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- 1. At 10:28am on 01 Nov 2010, PhilT wrote:
This comment has been referred for further consideration. Explain
- 2. At 10:33am on 01 Nov 2010, NickAlexander wrote:
Hi Rory,
As head of technical support in our organisation i've been trialling an iPad with a view to rolling them out to our entire userbase. What really makes the iPad for me is it's size, its big enough to use Microsft Office 2010 from our cloud platform without having to constantly pan around the screen as you do on smaller devices (email me if you would like to try this out on your iPad) but small and portable enough to take on the road to client meetings etc without having to lug around my usual laptop bag and associated cables.
With cloud technology as it is the find the iPad is the perfect anywhere device, and see it fitting into businesses really well.
Nick
- 3. At 10:42am on 01 Nov 2010, Carniphage wrote:
Screen quality? Viewing angle? Weight? Thickness? Build quality? Battery life?
C.
- 4. At 10:47am on 01 Nov 2010, dempsi1997 wrote:
You keep talking about how poor typing is on the Galaxy Tab, did you ever try using the pre-loaded Swype input system?
Even on the Galaxy S with it's 4" screen it's quick and simple to use so on the larger Tab it should work even better.I would strongly recommend that anyone interested in the Galxy Tab should read GSMArena's in-depth review of it.
- 5. At 10:50am on 01 Nov 2010, D Dortman wrote:
It will be interesting to see if tablet PCs still exist in 5 years.
Currently Apple could bring out a yoyo, label it i-yo and it would still sell millions....... but that doesn't necessarily mean it would last.
Personally I can't see there being both tablet PCs and netbooks around in 5 years and I'm not convinced there will be much of a boom per capita in smartphone/table PC/Netbook/laptop ownership over all... more the same people deciding which is more useful to them.
- 6. At 10:50am on 01 Nov 2010, Mike Mc wrote:
Until Android Tablet manufacturers include accelerometers and GPS in the devices I am not interested. Without this functionality a huge percentage of Android apps wont work. I'll keep waiting until these become the norm rather than the exception.
- 7. At 10:52am on 01 Nov 2010, Maltese Mick wrote:
An operating system that any developer can build for without having to go through rigorous checks from Apple is what is desired.
It's all about freedom, if I want Flash, Divx (as well as other formats), Online gambling and indeed Pornographic material I shouldn't have to hope that it's passed Apple's we-know-what's-best-for-you moral test.
I own Apple devices, they are indeed very smooth and very well designed in general. They just have such control over what you can do on the devices that it completely undermines the experience. It's technology for the masses but not for the enthusiast.
- 8. At 10:53am on 01 Nov 2010, brothbeard wrote:
I still don't get the point of the iPad or similar devices. I've used a tablet PC (HP TC1100) for years and it does everything the iPad does and so much more. I can remove the keyboard and apart from being a bit heavier and chunkier than an iPad it looks pretty much the same. Admittedly the interface works with a pen rather than fingers but even that is so much more useful. I can write stuff! Imagine a MacBook Air with the screen turned round to be on the outside and you have a device that it so much more useful. Getting iPhone/iPad apps to work on such a device can hardly be challenging.
- 9. At 11:00am on 01 Nov 2010, dempsi1997 wrote:
@#6 - Mike Mc: the Galaxy Tab has an accelerometer/3-axis gyro combination and GPS.
- 10. At 11:10am on 01 Nov 2010, andie99uk wrote:
Android (once updated to its newer version) should leave the iPad trailing on these devices.
Will wait for the other two before even looking at purchasing one, but I wont be getting an iPad.
I dont want locking into what I can & cant put on MY machine. Apple make you feel like its on loan to you, not that you own it.- 11. At 11:14am on 01 Nov 2010, Christos wrote:
Rory you do realize I hope that Archos is selling tablets like the iPAD for years now(which are probably better aswell)..
- 12. At 11:38am on 01 Nov 2010, fester61 wrote:
Very dissapointing blogg.
It starts as a review of 3 tablets then reduces to a review of the Galaxy Tab it then fails to provide a review of any sort. As usual it simply degenerated into Rory's favorite freebie vs the rest.
Web test, Samsung wins hands down, as it should, by supporting flash.
Movie viewing you had an issue with the Samsung movie download system and decided that was the Tab's fault????? I've had all sorts of issues with iTunes I haven't blamed the device only the system that demands I use itunes and nothing else. There are many ways of getting a movie onto an Android device none of them terribly onerous.
Book retreival and reading is not a worthy test of anything, any device with a readable screen can perform this function. The Kindle book reader is available for a pile of formats and there are plenty of others.
The Android marketplace just recently has been a total nightmare, however prior to this and now it is working well.
The Samsung wins on mobile form factor, I've sat on crowded commuter trains next to people struggling with the size of the iPad, whilst I sit comfortably using my 5" screened Dell Streak (Android powered) to Browse the web, listen to music, read books, edit documents (YES edit documents), send SMS messages, make phone calls etc..... Increasing the screen size to that of the Samsung would perhaps make all of this a little easier but still be miles better than having to cart an underspec'd heavy lump (iPad) around.
Yes it's expensive, probably overly so but Samsung don't need to undercut the iPad's cost when the Galaxy Tab is immensley superior.
- 13. At 11:45am on 01 Nov 2010, nametheguilty wrote:
The key issue is that people use tablets at home - very few use them as mobile devices.
As such, the iPad is about the minimum size you would want to use - anything smaller is too small.
- 14. At 11:50am on 01 Nov 2010, tomaroon wrote:
5.
"Currently Apple could bring out a yoyo, label it i-yo and it would still sell millions....... but that doesn't necessarily mean it would last."Absolutely.
People are like sheep.
Baaaaaaa.- 15. At 11:54am on 01 Nov 2010, WindsofChange wrote:
I've just been into PC World looking at one of these.
First thing I would say is anybody going into this store is going to dismiss the Samsung outright as it is siting all alone beside the iPads which have a fancy display and its price is the same as the most expensive iPad on display.
I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the unit but it has the same stickiness in scrolling that my sister's Galaxy S has. Nowhere near as fluid as the iPad.
Otherwise I was pretty impressed but, like Rory, am struggling to think who will buy it at this price and what advantage it offers over a good smartphone. For Satnav, its a good size (it has Google maps) but it means you need a 3G connection all the time, for games it is good. For movies the iPad is much nicer, same with browsing and mail.
One of the sales guys was holding it up talking video when I came in and he looked a right jerk - will anybody ever use it in real life?
One last thing is the Flash - as Rory says, you can play Flash Videos but they are slow to load and, if it is anything like on Android phones, it will hammer the battery life. Likewise Flash heavy sites are slow and hard to navigate.- 16. At 12:09pm on 01 Nov 2010, ShinyDavidHowell wrote:
I've owned a Dell Streak for about three months now; for those unaware, that's a five-inch Android device, which Dell have marketed as a 'pocket friendly tablet', but which most reviewers have argued to be more of a smartphone. I purchased it with the recognition that I could use it as a convergence device, fulfilling the roles of both smartphone and netbook.
