Wi-fi to get a whole lot easier with Wi-fi Direct

Wi-fi Direct will let wi-fi devices like phones and laptops connect to one another without joining a traditional network. The Wi-fi Alliance - whose members include Intel, Apple and Cisco -may release it as early as middle of 2010.

Top recording engineers explain why music sounds awful | The Audiophiliac - CNET News

From the aritcle: "It seems like the main problem comes from record company pressure to make perfect recordings. Vocalists' off-pitch and out-of-time singing is tweaked with Auto-Tune; music-making is largely technology-based. That is, technology has replaced musical talent, and singers like Britney Spears were cited many times as to where it's all headed. Not so musically talented, her music has to be patched together in the studio. There's not a lot of there there."

Windows Vista: A Review Recap

Here is an interesting trip down memory lane about the initial reviews for Windows Vista. While the reviews were generally lukewarm to positive, there was a lot more qualification and trepidation. Could anyone have really predicted that the public would not only not embrace Vista, but that it would prefer to downgrade to XP in many cases.

I've made a kind of a peace with Vista on my laptop, but it came that way and it was a year after Vista' release when the driver availability was better and many of the most nagging problems had be improved. It also had horsepower to run Vista. It has been okay, but I'm still really looking forward to upgrading it to Windows 7.

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 10-11-09

Remember the show for 10/18/09 will be a rerun, the host will not be available for the OnComputers Radio show.

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 10-11-09. 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.

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

Refurbished HP s3700y AMD Dual Core 2.6GHz Desktop PC for $300 + free shipping
Buy.com again offers the refurbished HP Pavilion Slimline s3700y AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.6GHz Desktop PC, model no. PNC689AAR, for $299.99. With free shipping, that ties our mention from three weeks ago as the lowest total price we could find for this refurb by $16. It features an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ 2.6GHz dual-core processor, 3GB RAM, 320GB Serial ATA 7200 rpm hard drive, DVD burner with LightScribe, memory card reader, and Windows Vista Home Premium.



: Refurbished Dell OptiPlex GX280 Pentium 4 2.8GHz Mini Desktop PC for $99 + $25 s&h
Today only, Dillyeo.com offers the refurbished Dell OptiPlex GX280 Pentium 4 2.8GHz Mini Desktop PC for $98.97 with around $25 for shipping. It's $48 under our June mention and the lowest total price we could find by $4. This system features an Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 40GB hard drive, CD-ROM drive, Gigabit Ethernet, wired keyboard and mouse, and Windows

CREE 110-Lumen LED Flashlight for $11 + $2 s&h
GoldenGadgets.com offers the CREE 110-Lumen LED Flashlight, model no. F-NF07, for $11.99. Add coupon code "ENDSUM09" to your cart to cut it to $10.79. With shipping at $1.73, it's tied with our mention from four weeks ago as the lowest total price we've seen for this particular model. It features a CREE XRE LED bulb and a glow-in-the-dark tail cap.



Dell OptiPlex 360 Intel Dual Core 2.6GHz Desktop PC for $312 + $35 s&h
Dell Small Business offers the Dell OptiPlex 360 Pentium Dual-Core 2.6GHz Desktop PC (no monitor) for $312 plus $35 for shipping. That's $135 off and the lowest total price we've ever seen for an OptiPlex 360. Sales tax is added where applicable. Features include an Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5300 2.6GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 80GB Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive, no optical drive, 3-year warranty, and Windows Vista Home Basic.


Canon PowerShot 12MP Camera + $50 Gift Card for $130 after rebate + free shipping
Staples offers the Canon PowerShot A1100 IS 12-Megapixel Digital Camera in Gray, model no. 3444B001, for $129.99 with free shipping. Plus, this mail-in rebate yields a free $50 Gift Card. Although that's $10 more than last week's mention of the camera alone, the addition of the $50 gift card makes this one of the best deals we've seen for this camera. The A1100 features a 4x optical zoom, 2.5" LCD, SDHC slot, face detection, red-eye correction, and more. Rebate expires October 17


