Asus Zenbook battery dies: it's like a new car running out of gas and having to buy another new car.

That's pretty much the attitude of Asus support. I'm in New York and basically Asus wants me to send my $1,100 2011 Zenbook to Texas for them to replace their proprietary battery that they claim cannot be removed by non Asus support humans. Asus would not give me a cost estimate other than $380, which could be modified once I paid to ship the PC and Asus examined the PC. What the heck?

That's it. I finally figured the PC is dead anyway so I might as well try to open it and see where the battery is and what it looks like.

It's a wide and very thin battery, not a brick like battery that could be easily removed without preforming major surgery. Initially I thought it was a plastic internal cover for the circuitry. I removed it.

Asus told me that it does not sell their own battery but gave me a list of websites where I might be able to buy it. By then I had already ordered it from a site not on their list.

from: Ken
to: "onlineservice@asus.com" <onlineservice@asus.com>
date: Dec 21, 2018, 10:19 PM
subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Zenbook battery died and PC will not run on AC

I ordered the Asus battery at laptop-battery-shop.com

It's the Asus brand battery that I removed from my Zenbook. They insisted that I provide the exact PC and battery information:

ASUS Zenbook UX31E-DH52 13.3-Inch Thin and Light Ultrabook (Silver Aluminum)
Asus battery Li-PolymerBattery Pack C22-UX31
Rating: +7.4V 6840mAh, 50Wh

It's unacceptable that Asus does not support and sell it's own battery. My Asus is inoperable now.

_______________________________

Google Docs published link stops working.

Message left today with Google "help":

The mess of a link you generated no longer works. It doesn't even identify the file name. So after associating a word or phrase with a link in a document, I don't even have the file name to go to to possibly generate a new link.
_____________________

Chromebook Version 70.0.3538.110 (Official Build) (64-bit) 12/18/2018

Mantle data

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OaA6Sqq7X-vcQkabBmKMuQaJqlSkBVaVxhhZN6EK1LE/pub?output=html

Google logo
Google Docs encountered an error. Please try reloading this page, or coming back to it in a few minutes.

To learn more about the Google Docs editors, please visit our help center.

We're sorry for the inconvenience.
- The Google Docs Team

Returned second Pixelbook ($300 off) this year.

Who actually wants Android apps on Chromebooks? TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2018

Pixelbook returned: not compelling and 2-in-1 laptops are silly. TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018

I bought a Pixelbook again because it was $300 off. I haven't returned it yet. Unlike pretty much all reviewers I'm not all that impressed.
__________________________

I returned my second Pixelbook last night. Even at $699, $300 off, it wasn't worth it. Read my other two posts above.

I don't understand mixing a PC experience with that of a mobile device whose OS is designed for a small touch screen to run crappy little apps that do limited discreet functions not necessarily well.

Early on stuff like Microsoft Office was made to run on small mobile devices. Why? It's stupid. Who wants to create a spreadsheet in a phone or even a tablet?

Even the Google Blogger app on Android sucks. I always regret the few times I try using it and can't wait to get on my Chromebook to fix my post, which must be limited because I don't have decent access to substantial computer programs, not crappy apps.

Last but not least: who REALLY thinks these 2-in-1 flip laptop PCs are a good idea? If you watch a video review, when the PC touch screen is touched it moves backwards. It's not that stable for being touched, which means that you're going to get annoyed or tired of trying it. Even scrolling on the touch screen might become tedious. Maybe I'll actually find out if I get a new Chromebook with a touch screen that is larger than my current 13 inch Chromebook. And, no, not a flip PC.

Who actually wants Android apps on Chromebooks?

Pixelbook returned: not compelling and 2-in-1 laptops are silly. TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018

I bought a Pixelbook again because it was $300 off. I haven't returned it yet. Unlike pretty much all reviewers I'm not all that impressed. I don't understand the fascination with the screen shaped like a 1955 TV, not like an HDTV and almost all PCs this millennium. Functionally, it does what my seven year old Toshiba Chromebook does. I've been using Chromebooks almost exclusively for several years. I like them a lot. And I never longed for Android apps on a Chromebook.

Apps are those crummy little computer programs that run on mobile phones. Why the heck would I want to run them on a computer?

I first got a Chromebook because I realized that 99% of the time I was in the browser, the Chrome browser. What was universally criticized as a weakness was actually the strength of the Chromebook: it was simple, secure and worked well for 99% of the stuff I was doing, which included using Google Docs online.

