Computers | The Smorgasbord

There's a couple different models of the touchsmart, and if you're searching the web for reviews I have to alert you - HP's "TouchSmart" brand has been around a few years now. What you are looking for are the new sleek and stunning iMac killers - the IQ504 and IQ506.

Repeat – you DON’T want the old TouchSmart models from 2006-2007 like this

You DO want the TouchSmart 2008 sexy model that looks like this

Looks like a Camry got converted into a Corvette doesn’t it? Admittedly it looks really cool – let’s look at what it has inside! Here’s what sets it apart from anything you’ve seen to date…

HP TouchSmart IQ506 Specs

Final Thoughts

So – what you’re probably wanting to know is – how does the new HP Touchsmart stack up to other current all-in-one systems in it’s class? Well, if you’re going to compare to the iMac – one with similar specs of 500GB hard drive and 4GB Ram with only 20″ screen don’t have a touch screen or TV tuner at all. Gateway has it’s “ONE” PC that doesn’t nearly stack up to the TouchSmart at all. What about the Sony VAIO VGC-LT29U you say? Well, firstly it’s $2,899 with a 1,000GB hard drive and Blu-Ray player – which I think puts it in a slightly different class. Secondly – well, it’s a Sony. So – in it’s price class the HP TouchSmart IQ506 is a best buy.

There are two models – the IQ504 is $200 less (about) but has no TV Tuner. The IQ506 has the full HD TV Tuner. Personally – I don’t know why anyone would not want the IQ506. If you’re going to spend that kind of money of a first class mulitimedia system – you really aren’t doing anyone in your family any justice if you don’t get the TV tuner! The IQ504 has a 320GB hard drive too, and the IQ506 has a 500GB! I’ve scoured the web, and the cheapest (new) price for either model is currently through Amazon believe it or not. You might be able to score a deal on eBay. In either event, I listed both options for you below…

Office Worker Goes Insane – Terrorizes Office • 06.11.08

Here’s yet another video of an office worker gone nuts, but this is better than the guy swiping his computer monitor and keyboard off the desk. This guy flat out throws monitors across the room, he tears down cube walls, and he even appears to take a sledgehammer to the copy machine. It goes on and on for what appears to be a very long time, I don’t understand why everyone didn’t just run out of the office. The security video is dated 5/23/2008 which was a Friday – maybe he got fired or something, I don’t know – you be the judge!

Posted in computers, distractions, youtubewith No Comments →

Eye-Fi Wireless SD Card Review • 06.10.08

Here’s something you may not have seen – it’s the “Eye-Fi Wireless SD Card”. Most of us have SD cards lying around because that’s what we store all our precious pictures on in our digital cameras. How many times have you taken pictures, and then waited days (or weeks, or months) before uploading them to your PC or laptop? I can’t count the number of times that I have gotten out the camera and realized that it was full of pictures from a month back. Even worse, that meant fewer pictures I could take – because I couldn’t delete anything off the card yet.

This post of part of The Smorgasbord Tech Reviews series!

Enter the “Eye-Fi”. Inside this flash memory card are some tiny electronics that will astound you. This SD memory card can connect to your WiFi network, without cables, or cradles – or anything! It can automatically upload all your pics to any PC on your network OR even upload them to Flickr, Fotki, Shutterfly, Webshots, Photobucket, Kodak Gallery, Sharpcast, Wal-mart, Snapfish, Phanfare, Picase Web Albums, TypePad, VOX, Smugmug, or Facebook! It can even resize photos before submission if you wish! What an unbelievably handy gadget to have!

This could possibly be one of the coolest gift ideas for just about anyone! Imagine giving this to Mom or Grandma – or anyone that hates having to get the cable or usb adapter out just to transfer the pictures every time!

Eye-Fi Wireless 2GB Secure Digital Memory Card SD
Price: $99.99
Photos should not be trapped in your camera. Set them free effortlessly and wirelessly. The Eye-Fi Card is a wireless SD memory card for your digital camera. It stores pictures like a standard SD memory card, but also uses your home Wi-Fi network to automatically transfer images from inside your camera to your PC or Mac and to your favorite photo or social networking website for sharing or printing. No cables, no cradles, no fuss.

