Sony has always prided itself in innovation and with sticking with a technology even if they’re the only one in the niche.  This persistency is clearly seen in the AIT-5 SDX-1100 tape drive.  The server market has always been dependent on large capacity tape drives and the AIT-5 is no exception.  Built upon the AIT-4 technology, it has a tape capacity of 400GB, double that of an AIT-4, which is really needed in today’s corporate data-warehousing requirements.

The tape-drive fits in the same standard half-height bay as older AIT-4 tape drives.  And the AME III (Advanced Metal Evaporated) tape cartridges cost £40 each, which comes to around 10p per gigabyte.  This is a relatively cheap media.

This comes bundled with an end-user bundle HP StorStation complete with the mountaing rails compatible with the ProLiant series servers as well as a copy and licence of Symantec’s Backup Exec for Windows.  The customer can, of course, use their own (existing) backup and restore solutions, which do cost a bundle.

This would be a good upgrade for those with existing AIT-4 tape drives, as they already have the infrastructure and hardware to support it.  Added to this, for backward compatibility, the new drive can read and write to older cartridge models including AIT-3, AIT-3EX and AIT-4 for long term archiving.

The Sony AIT-5 SDX-1100 is a ten year-old product built on a fifty year-old technology, and it is showing its wear.  Though it can store up to 400GB per tape, the throughput of 24MB/sec native transfer rate is still the same as its predecessor, the AIT-4.  This is mainly because of the Ultra160 SCSI LVD/SE interface.  Current SATA-interfaces have faster data throughput.

Increasingly, however, the problem with backup is no longer keeping the data, but in recovering the data from the backup source.  This is where tapes are now lagging behind, specially in a multi-server environment.  not for small-office/home-office backups, nor for SAN/NAS for medium-sized organizations.  The hardware costs as well as the setup and install would only be defrayed in a sufficiently large enterprise with tape archive needs.

For the new user, this is an alternative in a whole slew of tape formats and solutions, as well as a growing market of hard-disk based, online storage, backup and recovery solutions.  Sadly, arrayed with hard-disk based solutions which are easy to setup and accessible over a LAN, this is bit more complex.

Tape drives have always been a niche product for archiving and as a backup solution.  The use of automated jukebox solutions is being slowly overrun by disk-based solutions using a form of virtual tape library solutions.

In summary, this would appeal to existing customers with an investment in older AIT-4 tape-based hardware, including the Ultra160 SCSI LVD/SE interface.  Otherwise, there are existing 500GB to 4TB and 8TB, online real-time disk backup hardware at the same or cheaper price points.

But overall this is not for small-office/home-office backups, nor for SAN/NAS for medium-sized organizations or large enterprises.  And definitely not something a new installation would seriously consider.

There’s a groundswell for WiFi access.  And this is mostly from commercial establishments which offer customers access to the internet while within store premises.  The WiFi access is usually free, depending on the establishment.  But more and more, it’s not just the commercial establishment which offers the WiFi connectivity but the mall management adding this as a feature.

WiFi access is not just in the malls, of course.  Nowadays, colleges and universities have laid down the foundation for WiFi connectivity.  But that decision may be more due to financial considerations than for student/professor considerations.  It is a whole lot cheaper to install WiFi access points and routers than to pay for civil works to lay cable all around the campus.  Besides, with a structured cabling strategy, sooner or later, LAN cable theft would be a big blip on the crime radar.

As it is, even without going into WiFi enabled establishments, it is possible to leach the service by staying close enough to the building or shop.  With a good WiFi implementation, the signal should get across the street without any problems.  And just in case there’s concern that someone outside the building is accessing the network, security could be implemented by limiting the internet access to specific MAC addresses.

And with regards printing, I would opt for the network printer to be connected via it’s own cable.  The alternative is to have the printer connected to a computer on the network as a shared resource.  This would mean that the computer has to be turned on whenever the printer has to print.  Which runs counter to the logic behind a network printer.

Closer to home, the cost of a wireless LAN router has been dropping steadily and it has become a viable alternative for a small office/home office environment.  And with a WiFi in the home, cabling would not be a concern.

Setting up a home WiFi network is almost as easy as a cabled LAN.  With a WiFi router connected to the DSL modem, WiFi enabled notebooks should have an internet connection in no time.  In the case of desktops, a WiFi dongle or a WiFi LAN card could be installed in order to capture an internet connection.

