I live way out in the mountains, so my only choice for high-speed internet is satellite. I thought that all of the available ones were the same, until I found SkyCasters (
http://www.skycasters.com/). These guys offer plans that begin where the normal, consumer-level satellite providers stop. Their price is definitely higher, but the speed, availability, and level of customer service provided all combine to make it worthwhile, in my opinion.
For example, the consumer-level companies don't guarantee ANYTHING. If it's raining hard outside and you don't have a signal, their response will be "Oh, just wait until it quits raining". Skycasters, on the other hand, have a COMMITTED information rate, which they back up with "You can expect the ability to receive 110% of the stated CIR speeds or more at least 90% of the time, if not more!". And what I've found is if you have a problem, they will crank up the output of your receiver/transmitter to make sure your get the service you're paying for.
Also, the other providers have a "Fair Access Policy", which states how much bandwidth you can use per hour or per day. Go over that, and they punish you by throttling you back to 4Kbps until you're back under the FAP limit. Skycasters, however, has a maximum throughput allowance that's included in the rate. If you go over it, they just charge you more. No stupid throttling - you just pay more for what you use.
Now I realize that the minimum plan, at $149/month, AFTER purchasing the equipment, really can't make financial sense to a lot of people. But if your job is computers, and your only choice is satellite, I think that these guys have the best option in town. AND their customer service is top notch. You call in and you're talking to one of the engineers. I couldn't recommend them higher.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
AT&T Option GT Express 3.6
I'm trying another broadband card for my laptop, this time I'm using the AT&T Option GT Express 3.6. Option refers to the manufacturer, Express refers to this being an Express Card - not a PC card and 3.6 means it works on the AT&T UMTS/HSDPA network and can sustain a max speed of 3.6mbit. I've also learned that this card will have a firmware upgrade to support HSUPA which doubles the speed to 7.2mbit.
I have not seen 3.6mbit, but I have peaked at 2.0mbit in the Columbus, OH area. In some spots it drops into UMTS mode which measure out around 1mbit and can fall back to EDGE support which I have measured using speedtest.net at 230kps consistently.
I'm very pleased with the card in both my Asus Z96JS laptop running Windows XP and my Macbook Pro running OS X 10.4 - hopefully the drivers will work with Leapord.
So far I've been able to use Skype without problems as well as all normal internet functions. I did download a large file a couple days ago and averaged 180k per sec on the download - I was impressed.
I have not seen 3.6mbit, but I have peaked at 2.0mbit in the Columbus, OH area. In some spots it drops into UMTS mode which measure out around 1mbit and can fall back to EDGE support which I have measured using speedtest.net at 230kps consistently.
I'm very pleased with the card in both my Asus Z96JS laptop running Windows XP and my Macbook Pro running OS X 10.4 - hopefully the drivers will work with Leapord.
So far I've been able to use Skype without problems as well as all normal internet functions. I did download a large file a couple days ago and averaged 180k per sec on the download - I was impressed.
Friday, November 9, 2007
UK Wimps - 7c
The Times Online from the UK wrote that:
" A hardened core of Apple fanatics braved temperatures of 7C (45F) overnight in order to be the lay their hands on their iPhone when it goes on sale this evening."
Since when is 7c life threatening and people have to brave those temps?
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article2840618.ece
" A hardened core of Apple fanatics braved temperatures of 7C (45F) overnight in order to be the lay their hands on their iPhone when it goes on sale this evening."
Since when is 7c life threatening and people have to brave those temps?
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article2840618.ece
ASUS Eee 701 PC - first looks
I've been on the waiting list for one of these little PC's for at least 3 months. Last week I got from newegg.com and I couldn't be happier.
The configuration I got was the 4gb with WebCam model, there is suppose to be an 8gb model coming out later this month. Many people think that 4gb is nothing, well - it is small, but look at the intended purpose of an Ultra Mobile or Mid Size PC - it's not to be your primary computer, it is to be a convenient and capable computer for quick edits, presentations and email. The Eee PC assumes you will use a USB Flash Drive for your storage, which many of us do - I just ordered a 4gb flash drive.
