Michael Sherlock » Technology

Desktop Buying Guide

Michael Sherlock — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:00:35 +0000

Are you in the market for a new desktop computer but aren’t sure what to look for or what the different specifications mean? Then look no further then this breakdown. To help those of you on a budget, which everyone is, each component is weighted by importance. Basically, you need most of these components for your computer to run, but spend more on the components higher on the list because they will allow your computer to last longer, run quicker, and be the best value for your money. Value is the biggest worry consumers face when buying a computer so I hope this guide can help you take the plunge and purchase the best machine possible.

Just remember that technology is always advancing and your computer will probably be updated a few months after your purchase. There is no way to avoid this, so once you take the plunge don’t waste your time looking through any computer ads or listings.

Processor

The processor, or Central Processing Unit (CPU), is essentially the brain of your machine. It runs your programs, powers your games, and crunches your calculations. The CPU can be the most daunting component when it comes to purchasing a computer. With so many different choices from AMD and Intel, you may not know where to turn. Several years ago I would tell you to buy the CPU with the fastest clock speed (Measured in GHz). This is no longer true. You want to buy the fastest computer but clock speed is no longer the only factor in determining which CPU is right for you. You also need to worry about front side buss and the number of cores on the CPU.

Front Side Bus
Front side bus (FSB) connects the CPU and the rest of the computer. The higher the front side bus, the faster data can be sent and executed. A high clock speed is one thing, but without a quick front side bus, the performance is wasted. Try to buy a product with at least 800MHz of FSB

Cores
Now that you understand Clock Speed and front side bus, it’s time to learn about cores. A core is actually the part of the CPU that performs calculations. Basically, CPU is to your head as a core is to your brain. Having additional cores allows for more data to be processed at the same time. Each additional core makes for more processing power, assuming the applications you are running can take advantage. The more cores your system has the more multitasking you can do. Most multicore computers use 2 cores, known as a duel core machine. Think of dual core as an 8 lane highway compared to single core as a 4 lane highway.

Mutlicore machines are becoming more and more popular. For instance, I highly recommend Intel’s core 2 duo line because those processors are extremely powerful and cost efficient. In fact, Intel’s “core” line of CPU’s all perform very well per dollar. AMD has some interesting options but I prefer to stick with Intel.

To conclude, try to get a machine with a solid mix of multiple cores and clock speed. You may not need the power now but this will keep your computer running for a long time and allows you the flexibility to use more intensive programs later.

Memory

Random access memory (RAM) is known as the cheapest and simplest way to enhance your computer. In fact, upgrading RAM is very simple so don’t hesitate to upgrade your memory down the road. Anyway, RAM is a temporary storage median for the applications and programs running on your machine. I say temporary because RAM can potentially be modified several billion times a second. Plus, when you turn off your computer the RAM is purged meaning nothing is stored for long.

Although there are different types* of RAM, such as DDR2 and SDRam, try not to worry about it when buying your computer. The average user will never know the difference so what ever is included in the computer is probably fine. I suggest looking for at least 1GB of RAM in your machine. However, I strongly suggest 2gb of RAM or more with Windows Vista/7 to make everything run that much smoother. In fact, RAM prices have continued to fall so 2gb of RAM is not the wallet breaker is once was. Get the most ram for your money and don’t hesitate to upgrade in the future.

*Note that not all RAM modules are compatible with each other. Consult your users manual to find the specific type of RAM used in your machine before upgrading.

Hard Disc

The Hard Disc or Hard Drive (HD) in your computer is where data, programs, and games are stored. HD prices are at an all time low so don’t cheap out. Personal media, such as music and video content, continue to take up more and more space so aim for at least a 250 gigabyte (gb) HD. In fact, you can find 1tb (1000gb) drives for under $100 so don’t skimp out on a small drive.

Cache and RPM
Besides the size of your drive, there are more factors to consider including Cache and speed. Cache is basically the ram of the hard drive. Aim to get at least 4mb of cache in your drive and more if you plan on running intensive 3D games or programs. Revolutions per minute (RPM) is how quickly data on the drive can be accessed. Try to get at least a 5,400 RPM drive while aiming for 7,200 RPM’s on a more expensive machine. Premium drives can be 10,000 RPM,’s or more, but do offer better throughput. Don’t go crazy though, get what fits in your budget.