Every review for years had the same moronic criticism: you couldn't run Adobe Photoshop. Who the heck gave a rat's ass about that? I don't know anyone personally who runs stupid Photoshop.

The Microsoft Windows operating system runs computer programs, not crappy little apps. Chrome OS does not run computer programs and that's been acceptable all along.

Now Chrome OS can run Android apps in all their non glory. Watch a video review and see if they actually show the environment for launching these apps. Or if they show anything more than some moronic game designed to entertain some moron running it on his phone.

Which brings us to the stupidity of the 2 in 1 device, which flips and converts a laptop into a really heavy and unwieldy tablet. Does it also suddenly switch to Android so that you can run those crummy little apps properly? No.

This is why we still need Android tablets, which have been declared dead by people in the know. No, not overpriced iPads, which now seem less overpriced compared to other overpriced closed, proprietary Apple devices. We need Android tablets, which also run those crappy little phone apps. With a relatively small, light tablet we can relax and do some simple stuff that does not require a computer.

So far what I've seen of Android apps on the Pixelbook is not pretty but pretty much a mess. I've closed and removed some apps and returned to the browser version of their function. I wonder if the entire app environment can be removed.

P.S. The Pixelbook backlit keyboard:
Why doesn't it default to backlit?
Why doesn't it explicitly indicate how to turn on/off the keyboard light?
Why doesn't the system remember your backlit setting?
Why are the letters on the keys noticeably smaller than on a regular keyboard?
Why can't I see many of the backlit keys without shading the light with my hand?

Google blogger.com search is TERRIBLE. And dumb.

Feedback to blogger.com:

Search in blogger.com is TERRIBLE. What could you possibly be thinking?

1. Search is DUMB. Example, if I'm searching my radicalbaseball.blogspot.com posts for Vince DiMaggio and I put Vince DiMaggio in quotes, it still returns all posts with DiMaggio, which are 99% about Joe. Good luck finding the one about Vince.

2. Search seems limited to the most recent of my 2,535 posts. Older posts are not searched. It took a while for me to notice this.
____________________________

It's ironic that blogger.com was bought by Google in 2003. Google is king of search.

Google Sheet not publishing correctly any more.

My feedback to Google on my 2012 Google Sheet not publishing correctly any more and that the Google help center was no help:

Google Docs encountered an error. Please try reloading this page, or coming back to it in a few minutes.

To learn more about the Google Docs editors, please visit our help center.


We're sorry for the inconvenience.
- The Google Docs Team
_______________________

Modified Feb 24, 2012 by me

I think the age of the file is the problem, as in Google leaving older files high and dry.

Altice DVR fails too often.

Yesterday neither of two boxes would play or record. Play of recorded stuff would also not play using the Altice app on my phone. The streaming DVR function was completely non functional.

I powered off then on the main box but that did not fix the problem. I sent the image below with a message to Altice support. Only received recognition auto reply.

Then a couple of hours later, streaming DVR was working. Like magic.

MintMobile (MintSIM) problem: some incoming calls go directly to voice mail.

And do NOT ring. There's no indication that you missed a call.

MintMobile resells T-Mobile. It was formerly called MintSIM. It's inexpensive but has this persistent problem of not receiving calls. Tech support in Dominican Republic is basically: turn the phone off, then back on.

When? If the caller did not leave a voice message there's no way to know that you missed a call.

Phone: unlocked Moto 5G Plus (MOTOROLA XT 1687), running Android OS

GDPR protection in real estate?

The best way to avoid a data breach is to not have data.

European Union (EU) created this recent annoyance: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). U.S. tech companies are jumping through hoops to comply. But here in the USA there is a major problem that's being ignored: real estate entities are collecting bank loan type data from potential condo buyers, even though condominiums are real estate as opposed shares in a co-op apartment building corporation. And it happens even if it's an all cash deal.

Oh, and if a condo owner wants to rent the apartment, the renter must fill out the same paper work, even though the unit owner is responsible for paying common charges.

But who maintains that data? Probably the management company, which is not exactly IBM, especially outside Manhattan.

How and when is that data purged? If a renter leaves or an owner sells, does that data get purged? Does a person have the right to review the data kept?

Where is the GDPR level of concern in all this?

