Tech Deals

We're moving...

2007-05-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

Blogger is nice, but from time to time it does slow down. So I've registered a new domain name and am moving the Tech Deals Blog to http://www.my-tech-deals.com/.

Come on by and check out the new digs!

Fastest USB Flash Drive

2007-05-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

This article helped:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/4gb-usbflash-roundup_16.html

so I think I'll buy some of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233052

Acer and Everex laptop deals

2007-05-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

I missed the 399 Everex C7-M laptop notebook at BestBuy, but MicroCenter has an Acer for 399, 349 AR.

http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=257720

Adobe Creative Suite 3

2007-05-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'd love to buy Adobe's CS3 package through FatWallet (who's now offering an 8% cash back on Adobe.com purchases) but they still haven't reported my purchased of CS2 from February, which should result in over $100 back. What's up with that?

Unfortunately, Upromise.com does not have an agreement with Adobe.com, and the rebate is only 4.5% with NestEggz. :-(

Here are some other places to get Adobe CS3:

Cheap Laptop

2007-05-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

I won't buy this one because I already have two Everex laptops, but I found this thanks to Dealnews.com:

GQ NX-L513 Celeron M 420 Notebook with 15.4" display 512MB ram, 40GB, Combo drive, Microsoft windows vista Basic

Alternatively, you can check out the Everex Stepnote NC1503.

Aprevia X-QPack Machines

2007-05-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

We just built two of these machines with Via C7 Motherboards, they consume about 30 watts which is a lot more than I'd hoped, but they should be pretty capable machines.

I rebuilt one of the PC Chips V21G VIA C7 using a better power supply and it uses about 10 watts less!

Ultra Rebate

2007-05-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

I'm sending in my Ultra Rebate today... $30 is not bad at all!

FINALLY setup my D-LINK DCS-900 - with Password Problems

2007-04-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

With the help of one of our newest contractors (my cousin Max), we setup a DCS-900 netcam. It is pretty basic: a lens, ethernet adapter, and power supply. The beauty is its cost: less than $100!

We had it up and running in about 15 minutes, but then when we tried the password, it wouldn't work! I read on newegg that there were several people who had a similar problem (new admin password not working, unable to reset password, etc.), so we shelved it for the time being.

When I got home tonight, I tried it again from Internet Explorer and was able to get in. I changed the password and was then able to access the administrator controls from Camino (Mac's Firefox) as well. Woo-hoo! Increased the image size to 640x480, synchronized the time with my ntp server, and smiled. Cool! Now I need to find the mounting bracket and we'll be done. You can see the base pretty good in this picture:

Here's a copy of an image from my DCS-900:

The SLUG

2007-04-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

The SLUG remains one of my favorite tech deals. It is low, low power, and amazingly is able to run debian. If I were you, I would buy one. But I'm not you, so I bought three! :-)

Another hard drive enclosure

2007-04-25T18:06:00.000-07:00

Just bought an inexpensive hard drive enclosure from CircuitCity.com:

Ultra 3.5" External USB 2.0 / Firewire IDE HD Enclosure

I like these enclosures a lot. I bought several Metal Gear enclosures, and they are working out great.

I returned the Happy Hacking Keyboard

2007-04-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

I returned the Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional - it just didn't merit the cost. It definitely was nice, but not $275 nice. I might try the lite version, but I might just stick with the Mac keyboard, which is good quality too.

CompUSA.com Spam

2007-04-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

This type of unsolicited email annoys me:

Dear So and So,

We hope you are enjoying the product(s) you recently purchased with CompUSA.

We'd love your opinions regarding the product(s) you purchased, thus, we
have a rating and review system in place. You will be able to help other
customers, just like you, make a better buying decision.

To rate your product(s), please click the link(s) below:

Burton Vapor Snowboard 1GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive

10oz Air Duster Unscented

Thank you for shopping with CompUSA!

The CompUSA Staff

Without some sort of incentive, there is no reason to provide product reviews for a retails. You'd be better off starting a blog, like MyTechDeals!

Stolen Mail

2007-04-09T06:41:00.000-07:00

My mail was stolen last week, and that included the LaCrosse wooden clock I had purchased from Amazon. I emailed them today about it:

Was there insurance on this order? I spoke with my mailman last week on Wednesday (April 4th, 2007) and he said he delivered my mail on Tuesday, including an Amazon package outside my office door. I was not there all day Tuesday, but on Wednesday, when I went to the office, the mail had been taken. I am filing a police report today. Please advise. Thank you.

This is good customer service: Amazon is sending me a new one at no charge. Thank you. I reported the crime and a police officer stopped by my office to make a report, but we both agreed that little can be done. If other people report their mail getting stolen, they will monitor the location and neighborhood.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs and Belkin USB Ethernet Adapters

2007-04-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

Just bought some cheap compact fluorescent, super bright light bulbs from lightbulbemporium.com:

42 Watt 120 Volt Coil Standard Base Daylight High Wattage Energy Wiser Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) only $6 for a 42 Watt bulb I bought 4.

and also from Belkin.com:

F5D5050 USB 10/100 Ethernet Adapter usually $29.99, but only $17.99 with the " 12345 " coupon code. I bought 4 again.

Tech Deals Roundup #1

2007-04-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks I've made a bunch of purchases, and here's a quick review of the good, the bad, and the deals:

The Best:
* Samsung nv7 Anticipation, and Samsung nv7 Arrival
* HP Thin Clients, and HP and Upromise.com, and HP Thin Client Promo Details
* The Nokia n800!!!

The Good:
* Panasonic Lumix
* Aprevia Case

The Not-so-good:
* Oregon Scientific Clock
* Microsoft Digital Image Suite Annivesary Edition - feels like its turning into a big rebate hassle.

Oregon Scientific Atomic Clock

2007-04-05T06:17:00.000-07:00

I just bought an Oregon Scientific Atomic Clock for travel and the darn thing will not display the correct time. I though the whole point was to not have to set it?
There are 4 zones (one for each time zone), mine is "E" for eastern, which is correct. I push the ^ button, it flashes for awhile, but then nothing happens.

I'm very close to sending it back, but first I'll try to find some help to fix it. Based on this experience alone, I don't recommend anyone but this, or any of their clocks!

I just found this:

When the unit is new and just out of the box, synchronization with the U.S. atomic clock can take upto 72 hours.

UPDATE - the clock is now displaying the correct time. :-)

Samsung NV7 Has Arrived!

2007-04-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

As you may know, I've been eagerly awaiting the Samsung nv7 arrival, and it came today! :-)

The Samsung NV7 Box

Opening it up...

Isn't the Nv7 nice?

The top panel looks nice and simple:

And the Schneider-Kreuznach lens looks big and powerful:

More Pictures of the Panasonic Lumix

2007-04-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

Top panel looks good.

I REALLY like that Leica lens!! :-)

Standard battery charger.

Great (sarcasm) - yet another proprietary USB - camera connector. Why do they do this! At least my Canon SD450 uses a mini-USB cord. Why can't they all??? For my own sanity, I added the "Lumix" label you see in this picture.

Arrival of the Goodies! Opening the Panasonic Lumix

2007-04-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

The Panasonic Box

Opening it up...

Looks pretty cool!

