They are both made by the same manufacturer but are the EVO and its “Alternative EVO ( read ego)” even comparable? Well read more to find out. Throughout the comparasion I will refer to the HTC EVO 4G as “EVO” and the HTC EVO Shift 4G as “Shift”.

Hardware – EVO

The HTC EVO 4G sports a 4.3-inch Widescreen 480-by-800 TFT LCD screen, a rear facing 8 megapixel camera with dual LED flash camera, a front facing 1.3 megapixel camera, 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8650 snapdragon, 512 MB RAM, 8 GB microSD card, 1 GB ROM, 1500 mAh Li-ion battery, Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS, WiMAX and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

Hardware – EVO Shift

The HTC EVO Shift is small and packs a 3.6-inch Widescreen 480-by-800 TFT LCD screen, a rear facing 5 megapixel with single LED flash, 800 MHz Qualcomm MSM7630 (second generation) snapdragon, 512 MB RAM, 2 GB microSD card, 2 GB ROM, 1500 mAh Li-ion battery, Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS, WiMAX, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, and 4 Row Keyboard.

Winner – HTC EVO 4G

While the Shift has full hardware keyboard, it fall short with only 5 megapixel camera with a single LED flash. The Shift does have a newer snapdragon processor but the EVO still feels just a bit faster out of the box. Also there are several reports of GPS issue with the Shift whereas the EVO has none. And finally the 4.3-inch screen on the EVO just feels a lot better overall

Software – EVO and Shift

The EVO 4G and The EVO Shift both have Android 2.2 with HTC’s SenseUI skin overtop of the base operating system. Sense has its advantages and disadvantages but does have some the best Widget available which make it worthwhile for most. There tons of Custom roms for the EVO but because the shift is so new there are currently only a few and most lack basic features.

Winner – Tie

Both phones are virtually the same. If you want to the go the route of rooting and installing a custom rom then the EVO is the clear choice here, but if you plan to stay with factory settings you can not go wrong either way.

The biggest choice when choosing between the HTC EVO 4G and the HTC EVO Shift 4G is the Keyboard. This all comes down to personal preference but you really can’t go wrong with either. The HTC EVO 4G is the more powerful phone and if software keyboards do not scare you then the EVO is the clear cut choice here. If you feel the need for a hardware keyboard ( I did and thats why I switched to the Samsung Epic 4G for my personal phone) the get the HTC EVO Shift 4g. As for a clear cut winner? Get the phone that will fulfill your personal preference the most.

BOOST MOBILE HTC EVO 3D ANDROID SMARTPHONE FULLY Flashed AND READY
	USD 290.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 19:52:11
HTC EVO 4G A9292 (Black) Sprint Android smartphone Fair Condition
	USD 150.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 01:25:29
HTC EVO 3D Got Wet Still Works.
	USD 46.00 (6 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 19:53:34
BOOST MOBILE HTC EVO ANDROID ██ 8 MP TOUCHSCREEN MINT CONDITION ██ FREE SHIPPING
	USD 279.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 10:53:06
HTC EVO Design 4G - Black (Sprint) Smartphone
	USD 242.50 (23 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 19:55:58
HTC EVO 3D - 1GB - Black (Sprint) Smartphone
	USD 249.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 19:57:05
HTC EVO 4G - 4GB - Black (Sprint) Smartphone + car adaptor
	USD 149.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 00:27:10
HTC EVO Shift 4G for Sprint CLEAR ESN bundled with extras!!!! LOOK!!!
	USD / 152.50 (7 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:04:47
HTC EVO Design 4G (Sprint) 100% CLEAN ESN Free Fast Shipping
	USD 329.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 15:34:53
HTC EVO 4G - 1GB - White (Sprint) Smartphone
	USD 147.50 (9 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:06:05

HTC EVO Shift 4G for Sprint CLEAR ESN bundled with extras!!!! LOOK!!!
	USD / 152.50 (6 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:04:47
OTTERBOX COMMUTER CASE FOR HTC EVO SHIFT 4G -BRAND-NEW
	USD 24.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 02:55:06
HTC EVO Shift 4G - Blue (Sprint) Accessories
	USD 1.29 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:31:03
2x 1800mAh Battery +Dock Charger For HTC Touch Pro2 / EVO 4G / EVO Shift 4G Red
	USD 8.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:37:49
HTC EVO SHIFT ANDROID QWERTY WIFI FULLY FLASHED TO BOOST MOBILE
	USD 180.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:59:31
HTC EVO Shift 4G Sprint Android WiFi Camera Cell Phone
	USD 169.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:49:31
HTC EVO Shift 4G Android - Droid - CDMA - Sprint - WORKS! HAS ISSUES - (P2)
	USD 79.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 22:31:56
HTC EVO SHIFT 4G FREE with New Sprint Contract Android Cell Phone
	USD 0.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:58:09
4X Clip-On Rubberized Hard Case Cover For Sprint HTC EVO Shift 4G
	USD 6.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 20:52:12
HTC EVO Shift 4G On Boost Mobile
	USD 170.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:59:04