Among several considerations, signal strength can be assured by having a clear line of sight from the laptop to the WiFi router or access point.  Strictly speaking, this is not really necessary.  Although from a psychological viewpoint, this gives the user peace of mind with regards LAN connection to the router.

There are however, some issues with WiFi routers.  For some reason, WiFi routers time out on their own, leaving the user without any internet connection at odd or random times.  What’s worse is that, even if you reset the WiFi router, the connection might still be missing.  There’s not much to tweak in the router maintenance as the router settings are usually bare with “no user serviceable parts.”

For the most part, any intermittent service from the WiFi router is a small price to pay for the cable-free internet access.

No, I don’t use the floppy disk anymore.  At least not in the way I used floppy disks before.  I’ve gone through different incarnations of floppy disks before and I could not imagine how “flimsy” the data was during those days.

First time I used a floppy disk, it was 8-inches and was for a TRS machine.  The funny thing about the TRS we had at school was that when there was a power interruption, you had to remove the diskette immediately.  This was not a problem, as you only had to press the cover and out popped the diskette.  If you were a little slow, the data would have been damaged.

The next time I used a floppy was when I had my own PC.  It was an XT-clone, with a Phoenix BIOS, no hard disk, but all of 1MB RAM, running on a top-speed of 10MHz (turbo mode).  It had a CGA monitor from Thomson.  And it had cooling problems.  And yes it used 5.25-inch floppies.  It actually had two floppy drives:  one of 360KB and the other of 1.2MB capacity.  I also found out that I had an allergy of sorts as I got rashes on my neck when I was in front of the computer for too long.  A note on the 1.2MB floppy disk, though this was more expensive than the regular 360KB, we used it for archival purposes.  We used diskcopy to force copy a 360KB disk to the 1.2MB.  We figured that there was more data integrity that way.

The next PC I had used 3.5-inch floppy disks.  It still had a 5.25-inch floppy disk drive along with the 3.5-inch drive.  It was an AT-class 286 with a Hercules monochrome graphics card, and a paper-white monitor.  It also had a 40MB hard disk.

I had a floppy drive on all the computers I bought, till around the 2001, when I gave up on the floppy drive.  Since that time, I had asked that the floppy drive not be included as part of the specifications.  Though the use of USB flash drives have not picked up yet, I just thought to re-use or recycle old diskette drives from the computers I had replaced.

The diskette was fun for a while.  It it worked, it worked fine.  If it didn’t, I just broke open the case had the plastic metal recording material coated plastic inside ripped out.  It’s something physical for me to do so that I wouldn’t have useless diskettes lying around the desk.

With the use of flash drives, internet storage, large hard disks, CD/DVD burners, the floppy disk has receded in use and utility.  Mainly it’s not large enough anymore.  When storing a typical picture file on floppy disk, I doubt if there’d be more than 10 files saved on a single floppy.  And storing an MP3 is out of the question.

But the floppy has not yet disappeared.  It’s still very much a part of the desktop computer.  Beside the recovery boot disk, there is still that one use which is ubiquitous but barely noticeable.  When you use a word processor or a spreadsheet, the save button on the screen is most probably an icon of a diskette.

Lacie, one of the pioneers in portable personal external storage devices has partnered with Carbonite to offer offsite backup services free for one year for every external hard drive device sold.  This is an added bonus to LaCie buyers, giving them a greater sense of security and peace of mind knowing that they’ve got a secure data redundancy in the form of an offsite backup.

LaCie is a prominent name in the Mac market, as they have been manufacturing external storage devices for the Mac since the 1980’s. Their backup solutions are scaleable and easy to install, setup, schedule and maintain.  The company’s current offerings is up to 7.5TB capacity in a 5-disk set of RAID 5 or RAID 6.  Though it has concentrated on Mac solutions, LaCie has other products compatible with Windows, as well as home entertainment solutions.

With last year’s introduction of Time Machine, the Mac OS X backup software, Mac users can easily backup their hard disk contents to an external drive with no problem at all.  Now with the partnership between LaCie and Carbonite, Mac users concerned that their data (and the backup) would disappear in case of fire or theft have a Plan B in the form of an offsite backup at a secure data center.

Carbonite ensures that the backup is secure by encrypting the data twice before uploading to a secure data center.  User privacy and further security is assured as the data remains encrypted while at the data center.  Strictly speaking, the backup cycles are not on a fixed schedule as the process is only active during the Mac’s idle cycles.

