Man I finally took the plunge on a 16GB iPhone 3G just yesterday. That only leaves me with what, 4 or more months into my 2yr contract before obsolescence? :)

Then again, going by the "pretty regular schedule" of past iPhone releases that the article mentions, I guess I should have realized this...

The QNAP TS-809 Pro NAS coming next month (8 bays, Core 2 Duo) could be even faster than the 6-bay ReadyNAS Pro.

8 x 2TB in RAID6 would be nice (12TB before formatting).

But QNAP's officially supported maximum volume size is only 8TB. They're trying to qualify the TS-809 Pro for up to 12TB in a single volume (otherwise we'd have to use multiple volumes).

http://forum.qnap.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&p=52471

http://www.qnap.com/pro_detail_feature.asp?p_id=109

See QNAP's comments (and datasheets):

http://forum.qnap.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=10144&start=0&hilit=809

http://forum.qnap.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=10219&p=47088&hilit=809#p47088

I think the 8-bay QNAP TS-809 is the high-performance unit to look out for (competing with the 6-bay Netgear ReadyNAS Pro in price and performance). Whereas my GUESS is that the 6-bay QNAP TS-639 (and 4-bay TS-439, and future TS-x39 models with different number of bays) use an Intel *Atom* CPU for lower-power consumption.

The low-power models could be an answer to customer complaints like the following from one of the above threads:

"The TS-509 uses 70W all the time. Synology DS508 uses 27W (standby) and 54W full access."


P.S. QNAP comments on TS-x39:

- "TS-x39 (... low-power CPU, starting from 1GB DRAM, performance slightly below the TS-509)"

- "Neither the TS-439 (even if one DD slot less) nor the TS-639 (even if one HDD slot more) will be a direct replacement for the TS-509."


QNAP comments on TS-809:

- "TS-809 (8 bay, dual CORE CPU, stating from 2GB DRAM)"

- "The TS-809 models ... are designed to a much higher performance level - and to a different price tag."

- "Depending on the number of servers to migrate to ESX and iSCSI and the performance expectations, the [TS-809] is what you might take into consideration aside the TS-509."

For a handsfree Bluetooth speakerphone that you leave in the car at all times, I almost prefer a solution tethered to the cigarrete lighter, without any internal battery. Or at least one with a really *weak* Bluetooth antenna/transceiver.

Otherwise, even when you're at home or office and your car is sitting in the garage, your cellphone could still be paired to the handsfree kit in the car if it's inside the 30ft Bluetooth radius. It's annoying to answer a call on your handset and not hear anything because your caller's voice is being sent to the car (and your caller in return hearing silence from inside the car instead of your voice). That is, until you realize what's happening and have to manually disconnect the Bluetooth.

Whereas if the BT speakerphone does not have a battery and only relies on your car's 12V power, then you can be sure that when you turn off the car it will also turn off and unpair with your handset.

Alternatively, a shorter Bluetooth radius (say 10ft or less) would ensure that you won't still be paired when you're out of the car.


Otherwise I do agree that a solar charging solution would be a good idea. The only issue I see is that many handsfree kits are designed to be clipped to the visor where they're right above your head and very close (to minimize background interference). Having a solar charge means you have to put the device on the dashboard which is farther away from your mouth (and closer to engine/road noise), or perched on the windshield glass which looks hokey.

I like that Lowe's now carry Bright Effects CFLs and fluorescent candelabras and floodlights (R20/R30/R40/PAR38) in 3500K, as well as 2700K and 6500K that I don't need. Too bad they stopped carrying the Sylvania CFLs at 3500K and 5000K, which I consider to have better quality. Some of the Bright Effects stuff also start out too dim when you first turn on the light, as opposed to starting out with ~90% brightness as someone else had mentioned.

BTW it's strange that 3500K CFLs from Bright Effects (Lowe's) and n:vision (Home Depot) with similar lumens look quite different. The n:vision actually looks warmer/yellower than the Bright Effects, which makes me think that one of them is not accurate with their Kelvin rating?


So far I think I've had pretty good luck with CFL and fluorescent tube longevity, compared to some other people. That is, not too high a rate of early failures and burnouts. The ones that did happen I guess can be attributed to manufacturing defect, bad luck, or improper usage/installation. Anyways I like the latest micro-twist "T2" CFLs like those from Sylvania with 12,000hr life. Too bad CFLs can't match the better linear tubes with 24,000-36,000hr life. Savings from longer life and less wattage consumption are great, not to mention the convenience.

P.S. At my last round-up I did end up with over 100 CFL bulbs that I had bought but didn't want to use for one reason or another (color-wise, or I'd found something else brighter). I guess that negated my overall savings...

I'd switched 3-4 of our houses to almost all fluorescent lighting. Had scoured various Home Depot, Lowe's, and other local stores as well as online (1000bulbs.com, elightbulbs.com, etc). Had tried out (and ended up discarding) *a lot* of CFL bulb replacements, as well as replacing some incandescent fixture with linear (and circline) fluorescent fixtures. Had started with magnetic T12 ballasts, then moved to electronic T8's in the newer houses, and thinking of T5's for the future. 18", 2ft, 3ft, 4ft lengths...

