Be Your Own IT Blog » Electronics

Google Chromebooks… Will They Be a Hit?

Ty — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:47:48 +0000

If you haven’t heard yet, Google is coming out with their own form of netbooks in June, called Chromebooks…

Based of their minimalistic web browser, Chrome, it will strictly be a web netbook.

No need for a BIOS, Hardware detection, Login, Splash screens, Anti-virus, anything that slows boot up and load times.

They say the Chromebooks boot up in 8 seconds and resume instantly.

They will start off with 2 Chromebooks: An Acer model and Samsung model. Both available in 3G (first 100MB free courtesy of Verizon) or Wi-Fi.

Compared today’s netbooks, the computing power is less, but that’s expected. The solid state hard drive is 16GB. No, that’s not a lot, but remember, you’re not saving documents to the hard drive. You don’t have a Microsoft Office Suite. You would be using Google Docs and perhaps their Music Beta.

If you’re not already using Google Docs instead of MS Excel and Word, then it might be an extreme adjustment for you.

However, many companies have completely dropped Microsoft for Google’s Office Suite and Email since it is free.

Anyway, I am interested to see how well people adopt this different kind of netbook.

The iPad took off like crazy, despite the fact that it can’t save documents or even play Flash. Of course Apple has always done a good job of depriving users of certain features, yet still having raving fans that upgrade to new models at a 60-70% rate.

Will Google be so lucky?

Check the Chromebooks out here:
http://www.google.com/chromebook/

They’ll be available on June 15 at Amazon and Best Buy.

Google Chromebooks… Will They Be a Hit? is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

Why does heat kill electronics?

Will — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:04:41 +0000

Higher temperatures exacerbate a problem known as Electromigration. In the simplest of terms, electromigration is a result of the movement of electrons over a rough surface. IC’s or integrated circuits have small imperfections in the metal connections into the semiconductors. These imperfections are similar to a pothole or a crack in a roadway. The harder the car rides over the pothole, the more likely the car is to break a chunk of the road off and enlarge the pothole. The worse this hole becomes, the more cars hit it harder even if their speed is lowered.

The worsening of the imperfection accelerates the destruction of the metal connector. In a perfect conductor the road surface is perfect, with no bumps or imperfections. In cheap electronics the road surface is already marked with many holes. This is also why high quality electronics have a better chance of surviving massive power surges. The higher quality the path the more likely it is to survive the equivalent of a tank battalion driving over it. It might be damaged by the process, but it is much more likely to survive the encounter and still function for a while longer.

What heat does to this problem, is it makes the road brittle by stretching it out a bit. The pieces of road are much more likely to break off when hit because they aren’t being hung onto as well as they used to be. In silicon the thermal barrier is a specific temperature. Up until a certain point the acceleration is very low. Once that point is reached the problem expands rapidly.

For bulk silicon this thermal limit is about 80 Degrees Celsius, in Strained Silicon or SOI this is closer to 90 or 95 Degrees. Proper cooling can help keep your electronics running better, for longer. This is because the migration won’t occur all at one time and can be extremely difficult to diagnose as it progresses. The main sign is an intermittent error or failure that can be temporarily remedied by lowering the temperature or the voltage to the part.

In my case I had an old Core 2 Duo e6300. This was an old 1.86ghz dual core processor, when I needed more power I ramped it up to almost 3.3ghz which is a huge overclock even with the additional cooling I was using. It lasted for about a year at this level before it killed the motherboard I was using, which was an Asus p5k-se. The motherboard failure put more stress on the chip, which would now only clock up to about 2.7 ghz. Any higher and the system would blue screen inside Windows. Eventually it wound down to about 2.2 ghz max clock and I replaced and retired it. This chip was headed to its eventual end, cpu’s are designed with about a 10 year operational limit in mind. By increasing the load on the chip and increasing the heat it was generating I accelerated its eventual death. It still lasted a good 4 years, but this was a first hand example for me the destructive side effects of electromigration.

Why does heat kill electronics? is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

How to Sell Your Used iPhone or iPod

Ty — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:58:31 +0000

So, just today I sent in my old iPhone 3G to a place that buys used iPhones, iPods, laptops, etc. I got $95 for it, which isn’t bad, considering I got a lot of use out of it, and it’s just been sitting collecting dust.

New websites that will buy your used electronics are popping up on the web every day. The majority of companies are buying iPhones in order to fix them up a bit (if needed), refurbish them, perhaps unlock them, and then turn around and sell them.

