Slashdot Mirror

1. Weight.
2. It would break. It only "survived" the landing with the airbags. without them it would break if it bounces. This is not a thoughbook, well, it should have been. ;-)

Well, this is why you roll your own.

Or buy a VCR (remember those?) instead. Personally, I could never figure out the attraction of using a device that required a monthly fee to combine finite, hard-to-expand storage of video programming and tv.yahoo.com into a single box.

But then, I do know how to program my VCR.

Standard DV quality is about 13 GB for an hour but some cameras are coming out that record as MPEG2 or MPEG4 on to solid state devices. The quality isn't as good, and editing might be trickier, but it looks like a nifty gadget.

vinyl! it's the people's medium!

And of course, carrying a camcorder (small ones typically weigh a pound or so) is somewhat geeky now, but what happens when they become the size of cigarette lighters? Panasonic already has a solid state one the size of a cigarette pack, though it records only 10 minutes of DVD-quality video so it won't hold a whole movie. That 10 minute limitation won't last, and it can already hold a whole movie at lower resolution.

There's a simple cure. They should have security checkpoints with baggage X-rays at every movie theater, just like at airports. That will really solve the MPAA problem once and for all, since ticket sales will drop to zero.

This one, these two, this one (and probably most of Creative's new portable adio).

I'm sure there's a lot more. AAC is an open format, it's based on MPEG4 and the licensing fees are nothing like WMA.

As a occassional professional DJ a few years ago, an occassional professional soundman with my room shaking EV's, co creator of Quicktime Turntablefrom 1997 and as an owner of Final Scratch, I can tell you with fairly expert opinion that the $250 pricetag this new piece of hardware carries puts it smack dab into the "way too expensive toy" category.

Pro CD turntables that accurately simulate the platter of a vinyl turntable are anywhere from US$800-$1500. Technics 1200's (the 30+ year gold standard for dj'ing turntables) run anywhere from US$400-$750 each depending on who you get them from... a excellent mixer will cost you between US$50-$1000 or more.

FinalScratch is $500. It is a professional grade piece of equipment. It is not a toy. It's complex and responsive. It does what you expect it to. It costs that much money because it's worth it.

I dunno about this $250 new item. Who IS it for anyway? Obviously not pros, and at that price you can alternatively buy a console and a few games to occupy your time.

Stanton created a package called Final Scratch a couple of years ago that basically lets you use your existing turntables to mix digital files (mp3, ogg, etc..). Some said it would revolutionize the DJ market and eventually render vinyl records obsolete. It did not.

You'll find that the high majority of DJs still prefer to use a pair of Technics SL1200s and a mixer. There's a level of control when handling the analog source (records) directly you just don't get with digital gadgets. Not to mention a crate full of vinyl records looks a hell of a lot cooler than a folder full of mp3s.

Digital DJ devices are cute and usefull to some, but to the professional / serious amateur DJ they just don't make the grade.

The Panasonic Toughbook 18 is one.

http://www.icube.us/panasonic_w2/product_spec.htm

It says upgradeable to 512MB. Dynamism sells a DIFFERENT version with a 1GHz CPU, this W2 has a 900MHz CPU.

iCube model: CF-W2AW1AXP

Dynamism model: CF-W2BW3AXP
http://www.dynamism.com/w2/specs.shtml

Do you see the difference?

Specs from Panasonics website: http://www.panasonic.com/computer/notebook/pdf/TBw 2.pdf

Well, the Panasonic site is more informative if you use IE on Windows. Mozilla, Safari, Camino, etc. are not supported by this page. (Though you can work around this by using the site map).

Everything else is just another laptop.

Everything else is just another laptop.

Yet again another "review" by a site which has very little information.

Basically it's the author's "feeling" about the notebook, a few pictures, some "testing" which means little to a typical laptop user and absolutely no "Print Article" button so I can bypass the "Hot Words" with advertising, side bar with advertising, top frame with advertising, and bottom frame with advertising.

They manage to stretch out 2 paragraphs over 5 pages. Yuck.

You'd get more information from Panasonic's website and their Toughbook W2 Datasheet (PDF) then you will at this site.

Yet again another "review" by a site which has very little information.

Basically it's the author's "feeling" about the notebook, a few pictures, some "testing" which means little to a typical laptop user and absolutely no "Print Article" button so I can bypass the "Hot Words" with advertising, side bar with advertising, top frame with advertising, and bottom frame with advertising.