This tutorial is “How to root your HTC EVO 4G from sprint”, (and tips on rooting other cell phones too). We decided to post this since our favorite Android phones have become both the EVO and EVO Shift, and nearly every single friend and relative we know has wanted to know if we could root their cell phones as well. More people would probably do it – if they only knew how easy it was.

What is Cell Phone Rooting?

Rooting is to Android what Jailbreaking was to iOS (iPhone, iPod, iPad) devices. While they have different names, they are essential doing very similar things to your device, allow unsigned code to run. All of it sounds intimidating but really, its nothing at all!

What are the Advantages of Rooting a Cell Phone?

There are many, the first of which is that you are in TOTAL control of your phone and what’s on it! Did you ever notice that there are certain apps that you just can’t delete from your cell phone? That’s because companies PAID Sprint a fee to put them there. A rooted cell phone means that you can install custom themes, custom backgrounds, custom apps and widgets – it opens up a whole new WORLD of opportunities within your mobile phone and Android.

A rooted phone usually runs must faster than one with default software, because it’s optimized (and can be overclocked as well). They also usually have substantially loger battery life, because you obtain the ability to turn off all kinds of services when you don’t need them.

Many people root their phone to avoid paying for apps (which we do NOT recommend), because you can download nearly every app ever created for free online just by searching for the file name and saving it to your rooted phone.

What are the Disadvantages of Rooting a Cell Phone?

Rooting a cell phone is NOT illegal in any way, but mobile companies and cell phone manufacturers will tell you that there is danger in running “unsigned code”, because it could be unstable, unsafe, etc. 99% of the time it’s no more “unsafe” than installing Linux on a computer instead of Windoww. The cell companies want to stay in control of your phone, and what you can install (and what you can’t).

The real disadvantages are if you do intend to download and install illicit apps, they are “unsigned code” and you have no way to verify they are what they are without running them. In addition, if they have to interfact with a server in any way to get data, or save high scores, interact with other players – unsigned apps can’t do that. On the other hand, you can run BOTH signed and unsigned apps on a rooted phone, so the things that need interaction you could pay for. Just remember that downloading paid apps for free is the same as back in the days of Napster – it’s stealing.

DISCLAIMER: We are not responsible for broken, bricked or damaged devices, acts of God or anything else that might of caused your phone to break. This will void your warrantee but there are ways to reverse the process and restore your warrantee (just like restoring the operating system on a desktop computer). Our tutorial here is provided to you for entertainment and educational purpose only, and what you decide to do with the info is up to you – YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY!

Things you will need:

• Windows computer
• Small amount of technology knowledge
• HTC SYNC installed and working
• 1GB of free space on your SD Card
• A Full battery (this is crucial, if your battery dies will performing the root, your phone will be bricked and you just made yourself a very expensive paperweight.)
• USB Debugging enabled on your device. To achieve this Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging
• Your phone connect to your computer as charge only
• The AutoRoot.zip file found in this tutorial

Instructions to Root the EVO (Follow them carefully and thoroughly)

1. This will completely wipe your phone. If you want to back up your apps use Titanium Backup.
2. First extract auto root.zip into a folder that is easy to find. I tend to use the desktop or My Documents folder
3. Open the file named ‘AutoRoot.bat’ and let it run. If there is only a flashing line, close the window, right click the file and select ‘Run as Administrator’. Then open the file again. If you are still having a problem email me your question.
4. The file will continue to run. If there are any errors or it fails to complete then restart your phone and try again. Also make sure you are not actively use your phone while the process is working.
5. When it is ready it will reboot your phone into the boot loader and depending on your setup it will either enter RUU mode and automatically flash the debugging firmware or give you instructions on how to flash it from hBoot.
6. If it requires you to manually flash it, just push the power button to select “BOOTLOADER” and say yes when it asks to flash the PC36IMG.zip. It will give some errors halfway through but no worries, this is normal. Once its finished say no to rebooting and then use Vol Down to highlight recovery. Then press power to select it.
7. It will make a nand backup and then restart your phone. If it hangs on the white HTC EVO screen for more than a few minutes, do a battery pull and restart your phone. If it hangs again then you will need to run the RUU and start over.

