SSD Coming Along But Still Expensive

It's taken a while but solid state drives, SSD, are coming nicely. What I mean is that I see them more and more as an option from the major PC makers.

Everyone from Dell to HP to Apple, its MacBook Air being very popular over the Holidays and demand has not let up, are using them as a premium add-on.

Now we are seeing SSD sizes at more affordable prices. Not only that, the drives are bigger. Still, I am not quite ready to pluck down $1,500 to $2,000 for a 480GB drive.

For that kind of money, it would be more economical to get a whole new laptop. Say a MacBook Air with 256 GB or storage.

So what is in your laptop or MacBook? Have you moved onto a SSD or consider making the move in the near future?




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Wifi Chips Need To Be More Battery Friendly

Over the weekend, I took my MacBook out for some time at Borders. I had to do work on the laptop that I cannot do on the iPad at this time.

And this is an older MacBook. Late 2008 and the battery life has been put through it's paces in the last couple of years. According to a battery utility, it's got 80% left of the original charge left. When it gets to 70% or less, I'll probably have to decide if I should get a other battery or invest in a new MacBook.

I turned it on and it attached itself to the free wifi. And the battery indicator said there was 2.5 hours of work I could do. But I wanted to spend my afternoon there working so I turned off the wifi.

It has been quite some time since I've done that. The long battery on the iPod touch, and specifically, the iPad has really spoiled me. The battery life jumped to four hours!

I was there for about four hours and got about three hours of work done so there was some change left in the battery had I wanted to stay longer.

But my point is the wifi chip. What a power hog! I hope today's wifi chips are more battery friendly. But if they are not, someone need to invest some time and research on making wifi use more efficient and the chips draw less and less power.

We'll be using wifi for years if not decades more. Bring mobile isn't just about more efficient CPU, display, or bettery batteries. It's about other components of the mobile devices or laptops. And it's also about programming for power management.

For now, wifi chip and its ubiquity is one area that I see that can help mobile warriors work longer and worry-free.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Laptops Versus Netbooks Versus Tablets in Schools

As an mobile tech enthusiast and avid iPad user, you can forgive me for believing tablets have a great future in education. For anyone else, I have to remember that not everyone has embraced tablets like I have and that laptops in general are what students turn to write their papers, conduct research, or get online.

But the time will come, probably as early as this year, when educators and students will be at the crossroad where they’d have to choose their mobile weapon of choice: laptops, netbooks, or tablets?

Current State of Mobile Computing: Tablet or Laptop

Depending on who you talk to you and who you believe, the netbooks, perhaps even lsptops, are taking a sales hit because of the iPad.

Perhaps. Then there are those who are not so sure this is happen on a large scale. Given the potential that Apple may be on the verge of a $20 billion quarter and cuts on orders by dorm laptop and netbook makers, it has industry and mobile observers such as myself very excited.

Is this the beginning of the end of mobile computing as we know it?

More at Greenjava Mobility.

Smartphones Are Future of Computing But Not Next PC

Jen-Hsun Huang,Nvidia's CEO, believes smaetphones are the new PC. Well, he is right that smartphones will replace personal computers as these mobile devices become more and more powerful. Instead of replacing PCs outright, smartphones are ushering in a new era of computing and revolutionizing how we interact with mobiles.

We think that when a CEO of a company declares its products or services as the next greatest thing in their markets, we have to believe that they are merely selling their wares. Or it could be that they believe the future is moving in a particular direction and has maneuvered its corporate strategy accordingly.

During a recent strike in South Africa, students were left unprepared for their exams which prompt them to receive their lessons over cell phones running on a local mobile platform.

Farmers in third countries receive reports over their cell phones. The Japanese consumed books on their mobiles while commuting to and from work as well as during breaks. In the US, our iPhones and Android devices have liberated us from even laptops, allowing us to conduct social and business interactions much the same way mobile warriors did on their laptops before smartphones became a parting our social consciousness.

