June 19th, 2006
By GadgetManiac
The oft-delayed Microsoft Windows Vista next-gen operating system is the subject of some soul-searching over at MSDN Blogs. Philip Su who is, or was a Microsoft Windows development manager, postulates that the reasons for the delays in bringing Vista to market relate to the product being uncontrolled or perhaps uncontrollable or maybe even both.
With 50M lines of code, six different versions, available in 32-bit and 64-bit editions, integration with Internet Explorer 7, the Urge music service and Office 2007, and support for thousands of hardware devices, Windows Vista does seem complex…the Windows Vista Product Guide alone weighs in at 304 pages and lists about 414 new features.
As for Vista being uncontrolled, Su does make note of the heavy hand of MSFT management, with it’s 11 layers (GOOG has only 5, but then they’re a much smaller co.) and makes an interesting comment about how the Windows process has gone nuclear in a kind of a self-sustaining chain reaction.
We’re confident that Vista will be a success because of/despite the fact that it’s trying to be all things to all people, as evidenced by the following hubris-heavy self-description by Microsoft: It (Vista) is the first operating system that combines all of the advanced infrastructure features of a business-focused operating system, all of the management and efficiency features of a mobility-focused operating system, and all of the digital entertainment features of a consumer-focused operating system.
Broken Windows Theory – MSDN Blogs, June 14, 2006 – via digg
Posted in General ~ 1 Comment
June 15th, 2006
By GadgetManiac
In the end of an era, Bill Gates announced today that he will transition out of day-to-day responsibilities at Microsoft over the next 2 years. Bill will devote most of his time to charity work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but remain as chairman of Microsoft and be a senior technical advisor. Ray Ozzie, he of Lotus Notes fame (sic.), will become the new chief software architectie.
Bill has guided Microsoft to a market cap of $225.14B and is personally worth about 9% of that amount – he indicates that almost all of his wealth will be returned to society, mostly by means of the foundation, which has dispersed just over $10B to date.
Insofar as it’s possible to summarize a life via simplistic and bombastic epithets laced with hyperbole, while some may say of Gates: “Behind every great fortune there is a great crime“, we instead lean towards something that’s more along the lines of “Here was a Caesar! when comes such another?“.
Microsoft Announces Plans for July 2008 Transition for Bill Gates – Microsoft press release, June 15, 2006
Posted in General ~ No Comments
June 11th, 2006
By GadgetManiac
In a spot of good news for those who are in harm’s way, Pretec announces it’s new i-Disk BulletProof USB flash drive, which is not only bulletproof, but also waterproof and fireproof. Capacities are up to 2 gigabytes, and a souped-up version can achieve data transfer speeds of up to 40MB/s, which the company says is the world’s fastest.
A facile joke would resemble the following: …Just a thought, but if your avocation requires use of flash memory which is bulletproof, then you might want to consider a career change.
Pretec Ships Bulletproof USB Flash Drive – Pretec press release, June 10th, 2006
Posted in General ~ 2 Comments
June 10th, 2006
By GadgetManiac
The recently announced iRiver Clix MP3 Player seems to be standing the test of time, with respect to getting very positive reviews. Dapreview had a look at it and they gave it a rating of 86 out of 100, which makes the Clix their 2nd favorite flash-based music player after the Zen Vision:M.
Dapreview is in agreement with other reviewers regarding likes and dislikes – eg, the Clix has a nice design and user interface, but the screen shows fingerprints and the capacity (2GB) should be more generous. Specs can be found at this link.
iRiver Clix – dapreview, June 09 2006
Posted in mail2web.com ~ No Comments
June 5th, 2006
By GadgetManiac
The Korea Times is reporting that Samsung might pull a Dell, and switch to AMD chips from Intel in order to help bring down the price of their Q1 Ultra-Mobile PC. Estimates are that a 42% price reduction may be in the offing – down to $742, from the current $1272 price.
That’s good news, and more in keeping with the original Microsoft price range of US$599-$999 for UMPCs, but still above the anticipated $500 MSRP low end price point. …they probably can’t do anything about those other complaints, such as the battery life (low) and the keyboard (lack thereof).
AMD to Supply Chips for Samsung UMPC – Korea Times, 06-02-2006
Posted in Computers ~ 1 Comment
June 5th, 2006
By GadgetManiac
Samsung SDI just showed a newish 4.3 inch Active Matrix-Organic Light Emitting Diode display operating at a resolution of 480×272 pixels.
AMOLED displays, as they acronymize-to, are much thinner and lighter than comparable glass LCD screens – typically 1/10th of the thickness and about 1/4 of the weight. This means that AMOLED is an/the ideal display technology for cell phones, PDAs and notebook computers.
Samsung SDI, 3D AMOLED developments – Aving News, 2006-06-05
Posted in TVs & Monitors ~ No Comments
June 2nd, 2006
By GadgetManiac
CNet has just reviewed the Toshiba gigabeat S Series model MES30VW media player – they gave it a rating of 8.7, which falls into the Excellent tier, and on par with the iRiver Clix.
CNet especially liked the intuitive user interface as afforded by the S series’ use of the Microsoft Portable Media Center operating system. On the other hand, they were disappointed by the device’s inability to record audio or video.
The reviewers conclude by saying that although the S30 was in development for a long time, the wait was worth it.
Further information on the Toshiba gigabeat S is available in the Owner’s Manual (PDF alert).
CNET editor’s review for Toshiba Gigabeat S MES30VW – CNet, 6/2/06
Posted in Music Players ~ No Comments
June 1st, 2006
By GadgetManiac
CNet addresses computer maker Dell Inc. and it’s current problems in a recent article entitled What ails Dell? CNet seems to put much of the blame for Dell’s recent lacklustre stock and market share performance on, of all things, it’s hiring of management consultants from Bain & Company and from McKinsey & Company. The article suggests that having too many of these brainy types from expensive colleges hanging about in corner offices, causes the organization to lose touch with the needs and wants of the marketplace.
The practise of management consulting is generally viewed as an effective way to buy or rent expertise in some field. Dell, however, is widely regarded as already having best-of-breed methods in supply chain management, demand shaping, as well as their famous direct business model, which is their version of disintermediation. Throw in the fact that Dell is or was, until recently, the lowest-cost provider, it then becomes somewhat difficult to justify having hired those consultants, unless they brought some special knowledge or experience to the table. And since there are relatively few firms with outstanding supply chains, and even fewer in the volume computer field it’s difficult to imagine where such expertise might have been garnered. Nevertheless, it’s unlikely that these consultants, however egregious their performance, would have been able to bring Dell to it’s knees (figuratively speaking) in such as short time, and so an alternate explanation is probably in order.
Plunging PC prices and increased global competition and Dell’s customer-sat problems aside, it would appear that Hewlett-Packard has finally got it’s act together and reverse-engineered the supposedly inimitable Dell business model. HP now sells PCs marginally cheaper than Dell, they’ve clawed their way back to a 16.4% global market share of the PC business and their stock price has outperformed Dell for a year.
What ails Dell? – Cnet Perspective, May 25, 2006
Posted in General ~ No Comments
June 1st, 2006
By GadgetManiac
Well, the Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2006 have just been announced, and the big winners for 2006 seem to be the Nintendo Wii game console, and Spore, a personal computer game.
Wii won the Best of Show award. The critics made note of the enthusiasm and even frenzy engendered by Wii, calling it exciting and remarkable. While the reviewers didn’t single out any specific Wii games for commendation, they did really like those innovative Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers.
The aforementioned Spore won in the category of Best Original Game. Spore is a kind of simulation of evolution game, and was designed by Will Wright, who is well wegarded for creating SimCity and The Sims … indeed, an early working title for Spore was Sim Everything. The game is expected to be released 2Q07. Spore seems to have a great deal of scope and breadth – too bad it’s so cartoonish.
Best of E3 2006 – Game Critics Awards, May 31 2006
Posted in mail2web.com ~ No Comments
June 1st, 2006
By GadgetManiac
In a bit of old news, the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder has been proclaimed the World’s Most Beautiful Car for 2005, in the sports car category. The Spyder beat out the Aston Martin V8 Vantage by a mere 2 points…should’ve been more.
The L’automobile più bella del mondo award, as it’s called in Italian, is organized and run by Automobilia. Winners in other categories are listed here.
The Spyder is heavy at 3461 lbs; it’s 5L V10 engine produces 520 hp, for a PWR of 6.7 lbs per hp…good, but not great.
The World’s Most Beautiful Car 2005 among sportscars – Lamborghini Cars , October 25. 2005
Posted in Automotive ~ 7 Comments