*This will only work on hBoot version .9x

You can download the AutoRoot v2.3 file here: http://www.multi upload.com/9S4BOSZITN

Congratulations! You have successfully rooted your HTC EVO! For more information on rooting other phones, help or information on how to install custom roms, checkout http://forum.xda-developers.com. They will have tons of info and a whole community of people ready to help you.

Here’s some great deals on EVO phones in auctions ending soon:

HTC EVO 4G Android - Droid - Good - CDMA - Sprint Clean ESN - GREAT PHONE - (B1)
	USD 134.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 21:33:04
HTC EVO DESIGN 4G FREE with New Sprint Contract - Android Cell Phone
	USD 0.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:58:13
MINT SPRINT HTC EVO 4G CAMERA GPS WiFi WHITE CELL PHONE
	USD 197.95 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:19:16
New Naztech Vertex 3-Layer Cell Phone Covers for HTC EVO 4G - Black
	USD 10.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 22:45:08
HTC EVO 4G Android WiFi CDMA Phone Sprint Clean ESN (AS IS)
	USD 86.00 (24 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:20:08
HTC EVO 3D ANDROID SMART PHONE FULL FLASHED 2 BOOST MOBILE
	USD 245.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:20:57
Sprint HTC EVO 4G BAD ESN Phone For Parts
	USD 99.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:31:34
HTC EVO 3D $49.99 w/ New Sprint Contract 4G Android Cell Phone
	USD 0.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:48:21
HTC EVO Shift 4G A7373 - Fair Condition Black Sprint Cell Phone
	USD 119.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 18:47:05
HTC EVO Shift 4G Sprint Android WiFi Camera Cell Phone
	USD 169.95 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:49:31

What is the Roku Anyway?

The Roku (as in the picture above) is an Internet streaming device. You hook it up to your HDTV, LED TV, flat panel, etc. – and it connects to your wired or wireless Internet in your home and “streams” movies and content for you to watch. Some people like it so much, that they’ve actually cancelled their cable!

The Roku is a little device that’s less than 5 inches wide and only 1 inch small.

There are currently 3 kinds of Roku you can buy:

Roku HD review: The Roku HD plays in 720p HD (lower quality). It has built in wifi, and an ethernet connector. It has an HDMI output, and usually sells for about $60 bucks new.

Roku XD review: The Roku XD plays in 720p or 1080p HD (higher quality). It also has built in wifi, and an ethernet connector. It has HDMI output, but the advantage of this model is that is has Wireless N, and an enhanced remote with instant replay. This model is about $80 bucks new.

Roku XD|S review: The Roku XD|S plays in 720p or 1080p, and has built in wifi and ethernet connections. It also has HDMI output, and the enhanced remote with instant replay and extended wireless N range. But this version also supports dual band wireless, it has component and optical audio out AND (wait for it) a USB port for playing photos, music, and video. You can usually get this version for around $90 bucks new.

What Can I watch on Roku?

It’s more like what “can’t” you watch on Roku? When we bought our first Roku it was to be able to stream Netflix to our TV. And at that time there were just a few additional things to watch. NOW, it seems like there are over 100+ channels on Roku to use. We have used Amazon Video to watch movies, in addition to Hulu plus, Netflix, Imax, and there are many other movie channels. There is also now a large variety of sports, like UFC, MLB, NBA, NHL, and RacefansTV. There are lots of music channels, growing kids content, and lots of web video and misc things. I found it shocking that there were cool games, I’ve been playing blackjack on there quite a bit.

What do the Roku Channels Cost?

Well, that’s the beauty of it. There’s lots of free content, but you only pay for the channels you want to use. To use Netflix, of course you need a Netflix account. For Amazon Video, you only pay for what you watch. HuluPlus requires and account, as do some of the other channels which are as little as $1 per year. For us it’s a no brainer because we already had Hulu Plus and Netflix accounts. What the Roku does is enable us to watch the content from this Internet channels, over our HDTV without needing a computer in the living room. Because of that convenience, we got a second Roku for the bedroom – and both are now completely indispensable! In addition – we’ve taken Roku on vacation with us in the suitcase and used it with the hotel wifi several times! I never would have thought a few years back we’d have anytyhing but our DVD player and cable box hooked up to each TV – but now there’s Roku!

Where can I get Roku?

