Gizmodo: errors

The One Place You Definitely Don't Want To See a Windows Error Message

John Mahoney — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 10:00:00 EDT

On the control screen of the nuclear power plant in the port of Bushehr, Iran. [UPI]

Xbox 360 HDMI Sound Issue Remains Unexplained, Unaddressed

Jack Loftus — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 14:00:00 EST

I'd love to tell you that the New Xbox Experience HDMI-related sound issue from November has been addressed, but that'd be a lie. More than two months and 23 pages of complaints later, it persists.

To review, when the NXE hit late last year, some Xbox 360 owners who had connected the console to their HDTV using an HDMI cable were greeted with silence. The response from Microsoft at the time was something along the lines of "we're looking into it," while others reported tech support indicated it was an older TV- or hardware-related issue.

Since then, 23 pages of discussion over the issue have sprouted up at the official Xbox forums, and still there has allegedly been no response from customer support. A rumored—a completely unconfirmed rumor—indicates this may be addressed with a February update.

We'd say HDMI and HD gaming are *somewhat* important parts of the Xbox 360 user experience, so we hope that's true, at least for the hundreds of users allegedly without sound for their Xbox 360 games and movies. [Xbox Forums via Boy Genius Report] Update: A fix is coming February 3.

Computer Weather Error Shows Why Houston Is in Extra Trouble

Jason Chen — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EDT

Hath Hell frozen over, or hath an internth presseth the wrong buttoneth? [Thanks Dustin!]

Update: Readers are pointing out that it's probably due to the hurricane. Had no idea it was due to that, so we hope our Houston readers and their friends and family are safe. Here's to you guys.

A Microsoft Product Manager's Vista Confessions

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:20:00 EDT

Maximum PC has a very long article on the failures of Vista, which culminates in a "frank conversation" with an anonymous Windows Product Manager. Of course, he says the errors are all in the past, that they are all fixed now. Or are they?

• Instability thanks to bad GPU and/or printer drivers by third parties.
• Poorly implemented User Account Control.
• DirectX 10 should have been ported to Windows XP.
• OEM system builders are bad for including bad, buggy, or just plain useless apps on their machines in exchange for a few bucks on the back end.
• Games for Windows initiative is a disaster, with nothing more than 64-bit compatibility for games to show for years of effort.
• Apple is more appealing than Vista because "the hardware is slick, the price is OK, and Apple doesn’t annoy its customers (or allow third parties to)."

Is that it? Are those all the problem admitted in a "candid" conversation, three being Microsoft's responsibility and the other three being someone's else fault? What do you think? Why did Vista—one of the most expensive operating systems and launches ever—fail so dramatically? What does Microsoft really have to confess, in your opinion? Your answers in the comments. [Maximum PC]

iPhone 2.0.2 Kills 3G Calling For Some Users

Jason Chen — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:21:46 EDT

We're not having any problems, but Ars has found many people complaining about the iPhone 2.0.2 update killing their ability to actually make calls over 3G. Among the people who suffer from no-calling-itis is one guy who took his phone to AT&T and had them swap out the SIM, which somehow fixed the problem. If you're getting "call failed" on 3G, try switching back to 2G in Settings -> General -> Network and making the call again. [Ars Technica]

Dusty Wii Syndrome Returns With Launch of Mario Kart

Jack Loftus — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:15:00 EDT

They say smoking and squalor can kill a human, but that's turning out to be equally true for the Nintendo Wii. The hardware's disc-reading laser seems incapable of cutting through the grit, grime and second-hand smoke that accumulates on its lens' glassy veneer. The issue first appeared with Super Smash Bros. Brawl double-layer DVD, and now reports about the launch of Mario Kart Wii this month in Japan show that game is no different. Nintendo will clean your Wii for free, but that will mean a week or so without it. [GameFront via GoNintendo]

Dual Layer Discs Not Causing Wii Errors, Cigarettes are

Haroon Malik — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST

Word was in that copies of SSBB were causing Nintendo Wii consoles to readout a list of system errors. Nintendo has responded saying the game disc is not faulty, in fact, the likely cause is a dirty disc lens caused by smoke and general dust build-up. The SSBB disc is the first game to ship as a DL-DVD, and this type of DVD requires an increased sensitivity from the lens. So, build up that would not normally effect game play from a single layer DVD would cause errors from the dual layer variety. Thankfully, Nintendo has offered to clean any affected consoles, but they aren't issuing nicotine patches to help you quit smoking—the cleanup is going to get repetitive... [Kotaku]

iPod Touch Has Identity Crisis, Wishes It Were an iPhone

Charlie White — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 09:18:57 EDT

Hell-bent to cover every single detail of the iPod touch, now we bring you a careless mistake Apple made when transferring iPhone software over to the iPod touch, giving the little iPhone clone an identity crisis when you enter the wrong password into it after you've locked it. We're also hearing the touch thinks it has a camera, too. Check out that screen shot, after the jump.

This looks like the same behavior you get from the iPhone when you plug it in after you've taken a few pictures. And no, this doesn't mean they're adding a camera to the touch. [CrunchGear, via TUAW]

Sony's Spelling Blunders

Travis Hudson — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 16:40:43 EDT

A reader of our blogging cohorts, Kotaku, hit up Sony's Ginza showroom and found a comical spelling error on the displayed Playstation 3 controller. Sony just can't seem to get anything right as of late. We highly doubt the SERECT spelling error will make the shelves, but it is still nice to giggle at their expense. Kotaku's overseas correspondent, Brian A, says that SELECT is an unusual word and could be a common translating mistake. So maybe we should cut them some slack—nah, I'll just go back to laughing. – Travis Hudson

OMG, Playstation 3 Controller Spelling Mistake [Kotaku]