Condos Steal a Page (or 20) From Co-ops nytimes.com By JULIE SATOW JULY 14, 2011

... the board president at 255 Hudson Street ... defended the building’s vetting process. “Our board application is as standard as they come for condos right now,” he said. “We do best practices and our management company advises us if they see any red flags.” ...

In the wake of the recession, an increasing number of condominium boards are hoping to weed out financially questionable buyers by requiring extensive application packages. Demands can include years’ worth of federal tax returns, detailed lists of all assets and liabilities, several letters of references, and even board interviews...

... condominiums ... are turning to this strategy because they have no real power to reject an applicant. The only tool at their disposal is the right of first refusal, which allows condominium boards that are unhappy with a buyer to purchase the unit themselves or designate a buyer for the same price. But few buildings can afford to do so.

“It is a bullying strategy — condominium bullying,” said Adam Leitman Bailey, a Manhattan real estate lawyer. “If a condominium has a questionable buyer, they’ll just keep asking for more and more information, dragging things out, until the buyer walks away.”..

It is the condo boards, and not the management companies, that decide on the extent of the application package ...

“Right now in New York City, the only place that you are not being asked questions is when you buy in new construction,” Ms. Teplitzky said. “All they ask is for your name and your money.”
______________________________

Ah, like the good old days ... about ten years ago in Manhattan and maybe three years ago in Westchester County, NY. I first discovered it in December 2017. I cancelled a deal because of it at a brand name condo. At first I thought it was a Bernie Madoff scam: make the prospective buyer feel like they don't sell to just anyone, only to special people. I have a hunch that it started that way and that lower level companies simply played copycat.

At the very least, condo and co-op boards should be held responsible for any data breach. They should not be insulated by a management company that could disappear.

How about some USA legislation on this?

GDPR: Europe regulates the world's technologies it lacks the imagination to create.

My ancestors came to the United States of America (USA) to avoid the creation of the European Union (EU) decades later and its most recent annoyance: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

We've been deluged with ridiculous messages about this, some from tech companies we didn't even know existed. The big USA tech companies impacted most (Google and Facebook) are the same ones, which for years have been doing back flips in the opposite direction assisting Communist China in restricting and monitoring data communication of its citizens. The only consistency is: show me the money!

How the heck does EU have the authority to regulate USA? How does EU have the power to fine USA companies not just on their revenue in the EU but worldwide? And why is the USA, both government and tech industry, so wimpy on all this?

I'd suggest that EU confine itself to regulating its own tech companies but that would be silly since EU doesn't have any worth mentioning in the same sentence as Google.

I have three simple blogs, including this one, which have generated $100 in ad revenue in the last decade from Google AdSense. I received a message about that, which implies that if I do not agree to EU terms, my monetary relationship, minuscule as it is, will be terminated. I do not intend to comply.

Check out part of the message:

from:		Google AdSense <adsense-noreply@google.com>
reply-to:		Google AdSense
to:		me
date:		Thu, May 17, 2018 at 5:22 PM
subject:		[Action Required] Please review updated AdSense Terms of Service
mailed-by:		scoutcamp.bounces.google.com
signed-by:		google.com

Furthermore, the updated terms introduce new data protection terms related to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other EU privacy frameworks. Specifically, the updated terms incorporate our controller-controller terms and our updated EU User consent policy (learn more here).

Action Required: Please sign in to your AdSense account to review and accept the updated Terms of Service. We recommend that you consult your legal advisor in case you have questions about the terms.

SIGN IN TO ADSENSE

We would also like to encourage you to, by May 25, 2018, engage with the recently launched Ad Technology Provider (ATP) Controls to both choose the ad technology providers who will be able to serve and measure ads on your sites and apps for users in the European Economic Area (EEA) as well as provide EEA users with the option to see non-personalized ads (if that is what you decide to do).

If you have any questions about this update, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your account team or contact us via Help Center.

Sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team

_________________________________

Pixelbook returned: not compelling and 2-in-1 laptops are silly.

Silly is a euphemism. I tried the $1,000 Google Pixelbook in tablet mode while in a prone position. It's a big, heavy, clumsy "tablet". Who the heck thinks this is a good idea? When you bend the screen all the way back against the top of the laptop, it doesn't suddenly start running Android. It just eliminates the keyboard, which is then exposed on the bottom of the newly formed "tablet". What are you supposed to do when you want to put it down? Unflip it so that the keyboard is not damaged?