Your best bet (and where we got our two) is either Amazon (links are above) or eBay (for used bargains)…see links below:

There are TONS of great Roku deals on ebay right now:

Gently used ROKU HD Media Player for Netflix and more
	USD 41.01 (11 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 19:53:15
NEW Roku HD 2 Streaming Player Latest Version 2DaysShip
	USD 76.85 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 03:13:58
NEW! Roku 2 HD Wireless Streaming Player - works with Netflix in the USA
	USD 75.00 (23 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:44:22
Roku HD Receiver
	USD 29.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 22:37:14
NEW! Roku 2 HD Streaming Player w/2 Day Shipping!
	USD 84.98 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 02:49:47
Roku 2 XS Digital HD Media Streamer
	USD 75.00 (12 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 22:56:30
Roku 2 HD
	USD 56.00 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 00:43:59
Roku 2 XS Digital HD Media Streamer HDMI cable Hulu PLUS & Angry Bird Game
	USD 135.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 23:06:47
Roku 2 XS Digital HD Media Streamer
	USD 82.00 (6 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 04:13:13
Roku 2 HD
	USD 65.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 07:04:08

Roku XD Streaming Media Player 1080p Wireless "Lightly Used"
	USD 68.00 (7 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 21:23:20
NEW! Roku 2 XD Streaming Player w/2 Day Shipping!
	USD 89.98 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 02:19:48
Roku XD
	USD 35.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 16:49:17
Roku 2 XD Digital HD Media Streamer
	USD 69.00 (2 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 20:40:31
Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p *New*
	USD 93.98 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 00:15:49
Roku XD Multimedia Player
	USD 30.00 (16 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 21:44:14
Roku XD Multimedia Player
	USD 33.00 (11 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 21:45:15
NEW Roku 2 XD Streaming Player Video Device 2DaysShip
	USD 86.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 18:29:18
Roku XD, complete and mint and all original, gets Netflix, amazon, Hulu, NICE !!
	USD 28.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 22:43:03
Roku XDS XD/S Streamer
	USD 69.00 (20 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 22:57:02

Roku XDS XD/S Streamer
	USD 69.00 (20 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 22:57:02
Roku XDS
	USD 41.00 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 01:34:20
Roku XDS
	USD 50.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 08:24:34
Roku XDS In Original Box And In Great Cond. With HDMI Cord
	USD 41.99 (3 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 20:48:44
Roku XDS - Digital Multimedia Receiver w/ Remote
	USD 56.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 02:43:49
Roku XDS Streaming Media Receiver (NO RESERVE)
	USD 46.00 (10 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 12:31:49
Roku XDS
	USD 80.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 18:02:41
Roku XDS 2100X Black Streaming Player 1080p Streams to TV Wifi Wireless AS IS
	USD 5.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 22:47:16

Background: I’ve been working repairing and upgrading computers for 15 years, and I work online about 12 or more hours per day from my home office. We have a 16 mbit connection to the web, and there are 3 computers, 3 laptops, one netbook, an entertainment PC, an Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and various portable devices connected to the Internet. The router is probably one of the most important pieces of equipment in the entire house, since the Internet is in constant use.

I have used Linksys routers for years. It’s probably force of habit since I worked in corporate IT for 10 years, and that’s always what was used at work, and it’s what you see in all the big box stores. In addition – the company is owned by Cisco – a known industry networking leader.

Years ago I had a Linksys Wireless B router. It worked great, but was too slow. I bought a Microsoft wireless G router online in some clearance sale for $25, and we used that for almost 5 years with no issues. Microsoft no longer makes routers. About a year ago it got to the point where we were having to reset the MS router multiple times per day – so I broke down and bought the Linksys WRT54G wireless G router. It lasted about one year before it died. By “died”, I mean – all the lights won’t even come on anymore.

I usually exclusively buy all my electronics and gadgets online. I haven’t bought anything like that in a big box store like Wal-Mart, Staples, Best But, etc. – in years. My wife and I were out and about shopping when my son called and said the router died. He’s going to school for networking, so when he said it was “dead”, I knew it was. The way we use the Internet – I knew that I had to buy a new router while I was out, or there would be no web access when I returned home.

Grudgingly, I went to Staples because I live in a small town, and I knew they would have the most routers on hand. Since the Linksys WRT54G died after just one year, I knew I didn’t want another Linksys. I also knew that NetGear is usually the bottom of the barrel, so the thought was “let’s try Belkin!”. I bought the best router they have, the Play Max dual band Wireless N router – and as you read in my last review, it was the worst wireless N router money can buy. It was horrible, every page online took 3-5 seconds to load, some never loaded – the router had to be reset all the time, it was complete and utter garbage. My son actually read online at the Belkin web site in their FAQ’s that they recommend rebooting the router every 4 hours for “optimal usage” – WTF is that? When the company making the router says you have to reboot it 6 times a day for best use – you KNOW it’s crap!

