Posted by Robyn on Dec 24, 2008 in
Technology I’m sure you all know how much I love my little Acer Aspire One netbook. The Asus Eee PC really did spark a “revolution” of sorts in the mobile computing markets. Netbooks are cheap, portable, and “powerful enough” for everyday web browsing and document creation.
But the ONE thing I would love to have, and for which I would be willing to shell out much more cash, is a true TABLET sub-notebook. Here are the requirements.
1) 9″ or 10″ capacitive multi-touch LED backlit screen plus active pen digitizer.
2) No more than 2.5 lbs WITH battery that lasts 5+ hours of actual use.
3) Full keyboard with convertible screen for tablet mode.
4) Must fit in my purse. Small footprint is preferable to crazy thin.
5) Either a real 2.5″ SATA hard drive or fast SSD > 64 GB.
6) Full desktop operating system that supports true multi-touch.
7) Graphics that don’t completely suck (nVidia 9300/9400 would be great).
8) Dual-core CPU, but doesn’t have to be a powerhouse. The new dual-core Atoms would be perfect.
9) Real connectivity options. WiFi, Bluetooth, e-SATA, Firewire, USB, Ethernet, etc.
10) Integrated 3G would be a nice bonus.
This is clearly above the capabilities of a netbook, so I would be willing to pay well upwards of $1000 for such a device. Maybe even $2000, if it’s beautiful. As to operating system, I’m agnostic. Mac OS X, Windows 7, or Linux are all fine with me, as long as they support true multi-touch… but I’m looking at you, Apple.
Let’s face it, the MacBook Air just doesn’t measure up when you can get pretty much the same thing in a netbook for less than 1/4 the cost. Make the device I just described, and you will be the king of ultraportables again.
Posted by Robyn on Dec 7, 2008 in
Technology Justin and I bought each other iPhones for Christmas. Yes, they are very cool.
But any time someone gets an iPhone, there is also a rolling of the eyes that takes place. It’s an Apple product, and has a lot of hype surrounding it, so there are a lot of misconceptions about the iPhone. So here is a Q-and-A based on my first experiences with the device.
Q. Is the iPhone really better than any other phone out there?
A. No. It is quite different than any other phone I’ve ever used, so I don’t think it would be a “better” solution for all people.
Q. But the iPhone is better than any other smartphone out there, right?
A. No. It lacks a QWERTY keypad — or any keypad — and that is going to be a deal breaker for a lot of people.
Q. Yeah, I heard texting and emailing on it totally sucks.
A. No. I was able to text and email right away. The on-screen keyboard is far better than I expected. I prefer it to the two-or-three-letters-per-key solution on many cell phones. The predictive/corrective text feature is quite good at understanding what you meant, even if you don’t hit exactly the right letter.
Q. So, it’s as good as a full QWERTY keyboard?
A. No. But it’s a good compromise, and after holding it in my hands and using it, I understand why Apple chose not to include a full keyboard. It’s also great for those who often switch between languages.
Q. So what’s all the hype about?
A. What “makes” the iPhone is the App Store. There are so many cool things this phone can do, and it’s so easy to make the phone do them. Many apps are free, and none are terribly expensive (from what I’ve seen).
Q. How is the interface?
A. There are no words. The phone is incredibly intuitive, and I felt like an expert after just a few minutes. For a device that can do so many things, having an interactive screen with a multi-touch interface is just perfect. Web browsing, email, texting, applications — everything the iPhone does seems to “fit” into the iPhone. You’d just have to spend an hour with one to know what I’m talking about.
Q. How is the media playback?
A. Fantastic. That’s the one thing I’ve always found lacking in other smartphones and PDAs. This is a fully-functional iPod, in addition to a great smartphone, so the result is what you’d expect.
Q. I like all the data and media features, but how is it as an actual Phone?
A. Wonderful. No, really. Call quality is great, and the in-call features are much more intuitive than other phones I’ve used. (For example, conference call.) Visual voice mail is also a kick-ass feature. I’ve always HATED voice mail because navigating through the voice menus is a pain. Having it all in front of you makes managing your messages much easier.
Q. I really want an iPhone now. Is it worth switching carriers?
A. Absolutely. I was with T-Mobile for 12 years, so I carefully considered this decision. I looked into the unlocking options, and it’s just not worth it. The process of switching was quite simple, and keeping our numbers was far easier than I thought. If you want an iPhone, you’re stuck with AT&T (in the states), and that’s just the way things are. But it’s worth it. Trust me.
Q. Aren’t the plans expensive, though?
A. Yes, but that’s the case with pretty much all smartphones. We ended up paying about $30 more per month than we were paying with T-Mobile, but part of that was the leap to 3G, which costs more on both carriers. If you would choke on a $100 cell phone bill (per line), then the iPhone probably isn’t for you.
Q. Hmm. I really like a lot of what you talked about, but I don’t really want to switch carriers and/or pay that much per month.
A. That’s why the iPod Touch exists. If you don’t need or want the phone features, and you have WiFi available to you frequently, then go for the iPod Touch. You get the same interface and the same awesome App Store. It’s a win-win!
Q. Then why did you get the iPhone?
A. I don’t spend all of my time near WiFi connections, and I use Exchange for my personal email, contacts, and calendar. I also liked the phone features, and don’t want to carry multiple devices. Your choice will depend on your usage habits.
Q. So… does having an iPhone make you better than everyone else?
A. Yes. Yes, it does. 
Posted by Robyn on Oct 17, 2008 in
Technology Okay, I take back everything negative I said about these new MacBooks. I am typing this from the new 15″ MacBook Pro at the Apple store, and I am in love. The keyboard and new touchpad are both awesome. 
Who wants to buy my 6-month-new MacBook Pro? 
Posted by Robyn on Sep 25, 2008 in
Technology I have never had much of a beef with advertising on websites. Providing good content usually costs money, and I can respect the fact that people need to support themselves and their work.
I don’t even particularly mind the sites that use underlined text with little ads that pop up when you roll your mouse over them. I don’t see it as particularly well targeted advertising, since what pops up usually isn’t even relevant to the article.
However, I have to draw the line somewhere. I was just reading an article on Anandtech, and I accidentally rolled my mouse over some underlined text. But instead of the usual ad box, an entire window with full video and audio popped up.
AND IT STARTED PLAYING ALL BY ITSELF!
I don’t care how much money that crap makes for your website. That is so completely inappropriate, I have no words. 
Anandtech did redeem itself, though. I was looking for a place to submit a complaint about those ads, and there is an option to turn them off entirely. Furthermore, it actually works!
Posted by Robyn on Sep 13, 2008 in
Technology Six months after buying it, I finally upgraded the hard drive in my MacBook Pro today. The main thing holding me back was some of the horror stories I had heard from people who had taken theirs apart.
Having done it, I have to say, it wasn’t all that hard. Upgrading the hard drive and RAM in my Acer netbook was probably harder. (Small laptop is small.) Although there is a bit more pressure when working on a $2000 machine than there is with a $350 one!
Anyway, I swapped out the stock 200 gig drive for a 320 gig model, and it’s a very happy lappy now. Leopard and Vista get to share the drive equally, so there is no bickering between them anymore! (Vista was feeling inferior.)
I think I’m finally ready to retire my desktop now — or at least, take it off active duty. I will have to get by with only a MacBook Pro (Leopard/Vista), Acer netbook (Vista/Ubuntu), HTPC (Vista), and 4.3 TB file server (WHS). 
Posted by Robyn on Jun 8, 2008 in
Technology That’s how long it took to restore an HP laptop using HP discs.
Mind you, that’s after ordering the discs and waiting two weeks. Then, of course, those discs didn’t work, so I had to call HP, who had apparenlty sent me the wrong discs. So, they “rushed” me the right discs, which took another week. They finally came today, and the lovely six-hour restoration process could finally commence.
Now, how long will it take me to uninstall all the trial software and bloat on this thing?
