I keep getting warned about a change that will come about in April, where
I would have to use a smart phone to access BBC radio on Alexa, unfortunately, I don't have a smart phone any more.
I keep getting warned about a change that will come about in April,
where I would have to use a smart phone to access BBC radio on Alexa, unfortunately, I don't have a smart phone any more.
On 14:32 26 Mar 2022, jon said:
I keep getting warned about a change that will come about in April,
where I would have to use a smart phone to access BBC radio on Alexa,
unfortunately, I don't have a smart phone any more.
I often listen to BBC radio on Alexa but have never had heard one of
those warnings. Exactly what does it say?
Is it coming from the BBC or Alexa?
On Sat, 26 Mar 2022 17:41:08 +0000, Pamela wrote:
On 14:32 26 Mar 2022, jon said:
I keep getting warned about a change that will come about in April,
where I would have to use a smart phone to access BBC radio on Alexa,
unfortunately, I don't have a smart phone any more.
I often listen to BBC radio on Alexa but have never had heard one of
those warnings. Exactly what does it say?
Is it coming from the BBC or Alexa?
I have no idea, but the many times repeated message over the last few
months states 'at the start of April you will have to sign in with the bbc >app on your smart phone'. The voice also says 'would I like to receive a
link to assist'.
On Sat, 26 Mar 2022 17:41:08 +0000, Pamela wrote:
On 14:32 26 Mar 2022, jon said:
I keep getting warned about a change that will come about in April,
where I would have to use a smart phone to access BBC radio on
Alexa, unfortunately, I don't have a smart phone any more.
I often listen to BBC radio on Alexa but have never had heard one of
those warnings. Exactly what does it say?
Is it coming from the BBC or Alexa?
I have no idea, but the many times repeated message over the last few
months states 'at the start of April you will have to sign in with
the bbc app on your smart phone'. The voice also says 'would I like
to receive a link to assist'.
The assumption that everyone has a smartphone - and, less obviously but
just as important, an always-on mobile data contract - is increasing; my current bugbear is the number of EV charging stations (I think it's most
of them) that can only be used via such an app. (And I don't even have
an EV!) [And the obtaining, and reporting the results of, CoViD tests.]
On Tue, 29 Mar 2022 14:16:10 +0100, J. P. Gilliver (John) <G6JPG@255soft.uk> >wrote:
The assumption that everyone has a smartphone - and, less obviously but
just as important, an always-on mobile data contract - is increasing; my
current bugbear is the number of EV charging stations (I think it's most
of them) that can only be used via such an app. (And I don't even have
an EV!) [And the obtaining, and reporting the results of, CoViD tests.]
You can (try to) obtain LFTs via a normal web-site on a real computer.
I did so a couple of weeks ago.
Is the same not true for other things?
The assumption that everyone has a smartphone - and, less obviously but
just as important, an always-on mobile data contract - is increasing; my >>> current bugbear is the number of EV charging stations (I think it's most >>> of them) that can only be used via such an app. (And I don't even have
an EV!) [And the obtaining, and reporting the results of, CoViD tests.]
You can (try to) obtain LFTs via a normal web-site on a real computer.
I did so a couple of weeks ago.
Did you actually get all the way to the end of the process, and receive
a pack of LFTs?
The first time I used it, I got about half a dozen or
more screens in (filling in details at every stage), when I got to "what
is your mobile number". There _was_ an "I don't have one" button, but if
you clicked that it told you to dial 119.
On Sat, 26 Mar 2022 17:41:08 +0000, Pamela wrote:
On 14:32 26 Mar 2022, jon said:
I keep getting warned about a change that will come about in April,
where I would have to use a smart phone to access BBC radio on Alexa,
unfortunately, I don't have a smart phone any more.
I often listen to BBC radio on Alexa but have never had heard one of
those warnings. Exactly what does it say?
Is it coming from the BBC or Alexa?
I have no idea, but the many times repeated message over the last few
months states 'at the start of April you will have to sign in with the bbc >app on your smart phone'. The voice also says 'would I like to receive a
link to assist'.
On Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:29:02 +0100, J. P. Gilliver (John) <G6JPG@255soft.uk> >wrote:
The assumption that everyone has a smartphone - and, less obviously but >>>> just as important, an always-on mobile data contract - is increasing; my >>>> current bugbear is the number of EV charging stations (I think it's most >>>> of them) that can only be used via such an app. (And I don't even have >>>> an EV!) [And the obtaining, and reporting the results of, CoViD tests.] >>>You can (try to) obtain LFTs via a normal web-site on a real computer.
I did so a couple of weeks ago.
Did you actually get all the way to the end of the process, and receive
a pack of LFTs?
Yes (eventually).
The first time I used it, I got about half a dozen or
more screens in (filling in details at every stage), when I got to "what
is your mobile number". There _was_ an "I don't have one" button, but if
you clicked that it told you to dial 119.
You seem to have moved the goalposts. Your original complaint was about
smart phones, not mobile numbers. The two are not (necessarily) synonymous.
On Mon, 4 Apr 2022 at 23:40:54, Paul Ratcliffe
You seem to have moved the goalposts. Your original complaint was about
smart phones, not mobile numbers. The two are not (necessarily)
synonymous.
True, but related. Anything (AFAIK) that requires an "app" - and I
_suspect_ anything that uses QR codes too, though I am not 100% sure
about that - requires a "smart" 'phone. The LFT website requiring you to
have a mobile number _at all_ (without being far less usable, anyway) is
I agree a different matter, but still irritating (and, as I've said,
related - same sort of assumption on the part of the creators, just
going to irritate fewer people).
On 05/04/2022 14:30, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
On Mon, 4 Apr 2022 at 23:40:54, Paul Ratcliffe
You seem to have moved the goalposts. Your original complaint was about
smart phones, not mobile numbers. The two are not (necessarily)
synonymous.
True, but related. Anything (AFAIK) that requires an "app" - and I
_suspect_ anything that uses QR codes too, though I am not 100% sure
about that - requires a "smart" 'phone. The LFT website requiring you to
have a mobile number _at all_ (without being far less usable, anyway) is
I agree a different matter, but still irritating (and, as I've said,
related - same sort of assumption on the part of the creators, just
going to irritate fewer people).
Reading QR codes needs a 2D sensor and an application to interpret the >results, which are presented to the system (Usually via the internet
browser) as an ASCII string, which may be text, numbers or a URL.
This may help explain what happens :-
https://xkcd.com/1237/
Followed by:-
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1237:_QR_Code
In practice, are many "non-smart" 'phones supplied with QR-reading
software?
(Not sure what defines a 'phone as "smart" or not; maybe having real
buttons is a reasonable rule-of-thumb.)
On Tue, 5 Apr 2022 19:54:23 +0100, John Williamson <johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> wrote:
In principle, any phone with a camera and enough processing power can
read QR codes. In practice, would it be worth writing the code for the
very small likely market?
It's a trivial task. The wordprocessor in the free office suite Libre
Office can convert any text string to a QR code. Just go to
"Insert/Object/QR and barcode" and type whatever you want in the box.
Rod.
In principle, any phone with a camera and enough processing power can
read QR codes. In practice, would it be worth writing the code for the
very small likely market?
On 05/04/2022 19:20, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In practice, are many "non-smart" 'phones supplied with QR-readingUnlikely, as the display probably couldn't display the results.
software?
(Not sure what defines a 'phone as "smart" or not; maybe having real
buttons is a reasonable rule-of-thumb.)
Now that Microsoft have dropped out of the market, the current
requirements seem to be a touch screen and either Android or iOS as the operating system.
I used to have a "feature phone" which had a touch screen and wasn't
quite as dumb as the Nokia communicator it replaced, but that was long
before QR codes became common.
In principle, any phone with a camera and enough processing power can
read QR codes. In practice, would it be worth writing the code for the
very small likely market?
On 06/04/2022 08:59, Roderick Stewart wrote:
On Tue, 5 Apr 2022 19:54:23 +0100, John WilliamsonI was thinking of the program code required to read the code using a >non-smart phone using a simple operating system, not create it.