How to Pick the best Wireless N Router

If you’re not very technical (or even if you are), I’m going to give you some things you should be looking for when buying a router.

DOES THE ROUTER HAVE…

- are the antennas internal or external? (external are of course better)
- how many antennas does the router have?
- what is the speed of the processor?
- how much memory does it have?
- how much flash memory does it have?
- does it have external connectivity for USB storage and printers?

You may not have thought about it this way – but a router is a miniature computer. It has a CPU, and it has memory. Now – think about this for a second – that means that the more CPU power it has, and the more memory it has, the faster it’s going to work. So you’re not only looking for the wireless N router with the best features, you’re looking for the one with the most POWER.

Comparing Wireless N Routers

Belkin Play Max
- antennas: internal
- CPU: info not found anywhere
- Memory: tech sites list as 64MB
- Flash Memory: tech sites list it as 8MB
- external support: print and USB storage

Linksys WRT320N
- antennas: internal
- CPU: BCM4717A 354MHz
- Memory: 32MB
- Flash Memory: 8MB
- external support: NO

*Note: regardless of pricepoint, antenna, and external support – nearly all Linksys wireless N routers seem to have 32MB memory, 8MB flash, and smaller CPI

NetGear RangeMax
- antennas: internal
- CPU: 680 MHz 32-bit processor
- Memory: 64MB
- Flash Memory: 8MB
- external support: print and USB storage

D-Link Xtreme
- antennas: 3 external
- CPU: 275 Mhz
- Memory: 16MB
- Flash Memory: 4MB
- external support: print and USB storage

Asus RT-N16
- antennas: 3 external
- CPU: Broadcom BCM4718 533MHZ
- Memory: 128MB
- Flash Memory: 32MB
- external support: print and USB storage

My Choice for Best Wireless N Router

If you go buy specs above from the list above, it’s very plain that as far as CPU and memory horsepower, the D-Link is the bottom of the barrel. The next worst would be Linksys. The NetGear has the most powerful processor, but only by a hare (533Mhz vs. 680 Mhz). The Asus has double the memory, and 4 times as much the flash memory. Also – the Asus has 3 external antennas

For those of you who have never heard of the ASUS company (AsusTek), they are primarily known for making motherboards for computers. Those of us that have been building computers for years know that name well, because ASUS has not only always meant quality – but they have long since been the “Cadillac” of motherboard makers. Most “tech guys” know the ASUS name from parts we buy online – again, not a name you would normally see in the “big box” stores.

We purchased the Asus RT-N16 Wireless N router based on the specs above, but also because of the 4-5 star reviews on nearly every site we could find a review on. We paid about $90US, and had it shipped overnight via Amazon Prime.

This is a pic of the router:

When I received the router – I took it out of the box and connected it to my cable modem, and my main computer via hardwire. I brought up the management interface at http://192.168.1.1/. The first thing you need to do is turn off your router while you plugin everything in (remove the battery if it has battery backup – like the comcast routers with VOIP phones). Then turn the cable modem on first, 30 seconds later turn on the router, and then bring up the management interface. I believe the only tweak we really made, was to turn the firewall off. We used WPA2-Personal with a network key, and seconds later – we were up and running!

The difference between our Linksys wireless G, the Belkin Playmax, and the Asus RT-N16 was astounding. With the extra memory and flash (and bigger processer) – web pages load like lightning! After you type a URL and hit enter, just say “BAM!” as fast as you can, and the web page is already loaded.

Now you may think that it’s just this fast from my hard wired computer, but loading YouTube videos and flash-laden pages from a 7 year old 1.0 Ghz Pentium III with 512MB Ram and 40GB hard drive, with a USB Wireless N adapter is just about as fast as the hard wired computer. It’s fast as hell!

This is the fastest router I’ve owned, setup was effortless, and it has the most external antennas and largest horsepower of any wireless N router I could find. I know that wireless N has a broader range, but when I had the Belkin Play Max installed (upstairs), my devices downstairs were connecting to the network with only 1 or 2 bars (out of 5, even though it was wireless N). My ASUS RT-N16 has had consistent 5 bar connections with EVERY device in my home since I installed it from day 1. That’s the best wifi connection hotspot I’ve ever had installed anywhere (and I’ve setup dozens of routers for family, friends, and clients). From now on – Asus is the only wireless router I will buy.

