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NOTEBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

The Perfect Home Laptop Setup
Posted in Notebook PC | December 31, 2009 8am

Just a few years ago I held the conviction that the desktops were the only serious choice for getting work done, discounting laptops mostly for the spreadsheet business traveler demographic or for the soy latte drinking casual crowd whom I'd regularly see leeching free wi-fi spots while working on screenplays and Sudoku at the nearby coffee shops. It was a bias born out of years of working on desktop workstations for graphic design work, where power, upgrade options and expandability were paramount and desktops were the weapon of choice. But ever since the death of my hefty aluminum clad desktop awhile back (autopsy revealed power source failure) and a migration over to a 15" laptop just a little over a year ago, I've learned to love the flexibility of using a laptop on a daily basis. New portables are no longer the compromise they once were, and the discrepancy between the laptop and desktop experience has narrowed enough where I don't pine for the expandability of a desktop rig. I've seen the light...with a few tweaksThere are some changes to consider when moving from a set desktop experience to that of a laptop, mostly in regards to ergonomics and also accessories which help in making the laptop experience a better one on a day to day basis.
First off, do yourself a favor and get yourself a laptop stand for home use; there's nothing worse that spending more than a few minutes typing hunched over a keyboard; unless you find yourself at the shorter spectrum of height, hunching over will eventually result in chronic pains. A laptop stand helps bring your eyes in line with the screen, relaxing shoulders and neck at neutral position which will allow you to browse online, WOW, or even occasionally, work, at longer stretches. The combination of a wireless keyboard and mouse for a laptop seems counterintuitive considering your portable has an integrated trackpad or pointer and keyboard already. But if long term use with a laptop is required and you've already taken advice in regard to the stand, this will mean you'll need the aid of an external mouse and keyboard. I've also discovered by using these external input accessories, the laptop ends up accruing less "mileage", which helps extend the life of your valuable portable partner from usual wear and tear. In similar effect, an external monitor to connect to when using your laptop at home not only provides greater visual desktop real estate, but aids in the ergonomic positioning of head, neck and shoulder while in front of the computer.  Basically, you're converting your portable into a desktop solution with the inclusion of all these elements...a docking station for optimal comfort. Optional, though highly recommended, is adding a USB hub of some sort. I quickly discovered 2-3 USB ports disappears quickly in this age of external drives, MP3 players, digital cameras and whatever other peripheral you find yourself connecting with.The final piece in an ideal home laptop setup is a well built and fitted task chair (yes, some chairs come in different sizes). Like investing in good kicks for exercise, the initial cost of a well built chair is paid back in full, and then some, when considering the benefits in comfort and health a well designed chair offers in support of the spine, shoulders and back. There's nothing worse than working (or playing) online for hours, only to find your whole body aching from positioning yourself incorrectly. Sure, it's fine when you're 15 years old and can sit in front of a computer in positions that would baffle a yoga practitioners. But for long term comfort, a good chair is worth its weight in gold, and will often live to see 2-3 computers pass in and out of your house in its lifetime. It will also let your back and neck see a decade beyond your 2nd (trust me, I know, as I've well crossed over to the realm of "oh my aching bones" age).It's been over a year now since making the change over to the laptop for my daily workflow, and thanks to the changes made above, I've found using the laptop as easy and productive as any desktop machine I've used before. I can hardly consider going back to a desktop now considering I've got the best of both worlds of desktop comfort and the portability afforded by a laptop. Have any of you converted from desktop to laptop use permanently? And if so, what changes did you find yourself making to accommodate for the transition? What do you like and what do you miss about working on a laptop versus a desktop?

NETBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

2010 is All About Sexy and Topless…Tablets
Posted in Netbook PC | December 20, 2009 9am

CES is really like any other large technology trade show: a lot of the "same" with just enough "new" to whet your appetite in anticipation every year.  After years of attending the heydays of the spectacle which was once E3, or even more specialty niche trade shows like Siggraph, an annual attendee soon realizes these mega-exhibitor shows are a whole lot of style and not much substance (and they all seem to be attended by Olivia Munn and sports celebs who want the latest and greatest). This is not to say there isn't a significant amount of amazing technology and ideas being shared at CES...there is, and it can be awe-inspiring to see the results of years and millions dollars of investment, promising you an oh-so better tomorrow. But CES can sometimes end up feeling like purchasing a fast food meal: the picture in the ads rarely materializes into the same thing once you get down to the meal. Inbetween industry sponsored parties, booth babes and freebies, and the occasional celebrity sighting, there's only a few niblets of meat with a whole lot more bun than promised.Yet every year, there's at least one outlying trend which both the industry and the public clamors in anticipation for and that does actually define the rest of the year, and 2010 is no exception. We'll see a continuation this year with eco-friendly solutions across the board in every category of home electronics, computing and home appliances. Energy saving devices, from OLED displays, self-regulating power supplies, more efficient designs within appliances and microchips, will all be heralded and promoted throughout the halls of the show. But green has lost its sex appeal after a few years of continual promotion and the industry is moving onto something new and less pragmatic. Last year everyone was all about the netbook going from niche to mainstream. Guess what? It didn't pan out. Despite the modest popularity of netbooks, we're predicting the industry will take what worked with netbooks (size/portability) and blow the lid off, literally, to redefine mobile computing into consumer grade computer tablets.Why all the hype about tablets, you ask? We're pretty sure the fruition of the trend is due to one device that reshaped the tech landscape, and it begins with "i" and ends with "phone", the loved/hated Cupertino designed product that proved a touch screen computer without a physical keyboard was something the masses wanted, or at least thought they wanted (because at the core of its popularity was not its capabilities as an actual phone, but because everything else it could do and the creativity of app developers to extend its utility). And now like any burgeoning trend, every other company and their great uncle in Wichita is working on a tablet design, supposedly bridging the gap between a small handheld mobile device and the more serious laptop. Do we think tablets will reach critical mass in sales and use in 2010, or even 2011? No, we suspect the limitations of the hardware and the initial prices of these devices will continue to limit them as niche products, much like their much ballyhooed, rarely seen close cousins in the e-book market. But that won't stop the industry from pushing the hype, nor does it mean that eventually tablet computers won't become extremely useful and popular devices. We're just not sure a $500-$1200 10" screen device is really the answer when your smart phone or laptop handles either portability or computing power in superior fashion. For tablets to succeed, it will need a killer app, and everything hinted so far has been mostly filler and very little killer. But that's the beauty of shows like CES...you just never know what someone might have up their sleeves, so we're always hoping to be taken by surprise…So that brings us to the question we throw back at you as readers/consumers: what features do you feel need to be incorporated into a tablet computing device for it become a necessity rather than a luxury in your tech lifestyle? Will it be because of a killer media application for downloading content? Will it be the price vs. performance? Lightest portability? Or will it require a paradigm shifting development in the same way cell phones/smart phones have become a necessity in modern life? 

NETBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

Three is the Magic Number...in Fantasies and Displays
Posted in Netbook PC | December 6, 2009 8pm