It's proven a good fit for my life. My main uses for a portable device are web browsing, instant messaging, GPS (for monitoring my running, and for finding my way through cities while on work-related travel), and music playing. The Streak ticks all boxes - and the form factor is perfect, being just small enough to fit into most of my trouser pockets even in its case. For working on a train or similar, it (unlike any other Android device then available) also supports Bluetooth keyboards - and because the Streak is pocketable, I only need to put my Bluetooth keyboard in a bag.
A friend of mine has recently acquired a Streak, having previously owned an Archos 5 tablet - he has commented upon how much lighter and more usable the Streak is in comparison. Despite this lightness - it's only 1cm thick - it survived a fall out of my shirt pocket onto a cobbled street with only cosmetic damage, although I keep it in its case now, to ensure no repeat!
I can't see how the Galaxy Tab can be more useful than the Streak, and the latter is £130 cheaper SIM-free at this point. The only disadvantage the Streak has is being limited to Android 1.6, but that is at least a stable release, and the lack of Flash is a blessing as much as a curse when on a 500MB data tariff...
- 17. At 12:10pm on 01 Nov 2010, Fwd079 wrote:
I agree with the idea of i-Yoyo by someone here, really true.
I do not see iPad as much of a use in current format, I like Samsung putting something cheaper in market, I sure hope it to impact on market. Not everyone can afford an Apple product you know.
- 18. At 12:11pm on 01 Nov 2010, philgreg wrote:
I don't get why everyone is constantly hating on apple about it being a walled garden. What a load of ROT.
If you are remotely technical, which you'd have to be to care about such things, its very easy to get Movies and books, onto your ipod/ipad/iphone for free without any real issue. My devices arent jailbroken but I have EVERYTHING I need on them, and the device looks good and will always be properly supported...unlike these Droid flash in the pan things. Google get bored of everything they make..so expect droid to go the same way as BSB and Betamax
- 19. At 12:14pm on 01 Nov 2010, Kampernaut wrote:
@Carniphage #3
I too wish Rory had written about those things.
@dempsi1997 #4
Thanks for the reference to the better, more in-depth review.
It will be interesting to see how well this thing sells. Not too well I reckon.
- 20. At 12:16pm on 01 Nov 2010, Sean wrote:
I'm a confirmed iPhone user, and expert PC user, not an Apple freak, as I support Windows based systems. The iPad is too big as a mobile device, the Streak is close but for me the 7" devices hold the most interest, anbd yes I want to use my tablet at home, in the car, at work and mobile at work also. So the Galaxy while hitting the spot spec and size wise fails on the price front, I'd need to see a device at the >£350 mark to get even close to buying
- 21. At 12:16pm on 01 Nov 2010, peneverdant wrote:
What about support for printing?
Not often needed, but for some people a potential show-stopper.- 22. At 12:18pm on 01 Nov 2010, ShinyDavidHowell wrote:
And I see that fester61 has similarly good experiences with the Streak. I've yet to use it for document editing, because I only have a free viewing-only app, but I've found it ideal for commuting too (I'll usually listen to music, surf the web, and talk to friends through an IM app).
For what it's worth, I make calls on the Streak through my headphones, holding the device in front of me (allowing me to surf the web or use other apps during the call to get information relevant to the call).
And to give you an idea of how much brand recognition Apple has, people have regularly asked me "is that an iPad?" when I'm using the Streak for web surfing or IMing. That's the sort of recognition any Android phone struggles to compete with.
- 23. At 12:25pm on 01 Nov 2010, iwinter wrote:
"The sales figures for Apple's shiny plaything then proved the sceptics wrong, and every month technology analysts have been raising their forecasts for the tablet market as a whole."
Sorry Rory, this doesn't seem to reflect the facts. Apple's sales figures for the iPad were below expectation at just over 4 million units sold. For a new product type that's less than stellar, compare that to the sales figures of NetBooks in their first 6 months+ and it looks quite abysmal. It's also worth noting that for Apple, who can usually peddle anything to their most loyal fans it's even worse- even the Apple TV which was a massive flop shifted more units than this.
To declare the skeptics wrong seems rather premature, when it seems there's a good chance they might actually be right. The sales so far show all the signs of being a typical quick Apple fad and nothing more. Apple's products only really take off when they start to be adopted amongst those who are not members of the Apple faithful in decent numbers and the iPad is not managing that right now. I know you get a bit carried away with Apple Rory, but maintain some perspective- just because the iPhone and iPod did well doesn't mean the iPad will, and it doesn't mean Apple's products always do well- the MacBook Air, Apple TV, MobileMe, 3rd gen iPod nano have all been abysmal failures. Apple still gets it wrong more often than they get it right, it's just that when they get it right they really get it right- I don't see that in the iPad right now, and especially not in it's below expectations sales figures.
- 24. At 12:29pm on 01 Nov 2010, Mel0dymaker wrote:
Rory will you please stop talking about the Tablet war. It's nearly getting as old as the "war" on "terror". Your blogs are basically reviews and opinions that are similar to the ones found in What(insert technology here) magazines. I am sorry but I have not read this whole Blog. Mainly because it isn't very interesting. Why has no one on the BBC mentioned anything about in CS5 you will be able to convert Flash to HTML5 ???
A, You call yourself a technology blog ?
B, Talk about missing a big one.It will change the way everything will be done. It will open up the world of HTML5 to flash developers. And also stop the market from being so against itself in terms of the flash debate. It will make everything a little more Open source for the developers that can't be bothered.
Some of the comments made are really funny. I think D Dortmans is the best. Do you ever leave your house ??? I love the Mac haters (PC lovers?) talking about sheep. Have you ever tried using an OS not designed by windows ??? If no were you trying to be Ironic.
- 25. At 12:30pm on 01 Nov 2010, Christopher Clarke-Williams wrote:
Not so long ago Microsoft looked at MacOS, made a commercial version called Windows and by stealing apple's idea made a large fortune. With the iPad perhaps its payback time this idea was largely piloted by Microsoft 8 or 10 years ago but was not a commercial success. The iPad whatever its strengths or weaknesses are does seem to be a money maker.
What goes around comes around.
- 26. At 12:31pm on 01 Nov 2010, nahimgsc wrote:
Well what about the Zoostorm SL8? It has the Microsoft Operating System and you can view flash! What more can you ask for? One of my work fellows got on and it look brilliant!
- 27. At 12:35pm on 01 Nov 2010, Paul J Weighell wrote:
ta for this report. pads look nearly ready for the main business market then? we want free choice of apps, flash, java and long long battery life with loads of usb connects and huge storage all at a commodity cost.
apple cannot provide that and if it is not careful it risks losing out as it did when it kept the mac locked up and wintel took the market away from it.
roll on the price war!