<johnwilliamson@btinternet.com> wrote:
In principle, any phone with a camera and enough processing power can
read QR codes. In practice, would it be worth writing the code for the
very small likely market?
It's a trivial task. The wordprocessor in the free office suite Libre
Office can convert any text string to a QR code. Just go to
"Insert/Object/QR and barcode" and type whatever you want in the box.
Rod.
On Wed, 6 Apr 2022 09:14:53 +0100, John Williamson
I was thinking of the program code required to read the code using a
non-smart phone using a simple operating system, not create it.
OK. You'd need something to run the code on though, and I doubt any
non-smart type would do. Easiest just to buy an Android phone I would
have thought, as they're readily available and designed for the task,
rather than try to reinvent the wheel. You can get a reasonable one
for about 100 quid or less nowadays.
The last cheap one cost me fifty quid, pre-loved. The problem, if it is
a problem, is that a significant percentage of people don't want a Smartphone, and dumb phones are becoming quite the thing with some of
the younger set. just don't ask about their watches...
On Tue, 05 Apr 2022 07:22:35 +0100, Scott wrote:
On Tue, 29 Mar 2022 12:56:16 -0000 (UTC), jon <jon@nospam.cn> wrote:
On Sat, 26 Mar 2022 17:41:08 +0000, Pamela wrote:
On 14:32 26 Mar 2022, jon said:
I keep getting warned about a change that will come about in
April, where I would have to use a smart phone to access BBC
radio on Alexa, unfortunately, I don't have a smart phone any
more.
I often listen to BBC radio on Alexa but have never had heard one
of those warnings. Exactly what does it say?
Is it coming from the BBC or Alexa?
I have no idea, but the many times repeated message over the last
few months states 'at the start of April you will have to sign in
with the bbc app on your smart phone'. The voice also says 'would I
like to receive a link to assist'.
Is it smartphone or 'Alexa app' which I assumed you could access on
a PC?
Listening to BBC radio stations on Alexa used to be easy. You used to
ask her to play BBC Radio 2 and she would play it, using the TuneIn
Radio skill.
Then the BBC decided that was far too convenient, yanked its leading
national stations from TuneIn, and made us all install the BBC skill
which has proved erratic ever since. Now people complain that
when they ask for BBC radio stations, they are either met with
silence or they get a foreign radio station they've never heard of.
On Tue, 29 Mar 2022 12:56:16 -0000 (UTC), jon <jon@nospam.cn> wrote:
On Sat, 26 Mar 2022 17:41:08 +0000, Pamela wrote:
On 14:32 26 Mar 2022, jon said:
I keep getting warned about a change that will come about in April,
where I would have to use a smart phone to access BBC radio on Alexa,
unfortunately, I don't have a smart phone any more.
I often listen to BBC radio on Alexa but have never had heard one of
those warnings. Exactly what does it say?
Is it coming from the BBC or Alexa?
I have no idea, but the many times repeated message over the last few >>months states 'at the start of April you will have to sign in with the
bbc app on your smart phone'. The voice also says 'would I like to
receive a link to assist'.
Is it smartphone or 'Alexa app' which I assumed you could access on a
PC?
On 06/04/2022 15:16, John Williamson wrote:
The last cheap one cost me fifty quid, pre-loved. The problem, if it is
a problem, is that a significant percentage of people don't want a
Smartphone, and dumb phones are becoming quite the thing with some of
the younger set. just don't ask about their watches...
I remember reading a few years ago that one of the older Nokia model was
in demand because it was so easy to use with good battery life.
On 06/04/2022 18:06, MB wrote:
On 06/04/2022 15:16, John Williamson wrote:
The last cheap one cost me fifty quid, pre-loved. The problem, if it is
a problem, is that a significant percentage of people don't want a
Smartphone, and dumb phones are becoming quite the thing with some of
the younger set. just don't ask about their watches...
I remember reading a few years ago that one of the older Nokia model was
in demand because it was so easy to use with good battery life.
The legendary 3310. Now revived with a colour display.
Also available in prison size. It'll make your eyes water when you
realise why.
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