At Home Computer Chico.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Facebook valued at a current $40 billion, more ads imminent
This is a little info on what's going on with Facebook right now (At Home Computer). Mark Zuckerberg, CEO and (co-)founder of Facebook, acknowledges his desire to move forward with more advertising-driven products. Google's value exploded when they rolled out AdSense a mere 6 years after their launch. Many people think (or hope) this could be the beginning of the end for Facebook, as a brief forensic look at Myspace will tell us that it was the excess selling of adspace that brought it down. And as many of you know, since a year and a half ago, Myspace has been seen by many as "like the wild wild west or Las vegas of social media: dirty and ghetto."
Anobit gives the green light on licensing their MSP technology
This is information given to you from At Home Computer. Anobit has recently licensed their Memory Signal Processing technology to Intel, who has decided to make an unprecedented investment in Solid State drive technology. It's very exciting that Intel's doing this, because Anobit's MSP technology is all about driving down cost and pushing performance of NAND flash to unprecedented speeds (535 (MB/s) read and 500MB/s write throughput using SAS, getting close to 100 times faster than a traditional 7200RPM hard drive).
Hope I can buy a 500gb SSD next year for under $300.
Hope I can buy a 500gb SSD next year for under $300.
Friday, November 12, 2010
LogMeIn Remote Service Available For Mobile Devices
Remote Computer Repair
If you've used my service before, you're probably familiar with Logmein, a simple and elegant piece of software that allows me to access your system remotely with your permission. This, of course, makes it so that I can do many repairs for you without visiting your home, and in doing so saves both of us time and money. It's an incredibly powerful tool for anyone who may need to access their own system from another place as well. For example, if I leave a note or document on my system at home, and I need to read it or copy it, I can use Logmein from my laptop somewhere, go right on my computer, and email the note to myself.
But what if I don't have my laptop with me? Maybe all I have is my phone, or an iPad? Well, Logmein has created an iPhone/iPad/Android-friendly version called Logmein Ignition. It's $29.95 for the app, but after that there's no additional fees, and you'll be able to access any laptop or desktop computer you've set Logmein up on. The interface is brilliant and intuitive, and is something worth considering if you're like me and don't always have the files you need outside the home at all times.
Complete control over your Windows 7 home computer in a 3.5-inch iPhone display?
The geek cool factor here has to be experienced to be fully appreciated.
Very cool! But be forewarned; do not make the mistake I did of showing this off to my wife. She already thinks I don't spend enough time outside already. Maybe she's right. Now, to Logmein to my laptop from my Droid to cloud network my mp3 library to my phone...
- Josh
If you've used my service before, you're probably familiar with Logmein, a simple and elegant piece of software that allows me to access your system remotely with your permission. This, of course, makes it so that I can do many repairs for you without visiting your home, and in doing so saves both of us time and money. It's an incredibly powerful tool for anyone who may need to access their own system from another place as well. For example, if I leave a note or document on my system at home, and I need to read it or copy it, I can use Logmein from my laptop somewhere, go right on my computer, and email the note to myself.
But what if I don't have my laptop with me? Maybe all I have is my phone, or an iPad? Well, Logmein has created an iPhone/iPad/Android-friendly version called Logmein Ignition. It's $29.95 for the app, but after that there's no additional fees, and you'll be able to access any laptop or desktop computer you've set Logmein up on. The interface is brilliant and intuitive, and is something worth considering if you're like me and don't always have the files you need outside the home at all times.
The geek cool factor here has to be experienced to be fully appreciated.
Very cool! But be forewarned; do not make the mistake I did of showing this off to my wife. She already thinks I don't spend enough time outside already. Maybe she's right. Now, to Logmein to my laptop from my Droid to cloud network my mp3 library to my phone...
- Josh
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Smart Phone HDMI Out Port Is Soon To Get Very Interesting
Apple Repair Chico
It's exciting that powerful smart phones are now coming equipped with an HDMI output, but we still haven't seen a smart phone that can play back 720p or higher videos, except for the proprietary 720p format some smart phones can record at. But a game changer for this is supposedly coming around early 2011, and it's currently called the Samsung Galaxy S2.
The CPU is going to be a 2GHZ CPU, instead of the impressive 1GHZ CPU in the Droid X. It's also going to be a 4.3 inch screen like the Droid X. I've used the Droid X for a couple weeks, and I can tell you that if you like having a smart phone, few of you will find 4.3 inches too big. At first I thought, "Jesus, this thing is huge." Three days later I thought, "Man, this thing is the perfect size for a smart phone."