- 28. At 12:35pm on 01 Nov 2010, beckysharpe wrote:
A useful link to a collaborative Google doc on the state of Tablet development http://bit.ly/9BsVNB
- 29. At 12:35pm on 01 Nov 2010, Graphis wrote:
A couple of points:
1) Regardless of manufacturer, the tablet is here to stay, and will revolutionise businesses, once the right apps are available. Just think of all the useless documentation that can be prevented: security guards signing people in daily, for example, with a tablet device, they could scan and confirm a person's ID, which would be linked wirelessly to a central database, and would record their time of arrival and departure without having to write everything down and then store the paper for years. Estate agents, with all their endless bits of info for each property, could have their entire office's files held in one portable device. No, there is definitely a very large niche for a portable device that is somewhere between a smartphone and and a laptop, a device that allows a limited amount of content creation, and thus doesn't require the processing power of a laptop or desktop, but also allows connectivity to a central database or the cloud. It's only people who aren't imaginative enough to see their possibilities who are the naysayers.
2) Flash: the only reason that the other tablets are allowing the use of Flash is so that they can hopefully gain an edge over Apple. They are not actually looking at the technology and seeing what's wrong with it, like Apple are. Apple have looked at Flash very closely, and decided it's a faulty technology. It is, it's terrible. I had hoped that Apple's stance would force Adobe to take another look at Flash and iron out its faults (and maybe they are). But the other OS makers stance is merely going to prolong the replacement of Flash with something better. This is to the detriment of the market. What is better: for individual companies to competitively build cars that can cope with terrible road surfaces, or to collectively improve the road surface? Apple's stance is actually forcing people to look at the whole infrastructure and improve it, to the benefit of us all, rather than simply catering to a poor infrastructure for the sake of a quick profit.
- 30. At 12:40pm on 01 Nov 2010, linuxrich wrote:
There's a very good chance that my next mobile device/tablet/smartphone will be an Android device. I've currently got a Nokia N900 which I anticipate will meet all my out and about needs for some time to come.
I just hope that when the time comes for me to get an Android device, the competitors will have stopped trying to undermine it with despicable legal claims to some completely ridiculous patent. If they concentrate on providing their customers with better quality products and compete fairly, hopefully I won't have to pay Apple/Microsoft tax on my Android device!
- 31. At 12:46pm on 01 Nov 2010, JulesLt wrote:
It's an interesting presumption that Samsung could have undercut the iPad with the Galaxy - it's a similar issue with Android phones themselves - the good ones, like the Galaxy, Desire, Droid - are the same price or higher than the iPhone. Flash 10 recommends at least a 1Ghz ARM CPU - the kind you'll only find on those phones, and something that is still pretty much 'state of the art' for mobiles.
The kind of commodity pricing people are expecting doesn't happen immediately - it took a good 10 years before the standard PC became fast / good enough that people stopped wanting to upgrade because their existing one was junk; at that point the market became about price.
We're not at that point yet - you can clearly see the difference between the Galaxy and early Android phones; ditto the iPhone 4 and the original model.
The interesting thing will be what happens when the cost of the technology becomes very cheap - my guess is that this market will be more like radios and TVs than PCs
- 32. At 12:51pm on 01 Nov 2010, Mel0dymaker wrote:
STOP THE FLASH DEBATE PLEASE
READ WHAT I SAID IN POST 24
- 33. At 12:58pm on 01 Nov 2010, Douglas Daniel wrote:
The screen is fine, the quality reasonable, and I can see people watching downloaded movies on a train, but I'm not clear why they would use this at home - and the evidence from iPad users is 80% of them never take the device out.
Could there be a good reason why 80% of iPad users never take their device out with them? Something like, oooh I dunno, the fact it's too big to be truly portable?
I have to question the sanity of anyone watching films on an iPad in their home - after all, these are not going to be people with a wee CRT TV set, they're going to be people with 42" flat-screen TVs. So you buy your expensive big screen TV, and then you sit on you sofa watching films on a wee handheld screen. Err...
I don't think the market has fully formed for tablets quite yet. I see their market as being people who have previously bought laptops which they've only used for internet browsing at home, watching films on trains and storing their music collection on. Is a 7" screen suitable for these tasks? I dunno - I've not tried one. My only experiences with a tablet device so far have been going to my friend's house to see his brand spanking new iPad, putting it to a video on the BBC news site to show him its very basic failure, and then giggling away to myself at the fact that my wee (free) Android phone is better than his over-priced brick. Still, whether or not 7" is big enough for these tasks, choice is (usually) a good thing, so having a variety of sizes on the market will allow people to buy the right tablet for their needs. As a result, I'm not sure this criticism holds much water.
The price is ridiculous though - one of the things I love about my HTC Desire is that a SIM-free one is half the price of a PAYG iPhone and yet has all the functionality I require. When I do eventually venture into the tablet market, it'll be for a device which is significantly cheaper than an iPad - just as a new laptop with Ubuntu pre-installed undercuts the same laptop with Windows pre-installed, I would expect iPad-like devices with the Android OS to significantly undercut the iPad, to the tune of at least £300.
- 34. At 1:05pm on 01 Nov 2010, And God created Celtic wrote:
Out of curiosity, I just searched "Android Tablet" on Amazon and there seem to be some reasonably well specced tablets from China coming in at around the £150 mark. Am I missing something or does this not make the galaxy tab kind of redundant.
- 35. At 1:17pm on 01 Nov 2010, Graphis wrote:
32. At 12:51pm on 01 Nov 2010, Mel0dymaker wrote:
STOP THE FLASH DEBATE PLEASE-------------------------
Stopping the debate is like burying your head in the sand: it won't make the problem go away.
In fact, the biggest issue over Flash that I can see is over this very website: so come on BBC, pull your fingers out, and ditch Flash. Then everyone can see your videos, and we'll all be happy:)
- 36. At 1:28pm on 01 Nov 2010, definitelyashley wrote:
Owning any apple product is like owning a high performance sports car, that you can only drive on sundays on a track moderated and approved by the manufacturer. Whats the point? Its almost as if you loan out products from them; they are never yours.
If people actually shopped around they would see that competitors products are much more sensibly priced and usually offer a lot more for your money (Samsung, Sony etc). People just blindly follow the crowd as apple is more than a social/fashion statement than a device.
Personally, I think android is the way forward. I myself own a samsung galaxy s and love the fact I'm not limited as to what apps/music/videos I can have, and the fact that I don't have to use a stupid excuse for music software (i-tunes). I can just drag and drop, as simple as that. Also, I don't have to pay for sat-nav software thanks to googles new smart navigation app and maps app.
All in all, sooner or later people will eventually twig that apple are not all they are hyped up to be.
- 37. At 1:30pm on 01 Nov 2010, CarpCarp wrote:
#5 said 'It will be interesting to see if tablet PCs still exist in 5 years.'
Oh, we'll definitely see them, but only in very limited quantities.
Let's face it, these devices embody all the disadvantages of a smartphone (awkward data entry, relatively small screen, no accurate pointing device) without the redeeming features that have made smartphones the success they are...
...which is their small size and dual role.
The iPad purchased by our company for evaluation spends its' life sat on various desks, gathering dust, and getting in the way of more important items (such as coffee cups, and free space), whereas we all carry smartphones as a matter of course. Consequently, it doesn't matter that the iPad has technical advantages over either the HTC Legend or iPhone 3GS that currently live on my desk because I can't just shove it in my pocket and go to the pub. It doesn't matter that I could use the iPad to work out why I'm stationary on the M25 again because it'll be sat 40 miles away, whereas whatever smartphone I'm carrying about will be sat in my pocket because it fits there, and because it's a phone and I carry one of those as a matter of course.