Portable Solar Charger for $18 + $2 s&h
GoldenGadgets.com offers this 2000mAh Portable Solar Charger, model no. S-ZWT01, for $19.99. Add coupon code "ENDSUM09" to cut it to $17.99. With $2.41 for shipping, it's pennies under our June mention and the lowest total price we seen. It includes interchangeable power tips compatible with several portable electronic devices, built-in 2000mAh lithium-ion battery, and USB connectivity


Western Digital Green 1TB SATA 3Gbps Hard Drive for $72 after rebate + free shipping
ZipZoomfly.com still offers the OEM Western Digital Caviar GP 1TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Internal Hard Drive, model no. WD10EADS, for $87.99 with free shipping. This $15 mail-in rebate chops it to $72.99 ($0.07/GB). That's the lowest total price we could find by $13, although it was offered for $2 less a week ago (since expired). This "green" product promises reduced power consumption compared to other models by up to 50%; it features a 32MB cache and runs at 7200 rpm. Rebate ends October 31

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) Starting off the week with some encouraging news in the solar field. Seems a new solar power plant entered the grid in Southern California. The only thermal solar plant in the U.S. it is only able to handle about 4,000 homes at the moment, but it is easily expandable. The thermal solar concept is pretty interesting in that it does not require solar cells, rather uses tracking mirrors to concentrate heat. The other advantage to what they are doing is by making everything factory produced bolt together modules; they keep coast down, but can act quickly. http://www.esolar.com/
2) Now here is some news that may make everything obsolete, how about nuclear batteries. The size of a penny last hundreds of years, and millions of times stronger than conventional batteries, sounds too good to be true somehow. But, in the “what if” game, it would make a nice car, not needing fuel for a hundred years or so. A forever lap top, survival flash light on steroids, or how about my whole house. Got to be a catch, check it out here http://hardware.slashdot.org

3) Here is a new prototype sent to me by Wills, how about a roll up computer. That’s right the entire computer, monitor, keyboard; everything rolls up into something that looks like a mailing tube with a shoulder strap. Got to wonder where all of this is heading, R&D must be incredibly frustrating these days; your idea is obsolete before you start drawing. Anyway check it out thanks Wills. http://tech.msn.com/
4) One of the things they have trouble with when it comes to nano-scale designs is power. How do you get mechanical power to an incredibly small machine? Well it seems they may have had another of those breakthroughs. A big wow for me, just trying to understand the scale they are dealing with. The smallest possible motor and be able to demonstrate it can do useful work, consisting of only two atoms, circulating around in a round lattice of laser light. My dick Tracy watch, and transporter must be right around the corner. http://blogs.zdnet.com
5) For a geek link, how about using computers to amplify and demonstrate ESP. This is really pretty weird they have used three computers, and the internet to communicate using only the power of thought. Very basic but who knows where this may lead, to me this is right out of a sci-fi novel. The implications of just what this means is amazing. Granted I have put up a lot of links that probably were the ground work for this, at least on the sending end, the receiving end is a little more muddled. Anyway check it out there is even a video. http://blogs.zdnet.com

The Intel Museum: Fab-ulous

I'm spending my weekend in Santa Clara CA, and just a little way up the street from my hotel is the Intel campus.

What is very cool is that they have a small but excellent museum there that is open to the public. There you can not only experience the history of Intel; but the history of computing, especially in the last 30 years.

Intel was founded in 1968 by two guys, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore (Moore's law), who worked for Fairchild Semiconductor. They thought better of naming the new company Moore-Noyce (more-noise) and so Intel was born.


There are displays of everything from how chips are made to a trip through Intel's marketing strategies. One really neat thing is that the entire floor of the museum is made of perforated "clean room" tiles.

I wandered the museum by myself. Then I took a free docent-led tour that was both fun and informative.

One of my favorite things in the museum was an original Altair 8800. After all, it is the computer that started it all for the home user.


My other favorite thing was the silicon ingot. The docent told us that it was just like the ones they actually make the wafers from, but that is was shorter than the ones they use in production. The ingot on display would produce 12 inch wafers.

The museum is free and is open 6 days a week. There are both static and interactive displays that are fun for all ages. If you find yourself in Silicon Valley with an hour or 2 to spare, the Intel Museum is a great way to totally geek out.