Types.
Furthermore, there are actually multiple types of drives on the market today. The most common in new desktop computers are SATA or SATA2. Slower ATA drives are still in production but they have issues with large amounts of data and are bulky inside of your case. Additionally, Hybrid Hard Drives (HHD) and SSD drives are both an up and coming technology. Right now they are geared for lightweight and higher-end notebooks. For a desktop computer don’t worry about either of these formats unless you want to be on the cutting edge and pay a premium for their limited storage.

All in all, I suggest looking for SATA drives at this point. They offer great performance and store a lot of data per dollar.

Optical Drive

Most computers come with a built in DVD/CD burner. I recommend having a burner, and a few blank discs, for the occasional project so spend the extra few dollars to get the burner if one isn’t standard. When shopping around you may see something called LightScribe. LightScribe enables you to etch designs into a disc essentially creating a label. Unfortunately, the quality is average at best so don’t spend the extra money for a LightScribe drive. If one comes standard, feel free to try it out, but don’t expect professional looking labels on your discs.

You may also want to consider a blu-ray drive or burner. Although expensive, it is nice to be able to back-up 50gb of data on one portable disc. Burners start at around $200 but blu-ray discs will last longer than DVD’s allowing you a more future proof storage median than DVD. Remember, 1080p movies take a lot of resources to play meaning a budget computer wouldn’t be able to play a blu-ray movie so of course a blu-ray drive isn’t worth the price. Personally, I don’t have a blu-ray drive or burner but if you want to future proof your purchase, you may want to consider a blu-ray drive.

Graphics

Most value computer have integrated graphics meaning the graphics processing is built into the motherboard. This may sound good to some people but to be frank, it’s not. Integrated graphics are weak and offer very little performance in terms of video playback and gaming. They don’t include built in memory which means system RAM will be diverted from general use to use with the graphics processing. This can slow down your machine. However, for the average computer users who doesn’t play games or watch HD movies, this is fine.

For someone who does want to play games, watch movies or use multiple monitors, you need to have a separate graphics card. There are two current types of graphics cards on the market today: PCIe and AGP. AGP cards are those of the past. These cards are slower and only one card can be installed and working in your machine at any given time. PCIe cards have, for the most part, begun to eliminate AGP cards. Besides the increase in speed, PCIe offers the option of running multiple cards at the same time. With this option, you can do one of two things. Install two compatible Nvidia cards that are deigned to work together which allows for better performance, this is known as scalable link interface (SLI) (ATI calls this crossfire) . If you don’t think you want to pay the extra money for SLI cards, you can also just install two different cards to power extra displays. This is helpful if you work with many large files at the time same and you need upwards of two monitors. However, if you are going to run multiple cards I highly suggest getting two of the same for SLI support. You may save some money but the extra performance is worth the upgrade.

When looking for a graphics card, you need to consider:
Processor clock speed-The speed of the graphics processing unit (GPU) is similar to the speed of the CPU. It’s important to remember that sheer clock speed does not necessarily determine performance.
Memory-The more memory, like system memory, the more processes can be performed at the same time. Generally a lot of memory means a fast card; however, if your card has small clock speed performance will not be effected by more memory.
Memory Bandwidth-Similar to front side bus, memory bandwidth is how quickly the graphics card memory communicates with the GPU.

That’s all the average consumer needs to know about graphics. Of course, there are many other details that the hard-core gamer wants to know about but that is not the focus of this article. The focus is to educate you, the average consumer, on how to get the most bang for your buck when buying a desktop computer.

Other Information

Wireless
For most people, you will be working with a wired connection directly to your modem, dial-up connection, or router. But wireless is a growing desire for a lot of users. Being able to set-up and use your computer anywhere in your house is a great feature to have. So when buying your next computer, considering get one with built in WiFi. Look for 802.11n for fastest throughput otherwise 802.11g will be fine. Remember, wired networking is much faster than wireless networking so only use WiFi if you cannot connect your computer physically to the network.

Display
Get an LCD display. Aim for at least a 17inch screen but if you can splurge get a larger display. Every time you use your machine you will be looking at the screen so make sure the contrast ratio is at least 700:1 and the resolution is at least 1280×960. Also, try to get the largest viewing angle, in degrees, possible to make sure you can see the content of the screen from any angle. Some monitors include built in USB ports, which are a convenient way to connect USB devices to your machine, and variable height adjustments allowing you to customize the viewing experience.

