Recent Comments:
Creative rolls out (working) driver update for X-Fi cards {Engadget}
Jul 31st 2008 7:56PM Add me to the "Too little too late" column
Power Pack 1 and HP's add-ons make Windows Home Server a real grouch {Engadget}
Jul 28th 2008 7:27PM Ok simple as this. Yes WHS has some neat features. In my experience as a tech most people will never use them, regardless of how much they could benefit.
However once you get into the Linux realm you've reached a certain level of nerd-dom that is well above that of many people.
Honestly I went Linux and I am very happy, but I can see where other people would not make the same choice for whatever reason. That's fine, their network. (Personally I needed the extra 170 to spread around the rest of the project, so that was the big decider.)
What I see here is what I see with every single manufactured PC I work on: Too much crap. I love it when you unbox your clean, brand spanking new PC and there's all this trial/bloat/AV/whatever-ware filling the right side of the task bar.
Now we're specifically ragging on HP right now but all manufacturers I've seen are guilty of it. (If I remember correctly sony is at least letting you opt out...)
However I'm appalled that their idea of a fix is telling you to go out and spend money.
Back To The Future DeLorean for sale {Engadget}
May 29th 2006 1:55PM Haha, appearance kit for the delorean. Nice. A few rich porkers around my end of the woods have them. LOL
Ageia PhysX processor review roundup {Engadget}
May 6th 2006 3:00PM Not all gamers have money pouring out of their pockets. Think on this when you try to sell us something that costs more than a mid-range graphics card.
30-50 bucks, what the heck are you guys talking about? Yeah, that's just foolish. Yeah last time I checked you don't just throw money away. Granted I can see the "sell the console at a loss make money on the games" idea but come on.
It would honestly be rather stupid for nVidia to use the second gpu for anything but rendering. First, the GPU is a very specialized processor, and hence is very good at what it does (pretty pictures) but not too great at other things. Second, Turn on all the eye candy in Obilivion. You need every ounce of rendering power you can get.
In short: Ageia, great idea. More launch support please! Hit in frame rates? (Maybe due to more little chunks of crud to render.) But with that price point even if there were a lot of games to support it I would still pass.
Now they want games that REQUIRE it? Yeah I don't see this happening/working out well.
MacBook Pros overheating due to thermal grease? {Engadget}
May 2nd 2006 2:08AM Alrighty kids, no arguing now.
Ok, I had a VAIO that I thought was an egg poacher (65c) so I went and dug up intel's specs for the 1.86 Pentium M and was amazed. Max operating temp (at die) is 100c.
http://www.intel.com/support/processors/mobile/pm/sb/CS-007971.htm
So these are some durable chips. (Obviously the core duo would have similar thermal tolerance.)
Second, holy mother of god have any of you actually built a system? Really, the layer you want is roughly paper thin, or possibly thinner!
I have Athlon 64s that idle @ ambient (room temperature for the uninitiated) on AIR COOLING and that's enough thermal goup for a server cluster of my Athlons!
As for the lack of readings of on die. Yes I see that as a possible point, but I am unwilling to concede that you should use that much goup!
Ok, so if you believe that is the proper ammount of thermal paste, let's do an experiment. (I know the people who need this proof are to scared to open their own box, consider this academic.)
1. Start CPU burn in, let it run for about 45 mins.
2. While it's still running load up Speed Fan (or other temp monitor) Note temps and shut down everything.
3. Remove Heatsink from proc, apply an APPLE CERTIFIED ammount of thermal paste.
4. Reapply Heatsink
5. Start CPU Burn in, let it run for 45 mins. (If it makes it that far)
6. If it hasn't crashed start Speed Fan (or other temp monitor) and note temp.
I promise you the temp in #6 will be MUCH higher. Assuming you do not fry your CPU.
As usual I take no responsibility if you do anything, and I mean anything at all, or if you do nothing I also waive that too.
But you trust Apple right?!?!? Everything will be fine if they are right...
Averatec's AHI UMPC concept device {Engadget}
Apr 13th 2006 9:34PM Getting closer, apparently someone read my posts about earlier UMPC's and needing to be less PC and more Ultra-Mobile.
Still it's pretty big, cut off maybe 20 - 30% of it. More OQO in there and less origami please. As to the IPOD likeness, neither here nor there. Idiots asked me if my Zodiac was an Ipod. I get asked if my crudtastic motorolla (C301 I think) is an Ipod. If it has transistors be prepared, an idiot will ask if it is an Ipod.
As far as the design... I like it, except it is a little too big. Of course I wasn't impressed by the postage stamp size MP3 players until I saw them in person so take that opinion with a grain of salt.
The feature list is nice, and if it comes in at (or near) the lower price point then I've found my next portable device. Assuming the requisite usb host mode. and a port or two.
What about storage? Give me flash for instant on and I'd be in heaven!!!!
Still I have to admit that the only reason I want this is because I sold my laptop... This isn't the new market segment MSFT had hoped for. And I still don't see it becoming as commonplace as our beloved clamshell.
This however does smack of the resurrection of (the never went away) PDA.
Samsung Q1 gets official list of accessories {Engadget}
Apr 10th 2006 2:31PM I hate to be a downer to the UMPC cheerleaders, but I doubt this is going anywhere.
I have been a geek since before I could walk and I'll tell you about the products that last. Like the NES.(You know you still have one that works.)
