HP TouchPad 32GB Impressions

posted in: Gadget Impressions 0

hp-logoMy brother ordered a HP TouchPad 32GB for $149.99 off HP.ca last month. We had to wait a bit, but it finally arrived on Tuesday.

Obviously for $149.99, it’s not a bad tablet. It has its share of issues (that I’ll get into later), but the bottom line is that I wouldn’t have any regrets if I purchased one for myself.

Where did they hide the speed?

There’s a 1.2 GHz dual core CPU and 1GB of RAM in this tablet, but you wouldn’t know that from using it. Everything is slow. From the UI transitions, to the loading and even the response when typing. WebOS’ performance is spotty at best and terrible at its worst.

We had to tweak it and overclock it just to get it to a respectable level. If only there’s more we can do to get it iOS speeds.

Browsing is respectable

The web browser reminds me of a desktop browser which is the best compliment you can give a “mobile” device. I’m not directed to mobile sites and Flash works. In fact, it works surprisingly well on sites like YouTube. 720p video actually runs smoothly on the TouchPad unlike with that Dell Mini 9 netbook that I had.

The downsides? Performance and an overly aggressive cache system which requires me to manually refresh pages to get the latest site.

Read More

Macbook Air 11″ 2011 First Impressions

posted in: Gadget Impressions 0

My Macbook Air finally came in today.

Apple products make great first impressions so don’t be surprised to see nothing, but praise for my Macbook Air in this initial post.

Gift Wrapped

Macbook Air 11-inch 2011- Box FrontMacbook Air 11-inch 2011 - Top BoxMacbook Air 11-inch 2011 - Box SideMacbook Air 11-inch 2011 - Box Open

As always, Apple packaging is impressive. Ever since the original iPod Nano, I’ve been impressed with how Apple packages their products. It’s easy to open and get, but it’s also quite secure.

Read More

The Search for a Netbook OS

posted in: Gadget Impressions 3

the-search-for-a-netbook-os

I’m going to replace my Dell Mini 9 with a new MacBook Air. I want one powered by Sandy Bridge and if rumors are to be believed, I won’t have long to wait. In the meantime, I’m on a quest to transform the Dell Mini 9 to what it is and that is a netbook; a laptop made for surfing the web.

Windows 7 is a fine OS. It works well with the Dell Mini 9, but it’s a bit much for what is ostensibly an internet machine. What I want is Google Chrome, but I can’t have it because Google is only shipping it with Chromebooks. There are Chromium builds, but I’ll get to that later.

Read More

1 2 3 4 5 6