Partitioned Wind

Our MSI Wind netbook arrived on Thursday. It worked as advertised. One notable thing I’d like to mention is that the MSI Wind came with pre-partitioned hard disk, C:\ for OS and D:\ for data. Nice.

Sweet and sour netbook

I have been looking for a netbook for my wife, who has been “borrowing” my laptop since we sold her MacBook a few months ago. So when I found a $50 rebate valid for MSI Wind purchases only in October at 11pm, October 31, I was enpowered with the executive responsibility to make a swift but monumental decision.

I wanted my laptop back, so I ordered a unit. I paid $448 out of pocket, and assuming I get the $50 rebate, that’s about $400 in the end. Not a bad deal considering MSI Wind was going for more before. Sweet.

(Less than two days later…)

Tonight at 10pm I found out BestBuy is selling the MSI Wind for $350, no rebate required. It’s the exact same configuration except for exterior color. If I purchase it online, the total would be $350 + $30 tax + $20 shipping = $400. All of a sudden my previous deal didn’t feel too sweet.

I don’t know why I did it, but I clicked to see if any local BestBuy stores have this MSI Wind in stock. If yes, the final price at BestBuy would be $380 after local pickup.

All nearby BestBuy stores didn’t have it in stock…

Except for the store nearest to me.

玩我啊？！

MacBook is overrated

Nowadays when people comment that they rather get a MacBook than a Windows-based laptop, my response generally is “MacBook is overrated”. Here is why:

• MacBook’s glossy screen makes an unpleasant reading experience.
• Its lack of dedicated PgUp and PgDn keys means lots of two-handed combos – the Fn key is on the left while the arrows keys are on the right.
• In MacOS, I have yet to find a way to focus on a minimized windows just by using the keyboard.

There are some other reasons why I prefer my IBM T43 over the MacBook, but those may be because I am more used to Windows.

The MacBook is not a bad computer, it’s just that I find it overrated, especially when people believe that simply switching to it and its MacOS will automagically improve their computing experience. Personally I prefer my Vista-running IBM T43 more, and this is from a guy who had used Macs for years before moving to Windows.

Thinkpad x60t temptation

Image from ThinkComputers.org.

My wife told me about a 15% off coupon on Lenovo laptops. Now I don’t need a laptop, but Lenovo’s Thinkpad x41t/x60t has always attracted me. Now the temptation is almost too irresistible, especially that model with the multi-touch screen!

Click here for a video tour from Lenovo. Here are some x60t reviews I managed to find online: TabletPCReview.com, ThinkComputing.org, XYZ Computing.

Origami Experience

This post is about UMPC Origami and not the paper folding origami.

When Microsoft revealed the first generation of UMPC last year, I was not very impressed. The hardware was expensive, often more so than a standard notebook. The software was nothing more than a Windows OS plus some add-on utilities.

After looking at the new Origami Experience that was announced at CES this year, I must say I am intrigued. The Origami Experience is a program launcher for UMPC that actually makes UMPC computing attractive (to me at least). The video and screen captures convinced me that a UMPC could be a fun gadget…

…minus the $1000+ price tag, of course.

First Mac in 10 years

I stayed home today expecting an Amazon package. It arrived via UPS some time between 12:30pm and 1pm, and I my wife is now the proud owner of her first Mac. It’s my first Mac in over 10 years, but who is counting.

I guess I won’t set up the computer myself. Instead I will let my wife go though the process herself.

Man, Apple products sure have changed a lot since my days of Power Mac 6610.

MacBook, finally

I have been waiting My wife has been waiting impatiently for Apple to release its Intel-based iBook, and it’s finally here! Well, it’s now called MacBook, as previously rumored. The good thing is that the starting price is still within (my) reason, so tonight I shall discuss with my wife on actually setting aside some dollars from our mortgage payments for this puppy.

[update @ 2006-05-16T21:56-08:00] I have placed an order for the 2GHz MacBook White (MA255LL/A).

[update @ 2006-05-17T20:39-08:00] The order has been cancelled in anticipation for Amazon’s $100 rebate.

[update @ 2006-05-18T23:56-08:00] This morning I re-placed an order with Amazon for the white 2GHz MacBook.

Toshiba M400 video

Yesterday I mentioned that a colleague of mine got a brand spanking new Toshiba M400 Tablet PC. Well, that piqued my interest in the M400, so I dug around on the net and found some videos:

Colleague gets a nice Tablet PC

A new colleague joined our group yesterday, and by today both of his computers had arrived. The desktop is nothing to write home about, but the laptop is sweet! It’s the Toshiba M400 Tablet PC. That thing is small with a 12-inch screen, has one of those Core Duo CPUs, plus a fingerprint scanner. And did I mention it’s a Tablet PC??

Then again, this new colleague is not a lowly developer like me. He is a product manager.

Intel Macs

I was about 70% happy with yesterday’s MacWorld product announcements. I was looking forward to Intel Macs, and they were indeed announced yesterday. Today I read that there is a hint that Intel Macs can run Windows. Cool, dual boot!

The missing 30% of satisfaction is due to the lack of 12-inch Intel iBooks whose price would jibe better with my purchase ability. There is a rumor that covers that front as well.

Now all I have to do is wait. And wait. And wait.

[update @ 2006-01-11 14:29] Apple/Intel FAQ has much more detailed info about Intel Macs. The conclusion seems to be that only Vista can run on Intel Macs, not XP.