These tablets will, I suspect, go much the same way as the majority of tablet PCs (all the rage a few years back) simply because they're to gutless and specialised to take the place of the genuine laptop, and to large to supplant the mobile phone.
- 38. At 1:36pm on 01 Nov 2010, anotherfakename wrote:
I can't see why a tablet from an established and well regarded manufacturer such as Samsung would need to undercut the Apple device in order to establish itself. There are three ways to go when bringing a device to market:
a) Pitch as cheaper solution than your competitor, this may increase sales or devalue your brand...
b) Pitch at similar price, may be too expensive for some of your target audience but indicates a similar level of performance
c) Pitch more expensive, leaving your competitor looking the cheap alternative, but for this you need to demonstrably better or risk gaining no sales at all.Personally the 'walled garden' is too protectionist for me - I want to watch what ever film I choose and to read whatever website I want - and I don't want someone telling me their software is prevented from doing it.
- 39. At 1:57pm on 01 Nov 2010, Laurence wrote:
@25: that would be great, except that Microsoft started developing Windows before MacOS (or System as it was known then) was first released. In fact, both of them (as well as a host of UNIX base systems) took their ideas from Xerox and PARC.
- 40. At 1:57pm on 01 Nov 2010, zebonsoft wrote:
Carp Carp,
I think the popularity of the iPad has already proved you wrong.
The Android tablets will be even more popular as it will be cheaper and more open.
At home, I'd like a tablet that doesnt take 5 minutes to boot up so that I can check email. A phone is Ok if you're on the move, but at home I'd like a larger screen. A tablet fufills this requirement however niche.
And as sales show, it is a larger market than most people think!
- 41. At 2:06pm on 01 Nov 2010, WelshBluebird1 wrote:
@Douglas Daniel, I'd like to see where you can get a sim Free Desire for £250. Especially so a few months ago when it was still quite new. When I checked last, it was £415 sim free. Not that much cheaper than the iPhone. Although granted that was only a couple of months after it came out.
- 42. At 2:09pm on 01 Nov 2010, DevInDigital wrote:
Rory
The consumer market will support a range of Tablets using different OS but I believe 7" Tablets like the Galaxy TAB will become the most popular size for the domestic market.
Within a year, I expect to see Tablets integrated within car dashboards, via a universal docking station. The 7" will be most popular with woman, as they will be able to slip them into their handbag(s). Larger 10" Tablets like the iPad will be too big for dashboards and handbags.
Perhaps the Enterprise market will require the larger 10" Tablet, we'll see them at Hotel Lobbies, Airport Lounges, Pubs, as well as the Workplace.
Android powered Tablets will have the largest share of the Tablet market within 2 years, despite stiff competition from Apple, Microsoft and RIM.
Driving Android sales will be the integration between Chrome, Google Search, GoogleTV, PowerMeter, Google Maps, AdMob, Playstation, etc, giving Google a strategic advantage over the rest. Android will appeal equally to consumers, tech partners and developers and be adopted by the majority of hardware manufacturers.
There's room for the Slate, iPad, Streak, TAB and all, Tablet adoption will be, as always, down to price. Make enough of them cheap enough and the PC and Laptop are under threat.
@DevInDigital
- 43. At 2:11pm on 01 Nov 2010, RuckMe MaulMe MakeMeScrum wrote:
As a business user, unless I can plug a tablet into a projector at a customer's office and run PowerPoint presentations, the netbook is a far more sensible option.
- 44. At 2:15pm on 01 Nov 2010, uk_is_toast wrote:
#36:
"Also, I don't have to pay for sat-nav software thanks to googles new smart navigation app and maps app."
I hope you don't need to use it abroad, where data roaming charges make Google navigation apps much more expensive than the one off £59.99 for the TomTom app. Or at home, where there's no 3G coverage...
- 45. At 2:22pm on 01 Nov 2010, Graphis wrote:
37. At 1:30pm on 01 Nov 2010, CarpCarp wrote:
'The iPad purchased by our company for evaluation spends its' life sat on various desks, gathering dust...'
So, nobody thought to "evaluate" whether or not you actually needed one for your business, or what it was (and was not) capable of BEFORE purchase, then?
What a waste of money. Doesn't say much about the levels of efficiency in your business, does it?
Personally, if I'm thinking of spending more than £100 on my business tools, I look at all the options very carefully, including whether it's something I really need or not. So, for example, I don't have a smartphone, and currently have no plans for a tablet, and even resisted getting an ordinary mobile until a few years ago, as 95% of my job involves being stationary at my desktop, not travelling around. No need to buy something I'd have little or no use for.
- 46. At 2:32pm on 01 Nov 2010, Laurence wrote:
I think the ride in Tablet adoption will be linked to the rise of Cloud Computing adoption. When users can edit the same document on their desktop in the office, on their laptop when at a client meeting, and on their tablet at home without having to copy it around or make sure all devices are using the same version of software; or when they can play a game on their console, then on their tablet when in the car (as a passenger) then I think you'll see the take-up of tablets grow.
- 47. At 2:38pm on 01 Nov 2010, odysseus_nz wrote:
Here's a business-style test suggestion for you Rory, try the 'PDA-replacement' test, i.e. check your calendar, update some appointments, reply to some e-mails, update some contacts.
As for 7" tablets in general, I just don't see the market for them. 10" like the iPad yes, great for use around the house or workplace. 5" like the Dell Streak, yes, great as a mobile device. 7" seems neither fish nor fowl to me, too big to be portable, too small for sofa-surfing.
On the Dell Streak, just a clarification to the above about the Android version it runs. It originally shipped with 1.6, in the US I believe it is now shipping (or soon will) with 2.1 which will be an OTA update in the UK, and a 2.2 version is on the way. Soon as I get paid, I'm off to get me one :-)
I'm a mobile/remote worker, and in 6 months time I can see myself having my 13" Macbook for mobile work / desktop computing when plugged into my 27" monitor, a 10" tablet for sofa-surfing at home without having to unplug the laptop or burn my lap, a 5" tablet in my bag for mobile surfing and media consumption when I'm out and about or commuting on a packed train, and my super-slim dumbphone that doesn't bulge my pockets or get in the way when out for the night. It's all about the right tool and form-factor for the job at hand, but then I'm lucky I can afford it :-)
- 48. At 2:47pm on 01 Nov 2010, Simon wrote:
@Laurence
"@25: that would be great, except that Microsoft started developing Windows before MacOS (or System as it was known then) was first released. In fact, both of them (as well as a host of UNIX base systems) took their ideas from Xerox and PARC."
No, not really. Go and read this article (http://goo.gl/CXvP) at Folklore.org
- 49. At 3:04pm on 01 Nov 2010, James Hall wrote:
This comment is awaiting moderation. Explain.
