Dell has unveiled a 5-inch Android-powered tablet PC at CES, which is called Slate for now. The device comes with a SIM slot so you can hook up to 3G service for Internet connectivity, it has a 5-megapixel camera and It’s believed that Dell is prepping similar devices with different screen sizes and form factors.
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This episode of the Smellcast covers a lot of ground.
Toppie talks about doing a project for his Dad. Then he jibber jabbers about going downtown to get high speed internet access. It’s about time Toppie. Welcome to the twenty first century. He also has a new flash drive storage unit thingy that seems to excite him.
Also, a brief listen to a podcast called Ding Da Bell that Toppie dearly loves. It really cracks him up big time. Ding and the Bell are so sweet and lovable. You can find them over at dingdabell.com and also on Itunes.
Listen as Toppie fiddles with his new flash drive. Riveting stuff. No, really.
Toppie’s new computer is acting up. Toppie fears it will never really work right. This leads him to once again extole the virtues of his old, now defunct Dell computer.
Toppie reveals tantilizing evidence of a deep dark family secret — were Toppie’s grandparents ever really married??? There’s some obscure document signed by some strangers that a marriage was apparently performed, but, as we just realized, no wedding photos!! Mysterious!
Talk to your parents! Talk to your grandparents and ask them questions about thier life before they’re gone. You will be glad you did.
Please click the link below to listen to the Smellcast/episode 23.
The Smellcast/Episode 23
I have been working this evening on getting programs loaded back onto the new hard drive that I have installed into my computer.
The hard drive that came with my system appears to be failing. I was getting alert message all weekend. I contacted Dell and after running the diagnostic software they determined yes the drive was bad and sent a new one overnight.
They put an image of my operating system and stuff that came with the computer and I’m installing what I put on after I got it. Of course, Dell forgot a few things… I have downloaded from their support site two things but I believe they are going to have to send me a Roxio disc because I don’t have one with what they sent last year. Overall their customer service has been great and I have no complaints in that area with this situation.
The fun part is now going to be getting my iPhone backup into the new system so that I won’t lose everything. I have downloaded a program that is suppose to make this transition easier. I will find out tomorrow evening when I sit down to get this done.
Wish me luck!
Did you know that for less than $500 you can get a powerful full-featured computer that is also compact, stylish and light?
Introducing – Netbooks (also called mini notebooks or subnotebooks), a hot ticket in Europe, being slowly introduced to the US market. Since their emergence in 2007 netbooks have steadily improved in specs and now there is very little distinction between a netbook and a small notebook in terms of computing power.
A typical netbook weighs only 3 lbs, has a 12″ screen and costs up to $500. Since it is optimized for regular home use, a netbook is perfect for surfing, looking up information, playing movies or even games. A netbook is light, compact, and has excellent battery life. A 12″ ultra crisp screen is more than enough for performing daily tasks.
While some people use their iPhone or a bulky, hot laptop for surfing and email checking, it is worth considering that a typical iPhone only has a 3.5″ screen, and seriously lacks features and CPU power (it’s browser can’t even play Flash). Do you know how much an iPhone costs? An iPhone costs as much as the most powerful netbook.
Let’s look at the specs for the upcoming ASUS EEEPC 1201N:
- 3GB RAM – 320 GB Harddrive – HDMI out (to hookup directly to your HD TV) – 11 hours of battery life – 12″ ultra bright screen – Wi-Fi- Bluetooth – Webcam – Windows 7 – SD Card slot
All that for just $500! A similarly equipped Apple MacBook starts at $999, and it won’t be as light and long lasting. It is also worth mentioning that it is possible to install Mac OS X on any netbook, though it is against Apple’s policies.
While most people are only preparing to do their Christmas shopping, you can easily cross one off the list – a netbook will make a great affordable gift for anyone.
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Dell has partnered with (Product) Red to provide some unique looking skins for your laptop. So if you’re thinking about getting a Dell, then you should seriously consider skinning it.
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The manufacturing floor where HP assembles custom gear for data centers
Hewlett-Packard (s hpq) and Microsoft Corp. (s msft) today said the two companies would invest $250 million in the next three years to link Microsoft software with HP gear and sell it as one. The two have committed to what they call the infrastructure-to-application model with an eye to establishing both companies as big players in cloud computing. As the cloud gains in prominence, and is increasingly seen as the next generation computing model, hardware, software and networking companies are buddying up to create a data center that runs like a computer.
So this announcement is HP’s and Microsoft’s strategy for taking on Cisco’s (s csco) servers and its alliance with VMware (s vmw), but it’s also a blow to companies without such partnerships, primarily Dell (s dell). As for IBM (s ibm), it has tried and true services, software and hardware expertise to draw from. So what’s under the hood in the HP-Microsoft partnership?
