Note: There is a video at the bottom of this post of my 10v, so be sure to check that out.

As I had been saying many times since 2009 started, my plan was to get a netbook as my next laptop. So I bought a refurbished Dell Inspiron Mini 10v.

My overall opinion of the unit is that it’s a decent solid build and is definitely the right size. However the one thing that I absolutely must point out is that without a 6 cell battery it’s not worth owning.

Since it’s a challenge at best to run high-powered, high-graphic apps (like many popular game titles) on one of these things, what you would use it most for is web browsing, documents and communication such as email, instant messengers and so on.

On a netbook, where one finds this most useful is not at home. Whether it’s your local coffee shop or restaurant with free wi-fi, a long flight, long car or bus ride, hotel, etc., that’s where you’re going to use this thing.

Being that’s the case, long battery life is what matters more than anything else on a netbook.

It should be absolutely mandatory that all netbooks come provided with a 6 cell battery as standard. This is not the case for any netbook currently. All of them, whether made by Dell, HP, MSI, Acer or the like all come with a 3 cell. This realistically only gets you 3 hours of battery life, and that serves absolutely no advantage over a standard-sized laptop.

On my 10v, I purposely sought out a refurb with the 6 cell battery. This was the absolute best decision I could have made because I get the most usefulness out of this netbook.

Being there are other reviews of the 10v on the internet already, I’m going to point out here (some of which will be mentioned in the video below) the points most people would be interested in learning, in Q&A format.

Does it have an optical drive?

No. What makes a netbook a netbook usually starts with having no optical drive. If you want one, you can purchase the small external USB kind. Here’s an example.

What’s the resolution?

On the 10v it’s 1024×576. Most apps will run in this resolution with no issue at all. In the browser (any web browser), you can get maximum space by pressing F11 for full screen mode, and press it again to go back to windowed. Try it right now if you like; it works on any computer.

The Dell mini 10 (the one without the v) does offer a 1366 resolution, however I know for a fact that for many people the text would just be way too small.

At the time I write this, Dell has introduced the brand new Inspiron 11z, which has, you guessed it, an 11-inch screen. Does a 1366 resolution look any more readable on that? Depends on your eyes.

1024×576 on a 10-inch screen can be read fine even for those with a “heavy” eyeglass prescription. With 1366 there’s squinting. And it is unknown at this point whether an 11-inch screen would serve any better, readability-wise.

It also should be noted that at full brightness, the 10v’s LCD screen beams, as in so bright it would literally bother you. I never have mine set at full bright. I think the only time you would have to full-bright is when sitting outside with it on a very bright sunny day.

What’s the hard drive size?

There are several sizes, starting with an 8GB SSD, then 16GB SSD, then 120GB 2.5-inch and the 160GB 2.5-inch. There’s also a 64GB SSD somewhere in the mix.

In the new 11v there is a 250GB 2.5-inch SATA drive offering. It’s overkill, but available.

The SATA drives are the purposely-chosen slower 5400rpm because they run cooler.

On my 10v, I have the 160GB. For me this is fine given the fact I don’t have anything that would munch up hard drive space.

Even if you chose to stuff your hard drive full of movies and MP3s, it would still take a while to fill this thing up. But if you gotta-gotta-gotta have the extra space, just buy an external 750GB Western Digital MyPassport (brand new at the time of this writing). Problem solved.

How does the keyboard feel?

On the 10v it feels solid and not toy-like. It is, according to Dell, 92% the size of a traditional laptop keyboard. It’s responsive, easy to type on and doesn’t require any huge learning curve.

What some may have a problem with is where the PgUp/PgDn keys are. They are shared with the arrow keys and accessible via Fn. Page Up would be Fn+Up, Page Down would be Fn+Down.

It also should be noted there are no keys which could act as a number pad via Fn. The only way to type numbers is to use the top row only.

How does the touchpad feel?

You’ll probably hate it at first. It does take a few days to get used to. Once you do it’s not bad though. It’s not great, I admit, but it’s not awful either. This is one of those things where a design had to be made to accommodate the pint-sized nature of the netbook.

What’s the performance like?

Note before continuing: The 11v is reported to have much better performance as it has a next-gen CPU in it.

The easiest way to describe the performance of a 10v is that it is about the same running speed as a upper-mid-grade laptop made 5 years ago.

Some of you may read that and say, “Bleah! That’s terrible!”

Not really. When you take away the high-powered/high-graphic apps, the 10v can basically run anything you put on it, and do so in a way where you’re not sitting around waiting for something to happen.

The OpenOffice suite for example is a chunky set of apps, but runs easily on the 10v.

