อืม ทดสอบได้ครับ เช่น จะต้องการให้ปิดเลย ก็จะใช้คำสั่งว่า "shutdown /l /t:00 /y /c" นั่นก็คือให้ปิดเครื่องนี้แหละ ปิดไปเลย ไม่ต้องสนใจว่าเปิดอะไรอยู่ ฮ่าๆ ปัญหาก็คืออันนี้เป็นคำสั่งของ Windows 2000 แฮะ ฮ่าๆ ถ้าเป็นสำหรับ Win Xp หล่ะก็จะมีความแตกต่างบ้างครับนี่ครับ (เริ่มขี้เกียจ หุหุ ก๊อปมาเลย) Usage: shutdown [-i | -l | -s | -r | -a] [-f] [-m \\computername] [-t xx] [-c "c omment"] [-d up:xx:yy] No args Display this message (same as -?) -i Display GUI interface, must be the first option -l Log off (cannot be used with -m option) -s Shutdown the computer -r Shutdown and restart the computer -a Abort a system shutdown -m \\computername Remote computer to shutdown/restart/abort -t xx Set timeout for shutdown to xx seconds -c "comment" Shutdown comment (maximum of 127 characters) -f Forces running applications to close without warning -d [u][p]:xx:yy The reason code for the shutdown u is the user code p is a planned shutdown code xx is the major reason code (positive integer less than 256) yy is the minor reason code (positive integer less than 65536)
Since a network came to be the new role of computer system in home, network-related devices cost has been deceased dramatically. For example, in the past, a printer server was really expensive, so when you want all your computers in a house to print something out; you have to share printer from the computer that directly connects with the printer. That is sometimes painful because you have to turn that computer all the times to make sure that you don't have to go downstair just to turn on the computer and go back and forth just to print only one page long. Now, with sub $200 printer you have options to use either ethernet or USB.
NAS is another network-related device which makes your life easier. You don't have to worry about space on your desk or if an USB port has enough power for external hard drive or the important thing like data loss from unplug without eject the device. Basically, all NASs work by connecting with a network, then every computer in the network sees it as file server or you can access it through your browser via HTTP server or FTP server. You don't even have to install anything on any platform you use. You may have to login to access data depending on your own setting.
For Lacie 250GB Ethernet disk mini, the reason why it named, "mini," is its small capacities compared to other models from this company.
LaCie Ethernet Disk mini 250GB specification
Item Number :
300938U
Capacity :
250 GB
Interface :
Fast Ethernet 10/100 & Hi-Speed USB 2.0
Rotational Speed (rpm) :
7200
Cache Size :
8MB
Processor/RAM :
266Mhz / 32MB SDRAM
Interface Transfer Rate :
Ethernet: 100 Mbits/s; USB 2.0: 480 Mbits/s
Network Setting :
No drivers needed, no server required DHCP auto IP assignment Manual configuration through web-based management
Windows 98SE*; Windows 2000; Windows Me*; Windows? XP (SP1 & SP2); Mac OS 9*/X, Intel processor Mac, Linux 2.4 & higher* * Only on the Ethernet network
System Requirements :
Ethernet connection 10/100; USB 2.0 port (USB 1.1 compatible); Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher, Netscape, Safari
Comments :
1 gigabyte = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Once formatted, the actual available storage capacity varies depending on operating environment (typically 10-15% less).
Box Content :
Ethernet Cable, HI-Speed USB 2.0 cable (USB 1.1 compatible), External Power Supply, Drive stand for upright desktop use, LaCie Utilities CD-ROM with online Manual & SilverKeeper software (for Mac) for automatic backup and file verification, Quick Install Guide
As you can see, you may wonder why it has a CPU. The fact is this kind of device needs to have CPU and OS to make it work too.
For this model, its OS is Linux embedded, just to work as small servers. Let see how to use it in pictures below:-
It's really simple, just plug and play. When I first got this NAS, the package from Buy.com & LaCie is quite nice and over-protection which is good. In case you don't have hub or router yet, you can plug it to computer directly. It will generate IP automatically by DHCP. How convenient it is.
At first, I used it as USB Harddisk for a faster transfer. I found that Windows XP saw it as removable disk like USB flash drive, not hard disk drive as other external hard drives. Unfortunately, it required password to accesss data. I really impressed for what Lacie does about security. Then I moved about 27GB into this drive; I don't know whether it's fast or not because I think it's the same as other external drive, that is, its speed is limited by USB capability. After that I had a little test to show how good it is.
14-15MBps ~ 120Mbps same level as other USB external drive I have, I think it should be the limit of USB. So when I had finished moving all my stuffs, I changed it to connect the network (100Mbps Ethernet) instead.
Setting up Actually, you don't have to set anything up to make it work; however, in that case, you'd got to use default value to log it on. This drive has a web-based manager that you can set anything from what protocol you want to enable, which directory you want to share, to which user has more or less permission. You can access an admin page by its IP or an URL, "edmini.local."
it's flexible ebough for anyone, I think. In share page, you can set "guest user" as well. so, you don't have to login to access at all if you just want to look up your files, read-only. Whether you use Mac, Linux, or Windows, it's all the same.
in case you use Mac OSX, you could make connect to this drive by "smb://edmin.local." or "cifs://edmin.local." or you can make automator do it for you!
Performance
Fortunately, it's slower due to the connection but I can say that it's enough. I don't think 6MB/s (52Mbps) is slow. I test by watching Pooh's Huffalump movie, 352 x 240, 96kbps, divX; it works great and smooth. But when I watched Fantastic Four, 624 x 256, Xvid, 127kbps, 23 frame/s, it's slightly lag.
Conclusion This is my best solution for extra storage so far. Easy, fast, and secure are included in this drive. All I can tell is if you want some extra storage and you have more than one computer in your house, I bet NAS is the most suitable solution. About working condition of this drive, it produces little sound because of hard drive and little fan on the back; nonetheless, you won't notice this unless you sleep and turn anything off but this one. For me, $99 for 250GB is really worth compare to 320GB at the same price but USB connection only.
Pros
Cons
• Network Attached Storage
• a bit expensive
• Security feature
Reference: Product Page at LaCie.com
+It's such a long time I was looking for an extra storage solution which works flawlessly, doesn't have to avoid data loss from unplugging unintentionally, and has security feature. Now It's all come in NAS - Network Attached Storage.
+
+Since a network came to be the new role of computer system in home, network-related devices cost has been deceased dramatically. For example, in the past, a printer server was really expensive, so when you want all your computers in a house to print something out; you have to share printer from the computer that directly connects with the printer. That is sometimes painful because you have to turn that computer all the times to make sure that you don't have to go downstair just to turn on the computer and go back and forth just to print only one page long. Now, with sub $200 printer you have options to use either ethernet or USB.
+
+NAS is another network-related device which makes your life easier. You don't have to worry about space on your desk or if an USB port has enough power for external hard drive or the important thing like data loss from unplug without eject the device. Basically, all NASs work by connecting with a network, then every computer in the network sees it as file server or you can access it through your browser via HTTP server or FTP server. You don't even have to install anything on any platform you use. You may have to login to access data depending on your own setting.