I like the Leica lens already. :-) Though I would have preferred to buy a Leica M8 10.3MP Digital Rangefinder Camera with .68x Viewfinder (Black Body Only)

LCD screen looks good too.

Microsoft Digital Image Suite Annivesary Edition for Free AR

2007-04-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

Just picked up the Microsoft Digital Image Suite Annivesary Edition for $49.99 at Staples. After a $50 rebate, the final cost comes to zero, zilch, nada, aka FREE!

I don't use Microsoft Windows as my primary operating system, but I do have a copy of Windows XP Home installed via Parallels on my Macbook. I'm interested to see how the Microsoft Digital Image Suite Annivesary Edition stacks up again open source alternatives like Album Shaper Open Source Photo Album Editor.

Go to Staples.com and search for 656213.

Eagerly Awaiting the Samsung nv7

2007-04-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

I recently purchased a Samsung NV7 7.2MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom from Amazon.com for approximately $275 and I can't wait for it to get here. This camera features a Schneider-Kreuznach lens which I expect to have outstanding results. I just checked Amazon and the price has gone down again! They are now advertising it for around $249 - about $25 less than what I paid! Thanks to Amazon's great price protection policy, I emailed them a request for a refund.

If you want, buy one today! This image link will bring you right to Amazon.com:

Update: Amazon Customer service wrote back:

Please accept our apologies for this mix-up regarding the price of "Samsung NV7 7.2MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom".

Occasionally, physical stores will return unsold merchandise to the supplier, and the supplier may send us these copies to fulfill our orders. In rare instances these copies will still have a discounted price sticker on them which was affixed by the previous store.

However, we will honor the price you saw on the item you received. Therefore, I have requested a refund of $12.50 to your account. This refund should take 2 to 3 business days to be processed.

You may view completed refunds by clicking the "Your Account" link at the top of our web site, then clicking "Go!" next to "open and recently shipped orders." Completed refunds will appear at the bottom of an individual order's summary page.

I hope this solution is satisfactory. Thank you again for shopping at Amazon.com.

Thanks Amazon!!! :-)

HP Thin Client Promo at Slickdeals.net

2007-04-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

I just posted the HP thin client promo to Slickdeals.net. It will be interesting to see what people think of these types of machines.

The promo:

http://h71016.www7.hp.com/.../index.asp

Prices range from $597 to $1797, corresponding with savings for $199 to $590. The resulting machine prices are $150 to $450 each. These are NOT high performance machines, but about as low performance as you can go with full features. The benefit is low price, ease of configuration, and in my humble opinion, very low energy consumption.

The story:

I bought a refurbished HP thin client t5000 (discontinued) from techforless for $80 (last one) and when it arrived I was totally surprised - it was a decent machine - they have all the characteristics of a real machine, only slower and less power hungry. A VIA Eden 400mhz, 32mb flash, 128mb ram, no hd. Even came with a nice keyboard! Also has Unichrome VGA chip, and uses 16mb ram for video. I tried several configurations, but ended up installing Debian to the t5000 in the following manner:

http://www.docunext.com/.../debian-usb-hp-t5000/

In a nutshell: I installed the the /boot/ to the 32mb flash memory, and / to an external 2.5" sata drive. The machine uses around 12 watts of power (display not included obviously).

Anyway I checked what other devices I could buy and found that HP is having a promo through the end of April for thin clients, buy 3 get 1 free. I bought 4 of the t5135 for $597.
These have 64mb of ram, but still use the slow 400mhz via eden. You can get the via 800mhz, or the amd geode 1ghz with the same promo, but I wanted the cheapest option. They also have the t5125 which is similar to the t5000 I already have but only 32mb of flash ram.

What are these machines good for? Well since I installed debian, I'm going to use it as a server of some sorts, probably DNS, web, or Jabber. Not sure yet. I plan to install XUbuntu on the t5135's I get. I'll probably use one or two as extra workstations, and the other two as more servers.

Also, techforless also has Chip PC Extreme thin clients running Windows CE for $75. These are much more limited (no bios I could see) and pretty much only good for a KVMoverIP connection to IE6. That's it!

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?p=6154903

PC Connection also has some good deals on HP products:

Today's Purchases: MicroSD, Lighting Umbrella, Tripod

2007-03-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today I bought:

* 1GB MicroSD card from Buy.com: $20 minus $17 rebate = $2.95! The rebate for this was really hard to find afterwards. Thankfully Dealnews.com had it linked: US Modular 1GB microSD Card $17 Rebate

* 2 Lighting umbrellas from Handhelditems.com for around $50 a piece

* Tripod from RadioShack.com for $20

* Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1K 5MP Compact Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) for $190 - this one I'm excited for because it has a leica lens!

Chip PC Thin Client

2007-03-29T08:56:00.000-07:00

I bought this from Techforless.com for $75:

What is it good for? Well it runs IE 6. So we'll use it for testing. Supposedly has a VNC server, but I can't get it to work.

New APEVIA Computer Case

2007-03-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

This APEVIA case arrived from Newegg.com two days ago:

I bought two of them, and I'm going to install VIA c7 motherboards in them.

Upromise.com HP.com Purchase

2007-03-29T06:55:00.000-07:00

I just bought 4 t5135 hp thin clients through Upromise.com -> hp.com, total of $597, resulting in a contribution of 4%, or approximately $24. Not bad! Let's hope they make the contribution!

Upromise.com / HP.com Typo

2007-03-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

This is kind of funny:

"Buy a free 19" monitor and get a 19" LCD Monitor free!"

Buy 3 thin clients, get 1 free

2007-03-29T04:47:00.000-07:00

HP is running a promotion right now where you get a free thin client when you buy 3 of them. This applies to several different items, so the value goes from 199 up to 450. Check hp.com for details.

I plan to buy 4 of the t5125, add a usb flash drive and run debian on them. These devices use about 15 watts of power!

nokia n800

2007-03-29T04:45:00.000-07:00

If you can afford a Nokia N800 Internet Tablet PC - buy one. They rule! About $370 for one, but you'll want some sd cards too, so add another $20 to the price.

CD-ROM enclosures

2007-03-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

Just picked up a couple of CD-ROM enclosures from Newegg.com:

SABRENT SBT-ESU52 Aluminum 5.25" USB 2.0 External Enclosure - Retail

Figured I'd buy a CDR while I was at it:
LG Beige 52X CD-R 32X CD-RW 52X CD-ROM 2MB Cache E-IDE / ATAPI CD Burner - OEM

I bought the Sabrent because it uses a standard power cord. Too many adapters (wall warts!), know what I mean?

Amazon Tools Arrival

2007-03-27T09:21:00.001-07:00

I just bought these tools from Amazon last week and they arrived today:

Stanley 60-060 6-Piece Screwdriver Assortment

Stanley 30-485 12 x 1/2-Inch Tape Measure

Weller BP645MP Battery Powered Soldering Iron with Batteries

Linksys NSLU2 price drop at Amazon.com

2007-03-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

The Linksys Storage Link for USB 2.0 Disk Drives NSLU2 is only $75 now at Amazon.com. It comes with free shipping too! Lowest on pricegrabber.com is about $85.

The NSLU2 runs debian with ease!

