1. Inspiron 15 – The starting price for this machine is $ 578 dollars and Dell is giving out an instant $ 129 dollars in savings. The final price is down to $ 449 dollars. This computer is highlighter with it’s 3 GB memory and long life battery capability.

The main specs of Inspiron 15 are as follows:

Processor: Intel® Pentium® Dual Core T4200 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/1MB cache)

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic Edition SP1

LCD Panel: Glossy, widescreen 15.6 inch display (1366×768)

Combo or DVD+RW Drive: 8X CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)

Memory: 3GB² Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz

Hard Drive: 250GB⁴ SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)

Video Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD

Battery Options: 6-cell battery

2. Inpiron 15 (Upgraded) – The starting price for this machine is $ 709 dollars and Dell is giving out an instant $ 160 dollars in savings. The final price is down to $ 549 dollars. This computer is highlighted with it’s Windows Vista Home Premium, more memory, and more hard drive.

Processor: Intel® Pentium® Dual Core T4200 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/1MB cache)

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1 64 Bit

LCD Panel: Glossy, widescreen 15.6 inch display (1366×768)

Combo or DVD+RW Drive: 8X CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)

Memory: 4GB³ Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz

Hard Drive: 500GB⁴ SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)

Video Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD

Battery Options: 6-cell battery

3. Inpiron 14 – The starting price for this machine is $ 818 dollars and Dell is giving out an instant $ 219 dollars in savings. The final price is down to $ 599 dollars. This computer is highlighted with it’s Ultimate Storage Capacity of 500 GB hard drive.

Processors: Intel® Pentium™ Dual Core T4200 (2.0GHz/800Mhz FSB/1MB cache)

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1 64 Bit

LCD Panel: 14.0” High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife™

CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X CD / DVD Burner (Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive)

Memory: 4GB³ Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz

Hard Drive: 500GB⁴ SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)

Video Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD

Battery: 48 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)

4. Studio 15 – The starting price for this machine is $ 993 dollars and Dell is giving out an instant $ 294 dollars in savings. The final price is down to $ 699 dollars. This computer is highlighted with its Tremendous value and good looks.

Processors: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T6500 (2.1GHz/800Mhz FSB/2MB cache)

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Edition SP1, 64-Bit

LCD Panel: 15.6” High Definition (720p) LED Display with TrueLife™ and Camera

Combo or DVD+RW Drive: 8X Slot Load Super Multi (DL DVD+/-R Drive + RAM support)

Memory: 4GB³ Shared Dual Channel DDR2 at 800MHz

Hard Drive: Speed: 500GB⁴ SATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) with Free Fall Sensor

Video Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD

Battery: 56 Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell)

Go ahead and avail of these offer from Dell which is good until 9/3. The offer page is found here – Dell laptop deals.

Image from Dell.

Post from: EveryJoe

Dell Laptop Offers Until 9/3

When I’m working onsite with a client though I’m almost always packing in a Dell 17" LCD monitor with me to setup and work with while there. You see, I’ve started working with dual-monitors and now I can’t hardly stand to work without them. Thus always carrying around a monitor in addition to my laptop bag. I do get a few looks from people that either think I’m stealing a monitor. Many of them I’m sure have never worked with dual-monitors though and just don’t get it.

The ability to have in my case 32"+ of screen real-estate is extremely valuable to me. I’m not worried about travelling light and mobile with the smallest netbook in my pocket. I’m interested in having as much computing power as I can, including monitor, in as portable a fashion as I can imagine. That doesn’t necessarily mean light.  What’s more important to me is quick and easy deployment.

I’ve been working on an idea for a self-standing monitor case that would protect the screen during transport and unfold around it to serve as a stand when you’re setup. Of course that is until someone develops me a laptop like this one.

Since I’m unpacking and packing up almost daily, I’m more interested in a monitor where the cables are quick to attach, remove and store. The same goes with other peripherals too, but improving the experience for those of us addicted to working with two monitors would be my priority.