+
+For Lacie 250GB Ethernet disk mini, the reason why it named, "mini," is its small capacities compared to other models from this company.
+
+
LaCie Ethernet Disk mini 250GB specification
Item Number :
300938U
Capacity :
250 GB
Interface :
Fast Ethernet 10/100 & Hi-Speed USB 2.0
Rotational Speed (rpm) :
7200
Cache Size :
8MB
Processor/RAM :
266Mhz / 32MB SDRAM
Interface Transfer Rate :
Ethernet: 100 Mbits/s; USB 2.0: 480 Mbits/s
Network Setting :
No drivers needed, no server required DHCP auto IP assignment Manual configuration through web-based management
Windows 98SE*; Windows 2000; Windows Me*; Windows? XP (SP1 & SP2); Mac OS 9*/X, Intel processor Mac, Linux 2.4 & higher* * Only on the Ethernet network
System Requirements :
Ethernet connection 10/100; USB 2.0 port (USB 1.1 compatible); Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 or higher, Netscape, Safari
Comments :
1 gigabyte = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Once formatted, the actual available storage capacity varies depending on operating environment (typically 10-15% less).
Box Content :
Ethernet Cable, HI-Speed USB 2.0 cable (USB 1.1 compatible), External Power Supply, Drive stand for upright desktop use, LaCie Utilities CD-ROM with online Manual & SilverKeeper software (for Mac) for automatic backup and file verification, Quick Install Guide
+
+As you can see, you may wonder why it has a CPU. The fact is this kind of device needs to have CPU and OS to make it work too.
For this model, its OS is Linux embedded, just to work as small servers. Let see how to use it in pictures below:-
It's really simple, just plug and play. When I first got this NAS, the package from Buy.com & LaCie is quite nice and over-protection which is good. In case you don't have hub or router yet, you can plug it to computer directly. It will generate IP automatically by DHCP. How convenient it is.
At first, I used it as USB Harddisk for a faster transfer. I found that Windows XP saw it as removable disk like USB flash drive, not hard disk drive as other external hard drives. Unfortunately, it required password to accesss data. I really impressed for what Lacie does about security. Then I moved about 27GB into this drive; I don't know whether it's fast or not because I think it's the same as other external drive, that is, its speed is limited by USB capability. After that I had a little test to show how good it is.
14-15MBps ~ 120Mbps same level as other USB external drive I have, I think it should be the limit of USB. So when I had finished moving all my stuffs, I changed it to connect the network (100Mbps Ethernet) instead.
+
+Setting up
+
+Actually, you don't have to set anything up to make it work; however, in that case, you'd got to use default value to log it on. This drive has a web-based manager that you can set anything from what protocol you want to enable, which directory you want to share, to which user has more or less permission.
+
+You can access an admin page by its IP or an URL, "edmini.local."
it's flexible ebough for anyone, I think. In share page, you can set "guest user" as well. so, you don't have to login to access at all if you just want to look up your files, read-only. Whether you use Mac, Linux, or Windows, it's all the same.
in case you use Mac OSX, you could make connect to this drive by "smb://edmin.local." or "cifs://edmin.local." or you can make automator do it for you!
+
+Performance
Fortunately, it's slower due to the connection but I can say that it's enough. I don't think 6MB/s (52Mbps) is slow. I test by watching Pooh's Huffalump movie, 352 x 240, 96kbps, divX; it works great and smooth. But when I watched Fantastic Four, 624 x 256, Xvid, 127kbps, 23 frame/s, it's slightly lag.
+
+Conclusion
+
+This is my best solution for extra storage so far. Easy, fast, and secure are included in this drive. All I can tell is if you want some extra storage and you have more than one computer in your house, I bet NAS is the most suitable solution. About working condition of this drive, it produces little sound because of hard drive and little fan on the back; nonetheless, you won't notice this unless you sleep and turn anything off but this one. For me, $99 for 250GB is really worth compare to 320GB at the same price but USB connection only.
+
+
Pros
Cons
• Network Attached Storage
• a bit expensive
• Security feature
+
+Reference: Product Page at LaCie.com
diff --git a/_posts/2007-04-27-diy-nas.md b/_posts/2007-04-27-diy-nas.md
index 75a581f..5eb1487 100644
--- a/_posts/2007-04-27-diy-nas.md
+++ b/_posts/2007-04-27-diy-nas.md
@@ -9,4 +9,96 @@ categories:
- diy
- computer
---
-Homemaded Network Attached Storage: the way you save your bucks but not your bill. Ask for a fast network attached storage, we do it ourselves. With the inspiration from the article "DIY NAS Smackdown" by smallnetbuilder.com and requirement to store much more things, DIY NAS comes to my mind. The first thing we have to know about NAS is what it is exactly. NAS is a computer which does only a purpose, sharing a storage. So, it could be very limited computer such as 300MHz CPU, 128MB RAM, hard drive, and NIC. That means you can reuse your old computer in a garrage as a file server for your home network. Because of this small requirement, recent NAS products like LaCie Ethernet mini, Buffalo Storage Station, etc, come in very small factor as same as Firewire, USB Storage. But instead of only a controller that transform internal interface into external interface, this is a whole computer set with embedded OS that is the point to differentiate the performance and usuability of each product.
an OS that requires to run on NAS can be not only embedded OS but full one as well. However, in order to cut down the product cost, no one braves enough to put Windows XP Professional Edition into its product. Like LaCie, they have two OSs for their products which are their tiny Linux distribution for low-end product and Windows embeded for high-end product that needs an agressive performance. This time, we will pay attention to how boost our DIY NAS with nice Linux distro, Ubuntu, and Windows XP to make a comparison. The thing that makes NAS differs in term of performance is packages that send over the network has headers which is different by each OS and protocol and how they handle data over network.
For you guys who don't familiar with Linux, you have to know Samba, the service to share a file over Windows network. You will have to set up only a few things to make it work. About the installation, Ubuntu team does make it very easy for everyone, I'm sure.
Step 1: Choosing the hardware I will start with all parts building this NAS; my purpose is doing NAS, HTTP, MySQL, and FTP server. The best thing of being in the US is there are a lot of rebate throughout the year. Sometimes it's mail-in rebate which is not really good; sometimes it's an instant rebate. That's really awesome. Every parts I got is rebated-stuff. Here we go:-
AMD Opteron 144 1MB L2 Cache 1.6@2.0GHz $69.99 256MB PC3200 RAM (from sidewalk garbage, so it's free) M/B Foxconn WinFast 6150K8MA-8EKRS $69.99 DVD-RW SATA Sony NEC $31.99 2*Seagate Barracuda 160GB SATA-2 8MB buffer ST160812AS-RK $39.99*2 Ultra mATX case $59.99 --------------------------------------------------------------- Total: $69.99+59.99+31.99+79.98+59.99 = $328.07
I think that's reasonable price: Gigabit Ethernet, nVidia GeForce 6150 onboard, Firewire, RAID 0, 1, 5 (which I cannot use because of only 2 harddrives I have & not any available place for another one) However, if you have your old computer, you might have to buy only any Ethernet NIC (no matter it's 10/100 or gigabit) and hard disk drive that is big enough. Then you will have to spend less than a hundred to get 400GB NAS. Sound good, right?