The S2 will be the first smartphone to have a resolution of 1280x720 (TRUE 720p resolution!) and the first smartphone to record in 1080p. Many other features will be basically double what the Droid X is.
I think we'll be able to carry a collection of HD films and shows around in our pockets next year. Why is this so cool? Think about having a portable HD media center in an object the size of your wallet for starters. You could carry around 64GB of your favorite music, photos, films and TV shows and play it on anyone's screen with HDMI or DLNA. That's pretty cool. And already there are bluetooth keyboards available that sync up with Android phones. A mouse within an Android browser coded for that support won't be too far off. Yes, things are going to be interesting next year for the mobile marketplace.
- Josh
It's exciting that powerful smart phones are now coming equipped with an HDMI output, but we still haven't seen a smart phone that can play back 720p or higher videos, except for the proprietary 720p format some smart phones can record at. But a game changer for this is supposedly coming around early 2011, and it's currently called the Samsung Galaxy S2.
The S2 will be the first smartphone to have a resolution of 1280x720 (TRUE 720p resolution!) and the first smartphone to record in 1080p. Many other features will be basically double what the Droid X is.
I think we'll be able to carry a collection of HD films and shows around in our pockets next year. Why is this so cool? Think about having a portable HD media center in an object the size of your wallet for starters. You could carry around 64GB of your favorite music, photos, films and TV shows and play it on anyone's screen with HDMI or DLNA. That's pretty cool. And already there are bluetooth keyboards available that sync up with Android phones. A mouse within an Android browser coded for that support won't be too far off. Yes, things are going to be interesting next year for the mobile marketplace.
- Josh
GTX 470 Is Lone Wolf in GeForce-supported Mercury Engine Cards for Adobe CS5
Contact us for housecall computer repair Chico
Well, after a ton of major bug fixes and feature additions, we have a major CS5 update for After Effects and Premiere. One additional feature really caught my eye: CUDA-accelerated rendering. In case you don't know, CUDA is a software interface that unlocks the processing power of your GeForce GPUs since the 8800 series of cards, and it allows the card's muscle to be used to do things your CPU would do. For example, an awesome program named Badaboom for Windows leverages CUDA to performa dramatically accelerated transcoding of videos to H.264 at a fraction of the time my Q6700 CPU can do it in! And in case you don't know, a Q6700 is an Intel 2.66Ghz quad core beast, still very powerful by today's standards. So CUDA has an exciting future.
Unfortunately, the support for GeForce cards by Adobe is in an odd infant stage, and it is not explained why Adobe's running into issues supporting more GeForce cards. For now, those of us with an updated copy of AE CS5 and Premiere CS5 need either a GTX 285 or GeForce GTX 470 in order to get this awesome performance boost. Or, you can spend around $1,000 and get yourself an NVIDIA Quadro. Personally, I can't do that, so it's time to create a good excuse to sell the GTX 260 and pick up a GTX 470.
- Josh
Well, after a ton of major bug fixes and feature additions, we have a major CS5 update for After Effects and Premiere. One additional feature really caught my eye: CUDA-accelerated rendering. In case you don't know, CUDA is a software interface that unlocks the processing power of your GeForce GPUs since the 8800 series of cards, and it allows the card's muscle to be used to do things your CPU would do. For example, an awesome program named Badaboom for Windows leverages CUDA to performa dramatically accelerated transcoding of videos to H.264 at a fraction of the time my Q6700 CPU can do it in! And in case you don't know, a Q6700 is an Intel 2.66Ghz quad core beast, still very powerful by today's standards. So CUDA has an exciting future.
Unfortunately, the support for GeForce cards by Adobe is in an odd infant stage, and it is not explained why Adobe's running into issues supporting more GeForce cards. For now, those of us with an updated copy of AE CS5 and Premiere CS5 need either a GTX 285 or GeForce GTX 470 in order to get this awesome performance boost. Or, you can spend around $1,000 and get yourself an NVIDIA Quadro. Personally, I can't do that, so it's time to create a good excuse to sell the GTX 260 and pick up a GTX 470.
- Josh
The new Samsung Tablet for Verizon emerges
For Laptop Repair Chico service, contact At Home Computer for help!
Alright, so Apple has their first real tablet competitor after SEVEN months of the iPad was released. It's an Android tablet called the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It's $600. The iPad with 3G is $620. The Samsung's a 7 inch screen. The iPad a 9.7 inch screen. Not exactly the kind of competition I was hoping for. Especially since the Wifi-only version of the iPad (without 3G) is only $499 now, I do not see this new Galaxy Tab as causing much of a price point problem for Apple.
