Dell Studio XPS 1340 Laptop Reviews

Stylish and sleek, the NEW Dell Studio XPS 1340 laptop is designed to deliver the knockout multimedia features youll want to take with you everywhere. From the optional genuine leather accents to near-seamless design, every facet of your laptop reflects elegance and beauty. And the 13.3″ edge-to-edge display and performance graphics make your online experience come to life.

Dell has released 2 new laptops today: the 13.3-inch Studio XPS 1340 and 16-inch Studio XPS 1640. The standard features for both laptops includes the latest Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, up to 128GB solid state drive or 500GB of hard drive, 2MP web camera, stereo speakers, 802.11n wireless connectivity, optional Bluetooth, and support for AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon mobile broadband.

For $1,199 in the US, both machines come loaded with Core 2 Duo P8400 processors, Vista Home Premium, 1366×768 WGA screens, 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM, a 320GB hard drive, a slot-loading DVD burner and dedicated graphics – the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M G on the Dell Studio XPS 1340 battery and the impressive ATI Mobility RADEON M86XT graphics (equivalent to the Mobility HD 3670) on the 16. They also get HDMI and eSATA as standard.

The base spec may be tasty, but so are some of the options. Top of our shopping list for the 16 is the potentially stunning, $250 optional, FullHD RGBLED LCD display with 1920×1080 resolution. That baby boasts RGBLED 16.7 million colours with 100 percent of the color gamut the 40 to 60% most manage. That should make this the laptop for Blu-Ray movies and gaming with super vibrant colours, a 130-degree viewing angle and a fast 8ms response time. Drool.

Specification:

• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo P8400 (3MB cache/2.26GHz/1066Mhz FSB)
• Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-bit
• Edge-to-Edge HD Widescreen 16.0 inch WLED LCD (1366×768) W/2.0 MP  or Edge-to-Edge 13.3″ HD WXGA LCD with 2.0 Megapixel Camera
• 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1067MHz (2 Dimms)
• 320GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 8X DVD+/- RW(DVD/CD read/write) Slot Load Drive (Sorry no Blu-Ray!)
• ATI Mobility RADEON® M86XT – 512MB
• Dell Wireless 1515 802.11n Half Mini-Card
• 6-cell Battery
• High Definition Audio 2.0
• Bundled with 15 months of McAfee Security Center, Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year , Microsoft Works
• 1Yr In-Home Service, Parts + Labor,24×7 Phone Support

Processor: 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 Memory: 4GB RAM Storage: 320GB hard drive Optical Drive: DVD±RW Screen: 13.3 inches Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 9400M G integrated Weight: 4.8 pounds Dimensions (HWD): 1×12.6×9.3 inches Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit) Value worthy competitor for MacBook and MacBook Pro. Compact yet powerful. Will surely please most in the market for a small and powerful laptop. This is not for gaming.

It’s Dell’s attempt to go slightly more high-end, but without breaking the bank. That means an eye-catching case of ‘obsidian black’ plastic and faux leather, a backlit keyboard and a choice of  Studio XPS 1340 battery or 16-inch WXGA LCD screen, depending on your choice of model.

Aside from that, much is the same for both, which means Core 2 Duo processors and a base option (for the 1340) of Vista Home Premium, a 2 megapixel webcam, 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM, 320GB of storage, a slot-loading DVD burner and NVIDIA GeForce 9400M G graphics. If you opt for the larger 1640, the NVIDIA chip is replaced by ATI Mobility RADEON M86XT for the graphics.

Dell release Studio XPS 1640 battery notebook along with XPS 1340. Dell XPS 1340 comes with a 13.3-inch screen and powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 Gb of DDR3 RAM, up to 500 GB of HDD or 128 GB of SSD. Graphics controlled by NVIDIA GeForce 9400M G or 9500M graphic card with 256MB VRAM to deliver 1280 x 800pixel resolution.Blu-ray drive is optional. Arrives with Windows Vista OS, XPS 1340 has $1199 starting price.

XPS 1340, on the other hand, packs a 16-inch screen and powered by Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 8 Gb of DDR3 RAM, up to 500 GB of HDD or 128 GB of SSD. Graphics controlled by ATI Mobility Radeon M86XT graphic card with 512MB VRAM to deliver 1366×768 pixel resolution.Blu-ray drive is optional too.

[Via http://laptopspc.wordpress.com]

Dell Adamo XPS alive and kicking, back for order on Dell.com

Well hello again, Dell Adamo XPS. Though the incredibly thin and uniquely designed laptop disappeared from Dell.com last week and we received official comment that it was a “limited edition product with a finite number of systems available,” the Adamo XPS has reappeared in its $2,000 glory on the company’s site. According to Dell’s blog, it was merely just a move to restock the inventory and direct customers to retailers that had fresh stock — well why didn’t you just say that Dell! And do not fear about the Adamo brand, Dell reports that all is well as it starts to apply the design to other lines, just as we saw yesterday with the Vostro V13. We’re still a bit confused by the reappearance, but it sure is good to see you again, Adamo XPS. We wish you a long successful life with many many price drops.

[Via http://f3.kz]

Media Digest 3/16/2010 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

Reuters:   The Fed is likely to keep interest rates low for some time.

Reuters:   China said the yuan in not behind the US trade gap.

Reuters:   A record number of Chinese are unhappy about inflation.

Reuters:    The recession left “walking wounded” workers according to a study.

Reuters:   Dodd will boost the power of the Fed in his financial reform legislation.

Reuters:   Toyota (TM) cast doubts on a runaway Prius clam in California.,

Reuters:    A group of Congressmen pressed the Administration on the price of China’s currency

Reuters:   Sony (SNE) made a $250 million deal with Michael Jackson’s estate.