Step 2: Installing an OS and setting sharing folder How we set up the Ubuntu server. The reason why I choose Ubuntu server edition is it's light and Ubuntu community claims that this version performs better in server hardware (ha ha maybe they tweak for Opteron, I hope). Other might prefer desktop version which included GUI, honestly so do I but it doesn't matter how beautiful it is when using as server. I went through this following step for installation:- - go get Ubuntu Server Installation CD at http://ubuntu.com (now it should be Feisty Fawn - 7.04) *choose CPU architecture you have to get the best result* - burn into disc - boot with that CD, it will start menu and select install Ubuntu server. - follow the instructions, you have to build a partition for it at least 2 partition: 1 ext3, 1 swap [about 2 time of RAM] (actually, there is an automatic option as well) - after finished installation, then install samba server by login and type the following commands:-
security = share ## without ';' and change user to share
- then go to the end of file and add this
[share] ## name for sharing path = /home/share ## whatever directory you want available= yes browseable= yes public =yes writable= yes create mask = 0777 directory mask = 0777 force user = nobody force group = nogroup
This is for non-security sharing which is the fastest one. So, if you want others, go for it. However, in order to show how good the OS handle the data, this is the best way to find a distinction.
Step 3: Testing I choose to test with iozone, let's see what happens.
what I have so far is all based on 100Mbps:-
lacie -- LaCie Ethernet Disk mini 250GB, Linux Embedded - 2.4.25-lacie6, 266MHz CPU, 32MB RAM, 250GB 7200rpm 8MB cache ubuntu -- Ubuntu 6.06 LTS server, my system above, No RAID because Ubuntu doesn't support my fake RAID winxp64 -- Windows XP x64 Profession, RAID 0 (nVRAID - onboard)
for limited time, this is all I have tested. When I get more stuffs, we might see more details.
As you know from the review, Lacie Ethernet disk mini is low-end product, so the performance is not that good. But comparing to how convenient & green--low power consumption--it is, it's still great.
Ubuntu has so impressive result. Larger record size, the faster transfer rate you will get. By the way, the common record size that transfers through network is 64kB. So we might use 64kB result as a reference. About reading rate, you will see the effect of larger record size but not that much. I think it's quite good in 100Mbps environment.
Windows XP x64 is a choice that doesn't come to my mind at first. I just want to find a reference for comparison with others. However, Windows XP 64bit performs so fantastic on writing test. You will see the missing data in some points; that mean that transfer rate is over 200kB. I have no idea why this happens. As soon as I found the answer. I let you know. About reaing rate, it's about the same as Ubuntu. Just OS of you choice. Free or not is all up to you :-)
This is the first part of NAS testing, you will get more idea what is NAS. Next time, we will see how to tweak and get the best performance.
Step 4: Conclusion There is no question that Windows XP x64 is far superior than others, especially in writing test. It doesn't have large record size effect on reading test as well. I have tested several times to make sure if the rate is right; all I get is about the same. That make me wonder how write speed is that high, some are much over the 100Mbps limit. But it costs $140 more, so it's up to you what platform are on your way. For me, I won't select yet. I have to test on FreeBSD which supports this RAID and see what's going on.
However, write and read rate of Ubuntu w/o RAID 0 are acceptable, especially read rate that's better than WinXP64 for unknown reason (at least for me). It should be enough for NAS for sure. As soon as you upgrade the system to gigabit ethernet, it will show its potential underneath :-P Have fun to work on your NAS.
+Homemaded Network Attached Storage: the way you save your bucks but not your bill. Ask for a fast network attached storage, we do it ourselves. With the inspiration from the article "DIY NAS Smackdown" by smallnetbuilder.com and requirement to store much more things, DIY NAS comes to my mind. The first thing we have to know about NAS is what it is exactly. NAS is a computer which does only a purpose, sharing a storage. So, it could be very limited computer such as 300MHz CPU, 128MB RAM, hard drive, and NIC. That means you can reuse your old computer in a garrage as a file server for your home network. Because of this small requirement, recent NAS products like LaCie Ethernet mini, Buffalo Storage Station, etc, come in very small factor as same as Firewire, USB Storage. But instead of only a controller that transform internal interface into external interface, this is a whole computer set with embedded OS that is the point to differentiate the performance and usuability of each product.
+
+
+an OS that requires to run on NAS can be not only embedded OS but full one as well. However, in order to cut down the product cost, no one braves enough to put Windows XP Professional Edition into its product. Like LaCie, they have two OSs for their products which are their tiny Linux distribution for low-end product and Windows embeded for high-end product that needs an agressive performance. This time, we will pay attention to how boost our DIY NAS with nice Linux distro, Ubuntu, and Windows XP to make a comparison. The thing that makes NAS differs in term of performance is packages that send over the network has headers which is different by each OS and protocol and how they handle data over network.
+
+
+For you guys who don't familiar with Linux, you have to know **Samba**, the service to share a file over Windows network. You will have to set up only a few things to make it work. About the installation, Ubuntu team does make it very easy for everyone, I'm sure.
+
+**Step 1: Choosing the hardware**
+
+I will start with all parts building this NAS; my purpose is doing NAS, HTTP, MySQL, and FTP server. The best thing of being in the US is there are a lot of rebate throughout the year. Sometimes it's mail-in rebate which is not really good; sometimes it's an instant rebate. That's really awesome. Every parts I got is rebated-stuff. Here we go:-
+
+ AMD Opteron 144 1MB L2 Cache 1.6@2.0GHz $69.99
+ 256MB PC3200 RAM (from sidewalk garbage, so it's free)
+ M/B Foxconn WinFast 6150K8MA-8EKRS $69.99
+ DVD-RW SATA Sony NEC $31.99
+ 2*Seagate Barracuda 160GB SATA-2 8MB buffer ST160812AS-RK $39.99*2
+ Ultra mATX case $59.99
+ ---------------------------------------------------------------
+ Total: $69.99+59.99+31.99+79.98+59.99 = $328.07
+
+
+I think that's reasonable price: Gigabit Ethernet, nVidia GeForce 6150 onboard, Firewire, RAID 0, 1, 5 (which I cannot use because of only 2 harddrives I have & not any available place for another one) However, if you have your old computer, you might have to buy only any Ethernet NIC (no matter it's 10/100 or gigabit) and hard disk drive that is big enough. Then you will have to spend less than a hundred to get 400GB NAS. Sound good, right?