A Review of Windows 7 - WSJ.com

"I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft has produced. It's a boost to productivity and a pleasure to use. Despite a few drawbacks, I can heartily recommend Windows 7 to mainstream consumers."

If this were just hype, I wouldn't be passing this article from the Wall Street Journal along; but having used Windows 7 for a while now, I don't want to go back to XP. In my opinion, and the opinion of others I've talked to, this is the most "ready to go" Windows ever. You don't have to wait until Service Pack 1.

If you need a new computer and can hold out a few weeks, get one with Windows 7 pre-installed. If you are using an older version of Windows like XP or Vista, I recommend upgrading to Windows 7 if your equipment meets at least the minimum requirements and you are up to the task of doing the upgrade. This really is the best Windows ever.

Down to Earth -- the other side of inflight WiFi

I'm back on the ground today and have a few more comments about Southwest Airlines WiFi offering. I still think it is a wonderful option, but there are a few downsides.

The first downside is that there are no AC seat power ports, so when your battery is done, so are you. As Southwest points out, they have recharging stations at their gates. I've never had any trouble getting a recharge at a Southwest gate when I needed one. In fact at my home airport, Sacramento, we have free airport-wide WiFi so it is a pretty sweet deal waiting for a flight at the Southwest gates. But I digress.

Another downside is that each and every web page I opened was framed with a fairly wide strip across the top. This top frame allowed me to return to the Southwest-Yahoo portal, and did give some current flight info like the altitude, but it was entirely too big and intrusive, especially when I was paying real money for the privilege. I did think the Southwest-Yahoo portal itself was nice, and once logged on, it the portal itself could be ignored.

The content is filtered, though I didn't encounter a problem. This is a mixed downside. I really don't want to be subjected to someone next to me talking loudly on VOIP or surfing porn, but like all content filtering, it is not perfect, so be forewarned. I didn't have any trouble doing anything I wanted to do. That included watching some news videos, Yahoo IM, email (POP3 and SMTP -- not relegated to Web mail), and flight tracking (with Southwest's own portal and also my favorite flight tracking sites).

The last downside is an unwieldy log in process. First you have to give you name, email (for sending the receipt), and agree to the terms of service. Once you do that you have to enter your credit card info including security code and full address. This is a real pain in the air. How much easier would it be to be able to pre-register your credit card with Southwest for this purpose, and then log in, agree to the price, agree to the terms of service and be good to go. I found it very cumbersome to log in from a cramped airline seat on a dim, battery powered screen. They type was small, gray and for security the cc number was obscured by dots. This was good for your seat partner having a hard time seeing what was going on, but it also made it difficult to enter the proper info, all the while the battery was draining its precious minutes. I had pre-stored my cc number in an encrypted file and memorized the date and security code. With my pre-planning I didn't have to actually pull out a card and I did that part via cut and paste, but it still wasn't a particularly easy maneuver.

That about wraps up the things I felt could have been better. I wish I had a way to give this feedback directly to Southwest Airlines. It is meant to be constructive. Still, no matter what the drawbacks were, the benefits of having WiFi in flight were greater. It was a wonderful experience, and just like I've sought out airlines that check at least one bag for free, offer in-flight TV, and offer WiFi and/or recharging stations at the gates, I undoubtedly would prefer to have the option of in-flight WiFi. According to Southwest, they should be offering WiFi for the entire fleet sometime in the first quarter 2010. There is no plan to offer in-flight AC seat power ports.

A Glimpse of the Future

I'm sitting on a Southwest Airlines 737, 40,000 ft above the western United States between Denver and Sacramento. On the first leg of the flight the WiFi didn't work for some unknown reason, but it was fixed during our stop in Denver. So far I've emailed, and Yahoo chatted with a few of my closest friends. Now I'm trying my hand at "sky blogging". I usually leave my computer in its bag so I'm learning to type while bouncing across the sky. 1.7 Mbps down, but it errored out on the Speakeasy upload test. But awesome download. I'd love to know more about the technology. If it is satellite, I'm not seeing the latency that I usually see. I'm also guessing at $10 for a 2 hour flight, that not a lot of people are partaking of the Internet goodness here. This is one of only 4 WiFi equipped planes that Southwest has, so getting to try this was just lucky on my part. When it works, it is on the pricey side, but it is awesomely and geeky cool.

