A novel way of cooling a notebook
Though I've never burnt myself with a notebook, the heat can still be uncomfortable. There are plenty of stands around such as the amps Lapguard or the Laprest but a gentleman named Ron Brinkmann has come up with a novel solution, a hot water bottle.
There's a certain amount of logic to the idea. Water is a great way of moving heat around (if it's good enough for nuclear power stations, I think it's safe to assume it will work for a notebook). Perhaps it shouldn't need saying but I would imagine that this works best with plain hot water bottles. Cute sheep or cat faux hair may impair the cooling abilities somewhat.
The only disadvantage I can think of right away is trying to explain to my wife why I am trying to crush ice cubes to fit into a hot water bottle. Maybe just putting it into the freezer to start with would be a better idea.
Posted by Tim Smith on May 1, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Software for Windows Mobile
The rise of SmartPhones means that more and more of us have amazingly capable devices that do nothing more making calls.
Finding software for mobile devices can be a little tricky - it's back to my old problem of trust. I've got all my contacts on my phone, am I really happy installing other software. The Windows Mobile Owners Circle is a very good place to start.
There is plenty of software to be found from Photo Contacts* to a mobile widgets program called Zumobi. I'm also intrigued by Viigo, a mobile RSS reader.
* I have a terrible memory for faces so this would be very useful. I'm just not sure if I'd be willing to take people's photos when we first meet.
Posted by Tim Smith on April 1, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Hot notebooks
Notebooks are just about as popular as desktops now. Even if you don't want to use the computer on the move (and popular opinion seems to suggest about 80% of notebooks never leave the desk), they save space and can be hidden away when not in use.
There is one big drawback, heat. With all the components crammed in together so tightly it is harder to keep any kind of air flow around the processor and graphics cards. With a dual Geforce2Go notebook, such as I'm using now, that presents a bit of problem.
As the day progresses the keyboard starts to get hotter and hotter. Eventually I have had to connect a separate keyboard to the notebook. There are various notebook coolers around that have fans to help with cooling.
I've often worried that this may reduce the life of the notebook compared to a desktop but thankfully this does not seem to have been the case. In fact, now I get more worried about the temperature of the power supply. Sometimes this gets too hot to touch comfortably, but I'm not sure of any way to cool these down.
Posted by Tim Smith on March 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
No password safer than weak password?!
I couldn't quite believe the headline Set a Blank Password in Windows XP To Protect the Computer from Internet Attacks but it seems that there might actually be something in this.
If there is no password on an account it cannot be accessed over the network or internet. There is still the question of physical security but this is less of a problem at home. Unless you want to run parental controls software. Or your house is broken into, as we heard in an email into the office a couple of days ago.
Given that most people end up using simple passwords for an easy life, this advice is fairly good. But I would still recommend people to create a strong password (upper and lower case, numbers and even extra characters like !"£$% if allowed).
And never, ever, ever leave a notebook without a password when out and about.
Posted by Tim Smith on March 11, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
What is S/PDIF?
If you've ever wondered what the socket with a red glow inside was, this article on the Vista Team Blog will reveal all.
It is an optical audio connection called S/PDIF. The important thing about it is that it is a digital connection so there is no loss of quality; Windows works in a purely digital sense with audio until it is time to send it to an output. Inevitably some quality is lost, which doesn't make sense if the output device is also digital and has to convert it from audio to digital again.
I was caught out on my notebook because the ordinary headphone socket was doubled up as the S/PDIF. I saw the red light and thought that there wasn't a headphone socket. Silly me!
Posted by Tim Smith on March 7, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Repairing Vista Performance Information
I received an interesting question today from someone who had an empty Performance Information and Tools window.
At first I wondered if it was related to a change in hardware. I had a look on my notebook and saw that the update link had moved to the top because the Vista Performance Rating had not been updated since I upgraded the memory in my notebook.
What I hadn't realised until I was sent a screen grab was that there was nothing in the window apart from the 'Not sure where to start' link. And that didn't work either. It helps to have a sense of humour at these moments.
There is a solution to be found at Winhelponlin.com. This does involve editing the Registry so make sure you have made a System Restore point before starting. A proper backup won't hurt either.
Posted by Tim Smith on February 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tim's take on the Asus EEE PC
I thought I'd take the opportunity to explain my take on the EEE PC now that the world and Stephen Fry have done so.
Rather than think of the EEE PC like the Tandy 100 as Anthony has done, I see it as the successor to the Psion Series 7.
I've still got a Series 7 at home and it's come with me on press trips. Why? It's small enough to fit into an ordinary back. Being flash based it is ready to go as soon as you press the power button is pressed. So I was ready to start taking notes long before all the Windows and Mac users. There might not be many games but there are ebook readers so I can take my collection from Manybooks with me.
It has it's faults, mainly in trying to copy files from it to, well, anything else. The Compact Flash slot sounds like a good idea but a couple of cards have refused to work in anything other than the Psion. Beaming the document to a phone and copying it to a computer from there get a little wearing.
One solution is to install Linux on the Psion as it can then be used with some wireless cards. There is a project for this at http://www.openpsion.org/ but to be honest I don't want to take the risk.
This brings me to why I don't really see the benefit of trying to install Windows XP or (shudder) Vista on an EEE PC or even the various ultra mobile PCs that pass by our desks. It's not designed for these really small devices and just can't shine.
What puzzles me is why no one has installed Windows Mobile onto any of these devices instead. Mobile is fast, comes with Word and Excel, and there is a huge selection of extra software to choose from. You can even connect to GPS devices with cheap utilities like GPS Speed Sentry. The reduced system requirements should make a huge improvement in battery life.
On a side note, one of the most interesting comparisons is that of price. The Series 7 was an eye watering £700 pounds back in 2002, whereas the EEE PC is cheap enough that I'm seriously tempted.
Posted by Tim Smith on February 5, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Stephen Fry on the Eee PC
Anthony may not think that the Asus Eee PC is up to much*, but comedian, actor and now (possibly the only) celebrity-technology-journalist Stephen Fry disagrees. In his latest "Dork Talk" column for the Guardian he's proclaimed the Eee "a wonderful little friend who does all we need straight out of the box".
Our own review of the Eee largely agrees with Mr Fry - the Eee is an exellent computer with all the software that many will need, but also one with important limitations that prevent it from being a fully fledged replacement for a "proper" Windows, Mac or Linux notebook. On the other hand, we are a little confused as to how his Eee was shipped with a working modem - all the models we've seen have had a modem port, but one that is blocked off and unusable. Maybe celebrity journalists get better review models.
Nit-picking aside, though, the review makes quite interesting reading, which seems appropriate.
* Anthony is of course half right - the idea of a tiny, low power computer is nothing new. On the other hand, I'd much prefer an Atari Portfolio, thanks very much :)
Posted by Tom Royal on February 4, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Powertoys for OneNote 2007
A very useful list of powertoys for OneNote this (link courtesy of Darren Strange).
OneNote is a note taking program that is a relatively new addition to the Office stable. From what I've seen it really shines on Tablet PCs, though the closest I can manage is a notebook with a graphics tablet.
The most exciting part for me when I heard about OneNote was the ability to record a presentation and make notes that are timestamped to the audio. So all you need to write is "Do this item" and then it will jump to the right bit of audio. The only snag is having to bring the notebook to the meeting.
I can't believe I haven't used OneNote since I got my hands on Office. It seemed like a really useful program, especially for students. It will be interesting to see how it compares to using MindManager
Posted by Tim Smith on January 18, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
8inch, 16GB Eee PC by the end of June?
We were impressed by the first generation of the tiny, cheap Asus Eee PC notebook - you can read our full review here - but, in a meeting with Asus yesterday, the company gave a few details of what to expect from the next generation version.
The first new Eee products should come in February, with the original Eee design available in new colours - currently we've only seen it in black and white versions. Around the same time, in February or March, the first updated version with an 8GB flash memory disk should begin to appear for sale. Current models have just 4GB of storage, leaving around 2GB to use unless you add an SD card.
More interestingly, the first significantly different new model, with a larger 8 inch display, should be around before the end of Q2 - for those that don't speak geek, that's before the end of June. This model should be available with either 8GB of 16GB of storage space. Asus couldn't confirm prices, but we expect the cheaper version to come in at a price not far from the £220 being charged for the original model.
Posted by Tom Royal on January 17, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Mobile desk for mobile computers
Having a notebook might make you think that you are now free to work wherever you choose but the reality is rather different.
Choosing a notebook with a reasonable screen area means taking a hit on weight, and probably heat too.
One solution is buy a lap rest such as the amps LapGard (video review here) but that only solves heat not weight, and the sofa has ergonomic problems of it's own.
The CI desk is an interesting alternative. On wheels and with plenty of storage it makes a convenient desk for those short on space.
The snag, the company behind this is based in Austria but hopefully it will appear over here soon.
Posted by Tim Smith on January 16, 2008 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Something good about Vista Power Management
I know I've written a lot about what has annoyed me about power management in Vista but there was something good that happened today.
Having forgotten to charge my notebook during the day, the battery went down to 'critical' level on the train and Vista went into hibernate automatically. This is a good thing and what I want.
The useful touch when I restarted was there was an extra menu when the computer booted warning that the computer had nearly run out of power and that power was needed before continuing with loading Windows.
Granted it's not a feature that requires a lot of technical fiddling, but that's not the point. It could make all the difference if I had left the computer on and hadn't realised that the battery had drained.
Posted by Tim Smith on December 19, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I lost hibernation (and then found it again)
It's been a while since I had a rant about the power options in Vista, so here we go again.
As I was running a little low of hard disk space I ran the Disk Cleanup Wizard. One of the options was to remove the hibernation file. It was around 2GB so I checked the option to give me a little more breathing room until I next needed to hibernate.
The snag was that doing this not only changed all my options from hibernate to sleep but removed all traces of hibernation from the Power Options.
Eventually I had a look on the Microsoft KnowledgeBase. Credit where credit's due, this is an excellent resource and it's rare that I can't find the answer here.
Well, there is an answer. All it takes is a simple command at the command prompt. powercfg.exe /hibernate on to be precise. And yes you can use off if you want to disable this feature.
It was quick and it worked, but it has left me wondering whether Windows is starting to become more reliant on the Command Prompt for this kind of setting. It's certainly much much easier than wandering around in the maze of options that has become a hallmark of Vista as far as I'm concerned.
Posted by Tim Smith on December 14, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I lost hibernation (and then found it again)
It's been a while since I had a rant about the power options in Vista, so here we go again.
As I was running a little low of hard disk space I ran the Disk Cleanup Wizard. One of the options was to remove the hibernation file. It was around 2GB so I checked the option to give me a little more breathing room until I next needed to hibernate.
The snag was that doing this not only changed all my options from hibernate to sleep but removed all traces of hibernation from the Power Options.
Eventually I had a look on the Microsoft KnowledgeBase. Credit where credit's due, this is an excellent resource and it's rare that I can't find the answer here.
Well, there is an answer. All it takes is a simple command at the command prompt. powercfg.exe /hibernate on to be precise. And yes you can use off if you want to disable this feature.
It was quick and it worked, but it has left me wondering whether Windows is starting to become more reliant on the Command Prompt for this kind of setting. It's certainly much much easier than wandering around in the maze of options that has become a hallmark of Vista as far as I'm concerned.
Posted by Tim Smith on December 14, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Asus eee update: UK models include expansion slot
We're currently reviewing the eee PC - Asus's £220 mini-notebook computer. One of the unusual things about the eee is that it has no hard disk - instead, it uses 4GB of flash memory. This isn't much, especially if you want to install Windows, so many people are interested in ways to add more storage.
One possibility comes courtesy of the mini PCI Express expansion slot, found under an access hatch on the bottom of the notebook. Unfortunately, there's been some confusion over whether all Eee PCs will come with this slot - reports from the US suggest that it's missing from some models.
We spoke to Asus UK to clear this matter up, and got the following response from a spokesperson:
"All the Asus Eee PC units you can buy via resale will have the PCI express expansion slots, these are all the official units in the UK. The Eee PC’s that do not have expansion slots are of a lower-spec that are released in the US and Asia (and also on tenders in the UK, such as schools or public sector that have very specific requirements) ... the best way for a consumer to get a Eee PC with the slot is to buy from a certified reseller and not go after a grey import".
So - good news. Anyone buying an official Eee PC in the UK should be able to expand it with an extra solid state disk in future, although doing so does require you to open the case, thus voiding the warranty.
Posted by Tom Royal on December 10, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
New Windows Smart Phones from HTC
HTC has just announced some new phones and related PDAs, all running Windows Mobile.
The new Touch Dual adds a slide out keyboard to the touch screen interface. It's slightly larger as a result but still small enough to fit comfortably in the pocket.
HTC also provides a different home page in the place of the usual Windows Mobile page. The clock is bigger (lets face it, apart from missed calls that's the first thing most people look at their phone for), and the colour scheme is a trendy grey, rather than bright green.
I have to say that after not being keen on Windows Mobile, I think it is a really good system now. The initial comparison with with a large Casio Windows CE device and a Palm Vx. The Palm was easy to use and had fantastic battery life (OK, that had a lot to do with the monochrome screen). I also found far more programs for the Palm.
Times have changed and Windows Mobile is very capable. I used an XDA II for a year or so and, although large for a phone and not that new, found it very capable.
I found software for everything I wanted and the ease of syncing with Outlook made life much easier.
I'm not about to advocate writing long missives on a phone sized device, but it looks great for communicating and web surfing on the move.
Posted by Tim Smith on October 1, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Tiny £200 notebook shown running Windows XP
We've had our eye on Asus's EEE PC 701 for some time. First announced at the Computex trade show, this tiny notebook PC is expected to cost around £200 when it launches in the UK. And, weighing around 900g, it could be the ideal way to work on the move: small, light and, unlike most tiny notebooks, not ludicrously expensive. It even uses flash memory instead of a hard disk, so it should be less sensitive to shock damage than most notebooks.
As we reported back in June, the EEE is expected to sell with a Linux operating system installed. However, a Russian website (click here for a translation of extremely dubious quality) has tested an early sample version that runs Windows XP. If the final version isn't significantly different, this could be an ideal way to use Microsoft Office, or any other Windows application, on the move.
There are also some photos of the standard Linux operating system, as well as confirmation that the user should be able to install a new operating system of their choice, here.
We'll bring you more information, including final pricing and specifications, as soon as it becomes available.
Posted by Tom Royal on September 24, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Helping your notebook stay the course
I often think of the battery in my notebook as a mobile UPS (uniteruptable power supply - not the parcel company), partly in that I try not to depend on it if at all possible. If there is the slightest hint of an available power socket I'll take my power supply along with me.
There are some times when there is no choice but to rely on the battery and it is worth spending a little time getting to know your notebook and how to save power. For example my main notebook has a keyboard shortcut to turn wireless off. Annoyingly, whilst this can be done at any time in Windows, Ubuntu doesn't react to the key. Score one to Windows there.
Armelle O'Neal at Microsoft came up with a helpful list of tips for lengthening battery life. Well worth a read, even though it is focused on Windows XP.
Posted by Tim Smith on August 23, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Windows in unusual places
I was sent a link to a promotional video by VIA about their ultra mobile PCs
It's interesting not so much about the notebook (as it's hardly seen) but about the way that Richard Brown sees life in the future. Always connected, never away from a computer or (presumably) the internet, constantly sharing our experiences as quickly as possible because any delay will see them gone forever.
The trouble for me is that I don't know if a device running a full copy of Windows will ever be able to deliver this kind of experience. The Ultra Mobile PCs that we have seen here in the office (including those powered with VIA chips) have seemed underpowered, especially when trying to cope with Vista.
I recently took an old Psion Series 7 to a press briefing. It might be old but I was taking notes long before the full notebooks (Windows and Mac) had finished starting. Press the power button, enter my password, hit the shortcut for a new word document and ready to go.
On the other hand, I've used Windows Mobile for a couple of years now and it's been pretty good. I still have a soft spot for Palm but the Outlook integration is very useful. An ultramobile PC running Windows Mobile would be very attractive. Overpowered and so hopefully really fast with instant on and constant saving of input.
Posted by Tim Smith on August 13, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
New PCI Express Wireless card from Belkin
The chances are that if you have bought a new notebook recently, it has a PCI Express slot rather than the older PC Card. That's true of my notebook, so I was pleased to receive the news from Belkin about their new Draft N wireless card in PCI Express format.
My personal experience of Draft N is that it is not quite as fast as the claims but the range benefits are worth having.
The N1 range of wireless adapters also has adapters for PC Card, PCI or USB. The PCI Express version is £70.
Posted by Tim Smith on July 6, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Why ultra mobile PCs don't appeal to me
We love gadgets here so I was very interested to peer over Emil's shoulder as he reviewed the Medion Rim1000 ultra-mobile PC. The prospect of computing on the move is always exciting, especially when you spend a lot of time travelling.
Sadly Emil found himself rather frustrated by the poor performance of the Via chip and the tiny keyboard. As I read this I realised that few mobile devices have ever really lived up to their potential. Only two spring to mind, my old Palm Vx and the Psion Series 5 and 7. Neither of these devices are younger than five years old, so why do I have happy memories of these over a Windows Vista based device?
Well, a basic honest of purpose for one thing. The Palm operating system kept the core functions of the PDA really simple to use. I could quickly find contacts and tasks and the Graffiti writing system was great once you got the hang of it. The battery life was amazing, thanks to the monochrome screen, Palm claimed one month and I was never caught short.
I now use a Pocket PC based XDA2 and while I like the colour screen and ability to surf the web, I'm constantly hamstrung by needing to recharge the battery. It's not an entirely fair comparison as the XDA2 has a mobile phone to power whereas the Palm didn't, although I did have a mobile phone adapter for the Palm Vx for a little while.
The answer must be to start using some self restraint when deciding what features to try and include on a device. Programmers are remarkably adaptable when it comes to getting the best from limited resources.
For this reason I'm looking forward to looking at the Palm Foleo, a small device with no ideas above its station. It looks like a great improvement on the Alphasmart Dana concept.
Posted by Tim Smith on June 6, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Dell to offer choice between Windows and Linux
Something tells us Michael Dell may be coming off Bill Gates' Christmas card list. If returning Windows XP to the list of options for new computers wasn't enough, we heard today that Dell is going to start offering the Ubuntu version of Linux on selected notebooks in the US very soon.
That Dell is able to do this at all shows how big and confident the company has become. When I have spoken with other manufacturers on the subject of alternative operating systems, I was told that the terms of their license agreement with Microsoft forbid them from selling computers without an operating system. And by that, they mean Windows.
Now the official line from Microsoft is that a computer sold without an operating system is destined to be used with a pirated version of Windows. So maybe Microsoft will be satisfied because the computers are quite obviously not going to have a pirated copy of Windows installed.
No, somehow I can't quite believe that.
Posted by Tim Smith on May 1, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Beware the BIOS
We don't normally recommend reinstalling the BIOS of a computer unless there is a very good reason because if things go wrong, they go very badly wrong. Rumblings on some internet forums suggest that there is no another reason to approach this task with caution.
According to chessonly on the Linux Questions forum, one of the BIOS upgrades for his notebook had a warning that it would only work with Windows Vista and no other operating system.
I've been reading articles predicting this kind of thing for a little while. It was at the heart of the Secure Startup feature that didn't make it into the final release of Vista (more information can be found here on the Microsoft website, beware it is rather technical).
Personally I can't really make up my mind on this one as to whether it is a good or bad thing. It really depends on whether this information is made clear. I would be very annoyed to find that a new notebook could not use any other operating system after paying for it. But, if I was very security concious, and I do worry about taking a notebook on the train, and was happy to stick with Windows Vista, it would be worth considering. As long as I am given the choice before buying I think this is a good idea.
What do you think? Should a computer BIOS be limited in this way?
Posted by Tim Smith on April 30, 2007 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack
