Letters, we get letters, stacks and stacks of letters.
Q: I read your review of the MacBook Air and it's pretty clear you just don't get it. You've always been a Windows and Microsoft fanboy and some things just never change. The Air wasn't made for you and you are just not the target market. So why can't you say something positive about an Apple?
A: Well, as I write this on my Apple Powerbook, I can pause to reflect that I was positive about many parts of the MacBook Air in the review. And I do believe I am the target market for the MacBook. My current business laptop has a 14-inch screen (and no optical drive) by choice; my current pleasure laptop is an Apple with a 12-inch screen.
I have logged, at last count, more than 400,000 frequent-flyer miles, a lot of that on business, so I think I am exactly the market for the Air. I do think they got a lot of it right. But they got a lot of it wrong, especially for business travelers, who need a removable battery. (I even missed one downside that Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal reminded me of; there's no PC card slot so I can't use my cellular card to connect. It's either Wi-Fi or nothing.)
I think you misread the review if you thought I slammed the thing. I liked it. I just think they took too many things out so it would fit in an inter-office mail envelope. Put some things back so it fits in a FedEx pouch.
We'll still be happy.
Q: I heard that some laptop power connectors are so faulty that class-action lawsuits are filed and the makers have to fix them for free. Mine you have to hold a certain way or the laptop battery won't charge. How can I tell if they will fix it? I have called and called the manufacturer and they won't do anything about it.
A: You are correct. Some models are so prone to this issue that lawsuits or other consumer initiatives have forced warranty extensions, repairs or other actions. In your case, Google (extensively) your model and the terms "warranty extension," "power jack" and "class action" and you will be interested in what you find. Several current models are under recall or warranty extension for power-jack issues like you describe. You will find several repair companies on the Web that specialize in these repairs and will fix these for a reasonable flat rate.
Q: I heard that I can keep my AOL dial-up account for free now. I don't plan to use it much but would like to keep it in force when I travel or for emergencies. How do I keep it in force?
A: You can keep your AOL account but not your dial-up account. AOL is doing this to encourage Web traffic among people who switch to high-speed Internet.
Basically, you can connect to the Internet via your high-speed connection, and then fire up AOL via a TCP/IP connection. However, AOL has some basic dial-up plans that you can consider for emergencies if you wish. Contact AOL for details.
(James Derk is owner of CyberDads, a computer-repair firm, and tech columnist for Scripps Howard News Service.)
Source: shns.com
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Wake EMS laptop is missing
Sam LaGrone, Staff Writer
Wake County Emergency Medical Services officials waited eight days to file a formal report on the suspected theft of a laptop containing names, addresses and Social Security numbers of as many as 850 patients transported by county ambulances.
A Panasonic Toughbook used by county paramedics to store patient information on ambulance runs went missing from the WakeMed emergency department Jan. 17 and now is thought to have been stolen, according to a WakeMed Campus Police report dated Friday.
The patient information was not cloaked by encryption, said Jeff Hammerstein, Wake EMS district chief. Computer experts say the lack of encryption makes it easier for identity thieves to access patient data from the laptop's hard drive.
On Monday, county officials were preparing letters with news of the potential risk to be sent to patients whose confidential information was stored in the laptop. County officials tracked down those patients from a central database.
"We regard this as a pretty serious thing," said Wake EMS Chief Skip Kirkwood. "It's far more annoying than I'd like the situation to be."
Annie Ant-n, a N.C. State University computer science professor who specializes in data theft, said county EMS officials waited too long to report the missing computer to hospital police. She said they should have reported the theft as soon as they discovered the laptop was missing and should have notified patients whose confidential information was stored inside.
"It's concerning that eight days passed before they filed their police report," Ant-n said.
Because the laptop went missing from WakeMed's campus, the hospital could be exposed to legal action if the personal information is used fraudulently, Ant-n said. The potential theft of patient information could be seen as a violation of the hospital's privacy policy, she said.