One interesting thing though. In Europe, this Galaxy Tab is used as a phone. The same tablet. Does that mean the US model has the phone feature disabled? Does that mean some clever 16-year old with too much time on his hands will figure out how to enable it for us a week after it's out? If that happens (and I didn't mention the Galaxy Tab has a front and back-facing camera for photos and video calls), things could get interesting.
- Josh
Alright, so Apple has their first real tablet competitor after SEVEN months of the iPad was released. It's an Android tablet called the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It's $600. The iPad with 3G is $620. The Samsung's a 7 inch screen. The iPad a 9.7 inch screen. Not exactly the kind of competition I was hoping for. Especially since the Wifi-only version of the iPad (without 3G) is only $499 now, I do not see this new Galaxy Tab as causing much of a price point problem for Apple.
One interesting thing though. In Europe, this Galaxy Tab is used as a phone. The same tablet. Does that mean the US model has the phone feature disabled? Does that mean some clever 16-year old with too much time on his hands will figure out how to enable it for us a week after it's out? If that happens (and I didn't mention the Galaxy Tab has a front and back-facing camera for photos and video calls), things could get interesting.
- Josh
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Apple TV or WD TV Live?
Do you need Chico Mac Computer Repair? Call Josh at (530) 228-4444
Do you have photos, music, even movies and TV episodes sitting on various computers around your house? Are they all over the place with no central organization?
Media centers have become very popular. After using one for a little while, I can tell you why. When you've got all your digital photos accessible from the main room on your TV, you find yourself showing your friends and families those photos a lot more often than you would otherwise. You end up listening to music you might never had listened to. You can watch YouTube videos, listen to music on Pandora, or stream films online from Netflix. It's all about convenience and simplicity. And if you're like me at all, you can afford a little more of that in your life.
There are computers, game systems, and media players you can use for your media center. If you don't care for video games, a Playstation 3 is a waste of money; if you want to spend the money or need the power of an entire computer in your living room, that's out too; but a media player? They're just little boxes that you can plug a USB drive, network cable, even connect wirelessly to your network and can access and play all your data through a friendly graphical interface. Just turn on your TV, switch to the right channel, and use the included media player remote to scroll through your photos, videos, and music.
There are several big values in the media player industry right now. My personal favorites are the Apple TV ($99) and the Western Digital TV Live Plus ($99). Both of these units are similar, but there are a few things you need to consider before going out and buying one.
Apple TV
THE GOOD: The Apple TV comes with a very slick and user friendly interface. A very cool movie and TV rental service which allows you to see films and shows the day they are released. It comes with WiFi (so you can access your network and internet wirelessly). You gotta spend another $40-60 to get a WiFi adapter for the WD TV Live Plus. Another plus is you get a more responsive remote, which is a big deal for any of you who can't stand the performance of typical infrared remotes.
THE BAD: HDMI and Optical Audio outputs ONLY. No RCA, Composite, or Component out. No analog Audio out. If you want or need to connect it in any other way, be careful about buying this one. And iTunes-only media means if you've got a lot of AVIs and MKVs you want to stream, you're out of luck, so if you want to stream these formats, don't get the Apple TV! Also, it displays a maximum 720p resolution (could be bad news for people with larger screens). It also can't do Pandora or Flickr. And sadly, Apple used to include a web browser with Apple TV, which was very cool, but they've since removed this.
WD TV Live Plus
THE GOOD: The WD TV Live Plus is for you if you've got a lot of different kinds of media that don't necessarily integrate with iTunes. The WD TV can play both AVI and MKV files at resolutions as high as 1080p (Apple TV is 720p max), and for some people that settles the debate already. Also, this has a USB port that accepts thumb drives or hard drives, unlike the Apple TV (whose USB port is a diagnostic port ONLY). Also, unlike the Apple TV, the WD TV Live can not only do HDMI and Optical Audio Out, it can also do Composite Out (RCA), Component Out, and Analog Audio Out (think headphone or dual RCA jacks).
THE BAD: Does not come with WiFi (available separately for around $40-60), the interface is clunkier, and the remote isn't as responsive. There is no On Demand rental service available for the WD TV Live Plus yet, which means if you want to stream online a DVD the day it comes out, the Apple TV may be what you want.
So, as is common with most Apple products, it's an apple to oranges situation (okay, yes, pun intended). Pick the one that's right for you, then call me to set it up for you. No setup fee if you invite me and my wife to a night of watching Boardwalk Empire. That's a good show.
