If you are lucky enough to get those precious bits, post a comment and let us all know whet you think.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Get Windows 7 Beta Here Soon
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer promised attendees during his keynote speech at this year's CES that the beta will be available soon. Keep your eye on the Microsoft Download Center since the download will be available to only the first 2.5 million people who want it.
Apple unveils new MacBook Pro, iLife/iWork suites at Macworld
Apple's aluminum forging operations can now scale up to stamp out a new 17" MacBook Pro later this month. As the former owner of a 17" Mac G4, I can tell you the form-factor is great around the house but fugetaboutit at an airport. Those with $2,800 or more burning in their pockets can line up at their local Apple Store and support the economy.
iLife, the built-in media suite that comes with all Macs, gets a fresh face in the 2009 edition. iPhoto and iMovie get a bunch of new features that will allow more metadata and better editing and recall capabilities.
iTunes junks the $.99 price fits all with three price points; one above and one below a buck. More importantly, iTunes will drop DRM in the next 90 days, which in turn will draw more industry support for Apple's media formats over time.
iWork gets a makeover too, but unless you are on a desert Apple Island, the proprietary iWork presentation, spreadsheet, and word processor will be a learning bridge too far for anyone exposed to Open Office or more likely Microsoft Office. Save your $100.
Missing in action: new iMac and Mac Pro desktops. An Apple store employee poo-poohed the idea that the company needed a new Mac Pro, saying "few customers can harness the eight processors we already offer". He moved on when I mentioned protein folding.
iLife, the built-in media suite that comes with all Macs, gets a fresh face in the 2009 edition. iPhoto and iMovie get a bunch of new features that will allow more metadata and better editing and recall capabilities.
iTunes junks the $.99 price fits all with three price points; one above and one below a buck. More importantly, iTunes will drop DRM in the next 90 days, which in turn will draw more industry support for Apple's media formats over time.
iWork gets a makeover too, but unless you are on a desert Apple Island, the proprietary iWork presentation, spreadsheet, and word processor will be a learning bridge too far for anyone exposed to Open Office or more likely Microsoft Office. Save your $100.
Missing in action: new iMac and Mac Pro desktops. An Apple store employee poo-poohed the idea that the company needed a new Mac Pro, saying "few customers can harness the eight processors we already offer". He moved on when I mentioned protein folding.
AMD Plays Catchup With Phenom II's
Wow, faint praise indeed by UK-based Custom PC magazine on the new 45-nm AMD Phenom II microprocessors. AMD has has a touch year on the performance sidelines, as first Core 2 Duo quads from Intel and then the Core i7 "Nehalem" quads crushed AMD's best in performance and price-performance. The new 45 nm process allows AMD to shrink the chip, improve thermals, and get much improved overclockability from the Phenom IIs.
But Custom PC says the new Phenom II's performance and price-performance put it marginally ahead of the two-year old Intel Q6600, an aging 65 nm chip that's being phased out. Yet the Q6600 is phenomenally overclockable (pun intended), and under $200 to boot. Bottom line: Intel's Q6600 is still the price-performer over the new AMD Phenom II's, while Intel Core 2 Duo and Cote i7 leave AMD in the dust. Fusion or not, it's gonna be a tough year for AMD.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Windows Media Center: 7 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do - OS, Software & Networking by ExtremeTech
"Windows Media Center remains one of Vista's most underrated features, offering a slick, couch-friendly interface for watching TV shows and movies, listening to music, enjoying photo slideshows, and more."
I have Windows Media Center on my Vista box and that is how I watch TV on my PC, Now you can do a lot more. Some of these are cool, some a lame (to me) But they are cool you can watch shoes and other things on your PC.
My question is will this work in XP's Media Center?
AlaskaJoe
I have Windows Media Center on my Vista box and that is how I watch TV on my PC, Now you can do a lot more. Some of these are cool, some a lame (to me) But they are cool you can watch shoes and other things on your PC.
My question is will this work in XP's Media Center?