Photo courtesy of totalAldo, Creative Commons
Blame it on gaming, instant messaging, Twitter, Facebook, Tumbler, 4chan...a near obsession with keeping as many tabbed windows open before our machine chokes, smokes and cries, “No mas!” We’ve always wanted MORE screen-estate! What was once the luxury of the set of fortunate early (and well heeled) adopters has become the norm for a great many of us who work, play and socialize online regularly and demand bigger and better. Multiple display setups have moved beyond the realm of diehard serious gamers, pixel monkeys (graphic and web designers) or statistics-focused bean counters, back when working upon a single 20” monitor was considered enviable display real estate and “flat screen” only referred to the front glass panel, not the whole display. Now a display that size seems a quaint starting point for “mum’s setup”.Once you go double, a lone screen seems like trouble, as we quickly learned even back at our first job using dual 20” CRT displays (oh those quaint, good ole days sitting in front of what felt like a nuclear reactor).  Dual screen display designs are even leaking into the realm of laptop designs, as the advent of flat panel LCD has seemingly trumped the goals of owning one huge monitor for the servitude of a multitude of a few stitched together. So what would I like to see in future display technology in regards to multiple display setups? How about designs that incorporate multi-display connections into one large unit from square one, prefabricated to snap/attach more seamlessly, and that intelligently shares/combines the power source, multiplies USB connections & HDMI ports (or better yet, wireless HDMI please), and perhaps even supports multiple angle built-in video cameras across connected units (stereoscopic video conferencing, anyone?)...Legos, but for viewing content. How about displays that connect easily, but are also able to switch sources on the fly, capable from switching from a connected stitched 3 screens state to easily switching only the 3rd display for use with your gaming console at the push of a button while the other 2 remain operating with your PC? SLI-style integrated graphics cards with each display that multiply pixel churning power with each addition. Or better yet, tablet displays that work autonomously on the go, but also operate as multi-displays when connected into a home dock configuration which includes accompanying sidekick screens on each side. There’s a whole world of possibilities with flatter and more lightweight screens beyond netbooks and tablets, so we eagerly await how designers and engineers are able to optimize multi-display configurations into setups into the home office, living room and beyond, freed from the single display paradigm.If given the chance to design your perfect multi-display setup, which features would like to see incorporated into future designs? And ideally, how many displays would like gracing your desktop for everyday use?

NETBOOK PC PC : DISCUSSION

Online is for Lovers (of Sales): Black Friday Made Easy
Posted in Netbook PC | November 24, 2009 9pm

As that much anticipated (or feared) of bargain opportunities looms ever near, Black Friday anticipation (or hype, depending on your perspective) is in full swing. Friends and family alike have increasingly been asking me about where the best deals are and I simply point to their computer screens. Many have waited all year long to purchase those big ticket items, especially true in the home electronics category for items like computers, displays and gaming systems, where upgrades are postponed till the tail end of the year, whether for recessionary reasons or penny pinching personalities. Knowing the “where” and “what” is the first step in a successful Black Friday experience on the busiest of shopping days. Here are several other tips to maximize your Black Friday shopping experience...without the need to ever leave the comforts of your pj’s or home:
1. Know what you want, including specs, preferred brands and your budget. If you want a new LCD display, know the exact size you’re looking for (is it for casual online browsing, or for regular gaming or HD movie/tv show content) , which port connections you’ll need, and how much you’re willing to give up from your wallet. Having a game plan matters, preventing any unnecessary or overpriced purchases in the excitement of bargain hunting, and knowing the regular price, competitive pre-Black Friday prices and leaked sales pricing will make it easy to determine whether a deal is truly a deal.
2.    Use online Black Friday ad sources such as Black Friday Ads or iblackfriday.com alongside Twitter feeds such as CheapTweet to keep up to the moment on announced and leaked pricing. Social media sources are becoming  the most direct source of up to minute news about everything, including sales.
3.    Check if those incredibly priced doorbuster deals meant to corral shoppers to brick and mortar stores are also available to shoppers online. Retailers may reveal on the day of Black Friday that the amazing deal people have lined up hours for are also valid online on the day of the sale. I don’t know about you, but I’ve got plenty I’d rather do than wait in line at 3am in the cold or fight for “limited quantity” merchandise.
4.    Antsy shoppers may want to check back in after they’ve digested their Thanksgiving meal around midnight (PST) and 3 a.m. (EST) on the evening of the day we give thanks, when retailers reveal sales prices on their sites. Set your alarm to awaken you from your tryptophan-induced slumber, sales may be awaitin’!
5.    Purchase cable/wire accessories separately from specialized retailers like Monoprice.com. Because nobody should pay $50 for a HDMI cable...but people still do.
6.    Remember when you were in the market for a new car or computer and you spec’ed out exactly what you wanted days in advance? Do the same with targeted Black Friday retailers. Loading up your sales cart online beforehand will simplify and speed up the checkout process on the day of the sales if these items are indeed on discount. Dream now, edit on the day of the sale. Then while everyone else is browsing and clicking, you’ll be well away at check out, enjoying eggnog and the satisfaction of a Black Friday well played.Do you have any online Black Friday tips or tricks you’ve used in the past that made for an easier bargain hunting experience?