Josh Carlson
At Home Computer - (530) 228-4444
Do you have photos, music, even movies and TV episodes sitting on various computers around your house? Are they all over the place with no central organization?
Media centers have become very popular. After using one for a little while, I can tell you why. When you've got all your digital photos accessible from the main room on your TV, you find yourself showing your friends and families those photos a lot more often than you would otherwise. You end up listening to music you might never had listened to. You can watch YouTube videos, listen to music on Pandora, or stream films online from Netflix. It's all about convenience and simplicity. And if you're like me at all, you can afford a little more of that in your life.
There are computers, game systems, and media players you can use for your media center. If you don't care for video games, a Playstation 3 is a waste of money; if you want to spend the money or need the power of an entire computer in your living room, that's out too; but a media player? They're just little boxes that you can plug a USB drive, network cable, even connect wirelessly to your network and can access and play all your data through a friendly graphical interface. Just turn on your TV, switch to the right channel, and use the included media player remote to scroll through your photos, videos, and music.
There are several big values in the media player industry right now. My personal favorites are the Apple TV ($99) and the Western Digital TV Live Plus ($99). Both of these units are similar, but there are a few things you need to consider before going out and buying one.
Apple TV
THE GOOD: The Apple TV comes with a very slick and user friendly interface. A very cool movie and TV rental service which allows you to see films and shows the day they are released. It comes with WiFi (so you can access your network and internet wirelessly). You gotta spend another $40-60 to get a WiFi adapter for the WD TV Live Plus. Another plus is you get a more responsive remote, which is a big deal for any of you who can't stand the performance of typical infrared remotes.
THE BAD: HDMI and Optical Audio outputs ONLY. No RCA, Composite, or Component out. No analog Audio out. If you want or need to connect it in any other way, be careful about buying this one. And iTunes-only media means if you've got a lot of AVIs and MKVs you want to stream, you're out of luck, so if you want to stream these formats, don't get the Apple TV! Also, it displays a maximum 720p resolution (could be bad news for people with larger screens). It also can't do Pandora or Flickr. And sadly, Apple used to include a web browser with Apple TV, which was very cool, but they've since removed this.
WD TV Live Plus
THE GOOD: The WD TV Live Plus is for you if you've got a lot of different kinds of media that don't necessarily integrate with iTunes. The WD TV can play both AVI and MKV files at resolutions as high as 1080p (Apple TV is 720p max), and for some people that settles the debate already. Also, this has a USB port that accepts thumb drives or hard drives, unlike the Apple TV (whose USB port is a diagnostic port ONLY). Also, unlike the Apple TV, the WD TV Live can not only do HDMI and Optical Audio Out, it can also do Composite Out (RCA), Component Out, and Analog Audio Out (think headphone or dual RCA jacks).
THE BAD: Does not come with WiFi (available separately for around $40-60), the interface is clunkier, and the remote isn't as responsive. There is no On Demand rental service available for the WD TV Live Plus yet, which means if you want to stream online a DVD the day it comes out, the Apple TV may be what you want.
So, as is common with most Apple products, it's an apple to oranges situation (okay, yes, pun intended). Pick the one that's right for you, then call me to set it up for you. No setup fee if you invite me and my wife to a night of watching Boardwalk Empire. That's a good show.
Josh Carlson
At Home Computer - (530) 228-4444
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
What Video Games Can My Computer Handle?
So you just had your system working again from At Home Computer Chico computer repair, and your friend from work just can't shut up about how awesome the new Call of Duty: Black Ops is, so you think, "Hey, I've got a my PC working again, I should go get it and see what's so great about it." You go to Best Buy after work, shell out $60, and when you start installing it your computer pops up a message saying "Your System Does Not Meet The Minimum Requirements." Crap. You should've just bought that new battery for your Blackberry. And you know Best Buy doesn't take back software. So how could you have prevented this tragic scenario from befalling you?
www.CanYouRunIt.com
Can You Run It, created by System Requirements Lab, is an ingenious website that sends you a small online applet that asks for a little information from your system, and in turn, can tell you how well your system will play your chosen game (if it can play it at all). Now go get a faster video card!
Woohoo! I can run Black Ops! Now to find the time to play it....
Have fun,
Josh Carlson
530-228-4444
www.CanYouRunIt.com
Can You Run It, created by System Requirements Lab, is an ingenious website that sends you a small online applet that asks for a little information from your system, and in turn, can tell you how well your system will play your chosen game (if it can play it at all). Now go get a faster video card!
Have fun,
Josh Carlson
530-228-4444
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