Back to the Eee PC. The screen is 7 inches and bright, very sharp and colors are very good. The keyboard is very good for as small as it is - you will have to adjust your typing style though. The touchpad is great and as far as ports, here is the list
VGA Output
Microphone and Headphone
3 powered USB 2.0 ports
10/100 Ethernet
Modem - I haven't used a modem in 5 years...
SD slot
The AC adapter is small, very welcome since the PC is so small.
The 4gb storage is the hard drive, but it's not mechanical - it's solid state. With the default Xandros Linux installed, there was about 1.5-1.8gb free for storage. The base install has Firefox, Thunderbird and Open Office 2.something installed. I installed XP from an external DVD drive, patched it and set my swap file to 256mb and I've got 1.5gb free.
As far as performance, the 900MHz Celeron does very well with Internet Explorer, Firefox and basic video chats with Yahoo and MSN messengers. I attribute the performance to the solid state hard drive - very low seek times. This thing makes virtually no noise, occasionally there is a small fan. The battery life does run about 3.5 - 4 hours.
I tethered the Eee PC with my T-Mobile Dash via USB cable and it works great under XP, same under Linux (I used USB Modem from mobile-stream.com to do this under Linux). I also connected a USB Bluetooth dongle from Ambicon - worked great with a Kensington bluetooth mouse.
I needed a case for it and I could find anything, so I went to the portable DVD player aisle at Target and found a great case for a DVD player that worked great.
I was very close to buying a Fujitsu U810 UMPC for $900, but at $400 this was much better deal even though there was no built-in bluetooth. This is a better deal than the Nokia N810, even though they are different classes of devices.
I've ordered a USB Express Card adapter so I hope to be able to connect my broadband wireless card.
My Macbook Pro is still my primary computer, I use it for running VMWare and developing solutions - but if I need to run out and need a PC or just need to check email or be able to work on a plane - the Eee PC is my solution. Yes - the Eee PC will actually fit on an airline tray and allow you to work.
The configuration I got was the 4gb with WebCam model, there is suppose to be an 8gb model coming out later this month. Many people think that 4gb is nothing, well - it is small, but look at the intended purpose of an Ultra Mobile or Mid Size PC - it's not to be your primary computer, it is to be a convenient and capable computer for quick edits, presentations and email. The Eee PC assumes you will use a USB Flash Drive for your storage, which many of us do - I just ordered a 4gb flash drive.
Back to the Eee PC. The screen is 7 inches and bright, very sharp and colors are very good. The keyboard is very good for as small as it is - you will have to adjust your typing style though. The touchpad is great and as far as ports, here is the list
VGA Output
Microphone and Headphone
3 powered USB 2.0 ports
10/100 Ethernet
Modem - I haven't used a modem in 5 years...
SD slot
The AC adapter is small, very welcome since the PC is so small.
The 4gb storage is the hard drive, but it's not mechanical - it's solid state. With the default Xandros Linux installed, there was about 1.5-1.8gb free for storage. The base install has Firefox, Thunderbird and Open Office 2.something installed. I installed XP from an external DVD drive, patched it and set my swap file to 256mb and I've got 1.5gb free.
As far as performance, the 900MHz Celeron does very well with Internet Explorer, Firefox and basic video chats with Yahoo and MSN messengers. I attribute the performance to the solid state hard drive - very low seek times. This thing makes virtually no noise, occasionally there is a small fan. The battery life does run about 3.5 - 4 hours.
I tethered the Eee PC with my T-Mobile Dash via USB cable and it works great under XP, same under Linux (I used USB Modem from mobile-stream.com to do this under Linux). I also connected a USB Bluetooth dongle from Ambicon - worked great with a Kensington bluetooth mouse.
I needed a case for it and I could find anything, so I went to the portable DVD player aisle at Target and found a great case for a DVD player that worked great.
I was very close to buying a Fujitsu U810 UMPC for $900, but at $400 this was much better deal even though there was no built-in bluetooth. This is a better deal than the Nokia N810, even though they are different classes of devices.