You could certainly try and sell your phone on eBay, but you should first check completed auctions to see how much you’d probably get. And keep in mind, if you’re phone is broken, most people won’t want it on eBay. These other websites will buy your broken iPhone because certain parts inside are salvageable and would aid in refurbishing a close-to-perfect phone.

So, if you’ve been wondering what to do with that old iPhone, below are some places to check out. Keep in mind, I’ve only dealt with cashforiphones.com.

iPhone Recycling:

CashforiPhones.com – a simple, easy transaction, and offered more $ than most websites

BuyBackMac.com – I noticed that would have given me another $10 for my phone

There were a few others that I saw online but they only offered $60 to $80.

How to Sell Your Used iPhone or iPod is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

Apple Re-invents iPods

Jeremy-Be Your Own IT — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:36:23 +0000

This past week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced three new iPods during Apple’s annual music focused event in San Francisco.

Apple went with a completely different look with the iPod Nano which boasts beautiful touch screen, but gave up the ability to play videos, and the Shuffle has gone back to a more classic design with buttons to more easily control the songs you want to play. But probably the coolest feature of the new line of the iPods is on the new iPod Touch which is now thinner than ever and has a webcam identical to that of the iPhone 4 and allows users to Video Chat using FaceTime. The only requirement to use FaceTime is that you must be connected to a WiFi network. I currently have the iPhone 4 and have used FaceTime only a couple times due to the fact that not many of my friends have the iPhone 4 yet. Hopefully with this new feature, FaceTime will become more of a relevant application and will be used much more often.

But not only did Apple release a new line of iPods, they also introduced iTunes 10 with Ping, a social music service that lets you see what your friends are listening to and you can make recommendations and comment on the music. In its early stages, it seems as though Apple has some bugs to work out before Ping will really catch on.

Apple Re-invents iPods is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

iPhone + Netflix = Awesome

Ty — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:16:45 +0000

How practical is streaming Netflix movies and TV shows to your iPhone? Who cares. I just downloaded the Netflix app on my iPhone 4, and Arrested Development is playing on 3G pretty well. On Wi-Fi I had no issues. On 3G, it only stopped to buffer a few times during the show, which is pretty good. It’s very usable in 3G which makes the app worth it.

I used to be a Blockbuster guy until I switched to Netflix a few months ago. Before Blockbuster shutdown a ridiculous amount of stores, I was having the time of my life. I could rent 2 movies from Blockbuster online, they’d get to me in a few days, I’d watch them, return them to a local Blockbuster, they would ship them back and let me rent 2 free movies in the store for free while I was waiting for the next movies in queue to be delivered. I’ll be honest, sometimes I’d get lazy and not send back movies for a few months (and my credit card would get dinged $14.95 each month), but in my prime I could get 2-4 movies per week, which was a good deal. The 2 free in-store rentals is what kept me a Blockbuster fan. Now I don’t even know where a Blockbuster is so…

I finally came around to Netflix because I wanted to stream movies through my Xbox 360. I rarely rent online movies. Again, I think I’ve had The Blind Side on Blu-ray for over a month, but I stream movies and TV shows a few times a week, which makes the $9/mo subscription worth it.

The best part is that the Netflix iPhone app is free, and they easily could have charged at least a few bucks for it. Giving away this “added value” was smart on their part.

So, if you have an iPhone/iPod Touch and Netflix, what are you waiting for?

Here are some screenshots of Netflix on my iPhone:

1) Netflix home screen, 2) After loggin in, 3) Browse by Category, 4) Takes less than 5 seconds to load your instant queue, 5) Instant Queue, 6) Show description screen, 7) Loading movie or TV show, Watching Arrested Development

By the way, I didn’t get a screenshot of it, but after the Arrested Development Season 1 page fully loaded, it recognized that I had watched about 50% of episode 5 on my Xbox/TV and asked if I wanted to resume. A simple, yet elegant and appreciated feature.

iPhone + Netflix = Awesome is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

Experience The ALL NEW MSI Wind U160DX Netbook

James — Thu, 20 May 2010 06:23:41 +0000

We all know that the release of the Intel Atom processors has turned some heads in the technology industry lately. Mainly due to its ability to support faster RAM.

When it comes to innovating in today’s fast-pace market, you would think that computer manufacturers would be stepping on toes in order to quickly adapt their offerings to this hardware breakthrough.

