The Ivy Tech

Kingston: Our Memory Friends make SSD Simple!

theivytech — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:28:21 +0000

Kingston (www.kingston.com) has always been my company of choice for RAM needs ever since my first laptop. Today, they are trying to break out of the RAM market and into SSD, which are the new generation of storage technology. I did a post a little while back about Runcore, which is another SSD manufacturer that I used in my Dell Mini. The basics about SSD vs Hard Drives is still the same: you have faster, less corruptable memory with a hefty price tag.

But prices are coming down, and Kingston is trying to push consumers to get this new, fast storage. They are selling a “bundle”, which includes:

Kingston SSDNow V Series solid-state drive
Acronis(R) True Image cloning software and CD installation guide
3.5″ mounting brackets and hardware (desktop bundle only)
SATA data and power cable extenders (desktop bundle only)
2.5″ USB SATA external enclosure (notebook bundle only)

Basically, they are making it VERY easy to copy your entire hard drive over to a SSD and then install the SSD effortlessly. I’d say this is a great plan, and with prices in the $100-200 range, consumers will be sure to jump!

It’s Quantum Physics’s Fault!

theivytech — Sat, 23 May 2009 03:57:48 +0000

I apologize for the lack of posts recently. It is finals period here at Princeton, but I am finally finished, so posts will start up again regularly. Quantum Physics took a lot of my energy over the past few days, so I figured I’d post a picture of a wave function of radial component of an electron’s motion in the hydrogen atom. (Don’t worry if you have no idea what this means…it’s quite nerdy).

Multifunction Storage Dock

theivytech — Thu, 21 May 2009 02:20:45 +0000

Have you even had some card or hard drive or USB device that you know has information on it but you can’t find any way to get the data off? Of course, you could go buy a reader or enclosure for it. Or, you could get one of these:

This device can read just about anything you throw at it: USB drives, hard drives, basically any type of memory card, and even a SIM card from your phone!

It’ll be useful to have around for quickly swapping drives and finding your data. You can also use it for backups, and it works on Windows and Mac alike. It’s a little pricey at about $90, but it does a lot.

Take a look at all the features here.

Before you go, backup with eGo!

theivytech — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:31:14 +0000

As summer quickly approaches, your computer is certainly filled with all types of files from the previous year, whether it be from your job or school. Before you head out on vacation or on summer break, you should be sure to backup your hard drive. After all, all of that work you put into creating those files should not be wasted!

A really cool product that was introduced (in newer models) today is the Iomega eGo!

First of all, it’s really stylish! But more importantly, it’s small and USB-powered, so you don’t need any AC adapters! And now, it comes in a 500 GB variety, which is perfect for any computer users. It works great with Time Machine on Mac and comes with programs for Windows. Also, it includes security software to prevent losing data from software problems and viruses. Finally, it contains an accelerometer to detect quick drops so it can safely shut off before it hits the floor! I recommend to get one ASAP! Your data is too important to not backup!

Wolfram Alpha: Google of the Future?

theivytech — Sun, 17 May 2009 01:07:09 +0000

Wolfram, the makes of the amazing Mathematica, have come out which what looks to be an exciting new tool. Basically, the concept is simple: you should be able to talk to a computer in real language and have it answer your questions. No more weeding out good vs. bad web results, etc. All the data is at your fingertips!

It’s kind of a weird concept for people who aren’t used to Wolfram’s software, but I recommend giving it a try here.

I know anyone studying the sciences will find such a tool incredibly useful. Hopefully, people not in the sciences will be able to use it too!

Now, let me demonstrate a few searches:

First, I type in an equation: x*sin(y)

It shows graphs, contours, and, further down, alternate form, derivatives, integrals, etc. Any physicist’s dream!

And for those of you more musically inclined, I entered a string of notes:

They’ll play them for you, show you sheet music, and a piano! I’m assuming they mapped them right (I’m not musical…) but it was pretty amazing!

Try it out and have fun!

Fit-PC 2 Nettop

theivytech — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:31:59 +0000

So I’ve talked about netbooks, or mini-notebooks, but now a super-portable nettop (small desktop) is out on the market. Originally, it was released with a .5 GHz AMD processor, which made installing even XP on it a challenge. Now, it has been reloaded with a low power consuming Intel Atom processor at 1.6 GHz.

Yes. This is an entire computer. It has a hard drive, video card (HD), USB ports, WiFi, IR, Audio I/O, miniSD reader, and weighs only 13 ounces. It doesn’t have a CD/DVD drive, but you can get an external one pretty easily. Attach it to basically any screen with an HDMI-DVI or VGA converter and you have an inexpensive, small, and fairly powerful computer for the price. Read about the specs on the FitPC2 Website.

If you want, you can even watch a really cool video with it being used!

It’s so cute!

