HP Touchpad feat. WebOS. Far out or failure?

Hey all, Let me start this post by giving away the end of the story. I just received an HP Touchpad (16GB) and to be honest, although I planned on writing this immediately, I've had so much fun with this new "toy" that I haven't been on here. I just want to give everyone a quick rundown of a couple of different things. What good is a tablet without accessories. I would like to talk about those first if you don't mind.

1. HP Touchpad Cover -
I was very impressed with this case, maybe as much as with the actual product. I will admit, when a colleague received his, I was skeptical. No zipper, no plastic bump guards. Yikes! When I actually received my own, I was pleasantly surprised. The shell that covers the actual device reminds me of ballistic plastic. Flexible and breathable but at the same time, it really feels like it is protecting something valuable. In addition to the ingenuity responsible for it's construction, we are also able to create a multi-position "kickstand" to allow better viewing for movies, etc... One quick side note before I go on. Because the front of the cover is flexible, almost like a normal book, the micro fiber lining has actual kept my screen spotless from the motion of walking etc.

2. Bluetooth Keyboard -

The other must have accessory I found was the HP Bluetooth keyboard. This keyboard is very light, extremely comfortable and ergonomic and is actually pretty attractive.

3. HP Touchpad -

Alright, now the juicy stuff. I can honestly say that, as much of a geek as I am, I am extremely impressed with this device. The Touchpad being my first experience with WebOS, I am completely blown away. While I am a diehard Linux enthusiast, I have to say WebOS is easily the second best operating system I have ever used. (Granted, WebOS is Linux based but I'm comparing it to main stream distros)

This tablet is very intuitive, responsive and just a good ole' time! So far, I have used it for business and pleasure and I have not been let down in either respect.

I will say this. I did follow instructions on Touchpad Plus to turn off some of the default system logging and I also applied some patches that seems to improve performance 10 fold. For anyone reading this that is unaware, there is a group of developers that love WebOS enough to develop applications pro bono. This is called "Homebrew" and "Preware". A quick Google search will show a wealth of freeware and beta applications available for use.

As I said, I have done multiple things to my own device to increase performance and I would be more than happy to assist anyone that is interested.

Thanks!

The Battle of The Business Class Notebooks

     Alright, here we are again, still covered in snow. However, I did promise some laptop insight and I'm not one to back out of a computer discussion. 

     In the first corner, weighing in at 5.17lbs, we have a Dell Latitude E6500. Very sharp.  Some key notes that I would like to point out is that the Latitude boasts a hard shell (aluminum bi-product) and has a rather luxurious feel.  Sleek body lines and very solid but lightweight at the same time.  Sort of like a Mercedes. Intel Core 2 Duo with a T-8500 and 4 GB of ram (space for 8) gives enough muscle to get by and things like the backlight keyboard and the mysterious blue halo on the ac adapter make for a very cosmetically appealing and hard working machine.

     Our second contender is also one of Dell's biggest rivals.  The HP Probook 6455b.  Having been revamped in the past couple of years, this has also proved to be a very satisfying machine.; While there are multiple hardware options for this machine, the one I am currently using has an AMD Phenom II N620 @ 2.8ghz with 4 GB of ram also. While it doesn't have the same sleekness that the Dell has, it does feel surprisingly sturdy but elegant at the same time. The Probook also uses an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4250 onboard graphics card.  This has also proved to be very nice.  

     All in all, it's a trade off. Both machines come bundled with more than enough of that famous, cumbersome, proprietary software that we all know and love.  The Dell has a backlight keyboard sure, but the Probook has HP quick launch buttons which I actually use quite often.  It's nice to bring up MS Outlook or Firefox by just running your finger over the led.  There was one other issue that the HP seems to address, for me at least.  The Dell uses a rather standard keyboard but HP wanted to do something different.  On the Probook, the keys on the keyboard are almost flat and totally inset into the pc. It makes for a very comfortable typing experience.  