The Pixelbook has one of those elongated screens, more vertical than that which we've been using for years. Another, who the heck thinks this is a good idea? Of all things, the Google Chrome browser seemed to be somewhat dysfunctional when resizing: the vertical scroll bar disappeared and some of the top of the screen, too. Gmail just didn't seem to fit on that Pixelbook screen, something that would seem pretty basic. How come all of those reviews that I had checked never addressed that? Maybe because they were too immersed in the screen brightness and keyboard, both of which were nice but not compelling.

I was more comfortable with the Toshiba 13 inch Chromebook that I've been using for a few years. My first Chromebook was an 11 inch Samsung. Both seemed natural and quick enough. The Pixelbook keyboard was backlit but that only presents in the dark. It also felt cramped, I guess because the Pixelbook is about an inch narrower, something to consider when evaluating any elongated screen. I like my Toshiba keyboard better.

I had also ordered the special Google pen for the Pixelbook. I never took it out of the box. I was already disappointed. I tried a couple of built in apps in "tablet" mode. No big deal. I like the idea of a touch screen for my Chromebook but not because I'm desperate to use Android apps.

Finally, much has been made of Google Assistant being built in. Functionally, it's the same as what I've had on my Android phones for years, isn't it? Or on Google Home? And on my Android tablet? My most recent tablet, the Nexus 9, died, which is the main reason I searched for an overall upgrade to another type of touch screen. A 2-in-1 laptop is not the answer and the Google Pixelbook is way too expensive to pretend otherwise. So, after two days I decided to return before it became unreturnable.

To Google's credit I have already received a message stating that I would be reimbursed in full, which is way better than some other companies that charge a 15% restocking fee. I used the Google supplied shipping label and lugged it to the Post Office today.

Google has stopped selling tablets. If you search the Google store for a tablet you are redirected to the Pixelbook. The tech intelligentsia have already concluded that the tablet is dead, that why would anyone want a tablet when he/she can have a 2-in-1 laptop. I think that the death of the tablet is greatly exaggerated.

Altice has problems but should be tried.

This post has gotten several comments, pretty much all negative:

Altice One box: more problems. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018

Most of the problems that I have had have gone away. The remote no longer loses pairing with the Altice One box. DVD playback only occasionally gets interrupted and even then usually resumes after I click OK.

The two boxes still turn themselves off after not receiving something from the remote for a while but I now know to look at the power button and if it's red I push it before turning on the TV and that avoids the formerly mysterious blank screen. Still mysterious is why Altice continues to annoy its customers with this policy but apparently it frees up bandwidth, or so I suppose.

Still annoying and probably easily fixed:
- three buttons must be pushed to get the guide on screen
- on screen information about a program is very limited; a movie does not even show the year on the first screen
- if there are multiple pages of info, the way to get to page two is to click the up arrow to get the cursor positioned to then click the right arrow to get to page two
- comparable nonsense for changing the end time when setting up a recording.

This stuff looks like it was designed by people who had heard about TV but had never actually watched TV. So, why try or stick with Altice?

Altice is making a fundamental attempt to do it differently and it's not missing by all that much. It's the first to actually pair a remote to a box. Previously, if you had two TV sets in the same room, changing the channel on one changed it on all. Now that problem has gone away.

The modem and router functions are combined into one small Altice One tuner box. That's been dismissed in some descriptions as something for non-techies. Hey, why should a techie not like it? Why add complexity and confusion? It forces you to have Internet connections near your TV, which encourages and simplifies streaming.

My biggest complaint, even more than the inconvenience of getting to the guide, is the lack of any intelligent fast forward (FF). In fact, the Altice FF is worse than that of regular Cablevision Optimum. Verizon FIOS has FF in 30 and 10 second chunks, plus multi-speed FF. The 30 and 10 seconds of FF makes looking at recorded sports, especially baseball, fairly palatable. You can FF between pitches, which removes much of the dead time.

Give Altice a try. What the heck?

"Chromebook's OpenVPN support is very limited ... cannot connect to our services ... OpenVPN Technologies, Inc."

You can't make up stuff like this. Below is an exchange of messages with privatetunnel.com.

to: support@privatetunnel.com
date: Mon, Mar 26, 2018 at 7:34 PM
subject: Set up virtual private networks (VPNs) - Chromebook Help
mailed-by: gmail.com

https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/1282338?hl=en

​Your Chromebook has built-in support for these VPNs:
L2TP over IPsec with PSK
L2TP over IPsec with certificate-based authentication
OpenVPN

What am I missing? ​"OpenVPN": ain't that you?

