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Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claims Release Was Accidental

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Re: Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claims Release Was Accidental

#101

> When asked for comment, Google told us that the feature had only ever been released by accident — that it was experimental, and that it could break some of the apps policed by it. Oh, it would definitely break some apps. Considering it would introduce new uncertainty. It's still an amazing feature.

I can't believe they question Google's authenticity when they say it was accidentally released too soon and then go on to criticize the feature for being unpolished and incomplete!

Re: Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claims Release Was Accidental

#102

I'm probably going to turn in to that old guy with tin foil who can't play any games because nobody supports his choice of platform, but I really miss when computers were devices you could buy and then put your choice of OS on. Phones are pretty much just little ARM computers, why the hell don't I just install Ubuntu, Firefox OS, Android, WinPhone, Symbian, whatever? I could format a microSD card to boot from and go…

Re. proper keyboards - the market says otherwise. There have been plenty of Android phones with hard keyboards but they've not sold in sufficient quantities to make it attractive.

If there was a market for it, people would be making them, if you disagree with that they what are you doing on here, your fortune awaits...

Also worth seeing kids who've never used a physical keyboard to any great extent. I've seen them doing what must be close to 60 words a minute on a touch screen (tablet rather than phone but still). If you're used to it a touch screen keyboard isn't a massive limiting factor.

EDIT: This is interesting: http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/122/ipadtyp...

A study showing netbooks to have a typical typing speed of around 60WPM vs 40WPM for iPad, but interestingly it mentions that none of the participants had used an iPad.

I'm guessing that someone with significant experience on a particular OS / soft keyboard with correction could close that gap pretty sharpish.

EDIT2: http://thinkertry.com/2012/10/30/typing-speed-test-iphone-vs...

Someone testing iPhone, iPad and keyboard two years running:

2011: iPhone: 57 wpm, iPad: 60 wpm, Keyboard: 71 wpm 2012: iPhone: 51 wpm, iPad: 75 wpm, Keyboard: 82 wpm

It seems that practice does indeed close the gap. Given that the total install base for touchscreen devices will exceed that for PCs in the next 12 months (probably next 6), that greater level of familiarity will shortly become standard.

Re: Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claims Release Was Accidental

#103

There is another point here, one I think even more important and more disconcerting. Google released an entire feature of their Android OS BY ACCIDENT. W...T...F?! How do you release a feature "by accident?" By having awful quality control? How does that make me feel about the rest of their Android OS now? Either this, or they're lying through their teeth in an effort to cover up. In either case, it's evil.

It's more like they left an undocumented feature accessible.

Re: Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claims Release Was Accidental

#104

There is another point here, one I think even more important and more disconcerting. Google released an entire feature of their Android OS BY ACCIDENT. W...T...F?! How do you release a feature "by accident?" By having awful quality control? How does that make me feel about the rest of their Android OS now? Either this, or they're lying through their teeth in an effort to cover up. In either case, it's evil.

From the comments, it sounds like the preference pane was hidden and had to be enabled by installing 3rd party software. Having experimental features in software that are hidden (but included for testing in limited situations) is not surprising, nor WTF worthy.

Re: Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claims Release Was Accidental

#105
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You just used the term "making their tweets private". If we can't agree this constitutes a privacy feature - however small in scope - I think we'll just have to agree to disagree. :)

Huh? Using a phrase out of context doesn't mean you can insert it into his argument. He explicitly said, pretty much, "it's not about making their tweets private". Blocking wasn't a privacy feature.

You just used the words "insert", "explicitly", and "private." If we can't agree this constitutes hardcore pornography - however small in scope - I think we'll just have to agree to disagree. :)

Re: Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claims Release Was Accidental

#106

I'm probably going to turn in to that old guy with tin foil who can't play any games because nobody supports his choice of platform, but I really miss when computers were devices you could buy and then put your choice of OS on. Phones are pretty much just little ARM computers, why the hell don't I just install Ubuntu, Firefox OS, Android, WinPhone, Symbian, whatever? I could format a microSD card to boot from and go…

Re. proper keyboards - the market says otherwise. There have been plenty of Android phones with hard keyboards but they've not sold in sufficient quantities to make it attractive. If there was a market for it, people would be making them, if you disagree with that they what are you doing on here, your fortune awaits... Also worth seeing kids who've never used a physical keyboard to any great extent. I've seen them do…

There's actually something fairly interesting at play that should be mentioned: Typing with a physical keyboard is much more accurate than a touchscreen, but a touchscreen makes up this deficiency by a much simpler to use word completion feature. Error correction is also a breeze. Most of the words written in this post took advantage of those factors, and it took me about a minute to type everything up.

Re: Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claims Release Was Accidental

#107
post #98

There is another point here, one I think even more important and more disconcerting. Google released an entire feature of their Android OS BY ACCIDENT. W...T...F?! How do you release a feature "by accident?" By having awful quality control? How does that make me feel about the rest of their Android OS now? Either this, or they're lying through their teeth in an effort to cover up. In either case, it's evil.

Hanlon's Razor probably applies here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon's_razor

Stupidity and malice are frequently indistinguishable by an outside observer.

Re: Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claims Release Was Accidental

#109
post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Re. proper keyboards - the market says otherwise. There have been plenty of Android phones with hard keyboards but they've not sold in sufficient quantities to make it attractive. If there was a market for it, people would be making them, if you disagree with that they what are you doing on here, your fortune awaits... Also worth seeing kids who've never used a physical keyboard to any great extent. I've seen them do…

There's actually something fairly interesting at play that should be mentioned: Typing with a physical keyboard is much more accurate than a touchscreen, but a touchscreen makes up this deficiency by a much simpler to use word completion feature. Error correction is also a breeze. Most of the words written in this post took advantage of those factors, and it took me about a minute to type everything up.

Two things:

1) Depends on the keyboard - the research I've posted showed that against a netbook keyboard, an iPad in landscape mode had greater accuracy.

2) Agree on the autocorrect features and it's something I've noticed this with touchscreen typing.

It's taken me a while to get used to the auto-correct features. It used to be that they were basically a prompt that something was wrong that I'd retype mannually, now my instincts work with them.

They also act as autocomplete when you're used to them - either fully or with edits (it'll often prompt with the right root word but with a different ending - say regretfully instead of regretful - in some cases it's quicker to accept it's suggestion and then delete than to continue typing, once you're used to it).

Re: Google Removes Vital Privacy Feature From Android, Claims Release Was Accidental

#110
post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hanlon's Razor probably applies here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanlon's_razor

Stupidity and malice are frequently indistinguishable by an outside observer.

All the more reason to pause before ascribing malice as the motive.
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