don't like to see applications I like just go dark.
I would really like to see a ventrillo app and there was one until it was pulled for GPL infringement. I think I would rather blame the ventrillo team though, their complete apathy in bringing their platform forward with new features is really evident. I even made an account on their forum asking about it but it never even got approved for posting.
I'm going to try to convince my friends to switch to teamspeak, they at least seem pretty interested in building and improving their platform.
My favorite book reader stanza just got an update from amazon (whom bought it two years ago) to support iOS 5 which was a big win but they also announced they were sunsetting the app. That makes me sad, why buy the app from the developer if you are going to just kill it and never use the better reading features in your own reader?
I'll use stanza until I can't anymore, after that it seems ubooks has the closest reader window but brings some other things in book management I don't like so much. Also occasional crashing.
I picked up the iPhone 4S today. Just to compare to your friend's Sprint phone, I ran an internet test using my WiFi. See the attached screen capture from the phone.
23.57 Mb/sec down and 19.18 Mb/sec upload. My FiOS is a 25/25Mb/sec service.
The second image is through AT&T. It's not earth-shattering, but it's working well so far. I got 2.84 MB/sec down and 1.02 upload. I'm getting more through AT&T than your friend is through WiFi.
The 4S is a very fast phone. I'm very happy with it so far. A worth-while upgrade from my 3GS.
Sol
Storage is cool
A co-worker got a 4S this week as well, we tried a few things with Siri and I was surprised to see it effectively makes locking your phone pointless. I've never exactly relied on having the lock on a phone keep people out so I don't find it that big a deal but it does kind of negate the whole point of offering the lock if people can just hold down the home button and tell your locked phone to do whatever they want it to (E.g. "Remind me that I shouldn't leave my phone unattended at 4 am tomorrow").
I also wonder at the possibilities with preempting people by waiting for a 4S user to hold down the home button and then quickly slipping something in before they speak like "delete all my contacts" or "tell my wife it's over".
I also wonder at the possibilities with preempting people by waiting for a 4S user to hold down the home button and then quickly slipping something in before they speak like "delete all my contacts" or "tell my wife it's over".
I've been playing with Siri all day and the few times my phone was locked it asked for the pin before it would allow the operation to occur. Siri will often ask to confirm before the thing you asked it to do will happen. I just tried asking Siri to delete all my contacts while the phone was locked and it said sorry, I'm not allowed to delete contacts. I tried the same for emails, pictures, and text messages and got the same response. I then had Siri look up a location and it found locations of the item I search for, but when I select them, it asks for the pin to my phone.
I was able to txt, email, play music, setting reminders, and call someone without having to enter the pin number. What else other than that have you found to be able to do?
I was able to txt, email, play music, setting reminders, and call someone without having to enter the pin number. What else other than that have you found to be able to do?
BingBangBop
Storage is cool
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2009
- Messages
- 667
That is one impressively bad security hole!
On any of my cell phones, the only thing I've ever been able to do, without entering a pin, was to call 911. In my mind that is about what it should be like.
On any of my cell phones, the only thing I've ever been able to do, without entering a pin, was to call 911. In my mind that is about what it should be like.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
I only have the 4 but I thought I discovered the same kind of security hole with the double-click home then camera soft button.
Basically, if you manually lock it you do not have to enter a pin code until the auto-lock time has been reached. Or at least sometime longer than 10 seconds.
I have been glad in the past that it didn't lock when I accidentally manually locked it but I really wish it would then pin lock within 3-5 seconds.
Does that describe what you are seeing?
Basically, if you manually lock it you do not have to enter a pin code until the auto-lock time has been reached. Or at least sometime longer than 10 seconds.
I have been glad in the past that it didn't lock when I accidentally manually locked it but I really wish it would then pin lock within 3-5 seconds.
Does that describe what you are seeing?
Siri on the lock screen before you login is a feature that can be disabled in the same place where you set your lock screen password.
If you use Siri and request a function that requires the phone to be unlocked she will ask you to unlock phone.
The camera on the lock screen is a convenience/speed of access thing and you can't do anything in the phone with the camera until it is unlocked.
If you use Siri and request a function that requires the phone to be unlocked she will ask you to unlock phone.
The camera on the lock screen is a convenience/speed of access thing and you can't do anything in the phone with the camera until it is unlocked.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
The part I wanted to highlight is that pressing the button on top does not immediately/actually pin-lock the phone.