I had your service for a year and used it on my Android tablet but I really need it for my Chromebooks.
______________________________

from: PrivateTunnel Support
reply-to: support@privatetunnel.com
to: ken
date: Tue, Mar 27, 2018 at 1:24 AM
subject: Re: PrivateTunnel support ticket Set up virtual private networks (VPNs) - Chromebook Help #PT00009281
signed-by: privatetunnel.com

New reply for the PrivateTunnel support ticket #PT00009281

Hello there.

Chromebook's OpenVPN support is very limited, and unfortunately cannot be used to connect to our services.
You will need a full Linux system in order to connect to our service successfully.

Sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you.
If you'd like to unsubscribe and stop receiving these emails click here.

David Lam
Best Regards,

David Lam
OpenVPN Technologies, Inc.

#PT00009281
______________________

Chromebook "Set up virtual private networks (VPNs)": yeah, right! SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2018

Are you kidding? Build the damn VPN into your OS. Who the heck knows what you're talking about? Chromebooks are supposed to be simple. Google should protect us without expecting us to follow esoteric instructions like monkeys.
______________________

ASUS ZenPad 3S 10 (Z500M) returned.

Received this ASUS ZenPad yesterday, March 24, 2018. Wasted a lot of time realizing that ASUS loaded Android with ASUS software. It was a rude awakening since I am accustomed to almost pure Android on my several Motorola smartphones and two Nexus tablets. The only reason that I considered replacing my Nexus 9 tablet was that its battery has been acting like it's been invaded by Martians. It has Android 7. The new ASUS ZenPad (that name should have alerted me) came with Android 6. It eventually upgraded to Android 7 but why ship 6 when 8 is coming this summer?

It doesn't even show the percent of battery power remaining. It's got its own Contacts app. Who knew the Google Android Contacts app could even be removed? And why? And where was the default camera app? If I want to upgrade that app, let me decide.

During what passes for orientation I had a chance to load data and apps from my previous tablet. I thought this came from a Google server, not from the old tablet. Suppose the old tablet is incapacitated as was the case here? I got my ailing Nexus 9 out of its sick bed and booted up. But then when I initiated the ASUS porting it failed, as did my Nexus finally. What the heck? I had to manually install apps from the Google Play Store.

The screen is often unresponsive. The back "button" on the bottom is impossible to see. You have to grope for it, at which time it lights up. Also, where did the back arrow at the top left of the browser go? I was often left with no visible back arrow/button.

Holding this large slippery tablet often caused unintended stuff to happen. I'm guessing that the fringe triggers functions and that I was doing that inadvertently.

I'm returning this ASUS ZenPad. I'd advise you to investigate extra junk installed by a manufacturer. I did not consider a Samsung Galaxy because I know that Samsung loads lots of its stuff on top of Android and I did not want that. Unfortunately, I did not check whether ASUS also did that.

Altice One remote turns itself off every day.

What the heck? Pretty much each morning the remote paired to my primary Altice One box  has lost full functionality. It turns the TV on. That's, of course, after I push the button on the box to turn off the red light and put the box back into active status. But once the TV is on the remote cannot do anything else. I've learned to pop out one of the three batteries and re-insert. Then the remote works OK.

Sometimes the TV screen shows a cryptic message about an error with the remote or trying to update the remote or something. It's not on screen long enough to absorb at the same time that I'm removing and replacing a battery.

The remote to the secondary mini box has not had this problem.

Chromebook "Set up virtual private networks (VPNs)": yeah, right!

https://support.google.com/chromebook/answer/1282338?hl=en

You can use some types of VPNs on your Chromebook without installing any software. For other types, you can install VPN apps ...

Built-in VPN support

Your Chromebook has built-in support for these VPNs:

• L2TP over IPsec with PSK
• L2TP over IPsec with certificate-based authentication
• OpenVPN

Note: I recently dumped OpenVPN at privatetunnel.com because it couldn't support my Chromebook.

There's way more junk in the article. Read it for yourself.

Was this article helpful? No!

My comment:

Are you kidding? Build the damn VPN into your OS. Who the heck knows what you're talking about? Chromebooks are supposed to be simple. Google should protect us without expecting us to follow esoteric instructions like monkeys.