Huang is trying to sell his Tegra 2 as the chip to power these new class of more powerful smartphones and tablets and while it is self-serving, he isn't too far off. Only these mobile devices are not here to replace computers, much of it the domain of Intel and Microsoft. Anyone trying to design their smartphone or mobile device with the idea of replacing PCs will fail.

Rather, mobile devices will continue to augment our social and mobile experiences. Perhaps we shoul do away with the term "mobile computing" when talking about smartphones entirely.

More at CNet

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPod touch

Battery Saving Tips For Laptops

I found a 3-year old post on battery saving tips for laptop users. I came across it when I googled about the battery life saving potentials of adding extra RAM.

It's been a while since I've talked about battery life and tips. I was beginning to sound like a broken record. Having said that, battery life has increased in the last couple of years especially those offered by Apple (drawback is that they don't allow users to easily change out the battery). Typically, Macbooks ranges from 9-10 hours of use. I only see HP and Dell advertise use of 9-cell batteries which I think do well enough for most folks working under a normal load.

But more battery life the better I say. And frankly, this post ain't all that much more different anything that I have written up in the past year for laptops, iPhones, or other mobile devices. Dimming, defragging, conditioning. I'm sure you've heard all that before.

And while battery life has improved through a variety of technical advances, the fact that we are still using the same battery-saving techniques say volumes about the state of battery development. It's 2010 and we still haven't see methane-powered fuel cells. Or even hydrogen powered cell phones.

So, while I have also shared my opinions and news about green tech and the enthusiastic push from some quarters of the government and entrenpreurs, I like to see a mini stimulus for trying to make a giant leap forward for mobile devices. Perhaps we might see that in the course of researchers trying to find a way to store renewable energy source, miniaturization will still be required to apply any new technology.

For now, I leave you with a 3-year old post on saving battery life that is very much still relevant today.

More at Fried Beef (I know, weird blog name).

Longer Battery Life Or Double The Battery Life?

I read a very good article from ZDNet on non-removable batteries.  Specifically, the article was more or less about Apple mobile products - iPods, iPhones, and Macbooks.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, Apple is famous (or infamous) for sticking batteries into its iPods and iPhones, making it very difficult for the user to replace.

This was joined by the Macbook Air and then the Macbook Pro 17".  Just recently, they were joined by the rest of the pro line of Macbooks.

I'm jealous.  Not because I bought a Macbook one generation too soon but for an entirely different reason.  That reason being that I will likely never buy a second battery until my first one will stop holding any charge long enough for meaningful mobile computing.  That being said, the new 13" Macbook has about 40% more battery life than the one I've got.

Maybe Apple's right in their thinking.  Large majority of laptop or mobile device buyers don't carry around a second battery.   I have a G1 and as bad as the battery life is, I don't have a second battery to replace the first one when it runs out of power.

Nevertheless, it's the peace of mind in knowing that option that if I wnated to, there is more juice in the computer bag at a moment's notice.  And it is something that I've grown accustomed to thinking.

The article went to make some comparisons with other laptops and devices like the Flip that now have non-removable batteries.  In the beginning, I thought it was just Apple's insidious way of getting us to upgrade every few product cycles when the battery finally dies.  I'm not saying that isn't the case at all.

However, given the choice:  a non-removable battery with extra hours of use (7 hours) or a removable battery (4.5 hours) but I'm likely not going to carry around a second battery, I think I'll go with the first one.

However, it might be a different situation for other mobile warriors.  It also comes down to what you're requirements are.  If you work in the field a lot, Macbooks or other laptops with sealed-in batteries will not work for you at all.  In fact, the whole line of Apple laptops just won't work.

However, you're likely in the minority.  At least, that's what Apple's thinking is.

More at ZDNet

Mobile Tip: Read This Newsweek Article - How A Stolen Laptop Was Recovered

It's been a while since we've provided any mobile tips.  There are plenty of mobile tips out there that are really common sense that any mobile warrior should follow.

