David K: Does Google really think that its Android lead is so effing precarious that a decent Youtube app on Windows Phone could jeopardize it? If only MS used the YouTube API that Google was so nice in supplying so that the ads would display…wait what? Oh Microsoft had to do a work around because Google won’t let Microsoft use the API and that’s why there’s no ads? Oh evil evil Microsoft – for shame. If Google blocks an API that means you can’t play in the sandbox and shame on you for trying.  Simmons, any thoughts?

Ram:  David, LOL — Simmons, the PAL of Eric Schmidt, won’t care and in fact says its Microsoft’s fault. Damn effing fawnbuys. They buy into their divas and in fact they are ready to Lend their Personal Ass. Simmons, if you are still wondering what is a PAL, I just gave you the definition. :)

Doug Simmons: I don’t know or care whose fault it is, what I want is their stuff on more platforms. Likewise, I’d like to see Microsoft’s stuff on other platforms — EG Office on iOS and Android. Google’s claimed repeatedly that what they want to be platform-independent. This isn’t WebOS, WP is a viable platform, why try go out of their way to shaft it. Shooting everybody in the feet. Perhaps you’d likewise be “pals” with Ballmer if he, I don’t know, didn’t sweat as much, and other little things like not letting the company go sideways on his watch. The thing I’m pals with is progress. Don’t break my balls just because one particular company incidentally tends to have more overlap in that industry than another.

Doug Simmons: Boston goes Google as it drops Microsoft email-Services. Too bad, guess that’s one less city Jim’s willing to visit. Hey Jim, I heard they have Vimeo in Boca Raton (as well as Bingo night)!

Jimski: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Some Googlite with a Microsoft chip on his shoulder giving Mr. Mayor some poor advice. Google probably promised His Excellency that everyone could get free email, maps and have free access to YouTube (except for the subscription channels of course). Lets check back in a couple years to see how this worked out. At least YouTube has not forced me to get a Gmail account yet, but they did create a Google+ account (using my AOL address) without me giving them permission. Or maybe I did and didn’t know it. Explains where a lot of the G+ subscribers came from. NL900

Ram: Jim, +1. Boston is sold to thieves. Sent from Windows Mail

Doug Simmons: I don’t know, seems we’re seeing a trend here. One day the prevailing complaint among consumers may be that Microsoft Office can’t read Google’s formats perfectly.

Kristofer Brozio: testfreaks.com: AT&T HTC One Not Quite Compatible with HTC Media Link HD (Yet)

Marti Meyers: Ugh.

Jim Szymanski: I’ll say it again, and again, and again if need be. HTC makes some great hardware, but every one of their software engineers should get booted today. They are destroying the reputation of a good company. And when a software problem is detected, it takes a new HTC model to get it fixed. HTC could take some pointers from Nokia in the software development area. Make sure it works before you release it. And if despite that, there is still a problem, drop everything and focus all your attention on the current issue, for your current customers. Not for those who may buy your next One.

Murani Lewis: I seriously don’t understand how some people come to secure such positions and miss such obvious things. These are the types of things that simply require common sense to be caught and fixed.

Ramon Trotman: Sense…. Muahahahaaaa…. I see what you did just there.

Marti Meyers: Haha that was totally unintentional. But now funny

Comment now if you got the HTC One from AT&T!

Stephen Mesik: Outlook blog: Skype comes to Outlook.com

Robert H: I will never use Skype again. Malware is running like wildfire on Skype. PCMag: New Malware Propagates on Skype, Mines Bitcoins

Ramon Trotman: How? What’s the process to get infected?

Robert H: Most Skype malware is by clicking links like in Facebook but there is one virus (worm) is by drive by…..meaning you are talking to a friend and the friend has the virus on their machine…..then the worm will jump to your pc. Let me get the name of the worm and will send a new reply. Securelist: An avalanche in Skype

Doug Simmons: I hear that the Chinese version of Skype has awesome extra features including neat tricks whereby if you say one of a few thousand key words relating to topics of dubious intrigue, like tankman, BBC News, human rights,  HTC, Tibet and so forth, you’ll automatically get red flagged and enter a contest to meet awesome agents of the government for an exciting mysterious adventure, brought to you by Redmond (though they blush and try not to take the credit for the work of their pals in the Hong Kong office, noting they must comply with laws and yada yada). Microsoft / Skype has gone four years (since it was published in the WSJ and many other publications) without having patched a vulnerability that lets anyone easily figure out and track the IPs and locations of any Skype user whether their signed on or not. What’s up with that?

Matt Anderson: Unpublished feature. ;-)

Doug Simmons (10:07EST 4/30/13): Hey Stephen, in my quest for more traffic and making this whole thing more interesting to us, I’m forming a feasibility exploratory committee to size up maybe the best and most revolutionary idea I’ve ever had that keeps failing to come to any fruition, and the remaining step of the Committee is to run this by you: Continue reading »

Doug Simmons: I think Google Glass is one product I would have preferred Google to make a little harder to root, given the potential validity of some of the premature criticisms voiced here and the need for Google to keep things controlled (like pre-approving all apps) in order to try to curb misuse. Even Schmidt has his reservations. Now we need to rely on XDA admins to be responsible.. anyway, hello spycam and modified (like automobile-unlocked) texting and youtube apps.

David K: The guy used known vulnerabilities. You’d think Google would close the known vulnerabilities to at least attempt to harden the OS. iOS shows how good these guys are at .. 

Continue reading »

Doug Simmons: Microsoft just lowered its minimum tablet res to 1024×768, which breaks W8’s “snap view” capabilities, in a pathetic attempt to get some OEM love.

Matt Anderson: I’ve asked this before and ill ask it again. What in the fuck do you need higher resolution screens on 7 and 10″ screens? Do you have super human, nay God like eye sight where you can somehow actually differentiate the resolution at this level or do you just use your tablet pressed firmly against your eyeball? Resolution still falls under the jurisdiction of diminishing returns. My 10″ surface with 1366×768 or 720p resolution blows away any 1080p res tablets I’ve seen. There are dozens of things beyond screen res that account for perceived image quality. Contrast, color depth, color accuracy, refresh rate, pixel shift, etc. Stop harping on this one number like its the be all end all of fucking screen specs. People dont just buy cars because of horse power. You want fucking cup holders, gas mileage, a radio, a seat that doesn’t feel like a judo black belt wailing on your spinal cord after driving for 10 minutes, enough noise reduction material that it doesn’t sound like your driving with your head out the window. So just go ahead and calm the fuck down with your disbelief. Damn it! Getting me all fucking worked up before breakfast.

Murani Lewis: I agree. Oddly im going to use the iPhone as an example. The iPhone has long sense been surpassed in resolution and ppi. The iPhone 5 still us regarded as being a superior screen than almost all phones because of other factors. I’ve never had any problems with screen quality and sewing how many people purchase lower-res phones and tablets it clearly isn’t in the top couple things people look for when buying a tablet.

Doug Simmons: Matt, super human vision or genuinely perceived benefits from high pixel density fueling demand of everyone else’s stuff, you have to admit that 188 ppi is a low number and it’s a sorry thing to see Microsoft have to, in part at the cost or some “Snap” functionality I believe, to stoop to it in their minimum to try to generate any OEM interest in making something for them. It underscores how flaccid they are in the mobile arena. Whatever figure they started with was too high, gotta go below average, they apparently felt, with future products relative to old products other people have been selling for a good while, and for a reasonable amount of money. Aren’t we supposed to get better in general over time? Are these going to cost two hundred bucks or closer to eight? Remember the 800×480 Windows Phone maximum, did that do them any favors? Will this? Nope, yet another flop en route from Redmond. Nice car analogy.

David K: It isn’t lack of OEM interest. Microsoft previously would not approve an RT (ARM based) below 10″. They only approved five total ARM tablets in fact and they indicated that they will not have any new releases until the summer. We now see that the timing is linked to Blue. They are making the interface scale better based on size (not just resolution). Sent from my Windows Phone

Matt Anderson: Very similar to those shitty android tablets with no resolution and resistive touch screens?

Doug Simmons: Like the Nexus 7, couple hundred bucks, greater pixel density than Microsoft’s announcement, includes “mobile” basics like a cellular radio and fuck me a GPS receiver, updates on time, an unobjectionable about of free space, apps, good battery life, widely praised and widely purchased? That shitty Android tablet?

Matt Anderson: So you point to one device when the majority of them are shitty and has what market share? In that other category compared to mr iPad.

