Comments on: Corded Innovations http://davidcrow.ca/article/7325/corded-innovations Commentary about high tech happenings in hogtown Tue, 15 May 2012 16:26:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: davidcrow http://davidcrow.ca/article/7325/corded-innovations/comment-page-1#comment-9413 davidcrow Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:28:01 +0000 http://davidcrow.ca/?p=7325#comment-9413 Hey Tom,<br><br>Which SSD drive? Why 12" verus 13"? <br><br>I'm looking at the Asus UL30A-A2 because of the 16 hour battery life and price point. However, it's a 13" screen. And has a 500Mb 5400rpm drive, that I'd love to replace with an SSD. Hey Tom,

Which SSD drive? Why 12″ verus 13″?

I'm looking at the Asus UL30A-A2 because of the 16 hour battery life and price point. However, it's a 13″ screen. And has a 500Mb 5400rpm drive, that I'd love to replace with an SSD.

]]> By: Thomas Purves http://davidcrow.ca/article/7325/corded-innovations/comment-page-1#comment-9411 Thomas Purves Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:46:41 +0000 http://davidcrow.ca/?p=7325#comment-9411 Somedays I wish I could just sit a few OEMs down and patiently explain to them the proper way to design a laptop.<br><br>I'm pretty happy with my Dell D430 right now, it has almost everything right: 12inches (not 13, I hate 13" screens). WXGA which is just enough resolution to be fairly productive. 3lbs, lighter the better. It accept a modern/aftemarket SSD (I've done this), it has a internal 3G (apple what were you thinking with the MBA to skip WWLAN?) and an SD slot.<br><br>The D430 a couple fatal flaws though: no backlit keyboard (ARG), no magsafe of course, no webcam oh and it's a dell so it's ass-ugly.<br><br>The SSD was the most amazing upgrade, got a blog post on that coming. (fyi: never buy the crap SSDs the OEMs will offer you at ridiculous prices)<br><br>But otherwise, still searching for that perfect machine myself. Somedays I wish I could just sit a few OEMs down and patiently explain to them the proper way to design a laptop.

I'm pretty happy with my Dell D430 right now, it has almost everything right: 12inches (not 13, I hate 13″ screens). WXGA which is just enough resolution to be fairly productive. 3lbs, lighter the better. It accept a modern/aftemarket SSD (I've done this), it has a internal 3G (apple what were you thinking with the MBA to skip WWLAN?) and an SD slot.

The D430 a couple fatal flaws though: no backlit keyboard (ARG), no magsafe of course, no webcam oh and it's a dell so it's ass-ugly.

The SSD was the most amazing upgrade, got a blog post on that coming. (fyi: never buy the crap SSDs the OEMs will offer you at ridiculous prices)

But otherwise, still searching for that perfect machine myself.

]]> By: janafalls http://davidcrow.ca/article/7325/corded-innovations/comment-page-1#comment-9409 janafalls Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:15:53 +0000 http://davidcrow.ca/?p=7325#comment-9409 I've wondered the same thing and it also bums me out that Apple's locked down the market on the MagSafe.<br><br>I have another question about laptops and power connections - why is the connection normally on the side? (ignore technical & engineering issues for the moment, I'm focusing on usage) I tend to sit cross legged when using my laptop (a Dell m1330), which means that I often put pressure on the power connection point, sometimes just knocking it out and sometimes breaking it by permanently bending the cord. <br><br>To you post I'd add that I wish that the power connection was located in a better place. I've wondered the same thing and it also bums me out that Apple's locked down the market on the MagSafe.

I have another question about laptops and power connections – why is the connection normally on the side? (ignore technical & engineering issues for the moment, I'm focusing on usage) I tend to sit cross legged when using my laptop (a Dell m1330), which means that I often put pressure on the power connection point, sometimes just knocking it out and sometimes breaking it by permanently bending the cord.

To you post I'd add that I wish that the power connection was located in a better place.

]]> By: Lee Dale http://davidcrow.ca/article/7325/corded-innovations/comment-page-1#comment-9408 Lee Dale Mon, 25 Jan 2010 06:28:24 +0000 http://davidcrow.ca/?p=7325#comment-9408 That, and all the models from 13" to 15" to 17" now have the SD card slot and firewire, so you've got some flexibility on the portability factor, while only making slight processor and graphics compromises. That, and all the models from 13″ to 15″ to 17″ now have the SD card slot and firewire, so you've got some flexibility on the portability factor, while only making slight processor and graphics compromises.

]]> By: jaygoldman http://davidcrow.ca/article/7325/corded-innovations/comment-page-1#comment-9407 jaygoldman Sun, 24 Jan 2010 10:26:27 +0000 http://davidcrow.ca/?p=7325#comment-9407 Sounds to me like you're in the market for a new MacBook Pro. It's still go the Magsafe, but now it also has an SD Card slot and a much longer battery life. Sounds to me like you're in the market for a new MacBook Pro. It's still go the Magsafe, but now it also has an SD Card slot and a much longer battery life.

]]> By: davidcrow http://davidcrow.ca/article/7325/corded-innovations/comment-page-1#comment-9405 davidcrow Sun, 24 Jan 2010 02:03:35 +0000 http://davidcrow.ca/?p=7325#comment-9405 It's just strange that Apple is the only one that has decided this is an interesting space. I'd even settle for deciding that you're going to use a mini-USB cable for power or something like this as innovation. I guess there is the Dell Latitude Z 600 <a href="http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2009/09/dell-eyes-spot-as-the-apple-of-business-it.ars" rel="nofollow">http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2009/09/de...</a> with induction charging. It's just strange that Apple is the only one that has decided this is an interesting space. I'd even settle for deciding that you're going to use a mini-USB cable for power or something like this as innovation. I guess there is the Dell Latitude Z 600 http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2009/09/de… with induction charging.

]]> By: Geoffrey Wiseman http://davidcrow.ca/article/7325/corded-innovations/comment-page-1#comment-9404 Geoffrey Wiseman Sat, 23 Jan 2010 22:20:34 +0000 http://davidcrow.ca/?p=7325#comment-9404 A lot of the market is obsessed with reasonable quality, cheapest price. Still, some of the vendors and models should still be innovating with cords. Dell uses a little pin in theirs that is prone to breaking. A lot of the market is obsessed with reasonable quality, cheapest price. Still, some of the vendors and models should still be innovating with cords. Dell uses a little pin in theirs that is prone to breaking.

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