So that is it, everything you need to know when buying a new computer. Remember, the CPU and RAM are more important than an upgraded graphic card for the average user, so spend more money on the items on the top of the list.

By the way, if you are considering building your own computer, instead of buying a pre-assembled model, check out my computer building series.

Early Termination Fees

Michael Sherlock — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:15:27 +0000

I’m sure you are familiar with early termination fees, or ETF’s. The fee major telecoms, and other companies for that matter, charge when you decide to leave or terminate your contract. If not, these charges of $175-$350 or more are designed to deter you from leaving your contract. Usually, you are receiving a better deal than the regular Joe because of your contract and the companies need to keep you for the length of the deal in order for them to make their money back.

Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat from Minnesota, has some issues with these ETF’s. She believes they are “anti-consumer and anti-competitive” and previously introduced the Cell Phone Consumer Empowerment Act which would have reduced ETF’s and required them to be prorated or reduced as you progress through your contract.

That bill never materialized but it did temporarily pull the telecoms off their pedestals forcing them to adjust their ETF policies. Unfortunately, many have rescinded those changes over the past few months.

The big issues with ETF’s lie with the telecoms. Many are deceitful and mislead the average consumer. Currently, over the course of a contract the ETF can increase and in many cases the ETF is larger than the subsidy the company offered for signing the contract. All of which are designed to hurt the consumer and benefit big business.

To fight this villainy Klobuchar has officially introduced a new bill: The Cell Phone Early Termination Fee, Transparency and Fairness Act. This act doesn’t mandate major changes but instead requires telecoms to be honest and not try to take advantage of the average consumer. Specifically, this bill will:

• Prevent wireless carriers from charging an ETF that is higher than the discount on the cell phone that the wireless company offers consumers for entering into a multi-year contract. For example, if a wireless consumer enters into a 2-year contract and receives a $150 discount with the contract, the ETF cannot exceed $150.

• Require wireless carriers to pro-rate their ETFs for consumers who leave their contracts early so that the ETF for a two-year contract would be reduced by half after one year and pro-rated down to zero by the end of a contract term.

• Require wireless carriers to provide “clear and conspicuous disclosure” of the ETF at the time of purchase.

• Require monthly billing statements to clearly state the pro-rated fee customers would be charged if they terminate their contracts before the end of the next billing cycle.

All of these requirements in my mind are no more than common courtesy. However, profit margins tend to cloud the judgment of decision makers and it’s clear only legislation can limit these bad business practices. I’m all about an open market but sometimes collusion between companies, in this case with ETF’s, only hurt the consumer.

What do you think? Should The Cell Phone Early Termination Fee, Transparency and Fairness Act be passed, filibustered, or enhanced? Should ETF’s be removed entirely? Let me know in the comments bellow or on twitter, @blue42richman.

Why Apple Computer’s are Worth the Price

Michael Sherlock — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:35:04 +0000

A big topic around the web regarding macintosh computers is why pay more? I have been told so many times “I can buy or build my own machine for less then a mac” and sometimes that is true. In other instances, the hardware cost is the same as a PC from another vendor. But why not just buy the machine with the lowest cost for the hardware? Well, among other things, an Apple computer has the advantage because of the additional benefits you get with every Mac.

