baius is here.

[baius]

baius is here. Yeah, but this is a welcome thread, baius. For new people?! You're not meant to post here.

I know, but I thought I might use it to post my PC specs, and (futher) shrink my forum signature. Someone told me off (Fiesty Hexus, I think?) when I first "arrived" (how can you arrive at a forum?) because they said my signature was too long.

So I shortened it.

Now I'm going to shorten it again. (Next post: current signature.)

[baius]

Baius
HTPC: P5B-VM | E6600 | 4gb XMS2 | VcR-300 | 9600gt | MM Twice 7 | HyperX 580w | 2407wfp | WED-8000 & LT COT | Vis64ult

Future: RmpgIIgene | i7-920 (@3.2?) | 6gb XMS3 | X25-M:160? | HD4850? | 4xWD2tb (4tb Raid1)
& HP 2133 [1.2/2gb/X25-M:80/XP] | Acer 5920 | OQO 01+ | HP TC1100

0iD@TWDJT: P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

[baius]

A little explanation: My computers have "names" (naturally), but not "fairy" female names - names that are sensible network names.

I use my initials (here represented by XXX), and then

• D (for desktop)
• L (for Laptop)
• N (for Netbook (or similar))
• T (for Tablet)
• U (for UMPC)
• P (for Phone model)
• Car (for PC in car - which I don't have yet)

After that, I put what "revision" it is.

So, at the moment for instance, I'm on XXXD1 - my initials, and D1 to imply it's my first Desktop. Sometime a little later this century, I'd like to build a Nehalem PC, and that will be XXXD2.

[baius]

XXXD1: My first desktop. (I said that last post, right?)

HTPC: P5B-VM | E6600 | 4gb XMS2 | VcR-300 | 9600gt | MM Twice 7 | HyperX 580w | 2407wfp | WED-8000 & LT COT | Vis64ult

This does everything: types letters, functions as a HTPC (with TV), audio player (currently 2.0, but hopefully soon going back to 7.1) and so on.

[baius]

Future: RmpgIIgene | i7-920 (@3.2?) | 6gb XMS3 | X25-M:160? | HD4850? | 4xWD2tb (4tb Raid1)

20090403: This is still future. (Money, mainly.)

I would use this build as an opportunity to sort out some storage woes of mine. Many moons ago, I started a thread on keeping disk archives and storage. I've decided to archive things to HDD now, as they're easier to manage.

XXXD2 will have four 2tb drives, creating two RAID1 systems, named "STORE" and "DUMP". STORE will be for things that are to remain on my computer (like music). DUMP is for things I want to store "offline". So when DUMP gets to 1tb full, I offload it to a set of 2 WD Green 1tb HDDs (via eSata). I store one in my room (for access), and one offsite (as backup).

It's a bit complicated and hard to describe. Put simply: lots of HDDs rather than lots of DVDs.

[baius]

Acer 5920 (Acer's site is impossible to get a direct link from. )

• 2ghz C2d | 2gb DDR2 | 250gb SATA | 256mb 8600gs | DVDrw | 15.4" @ 1280x800 |
• £449 @ eBuyer
• Purchased for work, and also to play on train home from work. Crysis "loads" on this thing! However, in 20 minutes your battery's gone. All gone! My train journey's 6 times as long. :-(
• Excellent buy. However, just two weeks later, there was another 5920 on eBuyer with a BluRay drive and AMD 3470 (comparable to 8600gs) for £479. Just £30 more! I was gutted.
• (I donated this to my mum, as my HP 2133 (XXXN1) is doing what this used to, with less weight.)

[baius]

HP 2133

• 1.2ghz | 2gb | X25-M:80 | XP]
• Did a 1gb -> 2gb swap via Corsair. I never used it with 1gb so I can't compare it. (Sorry.)
• Came pre-loaded with Linux: I'm not ready for Linux. Tried Vista: No go area. Tried XP: Success.
• 1.2ghz was still slowing everything down. Put in an Intel X25-m (which admittedly was 1.5 times the cost of the 2133) and it runs rather well now. Fast HDD seemed to balance the slow CPU.
• Can't wait for (future) XXXN2 - to perfect the netbook concept.

[baius]

HP TC1100

Certainly one of the most beautiful technology implementations I've ever seen, and especially as tablet PCs were relatively new at the time, HP's TC1100 was a revelation. Everything the TC1000 should have been, it revolutionised my experience of education.

I'd just started uni, and remembered well my A-Level days. I get pains in my hand after even brief writing spurts, so had purchased a Dell Inspiron 8200 (laptop) to take notes, and learned to touch-type. Trouble is, I was doing A-Levels where you needed to make diagrams. Despite having an accompanying Logitech Cordless Optical Trackman, I just couldn't keep up with teachers' diagrams.

When I got to uni, it was even worse. (I did a maths degree.) I ended up just writing the notes, first year. However, for the next year, I got a TC1100 tablet PC, and it was nothing short of incredible. Using Word 2003, I could type the 90-odd-% that was text. When neccesary, I'd just pick up the pen, and append a diagram. Then I continued writing.

Not everybody likes tablet PCs - but I can't praise them highly enough. Sure, they're niche to an extent (although watch Windows 7...), but the niche is very grateful.

Criticisms:

• Very low battery life - technology at the time (as I've said).
• Screen resolution was very high. IF my eyesight hadn't been pinsharp in my uni days, it would have been (very) difficult to use. However, I think high resolution is a plus. (See XXXN1.)