However, after read this article by Newsweek journalist Joshua Alston, I felt compelled to share it with you and encourage you to read it.  It is about Alston's attempt to recover his stolen laptop, iPod, PS3, and Wii after a break-in in his home.

It had a good ending (not sure if he got everything back though) but it also took unusual steps the writer had to take that most mobile warriors probably aren't aware of.  It's a must read.

Tens of housands of laptops are stolen every year.  Heck, thousands are left at airports because their owners simply forgot about them.  I really hate for my readers to have to go through any unhappy episodes, especially as victims of theft.  

This really got me to think that perhaps, Microsoft and Apple should work together to create protocols that make it easier for stolen or lost laptops to be recovered.  Once scheme I immediately though of it a centralized registry that allows folks to sign up upon taking ownership of a laptop.  They can simply alert the registry and an Amber Alert of sort for mobile devices can go out to law enforcement.  And should the stolen devices attempt to sign onto the Internet it can also call the registery with relevant information for retrieval by the police.

I'm probably oversimplifying this.  And I'm also aware of services and software available just for such a thing.  Still, I believe manufacturers and OS providers can provide a more comprehensive service.  It doesn't have to be free.  

We'll examine this further but we did quickly come across LoJack for Laptops.  Perhaps this is a whole new revenue segment for an increasing mobile world.

Via Newsweek

Work Computer: Desktop or Laptop

We're at the point today where the desktop cost advantage over the laptop is negligible. Sure, the desktop traditionally feature faster CPU, mower powerful GPU, and maybe even more ram. For pros who work in field that require more processing power, desktops are the way to go.

What about the rest of the office workforce who don't need those kind of power? Does it make sense to have a power hungry desktop when a laptop will suffice?

Increasingly, more and more folks I've talked to, from folks who crunch Excel files to developers at high profile Internet companies are moving away from desktops. A couple of mobile warriors were given a laptop as well as a desktop but they almost never use the desktop.

Perhaps for some of you, maybe it makes sense to request a laptop in the next round of upgrades. For employers, giving their employees laptops said something about trust and ownership of work that does along with it. Employees can take the laptop with them wherever they go.

And we all know that on some level, employees use their company laptops for personal use. That's entirely acceptable in my book.

And beyond the cost, productivity, and changes in technology, we are an increasing mobile workforce. Being tethered to a cubicle is no longer acceptable for a lot of companies and their employees. And it's a trend that cannot be denied.

So, what do you prefer? And how have mobile warriors out there convinced their employers that a laptop, smartphones, or mobile devices is better for them than a desktop?

Remembering My First Laptop

Gather around. Let me tell you about my first laptop. Now, I've gone through a few already. More than my share. I'm a total softie when it comes to tech and mobile gadgets.

In the mid-90s, we had Gamboys, Sega's Gamegear, and, for PDA, well, it was a Casio equivalent of a Dayrunner. Had them all. Oh, right. I had a pager too.

The first laptop I've ever seen was a Powerbook 190 that my boss would dangled in from of us. After he got to know me better, he let me manage his city in Simcity when he's away on his three hour lunch break. I was a biochem student at UCLA at the time.

After saving up for a while summer, I decided I want a laptop but I couldn't afford a Powerbook so I had looked and looked and in a computer magazine, I found an ad for a new company called Midwest Micro. Now, I don't remember the price of the laptop I saw but it was a Pentium 75Mhz with dual-scan screen. I knew that was the laptop I wanted.

The next day, I called them up and ordered it. While my roommate was still chugging along on his workhorse 286, I was gonna get a Pentium. Not a just any Pentium. A Pentium laptop!

The wait is agonizing. I'm sure all of you have gone through similar waits so you know exactly what I'm talking about. So, one day, I went home after a long day at the lab my roommate was at his PC clicking away. Since he didn't say anything I decided it didn't arrive. Finally, he couldn't contain himself. It's here, he said!

The two of us through through the box to get at the laptop. A Midwest Micro Pentium 75Mhz laptop. I turned it on. Power. That was good. I think it was running Windows. Not Windows 95.