Reuters:   Wachovia is in talks to settle with regulators about money laundering charges.

WSJ;   Lehman fired the whistle blower in 2008 who brought problems to the government’s attention.

WSJ:   A rocket from start-up SpaceX will carry a Loral rocket into space.

WSJ:   Boeing (BA) and Airbus face competition from Bombardier and Embraer

WSJ:   The Dodd legislation will set up a series of series of winners and loser which will increase the fight between bankers and Congress.

WSJ:   Google’s (GOOG) exit from China would help Microsoft (MSFT)

WSJ:   Twitter may become available in China soon.

WSJ:   Dell (DELL) filed charges against Sony (SNE), Toshiba, Hitachi, and other Asian firms for cartel price setting.

WSJ:   China sold $5.6 billion in US Treasuries in January.

WSJ:   Consol Energy will pay $3.4 billion to acquire the Appalachian exploration-and-production business of Dominion Resources.

WSJ:   PepsiCo (PEP) plans a $15 billion share buyback.

WSJ:   Walmart (WMT) will expand the number of states were it offers bank services by 50%.

NYT:   More than $700 billion in junk bonds will mature over three years starting in 2012.

NYT:   Moody’s said US debt might hurt its Aaa rating.

NYT:   Senators moved to pass the new jobs bill.

NYT:   Europe created a system to make loans to Greece.

NYT:   Medicaid cuts are forcing doctors and patients out of the program.

FT:   Congressional members pressed the Administration to challenge China on the price of the yuan.

FT:   Barclay’s (BCS) looked at buying part of UBS (UBS) before it bought Lehman assets

FT:   Emerging market bond sales hit a record.

FT:   The major report on Lehman raised derivative clearing concerns.

Bloomberg:   Over several years Ford (F) had major problems with accelerators.

Bloomberg:   Europe faces a major struggle with the US over hedge funds and private equity firms.

Douglas A. McIntyre

[Via http://247wallst.com]

Dell Suing Suppliers Over Price Fixing.... Wow!

I’m guessing that Dell was feeling that they were being screwed, as they are now suing Hitachi, Sharp, Toshiba, HannStar, and Seiko over LCD price fixing. Reuters is reporting that damages has not decided on what damages it will seek, but you can bet it will be a very big dollar amount. It also doesn’t help that LCD companies have been nailed for this sort of thing before. Of course at the end of this circus, the lawyers will win and consumers won’t see any benefit from this as I highly doubt that prices of Dell hardware will drop if they win.

You gotta love how this stuff works.

[Via http://itnerd.wordpress.com]

The battery use and maintenance

Compared to traditional cameras, digital cameras have the particularly great demand for electricity. because lithium batteries and nickel-metal hydride batteries can be reused and need large power,so they are also more and more popular for digital camera users. But regardless of a lithiumDell latitude d600 battery or nickel-hydrogen batteries, we need pay more attention to using and saving a variety of battery.

Ni-MH battery has memory effect, this effect would reduce the overall battery capacity and usage time. As time goes on, less and less stored charge, the battery also will be consumed faster and faster. Therefore, we should try to run out the electricity. If you use a dedicated lithium Dell latitude d820 battery , or lithium-ion battery, no memory effect problem need not to think about.

In everyday use, they must pay attention to maintaining the integrity of the Dell latitude d830 battery insulating paper, once they are damaged, it should be tightly pasteted by tape. Check the battery’s electrodes whether there is oxidation or not, mild oxidation can be polished off, but if a serious case of oxidation or loss ,we should immediately replace them with new batteries. Meanwhile, in order to avoid power loss, need to keep contact points at both ends of the battery and battery lid clean, if necessary, you can use a soft, clean dry cloth and gently wipe off the gd761 battery . Using a small eraser(For example, the kind of a pencil head) to clean metallic contacts inside the battery pack, but can not use cleaning agents with the solubility of a cleansing agent.

Also, when you plan a long time do not use digital camera, must take out the battery from a digital camera, or charger , and it is fully discharged and then stored in a dry, cool environment, but not to place the battery and the general metal objects stored together, this point is particularly important for non-rechargeable batteries,such as Dell inspiron e1505 battery .

[Via http://batteryzone0.wordpress.com]

17 LCD Computer Monitor – Why are they the perfect buy

17 Inch Monitor - Dell

17 inch LCD computer monitor done a splendid job in changing the computer industry. In fact, in this age of miniaturized productivity, the compact, ultra-slim LCD monitors are practically the industry standard.

If you want style, grace, portability and spectacular image quality, you’ll get it all with an LCD monitor. And the attractive, thin-bezel design has captured the imagination of everyone who values style and substance.

Consequently, nearly everyone is abandoning their CRT monitors and racing to buy LCD PC monitors – and prices are dropping fast.

[Via http://17inchlcdcomputermonitor.wordpress.com]

Late Night Wednesday Post

This post is even later than usual. So just a couple of quick thoughts and charts. Tomorrow, I think we will see a significant increase in the mkt. moves, and I think that will continue to Friday. It has been getting more and more volatile this week, be it ever so slowly. I am leaning towards a down move here, but it is certainly not the clearest of signals. The INDU and COMPQ both look the same. The NAS has been incredibly strong, and when I see this I tend to want to short the QQQQ as soon as I see weakness. It seems they fall a wee bit quicker. I don’t see weakness yet, but I will be watching for it.

I was going to post the VIX and VXN tonight, but they both look the same. There is this strong move up and they both have filled the gap. Now, the question is whether or not this is a gap and go or a gap and drop. We will know tomorrow.

The SPX is near very clear resistance and it should at least stall a bit here. This could be a double top set up. The RSI is over bought, but the MACD is still rising. It is not a clear signal either way, but in considering the recent big move down and rally, I think that this will hold, at least for short-term. Of course if the NAS and RUT keep climbing this resistance will too give way.

