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Adventures in Firewall Permissions: Getting BitDefender to Work With Netflix Watch Now in Windows Media Center

NewYorkDan — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:05:00 GMT

At a recent tradeshow, while I was walking by the BitDefender booth, a BitDefender representative literally shoved a copy of BitDefender Internet Security 2010 into my hands. Never one to say no to free software, I was grateful and actually stopped to talk cybersecurity for a bit--I guess I felt I had to earn that free software! And I knew exactly what I was going to do with the software: install it on my Windows 7 test machine.

I was actually already a BitDefender user, running BitDefender Internet Security 2009 (using licenses that I paid for) on several of my Windows systems. But I had yet to install any security software on my recently set-up Windows 7 rig. (This was before Microsoft released its free security app, Microsoft Security Essentials.) My Windows 7 system is actually a dual-boot system with Vista Home Premium (64-bit) on one partition and Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit) on the other. I installed BitDefender on both partitions (you can install each copy on up to three systems). After installing BitDefender on both partitions, everything continued to hum along smoothly, with the occasional window popping up either telling me that an exception was added for a particular app or asking me to allow or deny an app's network access.

Then came the day that Microsoft released the Netflix Watch Instantly module for Windows 7's Windows Media Center. As a longtime Netflix subscriber (and, yes, I pay for my subscription), I wanted to see how well the feature worked in Windows 7's Media Center. I had used it before in Vista's Windows Media Center, but it had been a while. I launched Windows 7's Media Center and was happy to see the Netflix Watch Instantly module, which had not been there previously (I have Windows 7 set to automatically download and install updates). I went to launch Netflix Watch Instantly in Media Center, but instead of being asking for my login credentials, a window popped up saying that it couldn't connect. I could use Internet Explorer 8 in Windows 7 to watch the Netflix Watch Instantly service, so the problem was definitely isolated to Media Center. I rebooted into the Vista partition, and discovered the same problem there as well. It didn't take me long to make an educated guess that this was due to a firewall issue... I quickly confirmed my suspicions by temporarily disabling the firewall and then successfully connecting to Netflix in Media Center. The challenge I now had was to figure out what sort of exception I needed to create that would allow Netflix to connect in Media Center, but wouldn't punch too large a hole in the firewall.

It took me a while, but I narrowed down the culprit to two potential apps: ehshell.exe and svchost.exe. I decided to tackle ehshell.exe first. By monitoring ButDefender's Activity window with the firewall disabled, I saw that ehshell.exe was using connecting via TCP on ports in the 49400 range. So I created a rule that permitted ehshell.exe TCP connections on ports 49400 to 49500. I had to position the rule so that it came before an existing system rule for ehshell.exe that blocked all connections--rules are used in the order in which they appear in the list. On the very next try, Media Center's Netflix Watch Instantly worked! It turns out that I didn't need to create an additional exception for svchost.exe. But wouldn't you know it, on the very next attempt, Media Center couldn't connect to the Netflix Watch Instantly service. So I once again temporarily disabled the firewall and watched what was going on again in the Activity window. Now ehshell.exe was using ports in the 49500 range. With some experimenting over time, I discovered that ehshell.exe uses successively higher ports each time it connects to Netflix. I also discovered that it sometimes uses ports in the 49200 range as well. In fact, there might very well other port ranges it uses that I have yet to see. So I wound up adjusting the rule to encompass a rather wide port range: 49200 to 65535.

I don't claim to be a networking expert, so I wanted to run my rule by the BitDefender folks to get their two cents on if I was opening up too big a hole in the firewall with my rule. The answer I got back was that my rule was fine, as long as I made sure that Active Virus Control (Antivirus -> Shield -> Advanced Settings) and Intrusion Detection (Firewall -> Settings -> Advanced Settings) were both enabled. I checked, and it turns out that Intrusion Detection was not enabled; Active Virus Control was already enabled. I turned on Intrusion Detection and tried Media Center's Netflix Watch Instantly again just to make sure it still worked... And it did.

So now I can watch Netflix Watch Instantly in Windows 7's Media Center. I offer this story for anyone else who might have encountered the same problem I did. Of course, how often will I actually watch movies using the Windows 7 Media Center Netflix Watch Instantly module? That's hard to say... Especially since I just received a Roku box...

UPDATE: A comment that user "Cristian" made (see below) reminded me that I left out an important part of the rule that I created. I also opened up remote port 80, which shows up in the BitDefender rule simply as "HTTP." As to Windows assigning random ports, it is possible that at some point in the future I might encounter a situation where the Netflix app wants to use ports that are outside of the range I have permitted. I will cross that bridge when and if it happens--I feel more comfortable limiting the rule to just those ports I have actually encountered (with the exception being that as I keep encountering higher and higher ports, that I did open it up to the highest possible port number). As to enabling Intrusion Detection and Active Virus Control, these were not enabled to permit the Netflix app connect, but were enabled (per BitDefender's suggestion) in order to better protect my system. Here are screenshots of the BitDefender rule:

My View of the Vue Personal Video Network Wireless Camera System

NewYorkDan — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:06:00 GMT

Back in February, I met with some very smart folks from a San Diego-based company called Avaak. They were demonstrating a wireless camera system meant for remote video monitoring. What impressed me the most about the technology behind the wireless camera system is that it used a mesh network, which is based on technology that the company originally designed for DARPA. Some of the same folks behind this new wireless camera system also designed the PillCam. I did say they were smart, right? You can see the news story I originally wrote up about the technology here.

Fast-forward to a few weeks ago and the technology they were demonstrating finally made its public debut in the form of the Vue Personal Video Network. The Vue comes with two wireless cameras, four camera mounts, and a wireless gateway device. The cameras are very small and light--measuring 2.9x1.0x2.1-inches and weighing only 28-grams (0.98 ounces) without batteries (each wireless camera uses a Lithium-Ion CR123 photo battery, of which two are included.) The kit sells for $299.99, and additional cameras sell for $99.99 each (the gateway device can work with up to a total of 50 cameras). The $300 price tag includes a one-year subscription to the Vue service, which "allows you to view live streams, record up to 2GB of content and share live and recorded content with your friends and family." After the first year, you need to pay $19.95 per year in order to continue to use the Vue as well as utilize these features.

Setting up the Vue is very simple. You connect the gateway to your router, install the batteries into the cameras, turn on the cameras, and sync the cameras to the gateway. You sync the cameras by bringing them to within 12-inches of the gateway and pressing the Sync button on top of the gateway--within a few seconds the cameras are synced to the gateway. The next step is to register the Vue on the Vue website and set up an account. The kit comes with four rounded camera mounts; the mounts and the back of the cameras are magnetized, so the cameras effortlessly connect to the mounts and can be easily aimed exactly where you want them. The mounts include peel-and-stick tape for mounting on virtually any surface. The cameras can communicate with the gateway up to 300 feet away via line-of-site--in most practical installations, which will go through walls and such, that maximum distance will be less. The folks at Avaak claim the Vue has a similar transmission range as an 802.11n device.

I set one camera up looking out my living room window--I've got a great view of the Hudson River. The other camera was set up in my daughter's room, aimed at her crib. My thinking about the camera looking out the window is that it might be interesting to see what the weather back at home was like when I was out and about. The thought behind the second camera is a little more obvious--I could keep an eye on my daughter when she naps and sleeps without me being in the room with her. The Avaak site offers a few examples of how others are using the Vue, such as keeping an eye on a weekend house or monitoring a disabled child.

To view the camera feeds, I log into the my.VueZone website, which then takes me to the watch page. The watch page displays thumbnails for my two cameras on the left in a My Cameras window; I can drag one or both thumbnails to the My Vue window and then click on the Start button to view them. Note that you can currently view only one camera at a time. According to the Avaak folks, "there is 2MB of bandwidth on the radio within the gateway, and all of that is needed to stream to one camera for the best user experience." That said, they also told me that they are "considering enhancing the capabilities in the future." The cameras are only powered on when they are being actively viewed on the my.VueZone site. Avaak estimates that a camera battery should last up to a year, based on "normal usage"--which they define as "10 minutes of viewing or recording a day." There is also a View All button, which quickly switches back and forth between your camera feeds.

When you view the feeds from your cameras, you have several options. You can set the video window size to small, medium, or large. You can also record a live video feed or take snapshots. There are also three available light-level settings: Bright Light, Normal Light, and Low Light--which you manually adjust based on the current lighting conditions.

In addition to the watch page, there are also pages for playback, share, and settings. The playback page is where you can view video or snapshots you've previously recorded. The share page is where you can share your camera feeds and recorded videos and snapshots with others, and upload them to flickr and YouTube. You can share with anyone--the folks you share with do not need to be other Vue users--those you share with receive an e-mail with a link to the shared content, which is stored online. If another Vue user shares one of their cameras with you, you can view their camera on the watch page, alongside your own cameras. The settings page includes sections for My Schedules and My Camera Settings. Unfortunately, when you try to use the scheduling feature, you get a message that says "Coming Soon." I was told "Avaak is currently working on this feature; however, at this time there is no confirmed date on when it will be available." The settings information lets you name your cameras and gateway, and it shows data about the cameras and gateway, such as remaining battery capacity and whether they are currently connected.

I used the Vue for a couple of weeks, and I have to say I was underwhelmed. I like the concept--especially because the device is easy to setup and use and because the cameras are wireless. But I experienced limited functionality with the cameras as well as a few annoying bugs with the my.VueZone website.

First of all, I wasn't impressed at all with the image quality and frame rates. The highest resolution supported is 640x480--and that is when there is a strong signal--when the signal is weak, the resolution downgrades to 320x240 or 160x120. Even with a camera placed within feet of the gateway, the image was blocky, blotchy, and slow to respond to movement. The next issue I ran into was that it actually took a fair bit of light to make a scene bright enough for the camera to see images clearly (the website states "the cameras need the light of a 40 Watt bulb or higher to get quality pictures"). You can tweak the brightness settings via software, but if the area you are recording is not bright enough to begin with, there is not much you can do about it. I'm not just nitpicking here--I have other devices, such as webcams, that have better light detection than the Vue. The Vue seems much better suited for well-lit outdoor settings than dark indoor environments. I also found that the field of view of the cameras was rather narrow--I would have preferred a much wider field of view that could take in more area of small spaces. The hardware lacks the ability to do motion control or record audio; however the Avaak folks told me that "future versions of the Vue that incorporate audio and motion detection features are being considered."

I also experienced a number of bugs while using the my.VueZone website, which is flash-based. In order to perform a number of functions, you need to drag a thumbnail of the camera image to the action you want to do, such as viewing a camera or sharing a camera. A number of times, I dragged a thumbnail, but it never actually showed up in the desired window. Other times, I couldn't resize the video windows or get the View All function to work. I used the my.VueZone website with a number of different browsers on Windows and Mac systems, experiencing these bugs on all platforms and browsers. As the my.VueZone website is flash-based, it does not work natively on the iPhone; there is an iPod app version in the works--it is currently in beta--and Avaak hopes to be releasing it "as soon as possible."

As to my two usage scenarios, I didn't get much out of the Vue. I work from home, and when I leave the house I usually don't take a laptop with me--but I do have my trusty iPhone on my person at all times (much to the chagrin of my wife). Since there is no iPhone app, I can't view my personal "weather cam" when out and about. And as far as monitoring my daughter’s crib, I can only use the Vue when my daughter naps during the daytime with the shades open. Once night hits and the lights go out, the image goes dark (her nightlight is much less than 40 watts). The field of view was also very tight, which is why the camera was only looking at her crib, as opposed to more of her room in general.

In my opinion, the Vue is very much a 1.0 product. It has lots of potential, but its current execution leaves much to be desired. With the knowledge that the Avaak folks will be reading this (Hi!), I thought I would end my evaluation of the Vue with a wish list of improvements I'd like to see.

* Better image quality and faster frame rates
* Better low-light sensitivity
* Wider field of view
* Enable viewing live feeds from both cameras simultaneously
* Integrate motion control and audio capabilities in future versions
* Bring the scheduled recording feature online
* Make the iPhone app available
* Iron out the bugs in the web interface

Snow Leopard Compatibility Problems

NewYorkDan — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:23:00 GMT

In marketing-speak, I am a Mac and a PC. My primary computer is an iMac and my laptop is a MacBook Pro. But I also have several Windows rigs as well, running everything from Windows XP to Vista and Windows 7--with some systems set up with multi-boot support with different operating systems loaded onto separate partitions. I also have Windows XP installed on my MacBook Pro in its own partition via Apple's Boot Camp app, and Windows 7 is installed as a virtual machine on my iMac via VMware Fusion. I won't even go into my Linux installs...

But I digress--this story isn't about the myriad of installed operating systems I use; it's about compatibility issues with new operating systems. Windows 7's official release is only days away; and as more users upgrade to the new OS and buy systems with Windows 7 pre-installed, they are likely to run into issues where the apps they rely on either won't work at all or at least might not work exactly as expected. The older an app is, the more likely that it will have problems with Windows 7. In anticipation of this very real possibility, Microsoft is enabling a special "Windows XP Mode" for Windows 7, which is designed specifically to run Windows XP applications. Windows XP Mode uses virtualization (in order to use it, your system's processor must have built-in virtualization support--most modern processors do), which should help protect the Windows 7 side if anything running in Windows XP Mode gets a little wonky.

But again, I digress--this story isn't about Windows 7 compatibility--I only use this as an example to illustrate the point that I am making: When new operating systems are released, some existing apps will break. This is what happened to me when I upgraded both of my Mac systems from Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) to Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Snow Leopard was released at the very end of August, and I waited about a month or so before I upgraded both of my systems, as I was hoping that would be enough time to let developers release updated, Snow Leopard-compatible versions of their apps. Many did just that; but, unfortunately, as I learned first hand, not everyone did and some still have yet to play catch up.