They manage to stretch out 2 paragraphs over 5 pages. Yuck.

You'd get more information from Panasonic's website and their Toughbook W2 Datasheet (PDF) then you will at this site.

For the hell of it.

In the picture on the first page of this pdf can you see someone other than a star of jackass putting an apple laptop in such a precarious position? No. Me neither.

Apples are great if one and two on your "Fuctions My Computer Must Perform" list are: "Look purtty" and "Show off how much money I have to waste" respectively. Some people who use laptops have more to worry about than the temperature of their frapachino. As comfortable as your little niche might be, the world is a whole hell of a lot larger, and your ingnorance of it is hardly interesting, informative, or insightful.

It isn't?

PS: Panasonic specs on the W2

link to the Panasonic page for the laptop.

Actually, I thought about buying a Panasonic Toughbook for some time, but couldn't find much info how well Linux runs on them. (Apparently they don't sell retail, but I've seen some on ebay.) Looks like they would survive such an incident w/o problems ...

Here's a mfr link and a write-up at Tom's Hardware. Here's a website detailing one person's experiences with it.

If you have the money for a HD player but don't want one b/c you need a player for running, small pockets, etc. the Panasonic SV AV series ( $400) has some pretty nifty features such as a camdcorder, digital camera, 2" LCD, and an AV cradle for recording TV shows. Sony also has some cool multi-use devices but are quite a bit more expensive.

I see a lot of posts saying you can do everything on a Mac that you can do with Windows... well, at my company I see a lot of software RFPs go out and the requirements in the responses almost always specify WinNT/2000/XP workstations. Addtionally, we use a lot of custom Access-database in use at our company.

Now, perhaps you can run in an emulated mode, but is that any less problematic than just running a Windows box? I really don't know the answer because I have limited experience with Macs... if we could "switch" are operations to be Mac-based, I'd be all for it, but I've always assumed the headaches would outweigh the advantages...

On a side note, it's for the same reasons I haven't switched my laptop... ever since OSX came out I've been tempted to get a MAC. But I use MS Access quite a bit and honestly I have few issues with Windows nowadays. Plus I like small laptops and the 12" Powerbook doesn't impress me... you want to see a cool laptop, checkout the Panasonic W2: 12" screen, internal DVD/CDRW, and 48 watt-hour battery in a 2.8 pound package that is only slightly bigger than the screen dimensions.

What documentation, exactly? Panasonic's docs for one, mention no such thing as a memory effect, neither do Sanyo's, both of which are incidentally the leading manufacturers of NiCd cells. I came across this article on EDN, which doesn't give many details, though, but this this usenet thread sums the issue up pretty well, particularly the last sentence of the last post.

Why on earth would you want a portable machine that kicks out enough heat, and has poor enough thermal dissipation, to need a fan? Not only do they suck extra power and fail frequently, they require openings in the case that can introduce dust and moisture. That's fine in a server room with a controlled environment, but you'd never take such a delicate machine on the beach, or into a machine shop, or anywhere else that real people might need to compute.

One reason good laptops have metal cases is so they don't need fans. It also helps with the durability just a bit. ;)

i speak as the voice of experience here. i'm a marine (still) working in iraq (i've been out here for six months).

since the start of this conflict, my unit had a number of Dell latitudes and a number of Panasonic toughbooks. Let me tell you, the weather here in the fertile crescent is, in a word, unforgiving.
often, both the dells and the panasonics are hot to the touch.
however, i can count on one hand the number of toughbooks that i've seen fail, while to count the number of latitudes, i'd have to use both hands, take off my boots, and maybe even undo my trousers.
i can't oficially say "the marine corps uses toughbooks! toughbooks make you strong! strength crushes enemnies!", but from my own personal experience, which just happens to include a six month tour in iraq and kuwait, toughbooks are the way to go if you need a badass laptop.

peace.

At the risk of replying to myself, here's a good link to video (alas, Quicktime) of just what the Toughbook can handle...

Check out this link.

The toughbook can operate at tempratures up to 140F and 95% humidity.

If you really need a ruggedized laptop, the toughbooks are the only way to go. I've heard stories about toughbooks falling into the Amazon and being pulled out with the screen still powered up...

The .mil also use the toughbooks in the field. In fact, the only real difference between the .mil toughbooks and the civilian ones is the case/color.

The drawback: cost... you're talking about $4K for a top-of-the-line model. But you'll never have to worry about breaking it.

