You may have heard that there is a declining amount of interest in tablets that are only Wi-Fi or WWAN.
I cannot make sense of a tablet that is only one or the other. However, if you are in need http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifof a quick search on the internet, a smart phone, or even a simple feature phone with only a Java browser like http://boltbrowser.com/dnld.html#BOLTLite, Opera, or UC Browser, you cannot justify the use of a tablet : bulky, heavy, poor input( with exception of the accelerometers ).
If any work needs to be done, use a real keyboard, screen and cursor.
I am impressed with the Lenovo X200 simply because it is pressure sensitive. If you are drawing it may be nice. But then again, so does real paper and a pen!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Mini USB Wireless N - Ebay Ralink RT2870 - AVOID
I just received the RT2870 mini usb wireless adapter. I got it off Ebay.
The title on Ebay is :
WIFI 802.11n USB Wireless Network LAN Adapter Card N
If you do not want to read further : do not buy it.
Compared with my old laptop Intel Wireless B adapter, the performance is pathetic : what is usually 85%(Intel PCI2100 802.11b) is less than 7% with the Ralink RT2870.
I disconnected a 900Mhz cordless phone. The signal did improve to about 25%, but it still was not reliable.
Apparently that phone should not make much of a difference, but it does. :(
Regarding the router, it is the Trendnet TEW 432BRP
At 15$ it works great. I don't use it much for intra network file transfers, so wireless G is more than enough. It is a little old, so you will not be able to adjust QoS if you use VoIP phones or software.
The worst part of the performance of this 802.11n adapter is the location : I am in a rural area with no wifi noise other than those from my own home!
Update 27/08/2011: I installed OSX 86 on my ThinkPad - it worked great except for the Intel Wifi card no drivers are available. However, I went to the Ralink site and got the drivers for 10.6.8 - the RT2870 works. The range and poor connectivity did not change! I guess this adapter is fine if your router is only a few meters away, but I doubt it would a good option in the library or a regular sized house or apartment.
The title on Ebay is :
WIFI 802.11n USB Wireless Network LAN Adapter Card N
If you do not want to read further : do not buy it.
Compared with my old laptop Intel Wireless B adapter, the performance is pathetic : what is usually 85%(Intel PCI2100 802.11b) is less than 7% with the Ralink RT2870.
I disconnected a 900Mhz cordless phone. The signal did improve to about 25%, but it still was not reliable.
Apparently that phone should not make much of a difference, but it does. :(
Regarding the router, it is the Trendnet TEW 432BRP
At 15$ it works great. I don't use it much for intra network file transfers, so wireless G is more than enough. It is a little old, so you will not be able to adjust QoS if you use VoIP phones or software.
The worst part of the performance of this 802.11n adapter is the location : I am in a rural area with no wifi noise other than those from my own home!
Update 27/08/2011: I installed OSX 86 on my ThinkPad - it worked great except for the Intel Wifi card no drivers are available. However, I went to the Ralink site and got the drivers for 10.6.8 - the RT2870 works. The range and poor connectivity did not change! I guess this adapter is fine if your router is only a few meters away, but I doubt it would a good option in the library or a regular sized house or apartment.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Alcohol cures all ills - laptop spills, mouse buttons, etc...
Have you had a hard time keeping contact?
It may depend what you are working with, but in many electronic devices, isopropyl alcohol is very useful. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol
My Microsoft Intellimouse was dying. The left click would occasionally work. I thought about unsoldering and resoldering existing buttons, given I almost never use the forward button, but I gave alcohol a try. Since then the mouse has been working like day one.
Regarding the purity of the alcohol, I recommend a 70% alcohol to 30% water mixture. Sometimes a spill will dry, but the contents will not dissolve in pure alcohol but will in water ie. salt or sugar. That will give a better chance that the contaminated area will be cleansed of the spilt liquid.
It has worked on two laptops and motherboards so far.
It may depend what you are working with, but in many electronic devices, isopropyl alcohol is very useful. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isopropyl_alcohol
My Microsoft Intellimouse was dying. The left click would occasionally work. I thought about unsoldering and resoldering existing buttons, given I almost never use the forward button, but I gave alcohol a try. Since then the mouse has been working like day one.