The MSI Wind U160DX sure seems to be showing some hopes for providing the high standard of technology that MSI has been able to provide their consumers with in recent launches of their products.

You can think of this model as the one that brought death to the MSI Wind U160 which was just presented this year. Not too long ago, as a matter of fact.

Taking a look inside.

Now, you won’t see the Intel Atom inside this netbook, but what you will see is the N455 processor, which provides the ability to plug in DDR3 instead of the standard DDR2 that’s currently a netbook standard.

Sure, the question that remains unanswered is just how ruch DDR3 RAM you can stick into this netbook, but the speed is sure to provide any of its users with what they need to get the job done without having to bog down the system.

I can give you a nice tidbit of info that was leaked about this upcoming netbook though!

They slipped and mentioned that the MSI Wind U160DX will be able to stay on for 15 hours without having to recharge the battery or plug it into the wall. This is a pretty big innovation in IT, since most netbooks want to die pretty quickly.

As for any other information about this new MSI netbook, you have to be patient. They didn’t slip as much as we would’ve hoped so that we knew exactly what to expect, but they told us enough to let us know just how powerful this netbook has the potential of becoming.

You never know, this may be a moment in the history books that our grandchildren read about in history class. Well, that is a little out there, but we really never know until it happens. Who ever expected the internet to be as big as it is besides the geeks behind the creation of it?

Experience The ALL NEW MSI Wind U160DX Netbook is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

HP Rolling Out WebOS On Select Products

James — Wed, 19 May 2010 04:44:07 +0000

If you were here to witness the acquisition of Palm by HP, you probably remember when we hinted that it may be a possibility WebOS was going to be implemented on their product line in order to provide consumers with a better HP experience than was ever possible before.

Well, the time is coming soon folks…

HP has announced that WebOS will not only be on the HP Slate, but it will be on their printers as well!

We all knew this was coming, right? Well, even if you didn’t, you shouldn’t have ever doubted HP, even if they have fell through for us before. They have now made a smart buy when they finalized the Palm buyout.

Sure, the HP Slate using WebOS probably is self-explanatory, but what in the world are they going to do with their touchscreen printers that they’ve already rolled out prior to taking over Palm?

This could very well be computer history in the making, fasten your seatbelts.

Right now, the iPad is huge, imagine when HP releases the Slate with WebOS. After all, it’s already prepared to fulfill mobile demands since Palm has been working on this for years. It just might give Steve Jobs a run for his money, or be the final fall of HP.

Which one do you bet on?

When will this change take place?

The best bet on this is during the third quarter of this year. They have already announced that the printers which are connected to the internet, and the HP Slate will be two of the products to benefit from this change. It’s just a matter of refining their ideas and making a wise execution of this new model.

Will HP run out of money like Palm did and have to sell out?

This definitely doesn’t seem like an option for this reputable computer manufacturer. In fact, they have increased their sales by 25% recently, making them an even more successful company than they were at the beginning of the quarter.

HP might just be what Palm has been waiting a long time for, and they may actually bring technology to a whole other level. Of course, it’s too early to tell, and HP has been rather shaky in the past as far as their ability to meet consumer demands in a positive manner.

HP Rolling Out WebOS On Select Products is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

Experience The New Lightweight In The Laptop Division With The Dell Inspiron M301z

James — Tue, 18 May 2010 04:44:31 +0000

Dell has always been on top of the latest technology especially when it has to do with the world of computing. One thing that I haven’t ever seen with Dell is lack of creative ideas that drives them one step ahead of the competition. This statement couldn’t be proven any better than it has with the outing of the Dell Inspiron M301z laptop.

Let’s see what this laptop brings to the table. After all, Dell has had its ups and downs with previous laptop releases, it’s time to see whether this one is going to be helpful or if it’s going to hurt them as a company.

The size is truly a work of art, less than four pounds.

Of course, this depends upon the configuration that you pick out when you order the Dell M301z. However, the starting size of this laptop weighs in at 3.89 pounds. This is truly a lightweight in the world of laptops, without a doubt.

The processor choice seems to be a little on the poor side of things.

Sure, it boasts a selection which includes the line of AMD Dual Core processors. However, peaking at 1.3 GHz per core makes it a little untasteful for most hardcore computer users.

How much RAM could you want?