I've ordered a USB Express Card adapter so I hope to be able to connect my broadband wireless card.
My Macbook Pro is still my primary computer, I use it for running VMWare and developing solutions - but if I need to run out and need a PC or just need to check email or be able to work on a plane - the Eee PC is my solution. Yes - the Eee PC will actually fit on an airline tray and allow you to work.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
These iPhone commercials are stupid...
So, according to the iPhone commercials, you can blog from the iPhone - check weather on your iPhone and many other remarkable tasks.
Hello people, this capability has been around for years. When it started exactly, I can't say. However, the Treo 600 and 650 have been around for years - these offer Web browsing, Cameras , email and much more. Camera phones have been in existence for years.
The only innovative thing about the iPhone is the design, there is nothing else innovative about the functionality. Did they implement the functionality better, maybe - that's subjective.
Hello people, this capability has been around for years. When it started exactly, I can't say. However, the Treo 600 and 650 have been around for years - these offer Web browsing, Cameras , email and much more. Camera phones have been in existence for years.
The only innovative thing about the iPhone is the design, there is nothing else innovative about the functionality. Did they implement the functionality better, maybe - that's subjective.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Why college football does NOT need a playoff.
Now that the BCS rankings are out and people are saying it's bad and college football needs a playoff system - I have to share my 2 cents.
College Football doesn't a playoff system to prove which games are important. It's a one and done system that puts importance on EVERY game, whether it's Appalachian State - Kent State or USC. Every game is as important as the last. The unbeaten teams are #1, the beaten teams are lower. It's not that simple, there are things like strength of schedule that I agree should be considered - but strength of schedule compared to who, the same division (Big 10, PAC 10, SEC)? That's a hard one to judge. Should only conference games count in the strength of schedule? Suppose #4 loses to #10, and later the then #10 (now #5) gets beat by the new #6 - should the strength of schedule be recaclulated and give the old #4 more points because the team they lost to got beat?
It's very confusing and there is no perfect system. But remember, I know these kids are trying to get NFL careers - however they are in college to gain a degree, a playoff system keeps them on the field longer with more risk of injury and less time for education.
College Football doesn't a playoff system to prove which games are important. It's a one and done system that puts importance on EVERY game, whether it's Appalachian State - Kent State or USC. Every game is as important as the last. The unbeaten teams are #1, the beaten teams are lower. It's not that simple, there are things like strength of schedule that I agree should be considered - but strength of schedule compared to who, the same division (Big 10, PAC 10, SEC)? That's a hard one to judge. Should only conference games count in the strength of schedule? Suppose #4 loses to #10, and later the then #10 (now #5) gets beat by the new #6 - should the strength of schedule be recaclulated and give the old #4 more points because the team they lost to got beat?
It's very confusing and there is no perfect system. But remember, I know these kids are trying to get NFL careers - however they are in college to gain a degree, a playoff system keeps them on the field longer with more risk of injury and less time for education.
HSUPA-It's coming to the states!!!
Shortly after Ericsson announced they had firmware updates for HSPDA devices - AT&T has announced their rollout of HSUPA across the United States -
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2007/03/29/atandt-to-add-hsupa-this-year/
While not yet practical, the upper limits of HSUPA are 7.2mbits - if this can gain ground in the US - WiMax may be too late.
http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2007/03/29/atandt-to-add-hsupa-this-year/
While not yet practical, the upper limits of HSUPA are 7.2mbits - if this can gain ground in the US - WiMax may be too late.
Why I hate Sprint...
I tried another mobile device from Sprint, the Treo 755p. The Treo is great, or was great... Sprint customer service and tech support could not setup a simple business account without major problems and delays. First - if you call them, plan to wait at least 20 minutes before getting to speak to someone. Second, plan to be hold for 30 minutes while "they try stuff".
I had account problems where the minutes and plans were expiring at weird intervals, my phone kept re-provisioning itself and all of this stuff kept me from having a good experience and has ruined me for Sprint.