Regarding the purity of the alcohol, I recommend a 70% alcohol to 30% water mixture. Sometimes a spill will dry, but the contents will not dissolve in pure alcohol but will in water ie. salt or sugar. That will give a better chance that the contaminated area will be cleansed of the spilt liquid.
It has worked on two laptops and motherboards so far.
MK300 Logitech Keyboard dead!!! (mouse is OK)
I was sort of happy that it decided to suddenly stop working. Nothing wrong with it, but a little troubleshooting for me.
After plugging in and unplugging the receiver, the keyboard had no response to anything.
I put in new batteries. Still nothing.
I held the receiver for 10 seconds to reset it. Still nothing.
I uninstalled and reinstalled Setpoint, only to see that there is no keyboard tab. Still nothing.
The CTRL (left) -ALT (left) F12 (once or twice the key combination) - connect Receiver, connect keyboard and then ESC. Still nothing.
For some odd reason, connecting the receiver to USB 1.1 port (probably unrelated) and holding in the connect button while inserting batteries, seemed to have fixed the problem.
I noticed as a red bar appeared in the bottom of Firefox - Search as you Type, for the random keys that were pressed when I did that connection test!!!
UPDATE : it is inconsistent - the keyboard died again. It worked on the same computer in safe mode, they stopped - again. I looked up the EEPROM Amtel 25160AN found in the receiver- but I do not want to mess around with it more than I have to.
If you are still under warranty - contact customer support if you cannot get it working again!
Update :
I booted off Puppy Linux : mouse and keyboard worked fine. It is obvious there is problem with Windows and how it manages the drivers. Why won't Logitech make software fix for this?
After plugging in and unplugging the receiver, the keyboard had no response to anything.
I put in new batteries. Still nothing.
I held the receiver for 10 seconds to reset it. Still nothing.
I uninstalled and reinstalled Setpoint, only to see that there is no keyboard tab. Still nothing.
The CTRL (left) -ALT (left) F12 (once or twice the key combination) - connect Receiver, connect keyboard and then ESC. Still nothing.
For some odd reason, connecting the receiver to USB 1.1 port (probably unrelated) and holding in the connect button while inserting batteries, seemed to have fixed the problem.
I noticed as a red bar appeared in the bottom of Firefox - Search as you Type, for the random keys that were pressed when I did that connection test!!!
UPDATE : it is inconsistent - the keyboard died again. It worked on the same computer in safe mode, they stopped - again. I looked up the EEPROM Amtel 25160AN found in the receiver- but I do not want to mess around with it more than I have to.
If you are still under warranty - contact customer support if you cannot get it working again!
Update :
I booted off Puppy Linux : mouse and keyboard worked fine. It is obvious there is problem with Windows and how it manages the drivers. Why won't Logitech make software fix for this?
Developing apps - no sound please
Unless it is a media player, or a game, please keep the sounds, click etc out of the app.
I am looking at the App Inventor for Android, http://appinventor.googlelabs.com
The first demo is cute. A cat sitting around a computer. The app name is Hello Purr.
Image button sound. Not really useful, but it makes a sound.
In windows, it is "fun" cute to see desktop images, sound themes, but really they are useless. I rarely ever see my desktop, the sounds would be nothing more than a bother.
I am looking at the App Inventor for Android, http://appinventor.googlelabs.com
The first demo is cute. A cat sitting around a computer. The app name is Hello Purr.
Image button sound. Not really useful, but it makes a sound.
In windows, it is "fun" cute to see desktop images, sound themes, but really they are useless. I rarely ever see my desktop, the sounds would be nothing more than a bother.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
The Tablet Hype is Over
Back in 2003, Bill Gates made a presentation of the tablet. It was relatively new, but still too expensive and many people still did not have computers. Why get a tablet?
http://www.pcworld.com/article/107024/gates_describes_home_full_of_smart_gadgets.html
Now everybody has one or more computers, cell phones, mp3 players, cameras, GPS units etc. The tablet was the next logical step?