DELL has more than filled this gap, re-tested the high and failed to close above this down trend line. The v has increased for two days in a row, but left big top wicks. If the v increase again tomorrow this could move above that down trend, but seeing those top wicks lends me to believe this will drop at least a little from here.

A few days ago I thought this may be setting up for another great short trade, but now I think the opposite. This looks more like a bull flag and today there was a bullish engulfing candle. Low v today, but it has been trending lower for several days. I won’t trade until I see confirmation, but if it does bust to upside, then I think it will take out that resistance.

In closing: I expect more action tomorrow and a bigger close, one in the double digits one way or another. Trade well and prosper. AKOT

[Via http://akoptiontrader.com]

Funny Few Days…

Over in Sioux Falls, South Dakota BigDog aka Dave has been a busy chap… He’s just been upgrading and swapping out his IT solution. Oddly enough he’s opted for a 17” Dell laptop… and good for him.

It’s funny really, my Dell Inspiron has a Centrino T2050 possessor and is still more than capable of anything I wish to use this laptop for – and this includes playing Battlefield2 with all the video settings to max!

However, looking at the release of Battlefield Bad Company 2 on PC a couple of days ago – I wonder if I actually have the power to even start that game… I must look up the specs… BigDog – buy that game – so Iz can whoop yo sorry ass!!

Other stuff…

My new camera is unbelievably outstanding – I’m simply stunned at the pictures it takes!!

I left my previous camera to my mate in Chepstow, and frankly I’m glad I had to buy another. It’s a Samsung ST500 bought from Camerbox.co.uk for a fraction of what Amazon charge for it.

I have continued my ruthless cutting of people I follow on Twitter. Some of whom are even friends of sorts, but this is not to say I’m falling out with anyone as we can still communicate on twitter without the following thing. It actually stops ‘extra’ followers appearing which had become a hassle… This is, except for one UK follower who has turned out to be a stunning and insightful individual whom I won’t mention (other than they get larger by the day).

The big spring clean is under way here as I rip through my place throwing out EVERYTHING I don’t use. I’ve always travelled light, and always have the need to live light – but rarely succeed… Until now (I’m hoping). Besides, I live alone and if anything were to happen to me it’d make the job of clearing me out of the way much easier (I’m laughing here – yeah, good luck with that!!)

Most admin has been carried out other than requiring a medical for my truck licence…(£113). So I’m simply cracking on with life and looking forward to warmer weather.

News also this week is that they’re gonna release a load of new bugs into the UK. These weird mite-like critters suck the life out of a plant called the Japanese Knot Weed which has become a real problem in the UK. While it can grow a meter in 3 weeks, what you see is a bit like the tip of an Iceberg – the root structure is vast!!

I guess we’ll end up being over run with those too at some point..

Work colleague and Farmerist WKD and hubby ‘C’ have been preparing for lambing. I had no idea just how hard work this is until JK of all people started lecturing me about it.

This (for those who may read this blog) is a bit of a concern… I can’t be having JK learning more about this farmerist business!!

Hopefully WKD will furnish us with pictures of the whole process and lots of ickle lambs… (hint!) 

My cousin’s lad and friend ‘Matt’ has been having an odd year.. Matt is an avid climber of sorts. I say ‘of sorts’ because he’s into ‘Bouldering’ (no, not blundering as the this spell checker would have me write). While he does the odd rock face, he loves nothing more than to wrap himself around large oversized pebbles! This sounds ok until you realise Matt is around 40 ft tall and has the wing span of a 747!!

This last year he’s had the misfortune of having his Land Rover stolen and as such getting to he most favoured places of the Peak District curtailed. This however did not stop him legging it to India to do some climbing a few weeks ago.

Matt is at a place in his life I know all too well as I’ve actually been where he is now – and I’m sorely envious of him.

If Matt is anything like me, he’ll probably head off and work his way around Europe at some point. The only thing I would recommend to him is to get his HGV class 1 – because love it or hate it, it’s one hell of a fall back income.

However, Matt is very much his own man! He’ll do what he wants and he’ll do it his way – and I of all people get that.

I do of course hate him for it lol

[Via http://twbrit.com]

Dell Latitude D610 14.1" Notebook (1.73GHz Pentium M 745 512MB RAM 60GB HDD DVD/CD-RW Combo XP Pro)

Dell Latitude D610 14.1″ Notebook (1.73GHz Pentium M 745 512MB RAM 60GB HDD DVD/CD-RW Combo XP Pro) Review

Dell Latitude D610 14.1″ Notebook (1.73GHz Pentium M 745 512MB RAM 60GB HDD DVD/CD-RW Combo XP Pro) Overview

Intel Pentium M Processor 745 1.73GHz 512MB RAM (2048MB max) 14.1″ XGA (1024×768) 60GB HDD Combo CD-RW/DVD v.90 56k modem 10/100 Ethernet ATI Mobility RADEON X300 Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 09, 2010 08:00:13

Rotary Trimmer army ranger bedroom dresser

[Via http://tonzatatay.wordpress.com]

Knowledge of digital camera rechargeable battery

Rechargeable batteries can be considered as micro-batteries. its basic principles is same with the car battery , that is, positive and negative electrodes are composed of a metal material , chemical energy storage media is added in it. before leaving the factory,Rechargeable Ibm thinkpad t40 battery is activated ,charged and discharge in the production line.

