Netbooks, Notebooks and Laptopsdesktop computer |

The Keyboard PC is Nothing New

RT Cunningham — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 19:42:35 +0000

The ASUS EEE keyboard PC was shown off at various trade shows for electronics last year (2009) and people were in awe. If you don't believe me, search for "ASUS EEE keyboard PC" at YouTube and watch some of the videos. Of course, this is nothing new. In fact, it means that home computers have come full circle since they started as integrated keyboards with the Commodore and Apple computers in the 1970s.

Detachable Keyboards

One of the reasons I moved from a Commodore 64 to Commodore 128D in the late 1980s was due to the detachable keyboard. Even though the keyboard was still a proprietary item, it would be cheaper to replace the keyboard than replacing the entire computer.

Standard PC keyboards these days are incredibly cheap and easy to replace. It's a good thing, too, because things like hair, dead skin dust and other particulates can get between and under the keys and cause specific keys to stop functioning (requiring some severe cleaning). I won't even go into what happens when you spill water or coffee on a key or two by accident.

With the old Commodore and Apple computers, companies started developing custom key covers that allowed you to use the keys while protecting them from contaminants. Again, it was much cheaper to replace the plastic key covers than it was to replace the proprietary keyboards. This is exactly the same problem that needs to be addressed for the new keyboard PCs or the companies making them are going to be in for the rude awakening of more than average warranty repairs.

The New Commodore Keyboard PCs

ASUS didn't invent anything new with the ASUS EEE keyboard PC. I don't believe a touch screen designed with a mobile browser is worthwhile considering this isn't a mobile computer; it's a desktop computer replacement.

Curiously, I checked Commodore USA and they have three new keyboard PCs in the offering, with each being a little different. The Commodore Phoenix looks promising as a 64-bit keyboard PC. I like the fact that you can add a removable HDD to the system.

Alas, I will never own a keyboard PC unless it comes with a key protector or you can buy them separately. This is why I use a desktop computer from day-to-day and only use a laptop computer (a netbook, actually) when I absolutely need to be mobile (unless my desktop PC craps out and I decide to use my laptop as a desktop computer).

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The External Hard Drive Case has to Match the Hard Drive

RT Cunningham — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 23:17:58 +0000

Right now, I can't look in the mirror without calling myself stupid. I finally got around to removing the hard drive from my dead notebook computer and discovered I made a mistake when I bought the external hard drive case.

My Ovation External Hard Drive Case

What stupid mistake did I make? Well, before I tell you, I have to tell you that I only spent about $10 for the external hard drive case. It even comes with RFID security.

I knew the external hard drive case was designed for a 2.5 inch hard disk drive (HDD). What I didn't check was which kind of 2.5 inch HDD was required. You have the older IDE HDDs and the newer SATA HDDs and I just happen to have the older IDE version. Guess what version the external hard drive case requires?

It wouldn't be so bad if the case was big enough to hold the HDD along with an IDE to SATA adapter cable, but it isn't. It's a snug fit for the drive itself and I wouldn't even attempt to put the top of the enclosure on for fear of bending a bunch of pins.

External Hard Drive Cases and Hard Drives

I have plenty storage room in my house. In fact, I have empty wardrobe cabinets waiting to be filled with stuff I can't fit anywhere else. That's where this external hard drive case is going. I will have to buy another one and make sure I get the right one this time.

Actually, I have a choice. I can buy an external hard drive case to match the hard drive or I can buy a frame so I can mount it in my desktop computer, which already has a spare IDE cable slot. Since I already have two hard drives in the computer, totaling a terabyte in drive space, I really don't want to do that. I also don't want to deal with the extra heat it will generate.

No, I prefer an external hard drive case. I can use a USB flash drive (the thumb drive kind) to move a lot files back and forth between my desktop computer and my netbook computer, but the space is limited. There's much more space on any modern HDD and in this case, I probably wouldn't be moving files; I would probably use it for storing things that can be used on both computers (at different times, of course).

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Recycling a Dead Notebook Computer

RT Cunningham — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:34:26 +0000

The HP notebook computer (HP Pavilion DV8110-US) that I bought in late 2005 or early 2006 died on me in September of 2007. First, the fan quit working right and I thought it was just dust, but I was wrong. Then a couple of weeks later, the monitor started developing vertical red lines and I thought it was dirty connections, but I was wrong. I'm not a genius, but I was able to take it apart and clean everything. It was to no avail, because the problems did not disappear.