The very first app that I noticed wasn't working with Snow Leopard was Upek's Protector Suite for Mac. This is the software that drives Upek's Eikon Digital Privacy Manager biometric fingerprint reader, which I had previously been using to log into my iMac with just the swipe of my finger. It also came in handy whenever I had to supply my system password, such as when I installed software or changed a system setting. Upek released an updated version of the software as a beta, but I decided not to install it as some users were running into problems when after installing the beta, the login window became inaccessible--essentially locking them out of their Macs! (The fix to the problem involves booting into single-user mode and uninstalling the app via text-based commands in Terminal.) I contacted Upek as to when the company planned on releasing a Snow Leopard-compatible release version of the app, and this was the reply I received: "We are actively working with Apple on a couple of bugs associated with Protector Suite for Mac. We value a high-quality user experience so we want to make sure the bugs are resolved before we release a final version with Snow Leopard support." The Mac version of the Protector suite never had quite the level of functionality that the Windows version did. To address this issue, Upek teamed up with Agile Web Solutions to make an updated version of the Protector Suite that included the 1Password password manager--but has yet to release this updated version that it has been talking about since January. I wouldn't be surprised if the Snow Leopard-compatible version of the software also happens to be the version that includes 1Password.

The next issue I ran into had to do with an installed app that I wasn't even using: CD Spin Doctor, which comes bundled with Roxio's Toast. Whenever I installed a new app or device (or sometimes changed a system setting), an error window would pop up that stated that the CDSDAudioCaptureSupport.kext kernel extension wasn't properly installed (in this case, this particular kernel extension is essentially acting as a device driver). Needless to say, this was particularly annoying, especially when first tweaking my system immediately after upgrading to Snow Leopard. Now I don't see the error pop up anywhere as near as often, but it is still present. I contacted Roxio about this and this what the company representative told me: "Yes indeed there are a couple of issues to address. We released an interim update for some issues tivo [sic] users were having with toast and snoleop [sic]. We'll have another one out shortly to resolve the remaining issues (within two weeks)." This was about two weeks ago, but there is still no sign of the update. I also noticed a bug when accessing Toast's about window, where instead of showing the text that ordinarily displays the software version number and all information, all that appeared were black boxes.

About the same time that I upgraded my Macs to Snow Leopard, I was also playing around with some different data-backup options (I use Time Machine to back up to an external hard drive, but I was also exploring ways to back up data to a NAS server). I installed Western Digital's WD Anywhere Backup Software with hopes of using it to backup my iMac's data to a WD My Book World Edition NAS device. But while the software successfully installed onto my Mac with Snow Leopard as the OS, the app itself does not work (it won't get past the initial window, so you can't configure backups). I couldn't find any mention of Snow Leopard compatibility issues on Western Digital's site (it might be up there somewhere, but I sure couldn't find it). A Western Digital told me that the company expects to an update available "in early November."

Next up is Skype. I use Skype as my primary work phone, and therefore use it regularly. (Full disclosure: I used to so some consulting work with Skype.) Skype was pretty quick to release an updated version of its Mac client to make it Snow Leopard-compatible. I discovered, however, that one key feature that I rely on was broken. The Mac version for Skype includes a plug-in for the Mac's Address Book, which allows you to initiate a Skye call directly from inside the Address Book. This feature is now broken with Snow Leopard; however, there are a number of potential workarounds. I reached out to Skype to see if I could get some information on this issue and if Skype has a planned fix in the works. Unfortunately, the answers I got back from Skype lacked any significant substance and were really only well-crafted public relations statements, such as this one from Krishna Panicker, Program Manager for Skype: "Skype was made aware of some difficulties Skype 2.8 for Mac users were experiencing, following the introduction of the Snow Leopard operating system. In response, Skype has taken the necessary steps to resolve these issues and has seen a significant decrease in customer service-related inquiries regarding the Skype software compatibility with the new operating system. Any users still experiencing difficulties should visit https://support.skype.com/." Oh well, not everyone can give a straight answer.

I use the Mac OS's built-in Mail app to handle all of my e-mail. I've never been a fan of Mail's layout, however, which places the preview window below the list of e-mails. There are two popular Mail plug-ins that move the preview window to the right of the e-mail list: WideMail and Letterbox. I was using WideMail, until Snow Leopard broke it. The WideMail site has a statement from the developer stating that he is working on a fix and hopes to have a new version "available soon"--that post was dated August 31. I reached out to the WideMail developer, but never heard back. As WideMail is free plug-in made by a guy who has a real day job, it's understandable that it might take him longer than a company with a staff of developers to get an update out the door, and also why he might be reticent to speak with the media.

I sent a similar query to the developer of Letterbox, and also didn't hear back from him--in all likelihood for the same reasons. The Letterbox site has a beta version available for download, but which has some known issues. The Letterbox developer has been engaging his community of users on a regular basis on the site's public forum, and his most recent post from October 4 states: "I want to fix the installer and the self-updating mechanism, and that will constitute a non-beta 0.24 release for Snow Leopard. After that, I'll work on the two-line message list. I'm using a Mac full-time at work now, so I have plenty of incentive (beyond interest and encouragement from y'all) to keep improving Letterbox."

So that is my little saga about my software compatibility issues with Snow Leopard. There are no show stoppers here--mostly just a few annoyances and inconveniences. I don't use my Windows systems nearly as much as I do my Macs (I use my Windows systems primarily for product testing and to build benchmark charts in Excel), so I doubt I'll run into as many issues with Windows 7 as I did with Snow Leopard. Hopefully, within the next month or so, all of these issues will be fixed.

10/9/2009 UPDATE: A Roxio rep just sent me an e-mail to let me know that the Toast 10.0.3 update is now available. I have downloaded it and installed it, and it appears to fix the problems I was having with it. As far as I can tell, there are no additional available updates for the other apps I discussed.

DisplayLink Revisited

NewYorkDan — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 17:31:00 GMT

Back in April, I had to the chance to review a pair of 7-inch, USB-powered, LCDs, meant to be used as secondary displays. Both displays were Nanovision Mimo Monitors and used DisplayLink technology. They were similar in design and function, with the primary difference being that one of them included touch-screen support. Ultimately, I liked the non-touch-screen version, as it provided just enough screen real-estate to make an alternative home for my IM, Skype, and Twitter client apps, as well as the occasional photo or video editing app palette window--therefore freeing up some space on the screen of my primary display. The touch-screen version did this too, but I didn't really have a need for touch-screen capabilities on such a small display, and the non-touch-screen version has a brighter and crisper display.

Fast-forward to a few weeks ago, when the folks at DisplayLink sent me two new devices to check out. One is an updated 7-inch, touch-screen Mimo display, and the other is a USB docking station from HP. I'll start with my impressions of the new Mimo touch-screen display...

The new Mimo 720-S has the same technical specifications as the Mimo 740 we looked at in April:

Display size: 7-inches
Display resolution: 800 x 480
Brightness: 350 cd/m2
Contrast ratio: 400:1

How the 720-S differs from the 740 is that the 720-S is a much sleeker and lighter model--meant for easy portability--and the 720-S also lacks the 1.2-megapixel webcam of the 740. When not in use or while in transit, the 720-S folds up to only about an inch thick at its thickest point, and it weighs less than a pound. A single mini-USB jack is located on the back of the unit, hiding underneath a rubber cap. The display's only controls are power and brightness. The display can be rotated for either landscape or portrait modes. I didn't like that the tilt wasn't adjustable--especially since I felt that the display tilted too far back when in portrait mode.

Unfortunately, I already sent the 740 back to DisplayLink, so I didn't have a chance to do a side-by-side comparison of image quality. As far as memory goes, however, the image quality is comparable--meaning that the display has decent image quality, but suffers from a somewhat muted and grainy appearance (presumably from the touch-screen elements of the display) and not so great color accuracy. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by the display's performance when playing back video, as I didn't see any noticeable lag--not that I would actually use a 7-inch display for watching video.

The install disc comes with 32-bit and 64-bit drivers for Windows XP and Vista; however, I was unable to get the touch-screen driver to work properly on my HP Pavilion Elite m9550f testbed running 64-bit Vista. Ultimately, I wound up using the same 64-bit driver that DisplayLink sent me last April for the review of the Mimo 740. Even though the driver from April had a newer version number, I wasn't able to install it on top of the driver I had already installed from the disc--I had to use Windows' System Restore to reset the OS back to before the driver was installed. I finally got the touch-screen driver working, but it was a painful and time-consuming process. (BTW: A beta driver is available for download from the DisplayLink site for Windows 7.)

Mac drivers are not included on the disc, but can be downloaded from DisplayLink's website. As I recently upgraded my MacBook Pro to Snow Leopard, the only available driver that works on the new OS is a beta. The driver installed fine and I was up and running quickly on the Mac... Well, the display portion anyway... While the Mimo touch-screen monitors come with the touch-screen drivers for Windows, you actually need to purchase the Mac touch-screen drivers separately ($30). I still had the Mac touch-screen driver from April, but I was unable to get it to successfully install under Snow Leopard. (My iMac still has Leopard on it, but the system is currently at the shop getting fixed, so I didn't have a Leopard system available for testing.)

All-in-all, the 720-S did what it is supposed to--at least under Windows. Since I really don't utilize the touch-screen functionality of the display, however, I would probably be better off with the less expensive, non-touch-screen 710-S version. The 720-S sells for $229.99, while the 710-S (which I did not evaluate) costs $149.99

The other DisplayLink device I had a chance to play with was the HP USB 2.0 Video Dock. This is actually quite an ingenious device for those who want a simple docking station with external monitor support--where the only connection between your laptop and the docking station is a single USB 2.0 connection. The HP dock includes a four-port USB hub, VGA out, DVI out, 100Mbps Ethernet, mic-in, and headphone-out. Unlike the Mimo monitors, the HP dock is not USB bus-powered, so it requires an external power source.

The HP dock's drivers are stored on the device itself, in built-in flash memory; they installed easily and I was up and running in no time. I connected an Ethernet cable to the device's network jack, powered speakers to the headphone jack, a few USB peripherals to the USB hub, and a monitor to the DVI port. Keep in mind, the only connection between my Windows testbed system and the HP dock was a single USB cable. Yet with only this single connection, the HP dock was simultaneously providing network access, sending audio to the speakers, connecting to the USB peripherals plugged into the USB hub, and sending video to a second display. Video response appeared very quick with no noticeable lag. Needless to say, I was very impressed with how seamless the HP dock worked.

Despite having two different video-out ports, only one can work at a time--you can't use the device to send video to two external displays simultaneously. The HP Dock supports resolutions up to UXGA (1600x1200) or WSXGA+ (1680x1050).

The HP Dock does not come with Mac drivers, but I decided to see what would happen if I connected my MacBook Pro to it. Surprisingly, the video out, audio out, and USB hub all worked! (The DisplayLink driver was already installed from my testing with the Mimo 720-S, and the USB audio and USB hub capabilities are already built into the Mac OS.) The only thing I couldn't get to work with the MacBook Pro was the HP Dock's Ethernet connection--but as nearly all laptops these days come with wireless NICs, that is not a showstopper (albeit, the 100Mbps Ethernet connection will be faster than an 802.11a/b/g/n connection). The big caveat here, however, is that the video response was noticeably slow with plenty of lag--of course, I was using the HP Dock for an unintended purpose, so it's not fair to ding it for this.

The HP USB 2.0 Docking Station measures 1.1x8.66x3.2-inches (HWD) and weighs 11.32-oz. HP was selling it for $129.99, but they've just added a $32.50 instant rebate, bringing the price down to $97.49.

DisplayLink devices currently have a number of limitations, such as lack of OpenGL support (i.e., Windows 3D screensavers don't display on DisplayLink monitors), known issues with some full-screen motion video playback, and they can't be used as a primary display (a small 7-inch display could be ideal for media sever). But, overall, I've been relatively impressed with the DisplayLink devices I've looked at. And with Wireless USB and USB 3.0, it will be interesting to see what sort of DisplayLink products we'll see in the near future. Stay tuned...

A Peek at Graphics Tablets

NewYorkDan — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:20:00 GMT

If you frequent HotHardware, then you are probably well aware that we tend to include a fair number of photos, screenshots, and other relevant art elements in all of our product reviews. We go to great pains to dive deep into the technical details of the products in the text of the reviews, but we also understand the importance of including visual elements that exemplify what we are talking about. In fact, if we've done our job right, you should be able to learn a lot about the product just from studying the images.

Unfortunately, getting the images to look good enough to include in a review is seldom as simple as just copying the image off the camera and uploading it to the site. The images usually need some visual massaging--typically in the form of color, brightness, contrast, and levels adjustments. With product shots we often have to matte out portions of the image background; and at the very least, we need to resize each image so that its dimensions properly fit the page as well as compress the image so that it loads quickly. The application of choice to do these chores is Adobe Photoshop. And while a mouse and keyboard will get the job done, a graphics tablet is much better suited for the tasks at hand.

I use the Wacom Bamboo tablet during my daily image-manipulation grind. The Bamboo is an inexpensive ($79) and small (active area: 5.8x3.7-inches) tablet, which includes fairly-limited bells-and-whistles (when compared to its more expensive siblings). It has a resolution of 2,540 lines-per-inch (LPI), pressure-sensitivity of 512 levels, four programmable buttons, a scroll wheel, and comes with a two-button stylus that doesn't need batteries. As I use it exclusively for photo manipulation, its small size and limited features meet my basic needs. This is in part because I am anything but a Photoshop power user. Certainly, those more-versed in the art of Photoshop, and especially those who create illustrations (with apps such as Adobe Illustrator), would be better served by using a larger-sized tablet with more functionality (such as a higher resolution, greater pressure sensitivity, and more programmable buttons).

The problem is, larger tablets with more features can cost much more than the mere $79 I paid for the Bamboo (yes, I bought it with my own hard-earned cash). Wacom's least-expensive, professional-level tablet--the Intuos4 Small--costs $229 and has an active area of 6.2x3.9-inches. The Intuos4 Large has an active area of 12.8x8.0-inches and it sells for $469. Of course, if you are a graphics professional who earns his or her keep working in apps such as Photoshop and Illustrator, these professional-level tablets are often a necessity. The Wacom Intuos line is perhaps the most popular brand of graphics tablet on the market today. The specs for the entire Intuos4 line include 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity, 5,080-LPI resolution, 8 programmable keys, a scroll wheel, and a stylus that does not need batteries.