Well, speaking as a dealer who carries Panasonic Toughbooks, I must concur that they're excellent, high-quality laptops but you pay for the quality. A Toughbook 28 with a p3-800, 256MB, 30GB HD and 12.1" screen will run you somewhere between $4500 and $5000.

The Panasonic DMR-E80H is also coming out soon. It is a Progressive-Scan DVD Video Recorder with Built-in 80 GB Hard Disk & Time Slip Playback records to DVD-RAM and DVD-R discs.

These Panasonic units are nice. You can record and playback at the same time, so you can kind of time shift, like a tivo (they call it Chasing Playback). It's better than a VCR also because you can just hit record, and it will automatically find empty space for you, so you don't have to rewind/fast forward to find it manually.

Also, the DMR-E80H is only $799.95 MSRP.

The DMR-E50K is out now, but doesn't have the hard drive, and is $499.95.

The Panasonic DMR-E80H is also coming out soon. It is a Progressive-Scan DVD Video Recorder with Built-in 80 GB Hard Disk & Time Slip Playback records to DVD-RAM and DVD-R discs.

These Panasonic units are nice. You can record and playback at the same time, so you can kind of time shift, like a tivo (they call it Chasing Playback). It's better than a VCR also because you can just hit record, and it will automatically find empty space for you, so you don't have to rewind/fast forward to find it manually.

Also, the DMR-E80H is only $799.95 MSRP.

The DMR-E50K is out now, but doesn't have the hard drive, and is $499.95.

Then Toshiba and Panasonic have devices that you might be interested in. Both have DVR/DVD-R/RW products that can record to hard drive or disc. Neither have broadband/dial-up connections or program guides. The biggest problem is that they're still pretty expensive, running at minimum around the same price as a Tivo or Replay with lifetime guide service and as high as $1,500 MSRP. Here's a link to one of the Panasonic products, and a link to a Toshiba product.

I'm a bit confused as to why commercial skip/advance has become so controversial all of a sudden. VCRs have had these features for years: Panasonic, Sony. So why is this a big deal when it comes to PVRs?

I can't see much of a point. Phone number storage? I have that on my mobile phone anyways. Note taking? Pen and paper seem to have better input capabilities and work faster. Calendar? Again, a normal mobile phone seems to foot the bill on alarms anyways. Email, I'm still back to the phone. I suppose a Handspring Treo could make my life easier having more functionality than a normal phone, but I have a tendancy to break things that are on my body, glasses, bones, pagers, lesser phones (I carry a durable one) I couldn't imagine trying to keep something as expensive as a PDA with me all the time.

Does anyone else share this same view. I'll admit that I find the Sharp Zarus somewhat appealing, for one thing it has a mini keyboard, and for another it runs Linux (maybe I would install a palm emulator on it), but I still can't seem to justify that eaither. With notebooks becoming more PDA like, and PDAs becoming more notebook like, they're bound to meet in the middle. I would say something like a mini notebook, like the ones that have the Transmetta processors, or a Treo which would merge a device I already carry anyways are the only way I could justify adding computing power to my normal walk around aresonal. I'll leave PDAs in my mental CEO toys catagory.

Am I the only one that feels this way?

One of these will simply allow you to hook your VCR directly to the DVD recorder, hit record on the DVD recorder deck, and then play on the VCR. Simple and easy. These decks also record using the official DVD Forum format, so you won't have to worry about compatibility (all new players are required to play DVD-R).

Any type of PC (or Mac)-based system requires a much more significant time investment.

I've been coveting a Powerbook (pretty much every geek friend I've got has drank the Apple KoolAid) but just haven't been able to get past that impending feeling of buyer's remorse. All I really need is a decently fast Unix-ish laptop with 802.11b. And after hearing the friends with TiBooks complain about the finish coming off, heat, the case cracking, etc, I decided that I can handle using a slower x86 laptop. Having to make payments on a computer which has obvious defects is not something I'd take too well. I don't get a "cool" OS, but I've got two grand more cash in the bank than I'd otherwise have.

If I were you, I'd think very seriously about selling your Apple while you can still recover most your losses.

-B

For instance, most of the Panasonic players support AAC - so shouldn't you be able to just copy a file from Music Player to a Panasonic player and take it on the road? Is the AAC format the only reason that the iPod is only supported right now?

They're only about 6" deep with a front intake and top exhaust so you can push them right against the wall.

List prices in the $199 - $239 range. Check out appliances.com or even better, Froogle for retail pricing.

