Technology catch-all thread

[chw42]

Yeah I am leaning towards the Nexus right now. Staples will have them for $199 for black friday as well

 

$200 on Amazon right now. Go get one now.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Google-Nexus-Tablet-...k/dp/B00DVFLJDS

 

I've had one since release and it's great. I bought a cheaper tablet for my brother and the difference in quality is enormous.

Edited November 22, 2013 by chw42

[Jake]

If anyone wants to understand the difference between Google and Apple, this is it. Apple is an electronics company. They make profit on the phones, tablets, computers they sell. Google is a services company - they are willing to break even or worse on things like the Nexus devices just to ensure that you use their services.

 

There are going to be differences for the end user based on these things, of course, with pros and cons for each. Y2HH often talks about the Apple ecosystem, which is one of the pros of sticking with Apple across platforms. Google wants to make the Google "ecosystem" the default, where Apple will always make theirs more exclusive so that they can have more control of the development of their services

[RockRaines]

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Google-Nexus-7-...LJDS_B009X3UW2G

 

 

32gb on this one, so why is it so cheap?

[Y2HH]

If anyone wants to understand the difference between Google and Apple, this is it. Apple is an electronics company. They make profit on the phones, tablets, computers they sell. Google is a services company - they are willing to break even or worse on things like the Nexus devices just to ensure that you use their services.

 

There are going to be differences for the end user based on these things, of course, with pros and cons for each. Y2HH often talks about the Apple ecosystem, which is one of the pros of sticking with Apple across platforms. Google wants to make the Google "ecosystem" the default, where Apple will always make theirs more exclusive so that they can have more control of the development of their services

 

Google is not a pure services company, it's actually an advertising company disguised as a services company, that uses said services to advertise. It's their bread and butter, and it's where almost all of their profit is generated.

 

Google is unlike any other company I've ever seen, because when dealing with Google, you are not just a consumer of their services, you are, ultimately, their actual product. And that's where I begin to enter a grey area with Google that I don't like very much.

 

There are trade offs to both. Google, in exchange for your information, habits, likes and dislikes, gives their goods/services away at cost or nearly free of charge in order to tailor advertising for 3rd parties strictly for you. This allows them to charge more for advertising to you.

[chw42]

http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Google-Nexus-7-...LJDS_B009X3UW2G

 

 

32gb on this one, so why is it so cheap?

 

That's the old one.

[HuskyCaucasian]

$200 on Amazon right now. Go get one now.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Google-Nexus-Tablet-...k/dp/B00DVFLJDS

hmmm... might have to snap up the 32GB version. I wanted to wait until Black Friday to see if Google would do a sale, but I cant imagine it'll be more of a discount than this.

[Jake]

Here's a question for the TV experts around here. My dad got himself a TV for Christmas last year...I don't remember all the details short of it being a Vizio 46" LCD/LED Smart TV. Anyway, he's gotten very frustrated with one particular thing is does. When changing channels and the picture format of the new channel is different from the former (usually switching between 720p and 1080i), the lag time before it renders a picture is quite long.

 

I'm not sure what causes this -- they're looking for another TV for a different room and their only strategy so far is to avoid Vizio, which may or may not be the thing to do. I have no idea how to advise them to look for a TV that is less likely to be slow like that when changing channels.

[Jenksismyhero]

Here's a question for the TV experts around here. My dad got himself a TV for Christmas last year...I don't remember all the details short of it being a Vizio 46" LCD/LED Smart TV. Anyway, he's gotten very frustrated with one particular thing is does. When changing channels and the picture format of the new channel is different from the former (usually switching between 720p and 1080i), the lag time before it renders a picture is quite long.

 

I'm not sure what causes this -- they're looking for another TV for a different room and their only strategy so far is to avoid Vizio, which may or may not be the thing to do. I have no idea how to advise them to look for a TV that is less likely to be slow like that when changing channels.

 

Does he have a cable box? Most likely it's coming from that. My directv receivers do this on all of my tv's, although I wouldn't say it's a long delay. A second or two maybe.

[Jake]

Does he have a cable box? Most likely it's coming from that. My directv receivers do this on all of my tv's, although I wouldn't say it's a long delay. A second or two maybe.

 

Yeah he does have a cable box.

[Y2HH]

Here's a question for the TV experts around here. My dad got himself a TV for Christmas last year...I don't remember all the details short of it being a Vizio 46" LCD/LED Smart TV. Anyway, he's gotten very frustrated with one particular thing is does. When changing channels and the picture format of the new channel is different from the former (usually switching between 720p and 1080i), the lag time before it renders a picture is quite long.

 

I'm not sure what causes this -- they're looking for another TV for a different room and their only strategy so far is to avoid Vizio, which may or may not be the thing to do. I have no idea how to advise them to look for a TV that is less likely to be slow like that when changing channels.

 

This could potentially be caused by the TV, *OR* the cable box plugged into the TV, I assume via HDMI? It's also possible they are routing through a stereo receiver, which could ALSO be the cause for delay when the signals switch from one resolution to another.

