Dell streak

I've been playing with my Dell Streak tablet for the past 24 hours or so. To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. It must be understood that my standard of comparison is my 2nd gen Ipad2. 
Based on that, the Streak lost out of the gate. The display does not begin to compare to the Ipad. Holding the device at any angle other  than straight on in front of your eyes results in a skewed image.
The rest of the hardware in the streak is quite good. It's a shame that Dell opted to cut corners on the display. I'm hoping any future devices they create will address this issue.
Comparing any current tablet to the Ipad is tough. Apple has kept device quality their #1 priority. The extra $200 or so cost of the Ipad is a good investment to have the king of the hill.


Dell Streak

A new laptop is nice.

     My world isn't perfect but it's real close. I work part time for a software development company based out of Seattle. This past month was the slowest in the 18 months I have worked there. 
In a Skype conversation with my boss a few weeks ago I mentioned I wanted to get a somewhat powerful laptop computer that would work well for work when I am away from home. Two weeks ago Fedex delivered an Acer 5741 Laptop computer to my door. My boss had shipped it saying since my month was slow this laptop would boost it up a bit. I was overjoyed. Further conversation revealed he found it in a local computer store and bought 3 of them at a good price.
     I've been totally impressed with the performance of this computer. It has an Intel I5 2.26 Ghz cpu (that will turbo boost to 2.53 Ghz when load dictates it.), 4 GB DDR3 ram and a 320 GB hard drive. Out of the box performance was excellent. However, I insist on having a solid state drive in all of my Notebook computers for the additional performance and battery efficiency they provide. So I replaced the hard drive with an OCZ Agility II 60 GB solid state drive. This change resulted in a huge improvement in performance. I love booting it up and having Windows 7 ready to go to work in 25 seconds.
     Some might argue that restricting myself to 60GB of storage isn't prudent. I don't find it limiting at all. With all the software I need installed I still have 33 GB of storage available. Working for a company immersed in cloud computing I have the ability to store files on the company server, my own home server, a 50 gb Drop Box account as well as a number of USB storage drives.
     This is one computer that I have integrated well into my computer arsenal.

Google Stops shipping CR48 Notebooks.

As reported on Mashable,  Google has ceased shipping CR48 notebooks. Originally it was announced that 60,000 would be shipped. We can assume there are in fact 60,000 of them in use.
At this point anyone wanting a Chrome operating system notebook will have to wait for Acer and Samsung to offer their models sometime in the summer.
I'm hoping that those that received one of the Google notebooks will continue using them and provide feedback to Google to help improve the operating system.

Time for another Desktop Computer

I've managed to sell the majority of my desktop computers. The building of a new one is in process. I've always been a bigger fan of Intel processors rather than AMD. However my local Microcenter has a program where you buy an AMD processor and get a Motherboard for free. So I picked up an AMD Phenom II X4 3.2 Ghz processor and motherboard. The build is in process. Once completed I'll post details here.

Google Chrome Notebook - First Impression

A little over a year ago I tried the first version of the Chrome operating system for the first time on a 10" Asus Netbook and was impressed. When Google announced that they had Chrome on a prototype notebook I was all ears to learn more about it. I signed up to receive one by filling out the application. I received an email from the Chrome team that my application would be considered. Yesterday Fedex dropped off a box containing the CR48 Chrome operating system notebook.
I've opened many new notebook boxes. This one was a radical difference. In the box there was a card explaining how to install the battery. There was also another sheet explaining the differences from a normal notebook keyboard. Also in the box was a business card that said "If you cracked this open you'd find Intel".
The first thing I noticed about the CR48 is it's finish. It has a flat black almost rubbery feeling finish. I like the look and feel of it. Perhaps the era of piano black fingerprint magnet finishes is coming to a close. There are no markings anywhere in the notebook. Google has made it clear that it's not a production notebook. It's a prototype to test the standard for manufacturers to design to. Samsung and Acer have already announced that they will have models out in the spring of 2011. I'm sure other manufacturers are working on their own models.

I could not find a way into the bios to see the specifications of the notebook. Fortunately several Tech news sites have already taken one apart.
Specifications
Intel Atom N455 1.66 ghz cpu
2 GB DDR3 1066 ram
16 GB solid state drive
12" LCD Display


I find it a very comfortable notebook to use. The keyboard and touch pad are very similar to Apple's  Macbook Pro.
I'll do a follow up on my impressions after a few days use. My first impression is Google has a winner here.

The Cloud

In recent weeks I havn't blogged about hardware. I've been extremely active working with cloud based services. The biggest advantage of doing all you can in the cloud is it requires less powerful hardware for the user. Essentially if you have a slower computer you can do many functions in the cloud rather than with software you have to install on your computer. Over the next few weeks I will be blogging about many applications you can run in the cloud to enhance your online experience.

A Keyboard is a Keyboard until....

A keyboard is a keyboard until you need one that will work on a home theater PC across the room.

I needed a wireless keyboard that would work well across the room from my home theater PC. After looking at hundreds of keyboards I opted for and ordered the Iogear gkm561r. 

The main feature I like about it is the laser trackball. Sitting on your lap, the trackball is in the upper right corner making it easy to manipulate with your right thumb. The upper left corner has the 2 mouse buttons and track wheel which are easily controlled by your left thumb.

The specifications say it will work up to 20 foot from the computer. I've managed to get a bit more distance than that. So it serves my needs well. 

I've always been cheap about buying keyboards and rarely spend more than $20-25 for one. This Iogear keyboard ran $49.99. After using it a few weeks, I can say it was well worth the money.

Phone Service Does Not Need To Be Expensive

What do you pay monthly for your mobile phone service $40, $60, $100? Do you still have a land line phone? What does it cost per month $30, $40 or more?
I have both with unlimited long distance and all the usual services at a cost of $85.87 a year. Yes that's right $85.87 a year.
I'm a technology geek. I want all of the latest gadgets and their associated services. But I try to do it as cheap as I can. Allow me to explain how I do it.
Land Line Phone Service
I'm sure you have seen all the Infomercials and Ad's for Magic Jack. I've used a Magic Jack for over a year and it's performed as advertised. Initial cost was $39.99 (includes the first years service). Renewal of service is $19.99 a year. The computer you plug the Magic Jack in to has to be turned on for it to work. If you turn the computer off your Magic Jack calls will go to it's voice mail. I run an energy efficient computer 24/7 to have the Phone available 24/7. This computer only uses 17 watts of power. So the impact on my electric bill is minimal. The computer doesn't require a monitor to be turned on for Magic Jack to work. So I have it connected to a monitor on another computer via a monitor switch box.
Mobile Phone Service
For my mobile phone service I use Skype. My Skype service cost is $30 a year for an incoming number and $2.99 a month for unlimited calling. Total cost of $65.88 a year. I can access my Skype line from any of my computers, my Ipad or my Ipod Touch. . I keep my Ipod Touch on 24/7 with Skype running in background. So it functions the same as a smart phone.
The one flaw with this system is that it requires a wifi internet connection to work. Most places I am I have access to Wifi. When I don't have a wifi connection, I use my Virgin Mobile Mifi. The credit card size Mifi connects to Sprint via a 3g connection and functions as a Wifi hot spot that allows up to 5 devices to connect to it via wifi.
My employer pays for my Mifi service. The Mifi service would cost me $20-40 a month if I had to pay it.
If I paid $20 a month for the mifi, my total phone cost would still be about $27.00 a month. This would also include internet access from anywhere.
Hopefully this will make you take a deep look at your phone service and find ways to reduce costs.
Feel free to send questions and comments to miiikeeeworld@gmail.com.