Directron.com return

2007-03-26T07:02:00.000-07:00

I just returned a Shuttle Barebones to Directron.com but had to pay for shipping:

Paid: $194.39
Refunded: $-179.99

My experience with the device was that it was DOA, so I'm surprised they didn't refund the full amount.

Woot!

2007-03-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

I finally bought something from Woot.com. Actually 3 things, three 4GB SD cards, $27 a piece, plus $5 for shipping.

Atomic Clock

2007-03-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

I searched for good looking atomic clocks and here's what I found:

LaCrosse Technology WT-3122A 12-Inch Wood Atomic Analog Clock

Oregon Scientific Travel Clock with Calendar

Big-Digit Atomic Alarm Clock

Atomic Wall Clock with Temperature & Moon Phases

I like the idea of atomic clocks. Its kind of like the network time protocol which can keep machines in synchronized time.

As far as the clocks themselves, I bought three of the above, all but the one from Brookstone. I wanted one for my desk, one for the wall in my office, and one on the wall in the office entrance.

NewEgg.com PayPal Promotion

2007-03-23T18:57:00.000-07:00

I just bought the following items at newegg.com, and the shipping total came to $10.03, but with the "PAYPAL10" promotion code, the shipping was only $0.03! Thanks PayPal! (You have to pay with PayPal to get the discount.)

MOUSEPAD|BELKIN WAVEREST F8E244-BLK - Retail Item #: N82E16817114117 $3.39

FLASH 1G|A-DATA SD SDC-1G0 R - Retail Item #: N82E16820211309 $6.19

FDD 1.44MB NEC|FD1231H-302 BK % - OEM Item #: N82E16821152005 $6.49

MOUSE SUNBEAM|OPT BLK MS-2011-BK-BL - Retail Item #: N82E16826178003 $5.99

Subtotal $22.06
Tax $0.00
UPS Ground $0.03
Order Total $22.09

Nokia n800

2007-03-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

This thing feels very nice!

Wacom Tablet and Nokia n800!

2007-03-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

My new Wacom tabley arrived:

Macbook iSkin

2007-03-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

I'm typing this post with a brand new iSkin installed on my Macbook. Its actually not bad. I could get used to it. I think it would have been better to install on a new Macbook as opposed to one that's been used for awhile.

4GB Compact Flash Card at Frys.com

2007-03-21T05:42:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to get one of these:

4GB CompactFlash Photo Hard Drive, CF+ Type II (Micro Drive) Seagate ST64022C-RK (old model#ST6240211C-RK)

I know they aren't the best, but for a low power setup, it should be perfect.

Only $29.99 at Frys.com with free shipping. Good deal! I would have bought two but they limit 1 per address.

External Hard Drive Enclosures and Mousepads

2007-03-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Since my sister's iMac G5 hard drive died, she wants to get an external hard drive. I suggested a Seagate internal hard drive and a USB external enclosure. We went with the Metal Gear drive enclosure. The price was right and the reviews were decent. While I was at it, I also bought a couple for myself, another SATA and two IDE.

Good stuff!

Oh yeah, and since I was shopping at newegg.com and Amazon isn't going to ship my mousepads for a month, I bought a couple of performace, ultra-thin, mousepads.

CompUSA.com

2007-03-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

CompUSA has some good anniversary deals going on, I just picked up some canned air ($3.50 a piece, with a $3.50 rebate for one of them) as well as a Burton flash drive: 1GB for $15.99. Since the order total was over $23, the shipping was free!

RAM Deals at Newegg.com

2007-03-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

N82E16820220078 87.99 Patriot 1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SO-DIMM EMC315RIOT1GB Rebate $20

N82E16820146219 $52.99 Mushkin 512MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM DIMM EMC315MUSH512 Rebate $10

N82E16820145048 69.99 Crucial 1GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Notebook Memory EMC315SHP1GB
$210.97

I passed on these deals because newegg.com only lets you use one promo code at a time and it would be too much work otherwise.

Tool Deals from Amazon

2007-03-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

Here's a list of things I just bought from Amazon.com:

Shipping estimate for these items: April 20, 2007 - May 8, 2007
Delivery estimate: April 27, 2007 - May 21, 2007
1 "Jorgensen 3201-HT 1-Inch Pony Spring Clamp"
Tools & Hardware; $2.11

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "Stanley 55-045 7.5-inch Wonder Bar II Pry Bar"
Tools & Hardware; $3.99

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "Stanley 46-123 Contractor Grade Combination Square"
Tools & Hardware; $12.99

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "Dremel 750-02 Minimite 13,000 RPM 2 Speed 4.8-Volt Lithium Cordless Rotary Tool"
Tools & Hardware; $27.99

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "General Tools 1216 12-Inch Flex Stainless Steel Rule"
Tools & Hardware; $8.29

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "Stanley 30-485 12 x 1/2-Inch Tape Measure"
Tools & Hardware; $4.95

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "IRWIN 2085200 Pro Touch Retractable / Fixed Blade Utility Knife Combo with 20 - IRWIN Bi-Metal Blades"
Tools & Hardware; $8.09

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "Black and Decker LI3000 Cordless Screwdriver with Internal Lithium Battery"
Tools & Hardware; $35.55

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "Felo 0715750176 Set of 6 Insulated Slotted & Phillips Screwdrivers, 513 Series"
Tools & Hardware; $29.09

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "Gerber 22-41506 Clutch Mini Pliers Keychain Tool - Special Ops Gray"
Tools & Hardware; $11.42

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "Weller BP645MP Battery Powered Soldering Iron with Batteries"
Tools & Hardware; $14.99

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "Samsung NV7 7.2MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom"
Electronics; $262.49

Sold by: Amazon.com

Shipping estimate for these items: March 23, 2007
Delivery estimate: March 30, 2007 - April 5, 2007
1 "Stanley 34-793 200 Open Reel Fiberglass Long Tape Rule"
Tools & Hardware; $17.91

Sold by: Amazon.com

Shipping estimate for these items: March 23, 2007
Delivery estimate: March 30, 2007 - April 5, 2007
1 "Stanley 60-060 6-Piece Screwdriver Assortment"
Tools & Hardware; $4.55

Sold by: Amazon.com
1 "Custom LeatherCraft 1101 3 Multi-Purpose, Clip-On Zippered Bags"
Tools & Hardware; $3.74

Sold by: Amazon.com

I'm especially excited about the Samsung NV7 with the Schnieder Kreuznach lens - it looks big and clear.

And the tools - tools are always very helpful and worth their expense. The important thing is to know how they work, keep them organized, and accessible.

Missing Funds from FatWallet

2007-03-17T01:19:00.000-07:00

Since FatWallet has been a real pain in the you know what about missing cash back I am owed, I've decided to use upromise.com instead. However, they don't have a "note" system, so its easy to forget what you bought through their affiliate links. Just to make sure I don't forget, I bought:

* Nokia n800 through buy.com via upromise.com
* A bunch of stuff from newegg.com (Wacom tablet, 3Ware Raid card, ethernet cables, etc.)
HC/F DELONGHI | DAP110F3M - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$9.99)
H/B DELONGHI | DAP130 PURIFIER - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$69.99)
LINKDEPOT 25FT CAT6WHT C6M-25-WHB R - Retail (Qty=2, Price=$9.58)
ACC CAMERA DNJ DJC-003 CLEANING KIT - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$7.99)
FAN SPEED CONT| ZALMAN FANMATE-2 RT - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$3.99)
CLEANER ROSEWILL RCN-SC206 RT - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$14.49)
HD_CTRL 3WARE|9650SE-2LP SATAII RT - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$189.99)
MOUSEPAD|BELKIN WAVEREST F8E244-BLK - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$3.39)
MAC ACC ISKIN|ISK-PTMB-AR RTL - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$15.99)
TABLET WACOM|PTZ630 USB 6x8 RTL - Retail (Qty=1, Price=$299.99)
DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #28930 (Qty=1, Price=$-9.99)

FatWallet stores the "notes" in your "Cash back click history". And I'm wondering why they make it so difficult to get any information beyond what you put in yourself. But at least you can see your click history. I don't think that is possible through upromise.com, but I could be wrong.

