The Spec Sheet

[Ms. C]

My cell phone contract is up ... I had a windows phone .. which I really never liked ... had an iPhone before ... but listened to the guy at the shoppe and went for Nokia's Window  chit ... now that is over (thank goodness)!!!!! and I'm deciding what to buy ... I am leaning on iPhone again ... but keep hearing all types of cons for every 'pro'

Also, I am needing a tablet, so have been researching and thinking of iPad ... but again, there is much in research --- a 'con' for each 'pro'.

First, I must figure out what I need from tablet (and phone) -- well, I'm still doing these 12 hour shifts at the data center, holidays, other peeps vacations (yes, eventually my time will come ... but right now, I'm point ... BLAH) ... so I need to treat myself ... sorry, but its the only way I can keep myself sane by being nice to ME ... Currently, I don't have a tablet (a Nook e-reader, yes,  but no actual computer TABLET).  My Lenovo laptop, a bit big to schlep around all the time -- hence, my interest in a tablet. 

Could some of you give me a little feed-back of what you have as far as cell phone and tablet type device and are you satisfied with your choices ... I appreciate your feedback!

Ms. C 

[McPhallus]

iPhone 5 and iPad Air here.  Pretty happy with both.  The complaints that the tech people have with Apple may or may not be relevant to you.  Think about what's important to *you* and don't worry too much about the platform zealots.

My cell phone contract is up ... I had a windows phone .. which I really never liked ... had an iPhone before ... but listened to the guy at the shoppe and went for Nokia's Window  chit ... now that is over (thank goodness)!!!!! and I'm deciding what to buy ... I am leaning on iPhone again ... but keep hearing all types of cons for every 'pro'

Also, I am needing a tablet, so have been researching and thinking of iPad ... but again, there is much in research --- a 'con' for each 'pro'.

First, I must figure out what I need from tablet (and phone) -- well, I'm still doing these 12 hour shifts at the data center, holidays, other peeps vacations (yes, eventually my time will come ... but right now, I'm point ... BLAH) ... so I need to treat myself ... sorry, but its the only way I can keep myself sane by being nice to ME ... Currently, I don't have a tablet (a Nook e-reader, yes,  but no actual computer TABLET).  My Lenovo laptop, a bit big to schlep around all the time -- hence, my interest in a tablet. 

Could some of you give me a little feed-back of what you have as far as cell phone and tablet type device and are you satisfied with your choices ... I appreciate your feedback!

Ms. C 

[jazmunda]

Most on here are rabid Fandroids but I'll second the iPhone/iPad combination. Bonus points for an iMac or MacBook Pro.

[cweb]

moar spec sheet fodder

Report: Apple Planning 'Smart Home' System Debut at WWDC
Apple is planning to introduce a smart home concept at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference, according to a report.

The Financial Times says the company is planning to showcase a system that lets users control their lights, appliances and security systems with their iPhones when the conference kicks off June 2. The rumored introduction comes after Google purchased Nest Labs, a smart thermostat started by former Apple execs Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, for $2.8 billion in January.

http://mashable.com/2014/05/26/apple-smart-home-wwdc/

perhaps someone can then ransomware the entire home instead of just their iphone/pad .

we all knew this was coming. some cracker gains access to a number of icloud accounts, and makes some ransomware to lock people out of the device(s).thank you apple for providing the means to do so.
judging by the shear numbers of icloud locked devices on ebay (thousands it seems, cant all be stolen), it cannot be unlocked except by apple and not an apple store,unless they have a programmer to reprogram the motherboard to a default state. note this is not the same as itunes. the programmer will not check for previous data. it will simply overwrite what is there,without asking any questions. used at the apple factory (foxcon) to install the apple software initially.

Hmm, Crestron (among others) already do a lot of lighting, A/V, and other appliance controls via their control systems. And they have an Apple device app already. Only rub is that the hardware/ install are expensive.
(http://www.crestron.com/markets/home_theater_and_whole_house_home_automation/)

I'd be interested to see Apple's price points. And concerned that my user base (academia) will want these to replace the far more robust systems we use at work because the label is "cooler."

[MV/Liberace!]

My cell phone contract is up ... I had a windows phone .. which I really never liked ... had an iPhone before ... but listened to the guy at the shoppe and went for Nokia's Window  chit ... now that is over (thank goodness)!!!!! and I'm deciding what to buy ... I am leaning on iPhone again ... but keep hearing all types of cons for every 'pro'

Also, I am needing a tablet, so have been researching and thinking of iPad ... but again, there is much in research --- a 'con' for each 'pro'.

