I get asked this question a bit and these are the points I bring up:

Multiple Monitors if:

• You have lots of desk space
• You routinely need to have several programs viewable at once
• You like to keep your inbox viewable while working (building on the above)
• You do remote presentations which use desktop sharing (allows you to share one and keep one private)

One Big Widescreen if:

• You routinely view just one program at a time
• You are accustomed to using a laptop
• You have limited desk space

Did I miss something? I am a multiple monitor person, but which setup do you prefer and why?

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Multiple Monitors Or One Big One – Which Is For You?

There was. It was called the Simon PDA from IBM and Bellsouth.

Don’t believe me? Watch the first one minute and 15 seconds of this video.

The price for this foreboding tank back then? $899.

Like the iPhone, Simon has no physical function buttons to speak of as it was a true touchscreen.

Why wasn’t it more popular? The design of it was awful. It was big, huge and heavy. Simon looked more like an 1980s cell phone than a mid-1990s one. The battery life was also pathetic compared to other flip-style phones of the time.

The Simon is a very early version of the smartphone. It was a tiny (for the time) DOS PC that ran at 16MHz with a single-chip design. The DOS used was called ROM-DOS. 2MB of Flash memory was onboard that stored all the apps it had. More about Simon can be read here.

A super-big photo of the Simon.

For anybody that says Apple was first with a fully touchscreen-enabled smartphone, that’s flat-out false. IBM/Bellsouth was.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Retro: A 1995 "iPhone"

It’s an unfortunate truth that there isn’t a simple 1-2-3 method for when you want to block.

Here are some of your options:

The router itself

On a basic level, a router allows you to block only ports. On an advanced level, you can block specific domains. However it’s all dependent on whether or not your router has a domain-specific block feature, which is most likely what you want to do. Unfortunately, most basic routers won’t do that per the administration program it uses.

Windows Firewall

The firewall used in Windows whether it’s in XP, Vista or 7 is application and port specific, but not domain specific to the best of my knowledge. What this means is that you can block specific ports, and block specific programs from network use, but cannot say "don’t load X web site" with it. It’s an "all-or-nothing" type of application-specific solution in most instances.

Windows MMC

The Microsoft Management Console (Start/Run/type mmc/click OK) is not easy to use for those who have never used network policies before.

To enable a policy for a specific network address in XP, you have to first add the Snap-in "IP Security Policies on Local Computer", then create a security policy. It is a difficult, tedious process that requires many steps, and it probably won’t deliver the results you’re looking for.

MMC by and large is better for managing other computers on your network instead of your own.

In Windows 7, the "Advanced" section of the Windows Firewall does in fact use MMC, but it’s still complete gibberish to those who have never used it. All you want to do is say, "I want X web site not to be available from any program on this PC, period." Not even in Windows 7 is this easy to do with its existing firewall software.

HOSTS file

Every modern OS has a HOSTS file where you can easily redirect specific domain names to root. This technically is not blocking a web site, but rather redirecting it. That’s fine since the end result is that the site won’t load, and that’s what you wanted to happen.

An example would be:

yahoo.com	127.0.0.1
www.yahoo.com	127.0.0.1

127.0.0.1 is root, as in your PC. On attempt to load either http://yahoo.com or http://www.yahoo.com (and yes the two are different), the browser will report that it cannot make a connection.

The biggest issue with a HOSTS file is that it doesn’t support wildcard entries. Or at least in Windows it doesn’t.

Using the above example, www.yahoo.com won’t load, but search.yahoo.com will.

If you added an entry of *.yahoo.com, that doesn’t work. Every subdomain must be entered manually to be redirected to 127.0.0.1.

The single largest drawback of the HOSTS method, particularly on XP, is that anybody that has access to the HOSTS file can simply delete it and remove all the redirects – and a reboot isn’t even required.

Browser add-on

One add-on that is positively genius in its simplicity is BlockSite for Firefox. And don’t worry, if you’re running 3.5 or 3.6, it’s available.