A relatively new product category that is starting to gain some traction with graphics professionals is the "interactive pen display." You can look at these products one of two ways, depending on their size: you can regard them as a graphics tablet that includes an LCD monitor, or as an LCD display that includes graphics tablet functionality. Wacom currently has two interactive pen display models: the Cintiq.12WX ($999), with a WXGA (1280x800) display that measures 10.3x6.4-inches (12.1-inches diagonal); and the Cintiq.21UX ($1,999), with a UXGA (1600 x 1200) display that measures 17.0x12.75-inches (21.1-inches diagonal).

While Wacom might get the lion's share of attention, it is not the only graphics tablet player out there. Companies, such as Adesso, Genius-KYE, and VisTablet also make graphics tablets--and these manufacturers tend to focus on products that are significantly less-expensive than the Wacom offerings.

A while back Adesso sent me its highest-end graphics tablet, the CyberTablet M14, to experiment with. The CyberTablet M14 has an active area of 12.0x7.25-inches, a resolution of 4,000-LPI, 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, 34 "macro keys" (of which 12 to 19 of them are programmable--depending on the application), two scroll wheels, and a stylus that requires an AAA battery. I've been using the CyberTablet M14 on my Windows machine, while I continue to use the Bamboo on my Mac (although I did spend some time with the CyberTablet M14 also connected to my Mac to evaluate its Mac functionality). The CyberTablet M14 sells for $199.99, which is $169 cheaper than the comparable Wacom Intuos4 tablet. The CyberTablet M14 has far more programmable buttons than the Intuos4 Large and it even has two scroll wheels compared to the Intuos4 Large's one scroll wheel (although, the CyberTablet's "buttons" and dual scroll wheels do not work exactly as you might expect them to--see below). From a pure specs perspective, however, the CyberTablet M14 doesn't quite measure up to the Intuos4 Large's capabilities.

The CyberTablet M14 worked fine on both my Windows and Mac systems without even needing to install any software. To utilize the macro button functionality, however, requires that you install drivers. I saw online that some users were running into problems with the Mac version of the software, so I made sure to install the latest version that was available online for download. I ran into no problems during either install, but I was unhappy when the respective software installations required that I reboot both my Windows Vista and Mac systems.

I found the pen input to be smooth and predictable with no noticeable lag. At first, I couldn't get the pressure sensitivity to work, until I realized that the driver was in "Ink Mode." Once I switched it over to "Graphics Mode," the pressure sensitivity kicked in. In Graphics Mode you can also set the tablet's tracking mode to absolute or relative; program the two stylus buttons for left or right mouse clicks, double clicks, or scroll bar up and down; and adjust the pressure sensitivity. I found the stylus to be a bit thicker than I am used to with the Wacom pen, and I would have preferred a stylus that didn't require a battery.

The tablet has scroll wheels located in each of the top two corners. Buttons on the top of the tablet, shift the scroll wheels' function from scrolling to zooming or volume controls. The idea behind the dual scroll wheels is that it makes them easily accessible to both left and right-handed users. Unfortunately, you cannot assign separate functions to the two wheels--whatever one wheel is set to do, the other wheel does as well.

A total of 34 macro buttons ring the left, right, and top portions of the active area of the tablet. Unlike the physical buttons on the Wacom tablets, however, the buttons on the CyberTablet M14 are actually accessible only by pressing them with the stylus. The Windows version of the software comes with macro button presets for Windows XP and 2000, Windows Vista, Photoshop Elements, and PhotoImpact XL SE. I could not discern any means of adding additional application presets with the Windows version of the Software--you can easily do this with the Mac version. Of the 34 buttons, all but the Photoshop Elements preset, reserve 15 of the macro buttons for predetermined function, such as Open, Save, and Paste. The Photoshop Elements preset has a total of 22 already programmed functions. While you cannot alter any of the preset functions, the remaining unused macro buttons can be custom programmed by the user.

The Adesso Website claims that the CyberTablet M14 comes with Photoshop Elements 7.0 for Windows. Our unit actually came with Photoshop Elements 5.0; but this discrepancy could possibly be from us receiving an older package (the CyberTablet M14 has been on the market for over a year now). The CyberTablet M14 also comes with Photoshop Elements 4.0 for the Mac.

I liked working with the CyberTablet M14--especially the larger active area and the greater number of macro buttons. However, I would have a hard time dedicating full-time space for it on my desk. If I needed a larger tablet and was trying to pinch pennies as much as possible, this is a tablet that I would seriously consider. That said, there is something to be said for the long track record Wacom has with the quality and support of its tablets--two unproved variables as far as Adesso is considered, at least from my perspective. If I had money to burn, which tablet would I buy? The $1,999 Wacom Cintiq.21UX interactive pen display, of course!

Rocking Out With The i-Rocks KR-6230 Compact Keyboard

Marco C — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:56:00 GMT

I am happy to report, that since the initial publishing of my "Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified" post, a number of the more obscure 'boards I mentioned in the piece have been made available right here in the good ol' U.S. of A, eliminating the need to import products like the Filco Majestouch, HHKB Pro, or the Topre Realforce. In addition to the newfound availability of the aforementioned products though, a handful of other companies have begun offering mechanical key switch keyboards in the US as well, like Gigabyte and i-Rocks for example.

I was recently given the opportunity to evaluate the i-Rocks KR-6230 Compact Mechanical Switch Keyboard, which is readily available at NewEgg for about a $100, and have to say that it is one heck of a nice product if you can live with some of its unique qualities.

The i-Rocks KR-6230 is built around the popular Cherry MX Brown mechanical key switch (tactile, non-clicky--and my favorite). And the switches are mounted to a heavy metal internal plate, which means there is virtually no flex in the board. The additional weight afforded by the metal plate compliments the rubber feet on the bottom of the board too--this puppy stays put when positioned on a flat surface. The i-Rocks KR-6230 also supports 16-key rollover over USB, which actually works, making the board well suited to gamers. And it didn't suffer from any key transposition issues when typing at high-speeds, like some other boards that supposedly support 16-key rollover with USB.

Other features of the i-Rocks KR-6230 include an integrated USB 2.0 hub, with two ports situated on the back of the board, and bright, blue indicator LEDs that are integrated into their specific keys--caps lock, scroll lock, and num lock. The integrated LEDs look very good in my opinion, and certainly add to the appeal of the board.

What really makes the i-Rocks KR-6230 stand out, however, is its overall layout. The keyboard has no Windows keys at all--which is something many gamers like, but not me. It also has an oversized left control key and a compact form factor. To accommodate the compact form factor, i-Rocks moved the Delete, Print Screen, Scroll Lock, and Pause keys to the upper right of the board, where the status indicator LEDs typically reside, eliminated the Page Up / Page Down block of keys, and integrated the arrow keys into the lower-right group of keys in a manner similar to many notebooks. Finally, the numeric keypad was shifted to the left. The end result is a keyboard that is about 2.5" to 3.5" thinner in width than most standard keyboards.

Other changes to the key layout include an oversized "L"-shaped enter key, and shrunken backspace and backslash keys. I would have preferred the more common rectangular enter key and full sized backspace keys typical of US keyboards myself, but getting used to the KR-6230's layout took no time at all.

Typing on the i-Rocks KR-6230 proved to be very pleasurable. The keys require a light touch thanks to the Cherry Brown switches, they provide a light, subdued tactile bump, and they make no noise, except when bottomed out. The space bar seemed to be the only key that was creaky, but it broke in over time. The KR-6230's keycaps also have a distinct texture that's held up well over the last few weeks, even though I've spent way more time that I should have killing zombies in L4D with this thing. There was no noticeable "shine" to the keys, which was a good sign as to their long term durability.

If you can live with its funky key placement and layout, the i-Rocks KR-6230 is a very nice, compact mechanical key switch keyboard. Its Cherry Brown switches are excellent, the pseudo-n-key rollover function works well, the board looks good, and it's built to last. I'd recommend checking it out if you're in the market for a quality, compact keyboard.

Gigabyte Offers Up Some Input--Devices That Is

Marco C — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:05:00 GMT

Regular readers of my blog know that I've got a somewhat unhealthy obsession with input devices; more specifically keyboards. I've spent the better part of the last few months experimenting with some of the most expensive mechanical key-switch keyboards currently in production. So, when Gigabyte offered up an affordable multimedia keyboard--the GK-K6800--based on membrane switches, I approached the product with some trepidation. Taking its affordable nature and less desirable switch mechanism into consideration, however, in turns out the Gigabyte GK-K6800 is a decent product.

Gigabyte GK-K6800 Multimedia Keyboard

The GK-K6800 has firm feeling keys, which make the keyboard feel more expensive than it actually is. The keycaps are also textured and laser-engraved for long-term durability. There are 14 multimedia buttons, which control media player, launch common applications, etc., situated around the perimeter of the keyboard's glossy black edges, and a brushed volume wheel rests at the upper-right corner. Blue indicator LEDs on the GK-K6800 are nice and bright, but light from LEDs does bleed over into adjacent indicators. When caps-lock is enabled, for example, blue light floods though the scroll-lock indicator.

While testing, I found the GK-K6800 to offer 4- or 5-key rollover depending on the key combination over its USB connection, and it didn't suffer from any scan rate key transposition issues. The L-shaped enter and smaller backspace keys may take some getting used to, however, if you're already accustomed to typical 104-key keyboards with an ANSI layout. For around $20 though, it's really not a bad board if you can live with the layout.

Gigabyte GM-M8000 7-Button Gaming Mouse

In addition to the GK-K6800 keyboard, Gigabyte also sent over one of their GM-M8000 7-button gaming mice. While the GM-M8000 is relatively affordable at about $50, this mouse is anything but budget. It offers a 4000 DPI resolution, with on the fly switching, courtesy of a High-performance AVAGO 6090 Laser sensor. The mouse also sports an 8KB buffer to support its "GHOST Engine", a scroll wheel with 24 individual click positions, 5 programmable buttons, "Ultra-Durable" Teflon feet, a braided USB cable, and a weight system with up to 38 grams of metal weights.

Gaming with the GM-M8000 proved to be an absolute pleasure. Sensitivity, reaction time, and accuracy are very good. The mouse just worked on every surface I tried. And it fit my large hand very well. About the only complain I have with the GM-M8000 is that its finish wears rather easily and the mouse buttons get that shiny-plastic look. For under fifty bucks though, this is one heck of a gaming mouse.

It's Not Just A Docking Station Anymore

Marco C — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:45:00 GMT

The vast majority of notebook docking stations have traditionally been nothing more than port replicators or breakout docks that give users the ability to quickly connect their portable computers to desktop-bound accessories, like keyboards, mice, and monitors. Sure, there have been some hybrid docking stations that have allowed for increased expansion options on some notebooks, but they are the exceptions, not the norm.

I think it's time for that to change. Notebook sales have been outpacing desktops for quite some time now, but that doesn't mean all of those notebook buyers have chosen a portable machine over a desktop. Some of them, perhaps most of them, bought a notebook as a compliment to a desktop PC. Regardless of the convenience of a notebook, for some there's just no substituting for a large screen, quality input devices, and the performance of a desktop PC. With that in mind, I think it's time to take the notebook docking station concept up a notch to better appease these users, and equip the devices with capabilities that can morph the notebook into something much more powerful, while also offering additional functionality to other PC users in the home (or office).

A number of current notebooks offer hybrid graphics subsystems that give users the ability to switch between low-power integrated graphics and higher-performing discreet solutions. The technology already exists to allow for switchable graphics, so why not integrate the higher-performing discreet graphics into a docking station--which will be connected to a larger screen--to allow for higher performance when connected?

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When a Deal is Not Really a Deal

NewYorkDan — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:50:00 GMT

Yesterday, my home phone rang and it was a number I didn't recognize (the Caller ID said "Jacksonville, FL"). I often don't answer the home phone if a non-descript Caller ID appears or if I don't know the number. I work at home and have a separate work line (I always answer the work line--that call could be my next freelance gig!). For some odd reason, I chose to answer the phone this time. On the other end was a friendly voice, a man who identified himself as Carl, who wanted to offer me a great deal on upgrading my Comcast-provided services.

As I've grown older and wiser in my years, I've come to learn that being rude to people--even telemarketers--doesn't do anyone any good; being polite and courteous not only makes for a more pleasant interaction, but is also just simply easier. So, I let him begin his spiel, as I started to formulate how I would maneuver the conversation to a quick and polite end.

But wouldn't you know it, he was actually making a compelling offer that could potentially save me a fair bit of money. I currently get my cable and broadband Internet service from Comcast, and pay just under $139 per month. On top of that, I also use Vonage for my home phone service, which I pay about $31 a month for. Carl, however, was telling me that I could upgrade to Comcast's Triple Play bundle--which includes HD cable, broadband Internet, and phone service--for just $99 per month! Not only that, but it would include HBO and HBO On Demand, the price includes the cost of the HD DVR rental for the first six months, and the price would stay locked in for 24 months. Sounded like a great deal! Sign me up!

Before I committed to this great-sounding deal, however, I had a few questions... My first thoughts--which I did not say out loud--were "what's the catch" and this "sounds too good to be true." It turns out that my suspicions were on target... I started lobbing questions Carl's way, trying to get a better bead on exactly how much this $99 per month package was really going to cost me.

For starters, the $99 fee does not include the cable modem rental, which is $3 per month. As this is a special combination cable modem and VoIP telephone adapter, my only available option would be to rent. Then it turns out that since I already have an HD DVR, I would not be eligible for waiving the rental fee for the first six months--this part of the offer is only available to existing Comcast customers who would be upgrading to an HD DVR for the first time. I currently pay almost $16 per month for my HD DVR.

Since the price would be locked in for 24-months, I assumed that this deal also came with an early-termination penalty. I was right. If I canceled or downgraded my service before the 24-month period was up, I would be subject to a $250 early-termination fee.

Then there were the installation fees. I would have to pay $29.95 for a tech to come install the new modem/telephone adapter (there was no self-installation option), as well as pay a one-time, $29.95 equipment fee.

