Naked Eyes - Promises, Promises

12 11 2008

Apple rumor headlining a blog is so cliche. So here is some old, new-romantic pop from the eighties instead.


Comments : No Comments »
Tags : , ,
Categories : Opinion

Rumor: Apple to Cut Notebook Production?

11 11 2008

If this is true, then I told you so :) Releasing over-priced notebooks when most of your customers fear losing their homes is a bad idea.

Maybe this will prompt a price cut to sensible levels (base models):

MacBook plastic - 799

MacBook unibody - 999

MacBook Pro unibody - 1499

… but probably not.


Comments : No Comments »
Tags : ,
Categories : Opinion

PC Advisor - Liars, EA Sports - Thieves, Peter Moore - Idiot

1 11 2008

As an avid PC gamer occasionally I have to rely on other websites to get a sense for whether a certain game is worth buying. Especially this time of year when the release schedule flood gates open.

There’s been a ton of hype regarding this year’s installment of NHL 09. Hyperbole is flying around all over the net about how good this game is. But there is a big misleading problem with many of the reviews in print and on ‘tier one’ gaming sites; all the reviews seem to be for the 360 and PS3 console version of the game.

Now I don’t know about you, but when I visit the ‘PC’ section of IGN or pick up a PC magazine I expect a little more than a brief regurgitation of EA’s generic Press Release. I would expect a review based on PC game play. That would make me wrong in this case.

Have a look at this review. Not only do they claim the game has features that are in fact absent, they even have the wrong screens. My PC is significantly more powerful than a 360 and NHL 09 looks nothing like this review’s screen shots. Why? Because the game uses the NHL 06 engine on the PC version. It’s the PS2 version ported over to PC.

  • No enhanced be a pro.
  • No wide screen support (1024*768 is the max)
  • Spotty online play
  • Last year’s rules (face in wrong zone when penalties are called)

I’ve been buying a lot of EA games recently - Spore, Dead Space, WAR, Crysis Warhead. I don’t know who is calling the shots at EA, but pissing-off their most loyal client base is a bad idea. Particularly when the ‘next-gen’ is starting to get stale and old.

This is the point in every console generation when the hard-core gamers revert back to the PC because even a cheap $600 PC is more powerful than a console (that amount gets you a quad core with 20″ LCD and basic GeForce 8600 class video card - add $200 for a monster GPU like the AMD 4850). Unlike consoles, everyone needs a PC.

Actually I do know who is calling the shots at EA Sports. That would be Peter Moore. You remember him, he destroyed Sega and caused them to leave the console making business. He also launched the Xbox - what a huge hit that has been, 30 million units worldwide in 6 years. That many PCs are sold every month. Even when Sony shot themselves in the foot he found a way to fnish second. He is your grandpa trying to fit in with teen agers. Yeah, that guy.


Comments : No Comments »
Tags : , , , , ,
Categories : Opinion

What ever happened to MXM?

12 10 2008

Sure, there are notebooks available today that use this mobile video card format but can anyone really say that the concept has achieved success?

A few years ago when Nvidia and ATI launched MXM and Axiom there was reason to be excited. One of the key reasons that notebooks lagged desktops was that they were a dead end in many ways - most had their CPUs and GPUs soldered to the motherboard. These new card formats would make the GPU upgradable.

Today, socketed CPUs are common. Axiom is gone, but MXM modules abound. You would never know this though. Many notebooks designs effectively lock the MXM module by hiding it away from access panels. This diminishes the likleyhood of users attempting upgrades. The Toshiba A300 is an example of this.

Another issue is the lack of add in boards. Users looking to upgrade have to seek out a small number of vendors who sell the MXM boards. Its up to the user to educate themselves on the three form factors and to research what video bios works on their hardware. The upgrades are typically not supported - even if you use a module from your vendor. Recently I reviewed the Acer Aspire 6920G and it fell into this category.

Compatibility seems to be broken on a regular basis too. Whether its the heat interface or the electronics, it seems very few people who bought MXM compatible notebooks one generation ago have the ability to upgrade to today’s GPUs. I am thinking specifically of people who bought Dell XPS 17″ notebooks. Those would still be viable gaming systems with an Nvidia 9800m GT GPU.

I guess the point of this post is to remind you not to get hung up on a feature like MXM. Most future proofing features are of dubious value. In future reviews I will point out wheather this feature is present and list compatible modules - clearly pointing out when none exist.


Comments : No Comments »
Tags : , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Opinion

Newegg Canada Sucks, Here’s Why

4 10 2008

Newegg launched their highly anticpated Canadian store this week with a resounding thud.

In addition to offering crap like Phenom X4 9600 CPUs (with its TLB bug) the prices are nothing special and the selection is poor. Sadly, there is more bad news:

  1. They force you to use UPS.
  2. Items are shipped from the USA.
  3. Provincial sales tax confuses them - they charge it even when they shouldn’t.

The first two items are deal breakers, the latter will be corrected when someone points it out to them.

UPS is a terrible substiture for Canada Post. When it comes to parcels Brown are slower, more expensive and charge criminally high brokerage fees.

I recently ordered an $800 notebook. I was hit with GST - fair eough - but UPS made me pay a $70 brokerage fee. That was almost double the tax!

If you are a Canadian looking for PC Hardware deals, stick to NCIX.


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags : , , , ,
Categories : Opinion

Apple’s Brick to Smash Windows?

29 09 2008

I like to take stabs at guessing what Apple has in the pipeline as much as anyone else. Although I can’t claim to have any degree of accuracy it’s still fun. Very few people read this site so it spares me from embarrasment when I miss the mark.