BlockSite does support wildcard entries. If you make an entry of:

*yahoo*

..any domain with yahoo in it will be blocked.

What’s even better is that you can configure the entries to be password protected, so if someone else wanted to go in and remove some of those blocks, they can’t unless they have the password.

If only this were available for IE..

Software-based firewall

This is usually the solution most people prefer because of the following reasons:

1. It’s the easiest to manage.
2. It will block all programs from accessing sites you block.
3. It (usually) does not slow down your internet connection at all.

There are many software firewalls available whether you’re using Windows, Mac or Linux.

On the Windows side, you can use the built-in Windows Firewall or any number of other 3rd-party software such as Agnitum, Comodo, Core Force, GhostWall, Kaspersky, Lavasoft, ZoneAlarm and several others.

The only real drawback to using a software-based firewall is that it will at times get in your way, so a key feature to look for is: How easy is it to turn it off temporarily?

Do you (or have you) use any of the above software-based firewalls?

How easy or difficult is it to block a specific web site? Is the feature even there? Is it as easy as using BlockSite for Firefox? Let us know by writing a comment or two.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Blocking Web Sites 101

Jumping to the results of the benchmark tests which were run, you can see there is an across the board “real-world” increase when going from one core to two with each additional core offering some benefit. [Note "real-world" in quotes because benchmarks are merely a guesstimation.] Games benefited from the addition of a second core only and applications show respectable gains as each additional core was added. I am ignoring the synthetic results as they are pie in the sky numbers. One thing to keep in mind when looking at the results is multicore CPU’s are just now becoming true commonplace and many applications have some catching up to do in order to take advantage of this.

These are interesting numbers to keep in mind if you are in the market. Personally at this point, I would stick with a two core (unless you are a crazy multi-tasker) as most users probably do not utilize their computers in a way that four cores would be beneficial. On top this, a two core will give you the most bang for the buck as the price points go up exponentially when more cores are added.

What are you takes on this?

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

How Many CPU Cores Do You Really Need?

While this can be used as a regular desktop computer, this is more or less the ultimate in green and small. And it would serve very well as an entertainment PC. The OS is comes with is Windows 7.

Here’s a video on the fit-PC2. You’ll be amazed at how small it is. You’ll also be amazed at how many ports this thing has. This nettop was definitely designed right the first time.

The direct-buy price starts at $245. A bit pricy since it’s just a box, but, what you’re paying for is the super-small size and convenience of it more than anything else.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

fit-PC2 Tiny Nettop PC

Well, we have it. It’s called iPad.

And in no way at this stage of the game will it replace the notebook format.

Here’s a short list of things the iPad doesn’t do:

No Flash support

This is just like the iPhone – but on the iPhone it’s acceptable. On the big-screened iPad you’ll wish you had it when trying to watch a video online.

No camera

It would have been really cool to video chat with the iPad. You can’t.

No multi-tasking

Huge, huge drawback. Big downer.

No handwriting recognition

This is one of the most obvious things you’d think it would have had. It would have been perfect for it.

No USB or HDMI ports

This is beyond understanding why they did not include a single one of these. If it did have a USB port, at least a webcam could have been attached. Or a thumb drive. Or a digital camera. Or any other of the thousands and thousands of USB devices we use in our computers.

At the end of it all, this is not what we expected. The only thing that really made a splash about this product was its starting price of $499.

The iPad is in fact a good idea – but not exactly what we wanted. What we did want was something that did everything the iPhone could and have the functionality of a laptop and post-paid wireless carrier connectivity of our choice.

We didn’t get that. Instead what we have is a big iPod Touch with some added in goodies and a bigger screen.

A notebook/netbook/iPhone replacement this is definitely not.

In addition, most people hate the name of the product as well. Personally I don’t think it’s a bad name, but others say it’s awful.

Here’s a quote from the iPad web page:

"The best way to experience the web, email, photos and video. Hands down."

Yeah, hands down. Cheap pun.

The finger-operated browser does have easy operation as does the on-screen touch keyboard.

Email is easy to use with it.