Products that are huge at launch but die later on, and somehow still exist based on fanboys. (Shut it, the Sega Saturn was cool! I owned one!)
Granted I keep hoping for a disco-style backlash against rap but that seems a ways off. (And people to stop asking the difference between an IPOD and an MP3 player.) I digress.
The products that last fullfil a need. Like PC's, Laptops, cars, planes, video games. ect.
Frankly I can't ever point out a time where I wanted something too big for my pocket, too fragile for my backpack, and too underpowered to rock HL2. There's no reason for it. It's just a small tablet PC without the keyboard.
OK so it plays video. My Tapwave Zodiac does that. (Very well now that I installed Linux.) OK it can browse the web. Umm my Zodiac shoots it down again.... But I also had to install linux before that worked well. It can play games! Ummm yeah, like what, Doom 2? Yeah my Zodiac plays that too... (Sorry, Zodiac fanboy, you would be too if you had one with linux.)
OK the only compelling arguement from my point of view is that I could probably play the original Command and Conquer on it, and with the touch screen it would be freaking sweet.
The point really is that the Laptop is actually incredibly good at what it does. The Tablet PC is becoming more refined all the time. I can't see any difference between it and a small Tablet PC. (Except lack of a keyboard)
Now let's take the smartphone. This was a good idea, it took something we already use, kept within certain acceptable proportions, and added some genuine abilities! Very cool. Let's say you made the UMPC fit in my pants pocket. Then I would be stoked. That's where a ULTRA MOBILE device belongs.
This is where it becomes apparent the main design flaw. It's got too much power for what you need it to do, and hence the battery life and size suffer.
MSFT, make it fit in my pocket, hell you can even fudge the specs!!! Ohhh wait........
http://www.oqo.com/
Yeah, just undercut 2 grand and you are in like flin!!!!
Anyways, my thoughts, and for crying out loud, stop trying to be like Jobs! We like you the way you are, hell even Steve wants to be like you! (Bootcamp?)
China gives Skype two year sentence for reckless telco endangerment {Engadget}
Mar 22nd 2006 8:27PM Alrighty, another issue I have to weigh in on.
China represses its people and stifles all opposition, that is a fact that is not up for debate.
The reason for Skype (and all voip) being banned is readily apparent. Control, it would be much harder to monitor if they were so inclined and extremely diffcult to stop all together.
People's republic my ***. Ask someone to look up tiananmen square on their internet connections over there. Still blocked nearly twenty years later.
I mean really does anyone pay any attention at all to world events? And I don't mean watching your daily dose of CNN, I mean READING something besides your local/global fish wrap.
And as for the US... Sorry Chinese people, the only thing us fat Americans want is greenbacks. Take a look at what corporations get away with in the US.
And what about no torture? Oh that word is so 20th century apparently. I guess it's something like, "Strong physical redirection of beliefs." or some other P.C. type stuff.
Anyways, I'll leave it to others to judge their reactions, but of course this is the country where "Intelligent Design" is taught.
Intelligent design... The strength of unfounded belief in the face of overwhelming opposition by facts amazes me.
In short, and as not to hijack this discussion, if you can not see that this is China controlling its people, and not the other way around as a government should be, you are ignoring the reality of the situation.
2,600 (Chinese Red Cross) Non-Violent prtestors killed by machineguns and tanks. At least 7,000 injured. Still covered up by the same government that did it.
I've said it many times and many was, but if you cannot see this then you are blind.
1989 was not that long ago people. Governments that do that don't become peaceful in the span of a few decades.
I won't disrespect the lives of those protestors by brushing this aside as an isolated incident.
Starforce DRM said to force reboots {Engadget}
Mar 21st 2006 8:51PM Alrighty, I weigh in on few topics here on Engadget (System fanboys, etc.) but this one really hit a sore spot with me.
Starforce, go to hell. If your worthless software ends up on my computer I will have to find a vunerability in your network. (As per Generals... "There is always a way in...")
When I buy a game I buy the game, not some bloody DRM from hell. You want to reset my computer... Go to hell.
I almost bought TOCA 3.... OMG. I feel noobish.
Alrighty Congressmen hear this! I propose to make it illegal for any software to install without having an uninstall program! (One that removes the WHOLE program thankyou.) This would make this whole thing moot. Make it a felony. Granted this won't stop Russians/etc. from doing it, but it is a start.
Bring that bill up and I'll vote for you, even if you eat babies.
In short, if I worked for starforce I wouldn't tell anyone about it. I've seen what happens to hackers at lan parties (Ever seen the insides of a gpu smashed against cement?) and I doubt that these people would receive treatment half as nice. I know if I met one in a bar they'd at the very least end up with a drink in their laps.
Thank god I decided TOCA 3 looked like a cheap GT ripoff and was probably more arcade than simulation. I don't like to have to break out the crowbar to get crud out of my computer, but hey, I imaged my disk I can take it.
Sprint goes down across the West Coast due to fiber-optics cut {Engadget}
Jan 10th 2006 7:25AM Well that makes me laugh. My buddy just traded in his "crappy" verizon phone for a sprint (cause of their network coverage, HAHAHAHAHAHA I guess they're second only to T-mobile AHAHA)
Anyways he bought that crap tastic RAZR wannabe samsung (No expandable memory. AHAHAA) And a whopping 1.3 mpix.
Anyways, now that I think about it he hasn't called me today. Could someone make sure this isn't temporary?