I had account problems where the minutes and plans were expiring at weird intervals, my phone kept re-provisioning itself and all of this stuff kept me from having a good experience and has ruined me for Sprint.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Jython is a really neat language
I just spent a day learning Jython, and I kinda like it for several reasons:
1. I know Java and like quite a few of its features. You can access any Java classes (including the Swing classes, encryption, ANYTHING Java) from a Jython script.
2. While you can access all of your Java classes from Jython, your Jyton script doesn't have all of the rigid requirements of a .java file. For example, you can create multiple classes in a single Jython script.
3. You don't have to compile Jython. You can compile it if you want (compiling creates all of the appropriate .class files), but you don't have to. The fact that you can deliver an editable script with all of the power of Java is appealing to me.
4. The language is fairly easy to learn.
The sources I used for reference are:
Learning Jython: http://wiki.python.org/jython/LearningJython
Python Library Reference: http://docs.python.org/lib/lib.html
Python Reference Manual: http://docs.python.org/ref/contents.html
Python Regular Expressions: http://www.amk.ca/python/howto/regex/
1. I know Java and like quite a few of its features. You can access any Java classes (including the Swing classes, encryption, ANYTHING Java) from a Jython script.
2. While you can access all of your Java classes from Jython, your Jyton script doesn't have all of the rigid requirements of a .java file. For example, you can create multiple classes in a single Jython script.
3. You don't have to compile Jython. You can compile it if you want (compiling creates all of the appropriate .class files), but you don't have to. The fact that you can deliver an editable script with all of the power of Java is appealing to me.
4. The language is fairly easy to learn.
The sources I used for reference are:
Learning Jython: http://wiki.python.org/jython/LearningJython
Python Library Reference: http://docs.python.org/lib/lib.html
Python Reference Manual: http://docs.python.org/ref/contents.html
Python Regular Expressions: http://www.amk.ca/python/howto/regex/
Thursday, September 20, 2007
If you think IT has confusing/conflicting standards, just look at any other industry
The case in point (for me, at least), is with trying to find fittings for some tubing I'm dealing with. I'm trying to find some fittings for a hydraulic steering system I'm working on. Easy enough, right? Wrong.
It turns out that there are several different standards that are used to specify the threads on the fittings. Some of these standards are compatible/equivalent and others are not. And as far as I can tell, every company out there enjoys using a different standard for their labels. For example, an "AN-8" fitting (aka dash 8 or -8 or -08 or AN-08) is equivalent to a JIC 1/2" fitting, which is the same as a SAE J514 37° 1/2" fitting. This might lead you to believe that a half inch is a half inch, but you would be wrong. NPTF, NPSM and SAE J5143 fittings all have different (and incompatible) specs for their threads.
That's already more than most people would ever want to know about tubing and fittings. And that's in an industry that's been around for over 100 years, and which has tangible, physical products that anyone can test and verify as valid or not. Now consider the computer software industry: no physically verifiable deliverables, fairly young, full of people coming up with new ways of doing things every day. There's a loooong road ahead, and along that road, the people who can make the different pieces work together will always be in demand.
It turns out that there are several different standards that are used to specify the threads on the fittings. Some of these standards are compatible/equivalent and others are not. And as far as I can tell, every company out there enjoys using a different standard for their labels. For example, an "AN-8" fitting (aka dash 8 or -8 or -08 or AN-08) is equivalent to a JIC 1/2" fitting, which is the same as a SAE J514 37° 1/2" fitting. This might lead you to believe that a half inch is a half inch, but you would be wrong. NPTF, NPSM and SAE J5143 fittings all have different (and incompatible) specs for their threads.
That's already more than most people would ever want to know about tubing and fittings. And that's in an industry that's been around for over 100 years, and which has tangible, physical products that anyone can test and verify as valid or not. Now consider the computer software industry: no physically verifiable deliverables, fairly young, full of people coming up with new ways of doing things every day. There's a loooong road ahead, and along that road, the people who can make the different pieces work together will always be in demand.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
So this week I'm trying out a Sprint Broadband card. It is EVDO Rev A so it suports up to 1.8mbit connections.
I wonder where those 1.8mbit connections are...
