USB remote (doesn't really) store away in a PCMCIA slot
By Conrad Quilty-Harper 
posted Nov 25th 2007 10:53AM
posted Nov 25th 2007 10:53AM
[Via Everything USB]
posted Nov 25th 2007 10:53AM
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My Dell XPS M1330 actually has a remote that fits completely into express card slot and requires no USB dongle..
How is that computer? I want to buy it, but people tell me that Dell isn't very good. Also, should I wait until Vista SP1 comes out, or is it fine as is?
yep... my HP DV6000t as well.
The M1330 is a really good computer its small its light and still plays games at a decent frame rate unfortunately it ships with Vista. According to a friend that already has had SP1 for awhile he's says it will probably not be a cure to all the problems. I'm considering installing XP which I did to one of my other computers Vista brings nothing to the table I need and I would rather have stability over a see through interface ...
As far as Dell reliability I can only say this my 8th dell laptop and I drag them all over the world and I have never had a hardware problem with them. But other people I know have had issues mostly with the cheaper models.
Oh the remote works like a charm
Why dont you just buy a macbook and stop dealing with windows?
My HP tx1320 Tablet PC does the exact same thing with the Remote storing in the Express Slot perfectly :)
Vista isn't nearly as bad as everyone makes is sound. I recently switched from a Mac to a Dell Vista machine, and I have been extremely happy. I do miss Apple Mail though.
"Why dont you just buy a macbook and stop dealing with windows?"
why the hell would he want to over pay for hardware?
Ugh, we've had this argument before - when compared, Macbooks aren't really all that overpriced.
Anyways, I've got Vista installed on my MBP (I like Leopard for day to day use, but i need games) and I like Vista a lot! It's slick and I haven't even experienced any bugs yet!
My MBP also came with a remote - but it doesn't fit anywhere in my computer :(
"why the hell would he want to over pay for hardware?"
Find a Mac and an EXACTLY configured PC, and see what the price difference is. By exactly, I mean Processor Speed, Processor CACHE (The most expensive thing in your machine), Bus Speed, etc. If you do that, you may realize that the Mac you want is cheaper than the PC. I've seen numerous people do this.
The deceptive thing about Macs and their price is that Apple, as a smaller manufacturer, only sells 3 models of each product/grade (Pro Laptop, Consumer Laptop, Pro Desktop, Consumer Desktop, Compact Desktop). For each of those 5 the 3 models are A. The latest technology B. One step below the latest technology C. Two steps below the latest technology. If you want something cheaper, and older, you get it through an authorized reseller. It will still have the full warranty, it's just not in the latest top 3.
The PC manufacturers at any given time have a dizzying array of products ranging from the latest technology to 6 year old (e.g. Celeron) technology. It gives the illusion of value. But once you get to using the machine you will ask yourself, "Why is this thing Dog Slow?" The answer id that it has 1/8 of the cache and 1/2 of the bus speed of the modern hardware that you software was designed for. In six months you'll want to replace the machine. On the contrary, old Macs hold there value because they continue to perform for much longer. (Check eBay.)
No computer is an investment. But a bargain machine is a piece of garbage.
Let me go ahead and squash the "Not ALL... blah blah" remarks. I'm speaking in generalities. But the generality applies to more cases than the contrary.
MacBook? Get rid of Windows?
I'm pretty sure someone mentioned games in their post.