There was no Internet at the time but we played with it and my roommate loaded it up with software from the, ahem, bulletin boards we'd access via his blazing fast US Robotics 2400 baud modem.

Then the battery indicator told us the battery needed to be charged. I went back to the box to get the AC adapter.

There wasn't one.

Anyway, I forgot what happened next but I ended up returning the laptop. In a span of two weeks, I went through a Toshiba, Epson, and a third one whose brand I didn't recognize. One caught on fire, another just never turned on, and the last one, though cheap, had stability issues.

At the end of the day, I decided I had saved enough over the summer and I could eat at the $1 sandwich place for the rest of winter quarter to make up for the rest so I went to the student store and took home a Powerbook 520.

I've gone through a Dell, Viao, Powerbook 1400, Powerbook G4, XO, and Pavilion.

Today, I'm on the unibody Macbook. Since moving from the Powerbook G4 to it, I've gotten much more productive. It's fast, powerful, and versatile since I can switch to Windows when I absolutely have to. But I'll never for the Midwest Micro laptop.

Wide-Spread SSD Deployment in 2009?

While many of us who watch Steve Jobs and Apple, among other companies and mobile characters, mourn the passing of an annual event where Mac faithfuls gather in SF for the Macworld keynote, it was at Macworld 2008 that Steve introduced to us the Macbook Air with a 64GB of SSD as its main storage.

Now, Apple is by no means the first company to put an SSD in its laptops.  XO and EEE PC all came out with SSD as their storage.  I think even Dell also had SSD options for its laptop lines.

Then 32GB and 64GB.  The 64GB option from Apple originally cost $1000.  Today, Apple is offering the 128GB option for $500.  Half the price and double the storage.  Now, Toshiba is offering a 512GB SSD option with 240MB a sec read and 200MB a sec write.  Oh, did I mention that its suppose to last over a hundred years?  I wonder what the warranty will be like.

Speed, sturdiness, and power efficiency are all why SSD will likely play in important role in future laptops and mobile devices.  Not only that, it's a backup option making its way into servers as well.  In recent tests by some blogs, the speed and power efficiency are not quite there yet but for studiness alone, it's worth it.

Besides, it's a natural evolution from regular hard drives.  With SSD prices dropping so fast, I'm willing to call 2009 year of SSD.  A cursory check of some online stores show a big drop in SSD prices.  Some are low enough (but nowhere near the price of regular HD) that it is an option for people who are data worth protecting.

Now, I'm not saying SSD drives will overtake regular HD in 2009.  But I certainly do see more SSDs offered as an option.  Besides, with the recession...anyway.

Here are just some examples:

• 32GB - $75 and up
• 64GB - $135 and up
• 128GB - $249 and up
• 256GB
• 512GB - From Toshiba.  No price yet.  Samples will be available for testing in Q1.  

What do you think?  Is there an SSD in your future?

Via Electronista, Toshiba

Mobile Tip: Extending Laptop Battery from Mac OS X Tips

Alright, so the tip came from a Mac and Apple centric site but the underlying technology for laptop batteries is about the same for everyone.

We've done mobile battery tips on Onxo in the past and now, this site has given us one with clear explanations and how we can extend battery life.  You have no idea how much I baby my batteries.  From my Powerbook to the MacWind to my iPhone and G1.  Oh, and the XO too.

I've done a few battery and energy posts in the past and most of the time, it comes down the fact that batteries are not self-sustaining.  What do I mean by that?  It means after a few hundred cycles, your battery start to loose its original capacity.  There simply is no way to bring it back up to where it once was.    Retaining 80-90% of a battery's original charge after 300 or so cycles as most batteries are capable of doing these days is still quite good but I simply don't like to lose those minutes.  It just bugs me.

So, the best thing is to do what you can take care of your batteries, be it mobile devices like your iPhone or laptop.  Take a look at this worthy article.  A lot of the settings they talk about are for the OS X but there are similar functions on Windows too.

