Why can't I find anything at all to beat my couple of years old Acer Aspire 1410 - 1366x768 11.6" screen, core solo cpu, 2gb ram , under £400?
I'd like to buy a newer, smaller, faster, better, lighter, cheaper, etc laptop but there isn't one - why not? In the past I've always managed to buy a new laptop every couple of years that meets all of those simple requirements, but I can't any more. Why should I be forced to buy a tablet to do that now - I need a built in keyboard!
Now, if someone could make something around the size of a (New (TM)) iPad, screen res. included, that had a keyboard built in and one could stick one's favourite linux / bsd distro on without difficulty then I'd be there in a flash.
How did you write the DVD iso to a USB stick? Presumably not with livecd-iso-to-disk
I just use livecd-iso-to-disk and have no need to pass any repo= options to the installer, it just installs cleanly, doesn't ask for a network connection. For me this has worked without any faffing around for the last couple of releases.
Being a sysadmin, when my wife's car needed fixing last month (power steering and brakes causing trouble in this case), I called my local wreckers / car repairers and booked the car in, then dropped it off with them later in the week. Next day they called me and said they'd found the parts needed in another wreckers on the other side of the country (not Canada, but quite large anyway) using some no doubt similar website to the one you found after about a week's worth of digging. They told me how much it was going to cost, got the parts and fixed the car.
End result, I did a week's worth of sysadmin tasks and don't even know the name of the website, or whether it uses flash.
I bought an Acer netbook from the UK and had it shipped to Australia in June last year. I contacted both the vendor and Acer Australia when the hdd died recently, and Acer agreed to repair it - even paying for shipping. They claimed to be unable to reinstall the original linux os install; I should get the machine back next week.
So, it seems that the new policy may already have been unofficially implemented already - I had been fearing that I might need to pay for return shipping to the UK.
How does this compare to tethering your wifi (or bluetooth) enabled device to a suitable 3G phone?
Surely everything the mifi offers can equally well be achieved though tethering (assuming the 3G phone is unlocked). Such a 3G phone offers the added advantage of being able to make and receive phonecalls.
Is this the first Android phone supporting WCDMA 850?
I've noticed that these reviews never include the supported WCDMA frequencies - OK all phones are now quad-band GSM - but if one is interested in using a phone on a particular network (Telstra NextG / WCDMA 850 in Australia in my case) it is useful to know which frequencies are supported.
In this case, a bit of looking around suggests that this one is WCDMA: 850/900/2100 (Tri-Band) - does this make it the first Android handset supporting 850 WCDMA?
Please add supported frequencies in reviews in future.
... and came to the conclusion that it's cheaper / better to build a PC based on a mobo with 4 sata ports, particularly if, like me, you have old PC cases with power supplies hanging around.
Mine came in at under 100 quid (excluding disks) with a low-end Core 2 processor and 2Gb Ram.
... they "upgraded" residential lines to 12 month minimum contracts (from 3). I got caught out by this but luckily managed to persuade them to let me off.
The E51 does both 850Mhz and 2100MHz HSDPA, which was the seller for me - this is the first phone I've come across which does both. This means it'll work on the NextG network in Australia and most European / Asian HSDPA networks.
"Customers do have to buy a display, mouse and keyboard if they don’t have spare ones already though” says the article.
I interpret this with the following caveat: "However, if they do NOT have a display, mouse OR keyboard (AND they can prove it (terms and conditions apply)) they are exempted from this compulsion to purchase.
I realise that these are just UK ad figures, but how do the figures stack up as a whole (ITV vs Google)?
Also, how much more growth is available to Google - i.e. if one assumes that the (global) budget available to be spent on advertising is a slowly growing amount, how much longer can the revenue growth previously seen by Google continue?
I've been looking at Fon on and off for ages too; what makes this different and maybe worthwhile is the access to BT OpenZone.
However I'd expect most of the useful BT OpenZone hotspots to be 'premium hotspots' and hence excluded.