Photos are not. Remember, you can’t even attach a digital camera to it. No ports.

The lack of Flash support makes watching online video a joke.

iPad is iBad.

What do you think?

Post a comment or two. I personally think iPad is a great idea, but utterly useless because of what it doesn’t have that it should (is a USB port really that much to ask for?)

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

iPad Is A Good Idea But Doesn’t Deliver

When it comes to keyboards there are four basic types of users:

From-OEM

This is not a bad option as OEMs typically provide decent keyboards. Even the cheapest Dell box comes provided with a better-than-average offering.

Ergonomic

Known by many as the "curvy" ‘board, this style is used by many to alleviate wrist pain. And it works.

Old school

The click-clack IBM Model M style. ‘Nuff said.

Laptop

All laptop computers have short profile keys. Being the laptop is the best selling computer right now, people who use and like them instantly fall in love with the keyboards laptops have.

In fact, laptops are so common that many prefer to get rid of their PC keyboards with standard height keys in favor of the short profile style.

Let’s say for the moment you wanted to locate a standard layout USB-wired keyboard with short profile keys. How do you find them?

The answer, at least on NewEgg, is to sort by the slim category.

Many of you out there have probably never heard of this category when it comes to keyboards. This is because it’s a relatively recent thing to come on the scene. Slims weren’t generally available for a decent price until around 2008. Before that point it would have cost you at least $80 just to buy one – but now they can be had for as little as $25. And even for that price, you get a pretty good keyboard.

Things to watch out for with slim keyboards

Non-standard placement of keys

Always check where the arrow, PgUp/PgDn, Enter and Backspace keys are. They’re probably not in the locations you’re used to.

Elimination of certain keys

Some have two "Win" keys, others just one. Some may eliminate the ALT on the right side of the spacebar.

Is it for a Mac?

If the title of the product has "Mac" in it, like this one, it is designed for Mac use and not Windows or Linux. The key layout is distinctively different.

Is there one with an "absolute" complete standard layout?

Yes. Gigabyte makes one. It’s $40, but worth it if you require the standard layout (a must for coders). What this means is that every key is in the traditional position, including the PgUp/PgDn cluster, the number pad and everything else.

If you like the short profile style but hated wireless and wanted a standard layout, they’re available right now without breaking the bank like they did two years ago.

On a final note: If you can deal with reprogramming the keys in a Windows or Linux environment, be sure to also check out Apple’s standard keyboard. Windows users can use SharpKeys for easy keyboard reprogramming at the registry level if you want to use a Mac keyboard in Windows (which I’ve done before, it works fine).

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Keyboard Wars: The Search For An Affordable Short Profile

Apple, unfortunately, proved to the world that people would be willing to buy a smartphone without a removable battery, that being the iPhone. You know right up front that the iPhone was planned to be a disposable electronic device because of this. Sure, you could bring the phone to an Apple Store, have them crack it open and install a new battery when the old one dies, but how many times can that be done before irreparable failure? Probably not too many. A tight closed chassis of that type is not meant to be opened over and over again, even if on an infrequent basis.

The tablet is essentially going to be designed the same way. It’s true that I have absolutely no proof that Apple’s new upcoming tablet will have a sealed battery, but I’m betting that’s exactly how it’s going to be delivered. And if that’s the case, it will be the most expensive disposable electronic device ever.

When you have any electronic device that primarily runs by battery where the battery can’t be replaced by you, that’s a disposable.

A current device I use where the battery is sealed is my Garmin nüvi 255W GPS device. I am fully aware that one day the battery will die and will no longer hold a charge. When that happens I will not be able to update the unit any longer (it requires to hold a charge for a least 3 minutes to boot after a system update). Fortunately this will not make the unit unusable. I can still operate it via the car charger even though I won’t be able to update it. After that it’s only a matter of time before the touchscreen and/or backlight fails on it. It will occur. It won’t be any time soon, but it will happen.

Does it bother me that I can’t replace the battery myself to extend the life of the unit? You bet. But that’s how it was designed and I knew that very well when I bought it for $215 back when it cost that much (it costs much less now).