Despite these additional fees that put the total cost well over $99 per month, it still seemed like a decent deal. By my calculations, I am paying almost $170 per month for cable TV, broadband Internet access, and telephone service. With this offer, I could lower my monthly bill to less than $135--a savings of more than $35 per month, which racks up to almost an $850 savings over 24 months.

The problem was, I knew that I would incur early termination fees from Vonage, and I wasn't sure what those would be. I wanted to do some additional research, as well as crunch the numbers before I committed. So I said "no" to Carl, but almost immediately started fantasizing about the money I could be saving.

My call to Vonage revealed that I would have to pay a $39.99 early termination fee as well as an additional $70 to cover the rebate I received on the Vonage telephone adapter as part of the special deal I got when I signed up. If I switched over to the new Comcast Triple Play package it would take about five months before I would break even and start seeing a savings. But taking into account all the fees, discounts, penalties, etc., at the end of two years I would still save about $635.

I discussed making this change with my wife, and we decided that as long as we could keep our existing home phone number (meaning that Vonage would need to transfer the number to Comcast), would go ahead to sign up.

I went back to the Caller ID and I called the number from which Carl had originally called me from. I got a recording that identified the company as "Evergreen." It turns out that Carl was calling from Evergreen Sales and Marketing--a telemarketing company that was doing marketing on Comcast's behalf. So my next call was to Comcast, and I was soon speaking with a woman named Jessica.

I explained to Jessica the deal that Carl had offered me and expressed my potential interest in getting the package. Jessica quickly advised me that I probably wouldn’t want that package. Why not? Jessica explained that the $99 per month package is the "HD Starter Triple Play" package, which only offers channels 2 through 99. My current package gives me channels 2 through 199, plus 200 through 240 in HD. Carl had assured me that I would get all those channels with the $99 per month package. I asked Jessica if it was possible that Carl had access to a promition that she didn't have access to, and she responded that she was "110% certain." Yikes… I really didn't want to give up those channels--not only did I not want to lose the major networks in HD, but as a cycling fan, I was loath to miss the opportunity to watch the Tour de France in HD. Some deal this turned out to be!

Jessica went on to inform me that if I was interested in the Triple Play package and wanted to not lose any of my existing services, I could get the HD Premier Triple Play package that costs $152 per month. This would add home phone service, give me HBO, Showtime, Starz!, and Cinemax, and even increase my broadband connection speeds. All nice, but the point of this exercise was to try to save money, not spend more. If I switched to the HD Premier Triple Play package, my total monthly expense for these services would increase by almost $18. Needless to say, I didn't make any changes to my Comcast service and I am right back where I started from.

Before I close out this article, I need to provide some full disclosure... Last year I applied for and interviewed for a corporate communications job at Comcast's Philadelphia headquarters. As I continued to vie for that position for a number of months I did my best to steer clear of writing about Comcast in my news posts--as I felt it would have been a conflict of interest. I didn't land the position and enough time has passed that I feel writing about Comcast no longer presents a conflict of interest for me. And lest you feel I am writing this article out of some bitter resentment from not being hired by Comcast, that couldn't be further from the truth--I hold no ill will or malice. The guy they eventually hired for the position was a much better fit than I would have been, and in all fairness he has been doing a great job ever since he started working there. The purpose of this article is meant to offer an example of how when offered a deal--no matter where it comes from--to make sure you know all the details, additional feels, caveats, etc., before you commit to it--especially if it seems to good to be true.

Thrustmaster and Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., A Match-up That Took Me Way Back

Dave_HH — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:28:00 GMT

There was a time, back in the day, when it became obvious to me that computers and technology in general would be a passion of mine. A friend of mine was working as a technician in a local repair depot that was located in the same building I was working in and occasionally I'd go back to his bench area to see what he was working on. At the time he had this semi-portable computer with a monochrome tube in it that looked to be no bigger than say 7 inches. We'd hang out some times after hours and play Leisure Suit Larry on that thing over a couple of beers and some pizza. What a gas. Yes, I'm dating myself but I've evolved since then, so it's all good.

A year or two later I was introduced to the DYI computer scene by that same friend and that's when the hook was set. I built my first 486 DX33 computer and I had installed 2D VGA card in it. We played Microprose's F15 Strike Eagle III and yes, we played it cooperatively over a 14.4K modem. It quite simply rocked, with text chat communication, the works. My good friend Bob noted one time during a mission, "networked games are king." Little did he know what a prophecy that was. We were hooked on Flight Sims then and were always looking for the next big sim coming down the pipe. Obviously time marched on and we were introduced to 3D cards and first person shooters. Frankly, though I still had a hankering for a good flight sim from time to time, the learning curve was usually steep with most titles and jumping in for some mindless FPS fragging was just too much of a temptation.

However, Ubisoft and Tom Clancy recently gave me a proverbial holla-back to my flight sim days and released a new Military Flight Sim called H.A.W.X. The visuals in the game are fantastic with leading-edge DX10 image quality and features. The learning curve? Well, let's just say if you've ever jumped into a virtual cockpit of any kind, you won't have a problem getting up to speed here.

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. - Brings back the old school sim'er, looks great doing it.

The controls in H.A.W.X. are detailed enough but not overly complex, with just enough challenge and capability to keep this weekend flyboy interested. I got the opportunity to play around with H.A.W.X. when a new joystick from Thrustmaster was sent to me for a quick-take look. Again, back in the day, if you were at all into flight sims, you knew Thrustmaster was the Grand Daddy of all flight sticks. Back then, we had dedicated "game ports" on sound cards or IO plate headers on motherboards. Today the Thrusmaster T.16000M comes with a USB connection (thank goodness)...

Thrustmaster T.16000M USB Flight Controller

What's nice about the H.A.W.X / Thrustmaster combo pack is that, in the same vein as when you pick up a new graphics card, a game bundle usually accompanies your new toy that allows you to take advantage of the new technology. The T.16000M is a well-built controller with a heavy plastic construction that holds up well under the weight of even the klutzy, heavy-hand pilot like myself. It has a base that illuminates around the stick pivot area and is built with a series of hall effect sensors that do a really nice job of offering smooth, precise controls with a ton of granularity. You can also twist the stick to effect rudder control and adjust throttle with a slider at the back of its base.

A good fit, with a twist rudder and slide throttle...

Control-wise you get a ton of configurable buttons on the base of the unit as well as a traditional complement of stick-mounted buttons that allow you to do thing like target cycling, munitions release etc. The other nice feature, that my left-handed son will attest to, is that the entire controller can be setup to function in lefty mode, with the ability to flip around the thumb and wrist-rests on the unit. All told it's a really nice, high quality flight controller and it meshes quite nicely with H.A.W.X. as well. For less than $60 it's a pretty good value with a really fun flight sim included in the bundle.

Thanks to my friends at Ubisoft and Thurstmaster for re-kindling my youthful affinity for the classic Military Flight Sim. Fox 2! Good kill!

Effective Computer Maintenance: The Three-Beers Rule

MikeL_HH — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:33:00 GMT

Chances are good that you know at least one person who seems to know more than your average Joe about what makes computers tick. This person might work in IT or be an engineer in a related field, or maybe they are just self-proclaimed subject experts. Since you are reading HotHardware, chances are excepionally good that YOU are that guy/gal, in which case, bare with me.

Chances are also good that when something goes wrong, you'll turn to this person for help, either directly with a favor request, or passive aggressively by complaining in their presence and hoping they'll take pity on you so you'll shut up and stop interrupting their lunch. Perhaps your particular personal techie happens to be very nice and generous. You might even consider them a good friend. However, I have some shocking news. They hate you.

Ohh, and also they probably think it's annoying you keep turning to them for computer assistance.

I know it's hard to believe. But they were so kind and helpful when you got that virus, again, last week, you say. You might also bring up that time when they didn't even hesitate to get you out of that sure-fire deal, gone sour, with that nice Nigerian man who contacted you through email with a proposition. However, the truth of it is, unless you are compensating them for their trouble in some way, they probably hate you, they just don't realize it yet.

Now you may be thinking, "but Mike, you're just being a cynical ***", and you'd be correct, but I thought we were talking about fixing computers. Let's stay on task here.

Frankly, computers are insanely complicated machines and fixing them isn't always a simple task of mashing some random buttons and clicking on some menus (though you'd be surprised how often that works). A competent technician can charge well into the region of $50/hour to troubleshoot technical issues on-site, and in many cases even more than that. There is a reason why they charge so much, it's something to do with the job generally sucking and nobody wanting to do it. And now you expect them to offer their services to you, on a semi-regular basis, for free. A service the average techie wouldn't do for anything less than a fat hourly fee, or at least some sexual favors.

Think of it this way, do you expect your contractor friend to fix your leaky roof, then remodel your kitchen the next week. All for free? Especially as you sit idly by, yapping about how you really try to take care of your house but for some reason it keeps falling apart. Sure they might do it once out of good will, or twice because they're dumb, but three times? Really?

Now I'm not proposing that you should try to pay your good techie with cash, to bribe them into doing your dirty work. That would be demeaning. How could you ever consider such a thing, you terrible husk of a person. Rather, I suspect your techie buddy will greatly appreciate small gestures of thanks, like a cold beer, and be much more likely to help you in the future. They'll also reconsider when they next hover over your bed at night with a jackknife, but probably to no avail.

The system of bartering goods for services is centuries old and generally works pretty damned well. They fix your computer, you provide them with cold, delicious beer. Everyone wins. However, don't think a single beer is enough. If you got your computer royaly screwed up and it needs some serious lovin', you're going to need more than a half-pint for compensation.

The system that I have developed to handle these situations is lovingly referred to as the three-beers rule. It's quite simple. While they fix your computer, you feed them a continuous stream of beer. If they can't figure out your problem after 3 beers, you are SOL. At this point it is best for your relationship that you thank them for their attempt, and just take your seriously screwed up computer to the shop. Or you could try a different techie friend with 3 more beers, if you haven't driven them all insane by now.

Perhaps the real beauty of the three-beers rule is that it is self-enforcing. After three beers, your friend probably won't be much more adept or motivated than you at fixing computers. This is to ensure pushy bastards like yourself don't back out of the deal at the last second and try to squeeze another beer or two of work out of your poor techie.

Pro-Tip: if YOU are the techie friend, and you're a heavy-weight who's unfazed by a measly 3 beers. Double-up and use the Six-Pack Rule instead. Or consider the natural corollary, the Three-Vodkas Rule.

So in closing, remember that your techie friends hate you, and beer is delicious.

Woz: Once A Genius, Always A Genius

Marco C — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:11:00 GMT

I have been intrigued by all things electronic since a very young age. Even before I started grade school, I can remember taking apart my brothers' AFX cars to see how they worked, and modding the electrical contacts on the underside of the cars, in the trigger throttles, and on the track to make the cars go faster. I would pull apart transistor radios, walkie-talkies, old calculators, you name it. I found it interesting and fun, and still do today, although now I'm ripping apart notebooks, netbooks, graphics cards and the like.

Few things got put back together properly back then, but over time I got more adept at understanding the inner-workings of many electronic devices. Soon I was able to not only reassemble things correctly, but to repair and modify them as well. Through trial and error I taught myself to solder, to use a multimeter, and to identify and replace marginal components in many different devices. In high school I got a bit of "formal" training by taking a semi-advanced electronics class, and even got a part-time job at Radio Shack, but by that point I already had the basics down pat.

It turns out I have a lot in common with one of my idols, Steve "Woz" Wozniak, co-founder of Apple. I'm finally getting around to reading Steve's autobiography iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It and can closely relate to many of the stories he tells in the book. He too had an ingrained curiosity of electronics and taught himself many of the same things I did when he was young. Of course, while I was making simple solder connections Woz was designing advanced logic circuits and TV Jammers, but I can still totally relate to the sense of accomplishment Woz writes about after completing a particularly difficult project.

Woz's Signature On A Limited Edition Apple II GS: The System Still Works To This Day

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Intel Talks Core i7 975 Extreme, Computex, Westmere and More

oem.access — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:22:00 GMT

Dan Snyder is a technical PR manager specializing in high end client products like Core i7 Extreme Edition and Intel SSDs. Dan began his career with Intel in an engineering role at one of the company’s largest fabrication and assembly factories in Arizona. In 1994, he moved into a Technical Marketing position in Santa Clara involving Intel’s processors for mobile computers. From 1996 to 1999 Dan drove worldwide marketing initiatives with OEMs and Retailers for the Pentium Processor family of products before moving to Europe for five years in technical marketing there. Dan holds an Engineering degree from Columbia University and an MBA from Stanford.

Dan from Intel here to talk about some of the goodies we just launched at Computex this week. In my 15 years at Intel–both as an engineer and now in tech PR–I am always blown away at the constant churn of the treadmill and how our factories consistently crank out faster and better products. Take the Core i7-975 Extreme CPU we just announced, for example. It is a screamer and it gets all the goodness of a new process “stepping” where continuous improvements and tweaks to the architecture are implemented, not to mention a little clock speed kicker.

Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition Overclocked to 4.1GHz

HotHardware's review shows how well it overclocks, and both the i7-975 and i7-950 come in at the exact same price as the parts they supplant. I am always racking my brain for other industries besides tech that offer nearly a doubling of performance every few years for roughly the same price. Heck, if that applied to the airline industry my recent vacation to France would have been a 10 minute, $10 flight.

Intel Westmere System In Action

While I have your attention, I know lots of the enthusiasts (that’s YOU guys) dig the Core i7’s performance, but are looking for lower cost high performance solutions. Well, we also discussed the “next Nehalem,” codenamed Lynnfield at Computex, to be released in the second half of this year. This will be paired with lower cost chipsets, meaning lower cost boards, which in turn means lower cost systems. Our executives also reiterated that our next-gen 32nm CPU “Clarkdale” product is on track for production in Q4 of this year. We have also publicly demonstrated our 32nm processor family, codenamed “Westmere” which is slated for production in Q4 of this year. These processors will offer our first 32nm process implementation (meaning faster, smaller, more efficient) and graphics integrated on the processor package. Stay tuned for more info at IDF this fall. Lots of good news and things for you guys to look forward to in CPU land this year.

We'd also love to know what’s on your mind and if you have any questions for Intel... Can’t guarantee I can answer everything, we do need to keep a few secrets, hehe...but we'll do what we can!

Sunday Morning, Beautiful Mess

Dave_HH — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:26:00 GMT

After a weekends worth of running around the Baseball Fields and yard work, what do we do around here to unwind? Why of course, you get your geek on and kick back with a few benchmark runs. Behold...

A Beautiful Mess...
PCIe X4 Slot1 - FusionIO 80GB SSD Card, PCIe X16 Slot2 - Areca 1280ML PCIe SAS RAID Card
Top Left (red SATA cables) - DV Nation RAID Pack2 1GB SSD RAID 0 Drive Bay
Top Left - External USB DVD ROM Drive with AC Adapter on top to limit vibration noise...

And yes, the "beautiful" is all that killer, bleeding-edge storage technology whirring away. The "mess," well, I'll let you call that. Stick around for the mayhem with the benchmark numbers. This ought to be a proverbial smoke show.

The Best Gaming Notebook Money Can't Buy

Marco C — Sat, 30 May 2009 02:10:00 GMT

I'm a bit of a Left 4 Dead addict. I have been a PC gamer for close to 27 years now, if you count those myriad hours spent banging away on my first Commodore 64, and I've come to the decision that Left 4 Dead ranks in my top three all-time guilty pleasures. I can't even fathom how much time I spent scrambling through levels in Impossible Mission on the C64. The first Unreal Tournament probably cost me my job at the time. And now, whenever I can squeeze in a few minutes of carnage, I fire up Left 4 Dead. It's just the kind of mindless fun that gets me fired up. I neither have the attention span nor time for a MMORPG and strategy games just don't do it for me. Plus, the camaraderie that develops over a round of L4D can be awesome--I've played with soldiers deployed in Iraq, young kids playing hooky from school, grouchy old, bearded bikers, you name it. Cooperative multi-player gaming is where it's at. Wouldn't you agree?

There is only one thing that would elevate my L4D experience to a whole new level--being able to play it wherever I can flip open my laptop...

Read the rest of the article here.

Left 4 Dead: I Prefer The Auto-Shotty, But The Assault Rifle Will Do

The Best-Laid Schemes of Tech Journalists Often Go Awry

NewYorkDan — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:43:00 GMT

By Daniel A. Begun

My apologies to Robert Burns for butchering a line from his poem, To A Mouse, On Turning Her Up In Her Nest With The Plough, but the line really does convey quite well the unexpected frustrations I frequently encounter as a reviewer of technology products. All too often, when I get a brand-new product in to test and review, the product doesn't quite behave as expected. I suppose that this is par for the course when you are constantly working with brand-new products that often utilize cutting-edge technologies; but even after doing this for almost 20 years (and you thought my profile picture was in black and white? No, after doing this for so long, I really am that ashen-faced and my hair really is that gray), I still manage to get surprised whenever a newly-minted tech product misbehaves. And don't even get me started about the times that a company sends me a product for a review, only to discover--after the review is already tested and written--that either the specs don't match the actual shipping product or a company rep suddenly confesses, "oops, looks like we accidentally sent you an engineering sample." I'll save that tirade for another blog post. But I digress...

My latest little tragedy started a few months ago and it has three acts. (Tragedy... Acts... Get it? Oh, never mind.) It all started last December, when I first heard about this cool-sounding product, the Addonics NAS Adapter This little device essentially turns any USB-based storage device into a networked drive, or it can turn virtually any USB printer into a networked printer. It's a rather simple device with an Ethernet jack on one end, a USB port on the other, and built-in Network-Attached Storage firmware--at the time it was only $55, but it has subsequently come down in price to $49. That's a great price for easily setting up a NAS device by making use of an existing USB hard drive.

So I requested one from Addonics, got it in, and started playing with it. It's relatively easy to set up and can be used with Windows, Mac, or Linux systems. I'm not going to go into too much detail in terms of what the device is capable of, but some of the highlights are a DHCP server, Samba Server support up to 64 concurrent clients, FTP server support up to 8 concurrent clients, and UPnP AV Server for XBOX 360. For such a little device (2.75x1.25x0.94-inches, 1.6-ounces) and so relatively inexpensive, it can do a lot. The user-level access-management capabilities are on the light side, but for simple NAS needs it should be able to get the job done... When it works right, that is.

I started to run into problems right away. During some of my file transfer tests, my Vista testbed system would hang. The only way to regain access to the PC was to force a system hard reset. I would also get the occasional, random, write error when writing to the drive. What made this even more frustrating was that it was not reproducible--the same file(s) that previously crapped out after 30 seconds of copying could copy cover over completely the next time or crap out after 90 seconds. That was on my Windows Vista testbed. My Mac testbed fared even worse. On my Mac there were some file types, such as MP3 files, that would just not copy over in batches--they generated a collection of baffling error messages. They would copy over just fine as single files, but not as part of a group of files.

While the Addonics NAS Adapter can act as an iTunes server, I quickly encountered a problem where once a certain number of music files were residing on the attached drive, the iTunes server would crap out whenever you tried to access it from iTunes. As to exactly how many files would send the device into the deep end is hard to say, but I can report that it happened with easily less than 1GB worth of music files. Once the iTunes server got too full and you tried to access it in iTunes, the Addonics NAS Adapter itself would hang and I then had to perform a hard reset of the device. There was also an issue where I couldn't disable the FTP server, but at least this was a known issue and was already scheduled to be fixed in a subsequent firmware update.

I tried all of this using two different Vista systems, two different Macs, a bunch of different files, and even two different USB hard drives attached to the Addonics NAS Adapter; but I kept running into these same problems. This is the same methodology that I had already successfully used for a number of other NAS reviews, so the methodology had already been proven sound.

I contacted the vendor and after a bit of back and forth, we decided the best approach would be for them to send me a second unit. This would hopefully tell us if the problems were limited to just the particular unit I had or represented bigger issues with the product's very design.

It turns out, the answer was both. The replacement unit did not exhibit the Vista-based file transfer issues I encountered with the first unit--no system hangs and no write errors. However, the Mac file transfer problems were still present, as was the iTunes Server issue. And oddly, even though both devices had the same firmware, I found that write times with the replacement unit were noticeably slower.

At this point I was at a crossroads. Do I proceed with the review and slam the product? Do I just kill the review and move on? As the vendor promised a firmware update in the near future, I ultimately decided to move the product to the back of my review queue and then revisit it again in a few weeks (which turned into months--it was a long queue!), once the firmware update was available.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when I picked up the Addonics NAS Adapter again, this time with a new firmware version (actually, the firmware version I tested with marked the second update since I originally tested it). I started with the second/replacement unit, since it proved more stable in the previous go-around. First the good news: The ability to disable the FTP server was now working, as was the iTunes server. The bad news is that the adapter was very slow and it still didn't play nice with Macs. I then switched back to the original unit with the newer firmware and ran my tests again. The original unit now behaved almost identically to the replacement unit--the only difference I saw was that the original unit was just a hair faster on some of the tests. Below is a performance chart that compares the performance of the Addonics NAS Adapter to a number of other NAS devices, as well as against a USB hard drive that was connected directly to the testbed PC for comparison (this was the same drive I also used for testing the Addonics NAS Adapter device). As the bars represent time, the shorter a bar is, the quicker/better the device performs. While the Addonics NAS Adapter does give the Maxtor Shared Storage NAS device a run for the money, keep in mind that the Maxtor Shared Storage is a product that is already several years old.

In addition to being slow with file transfers, the iTunes Server was excruciatingly slow to access via iTunes. With 103 songs in the library (representing 7.7 hours worth of music and 453.9MB in total size), it took iTunes 13 seconds to access the library. That wasn't too bad, but 103 songs is not much of a collection. With 305 songs in the library (20.1 hours, 1.27GB), it took 96 seconds to access the library. Not great, but I could live with that. Only, my library is larger than that--much larger. My next test was with 1,024 songs (2.7 days, 4.51GB). It took iTunes over 58 minutes to access the library. My complete music library has over 6,100 songs in it--imagine how long it would take iTunes to access the whole library if I copied it over to a drive connected to the Addonics NAS Adapter and tried to use it as an iTunes library? Note that I can usually connect to my iTunes library, stored on my primary system or other NAS devices in only a few mere seconds.

After all this, I decided that it didn't make sense to do a full product review of the Addonics NAS Adapter. I would instead write up my experiences with the device as a first-person narrative in blog form (which is what you are reading now). If I did review the Addonics NAS Adapter, what would I say? That's a tough call, because after all the time I spent wrestling with it, it would probably be difficult for me to remain objective. I suppose I would say that it's still a decent choice for Windows users who want a simple, inexpensive NAS option that can put an old USB hard drive back to use--as long as you don't mind slow transfer rates and don't plan on using it as an iTunes server. Was that objective? I'm not sure.

Interestingly, not long after the Addonics NAS Adapter came out, a similar device was announced from a competitor. The device is called the Pogoplug, and it has actually been getting a fair bit of buzz recently. In fact, there is even a free iPhone app for remotely accessing media stored on a Pogoplug over the Internet. We're still waiting for our evaluation unit, and hope to do a full review of it when we finally get it. Hopefully we'll fare better than we did with the Addonics NAS Adapter, but as Robert Burns wrote, the best-laid schemes of mice and men often go awry...

So Long, AT&T CallVantage, I Will Miss You

NewYorkDan — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:34:00 GMT

By Daniel A. Begun

A dirty little secret for anyone who ever called me on my home phone or for anyone that I called from my home phone, is that my home phone is actually not a landline--nor has it been for a few years now. My home phone is actually VoIP-based--through AT&T CallVantage. I had the opportunity to test all of the major consumer VoIP services when they first started rolling out in the early to mid 2000's, and I found that AT&T CallVantage had the best mix of performance and features. It wasn't the cheapest--but it was still a lot less expensive than traditional landline-based local and long-distance phone service. I was nevertheless impressed, and I chose to eschew my landline for an AT&T CallVantage VoIP line.

What I gained in features (such as voicemail alerts via e-mail) and a lowered phone bill, however, I gave up in terms of reliability. Not that I had any major problems with the CallVantage service--it was nearly always reliable. I can remember only one CallVantage service outage, and I've had to reboot the Telephone Adapter (TA) probably only about a half-dozen times in the three or so years I've had it (yes, I concede that you don't ever have to reboot a landline phone). No, the problem is that it is dependant on my broadband connection, which has unfortunately been less than reliable over the years. When my broadband connection goes out, so does my phone service. When I lived in East Brunswick, New Jersey, every time it rained (and it rained a lot in East Brunswick), my broadband connection would get wonky. My broadband connection is better where I live now (in Jersey City, New Jersey), but I still experience the occasional service outage. Also, if I was ever to lose power (and it has happened once), I would also lose my VoIP phone service as both my broadband modem and TA require AC power.

Most regular users of VoIP services are all-too familiar with these limitations. In addition to reliance on a broadband connection and requiring constant external power, VoIP services don't provide the same 911 services that landlines do. When you call 911 from a landline, the call is automatically routed to the nearest (or most appropriate) 911 call center, and the specific location (i.e., the address) of where the call is coming from as well as your phone number typically appear on the 911 operator's screen. VoIP phone services are IP-based and can essentially be used from anywhere they have access to a broadband Internet connection. By law, all VoIP providers are required to provide 911 access; but they can only do this if the user has manually provided the address where the TA is connected (this is one reason why it is easy for VoIP calls to spoof their real locations). But even if your registered address is correct, there is no guarantee that your VoIP provider will connect a 911 call to your local 911 dispatcher. Some VoIP providers route 911 calls to regional or non-emergency call centers, where neither your phone number (so they can call you back if necessary) nor address are automatically provided to them.

All these limitations add up to the general admonition that VoIP is a great alternative as a second phone line, but not necessarily the best choice as your primary (or only) phone. Of course, if you have a mobile phone as well, you can always use that as a backup when your broadband connection or power might fail--although that doesn't necessarily solve the 911 issue.

As an early adopter and one willing to deal with the occasional technical headache (us early adopters call them "challenges"), I have been very happy with CallVanatge, despite these limitations. (My wife, on the other hand, keeps asking me when are going to switch back over to a landline.)

So imagine my heartbreak (as well as my wife's potential vindication) when I opened a letter from AT&T, marked "An Important message about your AT&T CallVantage service," which informed me that "AT&T will be discontinuing AT&T CallVantage service in 2009." I should have seen it coming, as other VoIP providers, such as NetZero Voice, AOL Internet Phone Service, and Verizon VoiceWing have bitten the dust, as well as other consumer VoIP providers re-shaping their companies to instead provide SIP-based telecommunication solutions for businesses. In fact, AT&T stopped accepting new CallVantage customers last August.

I decided to give the public relations folks over AT&T a call to get a better idea as to why they were doing this. It turns out I called on the day before AT&T was scheduled to deliver its 2009, first-quarter earnings report, and as could be expected, they were a little busy. Oops... My bad. But even though they had much bigger fish to fry than me, I did get a call back from an AT&T spokesperson later in the day. She explained that there are basically two primary factors driving AT&T's decision. The first is simply that AT&T has been seeing a dwindling interest in the CallVantage service. The second is that AT&T is more interested in focusing its efforts on its other growing services, such as its U-verse service (which happens to also offer a VoIP-based phone solution).

It's not that VoIP is endangered--in fact, it is still actively penetrating the mainstream, and likely to eventually outpace traditional landlines in U.S. homes; it's just that the paradigm has changed and most folks are now getting their home VoIP services bundled with other services, such as AT&T's own U-verse service, Verizon's FIOS service, or Time Warner Cable's Triple Play. The AT&T spokesperson told me that of the remaining 48,000 CallVantage customers, about 25-percent of them are eligible for the U-verse service.

