Palm and Dell Phones on AT&T

I’ve landed in Las Vegas for CTIA Wireless, the U.S.’s biggest phone confab. The show floor doesn’t open until tomorrow, but news is already breaking. AT&T, for instance, has announced that it’s adding Palm’s Pre Plus and Pixi Plus to its lineup, as well as Dell’s Android-based Aero–the first Dell phone to ship in the U.S.

At the moment, it’s fashionable to declare Palm to be dead. It’s true that things look bleak at the moment, but pundits have been writing premature obituaries for the company for years, so I’d take the current round of knowing analysis with a grain of salt. With the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus’s arrival on AT&T, there are Palm handsets on ever major U.S. carrier except T-Mobile. That can’t hurt, and might help.

(I’m sorry that the AT&T Pre Plus lacks the nifty Mobile HotSpot feature that’s available on the Verizon version. But I’m not surprised: If AT&T had enabled MHS on the Pre while continuing to deny iPhone users the tethering it said was “coming soon” back in 2008, iPhone users would have headed towards AT&T headquarters with pitchforks.)

Dell, meanwhile, is a company that hasn’t had much luck with handheld gizmos in the past (remember the DJ?). The Aero runs Dell’s own Android interface and is based on the Mini 3, which has only been available in China and Brazil until now.  I’ll try to track one down before I head home from the show.

[Via http://technologizer.com]

Dell Vostro V13 Core 2 Solo

Adamo laptops are among the sexiest machine available on Dell Catalog, but like every high-end goods, price is an obstacle difficult to overcome for most of us… And when Dell decided to offer a Cheap Adamo, the Vostro V13, we decided that we had to give it a try and found out if our 69,980 Yen Vostro V13 was a pretty good deal after all. Just to let you know Dell Japan as nice offer for a Vista and Celeron 743 powered Vostro V13 at just 12,980 Yen (106€).

Dell Vostro V13 Specs:

- Intel CoreTM 2 Solo SU3500 @ 1.40 GHz

- 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM (1066 MHz)

- Intel GMA 4500MHD

- 320 GB Serial ATA 7,200 rpm

- 13.3” HDF LED Backlight Monitor with a 1366×768 resolution.

First Impression

Directly coming from the Adamo family the Vostro V13 inherit for its big brother handsomeness and quality build. Like the Adamo the Vostro V13 peculiarity reside in the way you will close your computer screen and lid, lying on top of your computer bottom deck.

Receiving an elegant brushed aluminum lid and bottom body, the V13 over all quality is matching our expectation. Add to this a well design and elegant keyboard and mouse pad, the Vostro V13 is just the elegant Business oriented Laptop that many of us would die for.

Minimalistic the V13 is in the other hands a bit means with peripheral. Don’t expect much here but the V13 only features a USB 2.0 port and an e-SATA one. If you are looking forward to plug your computer to your nice 24” Full HD Monitor you will have to do it the good old fashion way with the poor man D-Sub output.

Luckily Dell also thought that it could be nice to add 2 more slot with a SD Card reader and an Express Card/34 port on the side of your computer ant that pretty much it.

Looking forward to enjoy HD video on the Go? You are in luck, since the Vostro V13 features a pretty nice none glossy 13.3” screen with a 1366×768 resolution

Everyday usage.

Unfortunately only available in Japan with a Celeron 743 or a Core 2 Solo SU3500, the Vostro V13 is far from being as powerful as an Adamo, at least for us in Japan, but the good news is that it will just do what it is suppose to do! Now let’s face it, and even if you would have better enjoyed a Core 2 Duo S7300 like on the USA V13 for example, the Vostro V13 has never been made to compete against power user oriented laptop, but has been targeted to business oriented user, where a Core 2 Solo SU3500 with a 7200rpm HDD will easily handle Web Browsing, Email, Basic Office usage and even some basic photo edition even with Photoshop.

If you ever wanted to push the limit of your Business oriented usage and just need to relax for while, reset assure, the Vostro V13 even on its Core 2 Solo configuration will easily handle Hulu Video, as well as HD videos. As for 3D video gaming, well let’s say that Intel’s GMA 4500MHD won’t give you the needed power to play those 3D heavy games, but once again, who will be crazy enough to try such games on such tiny and slim Business laptop whether or not you could get it with a Core 2 Duo CPU.

