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Posts: 186 | Thanked: 56 times | Joined on Mar 2008
#441
Originally Posted by jethro.itt View Post
Actually, even a lowly iBook from 2003 does have limited multitouch capability (using a third-party driver): the two-finger scroll as well as two-finger tap for secondary button press. And let me tell you, it was a revelation when I first tried it, after using regular touchpads and trackpoints on PC laptops for so long.
The touchpad on my budget / performance Asus notebook does that just fine. Actually, MANY Synaptic touchpads support multi finger gestures; it's just that their Windows drivers are useless. In Linux, I have had two fingers to right click for ages. In the last year the driver has supported two-finger scrolling for my model, too. It now does this out of the box.
In addition, the previous Macbook also supported this except for the useless pinching and rotating gestures. (Which never seem to work anyway).
Oh, and my driver offers circular scrolling (iPod style), which is kind of cool but means sacrificing a corner of precious touchpad to become a scrolling hotspot.

The Synaptic driver for Windows purportedly supports gestures now (finally), but I could never get it to work. Probably involves opening the terminal (oops - sorry, the Run dialog) and typing in some incomprehensible commands :P

Thus, Apple, again did not invent "multitouch".


As for a small tablet like the N900, I also would prefer a sensitive resistive screen to a capacitive screen. By sensitive, I also happen to mean really pressure sensitive. This would allow for better web browser controls, for example. (An extremely light tap could be used to select stuff). You don't need multi-fingered gestures to improve usability. Just lots of user testing and focussed design with a reliable input mechanism.

Last edited by Picklesworth; 2009-08-23 at 16:03.
 
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#442
Originally Posted by Espoo888 View Post
T-Mobile UK are offering unlimited data for a £7.50 monthly add on fee - that's not that much.
No, that's quite reasonable, but I'd like to see the small print and the baseline you'd have to add-on to.

Here in Spain the lowest rate you can get is a data only sim for 29€ limited to 5GB (after that the speed is reduced to 128Kbps).
The same company also offers a voice+data sim, but with that you'll pay 5.8€ up to 500Mb, then it's 10cents for each megabyte.
You can get apparently lower rates from other companies, but they're very limited (like, 100MB or so).
And none of the above works if you travel abroad (it'll actually works if you're willing to pay your entire wage in roaming charges).
 
Posts: 38 | Thanked: 72 times | Joined on Aug 2009 @ Finland
#443
Yeah mobile data costs still suck - but the technology is here to stay and prices will fall. I can't imagine a life without unlimited 3G/HSPA for web surfing, file transfers, internet radio, real time maps, podcasts, YouTube, etc. The N900 will just make it all even sweeter

Also, the lack of multi-tasking on the iPhone really starts to show up when you have access to always on high bandwidth data services - try listening to internet radio whilst using the GPS in your car on an iPhone...not possible. Or if you stop at a gas station and want to check your email or surf the net you have to shut down your GPS route mapping software and start all over again when you're ready to set off. Form over function I say!
 

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#444
Originally Posted by Espoo888 View Post
Yeah mobile data costs still suck - but the technology is here to stay and prices will fall.
Aren't there any new technologies we should keep an eye on, to replace today's GSM?... I've heard some rumors. What communications technology will Nokia's 2011 phoneblet/tablone carry?

Is there a wimax somewhere in the future?
 

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#445
Originally Posted by nwerneck View Post
Aren't there any new technologies we should keep an eye on, to replace today's GSM?... I've heard some rumors. What communications technology will Nokia's 2011 phoneblet/tablone carry?

Is there a wimax somewhere in the future?
/me likes that names: phoneblet/tablone... tablone reminds me of that

i think at least here in germany HSDPA and its successors are the future... not WIMAX.
 
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#446
Originally Posted by nwerneck View Post
Is there a wimax somewhere in the future?
WiMAX was in the tablet family's recent past.

But there's always LTE...
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Posts: 3,397 | Thanked: 1,212 times | Joined on Jul 2008 @ Netherlands
#447
Imagine multi touch on this photo intead of the current interface. http://www.aguntherphotography.com/m...chu_222mp.html
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#448
Originally Posted by Espoo888 View Post
T-Mobile UK are offering unlimited data for a £7.50 monthly add on fee - that's not that much.
I cannot find this offer on t-mobile uk website.
The most similar one is this one (that's 5 pounds more than the plan without internet) and this is the small print:

Offer extended. Join Solo 20, 25,30 or 35 by visiting us in store, calling us or through the T-Mobile online store before 31 August 2009 and you'll get free unlimited texts for as long as you continuously stay on your chosen plan. The free texts are the same type as your inclusive ones. You may lose your free texts if you move price plan, renew or upgrade your plan. You'll also get internet on your phone included every month at no extra cost for as long as you continuously stay on this plan. You may lose your internet if you move from, renew or upgrade your price plan.

You'll need internet coverage, check it at t-mobile.co.uk/streetcheck. Remember that you can only use internet on your phone in the UK and you can't use your phone as a modem or use your internet for peer to peer file sharing, instant messaging (except if you have a Sidekick) or making internet phone calls.

This option comes with a fair use policy of 1GB a month. We'll monitor how much you send and receive each calendar month so that we can protect our network for all our customers. If you use more than your fair use policy amount, we won't charge you any more, but we may restrict how you can use your plan, depending on how often you go over your amount and by how much.
And they call it unlimited.....
 
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Posts: 3,397 | Thanked: 1,212 times | Joined on Jul 2008 @ Netherlands
#449
Originally Posted by Espoo888 View Post
From a pure technological point of view why would anyone not want always on high bandwidth connectivity in their device? In Finland and much of Europe we can buy devices without contracts and unlimited 3G/HSPA data plans are very reasonable. The networks are also very good.
1) Price (pre-paid or contract)
2) Performance (bandwidth, latency, availability of network, overbooking)
3) Always-on not needed nor part of user experience (for whatever reason).
4) Privacy (e.g. N800 is harder to track)
5) Roaming costs (yours truelly burned 400 EUR for 30 MB in Serbia, Europe )

Overbooking requires special mention. You say 'unlimited data plans'. There is no such thing as unlimited data, let alone unlimited data plans. There is always overbooking and some kind of FUP. Just, 'unlimited data' means either 1) vague FUP 2) very high price, targetted at corporate users.
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Posts: 38 | Thanked: 72 times | Joined on Aug 2009 @ Finland
#450
Yeah I know - mobile data is still quite expensive - my point is that the technology rocks and the trends are all broadly but strongly moving in the right direction

- network coverage, capacities and bandwidth are increasing

- 3G/HSDPA/HSUPA chipsets are being integrated into an increasing percentage of devices and at lower price points

- data prices are coming down and will fall significantly in the next 5-10 years

I know that I'm really lucky - I have one of those all you can eat corporate plans in Finland and they actually have good networks with enough capacity here - I regularly clock 750Kb/s whilst out and about with my E71

But this is the future - one day, not so long from now, having a MID without 3G/HSPA connectivity will feel like having a PC with a 56K modem

And anyway, even if your data plan sucks its still good to have the option to use a fast data connection if you really need it.
 
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