Shelving the Notebook Computer

Since my notebook computer was past its one-year warranty period and I didn't want to spend days or weeks finding the HP service center in Manila, I shelved it and bought a desktop computer the following month. The desktop computer, by the way, is still working fine.

I initially thought I was just having bad luck or some other factors caused my notebook computer to not last very long. This wasn't the case at all. When I bought my notebook computer, I bought the exact same model and configuration for my older son, who took it to Germany with him. His notebook computer died on him a few months later with similar problems. He had it fixed, though, because there was an HP authorized service center near where he lived. Still, the fix only lasted about six months.

My friend, Hari, recently wrote about how his own HP Pavilion laptop was taken in for its periodic service (he has an extended warranty on it) and how he's getting tired of it, considering the laptop is only about 2-years old.

A Netbook as a Backup Computer

Around the beginning of August, 2009, I bought an MSI Wind netbook. I wasn't willing to spend another $1000 plus for a decent notebook computer, just to have it start giving me problems after a couple of years (since it would be a backup computer). I spent less than $400 for the netbook, which I found acceptable. It came with 1 gigabyte of memory and "Windows XP Home" installed. I'm going by memory right now, without actually firing up the netbook, and I think it has a 160 gigabyte hard disk drive in it.

I do not know if I can add memory to the netbook and I don't know if the memory modules in the dead notebook are compatible with it, but I'm getting ready to check (probably tomorrow morning when it's the coolest part of the day). There are two 512 megabyte memory modules and if memory serves me, I think the netbook can only accept two memory modules. If it has a single 1-gigabyte module, then I'll probably only be able to add a single 512-megabyte memory module. If it already has two in place, then I won't be able to add any at all.

I have an external HDD case waiting to be filled by a drive. The drive in the dead notebook is the right size and it's just a matter of removing it from notebook computer. The memory modules are easy to get to, but I have to remove a bunch of screws to get to the hard disk drive.

Can anything else be recycled?

That's a good question. There aren't many things in any laptop computer capable of being used anywhere but where they are right now. This is the problem with proprietary systems. Most desktop computers don't suffer from this problem.

I will keep whatever is left of the dead notebook computer in permanent storage just in case I find out that there's something left that I can actually use from it. This isn't unusual for me. I have parts, cords, cables and other things in storage which came from old computers. I'm not a pack rat, but I've found that I usually have what I need when a part needs to be replaced in a desktop computer. Such in not the case with laptops and I really don't want to build up a collection for them.

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A Netbook and UPS Internet Connection Backup Power Supply Solution

RT Cunningham — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:22:09 +0000

I live in an area where we have frequent, unannounced brownouts. They can range from a few minutes to a few hours and there's no way to tell which is which until after the fact. The most frustrating part about not having electricity for more than a few minutes is that I no longer have an Internet connection for obvious reasons.

I had already planned to buy a diesel-powered backup generator for the house, and that plan still stands, but I've now added a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to my backup plans, way ahead of anything else.

Affordable Power Supplies

I have found a couple of places in Olongapo City where I can buy a UPS and I consider the prices affordable. They're not APC products, but they'll suffice if I can't find anything made by APC.

The prices range from 5000 to 10,000 pesos (or somewhere between $100 and $250 US dollars) depending on how much power I want for the backup power supply. Since I only plan to power a DSL modem and a netbook, I should be well off with the cheaper models.

Netbook Batteries and UPS Batteries

I've read in various places that a netbook battery can last anywhere from 3 to 6 hours depending on how you use the netbook (what applications you're running). Since I would only be using a web browser and a spreadsheet during that time (for my online business), I'm sure the netbook battery would last at least 3 hours. That is, provided I don't end up with a netbook that has one of those super cheap laptop batteries in it. I certainly hope not.

My plan is to have only the DSL modem and the desktop computer attached to the UPS. When a brownout occurs, I can properly shut down the desktop computer, move the Ethernet cable from the desktop to the netbook and plug the netbook into the UPS. When the UPS battery starts getting low, I can unplug the netbook from the UPS and continue until the netbook battery is near-dead.

Total Power Supply Backup Time

Based on my past experiences with UPS units and notebook computers, I'm making a conservative estimate that I would probably have at least 9 hours of backup power time using the netbook/UPS combination. The reality, considering breaks and other reasons not to be using a computer at all, is that it would probably be more than 12 hours. That just happens to be the average long brown out here due to being a scheduled brownout that I never get told about.

Plans change and I may end up doing something slightly different, or include other things in the backup plan, but that's where it stands right now.

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