+
+**Step 2: Installing an OS and setting sharing folder**
+
+How we set up the Ubuntu server. The reason why I choose Ubuntu server edition is it's light and Ubuntu community claims that this version performs better in server hardware (ha ha maybe they tweak for Opteron, I hope). Other might prefer desktop version which included GUI, honestly so do I but it doesn't matter how beautiful it is when using as server. I went through this following step for installation:-
+- go get Ubuntu Server Installation CD at http://ubuntu.com (now it should be Feisty Fawn - 7.04) *choose CPU architecture you have to get the best result*
+- burn into disc
+- boot with that CD, it will start menu and select install Ubuntu server.
+- follow the instructions, you have to build a partition for it at least 2 partition: 1 ext3, 1 swap (about 2 time of RAM) (actually, there is an automatic option as well)
+- after finished installation, then install samba server by login and type the following commands:-
+
+ sudo apt-get install samba
+ sudo apt-get install smbfs
+
+This is all set for installing samba. Next, you have to config your share directory and decide what directory to share (mostly in /home/), you could create new directory by command below.
+
+ mkdir /home/xxx
+ chmod 0777 /home/xxx
+ cd /etc/samba
+ sudo nano smb.conf
+
+change the line
+
+ ;security = user
+
+to
+
+ security = share ## without ';'
+
+and change user to share, then go to the end of file and add this
+
+ [share] ## name for sharing
+ path = /home/share ## whatever directory you want
+ available= yes
+ browseable= yes
+ public =yes
+ writable= yes
+ create mask = 0777
+ directory mask = 0777
+ force user = nobody
+ force group = nogroup
+
+
+This is for non-security sharing which is the fastest one. So, if you want others, go for it. However, in order to show how good the OS handle the data, this is the best way to find a distinction.
+
+**Step 3: Testing**
+
+I choose to test with iozone, let's see what happens.
+
+what I have so far is all based on 100Mbps:-
+
+lacie -- LaCie Ethernet Disk mini 250GB, Linux Embedded - 2.4.25-lacie6, 266MHz CPU, 32MB RAM, 250GB 7200rpm 8MB cache
+ubuntu -- Ubuntu 6.06 LTS server, my system above, No RAID because Ubuntu doesn't support my fake RAID
+winxp64 -- Windows XP x64 Profession, RAID 0 (nVRAID - onboard)
+
+for limited time, this is all I have tested. When I get more stuffs, we might see more details.
+
As you know from the review, Lacie Ethernet disk mini is low-end product, so the performance is not that good. But comparing to how convenient & green--low power consumption--it is, it's still great.
+
+
**Ubuntu** has so impressive result. Larger record size, the faster transfer rate you will get. By the way, the common record size that transfers through network is 64kB. So we might use 64kB result as a reference. About reading rate, you will see the effect of larger record size but not that much. I think it's quite good in 100Mbps environment.
+
+
Windows XP x64 is a choice that doesn't come to my mind at first. I just want to find a reference for comparison with others. However, Windows XP 64bit performs so fantastic on writing test. You will see the missing data in some points; that mean that transfer rate is over 200kB. I have no idea why this happens. As soon as I found the answer. I let you know. About reaing rate, it's about the same as Ubuntu. Just OS of you choice. Free or not is all up to you :-)
+
+
+This is the first part of NAS testing, you will get more idea what is NAS. Next time, we will see how to tweak and get the best performance.
+
+**Step 4: Conclusion**
+
+There is no question that Windows XP x64 is far superior than others, especially in writing test. It doesn't have large record size effect on reading test as well. I have tested several times to make sure if the rate is right; all I get is about the same. That make me wonder how write speed is that high, some are much over the 100Mbps limit. But it costs $140 more, so it's up to you what platform are on your way. For me, I won't select yet. I have to test on FreeBSD which supports this RAID and see what's going on.
+
+
+However, write and read rate of Ubuntu w/o RAID 0 are acceptable, especially read rate that's better than WinXP64 for unknown reason (at least for me). It should be enough for NAS for sure. As soon as you upgrade the system to gigabit ethernet, it will show its potential underneath :-P Have fun to work on your NAS.
diff --git a/_posts/2007-12-01-tritton-tri-uv100-see2-usb-2-0-to-vga-adapter-review.md b/_posts/2007-12-01-tritton-tri-uv100-see2-usb-2-0-to-vga-adapter-review.md
index af13e7f..d18d578 100644
--- a/_posts/2007-12-01-tritton-tri-uv100-see2-usb-2-0-to-vga-adapter-review.md
+++ b/_posts/2007-12-01-tritton-tri-uv100-see2-usb-2-0-to-vga-adapter-review.md
@@ -7,4 +7,16 @@ categories:
- review
- accessories
---
- I found only a few USB to VGA adapters that has been reviewed really. So when I get one for my aunt. It's the time to test and show how well it is.
As you may know, the bandwidth of USB 2.0, theoretically, is 480 Mbps (480,000 kbps) and the for video bandwidth is depending on 3 things which are frames rate, height and width in pixel. For example:
frame/rate
resolution
motion (kbps)
width
height
low motion
moderate motion
high motion
1
1024
768
88
177
354
15
1327
2654
5309
30
2654
5309
10618
45
3982
7963
15927
15
1440
900
2187
4374
8749
30
4379
8749
17498
reference: http://sorenson-usa.com/vbe/index.html
When you see the video bandwidth and USB 2.0 bandwidth, you might think USB is easily handle the video. However, theory is still theory; and it will never come close to the real world. You will see on the next.
How it works
You will surprise how easy it is; I have only install the driver on the CD, restart once. Then I hook this adapter up to my tablet. Everything is all set! I test on Lenovo Thinkpad X61T running Vista Business. I don't think that the test computer configuration is needed here because it will not show any differences since the limit of speed of USB itself will be a real factor. Once the device is successfully installed, you are good to go. Just connect to the monitor or projector; it will show up like a charm. I can't believe how easy it is. It's like it's easier than using real VGA port since you have to set or switch the display monitor as well.
On the taskbar, the Tritton icon will show you plenty of options. You can just tap what you want. That's easy. I have not much to say because it's just working as it should. I noticed that on the box, it said that it support up to 1024*768 16bit color only. Nonetheless, there is a sticker said, "Now support up to 1600*1200 Video Playback Wide Screen Resolution, Windows Vista". You will see if it works as they claimed or not.
Testing From the quote on the sticker, I surely have to download a new driver to make this show all potential is has.
Driver version
7.5.0.0601.1101
Screen Resolution
Thinkpad X61T
1024*768
Niko 19" Widescreen LCD
1440*900
As people said, pictures show thousands of word. In this case, video will show a lot more than I can say. First test is everyday use, so I will use the USB-VGA (Extened) 1440*900, 32bit mode in this test. What I will do is dragging firefox window to another the extended screen, maximize it, then change to another website. Let's see how good it is via YouTube.
As you see, it has a little lag and some strange pixels while moving a window around but it doesn't mean it bad. It just cannot handle high motion thing, otherwise, it's pretty good. For the next test I will use the USB-VGA (Mirror) which will display only 1024*768, 32-bit. This is more intense by opening the video clip to see if it can bear this.