[baius]

OQO 01+

Before I begin:

• UMPC: Ultra Mobile Pocket Computer (or similar)

My cousin said something to me the other day that made me stop and think.
~"You buy things you want but don't need, even if you kid yourself you might eventually come to feel you need it, and call such purchases 'investments'." (The beauty of the statement was obviously the "quotes" he used.)

Well, let me be clear: My purchase of a OQO 01+ was indeed an "investment".

"Ooh, wow, 'The World's Smallest Computer' (as it was then hailed), and only £349 (from eXpansys). It would be criminal not to get that!"

However, throw in a screen protector (£10) and a super-cool, red Piel Frama leather case (£50) and it started to feel like I'd been criminalised by the Wicked Winvestmentiser of the West (www).
_______________________________________________________

To be a bit more lucid: I bought this because I thought it would fit in my pocket (unlike my tablet) yet it was touchscreen (like my tablet), and so could replace my tablet as my "mobile PC". However, it was just too small.

It has a keyboard, but it's too small to touch-type. It has a screen, but the res is only 800x480. Word 2007 would laugh at that, sure, but even 2003 was a challenge. You had to try and arrange all the items you wanted on one (not very wide) toolbar. Having "Standard" and "Formatting" on screen at once would just leave you too little space for doing anything else.

So great idea in theory, but not in practice.

I still use it (infrequently) as an eBook reader or (non-hd) movie player; but the battery is appaling (<45min), so it generally needs to be plugged in during use.

To conclude: this "mobile dream machine" wasn't so "mobile" or "dream-y" after all.

A true "investment".

(I wish I'd tried it in a shop before buying it "online".)

2009.10.13 UPDATE

[baius]

To save Hexus' servers two posts (1 instead of 3), here's my first three (well five) phones.

1. 1st ever phone, bought for me: Motorola "brick". Can't remember specifics, but who cares?
2. Tried the O2 XDA 2i for about a week, but lamented the fact that I had to use a touch screen as a primary interface. I ended up sending it back, under DSR.
3. P1 XDA Exec. Wow. Here was my tablet PC, but in phone form! Wow. (Did I say that yet?) A keyboard made this THE phone of phones. (It still is, imho.)
4. P2 MDA Vario 1. Smaller than Exec, but resolution was lower. (O2 were too expensive, so I switched. I don't like all the "pink" T-Mobile uses, but I could live with it.)
5. P3 MDA Vario 3. Pretty much the perfect phone. (I'd still like an FM radio, HTC! )

So, you're seeing a lot of WM phones. Sorry if you're not keen, but the killer feature - it's even more important than the ability to make phone calls! - is the ability to have a calendar you can sync with Outlook. So sort out your week on your PC, and it's on your phone as well. "Just like that."

I've become so much more organised. I've become organised.

XXXP4? Who knows? I think my 18 months are approaching, so I'm entitled to switch phones. Do I want to? I'm not sure. Some newer phones are widescreen, one apparently has the same resolution as my 01+ (which is staggering) and some of HTC's recent TouchFlo demos have impressed me.

Improvements? Sure, but I doubt they'd make me more happy than I am at the moment.

(You could add an FM radio, though. Coughs.)

[baius]

(Hey, wasn't there meant to be another film? Yeah, good one, baius.)

I don't want to waste (any more of) Hexus' server space, so I'll group "current future" tech into this one post.

• D2: something based on Nehalem. Possilby wait for Larrabee to shake things up. Also, D2: Storage - sorted.
• L2: If I ever have a huge pot of money, XXXL2 will likely be an Alienware gaming laptop.
  15.4" WUXGA. BluRay. HighEnd graphics. 4gb+. X25-m@320.
• N2: "HP 2150": Atom (230) | 2gb | nVidia Ion | X25-m (from 2133) | XP/Win7 | 1280x768.
• T2: I like Dell' and HP's current "Touch" Tablets, but can wait for Win7. T2 is not urgent.
• P4: Probably a (MDA-badged) HTC Touch Pro/Pro2

• U2? Nope. (Unless it's Atom, 5-6 hour (not min) battery, 3G, Sunlight readable, <£300. So "nope".)
  More likely to buy a next-gen (colour) Sony eBook Reader.

[Funkstar]

Oh dear, he's speaking to himself again....

Not a bad idea though. Does stop you from being accused of spamming for post count

[stevie lee]

11 consecutive posts - is that a new record?

and all because of 'length of welcome thread' jealousy

you don't have to be mad but it helps.


ps, i'm on D3, P1

D1 + D2 both had slight melting/overheating issues, NB on 1, NB + SB on 2, and my P1 the back keeps falling off and the sim gets dislodged and then turns off.

I did have a signature but tictac TWOCed it when I was away so that's where that's gone.



have a long overdue welcome to HEXUS.

Thats funny, whenever I type the 'H' word it comes out in colours.. aah well.

[TAKTAK]

Erm...

Well you're not new, so i can't welcome you to the forum...

So... erm...




I'm currently on 'DeltaOmnichrom5', as nomenclature, for my current rig i think, that and 'Touch-eee Feel-eee'

[tiggerai]

ok, that's a bit roffleworthy...

I think it's time for a feisty revival don't you think?

[0iD]

Feisty 09 The re-Feist?