With an Atom tablet, do I still need a Surface Pro?

February 8th, 2013
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Surface Pro is supposed to be good for a 1080p HD screen, not 1366 x 768. But I’m not sure about that. The screen is still only 10.6”. They scale the Metro side so everything is the same size it would be on a 1366 x 768 ARM or Atom tablet. So the Start screen is still only 3 rows high for example, while bigger screens fit more. Then on the desktop, keeping everything at  on that size screen would result I’m every element being really tiny to touch, even read. And I browse the desktop with touch all the time.

So they do some scaling stuff there too.
Then Peter Bright complains about the fact that with the fractional scaling (1.25% or 1.5% or whatever) the result is suboptimal, you’re not seeing more content on screen where you’d expect to, some blurriness maybe, etc. http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/02/microsoft-surface-with-windows-8-pro-hotter-thicker-faster-louder/2/ (bottom of page 2, then page 3).
So then we’re saying that the touch stuff is still at a good size like other tablets, but then real point is hooking the  SurfPro up to external monitors and getting real work done, right? Well according to that Thurrott review I guess that works but has it’s own issues. Now we get to what I’m really writing about.. a comparison with my $500 Atom tablet. 10.1 inch screen, 1366×768.
I bought a microHDMI cable and hooked it up to my 28” 16:10 super hd tv. And it drove that 1920×1080 or whatever pixels just fine. Vimeo HD video and everything. Of course when you just connect it, there’s a matching lower resolution on the monitor until you right-click the desktop and set it… just like every other PC including Surface Pro. Paul seems to be complaining that u have to do that every time, not sure, but I don’t think I have to.

Full hd on big screen

Next thing I needed to compare was performance running applications. I present pics of me installing PhotoShop (CS3, reason being that’s all I could activate at the moment, won’t say more) from my network drive, while running Virtual DJ. Next, I confirm that the tablet doesn’t complain when I’m adding Photoshop filters to my network photos, or mixing my network music (with my thumbs) etc.
Screenshot (1)Screenshot (2)
Point is, if I got me the Bluetooth keyboard for this and hooked the tablet up to my tv/monitor, I don’t currently see the reason I’d be pining for a Surface Pro so bad I’d wanna spend another $500. Sure, Photoshop didn’t open my pics from the NAS at *lightning speed but it worked. Yeah, I only have like 20gb left free on this particular machine but 1) all my data is gonna be cloud or networked 2) other media that needs to be local can go on a MicroSD card
Screenshot (4)
It’s a comfy, long-battery consumery tablet that can handle a bunch of scenarios that I throw at it including work stuff that my laptop would do, remote control for my PC/TV so I can play music over there while surfing over here, handwriting notes, switching to portrait even on the desktop easily, and bere tings. Really curious to see what will happen when they finally update the Atom architecture next year and double its  performance.

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The iPhone 4 saga, animated

July 19th, 2010
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A key quality of a true hustler is the ability to separate reality from tech companies’ PR spin… so when Apple comes under public scrutiny for their famous “reality distortion field”, it can be quite amusing to watch. One of the funniest things to come out of Apple’s recent media storm over their alleged iPhone antenna problems (aka “Antennagate”) has to be this video:  A Taiwanese news agency has decided to animate the entire iPhone story, and it’s fun to watch even if you don’t speak the language.

Avoid the reality distortion field!

Update: The Onion has a hilarious take on the possibilities of the distortion field, in this article (seemingly inspired by the Emperor’s New Clothes fable)

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Hustle and Tech: An introduction to a better life

June 24th, 2010
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Hustle:

To move or act energetically and rapidly (thefreedictionary.com)

To make strenuous efforts to obtain (merriam-webster.com)

Hustler:

an enterprising person determined to succeed; go-getter (dictionary.reference.com)

The Pursuit of Happyness

Quick, answer this: What’s the one thing we all want to obtain? The answer’s actually pretty  simple: when it comes down to it, we all just want to lead happy lives. What’s this mean exactly? Well for most people, happiness largely breaks down into these seven main desires:Pursuit-of-Happyness

  • Money, or what having money means: comfort, amenities, toys, stuff. We’d like to make more money so that we can acquire whatever it is that gives us pleasure.
  • Health: It’s incredibly difficult to stay happy when we’re physically ill or in pain. Being healthy gives us the freedom to enjoy other things in our lives.
  • Time: With more time on our hands, we have the ability to “stop and smell the roses”, so to speak. We want to be able to enjoy life and spend it with loved ones, without having to think about all the work we have to do.
  • Freedom: Like time, having freedom means the ability to do what we want without obligations or restraints getting in the way. We are happy when we are free to do what we like when we like, where we like, or how we like.
  • Security: We’d like to know that our life, well being, and possessions are safe from harm or inconvenience. Fear gets in the way of happiness, so we strive to protect ourselves from danger.
  • Fulfillment: Part of the human condition is the drive to achieve meaningful things. We want to pursue activities that vibe with who we are, while having an impact on the world around us.
  • Connection: We all want companionship. Our connection to others whether family, friends, or lovers, makes us happy in ways achievement can’t. Sharing our thoughts, feelings and ideas with others is a natural urge.

Essentially, we just want to be successful at life. We want to get more done at work, have more fun at play, and share the experience. Fortunately for us, the great news is that as humans we already have an ace in the hole…

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