Lionel FasTrack O-31 do NOT fit into each other.

from: Ken
to: LionelSupport@lionel.com
date: Sat, Mar 3, 2018 at 8:52 AM
subject: Re: Your order no. 987-123456789 has been received

... I had ordered O-31 curve FasTrack from Legacy Station in Georgia. At least half of the connections do not properly snap together. I've been using your O-36 FasTrack for about ten years so I know how to connect them. These O-31 FasTrack are so deficient as to be unusable. When I push hard to force a connection, a nearby connection loosens, even separates completely. It's ridiculous. I might cancel this loco order because of it.

I also learned the hard way that O-31 curve does not fit inside O-36. I then checked the Lionel catalog and noticed that O-31 is NOT shown fitting as the other sizes do. However, Lionel should make that VERY CLEAR in WRITING.

Online messages confirm this and also state that MTH O-31 does fit inside Lionel O-36. I may switch to MTH Realtrax ... and maybe more.

Oh, please confirm that those two GP7 locos are "w/Bluetooth" same as the GP38. Thanks. The details for GP7 mention Bluetooth but the product headline does not as it does for GP38. Confusing and possibly disconcerting.

Call me.

Lionel toy and model trains have simple functional remote control. Best option: LionChief Plus with Bluetooth.

This guy makes the case pretty well:

It's a good introduction to modern technology in toy trains.

You can slide past his detailed description of this particular locomotive to the functional stuff about remote control. I've been researching the current options, including those from:

- MTH: Uses WiFi through a router from loco to its app on phone or tablet.

- Bachmann: Uses a simpler Bluetooth connection from loco to app on phone or tablet.

- BlueRail: Makes the circuit boards and software used by Bachmann in its HO locos; BlueRail products can also be purchased separately.

I was all set to get MTH stuff but trying to decipher MTH options and product lines and way too much confusing extra hardware delayed my decision. Then I thought Bachmann was the way to go; no WiFi, just Bluetooth and no extra hardware. Now I prefer what Lionel has done:

- Very simple physical remote control (forward/reverse, sounds, including announcements), I think first introduced in kids sets for TOY trains as distinguished from MODEL trains:

        - Thomas

        - Polar Express

- LionChief

- LionChief Plus with Bluetooth connection from loco to app on phone or tablet. But Bluetooth is only in some newer locos. So far, not easy to determine which.

Note: Some of the kids sets have battery powered locomotives with a simpler but functionally same remote control. They retail for about $100 and run on plastic tracks. They are G scale (large). This is a very good value. The main negative is that the loco is powered by six C batteries. I don't know how practical it is but functionally it would have been preferable to have something like a rechargeable lithium ion battery, the type that we use in phones and tablets.

Be careful of older LionChief locos, introduced around 2015. Later Lionel came out with LionChief Plus. All LionChief and LionChief Plus locos have the physical remote that is nicely paired to its loco using radio frequency, NOT Bluetooth. However, only some newer LionChief Plus locos also have the Bluetooth connection to the app, which among other things can control the volume of the sounds; LionChief Plus locos can also have their volume controlled via the remote. The plain LionChief locos have their volume set to VERY LOUD and the volume cannot be reduced no matter what some Lionel documentation states. The only option is to turn the loco upside down and flip the sound on/off switch. But even that only eliminates the sound of the announcements and, I think, idling (cannot recall). The buttons for bell and whistle still work and are VERY LOUD.

I now think the way to go is LionChief Plus with Bluetooth. It's got BOTH a physical remote AND access to the more functional app. Except for MTH, I don't see that the others have a decent remote and MTH, I think, outsmarted itself and awoke Lionel, which made a big comeback. A few years ago the Lionel CEO was essentially removed:

Lionel CEO left April 16! Howard Hitchcock is the new president. TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2014

Dealers had been ignorant about this tech evolution in the last five years and I've only just caught on in 2018. I had been ignoring the clumsy alphabet soup mess that the industry had been engulfed in trying to satisfy too many old guys who wanted anything new to also work with their old stuff ... if at all.

Note: Most, if not all, apps were initially written for Apple products. My guess is that the decision makers were not too computer techie and defaulted to Apple iPads and iPhones. Later some added app versions that ran on devices running the Android operating system.

But even now the Lionel Layout Control System (LCS) app is still only Apple; no Android version in sight.

Altice One set top box turns itself off regularly.

All through the day and certainly overnight. If I use the remote control to turn on the TV, I see this on a blank screen (ignore reflection, the screen is blank):

If there is an "INPUT button" I have no idea where it is; I checked remote and box.