Sol
Storage is cool
None specifically (I didn't actually handle the phone personally so I didn't try many things) but being able to set alarms and call people were the main trials, we kind of assumed if you could do chargeable things and really annoying things you could probably do anything. It's kind of good that they've thought of some of the issues, but odd that they still seem to have missed some obvious ones. Of your list playing music is the only one that really seems acceptable.
My guess is they've tried to walk a fine line of usability without too much risk of security by providing this functionality. If you use an iPhone and want less risk, you can disable Siri from doing any of that. MaxBurn already mentioned this, but I'll post an image to prove that you can disable Siri from the lock screen if you want to lock down an iPhone 4S even more. I think this option basically nullifies that specific security concern with a slim additional argument that Siri isn't locked from this by default.
You aren't able to do much of any changeable things even when the phone is unlocked. I think this is a wise choice, but it would be nice to be able to train Siri to do certain trainable tasks as a manual option. I'd like to give a command such as "enable/disable radios" to enable wifi and bluetooth and then show Siri what operations to perform when those words are spoken.
You aren't able to do much of any changeable things even when the phone is unlocked. I think this is a wise choice, but it would be nice to be able to train Siri to do certain trainable tasks as a manual option. I'd like to give a command such as "enable/disable radios" to enable wifi and bluetooth and then show Siri what operations to perform when those words are spoken.
If you see the screen capture I just posted, it may be that you have the option called "Require Passcode" not set to immediately so even when you press the button on the top of the phone, it will not lock it immediately. Any time I press the button on the top or if I let the phone sit idle until the point where it blanks the screen, my phone is immediately locked. There is no delay.
ddrueding
Fixture
How did you get such a nice screenshot? With a camera or via HDMI?
The iPhone has the ability to take screen captures. If you press the home button and the close/lock button at the same time, it will capture what is on the screen. The resolution of 640x960 is the native size of the screen on the phone. I then just synch my images using iCloud or email it to myself to get it off the phone.
There are rumors that this is coming in 5.1.x fwiw.
Until then there is jailbreaking, SB settings puts the toggles very easy to get to.
Jailbreaking isn't really an option for most people so in place of that is this:
http://iphoneza.co.za/IconSettings/
This puts in a web clip that basically acts as a springboard icon shortcut straight to the function you want in the settings menu, no messing around digging to the thing you want to do in menus. This is the option I chose.
iphone isn't without its faults, this is the only bug I found though:
The ipod controls on the lock screen messed up on me once, when playing something the play button should change to a pause but that didn't happen so I couldn't pause. If it happens to be stopped I could play it though. In this screenshot it is playing something, can see that in the titlebar. I just don't have a pause button. A reset on the phone fixed it.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
It is true that I forgot about that setting. I have it set to 1 min.
Now I want to be able to see that timeout differently depending on whether its an idle timeout or I press the button.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
It is true that I forgot about that setting. I have it set to 1 min.
Now I want to be able to see that timeout differently depending on whether its an idle timeout or I press the button.
OK, I don't know if they added some functionality since I looked last or I'm just a dunce but the settings are there for what I need.
wneddnce: sheesh.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
Thanks for that. Very helpful. :aok:
OK, I don't know if they added some functionality since I looked last or I'm just a dunce but the settings are there for what I need.
They may have added it recently I don't really know. Even since my 3GS, it's always locked immediately based on my works policy, do I never bothered to look it change it.
Yes, thanks MaxBurn. I've been wanting something like that since I got my first iPhone!
You're welcome. I was jailbroken for the longest time mostly just for SB settings to get things like that but I stumbled across this a couple weeks ago on macrumors.
Unfortunately apple upped their game with the jailbreakers. With quicker and easier delta updates and blocking the shsh replay hack they make it much harder to stay on an older version of the os which is susceptible to a jailbreak. That's actually better for people. On the other hand they stole most of the best ideas in the jailbreak community and made them a part of ios5. Hired some of the guys too. The features they picked up removed most of my reason for jailbreaking. Iconsettings sealed it.
Unfortunately apple upped their game with the jailbreakers. With quicker and easier delta updates and blocking the shsh replay hack they make it much harder to stay on an older version of the os which is susceptible to a jailbreak. That's actually better for people. On the other hand they stole most of the best ideas in the jailbreak community and made them a part of ios5. Hired some of the guys too. The features they picked up removed most of my reason for jailbreaking. Iconsettings sealed it.
Howell
Storage? I am Storage!
I managed to set my notes db to read only when I moved from AT&T to Verizon. So I'm waiting for jailbreakme to catch up so I can just delete the db and let it recreate. What a pain.