First, I must figure out what I need from tablet (and phone) -- well, I'm still doing these 12 hour shifts at the data center, holidays, other peeps vacations (yes, eventually my time will come ... but right now, I'm point ... BLAH) ... so I need to treat myself ... sorry, but its the only way I can keep myself sane by being nice to ME ... Currently, I don't have a tablet (a Nook e-reader, yes,  but no actual computer TABLET).  My Lenovo laptop, a bit big to schlep around all the time -- hence, my interest in a tablet. 

Could some of you give me a little feed-back of what you have as far as cell phone and tablet type device and are you satisfied with your choices ... I appreciate your feedback!

Ms. C 

i couldn't be happier with my galaxy s5.  give it a look, and on the tablet side, take a look at google's nexus 10 or nexus 7 (depending on the screen size you prefer).  i wouldn't recommend any android tablet other than the nexus line.

[wr250]

im real happy with my note3 . its a huge phone bordering on tablet size.

[MV/Liberace!]

im real happy with my note3 . its a huge phone bordering on tablet size.

yes, another great choice. 

[wr250]

is the stream at ufoship still down? i like listening to the repeats .

[cweb]

I've enjoyed my Galaxy S4 quite a bit. My brother loves his Note (forget which one, but a newer model). One of my friends came back to Android with the Moto X and is really satisfied. I would also consider looking at that.

All the folks I know who've converted from iPhone recently are really happy with how easy it is to put stuff on their Android devices, as well as the range of options for configuring apps and the like.

My personal debate right now is whether I want to purchase a new laptop, build a gaming PC, or build a simple PC while buying a PS4. Since funds are currently short, I have time to think about it.

[MV/Liberace!]

is the stream at ufoship still down? i like listening to the repeats .

sorry about that.  it's up now.

[MV/Liberace!]

All the folks I know who've converted from iPhone recently are really happy with how easy it is to put stuff on their Android devices, as well as the range of options for configuring apps and the like.

that's always been one of the big selling points for me.  i never liked the hoops required to get data on or off of an iDevice.

[jazmunda]

that's always been one of the big selling points for me.  i never liked the hoops required to get data on or off of an iDevice.

I must be a really good gymnast because I've never had a problem jumping through the hoops.

[MV/Liberace!]

I must be a really good gymnast because I've never had a problem jumping through the hoops.

does an iphone behave as an external drive when you plug it into a computer?  and do you then have access to photos and videos without using itunes?  that wasn't the case before, unless something has changed.

[wr250]

does an iphone behave as an external drive when you plug it into a computer?  and do you then have access to photos and videos without using itunes?  that wasn't the case before, unless something has changed.

an ipod nano 7th gen does on linux. havent  tried a iphone/ipad yet.
although need to mount it as root.

[jazmunda]

does an iphone behave as an external drive when you plug it into a computer?  and do you then have access to photos and videos without using itunes?  that wasn't the case before, unless something has changed.

No but I find using an iPhone/iPad with a Mac and it's associated software to be a lot smoother than with a Windows machine. I guess that's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

[Jackstar]

No but I find using an iPhone/iPad with a Mac and it's associated software to be a lot smoother than with a Windows machine. I guess that's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

Try right-clicking on something.

[jazmunda]

Try right-clicking on something.

You shouldn't believe all conspiracy theories.

http://m.wikihow.com/Right-Click-on-a-Mac

[wr250]

‘Using TrueCrypt Is Not Secure’
The anonymous developers responsible for building and maintaining the free whole-disk encryption suite TrueCrypt apparently threw in the towel this week, shuttering the TrueCrypt site and warning users that the product is no longer secure now that Microsoft has ended support for Windows XP.

tcSometime in the last 24 hours, truecrypt.org began forwarding visitors to the program’s home page on sourceforge.net, a Web-based source code repository. That page includes instructions for helping Windows users transition drives protected by TrueCrypt over to BitLocker, the proprietary disk encryption program that ships with every Windows version (Ultimate/Enterprise or Pro) since Vista. The page also includes this ominous warning:

“WARNING: Using TrueCrypt is not secure as it may contain unfixed security issues”

“This page exists only to help migrate existing data encrypted by TrueCrypt.”

