The Beanster Blog

Dong~~~!!! Each time I boot / re-boot my MacBook Pro I hear the garbled chime because of my busted speakers. I re-boot multiple times a day because I use Windows on Bootcamp. I am really tempted to trade-in this 2012 Retina MacBook Pro 15inch and up & downgrade (basically compromise) to a 2015 Retina MacBook Pro 13inch. I've ruled out the MacBook Air 13inch as I really love the Retina display on my current system and can't see myself going back. Why not the 2016 MacBook Pro 15inch? Well I've pretty much convinced myself that USB-C might need a few more years before it's mainstream. And the cost, oh the cost. For the spec I want it's going to be 2x as much as the 2015 rMBP 13inch I'm eyeing. I do believe that my computer usage has changed quite a bit since 2012. I really haven't been playing that much games on my computer anyway. No change:  Retina display  8Gb RAM  USB-A x 2  SDXC  HDMI  MagSafe 2 Pros:  Smaller & Light...

I have been thinking... It might be a good idea to wait until 2017 to revisit the MacBook Pro upgrade issue. I am hoping that Apple will cut the price next year 2017 once the pent up demand for the super expensive notebooks starts to subside. Besides, it will be more economical to wait for USB-C to become the present rather than the future. Maybe "dongle hell" can be minimized. By the way, if the next iPhone and iPad comes out with USB-C, I think it will force other companies to adapt USB-C faster. I'm not sure if Apple is ready to replace lightning tho. Let's see how courageous they really are. I will just have to make do with my 2012 Retina MacBook Pro which is still working well apart from the annoyance of busted speakers.

Should users be forced to live in "Dongle Hell" while Apple forces everyone to evolve & adapt into the USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 era? Why did we have to lose MagSafe, USB, HDMI, SDXC, all at the same time? Why is the system RAM limited to 16Gb? Why is the GPU not NVIDIA? Why can't you plug your 2016 iPhone 7 or 7+ to a 2016 MacBook Pro without purchasing a USB-C to lightning cable or USB-C to USB dongle. BTW your 2016 Lightning EarPods  also won't work with the best laptop ever. Why do we need to use dongles? Would it be less painful if the 2016 MBP had two USB-C and two USB? Apple Inc., is anorexic. The obsession w/ thinner & lighter is unhealthy. Making EVERYTHING thinner & lighter means sacrifices. Sacrifices that users must pay high prices and endure until such time that what ever they think is best, becomes the norm. For the first time since the iPhone 3GS, I am thinking of not updating because they got rid of the 3.5mm jack which I use daily. I switc...

Surface Pro 3:  the tablet that can replace a notebook The new Surface Pro 3 [ link ] is the third installment of Microsoft's tablet/notebook device.  MSFT is positioning their newest device, the Surface Pro 3 vs MacBook Air first, iPad second. Targeting business professionals first, consumers second. I think this is a good move as it plays to their strengths. It would have been nice to get LTE built-in on the device though. The stylus is a nice addition for artists and note taking.  I wish they picked a different genre of EDM. The pricing is kinda steep though, it starts at US$799 and goes up to US$ 1,949 and that is sans the Surface Pro Type Cover which is US$ 129. I guess they want to make enough money to cover that Surface RT write off [ link ] ;-) 

So a few weeks back I decided to finally go legit on all the programs I use on my computer. I’ve been using legit copies of Windows XP, Vista, and now Windows 7 for the past years and my conscience finally caught up and I decided to go legit on all my software including games. I’ve found that my system runs better and I get peace of mind knowing I get all the updates. Well let’s start with games. I must admit that my desktop gaming (and even console gaming, I have a PS3) have declined in recent years I’ve been doing most my gaming on my iPhone actually. However there are some games that you can’t get on the mobile platform. I bought a ton of classic LucasArts titles from steam ( http://store.steampowered.com/ ). I also bought StarCraft2 from Blizzard ( http://sea.blizzard.com/en-sg/ ) direct. So far those are the games I have on my system. Most companies sell digital copies and of course you can buy physical media as well. Enough playing around let’s get on to the productivity ...

About 2 months since I bought the MSI Wind U100, a nice little machine. I've been running XP for the most part [currently on Windows 7 pre-beta, for the past 2 weeks] and have been quite happy with my purchase.  So far I have found no need to get a separate DVD drive as I don't install apps via CD/DVD daily nor do I rip/burn CD/DVDs. To get my data off my office PC, I used one of those DIY SATA/IDE enclosures plus my desktop's 2ndary HDD [320Gb 7200RPM Seagate]. With the same enclosure I also used my desktop's DVD-R/W drive [24x LITE-ON] to install from CD/DVD. An USB DVD-R/W drive is 3,500 PhP. I think UMPCs [ultra mobile PCs] are pricing themeselves out of existence... As a testament to this most manufacturers are producing netbooks but not all of them are making UMPCs. Come to think of it netbooks can be classified under UMPCs. As of now price, OS, screen resolution differentiate them. What I would like to see on the next crop of netbooks: On-board WWAN [wireless wid...