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Monday, 1 November 2010
BBC - dot.Rory: Android tablets: Big enough, smart enough, cheap enough?
BBC News - Belfast International Airport bomb 'there for a year'
1 November 2010 Last updated at 13:43Share this page
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Belfast International Airport bomb 'there for a year'
Police want to speak to anyone who noticed the car containing the device
It is understood a pipe bomb found in a car at Belfast International Airport may have been there for up to a year.
Army bomb experts were called to examine the suspicious vehicle which was discovered in the long-stay car park about 1430 BST on Saturday.
Police have said they are now investigating the possibility the car had been there since 2009.
The airport parking firm Q Park said "it was confident that car had not been there for a year".
However, the firm said it had not pre-booked and as such was not subject to its automatic number plate recognition software.
Meanwhile on Monday, Sinn Fein assembly member Mitchel McLaughlin said he "would find it incredible" if the car containing the bomb had been in the car park at the airport for a year.
He said that if there was a viable device "left in a vehicle in such a public place for such a long time, then the implications of that are almost to horrible to imagine".
The alert ended at 0200 BST on Sunday.
The pipe bomb was only discovered because the car was about to be towed away.
Flights were not affected, but some passengers were forced to spend the night in local hotels because they were unable to get home without their cars.
Suspected flammable liquid was found along with the viable device, police said.
It is believed the incident was not linked to bombs left on US-bound cargo planes.
Dissident republicansDetectives are investigating a link to dissident republicans as one line of enquiry.
A 40kg bomb was also found on Friday in Lurgan, County Armagh, and Assistant Chief Constable Duncan McCausland said both devices "had the potential to cause injury and damage".
"They were left in places used by the public and with no regard for the public; it is thanks to the vigilance of individuals that no serious harm has been done," he said.
BBC News - Josef Fritzl 'dreams of being freed to care for wife'
1 November 2010 Last updated at 12:43Share this page
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Josef Fritzl 'dreams of being freed to care for wife'
Josef Fritzl is expected to spend the rest of his life in jail
Continue reading the main storyRelated stories
Josef Fritzl, the Austrian who locked his daughter in a cellar for 24 years and fathered seven children by her, has said he dreams of leaving prison.
Fritzl, now 75, told reporters that he often thinks of his wife of 55 years and would like to care for her.
He was jailed for life in March 2009 and is being held at the maximum security Stein prison 30 miles (50 km) west of Vienna.
The interview is thought to be his first since he was convicted.
He told Germany's Bild newspaper he had written to his wife Rosemarie eight times without reply but was convinced she still loved him.
"I would later love to look after my wife because she was always faithful to me," he said.
Fritzl blames the authorities for the fact that neither she nor any of his 13 children have come to visit him in prison.
While Fritzl may be eligible for parole after 15 years, psychiatric experts would have to agree to his release and his lawyer said at the time of the trial that Fritzl was expecting to stay in jail for the rest of his life.
He was convicted of rape, incest, enslavement and murder and it is clear from the interview that he is kept well away from other inmates because of the nature of his crimes.
Two armed guards are said to watch over him constantly for his own protection.
Fritzl also describes the mundane routine of his life, growing tomatoes and peppers and watching comedy programmes on television.
The First Photo Of A Human (Or Two Humans? Or Three?) : Krulwich Wonders… : NPR
This keeps getting more and more interesting.
Here's a photo I blogged about last week. It shows a street in Paris, back in 1838. This picture, I said, may contain the first ever photographic image of a human being. He’s on the lower left, maybe getting his shoes shined.
Here is the same photograph again, courtesy of a reader who calls himself Charles Leo (Toxic), this time in color!
Mr. Leo (whose toxicity I am politely ignoring) works in the design business creating 3-D photographs for interior decorators. Last week he decided to take Louis Daguerre’s 1838 image (which a reader named Gig Thurmond had "cleaned up" and posted on his blog, Hokumburg Goombah) and re-clean it up on his blog, Lunarlog. After this double-blog, double-cleaning, he wrote:
What I ended up with was a colorized version of this Daguerreotype. I didn't spend too much time refining the image – maybe a little over an hour tops. I could spend days if I really wanted to get it just perfect, but for the purpose this suited it just fine.
His purpose, he says, was to see what else is going on the photo. And he thinks maybe there are more people in the picture. A lot of you wrote in to say the same thing but let's take a look at his version, with annotations.
He's got three candidates on the street: two possible adults (I can’t see them, maybe you can?) and perhaps one child.
The child seems a little more plausible. In this closer-still version, I can make out a boy-looking figure with a white cap leaning against something (a tree?) with a dog just behind him. Can you see what I see?
If you want to look still closer, go to Mr. Leo's blog Lunarlog. He’s got a more detailed photo.
And finally, another reader, Shannon Marcum, also known as "sweetshannon111" wrote: "Is it just me, or does anyone else notice the little face in the top window with the curtain pulled aside in the building on the right?"
It may be just her. I looked and I can’t see what she sees, but I don’t know — take a look for yourselves.
#TweetsStorm's in support of Gary Mckinnon | Help us create a storm of tweets at the Home Office in support of Gary Mckinnon
What is needed is your spare tweets – simply Schedule them
It now looks like the 5th of November , Guy Fawkes will be the first date – the tweets shall be scheduled between the hours of 12- 5pm. Simply add the @ukhomeoffice tag to your scheduled tweet , along with any or all combinations of the tags #tweet4gary #freegary #mckinnon #garymckinnon
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BBC News - Facebook unveils 'groups' feature and user controls
6 October 2010 Last updated at 23:06Share this page
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Facebook unveils 'groups' feature and user controls
By Maggie Shiels Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon ValleyThere are yet more new features being added to the updated Facebook
Continue reading the main storyRelated stories
Facebook has introduced a raft of features aimed at giving users more control over their personal data.
A groups feature will allow users to specify circles of friends with whom they want to share different data.
For the first time, users will also be able to download all the data they have uploaded onto the site.
They will also find it easier to see how individual applications are using personal information, Facebook's chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said.
"The changes today are about giving people more control over how they share in a lot of different contexts," Mr Zuckerberg told BBC News.
"One of the things we have heard is that people just want to share information with smaller groups of people.
"It will enable people to share things that they wouldn't have wanted to share with all of their friends."
He added: "There are some things you are comfortable saying to all your friends at once but a lot of things you only want to share with your close co-workers or your family and there just hasn't been a great way to do that until now."
Behaviour changeThe groups feature will allow users form online havens around a discreet circle of people just as they do in the real world.
Members will then be able to share information with people specific to that group.
Continue reading the main story“Start Quote
End Quote Mark Zuckerberg Chief executive of FacebookAll the information that is on Facebook comes from people sharing it. It is not our information, it's the people's”
A list feature on Facebook already lets users create subsets of their friends but Mr Zuckerberg said that only about 5% of its 500 million users use it.
"Groups will change behaviour," Augie Ray a senior analyst with research firm Forrester told BBC News.
"It's possible that people will join Facebook because they will feel they can control who sees their information. I am a very open person and blast everything I say on Twitter or Facebook but now something like this will allow people to think more deeply about who will see what they say, and will increase engagement."
Another analyst Ray Valdes of Gartner called groups "a major milestone in a very long road that represents part of the ongoing evolution of our social connections".
'False security'Facebook said its engineers had been in lockdown for the past 60 days working on these new products.
One of the new tools called "Download Your Information" is designed to enable users to download everything they have ever posted to the site, such as photos, status updates and wall posts.
The tool is a major departure for Facebook, which has come under criticism in the past for not allowing users access to their own data.
This effectively locked Facebook users into the site, unable to port their data to other sites.
Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Facebook's latest features at the company's California headquarters
"All the information that is on Facebook comes from people sharing it," said Mr Zuckerberg.
"It is not our information. It is people's information. We just have this strong philosophical belief that people own that information and they should be able set exactly who can see it, move it to different applications and use it how they want. They should be able to take it away if they want."
The groups feature is the one the company touted most heavily and one that Mr Zuckerberg seemed most proud of.
"We think that what we have out of the box, version one, blows away everything else," he said, referring to "groups" services offered by internet stalwarts such as Yahoo! and Google.
Privacy has been a constant thorn for the world's biggest social network whenever it introduces new products or changes settings on the site.
"Mostly I am happy they are giving users more control and I think the groups aspect for the most part does give you this added control," said Larry Magid, co-director of ConnectSafely.org.
Phone sync worries"The only worry I have is that friends can add people to the group, so if you create a group and are in a group you have to be aware of not only who you add but who others add.
"As long as you are aware of who is in the group it can be a great privacy tool. If it gets out of hand it could give you a sense of false security."
There has been concern over syncing phone contacts with Facebook
The roll out of new products comes amid reports that a syncing feature on the iPhone lets Facebook access contact data and share it on the site.
"It's very possible that your private phone numbers - and those of lots of your and their friends - are on the site," said Charles Arthur of the Guardian newspaper.
Another tech blogger, Kurt van Moos, who was the first to warn about this feature in January, outlined his concerns.
"Phone numbers are private and valuable. Most people who have entrusted you with their phone numbers assume you will keep them private and safe," he said.
In a statement to the BBC, Facebook confirmed that the site allowed them to sync their friends' contact information.
"The ability to sync their contacts is used for the purpose of connecting [users] with their friends," it said.
"All of this information is private and is not shared with any friends or any third party.
"Even if someone wanted to, they could not share any of this information with other friends, for example."
Facebook added that users could easily delete contacts copied over from their phones.
BBC News - Facebook uncovers user data sales
1 November 2010 Last updated at 10:20Share this page
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Facebook uncovers user data sales
Facebook has clamped down on the selling of user IDs
Facebook has taken action against developers it caught selling user names and contact lists.
The sales were uncovered as Facebook investigated a web browser bug that let user IDs be shared inadvertently.
The user details were sold to data brokers who used the information to target adverts more precisely.
The developers have been banned for six months from connecting to Facebook and must be audited to check they comply with the social network's policies.
Facebook started investigating what was happening with user identifiers (UIDs) following media reports that the information and lists of contacts were being sold on to advertising firms.
In a blog post, Facebook said its investigation showed that the technical demands of some browsers meant that some user IDs were being leaked.
It also discovered that some developers that create applications for the social network were taking the user IDs of those who used their creations and selling them on.
Facebook said the investigation "determined that no private user data was sold and confirmed that transfer of these UIDs did not give access to any private data".
Despite this, it said, it took the breach "seriously" and had imposed a six-month ban on the developers it caught out.
Facebook did not identify which developers were being punished and only said there were fewer than a dozen of them and none had any applications in the top 10 most popular used on the social network.
It named ad-targeting firm Rapleaf as one of the data brokers which had been buying UIDs. It said it had reached an agreement with the firm which would end Rapleaf's involvement with any application on Facebook now and in the future.
BBC News - Ban on swims across Channel urged by French coastguard
1 November 2010 Last updated at 11:54Share this page
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Ban on swims across Channel urged by French coastguard
Swimmers attempting the 21-mile swim across the Channel have to avoid more than 500 vessels
Swimmers should be banned from crossing the Channel from Dover to Calais, according to the French coastguard.
People attempting the 21-mile challenge have to cross the world's busiest shipping lane.
Deputy director of the French Coastguard Jean-Christophe Burvingt told BBC South East's Inside Out he feared there could be an accident.
But Mike Oram, of the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, said the crossings were safe and well organised.
More than 500 vessels pass through the shipping lanes each day.
Continue reading the main story“Start Quote
End Quote Mike Oram Channel Swimming and Piloting FederationWe are over the top with all our safety precautions”
Mr Burvingt said: "This continuous increase of swimming in the Channel creates a danger which is getting more and more important every year.
"I think that there will be a collision. There will be an accident due to that [cross-Channel swimmers]."
France banned swimmers using the Calais to Dover route 17 years ago.
Kaimes Beasley, of the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), said cross-Channel swimming was "as dangerous as trying to cross the M25".
Some ferry operators have also warned that a swimmer could cause a major accident.
Chris Newey, of DFDS Seaways, said: "We'd like to see some control over the numbers of people that are doing this activity, and when they're doing it, and some regulation around that activity from a health and safety perspective."
Continue reading the main storyRelated stories
The Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, which accompanies swimmers and is one of two regulatory bodies authorised to organise and assist swims and other crossings, said the challenges were as safe as could be.
"We are over the top with all our safety precautions," Mr Oram said.
"We have tracking systems on the vessels, we have everything else that is required, we report into the coastguards.
"They know well in advance exactly what we're doing and how we're doing it and there is a restriction on the number of pilot boats."
He added that the number of swimmers had reached a peak and figures had stayed roughly the same for the past four or five years.
No swimmer or support boat has ever caused an accident in the English Channel to date, but the MCA has said "swimmers should be persuaded to look for a challenge elsewhere".
Inside Out South East will be shown on BBC One at 1930 BST.
Are you a cross-Channel swimmer, what do you think? Do you work in the shipping industry, would you welcome a ban? Send us your comments.
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BBC News - South Wales Police 'mistreated' foreign teachers
1 November 2010 Last updated at 06:49Share this page
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South Wales Police 'mistreated' foreign teachers
The three men recorded their experiences once back in Zanzibar
Police are considering a complaint of mistreatment to three foreign exchange teachers arrested and held for eight hours before release without charge.
The three men from Zanzibar, in Tanzania, were arrested while shopping for presents in Cardiff.
Habib Seif Ali, Seif Haji Jaha and Haji Hassan Chum said they were handcuffed and strip-searched by police.
South Wales Police said they could not comment, but they had been arrested on suspicion of fraud before being freed.
The three men were in Wales for a teacher exchange project between schools in south Wales and Zanzibar.
The project, which has been running for 10 years, is overseen by the Pembroke-based Sazani Associates, and funded by the UK Department for International Development through the British Council.
Continue reading the main story“Start Quote
End Quote Cathryn Al Kanaan Sazani AssociatesThey feel totally embarrassed and ashamed”
Cathryn Al Kanaan, who runs the project, said: "The three men said they felt they had been treated like slaves, just handcuffed and shoved into the back of a police vehicle.