“The development of TrueCrypt was ended in 5/2014 after Microsoft terminated support of Windows XP. Windows 8/7/Vista and later offer integrated support for encrypted disks and virtual disk images. Such integrated support is also available on other platforms (click here for more information). You should migrate any data encrypted by TrueCrypt to encrypted disks or virtual disk images supported on your platform.”

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/05/true-goodbye-using-truecrypt-is-not-secure/

looks like the true crypt team has tossed in the towel.

[Jackstar]

You shouldn't believe all conspiracy theories.

http://m.wikihow.com/Right-Click-on-a-Mac

Oh, I'm well aware that you can use two digits to do what I can do with one. Quite well aware.

[zeebo]

‘Using TrueCrypt Is Not Secure’...
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2014/05/true-goodbye-using-truecrypt-is-not-secure/

wtf I thought this was one of the best open-source projects out there, with fantastic encryption.  Was I wrong?  The article implies that because the developers kept their identities hidden that maybe their code wasn't legit, and that the real reason they may be shutting down is that an external audit on the code was being organized. 

My conspiracy-leaning mind has me wondering if TC could be some kind of covert spying tool by some shadowy agency.  But I thought that's what open-source was partly about, to avoid such possible pitfalls of proprietary software that can have hidden back doors etc.

[MV/Liberace!]

No but I find using an iPhone/iPad with a Mac and it's associated software to be a lot smoother than with a Windows machine. I guess that's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

yeah, at that point, it just becomes a simple matter of preference.

[Jackstar]

yeah, at that point, it just becomes a simple matter of preference a willingness to pay an exorbitant surcharge to use slave-produced proprietary hardware.

Do you know why Apple pioneered the single button mouse? Hang on, there's a YouTube video around here somewhere...

[wr250]

Do you know why Apple pioneered the single button mouse? Hang on, there's a YouTube video around here somewhere...

hate to break this to you, the single button mouse was around in the late 60's.

[Jackstar]

Do you know why Apple pioneered the marketing of the single button mouse? Hang on, there's a YouTube video around here somewhere...

Fixed. You owe me three dozen yak. Make sure they all have good teeth and strong backs--I'm taking them over to your mother's field tomorrow.

To plow it.

[jazmunda]

Oh, I'm well aware that you can use two digits to do what I can do with one. Quite well aware.

I don't need to tell you where you can stick that digit.

[Tarbaby]

If memory serves trucrypt had been thoroughly vetted. Also checked out by Gibson research.

[cweb]

hate to break this to you, the single button mouse was around in the late 60's.

Yep. The first prototype of a mouse had a single button.


That said, I likes my two buttons. Now three buttons? That's just fuckin' weird.
The mouse wheel does not count, even if you can click it...

[cweb]

Interesting article on the NSA's (in)ability to turn on/off your mobile phone. http://www.tomsguide.com/us/nsa-remotely-turn-on-phones,news-18854.html

Smartphones actually have two computers in them: a baseband processor (the "phone" part that deals with radio waves) and the operating-system processor, which runs iOS, Android or Windows Phone and controls apps and the rest of what you see on the phone's screen. When you use your phone, you're interacting with the operating system, not the baseband.

When you power your phone off, you're shutting down the operating system. But are you turning the baseband processor off as well?
...
It's very unclear. Jonathan Zdziarski, a Boston-area independent security expert who specializes in retrieving information from iPhones, says that today's baseband chips may very well remain active even when a phone is powered down.

"The baseband has to be programmed to remain in a ready state while the device is powered off," Zdziarski told Tom's Guide. "I can't tell you with any certainty if that's how the iPhone baseband is programmed."

"The baseband could be programmed so, while the power source is connected, it stays in a ready mode," he said. "That seems to be at least a plausible assumption based on, and only based on, a number of other articles citing FBI and CIA and the agencies that have been able to locate these devices while they're turned off."
...
Accessing a phone's operating system from its baseband "requires a whole new set of exploits, which sometimes won't work," wrote Graham.

He argued that it's safe to assume that most phones are safe from remote activation. The NSA may be looking for such vulnerabilities, but that doesn't mean it always has them.

Soooo, basically... Maybe?? The article admits that the NSA would have to actively try to get into your phone. Unless there's something the vendors aren't telling us...?

[Jackstar]

It's very unclear.

How is that 'unclear'? It's obvious. Also, Jack Bauer on 24 has been telling people to remove their cellphone batteries for years.

[wr250]

If memory serves trucrypt had been thoroughly vetted. Also checked out by Gibson research.

openssl was supposed to  be thoroughly vetted as well, look what happened there.