Yesterday afternoon fuel by my weekend geekout success of loading Win7 on an old MSI MEGABOOK M645. I decided to load Windows 7 Pre-beta Build 6081 on my MSI Wind. -- NB: Windows 7 Pre-beta was released last October 28, 2008 at Microsoft's PDC and has subsequently been leaked out on the net. It is valid until Aug 2009. -- Just to recap: MSI Wind U100 Intel ATOM 1.6Ghz 2Gb RAM Intel 945GM Chipset WiFi 802.11b/g Bluetooth 160Gb 5400RPM HDD -- Installation went smoothly and everything has been detected by the disc I made or by Windows Update. I installed it in the 40Gb OS partition of the Wind U100, of course making a recovery DVD first so I could go back. I went to http://www.withinwindows.com to get the superbar and other features working. -- I am enjoying the Super Taskbar and it makes navigation and using the Wind much better. The downside is now I am wishing that my Wind had a touchscreen. -- I put IE8 on the back burner in favor of Firefox and Chrome. -- I am still getting used...

Technology is supposed to help us make things easier however sometimes it gives headaches as well. Here's a few reminders on how to lessen tech stress specially nowadays with viri, malware, trojans etc. I wrote about this in May '07 but it is still relevant today! --- READ ON ---

Engadget is reporting that Taiwan based MSI is developing their second gust for their Wind line of notebooks... The U91 and U120 might get the Atom 330 [dual core], HSDPA [woot], and Vista [meh!]. I hope it doesn't come out too soon because I just got my Wind! Ha! -- Click HERE for Engadget's story.

So far I am liking my 1st day with the Wind :D It's running Windows XP Home SP3 out of the box. The heart of the device is Intel's N270 [aka ATOM] 1.6Ghz processor which runs the OS without hiccup so far. Remember though that my system has 2Gb of RAM and 160Gb HDD. A note on the HDD: mine came with 3 partitions -- 40 OS / 110 Storage / 10 Hidden for OS. I like the fact that it is not the anemic SSDs which are usually loaded in some mini/netbooks. The notebook also has WiFi and Bluetooth, a card reader, and a webcam. The power brick is tiny as well. I'd like to say that the build quality on this MSI is really really nice. The screen is bright and crisp. Typing on the keyboard is comfortable and not really a strain for me. If I do have a complaint it would be the single unit design of the key bellow the track pad. It is really hard to press and register a click. One can easily add a usb mouse, rf or bt mouse though. Overall I am not missing the media drive at the moment, ...

Ever since I sold of my UMPC [Sony VAIO UX280P] I have been PC less at home. It's been about 9 months. I've been surviving with my office desktop and my trusty HTC TyTN II. So far the experience has been utterly bearable to say the least. Let's breakdown what I do on a PC: Email Blogging/Social Networking Docs/Spreadsheets Games Music PIM Photo Editing Banking Instant Messaging My office desktop now houses all my files because my ext HDD enclosure [or cable] is bonking out. So I use my XP box at the office and I sync my TyTN II to the box for PIM, music, files, and of course apps. I've decided to try and separate work from play and have set my 3 work emails on the outlook desktop 2 POP and 1 IMAP. My HTC TyTN2 is my primary computing device at home. I've got my 5 personal emails syncing via IMAP [yes I have 5 active emails]. I have IM+ for instant messaging. PIE w/ SPB PocketPlus PIE tabs. Pocket Outlook for PIM. Of course I have tons of games installed. Using my PD...

I wrote hp support yesterday inquiring about the hp 2133 mini-Note PC, it was appearing in some local blogs as being available locally. hp just sent me a response saying that the mini-Note is not yet available. Hmmm I wonder if the units being sold are paralleled in or are really for the local market. I'm still planning on looking for the hp 2133 maybe tomorrow [if I wake up early and beat the traffic].

