As I have reported before (see “How to Organize Those Cluttered Cords“), there’s a rat’s nest under my worktable made up of rubberized and plasticized spaghetti, otherwise known as cables and cords.

I just learned about a cable management system that for less than $20 may make visitors think I actually have it together. And if you think about it, that’s a whole lot cheaper than actually getting it together through therapy.

The system is called the Monster Cable•it Cable Management Kit. (Yes, that’s a bullet between “Cable” and “it”. Don’t you love those product names that make it impossible to find what you really want in search engines?) I’m showing it in a photo as it comes out of the package. The way it works is this:

1. You gather up your cables. (This could take me half a day, because it would require unsnarling them first, but let’s assume you’re tidier than I am…)

2. You open the “Monster Zipper” and insert your cables then close it again. The zipper is that lump on the end of the hose.

3. You slide the sleeve (the hose) into the zipper and pull the zipper backwards. When you’ve run out of hose, you remove the zipper.

Don’t get the idea that these photos show my desk. It’s much too neat to be my desk. (It must belong to my evil alter-ego Dan who always wears an apron when he’s in the kitchen.)

If the hose is too long, you figure out how long it should be and cut it with scissors. Since the company sells these in lengths from eight feet to 50 feet, length is a consideration. They also sell various hole sizes — small (for three to five cables), medium (for five to eight cables) and large (for eight to 12 cables).

The version sold through the sources on PriceGrabber are eight feet long and medium, which would be just about right for my cable maelstrom.

Also, if there’s one cable you need zigging where the rest need zagging, the hose part lets you yank out as much of that cable as necessary, kind of like some freaky magic trick where you can’t figure out how it works.

Could it really be this easy to look so good?

The Mini-Notebook is causing a buzz in the PC market. Asus has just started selling the Asus Eee PC Notebook with Windows XP Home installed, and now HP has announced a series of mini-notebooks called the “HP 2133 Mini-Note PC” (see “A Student PC under 3 Pounds and $600“). If I did not already own an Asus Eee PC I would really be tempted, as I own several HP computers, from Pocket PCs to full-size desktop PCs. HP has seen that there is a market for light and cheap notebooks, with around 500,000 Eee PC’s sold last year, according to this article “PC Makers Race to Market With Low-Cost ‘Netbooks’” from the Wall Street Journal.

So what is the attraction of a mini notebook? I’ll use the Asus Eee PC with Linux installed as an example. The biggest attraction next to price is probably size and weight. It is easy to carry around, and ideal for traveling. Connecting to the Internet via Wi-Fi or an Ethernet cable is a snap. The web browser is Firefox, which only differs from Firefox for Windows in the menu layout, but this is a general Firefox for Linux difference. Because it uses a solid state drive for a hard drive, the Asus Eee PC Notebook runs surprisingly quietly. The fast start up and shutdown (with Windows XP it will probably be a slower) is really great. It also supports SDHC Cards, which are up to 16GB, with 32 GB cards on the way – but the latter will cost more than the Eee PC!. There are three USB 2.0 ports available for USB devices. In my experience, using USB Flash drives (for transferring large files) on Windows and using them on the Eee PC is basically the same. If you are not going to do much more than word processing, writing emails or web browsing the Asus Eee PC is ideal. The trade off of course is that the keyboard is small and takes a some getting used to. The 7 inch screen is small, and sometimes requires scrolling to see an entire webpage or a dialog box.

Mini-Notebooks like the Asus Eee PC and the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC are called “Netbooks” (see the “Thoughts on Netbooks” article on the Technology@Intel Blog).

HP sells a lot of different kinds of laptops. A quick search on PriceGrabber.com provides 452 links. Here’s one that doesn’t show up in the list yet, but looks worthy of our attention when it does appear at the end of April.

The HP 2133 Mini-Note PC was announced today as a “student computer.” It’s small — about 2.5 pounds — and it includes a suite of wireless, multimedia and security capabilities.

Best, in the US it will sell for about $600 with Vista Home Basic. As Dave Nagel at THEJournal.com reports, the Mini-Note PC offers an 8.9-inch WXGA scratch-resistant display and full keyboard with a clear coat to resist wear. Although some coverage has reported on the slightly smaller keyboard, Nagel says he can use the keyboard with no problem.