If I can achieve 4 years of regular use out of the GPS I paid $215 for before it breaks, I consider that a fair deal for what it is. Chances are it will last longer than that, but if I can get 4 out of it, that’s fine.

Assuming the Apple tablet has a sealed battery, costs $1,500 and has the same life span, I’m sorry but that’s a complete rip-off. You can replace parts in a Macbook/Macbook Pro. You can’t do that in an iPhone, but the price point is low enough now to where replacing one not so much of a big deal anymore.

As for the tablet, what’s the planned obsolescence for that thing? Four years? Three? Two? Nobody knows.

Do you?

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

What Will The Planned Obsolescence Be For An Apple Tablet?

Before continuing, let me define tablet in the context of this article: I’m talking about a one-piece device with a screen of at least 14 inches in size, which is a complete computer, and no tactile keyboard (meaning virtual on-screen keys only). I am not referring to tablet-like notebooks with the swing-around screens because those do have tactile keyboards and are technically two-piece.

Here is me in my usual snarky self complaining that there is almost no good use for a tablet. I did manage to think up a few ways one could be used. More on that in a moment. First the video:

Now before you all hang me out to dry from what I said, here’s a few things to note.

I seriously question whether a one-piece tablet device has any real purpose.

Let’s compare the tablet to other types of computers.

Netbook

This is the second most portable computer there is. It sells well because it’s dirt cheap, achieves excellent battery life, you have several choices of OEM (Dell, HP, Acer, Lenovo, etc.) and it does exactly what it was designed to do without complaint. The netbook exploded in sales in 2009 and shows no signs of slowing down as of yet. It put back a much-needed boost into the computer industry to get people excited about computers again.

The most important thing about a netbook is that it is a usable computer. I use mine every day. Comfy keyboard, zippy operation for the most part, easy wi-fi, it works – and it’s paid for.

iPhone/Blackberry

This is the most portable computer there is. The iPhone is the darling of the cell phone industry at present showing that you can in fact do wonderful cool and useful (keyword there) things with a smartphone. The Blackberry has continued to make improvements over the years and has a very dedicated following. Both the iPhone and Blackberry are the ultimate in usable portable computing

Kindle

I mentioned this in the video above. Some people don’t like e-readers because they’d just rather buy a book instead – and that’s fine. But what makes the Kindle great is that like the netbook, it works exactly as advertised. You know exactly what you’re getting, what it will do and moreover what it won’t. The price point is still a little high for what it is, but the point is that it is usable and there are no surprises. And that’s a good thing.

Where does a tablet fit in to all this?

A tablet..

• ..is not a replacement for a netbook because it will be at least twice the price and only do half as much.
• ..is not a replacement for an iPhone or Blackberry because it won’t fit in your pocket, and it’s seriously unlikely it will make phone calls. But even if it did, would you really want to spend the cash on a separate post-paid plan for it? I’ll answer that for you – no, you wouldn’t.
• ..is not a replacement for a Kindle because once again, it will be twice the price for something you already have that does the job – and does it better.

The tablet is also not a replacement for a PC or standard-sized laptop either. It will be slower and the upgradeability of it will be slim to none.

Where does a tablet fit in?

Nowhere, that’s where. It replaces nothing, and adds nothing of value to your digital life whatsoever.

PCMech reader CHALLENGE!

Before getting to the challenge, here are a few uses for a tablet (some of which I mentioned in the above video):

• An interface for a home security/climate system.
• An interface for a home media entertainment center (and a really expensive one at that).
• A menu at a restaurant.
• A pad for use at hospitals so doctors and nurses can get quick access to pertinent patient information.

The challenge to you, the reader is this:

Can you tell me ANY practical use that would qualify having a one-piece style tablet in the home?

Remember, this is a one-piece slate that has at least a 14-inch screen on it.