I'm sitting in Minneapolis with the card in MacBook, right next to a Window, and at best I am getting 20k per second on downloads. That is EDGE speed - not EVDO speed. The best I've got is 79k per sec - at home within line of site of a tower.
I may trying Verizon or AT&T, but this Sprint card is going back.
I wonder where those 1.8mbit connections are...
I'm sitting in Minneapolis with the card in MacBook, right next to a Window, and at best I am getting 20k per second on downloads. That is EDGE speed - not EVDO speed. The best I've got is 79k per sec - at home within line of site of a tower.
I may trying Verizon or AT&T, but this Sprint card is going back.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Free Wifi...
I'm working from my remote office this morning, AKA - Panera. I see the sticker that says Free Wifi, I agree to the Terms and Conditions - but it never says I have to buy anything.
My issue is all of these people that are getting tickets for "stealing" Wifi, if there is no purchase required - how is it stealing? I smell a Seinfeld episode for this one.
Another thing, why are/were cities putting money into Municipal Wifi? They have thousands of poor, not enough Police Officers or Firemen, they are cutting art/band/sports from school - but they have Wifi? Why is Internet a right? Get off your ass and open a book.
My issue is all of these people that are getting tickets for "stealing" Wifi, if there is no purchase required - how is it stealing? I smell a Seinfeld episode for this one.
Another thing, why are/were cities putting money into Municipal Wifi? They have thousands of poor, not enough Police Officers or Firemen, they are cutting art/band/sports from school - but they have Wifi? Why is Internet a right? Get off your ass and open a book.
10 Dirty secrets of working in IT
I found this in another blog this morning - it is so true.
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?p=546
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?p=546
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
I, too, made the switch to a MacBook Pro
... and I'm never going back! I just got a ThinkPad T60p (2.0 GHz Core Duo, 160GB drive, 4GB RAM) in April, and I "upgraded" it to Vista, and it finally pushed me over the edge. I think Vista can (and will) be used effectively in the enterprise, but too many applications don't yet fully support it. And even among those that do, there are some problems that aren't being fixed (e.g. Picasa and Java applets consistently caused my display driver to crash). So I just got tired of having to depend on MS Vista.
So I got the smaller Macbook Pro with a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 160 GB drive, and 4GB of RAM. The whole experience looks, feels, and functions nicely. The specific things I've noticed and like:
1. I copied my FireFox profile folder from Windows, and EVERYTHING just works - all of my plugins, my history, etc. And it works faster than it did under Vista (or XP, for that matter).
2. It resumes from sleep mode almost immediately. With Vista and XP, it never woke up as quickly - sometimes it woke up "not so slowly", but other times it would take several minutes.
3. I installed VMWare fusion, and it's just crazy fast. Suspending a VM (running XP, ironically) with 512MB of RAM assigned to it only takes 30 seconds. Resuming that same VM takes SECONDS - it's really almost immediate.
4. The USB ports transfer data at higher speeds. I plugged a thumb drive into the T60 and copied a file that took minutes. I then plugged the same drive into the Mac, and copying the same file took SECONDS. Don't know or care why this is - I'm just happy as hell that it works better now.
5. Configuring wireless connections is easy, and it just works.
6. On the down side, I have a Treo 700w on Verizon's network, and I love it. However, there is currently no way to tether this phone with OS X. This is the reason I have the XP VM installed - I can run PDANet in this XP VM to connect to Verizon's network, then just route the Mac's traffic through that connection.
That's all I've got for now - I'm having no problems at all, and I'm happy as can be with OSX.
So I got the smaller Macbook Pro with a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 160 GB drive, and 4GB of RAM. The whole experience looks, feels, and functions nicely. The specific things I've noticed and like:
1. I copied my FireFox profile folder from Windows, and EVERYTHING just works - all of my plugins, my history, etc. And it works faster than it did under Vista (or XP, for that matter).
2. It resumes from sleep mode almost immediately. With Vista and XP, it never woke up as quickly - sometimes it woke up "not so slowly", but other times it would take several minutes.