Features include:

• HP DuraKeys, featuring a clear coating applied over the notebook keyboard that protects the finish and printed letters and characters.
• HP 3D DriveGuard, which sends a signal to shut down the hard drive upon sudden movement or shock by using a three-axis digital accelerometer chip.
• A Scratch-resistant display and magnesium hinge bracket.
• The ability to view video, still-image capture, web conferencing or video-enhanced instant messaging with no additional hardware to buy or carry. An optional integrated VGA webcam enables video and still-image capture to allow the addition of photos and video clips to presentations, documents and email.
• Two battery solutions – three-cell for lightest-weight configurations or optional six-cell for longer battery life.
• Wireless technologies including integrated Wi-Fi Certified WLAN and optional Bluetooth, allowing students to access the Internet as well as communicate via email, IM, chat, VOIP and blogging. The wireless technologies also enable connections at hotspots as well as with Bluetooth devices such as printers, mice and headsets.
• The optional Absolute Software Computrace, which allows IT professionals to work with local law enforcement to track and help recover stolen or missing computers, inventory computers district wide and detect changes in hardware and software.

The four basic configurations, according to Nagel’s coverage, encompass:

• 1.0 GHz Via processor, 512MB RAM, 4.0 GB solid-state disk, Novell Suse Linux ($499).
• 1.2 GHz Via processor, 1GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive, Novell Suse Linux ($549).
• 1.2 GHz Via processor, 1GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive, Windows Vista Home Basic ($599).
• 1.6 GHz Via processor, 2GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive, Windows Vista Business ($749).

Here’s why I’m excited about the Mini-Note PC. It sounds like a primo machine to get for my son. He’s a tough user, hard on keyboards and displays. He doesn’t need much storage space at all, since most of his computer use is limited to surfing. And the lightweight nature of the machine means he could hold it in his lap for those longer car rides. Finally, something to replace that Cars cartridge he plays on his Leapster.

The unwanted software I’m referring to is called c***ware or c***let.
This c-ware, as noted in the Wikipedia article linked to above, is installed by some PC manufacturers who are usually paid by the authors of the software. This supposedly reduces the price of the computer to the consumer. Most computer manufacturers do this or have done this, including Dell, HP, Sony and others. The main problem is that it slows down and takes up space on otherwise new computer. Some computer users incorrectly refer to it as bloatware, which is more like additional features in software Systems which you really don’t need.

Just having bought a new computer c-ware came to mind. Initially I thought that Dell hadn’t installed much unwanted software on my new desktop computer. It wasn’t as obvious as the HP I bought on special at a retail store about two years back – there is still some lurking about on that PC. Although some unwanted software may be useful, like the Google Desktop – which I uninstalled from the Dell machine - a number of otherwise computer literate people may not even know what Google Desktop is, or not recognize the in the notification area of the Windows toolbar. Even if you are not using Google Desktop it is busy chewing CPU cycles every time your PC is idle. Other programs I found on the Dell included Google Toolbar for IE and Search Assist (A program which modifies the default search engine in Internet Explorer). It did not have some of the worst offenders, like Microsoft Office 60-day trials and the WildTanget Web Driver.

Sony now offers some of their laptops c-ware free, with an option called “Fresh Start”, which initially cost users $50, but is now free (currently only if you are buying a notebook preloaded with Microsoft Windows Vista Business Edition!).

I was slobbering over all the fancy TVs in Costco again today on my way to the bagel aisle to load up on carbs. I just don’t see myself as the kind of person who will ever be wheeling out a large-screen display on one of those giant trolley carts, all in the name of improving the quality of my viewing time, of which there is little.

That said, I am intrigued by the special devices that are coming out to turn my PC into a viewing station. After all, I’m not averse to checking out a video or two on YouTube in idle moments of work. So why not entire episodes of Masterpiece Theatre? That’s why the Pinnacle PCTV HD Ultimate Stick TV Tuner surfaces in my thoughts.