The Find Hotspots link on btfon.com didn't work for me (due to it being beta.bt.com / firewall / noscript / who knows) - has anyone checked and managed to find one in an airport / railway station etc?
For what it offers, this seems to cost too much: you can buy a SIP ata around GBP 20, a DECT phone for about the same, a mobile with 802.11 / SIP for slightly more than this unit.
We need proper units for describing how hot things are. My suggestion for the base unit is
Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey (bM).
Bath temperature (bT) = 3.14159 bM
Piping Hot (pH) = 5.43656 bM
Now we can start to cook something:
Deposit 1.414 Bulgarian airbags of water in a saucepan and heat to 1.7 pH (9.24 brass monkeys). Add a chicken egg (0.35gf) and wait until it's cooked - 1 sbut if you want to dip soldiers, up to half a wtita if hard boiled is more to your liking.
Your funds are now in a safekeeping account as requested. There is, however, an administrative fee needed to ensure you will be able to access this. Details will be available shortly.
... and
@Christopher Emerson
Of course I expect M$ employees to use hotmail addresses when they are perpetrating 419 scams - why not?
Obviously they don't fake the 'From:' header because they want to receive the reply - Doh!
Well, I was thinking of upgrading from 4.1.3_U1 to help out as none of these people have come forward, but I can only find the 4.1.4 disks: anyone got a spare set of 4.1.9?
Yeah, this means some 419ers read this site: any of you out there reading now, please submit your comments (or are they already, and these all moderated away?).
Register
84 posts • joined Friday 13th April 2007 13:40 GMT
Page:
Small, cheap laptops (not netbooks)
Why can't I find anything at all to beat my couple of years old Acer Aspire 1410 - 1366x768 11.6" screen, core solo cpu, 2gb ram , under £400?
I'd like to buy a newer, smaller, faster, better, lighter, cheaper, etc laptop but there isn't one - why not? In the past I've always managed to buy a new laptop every couple of years that meets all of those simple requirements, but I can't any more. Why should I be forced to buy a tablet to do that now - I need a built in keyboard!
Now, if someone could make something around the size of a (New (TM)) iPad, screen res. included, that had a keyboard built in and one could stick one's favourite linux / bsd distro on without difficulty then I'd be there in a flash.
Why oh why oh why oh ... (cont p94).
Re: The one thing that I really dislike about the forums
Just HAD to downvote you there - 'cos I can.
Blimey, of course I don't care.
Re: iPad app
Please no fscking app!
BOGOF
I really like the idea of a ‘buy one get one free’ deal for breast implants - it seems somewhat surreal.
I see in my mind someone who was only able to afford to do one tit suddenly leaping at the chance to get both done and they can get matching ones.
So what
Why should we even care about Asda's failings as a retailer? All that matters is whether the marketing strategy sells more of their stuff.
I can choose not to buy.
How did you write the DVD iso to a USB stick? Presumably not with livecd-iso-to-disk
I just use livecd-iso-to-disk and have no need to pass any repo= options to the installer, it just installs cleanly, doesn't ask for a network connection. For me this has worked without any faffing around for the last couple of releases.
wtf
Whojobs?
Of course he was a great guy but it's not really in the same league.
xoxo
man man
recurse ad infinitum.
I hope this helps.
Typos
Much as I hate typos I struggle myself to type coherently using this ridiculous touchscreen on my phone.
RIP
This is a great loss. In many ways this touches me more than the death of Steve Jobs last week.
Must find K&R books on shelf. Must not give up. Repeat.
Are there any?
I've been looking around, and haven't seen a netbook (i.e. 10" screen or less) that aren't atom powered. Anyone got a good example of one?
Make maps public
This box is ticked by default, which I personally think it shouldn't be.
The effect of this is that "Uploaded maps will be visible to anyone on maps.google.com"
Just untick the box if you're concerned about privacy.