Even though it does lag clearly, it's good enough for a short clip in presentation. IMO, this is a good alternative so far. However, as its advertise, it supports 1600*1200 video playback. See how it goes, with USB-VGA (Primary) 1440*900, 32-bit mode, video playback.
That basically doesn't work at all; only a single frame didn't even show up. I have tried to reduce to 1440*900, 16-bit or lower resolution; but it just doesn't work. From what I can see, it's only supported as the spec on the box, 1024*768 with video playback. You can use with other jobs, except video playback, though.
Overall - Tritton TRI-UV100 - SEE2 USB 2.0 To VGA/SVGA Adapter
This surprise me a lot how USB can be this versatile but I won't say this adapter's great, but it's very good alternative for whom you don't have VGA-output or VGA-output is malfunction. This is quite suitable for presentation rather than any other jobs because it could handle only slow motion picture. In addition, this adapter could use as a third monitor as well; it might come in handy in some ways. In short, if you are looking for easy to use external monitor adapter, don't look over this product :-P
+ I found only a few USB to VGA adapters that has been reviewed really. So when I get one for my aunt. It's the time to test and show how well it is.
As you may know, the bandwidth of USB 2.0, theoretically, is 480 Mbps (480,000 kbps) and the for video bandwidth is depending on 3 things which are frames rate, height and width in pixel. For example:
+
+
When you see the video bandwidth and USB 2.0 bandwidth, you might think USB is easily handle the video. However, theory is still theory; and it will never come close to the real world. You will see on the next.
How it works
You will surprise how easy it is; I have only install the driver on the CD, restart once. Then I hook this adapter up to my tablet. Everything is all set! I test on Lenovo Thinkpad X61T running Vista Business. I don't think that the test computer configuration is needed here because it will not show any differences since the limit of speed of USB itself will be a real factor. Once the device is successfully installed, you are good to go. Just connect to the monitor or projector; it will show up like a charm. I can't believe how easy it is. It's like it's easier than using real VGA port since you have to set or switch the display monitor as well.
On the taskbar, the Tritton icon will show you plenty of options. You can just tap what you want. That's easy. I have not much to say because it's just working as it should. I noticed that on the box, it said that it support up to 1024*768 16bit color only. Nonetheless, there is a sticker said, "Now support up to 1600*1200 Video Playback Wide Screen Resolution, Windows Vista". You will see if it works as they claimed or not.
Testing From the quote on the sticker, I surely have to download a new driver to make this show all potential is has.
+
+
Driver version
7.5.0.0601.1101
Screen Resolution
Thinkpad X61T
1024*768
Niko 19" Widescreen LCD
1440*900
As people said, pictures show thousands of word. In this case, video will show a lot more than I can say. First test is everyday use, so I will use the USB-VGA (Extened) 1440*900, 32bit mode in this test. What I will do is dragging firefox window to another the extended screen, maximize it, then change to another website. Let's see how good it is via YouTube.
+
+
As you see, it has a little lag and some strange pixels while moving a window around but it doesn't mean it bad. It just cannot handle high motion thing, otherwise, it's pretty good. For the next test I will use the USB-VGA (Mirror) which will display only 1024*768, 32-bit. This is more intense by opening the video clip to see if it can bear this.
+
+
Even though it does lag clearly, it's good enough for a short clip in presentation. IMO, this is a good alternative so far. However, as its advertise, it supports 1600*1200 video playback. See how it goes, with USB-VGA (Primary) 1440*900, 32-bit mode, video playback.
+
+
That basically doesn't work at all; only a single frame didn't even show up. I have tried to reduce to 1440*900, 16-bit or lower resolution; but it just doesn't work. From what I can see, it's only supported as the spec on the box, 1024*768 with video playback. You can use with other jobs, except video playback, though.
Overall - Tritton TRI-UV100 - SEE2 USB 2.0 To VGA/SVGA Adapter
This surprise me a lot how USB can be this versatile but I won't say this adapter's great, but it's very good alternative for whom you don't have VGA-output or VGA-output is malfunction. This is quite suitable for presentation rather than any other jobs because it could handle only slow motion picture. In addition, this adapter could use as a third monitor as well; it might come in handy in some ways. In short, if you are looking for easy to use external monitor adapter, don't look over this product :-P
diff --git a/_posts/2008-01-04-eee-pc.md b/_posts/2008-01-04-eee-pc.md
index ef8fa10..76c9362 100644
--- a/_posts/2008-01-04-eee-pc.md
+++ b/_posts/2008-01-04-eee-pc.md
@@ -6,5 +6,34 @@ categories:
- notebook
- review
---
-เมื่อน้อง Eee PC อายุครบ 1 เดือน..
-
มาถึงวันนี้ น้อง Eee PC น้องเล็กที่น่ารักก็มีอายุครบ 1 เดือนแล้วนะคะ น้อง Eee น้อยของเราก็สร้างความน่าประทับใจให้ไม่น้อย แต่ก็ใช่ว่าจะไม่มีมุมไม่ประทับใจเอาซะเลย ซึ่งก็เป็นเรื่องปกติใช่ไหมคะ คราวนี้เราจะมาพูดถึงน้อง Eee ในคราบของ Linux กันก่อนนะคะ แล้วในเดือนที่ 2 ของชีวิตน้อง Eee เราจะเอาภาค Windows มาเล่าสู่กันฟังค่ะ
Since the first month, I wrote what I would want anyone to know how good Eee PC is in my viewpoint. It might not answer every questions or every doubts, but this article might be able to complete it. Briefly, this month I have installed another 2 OSes which are Windows XP (lite by nLite) and eeeXubuntu which is using Xfce as x-window. You will see whether they could outperform the original linux on Eee PC.
Before anything, what I have missed in the first month article is side-viewed comparison. I won't miss that again!
First take, similar to the original OS, I got into eeeXubuntu, which is based on Debian as same as Xandros, first. The installation is a breeze--less than 20 minutes to complete. I haven't found anything different significantly. I can tell that the interface of eeeXubuntu is much cleaner than Xandros but that's not the point really since if you really want to have cool interface, you could do that on any platform--just put some more effort :-D In addition, network manager is another area that has an improvement. While Xandros doesn't offer to automatically find and connect trusted wireless networks, eeeXubuntu manages this like a caveman can do. However, there is a huge drawback of using Xubuntu in Eee PC that is veeery slooow boot time. Thus, you may find better to stick with Xandros; you might have to put effort a bit to connect to wireless network, but that's not bad, isn't it?
Overall, I don't think there is any significant thing better than the stock distro--Xandros. If you want more, just add Advanced mode--KDE. You will be all set.
Take two, setting up Windows XP, I have a bit trouble getting it work properly. I went through the setup process, but after first boot I got an error message: NTLDR is missing. The fact is I hadn't remove all partitions in SSD (BIOS and something..) and the bad part is one of those partitions is set as active or like a boot flag. So Windows will not be able to start. If you face the situation like me, just wipe all partitions and install Windows again.