You might be able to find a really good new or used eye-fi in one of these auctions as well:

Eye-Fi 2GB Wireless SD Memory Card Canon Kodak Nikon

US $43.33
End Date: Tuesday Mar-16-2010 9:44:41 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $43.33
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Eye-Fi Explore 2GB Wi-Fi SD Memory Card USB Reader

US $44.58 (7 Bids)
End Date: Tuesday Mar-16-2010 20:36:27 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

New Eye-Fi 2GB Wifi Memory Card + Fast Shipping

US $30.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Tuesday Mar-16-2010 20:41:23 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

4GB SDHC Eye-Fi Share Video WiFi Camera Memory Card

US $99.99
End Date: Wednesday Mar-17-2010 7:28:05 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $99.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Eye- Fi 2GB Wireless SD Memory Card ***NEW***

US $20.00 (1 Bid)
End Date: Wednesday Mar-17-2010 10:22:37 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

Posted in computers, gadgets, gift ideas, hardware, networking, webwith No Comments →

Asus Eee PC Windows XP • 05.20.08

asus eee PC 12G pic A short while ago I reviewed the Asus Eee PC, which is an incredible sub-compact laptop that runs on Linux and you can buy brand new for only $300-$500. Some say it was inspired by the OLPC or One Laptop Per Child initiative. In a way the things that have derailed and plagued the OLPC front are now starting to creep into the computer industry as a whole – and it’s not really surprising.

This post of part of The Smorgasbord Tech Reviews series!

Let me explain…in my basement I have a 6 or 7 year old Gateway box. When I got it (used) it had 128MB of RAM and a 20GB HDD. The processor I think is Pentium III, maybe 500-600Mhz?? I upgraded the Ram to 256MB and installed Redhat Linux. Over the years it has had many different versions of Linux, but for the last 3 years or so it’s been Ubuntu. Now that box has 512MB of Ram, a 100GB and 120GB hard drive, and a 128MB graphics card and an LCD dispay. It’s funny, the only thing I never upgraded was the USB 1.1 to 2.0. This box works great as an Internet / email workhorse. I can get any web work done on it, edit graphics, manage digital pics, or mp3’s. I converted video on this box for many years (and still can). My whole point here is that you don’t need a lot of horsepower or the latest hardware to have a solid affordable working home computer for many years (anymore). I know tons of geeks that recycle hardware and do the exact same thing.

Now that technology has evolved a bit, the same “sect” of geeks that recycle hardware wouldn’t mind using that same tech on a portable device they could take with them. There are lots of linux laptops now available, but many geeks have been installing linux on their windows laptops for years. It was inevitable that the Asus Eee Linux PC would be a hit in the geek community. Asus got a taste of success and predicted 2 million Asus Eee PC’s sold this year, and you can just hear somebody in marketing say “if we sold that many Linux Eee’s, just imagine how many we could sell if it had Windows on it!”.

Well, that time has come, and now Asus has come forward to release versions (4G and 12G) Windows XP Home installed. A lot of geeks are pissed off and screaming “sellout”, but Asus isn’t exactly a non-profit company. If the oil companies can make windfall profits the year of the largest hurricane in U.S. history – is it any surprise Asus released a windows version of the Eee PC? I think not.

So now that anyone can enjoy the sub-compact genius of the Eee PC – how well does Windows run on it? It comes with Windows XP, 12GB of storage, 900Mhz Celeron CPU, and 1GB of DDR memory. It has a new 8.9 inch display which can run at 1,024 x 600 pixels, which makes it much closer to a standard (non-wide) desktop. It even supports multi-gesture inputs, like the iPod touch and iPhone, something (that currently) no other PC made today can claim. You don’t get Skype and Open Office installed, but you certainly can install them yourself easily.

Some reviews say the Windows version of the Asus Eee PC aren’t as good as Linux, mainly because the storage is only 12GB instead of 20. The storage had to be sacrificed to pay for the Windows license. The speakers may suck, but they do on the Linux version too. At least the screen is increased to a decent (and still compact) size, and the camera is now a respectable 1.3 megapixels. It’s all give and take I guess.

