Posts in Notebooks
Crash and burn
Darius Chang | Jun 28, 2006
When
we say that a PC has crashed and burned, we almost never meant it
literally. But, according to a report by
The Inquirer, members at a Japanese conference
experienced first-hand a notebook going ballistic.
It
seems a Dell laptop had a slight identity crisis and thought it was a
flashbang grenade. Fortunately, there was no sign of injury, other than
that done to the manufacturer's reputation. According to Dell
spokeswoman, Anne Camden, the notebook in question had been taken in
for investigation.
Camden mentioned that the
incident may not be a battery issue, and that "From here it's going to
be a very methodical and meticulous process to figure out what
happened". We are guessing that after this fireworks display, none of
the Japanese conference members will ever consider using their
notebooks on their laps again.
Your grandmother's PC
Darius Chang | Jun 23, 2006
Not
to stereotype the older folks, but after assisting more than a few
senior citizens who want to relate with their grandchildren by learning
about emails and Internet browsing, we've found it an uphill task, to
say the least. The myrid features and functions of most PCs make it
hard for them to focus on essential information and hence confusion
sets in easily.
According to our blogger, Toekang
IT, Singapore-based company Mee Swa, a
name which means longevity noodles in Chinese, offers a painless way
for those aged over 45 who haven't even touched a PC in their lives to
learn basic computing. Based on Fedora Core 5, one of the flavors of
Linux, the interface for their easyPC computers have enlarged fonts,
big buttons and clearly marked menus. Currently available through phone
orders only, the company has plans to create awareness through senior
citizen groups and in time offer an online store.
By
removing the "fluff" and displaying only essential information, the
learning curve should be greatly reduced, and soon, you may even be
receiving your grandma's secret recipe via email.
Apple explains MacBook heating issues
Darius Chang | Jun 07, 2006
Heat has always been the bane of mobile
computers. From chassis design to hardware engineering, much effort has
been made to drop operating temperatures by a matter of degrees. The
latest Intel-based MacBooks, however, seem to be taking a step back
with reports of unusually high heat signatures.
After
some investigation, it seemed the high temperature was due to the
plastic film which covers the rear exit vent. Used during
manufacture and delivery to prevent dust from entering the system,
Apple, in an article
on its support site, recommended that users discard this
layer to allow hot air to circulate out of the system. Moreover, the
Cupertino company explained that "with processor and bus speeds in
portable computers often matching, if
not exceeding, those of desktop systems, increased operating
temperatures in portable computing products are common throughout the
industry". In other words, please don't use laptops on your laps
anymore, unless receiving third-degree burns on your quadriceps happens
to be a hobby of yours.
NEC goes green
Darius Chang | Jun 05, 2006
Though
consumer technology is a relatively new field, the sheer amount of
electronics due to the rapid turnover and upgrades has seen some older
models turning up at dump sites. In the bid for faster and cheaper
machines, environmental concerns have been put on a back burner with
lead,
mercury and other dangerous chemicals emerging in the manufacture of
high-tech
toys.
NEC is the latest in line--joining the ranks
of Toshiba, ASUS, Fujitsu, etc.--to meet the European
Union's Directive on the Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
for the manufacture of PCs. To qualify gor an RoHS rating. there are
six groups of dangerous
substances which should not be used due to the possibility of
environmental contamination: Lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent
chromium (a chemical
made famous in the movie Erin Brockovich),
polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE).
There seems to be no apparant standardization of logos on the Web site
to identify RoHS-compliant products, but we've noted at least Toshiba
notebooks have a sticker to identify them as eco-friendly.
The
first
eco-friendly notebooks by the Japanese vendor are the Versa
S5200 and upcoming Versa P8210. However, be aware
that even though these notebooks do not contain the restricted
chemicals, proper disposal procedures should still be exercised as, to
date, there are still no biodegradable systems invented yet.
XPS hits Asia Pacific
Darius Chang | Jun 01, 2006
The
premium gaming line from Dell has finally arrive on our shores. The new
XPS M1210 is the first
12.1-inch Core Duo notebook to hold a game-worthy discrete graphics
card. Though there have been laptops with dedicated video
processors of this size, like the LG
TX1, the cost is usually at a
premium and retails at over
The highlights of this notebook are:
We have the full review here.
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