I forget to tell you that I minimize Windows XP by nLite butI won't get in depth of that; you may look at EeeUser wiki, it's all there already. After installing drivers and needed program (not MS Office), I used only 877MB. Impressive, isn't it? I also noticed that Windows XP installation on Eee is just a pain in the ass; it takes so long and I have no idea why, maybe due to the CPU speed itself--lower clock to 630MHz by default. But once you finished, it's like a breeze.
And then you have your Eee back. The feeling of very fast turning on is back; it takes a bit longer than Xandros but with 35s ready with network connection. I can't complain. Otherwise, everything is just like ordinary Windows machine. Maybe you could feel awkward using with limited screen area, esp. limited height--480px. You will find some windows have larger layout than that. By the way, there is a way which is Asus EeePC Utility which allows you to adjust the screen resolution to virtual 800*600 by single click. Then most of thing shouldn't be a big problem.
Surprisingly I haven't had things to say much this time since everything is just what we expected with Windows XP. We just have to put more effort to turn off swap file, move any document location to SD to prolong the SSD life.
Performance with Windows XP on Eee, actually I plan not to write this part since Eee doesn't build for performance, but with SSD, it does help open program faster. Thus you might want to know how good it performs. For example, I can open Firefox with about:blank as a start homepage within 5s and NYTimes.com as first home page (never open before) within 17s. They are <2s and 12s respectively on my Thinkpad X61T. You may get an idea.
One thing I have to show you is the BETA driver that is able to use higher screen resolution (800*600, 1024*768, or 1280*1024) on tiny 7" screen. Basically you have to install this driver to make it work. However, everything has a drawback. If you use this driver, you have to sacrifice standby mode because it will return as unusable screen. You have to restart to make it work again. The procedure to do so is here.
Above is 800*480, 800*600, 1024*768, and 1280*1024 respectively. You could click on each to see larger images too.
You could see the advantage of this driver; If there is no problem with it, I guess it would be really improvement over LCD screen setting. Although it's not crisp or sharp like displaying as native resolution, sometimes more screen estate is much more productive. You may click to see the actual size image to see how it really looks--sorry for not very clear photo since I don't have a camera stand. Nonetheless, I choose to go back to stock driver since I don't want to bother with problem after standby mode. This tweak looks really promising though.
All in all, I could say that Eee is built for Xandros and surely Windows XP. It doesn't mean that you couldn't do anything else, but it's just performing better on what it is designed for. At this time, I will revert back to Xandros and have an XP in SDHC just for god's sake reason. This is because I just want to leave thing the way it was, get the best of it, and get fun with Linux.
ps. there will be 3th month modifying Eee PC! Stay tuned.
+Since the first month, I wrote what I would want anyone to know how good Eee PC is in my viewpoint. It might not answer every questions or every doubts, but this article might be able to complete it. Briefly, this month I have installed another 2 OSes which are Windows XP (lite by nLite) and eeeXubuntu which is using Xfce as x-window. You will see whether they could outperform the original linux on Eee PC.
+
+Before anything, what I have missed in the first month article is side-viewed comparison. I won't miss that again!
+
+
+
+First take, similar to the original OS, I got into eeeXubuntu, which is based on Debian as same as Xandros, first. The installation is a breeze--less than 20 minutes to complete. I haven't found anything different significantly. I can tell that the interface of eeeXubuntu is much cleaner than Xandros but that's not the point really since if you really want to have cool interface, you could do that on any platform--just put some more effort :-D In addition, network manager is another area that has an improvement. While Xandros doesn't offer to automatically find and connect trusted wireless networks, eeeXubuntu manages this like a caveman can do. However, there is a huge drawback of using Xubuntu in Eee PC that is veeery slooow boot time. Thus, you may find better to stick with Xandros; you might have to put effort a bit to connect to wireless network, but that's not bad, isn't it?
+
+Overall, I don't think there is any significant thing better than the stock distro--Xandros. If you want more, just add Advanced mode--KDE. You will be all set.
+
+
+
+Take two, setting up Windows XP, I have a bit trouble getting it work properly. I went through the setup process, but after first boot I got an error message: NTLDR is missing. The fact is I hadn't remove all partitions in SSD (BIOS and something..) and the bad part is one of those partitions is set as active or like a boot flag. So Windows will not be able to start. If you face the situation like me, just wipe all partitions and install Windows again.
+
+I forget to tell you that I minimize Windows XP by nLite butI won't get in depth of that; you may look at EeeUser wiki, it's all there already. After installing drivers and needed program (not MS Office), I used only 877MB. Impressive, isn't it? I also noticed that Windows XP installation on Eee is just a pain in the ass; it takes so long and I have no idea why, maybe due to the CPU speed itself--lower clock to 630MHz by default. But once you finished, it's like a breeze.
+
+And then you have your Eee back. The feeling of very fast turning on is back; it takes a bit longer than Xandros but with 35s ready with network connection. I can't complain. Otherwise, everything is just like ordinary Windows machine. Maybe you could feel awkward using with limited screen area, esp. limited height--480px. You will find some windows have larger layout than that. By the way, there is a way which is Asus EeePC Utility which allows you to adjust the screen resolution to virtual 800*600 by single click. Then most of thing shouldn't be a big problem.
+
+Surprisingly I haven't had things to say much this time since everything is just what we expected with Windows XP. We just have to put more effort to turn off swap file, move any document location to SD to prolong the SSD life.
+
+Performance with Windows XP on Eee, actually I plan not to write this part since Eee doesn't build for performance, but with SSD, it does help open program faster. Thus you might want to know how good it performs. For example, I can open Firefox with about:blank as a start homepage within 5s and NYTimes.com as first home page (never open before) within 17s. They are <2s and 12s respectively on my Thinkpad X61T. You may get an idea.
+
+One thing I have to show you is the BETA driver that is able to use higher screen resolution (800x600, 1024x768, or 1280x1024) on tiny 7" screen. Basically you have to install this driver to make it work. However, everything has a drawback. If you use this driver, you have to sacrifice standby mode because it will return as unusable screen. You have to restart to make it work again. The procedure to do so is here.
+
+
+
+Above is 800x480, 800x600, 1024x768, and 1280x1024 respectively. You could click on each to see larger images too.
+
+You could see the advantage of this driver; If there is no problem with it, I guess it would be really improvement over LCD screen setting. Although it's not crisp or sharp like displaying as native resolution, sometimes more screen estate is much more productive. You may click to see the actual size image to see how it really looks--sorry for not very clear photo since I don't have a camera stand. Nonetheless, I choose to go back to stock driver since I don't want to bother with problem after standby mode. This tweak looks really promising though.