 

Do they have cable or OTA channels they can switch to see if the rendering takes just as long? That would remove the cable/dtv receiver from the loop. If he has cable (and not directv), he could plug the cable connect directly into his TV and he will still receive a few channels in which he can test to see if the delay is still present.

 

Or, it's possible it is just the TV. I always advise people to go with Sharp or Samsung when it comes to TVs.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Y2HH

[Soxbadger]

My tivo box is much slower than my regular box, fwiw.

[Jake]

This could potentially be caused by the TV, *OR* the cable box plugged into the TV, I assume via HDMI? It's also possible they are routing through a stereo receiver, which could ALSO be the cause for delay when the signals switch from one resolution to another.

 

Do they have cable or OTA channels they can switch to see if the rendering takes just as long? That would remove the cable/dtv receiver from the loop. If he has cable (and not directv), he could plug the cable connect directly into his TV and he will still receive a few channels in which he can test to see if the delay is still present.

 

Or, it's possible it is just the TV. I always advise people to go with Sharp or Samsung when it comes to TVs.

 

He also has a AV receiver. I'll tell him to try that out, with the cable straight into the TV.

[Y2HH]

He also has a AV receiver. I'll tell him to try that out, with the cable straight into the TV.

 

He still has to make sure the channels swap resolutions. Some broadcast in 1080i, some in 720p, he has to make sure he switches between two that actually change it.\

 

Oh, and he will have to change to that input to see it (though you/he probably know this), it's most likely called AV1.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Y2HH

[Jake]

He still has to make sure the channels swap resolutions. Some broadcast in 1080i, some in 720p, he has to make sure he switches between two that actually change it.

 

Yeah, it shows the resolution each time he changes a channel so he should be able to tell the difference.

[Y2HH]

Yeah, it shows the resolution each time he changes a channel so he should be able to tell the difference.

 

I made an edit to that post -- when he plugs directly into the TV, he has to select that input, it's probably called something like AV1.

[HuskyCaucasian]

Comcast and Charter reportedly considering joint purchase of Time Warner Cable

 

Bloomberg exclusive: Charter & Comcast discussing joint bid for Time Warner Cable -- would break up assets. Story coming.

— Alex Sherman (@sherman4949) November 22, 2013

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8">

[RockRaines]

On my DTV box you can switch whether you want the tv to adjust to each picture type, it causes a delay but a much better picture IMO.

[NorthSideSox72]

After researching my original plan of having a monster 2 TB base machine and then an advanced tablet to go around with... it is just too expensive and complicated to pull off. I won't bother downloading all my movies at this time.

 

Instead, going to just get a new laptop, and a cradle/dock for it to live in when it is on the desk (the dock is key, so I don't have to re-plug power, two monitor cables, USB, etc. every time). Looking for a 1 TB (or even slightly less) laptop, something nice and light with a 15" screen or so (a little smaller even is fine), easy to get around, that responds quickly to being docked, and a blue-ray drive is a must.

 

Any advice from people on laptop brands? I won't buy an HP again, period. Looked so far at Dell, Lenovo, Asus.

 

Any advice on Windows 7 versus 8?

 

Thanks!

 

[Y2HH]

After researching my original plan of having a monster 2 TB base machine and then an advanced tablet to go around with... it is just too expensive and complicated to pull off. I won't bother downloading all my movies at this time.

 

Instead, going to just get a new laptop, and a cradle/dock for it to live in when it is on the desk (the dock is key, so I don't have to re-plug power, two monitor cables, USB, etc. every time). Looking for a 1 TB (or even slightly less) laptop, something nice and light with a 15" screen or so (a little smaller even is fine), easy to get around, that responds quickly to being docked, and a blue-ray drive is a must.

 

Any advice from people on laptop brands? I won't buy an HP again, period. Looked so far at Dell, Lenovo, Asus.

 

Any advice on Windows 7 versus 8?

 

Thanks!

 

Can't give you advice on what kind of laptop to buy, be it Dell, Asus, Lenovo, etc...as depending on exactly which specification you go with, you may or may not like one model over another, and you may find others that recommend one over the other, but there will never be a standout opinion as to why one is better than the others. This is like Ford vs Chrysler vs VW, etc...they all have good models and bad, depending on which you choose...and even then, some people love their bad models.

 

I'd simply say a few factors you should keep an eye on when it comes to laptops: battery life, weight, warranty, memory expandability, and screen resolution. Most modern processor/gfx specs will go hand in hand with the resolution your laptop can handle. Higher resolutions require better cpu/gfx hardware by proxy.

 

As for Windows 7 vs 8, it's a daunting and sometimes confusing change, even for technically savvy people like myself. Windows 8.1 is slick, and looks very modern, not to mention it's fast and visually appealing, but say goodbye to everything you know about how previous versions of windows worked. The start bar, even in 8.1 is NOT the same as your old start bar. You can hack one back on, but if that's your goal, just use 7 instead of trying to work against how 8 was designed to work. A lot of things are not where they once were, and you will have to find them all over again. That said, most of what you need configured is rather simple to get going. IMO, 8.1 is STILL a work in progress. For example, it has 2 control panels, it shouldn't. They need to finish unifying everything.