Mio Spirit TV: Get your favorite programs on the run!

theivytech — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:04:37 +0000

I really don’t know why these are only catching on now, but we are finally starting to see portable TVs that can get overtheair signals and display your favorite shows! Not only that, but it’s a GPS and can do Google searches! Although not officially for sale in the US yet (lucky Europe gets all the cool stuff first! Come on the FCC!) it is technically possible to use one of these here with a different TV Tuner extension. It sounds really great for trips and keeping kids/anyone occupied!

Thanks, engadget!

Product Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X200 Tablet

theivytech — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:15:24 +0000

The friendly people at Lenovo were nice enough to ship over an X200 for me to get a chance to use one hands on! Let me first point out some of the key features (at least for me):

TOUCHSCREEN! Definitely the coolest part in my opinion, since a touchscreen is still a novelty on many computers.
On the same subject, a swivel screen that turns the laptop into a tablet for easy writing, drawing, note taking, movie viewing, aka everything!
Core 2 Duo CPU at 1.6 GHz (aka fast)
2 gigs of RAM, 32 bit Vista Business (3.7 Windows Experience Index, which is pretty good)
Bluetooth and Wifi with great connectivity (no problem syncing with my phone and displays great information regarding all of the wireless networks)
ThinkVantage: a button you press that brings up a screen that lets you do just about everything
Accelerometer: detects shock and turns off the hard drive, along with rotating the screen when you go into tablet mode.

So now, some pictures!

It arrives nicely packaged in a box! I was really surprised about how small the computer is! It’s thin, light, but still very feature rich!

The computer comes with the usual supplies: power adapter, battery, and also this amazing software Microsoft OneNote. It basically lets you take notes using the included stylus and saves them in a virtual notebook. It’s very handy for school!

So here’s the computer in all it’s glory! Nice screen size and quality, but sadly missing a touchpad . It does have one of those little ball things, however.

Here’s a screenshot from OneNote and my hypothetical Quantum notes. I left the whole screen to show the bottom taskbar also. There are a large number of icons, most which you probably won’t need, but there are a lot of included applications that really do enhance the user experience. They are there for a reason, unlike with a lot of other companies that just include useless, system-bogging software.

And finally…

I had to include one of my drawings in Paint! Such a simple application but with a touch screen, hours of fun await!

So let’s recap:

The computer is really fast. It loads programs very quickly and has a lot of features available to you at all times. It stays cool and is very durable (the keyboard also has spill-protection, so drinking around your computer is a safe activity). The pen and touch screen take some getting used to, but Vista has training built in and the computer adjusts itself to your preferences. Its battery life is amazing (8+ hours on a single charge) and with no lack in performance.

Sadly, the ONLY thing I missed was the touchpad. I just really love the control that they give you, along with the multitouch/scrolling options on the newer ones. Add a touchpad and you’re golden. The touchscreen somewhat makes up for it, but I’m too used to a touchpad for it to be perfect.

Overall, especially if you draw or take a lot of notes (and don’t have an addiction to the touchpad like I do), this laptop is for you. The price is a little steep (can be nearly $2000 with upgrades) but you will get a quality machine!

Princeton TigerFinder

theivytech — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:37:05 +0000

This past week, a new service became available for students of Princeton. It’s called TigerFinder, and if you’re a PU student, you can check it out here.

Basically, it’s a location service that will allow you to see where all your friends are on campus by using their web interface. You have to download a program that your computer uses to upload your position to the site. You can only see the position of people you have added as friends, and vice versa.

The Prince wrote a review of the service and seemingly gave it a pretty good mark. I’d have to disagree. While it seems like a great idea (being able to know where your friends are if you want to hang out or meet up or something) the whole idea really creeps me out. If I want to know where my friends are, there are many other ways to do so. This just kind of screams creepster.

So what if you want your friends to know where you are. I STILL don’t recommend you use the service, at least right now. There isn’t a privacy policy on the site, just a FAQ with a few nondescript points. There is no mention of how secure the data is or what it can be used for. While I’d hope there’s no alternative motive, it is possible that this data could get into the wrong hands.

So I’d recommend holding off. For non-Princetonians, I’m betting you’ll see a similar service soon.

Happy Mother’s Day 2009!

theivytech — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:22:01 +0000

Firstly, let me take this opportunity to say Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing mothers out there! I thought it only right to talk about what I got my mom for Mother’s Day, a digital photo frame! The one I’m going to talk about is the Kodak EASYSHARE SV-811.

I think it’s a great idea for moms because they always want to have pictures of their children but cannot keep up with them when they’re busy or off to school. Even if their children are sending them pictures, they probably don’t print them out because the quality is never great. So here’s the perfect solution! You can get an SD card for about 10 bucks pretty much anywhere and load it up with your favorite pictures. Every so often just mail mom a card (once you got them the frame, that is) and the newest pictures will automatically show up! Mom will love it and it won’t break your bank. This model has an 8 inch screen and 800×480 resolution (don’t go less or the pictures will look grainy) and costs about $100. A small price to pay for all the memories it will keep!