I'm sick of the apple propaganda,
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=DNDWMA2&s=dhs
You can configure a dell inspiron 1720 to a higher spec than the
macbook pro 17" and save about $900, saving close to $1200 over the
macbook with a freely available promo code.
if you think the MBP isn't overpriced, then you are a freaking idiot
Dell Inspiron 1720 matching the spec of a 17" Macbook pro
SYSTEM COLOR Jet Black edit
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7700 (2.4GHz/800Mhz FSB/4MB
cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition edit
DISPLAY Glossy, high contrast, widescreen 17.0 inch display (1440 x
900) edit
VIDEO CARD 256MB NVIDIA® GeForce® 8600M GT edit
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz edit
HARD DRIVE Size: 250GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) edit
OPTICAL DRIVE CD / DVD writer (DVD+/-RW Drive) edit
WIRELESS NETWORK CARDS Dell Wireless 1505 Wireless-N Mini-card edit
INTEGRATED WEBCAM Integrated 2.0 Megapixel Webcam edit
BATTERY OPTIONS 85Whr Lithium Ion Battery (9 cell) edit
SOUND OPTIONS High Definition Audio 2.0
$1,639.00 (add this coupon NP?GH2HGB4D$FH and the price is $1,409.00)
@Balam Herrera:
Because I would have to start dealing with OSX and it's something I really don't want to do (although I don't deal with Windows that much.)
If I'm not mistaken.. I'm pretty sure the MacBook Pro turned out to be the BEST system to run Vista?
http://calloftheday.net/?p=79
Macs ARE overpriced.
Outel > Betweentel >>>>>>>>> Intel
not only were they stupid enough to design the product too long, they decided to rip off Intel's logo while they were at it.
It may not fit, but will it blend.......in?
Wow...this shows why you should not base your buying behaviour on blog articles (from this author):
The size (if you bother to look at the product page) of the remote is 85.8 x 54.2 x 5.0mm.
The size of a PCMCIA Card that is not sticking out is 85.6 by 54.2 millimeters...
So it only sticks out by a fracture of a millimeter and has a thicker end to pull it out with your fingernail if you have to. The photo clearly shows how it's inserted halfway into the PCMCIA slot.
Seems like you copied from Everything USB who also didnt bother to read the product page they are quoting...
that still leaves the devil-spawn usb dongle~
I'm more concerned about the name "Outel"... seems like it won't last very long, not that I would buy this anyways... :/
What about a media center compatible version?
Does this device have open specs or Linux/BSD/OpenSolaris drivesr?
...and all those people up there debating about PC vs. Mac:
If Apple didn't use TPM's in their hardware, I wouldn't consider giving them my money to be a crime against humanity. As it stands, I do, cost-vs-performance be danged.
My HP TX1130 came with two remotes- one that slots into the PCMCIA slot like the one mentioned (without need for a dongle) and a larger TV-size remote with every button a Media Center user could want on it.
They have worse problems than design... Mehinks I read somewhere that Intel had a trademark that they enforce rabidly on the dropped "e" in their logo...
did i miss the pic of it not fitting?????
I too would like to defend this remote, I don't think they could have made it much better, especially for $30!
As joewhat pointed out the dimensions practically match those of a card which doesn't stick out, so obviously this is not a problem.
And with regards to the dongle how else do you propose to communicate with the computer?
- Infra red: Not all laptops have IR which would cut out a lot of potential sales. And there is still a compatability issue with those that do.
- Bluetooth: Not as reliable as RF as requires software, setup and still requires the laptop to have BT.
So this make a RF USB dongle the most sensible option. And making it storable in the card itself is a bonus!
And those of you who's laptops came with a remote then congrats, but your remote will unlikely work with other laptops of different brand/makes due to the infra-red/bluetooth reasons above.
I do wish people would look at the facts before making stuff up!
I think you guys should do your research before putting down a product.
If you look at USB Geek's product dimensions, confirmed by Dealextreme, the overall length is 3.35 inches which is less than the size of the PCMCIA published specs for PC Card (3.37").
Lol, I read this on Giz days ago. They said that jealous PC users would use this like if it were front row. WTF?! hahahaahaha. MY xps m1330 and many HP laptops have these already.
"Processor CACHE (The most expensive thing in your machine)"
I stopped reading your post at this point.
Did anyone even verify that in fact, the card is NOT an express card? Most new laptops are dropping regular PCMCIA for express card slots. This media remote was made for PCMCIA not Express.
Sik Rex?