Nokia n800

2007-03-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

I had to do it - I just bought the new-ish Nokia n800 from buy.com for $362 + $18 tax. I already have a Nokia 700 and I love it. I do have a couple of complaints though which will hopefully be fixed in the new version: short battery life, slow speed, and keyboard issues. Unfortunately, they again decided not to make the unit chargeable via USB. (BAD IDEA NOKIA!!!)

I'm getting more used to the keyboard typing on the 700 - I use it at the gym to update my wikis. I would like to format some control panels specifically for the Nokia's 800x400 pixel screen so I can be more productive.

iSkin XT Keyboard Cover

2007-03-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

I just bought 5 iSkin keyboard covers from Mac-Pro.com, they had the best price: $19.99 each, plus about $6 total shipping. I actually only have 3 Apple keyboards, but will likely get more in the near future.

I'm also going to get a couple of iSkins for Macbooks.

Citcuit City Deals

2007-03-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

Just picked up a couple of goodies from CircuitCity.com:

* Oregon Scientific Clock with Thermometer
* Canon Business Calculator
* Sharp Basic Calculator

SYBA SD-SA2PEX-2IR PCI Express SATA II Controller Card

2007-03-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

I bought a couple of SYBA SD-SA2PEX-2IR PCI Express SATA II Controller Cards from Newegg.com based upon the great reviews they were getting there. For cheap money, it was worth a shot. Unfortunately, I had a hell of a time getting it to work.

In fact, its still not working. The problems were many and could have been caused by a mutlitude of causes: motherboard (KN1 Lite), funky linux drivers, who knows? I still have hopes that I will be able to get it to work for a hi-po testing machine, but for practical purposes I'm going with the leader in SATA RAID cards: 3Ware. Newegg has the 3ware 9650SE-2LP PCI Express x1 SATA II Controller Card for $189 as of March 16, so I figure that is a safe bet.

Although, I have a couple of VIA C7 PC Chips motherboards coming in I could use, but they don't have PCI-Express slots. :-(

I do have an AOpen XCube which has a PCIe slot, that might be the right choice for this idea.

http://lathiat.livejournal.com/37143.html

Happy Hacking Keyboard Professional

2007-03-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

Note Bene: This is not a tech "deal" - its an expensive item, but SO COOL!!!

My HHKB Professional came in yesterday! I love it already, and I haven't even tried it yet. First thing I noticed: it's tiny!

Cheap 2.5" SATA drives

2007-03-14T04:06:00.000-07:00

I like 2.5" SATA drives (notebook drives) for use in full size computers over PATA drives because they use the same interface, no need for an adapter. I went searching for cheap 2.5" SATA drives and found a great deal at geeks.com:

Cheap 2.5" SATA drives - from $35+ for refurbished drives!

Since these are refurbished, I don't want to use them in mission critical items, but they'd be great for testing machines, portable drives, and other non-critical setups.

Remember, notebook drives only use about 2 watts of power, where 3.5" drives use up to 10 watts. For more computer power consumption information, check out docunext.com.

Pertelian X2040

2007-03-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

I searched high and low for a good mini LCD character display and this is the best I could come up with:

Pertelian X2040 at Directron.com for $47.

Although I bought one I'm pretty annoyed that they cost as much as they do. LCD components are pretty darn cheap, but getting them to work can be a serious challenge. I bet Pertelian will sell a bunch of these. This will be a nice add-on for the second NSLU2 I just picked up.

Its amazing that an NSLU2 costs as much as an ASUS Terminator T1 barebones. The benefits of the NSLU2 are its size and low energy consumption, while the ASUS has a lot more power, but uses about 8 times the energy, at least.

The one thing I have a decent amount of at this moment is space, I would like to use it to setup more servers, but I don't want to drive up my energy bill. Hmmm, what to do? I also bought a couple of Via C7 motherboards because they use so little energy. Combined with a SeaSonic power supply I should be able to setup a very efficient server.

Refurbished iMac

2007-03-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

Just got my refurbished iMac but it has crud on the front panel! Argh. Oh well, guess that's what you get for buying refurbished. Its also an excuse to jazz it up some - I'll get something to stick on the front to cover it up. I've actually got some extra window tint that might look cool.

Happy Hacking Professional Keyboard

2007-03-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

I did it. I bought the Happy Hacking Professional Keyboard. Yes, the one with blank keys. I spend enough time in front of a keyboard to warrant the expense: $275. Ouch, that smarts, but I am confident it will be well worth it.

eWiz.com

2007-03-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

I'm giving eWiz.com a try on some PC Chips VIA C7 boards - they are only $55 ($10 less than newegg.com). The shipping is higher but so I bought 2 and some RAM as well to make it worth while.

They have great ratings, so hopefully the purchase will go smoothly.

Shuttle XPC DOA

2007-03-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

My Shuttle XPC arrived from Directron.com last week but it was DOA! So I've requested an RMA and am just going to return it. I'm disappointed it doesn't work and already spent enough time on it. Time to move on.

I bought some other gear I like better anyway, like the ASUS Terminator. Its cheap, small and efficient. The case is wackier than anything I've seen in a long time, but it works to some degree. The power supply blocks the IDE ports above 2 inches so I can't use my direct insertion compact flash to IDE adapter there. Instead, I bought an indirect insertion adapter from newegg.com for $10. It has a female IDE slot for connecting to a cable instead of plugging right into the mobo.

On the ASUS Terminator, I'm going to try booting directly off an internal USB flash drive. To do so, I bought some USB adapters for the motherboard from ituner.com called EPIA-USB-Adapter. Hopefully they'll work, as USB flash drives are cheaper and more widely available than CF and IDE drives. USB drives will undoubtedly have more booting issues because the IDE interface is so mature. Also, I am going to try setting up RAID0 on CF IDE drives to boost performace. That will be pretty awesome.

eCost.com lets me down

2007-03-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

eCost.com cancelled my order - that's annoying. Same thing has happened to me with PC Connection and PC Microstore. Thanks for wasting my time, I won't bother shopping at your site again.

I instead purchased the Intel Pro 1000 GT Desktop Adapter at PCsForEveryone.com. The items cost about $10 more each, but at least I know they have them in stock and will actually deliver. For what its worth (FWIW), I have have very good experiences with PCsForEveryone. They recently closed their retail store in Cambridge, MA, but I'm actually closer to their warehouse in Norwood, MA. I've got to take a trip over there to check it out, but in the mean time I had them ship the ethernet cards.