3. I installed VMWare fusion, and it's just crazy fast. Suspending a VM (running XP, ironically) with 512MB of RAM assigned to it only takes 30 seconds. Resuming that same VM takes SECONDS - it's really almost immediate.
4. The USB ports transfer data at higher speeds. I plugged a thumb drive into the T60 and copied a file that took minutes. I then plugged the same drive into the Mac, and copying the same file took SECONDS. Don't know or care why this is - I'm just happy as hell that it works better now.
5. Configuring wireless connections is easy, and it just works.
6. On the down side, I have a Treo 700w on Verizon's network, and I love it. However, there is currently no way to tether this phone with OS X. This is the reason I have the XP VM installed - I can run PDANet in this XP VM to connect to Verizon's network, then just route the Mac's traffic through that connection.
That's all I've got for now - I'm having no problems at all, and I'm happy as can be with OSX.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
My favorite blogs
This is a list of the blogs that I read every day, and which seem to keep me pretty well informed about stuff that interests me:
http://www.engadget.com
http://www.gizmodo.com
http://slashdot.org
http://www.autoblog.com
http://www.jalopnik.com
http://www.toolmonger.com
Enjoy.
http://www.engadget.com
http://www.gizmodo.com
http://slashdot.org
http://www.autoblog.com
http://www.jalopnik.com
http://www.toolmonger.com
Enjoy.
EA finally releases games for the Mac
As promised, but late, EA has released some of their more popular games for the Mac OS X platform. Supposedly Tiger Woods 08 and Madden NFL 08 will be out in the September timeframe.
Everybody keeps asking what will drive people to the Mac platform, software is it. When the OS doesn't matter - the most stable OS will prevail. Right now, BSD based Mac OS X is the most stable end user OS available - Linux will catch up.
Everybody keeps asking what will drive people to the Mac platform, software is it. When the OS doesn't matter - the most stable OS will prevail. Right now, BSD based Mac OS X is the most stable end user OS available - Linux will catch up.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Why bluetooth needs work.
I admit, I have a bluetooth headset for my phones and I like it. Headsets are the one standard in bluetooth that seems to be implemented consistently.
I have 5 devices I have used recently, a Treo 650, Treo 700p, Tmobile Dash (HTC S620), Blackberry 8700g and a Blackberry 8300. ALL of them have different bluetooth profiles. ALL of them will do phone as a modem via USB. The Treo 650/700 need a wing and a prayer to get working via bluetooth - it is implemented so poorly on these devices that regular resets are required. The Tmobile Dash is the most stable of them all, it creates a PAN (personal area network) over bluetooth - this is the CLEANEST and most straight forward connect of any and it works the same on Windows and MAC OS X - I've tried it on Linux and gave up after 6 beers and 43 new swear word combinations.
The Blackberry 8700 won't do phone as a modem over bluetooth -why, I don't know. The 8300 will do it, but again it was very cumbersome and I always had to reset something - it never just worked.
I have 5 devices I have used recently, a Treo 650, Treo 700p, Tmobile Dash (HTC S620), Blackberry 8700g and a Blackberry 8300. ALL of them have different bluetooth profiles. ALL of them will do phone as a modem via USB. The Treo 650/700 need a wing and a prayer to get working via bluetooth - it is implemented so poorly on these devices that regular resets are required. The Tmobile Dash is the most stable of them all, it creates a PAN (personal area network) over bluetooth - this is the CLEANEST and most straight forward connect of any and it works the same on Windows and MAC OS X - I've tried it on Linux and gave up after 6 beers and 43 new swear word combinations.
The Blackberry 8700 won't do phone as a modem over bluetooth -why, I don't know. The 8300 will do it, but again it was very cumbersome and I always had to reset something - it never just worked.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Blackberry is missing the boat.
I love Blackberry devices, the email integration is awesome. However, one thing they built a fan base on was the trackwheel. They have replaced it with this Pearl/Trackball and frankly - it sucks.
Not to mention, using it as a bluetooth modem is very painful. So painful, I have sold my Blackberry Curve 8300 and am using a Tmobile Dash. The Dash isn't my favorite, but it pairs incredibly easily with my Macbook Pro and is very simple to use as a modem over bluetooth.