Some quick thoughts here that I will explore later today on a call with HP and Microsoft: Efforts such as this one and Cisco’s tie up with VMware and EMC concern me, as they seem to indicate that the big players are using cloud computing as an excuse to partner up. In creating optimized systems of the type that Microsoft and HP will focus on, the danger of vendor lock-in rises. Is optimization becoming the code for proprietary?
Behind these optimization efforts is the holy grail for information technology, which is creating a data center that is aware of the application and can deliver exactly the performance required for a specific task and no more. This saves on power costs and also implies that we’ve achieved some type of real-time information and automation that make data centers run like a computer, rather than like a gaggle of servers networked together with Ethernet and duct tape.
But given the concerns about openness between clouds, the optimization efforts of these large vendors seem troubling. Now, your HP gear will be optimized for Microsoft’s proprietary Hyper-V virtualization instead of open Xen. That’s not to say HP’s management software won’t be able to run in heterogeneous environments, or that other hypervisors won’t run on its gear — HP CEO Mark Hurd was at pains to say it will– but that companies running those environments may take a performance or efficiency hit.
Regardless, the cloud is shaking up the traditional corporate IT market and Microsoft and HP are trying to figure out their own ways of putting their respective companies on top. I don’t think that it is a coincidence that the two started working together on this project back in April, which is when Cisco finally unveiled its server plans. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on the call gave his definition of cloud computing, which basically brings all of this home, “The cloud means a modern architecture for how you build and deploy applications.”
DELL NOTEBOOK STUDIO 17- Jet Black, Intel Dual Core T2390 (1.86GHz), 2GB SDRAM, Glossy widescreen 17.0 inch, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, 160 GB SATA HD, 8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive) , Dell 1397 Wireless-G Card, Wireless 370 Bluetooth Internal, Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam , High Definition Audio 2.0, Integrated Finger Print Reader, Windows Vista Home Premium
DELL NOTEBOOK STUDIO 17- Jet Black, Intel Dual Core T2390 (1.86GHz), 2GB SDRAM, Glossy widescreen 17.0 inch, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, 160 GB SATA HD, 8X Slot Load CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive) , Dell 1397 Wireless-G Card, Wireless 370 Bluetooth Internal, Integrated 2.0M Pixel Webcam , High Definition Audio 2.0, Integrated Finger Print Reader, Windows Vista Home Premium Specifications
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jan 10, 2010 23:40:03
Beware Dell Customer Service – MDK – Fairfax, VA USA
1.0 out of 5 stars Beware Dell Customer Service, July 4, 2009
By MDK (Fairfax, VA USA) – See all my reviews
I purchased the Studio 17 on line from Dell. Prior to purchasing the Studio 17, I called a Dell sales representatives. I asked if I would notice a difference between the monitor on the Studio and the Dell SP2309W 23-inch monitor on my desk. I was told the difference would not be noticeable. Based on this information and my past excellent experiences with Dell machines and Dell support, I ordered the Studio 17.
I was extremely disappointed in the quality of the display on the Studio 17. It was substantially less clear than my Dell SP2309W–really not suitable for the long hours I spend on my machines.
Confident that Dell would readily take this machine back (based on my past excellent experience Dell), I called Dell’s returns department.
I was informed that a 15% restocking fee would apply, that these were the rules, and that there was no one who was authorized to waive this fee. I noted that Dell’s website clearly states that the fee does not apply if the “return is a direct result of a Dell error.” Direct misrepresentation by Dell’s sales representative would seem to fit the common sense definition of an “error.” I was given a great deal of legalistic verbiage by a number of Dell employees, but no help of the sort that I would expect from Dell. I was finally referred to Dell’s legal department although no address or phone was provided. I asked the simple courtesy that the return period of 21 days be extended while I pursued this option, I was told that this period was not extendable.
Dell’s customer service policy appears to be Caveat Emptor.
Dell (s dell) is using CES to offer a glimpse of its first tablet, an Android-based gadget with a 5-inch screen that’s a bit bigger than a smartphone but smaller than a netbook. The company is joining a crush of hardware manufacturers and software developers jumping into a white-hot tablet space, creating a buzz that has expanded beyond the tech sector to attract attention from mainstream media outlets such as USA Today and MSNBC.com. But is there really much demand for these little connected devices that aren’t phones?
source: CNET
At CES this week, Microsoft has trotted out an HP (s hpq)-branded tablet, Lenovo has showcased a laptop/tablet hybrid and Motorola (s mot) has offered a glimpse of an upcoming tablet product, to name just a few of the companies using the Las Vegas show to flash sleek new offerings. In the meantime, Apple (s aapl) is rumored to be readying a tablet as well. And many of the new tablets run Google’s (s goog) mobile operating system, which– as Google’s Andy Rubin rightly boasts – offers the flexibility to be leveraged on a host of different platforms (and which, as Om noted, could lead to the Androidification of everything).