If you like the specs and want to try the ASUS RT-N16, you can buy it on Amazon here:

You can also find it new or used on eBay:

ASUS TeK RT-N16 300 Mbps Gigabit Wireless N Router WITH TOMATOUSB
	USD 53.00 (11 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 03:34:47
ASUS RT-N16 Wireless Router N /w Printer Server/P2P/BT
	USD 78.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 01:29:26
ASUS NETWORK DEVICE RT-N16 WIRELESS-N GIGABIT ROUTER RE
	USD / 114.75 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 01:05:35
Asus RT-N16 Wireless-N Gigabit Router
	USD 129.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 17:45:05
ASUS RT-N16 GIGABIT WIFI N HIGH POWER ROUTER REPEATER DD-WRT MEGA
	USD 159.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 04:23:07
RT-N16 WLAN SECURE HOME GATEWA Asus 90-IG0D002M01-01P0Z B997359
	USD 167.23 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 13:10:53
ASUS RT-N16 MULTI-FUNCTIONAL GIGABIT WIRELESS N ROUTER
	USD 112.53 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 20:40:01
★NEW★ ASUS RT-N16 802.11b/g/n Router Open Source
	USD 122.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 03:48:06

Originally submitted at Staples

Dual-Band N technology gives you the fastest, most reliable speeds for video, music and gaming Dual-plane antennas and MIMO technology provides the best coverage for demanding home usage MIMO technology provides maximum coverage for demanding home usage Security settings are preset to get you up an…

Belkin Play Max Wireless-N Router

Worst Router EVER MADE!!

Pros: none

Cons: GArbage, Unreliable, Slow

Best Uses: none

Describe Yourself: High bandwidth user

Primary use: Business

The Belkin Play Max router is the worst router ever made. I have been repairing and fixing computers for 15 years, so my experience level is advanced – and I’ve owned a half dozen routers and setup hundreds of networks. I purchased this router to try and get away from my linksys for once, since my last router died after only a year.

The setup is awful on this router, as it has an internal firewall that is “on” by default (slowing all traffic). You would think that this wireless N router is wireless b with that thing on (even through a wired connection it’s slow). When you unplug it for 15 seconds or more, it seems to forget it’s WPA password, and WPS is on by default also.

Even once I got this router setup the way that I wanted, it’s slower than all bejeezus. It’s constantly dropping packets, browsers connected directly via hardwire say “resolving host” and take 5 seconds to bring up things like google and eBay.

This router is the worst piece of garbage I’ve ever owned, and the 3 days I used it (before returning it) were the worst Internet usage days of my life since dialup. Goodbye Belkin router – I will never buy your products again…

(legalese)

I found out that my pussy cat could now tweet in this article: Sony Makes cat lifeblogging device. WTF, a collar for that cat that can tweet 11 things? It has an acceleration sensor that can tell you when the cat is running, walking, eating, sleeping. Are our lives actually that disinteresting that we are self-absorbed into this nonsense? What’s next an underwear tweeter that says my 4 year olds peeing, or one that tweets my grandmother has fallen and can’t get up?

I’d like one that tweets me when I’m wasting too much time please!

Enter the FreeAgent Theater + HD Media player! You can get this thing for under $200 (sometimes under $100 if you don’t need the 500GB storage). What this little box does is allow you to move all your music, pictures, and movies from your computer (laptop or desktop) to your TV. No more having to store crap on your xBox 360 or Playstation 3. The media player has a dock for a 250GB or 500GB external hard drive. You also get a separate docking station to connect the drive to your computer. If you have a Windows or Mac based PC the included software will automatically copy your media to the drive. If you run Linux – you have to copy your own s**t to the drive. In either event, plug the drive back into the bay on the media player and voila! You have your content from your PC to the TV!

The media player will to 1080i and Dolby 5.1 playback. You get a remote in the box, and there’s a front USB jack if you want to plugin in a USB stick, digital camera, or camcorder. Connect to your PC with a composite cable or HDMI if you prefer (or S-video and audio jacks). It does play in NTSC and PAL – and it doesn’t say so on the Amazon page, but if you reference the Seagate web site you’ll see that it does play MPC, AAC, WAV, OGG, WMA (window media), JPG’s, subtitles, MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (which means AVI (windows), VOB, ISO), and MPEG-4 (which means both DivX and Xvid).

So download movie clips, trailers, rip DVD’s, record streaming video – move it all to the external drive, and watch them all on your PC without ever having to burn another damn DVD or CD! That’s why we bought it (lol)!

check out the FreeAgent Theater price at Amazon:

cheeck out the FreeAgent Theater price on eBay, I’ve seen it for as little as $50-$100, and many of them have the external drive included!

Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD 1080p Media Player (STCEA201-RK)
	USD 70.01 (5 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 18:30:06
Seagate STCEA201-RK FreeAgent Theater+ HD Network Media Player HDMI NETFLIX 1080
	USD 84.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 02:20:51
NEW Seagate FreeAgent Theater HD media player 1080i NIB
	USD 199.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-10 23:15:18
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ - Digital Multimedia Receiver / HDDr NO RESERVE!!!
	USD / 26.00 (4 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-08 01:00:36
SEAGATE ST905004CEA1E1-RK 500GB FREE AGENT THEATER HD MEDIA PLAYER SOLUTION
	USD 225.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 20:35:37
Seagate FreeAgent Theater+ HD 1080p Media Player (STCEA201-RK)
	USD 30.00 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 16:22:36
12V Seagate FreeAgent Theatre replacement power supply
	USD 11.04 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 14:12:35

This post of part of The Smorgasbord Tech Reviews series!

First, let’s talk about what a Solid State hard Drive is. You get the definitive answer from Wikipedia of course. Let me give you some details from that Wikipedia entry:

A Solid State Drive, or SSD, has no moving parts. Think of it as a huge flash drive. Because it has no moving parts, it eliminates the seek time and latency of a traditional spinning disk hard drive – and it’s faster. So because you’ve eliminated electro-mechanical delay, you’ve also eliminated electro-mechanical failures. It’s not to say an SSD wont go out, but at least you know it can’t go out due to moving part failure.

A Solid State Drive is comprised of either Flash RAM or SDRAM. SDRAM SSD’s are “fast access”, and data access is less than 0.01ms (250 times faster than the fastest hard drive in 2004). SDRAM SSD’s have an internal battery, and if the power goes out, whatever is in memory (RAM) can be copied to disk. There’s a distinct advantage over a spinning disk. Flash memory is slower than SDRAM, but because it’s more durable and rugged – it’s more widely used in SSD’s. Flash based SSD’s do not have a battery and use non-volatile memory.

SSD Pro’s:

• Faster startup and boot time
• Faster I/O (data access, see time)
• Longer lifetime (10 years of normal use)
• No moving parts
• Easy to ‘wipe’ clean
• Lower weight and size

SSD Con’s:

• Price ($8/GB compared to 0.25 cents/GB for spinning disk)
• Data possibly harder to recover with drive failuer vs. spinning disk
• Possibly affected by magnetic fields / static charges
• Slower random write speeds

Now, let’s give you a better perspective by sampling some information about SSD’s from across the net. Popular Mechanics calls the Solid State Drive the 3rd most Brilliant Gadget of 2007. They also mention the use of the term “solid state disk” as an oxymoronic term.

Tom’s Hardware reviewed the Solid State Drive 4 years ago, and one of the things that I noted was the fact that they said their test unit literally didn’t get hot at all and was virtually silent. In addition to being smaller than a traditional hard drive, it’s power consumption was way less than a spinning disk, and nearly nothing at all when not in use. These are definite distinct advantages that didn’t seem to come up in the Wikipedia article. I’ve had many computers in the past that had 3-4 hard drives installed, and they not only sounded like an airplane hangar – some of the drives would get very, very hot. SSD drives would definitely completely change that picture. They also mentioned that the drive could be used in nearly any environment, which I didn’t think about. Spinning disk would not work as well (or at all) in extreme heat or cold, but an SSD should. In this article you can view the performance graphs taken during testing showing how much faster and better performing the SSD was compared to 20-odd spinning disk hard drives.

So let’s recap what we’ve learned here…

• SSD Solid State Hard Drives boot faster than spinning disk drives
• SSD’s weigh less, don’t get hot, and use less energy than traditional HDD
• The SSD cost much more, but prices are coming down
• You see how well an SSD can function in a mobile situation – like a laptop or portable
• Solid State Drive’s are worse than traditional HDD is sustained data transfer – which means it’s not well suited for saving, moving, copying lots of large files or functioning in a constantly data intensive situation, like a database server
• SSD’s should last longer and be way less succeptible to failure than traditional HDD

If you’re considering getting a Solid State Drive:

• Can you justify the price vs. the benefit
• Are you better off waiting for prices to come down?
• Do you do data intensive work that is better suited to a traditional HDD?

Last – I’m going to provide you with some links so you can get current pricing on SDD Solid State Drive’s.