So far so good, the Vostro V13 is a pretty nice business tool, well built, nice aluminum casing an ultra slim with just 19.7mm, the Vostro has for me everything it needs when it comes for a slim & elegant mobile professional laptop… But as a mobile device, the Vostro has just one weakness… Its battery. Unfortunately unswappable, the Vostro V13 will need to go back to DELL support center if you ever need to change its internal battery, we actually were not capable to remove the computer aluminum bottom without damaging the computer… Bad very bad.

Conclusion.

Despite its poor choice of CPU in Japan, I would die for a Core 2 Duo V13, its unswappable battery, I would still get the V13 in addition on of me setting at the office. Actually using a Vaio G2 series in a Windows Server and Exchange Office environment, The V13 will perform just as well as my G2 Core 2 Duo 1.2Ghz plus giving me the satisfaction to own an excellently build computer and on top of that a very elegant one. And as proof, while writing this review I just placed an order for a Vostro V13 with a Core 2 Solo at 23,450 Yen (196€) to replace my Wife Lenovo 3000 N100 Core Duo 1.66Ghz Laptop.

[Via http://f3.kz]

P@SHA & CIO head out to campuses with IT CEOs

Today marks the launch of a new initiative branded as  “Campus Conversations” -   a collaboration between CIO Pakistan and P@SHA, and supported by PSEB.

The thought behind it is that the industry-academia linkage is weak resulting in a disconnect between the two. Instead of each complaining about the other, a discourse that will enable the two segments to work in unison in improving this relationship for the benefit of all, is what is needed.

So CIO and P@SHA will  travel with a panel of CEOs (this panel will change depending on the university and the city) to university campuses across the country to start a “conversation” with students/faculty. The initiative will be result-oriented with real commitments being the key. I have explained it a little in this interview with Rabia Garib at the CIO Webstudio.

Today’s panel includes Yusuf Jan of Mixit Technologies, Rahim Lalani of TRG Tech, Ashar Zaidi of Intel Pakistan & Danish Nafay of National Foods. Rabia Garib and I will be there too of course! We are heading out to the FAST Karachi Main Campus. Tune in to this blog and to the CIO Webstudio to see if we survived the encounter .

[Via http://jehanara.wordpress.com]

Dell E173FP - LCD display - TFT - 17" - 1280 x 1024 - 250 cd/m2 - 450:1 - 0.264 mm - VGA

Dell E173FP – LCD display – TFT – 17″ – 1280 x 1024 – 250 cd/m2 – 450:1 – 0.264 mm – VGA Review

This monitor is creat, it takes up very little room, and still gives me a great picture – better than any other LCD I have owned. The really nice thing with this monitor is you see the whole screen – you do not have thet black box going around the picture your who display is viewable. I also liked that I could add a speaker bar to my monitor easily. This is an excellent buy and value!

Dell E173FP – LCD display – TFT – 17″ – 1280 x 1024 – 250 cd/m2 – 450:1 – 0.264 mm – VGA Feature

• Designed for a wide variety of users
• Ranging from the home to corporate or financial trading environments
• Utilizes a 17 Active Matrix TFT LCD
• Displays brilliant text and graphics with a maximum resolution up to 1280×1024 pixels
• Monitor has wide viewing angles

Dell E173FP – LCD display – TFT – 17″ – 1280 x 1024 – 250 cd/m2 – 450:1 – 0.264 mm – VGA Overview

The Dell E173FP 17″ Flat Panel LCD Color Monitor is designed for a wide variety of users ranging from the home to corporate or financial trading environments. It utilizes a 17″ Active Matrix TFT LCD that displays brilliant text and graphics with a maximum resolution up to 1280×1024 pixels. This monitor has wide viewing angles, which allow you to view the screen from various positions without compromising image quality. With a contrast ratio of 450:1, it generates sharp, crisp lines and images, while its fast response time provides superior clarity for moving images. Those who require exceptional quality and reliability will appreciate the value that Dell E173FP provides.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 15, 2010 12:00:03

[Via http://netebook.wordpress.com]

New Dell Computer

My 5-year old laptop suddenly began misbehaving, and considering its age, I opted to order a new machine instead of wasting time troubleshooting.  After much research, I ordered a Dell laptop.  However, after already being delayed once, I received another email from Dell stating that my order had been delayed for a second time, and that if I didn’t respond that day, my order would be cancelled.  I responded with a call to customer service that was most unfulfilling and followed up with an email:

“Please continue to process and ship my order.  However, my faith in Dell’s ability to deliver has been deeply eroded.  The is the 3rd delivery date that I have been promised, and both delay notices have been sent the day the computer would have had to ship to make the promised delivery date.  It is clear that Dell’s supply chain management system is unable to forecast actual assembly or anticipate delays…”

Later that same day, I received an email that my order had shipped.  I would like to think that my email had that effect, but I suspect that my initial analysis of Dell’s IT system is more likely accurate.

[Via http://thepinkyupdate.wordpress.com]

Dell Mini 5 To Take on iPad With Amazon

Dell’s upcoming Mini 5, which was earliest shown openly at this years CES, will be made accessible in a range of colors and will also feature addition with a host of Amazon services, according to a lately leaked internal document.

The leaked information, which was originally posted on Engadget, details that the Android-powered tablet may be accessible in a number of “premium finishes.” The document also mentions thatthe Mini 5 will be accessible in a range of colors and designs.

Beyond the personalization options, the first leaked page unhappily didn’t offer several other latest information concerning Dell’s upcoming tablet, simply listing its features, for example the front-facing video camera, dock connector, and capacitive touch-screen. However, a second leaked page offers some extra interesting tidbits that were previously unidentified.

The second page information a content partnership that Dell may be entering with Amazon. The document states that the Mini 5 will incorporate with Amazon’s Kindle, MP3 and Video services, and will comprise a Kindle reader app

Could this partnership with Amazon be seen as a move to compete with the upcoming iPad? Apple’s tablet has the iTunes plus iBooks Stores, so supporting Amazon’s services could help Dell bring something like to the table.

For those eagle-eyed readers, you might have spotted that the leaked certification refers to the Snapdragon-powered device as the ‘Streak’, a name that first surfaced late last year. As for whether this is just the interior codename for the upcoming product, or an official change gone from the Mini 5 moniker is at present unknown.

Dell has yet to verify a solid release date or final price for the device.

[Via http://technonewsworld.wordpress.com]

Dell Precision M4500

      For those which work in business, Dell introduce new Precision M4500. With a new and very atractive design, M4500 came with some specifications which will transform this notebook in a very powerfull machine. Here are few specifications:

Processor:  Intel Core i5 / i7

Display:       15.6 inch with 1920 x 1080 pixels rezolution

Video:          nVidia Quadro FX 1800M / Quadro FX 880M with 1 Gb memory

Hard-disk:   Solid state drive with 64GB

Memory:      Up to 16GB

Web-cam:     3 megapixels

Weight:          2.72kg

[Via http://xtremecomputers.wordpress.com]

Oh, The Dell With It

The workers should be here any minute now for day two of the roof project. Yesterday they stripped the entire old roof off, put down new tar paper, and got about 7/8 of the front of the house reshingled. Also, they cut out the dormer from the upstairs bathroom and gutted the room, except for the toilet and the tub, but that’s going. If you know anything about my upstairs bathroom, you know how the ceiling slants following the angle of the roof. Well, that slant is being bumped out and a new dormer built in its place and then a functioning shower will be installed so that one can stand erect while showering. Oh, yeah, well, there was never a shower there to begin with, just a tub that never got used. Today the dormer should be built so the rest of the roof can be shingled.

The fun continued at computer central last night. I don’t think I went into specifics about it yesterday, but Monday night, because I wasn’t able to connect to watch the Radio Chick on Shovio.co m, Ariel thought he could do something to make it work. But when he turned on the new computer–the brand new computer, the one that was delivered on Saturday–it would not start. It was a bit of a dance with a Dell representative, only because the first few suggestions weren’t working, but the guy talked Ariel through the situation and got the computer up and running.

While I was working yesterday, during all the chaos of home repair going on about me, I thought, let me watch a movie. But, neither of the two drives was working.

Oh, it was the greatest thing. The workers were here until dark and before Ariel got home, to tackle this new computer issue, I went to scour the driveway for nails. I began picking them up but one of the guys saw me and after I assured him I didn’t mind, he gave me this neat tool to use. It was like a super magnetic push broom on wheels. You just roll it over and it attracts all the nails on the ground.