I still have a Blackberry 8700, the last of the "good" blackberries in my opinion.
Not to mention, using it as a bluetooth modem is very painful. So painful, I have sold my Blackberry Curve 8300 and am using a Tmobile Dash. The Dash isn't my favorite, but it pairs incredibly easily with my Macbook Pro and is very simple to use as a modem over bluetooth.
I still have a Blackberry 8700, the last of the "good" blackberries in my opinion.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Medison Celebrity - $150
Is this thing for real or not? I hope so, I ordered one - luckily the 2Checkout.com people are reputable - that have a good reputation are really do protect the consumer. If this thing is for real, my family is getting laptops for Christmas.
Don't know what I'm talking about - http://www.medisoncelebrity.com/
It's a $150 laptop that comes with Fedora preinstalled.
Don't know what I'm talking about - http://www.medisoncelebrity.com/
It's a $150 laptop that comes with Fedora preinstalled.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
New Laptop - Macbook Pro
I finally "switched". My last laptop, an ASUS Z96JS has had so many problems that I have given up on it. So I had narrowed it down to the Thinkpad T60/T61 and the Macbook Pro 2.2GHz. I wanted 64 bit support and Mac OS X has it - Vista and XP have 64 bit support, but finding driver support is nearly impossible.
So, I moved to the Mac. The first thing I did is put 4gb of RAM in it and install VMWARE Fusion. From a speed perspective, VMWARE is performing faster than a Core 2 Duo 2.14ghz using a stop watch to time boot up.
I'm running Firefox with zero problems. iPhoto and iMovie - where have they been all my life. These are great applications with simple and complex options. Microsoft has a remote desktop client for the Mac - that works great. And as soon as I opened the terminal prompt, I checked and SSH is preinstalled and so is PERL.
This is the most usable system (out of the box) I have ever had. From a performance aspect - it smoke everything else I've got. Susposedly the next revision of Mac OS X (Leopard) will even make better use of the 64 bit CPU.
VMWARE got it right with this version, called Fusion. Not only is it cheaper than the Windows and Linux cousins - it has a new feature for some guest OS'es where it will automatically set them up if you give it a password and the license key.
More to come on this.
So, I moved to the Mac. The first thing I did is put 4gb of RAM in it and install VMWARE Fusion. From a speed perspective, VMWARE is performing faster than a Core 2 Duo 2.14ghz using a stop watch to time boot up.
I'm running Firefox with zero problems. iPhoto and iMovie - where have they been all my life. These are great applications with simple and complex options. Microsoft has a remote desktop client for the Mac - that works great. And as soon as I opened the terminal prompt, I checked and SSH is preinstalled and so is PERL.
This is the most usable system (out of the box) I have ever had. From a performance aspect - it smoke everything else I've got. Susposedly the next revision of Mac OS X (Leopard) will even make better use of the 64 bit CPU.
VMWARE got it right with this version, called Fusion. Not only is it cheaper than the Windows and Linux cousins - it has a new feature for some guest OS'es where it will automatically set them up if you give it a password and the license key.
More to come on this.
New Blackberry
Ok, so after I swamped my Blackberry 8700g in local creek - I got a new Blackberry 8300 Curve. I wasn't sure I would like it since RIM took away the trackwheel and put a little trackball (they call it the Pearl). Overall, I am very pleased. It is very light and the screen is very bright and clear. This model has a 2mp camera with a flash built-in and a micro-SD expansion slot. The data services are good and the email integration is still better than the Palm 650, 700p and any Windows Mobile 5 or 6 device I have used.
I'm excited to see that Dataviz is releasing Documents to Go for the Blackberry so I can have full document support on the go without sacrificing the extreme email efficiency.
I'm excited to see that Dataviz is releasing Documents to Go for the Blackberry so I can have full document support on the go without sacrificing the extreme email efficiency.
Jason's Tech
So, many of you have said that I should start a blog because I am an early adopter with technology - hoping that I review something you may want to buy or use.
OK - I'll give it a whirl.
OK - I'll give it a whirl.
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