WOW! What a turn around twister this purchase has been. eCost.com actually came through with the cards, but PCsforeverone.com hasn't! In fact, they shipped one, but charged me for eight. I've contacted them for a refund. I'm not happy about how this has gone at all.

Where's my stuff?

2007-03-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

Two orders I made recently have not arrived and I'm wondering where they are. The orders were through buy.com (a 2GB CF card) and ecost.com (6 gige ethernet pci cards) over a week ago.

My email to buy.com:

No sign of this flash card, wondering where it is. Tracking link keeps saying information is unavailable. I was billed for this on the 28th and am considering contesting the charge because its been over a week with no delivery.

I also emailed eCost.com earlier today asking what the status is on my order, because it is still listed as processing at their website. Maybe the acquisition by PFS Web has not helped as much as I thought it would.

Almost forgot because its been so long, but PCConnection has yet to fulfill one of my orders as well. Here's what I just sent them:

My order was supposed to include a notebook messenger bag. Your website reported this item in stock and would ship the day of my order. That was over two weeks ago.

When will this product be shipped?

Contour Cargo Notebook Messenger, Black
In Stock
Ships: Today
$24.95
$24.95

Kensington Technology Group
Item#: 6782613
Mfr#: 62905
Ship Weight: 2.24 lbs.

They responded back and said this:

Thank you for contacting PC Connection. According to our records that item was canceled off the order before it processed.
If you would like to re-order please call our sales line at 1-800-800-5555 and we will ship your order freight free ground,
simply reference your order number.
I apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely,
Website CS

I tried calling that number but it was busy, so I'm going to forget about it. I also ordered some Duffle Bags from Modell's in the meantime, so I guess its not a big deal. I think this is yet another example of a "drop ship" supplier gone bad. Drop shipping is when an e-commerce store does not hold the inventory or even control the fulfillment of the product. That is handled by another "distributor". I love this concept and truly believe it to be the wave of the future, but it obviously has some kinks to be worked out.

FatWallet Cash Back Problems

2007-03-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

Lately I've been having some cash back problems with my purchases from Newegg.com, namely none of them are coming through. That is troublesome because FatWallet makes it a serious pain to fill out the trouble tickets, requiring you to fill out way more information than should be necessary.

Oh well, hopefully they'll figure it out. If it becomes an issue, I'll switch to Upromise which seems to have better service and faster reporting. However, they don't have click tracking which is somewhat of a pain.

CPT400 Targus Laptop Case Failure

2007-03-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

This picture shows how the zipper grip has broken off the zipper, making it near impossible to use this bag. What I didn't show is that both zipper grips have fallen off. I've attached a keyring to replace them, but it doesn't work. I bought this less than a year ago so maybe they will honor the warranty.

They have a "Ask a question" form for warranty replacements. This is what I submitted:

The zipper tabs fell off my Targus laptop case. Please instruct me how to fulfill the warranty on my bag for a repair or replacement. The case is less than one year old.

This is the Targus Laptop Case I bought from Compusa.com in July of 2006.

Newegg and Centrix Purchases

2007-03-07T20:46:00.000-08:00

Just picked up more goodies from Newegg and Centrix:

Newegg
(2) SeaSonic power supplies - they get 85% + efficiency ratings! $50 each
(1) ASUS Terminator with motherboard and Via C3 chip to work as a PBX phone system $74
(1) RAM chip for $90 with a $40 rebate

Centrix
(1) Slimline CD-ROM - $10
(1) USB Slimline CD-ROM case - $
(1) Intel Pro ethernet card PILA8461 - $3.49
(2) Floppy drives - $1.99 each
(1) 5 1/4 CD-ROM - $2

Good stuff.

AOpen XC Cube EX761 AMD Socket 754 AMD Athlon 64/Sempron SiS 761GX 2 x 184Pin SiS Mirage 1 Barebone

2007-03-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

Just bought one of these from newegg.com:

AOpen XC Cube EX761 AMD Socket 754 AMD Athlon 64/Sempron SiS 761GX 2 x 184Pin SiS Mirage 1 Barebone

Only $99 with free shipping! My plan is to build a low-power NAS device: RAID0 with IDE drives instead of SATA. Supposedly they use less energy. We'll see!

Antec Case NSK4400

2007-03-06T16:27:00.000-08:00

I just picked up the Atec NSK4400 from Fry's Outpost for $69 with free shipping and a $30 rebate. I'm pleased because I almost bought this from Newegg.com a week ago for $25 more. Phew!

Everex NC1500 Laptops

2007-03-06T02:45:00.000-08:00

Two refurbished NC1500 Everex notebook computers arrived from Walmart.com yesterday. At $398 + tax & s/h, the price was right. These puppies feature 512MB ram, a 60GB hard drive, a Via C7-M processor, a build-in ethernet card, DVD burner, and a 15.4" screen.

Installing Linux on the Everex NC1500

S3 Unichrome Graphics
I immediately installed Xubuntu (my now favorite linux distro) on one of them, and had a little difficulty getting the display to work properly (the booting framebuffer is still buggered up), but it looks amazing now. I followed the Ubuntu Community Documentation Howto on setting up OpenChrome for use with the VIA / S3® Unichrome Pro integrated graphics processor (IGP). It took about 5 minutes and worked exactly as described. I manually set the screen size in /etc/X11/xorg.conf: 1280 x 800, rebooted, and smiled.

ACPI
Other than that, I haven't tried to get too many things working on the laptop. ACPI seems to work fine, though the processor fan seems to blow even when the CPU is very cool. There is a thermal zone, and the processor seems to have some impressive frequency scaling capabilities.

Fan Problems
The fan won't shut off at all, and I think it is impossible to make it do so with the current DSDT from the BIOS. I am totally surprised I was able to do this, but I was able to make the fan work. Here are some notes on a DSDT fix for the Exerex NC1500 DSDT ACPI fan on and off controls.

Ethernet, Wireless
Ethernet worked fine, haven't tried wireless, though ath0 does show up with an "ifconfig".

Review of the Everex NC1500

BIOS
The bios are very limited but one of the options is to boot off a USB flash drive - very cool - but I haven't tried it yet.

Battery
The battery is tiny and I have my doubts about its longevity. But it is light, which is great. In fact the entire laptop is very light for its size. I actually bought this machine to be a server so the battery is not important to me.

Energy Consumption
This machine is the most efficient I've ever seen. It runs at about 14 watts with the display on. With some tweaking, I'm sure I can get it under 10 watts. Amazing!

Via C7-M CPU
The C7-M also features the Via Padlock technology for accelerating AES encryption, for applications like IPSec vpns, ssh connections, and scp transfers. Nice. This could be a quality server after all! See the related links section at the end for benchmarks.

Case
The case seems flimsy, but its actually quite good looking and as I mentioned earlier the machine is lightweight.

Software
The machine comes with one software restore CD. I haven't checked the contents, but I imagine it comes with Windows Home. Upon initial boot, I saw some multimedia software and CD/DVD burning software.

Documentation
The notebook comes with a photocopied warranty! And the manual is pretty skimpy.

At $398 - this laptop rocks. Especially if you run an efficient operating system like Xubuntu, you've got an incredible machine for super cheap. I am tempted to buy a couple more of these.