I wish I can find a steady supply of CFLs with extra high 90+ Color Rendering Index, offered in various color temperatures (3000-3100K, 3500K, 4100K, 5000K) and various lumens (equivalent to 40/60/75/100/120W incandescents). It's more probable to find fluorescent tubes with 95+ CRI, although they're often only offered in the 5000K-6500K "full spectrum" models and not in the lower color temperatures. Also note that higher CRI comes at the expense of lower brightness (lumen per watt).

Strangely I find my color preference have shifted over the years. I used to like the 5500-6500K "white-blue" daylight stuff as it had been popular outside the US where I grew up, and I liked their advertised health benefits for SAD, etc. I really hated any kind of "yellow" lighting... Then my preference shifted lower to 5000K "neutral white" 90+ CRI full spectrum tubes and I became obsessed with it, trying out every model I could find to buy in stores and online.

But these days I guess I'm more used to warmer lighting, as even 5000K can look a bit stark (depending on the brightness and room color). Now I prefer as low as 4100K for my "white" lighting areas, and 3500K and even 3100K for my warmer lighting areas -- for both CFLs and tubes.

Other than color, my preference and perceived light quality are also affected by the brightness (lumens) and Color Rendering Index. I still search in vain to get all my lights with high CRI :-( I also tend to like brighter lights than other people. Being in a room with dim lighting (especially dim 2700K yellow lighting) used to make me feel suffocated, like there's a haze and I can't see anything... Unfortunately my wife is the opposite -- she likes dim, warm lighting and needs it to relax!

P.S. Many CFLs and linear fluorescent tubes advertise extra low mecury content these days, under 3-4mg (I've seen some with 1.5-2mg).

I'm more interested in how this Sanyo Xacti HD1010 compares with the Samsung SC-HMX20C (which was announced at CES back in January and has recently become available in stores for $850):

http://www.sanyodigital.com/specifications.aspx?v=22

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/detail/spec.do?group=camerascamcorders&type=camcorders&subtype=highdefinition&model_cd=SC-HMX20C/XAA&fullspec=F

The Samsung has 8GB built-in memory and a touchscreen interface, as well as a swivel barrel-grip design vs the Sanyo's angled pistol-grip. But both are MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 camcorders with an SD card slot and similar specs:

- 300fps low-res slow-mo
- EIS not OIS
- 1080p30 or 1080i60 on Sanyo, 1080p60 on Samsung (both can do 720p60)
- 1/2.5" 4MP CMOS sensor on Sanyo, 1/1.8" 6.4MP CMOS on Samsung (both shoot stills at 4MP)

On the other hand, the Sony HDR-TG1 is an AVCHD camcorder which is not as drag-and-drop convenient as H.264. The Sony does have OIS but only shoots 1080i60 and to a Memory Stick PRO Duo card. The sensor/processor technology used garnered great reviews in other Sony models, but the HDR-TG1 has a smaller 1/5" CMOS sensor.

I'm interested to see how the low-light performance compares among these models...

What's with the "160MBps *sequential* write"? I would expect that kind of measurements with mechanical platter technology, but flash-based SSDs have almost-negligible access times...?

Or did Samsung do something peculiar with their MLC technology?

I wish the new iMac could've used Western Digital's new VelociRaptor 10,000 RPM 2.5-inch 300GB SATA HDD.

http://www.storagereview.com/WD3000BLFS.sr

Best-in-class desktop/server performance for a mechanical drive. And compared to 3.5" desktop drives it's smaller, quieter and cooler (although you need 15mm height clearance instead of 9.5mm or even 12.5mm).

Makes sense since the iMac is already using other notebook components and can probably make use of the space savings. At the same time, it has the power output to drive the VelociRaptor (unlike regular laptops).

Posters in the other thread have also mentioned A-DATA's microSD USB reader that may truly be the smallest. It's smaller in all dimensions but particularly shorter. My post from there:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/08/super-talent-pico-usb-drives-lose-em-even-faster/comments/11532008/

Quote:
"As a couple of posters had already commented, A-DATA has a microSD card USB reader that's even smaller, at 21.5 x 12 x 2.2 mm (rounded UP in inches that's 0.85 x 0.47 x 0.087 in ). Whereas the Pico C is 31.3 x 12.4 x 3.4 mm.

http://www.adata.com.tw/adata_en/products_list.php?ProductType=Flash&TypeUse=Card&product_category=Reader%20series

NewEgg sells the USB reader bundled with 2GB microSD card for $11.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211154

A-DATA also bundles the reader with microSDHC cards 4GB (or larger) but I haven't found these larger bundles to buy yet. NewEgg does sell A-DATA's 8GB microSDHC card by itself for $49.99, which you can then insert in the reader to get the world's smallest 8GB USB drive (which also seems to be water resistant). :-) I can't wait for 16GB or larger microSDHC cards to become available..."