Tom Keating : VoIP & Gadgets Blog
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Computer Hardware

An Apple Sub?

February 16, 2007

Now you're probably thinking that Apple has taken brand extension to the outer limits, but I'm talking sub-notebook computer, not any other kind of sub (sandwich? submarine?).

According the this report, the big bad boys from Cupertino are planning to make a strong move into a market that has lost a lot pizazz in the last few years.

(In fact, I was just on eBay looking a small, lightweight, full-featured subnotebooks -- kind of like Toshiba's Libretto or those models that never seem to ever make it out of Japan -- now, why is that?

Is That 6 Gigs in Your Pocket ...

February 2, 2007

I'm big on storage -- never can have too much, you know!

Having battled the too-much-data-on-too-small-capacity-media syndrome for what seems like centuries (20th and 21st), I think I've finally found just what I'm looking for in a storage device -- small size, big capacity (and how about a great form factor and compact size!).

Seagate's USB 2.0 Pocket Hard Drive safely stores all of my large files, MP3s, photos, videos and games — in a palm-sized drive that can fit inside my pocket. The Seagate 6GB Pocket Drive is available on Amazon for less than $49 and the Seagate 8GB Pocket Drive is available for less than $139.

A Dell by Any Other Name?

January 31, 2007

Today's announcement about Michael Dell becoming CEO of his own company through me off guard, especially since the disposed CEO, Kevin Rollins, was at the big Windows Vista launch shindig in NYC just two days ago!

Wonder if anyone in the "C" suite at Dell (the company) knew this was going to happen ... and, if so, why not have Mr. Dell, whose roots in the PC biz go back nearly as far as Mr. Gates and company, at the event to espouse how solidly Dell is behind the Vista bandwagon?

After all, Dell (the company, again) did announce that a whole bunch of hardware with Vista was available even before Microsoft officially launched the product.

Why Does Apple Have To Charge More for Faster Wi-Fi?

January 19, 2007

Hey, I'm all for companies making a buck on the products ands services they provide us consumers, but why does Apple have to charge $1.99 a month for faster wireless service on some of its MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops?

(Don't they make enough margin on the hardware to begin with?)  More on that here.

Now that news may get me a bit hot under the collar, but how about hotter still when we learn that Apple and Cingular (now AT&T) will make nearly a 50% margin (aka profit) on its first iPhones, according to this report.

Now those numbers set up some aggressive price cutting, according to sources, but I'm personally still waiting for CD prices to drop, like they were supposed to after the investment in the pressing plants was recouped.

A $100 Laptop for You, Too

January 11, 2007

Hybrid: Is This the Future of Storage?

January 10, 2007

While everybody hears about CES and MacWorld, another tech focused show is happening in Las Vegas -- StorageVisions 2007.

Not to be outdone by those two shows, we have some news from this one, too.

In a move to give the growing number of notebook PC users faster, more durable systems that run longer on a battery charge, Hitachi, Samsung, Seagate and Toshiba have formed a new organization called the Hybrid Storage Alliance.

With market research firm IDC predicting that hybrid hard disk drives will constitute 35% of all hard disk drives shipped with portable PCs by 2010, this technology is seen as the industry's answer to the growing demand for notebook PCs that deliver the speed and durability of desktop PCs.

The goals of the industry group are actually very simple:

  • Illustrate how flash memory/hard drive hybrid technology can extend the capabilities of today's notebook computers
  • Accelerate market adoption of the technology

According to the organization, hybrid technology combines the unmatched capacity and cost-effectiveness of hard drives with the responsiveness, power-efficiency and durability of flash memory.

Is That a 1TB Drive in Your Pocket?

January 5, 2007

Love the battle of the firsts and why should computer storage not leverage key features when one company has them and no one else does.

Well, today we have two separate reports -- one about Seagate and the other about Hitachi -- hitting the magical 1TB milestone for storing data on a hard disk drive for consumer use.

You can check out the speeds and feeds on both drives, but no matter how you slice it, 1TB of data is a heck of a lot of data to store.

Remember when 1GB seemed like more storage than anyone could possibly use?

Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 3200 Laser: Now That's What I Call Wireless!

December 15, 2006

I'm talking across-the-room wireless connectivity, not just short range like other wireless keyboard/mouse combo kits.

With the Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 3200 Laser, you get leading-edge performance, comfort and style as well as things you never thought you could do from your keyboard.

Now, I can take advantage of my PC's great media and communication capabilities, even if I had Windows Vista.

Father of the Hard Drive Passes On

December 14, 2006

$100 Laptop: Extinct Before It Arrives?

November 30, 2006

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