Showing 11 - 20 of 29
Look before loading
Life, James Hein, Published on 01/06/2016
» Loading a couple of Android apps on the new tablet, I was about to load Facebook before I stopped to read the permissions required, something unnecessary if you use a PC. The list is 56 items long and reading through them it seemed to be about the same as holding your computer out in the street and saying: "Take me". One question I have is: "How many people actually read the required-permissions list?" Some scary permissions you might miss include "Find accounts on the device" and "Send email to guests without owner's knowledge". Then there is "Read your text messages", "Modify or delete contents of your USB storage", "Record audio" and "Full network access".
Size counts in the world of IT
Life, James Hein, Published on 04/05/2016
» When it comes to implementing systems, it is all about scale. If you have ever been a system tester you will know that what works one at a time may not work well if a whole bunch of them are processed all at once. Those who have ever used an old fashioned typewriter will understand this. Volume testing and scalability of system is one of the biggest problems a development testing team faces.
Windows 10 seems a success story
Life, James Hein, Published on 04/11/2015
» It has been a while now and the feedback on Windows 10 has generally been positive. I know a few people that have taken advantage of the free upgrade offer and with few exceptions they have been satisfied with the results, including those that have been critical of versions 8.x. As I have mentioned previously, getting a replacement Start menu is helpful. Another thing to do before upgrading is to check that there are Windows 10 device drivers for all of your hardware. This may require a visit to the websites of the manufacturer of your peripherals especially for printers, scanners and music interface devices. If they don't have them then you may have a problem.
Xiaomi sale nets B11bn
Life, James Hein, Published on 22/04/2015
» In a recent Asian sale the Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi sold more than 2 million phones and a range of other electronic devices including over 200,000 MI Bands (like a FitBit). Leveraging off new deals in India they did all of this and more in a 12 hour period. Xiaomi was also smart enough to apply localisation features and add software relevant to the local markets to their phones, something others have often failed to do well. The total received for the sale over the period was around 11 billion baht across India, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Xiaomi Redmi ticks all the boxes
Life, James Hein, Published on 18/02/2015
» So after a few weeks use of the Xiaomi Redmi 5.5-inch phone, which cost me about 6,500 baht shipped, for the price this seems an excellent product. It has a removable battery, supports a Micro SD card up to 64GB and comes with a 13MP camera. It supports 4G and connects quite well to Wi-Fi networks. It has a 720 x 1280 pixel screen which gives a pixel density of about 267, so it is not as sharp as units three times the price but still works well. Battery life is quite good, supporting all day use driving Android 4.4. With a quad core CPU it is snappy enough for most tasks. GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct round out the functionality with even FM support included. The price-per-function ratio is therefore very high for a 4G device. For the majority, this kind of phone will be fine for making calls and usual smartphone functionality. Best of all it uses a non Samsung-ed version of Android minus all those add-ons I find annoying. As usual shop around and make up your own mind.
Microsoft operating way behind
Life, James Hein, Published on 10/12/2014
» Remember that prediction from last week about the Microsoft mobile operating system taking over? According to Huawei, Windows Phone has never been a good option for hardware partners; it has not made any money with this platform. One problem appears to be the issue of independent development for this platform resulting in high R&D costs. To be fair to Microsoft, they have been all but giving the OS away in recent times to entice device manufacturers to adopt their platform but usability is still an issue for some. Microsoft has also had some wins at the lower end of the market with the newer Lumina range. The problem is that by the time things get up to the higher end of the market, dominated by Apple and Android devices, Microsoft cannot compete. There is a new version of the OS due out but unless this is somehow magnificent for consumers and developers, Microsoft will be facing the same issues.
New camera is weighing on my mind
Life, James Hein, Published on 24/09/2014
» I've had it for a while now so I finally decided to upgrade my SLR camera. After some research I decided on a Nikon D5300. Nikon, because that's the brand of the lenses and other camera accessories I already own; and the D5300 because it's lightweight and has all the latest features found in mid-range models. If I was going to match my old D200 I probably would've gone for the D7100 which has more knobs that I will ever need and is also a lot heavier.
Tablet sales a bitter pill for top firms
Life, James Hein, Published on 14/05/2014
» According to International Data Corporation analysts, tablet sales are starting to flatten and are not making the latest estimated quarterly shipments. There is still some growth, but nothing like the previous steep rise. Hit hardest was Apple, dropping from 40% to under 33% of the total market share. Second was Samsung, which went from 18% to a bit over 22%. Lenovo also jumped, but was still fourth behind Asus that saw a drop of almost 3%. As predicted, the boom time for tablets is almost over. Let’s see where they are at the end of the year.
A sexy new way to pay
Life, James Hein, Published on 05/02/2014
» Forget PayPal, what you really need is at least as The Register in the UK quaintly puts it "pay by bonk". Using the system, you knock your smartphone against another smartphone or device in a store to transfer funds from one account to another. A new payment system is also being planned at Apple, who wants to lead the near field communications (NFC) race. It will no doubt heavily feature the iTunes store (i.e. you pay money into your iTunes account and then use that to purchase items in the real world). This could essentially work like an iTunes-based debit card. Remember, however, that these NFC payment systems are also subject to those of a more unsavoury nature passing close to you and grabbing some cash for themselves. It is early days yet, but I expect that this will turn into a real issue. As for me, I bought myself a woven stainless steel wallet that acts as a Faraday cage. You could also just wrap it in tin foil, I suppose.
Smartphone makers throw a curve
Life, James Hein, Published on 16/10/2013
» The internet is an amazing resource. Boasting around 40 billion pages and with exabytes of data, it contains a huge amount of information provided by a multitude of sources. One problem is that a lot of this information is unverified or consists of personal observations and opinions. Despite this, there appears to be a growing trend that the first result received when performing a Web search is the one used to find the answer to a question.