Update: A quick Google tells me this is Ku band satellite. Now that I'm settling in I'm seeing some latency, but it is not as bad as Wildblue's heavily traffic shaped service. I certainly feel that I'm getting a good service for a high but not prohibitively high price.

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 10-04-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 10-04-09. 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) I am pretty sure this is the first green link I have put up that I almost feel I should apologize for, but there is no way I could resist something like pee power. It seems that those guys at Ohio State have really come up with something interesting this time. They say one cow can produce enough urine to provide hot water for 19 houses, hard to resist a comment on that. They say if they can convert a car battery, 90 mpg. I am not going to comment on the obvious lap top remark. All kidding aside this not only looks like a workable idea, they say it can be available in six months. http://www.myfoxdfw.com
2) This started out with a conversation with Joe over the reality of money’s value, I was talking about how money has no real value, it only has a virtual value because all of us playing the game agree to use it as currency, and that value is arbitrary. Looking around for Google ammo to express my point of view I ran across this. While making my point it has a very Gregg Zone Link plus. Seems there is a very real economy rising in the third world using cell phone minutes as currency, replacing cash. Check this out http://www.nextnature.net
3) This is one of those sites to educate your self in almost any area that interests you. If you like to follow new areas of interest like taking a course at the community college on a new subject that started those curiosity juices flowing. This may be something you are interested in, it is a free online educational site setup by Rice University in a new and innovative way. You can contribute your knowledge, and benefit from others in a very open environment. http://cnx.org/
4) This is something that was announced last year, I just saw it last week thought that it is very interesting, another of those promising technologies that seem to be popping up everywhere. Sometimes it looks encouraging the way technology is pacing our planet worries. This is one of those win-win type situations using excess heat and co2 coming from power plants, combining it with sea water to make cement. It reduces the co2 created in making the cement, and then sequesters excess co2 in the finished product. Very cool http://www.scientificamerican.com
5) A very interesting geek offering this week, I was recently introduced to the idea of a national wireless mesh network and I started looking into it; this is an extremely interesting idea. I am posting two links the first deals mainly with cars, they have this in the testing stage now in Europe by wirelessly connecting lots of cars to each other they can, by using break sensors, and other sensing devices in the car communicate road conditions, weather hazards like black ice, along with a lot of other stuff to other cars. Article here http://arstechnica.com/
But, this pales when compared to what Massachusetts is up to they are talking about complete and total wireless access statewide, everything. Every cell phone, traffic light, lap top, car, everything serving as a mini cell tower sending data along. This could be huge, they want it to be free it would change everything. http://74.125.155.132

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

New: Rosewill Amplified Directional Indoor HDTV Antenna for $15 + free shippingnewegg.com offers the Rosewill Amplified Directional Indoor HDTV Antenna, model no. RMS-DA8300, for $14.99. With free shipping,. It supports both analog and digital signals


New: USB Sound Card Adapter for $4 + free shipping

eForCity.com offers this USB Sound Card Adapter for $5.49. Apply coupon code "DEALSA092822" to get it for $3.99. With free shipping, it's $2 under our July mention and the lowest total price we've seen for such a device. It allows you to plug headphones and microphone into a USB port on your PC

3-Foot HDMI to DVI Cable for $4 + free shipping
eForCity.com offers this 3-Foot HDMI Male to DVI Male Cable for $4.99 with free shipping. Coupon code "DEALSA092820" cuts it to $3.99. That's the lowest total price we could find by a buck. Deal ends October 5

New: Seagate 1TB SATA 3Gbps Internal Hard Drive for $80 + $6 s&h
Fry's Electronics has the retail-boxed Seagate 1TB Serial ATA 3Gb/s Internal Hard Drive, model no. ST1000340AS-RK, for $79.99 plus around $6 for shipping ($0.09/GB). . This drive features a 32MB cache and runs at 7200 rpm.
Posted 3 hr 4 min ago More Serial ATA Hard Drives Fry's Electronics Coupons


Buy.com offers the Kingston 16GB DataTraveler 120 USB 2.0 Flash Drive, model no. DT120/16GB, for $29.95 with free shipping ($1.87/GB). That's the lowest total price we could find by $5.