Unfortunately, of the 14 states that U-verse is available in, New Jersey is not one of them--so that will not be an option for me. I have a little bit of time to decide what I want to do about the future of my home phone service. The AT&T spokesperson explained that the letter I received was only the first notice about the discontinuation of service to all CallVantage customers and that the actual disconnects will happen over the course of six phases over the coming months until everyone is eventually disconnected in December. Customers will receive mailed notices eight weeks and again at four weeks before their service is scheduled to end. A CallVantage phone support agent told me that there will also be e-mail and voicemail reminders as it gets even closer to a customer's disconnection date.

I inquired about number portability and the AT&T spokesperson told me that "CallVantage customers can keep their number if they switch to another AT&T service." The CallVantage phone support agent additionally told me that AT&T will also support my bringing my number over to other, non-AT&T-based service providers as well, but there is no guarantee that these other service providers will comply. Unlike traditional landline (POTS) phone numbers, VoIP numbers are not required by law to be portable.

I'm trying to be cost-conscious these days--after all, we are in a recession and I am a freelance technology journalist (which, believe it or not, is not exactly the highest-paid profession). So, plunking down the money for a landline--which includes local service and a long-distance plan--is not an option (apologies in advance to the wife). I'm deciding between Vonage and Comcast's Digital Voice Service (Comcast is my broadband and cable TV provider). Ultimately, I will probably choose whichever can transfer my current number and offer the best price. (Yes, I know Vonage is cheaper, but I might get a better overall deal with my cable and broadband if I choose one of Comcast's bundles.)

Some of you might be thinking that Skype could be an inexpensive alternative, especially since there are a variety of wired and wireless Skype phone options that don't require the use of a computer. I actually use Skype as my dedicated business line. I pay $2.95 per month for an unlimited US & Canada subscription, and another $18 per three months for an online number. This includes voicemail, Caller ID, and call forwarding. As far as anyone I call or anyone who calls me on my work line is concerned, they think I'm on a regular landline, when in fact, I'm tethered to my PC with a USB headset. However, after hours when my PC is off, if I need to make business calls, I use a Netgear WiFi phone (no computer needed, just a Wi-Fi connection). Typically, connection quality is very good, but I have experienced a small handful of instances where the person on the other end couldn't hear me. Perhaps the only reason why I'm not willing to commit to Skype for my home line as well is that Skype does not support 911 calls. Skype is upfront about this and suggests that people use Skype as a supplement to their home phones and not as a replacement. (A little full disclosure here: I used to consult on the Skype account with the company that does the PR for Skype.)

So that is the short story made long of my sad tale of the pending demise of the AT&T CallVantage service. In some weird, twisted way, I feel like I'm losing a friend. Goodbye, CallVantage, I will miss you.

Mechanical Key Switch Keyboards Demystified

Marco C — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:46:00 GMT

I'm sure you've all heard the old saying, "You get what you pay for" many times throughout your lives. Whether talking about plumbing or electronics, that saying has seemingly rung true for ages. But for whatever reason, it isn't always taken to heart, especially by PC users. Let me give you an example.

Years ago, in what seems like another lifetime, I used to manage an electronics store for a large national chain (that's surprisingly still around!). On more than one occasion, while selling a $1500 to $2000 computer system to a customer, he or she would choose not to buy a quality $49 surge protector designed specifically for PC use, despite my strong recommendation, and would instead opt for a cheap $5 model. I would try to explain to these customers, in plain English, that the more expensive option had a much quicker response time and could absorb a larger surge--which is important for sensitive electronic devices--but more often than not, they left with the cheaper option. I just didn't get it. We were talking about a minimal additional investment, that could have meant the difference between the life and death of the computer. But what did I know.

And that's not the only example I could provide regarding PC users that have forgotten that old saying. As many of you may know, I have an affinity for keyboards. I have a collection of them that has been growing for years. Rubber dome, scissor switch, buckling spring, tactile, non-tactile, clicky--you name the type of keyboard and I probably have one, or had one at some point. As someone who makes a living behind a keyboard, I have developed strong opinions on their quality and what I feel are the best options. And of course, regarding keyboards, I have learned that you most certainly get what you pay for.

The Cream Of The Crop
In my opinion, the best keyboards available have mechanical key switches. They are known as mechanical keyboards, or mechanical key switch keyboards. What makes them so desirable is that mechanical keyboards tend to be constructed of higher quality materials, they last longer and are more reliable, and most importantly, once properly acclimated to one, a mechanical key switch keyboard will make you a better typist--you may even be able to get work done faster, with less fatigue.

That may sound like a stretch, but it is absolutely true. You see, the vast majority of keyboards included with white box systems or sold at office supply stores are rubber dome or membrane keyboards. They are inexpensive, mass produced, relatively low quality devices that are inconsistent and degrade the user experience. The problem is most users don't know this, or simply don't care. The appeal of cheap rubber dome or membrane keyboards is that they're usually available in a variety of styles, are included "free" with a new system, and they may sport additional features like media controls or wireless connectivity. But these cheap keyboards typically don't provide users with any tactile feedback, the keys feel mushy and may not all actuate at the same point, and the entire keyboard assemblies themselves tend to flex and move around when typed on. Not fun.

Depending on the type of switch used in a mechanical keyboard, however, it will offer distinct tactile feedback to the user--which is to say there is a pronounced "bump" transmitted to the user's finger tip when a key is pressed. Once acclimated to the tactile feedback, users of mechanical keyboards have a second feedback mechanism, other than a letter appearing on screen, by which they'll know a key has been pressed. Many mechanical keyboards also have clicky key switches, which provide a third, audible feedback mechanism--you feel the tactility of the switch, hear it click, and see the letter appear on screen. The switches are built to stricter tolerances than rubber domes as well, so key presses are consistent across all of the keys. And mechanical keyboards, more often than not, are also heavier and more rigid than rubber dome boards. All of these things add up and culminate in what is simply a better product in my opinion.

What's Under The Hood
Mechanical keyboards are available in a vareity of syles. There may not be quite as diverse an array of options on the market as cheaper rubber domes, but there is enough variety out there that most PC users' needs can be met. Of course, they are available in different colors, with different key layouts, and with either USB or PS/2 connections. There are also spacesaver "ten-keyless" designs out there that do away with the numpad and products designed for gamers with n-key rollover support. Another major differentiating factor between mechanical keyboards is also the type of key switch used to build them.

There are literally dozens of different key switch types currently on the market and each one has a different feel. Here in the U.S., you're likely to come across scissor switches, Cherry MX switches, buckling springs, or ALPS copies / ALPS-type switches when shopping for a mechanical keyboard. Scissor switches are a step up from rubber domes, but are not the most desirable option, so I'll mostly ignore them here. The most common types of switch used in keyboards currently in production are Cherry MX Black, Blue, or Brown switches, buckling springs, and simplified ALPS copies with White (or White-ish) or Black stems. I should note that the reason I say ALPS copies is that the original ALPS switches are no longer in production, but simplified versions based on the original design are. And those copies are what are used in current keyboards.

The differences between the various switches you're likely to come across are subtle, but definitely perceptible. Buckling springs are the type of switch used in the original "killer" keyboard, which still has a loyal following today, the IBM Model M. Buckling springs are still used in many of Unicomp's keyboards, like the Customizer 104, which is one of my all time favorites. Buckling spring switches have a coil spring supporting each keycap that buckles or collapses, at a certain point when pressed, which provides auditory and tactile feedback to the user. The keys are usually fairly firm, but the typing experience is excellent.

Cherry MX switches all have a similar physical design, but the different colored stems signify a different switch configuration. For example, the Cherry MX Black is a non-tactile, non-clicky switch--which is to say it is linear and does not transmit a bump to the user's fingertip when pressed and it does not provide an audible click. The Cherry MX Blue, however, is both tactile and clicky. And the Cherry MX Brown is tactile, but not clicky. And all three require different amounts of force to actuate, the heaviest being the Black model, followed by the Blue, and then the Brown.

ALPS type switches are also available in different configurations. White ALPS type switches, like the Cherry MX Blues, are both tactile and clicky, whereas the Black type are not. Black ALPS copies are tactile, but non-clicky.

Cherry G80-3000LSCRC-2

I Gotta Get Me One Of These!
If you've made it this far, I assume you've got at least some interest in mechanical key switch keyboards and are wondering what products are currently available on the market. Well, there are a multitide of options out there; I couldn't possibly list them all here. I will, however, run through some of the easier to obtain offerings which I consider to be high quality products, worthy of consideration.

If a tactile, but non-clicky mechanical keyboard appeals to you, the ABS M1 (simplified ALPS copies, Black) is a good option. Non-tactile, non-clicky offerings include the Steelseries 7G and the Gigabyte GK-K8000 (both use Cherry MX Black switches), they are both available at many e-tailers. Keyboards that use Cherry MX Brown switches, like the FILCO Majestouch Tenkeyless FKBN87M/EB or FKBN104M/EB, are also excellent non-clicky, but tactile options.

If a tactile, clicky keyboard would better suit your needs though, the Cherry G80-3000LSCRC-2, Scorpius M10, and Das Keyboard Professional or Ultimate, which all use Cherry MX Blue switches, are good choices. The Unicomp Customizer 104, which uses buckling spring switches, is also a fantastic tactile, clicky keyboard as is the Matias Tactile Pro 2.0 and the Solidtek ASK-6600U which uses simplified White ALPS copies. And users looking for vintage throw back offerings should consider an original IBM Model M (buckling spring, clicky) or Dell AT101W (ALPS Black, tactile, non-clicky).

I should note, some mechanical key switch keyboards can be a bit difficult to obtain. FILCO's offerings, for example, aren't sold in the U.S., so a Japanese buying service or eBay are good places to look. And some of Cherry's own keyboards are typically available at more specialized e-tailers, that cater to POS or business consumers. Should you decide to give a mechanical key switch keyboard a try, it is most definitely worth the investment and extra effort though. A quality keyboard can enhance your computing experience, increase your productivity, and last through multiple system upgrades.

I hope that I have provided you with enough background to make an informed buying decision. If not, please, feel free to comment and ask questions or poke around the geekhack.org community, where I lurk from time to time.

Update: I decided to shoot some video and show off a few of the keyboards currently in my collection, to give you all an idea not only as to what they look like, but how they sound as well. As you'll see and hear, they're all somewhat different. My current favorites are the Filco Majestouch FKBN104M/EB, the Cherry G80-3000LSCRC-2 (not in the video) and the Scorpius M10. The Cherry G80 and M10 use the same switches and sound almost identical, however. Please forgive the awkward hand position while I'm typing in the video--I had a tripod and camera in the way and was moving the microphone into position as necessary. Enjoy.

Build Guide: High Capacity $300 Budget Media Server

MikeL_HH — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:07:00 GMT

In this post, I'll show you a few select options for putting together an affordable media server computer for under $300 that can store all of your media in one central location and is small enough to fit just about anywhere in your house. This build guide is for a server that will probably be running headless (without a monitor) and not for an HTPC, although you can probably turn it into one by simply dropping in a discrete video card. Here are the goals I wanted to hit with this particular computer build:

Budget of $300 not including peripherals or OS (before tax, shipping, etc)
Enough storage capacity for average household (ie. not a serious heavy-duty server load and not optimal for office use)
Relatively small so it can be crammed in a corner of your house
Must have room for upgrades (more storage!)
Quality components, no no-name junk

In order to have a fully functional home server rig, we're going to need a case, a power supply, processor, motherboard, memory, hard drive, gigabit ethernet and a video card or integrated graphics at a minimum. Actually, we'll want as much of all that to be integrated as possible to save money. An operating system will also be needed but that is out of the scope of this quick build guide since there are so many options available for a media server, many of which are completely free to download. A server like this shouldn't need a optical drive or a monitor except during the initial installation process. If your operating system of choice is Linux-based, you might not need an optical drive at all since you can install using a USB stick. Most operating systems designed for media server use should have remote administration tools so a monitor will not be necessary after everything is set up.

Let's look at some hardware options. For each component I'll offer a specific recommendation and an explanation of my choice. In some cases I have also included an (often cheaper) alternative to the primary pick. All prices were taken from the Hot Hardware price engine on the day of posting.

Case / Power Supply

For the case, I was looking for something cheap and small with as much hard drive capacity as I could find. For a personal media server like this, it doesn't make much sense to use a decked out full-tower server chassis that will run you a solid $200+. The server will also be running headless without a dedicated monitor since most media server oriented operating systems like Windows Home Server will have built-in remote administration features. This means you can tuck your server into a corner somewhere out of the way and it doesn't need to be near a desk. Since the server will be hidden away in a corner, aesthetics wasn't a factor in my choice. While the server needed to be small, ITX was out of the question since the majority of ITX cases have less than 2 hard drive bays, which severely restricts future upgradeability (stay tuned for an upcoming ITX media server build guide).

After some searching around, I ultimately settled on the Athenatech A3603BB.400. To be honest this sort of breaks our rule of only using name-brand components, but this little chassis gets decent customer reviews and Athenatec has been cranking out budget chassis for some time. This is a surprisingly well laid out budget MicroATX mini-tower that should suit the purposes of this build perfectly. This little mini-tower manages to pack in 6x3.5" bays and 3x5.25" bays which should be plenty for our purposes. While it isn't exactly a looker, its subdued styling won't draw attention to it when it's installed in its little corner. The chassis is also well ventilated with 92mm fan cutouts in the front and back as well as a 80mm side panel fan cutout, although only the rear 92mm fan is actually included. Heat won't be a huge issue in a small personal server like this so the single rear 92mm fan should be adequate until you start to fill up the case with hard drives at which point you may want to add a second fan. The case also comes with a 400W power supply which is plenty for what we want to do with it. At around $45, it fits the bill nicely. Unfortunately it does have its share of issues. The most important of which is the relatively cheap construction. This isn't a particularly durable case and if you treat it roughly, it won't fare too well. However, once again, I want to emphasize that a media server isn't something you will be messing around with too much and you'll likely leave it alone to sit in a corner so this shouldn't be a problem.