My prediction: Read the rest of this entry »


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags : , , ,
Categories : Opinion

15 Frames Per Second is Not ‘Playable’

28 09 2008

The Asus N10 netbook gets a preview over at Mobile Computer Mag. A short video demo is included.

Based on the reviewer’s video, calling it a ‘gaming netbook’ might be a bit of a stretch even if it has the Nvidia 9300m GPU. Perhaps someone who knows their way around a setting screen could coax its true potential. Fast paced games need smooth frame rates in order to be fully enjoyed.

The reviewer demonstrates the N10 running Call of Duty 4 at what appears to 15 fps. Admittedly, he chooses some pretty silly settings such as 2x AA and ignores the advanced settings screen where the textures and geometry detail can be scaled back to a playable level.

As a comparison, the Asus VX3 Lamborghini I recently reviewed has the same GPU as the N10, but added a Core 2 Duo T9300 CPU at 2.5 GHz and 4 GB RAM. The VX3 could only play CoD4 smoothly at ‘low’ settings at 1280×800 resolution.

What’s my point? I think calling the N10 a gaming netbook is a bad idea and sets unrealistic expectations. Asus has not realy explained what market they feel this netbook serves, but I don’t know if they will label it as a gaming platform.

There does not seem to be much consumer advocacy in reviews these days. Everyone panders to the PC makers in order to secure review samples. A shame because there are some real dogs out there.


Comments : No Comments »
Tags : , , ,
Categories : Opinion

Only Idiots Buy Vista

27 09 2008
I was just reading an article over at PC World about people who actually paid $399 or more for Vista Ultimate at retail. Having actually been dumb enough to pay this much, their stupidity now compels them to admit to the act by complaining.

Why are these idiots perturbed? MS promised periodic upates and freebees as enticement to buy the top of the line edition of Vista, but so far substantive add-ons have not materialized. MS is never one to walk away from a quick dishonest buck.

This got me thinking about the kind of person that trusts MS enough to pay in advance for features. Is trusting the starlet of multiple anti-trust lawsuits on pretty much every continent with a civilization ever a good idea? It is when you are an idiot, I guess.

You might ask; what features are worth such a hefty sum? What extensions to Vista - universally decried for being a step backwards from XP - could possibly be worth paying for?* To date there have been only a handful of underwhelming downloads - we are talking screensavers and casual games.

Screenshot taken from Asus VX3 review sample - no hipocracy here

Screenshot taken from Asus VX3 review sample - no hipocracy here

I pondered the value proposition of an OS. Even one packed with as many trivial unfinished trinkets as vanilla Vista is pretty useless at the end of the day without some good apps. What the hell did people expect to be doing in the OS that could compel them to pay $399?

For comparison’s sake, Apple’s infinitely superior OS X 10.5 Leopard is just $125. A child can hack it to run on generic WinTel. You could almost buy a basic PC and Leopard for just the cost of Vista.

Alternatively, a store bought PC can be had at Best buy for about $400. This will come with Vista Home Premium that while lacking the superlative suffix it is exactly the OS delivered to date to folks who bought Vista Ultimate. Perhaps Vista Ulimate’s shiny black box caught the idiot’s eye, but I would rather have a nice case, dual core CPU with motherboard, 3 GB RAM, 320 GB HDD, DVD-RW, keyboard and mouse included free with my OS.

Hopefully MS does the right thing by giving Vista retail customers a free copy of Windows 7.

* Yes, it was universally decried because the opinions expressed by MS’s legion of paid minions/shills does not count. Not here anyway.


Comments : No Comments »
Tags : , , , ,
Categories : Opinion

Memo to Acer: About Your Keyboards… They Stink!

6 09 2008

Other than the Ferrari 4005 WLMi that I reviewed years ago, I’ve never had an Acer notebook with what I would deem a proper keyboard. Now, a goofy key arrangement such as the layout of the current Aspire 6920G keyboard is one thing but the sponginess inherent in your keyboards is at the point now where I wonder if this isn’t some joke perpetrated against consumers. You could only make such terrible keyboards on such a consistent basis if that was in fact your purpose all along. It takes a concerted effort on the part of many bright people to make such lousy human/computer interfaces when most of your competition seem to have figured this out. We are victims of your hunt and peck conspiracy.

I am only half kidding. Here is a review from a couple years ago - the Aspire 5112WLMi. The 6920G is even worse. In fact some key presses do not even register.

Moral of the story? Try before you buy!


Comments : No Comments »
Tags : , ,
Categories : Opinion

Benchmark: Sticker Removal

6 09 2008

Scourge of palm rests, the metallic ‘what’s inside’ stickers adhered to most notebooks these days can be a real pain to remove. The Acer Aspire 6920 I have today is plastered with them. I thought it would be fun to measure their tenacity and measure the length of time required to remove them.

  1. Windows Vista decal: 5 seconds. Peeled easy, then metallic backing rolled off the surface and came off clean.
  2. Dolby Home Theater decal: 11 seconds. This one was trickier to roll. Like the Vista decal it left no residue.
  3. Intel Centrino decal: 32 seconds. Thick metallic backing and strong glue made it hard to remove this one. A bit of glue remained and had to be rubbed off.
  4. NVIDIA decal: 94 seconds. Jen-Hsun Huang’s evil minions have created a decal with strong glue and thick metallic backing. It only came off aided by a sharp edge.

There you have it - most annoying decal goes to Nvidia. Their chips are OK though :)


Comments : No Comments »
Tags : , , ,
Categories : Opinion

« Previous Entries