     So, yes, they are both business class computers. Yes they are both very nice, but for me, I think I will leave my Dell at home for fun and keep the HP in business.

Happy hacking,

Paul

Why has technology forsaken me?

Hello everyone and thank you for coming,

     I'm here to share a rather sad story for anyone that will listen (although judging from the immeasurable amount of comments that my blog receives, I may very well be talking to myself, lol).  In the off chance that there is someone out there in cyberspace, let us begin.  For anyone that knows me outside of my penguin suit, you are well aware that I take knowledge and technology very seriously.  I am a lifelong fan of all things that involve learning and expanding one's intelligence.  I myself am drawing near to the close of my second try in college. I'm much older and wiser now than the last time and I have to say that overall, I have had a great experience.  I have amassed a great deal of knowledge regarding information technology, security and networking not only from standard teaching methods but in the interaction with instructors and fellow students, with whom I have also shared many lessons of life.  This is not to say that I have recently had a bad experience but an experience none the less.

   If you know anything about my academic career you would know that I am very much involved with the company, Cisco Systems.  My degree is actually a supplement to an educational program that the company itself oversees.  Because I have been in direct contact with Cisco ideas, theories, and news for the better part of the last two years, I naturally gravitated towards the recent headlines regarding the network giant, for a paper that I was instructed to write.

    Yes, I am referring to my last blog post regarding Mr. John Chambers.  John is currently the standing C.E.O. of the corporation.  As I wrote my paper, it dawned on me that anyone that would read my blog here would love an article like that.  Money, drama and Cisco!  After all, John Chambers is like the Bruce Wayne of Networking Technology, right? Was it a foolish decision to post my academic endeavor on the internet for all to see?  Hardly.  That very thing is the freedom of speech which so many of us utilize to spread worthwhile ideas.  So then, what is all of the fuss about?

      Out of respect for my school as well as my instructors, I will not go into any details other than the fact that our English Department utilizes a web based tool to check student assignments for plagiarism.  Even across the web, I can hear the wheels squeaking and slowly starting to roll in everyone's mind.

1) Yes, my school thinks that I plagiarized an essay that was found, rather easily on the internet.

2) Yes, I DO feel like a moron.  I plagiarized myself, wouldn't you?

3) No, I don't feel like I did anything wrong, and....

4) Yes, maybe I should have told my professor that I was going to use my spectacular paper as a blog AND as an assignment before I submitted the document to him.

5) Yes, I am glad that my blog showed up so easily in a search engine (normally a very exciting thing!)

    Like everyone knows, hindsight is 20/20 and rest assured I will not shoot myself twice in the same foot. Now, I may use the same gun, but surely not the same foot. Hopefully, this matter will be resolved quickly as I would hate for a poor decision to tarnish my educational reputation, but only time will tell.  I just wanted anyone reading this to know that all works presented on this blog, unless otherwise noted, are the sole property of NetLock IT Systems, c/o Paul G**far. (I have to remain pseudonymous to some extent; it's the internet for crying out loud).  That being said, no works published here may be copied, referenced, sold, or used in other way without the express written permission of the author.  If for some ridiculous reason, you do want to reference something I have said while on my virtual soapbox, feel free to leave a comment here and I will be in touch.

Thank you and God Bless,

Paul M. ****** (ha-ha thought I was going to spill the beans didn't ya!)

F.Y.I., while this is a technology blog, I understand that some may land here in a misguided search attempt for "Matlock" or something to that effect.  For anyone that doesn't know, I use a pen name "Xunil Urug".  I can hear some of you grumbling already. That's not my space name given to me on the 10th moon of Xyzop, and I don't like Star Trek or live in my mother's basement so let’s put that rumor to rest lol.  If you transpose the letters, it actually spells Linux Guru.  Linux is an operating system much like Windows or Mac OSX but better....ok, ok, you get the point.  I'll save that rant for next time.

-Paul