Have Laptop Will Travel

Dell releases The Beast

Originally posted on October 1, 2007 @ 11:51 pm

There seems to be no lull in the innovations that laptop manufacturers are putting in gaming laptops. With the gaming laptop sector the hottest in the laptop market, it’s a wonder they haven’t yet found out of a way to include an espresso machine attachment to laptops.

Dell is really upping the ante with its new gaming laptop offering. A week ago Dell released the XPS m1730 notebook — or as its design team calls it, The Beast. And it really is one hell of a gaming monster. the notebook contains an Ageia PhysX physics chip, which I think is the first notebook to have one, as well as a Game Panel LCD.

The Beast will retail starting at $2,999, which means you need to have very deep pockets or a very generous girlfriend or parents in order to get one of these babies. The other specifications of the new notebook include a Core 2 Duo T7500, a 256mb Nvidia GeForce Go 8700M GT GPU processor, 200 GB 7200 RPM hard drive, and the aforementioned GameLCD display — which is basically a secondary display located on top of the backlit keyboard. This panel will show different game statistics that the most hardcore of gamers will need. It will also possess so many connectivity options, it would look like a cilia-equipped machine if you decide to use every single one of them.

This is the type of notebook that I can only hope to own in my most feverish dreams. For those who can afford it, I salute and envy you.

Bioshock to have two sequels

Originally posted on September 12, 2007 @ 5:55 pm

I haven’t even bought the video card I was eyeing in order to finally play Bioshock on my PC yet but I already have to anticipate two more sequels to the hit game.

According to Bioshock maker Take Two Interactive, the company is already considering “bi-annual” titles that will continue the Bioshock story.

The company is not afraid that they may dilute the market too much with its franchise because of the prolific scheduling. According to Strauss Zelnick, Take Two chairman, the two-year period is just right. He cited Grand Theft Auto, a franchise that has been following roughly the same schedule but has maintained its popularity, as a great example of how it can really work. Zelnick feels that Bioshock is turning out to have what it takes to be another important gaming franchise and they want to maximize its chances of becoming one.

The “Leave Britney Alone!” video

Originally posted on September 25, 2007 @ 12:09 am

I’ve been blogging about some pretty serious stuff for the last few months. Time to have some fun, don’t you think?

Have you guys seen the Chris Crocker video on Youtube? It’s basically about this weird guy who’s bawling his eyes out trying to defend Britney Spears from detractors and critics. Crocker, who calls himself the Queen of Ghetto, shows what a rabid fan is willing to do in defense of their favorite — either that or he’s really desperate to get that fifteen minutes of fame. And you know what? In the crazy world of showbusiness, he did get his fifteen minutes. He has appeared in Jimmy Kimmel Live and more recently it was announced that a production company has signed Crocker to do a reality TV show –all on the strength of his kohl-lined eyes, his frosted highlights and his hysterics.

Watch the Crocker video below:

Laptops in a meeting

Originally posted on September 7, 2007 @ 6:31 pm

Yesterday I went to a story meeting with a couple of my colleagues. The meeting’s purpose was simple AND complicated — to develop topics for a new online IT resource for managers that will cater to the more technical and IT related aspects of managing a company. The goal is simple but arriving at that goal was really hard because we had to simplify very complicated IT terms and concepts for the regular manager.

Knowing that we’ve got our work cut out for us, each one of us tried to bring as many helpful tools as we can to the meeting — and funnily enough, that meant bringing our laptops with us for the meeting. When the discussion shifted to the  nitty-gritty of the topic selection, we all whipped out our laptops almost simultaneously. This made us all laugh. One of my colleagues blurted out that about a few years ago being in a meeting where all of the participants have a laptop would have been unheard of because of its high cost. And it’s true, the constant evolution of parts, the new methods of making these parts at a cheaper cost, and the increased demand has really driven prices down, so much that practically anyone can afford a laptop now. Heck, I’m even shopping around for a second laptop just to make it easier for me and my wife to handle our projects! Talk about unthinkable.

Are whitebox laptops a good buy?

Originally posted on August 16, 2007 @ 10:06 pm

The price of laptops are really dropping. It really is a great time to buy a portable now because of the very competitive prices on units that possess equally impressive features. Gone are the days of getting “affordable” laptops that do little more than word processing because of the crappy specs.

I think one thing that is driving the prices of laptops in the market are the proliferation of so called generic or whitebox units. These are laptops that come from little known computer companies. Actually some of these companies are OEM manufacturers who have contracts to produce laptops for top name brands. They then use the knowledge that they have acquired from manufacturing parts for other companies to produce their own laptop with their brands.

Are whitebox units a good buy? Well, if the price is really attractive and the features are good enough then I say buy one. The most common issues with these types of laptops is the fact that warranty can be a bit spotty because these companies do not have the reach and capabilities to service their units. But in my view, a strong warranty service also drives prices up. If you do not plan on keeping a laptop for more than three years, then a one year warranty is more than enough for you. But if you do find a similarly price branded unit, then go for the one with the brand on it — you know, just for the peace of mind.