If you want something done right

May 21, 2006So I bit the bullet and decided to get the dust cleaned out from under my screen.  I called Toshiba and discovered that the nearest service center was a mere stone's throw from our home in Cookeville -- Bowling Green, Kentucky.  So, I called ahead and explained about the dust, and they assured me they could take care of it.  So I drive for 5 hours, 300 miles, and spend about $25 in gas.  But at least it's there and I'm home.  So I get a call the next day, saying that the keyboard isn't under warrantee (I wanted it cleaned), but they'd take care of the screen.  Sure.  The next day, I get another call saying it's ready to be picked up.  5 more hours, 300 more miles, $25 more dollars (so much for free servicing, right?)  I get it home, and the screen is STILL DIRTY!!  They took off the screen cover and cleaned the back side, but the didn't clean what the screen cover was covering: the screen.  So what did I do?  I did it myself.  I'm not going to pay waste that much time and energy again to risk it STILL not being right.  At least now I can truthfully say that the screen was professionally cleaned, so they won't have any justification to void the warrantee.

The summer is going forward smoothly.  I'm looking forward to vacation, and the relaxing time leading up to it.  I get back on 5/3 and start work on 5/5, so I'll be jumping right in.

Liz and I have opened up a college fund for Daniel, thanks to a generous donation from my dad.  Besides our own contribution, we'll probably put much of the gift money he receives into there (anything not spent on toys for him).  In other baby related news, Liz and I will likely be getting a new camera.  Ours is good for most applications, but a quick baby with fleeting activities requires special equipment.  Okay, so we just need something faster.  Paul found a great camera for a great price (Casio EX-Z750), so I think that's what we'll get.  Time to start shopping.

Mothers

May 14, 2006You know, it's hard to understand the love of a parent until you're a parent.  Watching the love Liz has for our son is... amazing, inspirational, beautiful, and much more.  They definitely deserve a day.  Besides the love, the amount of time, attention, and effort required of a mother is staggering.  Despite school, church, and house responsibilities, if often feels like Daniel is my whole life, and the same is true for Liz.  So, sweetie, Happy Mother's Day.  And the same to the rest of you mothers!  Also to Karissa, since I remember how exciting Mother's and Father's day were when we were expecting.  Mothers, enjoy the last hours of a day for you.  :)

Toshiba Tecra M4

May 14, 2006I have decided that it would be worthwhile to discuss my experience with my new comp.  Many people have asked me about it and I know that the search for the best one to meet my needs was not an easy one.  Maybe this will help some other people.

Setup:

As stated, I am the proud owner of a Toshiba Tecra M4 Tablet PC.  I linked it, because the tour will give a better picture than some posted pics could offer.  It weighs just over 6 pounds and has a 14.1" screen.  The technical specs are as follows:
Pentium M 2.0 GHz Processor
1024MB PC4200 DDR2 533MHz SDRAM in dual-channel
NVidia GeForce GO 6200 TE (64 MB Dedicated Memory)
Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG (802.11b/g)
60GB (5400 RPM) Serial-ATA (SATA) hard disk drive
Slim SelectBay CD-RW/DVD-ROM
    Maximum Speed: CD-ROM  (24x:read), CD-R (24x:write), CD-RW (10x:write), DVD-ROM (8x:read)
14.1" diagonal TFT active-matrix LCD display at 1400x1050 native resolution (SXGA+) with Contrast of 500:1

Choices:

So why did I choose this partiular brand, model, and specs?  First, the intended use must be understood.  I am a senior Mechanical Engineering student.  Because so much coursework is cumulative, I really wanted the ability to have all of my notes with me at all times.  In some of my classes, a normal laptop would provide the needed utility.  In many, though, I needed the ability to draw diagrams and write equations.  For this reason, I decided a tablet PC would provide adequate functionality.  Any less would still require me to use paper and pencil in many classes, and this would defeat much of the purpose.  I chose a Tecra M4 because of its graphics power.  Very few tablets offer a dedicated graphics card.  The M4 allowed me to choose a GO 6200, and there is now a GO 6600 available with it.  I wanted a tablet that could also peform well with the games I like to play (Call of Duty 2, Battlefield 2, Oblivion, Age of Mythology, etc).  This all led to my choosing this particular tablet.

