Just got my KPC Shuttle mini PC and within 30 minutes I had it running. This PC is perfect for many purposes or when you need a small PC. I bought a barebones K45 KPC for $100, installed a P4, some ram, and some hard drive I had laying around and I was ready to go. The biggest problem anyone is going to have with this PC is the power supply, it is green but only has 1  sata and 1 standard 12v connector for your hard drives. There are plenty of ports on the back: VGA, Parallel, serial, Ethernet USB… You can look this up for yourself!

Here is the hidden gem I found! Everywhere I looked, there was no mention of a CD-Rom drive bay in the front online or in any documentation. I have amazing  news to report! Inside the KPC there is two slots for standard hard drives and one slot at the top for a laptop Rom drive. Unfortunately, you will have to take off the beautiful Plexiglas bezel that houses those pretty pictures in the front but with a little DIY fun, you can make your own.

Take a look at the pics.

              

 

A Chinese company named SoloMobi claims that a phone with a 16,800mAh lithium battery, yes 16,800mAh,  will stay powered on stand by for a year. I seriously doubt it but a 16,800mAh battery is what I sure need in my phone. Typically, in any battery powered device, the higher the mAh, the longer the battery will last. I am not too educated on batteries so I may be wrong but this has been my experience. What is really cool, the company is rating the phone as a 3-5 day talk time. Could you imaging charging your cell phone every week instead of every night? Heck! Sometimes I have to charge my phone more than once a day. All information here was summarized from Engadget.com

In case you have not heard, today Apple released the SDK for the iPhone and iPod Touch and there will be a 2.0 update for iPhones in June. SDK stands for software developer kit and it will allow mobile software developers create everything from games to useful applications for iPhones and iPod Touches without having to use the browser.

Here are some of the highlights you have to look forward to in the iPhone:

-iPhone gets Enterprise support. This is the single most important thing to me. The iPhone will now have Microsoft Exchange and Active Sync support. This means my exchange server can now auto sync my contacts and give me push email through my iPhone. This won’t happen until the next software update but I am so happy for this.

-There will be an App store for the iPhone and and iPod Touch via iTunes for purchasing and installing software. This will be the only way to get software for your iPhone if it is not hacked.

- The game Spore will be available for the iPhone. Cool, and even though I can’t wait to play this game, I think I will want to play it on my computer.

-AIM, which was reported to be the most requested App will be available.

-Testing starts today with the beta release of the SDK but everything goes official in late June. What is odd to me, in the presentation, it said shipping in June. What is shipping? Are we going to see a new iPhone with 3G speeds? That is what the rumor is. I really hope it is true.

-Sim Unlock software will not be allowed in the iPhone App store. This means if you want software that is available for a hacked iPhone that is not available in the App store, you will still have to hack your iPhone. After June, and other than wanting to you use your phone on another carrier, I don’t see the reason to hack your iPhone anymore.

I have on just about every gadget I can get one for, a silicon protective case. Seriously, using them on my iPhone, Nano, iPod, Digital Camera, and more I am a firm believer of a silicon protective cases. A silicon case is a great and cheap way to protect your electronics. Silicon cases contour to your device, protect it from scratches, helps when you drop your gadget, and it still keeps the profile of your device without making it too much bigger. My most favorite thing about silicon cases is you can use your gadget with the case on. You don’t have to waste time taking your device in and out of a case. I don’t spend the money it costs in retail stores but I do pick them up online. For example, an iPhone silicon case costs around $20 or $30 from Apple but the same exact thing can be purchased on ebay for $8 and it comes with a screen protector.

CallPod has created Chargepod a revolutionary way to charge all your gadgets that have different plugs with one single charger. When you buy Chargepod, it has 6 plugs for adapters you buy for your devices. You don’t have to buy all 6 and you cab buy more. Blackberries, ipods, iphones, Windows Mobile phones, Nokias, Treos, USB, and many more are on the list. Check it out at www.callpod.com

Looking for a good monitor for your computer setup? Look no further. I bought the Sceptre X24WG-1080P, 24 inch, 2 milisecond, widescreen monitor to replace my main 22" monitor and I probably would not write a review if I had not decided to use my old monitor as a second. What sold me was when I compared it to my what once was really expensive, NEC monitor that is about 3 years old. After viewing colors and a really true black I could not believe I had been using my other monitor for so long.