However if you'd rather go with something a bit bigger and more durable, check out the alternate pick, the Cooler Master Elite RC-330. The RC-330 is a larger case than the Athenatech so it'll require more room, but it also has slightly more space for drives with 7x3.5" bays and 4x5.25" bays. It comes with a 350W power supply which is a bit less than the Athenatech, but it should still be enough for this build.

Primary: Athenatech A3603BB.400 w/ 400W ($45)

Alternative: Cooler Master Elite RC-330 w/ 350W ($50)

Processor

The amount of processing power needed for a personal file server is often misunderstood. Frankly, you don't need very much under the hood. The processor will spend nearly all of its time idling and there is not much point in using even a mid-range chip. Even at full load while serving multiple files simultaneously, there will be very little processor activity. If you plan on only using the server for file storage, you can easily get by with as little as a single-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom chip. However if you want your server to handle richer media tasks like video streaming and content encoding, you might want something a bit more powerful, although only slightly.

For this build, I have picked the AMD Athlon X2 4850e processor. This is a very affordable little dual-core processor with a low power profile at a TDP of only 45W. At just $59, this is perfect for our needs. While this budget 2.5Ghz chip with only 512KB of L2 cache per core isn't much of a speed demon in the grand scheme of things, it packs more than enough power for media server duties. Its low power envelope will also come in handy since it will keep the heat in the chassis down and the server will likely be running 24/7 so we'll want to use as little power as possible.

As an alternative to the AMD, we picked the Intel Pentium E2200. The E2200 is a dual-core chip using the Allendale core with a frequency of 2.2Ghz. It should perform similarly to the AMD and it'll be plenty of power for our purposes.

Primary: AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz 45W ($59)

Alternative: Intel Pentium E2200 2.2GHz 65W ($60)

Motherboard

For the motherboard, I was looking for something with plenty of integrated features to keep the overall cost of the system down. Of primary importance is support for gigabit ethernet and plenty of onboard SATA ports. Built-in RAID was also a requirement.

My first choice is the ASUS M3A78-CM motherboard built on AMD's excellent low-power 780V platform. The 780V northbridge only draws about 11W at full load and less then 1W while idle. Compare that to Intel's G35 northbridge which consumes nearly 30W at load. This board is just loaded with features including the ones most important to this build; gigabit ethernet, 6xSATA, RAID 0/1/10. With six SATA ports, this little mATX has all the storage capacity we need, not to mention an additional two more potential hard drives that can be connected to the onboard PATA. This board also features a great layout, full-copper heatsinks and quality solid capacitors for the critical power phase circuits that feed the CPU. In terms of expansion, the board offers two standard PCI slots, a PCI-E x1 slot and a PCI-E x16 slot. All this for only $73 is a bargain. The AMD 780V northbridge packs the ATI Radeon HD 3100 with VGA, DVI and HDMI connectors, which is more than enough graphics for our purposes, bordering on overkill. However the 3100 isn't quite enough for a gaming-capable HTPC experience, so if that is what you're looking for you may want to consider filling the board's PCI-E x16 slot with a dedicated video card.

For our Intel alternative processor pick, we chose the Zotac GF9300-A-E based on NVIDIA's GeForce 9300 chipset. This is a much more expensive board than the ASUS M3A78-CM at $110. Fully featured Intel boards with 6 SATA slots, RAID and gigabit ethernet just aren't as cheap as available AMD offerings.

Primary: ASUS M3A78-CM AMD 780V mATX ($73)

Alternative: Zotac GF9300-A-E NVIDIA GeForce 9300 ($110)

Memory

Unlike in some builds, a media server won't need much in terms of memory, especially if you're judicious in your OS selection. You can easily get away with 1GB of budget RAM or some left-overs from your other builds. Memory performance is largely unimportant for this build. Just about anything will do, but if you must have a specific recommendation, I choose a single 1GB stick of Corsair PC2-6400. At $13, it's as much as you need and nothing more. If you insist on having more memory, which is understandable given the current rock-bottom DDR2 pricing, check out the alternative pick; 2x1GB Corsair XMS2 PC2-6400 dual-channel kit.

Primary: Corsair 1GB PC2-6400 DDR2 ($13)

Alternative: Corsair XMS2 2GB PC2-6400 DDR2 ($25)

Hard Drive(s)

The heart of any media server is the storage system. There are a ton of hard drives to choose from these days in a wide variety of storage capacities and spindle speeds. It is certainly acceptable to use hard drives you already own for this build, but if you are buying new, I recommend going for high storage density. Not only is it more cost efficient, but it's also space efficient which will leave you extra room for future upgrades. For a storage server like the one we're building, transfer speed of the drives shouldn't be a huge issue. Consider that the vast majority of data transfer to and from the server will be bottlenecked by the ethernet connection, it isn't especially important to have the fastest drives so there is no point in blowing our budget on a bunch of top-speed 10,000 RPM enterprise drives, or even top-speed 7,200 RPM drives. Another factor to consider is the system will be on constantly which means power draw is an important consideration.

For our first pick, we chose Western Digital's heavily praised Caviar Green series drive. There has been a lot of talk about this family of hard drives recently and for good reason. These are excellent high capacity drives with low power drain, perfect for our purposes. This drive comes in several capacities but the 1TB version is the best deal currently at just $100. That is a solid 10GB/$. Another good option is the Samsung HD103UI 1TB drive, which is very similar in performance to the Caviar Green. You might scoff at the Samsung's 5400RPM spindle speed but that would be a mistake. Like I said earlier, the speed of the drive really isn't important since data transfer will be bottlenecked by ethernet anyway. A lower spindle speed of 5400RPM also means less power drain and better reliability. It's also worth noting that the Caviar Green isn't a 7200RPM drive yet it still achieves good performance. Western Digital doesn't specify its true spindle speed, but it is somewhere between 4200 and 7200. In all likelihood its closer to 5400 than 7200 on common access patterns.

Primary: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB ($100)

Alternative: Samsung HD103UI 1TB ($95)

Optical Drive (optional)

As I mentioned earlier, an optical drive is not strictly necessary for a media server except during the initial installation process. Simply 'borrowing' an optical drive from one of your other rigs for the installation will be a good option for a lot of people. However you may want your server to perform extra functions like ripping and burning optical media, in which case your server will need its own private optical drive.

DVD-RW drives have been flat-lined at around $20 for some time now. The LG GH22NP20 is a dual-layer capable DVD-RW that writes DVD-/+Rs at 22x and 16x for dual-layer discs. It can also write CDs at 48x. Overall a decent drive in return for just one Jackson.

Primary: LG Electronics GH22NP20 DVD-RW ($20)

Overall this build should provide a solid basis for a budget media server that will handle all of your personal files in a single central location. Depending on your operating system of choice, you can use the server in a wide variety of ways to stream files and media to and from the rest of the computers in your house to the server for safe keeping. The key tenants of this build are high capacity, low cost and low power. This obviously isn't a particularly high performance machine simply because it doesn't need to be. The money you saved is better spent on your gaming rig or HTPC anyway. While our build only has a single 1TB drive to start with, there is space in the case and on the motherboard for 5 more drives. Using 1TB drives, that allows for a total capacity of 6TB, more than enough for most households. Higher capacity 2TB drives are also right around the corner and if you used six of those, you'd have a whopping 12TB of storage crammed inside a little budget box.

This rig can also be transformed into a hybrid server+HTPC in a pinch by throwing in a dedicated video card and swapping the case with something a bit more pleasing on the eyes. The processor choices we have here should be enough for basic HTPC duties but more advanced users who plan on doing a significant amount of encoding may want to consider upgrading the processor too. Both of our motherboards offer onboard surround sound which is adaquate for use with HTIBs, but you might want to consider a dedicated audio card if you have a decent sound setup.

Primary Build		Alternative Build
Athenatech A3603BB.400 w/ 400W AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz 45W ASUS M3A78-CM AMD 780V mATX Corsair 1GB PC2-6400 DDR2 Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB	$45 $59 $73 $13 $100	Cooler Master Elite RC-330 w/ 350W Intel Pentium E2200 2.2GHz 65W Zotac GF9300-A-E NVIDIA GeForce 9300 Corsair XMS2 2GB PC2-6400 DDR2 Samsung HD103UI 1TB LG Electronics GH22NP2	$50 $60 $110 $25 $95 $20

Total	$290	Total	$360

Don't agree with my recommendations? Want to share your ideas? Leave a comment!

Build Guide: $500 & $400 Gaming Rigs

MikeL_HH — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:26:00 GMT

In this post, I'll show you a few select options for putting together an affordable computer for under $500 that can handle just about every game currently available for PC while maintaining a decent screen resolution and image quality. Here are the goals I wanted to hit with this particular computer build:

Budget of $500 not including peripherals (before tax, shipping, etc)
Play currently available games with high to medium settings at a decent resolution
Must be upgradable and relatively future-proof
Quality components, no no-name junk
Doesn't rely on overclocking to achieve acceptable performance

In order to have a fully functional gaming rig, we're going to need a case, a power supply, processor, motherboard, memory, hard drive, optical drive and a video card. Let's look at some hardware options. For each component I'll offer a specific recommendation and an explanation of my choice. In some cases I have also included an (often cheaper) alternative to the primary pick. All prices were taken from the Hot Hardware price engine on the day of posting.

Case / Power Supply

For the case, I chose Antec's excellent Sonata III chassis. As the name implies, this is the 3rd iteration of the Sonata design philosophy of quiet, reliable computing. The Sonata III is a standard mid-tower case with a relatively traditional design. It features clean modern looks and a handful of features to keep noise to a minimum, such as rubber-dampened hard drive bays and low-RPM 120mm fans. There is space for 9 drives total; 4 internal 3.5" bays, 2 external 3.5" bays, 4 5.25" bays. While the chassis is nice, the best part of the package is the included 500 watt Antec EarthWatts power supply. Antec's EarthWatts line-up are excellent high-efficiency power supplies and the 500W model goes for $70 on its own. All this for $90 is a steal.

However if you'd rather go with something a bit cheaper, check out the alternate pick, the Cooler Master Elite RC-330. The RC-330 is similar to the Sonata is design and capacity although it lacks some of the Sonata's sound dampening features. It comes with a 350W power supply which should be enough for this build but may limit future upgradeability unless it's replaced.

Primary: Antec Sonata III w/ EarthWatts 500W ($90)

Alternative: Cooler Master Elite RC-330 w/ 350W ($50)

Processor

For the processor we chose Intel's E5200.The E5200 is based on the Allendale core shrunken to 45nm. At 2.5GHz with 2MB of L2 cache, it gives plenty of bang for the buck. It also happens to overclock very well and with a TDP of 65W, it's relatively energy efficient. The E5200 should serve the purposes of this build quite nicely without blowing the budget.

As an alternative we picked the AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750. The 7750 is the highest model currently available for the K10 Kuma, a dual-core Phenom design. At a core frequency of 2.7GHz, 512KB of L2 cache per core and 2MB of L3 cache, and 1800MHz HTT, the 7750 is a solid competitor for the E5200. In fact, benchmarks show they perform on-par with each other in most cases. However, the 7750 doesn't quite overclock as well and at 95W it isn't as energy efficient either.

Primary: Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 2.5GHz ($83)

Alternative: AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 2.7GHz ($75)

Motherboard

For the motherboard we went with MSI's P6NGM-FD, mATX board based on NVIDIA's GeForce 7100 chipset. This is a very budget concious board but it doesn't lack much in term of features and it has everything we need for this build. Realtek 8211BL gigabit ethernet, Realtek ALC888 surround sound audio and four SATA 3.0Gb/s ports with RAID (0/1/0+1/5/JBOD). It even packs onboard video although we will not be using it since it is ill suited for gaming. There are a few down sides however. Since this is a mATX board, it doesn't have as many expansion slots as a full ATX would. We're limited to one PCI-E x16, a PCI-E x1 and two vanilla PCI slots. This is more than enough for the purposes of this build, but it may limit future upgradeability. In addition, The chipset doesn't support any sort of multi-GPU capability, not that it matters with only one PCI-E x16 slot. Overall we still think the $60 price tag trumps the minor gripes with the board and make it a good choice for our build.

Should you decide to go with an AMD processor, like the 7750 we offered as an alternative to the E5200, you can check out the alternative motherboard we picked. The Gigabyte GA-M78SM-S2H is another budget concious mATX board. Besides supporting a different processor, it is very similar to the MSI P6NGM-FD. It has the advantage of a newer north bridge chip equipped with a better onboard video card, but that is irrelevent to us.

Primary: MSI P6NGM-FD NVIDIA GeForce 7100 ($60)

Alternative: GIGABYTE GA-M78SM-S2H NVIDIA GeForce 8200 ($70)

Memory

For memory, we're going with 4GB of Corsairs XMS2 memory. This is a kit of two 2GB sticks of PC2-6400 with timings of 5-5-5-18. While this is hardly premium performance memory, they should serve our purposes just fine. Besides, it's hard to argue with a price tag of just $46 for two sticks of quality Corsair memory, but if you insist I've listed two alternatives. Both alternatives are $32 but they are quite different. First we have a 4GB kit of Kingston ValueRAM, if you prefer capacity. It's worth noting that ValueRAM modules don't have heatspreaders. And second we have a 2GB kit of Kingston's HyperX PC2-8500 if you're looking for a bit more performance.

Primary: Corsair XMS2 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 ($46)

Alternative 1: Kingston ValueRAM 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 ($32)

Alternative 2: Kingston HyperX 2GB PC2-8500 DDR2 ($32)

Video Card

For the video card, argueably the component that will make or break this build, we splurged a bit on a Radeon HD 4850 from Sapphire. At $154 it is the single most expensive component in the entire build by over $60 but we believe it's worth it. The 4850 is a very strong mid-range gaming card that will give this rig some real legs to stand on. The Sapphire model we chose uses a dual slot cooler, but in return you get improved cooling over the reference cooler.

As an alternative I chose the GeForce 9800 GT from XFX, which is a $25 savings. Judging from benchmarks, the 4850 and 9800 GT are very similar in performance but the 4850 trumps the 9800 GT overall, especially at higher resolutions.