I am very interested to hear your answers on this one. In addition, if you think I’m wrong (and that’s fine) on any of the points I made above, tell me why I’m wrong. I want somebody to prove to me that the tablet has a legitimate practical purpose other than what I mentioned above – which isn’t much.

One final note: Remember the PADDs they used on Star Trek: The Next Generation, like this?

For base of reference, a Kindle is only slightly smaller than the actual size of most PADDs.

Post a comment or two. Tell me a good practical use of a tablet. If you can’t think of one you can alternative say, "Screw the tablet, I want a PADD!" Yeah, me too.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

PCMech Reader Challenge! Find A Practical Use For A Tablet

The Dell Studio XPS is a fantastic PC, no question. The two models offered currently are the XPS 8100 and the XPS 9000. The base 8100 model (no monitor included) is $649. And what you get, said honestly, is a very fast machine. The specs include an Intel Core i5-650 3.20GHz CPU, 16x DVD R/W, 3GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB 7200rpm HDD and nVidia GeForce G310 512MB DDR3 video.

Aside from the tech goodness, what really stands out about modern Dell towers are the way they look. Sure, you could easily build a faster PC for cheaper, but can you make it look as good as the Dell you see here?

The current Studio XPS series is one of the best looking PCs Dell has ever built. A lot of thought went into the design. It looks like something straight out of the future – and it’s here now. You see sleek lines and meticulous attention to detail. Dare I say, it has an Apple-like quality to it. It looks like an over-$1,000 computer box, yet stays well under $700 while still offering some awesome bang for the buck.

Of course there will be those out there that say, "I don’t care what my computer box looks like as long as it runs well." To that I ask a question: Why shouldn’t you have a PC that looks good? You use it all the time, after all. Besides which, this is 2010. PCs should all look this good.

Compared to other case designs, the Dell does not have one of those ridiculous plastic doors in the front of it. Everything is open. You also have the convenience of card slots above the DVD drive, and on top are USB and audio ports with a small tray which is purposely sized to fit DVD discs, labels or whatever else you want to put there.

Form and function follow each other very well in this application. This box was built with people in mind, and it shows.

Do you realize how difficult it is to find a case that has both the top tray area and the ports?

I searched NewEgg to see how many towers cases actually had this.

Absolutely none of them had card slots on the top, but there were a scant few that did have the ports and tray:

• Rosewill Wild Knight
• Rosewill Destroyer
• HEC 66RCBB
• HEC 66RCBBH585
• ThermalTake V9

You’ll notice something about each of the above – they’re all black. Very black. Black as night. The gamer kids today have absolutely no interest in cases with ridiculously sized acrylic windows, overdone lighting and so on. What they want are flat black no-nonsense cases, because it’s what’s on the inside that counts as far as they’re concerned.

So even if you’re the type that likes to build rather than buy, if you want a case that has top tray and ports, you’re left with nothing but Black Cases of Doom. They get the job done, no question, but they just don’t hold up to the Dell’s style.

Does style matter with computers?

Yes, it does. Apple has proven this to be true time and time again.

Even a Mac user would have to admit the Dell Studio XPS is one fine looking machine. It pulls off a look that doesn’t borrow from Apple whatsoever, yet looks classy and ritzy. And that’s not easy to do in the home computer industry.

Why aren’t there more PC cases with good style and convenience?

I have no idea. Even when you look at the super-high-priced cases like this one, what you’re left with is the same ol’ Black Case of Doom. Oh sure, the inside design is perfection, no question. Top build quality. And heavy. The case linked is 33 pounds. But the outward appearance would probably scare small children.

Do case manufacturers need to step up their game?

Yes. There need to be tower cases made that are at least on par with the design of the Dell Studio XPS.

Dell shows us you can have elegance, power, style and convenience all at once – without an Apple price tag.

I’m not saying the black-doom boxes should be killed off as there are people that like that sort of thing. But the case makers should pay attention to what Dell is doing and follow suit.

Post from: PCMech. Helping Normal People Get Their Geek On And Live The Digital Lifestyle.

Dell Studio XPS Shows How Cases Are Supposed To Be Done