"If they violated that policy, they're liable," Ant-n said.
The $4,000 computer was left unattended in a battery charger at a work station used by paramedics to file reports, according to the hospital police report, and was last seen around 5 p.m. on Jan. 17.
Wake EMS conducted an extensive search of WakeMed and the Wake EMS facilities, hoping to find the missing Toughbook. They asked hospital police to check security cameras to aid the search, but waited until Friday to file a formal theft complaint.
While the sensitive patient data was not encrypted, Wake EMS officials said it was protected by several lesser layers of security.
For the last several years, Wake County paramedics have used laptops to quickly process patient information from the scene of a call or while en route to the hospital.
Once at the hospital, the laptops are connected to a docking station to download diagnostic information to a hospitalwide database. The laptop also connects to a separate database the county uses to store insurance and billing information. That's the information identity thieves covet.
N.C. State's Ant-n said patients whose information was stored in the missing laptop should ask their bank and credit card companies to place a fraud alert on their accounts.
Meanwhile, Wake County will cross its fingers and continue to look for the laptop at WakeMed and at other EMS organizations.
"I remain hopeful that its been put in a drawer somewhere," Kirkwood said.
Source: newsobserver.com
Wake County Emergency Medical Services officials waited eight days to file a formal report on the suspected theft of a laptop containing names, addresses and Social Security numbers of as many as 850 patients transported by county ambulances.
A Panasonic Toughbook used by county paramedics to store patient information on ambulance runs went missing from the WakeMed emergency department Jan. 17 and now is thought to have been stolen, according to a WakeMed Campus Police report dated Friday.
The patient information was not cloaked by encryption, said Jeff Hammerstein, Wake EMS district chief. Computer experts say the lack of encryption makes it easier for identity thieves to access patient data from the laptop's hard drive.
On Monday, county officials were preparing letters with news of the potential risk to be sent to patients whose confidential information was stored in the laptop. County officials tracked down those patients from a central database.
"We regard this as a pretty serious thing," said Wake EMS Chief Skip Kirkwood. "It's far more annoying than I'd like the situation to be."
Annie Ant-n, a N.C. State University computer science professor who specializes in data theft, said county EMS officials waited too long to report the missing computer to hospital police. She said they should have reported the theft as soon as they discovered the laptop was missing and should have notified patients whose confidential information was stored inside.
"It's concerning that eight days passed before they filed their police report," Ant-n said.
Because the laptop went missing from WakeMed's campus, the hospital could be exposed to legal action if the personal information is used fraudulently, Ant-n said. The potential theft of patient information could be seen as a violation of the hospital's privacy policy, she said.
"If they violated that policy, they're liable," Ant-n said.
The $4,000 computer was left unattended in a battery charger at a work station used by paramedics to file reports, according to the hospital police report, and was last seen around 5 p.m. on Jan. 17.
Wake EMS conducted an extensive search of WakeMed and the Wake EMS facilities, hoping to find the missing Toughbook. They asked hospital police to check security cameras to aid the search, but waited until Friday to file a formal theft complaint.
While the sensitive patient data was not encrypted, Wake EMS officials said it was protected by several lesser layers of security.
For the last several years, Wake County paramedics have used laptops to quickly process patient information from the scene of a call or while en route to the hospital.
Once at the hospital, the laptops are connected to a docking station to download diagnostic information to a hospitalwide database. The laptop also connects to a separate database the county uses to store insurance and billing information. That's the information identity thieves covet.
N.C. State's Ant-n said patients whose information was stored in the missing laptop should ask their bank and credit card companies to place a fraud alert on their accounts.
Meanwhile, Wake County will cross its fingers and continue to look for the laptop at WakeMed and at other EMS organizations.
"I remain hopeful that its been put in a drawer somewhere," Kirkwood said.
Source: newsobserver.com
MSI adding green features to laptops
San Francisco - Taiwanese laptop maker Micro-Star International plans to add Turbo-battery mode to a laptop PC aimed at computer gamers later this year in a bid to increase laptop battery life and put out a more environmentally friendly product.