I had read a lot of reviews on Amazon and eBay where some had purchased the Linux version of the Eee PC and just couldn’t do it. They had all kinds of problems, and probably no “geek” to turn to for help. So they either tried to return them or sell them on eBay. The Windows version is for the masses, and will make it much easier to just “plug and play” devices. Although “most things” work in Linux, there are still of lot of printers, cameras, and other devices that either don’t work, or take a bit of “tweaking” to get running. Let’s face it, none of us may ever drop anything off to the “Geek Squad” to be fixed, but there’s a reason they have customers.

My original Asus Eee (Linux) PC Review.

A22-P701 Battery For ASUS Eee PC 2G Surf/XP 4G 12G 20G

US $35.99
End Date: Thursday Mar-25-2010 20:45:35 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $35.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Battery A22-P700 For ASUS Eee PC 701 2G Surf/XP 12G 20G

US $23.69
End Date: Friday Mar-26-2010 2:21:04 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $23.69
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Battery For ASUS Eee PC 4G XP Surf 8G 12G 20G A22-P701H

US $27.34
End Date: Saturday Mar-27-2010 3:05:23 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $27.34
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Asus EEE 4G, PC 4G SSD runs XP

US $100.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Sunday Mar-21-2010 15:35:13 PDT
Bid now | Add to watch list

A22-P701 Battery For ASUS Eee PC 2G Surf/XP 4G 12G 20G

US $35.99
End Date: Thursday Mar-25-2010 20:45:35 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $35.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Battery For ASUS Eee PC 4G XP Surf 8G 12G 20G A22-P701H

US $27.34
End Date: Saturday Mar-27-2010 3:05:23 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $27.34
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Battery f. Asus Eee PC 4G XP 8G (1G RAM) 20G 701C 801

US $39.19
End Date: Sunday Apr-04-2010 2:59:20 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $39.19
Buy it now | Add to watch list

A22-P701 Battery For ASUS Eee PC 2G Surf/XP 4G 12G 20G

US $35.99
End Date: Thursday Mar-25-2010 20:45:35 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $35.99
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Battery A22-P700 For ASUS Eee PC 701 2G Surf/XP 12G 20G

US $23.69
End Date: Friday Mar-26-2010 2:21:04 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $23.69
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Battery For ASUS Eee PC 4G XP Surf 8G 12G 20G A22-P701H

US $27.34
End Date: Saturday Mar-27-2010 3:05:23 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $27.34
Buy it now | Add to watch list

Posted in computers, gadgets, hardware, windowswith No Comments →

Holographic Storage – Future BluRay Killer • 04.21.08

Can Holographic Storage, a technology 20 years in the making, be the future BluRay killer?

Robin Harris wrote an article on his blog the other day about holographic storage shipping next month. The technology was in the works for decades before becoming a reality. Every now and then I read about something and go “wow – that’s the future!”. I remember when I was a kid in the 80’s and my day telling me about computer storage and memory doubling nearly every six months. He also told me “someday you’ll be able to carry your 30 albums or your entire record collection on a small postage stamp sized chip in your pocket.” It seemed like something out of the movies back then, and yet my 4GB SD Flash card for my digital camera can hold about 1,000 songs which I guess is about 75-80 CD’s (and it’s about the size of a postage stamp).

We’ve all seen a holograph in a sci-fi movie. A holograph is a projected image that, if you moved around it, would actually have perspective form different angles. A holograph is a true “3D image”. So, how do you turn a holograph into storage? Technically a holograph IS storage, because it stores information about the image to be projected. A hologram uses 2 laser beams. A reference and illumination beam create an interference pattern on photo sensitive media. Shine a laser on that reference pattern and get an image in 3D – simple as that. Robin Harris brings up to good points in that article, the first being that a small fraction of the reference data can reconstruct the entire 3D images (you just can’t move as far around it). This means that unlike a CD or DVD, if the photo sensitive media is scratched it doesn’t (completely) destroy the data. Imagine data that can “reconstruct itself” from the remaining bits. His other point was that the amount of storage is just about limitless. By changing the reference point and illumination of the beams different holographs can be produced – so hundreds (or more) could be stored in the exact same space on the media.