Via Mac OS X Tips

Apple Did Right With Nvidia Chipsets

By now, you know the new Macbooks sport Nvidia's newest chipsets with an integrated graphic processors. According to Anandtech, it was a good choice.

While they took at look at the GeForce 9300, they did compare it to AMD and Intel's own offerings along with the 9400.  Now, keep in mind their tests are based on desktop motherboards, you can still draw some conclusions and apply it to their mobile siblings.

Early, we brought you Apple's own numbers .  Biased, right?  You judge.

• 9400 (39.5 FPS) was 5.7 times faster over Intel's G45 playing Enemy Territory at 1024x768 resolution
• 9400 (47.7 FPS) was 1.9 times faster over Intel's G45 playing Company of Heroes at 1024x768 resolution
• 9400 (30.1 FPS) was 3.2 times faster over Intel's G45 playing Crysis at 1024x768 resolution (low quality)
  

Okay, so maybe Apple did not fudge the numbers.  As you can see, from just some of the gaming test results Anandtech provided, as far as graphic use goes, it is definitely an improvement over what they could have used from Intel.  I avoided the G35 because that's just last year's news.

But look at these Macbooks and after some time to digest the information, I'm more than convinced that Apple has targeted the white Macbooks at consumers.  But if you look at the general performance, the white Macbooks, admittedly slower, it more than holds its own against its newer siblings.  

The aluminum Macbooks offer the choice for some folks who want to occasionally use them for gaming.  And they are offered to as a choice to folks who aren't quite ready for the Macbook Pro but need a little more graphic power offered by the white Macbooks.  The prosumers, if you will (I hate that term, by the way).

Now, this also applies to non-Mac laptops that use the 9300M or 9400M.  You can't go wrong with Nvidia's new offerings.

Source:  Anandtech (Must Read)

WiMax - Deserves Your Consideration

I think 2009 may be year of WiMax.  Here is a map from Daily Wireless.  Oh, what is WiMax you ask?

According to Intel and Wiki, WiMax stands for Worldwide Interoperability For Microwave Access. 

Here are some facts and selling points about WiMax:

• Wiki claims Pakistan has the biggest WiMax network deployed.
• It's known as 802.16e.
• It is advertised as the best replacement to land-based broadband like DSL.
• WiMax was used to help with communications and relief efforts in the aftermaths of Katrina and the 2004 tsunami.
• Sprint and Clearwire are the biggest companies that have set up a WiMax network in the US.  Google, Intel, Comcast, and Time Warner later joined the partnership.
• From time to time, rumors about a Google takeover of Sprint for the WiMax network will surface.
• Intel is pushing Wimax very hard by adding a WiMax capable chip on some of their CPUs.
• WiMax allows users to be freed from WiFi access points because of its longer range access.
• Competing technologies include 3G, Wi-Fi, UMTS, and assortments of CDMA flavors.
• Additional devices over the next year will have WiMax enabled access like Nokia's 800 tablet series and varying netbooks.  Of course, Intel will try to sell WiMax-CPU combinations to consumers and notebook makers.  Intel will push a wide variety of products:  mobile Internet devices, smartphones, Android phones (from Google), PDA, Camera, UMPCs, and laptops.
• Consumer embedded access points.

IN the US, Sprint's WiMax service is called the xohm. Sprint is call the new service the "bigger hotspot".  Indeed, the service can't come fast enough.  It remains to see how customer experiences will be like once they start going mobile.  However, this is great news for mobile warriors as it is faster than 3G.  

As a mobile gadget fan, I can't wait to be rid of DSL or the need be next to a Wi-Fi access point.  I'm sure all mobile warriors out there agrees with me.  Now, just make this possible on Macbooks and I'll be a step closer to wireless heaven.

Dell Earnings Show Innovation Is Not Simply Changing Looks

Dell's earnings was down quite a bit last week.  As a result there was a lot of questions for Dell's future and the industry at large.  Could what happened to Dell's earnings report this week be what is coming for the rest of the tech industry?  More importantly, could this have been avoided?  It all depends on what they said happened and what the reality is.