The notebook will be the next generation of its G-series, which includes the GX600, a laptop with a button users can press to overclock the microprocessor. The Turbo-overclocking button on the current GX600 will gain a new use on the next generation laptop, Turbo-battery mode. Turbo battery mode will add 20 percent more life to the battery, said Sam Chem, director of notebook computer sales at MSI, in an interview. The battery on the MSI GX600 lasts for around two hours, so the addition of Turbo-battery mode would increase its power to two and a half hours.
Turbo-battery mode only kicks in when a user hits the overclocking button while the battery is being used. When the laptop is plugged in, Turbo-battery mode will not come on.
MSI's GX600 was one of the first laptop PCs to include a button for overclocking. Mobile devices in general aren't ideal for overclocking because of heat issues. When the microprocessor is prompted to work harder, it gives off far more heat. Desktop PCs are bigger and have more open space, as well as cooling devices such as bigger fans, making them more suitable for overclocking. But mobile devices encase the microprocessor and other hot-running chips and components into a much smaller area. Too much heat from one component can damage other parts.
The GX600 weighs 2.7 kilograms and carries an Intel microprocessor, Nvidia 8600 graphics, 512MB GDRAM, has a 15.4-inch screen and includes a number keypad along with the QWERTY keypad. MSI has been making laptop computers for three years. The company is also known for its motherboards and graphics cards.
Source: news.yahoo.com
The notebook will be the next generation of its G-series, which includes the GX600, a laptop with a button users can press to overclock the microprocessor. The Turbo-overclocking button on the current GX600 will gain a new use on the next generation laptop, Turbo-battery mode. Turbo battery mode will add 20 percent more life to the battery, said Sam Chem, director of notebook computer sales at MSI, in an interview. The battery on the MSI GX600 lasts for around two hours, so the addition of Turbo-battery mode would increase its power to two and a half hours.
Turbo-battery mode only kicks in when a user hits the overclocking button while the battery is being used. When the laptop is plugged in, Turbo-battery mode will not come on.
MSI's GX600 was one of the first laptop PCs to include a button for overclocking. Mobile devices in general aren't ideal for overclocking because of heat issues. When the microprocessor is prompted to work harder, it gives off far more heat. Desktop PCs are bigger and have more open space, as well as cooling devices such as bigger fans, making them more suitable for overclocking. But mobile devices encase the microprocessor and other hot-running chips and components into a much smaller area. Too much heat from one component can damage other parts.
But MSI included new thermal technology in the GX600 to ensure its laptops wouldn't have a meltdown,Chem said.
The result is that computer gamers using the laptop can get more performance for their money out of the microprocessor, which is one of the most expensive parts in a laptop. Overclocking can make a 2GHz microprocessor perform like a 2.4GHz or 2.5GHz microprocessor,he said.
The GX600 weighs 2.7 kilograms and carries an Intel microprocessor, Nvidia 8600 graphics, 512MB GDRAM, has a 15.4-inch screen and includes a number keypad along with the QWERTY keypad. MSI has been making laptop computers for three years. The company is also known for its motherboards and graphics cards.
Source: news.yahoo.com
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Laptop to be top dog
The desktop PC is being pushed to the scrap heap by its smaller, nimbler sibling, the laptop. They've been around since the early 1980s, but portable computers are finally taking over. Last year, U.S. laptop sales rose 21 per cent to 31.6 million, while desktop sales slumped nearly four per cent to 35 million. Overall, laptops are still underdogs, but they're expected to account for the majority of U.S. computer sales in 2008 and of worldwide sales in 2009.
By 2011, research company IDC expects portable computers to comprise 66 per cent of all corporate PCs sold, up from 40 per cent in 2006, and 71 per cent of all consumer PCs sold, up from 44 per cent.
Meanwhile laptops are creating new social norms and rules of etiquette. At Ritual Coffee Roasters cafe, a mecca for laptop users in San Francisco, owner Eileen Hassi hired an electrician last spring to disable the electrical outlets. Regulars were spending so much time riding the free wireless network -- as many as eight hours at a stretch -- that patrons who wanted simply to sip their lattes couldn't find seats. You're welcome to work on your laptop here, Hassi explained, "until your battery dies."
Source: canada.com
By 2011, research company IDC expects portable computers to comprise 66 per cent of all corporate PCs sold, up from 40 per cent in 2006, and 71 per cent of all consumer PCs sold, up from 44 per cent.
Meanwhile laptops are creating new social norms and rules of etiquette. At Ritual Coffee Roasters cafe, a mecca for laptop users in San Francisco, owner Eileen Hassi hired an electrician last spring to disable the electrical outlets. Regulars were spending so much time riding the free wireless network -- as many as eight hours at a stretch -- that patrons who wanted simply to sip their lattes couldn't find seats. You're welcome to work on your laptop here, Hassi explained, "until your battery dies."
Source: canada.com
Former OLPC C.T.O. Aims to Create $75 Laptop
A laptop under US$100 could reach desks if a new venture formed by former chief technology officer of One Laptop Per Child, Mary Lou Jepsen, can deliver on its promises.
A "spin-out" from OLPC, the company, Pixel Qi is looking to create a $75 laptop and trying to advance low-cost computers and power-efficient laptops, mobile phones and other consumer electronics that are sunlight readable, Jepsen wrote on the company's Web site.
Jepsen left OLPC two weeks ago to commercialize technologies she invented with OLPC, she said in an e-mail to the IDG News Service at the time. A patent lists Jepsen as one of the inventors of a display system optimized for low-power operation.
"Spinning out from OLPC enables the development of a new machine, beyond the XO [laptop], while leveraging a larger market for new technologies," Jepsen wrote.There is a big commercial market for technology spawned by OLPC, Jepsen wrote. Prices for next-generation hardware can be brought down by allowing multiple uses of key technology advances, she wrote.
The company will continue to work with OLPC by providing products at cost, and it will sell devices at a profit to commercial organizations.
A similar promise to introduce a low-cost laptop came from OLPC, when it launched the $100 XO laptop in 2005. Since then, the effort has been afflicted by production delays and rising costs, which caused the laptop's estimated price to rise to $200. It is now beset by waning orders and competition from commercial vendors that threaten to sideline the nonprofit effort.
As CTO, Jepsen was responsible for hardware development for the rugged and power-saving XO laptop, designed for use by children in developing countries. Though the laptop has struggled to find buyers, it has been praised for its environmentally friendly design and innovative display, hardware and networking features.
Her departure from OLPC spawned a debate, with critics charging that Jepsen was taking advantage of OLPC's nonprofit inventions for personal gains, but supporters shot back, saying it was the right time for her to leave a sinking ship. Jepsen, who is attending the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, was not available for comment.
Source: heraldtribune.com
A "spin-out" from OLPC, the company, Pixel Qi is looking to create a $75 laptop and trying to advance low-cost computers and power-efficient laptops, mobile phones and other consumer electronics that are sunlight readable, Jepsen wrote on the company's Web site.
Jepsen left OLPC two weeks ago to commercialize technologies she invented with OLPC, she said in an e-mail to the IDG News Service at the time. A patent lists Jepsen as one of the inventors of a display system optimized for low-power operation.
"Spinning out from OLPC enables the development of a new machine, beyond the XO [laptop], while leveraging a larger market for new technologies," Jepsen wrote.There is a big commercial market for technology spawned by OLPC, Jepsen wrote. Prices for next-generation hardware can be brought down by allowing multiple uses of key technology advances, she wrote.
The company will continue to work with OLPC by providing products at cost, and it will sell devices at a profit to commercial organizations.
A similar promise to introduce a low-cost laptop came from OLPC, when it launched the $100 XO laptop in 2005. Since then, the effort has been afflicted by production delays and rising costs, which caused the laptop's estimated price to rise to $200. It is now beset by waning orders and competition from commercial vendors that threaten to sideline the nonprofit effort.
As CTO, Jepsen was responsible for hardware development for the rugged and power-saving XO laptop, designed for use by children in developing countries. Though the laptop has struggled to find buyers, it has been praised for its environmentally friendly design and innovative display, hardware and networking features.
Her departure from OLPC spawned a debate, with critics charging that Jepsen was taking advantage of OLPC's nonprofit inventions for personal gains, but supporters shot back, saying it was the right time for her to leave a sinking ship. Jepsen, who is attending the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, was not available for comment.
Source: heraldtribune.com
Laptop supplanting desktop as computer of preference
SAN FRANCISCO - After decades as the computer of choice for homes and businesses, the desktop PC is being pushed to the scrap heap by its smaller, nimbler sibling: the laptop.
They've been around since the early 1980s, but portable computers are finally taking over. Last year, for the first time, American consumers bought more of them than desktops. Sixteen of the 20 bestselling PCs on Amazon.com this holiday season were laptops.
U.S. corporations are expected to make laptops the majority of their computer purchases in 2008. BNSF Railway Co. already has. Of the 4,000 Dell Inc. computers it bought last year, 60 percent were laptops, so rail inspectors could file reports from their trucks and other employees could work from home.
Faster, cheaper technology is behind the most sweeping change the computer industry has seen in a generation. Buying a computer that can be spirited away in a briefcase or backpack no longer requires a big sacrifice in performance, storage or money.
Through docking stations, users can connect laptops to external monitors, keyboards and mice while seated at a desk, then quickly move to a coffeehouse, library, airplane or living room.
The surge in laptop sales is also fueled by the pervasiveness of wireless networks in homes and public hangouts. Having ubiquitous Internet connections makes laptops much more useful.
And sales are expected to accelerate, as devices such as the iPhone and tablet PCs pack more power and utility into ever-smaller packages.
The notebook is propping up the computing industry. Analysts say U.S. laptop sales rose 21 percent in 2007 to 31.6 million, while desktop sales slumped nearly 4 percent to 35 million. Overall, laptops are still underdogs, but they're expected to account for the majority of U.S. computer sales in 2008 and of worldwide sales in 2009.
Article Source: sltrib.com
They've been around since the early 1980s, but portable computers are finally taking over. Last year, for the first time, American consumers bought more of them than desktops. Sixteen of the 20 bestselling PCs on Amazon.com this holiday season were laptops.
U.S. corporations are expected to make laptops the majority of their computer purchases in 2008. BNSF Railway Co. already has. Of the 4,000 Dell Inc. computers it bought last year, 60 percent were laptops, so rail inspectors could file reports from their trucks and other employees could work from home.
'They were in a totally tethered world, and now they have no tethering at all,'said Jeff Campbell, the Fort Worth, Texas, company's chief information officer.
Faster, cheaper technology is behind the most sweeping change the computer industry has seen in a generation. Buying a computer that can be spirited away in a briefcase or backpack no longer requires a big sacrifice in performance, storage or money.
Through docking stations, users can connect laptops to external monitors, keyboards and mice while seated at a desk, then quickly move to a coffeehouse, library, airplane or living room.
The surge in laptop sales is also fueled by the pervasiveness of wireless networks in homes and public hangouts. Having ubiquitous Internet connections makes laptops much more useful.
And sales are expected to accelerate, as devices such as the iPhone and tablet PCs pack more power and utility into ever-smaller packages.
The notebook is propping up the computing industry. Analysts say U.S. laptop sales rose 21 percent in 2007 to 31.6 million, while desktop sales slumped nearly 4 percent to 35 million. Overall, laptops are still underdogs, but they're expected to account for the majority of U.S. computer sales in 2008 and of worldwide sales in 2009.
Article Source: sltrib.com