Rechargeable batteries are different from the ordinar disposable alkaline batteries. with normal battery discharge, the voltage linear decrease, and can not be restored. The voltagere of chargeable batteries reduced with a reduction in electricity while in use (loading) , but the cessation of use (off load),whether remaining amount of power regardless is little or not ,the voltage will be restored to 1.2V or slightly below. because charge voltage is higher than the Dell inspiron 6000 battery voltage in charging, after charging , the battery voltage go up to 1.4V or so general, but shelved for a while, charging the battery will return to 1.2V.

Any battery, including batteries and rechargeable batteries, can not over-discharge. Otherwise, light in reducing battery life, in serious cases will cause the batteries short-circuit, the Ibm thinkpad t400 battery is completely broken. Its appearance is the battery voltage drops below 1V, and may only have a few 0:00 V, a charge immediately washed over very quickly, but then a load right away have no electricity.

It should be clarified, but also very important. If the rechargeable batteries are not used for a long-term, should discharge the battery, rather than washed over. When fully charged, rechargeable batteries, such as a long-term need, due to chemical reactions within the battery will shorten the battery life, and even damage to rechargeable batteries. This is not the same as with the Ibm thinkpad t61 battery . The new rechargeable battery are fully discharged in the factory . There is no electricity in rechargeable batteries and voltage can not be saw . Rechargeable battery with or without electricity, voltage is 1.2V. Through the following ways to verify: the new rechargeable batteries (not completely red electricity) into DC, will find no power of a few can not shoot.

Now on the market of automatic red appliances, a lot of batterycan not be charged. Charger are included with the instructions given in a variety of capacity rechargeable Dell inspiron 6400 battery charging time, but often not to the nominal time to recharge to end. Full power is not red rechargeable battery for DC, if DC is the result of electrical charges. You often see complaining about color, the same machine, other people’s power, its own special charges electricity. Is likely to be full of rechargeable batteries, not red. From this point may wish to look for reasons. Some automatic charger with a charging function of turbulence. In this charger, the rechargeable battery in the red after full power continue to use the turbulence in the red for one hour. This rechargeable 17inch apple macbook pro akku can better washed over.

In addition, the new rechargeable batteries should be full charged and discharged for 3 – 5 times ,it can achieve the best condition. The use of rechargeable batteries should cultivate good habits, compulsory full no power (DC auto-shutdown), the further charge. Whether or not automatic charger, red finished immediately after power-rechargeable Dell inspiron 710m battery should be removed

The article via: laptopinfo

Related articles: laptop-batteries

[Via http://rain0123.wordpress.com]

Dell Series 7 Black Standard Yield Print Cartridge

Would buy again, if I get enough it is worth the extra $1 or $2 extra instead of going to Walmart.

Product Description

Original Dell Cartridge. Series 9, blackFor use with: Dell All-in-One Machines 926

Click Here to see more reviews about: Dell Series 7 Black Standard Yield Print Cartridge

[Via http://canonprinterinkcartridges.wordpress.com]

Top 10 Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades (AOL, T, DELL, KMB, MRVL, MIL, OSIP, RVBD, SNDK, GAME)

These are ten of the top analyst upgrades, downgrades, and initiations we have seen from Wall Street research calls this Tuesday morning:

AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) Started as Hold at Jefferies.

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) Cut to Neutral at HSBC.

Dell Inc.(NASDAQ: DELL) Raised to Buy at UBS.

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) Cut to Sell at Goldman Sachs.

Marvell Technology Group Ltd. (NASDAQ: MRVL) Raised to Buy at Lazard.

Millipore Inc. (NYSE: MIL) Cutto Neutral at UBS.

OSI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSIP) Cut to Hold at Canaccord.

Riverbed Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: RVBD) Cut to Neutral at BofA/Merrill Lynch.

SanDisk Corp. (NASDAQ: SNDK) Raised to Neutral at UBS.

Shanda Games (NASDAQ: GAME) Cut to Hold at Citigroup

You can join our free daily email distribution list to hear more about dividend trends, analyst upgrades and downgrades, top day trader and active trader alerts, news on Buffett and other investment gurus, IPOs, secondary offerings, private equity, and more.

JON C. OGG

[Via http://247wallst.com]

Dell Inspiron 1545 - A Consumer Review

The market for affordable laptops has grown in the last few years, and consumers today have a wide selection to choose from. But with so many models to choose from, sometimes it’s not so easy to know which laptop to buy. It is true that some consumers will narrow their choices based on the brand, and Dell is one of the top brand names to consider. But is the Dell Inspiron 1545 a computer you should get? This Dell Inspiron 1545 review will examine the benefits and features of this popular computer.

This laptop is a full size laptop with a 15.6 inch screen. Yet, it is a pretty compact laptop as well, which is not too weighty and can be taken just about anywhere. One of the cool features of this laptop is that is has a 1.3 megapixel webcam and even includes facial recognition software. In addition, the computer comes with Windows 7 preinstalled, and has a very clear LCD display which is well suited for multimedia entertainment.

The true merit of this laptop rests in the fact that it offers very good specs for its relatively low price. Memory is more than sufficient, with 4 GB of RAM enabling you to run just about any application. The CPU is the ever popular pentium dual core with 2.1 Ghz, and excellent processor capable of running the most advanced programs. Provided that you are not hoping to run the most resource-intense applications or play major video games on the laptop, this computer should more than suit your daily needs.

Other features making the Dell Inspiron 1545 a nice laptop include a 250 GB hard drive, plenty of USB drives (3 in fact), an 8x DVD drive, and an Intel graphics accelerator.

Budget minded consumers will have a hard time finding a nicer computer than this highly popular Dell model with rich features and nice specs. It seems users would agree, as the reviews for this computer have been very good. If you are interested in this model, the best prices can generally be found by buying online. For more information and recommended vendors for this model, visit the Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop review page at Laptop Examiner.