I use Endomondo (at the same time as My Maps) too - the autopause feature is useful.
I'm not with you
Being a sysadmin, when my wife's car needed fixing last month (power steering and brakes causing trouble in this case), I called my local wreckers / car repairers and booked the car in, then dropped it off with them later in the week. Next day they called me and said they'd found the parts needed in another wreckers on the other side of the country (not Canada, but quite large anyway) using some no doubt similar website to the one you found after about a week's worth of digging. They told me how much it was going to cost, got the parts and fixed the car.
End result, I did a week's worth of sysadmin tasks and don't even know the name of the website, or whether it uses flash.
Paying for it
At least you can use paypal/visa/mc to rent your botnet nowadays.
rsync
Did you try rsync?
I haven't tried copying umpteen million files on windows with it, but it's part of the default cygwin installation on windows.
If you must use windows, and you're not using cygwin, you're missing something.
Credit
"much to their credit, it's being proposed as a part of X.org upstream,"
Ah, so I might find this filtering into Fedora later ...
ConDem
New ElReg name for the coalition, suggestion #1
Whories
New ElReg name for the coalition, suggestion #2
Glitter Freeze
Have a listen to 'Glitter Freeze' on Gorillaz' Plastic Beach album if you like Mark E Smith - my favourite track.
Happening already
I bought an Acer netbook from the UK and had it shipped to Australia in June last year. I contacted both the vendor and Acer Australia when the hdd died recently, and Acer agreed to repair it - even paying for shipping. They claimed to be unable to reinstall the original linux os install; I should get the machine back next week.
So, it seems that the new policy may already have been unofficially implemented already - I had been fearing that I might need to pay for return shipping to the UK.
Tethering
How does this compare to tethering your wifi (or bluetooth) enabled device to a suitable 3G phone?
Surely everything the mifi offers can equally well be achieved though tethering (assuming the 3G phone is unlocked). Such a 3G phone offers the added advantage of being able to make and receive phonecalls.
Is this the first Android phone supporting WCDMA 850?
I've noticed that these reviews never include the supported WCDMA frequencies - OK all phones are now quad-band GSM - but if one is interested in using a phone on a particular network (Telstra NextG / WCDMA 850 in Australia in my case) it is useful to know which frequencies are supported.
In this case, a bit of looking around suggests that this one is WCDMA: 850/900/2100 (Tri-Band) - does this make it the first Android handset supporting 850 WCDMA?
Please add supported frequencies in reviews in future.
6+ month old story
The date of the Jamaica Star story is 9 October 2008 - why are we getting such old news?
It's all very well ...
... but there aren't really any credible incentives to be green - like who gives a shit?
Which OS
Is this linux or MS?
Acer Aspire One
For all those who have moaned previously about el Reg not having reviewed the Acer Aspire One, here's the link:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/06/03/acer_launches_one/
Personally I'm quite please with the eee PC 4G I picked up from eBay for around GBP120 last week.
Let's see what Dell offers.
The link
Of course is apoteket.se
If your Swedish isn't so good, try the link there entitled "Gör det sköna skönare!"
@12GB for XP, 20GB for Linux?
Maybe the XP Licence costs the same as the difference in cost between a 20Gb and 12Gb SSD.
Looking at the data
is probably the only way that you can try to return the flash drive to it's rightful owner.
How sad
to even think of making a topiary in the first place.
Oh well, I guess they can just wait for it to grow up a bit then trim it into shape - or maybe attempt to graft a bit on.
Flames, because this would have been worse.
I looked at (home) NAS boxes recently ...
... and came to the conclusion that it's cheaper / better to build a PC based on a mobo with 4 sata ports, particularly if, like me, you have old PC cases with power supplies hanging around.
Mine came in at under 100 quid (excluding disks) with a low-end Core 2 processor and 2Gb Ram.
RON
Can anyone enlighten me as to who or what RON is in the context of elections?
Price?