+
+All in all, I could say that Eee is built for Xandros and surely Windows XP. It doesn't mean that you couldn't do anything else, but it's just performing better on what it is designed for. At this time, I will revert back to Xandros and have an XP in SDHC just for god's sake reason. This is because I just want to leave thing the way it was, get the best of it, and get fun with Linux.
diff --git a/_posts/2008-06-22-bigger-hard-drive-there-is-something-more-besides-size.md b/_posts/2008-06-22-bigger-hard-drive-there-is-something-more-besides-size.md
index dc6bca4..70a00d0 100644
--- a/_posts/2008-06-22-bigger-hard-drive-there-is-something-more-besides-size.md
+++ b/_posts/2008-06-22-bigger-hard-drive-there-is-something-more-besides-size.md
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ categories:
- review
- computer
---
-
Today, I got a quick review of a consumer hard drive which has one of the biggest platter, 320GB/platter, around. This could demonstrate pretty well what you will get extra if you choose bigger hard drive instead of smaller & more value one. In this case, you will see the comparison between my previous storage--a pair of Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 160GB SATA as RAID0--and Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB.
-
-
Specification:
One and two disks in hard drive really do effect how big hard drive is--I wonder how big 1TB (4 disks) would be really.
Actually, I haven't had any clean installation for testing; however, I made sure that two hard drive had the same thing by copying an image from one to another. Fair enough, right? Before getting into benchmark results, as you see the comparison above, I have used 2*160GB as RAID 0 for quite a while. What I expect to get better by replacing with 640GB is less power--that's from 2*12W to only 8W and another thing I hope it's going to be better is CPU utilization. Why? because software RAID 0 I have used needs CPU to process also. Let's see how much we have to waste CPU work on software RAID in shortly.
Right before benchmark, we haven't yet talked why bigger platter in hard drive helps. Imagine that you are on the center of the people circle, one has 16 people around. Another one has 32 people around. When you turn around 360 degree, you will see 16 and 32 people consecutively. No matter how fast you do, you still see the same. Yes, that's the same as hard drive head from both drives. When they read around a disk at the same speed, one with higher capacity per disk always reads more--which means better transfer rate theoretically.
Benchmark:
Start at how fast they help Vista boot up. I decided to start from hitting enter from GRUB menu since RAID required a bit more time on POST. This way will eliminate the factor from different controller that might effect the result.
Although RAID 0 is considerably fast, larger platter (more density to disk) could do better in this case. Now it's going to be HDTune time; we might get some more info of the reason underneath.
As you see above, WD 640GB performs really impressive.It's almost the same transfer rate as RAID 0 320GB. What is getting even better is access time which you can see a result in boot time test. In addition, CPU usage decreases 50% from what it has to do on software RAID. Anyway, software RAID 0 still has pretty strong performance as expected--only little transfer rate drop in the end of the test.
Conclusion:
If you are looking for a new storage device or finding a replacement from the old one, one big drive may not outperforms dual drives, but for one on one round, it definitely outclasses without doubt and something else around also could be another important factors to consider. Especially, if you do media center box or NAS, this helps you a lot.As it always it, problem is a choice.
+
Today, I got a quick review of a consumer hard drive which has one of the biggest platter, 320GB/platter, around. This could demonstrate pretty well what you will get extra if you choose bigger hard drive instead of smaller & more value one. In this case, you will see the comparison between my previous storage--a pair of Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 160GB SATA as RAID0--and Western Digital Caviar SE16 640GB.
+
+
Specification:
One and two disks in hard drive really do effect how big hard drive is--I wonder how big 1TB (4 disks) would be really.
Actually, I haven't had any clean installation for testing; however, I made sure that two hard drive had the same thing by copying an image from one to another. Fair enough, right? Before getting into benchmark results, as you see the comparison above, I have used 2*160GB as RAID 0 for quite a while. What I expect to get better by replacing with 640GB is less power--that's from 2*12W to only 8W and another thing I hope it's going to be better is CPU utilization. Why? because software RAID 0 I have used needs CPU to process also. Let's see how much we have to waste CPU work on software RAID in shortly.
Right before benchmark, we haven't yet talked why bigger platter in hard drive helps. Imagine that you are on the center of the people circle, one has 16 people around. Another one has 32 people around. When you turn around 360 degree, you will see 16 and 32 people consecutively. No matter how fast you do, you still see the same. Yes, that's the same as hard drive head from both drives. When they read around a disk at the same speed, one with higher capacity per disk always reads more--which means better transfer rate theoretically.
Benchmark:
Start at how fast they help Vista boot up. I decided to start from hitting enter from GRUB menu since RAID required a bit more time on POST. This way will eliminate the factor from different controller that might effect the result.
Although RAID 0 is considerably fast, larger platter (more density to disk) could do better in this case. Now it's going to be HDTune time; we might get some more info of the reason underneath.
As you see above, WD 640GB performs really impressive.It's almost the same transfer rate as RAID 0 320GB. What is getting even better is access time which you can see a result in boot time test. In addition, CPU usage decreases 50% from what it has to do on software RAID. Anyway, software RAID 0 still has pretty strong performance as expected--only little transfer rate drop in the end of the test.
+
+**Conclusion:**
+
+If you are looking for a new storage device or finding a replacement from the old one, one big drive may not outperforms dual drives, but for one on one round, it definitely outclasses without doubt and something else around also could be another important factors to consider. Especially, if you do media center box or NAS, this helps you a lot. As always, the problem is choices.
diff --git a/_posts/2008-08-26-thinkpad-x61t-build-and-design.md b/_posts/2008-08-26-thinkpad-x61t-build-and-design.md
index cca9245..bcf23b9 100644
--- a/_posts/2008-08-26-thinkpad-x61t-build-and-design.md
+++ b/_posts/2008-08-26-thinkpad-x61t-build-and-design.md
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
----
-layout: post
-title: Thinkpad X61T -- build & design
-created: 1219726583
-categories:
-- tablet pc
-- review
----
+---
+layout: post
+title: Thinkpad X61T -- build & design
+created: 1219726583
+categories:
+- tablet pc
+- review
+---
When you take a look at Thinkpad series, they all are similar. That's really the point of this design--simply the best. There is no fancy stuff or wow factor for folks around, but if you give it a shot, you will know this plain design has fulfilled with magnesium alloy and pretty study plastic, give this system a strength. You will find no flex anywhere in this machine, even on the screen.
Well, to whom you are new to Tablet PC; you may like to know what is really a distinct between notebook and Tablet PC. It's mostly the screen that matters. For Tablet PC, you will have an active digitizer, mostly from Wacom, and swivel screen so that you could put your machine into tablet mode.
Actually there are 3 types of Tablet PC available: -
Slate Tablet PC -- this doesn't have keyboard attached.
Convertible Tablet PC -- this is what Thinkpad X61 Tablet is; like notebook, but can change to tablet mode.
Hybrid Tablet PC -- there is only a few on the market, e.g. HP TC1100. The thing is you could detach the screen from the keyboard completely to use the same way as slate one. Plus, you can attach a keyboard whenever you want touch-type, faster way to input your information.
Now, you may get the idea and you probably are the same as me which I don't think Slate Tablet PC could fulfil my needs. As a result, I got the convertible one as you see.