If it’s more than 4GB of RAM, you might want to look for another alternative. Dell is offering up either 2GB or 4GB of DDR3 RAM with this laptop. Sure, this is pretty good for a laptop, but many may just keep saying STICK MORE RAM IN IT!

Hello Windows 7!

It looks like they took a step in a direction which is trying to utilize the latest technology. This comes with their choice of Windows 7 as the base operating system for this new laptop.

Of course there are other appealing benefits of Dell’s new laptop…

Such as the built-in webcam, I/O ports, and anything else they could cram into this laptop. You can only see this on the Signapore website currently, but they will probably be integrating it really soon.

The Conclusion You’ve Been Waiting For

Personally, I wouldn’t consider this a laptop to purchase from Dell. I want more speed in the processor as well as other things which I won’t list here. However, for someone who just needs a laptop that will get the job done, they can probably get away with using this.

The price ($1,000 starting price) is always a little too rich for my blodd considering what it brings to the table.

Experience The New Lightweight In The Laptop Division With The Dell Inspiron M301z is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

Bigfoot Networks To Debut The World’s Fastest Network Card

James — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:27:51 +0000

For those of you who don’t know much about Bigfoot Networks, they are known for manufacturing some of the best network cards for gaming. After 14 months of being a quiet company, they have rocked the IT world with this announcement, looks like they’ve had it cooking in the pot for a while now.

On May 11, 2010, they announced that they will be launching Killer 2100 soon (it’s just a matter of weeks folks). This particular network card will be the fastest Gigabit NIC the world has ever seen.

What kind of features does Killer 2100 bring to the market?

Here’s a list of their features that were included in the official announcement from Bigfoot Networks.

10/100/1000 Ethernet
PCIe interface (x1 form factor)
400 MHz dedicated network processor
128 MB DDR2 RAM
Performance-inspired housing
Advanced Game Detect
Visual Bandwidth Control
Online Gaming PC Monitor
Windows network stack bypass
Optimized for use with voice chat applications
Support for Win7, Vista & XP 32

What exactly does this amount to?

Well, this is a great moment especially for gamers, as it simply means that Bigfoot Networks is taking a network card in the direction that no other networking company has ever had the opportunity to step into.

When someone is playing a game, they don’t have to worry about lagging out and getting set behind their opponents just because their computer freezes up or stutters during gameplay.

Gamers aren’t the only ones that can benefit from the new Bigfoot Networks breakthrough.

In fact, many IT professionals demand the highest speed network accewss possible in order to carry on with their busy days. With this new creation that is set to be released soon, we can rest assured if we get our hands on the Killer 2100, that slow internet will no longer be a problem (that is if you have a high speed connection of course).

The Conclusion

When it comes down to it, this is something that will not only change the world of gaming as we know it, but it’s also something that will change the way that we see network connections. Imagine using as much as your allotment as you’re allowed.

There’s no doubt that we will be seeing a growing number of requests from hardcore computer users upon the official release of the Killer 2100 from Bigfoot networks. We just need to be ready for it, and now we all have an early insight into this lifechanging moment within the world of computers.

You can get more information at the Bigfoot Networks official website.

Bigfoot Networks To Debut The World’s Fastest Network Card is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

Samsung P580: Just what any busy pro needs!

James — Wed, 12 May 2010 04:43:52 +0000

It’s official! According to their press release (which I have put at the end of this page for your convenience) they just announced the launch of their P580 laptop. This particular laptop is made with professionals in mind.

Let’s take a walk on the Samsung side for a moment.

We’ll kick off this intro with the processor that this particular laptop is flaunting.

When one chooses this laptop, they can rest assured that they will have the latest processor technology currently available on the market, none other than Intel’s Core i3 processor. This is a speedy little sucker, even though it is the lower end processor for this particular series of Intel CPUs.

There is an additional option for those who want to enlist an Intel Core i5 for their laptop, which is definitely a great upgrade for power users.

It’s all in the screen…

The screen of this laptop is also a new innovation that Samsung rolled out for their professional notebooks. It’s a 15.3″ LED lit screen, which cuts down on glare more than other popular, competing laptops. This is often a problem for laptop users, but it looks like Samsung stepped up to the plate with this one.

More power…just what Tim Allen wants!

If Tim Allen was to choose a laptop to buy these days, it would probably be this one as it is directly targeted towards busy professionals. Multi-tasking with the Samsung P580 is definitely much better than before. It contains a gig of ram, as well as a nice, yet speedy hard drive.

Worried about someone jacking your competitive edge if your laptop contains crucial docs?