My Altice service started 1/15/18 after moving and switching from Verizon FIOS. Altice is the parent company of Cablevision Optimum.

Altice is probably still learning how its new boxes operate in the real world but I had a tech person out here a couple of days after my service started to address this problem and nothing was actually done and there has been no follow up and the problem persists.

What the heck?

Altice One box: more problems.

My previous post on Altice described an initial problem. My service started Jan. 15, 2018.

Altice set top boxes "turn off", i.e., the red power light goes on. What the heck? SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2018

Since, more problems:
- voice recognition fails to function at all; error message on screen
- info button on lower right of remote sometimes fails
- DVR function sometimes does not function; advised to try later
- guide sometimes not available
- freezes up sometimes.

Settings: very little of substance to set.

Three button clicks to reach the guide rather than a dedicated button. No indication of a user defined button that might make the guide available much more directly. This is needed since the voice search fails often.

More info:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r31814636-AlticeOne-FAQ-Information-LAST-UPDATED-2-1-18-With-PICS

AlticeOne is Optimum and Suddenlink's New All-In-1 Box. It combines your Modem, Router and Cable Box into a central hub. With Every Minibox added in addition to the Main Box, they are your typical cable box but with WiFi Extender built-in. The Mini Box are Essentially Creating a Wireless Mesh System, To Help Eliminate WiFi Dead Zones You May Have In Your Residence.

Manufacturer: Sagemcom

AlticeOne is Mostly Geared Towards Those Who Don't Know A lot About Networking As Its Still A Web Managed Router From Optimum With Limited Firmware Options.
_____________________

Altice has problems but should be tried. TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018

Altice set top boxes "turn off", i.e., the red power light goes on. What the heck?

I sent the email message below to the Altice person I found at:

http://www.alticeusa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Altice%20-USA-Opens-its-First-Customer-Experience-Center.pdf

If I don't get a reply, maybe I'll try:

http://www.alticeusa.com/sites/default/files/pdf/Altice%20Reorganization%20and%20Altice%20USA%20Spin%20Off%20Press%20Release.pdf

Management Structure of Altice Europe and Altice USA

Altice Europe and Altice USA will be managed by two distinct management teams, focused solely on the performance in their respective markets. Both management teams will benefit from the strategic leadership of founder and controlling shareholder Patrick Drahi, who will serve as President of the Board of Altice Europe and Chairman of the Board of Altice USA. Armando Pereira will serve as COO of Altice Europe and serve as strategic advisor to Altice USA for all operations.

Dennis Okhuijsen will serve as CEO and a Director of Altice Europe with all corporate functions and country managers reporting into him. He will report to Patrick Drahi.

Dexter Goei will continue to serve as CEO and a Director of Altice USA. He will report to Patrick Drahi.
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Do you think dexter.goei@alticeusa.com would work?

Or maybe patrick.drahi@alticeusa.com.

from: Ken
to: krista.ostertag@alticeusa.com
date: Sat, Jan 20, 2018 at 8:54 AM
subject: Altice techie issue.

Krista,

Sorry to bother you but there's nothing on the Cablevision (Optimum) website about the new Altice boxes I got 1/17/18 when I moved and switched from Verizon FIOS to Altice.

It's slow and tedious to reach tech support for Altice. Customers must go through the usual call prompting labyrinth to finally reach Altice support people.

Each night well after midnight both my Altice set top boxes "turn off", i.e., the red power light goes on. I learned from one of your Altice techie people that I needed to push that red button to make the red light go off. Then when I used the Altice remote control to start my TV it works OK instead of showing either a blank screen or a message that there is no signal, depending on which of the two Altice boxes is being used.

Unfortunately, the Altice techie person did not know why this was happening.

​Altice needs to improve on this in obvious ways. Thanks.​
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Altice: it ain't your father's Cablevision (Optimum).

First impression in an Altice survey after one day of service after switching from Verizon FIOS:

Altice. Otherwise, it's just dumb old Cablevision (Optimum). The new boxes, etc. make it worth trying. I switched from Verizon FIOS. Altice remotes are Bluetooth paired with individual set top boxes. Duh. Finally. I have two TVs and two boxes in the same room and until Altice a remote would change stuff on both boxes, like change the channel. This was true for Cablevision and is still true for Verizon FIOS.
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Unfortunately, it's still got dumb fast forward (FF): no 10/30 second skip like Verizon FIOS.