If you are still reviewing and researching which laptop to buy, another model we recommend is the HP G60 Laptop.

[Via http://dellinspiron1545reviewg.wordpress.com]

Dell Tablet Mini 5 For Augmented Reality

While the Apple iPad Tablet announcement last month was disappointing for augmented reality developers and enthusiasts, the details about the upcoming Dell Tablet will make you salivate.

The Mini 5 will have a five inch touchscreen with both front and user facing cameras allowing full augmented reality capabilities.  WiFi and 3G connectivity allow enough bandwidth and the 1.0 GHz Snapdragon Qualcomm processor will give the Mini 5 the juice it needs to power resource-expensive AR apps.  It’ll run the latest version of the Android OS which gives it AR credentials right away since there are many apps already made for that system.

The price plan will affect the market that it’s trying to fill, though Dell says they will price it “competitively”.  But I don’t think I could have asked for better features from a tablet for augmented reality.  The weight of the device might impact AR since holding it up will be harder than a smartphone and since it’s a touchscreen, will you want to hold it with one hand and navigate with the other?  I hope some AR developers can incorporate voice commands into their games and products.

And while the screen might be too small in this version, they have eluded to a suite of tablet products so maybe a larger iPad sized version might come out in the future.  Personally, I already have a free smartphone from work, so a tablet that does different things on a bigger screen would be appealing to me.

Will this be a killer device for AR?  Probably not.  But it’ll give developers a bigger landscape to play on and increase the number of AR devices on the market.  The front facing camera certainly makes is a no-brainer for video conferencing.  Just add some facial recognition and you can talk to your kids while out on the road with bunny ears attached to your head.

[Via Wired]

[Via http://gamesalfresco.com]

Whistle While you Work

My name is Mythily and I am a self confessed cribber. I love cribbing about work, unreasonable deadlines, annoying clients, having a boring routine, the heat, about Nemo being cranky in the mornings, about Memoll being too loving in the mornings, about my sister being away, about the geyser not working, about not having much to do in Bangalore, about how my parents aren’t around, how my friends stay in different places, that my new green dress is missing and I am sure the dhobhi stole it and so many other things. It feels good to crib and get sulky. There is some joy in making yourself miserable and feeling sorry for yourself. But then this morning I stumbled across the whistler.

I woke up early this morning and broke all norms of normalcy. Nemo and Memoll were shocked into silence that their mom woke up at 6 am. I could see the questions like “Are we dreaming?”, “Is she sick?”, and “Is the world coming to an end?” flit across their faces. So I tried telling them not to fear, it was only because I expected a client call that I was up so early. So I set up my laptop and waited for the call to come.

I walked over the balcony as I waited and looked down from my balcony. The sun light was flickering through the tree leaves and the morning buzz was different from the late morning buzz I normally hear. There was no blaring horns and vendors screaming out about their goods, and kids crying at being dragged to school and the neighbor telling her husband off for all the million mistakes he seems capable of making everyday. It wasn’t quiet, but at the same time it was too. And then I saw him; the whistler.

There is an unfortunate spot at the end of my street where the garbage is dumped and the lorry picks it up everyday. But it isn’t a well organized spot. It usually buzzed with flies and the stench of the garbage always wafted through the air. It looked grimy and smelt ripe of all the disgusting things people seem to be capable of producing to throw away. And on top of this pile of vile sat a little boy, about 8 or 9, whistling away as he picked out all the plastic; our very own desi recycler doing the work we could have made easier for him if we all took the effort to separate our garbage. No complaints about how people make work harder, or that they disregarded him, or that they found him as disgusting as the garbage, or that he had to smell of it everyday, or all the other worries I am sure he has in life. All he did was do his work, and do it with sheer joy and whistle while at it.

And I thought about my life; and everything fit and looked good. The heat I complained about was more warmth than heat, the clients and work was responsible for paying all my bills, Nemo and Memoll were free enough to show me emotions and let me show mine, my sister was getting a great education being away, the geyser not working made me appreciate the coolness of water on a hot day, Bangalore has given me friends and an easy life, I am closer to my friends coz now we make an effort to keep in touch since we are away from each other, that my parents are healthy and happy together, that if the green dress is missing I am lucky enough to afford another one , and that things were suddenly looking up for me and that I had a feeling that the road ahead was going to be a lot of fun. So here I am, whistling while I write. Pucker up people and whistle away too.

[Via http://mythsnair.wordpress.com]

Happy B-day 23.02'10

Birthdays in history.

1965 – Michael Dell, founder and chairman of Dell Computer Corporation

1994 - Dakota Fanning, actress

[Via http://paulparauan.wordpress.com]

Dell Mini 5

Engagdet has an interesting article on their first impressions of the Dell Mini 5 prototype.

Dell’s puzzled the world for quite some time with its outlandish Mini 5 — at first glance it’s just another Android-based MID, but a quick fiddle with it reveals the full-fledged 3G phone inside.

The MID (Mobile Internet Device) is a form factor that has been tried before, but the MID as a modern concept was announced by Intel in 2007. They are mid way between a smartphone and a fully functional laptop or Tablet PC.

They are designed to provide entertainment, information, location based services, communication and sharing. In this day of social networking, twitter, facebook; they are aimed at individual for personal use rather than corporate use.

This of course doesn’t stop learners using them for learning.

So what of the Dell Mini 5? According to Engadget, the Andorid powered device will include:

…a five-inch 800 x 480 capacitive touchscreen, Snapdragon QSD8250 chipset (with CPU clocked at 1GHz), Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS and WCDMA radio.

WCDMA means that it can use internet on the move (read 3G). At this time, no idea if the Dell Mini 5 will have phone capabilities.