AlaskaJoe
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
HP offers money for old tech equipment | Green Tech - CNET News
HP is taking old computers (and other things like printers, monitors, ETC..) It might be worth it for you to send your old computers to HP, You do have to pay for shipping. "Given this economy, I'd say it's worth your time to look up the value of your electronic junk on HP's site and make that trip to the post office."
This is better than you paying to recycle your old stuff.
AlaskaJoe
This is better than you paying to recycle your old stuff.
AlaskaJoe
Sunday, January 04, 2009
OnComputers Radio show Podcast 01-04-09
This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 01-04-09. You can listen live every Sunday from 10AM to 1PM Pacific that's 1PM to 4PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat. If you prefer, you can download the same MP3 file here via ftp.
Links from the Gregg Zone
1) Thought for a change on my green link this week, and since it is the beginning of a new year; I will concentrate most of my efforts on the future. In the interest of progress toward cleaning up the planet I think the most realistic approach is the X-Prize. The fastest way to get something done on our planet, at this time in history is with a super large carrot. The X-Prize offers that incentive, the link here is the best place I have found to keep up on what is going on with this venue, lots of links, and a nice news story crawler to keep on latest events. http://www.xprize.org/
2) Next up this is a place I found interesting to spend some time, even though I had no real reason to go there. It could be very useful at times for anyone. I am referring to the National Archives site. It is quite amazing just how much stuff is here. If you are in to doing any kind of research it can be a great place to start. You can look up everything from your genealogy, to the voting record of your favorite politician. http://www.archives.gov/
3) We are rapidly approaching a date that has fascinated me for quite a while, and I will be posting more links on this subject in the future, I am referring to 2012 of course. The Mayan calendar is the most popular subject related to the date, so I thought I would start here. This is a site with a video of a lecture about the Mayan calendar, and quite a bit more information than most. I found this same man doing a lecture a few years ago that I thought was better than this new one, but I could not find it Google has taken down the old one. Maybe at the way back site, I will have to try that one of these days. http://www.dreammanifesto.com/
4) This is one that was sent to me in an email from the show, I think it was Troll, but I am not sure if I am wrong I apologize. Any way it is a site of web cams from all around the world, I did not check to see if they had any of the airports in Alaska. Sorry that was aimed at Joe, I am sure I will cover it during the show. http://www.camcentral.com/
5) Now for a geek thing, this is an article that caught my eye. A new syndrome revolving around email, and sleeping, called zzzz-mail. Something that people like Joe who often sleeps in the chair in front of the computer might have to be careful of. http://www.telegraph.co.uk
2) Next up this is a place I found interesting to spend some time, even though I had no real reason to go there. It could be very useful at times for anyone. I am referring to the National Archives site. It is quite amazing just how much stuff is here. If you are in to doing any kind of research it can be a great place to start. You can look up everything from your genealogy, to the voting record of your favorite politician. http://www.archives.gov/
3) We are rapidly approaching a date that has fascinated me for quite a while, and I will be posting more links on this subject in the future, I am referring to 2012 of course. The Mayan calendar is the most popular subject related to the date, so I thought I would start here. This is a site with a video of a lecture about the Mayan calendar, and quite a bit more information than most. I found this same man doing a lecture a few years ago that I thought was better than this new one, but I could not find it Google has taken down the old one. Maybe at the way back site, I will have to try that one of these days. http://www.dreammanifesto.com/
4) This is one that was sent to me in an email from the show, I think it was Troll, but I am not sure if I am wrong I apologize. Any way it is a site of web cams from all around the world, I did not check to see if they had any of the airports in Alaska. Sorry that was aimed at Joe, I am sure I will cover it during the show. http://www.camcentral.com/
5) Now for a geek thing, this is an article that caught my eye. A new syndrome revolving around email, and sleeping, called zzzz-mail. Something that people like Joe who often sleeps in the chair in front of the computer might have to be careful of. http://www.telegraph.co.uk
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