There are several Solid State Drive’s listed on Amazon:

Here are the most recent eBay auctions for solid state drives:

Intel Solid State SSD 320 Series 300GB 2.5in SATA 3Gb/s MLC Server Hard Drive
	USD 420.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 14:52:37
OCZ Solid 3 120 GB Sata III,Internal (SLD3-25SAT3-120G) (SSD) Solid State Drive
	USD 123.49 (9 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 19:52:49
Intel 320 Series 80GB SSDSA2CW080G3 Solid State SATA Drive NEW / Laptop SSD
	USD 109.00 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-09 10:24:51
** NEW ** CRUCIAL M4 512GB 2.5" SSD CT512M4SSD2 SOLID STATE DRIVE
	USD 669.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 18:57:15
Imation M-Class 128 GB,Internal,2.5" (27511) (SSD) Solid State Drive NEW!
	USD 88.99 (6 Bids) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:54:27
BRAND NEW OCZ VERTEX 3 240GB SSD 2.5" SOLID STATE DRIVE
	USD 369.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-07 02:14:29
Samsung 16GB SSD 2.5" Disk Hard Drive MMBRE16G5MSP-0V​​AD1 OVAD NEW NOS
	USD 23.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-06 04:23:48
Imation Solid State Drive PRO 7000 16 GB,Internal 27042
	USD 19.95 (1 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-04 20:54:27
Intel 320 Series 160 GB Internal 2.5" (SSDSA2BW160G3H) (SSD) Hard Drive
	USD 159.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-05 04:28:43
NEW Kingston SSDNow Desktop Bundle SSD 128GB SATA Hard Drive Kit *FREE SHIPPING*
	USD 129.99 (0 Bid) | Buy It Now End time: 2012-02-11 00:43:46

Do you own an SSD? Have an opinion about Solid State Drives?

Original Review

Last year in 2007 I remember when the Amazon Kindle was launched, and I thought “that’s kinda cool”. But it’s yet “another device” that does something you can already do on your mobile phone AND computer AND laptop! So, my first impression (back then) was that it was “cool” but not completely necessary. Now, let’s talk about what makes it viable as a gadget and why it’s becoming more popular.

The Amazon Kindle is an “eReader”. It’s meant for you to take it with you and read things, from novels and books, to newspapers and blogs. Battery life is long and it only needs a charge about every other day, and the screen is what they call “ePaper”. It’s not like your cellphone, laptop, or monitor screen – it has no glare (and it’s not backlit). It’s easy to read in any light, just like a book or newspaper.

Kindle has an “EVDO” connection just like the high speed connections of cell phones. This means that it’s “wireless”. The Kindle is different than other eReaders because it can get new content, download new books, or get fresh newspaper or blog content from RSS feeds “on the go” wherever you are. Don’t be fooled – you have to buy the books, but the “e” version is much cheaper. A latest New York Times best seller might be $26.99, but on Kindle it’s probably $9.99. Newspaper subscriptions cost money too, but with Kindle you can download the first few chapters of a book or read two weeks for free on a newspaper subscription before you pay anything. At least you can test drive before you pay. Magazines are available too like Time and Forbes.

You can’t exactly surf the web with Kindle, but one feature that is available is the ability to look anything up on Wikipedia. The included of the New Oxford American Dictionary could be very handy as well. It also has an annotation feature and bookmarking – so you can keep notes or keep track of where you were. One of the more controversial features are the RSS feeds. You can subscribe to any one of hundreds of RSS feeds (which are freely available on the web) for about $2 per month. Many people feel these should be completely free, as they are on the web. What they fail to realize is that kindle has no wireless charges at all – once you buy the unit there are no monthly fees. Your subscription fees basically cover the EVDO wireless access charges.

I didn’t even mention that it has an SD memory card slot, and that you can email documents to your Kindle for review, like pictures, PDF files, and Word docs. Now – it’s a tool you can use to review documents for school or work.

Here’s an Amazon Kindle review from a tech evangelist that has used many other eBook readers before he got the Kindle, this was his first review 12 hours after he got it.

Another Kindle video review:

I think that the Kindle could be one of the few gadgets you could give as a gift to people that are so “geeky” if you know what I mean. It’s easy to use, and Amazon has done a good job of taking away all the technological barriers away. It doesn’t have to be charged that often, and it never has to be connected to a computer or anything to work – it’s completely independent. This could actually be a really cool gift for Mom or Dad, Grandma or Grandpa. If you’re an avid reader or on the go a lot – the Kindle may be for you. There’s two ways to get one, and they are of course “new or used” Amazon Kindle’s. There are some for sale on eBay – check out these auctions.

[nms:amazon kindle -case -sleeve -stand -skin -screen -charger -light -power,8,0,0,smorgas.kindle]

In addition, you can buy one new directly from Amazon itself here: