freeassociate2

Just another faceless crustacean dog-toy. 

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freeassociate2
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  • Automation giant ABB acquires smart home device maker Eve

    freeassociate2freeassociate2
    But they still can’t ship a product that doesn’t leak when attached to a spigot. (Yep. I own ‘em. So much for believing in AI’s reviews.) 🤪
    williamlondon

  • TikToker shocked by high Verizon bill over 'free' Apple Watch promo

    freeassociate2freeassociate2
    The $600 charge was probably from the one they gave away to a friend. These are usual “free” if you carry the $10 a month in cellular. Once the unit switched to a different account/service, they were billed the full amount.

    A lot of tiktokkers are not the brightest bunch and like to invent drama for hits. This seems less a shady dealer than a customer that a) accidentally or willfully didn’t understand what they were told, b) made a big deal on social media to pad their views and get a deal they wouldn’t have normally.
    waveparticlewatto_cobraAlex1Nchasmllamawilliamlondon

  • Reminder: using Chrome on a Mac defeats Apple's privacy features

    freeassociate2freeassociate2
    Don’t forget that regulatory agencies in the EU and other jurisdictions want to force these points of inroad onto your devices, or otherwise degrade privacy protections through “interoperability”.

    The EU trolls here like to laud initiatives without broader context, even though it takes a just a little research to show that it’s no privacy utopia there.

    Take a look at https://digitalcourage.de/en for starters.

    PS - For those of you that recall, Google always intended Chrome to be a stealth operating system on top of the host OS, in order to subvert any privacy controls, and to erode mind-share from competitors.

    For this same reason, I’ve never understood the rabid brainwashed advocacy behind web apps as a substitute for native apps. The whole point of web apps is to track you across multiple endpoints and to loosen OS level protections. Do you really think these entities are handling your data ethically? 
    williamlondonbaconstanglolliverp-dog

  • Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra vs MacBook Pro 16-inch - compared

    freeassociate2freeassociate2
    lkrupp said:
    Why not start calling this place SamsungInsider. Any sales figures regarding Samsung laptops vs Macintosh laptops? I would venture Mac laptops outsell Samsung laptops by a wide margin because I have never, EVER, seen a Samsung laptop in person anywhere. All I ever see are HP, Dell, Acer, or Lenovo. To me this is like comparing iPhones to Pixels, top sellers to virtual non-sellers.

    So what are the purpose of these Samsung comparisons in an Apple centric (maybe not Apple centric anymore?) tech blog? To encourage switching platforms? To validate ad revenue?
      
    Oh stop. Many of us have either mixed gear in the household depending on family member’s needs or they have mixed platforms for work. Or both, frankly. So these types of comparisons are timely and relevant.

    As for the “I ain't never seen no Samsungs around these parts” — I think your experience is limited. Different demographics or market segments trend toward certain manufacturors. And then there’s market by geography. Pretty sure we all have a clear picture of who buys Thinkpads, even if it's somewhat subjective. Anyway, point is that in my line of work I come across a lot of Samsung laptops and gear. Also, quite frankly, any Mac user should know better than to try to invalidate a particular manufacturer’s hardware based on market share.

    PS - I see a lot of Pixel owners and they are incredibly handy to have if you’re a tester or developer, for a number of reasons. I think you have a distorted sense of qualifications.
    muthuk_vanalingamwilliamlondonctt_zhroundaboutnow

  • Samsung Galaxy Book 3 Ultra vs MacBook Pro 16-inch - compared

    freeassociate2freeassociate2
    Another point of course comparison: buying experience.

    I went through the steps to buy each machine (and some promo bundles like discounted tablets and headphones) via each company’s web frontend. Caveat: done through Safari on iPhone 14 Pro Max iOS 16.3.1. I mention this because some moron will inevitably post “well why not use x browser on x platform”. And the answer is this: if Samsung wants my business, its storefront damn well better work properly — no excuses.

    Samsung’s buying experience is a frustrating mess that loses chosen items repeatedly, and returns the buyer to the initial screen, all previous selections wiped out.

    It's nice that Samsung puts up leasing options, but those options are extraordinarily expensive. 

    Also, Samsung’s pick-up in-person options are severely limited, depending on what you buy. It relies too much on what local Best Buys have in stock. (In my previous experiences, BB is great at having promo items in stock, but bare bones for other items.)

    Apple’s purchase experience by comparison was straight forward and if not enjoyable, at least not annoying as heck.

    Both experiences are a little better if you already have Apple (iCloud) or Samsung accounts to log into.

    Last item to note: Samsung pushes only it's latest kit, and it is pricey. Apple offers a much wider range of lower cost and/or last gen items (that hold their value better), during the purchase process.

    Postscript: I’m not able to speak to after purchase care. Apple pretty much sets the standard here, I think. I’ve seen complaints in forums, but have never experienced any issues getting help for Apple products or through Applecare. Not to mention that I’ve experienced far fewer support incidents with Apple kit. That also aligns with my experience in IT support both for work and my family/social circle.

    Some of my Samsung opinion is colored by media coverage. I hate their product advertising, for instance. It's childish and churlish. They’ve had some notable hardware failures. But personally, I haven't had any issues with their hardware. 
    roundaboutnow