The Software. Mac OS X is the most complete operating system I have used in many years. It has the eye candy everyone wants but is also responsive. Apple doesn’t preinstall junk-ware from third-party manufacturers on your machine either. They simply install the functional media suite iLife, free of charge, to get you on your way.
Applecare. Let’s say you are a new user and for some reason your machine is not working correctly. Nothing is perfect all of the time but apple doesn’t put you through the annoying hoops other companies call customer service. All you have to do is call Apple and a representative will do their best to help you. Do you live by an apple store though? If so, just go to the store and a ‘genius’ will help you fix the problem. If they can’t, they will replace the faulty component and in some cases give you a completely new machine. Even on the apple website you can find hundreds of tutorials to help you with any issues you are having.
Security. With new viruses, trojans, and spyware hitting the web every day it’s imperative to keep yourself protected. Apple made this a priority and uses an operating system designed more securely from the ground up than windows could ever be. Besides that, there are only a handful of viruses for the mac platform so the chance of getting infected is extremely low. With apple releasing security patches frequently, you can rest easy at night knowing your data is protected.
Quality. Apple has been leaps and bounds above the competition when it comes to making reliable products. The new unibody design for their laptop line is extremely durable and it’s single piece of aluminum is bound to keep your laptop running for years to come. From the past though, apple machines are still chugging along today. A friend of mine uses a three year old powerbook G4 as his primary machine and it can still do everything he needs it to do. From school to work to play, you can expect your mac to keep up with your needs.
Design. Apple machines are known for their sleek look and have been trend setters for years. Companies have tried over and over again to capture the sleek look of an Apple PC but few have matched what Apple has done. Functionally, Apple first brought firewire to their notebooks many years ago and now firewire is the gold standard for connecting high-speed devices to a computer. When apple began installing iSight cameras on all of their notebooks, the competition noticed. It’s almost common now to see webcams installed on mobile computers. When apple does it, you can expect other companies to follow suit.

It’s not an issue of being biased when making a choice to buy a mac. You can run windows or linux on your apple machine but you also get the benefits that no other company besides apple can supply.

Nokia N96 NAM Review

Michael Sherlock — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 19:13:56 +0000

The Nokia N96 NAM, the older brother of the N95, is a more polished version of it’s predecessor. Although most components are the same, the N96 has a new look that makes it more stylish and in some cases more functional. But is this model worth the price, we shall see soon enough.

The N96, which measures 4.1″ x 2.2″ x .7”, is a dual slider with a full number-pad and media controls. These media controls are just four black plastic buttons, there is no text or symbols on them. What Nokia did was put lights under the plastic to make the media controls light up when accessed. This little touch adds a lot to the design. The backlit number-pad supports T9 predictive text which works very nicely. However, each row of numbers sits on the same strip of plastic which decreases usability.

Nokia went on to drastically improve the look of it’s product. The primary buttons on the front are no longer oddly designed chrome but flush, touch sensitive keys. Media controls also appear on the front of the device in the same fashion as the primary media controls. The 2.8” screen, which has a resolution of 240×320, looks great with its sharp colors and popping video playback. Overall, the spring loaded slider feels solid and well made and the device fits comfortably in my hand. (Hardware Tour)

Just like the N95, the N96 has all the connectivity you need. HSDPA networking, wi-fi, and bluetooth all work nicely. The N96 also has a good built in browser that, although a little slow compared to other devices, supports flash. However, the device consistently asks me what network to connect to even though I am already connected. It gets pretty annoying after a while and I have yet to find a way to disable those pop-ups.

This phone was designed with media in mind and Nokia didn’t skip a beat. The device allows you to listen to your content in three ways: the duel external speakers, from headphones connect to the 3.5mm jack, or wirelessly with bluetooth stereo headphones. Want some more music? The device also allows you to listen to internet radio as well as FM radio with an external, but included, tuner. There is even a plastic stand on the back of the device which makes it easier to watch your videos.

A really cool media extra is the ability for you to output what is on the screen of your device right to a TV or computer monitor. All you need is an input on the TV and the included component cables. This video can give you more information.

To store your media, the N96 ships with 16gb of internal storage. Plus, you can expand that with a microSD card. Just like the N95, the music player supports all the formats you would expect: W4A, AAC+, WMA, AAC,MP3, and eAAC+ files, as well as a few DRM-protected formats. Real player, the default video player on this device, can play MPEG-4 and 3GPP video. You can also play Divx video clips if you download divx mobile, which is free, to your phone.

But what kind of content can this device make on it’s own? Well, it can record video at 640×480 resolution at 30fps and with it’s two LED’s dark videos are extremely bright. You have auto and night modes as well as scene modes, white balance, and color tone options. One problem with video recording is that there is a slight hiss on all recorded videos which I assume is from the lens autofocusing. (Video Test)

Taking pictures with the 5 megapixel Carl Zeiss lens is amazing and is leaps and bounds better then any other mobile phone I have used. Colors pop, pictures look great, and the duel LED flash makes dark pictures possible (Image Sample). Nokia gives you total control over the camera so that you can take the perfect picture. From white balance, color tone, exposure, sharpness, contrast, and ISO settings as well as several scene modes and shooting modes. You can even geotag your pictures or video with the included A-GPS.