As far as gaming, the 2 milisecond response time is amazing. I played Crysis on this monitor and never noticed any ghosting at all. The monitor is full 1080P so I would emagine High Def movies would look amazing although I refuse to buy any HD format until a winner prevails. Looks like it will be BlueRay soon! All I need is DVI but the Sceptre included DVI and VGA. The actual resolution is 1920×1200 and the contrast ratio is 4000:1.

One other thing. I have my monitor mounted on the wall so it is not an issue for me but I hear this monitor is wobbly on it’s stand.

Here are the full specs:

Model

Brand
SCEPTRE

Model
X24WG-1080P

Cabinet Color
Black

Display

Screen Size
24"

Widescreen
Yes

Maximum Resolution
1920 x 1200

Recommended Resolution
1920 x 1200

Viewing Angle
160°(H) / 160°(V)

Display Colors
16.7 Million

Brightness
300 cd/m2

Contrast Ratio
4000:1

Response Time
2ms

Display Type
WUXGA

Connectivity

Input Video Compatibility
Analog RGB, Digital

Connectors
D-Sub, DVI-D

D-Sub
1

DVI
1

HDMI
No

Convenience

User Controls
Power on/off, OSD (On Screen Display), Contrast, Brightness, Clock, phase, Selection, Auto-adjust, Color Temperature, Audio Volume, OSD H-Position, OSD V-Position, Display Mode Detection

Regulatory Approvals
CSA, CSA-US, FCC Class B

Built in TV Tuner
No

Built in Speakers
2 x 2W

Features
Wall Mount Bracket (optional): Height 100mm x Width 100mm

Manufacturer Warranty

Parts
1 year limited

Labor
1 year limited

You can get this monitor for around $350 at NewEgg.com

The data on our computers is important and priceless to us which is why hard drive failure is big issue these days. Data Robotics’ Drobo "The world’s first storage robot," hopes to fix this issue for everyone with a robotic smart approach to managing your hard drives. Drobo is available for $500

Drobo works like this: You fill up two to four of the four available slots for SATA hard drives, currently 1 TB is the max. Drobo gives you approximately half the amount of storage you put in it. Drobo automatically backs up another copy of your file on another drive so that in the event that one drive fails, you still have your data and you just replace the defective drive. Upgrading drives with Drobo is also easy, you just need to only replace one at a time and wait till Drobo tells you with it’s lights when it is ready. Drobo is making copies of your files to the new drive so you wont lose any data. An important note to make is that Drobo formats a drive with it’s own format each time you put a drive in, so if you take all four drive out at the same time you will lost all of your data. Drobo does withstand power outages so if you want to take out all drives, possibly try unplugging the power plug do whatever you need to do, put the drives back in and then power on Drobo. With Drobo running off of USB only, the people at Data Robotics say Drobo is not for  backup but it certainly can serve the process.

Oh wait a minute, Drobo now has a new friend DroboShare which allows more of a data backup solution with its network connectivity. Available for $200, DroboShare sits on the bottom of your Drobo and allows it to connect to your network via Ethernet.

Drobo cons: Expandability used to be my biggest worry but DroboShare boats connectivity expansion allowing two Drobos to work together. Drobo is also super loud, the fan in the back always seems to whine when I don’t want it to and I worry about heat on the drives because I see minimal airflow. Another note on the fan is if it breaks, there is no easy way just to replace the fan. The fan is necessary to cool your drives. Finally, my biggest concern is price. Why pay $700 for a Drobo and DroboShare that comes with no drives when I can pay $600 for an HP MediaSmart Server that does way more than the Drobo and comes with a 500GB drive. Why spend approximately $600 on a Drobo and a 500 GB drive when you can get the same but a whole server to for the same cost with the HP.

My final thoughts: Drobo is not worth the cost and is too loud. If you turn off your computer when you don’t use it and you don’t mind spending extra money for simplicity, a Drobo is for you. I really like the idea behind Drobo and the creators deserve to get paid for their creation. I just hope that Drobo can sell enough to drop the price closer to what I think it is worth. I do like that Drobo works with PC’s and Macs.