Primary: Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB ($154)

Alternative: XFX GeForce 9800 GT 512MB ($130)

Hard Drive

The Hot Hardware price engine lists the WD Caviar 320GB for the very low price of $47. At less than $50, there is no point in going with an even smaller capacity drive as the savings would be negligible. With around 300GB of usable capacity on tap, after formatting, this drive should provide more than enough space for all your games. You won't be able to fit an extensive video library on this, but it should be just fine for a primarily gaming rig with enough space left over for all your documents and music.

Primary: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB ($47)

Optical Drive

Primary: LG Electronics GH22NP20 DVD-RW ($21)

Overall this build should result in some decent gaming performance well above what the price tag may suggest. Since we set out to make this rig primarily for gaming, we were able to focus our limited budget around the components that will have the greatest effect on frame rates. The video card is the most expensive component in the whole build with 30% of our total budget but it should pay for itself with very respectable frame rates in all of today's latest titles. We didn't skimp on the processor either since there is no point in having a nice video card if all of your games end up CPU limited. We also didn't cheap out on the power supply since an even and reliable power feed is required to keep your system stable, especially under the stress of gaming.

Areas we did skimp a bit are the auxilary components, however we made sure to leave the door open for future upgrades. We stuck with onboard sound for the build since not everyone is an audiophile. The onboard Realtek sound card should be enough for most people. We also elected to stick to stock cooling for the processor since overclocking wasn't part of the original goal of this build. However room for overclocking does exist in the components we selected and those so inclined will be able to do so.

Primary Build		Alternative Build
Antec Sonata III w/ EarthWatts 500W Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 2.5GHz MSI P6NGM-FD NVIDIA 7100 Corsair XMS2 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB LG Electronics GH22NP20	$90 $83 $60 $46 $154 $47 $21	Cooler Master Elite RC-330 w/ 350W AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 2.7GHz GIGABYTE GA-M78SM-S2H NVIDIA 8200 Kingston ValueRAM 4GB PC2-6400 DDR2 XFX GeForce 9800 GT 512MB Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB LG Electronics GH22NP2	$50 $75 $70 $32 $130 $47 $21

Total	$501	Total	$425

Don't agree with my recommendations? Want to share your ideas? Leave a comment!

Video Killed The Internet Star?

Dave_HH — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 02:54:00 GMT

There are some things in life that just seem better in their "classic" state. Take Coca-Cola for example. They've tried to reinvent the product dozens of times. We've seen Diet Coke, Caffeine Free Coke, Cherry Coke, Coca-Cola with Lemon, Vanilla, even Raspberry. And these were all flavors that the Coca-Cola Company manufactured and sold themselves, not knock-offs. Remember "New Coke"? Neither do I. Well OK, I suppose some folks drank it but the backlash Coca Cola caught from generations of customers brought up on Coke Classic was too much, so they went back to the old recipe. The point is, there just isn't anything quite as successful as the original Coke "classic" and there probably never will be. You can probably think of a few other analogies but in general, what folks would call "timeless" products, are definitely few and far between.

You might not think of the Internet as a "product" per se. However, your favorite web site, like Coca-Cola in many ways, is very much a product. At HotHardware (we're desperate to be your favorite by the way), our product is Tech news and detailed product evaluations "content". Recently, as you may have noticed, we're "enhancing" and changing the product, as it were. One of the major additions or changes we've made, to our little product called HotHardware, is our video channel. Now, I'm not so delusional to think for a minute that our product here is as timeless and irreplaceable as Coca-Cola (though I wouldn't argue with you if you felt that way), so our line of thinking is that we need to continually improve the experience whenever possible. Of course this means adding features and different types of new content as well. That said, in the new age of internet video, there are obviously lots of ways to "do it right" and also more than a few not so right ways.

Back in 1979, the New Wave Rock group, the Buggles pioneered "Music Television" with one of the first music videos to appear on MTV, aptly titled "Video Killed The Radio Star". This was a nostalgic song that looked back on the early days of radio in a bitter-sweet observation perhaps that the new TV or video medium for music, though new and exciting in its own right, somehow trampled over radio and in the process, we left something valuable and irreplaceable behind. I guess my years of seeing the internet in its infancy evolve to where it is today, are bleeding through somehow but it's with this song as a soundtrack of sorts that we've embarked on enhancing our HotHardware "product" for you, our ever-important and appreciated reader now also "viewer". In other words, our perspective was to change and evolve our offering for you such that we're taking full advantage of this new more accessible medium of streaming digital video content, without sacrificing our product quality or the original "HotHardware Classic" content in any way.

Obviously this is a pretty lofty goal. Our first order of business was to produce video content that was a notch above the static that you most definitely will find out there these days, with everybody and their brother piping in on YouTube or some of the newer social networking-based video content distribution services. This meant a higher production quality goal wherever possible as well as topic/product selection and coverage that worked well on video. Our second order of business was to provide you video "spotlights" as a supplemental offering to our original news and product evaluation content and not in replace of that original "product" we've been bringing you all these years. We definitely didn't want to pull a "New Coke" on you since likely many of you wouldn't stick around long.

Regardless, as part of the creative vision for the site and also Chief Cook and Bottle-Washer, I stay awake late at night sometimes not just because there is too much to do and not enough hours in a day but also because I'm perpetually paranoid about bringing you the best stuff we can muster here with our relatively small but powerful team. And with that in mind, I'll close with a few questions for you. As computing and tech enthusiast, early adopters, gadget geeks and technophiles, is our new video channel working for you? Our goal is more frequent releases of new videos but is that a good thing? What sort of coverage works for you on video and what doesn't? What have you seen out there that you feel is the "good stuff" and what should we avoid like the plague? What is your attention-span like? Should we have quick two minute blasts or are longer, more detailed 5 - 7 minute showcases better? And finally, and most importantly, does our HotHardware "product" convey well for you on video? Marco will appreciate the 80s music reference here but as they say, video doesn't have to kill the internet star.

Happy Friggin' Holidays

Marco C — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 21:56:00 GMT

Although the Holiday Season is supposed to be a time for celebration and for reconnecting with family and friends, a few tragic stories inevitably come to pass. I'm sure many of you have read the news recently and are well aware of some of the ugliness that went down over the past few days. But I never thought something as terrible as a murder would take place right in my own back yard during the holidays.

He Never Saw It Coming...

My wife and I are both animal lovers. We keep a couple of bird feeders out year-round and also feed the squirrels, chipmunks, and other assorted furry creatures through the winter, so the yard is usually filled with an abundance of animals and birds. Once in a while, an opportunistic predator will take advantage of our situation though, and use our backyard as an all you can eat buffet.

Today, an unfortunate pigeon got whacked by a hungry ~~Red-Tail~~ Cooper's Hawk. I grabbed the camera and snapped off a few shots of the carnage to keep for evidence, just in case the authorities come snooping around.

Death By Rocket Launcher. Sort of.

Marco C — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 03:34:00 GMT

Every once in a while, something happens in a gamer's life that sticks out in his or her memory. I had one of those moments tonight playing a little Unreal Tournament 3. I was just taking one of my usual 20 minutes breaks for a round of Vehicle Capture the Flag on the Suspense map, and just as the match was ending (my team won 2 to 1), I got clipped while standing near the red flag. This was the position I died in...

"You using the whole rocket launcher there, doc?" -- Fletch

I knew folks from all walks of life loved to game, but a proctologist with an affinity for rocket launchers I would have never of guessed. I'm not the only one that sees the humor in this, right? Is that rocket launcher in an unfortunate position, or do I just have a sick mind and am seeing things that a "normal" gamer wouldn't?

Cool Gadget: Zotac's Hardware OC Controller

Marco C — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 18:50:00 GMT

Due to the fact that the vast majority of NVIDIA’s partners sell graphics cards that are all essentially identical, save for their clock speeds or perhaps a custom decal, they all look for creative ways to differentiate their products from the competition. They usually do it by including a hot new game, offering a really long warranty, a low price, or maybe bundling in some other type of value-added software. But once in a while a company will take things a step further and do something a little more innovative.

Take Zotac for example. Zotac has developed a cool little device called the Nitro Hardware OC controller, which gives users the ability to monitor GPU temperatures and over- or under-clock their graphics cards on the fly, using a few buttons and a simple menu. The Nitro hasn’t been offered with any Zotac-branded graphics cards just yet, but the company is contemplating the prospect of including it with select AMP! Edition products at some point in the future. In the meantime, the Nitro is also being offered as a standalone product with an MSRP of $99.

I recently had the chance to play with the Nitro and have to say it’s a pretty cool gadget. Understand that this product isn’t for everyone. All of you uber tech-savvy HotHardware readers already know that NVIDIA’s nTune application already offers a host of overclocking tools for GeForce graphics cards--for free. But that doesn’t hinder the coolness factor of having a desk-bound gadget that lets you OC on the fly, from within any game or application without having to access the driver control panel. Would I buy one for a hundred bucks? Probably not. But we all know a geek or two that would love to sport one of these things on their desk.

The Nitro works in conjunction with Zotac’s Firestorm utility. Firestorm is a relatively simple, streamlined application (<400K download) that features sliders for GPU engine, Shader, and memory frequencies, and fan speeds. When the Firestorm application is installed and running, and the Nitro is plugged into an available USB port, the Firestorm utility itself or the buttons on the front of the Nitro can be used to alter frequencies or fan speeds on the fly--even if a game is already running. Profiles can be saved as well, and a graphical representation on the Nitro’s VFD gives a real-time temperature readout. I found the temperature read-out particularly interesting. Watching temperatures increase or decrease during game play was an intriguing way to monitor the load being placed on the graphics card.

Zotac includes a hefty stand, driver disk, user manual and USB cable with the Nitro. And it currently supports all Zotac-branded GeForce-based graphics cards. If you’re the type that likes to tinker though, there is a way to get the Nitro working with any GeForce. Simply hold the shift key when you launch the Firestorm app and ignore an error message (while still holding shift) and it will work with non-Zotac branded cards. Shhhh. You didn’t hear that from me though.

Introducing The Epson Workforce 600

Marco C — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 01:26:00 GMT

The very first color printer I ever purchased, many years back, was the original Epson Stylus Color. At the time, the Stylus Color was one of the most advanced color inkjet printers available for the PC, and its price--about $500 if I remember correctly--reflected that fact.

The landscape is completely different today, however. While the original Stylus Color offered only basic printing capabilities and connected via an ancient parallel cable, many of today's printers can connect via USB, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi, print quality has gotten exponentially better, and costs on the printers themselves have plummeted (ink is another story). In fact, it is not uncommon today to find multi-function, all-in-one printers that also offer scanning, copying, and faxing capabilities for about $100. That's a far cry from my original Stylus Color.

The Epson Workforce 600 is just such an all-in-one, but due to its extensive feature set and speed its price falls somewhere in the $150-175 range before mail in rebates (as of this writing, there is a $50 MIR available on the Workforce 600 which expires 1/10/09). The Workforce 600's specifications include Print, Copy, Scan, direct photo printing, and Fax capabilities, draft print speeds up to 38 ppm (black and color), laser quality text output, Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking, a built-in flash card reader and a 2.5-inch LCD. Maximum print resolution is 5760 x 1440 dpi with 3 droplet sizes, that can be as small as 2 picoliters. Copy speed is up to 38 cpm in black or color, and the scanner offers an optical resolution of 2400 x 2400 dpi, with a max interpolated resolution of 9600 x 9600.

The initial setup of the Epson Workforce 600 is fairly straightforward. Easy to follow instruction are included that explain how to install the ink cartridges, set the time and date, configure the network settings, and load paper. Once that's done, the printer initializes and its ready for use. I should note that Epson includes a full set of ink cartridges (there are four), sample papers, an Ethernet cable, and a phone cable, along with assorted documentation, with the printer. A USB cable is not included, however, so should you want to connect directly to the Workforce 600, a USB cable will have to be purchased separately.

Installation of the Epson Workforce 600 couldn't be any easier in my opinion. If you wire the printer directly to a PC or Ethernet switch, simply run the installation disc and follow the on-screen instructions and you'll be on your way in no time. If you want to connect wirelessly via the printer's built-in Wi-Fi function, first you'll have to input the necessary network access information (SSID, WEP/WPA password, etc.) using the front panel controls, but once connected, again just run the installation on the included disk and that's it. The installed scans the network or PC for the printer and automatically installs the necessary drivers and utilities.

The build quality of the Epson Workforce 600 is top notch. The unit itself is assembled from glossy and matte composite materials and it has a solid, sturdy feel. The built in LCD is bright and easy to read, the scanner lid is heavy with a smooth moving hinge, and the buttons and controls work very well. The heft of the unit alone gives an impression of high quality.

One of the Workforce 600's standout features is its speed. When printing draft-quality documents, this thing just flies. I was able to print a 12 page, text-filled word doc in under a minute, and draft quality photos (like those from a webpage, for example) print nearly as fast. The Workforce branding seems to be fitting, because this machine would be a great fit to a small office that does lots of draft-quality printing. The unit's built-in fax capabilities also worked well, but I didn't test these extensively as I haven't needed to fax anything in years--that's what e-mail and PDFs are for. The Workforce 600's scanning capabilities were particular impressive to me. Even with the printer connected via Wi-Fi, the scanner warms up almost immediately when the scanner application is launched, and its speed and quality were excellent.

Printing in high-quality modes and copying weren't quite as impressive though. The copier function worked very quickly and produced nice black copies using plain paper. Color copies, however, seemed somewhat grainy to my eyes. There were perfectly acceptable for archival copies, but I wouldn't consider them presentation quality. High-quality print modes were very good on premium inkjet paper, but not exceptional. Text was very crisp and photos looked great considering this is a four-color printer. But text output wasn't quite on par with a LaserJet I keep in the lab and the photos had a slightly soft appearance. Using Epson's photo paper produced much higher quality output.

The Epson Workforce 600 also features some cool built-in templates for direct printing of things like greeting cards using the card reader and personal photos, and flash media inserted into the integrated card reader can also be shared over a network for document collaboration, sharing files, etc.

Having lived with the Epson Workforce 600 for the last few weeks, I think its branding is very fitting. This all-in-one is a speedy workhouse with a top notch feature set.