Moving on, the N96 has everything you need for email with IMAP4 and POP3 email support. However, from my usage I have found email is displayed as text only which is a bummer. Making up for it though is the ability of the phone to read you your email or SMS messages. Speaking of messaging, the N96 supports IM and MMS messaging right out of the box

A big concern for me going in was the battery which is rated at 950mAH. Nokia claims that the N96 can get up to 220 minutes of talk time and 220 hours of standby time. From my testing, you can get about 5 consecutive hours of video and 14 consecutive hours of music playback. The device has yet to die on me during the day.

To maximize the battery, Nokia under-clocked the CPU which does show in performance. Menu’s are somewhat slow to respond and apps take a good 4 seconds to simply start. You can have applications run in the background, which is cool, but this decreases performance even further.

So is this device worth the $600+ you are going to spend on it? If you are in the market for a mobile media power house then yes, it is 100% worth the price. It does media extremely well and content it produces is superior to other mobile phones. If you are just the casual user I still recommend the phone but it’s not going to be as great a value for you. Still check it out, but there are other less expensive models for you, the casual user.

Nokia N95 8GB NAM Review

Michael Sherlock — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 20:33:19 +0000

The Nokia n95-8gb NAM (North American Edition) combines an interesting mix of multimedia features while keeping an interesting design. Out of all the phones on the market there are positive and negative aspects and this phone is no different. Hopefully, after reading this unbiased review, you can see past the marketing and get a grasp of this phone.

To begin on a high note, this phone offers true high-speeding networking with HSDPA for 3.5g speeds. (It of course also works with UMTS 3g networks.) In fact, the this model even allows you to share you data connection. No hacking or installing of 3rd party applications are needed to tether this phone to a laptop and enjoy mobile speeds without any additional hardware. Along with HSDPA, this phone includes supports for edge networking, 802.ll b/g wifi, and bluetooth. The wifi is a little disappointing however, not operating any faster than 3g when it really should. Plus, when using wifi there are too many pop-up screens continuously asking what network you want to connect to. But hey, at least you can view java on your phone.

The phone includes support for IMAP4, POP3, and SMTP e-mail accounts. Plus, it comes with a full attachment viewer giving you the full mobile email experience. Keep in mind, you are limited by the speed of your data connection so give the attachments some time. Along with email, quickoffice, a set of applications pre-installed on the phone, allows you to view Microsoft word, excel, and powerpoint documents. For an additional charge, you can update to a newer version of quickoffice and even edit those files.

This phone fits comfortably in your hand and looks pretty slick too. However, it wouldn’t hurt to take some experience from apple. The design includes 3.5mm headphone jack, dual speakers for loud average sounding music, and media keys to quickly open the camera application or view your current media.

I suppose the biggest feature, or features, of this phone are the cameras. (Yes you read that right, there are two cameras on this device.) The primary camera is truly something special on a mobile phone. Featuring a 5 megapixel carl zeiss lens, pictures look great. There are tons of adjustments too. You can adjust the brightness, color tone, white balance, ISO light sensitivity, exposure and contrast. When using the flash, there is even a red-eye reduction feature. Furthermore, there is a self-timer and a sequence mode for burst photography.
Image Samples.

Video on the main camera looks pretty good too. With resolution up to 640X480, at 30 frames per second, capturing that random moment has never been easier. Although not as sophisticated as snapping photos, there are still several options you have when taking video. You have two shooting modes in auto and night as well as white balance and color tone settings. There is even an image stabilization option. (Video Sampling Bellow)

Did I forget to mention the secondary, front-facing camera? This camera resembles quality on the iphone 3g’s isight but can take video too. Plus, if you have two people both using this device, there is even an option to use the front-facing camera for a video conversation.

To play back this media you have taken, or transferred from your computer to the included 8gb of storage, are real player and a built in music player. The music player supports all the formats you would expect, W4A, AAC+, WMA, AAC,MP3, and eAAC+ files, as well as a few DRM-protected formats. Real Player on this phone supports MPEG-4 and 3GPP. Video looks pretty good on the built in 2.8 inch QVGA screen. (320X240 showing 16 million collors.) However, bumping up the resolution would have been a nice touch.

But wait, there is more. Using the included headset expands the phones functionality allowing the users to listen to FM radio. A neat little feature no one would miss but is pretty nice that it’s included.

Next up is Nokia Maps, the included GPS program. First of all, the application never found my location when I was indoors. Adding the ability to triangulate my position by cell towers would have helped this and would have been a nice feature. Moving outdoors, the GPS found my location but took about double the time to do so compared to my iPhone 3g. Another issue is the fact there is no satellite view, Nokia Maps only supports map view.

Nokia Maps does have it’s problems but is a great asset to the phone. There are so many categories to view on the map including airports, attractions, “at the water”, bar&pub, businesses, restaurants, and so many more. Furthermore, you can even search for nearby locations such as automotive, transport, accommodations, eat+drink, shopping, leisure, sights, and services. These show up in a nice list view sorted by distance from your current location. You can even get directions to one of those locations from your current position located by the GPS. Overall, the next iPhone maps application should get some tips from Nokia Maps.

The Nokia does have some issues that take away from the phone and all it’s amazing features. First, and foremost, navigation is terrible. First of all, the structure of the OS is pretty confusing and finding particular features take some time. Additionally, the menus all look generic and boring. Coming from an iPhone 3G I know how navigation can be and this fails miserably. Plus, the device slows down, and freezes, when performing normal function. Nokia needs to address this bug.

Button navigation is a thing of the past and future models need to include either a touchscreen, ball navigation (similar to the blackberry pearl or sidekick), but preferably both. The lack of QWERTY keyboard also hurt this device. There is no way someone who answers a lot of email, or SMS messages, on the go can enjoy this phone.

At first I thought 3rd party applications would be better on the Nokia than the apple controlled iPhone. I was wrong. The way applications on the phone are organized in the app store, and even on jail-broken phones, destroys the download application for the Nokia. Not only are all the application lumped into the download > application section, there are a abysmal 18 application available for download. Come on. There are many other application available, when you can track them down online, but I would have liked to see a much better aggregator of Nokia N95 applications. A positive though is the ability to run unsigned application. Plus, there are no restrictions on what applications can be installed on this phone.

Battery. I have found the battery is about the same as the iPhone 3G. You can make it through the day but by the end it’s pretty low. When charging, the Nokia doesn’t represent the actual charge of the phone which is pretty annoying. Plus, it takes a very long time to fully charge this phone.

When sliding the media controls to the open position the screen changes to landscape orientation while sliding the number-pad open brings the position back to portrait. However, the troubled software causes the phone to stay in position regardless of actual orientation which is pretty annoying. Plus, every time you close the keypad the screen goes to sleep and the keys lock which gets obnoxious very quickly.

Finally, price is a problem for this phone. Although sold unlocked, this phone usually runs >$500. Most people buy a phone with a contract so this price is pretty high. Plus, Nokia charges a premium for the 8gb of storage. You can find an older version of the N95 without 8gb of internal storage and than install an 8gb micro-SD card for a lower price. (By the way, Nokia dropped the micro-SD port on the N95 8GB.)

Overall, this phone offers a lot and has a few problems too. It’s a matter of what features you need and if those features are included with this phone. For me, I’m going back to my iPhone for better navigation, a bigger and brighter screen, but most importantly a full keyboard. If you don’t need a full keyboard, for instance, but want to take great mobile pictures, than I would defiantly look at this phone. It’s a matter of give and take. I strongly recommend this cell phone but if you need a few specific features that this phone doesn’t have, you should look else-where.

Halo 4?

Michael Sherlock — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:06:53 +0000

Halo 3, by Bungie, won an award at EFI. In their acceptance speech, for the edge award in interactive innovation, a prerecorded video was plaid revealing some interesting bits of information. Although nothing is set in stone, it’s pretty safe to say the halo universe is not completely closed.

Expired Free Domain

Michael Sherlock — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:41:08 +0000

The offer for the free domain name is no longer valid. Godaddy has ended giving away the free domain name codes. If you were a part of this offer congrats and enjoy the domain. If not, I’m sorry but feel free to buy that domain you wanted and continue with that hobby!
-Michael

Wouldn’t you like a new place on the internet? Maybe you have a project you want to start or a casual blog you would like to announce. Well, you need a domain name right. Well, of course they are cheap but you can get one for free domain name from indycarrewards.com/ by godaddy.

There really isn’t much more to say about that but along with the free domain name you can get a 15% off code for any godaddy purchase, 10% anything from the official indycar store and a FREE Digital IndyCar Magazine subscription. All you have to do is go to indycarrewards.com/ and enter your name and email address. Plus, you can pay by gift card so you don’t have to enter in billing information.

Apple iPhone vs. LG Voyager

Michael Sherlock — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:30:04 +0000

This video, courtesy cnet, compares the apple iphone to verizon’s iphone killer in the LG voyager. Similar to the iphone vs. blackberry bold post, this video is truly informative and shows that although the iphone is, in my opinion, superior to the voyager, it’s not perfect. This video also highlights the fact that subscribers of cell phone services besides AT&T can still have an amazing all-in-one device right in their pocket.

Apple Iphone vs. Blackberry Bold

Michael Sherlock — Sun, 25 May 2008 22:53:20 +0000

This great video from theiphoneblog compares a prerelease blackberry bold to the current apple iphone. As I mentioned, the bold is a prerelease model and the iphone is set for a major update including 3g networking so this comparison will change in the coming months.

Microsoft Windows 7 expected 2010

Michael Sherlock — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:06:16 +0000

“Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates’ words are being parsed for hidden meanings. According to my News.com colleague Ina Fried, Gates said this week during a speech before the Inter-American Development Bank: ‘Sometime in the next year or so we will have a new (Windows) version’”

States Mary Jo Foley blogs for ZDNet. She continues saying

“Microsoft officials are insisting nothing has changed: Windows 7 is due out roughly three years after Windows Vista’s consumer launch (which was January 2007), meaning in early 2010.”

Even after Bill Gates stated a new version of windows would be shipping next year, 2009, Microsoft has officially stated the next version of windows, Windows 7, will be shipping three years after Vista was released. This 2010 expected release date will hopefully improve on the low and buggy quality of windows vista.

This comes after the much delayed launch of windows vista. Hopefully for the windows community Microsoft is able to produce a product which doesn’t yield so many issues the way vista has during this first year. (Vista launched January 2007) I feel however that Microsoft will do a better job given all the issues they have had with vista. No company wants their multimillion dollar project to fail the way vista has but it clear they will not make the same mistake twice. Plus, I expect that Microsoft offers a better upgrade path for users. Expect windows seven certified PC’s to actually have the ability to run windows seven. (A big upset for PC users was when windows vista certified computers failed when trying to upgrade to vista.) Expect a very strong and different Windows 7.

However, I do feel this news exemplifies the fact that vista is a huge upset for Microsoft as well as us consumers. Not only are there too many known issues with vista for it to be a strong competitor but it’s also very unoriginal featuring very ‘mac-like’ features which don’t conform to standard windows users. My opinion, stick with windows xp for as long as you can and than upgrade to Windows Seven.

Apple’s Notebook line to see physical redesign

Michael Sherlock — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:43:34 +0000

It’s become clear that over the next few months Apple inc. will be redesigning the macbook and macbook pro lines respectively.
As you can see, the current models have not changed since their release in 2006. In fact, the current macbook pro looks very similar to the powerbook G4 from 2001. Also, the macbook looks almost exactly the same as the iBook G3 from 2001. In both instances, major cosmetic upgrades have been simply slimming the design and adding an isight camera. (New keyboards have also been added.) The macbook has been updated with a magnetic latch too. Nothing too amazing has changed the overall physical aspect however.

Similar to the redesign of the iMac and the all new macbook air, it is apparent that an aluminum macbook is in the works. “Shedding their plastic enclosures for ones constructed from more eco-friendly materials such as aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel” state people familiar with the matter. This not only makes for a more uniform notebook line but it’s clear this would also put Apple in a position to accomplish the goal of becoming a greener company.

Not only would a redesign freshen up a dated but classy line-up, it would also allow apple to make logic board changes. All of apple’s notebook lines are expected to receive “Montevina” (Penryn version 2) based CPU’s, which require ‘socket b’ logic boards. This upcoming Centrino 2 platform will feature 1066MHz front-side bus and run briskly from 2.26GHz – 2.8GHz. (These new processors are expected sometime this June.)

This only adds to current apple rumors with the inevitable refresh of the iMac and Mac Mini lines which are set to receive penryn processors the same way the macbook/pro lines have. Plus, with apple expected to update the iPhone with 3G capabilities, it makes for very juicy apple rumors to come.