There are a number of things that I bought that bought just for trying : bluetooth headset, USB remote control, webcam. Just about none have been useful.
What about a tablet? Will the keyboard allow me to scroll through words quickly like CTRL+Left or Right arrow? How about the keyboard? If one makes mistakes with a normal keyboard, the predictive nature of the tablet must be amazing to avoid the typos I've come across using touch phones.
From a manufacturing standpoint, tablets are great - no customizable buttons, minimal parts to fit together. It is all software and a disposable device if anything other than the screen or battery goes wrong.
Regarding ergonomics, notebooks are a step down from desktops, considering that the screen is usually at the height of one's chest, rather than eyes. Tablet are just screens to watch videos or read books. Much less ergonomic than a screen far away or a book that you can fit in your back pocket.
Many manufacturers have gotten into making tablets and alternatives to the iPad, but know they will have to move on. A convertible laptop, tablet etc... doubles as a phone... I do not have a vision, but things will change sooner than we think.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/107024/gates_describes_home_full_of_smart_gadgets.html
Now everybody has one or more computers, cell phones, mp3 players, cameras, GPS units etc. The tablet was the next logical step?
There are a number of things that I bought that bought just for trying : bluetooth headset, USB remote control, webcam. Just about none have been useful.
What about a tablet? Will the keyboard allow me to scroll through words quickly like CTRL+Left or Right arrow? How about the keyboard? If one makes mistakes with a normal keyboard, the predictive nature of the tablet must be amazing to avoid the typos I've come across using touch phones.
From a manufacturing standpoint, tablets are great - no customizable buttons, minimal parts to fit together. It is all software and a disposable device if anything other than the screen or battery goes wrong.
Regarding ergonomics, notebooks are a step down from desktops, considering that the screen is usually at the height of one's chest, rather than eyes. Tablet are just screens to watch videos or read books. Much less ergonomic than a screen far away or a book that you can fit in your back pocket.
Many manufacturers have gotten into making tablets and alternatives to the iPad, but know they will have to move on. A convertible laptop, tablet etc... doubles as a phone... I do not have a vision, but things will change sooner than we think.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
How little have computers changed
Writing this will not get me a job as a reviewer or editor. Saying that my old computer is just fine, for 99% percent of my tasks, will not encourage people to dispose of their old system.
Checking the speed tests of a CPU would make a system seem impressive, but the few seconds that one may save during compilation of a program compared to the hundreds of hours required for coding, is really little benefit. Do not get me wrong I do appreciate the design or artwork that goes into new consumer electronics, but it it makes sense why things have changed so little.
An ideal system must have a keyboard with little flex, a high resolution screen so images and small text is clear (preferably IPS), and low noise emissions. When Windows XP has at least 512 MB of RAM, it runs well. I could have 15 – 20 tabs open in Firefox without a problem. Office applications would also run fine.
I appreciate faster file transfers and programs that take a little less time to load. However, I cannot say that the improvements are that impressive. A touch screen isn't amazing, nor is LCD panel that acts as a subwoofer.
I just like the fact that I can fold my computer, put it in my bag and go wherever. A few hours of battery life is more than enough.
Checking the speed tests of a CPU would make a system seem impressive, but the few seconds that one may save during compilation of a program compared to the hundreds of hours required for coding, is really little benefit. Do not get me wrong I do appreciate the design or artwork that goes into new consumer electronics, but it it makes sense why things have changed so little.
An ideal system must have a keyboard with little flex, a high resolution screen so images and small text is clear (preferably IPS), and low noise emissions. When Windows XP has at least 512 MB of RAM, it runs well. I could have 15 – 20 tabs open in Firefox without a problem. Office applications would also run fine.
I appreciate faster file transfers and programs that take a little less time to load. However, I cannot say that the improvements are that impressive. A touch screen isn't amazing, nor is LCD panel that acts as a subwoofer.
I just like the fact that I can fold my computer, put it in my bag and go wherever. A few hours of battery life is more than enough.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)