Oh – did I mention the fact that photographic media has a lifespan of over 100 years, so holographic storage has the longest lifespan of any media to date. The company that created this holographic storage technology is “InPhase” and the first units will be shipped for $18,000 next month. One disk costs $180 and stores 300GB.

Why do we care? For the same reason that both CD and DVD players were thousands when they first came out. This is the future of technology. Movie studios with long term storage needs will gladly pay $18,000 for this device, but as the prices drop I think that this kind of technology will be something that consumers need. You can buy a half-terabyte drive at your local Wal-Mart now for $100. I think it’s great to be able to back up all of our digital pictures and music on an external drive for our home network. But as time goes on I will need multiple ones, and eventually some will fail – and eventually I’ll lose some really cherished memories. I think that’s why a lot of people I know print out so many digital pictures on photo paper – they know that if somehow the digital copy is lost, the printed version should last a lifetime. If InPhase eventually created a consumer version holographic storage drive, wouldn’t you buy one? I mean come on, you could store you family digital photos knowing that the media would be good up to 100 years. I know of no other storage technology other than printed photos themselves that could give you that kind of piece of mind.

Think about the industry uses this could bring. Movie theaters could ship out their blockbusters to the theaters on these disks knowing the quality wouldn’t diminish no matter how many times they were rented out. Web hosts could practically offer “uncorruptable backups”. You may not know this, but your local cable company usually has movies “downloaded” on their local server for the video “on demand” services you can watch. With holographic storage they could store tens of thousands of movies for you to watch, and not just hundreds. Unbelievable amounts of data could be stored in black boxes of planes, trains, and automobiles. You could possibly take your entire entertainment system from your living room to your car on one disk. Entire textbooks could begin to be stored on disk cartridges to be read in standard readers and books in schools and universities would not only be cheaper, but the quality of the content would never diminish (just the hardware readers to view them).

So that’s why I think holographic storage is a future BluRay killer. How many years will that be? I don’t know. It took 20 years for holographic storage to become a real piece of hardware you could buy. I don’t think that it will be 20 more years before what I envision comes true, but it’s certainly possible within the next 5-10. But you never know, something might just come along that’s even better than this!

Posted in computers, hardware, opinions, tech newswith No Comments →

IDE to USB Converter Cable • 04.11.08

I’ve found a secret cache of cool computer gadgets I’ll be posting over the next few months. For the first installment I want to highlight something really cool that I wish I had about a thousand times. This is an “IDE to USB Converter Cable”, and you can take an internal hard drive, hook it up, and plug it in your USB port just like it was a flash drive. This isn’t a SATA converter cable (but they have those too), but I have to say I still have a half dozen old ATA IDE hard drives lying around from 6GB to 200GB. If I have to transfer buku files from my laptop to my pc – this is exactly what I need! External hard drive full? Flash drive too small? This converter cable will save your butt! If you get fired from your job and need to get some files off your PC at work, just slip this cable and an old hard drive in your briefcase or bag and you’re good to go!

This post of part of The Smorgasbord Tech Reviews series!

Now you can access or test an internal ATA/ATAPI (IDE) drive without the hassle of connecting it to a motherboard. Just attach the Easy IDE converter and you’ll have fast USB 2.0 access to hard drives, CD burners, DVD drives and more. Great for technicians. Includes 3-foot USB cable, AC adapter and 40- to 44-pin adapter for 2.5 drives. The IDE to USB converter would make a great gift for any geek on Father’s day, Christmas, birthday, or any time! You don’t have to be a computer tech to get use out of this thing, I think that we all have some used hard drives sitting around somewhere that we could easily temporarily use for data transfers with this cable.
Click to check prices.

You might even find a great deal on a “IDE to USB converter Cable” on eBay right now:

USB 2.0 to IDE SATA 2.5/3.5 HDD Converter Cable Adapter

US $9.89
End Date: Tuesday Mar-16-2010 5:23:22 PDT
Buy It Now for only: US $9.89
Buy it now | Add to watch list