Sony Sliders: I could be referring to the new Sony PSP Go or the Sony MYLO, but I’m not.

This is not the first time I’ve had a problem with a slider button on a Sony product. My very first Sony PlayStation Portable was occasionally a source of aggravation, but only with certain games (most notably Grand Theft Auto : Liberty City Stories). In the heat of battle, I would accidentally flip the sliding On-Off switch and oh no, where did my game go? Sometimes I got it back, other times it was just tough luck - should I have being playing GTA in the first place?
This problem wasn’t just limited to the first PSP. I had the same problem playing a Pinball game on the Sony PSP 3000, the most recent PlayStation Portable (the last one which still handles UMDs). In both cases I just had to adjust my grip slightly and the problem went away. Don’t get me wrong, the Sony PSP is still my favorite handheld gaming console.

The last time I was blogging, I happened to be using my Sony VAIO VGN-S460P Laptop, and when I clicked the  “Save” button, I got an error message that there was no internet connection. It took a frantic few seconds to realize that I had accidentally flipped the Wireless switch to the off position, not that hard to do since the slider switch is just where my right wrist rests. Poor design? Maybe, but I still like the laptop.

I looked at two computers today, and tried to figure out which was the best laptop.

The first one has 4GB RAM and a 320GB Hard drive, as well as 14 inch screen. The second has 2GB RAM and a 160GB hard drive, and a 13 inch screen. Both have Dual Core Pentium Processors, DVD writers, IEEE802.11 Draft N wireless and a built-in webcam.

The first sells for around $650, the second for at least $1100. The first is a Toshiba Satellite L515-S4925 Notebook. The second one is an Apple MacBook Pro.

I guess it depends on whether you can afford the MacBook Pro, and whether you don’t mind that it does not have a user-replaceable battery. Other than that, it is likely to provide a solid computing experience. It also has a oversized multitouch trackpad.

The Toshiba Satellite costs $500 less than the Apple MacBook Pro, and has better hardware specs. It has double the memory and double the hard disk capacity. Since the Toshiba runs Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit, 4GB of memory is the recommended minimum of memory (1 GB is required). It also has a user-replaceable battery.

Which one would you choose?

Is Windows 7 merely a cleverly disguised update to Windows Vista, or is it a brand new Operating System?

The skeptic in me would label Windows 7 as simply being a Major Update to Windows Vista. Of course Microsoft would not want to call it “Windows Vista Update 2“, as Windows Vista really doesn’t have a good name in the marketplace. So Windows 7 sounds
better and Microsoft can charge for the update instead of releasing it for free.

A number of Tech folk who have spent months with Windows 7 would not agree. Ed Bott’s Microsoft Report on ZDNet Blogs “Windows 7 first look: More than just “Vista, fixed“, says “if you assume that Windows 7 is simply “Vista, fixed,” you’ll miss many small but meaningful changes and several large ones that give Windows 7 its own identity.”

CNET’s Review of Windows 7 says:
“Although the look of Windows 7 may seem to be nothing more than some polish applied liberally to the Vista Aero theme, make no mistake: This is a full replacement operating
system, and more than just “Vista done right.””

The “Bottom Line” of CNET’s review has this interesting statement:
“How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now.“