It also comes with a camera:

The main camera offers five-megapixel pictures of reasonable quality, along with decent 640 x 480 video capture but with slight rolling shutter effect (aka “jelly motion”). The accompanying camera app has a wealth of settings for both modes: scene, white balance, brightness, contrast, and resolution. Extra settings for photo mode include flash, self-timer, multi-shot, shutter sound, GPS location and flicker adjustment, whereas video mode has options for video format (MPEG-4 and H.263).

The device has a on screen keyboard for text entry, though as it has Bluetooth, you probably can use a Bluetooth keyboard for dedicated text entry (as you can do with a Nokia N95).

This device allows for both content consumption and content creation. Two key features of any device that learners use for learning. With WiFi and 3G this means that the learner will have the connectivity to access learning resources on the move or in college (if you have a student wireless network). It will also allow for real-time communication via the VLE or a social networking service of some kind, eg Ning or Twitter.

So will learners actually buy a device like this?

Hmmm, well you can ask the same question of Apple’s iPad that has a lot less capability.

Learners (especially in FE Colleges) have not really bought into devices such as the iPhone; though I am surprised by how many have the N95 and N86. They prefer full size laptops over micro-laptops. Having shown and tried devices such as the Nokia N810 with learners, they thought it was “okay” but preferred other mobile devices and “proper” laptops for serious text entry.

The Dell Mini 5 sounds like an exciting innovative device, however I am not sure if these MID devices will be taken up and used by learners in large numbers.

Would you buy the Dell Mini 5?

[Via http://elearningstuff.wordpress.com]

Major carriers band together to from own Wholesale Applications Community

The world’s largest mobile phone carriers say they’re joining forces to make it easier for software developers to write apps that will run on as many phones as possible. The Wholesale Applications Community announced Monday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is an attempt to retake the initiative from phone makers like Apple and Nokia, which have applications stores of their own.

Together, they have signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of building an environment or ’wholesale applications community’ where innovative applications can be developed irrespective of device or technology. The members include América Móvil, AT&T, Bharti Airtel, China Mobile, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, KT, Mobilkom Austria Group, MTN Group, NTT DoCoMo, Orange, Orascom Telecom, Softbank Mobile, Telecom Italia, Telefónica, Telenor Group, Telia Sonera, SingTel, SK Telecom, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, VimpelCom, Vodafone and Wind, as well as Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson device manufacturers.

The new alliance, which represents more than three billion customers worldwide is inviting players from across the ICT industry, not only operators and developers, but also handset manufacturers and internet players to join forces to create an initiative based on openness and transparency. We believe this model presents the most compelling format on the market where developers will thrive and customers will reap the benefits of greater choice. Furthermore, the GSMA is supporting this initiative.

Guessing that the carriers didn’t like how Apple or Google are doing things their own way (and reaping all of the profits too).

[Via http://fonefrenzy.com]

An Explanation of Sorts

Why am I not posting to my blog?

I post here when I want to share what is happening in my virtual life. For the most part, I try to follow the rule of “if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing”. Sometimes I rant and rave. It is MY blog, after all. *wry grin* But these days my virtual life is giving me mostly tears. And I’m loathe to come here and cry repeatedly.

Why has my my life in SL turned to tears? Because I loved SL so much, I bought myself what I was assured was a kick-donkey top of the line gaming computer – an Alienware M17x. I had to buy a new computer because the nVidia GeForce 8800M video cards in my Dell XPS M1730 burned out in November and Dell and nVidia could not tell me when the cards could be replaced. Up til the,n well, I’d found Dell first line support a bit annoying, but no more so than much of life. Dealing with ordering the Alienware became an ordeal, thanks to Dell, who now own Alienware. I was going to blog about that, but quite honestly – it infuriated me every time I thought about it and I didn’t thing that frustration and agony needed to be aired.

At long last my gorgeous fantastic super-duper Alienware M17x arrived (late, thank you Dell Order Modification Dept). Sensational. Until I ran SL. 30 minutes into it, then Blue Screen of Death. The whole first weekend – BSOD on SL, Portal Factory, SOLITAIRE!!!!! I mean – obviously a Dell issue. Then mysteriously it stopped BSOD’ing. Only SL died. Repeatedly. With the BSOD. Just “normal” SL crash-end. I called SL support to see if they could help. With great joy in his typing, Fog informed me that I was running unsupported software and graphics. Not HIS problem. Oh? Then why are so many folk running the same and SL works for them?

Anyway, there really is a post here someday about Dell and Linden Labs and customer support if I can stop crying. I took a day and drove my computer to an SL friend who has years experience in getting machines to run SL. We thought it was solved. It seemed to run without crashing. No BSOD. Until I brought it home. Turned it on, raced into SL. Hung out there for an hour. Went to feed the cats, the dog. Came back to BSOD. Rebooted – let it sit running Firefox and Norton for an hour. No problem. Raised the machine on blocks (better ventilation). Went into SL with my alt. Didn’t move, just sat there. 2 hours – SL crash.

The truth is, I’m no techie. By my mother I’m a techie, but by a techie I’m no techie. I do NOT know what to do, where to turn, except to continually throw myself and my useless extremely expensive computer onto the mercy of friends. And there is only so long you can impose on friends. Dell isn’t going to care that one application doesn’t run – they will blame the application. And trying to fight your way past firstline support sucks you dry of all energy, patience and coherent thought. And LL has already gleefully told me THEY don’t care.

So I sit and look at this $$$$$ computer that won’t do the one thing for which I bought it, and I cry. Maybe that makes me a drama queen or totally emotional. So be it. But because I cry every time I look at it, and I cry each time I boot up SL on my other computer (which needs to run other software, do other things), I’m not having fun. I have nothing positive to share. I cry, my heart sinks, and all I want to do is simply walk away from SL for good and go back to reading. THAT is technology that actually works right out of the box.