Don’t be! You can rest assured that Samsung has taken the latest security measures into consideration when they were developing the P580. They have even said that the security of this laptop is pretty concrete.

Worried about poor graphics?

Samsung has entrusted NVIDIA for their graphics needs on this laptop. For those of you unfamiliar with NVIDIA, they are simply one of the best graphics card makers the world has yet to see. This is often a choice for gamers as you really do get the sharp graphics that we need with modern technology.

Samsung P580 Press Release

For those of you who want the full scoop, directly from the source, here’s the official Samsung press release that was sent out today.

SAMSUNG LAUNCHES P-SERIES BUSINESS NOTEBOOK FOR PROFESSIONALS ON THE GO

P580 combines state-of-the-art technology and unrivalled performance.
LONDON, UK – May 11, 2010 – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a market leader in consumer electronics and world leader in IT technology, today announces the launch of the Samsung P580, a new addition to its highly successful P-Series of professional laptops and notebooks. The P580 has been designed to offer busy professionals the very latest, state-of-the-art connectivity, reliability and security to help them maintain productivity whilst on the move.

Samsung’s new 15.6″ P580 notebook has been designed to be the perfect IT companion for workers on the go or those looking for a high performing notebook for the home office. The P580 features a classic Samsung cutting edge design, packaged in a highly durable, tactile, sleek and lightweight chassis that makes remote or mobile working easy and pleasurable.

Graham Long, Vice President of Samsung’s IT Business Division, said: “Business users expect practicality coupled with performance at a price that won’t break the bank. Whether you’re at home, in the office or on the go, the new notebook is the perfect business tool for those who want a first class PC experience.”

Landmark new features include next generation processor performance from Intel’s new Core i3 Processor (Calpella), NVIDIA’s latest GeForce GT Graphics processor and a stunning, non-gloss LED backlit LCD display. The P580 is also protected by heightened industry-standard security, making it the obvious choice for business users looking to gain a competitive edge.

Samsung’s new P580 notebook is one of the most technologically advanced, competitively priced, professional notebooks on the market today. Featuring the new, super-fast Intel Calpella Platform with integrated Intel Core i5 Processor, Samsung’s new notebook offers the kind of speed, performance and reliability usually found only on a desktop PC.

Most notable is the ease with which users can multi-task, allowing them to work across multiple applications simultaneously with no ’screen-freeze’ or lag.

The model features market-leading NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics cards and a dedicated 1GB gDDR3 memory which, combined with the stunning LED backlit display, offer improved clarity and speed whilst conserving battery power.

The device comes with Windows® 7 Professionalas standard, offering all the benefits of Microsoft’s latest OS such as 20 percent faster booting time and greater efficiencies in power and memory consumption; key considerations for mobile workers. Nanocell sound reduction technology ensures near-silent running at all times.

The Samsung P580 exhibits a stunning ‘comfort-grip’ chassis, featuring a stylish and modern-looking rubber paint which makes the device extremely hard-wearing and scratch-resistant. The device’s good look is also resistant to shock damage as the chassis is protected by a free-fall sensor which freezes applications to protect the notebook if dropped.

The non-gloss HD LED backlit LCD display is easy on the eye. The Isolate Keyboard features 17-key, full-sized numeric keypads which make typing and calculating really easy.

Samsung’s P580 notebook has been designed to give users the reassurance and peace-of-mind that its data will be protected wherever it is. The model features a host of security features including Phoenix FailSafe, a theft-deterrent service that offers users the ability to protect, track and manage their notebook, should it be stolen or lost. If data is compromised, users can retrieve and erase any critical material remotely – ensuring that thieves cannot view sensitive documents. Users are also able to secure their data with both BIOS and HDD passwords*.

Samsung’s new notebook claims a number of new features which makes it a pleasure to use. Connecting to the Internet could not be easier as the device offers Wi-Fi or LAN, high speed USB 2.0 or eSATA connection, allowing users to share files quickly and easily. eSATA connectivity is supported by an external HDD, allowing the reading and writing of data at a speed of up to 3Gb per second, while enhanced Bluetooth 2.1 featuring Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) transmission makes paring of devices swift and easy.

The USB 2.0 port can also be used to charge other external devices such as mobile phones or MP3 players – even if the notebook is switched off – perfect for business travelers who need to charge devices whilst they rest.

Samsung P580: Just what any busy pro needs! is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog