Archive for the ‘Netbooks’ Category

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Netbook Game of the Week – Series Coming Soon

March 17th, 2009 | Categories Games, Netbook Game of the Week, Netbooks

game 1 150x150 Netbook Game of the Week Series Coming SoonYou might not immediately think of netbooks as a game platform. When comes to pure horsepower they are more ponies than thoroughbreds. Netbooks are however full featured PCs capable of a myriad of computing tasks, including running most PC games.

Obviously you wont be playing Crysis at full resolution and max settings, but selecting the right game for the hardware can make for a satisfying mobile gaming experience. Here is the first review in the series: World of Goo.

Handheld gaming platform

Compared to other portable gaming platforms, netbooks have many advantages. You have a larger screen than a Nintendo DS and Sony PSP put together. A huge library of games are available, both new titles and classics. Games can be purchased online and downloaded for instant gratification. And netbook battery life keeps going and going long after other handhelds dim to inactivity.

Each week in this series of articles I will recommend a PC game that takes particular advantage of the netbook form factor. The emphasis will be on great looking, fun game experiences that make good use of features like the track pad, internet connectivity or portability

game 2 150x150 Netbook Game of the Week Series Coming SoonWhat are you playing?

I also want to hear your comments and feedback. What are your nominations for game of the week? It can be a brand new title or a closet classic from days gone by. Leave your comments below to start the conversation, or email me; tracy at tracyevans dot name.

Either way, let the games begin!

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Are Netbooks Real Computers?

March 16th, 2009 | Categories Netbooks

netbook corner 300x206 Are Netbooks Real Computers?Obviously netbooks are computers, but should uber-power users like you and I consider them “real” computers? Do these diminutive devices qualify as “enough” computer to meet ones daily needs? It took me a while, but I recently reached the point of understanding that for my “real” needs, they are just “enough”.

It’s understandable that animators, video editors and motion graphics artists are always pushing the power curve on computing. In a production environment processor speed can have direct effects on creativity, profitability and frustration level. PhotoShop may take a few seconds to apply a complex filter or a favorite set of actions. Final Cut may take a minute or more for an incremental render. But use that filter fifty times a day, or render that timeline a few dozen times, and processor speed becomes a serious consideration worthy of a significant financial investment.

But when selecting personal personal computing equipment this ”need for speed” attitude may not be the best selection criteria. I did this for years, always justifying a power purchase with a “just in case” excuse. Sure I mostly do email, web, Word, Excel and Peggle on my laptop, but one never knows when one may need to edit a 100-layer PhotoShop file, or render a ray-traced mirror balls over checkerboard floor scene, on an airplane, right? Only recently did I realize that the key word in that sentence is “never”.

iphone1 300x206 Are Netbooks Real Computers?My first netbook – the iPhone

My first realization of this came with the purchase of an iPhone. I was there on release day, but managed to avoid long lines and camping out. I happen to be vacationing in Tennessee that day, and there were no lines at the Pigeon Forge ATT store.

Soon I found myself using my MacBook Pro less and less. On some business trips it would only come out of its case at airport security checks. Was my $2,500 laptop being replace by a phone?

For quite some time it did. I was able to handle most of my traveling business tasks on the iPhone, and find work-arounds for others. One could make the argument that the iPhone is Apples netbook, but the lack of a full size keyboard however kept me limited to mostly basic communication tasks (if you can call that a limitation for a phone).

As I contemplated my recent netbook purchase, I was finally able to fully shed my computer speed obsession. By analyzing the tasks I was most likely to do on the machine, I was able to fully let go of those just in case scenarios and focus on my real computing needs; Peggle, email, Peggle, web and of course Peggle.

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Kill your Caps Lock Key

March 13th, 2009 | Categories Featured, Netbooks

corona typewriter 300x250 Kill your Caps Lock KeyThe Caps Lock key predates the electronic marvels we type on today by about 100 years. Talk about your legacy hardware.

Originally called “Shift Lock” on mechanical typewriters, it was quite useful back when the shift key actually shifted something; a lever that physically raised the typing bar. The weight of the typing bar was difficult to hold for very long with only a pinky finger. Pressing the “Lock” key flipped a hook mechanism over the shift lever allowing you to type a series of capital letters without excessive digit fatigue.

I seldom use Caps Lock key intentionally. Usually I discover having pressed it by accident by noticing that ALL MY TYPING LOOKS LIKE SHOUTING. In an era of effortless key presses and compressed netbook keyboards, we have outgrown Caps Lock usefulness and it has overstayed its welcome.

pc cap lock kill 300x79 Kill your Caps Lock KeyRuffling the Registry

John Haller mercifully provides us with a Windows system-level method to change evil Mr. Lock into more friendly Mr. Shift. You may prefer to change to a different key or disable it entirely. Visit the Disable Cap Lock web page at John’s blog to download a Windows .reg file that will bring the era of accidental Cap Lock to an end.

mac cap lock kill 300x270 Kill your Caps Lock KeyThe Mac Attack

Lets not leave out my Mac friends. They can go to System Preferences, click on Mouse & Keyboard, click on the Keyboard tab, then click the Modifier Keys… button and finally select No Action from the Caps Lock drop down menu. Five clicks and your done.

A Window of Warning

As John warns on his web site: “Incorrect changes to the registry may damage Windows or other installed software. Be sure you know what a given .REG file contains before merging it into the registry.” I have used these files successfully on my Samsung’s XP install with no adverse effects, but this doesn’t mean you can come crying to me if they break your computer. DO NOT INSTALL ANY REGISTRY PATCHES WITOUT FIRST UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEY DO. (I typed that with my pinky.)

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Samsung NC10 Field Test – Part 1: Coffee Shop

March 8th, 2009 | Categories Featured, Gear, Netbook Field Tests, Netbooks, Reviews

samsungatpanera small 300x225 Samsung NC10 Field Test Part 1: Coffee ShopThe specs are great, the reviews are glowing, and it’s a leader on style points. But until I put hands to keys and use the Samsung NC10 in its natural habitat, it’s all hearsay. So begins this series of field reports as I brave the wilds of coffee shops, waiting rooms and economy airplane seats in an effort to document the real netbook experience.

Today I am at a Panera Bread in Sugar Land, Texas, just outside of Houston. Flipping open my shiny blue netbook, I notice that I have the smallest computer in the place. Cool. A press of the power button wakes Sammy from her slumber. Firing up Firefox I am easily and quickly connected to the free Wifi. Total time from bag to surf, less than a minute. Not bad.

Task One – Waste Time on the Web

As I peruse a few web sites the limitations of netbook life are immediately felt. The screen is small. No surprise that the 600 pixel height will take some getting used to. But it is a fair trade off considering the portability and poundage.

puny atom processor 300x180 Samsung NC10 Field Test Part 1: Coffee ShopPerformance-wise, it is a winner. The puny Atom processor has just enough oomph to cruise through the majority of sites thrown at it with ease. Flash animation plays smoothly. Both Flash and QuickTime videos play without a hitch. Occasional screen tearing seems to be the fault of the video chip or maybe the screen refresh rate. It is noticeable, but far from a deal killer, as I watch partial screen Hulu shows and full screen QuickTime video trailers. Add a good set of earbuds, and you have quite an entertainment package.

Trackpad Issues

The trackpad size is stingy but just large enough to be useful. A bit more height would have made a big difference. Perhaps cutting the height of the numeric and function key rows to half or smaller would have been a good design decision. That would have left more room for the mousing surface. Reducing the size of these lesser used keys would not hamper the typing experience like some have done by compressing all the keys (I’m looking at you, Lenovo IdeaPad).

samsung trackpad 300x183 Samsung NC10 Field Test Part 1: Coffee ShopThe main problem with the trackpad however is not the size or width. It’s the depth, or rather lack thereof. Positioned almost perfectly flush with the palmrest surface, it is impossible to locate by touch alone. When your finger crosses the edge of the pad with no tactile feedback  has the effect of making the cursor feel unresponsive or stuck. You have to take your eyes off the screen to realize your finger is off the pad, reposition your finger back on the pad, and slide again continue you cursors journey. Repeating this exercise several times per minute is unfortunately standard procedure on the NC10.

With so much thought and good design put into the best-in-class keyboard, lets hope that Samsung addresses this interface shortcoming in the next product cycle.

More to come…
In part two of the Samsung NC10 Field Test, we will look at screen quality and go hands-on with the keyboard quality on the NC-10.

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My Netbook Search – And the winner is…

March 5th, 2009 | Categories Gear, Netbooks

samsung box 257x299 My Netbook Search And the winner is...I have been researching netbooks for a few weeks trying to decide which one to go with. The feel of the keyboard was (at first) my most important decision point. I was originally attracted to the HP, Dell and Samsung. I was not able to find a local retailer for the Samsung, and decided early on that I would not buy one that I did not lay hands upon.

After spending time with almost all the models at Fry’s, Best Buy and Micro Center, I narrowed my choice down to the ASUS. Finally, last night I place the order … for the Samsung NC-10.

Why the Sammy? After narrowing down all the models I had physically touched and decided I would be happy with the ASUS, I did one last compare between it and Sammy. I think design won out over price. From what I hear, the keyboard experience is as good as the ASUS so I looked at other factors – Size, weight, disc space and style points. The Samsung won on all these.

Sammy arrives tomorrow from Amazon. (Sorry local retailers. I would have preferred to purchase at a brick and mortar but I could not find this product anywhere but online.) I will post a quick review soon after.

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