Does seem a bit of a bargain in terms of govt. spending - 102 slots for under a mill. Or is it missing a couple of zeroes?
Mine's the blood spattered one with the scalpel in the pocket.
Last year
... they "upgraded" residential lines to 12 month minimum contracts (from 3). I got caught out by this but luckily managed to persuade them to let me off.
Paris, because she has no minimum contract.
Dual band HSDPA
The E51 does both 850Mhz and 2100MHz HSDPA, which was the seller for me - this is the first phone I've come across which does both. This means it'll work on the NextG network in Australia and most European / Asian HSDPA networks.
@£2.90 a pint?!
"a bottle (355 ml) of Guinness costs the equivalet of £1,45? that makes a pint less than £2!"
I think you'll find that a pint is around 565ml, and 1.45*565/355 = £2.31
Mac Mini
"Customers do have to buy a display, mouse and keyboard if they don’t have spare ones already though” says the article.
I interpret this with the following caveat: "However, if they do NOT have a display, mouse OR keyboard (AND they can prove it (terms and conditions apply)) they are exempted from this compulsion to purchase.
All
Your Files Are Belong To Us
@Ashlee's book
What we really want to know is whether it's available as a DRM infested download from anywhere to purchase.
Otherwise ...
Black
I never thought Jesus was supposed to have been cremated. If my son gets a pancake with anywhere near that much black on it he won't touch it.
@Boot Cap
Maybe you could use the spare 'r' out of crontrab then it'd become Boot Crap.
Profitability
I realise that these are just UK ad figures, but how do the figures stack up as a whole (ITV vs Google)?
Also, how much more growth is available to Google - i.e. if one assumes that the (global) budget available to be spent on advertising is a slowly growing amount, how much longer can the revenue growth previously seen by Google continue?
@Neil Hoskins
I've been looking at Fon on and off for ages too; what makes this different and maybe worthwhile is the access to BT OpenZone.
However I'd expect most of the useful BT OpenZone hotspots to be 'premium hotspots' and hence excluded.
The Find Hotspots link on btfon.com didn't work for me (due to it being beta.bt.com / firewall / noscript / who knows) - has anyone checked and managed to find one in an airport / railway station etc?
Pricey?
For what it offers, this seems to cost too much: you can buy a SIP ata around GBP 20, a DECT phone for about the same, a mobile with 802.11 / SIP for slightly more than this unit.
What about ...
Temperature!
We need proper units for describing how hot things are. My suggestion for the base unit is
Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey (bM).
Bath temperature (bT) = 3.14159 bM
Piping Hot (pH) = 5.43656 bM
Now we can start to cook something:
Deposit 1.414 Bulgarian airbags of water in a saucepan and heat to 1.7 pH (9.24 brass monkeys). Add a chicken egg (0.35gf) and wait until it's cooked - 1 sbut if you want to dip soldiers, up to half a wtita if hard boiled is more to your liking.
Mmmm ... time for breakfast
re: next gen
Matt - I think "putting an orange with two lemons" says it all.
I don't own a console at all; thought of getting a Wii, but decided against it as I've got too much unused tech shit lying around.
@Darwin Winklesworth
Your funds are now in a safekeeping account as requested. There is, however, an administrative fee needed to ensure you will be able to access this. Details will be available shortly.
... and
@Christopher Emerson
Of course I expect M$ employees to use hotmail addresses when they are perpetrating 419 scams - why not?
Obviously they don't fake the 'From:' header because they want to receive the reply - Doh!
upgrade
Well, I was thinking of upgrading from 4.1.3_U1 to help out as none of these people have come forward, but I can only find the 4.1.4 disks: anyone got a spare set of 4.1.9?
@Glad to see El Reg being quoted
Yeah, this means some 419ers read this site: any of you out there reading now, please submit your comments (or are they already, and these all moderated away?).
Hotmail addy
As any fool knows, hotmail has been part of Microsoft for a good few years, so that's why it's such a great choice in this case.
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