[Via http://ahuva18.wordpress.com]

Impending Silence

So… this quarter’s been kinda rough. Personal things, plus almost everyone being away at France… then my phone display crapped out and I was basically without it for a week.

Now this. My laptop’s hinge got knocked out of alignment in a very short tumble off my bed (I think). At first it wasn’t a big deal…and then all of a sudden last week it worsened considerably. I couldn’t open or close it without the casing over the hinge making a terrible cracking noise, and I could see where it was starting to split, too.

Lesson One: Don’t go to Geek Squad.

Yeah fyi? If you’ve got a computer issue, either go to the manufacturer or somewhere you’ve heard good things and trust. I tried Geek Squad because they were in the city and therefore, I thought, more convenient than shipping my laptop off to Dell.

Not. So. Much.

Ordered my box from Dell on Friday and it got in to the campus package center this morning. But last night just as I was going to bed, my laptop proved that it is, I’m pretty sure, suicidal. It took a sudden slide off my bed, through no effort of my own and completely without warning.

In a way, it was like ripping off a bandaid– no worrying about trying to get it closed to put it in the box, cuz now it was DEFINITELY closed. But I still needed to back up my files, blah blah… so I nervously opened it.

This is what it’s supposed to look like:

Sortof. It’s a little out of alignment, because of what’s on the other side…

This is what it actually looks like:

Oops.

Oh yeah, and this piece snapped off too in impact:

There used to be two of those hooks. I found the other one in the carpet, so I’ll be putting it in a ziploc with the first piece, in case they need it.

Right now I’m just hoping Dell doesn’t charge me extra. If they do, I’d deserve it; according to the website the flat rate is 159 (which I already paid) and the only things for which there are additional charges are motherboards and LCDs. The silly thing about this whole situation is that the computer works just fine. There’s nothing wrong with the inside, or with the screen– it’s all superficial damage.

Tonight I’ll be doing a massive backup of everything I have, and tomorrow I’ll be picking up my box and, most likely, shipping it off again. Sooner it goes, sooner it comes back…?

Either way,  I will be online less frequently in the next couple weeks. Dell says ten days to get it back, but I don’t know when the ten days starts.

[Via http://museinginspiration.wordpress.com]

New fragility vs used solidity: Part 2 - Dell Latitude E4300

This is the second part of this two piece article, looking at two laptops which make a lot of sense as used buys.  In this final part we’ll look at Dell’s sleek Latitude E4300.

What’s awesome: Super-fast Intel 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo; magnesium alloy chassis feels very solid; exceptional keyboard action and optional backlit keyboard; optional Latitude ON instant boot.

What blows: Screen is bright but washes out quickly at vertical angles; refurbs with an integrated webcam are rare; six-cell battery provides four hours of varied use but sticks out.

Current retail price: Starting at approx $1,650 on Dell’s website and easily equipped at over $2,000, depending upon configuration.

eBay good or refurb condition: Approx $600-700

The second laptop I ever purchased was a used Dell Latitude. That was back in 1997 and it lasted for years; it would probably even turn on now if I knew where it was. Latitudes are typically manufactured to higher tolerances than Dell’s Inspiron and Vostro ranges and like their name, Latitudes are meant to withstand traversing the latitudes and longitudes of the globe.

What’s it got?

The E4300 keeps this tradition alive with a beautifully solid magnesium alloy chassis housing a superb keyboard and trackpad as well as a pointing stick.  The E4300 comes with a couple of processor options. I’m looking at a unit here with Intel’s SP9400, which is a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo with a whopping 6MB of L2 cache.  The E4300 is also available with a 2.26GHz processor if you need less power.  Other specs on my unit include a 13 inch screen, 7200RPM hard drive with 160GB capacity, 3GB RAM and Intel’s current generation GMA4500MHD graphics chipset with hardware Mpeg-2 decoding.  There’s also a DVD rewriter which slots into the side, Firewire, an SD card slot, USB 2.0 ports and crucially for multi-environment users, an anti-glare matte screen.  Unbelievably the E4300 weighs only 3.8lbs including the six-cell battery in a pretty thin chassis.  So now high retail price starts to make sense.

In use

Without a doubt the E4300 has the best keyboard I’ve used on any laptop, with key presses that have perfect feedback in my opinion.  It’s even better than my ThinkPad T61.  The pointing stick can execute a single click, the trackpad supports scroll and zoom, and there is a third mouse button. These are all nice touches in a world of disappearing buttons.  Some E4300s have a backlit keyboard which is perfect for using in a dark room or on a night flight.  There’s also an ambient light sensor which dims the screen, saving you from tired eyes and prolonging battery life.

The 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, makes the E4300 extremely snappy in Windows 7 64-bit.  From menial tasks to audio editing the E4300 feels like a full power desktop replacement in an ultralight package.  I produced podcasts on it and yet it is light enough to hold in one hand as a netbook replacement.  High definition video played without a hitch, remember this has Intel’s onboard graphics chipset with the hardware HD decoder so the processor is able to laze around which watching most videos.  But even when watching high definition Flash content on YouTube there was no stuttering.

Dell has added some thoughtful power saving features to the E4300.  It can be set to switch off a variety of peripherals when running on battery, such as the DVD drive and network ports.  With the six-cell battery fitted this beast was good for around four to five hours of use with WiFi, when web surfing and performing general tasks.  There’s also a five point gauge on the exterior of the battery so you can see roughly how much charge is remaining,  Bear in mind that used laptops tend to have used batteries, so ensure you have enough spare cash for a new battery just in case the current one is in bad shape.

