[QUOTE=latin_geek;45351774]It's a damn shame MS didn't do much for the X360 pad beyond "hurr buttons play video game". I've come to love the shape and weight, but the fact that there's no official driver for the chatpad and that the audio from the headphone jack is (very low quality) mono is... disappointing.[/QUOTE]
Did they improve the audio quality for the XBOX One? I've tried playing music from the XBOX 360 controller's headset port and it's horrendous.
I've been playing with the Wii U a ton lately, and the audio quality from the controller is great, so I'm wondering if the XBOX One has similar quality.
[QUOTE=Del91;45354858]Cool. My banks website is down and my debit card doesn't work...
I can't even check my balance. I've got a couple bills I just paid that are still processing right now. >:([/QUOTE]
Nearly three hours after my card being declined at the store on my way home from work, I can now log in to my account. Think im gonna go talk to my bank on saturday....
So, why do phones still sound like shit? Why has no new standard replaced it yet, so you can actually distinguish b/p c/g m/n? And how can international calling be so ungodly expensive? There must be a better way than keep using standards from the 80s.
[QUOTE=Warship;45355963]There must be a better way than keep using standards from the 80s.[/QUOTE]
But then they don't make as much money so why would they
Yeah, there HAS to be huge mark-ups involved, unless it takes 5kWh to transmit a goddamn SMS internationally.
[QUOTE=Warship;45355980]Yeah, there HAS to be huge mark-ups involved, unless it takes 5kWh to transmit a goddamn SMS internationally.[/QUOTE]
That's why the EU has started to slap down on that stuff. Just markup and bullshit
[QUOTE=Warship;45355980]Yeah, there HAS to be huge mark-ups involved, unless it takes 5kWh to transmit a goddamn SMS internationally.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE]The cost of the Mars Global Surveyor probe was roughly 200 million USD for the satellite and launch, plus 20 million per year. So, 400 million USD. It operated for nine years, transmitting at an assumed average of 42,667 bps. Assuming it transmitted 24/7, that comes down to 42,667 × 3,600 × 24 × 365 × 9 / 8 / 1,024 / 1,024 / 1,024 = 1,410 gigabytes of data at a cost of 400 million dollars, or roughly 284,000 US dollars per gigabyte. That number includes the cost of the actual Mars probe and its launch, as well as the cost of the NASA crew handling its journey to Mars for almost a year before it started transmitting.
The charge for sending an SMS text message next door is about 5 USD cents (let’s use the same currency for simpliticy’s sake). Each text message is 140 bytes. This means that there are 1,024 × 1,024 × 1,024 / 140 = 7.67 million text messages per gigabyte. Multiplying this number by 0.05 gives us that the traffic charge when sending an SMS text message next door is 383,000 US dollars per gigabyte.[/QUOTE]
I'm not too educated on telecommunication, I thought the only reason using your phone service in another country is expensive is because you're basically "borrowing" another provider's network, which your own provider then has to pay. I didn't know the transmissions ever left earth, thought it was all done through underground lines/long distance radio signals.
But regardless, the internet has made most phone technology obsolete a long time ago. Why would I [I]ever[/I] use the low-quality and expensive phone line when I can make a call using Skype/facebook messenger/tin cans and get way better sound for free? (Free as in, you need an internet connection but it doesn't cost extra).
[QUOTE=Warship;45355963]So, why do phones still sound like shit? Why has no new standard replaced it yet, so you can actually distinguish b/p c/g m/n? And how can international calling be so ungodly expensive? There must be a better way than keep using standards from the 80s.[/QUOTE]
Unless you want to rip up millions of miles of cables and infrastructure and invest hundreds of millions, if not billions funding the overhaul you not going to see it. Also, I would like to point out those 80's standards (and some of them even older) are near bulletproof and there's no point replacing them just for a cleaner line. The only reason we saw enhancements in the late 20th century was to improve modem connection reliability. Now that modems are being phased out of consumer life there's is no point to improve line quality.
But can't you use the same lines, just with better compression tech, resulting in better sound?
Landline phones barely exist in homes anymore, I'm mainly talking about cellphones.
[QUOTE=Warship;45356714]I'm not too educated on telecommunication, I thought the only reason using your phone service in another country is expensive is because you're basically "borrowing" another provider's network, which your own provider then has to pay. I didn't know the transmissions ever left earth, thought it was all done through underground lines/long distance radio signals.[/QUOTE]
I was pointing out that it costs more to send data over SMS than it does to send data to Mars because of the huge markup. :v:
[QUOTE=Warship;45356937]Landline phones barely exist in homes anymore, I'm mainly talking about cellphones.[/QUOTE]
I still rely on a landline sometimes.
[QUOTE=Warship;45356937]Landline phones barely exist in homes anymore, I'm mainly talking about cellphones.[/QUOTE]
It comes down to bandwidth. You can you can increase the bitrate which will improve the call quality but it means the cell tower can handle less concurrent connections. Technically right now cell phones run at a lower bitrate than landline phones to maximize the number of phones that a tower can manage.
In the Netherlands, Vodafone has introduced HDVoice this month. On 3g networks the sound quality is so much better now, you don't get that typical 'phonevoice' anymore.
I opened a broken hdd, is the plate the HDD writes on in any way toxic?
[QUOTE=Killuah;45357104]I opened a broken hdd, is the plate the HDD writes on in any way toxic?[/QUOTE]
No, it's normally aluminum, glass or ceramic with some oxide, but they tend to be delicate, only risk is getting cut or a shard flying into your eye. I think...
[QUOTE=Killuah;45357104]I opened a broken hdd, is the plate the HDD writes on in any way toxic?[/QUOTE]
They're just plain aluminium or glass with some ceramic crap on it, i've touched plenty with my face and didn't die yet
Glass platter hard drives look amazing when they suffer a full surface crash.
[img]http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/crash/orig_pics/IMG_0251.JPG[/img]
[QUOTE=pentium;45357187]Glass platter hard drives look amazing when they suffer a full surface crash.
[img]http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ken/crash/orig_pics/IMG_0251.JPG[/img][/QUOTE]
Are they still used normally in drives or have they been superseded.
[QUOTE=MrThompson;45357058]In the Netherlands, Vodafone has introduced HDVoice this month. On 3g networks the sound quality is so much better now, you don't get that typical 'phonevoice' anymore.[/QUOTE]
Multiple carriers did the same thing here. Not tried it yet though, i almost never call anyone anymore. I mainly use text or chat
[QUOTE=Warship;45355963]So, why do phones still sound like shit? Why has no new standard replaced it yet, so you can actually distinguish b/p c/g m/n? And how can international calling be so ungodly expensive? There must be a better way than keep using standards from the 80s.[/QUOTE]
Could be worse. CDMA phones have even [I]worse[/I] audio quality IMO. They quite literally, haven't left 1996 (seriously, both Verizon and Sprint still use 2G for calls). Its such a horrible codec, I have to ask people to repeat what they are saying simply because their words were garbled (and not because of connection issues, it simply sounds like your talking through a tin can).
Seriously, when we still had a GSM carrier, I could noticeably tell when I was talking to Verizon customers, the audio was that bad. GSM and landline calls were far clearer in comparison, and sometimes good enough to play music through. Whatever compression CDMA uses makes music an unintellible mess.
A friend and I had to call a number to give the manufacturer some details, and they still got my friend's name wrong despite having us repeat and spell it three times.
Oh, and fuck hidden numbers. They should be banned, they're 30% the reason I hate conventional phone technology.
[QUOTE=Warship;45358025]Oh, and fuck hidden numbers. They should be banned, they're 30% the reason I hate conventional phone technology.[/QUOTE]
Apparently there's a service test feature on the 3G Galaxy Note 8, but I've the WiFi version (N5110) so how would I access it... Not great thinking for Samsung now, is it?
[QUOTE=Amiga OS;45358020][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbJ4sWt-PqU[/media]
Who the hell would buy this?[/QUOTE]
For a certain market segment I can see android working as a desktop operating system. Though I don't think it necessarily needs to be a primarily touch device.
I've got Linux machines in the houses of pensioners and they love them. Fast and for the most part self maintaining. I can see how android with its app catalog and device support could work with a bit of tweaking.
That device is a joke though.
Frankly, these days I'd hand them an iPad and be done. These people just want to give their grand kids a call on Skype and aimlessly wander around Facebook.
[QUOTE=Amiga OS;45358020][media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbJ4sWt-PqU[/media]
Who the hell would buy this?[/QUOTE]
Decent idea, very poor execution. It looks like they simply flashed stock Android and that's about it. It really needs a custom skin for desktop use. Of course, since it doubles as a monitor, why not just use a PC.
[QUOTE=MrThompson;45357058]In the Netherlands, Vodafone has introduced HDVoice this month. On 3g networks the sound quality is so much better now, you don't get that typical 'phonevoice' anymore.[/QUOTE]
Sprint has this too, its actually really nice, but it only works if the other person is a sprint customer too.
[QUOTE=Warship;45356937]Landline phones barely exist in homes anymore, I'm mainly talking about cellphones.[/QUOTE]
Seems to vary between country to country, I'm in the UK and yet to know anyone who has cut their landline phone. I would like my parents to get rid of our landline phone but it looks like I'm not going to get my way any time soon.
[QUOTE=Genericenemy;45358673]Seems to vary between country to country, I'm in the UK and yet to know anyone who has cut their landline phone. I would like my parents to get rid of our landline phone but it looks like I'm not going to get my way any time soon.[/QUOTE]
My mum keeps talking about getting rid of the landline, but she refuses to change her contact number for her bank and other companies. They're the only people who phone the landline.
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