They're only about 6" deep with a front intake and top exhaust so you can push them right against the wall.

List prices in the $199 - $239 range. Check out appliances.com or even better, Froogle for retail pricing.

Well... the TiVo I have here (the original Thompson one) in the UK has that, albeit not internal...

I just select the recording I want to archive from the "Now Playing" list, select "Save To VCR" (It even generates you nice Info screens) and start the VCR recording - Ive used it a total of once, and that was just to see how it worked... Cant see why you wouldnt be able to replace the VCR with a DVD Recorder...

Remeber, there are also DVD Recorders with PVR (albeit, not TiVo) functionality...

Still, I dont think ill be using the 40gig I have on my TiVo soon, and even if I did, id probably replace it with 2 120gig drives... Anything thats good that I want to keep can either be bought on DVD, or pulled off usenet while they get round to releasing it on DVD...

Actually, from the screenshot on Sony's website, it doesn't look like TiVo. For one thing, the interface is in Japanese. I doubt that TiVo has internationalized its software, given that I only sells its service in the USA and UK. I'll guess that that forced Sony to develop their own software for the Japanese market.

Some good news is that Japan uses basically the same 100-110 VAC and NTSC as the USA. The DVD region codes are different, though. I hope that the Sony recorder doesn't region-lock its recordings.

In other news, Panasonic also sells a DVD recorder.

Thanks for that. Link is
here.

wired ran an article a few weeks ago about how the army was using rugged panasonic laptops for operations. one of their gis guys was having trouble manipulating huge images with them and had the government ship over a titanium powerbook which is apparently holding up fine.

Actually, Panasonic has their own interesting hard drive/DVD-R/RAM recording product. It doesn't seem to have the same guide capabilities, but the fact that it can record to both DVD and the hard drive makes it quite an interesting product. You can check out the specs here.

BUT, the MUCH easier way is to use a device with a built in MPEG2 encoder chip. Plug in analog and it spits out an MPEG2 file. As mentioned previously, the Dazzle Hollywood DV-Bridge. The Hauppauge WinTV PVR-350 is another product with a hardware MPEG2 encoder.

But probably the easiest way to do this is to just go buy a Standalone DVD recorder.

-S

I need onboard GPS!

Have a look at:
http://www.panasonic.com/toughbook

for a super tough laptop that has 802.11b and GPS.

I was looking at them at a show a couple of months ago and they are designed to take a 4 foot drop. Prices range from $3000 to $8000.

It's a Panasonic KX-TG2000B. Two incoming POTS lines fan out to 8 separate wireless extensions, each with its own digital voicemail box. You can program it so that certain extensions can dial out on any free line or only a specific line, and incoming calls from certain lines ring only certain extensions and/or hit an auto-attendant.

It's the auto-attendant feature I like the best.

I bought this one shortly after they switched to the new design... It is much nicer, as the keys are much more durable. The only problem is that countless people have pressed the "LIGHT" button and "Illuminator" pseudo-button and asked, "What does that do?"

About switching batteries, next time buy a CR2032 instead of a CR2016 -- it will last much longer. The battery will fit into the watch case (with a tiny amount of force). According to the specs, the CR2032 has a capacity of 220 mAh, while the CR2016 only has a capacity of 90 mAh. The only physical difference is the height, of which the CR2032 is 3.2 mm vs. 1.6 mm for the CR2016. It will fit though, trust me. :^)

Some hardware can handle things better than other, and in some situations a little hardware abuse is sometimes the solution.

For a customer there was a service engineer that did 'vibration monitoring' with some dedicated hardware. Measuremtnes were stored on a laptop (toshiba satelite). But in ome cases the vibrations were so large, the hardware just gave up (harddrive especially).

One solution for it is a little more robust hardware, something like this helps quite a bit.

But.. Sometimes it is even needed to 'abuse' hardware to get it back to work. When people have a crashed disk, and want I sometimes resort to rude methods to get it going again for a while. A big rubber hammer for hitting the disk has temporarily revived some of the disked that refused to go for a while just long enough to get most of the important data off. And some more 'abuse' that has helped many times is putting the drive in a zip-lock bag, and placing it in the refrigorator for an hour or so to completely coll off before the next attempt to get a few extra files off the disk.

I've done that (refridgerator/rubber hammer) with somthing like 6 crashed disks, with Novell formatteds disks, ext 2 disks and FAT-32 disks. From 5 of those I could get all data back.

Sometimes a little abuse can help !