I got my new hard drive in and so I started installing Microsoft Vista right away. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go but I’m familiar with the setup and process. I started with the CDs copying the information and went from there. There were three things I was worried about which were the wireless adapter, screen adapter, and sound adapter. As I started the install I went through all the prompts fairly quickly.
As I got to the log-on screen I waited for the graphics to adjust a bit before working completely, but to my delight everything worked like a hitch. No problems with the wireless, sound, hard drive, screen, and other hardware components. Everything was working fine, I just need to do some tweaking for the screen since it needs all the correct drivers which are available from Alienware.
Comp U Me is one the computer stores inside Mall of the Emirates, I was drawn to it as I was walking by. When I walked in I was scanning the horizon because there were so many products available.
They had every manufacturer such as HP, Dell, Acer, Logitech, Belkin, SMC, Linksys, Netgear, Buffalo, Sony, Western Digital, Maxtor, Onkyo, LG, Denon, Wharfedale, and a whole lot more.
I could tell that prices were sometimes significantly more then online prices, and sometimes they were relatively close, but the one thing that I like was the variety. Even if there was a difference in price I would have bought a few of the products if I had a bag to carry them such as the Logitech diNovo Edge and Alto. When a consumer has a large selection of products, and presented in a accessible manner then the consumer would want to get a few essential items and pick up other items on the way out. Variety and presentation is key, it isn’t always about the bargain. They even had an alienware computer which was surprising.
This is a cool tweak for Vista where you can add “My Computer” to the task bar, makes access to your folders, media, documents, and programs real quick through the task bar. Since I have made this tweak it has made my access to my files that much quicker, and its a simple tweak.
Link: Lifehacker
This is a useful tweak but requires you to get down and dirty in the registry. If your screen setting is set to a high resolution then the screens on Alt+TAB looks a bit small and this tweak increases the size of the windows in the Alt +TAB screen which is really useful is if you use that tool a lot.
Link: Lifehacker
With more tweaks I am finding more useful tools for Windows Vista, customizing it to my usage.
When I walked into my room after work I found these two boxes and I knew right away what they were.
items:
- Seagate Momentus 7200.3 100 GB HD (0.lbs)
- Ergotron Dual Desk Mount (24 lbs)
I was tired after work, but I got that burst of energy to rip apart the boxes and get working on the things inside of them. The first thing I did was physically connect my HD to my laptop and then I opened up the Ergotron package searching for the manual. The whole packaging feels really heavy duty which is great, and from there I just kept on working.
After looking around for a bit and seeing what other boutique computer stores use as parts I have rethought the case that I want to use. I usually look for a simple and solid case which will do the job. I usually don’t want too many random features which won’t be of use to me, I want functional features and at this point these are the three cases that I am looking at and I am having a hard time choosing. They are ranked by choice, but they are all excellent cases.
What I’m looking for:
- Very Solid Build
- Great Airflow to keep things cool
- Space to work in, for expandability and organization. Lots of 5.25 and 3.25 slots.
Currently these are the ones that fit the criteria:
Zalman
Cooler Master
Thermaltake
Never has a perfect notebook stand been made until the introduction of the Floater. It is machined from solid aluminum to make for the simple and well designed Mac Book Pro stand, it balances the laptop to give it the most stable position as well as the best access to all the necessary ports. For $305 it is a bit expensive but this product was made with quality and functionality in mind.
Link: UnCrate
This is one hard drive I wasn’t expecting to fail as it did. This is my Alienware m3450 which is less then a year old, I don’t use it 1/4 as much as I use my Dell Latitude for work. The one part I was happy about was Alienware’s support, I registered online about the problem and they sent me the RMA details as well as details of what they are going to do. They will replace it completely if it has completely failed, which it has because I could hear the HD head has crashed, you can hear the clicking so that means it has been a physical failure.
I asked them not to install anything since I want to install Vista Ultimate on the laptop and work on it from there. I wish shipping was as fast and as easy as it is in the states, but that just isn’t the case. I’m also happy I backed-up a lot of things on laptop from a couple of weeks ago, so I only lost a few downloads which isn’t too bad. I was just really surprised that it failed since its so new.
HD:
- Seagate Momentus 5400.3 160 GB
Essentially Surface is a high powered computer built into a beautiful looking table with a 30-inch touch sensitive screen that can recognize objects placed on it. Using dynamic touch, infrared cameras, and physical objects, users can order food, browse photos, load their Zune with music, play games and a lot more. While it would be great to have one of these as the new coffee table in the house, Microsoft is targeting retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues with a price range of $5,000 to $10,000.
This technology has been around for a little while now being developed for custom applications for military, government, and corporate customers. Currently Microsoft has taken this technology and applied it to this new idea of a product. They are aiming for certain business consumers rather then regular consumers, but they will have regular consumers who will want to get their hands on this, it just really reminds me of the Minority Report. Check out the video link below it has some pretty funky features.
Link: Brightcove
It seems that Dell has built a very impressive ultraportable laptop with features to boot, I wasn’t expecting this performance from Dell in this size
Features:
- 13.3-inch screen, configurable with LED backlight! (300cd/m2, or 220 with CCFL backlight)
- Core 2 Duo processor (up to 2.4GHz), Santa Rosa chipset (965PM/GM)
- Up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM
- 32GB SSD drive or spinning-platter drive options up to 250GB
- Slot-loading dual-layer DVD±RW drive!
- Optional NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS / 128MB
- WWAN option for Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T
- Ethernet, 802.11a, a/g, or n options, Bluetooth option
- Integrated 2 megapixel webcam (VGA only on LED-backlit display)
- HDMI, VGA, 1394, (2) USB 2.0, integrated media reader (MS, SD, xD), dual mini-PCI slots, fingerprint reader
- Dimensions with LED 12.5 x 9.4 x 0.87 – 1.33-inches (318 x 238 x 22.1 – 33.8mm) / with CCFL 12.5 x 9.4 x 0.97 – 1.43-inches (318 x 238 x 24.6 – 36.3mm)
- Weight starts at 4 pounds
I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on this, this machine is really worth the wait, it has SSD hard drive, with a good graphics card, LED Backlight screen, and all the bells and whisltes that you expect from a large heavy laptop.
Link: Engadget
This is an interesting product from Miraki is a cost-effective way to implement community Wifi, and it is a very good repeater with the ability to broadcast up to 700 feet away. The solar panel is an ingenius idea and works really good in our enviroment, but the solar panel is not priced yet and the outdoor wireless repeater goes for only $99.
Link: Engadget