Everex NC1500 Related Links:
VIA C7-M CPU Review at HardwareSecrets.com
OpenChrome Documentation at Ubuntu
VIA Padlock ACE benchmarks on the VIA C3 Nehemiah

Too Many Printers

2007-03-05T06:30:00.000-08:00

With all the "free" inkjet printer offers, I somehow end up with way too many printers. Right now I have two laser printers, a photocopier, three inkjet printers, and two scanners. Pretty good huh!

KVM and Video Extenders

2007-03-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

I'm looking for a video extender / kvm extender / video amplified for a monitor that has a native resolution of 1680x1050. Unfortunately, I can't find one, and don't understand how VGA connections work to make a guess.

The best one I've found is the IOGEAR GVE120 Cat5 Video Extender Kit - Retail $160 @ Newegg.com. It says it supports 1600x1200, but what about 1680x1050?

Sound familiar:

http://zurich.ai.mit.edu/hypermail/thinkpad/2005-08/0327.html

USB Drives

2007-03-03T01:41:00.000-08:00

Had to pick these up from Newegg.com because of the great rebates they came with (1GB was $1 and the $2GB was $5! AR + S/H).

Mac Mini

2007-03-03T01:35:00.000-08:00

The Mac Mini arrived today and I opened the box and plugged it in, really quite a nice looking machine, and so small! The only complaint I have so far is the power supply. If this one dies I can only imagine how much a new one will cost. Hopefully it will have a nice happy long life. :-)

I don't have a keyboard handy so I can't fire it up yet. I'm going to use it for the following services:
* print server
* DVD player
* iTunes server
* file server
* and so much more!

Here's a really bad picture of the box getting opened (it is refurbished and all):

Great Tech Post at Slickdeals

2007-03-02T06:27:00.000-08:00

This is an awesome post about how to build a super-fast computer on a budget:

Build a Cheap and Speedy Intel E4300 Computer

I especially like this thread because I almost just built one! The E4300 caught my eye for its low price and efficient power consumption, IIRC it only uses about 65 watts of power under load.

I instead opted for the much cheaper Celeron for my NAS.

Network Attached Storage

2007-03-01T20:25:00.000-08:00

What are the qualities of a good Networked Attached Storage device?

Size
Ease-of-use
Protocol support: Samba, AFP, sshfs, NFS
Energy effciency
Price
Performance!

Performance is key, and savvy tech masters can forego the ease-of-use mumbo-jumbo, go to the command line, and wreak havoc, figuratively.

Item	Price
intel e1000	$16
Celeron D Processor 331 LGA775 2.66GHz 256K 90MN XD 533MHz Box	$35
Shuttle XPC SS30G2 Barebone System + Kingston 256MB PC2 4200 Memory Combo	$179

This thing should be screaming, and tiny, and energy efficient. I'm going to put two 500GB Samsung spinpoints which I bought for a thecus n2100.

As for cost efficient, absolutely. With a total of under $250, it is cheaper than most NAS out there.

Cheap LCDs

2007-02-28T06:15:00.000-08:00

While I'm here, I have to post this LCD deal at Surplus Computers:

12" 800x600 LCD for $46 +s/h

I'm not going to get one, because it comes with no stand, is used, and s/h is $15, but it is a great deal nonetheless. If I were within willcall distance, I might pick a couple up.

CompUSA Tech Deals?

2007-02-28T06:05:00.000-08:00

I posted an entry about CompUSA to Are you going to buy that? recently, and although the post reflected my negative experience, I was surprised that others have had bad experiences as well. Its only been a short while, but two people have already commented: you can read my original post about CompUSA and others comments here.

Another comment was to a post I had about CompUSA's future, and even another was in response to a post about CompUSA closing 15 stores.

All that being said, I do have to defend CompUSA here a little, while their service may not be the greatest, they do have some great tech deals from time to time, like the APC UPS 1200VA I got their recently for $99 AR.

Refurbished Everex Laptops at Walmart

2007-02-27T11:48:00.000-08:00

You can't beat these prices:

Everex StepNote 15.4" Widescreen Laptop PC w/ 1.5 GHz VIA C7-M processor, Refurbished at Walmart for $398 as of February 27, 2006.

	15.4" diagonal TFT screen with DiamondBrite Technology
		Active-matrix widescreen LCD offers WXGA resolution of 1280 x 800
	1.5 GHz VIA C7-M processor with 256 KB cache)
		For quick, efficient operation
	512 MB of DDR2 SDRAM
		Ample memory has 533 MHz speed and can be expanded to 2 GB
	Spacious 60 GB hard drive
		Store your MP3s, JPEGs, files and more
	Versatile DVD+/-RW dual optical drive
		Burn your own DVDs and CDs on a variety of blank media formats

Additional Features:

Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Graphics: S3 UniChrome Pro with Chromation CE video display engine
Audio: AC'97 with headphone/line-out jack and microphone/line-in jack
Wireless LAN: IEEE 802.11b/g
Ethernet: 10/100 Mbps LAN
Fax/modem: Built-in 56K v.92 with 1 x RJ-11 telephone jack
I/O ports: 1 x DB 15-pin VGA port, 3 x USB 2.0 ports, 1 x DC-in jack
Pointing device: 2-button glide pad
Software: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2, CyberLink Power DVD, CyberLink Power2Go, Norton Internet Security (trial version)
Battery: Rechargeable lithium-ion
AC-DC adapter: 65 watts
AC adapter measurements: 4.25" (L) x 1.75" (W) x 1.13" (H)

I plan to ditch Windows XP Home and install Linux. However, to preserve the license that has been granted for using Windows XP Home with the Everex, I will backup the drive if it doesn't come with restoration cds. I'll probably use Xubuntu. Xubuntu linux runs well on the Satellite 5205-S703.

I'm very surprised that I can't find any published attempts to install linux on this beast. To be sure, my attempts will be published. In my research I found positive reviews about the efficiency of the processor, which is good. If worse comes to worse I can always use Puppy Linux or Damn Small Linux to brute force the laptop into being something useful. When in doubt, install linux!

PC Connection Startech KVM over IP

2007-02-24T06:28:00.000-08:00

PC Connection again has a good deal on the Startech KVM-over-IP Server Remote: $529 with free shipping until the end of February 2007.

Techonweb.com

2007-02-23T09:52:00.000-08:00

I should also mention that the store I bought the D-Link web camera from, Techonweb.com, turned out to deserve the quality reputation they have. Although there was a little trouble with my credit card denied, and in the process I had some difficulty getting a CSR on the phone, but in the end it worked out fine and I got a good price with minor hassles. If you are considering buying from Techonweb.com, consider my good experience in your decision.

Today Is a Good Day for Tech Deals!

2007-02-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

So far I've aleady got a Mac Mini, and I just got some really awesome RAM: 2GB chips for servers from PC Connection. That's right - 2GB on a single chip. That's huge, I know. Each chip rang in at $159 which is pretty amazing. I bought 4 of them, as I have two servers that I can upgrade. I'm not sure if I'm going to put the RAM in both servers, because there is a slight chance it isn't compatilbe with one of them.

Here are my notes I took when making the purchase:

SM25672RDDR6H2BGAI - Recommended for tyan thunder

SG25672RDDR6H2BGSC - PCC - compatible with my SuperMicro server

PC Connection has some great deals on memory, but the server I want to upgrade is not listed as a compatible model, though everything else seems the same. I'm comparing the specs of two memory models from the manufacturer, one that PCC has, and the other the manufacturer recommends for the server I'm targetting.