Choices choices

As an option, the E4300 can be configured from new to be Latitude ON ready. Latitude ON is a fast loading linux based operating environment. There are two levels of functionality; ON Reader gives basic access to email on the laptop but no internet access.  The full ON implementation is a system-on-a-chip offering internet access and days of battery life according to Dell. Some units are simply ON ready, which means they neither have ON Reader nor ON, but can be upgraded later. I haven’t tried an E4300 with the full ON implementation, and the feature only recently debuted on the Latitude Z.

On the downside the integrated webcam and backlit keyboard are options rather than standard fittings, so be careful if you’re buying a used machine. The screen, while very bright, fades out quickly at vertical angles.  Also, the six-cell battery protrudes from the rear of the laptop, similar to designs from other manufacturers, which spoils an otherwise sleek look.

Is it a worthwhile contender for your cash?

On balance the E4300 is an unbelievable deal at current eBay prices. It feels solid and yet it’s extremely light and has a faster processor than the base model. It also crushes the Acer Timeline series in performance and build quality.  Of course there’s more risk with buying a used laptop than a new one, so do your research and test before you buy if you can.  If you can live with that risk and if you get lucky , the E4300 is an amazing bargain.  I put my money where my mouth is on this one and so far it’s the best laptop I’ve ever owned.

Neil Berman

www.theonbutton.com

[Via http://theonbutton.com]

Dell Mini 5 Android Tablet

Engadget have posted image and video of the new Dell Mini 5 Android Tablet.

Originally via TechCrunch, the guys managed to capture a couple of moments, with the man behind it all, Mr Michael Dell.

He quickly shows off this sweet little tablet.  Referred to as the Mini 5, the new device is set to be available very soon.

Not much was said about the device, other than that it runs the Google Android operating system, has 3G wireless connectivity.

We are going to guess that it is a 5” display?!

Will they sell it direct? Will it come to Europe?  What other features? These questions are still to be answered.

VIA: Engadget

[Via http://blog.clove.co.uk]

Dell Latitude D420 Unboxing

Ok i know that unboxings are supposed for be for NEW hardware, but I’m poor and this thing is awesome so I did one.

I bought a refurbished Dell Latitude D420 for less than $300USD (it was actually $298.88 after Shipping)

So here is what I got for my ~$300:

Core Duo 1.2Ghz

1.5GB of ram,

60GB Harddrive

12.1″ widescreen

Internal 802.11 a/b/g/n

and the much hated Intel GMA 945 Graphics Chip (3d drivers are FUBAR)

So this is by far the best hardware I’ve ever owned and I was super excited about it so with any further adu… The unboxing

The package arrived yesterday but I was in Indy helping get Grandma’s house ready for her to come back from rehab (she’s doing better than anyone ever expeced). So here is the box

I love how the internet is proping up the custom box industry

The required suck up letter crammed in the plastic that the laptop is wrapped in (hey did you know I’m the greatest person in the world? neither did I until I read that peice of paper)

and here she is, wow what a beaut

this is the porny shot… Ooo look at those keys

Time to get a real OS on here… why do they insist on messing up perfectly good hardware by putting Windows on there

Installing from a live thumbdrive because there isnt an optical drive… which is a feature believe me

lets do the Fedora shuffle

Constantine I hope this install isn’t hellatious (I’m so funny it hurts… those I love)

Getting the party started

Powered by Fedora… sucka

fin

[Via http://numberedhumanindustries.wordpress.com]

upgrade ram 2GB di precious netbook :)

duh maap kawan2, lagi ga mood celoteh banyak2 ni, langsung intinya aja ya,

dell emang ketayyyii beud dahh, mo upgrade RAM aja harus buka motherboard bagian bawah…. berikut screenshitnya :

dann ini memory RAM bawaan dari manufactory-nya

ok kawan2 cukup segitu aja postingan kali, ini, please have a great good night

[Via http://fekkyreviant.wordpress.com]

Quick Alert: Cisco Ups the Ante, Buys Rohati

Cisco starts 2010 with a bang as they have acquired Rohati Systems for an undisclosed transaction.  Rohati will be a welcomed addition to the Nexus product line and adds considerable thought leadership to Cisco’s cloud computing initiative.  In fact, once Rohati’s TNS technology is incorporated into a Nexus blade, it has the potential to not only jump-start Nexus sales within the datacenter but also to impact Cisco’s UCS strategy. 

Interestingly enough, I have not seen a lot of hoopla regarding this acquisition; in fact most of the articles on the Internet simply mention that Rohati was acquired by Cisco.  However, when I learned of this acquisition, I could not help but to smile and applaud the M&A teams at Cisco.  Why?

Security remains one of the biggest challenges to cloud computing; public and private clouds.  The worries include; internal threats, external threats, data transmissions, user privileges, compliance, and more.  While firewalls and IDS/IDP systems are essential to securing the cloud, they don’t go far enough.  That’s where Rohati’s innovation of the Layer-7 Access Control List attempts to fill the void.

A layer-7 ACL?  The principal is quite ingenious as a Layer-7 ACL authorizes the entire transaction.  Taken from Rohati’s literature:

TNS Layer-7 ACLs are based on the XML Access Control Markup Language (XACML) that allows them to be written in plain English with the added benefit of being readable.  TNS is policy based, does not require agents, does not require reconfiguring applications (virtual or bare metal), does not require client changes, supports HA, and has centralized management capabilities including logging.

While I am unaware of Rohati’s success or failure as a stand-alone-company, Cisco has the market power to make their vision a reality.  Remember, cloud computing requires combining networking, servers, applications, storage, security, and management.  With this acquisition, Cisco is moving in the right direction and is signaling to their customers and competitors that they are serious about securing the cloud…your move HP.

[Via http://platen.wordpress.com]