Still lusting over this ultra portable... :P~

-- HP 2133 Mini-Note PC Genuine Windows Vista® Business (note) w/MS Office (Trial) VIA C7™-M processor (1.6 GHz, 800 MHz FSB) 8.9-inch diagonal, scratch-resistant, WXGA (1280 x 800 resolution) Via Chrome 9 UMA VGA camera included 2048MB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (1 DIMM) 120GB 7200rpm Hard Drive Broadcom 4311AG 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi Adapter HP Integrated Module with Bluetooth® Wireless Technology 92% full-size, user-friendly QWERTY keyboard ExpressCard/54 slot Integrated Secure Digital Reader Touchpad with scroll zone 6 cell Li-Ion battery Limited 1 year standard parts and labor warranty -- I want one! Too bad this model is only available in the US for now... I hope they start selling this to the ROW soon!

Got my old 'new' desktop for the office up and running today. -- I'm calling it old 'new' because it's new but technically old. -- Intel 1.8 Ghz Dual Core [same processor as my last MSI Notebook which is about 2 years old] 2048 DDR2 667Mhz RAM ECS P4M900 Motherboard Lite-on 20x Super Drive Inno3D NVDIA 7300GT 512Mb VRAM Seagate 80Gb 7200RPM HDD - OS/Apps [from my old P4 box] Seagate 320Gb 7200 RPM HDD - Storage [from my old P4 box] -- Basically, my processor was upgraded to dual core 1.8Ghz, RAM was doubled to 2Gb, Video RAM was quadrupled from 128Mb. I swapped in both my HDD's from my old P4 box, inserted the installation disc for the motherboard and installed the necessary drivers, installed the video card driver, re-activated XP and am now up and running again, total excluding download time a little less than 10 minutes. I can't say I see any real speed or performance benefits except for Photoshop CS2 opening up a bit faster but that might be a placeb...

HTC [High Tech Corporation] the Windows Mobile behemoth... is at it again they've announced the HTC TyTN II the successor to the very popular HTC TyTN , the Mark II will go on sale by mid-October [anyone getting me this baby as a birthday present?]. They've also announced 4 more devices. 2 Windows Mobile Professional Devices [read: PocketPC Phone], 1 Windows Mobile Standard [read: Smartphone], and an UMPC [Ultra Mobile Personal Computer]. The HTC 6500 , HTC Touch Dual , a refresh of the HTC Touch , and the HTC S730 Smartphone. Their first foray into UMPCs the HTC Shift is said to be shipping this November as well. -- It would be interesting how I can juggle my budget to get a taste of the TyTN II, the Shift, and hp's iPAQ 900 series. I need a get rich quick scheme.

White colour 12.1” screen Intel core 2 duo, Centrino duo 1.83ghz 1gb ddr ram 100gb Hard drive 5-in-1 memory card/stick reader Dvd-r/rw combo cdrom Bluetooth PAN network adapter Intel ®/ wireless 3945ABG network connection Realtek RTL8168/8111 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC Extended battery -- Genuine Windows XP Pro McAfee Anti-Virus valid til Jan 2008 -- PhP 45,000.00 [slightly used] -- You may sms me or drop me an email if interested.

Finally finished fixing Yap's notebook. It was stubborn at first but a little tinkering in safe mode and tinkering with msconfig did the trick. Uninstalled Symantec the resource hog and switched to avast. Also swapped out Azureus for uTorrent. Updated Firefox, Yahoo Messenger, Skype, QTime and iTunes. Anyway it's running smooth now. I do suggest that Yap bump the RAM to atleast 1024Mb right now the ATI chip is eating up about 128Mb for VRAM. I think XP with 1024Mb is just about right for most things.

I'm selling my UMPC [Ultra Mobile Personal Computer] it's a SONY VAIO VGN-UX280P with Box and all the accessories. -- Specs: This is a Intel® Centrino™ based system can run upto 2.5 to 4.5hrs on a charge [YMMV] Processor: Intel® Core™ Solo Processor U1400 Ultra Low Voltage 1.2Ghz (533MHz/2Mb L2 Cache) WLAN: Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection (802.11a/b/g) Chipset: Intel® 945GMS Chipset Graphics: Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (128MB Video RAM) Memory: 1024Mb RAM DDR2 400Mhz HDD: 40Gb HDD Ultra ATA with SONY shock protection PAN: Bluetooth 2.0 Toshiba Stack WAN: Sony Ericsson GPRS/EDGE Modem [unlocked, I've used it with Globe and SMART] Display: 4.5inch Touch Screen 1024 x 600 resolution [with screen protector] Input: Sliding QWERTY backlit keyboard / Touch Screen with Handwritting recognition / Trackstick Security: Biometric Security [Finger print scanner] Battery: Standard Lithium-ion battery (VGP-BPS6) Cameras: Dual Motion Eye Cameras [VGA front web ca...