The economic state the world is in now definitely has an impact on tech spending and there is no argument from anyone about it.  I think we're in for a longer period of slugginess than I think anyone care to admit.  It was good that US Treasury finally acknowledged that we've got issues.  Now, does this bad quarter for Dell also extend to IBM, HP, or Apple?


Obviously, we won't know until these companies report their earnings.  But does this point to a deeper problem being suffered by tech companies these days?  Technology has improved incrementally but stagnation from the labs of these tech companies is also evident.  The biggest technological improvement, if you can call it that, is the proliferation of these so-call netbooks.  Seriously, that's the best these companies have been able to come up with in the last couple of years.  


As far as mobility is concerned (or computing or electronics in general), there really has not been true innovation since Intel and Microsoft tried to convince us that UMPCs are the next step in mobile computing.  True mobility means being able to take your mobile device anywhere you want and being able to power it. It was cool watching the promotional videos for this new class of devices but the truth is of the matter is we're not there yet.  Battery life is one component.  Guess what the other is?


Wireless connectivity also plays a big part.  In truth, whether it'll be 3G, WiMax, or whatever gen 4 mobile 


Once we have these two components in place, there will also be the matter of creating mobile devices that can truly take mobile work, computing, and entertainment to another level.  Building wireless capability like Intel is doing with WiMax is a good first step but mobile devices like tablets or some new class of mobile devices, which we believe Apple and Google are trying to create and dominate, 


So in summary, and we'll make it sound like all this is a piece of cake, is as follows:

• New battery technology - fuel cell, or a combination of super efficient components and battery packaging.
• Wireless broadband - we're talking about unmetered, unfettered access.   About a week ago, Onxo discussed what the Federal Communications Commission chairman wanted for the US.  
• True revolutionary UI and packaging for the form.  

HP has announced their intention to release touch-screened computers next year.  We already have a variety of such devices on the market, albeit incomplete solutions what seems like lackluster implementation, and totally lack of user experience.  

We'll just have to wait until that happens.  Who's going to offer us the total convergence that offer the best complete mobile solution?

LCD Changes - More Entertainment Friendly Widescreens On The Way?

It's been a while since I've seen 4:3 aspect-screen laptops for a while.  If you look carefully, you can still find it at your local electronics superstore.  These days, we pretty much see only widescreen laptops.

My original Powerbook 1400cs had a resolution of 800x600.  Then a series of Windows laptops took me to 1024x768.  Finally, my current Powerbook rests at 1280x800.  I love the wide aspect as it gave me room to fit chat windows, widgets, or notes that I happen to have open.  The higher resolution the better in my mind, so long as my eyes can take it.

But in Yahoo News' (via PC Magazine) article regard laptop screen size, the argument is against laptop makers produce screens with 16:9 ratio, a move away from the mostly 16:10 screens on the market now.  In a move towards 16:9, the height of the screen is sacrificed.

The article only provide the dimensions of the screen and we added the size or resolution to offer mobile warriors more perspectives of the change.

What we see are the loss of screen surface area as well as resolution.  What we also see is the changes in the resolution as a result.  For work, this can impact buying decision but according to Yahoo, we may not have the luxury of such a choice as laptop makers will move mostly to 16:9 screens.

Here are some points we've gathered from the article:

• Bigger screen the better.  One way to compensate for the loss in resolution and surface area is to move to a bigger screen.  The increase in weight will vary from model to model.
• 16:9 is better for movies.  
• Battery life may increase in additional to any Intel changes to next generation mobile platforms due to a smaller surface area the laptop battery has to power.

Are the manucturers doing this to because of the bottom line?  Perhaps.  However, if I can  get longer battery life and a lighter laptop, it could be a change in mobility however minute.  For mobile workers who need that extra space, it would be natural for them to gravitate towards a laptop with a bigger screen.