This little USB 2.0 device lets you view and record standard definition (SD) and free high definition (HD) TV on any PC. Since the tuner and personal video recorder software run from the stick, you don’t have to install anything, and you can move it from PC to PC, depending on where you are and what the available equipment is. (More on that shortly.) you can store up to two hours of TV on the stick, and it records in several formats, including MPEG-2, MPEG-4 (that’s iPod and PlayStation Portable (PSP) recording), DivX and direct-to-DVD. The package includes a telescopic antenna and a remote control, though I’ve never really heard how good high-def is over the airwaves vs. cable or satellite.

A couple of reviewers have commented on the Stick on PriceGrabber.com. Jetino from NY likes the overall package, but warns that you need a “powerful processor” in order to view HD channels — “probably greater than [a] Pentium 4 2.4 GHz.” If you try it on an anemic processor, you’ll get pixilation and lose synching between audio and video. Wwwyyy says the computers he/she tried it on met the package specs, but only one actually worked to his/her satisfaction. Likewise, this customer reported problems with the software.

So I don’t have a computer yet that can stomach this — at least not for viewing in one window and answering email in another. Fortunately, Inspector Lynley and his sidekick Havers aren’t yet being broadcast in HD from what I know; otherwise, I might have to upgrade my beloved machine and get a Stick for myself.
 

A new category of computer appears to be emerging; the MID. Yet another acronym, this one stands for Mobile Internet Device. A year ago, Intel announced a Linux-based “Mobile Internet Device”, referred to in the article “Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) & Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs)” . The reason Intel is behind this is because of the Intel Atom processor technology, on which the new mobile devices are based. While researching MIDs, I came across multiple definitions – from the Mobile Internet Device being a cross between a UMPC and a smartphone to the iPhone being a MID. Intel says that the Mobile Internet Device is a UMPC aimed at consumers and “prosumers” (Prosumer being a Professional Consumer) and a UMPC is a device aimed at enterprise users. Also, MIDs appear to run Linux, and UMPCs run “heavy” Operating Systems like Windows Vista. (see the article “Intel explains: MID vs. UMPC” at Engadget.com).

I guess that would make the Asus Eee PC 4G Notebook a MID, and the Samsung Q1 Ultra Tablet PC (pictured above) a UMPC, although the Q1 looks a lot like early MID prototypes. Of course it isn’t that simple. Microsoft has just given the go ahead for Windows XP to continue to be sold on “ultra-low-cost PCs”, which could be a MID running Windows instead of Linux.

I was reading the latest catalog from Dell, which showed an image of the company’s color cover laptops. You’ll have to excuse my shock and awe, because I didn’t know Dell notebooks came in any colors other than silver and black.

So I meandered over to the Dell site to track down these machines — which the photo shows as being available in shades of lemon, lime, cherry and a kind of strawberry daiquiri. I plugged every tracking number from that page in the catalog into the address line of my browser and couldn’t come up with anything.

Eventually, persistence and the keywords, “color cover,” got me what I needed, links to “QuickSnap Color Kits.” No sign of those warmer colors I’d prefer, but the “Mediterranean Blue” isn’t unattractive.

And there’s a cool sounding “Charcoal Leather QuickSnap,” which, according to one Dell customer “feels and looks like leather.”

But the choices are still rather business-like (read: staid) compared to what’s possible for decorating your machine. If you plug “laptop skins” into your search engine of choice, you’ll be led to companies such as laptopskins, Schtickers and Skinit. These operations sell skins of your favorite sports teams, psychodelic designs, works of art and even pictures of the family dog.

The skins from these companies stick on like giant decals (except without the water). You clean your device first, and then carefully position the decal. You don’t want to do it wrong, because they don’t tend to stick as well the second time around. And if you’re headed back to work with that notebook after a wild weekend with the Black Hats in Vegas, your temporary skin will peel off with nary a crumb. Just like that, it’s back to black (or gray or silver).

Hopefully no-one has tried to pair the IOGear USB KVM and a USB to Dual PS/2 Keyboard Mouse Adapter that I mentioned in my Blog Entry “Wrong Connectors“, because it won’t work!