Doug Simmons: On any given Sunday, Matt, the best hardware available lies on an Android device. And the Android devices in which I have any interest has the name Nexus. I’m the guy who bought the thing that wasn’t grossly overpriced as a failed strategy not to appear shitty. You must be the other guy. In what negative way am I affected by there being more Android running devices than the one that suits me exceptionally well?

Matt Anderson: And the same question stands against your initial retort about shitty windows devices. My surface is bad ass. I could give a shit. I’ve never seen a better screen on a tablet or even a tv, including my room mates 7″ nexus that I have used, played with, and used to play with myself.

Doug Simmons: Matt, I’m glad you’re happy with your piece of shit $1200 screen, but please note that the terrible thing about Hell is that when you’re there you can’t even tell. As you run through this life you love so, you could be there and not even know. But you say, “So what, I’m doing just fine;” the irony is that it’s all in your mind. And that’s why Hell is so vicious and cruel, but you’ll just go on, an oblivious fool. An oblivious fool, Matt. You.

Matt Anderson: Do what now? 700$ actually, and how does having the best screen equate to shit? Im not sure what you’re getting at in your William Blake’ish monologue concerning hell and oblivion. Did you find my giganug?

Doug Simmons: That was Poe by the way, Burlington. And what’s with “700$” you eurotrash wannabe..

Matt Anderson: Or Phish lyrics. Stoner.

David K: you ladies are talking about tablet size without anyone making a penis size joke? Shame on both of you

Ram: LoL. Look who is talking, Simmons the Microsoft Guru. The leaked builds state the otherwise. There will be support for SnapView that supports 50/50 (lower resolution devices) and 4 apps in a SnapView (higher resolution devices)

Doug Simmons: Bottom line Ram, Microsoft wants people to build hardware running their software, they are sweetening the deal to entice them by lowering standards not only to underwhelming levels but to the point where it breaks certain functionality, functionality that is important enough that as a condition of going with such low res OEMs must state clearly, like a cigarette cancer warning, that W8′s functionality is castrated. And while your English may be a tad rough around the edges, I have no doubt you know what that word means. Snap? In your case, snip.

Kristofer: A tampon app now?!?! yeah… whatever.. – Tampon Minder

David K: DO NOT READ THAT PR…it made me puke and reswallow. You’ve all been warned

Doug Simmons: Toxic shock syndrome is no effing joke, insensitive assholes.

Doug Smith: Lmao!

David K: Now I know who doesn’t take my advice… and I don’t know how long a manufacturer advises to keep one of those bad boys in but keep that shit clean. I mean, it should be a conversation.

Murani: I’m not touching this one. I will take David’s advice.

Doug Simmons: Would you grow up Murani? Perhaps I should offer this one to the readers, maybe they can have an intelligent discussion of this important topic. Yes it’s a women’s issue, but it also hits home with mature men like me and not a myopic chauvinist like Murani. TSS is a war, but the good people behind the Tampon Minder app just won us all a few battles with their iPhone and Android release. We just need to keep some pressure on them to port it to Windows Phone. Yeah, I’m posting this.

Doug Smith: Oh God!

Ramon: T-Mo/MetroPCS merger approved, can someone grab this?

Matt Anderson: These two are going to shit all over sprints cornflakes before too long. Im calling it now. Sprint is out as the number three carrier.

Doug Simmons: For those trying to keep score, Q3 2012, US wireless carriers’ subscribers in millions: Verizon 113, AT&T 106, Sprint Nextel 56, Clearwire 10, MetroPCS 9, US Cellular 6, Leap 5.6.

Ram: Simmons this is for you, Google Glasses Banned. Now troll on our site with this and blame me all you want. Sent from Windows Mail

Simmons: Google Glass.. Funny how you know a lot more about this product, or pet project, than I do. Perhaps if Microsoft were a little more aggressive in coming up with new stuff like this then there would be some more demand to own the company’s stock. No, I don’t mean things like the ribbon Office UI or whatever great enhancements came with Office 2013 over the previous one or the grand and greatly-anticipated NoDo update. But they don’t do that, so you people have all this leftover energy and you use it to obsess over Google. Just want to make sure you’re aware of that, that you sent me this link because Microsoft’s unremarkable slow motion bores you.