Posted by gman on 3rd June 2008
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Bigger is not always better and the heated mini-laptop wars are definitly on! I mean, with our need to be constantly connected, who wants to carry around an 8 pond laptop just because it has nice graphics. Leave all that heavy equipment at home, get yourself a real network, and then interface with the world through a mini. Sounds so much better to me.
This laptop has some decent features:
- 1 Gig of RAM
- 80GB Hard drive
- 3 USB interfaces
- Ethernet ready
- Bluetooth enabled
- 1.3kg in weight
- 4-in-1 memory card reader
- 1.3-megapixel webcam
- 10 inch display
- 1024×600 resolution
- built in speakers
- Windows XP or SUSE Linux
Now I might question if the hard drive is solid-state, the version of XP, or the skimpy 1GB of RAM. But all in all this little should work quite well. |
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Posted by gman on 2nd June 2008
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Do you have multiple computers in your home that you continually switch back and fort to. Do they take up additional space on your desk. Or maybe you are a consultant and you find yourself shifting in your cubical to type on the client machine and then on your personal laptop. The solution is here. A two port KVM switch will hook those two computers together through a single monitor, keyboard, and mouse. With the use of a simple “hot-key” you can switch from one system to the next. Setup is a snap, just plug in each system with the cables extensions and then plug in the shared monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Now you have a real workhorse of a solution that makes you more efficient.
There are many models for hooking different USB/PS2 systems. Check out IOGEAR
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Posted by gman on 1st June 2008
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I just think this is a really cool device for home monitoring. Its wireless, allows you to watch whats going on around your home from you PC, and has configure options to let you stream this to the outside world and any browser. This unit is able to be mounted on a wall, or just keep it in the stand provided. There is also an option to tell the camera to send a short video in an email attachment whenever it detects motion in its field of view. Quite a unique feature so you don’t have to continually monitor your Web browser to see if anything is happening. This way you won’t miss a thing, it notifies you when there is activity, then you just open a browser and start viewing. There is also a recording utility that enables you to record the audio and video to a local hard drive.
Check it out at Linksys Wireless-G Internet Home Monitoring Camera |
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Posted by gman on 31st May 2008
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Everyone wants to be wireless these days. Unfortunately there are many situations where this is just not possible. Many hotels I go to make you hard-wire into their network. I’ve even been to client sites that make it near impossible to roam the floor because they have you tethered to a Ethernet line.
Step in a travel router. This little guy simply plugs into an Ethernet line, configures itself (or you can do this), and immediately you have a wireless hotspot. While there are many features with this router, enabling you to create a temporary, personal, wireless connection quickly is, in my opinion, its strong point. This last week, I moved my home office from the basement to the second floor. While I do have wireless throughout my home, I still have some servers and printers that are hardwired. Not wanting to leave them in the basement I simply plugged in my travel router, hooked in a Ethernet switch, and was up and running in no time at all.
Check Linksys: Wireless-G Travel Router with SpeedBooster |
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Posted by gman on 29th May 2008
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Posted by gman on 28th May 2008
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How do you carry your laptop around with you? Better yet, how do you carry your gadgets. I have done quite a bit of traveling and was often stuck with the laptop bag that came with the computer. Often times these looked like cloth briefcases, and were not meant for much more than the laptop and some paperwork. These briefcases often got un-sightly when sticking in a power cord, let alone a few of my gadgets.
Well this messenger bag from Sprie was a blessing when I purchased it nearly 5 years ago. Now the picture here looks nothing like mine, models do change, but I can honestly say it is one of the best purchases I have made for my laptop. Sturdy, big enough for my 17 inch display, and plenty of pockets for everything you would want to carry. There is a lifetime warranty on these bags, the construction shows it, and I doubt I’ll ever need to use it
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Posted by gman on 27th May 2008
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I’m going out on a real limb here to let you know I’ve been carrying a man-bag for about 8 months now. Ok, call it a purse if you like but I love it.
Take a leap here. I ask. How many of you men carry a laptop case or messenger bag? I carry a messenger bag (I’ll post that one tomorrow) and really love mine. It is so functional. Plenty of pockets for all my gadgets. I personally found myself taking my laptop all sorts of places, ready to go online at a moments notice AND to carry all my extra stuff.
I got to thinking. Hey, I wasn’t carrying my messenger bag for my laptop. I WAS carrying it for the other stuff. So I took a leap of faith and started carrying a man-bag instead. I cut down on some of the stuff I carried but still have a place for all the essentials. AND my pockets are not stuffed with all kinds of gadgets.
Give one a try. You’ll be glad you did. |
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Posted by gman on 26th May 2008
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Being out on the road without any way to recharge your mobile phone is a near nightmare. I mean, aren’t mobile phones just an extension of our bodies. We go no where without them and feel almost lost if we lose connectivity with the outside world.
An today, with everyone chatting through our phones, it is even more important to have a backup power supply or battery source. The Motorola Cell Phone Charger is just that. It’s quite cheep, I actually picked mine up at a hardware store, and easily does the job. And, for the cost, you won’t mind loseing it or breaking it. Just pop it into your purse, glove box, or back pocket and you’re ready to go.
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Posted by gman on 20th May 2008
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Have you ever used a hands-free headset with your mobile phone. I have tried this a few times but honestly didn’t like the feel, sound, or stability of the piece. This one looks like it overcomes some of those issues and has a noise-isolating feature that is supposed to cut down on the external noise. I don’t know about you but this is a problem just with using my mobile phone anyway! I don’t know how many times I have had to try and find cover from wind or away from a crowd just to hear the person I was talking to. With an internal windscreen, a boom microphone can greatly reduce the noise. Includes 2 windscreens, 4 eartips, VoIP adapter, and case. Might be worth a try if you find yourself in noisy conditions.
Find yours at X-treme geek
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Posted by gman on 19th May 2008
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Now you can have a mouse that works for you. This USB Mouse will pedal away as you type. The faster you type the faster the mouse pedals.
This is really cool to. This mouse will also keep track of how many words you type per day. Instead of tracking miles he keeps track of your word count. Get one for your cube mate or the whole office to have competitions. The only problem I see is that it might make us all a bit more productive.
Of note: while this mouse is activated through the USB port, it does require 2xAA batteries. This is actually a good thing as you wouldn’t want to suck power from your computer. Especially if you plan on taking this guy on the road.
Get the USB Mouse at Gadget Hub |
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