 

BUT, it is a very nice OS, and I'd recommending moving to it simply to stay current, even if it will throw you a few curveballs at first.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Y2HH

[Jake]

I like Windows 8.1 and for the most part, I was entirely acclimated after a day or two. There's some sharpening to do, but it is not in a place where I would intentionally buy an older OS to avoid it

[Iwritecode]

For being in the IT industry, I know embarrassingly little about tech stuff.

 

My daughter has a cheap little $20 MP3 player that she uses constantly. A few months ago a friend got an Ipod touch and she used that a few times and had a blast with it. Mostly recording videos and going online when she could find a wi-fi connection.

 

We looked at getting her one but the price deterred us a little. We were thinking about getting an older used one instead.

 

In last week’s HH Gregg ad I saw a 7” Lenovo tablet for $99. That should pretty much do the same thing as an Ipod touch right? Although it would be a bit bigger.

 

[Y2HH]

For being in the IT industry, I know embarrassingly little about tech stuff.

 

My daughter has a cheap little $20 MP3 player that she uses constantly. A few months ago a friend got an Ipod touch and she used that a few times and had a blast with it. Mostly recording videos and going online when she could find a wi-fi connection.

 

We looked at getting her one but the price deterred us a little. We were thinking about getting an older used one instead.

 

In last week’s HH Gregg ad I saw a 7” Lenovo tablet for $99. That should pretty much do the same thing as an Ipod touch right? Although it would be a bit bigger.

 

If she primarily uses it as a camera/music player, a tablet (even a small tablet) is too big for that soft of use. At least, it is IMO.

 

But yes, technically, it can do all those same things as an iPod, but so can a desktop sized PC for that matter...but that's against the grain of it's actual use.

 

When it comes to these phones/tablets/pods, I'd get her whatever she is going to primarily use it for (within affordability).

Edited November 25, 2013 by Y2HH

[Iwritecode]

If she primarily uses it as a camera/music player, a tablet (even a small tablet) is too big for that soft of use. At least, it is IMO.

 

But yes, technically, it can do all those same things as an iPod, but so can a desktop sized PC for that matter...but that's against the grain of it's actual use.

 

When it comes to these phones/tablets/pods, I'd get her whatever she is going to primarily use it for (within affordability).

 

The price is what caught my eye. I figured a 7" tablet isn't much bigger than many phones these days.

 

We asked her about the Ipod and she wasn't thrilled with using itunes.

[NorthSideSox72]

Can't give you advice on what kind of laptop to buy, be it Dell, Asus, Lenovo, etc...as depending on exactly which specification you go with, you may or may not like one model over another, and you may find others that recommend one over the other, but there will never be a standout opinion as to why one is better than the others. This is like Ford vs Chrysler vs VW, etc...they all have good models and bad, depending on which you choose...and even then, some people love their bad models.

 

I'd simply say a few factors you should keep an eye on when it comes to laptops: battery life, weight, warranty, memory expandability, and screen resolution. Most modern processor/gfx specs will go hand in hand with the resolution your laptop can handle. Higher resolutions require better cpu/gfx hardware by proxy.

 

As for Windows 7 vs 8, it's a daunting and sometimes confusing change, even for technically savvy people like myself. Windows 8.1 is slick, and looks very modern, not to mention it's fast and visually appealing, but say goodbye to everything you know about how previous versions of windows worked. The start bar, even in 8.1 is NOT the same as your old start bar. You can hack one back on, but if that's your goal, just use 7 instead of trying to work against how 8 was designed to work. A lot of things are not where they once were, and you will have to find them all over again. That said, most of what you need configured is rather simple to get going. IMO, 8.1 is STILL a work in progress. For example, it has 2 control panels, it shouldn't. They need to finish unifying everything.

 

BUT, it is a very nice OS, and I'd recommending moving to it simply to stay current, even if it will throw you a few curveballs at first.

Thanks.

 

I actually work in software, but not PC stuff and I am not a hardware guy, so my knowledge is spotty. All the factors you mentioned are on my radar.

 

As for 7 vs 8, I am leaning 7, as I still run XP on my current laptop and am comfortable with it. I haven't read anything about 8, tools-wise, that I'd be excited about or need to have. I'm a functional guy more than a form guy, and I don't do a lot of slick stuff. I email, web, MS office stuff, WebConnect to work, Quicken, occasional movies, iTunes, and basic photo stuff. The only "fancy" stuff I do is mapping software that I use for outdoor expeditions, and I will check with those guys to see what OS's they can run on.

[Jake]

The price is what caught my eye. I figured a 7" tablet isn't much bigger than many phones these days.

 

We asked her about the Ipod and she wasn't thrilled with using itunes.

 

It depends whether she prioritizes portability (putting it in her pocket and walking around with it) or face-to-face use (sitting down and browsing the internet or whatever). A 7" tablet is quite portable in the sense that you can fit it in some purses, stick it in your back pocket (don't sit!!!!), and it is generally going to be very light. I'd say that you wouldn't want that to be something you're going to be active with, though.

 

As far as non-phone, non-Apple mp3 players that can do a bit more than play mp3's, I have no clue what that market is like. No more Zune, lol!