P.S. Yeah, I know I should have done a clean install, and I certainly had the means to do so. I guess I just had to go through this painful restore process once in my life, so I would be absolutely confident that it’s not worth it.
P.P.S. The HP laptop is one that I am giving to a friend. It used to be Justin’s, before he got his new tablet.
Posted by Robyn on Jun 6, 2008 in
Technology I finally broke down and purchased a new video card for my desktop — an Asus 8800GT. Man, I really missed having a desktop! Don’t get me wrong, I love having a fast laptop with good graphics, but it just doesn’t replace a real desktop for me.
I have never been much of a PC gamer, but I plan to try out a few PC games this summer. My video card came with Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, which is apparently a stand-alone expansion pack for the original game. I am going to give that a try, followed by Crysis, which my fiance owns, but never really got into. Anyone have other recommendations for good PC games?
Another good thing about having a working desktop is that I can finally experiment properly with Ubuntu Hardy! Linux really seems to be cooking in a lot of new markets these days. Not only is it maturing on the desktop, but its mobile applications are expanding quickly.
I guess I’m not surprised by this, since no matter what kind of device you’re talking about, someone will tell you that you should put Linux on it. Anybody else run Linux?
Posted by Robyn on May 28, 2008 in
Technology Okay, so Microsoft really has designed a nice home theater interface with Vista Media Center. I run it on my HTPC, and was happily watching a recorded episode of NCIS a few minutes ago. (Incidentally, the newer episodes are much better than the old ones.)
Near the end of the episode, a dialog box pops up, informing me that updates are ready to install, and would I like to reboot? I politely tell it that I will manually reboot later.
A few minutes later, with no further warning and no option to cancel it, the computer reboots.
RIGHT AT THE CLIMAX OF THE EPISODE
Microsoft, you have been angling for space in my living room for the better part of this decade. If you want to keep it, you will not reboot my computer against my will while I’m watching TV ever again. Do we have an understanding?
Seriously.
Posted by Robyn on May 9, 2008 in
Technology I finally gave in and installed XP on my Eee PC. After struggling with the space constraints for a few days, I think I finally have a very handy little unit here. I can access my Exchange account in Outlook 2007, sync files with FolderShare, access my other computers using WHS — it’s awesome.
Believe it or not, XP loads a lot faster than Ubuntu Gutsy, and feels more stable on the Eee’s somewhat puny hardware. Of course, the fact that it’s six years older could have something to do with that.
Linux, it’s not that I don’t love you. But Windows and I have had a long history together, and it just feels… comfortable on the Eee. I know I promised you space on the MacBook Pro, but with Leopard and Vista on there already, it’s getting a little crowded.
Don’t worry, though. I’ll always save a partition for you on my desktop.
Posted by Robyn on Mar 12, 2008 in
Technology Well, after several days of tweaking, I have Ubuntu Gutsy running smoothly on my Eee PC! There are fortunately some scripts out there that make everything work all nice and pretty on the Eee, like the wireless adapter, webcam, and special function keys.
Unfortunately, I could not get Evolution to sync with Exchange because my Exchange provider (1and1) uses Exchange 2007. However, I managed to get Outlook 2003 working via Crossover Linux. What a great piece of software, by the way. It’s essentially WINE for nubs. I also installed Firefox 3 Beta 4, and it’s running smooth like butter on the Eee. Can’t wait for the final release!
But the crowning glory? I got USB internet sharing on my Shadow to work flawlessly!
So, I accomplished the two major things I had hoped to accomplish by switching from Xandros to Ubuntu: I can access my Exchange account, and I can use internet sharing through my phone. So hooray for me. And hooray for Ubuntu!
I am loving Ubuntu so very much. I don’t know why I stayed away from Linux for so long. I plan to install Ubuntu on my desktop over spring break. But since Evolution can’t solve my Exchange problem, I’m not really tied to Gnome anymore. I might try KDE to see what all the fuss is about. There seem to be fierce loyalties on either side!
I might also try XFCE on the Eee, since it’s a “lighter” desktop system, but I’ve got everything running so smoothly in Gnome, I’m almost afraid to touch it!