But while Apple’s iPod touch — which is kind of a mini-tablet — has been a hit, tablet-like devices offered in the past from Microsoft, Fujitsu and others haven’t managed to find much of an audience. That could change in the next few years given the increasing presence of Wi-Fi and the deployment of 4G networks, and we’re likely to see a host of non-phone gadgets gain traction as connectivity comes to a wide variety of consumer electronics devices. But consumers will be asked to shell out at least a few hundred dollars to carry a gadget in addition to their existing phones — some of which function pretty well as mini-computers. Whether there are enough users willing to do so is far from clear.
What’s hot at CES, and why it matters
By Ben Parr
January 6, 2010 4:23 p.m. EST
The wild success of “Avatar” has sparked a wave of demand for 3D content in the home.
(Mashable) — We’re about to see a new wave of technological innovation kick-start the new year. Right now, more than 100,000 tech giants and gadget geeks are in one place: Las Vegas, Nevada.
They are attending CES — the Consumer Electronics Show — where countless new gadgets, devices, and technologies will be revealed to the public for the first time.
This show is a major trend-setter, not only for the gadgets people will buy in 2010, but for the direction of many businesses and industries worldwide. Technology released at CES has the potential to shift large markets such as entertainment and mobile in new directions, which is why you should be paying attention to emerging trends at this year’s show.
Three industries in particular could really feel the after effects of this year’s CES: entertainment, mobile, and publishing. The impact of the show on these industries could even reverberate into the entire economy.
That’s why businesses in these sectors should watch CES 2010 with a close eye, because technology coming out of here will affect them for years to come. Here’s an overview of what’s to come this week at CES:
1. The entertainment industry’s technological shake-up
The entertainment industry has been dealing with a lot of issues spawned by the rise of social media and web technology. Movie and TV studios are trying to find ways to fight back against piracy and illegal file sharing.
They’re also debating whether to support new technologies such as Boxee, a service that brings TV to your desktop.
In fact, a product known as the Boxee Box, will be front and center during the show. The device, no larger than a coke can, ports Boxee’s TV content (including CNN, CBS, and Internet TV channel Rev3) onto your TV. The device could have a major impact on how people use their TVs and is a technology many in the entertainment sector are watching.
There is another technology that will be prevalent at CES that theaters and movie studios hope will keep people coming back to the big screen: 3D. The wild success of “Avatar” has sparked a wave of demand for 3D content in the home.
Several vendors at this year’s show will reveal 3D TVs and laptops in order to latch onto this trend. It could change the whole viewing experience.
2. Everything’s going mobile
I don’t have to tell you mobile is hot right now, but you might be surprised to learn what’s going mobile this year.
For example, Logitech, LG, and Samsung are expected to demo projector phones at this year’s CES. Television is also going mobile at this year’s show, as Shapiro and others will reveal phones and mobile devices that can broadcast your favorite shows.
However, the big mobile trend this year will be Android. It started with Google’s announcement of its self-branded smartphone, the Nexus One, but Shapiro, Dell, and others are likely to reveal smartphones and tablets that run on the OS.
People expect their mobile phones to do more. Not only that, they expect more of what they do to be mobile. That trend will be prevalent in Las Vegas this week.
3. Publishers and tablets
Why should magazine, newspaper, and book publishers care about CES 2010? Two reasons: e-books and tablets. In the impending wake of the rumored Apple Tablet launch, many companies are set to reveal their own tablet computers and e-book readers, including Microsoft and Dell.
CES could determine if these devices succeed as a whole. If they do, they could continue what the Amazon Kindle has started: creating an alternative way to read magazines and books. This year’s show could determine whether publishers need to make their content tablet friendly.
China continues to thrash the US in terms of rapidity of economic growth. Analysts expect GDP growth in the People’s Republic to be above 10% this year which the improvement in the US may be no better than 3%.
The HSBC purchasing manager index for China rose to 56.1 in December, up from 55.7 in November. Reuters reports that the figure is the best since April 2004.
A hot economy often come with the specter of inflation. Chinese manufacturing companies are already admitting that their rising costs are forcing increases in the prices that they charge their customers.
China is faced with three tremendous forces that are likely to make hyper-inflation more likely as the year wears on. The first is the impressive availability of capital. China’s $585 billion stimulus package has poured money into the market causing bubbles in real estate and equities. The capital has also driven consumer demand for goods and services. That demand is likely to push prices even higher.
China has also taken a large portion of its impoverished rural population and moved them to cities to work in factories. That has created a middle class in China that did no exist a year ago. The needs of this middle class are pushing up the costs of commodities including fossil fuels and agriculture products.
China’s need to import strategic products like oil are also likely to raise prices of that critical commodity, pushing up prices of chemicals, diesel, and gas.
Inflation in China means that it will lose some of its “low cost” producer status which has made it the manufacturer to the world. Chinese companies will have to pass on a large portion of their burgeoning costs to customers in the West, large companies like Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and tech operations like Dell (NASDAQ:DELL).
The dream of a renaissance in manufacturing in America may come true. All that may be needed is enough inflation in China to make its ability keep its cost of factory-made products down impossible
Douglas A. McIntyre