I have no issues with the 10v choking and I don’t believe anybody else would.

How long does the 6 cell 56WHr battery last?

With the screen dimmed and wi-fi off, 6 hours. And no, not “about” 6 hours. I’m talking 6 hours or more.

With the screen brightness up and wi-fi on, 5 to 5.5 hours. I can confirm this as I have put the unit thru its paces.

This beats the ever-loving crap out of any standard-sized laptop. Like I said, the battery is the most important part of a netbook, no question.

The video below shows what the 6 cell battery looks like. It is significantly larger than the 3 cell, but not anything that would make you run for the hills.

Does it feel like a toy?

Some netbooks do feel like toys, I won’t deny that. But the 10v doesn’t. The overall construction is solid and it doesn’t feel like a child’s plaything. When opening the screen there are no creaks or squeaks. When typing the keyboard doesn’t feel cheap. All the ports have a nice snug fit when anything is plugged into them.

How loud is it?

The 10v is silent when running. So silent you’d think something is wrong with it. Whenever I turn it on I have to purposely look at the power light just to make sure I turned it on because I’m so used to hearing fan noise from older laptops I’ve used.

How is the audio speaker?

Terrible. Sounds chintzy. A compromise of the small design. Even at its loudest volume it’s still too quiet.

Fortunately for most things where you’d want to hear the audio (like YouTube videos or music), you just plug in headphones.

Part of the reason why the speaker sounds crappy is because I believe it’s under the keyboard, so the sound comes from the bottom of the netbook. It’s more or less the only place they could put the thing. Like I said, it’s a compromise in design because of the small size.

A video review

Below is my quick review. It touches on points I’ve mentioned above plus a few other things.

Last Friday I went to configure my father’s new PC, a Dell Inspiron 531 mini-tower. This is Dell’s lowest-priced offering and it’s as basic as basic can get. A box with Windows XP, mouse, keyboard, power cable and not much else.

This box comes provided with a 1.6GHz single core AMD Athlon 2560e 512K, your option of Vista or XP (the chosen OS was XP), 16x DVD Burner, 1GB 800MHz DD2 RAM, 160GB 7200rpm HDD, nVidia GeForce 6150 SE Integrated video, and 1-year warranty with in-home service.

If you order this box with absolutely no options that add additional cost, the price is $249, however bear in mind there are taxes shipping charges.

Being that most people will understand how this box would work as far as speed and performance are concerned, I’m going to concentrate on setup questions instead.

How much bundled crap is in the OS?

Surprisingly little. There was a Windows Live toolbar installed in the IE browser which was annoying but easy enough to get rid of.

There were a bunch of Windows Live Essentials stuff as well, also easy to uninstall.

Trial-ware was only limited to a McAfee 30-day subscription, which I uninstalled for the freely available AVG instead.

Other than that there were a few Dell-specific support programs, and those were uninstalled as well.

Usually it’s the case where you spend hours uninstalling all this crap. But in this instance it took about 20 minutes which included a few reboots.

Does it comes with A Windows CD?

No. Dell, like many other PC manufacturers, do not provide an OS disc with lower-end models. Unfortunately this is par for the course no matter who you buy from. I wish it wasn’t.

How long does it take to upgrade?

The first thing to do with any new PC with Windows after you’ve uninstalled the crap is to run Windows Update. This is a long, tedious process, but fortunately since the OS had SP3 on it already it saved some time.

Additionally, with XP you do have to run Windows Update at least four times on a brand new OS install. The first time installs the WGA stuff, the second time is for all the critical updates, the third time is for the newest software (IE 8, Windows Media Player 11), the fourth time for critical updates to those software titles. The longest was the second.

Total time patching/upgrading was about 3 hours. It would have been faster save for the fact my father has a very basic broadband internet plan that slowed things down a bit.

How loud is it?

You can barely hear this thing running. In fact I had to specifically look at the HDD light to know if the drive was being accessed or not. It is whisper quiet.

How is the keyboard?

Very good. Dell does provide some of the best standard keyboards with their PCs.

How is the mouse?

Terrible. It’s basic, all black (and I mean all black – there’s not any other color on the entire mouse), feels odd in the hand and the software mouse options allow for almost no wheel-click control whatsoever. I had to use my father’s old Logitech optical mouse which does have those options with the MouseWare software. This wasn’t a big deal since he was used to it already.

Tip: If you have a Logitech mouse and want all the options available for it, just download the control software from here. If a Microsoft mouse, you want the IntelliPoint software (which also works perfect on Windows Vista and 7 by the way.)

