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TheWerewolf - Sotto voce
07/25/09

In reply to The Most Important Buyers Guide You'll Read Today
Let's see - iPhone... Pre... Android... Blackberry..... the regular suspects...

But wait!

Symbian AND *gasp* Windows Mobile 6.1

But... But... I thought those weren't smartphone OSes....

Well, whattaya know.

[/sarcasm]
Reply

bosskev
02/26/09

In reply to TV.com iPhone App Streams Free Full-Length CBS and Showtime Shows

I did not notice any advertising during playback.

Um, Wilson...did you perhaps notice any fees being charged to your account? The reason there is no advertising might be because there could be charges to your credit card for using this service. Let me quote you from the Terms and Conditions you agree to when you download this app (emphasis added):

"For certain Products and Services, CBSI may charge an automatically recurring subscription fee (e.g., a monthly fee...) in exchange for providing access to certain Wireless Content. Until you affirmatively request to stop receiving recurring Products and Services...Recurring Fees will be automatically charged. For other Products and Services, you may have the option to incur a one-time premium charge... Fees charged by CBSI...will appear on your Wireless Device bill or be deducted from your pre-paid balance. In addition to a Recurring Fee or other premium charge payable to CBSI...your wireless provider may charge you fees for access..."

You did read all that...right?
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bosskev was starred bosskev was unstarred

Wilson Rothman
02/27/09

@bosskev: Honestly, it sounds like lawyers pulling a CYA maneuver. You don't honestly think CBS would run up your wireless bill without giving you so much as a confirmation screen, do you? They'd never hear the end of it. That said, I'll certainly look into this. Thanks for the fine-print reading, Kev.
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Wilson Rothman was starred Wilson Rothman was unstarred

bosskev
02/27/09

@Wilson Rothman: Somewhere in that same fine print they do claim that there will be some kind of confirmation screen prior to you being charged for something. Since the manner in which the T&C appeared on the screen did not allow for a copy/paste of the text (must have been developed by iPhone programmers), I had to manually type up that crap, so I did edit the terms for brevity.

That said, until we see what this confirmation screen looks like, we won't know how obvious it is or is not. And, since AT&T already has your account ready to charge you invisibly, it could be SO easy to mistakenly run up recurring charges.

In any case, even if this first round of offerings are free, it clearly shows the direction CBS wants to take this service, i.e., a fee-based arrangement. Get you using the service with the freebies, then reel you in once you're hooked...
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bosskev was starred bosskev was unstarred

DeepFriar
02/26/09

In reply to TV.com iPhone App Streams Free Full-Length CBS and Showtime Shows
Terrific. Can they now focus on making Safari please stop crashing everytime I load a page with more than three pictures on it?
Reply

DeepFriar was starred DeepFriar was unstarred

EBone
02/26/09

In reply to TV.com iPhone App Streams Free Full-Length CBS and Showtime Shows
Speaking as someone who has been lying in bed sick with the flu the past 48 hours, this gives me a mental hard-on.
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EBone was starred EBone was unstarred

speck2001
02/26/09

In reply to TV.com iPhone App Streams Free Full-Length CBS and Showtime Shows
Compression/picture quality on CSI: Vegas is terrible.
Reply

speck2001 was starred speck2001 was unstarred

Wilson Rothman
02/27/09

@speck2001: Seems like it's based on your connection speed. I noticed Trek was smooth over Wi-Fi, but crunchy as hell over EDGE.
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Wilson Rothman was starred Wilson Rothman was unstarred

Epoch's apple copyright violation
02/26/09

In reply to TV.com iPhone App Streams Free Full-Length CBS and Showtime Shows
as much as i like csi, i'm holding out until they let you stream MacGyver.
Reply

Curves
12/03/08

In reply to Enhanced Photos Can Bypass Any Face-Recognition Software
They should use an ear scan. I read once that the human ear has many points of uniqueness and seems to be easy enough to access, unless youre VanGogh or something.
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Curves was starred Curves was unstarred

Platypus Man
12/03/08

In reply to Enhanced Photos Can Bypass Any Face-Recognition Software
Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't really see the point. Instead of using your fingerprint (which is attached to your body) or a username/password (which can be broken, but ideally, only you know it), you use an "enhanced" photograph of yourself. This is a photograph that you keep with you at all times, but should you leave it somewhere, it can be stolen, or lost at the very least. And then it's like you've lost the only key to your house, and there's probably no easy way to get it back or recreate it. And if it's stolen, then that person has it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it like a nigh-unbreakable password that you write on a sheet of paper that you keep with you at all times? It just doesn't seem to make sense.
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Platypus Man was starred Platypus Man was unstarred

Sergeant JoKer
12/03/08

@Platypus Man: This isn't meant to be a photo to carry around with you to log into your computer, it showcases how somebody could, theoretically, get a photo of you, enhance it and use it to log on as you.
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Sergeant JoKer was starred Sergeant JoKer was unstarred

Platypus Man
12/03/08

@Sergeant JoKer: So wait, is it supposed to demonstrate a massive security hole and make face recognition look stupid, or is that supposed to be a good thing?
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Platypus Man was starred Platypus Man was unstarred

medopal
12/03/08

In reply to Enhanced Photos Can Bypass Any Face-Recognition Software
who saw Madagascar 2?

in the beginning of the movie, the guy scans his face, hand, fingerprint, and finally his butt to log in.

Learn from cartoons how to make security :D
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medopal was starred medopal was unstarred

Kaiser-Machead
12/03/08

@medopal: Yeah, Aliens vs. Monsters looks like it may be good....but Dreamworks is hit or miss.
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Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred

Monty
12/02/08

In reply to Enhanced Photos Can Bypass Any Face-Recognition Software
I would be far more impressed if I could hold up an AK-47 and the computer would let me in. That fear element in computers is so under-rated.
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Monty was starred Monty was unstarred

IN THE FACE!
12/02/08

In reply to Enhanced Photos Can Bypass Any Face-Recognition Software
Where's the fun in that? Used to be you can to kill the guy and sever whatever part of him was being biometrically scanned.

Now you can just print out a photochopped image? Weak.

The action movie industry will not be pleased.
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IN THE FACE! was starred IN THE FACE! was unstarred

IN THE FACE!
12/02/08

@bpapa9013: Typ-o-rama, excuse me...

can=had
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IN THE FACE! was starred IN THE FACE! was unstarred

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