Microsoft Surface on April 17th

Michael Sherlock — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:34:19 +0000

The Microsoft Surface 30inch, multi-touch device will be launched for the first time this year starting April 17th, at a handful of AT&T stores. This new platform will allow consumers to quickly view the specifications of the cell phones at the store by simply placing the device on the surface. Also, you will be able to place two or more phones on the surface and the computer will compare and display the differences between the phones. Comparing of plans will also be available.

A really cool feature that is not yet announced but could be coming in the future is the ability for device to device transfer. This would allow you to go to the store, upgrade your phone to a newer model and than place both on the surface. Than you could transfer contacts, pictures, videos, ect to your new phone. This would make the upgrade process amazingly simple.

Microsoft Surface First Look

Comparing Phones

Exclusives are destroying the gaming marketplace

Michael Sherlock — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:13:25 +0000

Sure, exclusive game line-ups help promote and sell gaming consoles but I’m talking about exclusives where one compony almost has a monopoly on a game type. A great example is the current franchise EA has on NFL football simulations. I’m not trying to say Madden is a terrible game but because of a lack of competition the biggest difference between each Madden game are the rosters. (I’m a sucker for American football so against my better judgment I buy madden each year but thats another story.)

If you remember back to 2005 ESPN shipped ESPN NFL 2K5 which to this day I feel is the best football game on the market. I don’t play it as frequently as I would like because of the newer rosters in Madden 2008 but I should. ESPN 2k5 blew Madden 2005 out of the water by make a superior and cheaper game. (If you recall 2K5 shipped for $20 starting on day one.) So what did EA due to fight back? They broke out their pocket-books and purchased the rights to make exclusive NFL football simulations. When I read about that I lost a lot of respect for EA.

Instead of competing to make a better product, which would mean improved games for us consumers, EA took the easy way out and hurt the gaming industry. Instead of seeing improvements each year we see roster updates and finer graphics. If ESPN was still making the 2K football series I feel the current generation of football games would be vastly different in a positive way.

The same way the government blocks monopolies and pooling I feel there should be restrictions on creating monopolies in games. If several companies bought out all of the game types respectively I feel the consumer would be forced to purchase a lower grade and more expensive game. We as a consumer need to band together now and demand monopolies be banned from the gaming industry.

Cancel that blu-ray purchase

Michael Sherlock — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:22:13 +0000

With the death of HD-DVD I have herd from almost everyone on the web that the time is now to purchase those blu-ray players. The funny part is I have also read that due to the lack of competition, the prices for blu-ray players are going up. Plus, with each movie costing around $30 it’s absurd to me that people are flocking to this new and expensive platform which is yet to be finalized. Many people are unaware of this truth that a lot of blu-ray players on the market will not have the ability to be upgraded to the final standard. Sure some can such as the PS3 but the fact of the matter is, a large majority can not.

With high prices and a standard that is yet to be finalized I’m blown away by the cult that is surrounding blu-ray. I’m not even trying to bash this format but it’s unfortunate how mislead some consumers are. It’s clear the next physical media platform will be blu-ray but it’s in the consumer’s best interest to wait. Wait until the format is finalized and all players meet this standard, and wait until prices are reasonable.

What the consumer should do now is to stick to the format they currently have, DVD. Bloggers are quick to attack DVD but DVD can still produce a good looking picture. Depending on your HD monitor and your up-converting player, if you have one, DVD can still shine. Have you ever seen a 1080P up-converted dvd? If you have not, they look great and in some cases the line between DVD and blu-ray is blurred.

In conclusion, the time to buy a blu-ray player is not yet among us but should be once blu-ray is affordable for the average joe. If you need to be on the cutting edge than go ahead and buy your player but for everyone else sticking to what you have should be fine. To make your current system shine however I would recommend looking into an up-converting DVD player that can maximize your TV and your DVD’s at an affordable price point.

WordPress 2.5

Michael Sherlock — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:40:46 +0000

WordPress has been total redesigned in the newest public release. I have upgraded this blog to wordpress 2.5 and just would like to know if there are any issues with the blog. Right now wordpress 2.5 has only been available for a day so most plugins and themes do not officially support this new wordpress release. Therefore, if there are some bugs on the blog please let me now.
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