You can buy a Drobo here: Link

Today, is a day that will live in infamy! Well, a few days ago… After hearing that big wig suit talk on stage with Steve Jobs at MacWorld about how Fox would be selling the latest Family Guy DVD with a copy that you can put on your ipod, I had to go out and see.

Yes it is true, the DVD comes with another DVD that has a copy that you can put on your ipod! Someone in the movie industry is finally thinking! Finally, there is a company allowing us to legally do what us Geeks have been doing as long as our ipods could play video!

I urge anyone and everyone to go out and buy Family Guy Blue Harvest to support this initiative. I cant vouch for the shows quality but I really want to support this. I’m sure this is only a test to see where it goes so we need to show the movie industry what we want.

I am from the school of thought that if you go into a store and buy a DVD you should be able to watch it on anything you own, including your ipod! Technically, if you have figured out how to break DVD copy protection to put a DVD on your ipod, you are breaking the law. Finally, the day has come. Please buy this DVD.

I have been using a ScottEVest Fleece 4.0 for about 6 months now and have since purchased a shirt and a sweatshirt from them. For those of you Geeks who don’t know what a ScottEVest is, shame on you. ScottEVest clothing has created and I believe patented the PAN or Personal Area Network. Basically, ScottEVest clothes have a ton of pockets for all your gadgets. Seriously, my jacket has 20 some pockets and I never use them all but they are really useful.

To start, all pockets have magnetic enclosures on them to keep your stuff secure if you don’t zip up the pocket. This magnetic enclosure also helps keep you gadgets positioned the same way you stick them in your pocket. This means your stuff stays closer to you and does not stick out when you move around. There is seriously a pocket shaped for anything I can think of and I think every Geek should try out ScottEVest once.

The only bad thing I can think of is Fleece is most common in the vests and sweatshirts. This keeps me warm but I would like another cotton option because my dogs hair is simply magnetized to the Fleece. The ScottEVest Fleece 4.0 is available for $100 @
http://scottevest.com/v3_store/40_SeV_Fleece_Jacket.shtml

Affordable servers are here for everyone. This home Server idea is great for home and small businesses. Here I have the HP home server I bought for myself and family. From the beginning, the HP impressed me with its elegant design and won me over with its simple software.

To start, the HP Windows Home Server is amazingly small, it fits just about anywhere. Open the front door to reveal 4 slots to install SATA hard drives, turn it  around and there is the necessary Gigabit Ethernet port, a ESATA port, and a 3 USB ports for external hard drives. Supposedly drives can be swapped while the machine is on.

The HP comes with 3 discs, one for the HP as a recovery, one for installing the connector software necessary to backup your computers, and one for reinstalling windows on a failed but backed up computer. Yes, if I am to understand everything, you only need the one CD to backup any computer that needs to be restored and has been previously backed up. I suspect, during the process, you will need the original installation  disc. You will also get a setup poster, a couple of manuals, and necessary cables to get up and running.

Upon installing the connector software, I noticed there were some pretty cool features HP added. Namely, the ability to keep all your music in a central place and make it available in iTunes in every computer on your network. Each computer has its own backup and can have shared folders. You automatically have folders setup so you can share files with every computer. This is possible  with current Windows but because you will always leave your server on, the files will always be available. You can setup a way to log into your PC when you are not in your network, share photos online making your server a web site and much more. What is really worth mentioning is the fact that Windows created some sort of challenge for developers to develop software for the server so you will see software that will make the server better soon.

The main thing that makes this Home Server so good for everyday people is because it backs up your computer and you can forget about everything. You don’t have to worry about anything, changes on your computer is backed up every night. You can backup your whole system in the even of a failure or just backup certain files or drives. File backup is necessary because it is not a matter of if your hard drive will fail but a matter of when.

The only downside to Windows Home Server is going to be fixed soon with the recently announced Power Pack 1. The Power Pack will fix some bugs and more important, allow 64 bit connector support. Most people only use the most common 32 bit but anyone using x64 is out of luck for a little while. The release is set to be sometime in the first quarter of 08 so pay attention, it will coming soon.