How much does it weigh?

Not much. This box looks a lot heavier than it actually is.

How loud is the optical drive?

Surprisingly the DVD burner drive is very quiet. You can hear it but thankfully it doesn’t make an annoying racket when in operation.

One complaint: When the tray is open, the button to close it is blocked. You can push the drive tray closed, but nevertheless this is a design flaw.

How are the ports set up?

Four USB ports in the front mounted mid-height on the tower. Very, very convenient. This works out very nicely whether you have the box on a desk or on the floor. There are four USB ports in the back also. In front, the USB ports are horizontal 2×2. In rear, vertical 2×2.

The audio ports in rear are very plainly marked and color coded as is the video port (which is VGA by the way) and the network port.

This is a stark contrast to the way Dell boxes used to be. The user-friendly nature shows throughout. No, it’s obviously not a Mac, but this is light years better than the way yesteryear Dell boxes were.

How is the case construction?

Solid. It doesn’t feel cheap even though it is a cheap box. Even the power button feels solid.

Is it worth the cash?

I’d have to say yes. This is the lowest-priced offering and what you get is fair for the price.

This box is upgradeable, however most who would buy it probably wouldn’t do more than add in more RAM, possibly another hard drive and not much else.

There’s also a 3½ and a 5¼ bay free. You could stick one of those 13-in-1 card readers in the 3½ and whatever else you’d want in the 5¼.

Bonus: The 5¼ bay has a flap-style door in front of it, so no matter what drive you install, the box will retain it’s look. For example, if you want to add in another DVD burner, you can completely disregard the color as when it’s closed the drive is hidden by the flap. In other words, if the white drive is cheaper than the black one, go for it because it will be hidden when not in use.

What would happen if you added in some options?

The only upgrade worth getting on purchase is the AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core CPU. All other options would be cheaper to buy and install yourself.

If you tack on the best CPU available for this particular model (the X2 5600), it adds $90 to the price. However there are two others besides that which are lower, that being the X2 5000 ($60) and the X2 4450E ($30). The X2 5000 with Windows XP or (or Windows 7 later) is more than fast enough with that and 2 or 4GB RAM for daily computing purposes.

Final notes

For those wondering if this is a slim model, no it isn’t. That would be the 531s, with ’s’ for slim. I’m happy to report that the 531 is a regular mini-tower, as in the kind that’s easy to work on if you want to add things into it.

With XP this is a very good day-to-day machine. With Windows 7 it would work well also.

Just remember that this box is not meant to be a tower of power. If that’s what you’re looking for, see other models besides this one. But if you want to stay basic and cheap, it’s tough to beat the Inspiron 531.

It’s been two weeks since I received my Saitek Eclipse keyboard (original article here), and if there was anything that could have gone wrong it would have happened by now.

With that said, here’s how it’s fared out so far.

First I’ll note that I do a ton of writing (obviously) so I have put the keyboard thru its paces and no, I’m not a gamer.

Overall feel

The first thing I noticed in the negative respect is that the keys felt "spongey". What I can say now is that they don’t feel that way any longer. This is a keyboard that definitely has to be "broken in", so to speak. The feel of the keys is now better than it was two weeks ago.

Lighting

All the lights still work, but as some past reviewers of this keyboard have noticed (as do I), the topmost keys are a bit on the dim side. And when I say topmost I’m referring to the function keys, PrntScrn/Scroll Lock/Pause keys and so on. But being I don’t use those keys too often it’s not that big of a deal.

Ergonomics

The supplied keyboard wrist rest is more or less worthless for me for the fact it has a slope. I plan on getting a regular "ugly" soft-padded rest. What a keyboard wrist rest is supposed to do is keep your wrists level with your hands, and this one definitely does not do that whatsoever.

Cool looking? Yes. Functional? Yes. Ergo-friendly? No.

Noise

Only now do I realize how LOUD my previous keyboard was compared to the Saitek. I’m liking the fact I don’t hear constant click-clacking. Granted, yes it’s still there (you can’t completely eliminate it), but it’s almost as quiet as my laptop keyboard.

My only complaint is that I also realize I was going by sound when typing certain words and phrases on my previous keyboard, so I’ve had to re-learn how to type a few things. Not a big deal.

Proper height/spacing

Some keyboards try to do things differently by offering taller keys or having them spaced further apart, etc. The Saitek is just a standard layout and it’s very much appreciated.

Verdict

I don’t regret the purchase. At first I thought I might but now that’s it’s broken in I’m getting along with it nicely.