"They feel totally embarrassed and ashamed about the incident."
She has made the complaint to police on behalf of the three men, who have now returned home. She said the Zanzibar Ministry of Education was putting together a complaint to send to the UK Government.
Recorded statementsIn the early afternoon on 18 September, the three men were in Cardiff city centre, shopping for mobile phones and cameras to take home as presents to family.
In recorded statements given to a staff member of Sazani Associates back in Zanzibar, the three men said the experience had been "shameful" for them.
Haji Hassan Chum said: "We decided to ask a policeman to help us, because we needed a phone to be unlocked and wanted directions.
Continue reading the main story“Start Quote
End Quote Haji Hassan Chum TeacherI tried to ask them why they handcuffed us without reason. They told us we were thieves”
He said they were handcuffed and were told they were "thieves".
The men, who teach maths, geography and history, said they were all fingerprinted, while Mr Jaha said he also had a DNA saliva swab taken without explanation. He said he was also denied food, water and blankets, which the other two men received.
While they were held separately in cells, police officers searched the men's Cardiff hostel and took Mr Ali's passport, said Ms Al Kanaan.
'Illusions shattered'She added: "In Zanzibar Britain is held up as country where things are done properly and where people are treated with respect.
"Those illusions have been shattered."
The three men said they explained to police they were in Wales as part of a teacher exchange programme. At about 0200BST on the Sunday they were released without charge, but the men said they were offered no assistance to find their way back to their hostel and had to walk through the city for an hour to find it.
Their group was scheduled to leave Cardiff to fly back to Zanzibar that day and it was while packing that Mr Ali said he realised his passport was missing.
Ms Al Kanaan said the teacher was accompanied to the police station by David Edwards, a former police officer and now a teacher who had been working with the men.
"He managed through knowing police procedure to get the passport found," she said.
But she said Mr Ali was kept waiting three hours for the document.
'Investigation ongoing'Ms Al Kanaan added: "I feel ashamed to be Welsh. These men did nothing wrong.
"I really hope teachers in Zanzibar aren't now discouraged about coming to Wales."
A spokesman for South Wales Police said it was inappropriate to comment as an investigation was ongoing.
The spokesman said: "At around 5pm on Saturday, 18 September South Wales Police received a report of a skimming machine at an ATM in Working Street, Cardiff.
"A mobile phone had been attached to the cash machine filming users entering their personal identification number (PIN) as well as a device at the card entry point.
"Officers attended and at around 5.30pm three men aged 51, 28 and 20 were arrested on suspicion of fraud.
"They were taken into custody but following further inquiries were released without charge in the early hours of Sunday, 19 September."
BBC News - Dutch coffee shops fear coalition crackdown
1 November 2010 Last updated at 10:55Share this page
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Dutch coffee shops fear coalition crackdown
By Ben Shore BBC News, AmsterdamMore than cappuccinos are on the menu in some Dutch coffee shops
"This is old Dutch skunk…it gets you medium stoned."
Jason den Enting, the general manager of the Dampkring chain of coffee shops in Amsterdam, is giving me his sales patter.
"It's a little bit physical, makes you relaxed…"
His enthusiasm is obvious, but beneath it he is worried.
The traditional Dutch tolerance of the sale of small amounts of marijuana through licensed "coffee shops" is under severe strain.
Coffee shops emerged in the mid 1970s. The idea was to create a safe environment for adults to smoke cannabis but other illegal substances were banned.
They have actually been under pressure since the 1990s, mainly from licensing laws.
At their peak there were around 1,200 but the total currently stands at 700.
Political battleAnd now, from Mr den Enting's perspective, the knives are really out.
On 14 October a new coalition government was sworn in. Part of the coalition agreement stipulates that coffee shops "will become private clubs". In other words, no tourists.
"[It's] simple politics. They have problems and they only talk about Muslim kids and coffee shops. It won't put us out of business but some people could lose their jobs."
Selling small amounts of cannabis in coffee shops is tolerated, but attitudes are changing
And while Dampkring could survive, others might not.
Unsurprisingly, the customers I met took a dim view of the proposals.
Isabelle, from Worcestershire, was typical: "It would change the whole vibe, people would be less chilled out, turn to alcohol probably".
But for many in the Netherlands the new stricter policy is part of a battle to protect their quality of life. And the small town of Roosendaal is on the frontline.
Just a few miles from the border with Belgium, by 2007 it had become a centre for drug tourists with 12,000 arriving every week. This in an area with a population of just 10,000.
The council had thought the problem arose from unlicensed "selling points". But research from 2008 revealed that 90% of the drugs tourists were in fact simply coming for the regulated coffee shops. The solution was simple - close them all down.
Core contradictionBy spring 2010 the drugs tourists had all but disappeared and so too had some very profitable businesses.
A tourist might spend 30 euros (£26) per visit, implying weekly revenues for the town's eight coffee shops of up to 324,000 euros (£283,000).
Ben van der Hoeven says Roosendaal has been given a new lease of life
Ben van der Hoeven, a local official, shows me Molenstraat (Mill Street) where the coffee shops were massed. It is a five-metre-wide road and the young tourists driving along here caused mayhem.
"There were parking problems, intimidation," he said. "Now we are really giving back Molenstraat to the inhabitants of Roosendaal. It's a shopping street again."
It is exactly the grim experience of towns like Roosendaal that has made coffee shops such a target for the government.
But banning tourists from buying soft drugs will not resolve the core contradiction created by the toleration policy, according to Tim Boekhout van Solinge, a criminologist at the University of Utrecht.
"Coffee shops are allowed to sell small quantities of cannabis to consumers, but how do they get the products? They have to buy it on the illegal market."
The illegality of cannabis is a surprise to many people from outside the Netherlands but it is a fact that creates several anomalies.
The first is that while thousands of people are happily smoking the drug in coffee shops, the police are busy trying to restrict the supply.
Another criminologist, Nicole Maalste from the University of Tilburg, says marijuana producers are a currently a top priority for the police, and it shows - prices have doubled in the last couple of years.
Shades of greySome coffee shop owners have even been arrested on their way to work, caught with their daily stock of dope.
But perhaps the most intriguing element of the coffee shop conundrum is that the Dutch cannot legislate their way out of it.
Dr Boekhout van Solinge points out that on four occasions there has been a parliamentary majority for the full legalisation of production and each time the government has refused to adopt new laws.
"This is a small country and there is the almost constant pressure from the US not to liberalise further," he said.
For some though, this indicates Dutch society is finally waking up to the dangers of its traditional liberalism.
Among them is Nicolien Van Vroonhoven, from the Christian Democratic Alliance, part of the governing coalition.
She cites the problems of addiction and the ease with which soft drug use can turn into the use of hard drugs.
"In tolerating the coffee shops you deny all the problems caused by cannabis."
Full prohibition though is still a long way off and resistance to the current "members only" proposals could end in court.
But the debate in Holland does at least highlight the imperfections of the country's policy.