The assertion that the change in aspect is for cost saving is likely true, also keep in mind that more people are using laptops as their desktop replacements and bring with them certain habits including watching movies on their computer.  And if it is perceived by the consumers that 16:9 screens provide better entertainment experiences and extending battery, this is going to happen and there really isn't something we can do about.  

This is hardly a "write to your Congressman" situation.  

When the change over from traditional 4:3 screens to widescreens was made, it also changed the work habit of mobile warriors.  I encountered programmers who stuck with their 1600x1200 LCDs so they can see more lines horizontally.  At the same time, spreadsheet warriors occupy both sides of the argument.  On one side, they like to see more rows just as the programmers do while some like to see more columns.

I have read some interest comments from users regarding this issue and that comes to mind is the 16:10 allow for the control to be displayed without hinder viewing of movies.  

I trust this is probably the end of aspect ratio changes for years to come.  

Do You Need A Quad-Core Laptop?

Macrumors is reporting the availability of the quad-core laptops later next month.  Reporting on Laptop Mag, quad-core will appear on high end laptops.

Now, if you're like me who tends to keep his laptop beyond the two to three year upgrade cycle, future-proofing our mobile devices is a natural consideration when it comes to purchasing decisions.

This is what Onxo is seeing as far as future platforms are concerned.  It seems to be an upgrade cycle around 2010 where chips will exhibit more radical designs such as graphic functions integrated directly onto the CPU and higher effiency through a variety of power-saving features like shutting down parts of the system.  One of the future efficiency feature of Intel's future mobile platform includes shutting core that are not being utilized.

Any quad-core solutions this year will be very expensive and offers few day-to-day advantages.  If a software does not fully support multi-core processors, we won't see an advantage.  You can go to any websites that run benchmarks that show higher frequency CPUs beat out lower frequency CPUs with double the cores.  

Future-proofing is a great consideration but based on what I'm seeing, I'll likely stick with a dual-core system.  Furthermore, with Apple's Snow Leopard optimized for multi-core computing about a year away still and parallel processing solutions, though promising, isn't ready for majority of consumers, there is no need for us to even think that far.  

Windows 7 development also has an eye towards parallel processing.  That is still a couple of years if not more away.  

For now, there are great deals with the Santa Rosa platform and in the current economic condition we're in, competition could be fierce for our dollars.  

So, what about those who has a two or three year old laptop?  It's a difficult call.  Again, there are great deals today but I've personally been using a 5-year old Powerbook.  My Mac Mini is going on 3 years.  If you can still it out another year, that would be my recommendation.

Meanwhile there are many ways you can refresh your current system.  Two quickly comes to mind.  Add more memory if you haven't already.  Also, you can optimize your system by doing a clean install of the OS.  This should hold you over for a while longer.

Note:  Quad-core chips are nice to have and are definitely the direction we're headed.  It'll be expensive so you'll have to see if you have immediately needs for it now.

College Students: Laptop Purchased with 529 Plan

The 529 Plan is one of the better idea for those who can afford it.  It is a education savings account that allows parents and students to save and draw money out with incurring taxes.  Nevertheless, it's not a free for all.  We've learn financial advisors push it as a security against rising educational costs.  Laptops are often thrown in as a purchase that is allowable under 529.

However, that is not necessary so, as Los Angeles Times reports.  What?  Not laptops?  Onxo only reported the necessity of Twenty-First Century students being trained to used laptops with Internet skills so how can laptops not be allowable under the 529 plan? In fact, should it not be mandatory?

Okay, that is a bit extreme.  So, if you want to get yourself or your college bound student a laptop for use in school, what are you to do?  The codes of 529 specify "tuition, fees, books, supplies, and equipment required for the enrollment or attendance at school".  

Unfortunately, laptops does not automatically qualify.  If the specified educational regiment does not require use of a laptop, then you can forget about using 529 funds to get one.  Yeah, for that about that Macbook or Dell.  

It is a big archaic as far as the 529 plan goes when it was first created.  The LA Times article spoke about the need to update the codes to meet the demands and skill sets a future mobile warrior will need to succeed in today's world.  