A few days ago I acquired a new GPS unit, the Garmin nüvi 270. Since my StreetPilot c580 is now a discontinued model I figured it was time for an upgrade to one of the newer and (much) thinner nüvi models.

A few notes before continuing: Continued

SkyDrive is a free online storage service offered by Microsoft. If you have a "Windows Live ID" (i.e. a Hotmail, MSN or Live account) you can try this out right now if you like.

This service gives you 5GB of online storage and it works for most that need a quick solution to store stuff online. It also allows for easy ability to share files out as well.

Here’s the good and bad of the service:

1. Shareable name does not follow your Spaces name.

I have a Windows Spaces name, it’s richmenga.spaces.live.com. Easy enough to remember. However SkyDrive doesn’t follow that.

Here’s my public SkyDrive address:

https://cid-8d261682ad54bd2c.skydrive.live.com/home.aspx

Yeah, umm.. this is pretty bad. It looks like a spam link – but it isn’t. That is my actual SkyDrive public address.

It should be richmenga.skydrive.live.com. Granted, that’s still a bit long but would be a ton better than what I’m given.

When you share out files, the names used in the URL are just as bad.

2. No drag, drop or move ability for files.

When you put a file into a folder – any folder – that’s it. It stays there. You can’t move it to any other folder you have. And there’s no drag/drop functionality inside the service at all.

3. Skydrive.com isn’t even owned by Microsoft(!)

Instead it goes to "Auto Europe Discount Car Rentals".

Crappy. If this service keeps the SkyDrive name this will be an endless source of confusion.

4. Easy to upload

It is easy to upload files to the SkyDrive service and it works well.

5. Easy to share

You can share files out easily also.

6. Easy to use

Aside from the fact you can’t move/drag/drop, this service is easy. In addition you always are made aware of how much space you have remaining via a small bar on the right when inside the service.

7. Ability to embed files/folders in your blog or web site VERY cool

With any file or folder, you can generate a link with code to put in your blog or web site. This is a nice simple way to get people to your public shareable files easily (compared to those crazy malformed-looking links).

For example, you could take one of my files and hit the "Embed" button above the file name. You are then given code that you can easily post afterwards.

You can do the same thing with folders too.

Verdict

Being that pretty much everyone has a Hotmail account (whether you use it or not), this is a super-easy way to get 5GB of shareable (or private) online storage.

If/when Microsoft puts in the ability to move files and drag/drop ability, it’ll be tough to beat.

Many people have heard of the Samsung Instinct being called the “iPhone killer”, but I do not believe that to be so. The Instinct is on the Sprint network and costs $129.99 after a $220 instant savings then a $100 mail-in rebate, and Sprint offers their Simply Everything Plan with unlimited everything for $99.99.

Continued

The increasing availability of small form factor video recorders is, in a word, cool. You no longer need a large camcorder unless you want the flexibility of disc-based media or higher lens quality. The need for standard camcorders will never go away, but for quick on-the-fly video recording, nothing beats the small form factor, flash based video recorder.

The Flip Video Mino is one such camera. Let’s take a look at it.

Continued

Anybody who values their time and has things to get done will usually understand the value of a good task manager. Some people like to use a task list on their computer. Others prefer something web-based. Others prefer the good old-fashioned pen and paper. Whatever your method, the idea is to serve as a replacement for keeping everything in your head. If you keep your todo list in your head, you’re likely to get it all jumbled into a big ball of overwhelm and forget things. Or worse yet, spin your wheels while accomplishing little.

Fruitfultime Task Manger is a Windows-only software solution to the problem. The software covers all the usual bases, including:

• Ability to split tasks into sub-tasks (a necessity for any decent task manager)
• Ability to track progress on any task (not just done or not done)
• Assign tasks to contacts
• Reminders
• Ability to sort tasks
• Free-form notes entry for any task
• Reference into and/or links for any task
• Tagging (yes!)
• Print your task list
• Encrypt your tasks for security
• Portable version for carrying your task list around on your USB thumb drive

I am running a Mac, but I loaded it up into my Windows virtual machine to have a look.

The interface for FruitfulTime is very Outlook-ish so you will have pretty much immediate familiarity with it. Another nice thing is that the application is super light. The size of the EXE file is only 488KB and, yes, it loads super fast.

Using the application is easy, especially once you get used to the keyboard shortcuts. When you don’t need to have your task list in your face, minimizing the window reduces it to a taskbar icon.