Today only, Woot.com offers the Sunpak FlexPod Flexible Tripod in six colors for $3.99. With $5 for shipping, it's the lowest total price we could find by $9. Designed to be functionally similar to the Gorillapod, this tripod bends and twists to secure your digital camera to "just about anything." Google Images has several examples of the similar Gorillapod in action

Samsonite Camera Bag with Built-In Compass for $6 + $5 s&h
Today only, 13deals.com offers the Samsonite Camera Bag with Built-in Compass, model no. SB602BLU, for $5.99 plus $4.50 for shipping. That's tied with a 1-day deal from Features include an adjustable shoulder strap, functioning compass on the top, a snap clasp on the top of the bag, carabiner, and more.

I-Inc iF-281DPB 28in Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ Built-In Speakers $259.97, Oct. 3 12 PM

TigerDirect has the I-Inc iF-281DPB 28" Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ Built-In Speakers for a low $259.97. $27-$47 Shipping. Tax in FL, IL, NC.

1920x1200; 3ms; 800:1; 500nits; VGA & HDMI (HDCP)

'Free' Windows 7 upgrades not always free, says consumer group

"To me, whether it's $12.99 or $17.03, the charges are all outrageous," said Edgar Dworsky, the editor of Consumerworld.org

Report: Final version of free Microsoft Security Essentials to ship September 29 | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

"Microsoft is targeting MSE at customers who are unwilling and unable to pay for security software."

My question is: Are you going to trust Microsoft for the security of your computer? Will it work?

This is a good idea, I have a lot of customers that don't have any idea what they need to protest their computer from threats.

I have noticed Windows Vista doesn't break as easy as Windows XP did. I hope Windows 7 is better.

AlaskaJoe

US relinquishes control of the internet

After complaints about American dominance of the internet and growing disquiet in some parts of the world, Washington has said it will relinquish some control ...

Windows 7 OEM Prices Revealed - PC World

"For those of you looking to grab an OEM license of the admirable new operating system, you will be happy to know that Windows 7 comes in at a slightly cheaper price than its predecessor Vista."
Here is a way to get your hands on a copy of Windows 7 for a lot less money.

AlaskaJoe

Upgrading to Windows 7 the Easy Way - OS, Software & Networking by ExtremeTech

"Are you planning on upgrading your computer? Especially if you're running Vista, Windows 7 offers a compelling combination of faster boot times, improved responsiveness (since there are fewer processes running at any given time), and several fun and practical user interface enhancements. But what about your stuff?"

I always do a clean install. You need to remember, if your computer isn't running right, then upgrading just brings the problems along.

This Windows Easy Transfer wizard makes a clean installation so much easier. You need someplace to put the data like a NAS, or USB drive. I have my Documents ETC.. on my server so they can be accessed from any computer on my network.

To do a clean installation of Windows 7 is easy, once you have your data backed up just put the disk in the drive and reboot your computer and follow the prompts. It ask you a few easy question along the way. Like do you want to upgrade or do a full install? The next question you need to think about is do you want to do a fast format, a full format or leave the drive the way it was. I always do a fast format. Then you just let it run. On my system Intel Core 2 Duo CPU E8500 with 4GB RAM GeForce 9500 GT 1GB video care. Windows 7 found all of my drivers and I didn't need to do anything. Then I installed my 2 network printers, and a few apps I use all of the time and it was finished. I installed the 64 bit version.

You will find "Windows Easy Transfer" by clicking Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools. It is in the same place in Vista and Windows 7.

I think you will enjoy Windows 7

AlaskaJoe

The Cheapest Way to Get Windows 7! - Windows 7 OEM Prices - Gizmodo

"Newegg has listed prices for OEM copies of Windows 7—technically intended for little computer building businesses, but there's nothing stopping you buying them. And as long as you understand some mostly-minor limitations, you can save some serious money."

This is a good way to get your hands on a copy of Windows 7. As long as you don't need to call someone like Dell or HP for support.

I am using Windows 7 as my main computer these days, and I love it.

AlaskaJoe

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 09-27-09

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 09-27-09. 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.