Coffee shop owners have always operated in shades of grey, it seems now the Dutch public wants things in black or white.
BBC News - Former Wales auditor general admits child porn offences
1 November 2010 Last updated at 13:57Share this page
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Former Wales auditor general admits child porn offences
Colman had previously denied all allegations
The former auditor general for Wales has pleaded guilty to possessing more than 100 pornographic images of children.
Jeremy Colman, aged 62, was arrested in February on indecent images charges.
He was remanded in custody after admitting 14 separate offences connected with possessing and making pornographic images of children.
His admissions came as he was due for trial at Cardiff Crown Court, having previously denied all allegations.
The charges originally related to possessing and making 429 indecent images of children between October 2008 and January 2010.
His guilty pleas came after the prosecution agreed to reduce the overall number of images to 182.
Colman also admitted a charge of failing to disclose a password to allow police to access information on a USB memory stick.
Colman has a home in Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan, but had been living at Orton Longueville, near Peterborough in Cambridgeshire.
'Move forward'
His barrister Wendy Hewitt asked for Colman to be granted bail as the judge adjourned proceedings to 19 November for pre-sentence reports to be prepared.
But Cardiff Recorder Nicholas Cooke QC refused bail because he had concerns that sentencing could he held up.
In a statement issued after the hearing Colman's former employer, the Wales Audit Office, thanked South Wales Police for its assistance and said: "This has been a difficult period.
"Thanks to our new auditor general and the professionalism and hard work of staff, we have been able to move forward as an organisation.
"We remain committed to providing a first class audit and review service for citizens in Wales."
BBC News - MP Stephen Timms stabbed 'in revenge for Iraq war'
1 November 2010 Last updated at 13:51Share this page
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MP Stephen Timms stabbed 'in revenge for Iraq war'
MP Stephen Timms was stabbed at his Newham constituency surgery
A woman stabbed Labour MP Stephen Timms twice at a constituency surgery in revenge for his vote for the Iraq war, the Old Bailey has heard.
The Labour MP for East Ham said he thought Roshonara Choudhry wanted to shake hands when she smiled before lunging at him in Newham on 14 May.
Miss Choudhry told police she wanted "to get revenge for the people of Iraq", prosecutors said.
The 21-year-old is accused of attempted murder and having an offensive weapon.
No challengeThe court heard Mr Timms was sent "reeling and staggering" by the attack at the community centre in Beckton.
His assistant Andrew Bazeley prised the kitchen knife from Miss Choudhry, who was restrained by a security guard until police officers arrived.
Another knife was found in her bag.
Prosecutor William Boyce QC, said Miss Choudhry had told detectives she was trying to kill Mr Timms for "punishment" and "to get revenge for the people of Iraq".
"When asked why she had stabbed him a second time she said 'because I wasn't going to stop stabbing until someone made me'," Mr Boyce said.
Jeremy Dein QC, defending Miss Choudhry who was not in court, said she did not recognise the jurisdiction of the court and did not wish her lawyers to challenge evidence put before the jury.
The trial continues.
BBC News - Firefighters 'lacked equipment' for 7/7 London bombings
1 November 2010 Last updated at 13:06Share this page
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Firefighters 'lacked equipment' for 7/7 London bombings
Seven victims were killed by a suicide bomber at Aldgate in 2005
Firefighters lacked the training and first aid equipment to treat the most seriously injured, the 7/7 London bombing inquests have heard.
They were told that some of the wounded in the attack at Aldgate in 2005 were untreatable by the fire service.
Firefighter Sean Jones said their first aid kit at the time was "useless" for dealing with such horrific injuries.
The inquests are into the deaths of 52 people who were killed by suicide bombers on three Tube trains and a bus.
Mr Jones told the hearings that he spent up to two hours in a bomb-damaged Tube train carriage at Aldgate trying to help the wounded and dying.
'Beyond remit'He said: "At that stage all we carried on our fire engine was a very basic first aid kit, a number of bandages, elastic tape.
"The nature of the injuries that we saw on the train, there was no mild first aid - it's either seriously injured or they get up and walk off.
"So there was no triage that needed to be done, there was nothing like that. It was just purely a case of the casualties that we saw were way beyond our remit and skill levels to be able to treat.
"So our first aid kit would have been useless anyway."
He added: "We needed paramedics and Hems [Helicopter Emergency Medical Service] there."
Hugo Keith QC, counsel to the inquests, asked him: "In truth there was nothing that you or perhaps the police officers could have done for them because none of you had the specialist medical equipment?"
Mr Jones, who was based at Southwark fire station in south London at the time, replied: "There was nothing that could have been done."
The firefighter said the lack of radio communications in the Tube tunnel made no difference to him.
He said: "We just did what we needed to do. At no point did we look for instruction or require instruction. We just got on with the work that needed to be done."
Shehzad Tanweer, one of the four bombers who carried out the London attacks, blew himself up on an eastbound Circle Line train at Aldgate station, killing seven other people.
BBC News - NICE to lose powers to decide on new drugs
1 November 2010 Last updated at 11:54Share this page
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NICE to lose powers to decide on new drugs
By Helen Briggs Health reporter, BBC NewsChanges are planned to the way drugs are funded
The medicines watchdog, NICE, is to lose its power to turn down new medicines for use on the NHS.
It will give advice on which drugs are effective, but will not decide whether patients should be given treatments their doctor recommends, the Department of Health has confirmed.
Instead, groups of GPs will decide whether a drug should be funded or not.
Ministers hope to make new drugs affordable to the NHS by negotiating with pharmaceutical companies on price.
The plans, called value-based pricing, are set to come into effect in 2014.
Continue reading the main storyRelated stories
A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We will introduce a new system of value-based pricing which will make effective treatments affordable to the NHS. Our plans will ensure licensed and effective drugs are available to NHS clinicians and patients.
"We will focus NICE's role on what matters most - advising clinicians on effective treatments and quality standards - rather than making decisions on whether patients should access drugs that their doctors want to prescribe."
Guidance on recommended drugs from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) applies to England and Wales, and also usually Northern Ireland.
Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive of NICE, said: "We support moves to extend access to new treatments at prices which reflect the additional value to patients.
"NICE is the global leader in evaluating the benefits of new drugs and we anticipate being at the heart of the new arrangements."
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End Quote Mike Hobday Macmillan Cancer SupportNICE has too often misread the public mood in rejecting clinically effective drugs for rare cancers”
The cancer charity, Macmillan Cancer Support, said NICE had performed an important role for the NHS but had "misread" the public mood.
Mike Hobday, Head of Policy, said: "Having a body that can say 'no' to pharmaceutical companies has been crucial in driving the price of drugs down, so that the NHS can afford to support patients more often.
"But NICE has too often misread the public mood in rejecting clinically effective drugs for rare cancers.
"It has placed insufficient weight on the importance of allowing the NHS to give patients with rare cancers the drugs that their doctors believe will extend or improve the quality of their lives."
He said the charity was talking to the government to ensure that the NHS would be able to provide all cancer patients with clinically effective drugs recommended by their doctors.
Hooray!!!!