So, Ariel got home and got on the phone with Dell, and how he didn’t end up having a coronary is beyond me. He went toe to toe with several different departments because their record keeping department has not yet updated the registration info yet and because of that, were unable to help him. We couldn’t run the supplied discs in either drive to reinstall the player and Dell (and I’m sure others as well) has a way to access your desktop so they can resolve such issues. But they couldn’t, or wouldn’t do it and Ariel was livid, yelling into the phone how “I’m a loyal customer, I own 4 dell computers, this one is brand new, I’ve had two issues with it already since Saturday, why should I be penalized because your record keeping department doesn’t do it’s job, get me a supervisor, I am NOT waiting another 24 hours for this to get resolved, I am staying on the phone, I need this resolved toNIGHT!” Rinse, repeat, over and over again.

Sometimes you learn from your mistakes and actually have to return to the scene of the crime. When he called Dell on Monday night, it happened to have been a wrong number, the number for Dell Canada, but they helped us. After over an hour of trying not to pop a blood vessel last night, Ariel got on the phone with Canada, explained the problem, and was talked through the registration process and the rep connected to the desk top and went to work to resolve our issue, all the while apologizing it was taking so long.

So, there you have it, Dell customer service stinks. You need help, go to Canada.

And let’s see what the newts thought of last night’s American Idol.

[Via http://brianksigley.wordpress.com]

Bon Giorno, Hello, AnnyongHaseyo, Konnichiwa, Kumusta

Hi fellow readers, bloggers and working moms out there like me. It’s not that hot today here in the Philippines with a temperature that is almost 28° C (82°F). Currently working inside our nipa hut using my newly bought Dell Inspiron 1440 while swaying my son’s crib (multitasking as they say). Valuing every time that I have while surfing, answering questions from work and making my baby sleep and earn money. Nowadays, it is really important to budget your time, spend your money wisely and maintain a good relationship with your family. It’s really great that I was able to find a job that satisfy what the people around me needs and what I personally need. Working at home is fun and enjoyable as I am able to spend time with my 4-month-old son while I am at the comfort of our home earning some money instead of just surfing without pay. The job I am currently into is very flexible as I am able to schedule myself on the time that I am most available and of course my endless need for knowledge is being satisfied. I am happy with the reviews they made regarding my job and hope to answer more questions to gain more knowledge and earn more.

[Via http://azanzwer.wordpress.com]

Old PC is almost gone

Wasted all day trying to fix my PC. Finally I gave up and ordered a Dell instead.

Windows started okay but it froze after about 5 minutes. I reloaded Windows XP but lost the mouse, keyboard co-processor, a bus and network connection. Istruggled for 45 minutes and loaded a wireless network connection but still couldn’t get online.

I then backed up all my files and set up my $300 Eee PC  to check emails and get on the Internet.

I also orderd the new Windows Office to replace my 2001 XP Office I got from UT.

Dell won’t come until March 25; a long 3 weeks.

[Via http://hslu.wordpress.com]

New Dell computers have arrived.

The Dell computers we purchased to replaced some of our 7-year old computers have arrived. It comes with Windows 7 and Windows XP downgrade.

It is going to take a few days to configured the computers to our liking so we can increased our productivity. Not sure if we’re going to use Windows 7 right away due to some ancient software we are still using.

By the way, we are finally going to get Office 2007. Well, Office 2010 is just around the corner. More spending in this economy, but hey, we are contributing to the recovery. We’re still not sure if we are going to need Outlook (2007) anymore since we have moved the email system to a less Microsoft-centric one. Anyway it’s still going to cost us a cosiderable amount of our IT budget for the softwares.

Currently the pricing for Microsoft Office 2007 Standard Edition is over $300 at Amazon.com. Where can we get it cheaper? Any ideas?

[Via http://amidon.wordpress.com]

Which Mass Storage Driver for Dell Optiplex 780?

Having trouble finding which driver you need to install for SATA on the Dell Optiplex 780? Yeah me too. So after much trouble and lack of documentation on Dell’s website I figured I’d post it here after finding it on a Russian web site. For the record I was installing XP Pro 32-bit (for work). Had this PC not been a ‘test’ PC it would be running Windows 7.

And yes I put in the freakin’ service tag at Dell’s website.

In the BIOS it comes by default set to ATA instead of AHCI.

You need to install the Intel ICH10D driver.

With the proper SATA driver installed you can reboot and change it to AHCI and it will boot. Without the proper driver and set to AHCI the box will simply blue-screen and constantly reboot until you switch it back to ATA or throw it on the ground.

Hope it helps someone else.

[Via http://davesays.wordpress.com]