Post from: EveryJoe

Working with Dual-Monitors Is a Must

Once you’ve decided what type of machine you’re going to get. How do you decide which one you’re going to buy? What’s more important to you?

I frequently get asked for advice on purchasing computers. Many times because I almost exclusively use a laptop these days, it’s individuals asking me about what laptop to purchase. Very rarely will someone ask me about the features they should be looking for in their machine. Instead they ask about what brand to purchase.

Is that the most important factor? There’s loyalty and trust involved for sure, but are the individual components within the different brands really that much different? Maybe it’s not the components you’re really concerned about, but the service you’ll get from the company if something does go wrong?

Let’s jump to price then. When you look for a new machine do you buy as much as you can afford or the cheapest available? Does your decision change based on the quality of the system you’re replacing?

How do you make your decisions on purchasing a new computer? What’s the last computer you purchased? What was your deciding factor on the purchase?

Image: sxc.hu

Post from: EveryJoe

Are You Purchasing a Computer Soon

MacBook image Courtesy of Apple

What does this mean? Why did Apple leave it as such? I think Apple has something up it’s sleeve. My guess is that the we’ll be seeing a new MacBook quite soon. It might be the “netbook” people have been clamoring about. A cheap, light mac that can compete with the netbooks being currently offered.

I don’t believe that Apple will just keep the MacBook at a single model. They’re neglecting a significant market if they did. The MacBook is primarily aimed at consumers and the MacBook Pros to well.. pros.

The Pro line-up is currently full and it’s looking great. The MacBook Air while it serves a niche market still has a wider range than the MacBook line that has a broader market. So I don’t think it will stay as is. Plus the white polycarbonate body is getting old and is in need of a refresh as well.

So let’s see what happens in the coming months.

Post from: EveryJoe

What’s Going To Happen To The MacBook line?

BSquare is the company the leaked out this information boasting that they have ported Adobe’s Flash Lite 3.17 technology to Dell’s Android netbooks.

The press release previously found here, has been removed. Those who had a chance to read the release notes, has posted the information here — Dell Android Netbook Outed By BSQUARE?

Image source from phAndroid.

Post from: EveryJoe

Dell Android Netbooks

The list differs at one item from Windows Vista: Business became Professional. Is it because Windows Vista didn’t do good business, Business edition or otherwise, and because Windows XP Professional did?

I am disappointed.

The Home Starter edition is supposedly designed especially for netbooks. One of the edition’s stark defining startling features is that not more than 3 applications can be run simultaneously. Duh! Already Microsoft appears confused by what an application is and what is not. A program running as a background process is always termed a process, but some programs are considered as applications (plus processes) when occupying the taskbar and as processes only when minimized to the system tray.

Whatever be the terminology, capping it at 3 is tying hands tightly. So that performance is optimal, just like a tied man who probably runs faster, at least for his life.

Thankfully, Microsoft assures that all Windows 7 editions can be run on netbooks. But the dilemma lives on. Which edition should I buy?

In the mean time, people are already getting creative at making fun of these editions. Like the Windows 7 editions that Microsoft forgot.

Post from: EveryJoe

Those Damn Windows 7 Editions

Called “Sakshat”, the concept is similar to OLPC. While screenshots aren’t out yet, Sakshat has a small screen, 2GB disk space, wi-fi connectivity, computing capabilities, and perhaps some open source software. It has been created to hold textbooks and access online e-learning materials. As an alternative to text-books.

The first batch is expected to be shipped to some colleges in another six months.

Read The Hindu’s article covering the prototype launch (has one image).

Post from: EveryJoe

$10 Computers in India

Milo discovered a product especially useful for enterprises of all sizes called Nightwatchman, a good news that Microsoft didn’t lay off anybody in the Vista team. I knew that they didn’t touch the Silverlight team, but frankly I’m surprised about this because Vista hasn’t been very profitable to Microsoft. Or has it? One bad news is the Windows 7 minimum requirements. It may not be a good experience to try it on my netbook which just meets the minimum requirements and my laptop which is old enough to even miss the minimum. But if anyone is interested, you can get the Windows 7 look into Windows XP. He also found a couple of amusing videos, one called “how to say i love you.” and another a confirmation of love, a marriage at Taco Bell. Recession, aye?

Jason found a few websites that can assist you in unique ways: one for helping educate your kids, one a calendar to help others, and another to scan your computer online. He covered a lot of Windows Powertoys, a mobile media browser and found another reason to continue loving Zune. He also has a couple of how-tos for selecting non-linear text in a word document and sharing Outlook calendar availability. One bad news, I mean another one, is that Microsoft is shutting down MSN Groups.

Claire thought out loud about the gap between Linux and mainstream users, learnt something new about less (which all you Cygwin users may find useful), discovered a wonderful browser called Kidzui which attempts to make the Internet a more kid-friendly place.

Juan wonders whether the Mac is not invincible anymore and whether Apple really needs to make a netbook. He is glad to find a symbol cheat widget and an app that can save his day with a bunch of drawings. The latter isn’t my cup of tea. He along with Jayvee found out about Apple’s stand on piracy.

Post from: EveryJoe

A Massive Tech Channel Roundup

A quick survey using Google tells us that there are nearly a million results for laptop hard disk, about a half million each for laptop hard disk recovery and laptop hard disk replacement, and a quarter million for laptop hard disk failure.

Let us look into mechanical hard disk failures as there are recovery tools which can very well work in case of other kinds of failures.

One obvious reason why a hard disk might mechanically fail is when it is dropped off a height. Despite what stress tests assure you, laptops are only as proportionally safe as humans when it comes to jumping off heights. While we might be able to walk again, they might not always be able to run.

One non-obvious reason why a hard disk might mechanically fail is when you take it for a walk. Laptop is a portable device, so you hold it and walk from the kitchen (it shouldn’t even have been there) to the TV room, or worse, from your office to your home. I do it all the time. Only I suspend the laptop, if not shut it down.

Hard disks as the “disk” suggests are mechanical devices. When you walk a hard disk while it is running (while I/Os are being performed), you put it in a pickle, like you would yourself find when you were to drink while running.

The large momentum you give it while walking can conflict with its own momentum at a time when its head is trying to read or write to a sector, and this can cause mechanical failure.

So.

Don’t walk the laptop.

Not when it is running. Shut down or at least suspend all activity before doing that.

Post from: EveryJoe

Do Not Walk the Laptop

While I went through the customizations of the Dell Inspiron Mini 9, I was amused to find “External Monitor” listed among “Accessories”. This may be a singular case specific to netbooks because watching a movie on a 8.5″ screen is far less convenient than watching it on a 19″ external monitor, though it is better than watching it on a cell phone screen. Anyway, I already use an external monitor at home; I connect my Lenovo T60 to a 21″ LG LCD Wide screen to watch any video. I am not the first one to do so.

I must confess that I don’t really need an external monitor for any other purpose because my workspace is usually clean with very few open applications. It is just that there is a significant experience gradient in between the two while watching videos. If you have a cluttered workspace, consider a second monitor. And if you’re selling your desktop and going for a laptop, don’t be too hasty in getting rid of the monitor.

Setting your PC to use dual monitors: After connecting the second monitor to your PC — display cable to the CPU and power cable to the power supply — open Control Panel -> Display -> Settings. In the settings tab, click on the drop-down to select the second option and tick beside “Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor”. You might have to also tune the “Screen resolution” and the “Color quality”. Apply these settings, and you will be able to drag applications from one screen to the other. The secondary monitor logically is by default to the right of the primary monitor regardless of the side on which it is physically located. You can move the “1″ and “2″ rectangles around each other to suit your requirements.

Post from: EveryJoe

Use Dual Monitors