28/09/2010

Important Update!

As you have have been informed, or noticed, I am now using mrbeardo.net as the new URL & host for my blog.

I will be keeping britishboredom.co.uk.

The reason why all this is happening is because Blogger would no longer work using FTP, and it was alot easier to buy a new domain from Google through Blogger, as they recommended.

So here it is, a newly redesigned blog!

Also, I have changed my twitter username from @bengoddard to @beardo_net

22/09/2010

Making Android phones is "like peeing yourself" says Nokia boss | Crave | CNET UK

Making Android phones is "like peeing yourself" says Nokia boss | Crave | CNET UK: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Nokia's Firmware and OS is a joke

Nokia are full of ignorance, they bite the hand that feeds, their customers. Well they have a chest burster of a problem now. They didn't listen, they didn't stick to or develop a structured plan and grew hate from within, then they chucked the whole lot away without talking to anyone first, and decided to get inexperienced but good people to fix their problem by starting from scratch, and destroying some of the good things left the people really did like to have with it.

I think that really, they hate themselves, but just won't admit it.

I have had two of Nokia's flagship phones, because at the time the hardware itself was fantastic engineering with great potential. I found myself getting them both replaced or repaired many times (N95/97) due to the terrible reliability and unfix-ably buggy software. And sometimes because of the terribly debilitating updates.

At one point, they seemed to have worked things out with their newly adopted Open-source software and OS, with some worthwhile and long awaited problem fixing updates.

I actually gave my N95 to a friend when I got the N97, and they still use it today despite power drainage problems. I regret it now because I actually think that was the better phone despite it being older.
You could simply do more with it, despite the not having a qwerty keyboard and (unreliable) touchscreen.

The N97 had a self harming camera lens cover, that i was eventually able to get corrected & replaced by Nokia under warranty. All seemed good for a while with my N97, but then yet again they started fiddling around with it all, the firmware, the software, the way you get your applications, even the sorry excuse for what they called widgets,even though everything was fine, replacing perfectly good and even revolutionary software & services, and and replacing them with seemingly untested, unhinged, settings wiping, data destroying updates and replacements.
By this time I had had enough. I was so fed up with the freezing the unexplainable and uncontrollable battery drains, the backup & memory corruptions, the pathetic amount of ROM, and the general slowness, and general loss of potential that I just had to put Nokia in a drawer. If someone had stolen that phone, I would have wished them luck selling it to anyone who'd used or heard about the reputation of most N Series Nokias, and felt a great weight lifted.

Now I use Android, and what a relief,
I'm not a fanboy by any stretch, I also like the idea of other phones and mobile platforms;

The iPhone (I have a well used iPod Touch and Classic)
I love the the way the software has a streamline flow feel to it, and how everything is simple to do unless you get an extra "app" to do more stuff or more advanced stuff.
The games are brill, and the hardware beautiful and sophisticated, yet sometimes easily scratched and cracked.
It's a shame people have to "Jailbreak" them from the OS 4.0's restrictive behaviour, (like not having custom ring/message tones at one point) just to get the most out of the hardware's potential. I can understand Apple only do this to keep people loyal to their personally approved software and for user protection.
Apart from it's extremely high price tag, scarily expensive network tariffs, and the restricted OS, these are ideal for the average family member and travelling office worker or stock broker / dealer.

I also like Sony Ericsson phones, they often make mistakes but quickly fix them, and, apart from hearing from a few people about the plastic they use is incredibly brittle and snappable, their software is always innovative and fast, and they are great on the media side.

Samsung/Motorola:
I've never liked the software on these phones, the phones seemed almost disposable.
Even when my mother or auntie have handed me theirs to do something they can't I become infuriated or baffled by the messy and sometimes daft organisation of menus!
With a Samsung, it sometimes felt like they were trying to run windows 95 style "start" style menus on a screen just too small to make it useful, well at least since I last used one. But now with the Galaxy series phones, they seem to have realised the errors of their ways, and made a swift recovery from almost certain doom.

Motorola software always seemed to use as much hardware features as possible, but with the minimum quality hardware or features possible, and I have often found features and functions for things that aren't even there. I remember a phone which had no bluetooth, yet the OS still insisted the phone did until it was 'unable to send/receive'. Sometimes the features are too simple and would easily bore me away from using the phone. I have no idea what they are up to now, but I really hope they make good use of memory expansion slots and have a ROM you can fit more than 20 photos and 30 messages in.

One day Samsung and Motorola will realise that it's not always shiny and interestingly shaped " DJ" and video phones that will win loyalty, but feature rich functionality.

Android
Now, that is a great idea, okay so it was slow to take off and not well known at first, even now, but the fact that it, like apple's OS, is simple, but not as restrictive. Probably because it is designed not for it's own brand of hardware, but pretty much anything with a touch screen interface. The amount of home made and corporate/commercial tools and software is incredible and most of the time really do take as much advantage of the phone's potential as possible, and even better, HTC like to make it even better with their own additions just for their phones!

LG/Other
I love LGs and Alcatels and generally other phones do what they say on the tin. I still love the LG u890, that was before its time on the 3 network.

I hope this was useful to you, it was more of a rant that might have entertained you but I just had to get it out of my system being a high maintenance gadget & computer freak/geek and all.

Bye for now!

15/09/2010

TV Trade Ins

Sony TV Scrappage Scheme | Sony TV Trade In: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

I have about 3 Televisions now, only one that I use properly, so why not trade them

09/09/2010

The British Boredom Foundation

And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree,
there will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see,
there will be an answer. let it be.

The British Boredom Foundation: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"