Besides that, I also picked up a cheap courier bag from PC Connection. $24 when Amazon sells it for $50. Cool!

And in other deals, Dealnews.com has linked a $5 off a clearance purchase of $50 or more. The link is direct from Radio Shack, so you can be confident its the real deal:

RadioShack In-Store Printable Coupon

Mac Mini!

2007-02-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

I'm very pleased - the least expensive Mac Mini was back in stock at the Apple Refurbished Store today! Therefore I was able to use a gift card my wife and I received at Christmas for the Apple store, as well as a discount code from Dealnews for $30 off $400+. The final price was a little more that $460 - which is a great price for a nice little Mac Mini. The one I bought has 512MB of RAM, a 60GB hard drive, and a 1.66Ghz Intel Core Duo chip. It really is a nice little machie.

Now I can start using my Titanium laptop again at work. The TiBook is a really nice machine, but its not as fast as it used to seem. I replaced it with a Macbook, which I've really grown to love. The TiBook is still good for plenty of uses, like Adobe CS2, surfing the internet, scanning documents, checking email, etc.

Hooray! I got a Mac Mini! :-)

Refurbished Mac Mini?

2007-02-22T02:41:00.000-08:00

I had hoped to pick up a refurbished Mac Mini, taking advantage of the $30 off $400 from Deal News, but the refurbished minis they have at the Apple Store are bunk in my humble opinion. They are even more expensive than buying a new one. Go figure!

Null Modem Serial Cable

2007-02-21T18:15:00.000-08:00

After fiddling with serial connections more than I expected I would, I decided to buy a couple to have handy. The best price I found was from monoprice.com, for $2.60 a piece. Not bad!

If you do your own searching, the key works I found to work the best are "null modem serial cable" you can omit the quotes though.

Good Tech Stuff!

2007-02-21T17:13:00.000-08:00

PC Engines Wireless Router Application Platform

Remote Web Power Control Panel

APC UPS

Motorola Bluetooth Headset

Free Virtual PC

2007-02-21T16:09:00.000-08:00

Following up on the post about Parallels for free from PC Connection (with the purchase of a full-price Mac), here's a link to download Microsoft Virtual PC for free:

Microsoft Virtual PC

Goodies Arrived!

2007-02-17T21:34:00.000-08:00

Lots of goodies came in this past week:

Look at all that fun stuff!

External 2.5" SATA drive enclosure - only $11!

Netgear 8 port switch

D-Link camera

Matrox Dual Head

PC Connection Mac Deals

2007-02-17T09:15:00.000-08:00

These are some terrific prices and even better with the rebates:

* New Mac computers get rebates of $50-$200
* Parallels free with purchase of new Mac (two rebates though)
* Canon Pixma for free after rebate with purchase of new Mac

For example, here is an overview of the rebates you can get with an iMac 17" 1.83Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo 512MB RAM 160GB Combo Drive Airport Extreme

As explained above, you can get the iMac, Parallels and a Canon Pixma photo printer for $919 AR + tax, with free shipping until the end of February 2007.

Cheap USB to Ethernet Adapter

2007-02-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

I looked around for a while trying to find a good USB to Ethernet adapter that would work with linux and found this:

Linksys USB100M EtherFast 10/100 Compact USB Network Adapter @ Amazon.com

It is priced at $25.34 as of February 16, 2007, which qualifies it for free shipping. It is only USB 1.1, but the Linksys USB200M EtherFast USB 2.0 10/100 Network Adapter is also available from Amazon.com for a few cents more, and of course also qualifies for super saver shipping.

I opted for the USB 1.1 as it seems to have better support in linux because of its Pegasus driver, though I haven't confirmed that yet.

No Microsoft OS Deals!

2007-02-15T07:33:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to clean up and organize my Windows operating system licenses, I can't find my Windows 2000 CD, and I can't get a replacement copy, as Windows 200 has been discontinued! You can read more about the technical aspects of Microsoft Windows license types at Docunext, this post is about the finance part of Windows OS's.

Therefore, I'm reviewing the upgrade paths and costs of the differenct versions available. First off, I want my copies of Windows to be legitimate - I'm in the software industry and don't want to poach my own industry, and besides, pirating software is illegal, whether or not you get caught.

While there are sometimes a deal or two with Microsoft OS's, you pretty much have to pay full price. Therefore, I want to make sure I make the best choice.

For my goal of having Windows 2000 and/or Windows XP running on my Macbook via Parallels, I have a few options:

So first I'll deal with XP Professional:

* OEM license - $131 from Newegg.com

* Full / Retail license - $279

* Retail Upgrade - $184 from newegg.com

* OEM Upgrade - ???

XP Home:

* Microsoft XP Home OEM license - $89

* Microsoft XP Home Retail - $189

* Retail Microsoft XP Home Upgrade - $99

In my searches I found this site: 9software.com which seems a little fishy, but 9software.com has good ratings.

And again on the fishy side, Microsoft alleged piracy in 2005.

The question now is whether to get home or professional? The home oem edition is pretty affordable at $89. So that's what I'm going with, a Windows XP Home OEM license from a reputable vendor like Newegg.com. Cool.

Great Apple Macbook Deal

2007-02-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

This is a great deal:

Refurbished MacBook 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo - White only $799!

That is a righteous deal if I ever saw one! I might even pick up an extra one for the office.

Couple of goodies!

2007-02-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

Picked up 2 retractable ethernet cables from Meritline.com, only $4.99 with free shipping.

Bought 5 technical books from Amazon, total over $150, but was able to use a coupon code for $15 off!

"Designing Large Scale LANs"
Kevin Dooley; Paperback; $32.76

"Unix Power Tools, Third Edition"
Shelley Powers; Paperback; $39.17

"Essential System Administration, Third Edition"
Ã†leen Frisch; Paperback; $29.67

"Shell Scripting Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach (Expert's Voice in Open Source)"
Chris F.A. Johnson; Paperback; $27.99

"The Book of Postfix: State-of-the-Art Message Transport"
Ralf Hildebrandt; Paperback; $24.72

Bought this from PC Microstore - but curious how they are able to sell the Motorola Phone Tools software for so cheap:

MOTOROLA RAZR V3, V3i, V3x OEM ORIGINAL USB DATA CABLE W/ MOTOROLA PHONE TOOLS 4.0 SOFTWARE (SJB6371B+4.0SOFTWARE)

From Newegg.com: SWITCH NETGEAR|GS608 8-PRT 100/1000 for $63 with free shipping and a $15 rebate.

And finally from CompUSA, an APC UPS: Back-UPS XS 1200 UPS, 1200VA, 780watts: $124 with $25 rebate:
http://image.compusa.com/pdfs/0027925.pdf

That's it!

Wifi Wireless Webcam

2007-02-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to find the right wifi webcam to buy... needs to be accessible from computers OTHER than Windows! Firefox, Opera, etc.

Unlike this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Linksys-WVC54GC-Compact-Wireless-G-Internet/dp/B000DZM4TC

It is only accessible from Windows Internet Explorer, arguably the worst browser ever built.