There are a few shortcomings to the program that I think could be improved upon:

• There does not seem to be a way to export or otherwise back up your database. The data files are split into multiple XML files inside your user directory (in “Documents and Settings”). You have to hunt for the files. I believe there should be a menu option.
• Changing the status or priority of a task is done by way of a dropdown, but it takes at least 2 clicks to do this because you have to activate the dropdown first (so it appears at all). This is a minor point, but a small interface enhancement that would be nice.
• There were a couple of times when adding a sub-task would simply insert it as a blank with no ability to edit it. I closed the program and re-opened to fix the problem, although I do not know if that was necessary.
• Would be nice if you could use free-form tagging rather than having to set up your tag list ahead of time. This would make it more similar to a web-based application.
• More levels of hierarchy would be nice. Right now you can create sub-tasks, but no tasks beneath that.

These are all fairly minor points and only listed to allow the programmers to perfect the program even further. For me, the ability to export tasks from within the application would be the first thing added.

All in all, FruitfulTime Task Manager is a worthy contender for any Windows user looking to put some order into their day. The program can be used free for 10 days, after which you will need to purchase a license to continue using it (currently $29.99).

Everybody needs to convert files from one format to the other from time to time. Luckily there are a lot of ways to accomplish this. One option I have just checked out is called Universal Document Converter.

In short, this product installs as a virtual print driver under Windows (sorry, Mac or Linux users). It allows you to print anything to PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, PCX, DCX, GIF or BMP. Probably where this would get the most use is when printing a Word document to PDF or when trying to convert a PDF to an image format.

I installed the freely available trial version. It will run indefinitely, but it will install a pretty large and annoying watermark onto anything that you print. The installation was nice and easy and, within a minute, I was able to run a test by printing off a webpage directly from Firefox. By default, it saves the resulting file to the “UDC Output Files” directory directly off your C drive. You can, however, change this in the Properties for the print driver. If you want it to ask you where to put it every time, you can also set this as an option.

The resulting prints are, as expected, true to form accurate depictions of what I printed.

The product most definitely does what it is supposed to do. The underlying question in my mind would be this: Do you really need this software?

Universal Document Converter runs $69 for a single user license, with volume discounts the more you buy. This certainly isn’t cheap for a virtual printer driver. Plus, there are free options available such as PDFCreator if PDF printing is your first priority. Printing to image formats is not nearly as easy to accomplish if you are trying to remain on the free side of things so it is in this arena where I see the most potential for this software. They have several tutorials available on how to run the various conversions.

Printing a document to an image format is probably something most home users won’t have a need for. However, it is not uncommon in enterprise environments where image formats are used for archival purposes for documents or for printing situations where you cannot have any alteration at all (we’ve all seen documents print differently at times than the way they appear on screen). It can also come in handy if you need to send a document to somebody without them being able to make any changes to it.

In that light, Universal Document Converter looks to be a nice option for the person who needs a quick and easy way to convert a document to a lossless file format, whether it be for archive or print purposes. It isn’t for everybody, but for the person who needs it it is a huge time saver.

NOTE: The preceding review was a paid review.

We all like the convenience of the Ipod. We like our cell phones. In short, we like small things when we’re on the go. Digital cameras have gotten super small. And now, video cameras have as well.

The Flip Video is a super small video camera that retails for only $150. In fact, it is easily small enough to fit into your pocket. I had an opportunity to give the Flip Video a try. So, is a compact, sub $150 video camera any good?

Continued

I bought my MacBook Pro over a month ago now. I have been meaning to do a quick review of the unit here on PCMech. Well, finally, I’ll scratch that small to-do off my list. Two words: LOVE IT.

But, you want a little more detail, perhaps. Fine, I’ll provide it. Warning: don’t expect me to benchmark this machine. I’ll leave that to the countless others who have already done it. I’m a practical guy. I USE the machine to get work done and it is from that perspective that I review it now.

Continued

When it comes to computer speakers, a few names typically come to mind. The first ones, Creative and Logitech offer decent sound at a middle-range price. I have owned sets of both speakers, and they are, as I said, decent. On the high end, the first name that comes to mind is Bose – they offer an amazing sound for an unbelievably high price. Many sound enthusiasts know these brands and hardly ever look anywhere else.

When I received an offer to review the Edifier E3350 speakers, my first thought was – who the hell is Edifier? I took a look at the spec sheet that I was provided and was initially impressed with the unique look of the speakers, and also found it interesting that they won an award at CES this year, the CES Innovations 2008 Design and Engineering Awards Honor. I decided to take them up on their review offer, and I was certainly intrigued by the results. These speakers offer a Bose-quality sound at a Creative and Logitech-level price. Yes – I did just compare these on the same level as Bose. Soon, you’ll see why. Continued