Regardless, it's best you speak with the school and whoever help you set up your plans on what you should do.  There are some sites that you may want keep in mind (Onxo listed the as listed from LAT) if you have questions or for safe keeping when you do need it.  

Also, there are some suggestions for the 529 plan:

• Keep good records.
• Take out money that you need.  Match the expenses to avoid the "Eye" of the IRS.
• Do not take out money to pay for future expenses.  
• Seek advice and educate yourself as what options are available to you.

Here are some sites you can seek for more information:

• college savings
  
• saving for college
  
• college savings foundation
  
• finaid
  
• howstuffworks
  
• 529s
  
• SEC - intro 529
  

Note:  Onxo believes certain mobile devices are needed like a laptop.  It will depend on the Congressional will.  With 2008 being an election year, however, I'm not too hopeful.  So are any other mobile devices allow in the 529 plan?  Right now, it's not looking good.  Onxo would like to see at least one mobile device allow, be it MID, a smartphone, or a mobile platform device like the iPhone.  

It would make sense for computer manufacturers to push for a permanent change to the 529 as it is in their own self-interest if a more students are allow to purchase a laptop for college.  In fact, I would make it tax deductible up to $1000 per student.  How does that sound?

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TSA Approved Cases

As you may know, TSA has announced they are for checkpoint friendly cases to be used to help protect laptops and streamline the security process.  It was back in March that TSA began working with bag designers on how best to serve the public.

TSA has outlined the following criteria for the bag in their press release:

• A designated laptop-only section
  
• The laptop-only section completely unfolds to lay flat on the X-ray belt
  
• No metal snaps, zippers or buckles inside, underneath or on top of the laptop-only section
  
• No pockets on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section
  
• Nothing packed in the laptop-only section other than the computer itself.
  

What has happened since?  Well, we've got the cases from a variety of manufacturers.  Here a few links from sources on the Internet about bags that are checkpoint friendly.  Keep in mind this is still early and unforeseen issues may pop up.

• Crunchgear
• Targus Zip-Thru laptop cases (CNET)
• Just straps (CNET)

Onxo will keep an eye on other manufacturers as they become available.  There is no doubt this will put mobile warriors at ease a bit and having to take the laptop out and having an uncaring TSA agent treat your most precious mobile tool harshly.

Here is the direct link to Targus' Zip-Thru.

Buy Laptops Now or Later

For the less techies among us, our mobile device buying route is simply.  First, get the Sunday papers filled with ads and see what Best Buy, Office Depot, and Circuit City is offer as their special.  Second step, we make comparisons.  Easy right?

But these days, it's very difficult to tell with the different chips, graphics cards, and overlapping platforms.  To make matters worse, open up the ads and try to make comparisons.  You can't because every electronics giant has a different model with specs that .  This makes comparison difficult but no impossible.

Thus, for the majority of us, there is no doubt that when we need a laptop, we need it right now.

Starting this week, we'll sort through the ads and help you sort through the different "deals" so you can decide on your own, making it easier to chose and buy with confidence when you walk though the door.

No need to thank us.  It's a weekly ritual to sort through the ads anyway with coffee at Starbucks.

As for buying now or later.  It's always now.  Always.  Because if you're consider, it usually means you have a need for it, now.  There's is always something better around the corner.  But having the right mobile tool to help you with your work today is more important.  And with speeds they are now, they are incremental and not likely to see a huge jump in performance.

Right now, there is a dearth of software capable of taking advantage of multi-core processors that dominate the consumer market.  While dual core is very common, they are underutilized.  And going forward this will be a larger issue as the marketing folks at Intel and AMD to push four-core.  As you may well  know, AMD has a three-core processor as well.

Also, this fall, we'll see a four-core notebook processor.  A first from Intel or anyone else.  I do a lot of video processing on the Mac and iMovie takes advantage of quad-core but I'm not willing to shell out $$$ for it.

So, eager look forward to a Macbook this fall to replace my current Powerbook and Mac Mini workhouse.