This could be an option: D-Link DCS-900 IP camera is a flipping bargain - a webcam that works with Firefox. Alas, its not wireless, and the wireless version has too many flaky reviews on Amazon.

I went ahead and bought to DCS-900 from Techonweb.com for $74, plus $5 for shipping. It is a flipping bargain!

Cisco Router, Soekris or PC Engines WRAP

2007-02-10T14:11:00.000-08:00

I just registered at Cisco.com and am really pumped up to learn IOS. Only I have a question: where is the best place to buy Cisco gear?

In the past I bought a Cisco switch from Newegg.com, and that was fine, but from what I now understand, you can get IOS updates if you have a service contract. So where do you buy one of those? Also, what is the best device to learn on? Obviously I don't want to drop a ton of cash for a development station, so far the cheapest device with IOS I've found is over $500. If I could find one cheaper that would be great. For example, the Cisco Catalyst 2940-8TT Ethernet Switch costs almost $600 at PCs for Everyone.

Got my Cisco.com login id working but it doesn't do much for me yet. They do seel direct which I'm investigating now. Hmm, seems like the Cisco.com website doesn't like me for some reason, it keeps stalling endlessly. Perhaps they only serve to Windows clients, while I am on a Macbook. Its very possible since I bet that 99% of their customers visit their website from a Windows machine, well actually I bet a bunch of visitors use linux or BSD.

While I was at it I checked out the Soekris Engineering site and remembered they have some pretty sweet items. Unfortunately they are difficult to buy, but I did track down this cool company, Metrix.net, that sells Soekris hardware.

There are two Cisco items I have in mind, the Cisco 871W and the Cisco WS-C2950-12. These are nice machines that both come with IOS installed, but they are both over $500. Guess you got to "pay to play".

I was thinking of using the 871W as a wireless network, but I remembered that I picked up a mini-PCI Intel wireless card last week from Centrix for only $30. Nice. I'm going to install that into the Thecus n2100.

Cisco 871 and 851 comparison

In the end, I think I'm going to go with a Netgate m1n1wall, for $215, unassembled. Its pretty cheap, very low power, and runs m0n0wall, which is an open-source solution. Right now I can't afford a Cisco support agreement, so it doesn't make much sense to buy their gear. Furthermore, I don't have time to learn IOS, as much as I'd like. If I find some time soon I would love to get trained and CCNA certified.

You can find the Netgate m1n1wall here:
http://www.netgate.com/product_info.php?products_id=312{4}26

Cheap Null Modem Cable

2007-02-10T06:05:00.000-08:00

I posted this to Slickdeals.net and was met with lukewarm responses. You can easily build a really inexpensive null modem cable by using two female to female rj45 ethernet to db9 adapters. I found these for only $0.25 from Centrix International. They have some awesome deals on random stuff like that.

Another Serial Console Tech Deal

2007-02-10T05:33:00.000-08:00

Just found this Startech.com serial port expansion card on sale at PC Connection:

2-Port 16550 Serial PCI Card, Special Buy - Save $4 - $27.95

Only recently have I been introduced to the coolness factor of a console connection, thanks to a 2960 Cisco switch my company bought, and the Thecus 2100 I installed debian on incorrectly and had to connect via a serial connection to fix it. The Thecus n2100 with debian is now running well and it is the coolest thing I've worked with in awhile!

I'm also planning to pick up an Ethernet Power Controller II from Digital Loggers soon too. At $295 I'll be able to save money by not having to keep several PCs plugged in waiting for a wake on lan (WOL) magic packet. Would you believe a powered-off PC still consumes several watts of power? Believe it. Its a good reason to completely disconnect from the power supply when you're not using it. Same with TVs, actually TVs consume even more power I think to keep the CRT warm and ready for fast action.

Benq 22" Flat Screen LCD Display

2007-02-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

The Benq 22" arrived from newegg.com via UPS today - the screen is incredible - highly recommended. I've got mine lined up with a Hanns-G 19" and another 19" Benq monitor. Besides those, I have another two Benqs: 19" and 20.1".

The 20.1" will get connected to an Ubuntu linux box which can handle the aspect ratio. I'm planning to setup the two Benq 19" displays at my house to use with my MacBook with the MATROX Matrox Dual Head 2Go Dual Analog mfr#: D2G-A2A-AJ (D2G-A2A-AJ) I picked up from PC Microstore. So then I'll have the Hanns-G with just one 22" display. Maybe I should get another?

Soundpoint Phones from PC Connection

2007-02-08T04:37:00.000-08:00

Since PC Microstore didn't come through with the Soundpoint phone, I instead bought two Soundpoint 501 models from PC Connection. I opted instead for the 501 as its cheaper, and PC Connection carried the GN Netcom 2120 which was tested with the 501, where the Plantronics headset was not.

While I was at it, I ordered the above mentioned GN Netcom 2120 headset, which is unfortunately on backorder for two weeks, as well as an Asus barebones. I picked this last one up for $69, which is pretty cool as I have a processor and memory sitting around I can build it with. I can't remember which AMD processor it is, but it is an Athlon. The memory I have is 256MB left over from the Thecus 2100 I recently bought from newegg.com.

New Deals!

2007-02-06T22:47:00.000-08:00

Check out these deals I just snapped up:

Matrox Dualhead2go
Ethernet cables galore
Nspire 2.5" SATA enclosure
POLYCOM SOUNDPOINT IP 601 SIP (2200-11631-001)
PLANTRONICS ENCORE NC MONAURAL POLARIS HDSET (P91N-U10P)
Benq LCD 22" Monitor display

I already have a bunch of LCD monitors, but I feel like they are really worth it, in that if you can see more, you can do more!

Update: I just got an email from PC Microstore saying their website has a glitch on the Polycom products, and that even though they list having them in stock, they don't and they aren't able to source them from any vendors. That's annoying! I bought my Soundpoint 301's from PC Connection so I'll get the new 601 from there. And I bought the headset from Founder's Telecom so I'll just get another from them, they have a better price too!

Vista Schmista

2007-02-06T16:28:00.000-08:00

So much hype about Vista! Its tough to visit a website without seeing an advertisement for it. I'll pass for now and wait until its been out for 6 months and they've ironed out all the REAL bugs.

Samsung NV7

2007-02-06T16:24:00.001-08:00

If I were out to buy a camera right now, I would buy the Samsung NV7. The thing is sweet!

Hosting Deals

2007-02-06T04:53:00.000-08:00

For hosting deals, check out:

Informed Hosting

they offer reviews of hosting providers, from Dreamhost to Verizon DSL's included hosting. Speaking of Verizon's hosting, the Verizon DSL Blog has been getting more traffic lately, that's a good sign!

And for you Mac-heads out there, check out Mac OS X Central a new website about the Mac operating system. Lots of hype about the ipod, but Macs are still "insanely great" because of the operating system.

Thecus 2100 Pics

2007-02-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

These are from my Motorola e815 (which is an awesome mobile phone!), so the picture quality isn't amazing:

More detailed pics

2007-01-30T17:49:00.000-08:00

I was able to replace an IDE hard drive on my Maxtor One-Touch portable external hard drive. I put it back together, but then realized I forgot what seems to be a heat sink of some sort.

Maxtor Drive Replacement

2007-01-30T14:28:00.000-08:00