Use:

Home Office - The laptop has been great for normal office applications.  The screen is crisp, and the keyboard has a relatively natural feel.  Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are the only office applications have used multiple times, and I have had no problems.

Education - I have had a great time using the tablet for classes.  Not being the most organized person, I never had to worry about remembering the right folder or even remembering ANY folder.  I scanned in handouts, and the OneNote program that came with the laptop has been great.  I can switch easily between typing, writing, drawing, and highlighting, and all of my notes from last semester are just a few clicks away.  It was so nice, my wife used it for many of her classes as well.  I found that the fan was sometimes a little loud for a classroom setting, but I could avoid this by turning down the power from FULL or HIGH to NORMAL or LONG LIFE.  The screen automatically rotates when you switch from laptop to tablet modes, so I would often type until I needed to draw something, flip the screen around, pop out the stylus, draw whatever I need to, and then flip it back to continue typing.  The stylus is designed such that you can rest your hand on the screen and write very naturally.  The screen has a great feel to it, so you don't feel like you are slipping around.  The tablet is also thin enough that you don't have the strech your wrist unnaturally.  All in all, the tablet functionality is very intuitive and feels very natural.  I was very impressed with the precision and the feel of the entire system.  For my academic uses, it exceeded my expectations.  As I hoped, all my notes were together and organized, and the ease of use was beyond what I expected.

Gaming - I love this thing.  I have taken it to one LAN party, and it performed very well.  The load times were a little longer than most desktops, but the in-game performance was great.  The graphics card provided very nice graphics for Dawn of War and Call of Duty 2, and I had a great night playing on it, not to mention the easy setup and teardown.  I have also spent a lot of time playing with it at home.  The only game that I've played that the tablet has trouble with is Oblivion, which as many of you know, is a very demanding game.  It's definitely playable, but the the video options have be turned down really low.  I'm glad I was able to get the GO 6200.  It provides the power I need for almost any game I want to play for now.

Toshiba Tech Support:

I have needed to call a couple times, and the reps have been friendly and helpful.  Although clearly not native English speakers, they have been understandable, and my problems and questions have been dealt with quickly and professionally.

Conclusions:

Pros - The power and utility of this PC has been a great asset both academically and recreationally.  I am very pleased with it, and look forward to many years of good use.  It provides the practical functionality I need to be a useful office computer, the mobility and flexibility I need to be an effective educational computer, and the power and performance I need to be an effective gaming machine.  The design is strong and the controls are pretty intuitive.  The screen wobble is minimal, the stylus is comfortable, the keyboard is responsive, and the speakers provide pretty good sound.

Cons - As with any device, my M4 has its quirks.  Like screens on PDAs, dust can get trapped under the outer screen.  Because it's under warrantee, I have to get it cleaned at a professional repair center.  Also, it tends to get pretty hot.  I am fine usually, but if I'm wearing shorts and playing a game, I sometimes need to put a pillow between me and the comp.  The power brick also gets hot.  6 lbs is manageable, but it does start to make my shoulder tired after a long day of carrying it.  Luckily, I have two shoulders.

Final - If you are looking for a tablet that can play games, I strongly recommend a Tecra M4.  I have been very pleased with it.  The tablet functionality has its own pricetag, though, and an equivalent notebook without it will probably be $400-$600 cheaper.  There are also cheaper tablets, but don't expect stellar gaming performance.  This tablet met my needs at a price I could afford.  Yes, I'd buy it again.

1 remark

Quick Remark:

Circadian Upsets

May 12, 2006Daniel slipped into this nice pattern of waking up about 8:00-10:00, plays and eats for about an hour, takes a nap, and then plays, eats, and sleeps for the rest of the day.  He naps a total of about 4 times, and usually goes to bed for the night about 7:30.

Today, he woke up at about 9:00, but he wouldn't take his morning nap.  Or his second morning nap.  He took only one nap all day long!  It was so... weird.  We kept putting him down and he kept refusing to sleep.  And he went to bed about his normal time... just shortly before.  We'll see if he keeps up the one nap per day thing.

Pointed?

May 11, 2006I was just shown a debate that has been taking place over the last several days on phusebox, and wanted to be clear that the post I just made was not about a particular debate or directed towards any particular person or persons.  The timing is ironic, and I stand by everything I said, but I don't want anyone to think I was referring to them.  If I'm going to condemn a particular debate, I'll make sure not to be cryptic about it.  :)