Well, the main thing which concerns me a lot before buying tablet PC is the hinge. Instead of 2 hinges at least to support the screen, tablet PC has only 1 and it provides swivel screen capability also. When I first got Thinkpad X61T, I did feel it was a bit fragile since the screen could be tilted a bit on both left & right side. However, from almost-full-year heavy usage, I haven't seen any sign of wear. Which is a good news here. Therefore, it's just the matter of design that couldn't do more sturdy in term of feeling.
Views
Yes, as the photos shown above. You can write while in notebook mode, but it's just not that comfortable since the screen is not solid at that point; you'd better put it in tablet mode or just have some help from CD case--to have a comfortable angle to write.
It's really simple black-box design. There is nothing changed much from the predecessors.
This is the basic Thinkpad feature. You will be able to know whether your machine is sleep or not with only a glance. Even though the lid is closed or opened, "no problem!"
Tablet PC features
Swivel screen is rock solid; seems like it will last forever. Though it can be rotated only one way, clockwise, not both way like some systems. Thus, Lenovo doesn't forget to remind you the direction you need to turn screen around. They probably are aware of broken hinge =) if you turn it in opposite way forcibly. I found this is annoying me a bit because sometimes I just want to turn the screen to the person next to the right of me too. I just can't!
Since in tablet mode you will not able to use anything on keyboard side, fingerprint sensor needs to be on screen side. Also, buttons on screen side are intentionally designed for using in tablet mode. Power button with lock power button switch which is to prevent accidentally power button press are the first in line. Ctrt+Alt+Del--tiny button, rotate screen, Tablet shortcut menu and Esc button are next in line. I was surprise to find all these buttons need very hard press to register, unlike the keyboard & mouse. IMO, it's good to prevent accidentally press but it's too much because a button height are on the same level as chassis already and the most important one has the lock already. I see no reason why they have to make any extra protection like this. For the navigation button on the right is great! very soft and firm when using it, but I rarely use it since I mostly use pen to control in tablet mode. Unsurprisingly, the only button I really use is rotate screen one =)
Screen
The construct of this is very robust. No matter how hard you press the border or the screen itself, you will not find any of ring occurred like when you press regular LCD. If you leave the fact that this screen is not super bright, this is the splendid screen you can get. Fantastic screen angle, uniform brightness throughout the screen in contrast to Thinkpad X61/X61s screen which is not so great.
There is almost no invert or wash out color. It's almost 180 degree viewing angle on both left-right and up-down side.
On the left side, it shows how good back light on this screen is--there is almost no visible leakage. Nonetheless, some will find this matte screen is too dim to their favor. But to me, I prefer matte screen to glossy one any day since I can't stand the reflect on glossy screen, especially when you are using in tablet mode in a room with a lot of light. It's hurting my eyes!
For graininess, most people told that all multi-touch screens are grainy. Honestly, I have no clue since from what I see it's in normal condition. It doesn't have any graininess like the right picture shown--that's what I can tell so far.
I probably have to have very grainy screen and not-grainy one sit side-by-side first. Then I could tell much more detail on that. I will do comparison when I get HP tx2500z in hand though.
Input devices
For the keyboard, there is no question about how well Thinkpad keyboard is: well constructed, nice size and space between button Although the keyboard is firm--no flex by any mean, I don't really think this Thinkpad keyboard layout is great. Instead putting all home, end, PgUp, and PgDw as the function of arrow keys could be better. By the fact that, when you want to use PgUp/PgDw, you are likely to use arrow keys as well. IMO, they are just too far away from each other. Well, I prefer this layout than putting all 4 buttons as new column on the right like many manufacturers like to do.
Also, Thinkpad always has something people afraid of--TrackPoint. It just the matter of preference whether like touchpad or trackpoint. For me, I hate Touchpad & love TrackPoint.
There is very little click sound when touch on this keyboard & mouse button and you also feel very very soft & responsive on every buttons. You will find very hard to find the keyboard to match this.
Array of ports
X61 Tablet provides enough ports for everyday use. Something extra like eSATA would be nice to have, but as you know, Thinkpad doesn't have any fancy anyway. :'(
Right: 4-pin IEEE1394, 2*USB port, Headphone and Microphone jack, modem RJ11, power jack, and Kensington lock
Front: Wireless switch and the screen latch switch.
Back: the battery!
As you see, they all are on the side. Frankly, I don't like this much since I prefer to have Ethernet port on the back or at least tend to the back rather than tend to the front like this. It's a mess when connect all of them. Lenovo might think that they offer UltraBase, but they should think that not all of customers purchase that!
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This area probably is the less significant things on any notebook/tablet PC especially on small machine (<13" screen.) The mono speaker you see on the right places on the bottom of the machine around center of palm rest. On the maximum volume, you will be able to hear clearly if and only if you are in quiet environment. With AC on (or fan on), you will barely hear a sound--only mosquito noise you will hear. Although that's fortunate, it is not up to my expectations. If it's only a bit louder, I won't complain.
The built-in microphone is on the screen side. Its sensitivity is great, on the other end will be able to hear anything you said normally, but sometimes you will get an strange noise [like when microphone is close to speaker] when making a VoIP call. It's annoying sometimes, but acceptable. Odd things I found is microphone jack is not working as it should. In other words, when I plugged my microphone firmly, it didn't work. I had to loose it a little, then it would work. I still have no clue either this is the defective or the strange jack itself. I tried with several microphones which work flawlessly on another machine; the results were the same. However, I don't have time to send to repair center anytime soon. Probably right before warranty is about the expire, that will be the time.
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Take two, setting up Windows XP, I have a bit trouble getting it work properly. I went through the setup process, but after first boot I got an error message: NTLDR is missing. The fact is I hadn't remove all partitions in SSD (BIOS and something..) and the bad part is one of those partitions is set as active or like a boot flag. So Windows will not be able to start. If you face the situation like me, just wipe all partitions and install Windows again.
There is almost no invert or wash out color. It's almost 180 degree viewing angle on both left-right and up-down side.
But to me, I prefer matte screen to glossy one any day since I can't stand the reflect on glossy screen, especially when you are using in tablet mode in a room with a lot of light. It's hurting my eyes!
For the keyboard, there is no question about how well Thinkpad keyboard is: well constructed, nice size and space between button Although the keyboard is firm--no flex by any mean, I don't really think this Thinkpad keyboard layout is great. Instead putting all home, end, PgUp, and PgDw as the function of arrow keys could be better. By the fact that, when you want to use PgUp/PgDw, you are likely to use arrow keys as well. IMO, they are just too far away from each other. Well, I prefer this layout than putting all 4 buttons as new column on the right like many manufacturers like to do.
This area probably is the less significant things on any notebook/tablet PC especially on small machine (<13" screen.) The mono speaker you see on the right places on the bottom of the machine around center of palm rest. On the maximum volume, you will be able to hear clearly if and only if you are in quiet environment. With AC on (or fan on), you will barely hear a sound--only mosquito noise you will hear. Although that's fortunate, it is not up to my expectations. If it's only a bit louder, I won't complain.