Right after opening the USB adapter, I realized that there was no way it was going to connect to the KVM. There was a really wrong connector. What I needed were two male PS2 adapters to a female USB adapter. Instead, the cable was the exact opposite. If I’d looked at the picture carefully I would have realized it. Reading the package label made it even clearer “Use your PS/2 compatible mouse and keyboard in a USB port“. That wasn’t what I wanted to do. Instead, I wanted to connect a USB KVM with USB connectors to a computer which had PS/2 compatible ports. An adapter like this just doesn’t seem to exist. I tried connecting up the the older PC to the USB KVM with a USB to PS2 adapter connected to the keyboard. This way the PS/2 mouse was connected directly to the PC, as the USB KVM only has a VGA and one USB male connector for each PC. This didn’t work. After a number of permutations I settled on one with the new PC connected to the KVM, and the older one just having the monitor connected to the KVM. This means I still have a mouse and a keyboard for each computer, but I freed up the two VGA cables I was using.

There are KVM boxes available which support PCs with both PS/2 and USB keyboard and mouse adapters, like the Belkin Omniview Soho 4 port KVM Switch, but I’ll continue to try to get my IOGear USB KVM to work.

I’m thinking it might be time to buy a new printer — which, of course, means getting a copier/scanner or scanner/fax device along with the printing functionality.

I’m an HP and Epson person through and through. I mean, does anybody else make printers?

A colleague had sent me the link to a video put together by Kodak, which was pretty entertaining and got me to thinking maybe I had options outside of the ones I’m used to choosing.

The video gets across the message that maybe you don’t have to pay a fortune for ink cartridges. Could it be time for me to buy a printer for just a bit more money and then restock the ink for half or two-thirds of what I’m accustomed to spending?

As I was pondering that prospect, columnist Katherine Boehret at AllThingsDigital, tackled the very same topic. In a review of three multi-function devices, she poses the question: How can you really compare the total cost of ownership for a printer when the amount of printing any given ink cartridge does is so variable?

As she reports, “When measuring pages printed from a black cartridge, Kodak, HP and Canon claim 342, 200 and 219 pages, respectively.” (In this case, Kodak’s cartridges are the least expensive of the three.)

The Kodak ESP3, the model from Kodak that Boehret reviews, fares well — but so do the other two printers she looks at, the HP Photosmart C4280 and the Canon PIXMA MP470. Her focus is on the photo-manipulation aspects of the devices, which, as I wrote about in “Should You Publicly Profess Printer Love?,” I’ve already got covered in my life. I just need a workhorse printer that I can churn out pages from when the need is there.

And there’s something really attractive about being able to buy my next black ink cartridge for ten bucks. But Kodak? Canon? Aren’t those the photo folks? Next, I suppose you’ll tell me that HP is making cameras…

One technology has gradually become more widespread, another is slowly disappearing.
It was around ten years ago that the “Bluetooth Special Interest Group” was formed. They were working on a new open technology called Bluetooth. Now it is familiar to many who have Bluetooth headsets for their cellphones. Bluetooth was made for short distance wireless transmission with low power consumption. This makes it ideal for cellphones, in which battery power needs to be conserved.

Various other applications for Bluetooth have been developed. I have a pair of third generation stereo headphones (Logitech FreePulse Wireless Headphones) which include a tiny transmitter which can be plugged into any audio output jack. My original intention when buying them was to use them as wireless headphones when playing on games on my Xbox 360 in the family room so I wouldn’t disturb my wife. The headphones are actually made with MP3 players in mind, and I have found them very useful. To listen to music while not worrying about wires is really great.

Bluetooth has been available on most Palm PDAs since around 2002. When it is available on devices which also have Wi-Fi, like the Palm TX, HP iPaq 110 Classic or Nokia N810 Internet tablet, it is intended for use with a Bluetooth enabled phone when Wi-Fi access points are not available. A number of high end Notebook PCs have Bluetooth for the same reason.

Although Bluetooth and Wi-Fi is largely replacing IrDA on laptops, it is still widely used in TV remote controls and PDAs. IrDA refers to an Infrared communications protocol. The “Infrared Data Association” (IrDA) defines physical specifications communications protocol standards for the short-range exchange of data over infrared light. IrDA requires line of sight, which is where Bluetooth has the upper hand. Palm PDAs have had infrared since the Palm III in 1998. The easiest way to get information from one PDA to another was to “Beam” it. Some Sony Clie PDAs came with stronger infrared transmitters than their Palm-branded brethren, along with a program to use the Clie as a remote control for a limited selection of TVs and VCRs.