There are as many keyboard designs as there are manufacturers.  The only similarity is the QWERTY layout.  There are, of course, high end keyboards which are configurable, allowing the user to shif to a Dvorak layout, or any other layout which the user fancies.  So far other keyboard layouts have not have as much acceptance as the QWERTY.

Keyboard manufacturers still continue researching with materials and with other ergonomic setups to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome or repetitive strain injury.  Some keyboard designs have adjustable pieces, or angled keys.  Typically, these keyboards are more expensive than the regular keyboards.

One keyboard design which has caught on and is sold at almost the same price as regular keyboards make use of a rubber casing.  This makes the keyboard flexible, and the user can type on practically any surface, even if it’s not flat.  Lightweight and durable, rubber keyboards are also water proof.  (Regular keyboards are spill-proof, which means that spilled coffee will not get inside the casing.  Rubber keyboards on the other hand are practically water-proof because the internals are sealed inside the rubber casing.

The design house which developed flexible keyboards also developed mouse pads for use on thighs which work well with wireless mouse.  The good thing about the design house is that they really use their own designs.  The designers test their products first-hand.

For laptop users, flexible keyboards can be rolled up and stowed into the laptop bag after use.  It’s also very comfortable to use, the keys are relatively softer than the regular plastic keyboards.

Sony recently recalled more than a 100,000 PC batteries.  These are not just for the Sony Vaio but also for HP, Dell and Toshiba laptops.  And of the 100,000 batteries, about 35,000 of them were installed in laptops sold in the United States.

This is not the first time there was a battery recall.  Sony’s reason for the recall was that this was part of the batch of batteries which were recalled between 2004 and 2006.  There were 4.1 million Dell batteries recalled during that period.

The breakdown of the 35,000 batteries for recall in the United States has HP with about 32,000; Toshiba with about 3,000 and Dell with about 150.  The number of batteries on Dell for recall is significantly lower than HP or Toshiba because there was already a large number of batteries recalled several years ago.

The cause of the recall was the incidence of overheating which in some instances has already caused damage to property as well as injuries. The reports have been from around the world, including from the United States.

Sony manufactures batteries as an OEM for HP, Dell, Toshiba as well as for Apple and Lenovo.  According to Sony, the batteries had some impurities which led to the overheating.

On any computer heat has always been a problem.  In most instances this is caused by the processor, other microchips including the graphics card, and the hard disk.  To combat heat, there are several design strategies which manufacturers use.  First off are heat sinks to dissipate the heat.  There are fans to circulate the air, and to cool down the hot elements.  And there are vents for the hot air to pass through.

For a notebook, another source of heat is the battery.  Though this problem is less common in a cell phone, it’s important to note that rechargeable batteries generate heat while being charged.

As a safety precaution, even though your notebook battery is not part of the recall, it’s a good idea to make it a habit to keep the notebook cool.  Some tips to do that include:

• checking the vents are clear.  Most notebooks have vents at the bottom, while others have the vents at the sides.  If the notebook doesn’t have any vents, it was designed that way, and most probably has other ways of dissipating heat.  Going by the design, most notebooks which have vents, also were designed with some sort of raised bottom to allow the air to circulate from the vent, and out the bottom.  Another good idea is to clean the vents to make sure their dust free.
• use a notebook cooler.  This is like a docking station or tray where the notebook sits.  The cooler has a fan or two blowing air up the bottom of the notebook.  These are usually powered via the USB, which makes them portable as well.  A notebook stand might not give the same level of cooling but it does keep the bottom vents free.
• Check the battery pack on a regular basis.  If it’s warped, cracked, swelling or bulging, have it replaced.

Asus is not content with being the market leader in netbooks, the latest news from Asustek is that they’ll release $200 netbooks next year.  Considering their current pricing, this is not impossible.  Some Asus Eee models are now in the $300 to $400 price range and with current technology getting cheaper, and newer technology slowly replacing what’s out in the market, Asus (and other netbook manufacturers) should be able to make computers with the same functionality and features at a lower price.

Other developments from the Taiwanese computer maker include the phase out of 7- and 8.9-inch  Eee PCs to be replaced by 10-inch models.  This may or may not be a consolidation of product line for a cheaper manufacturing process or inventory controls.  It can just be that they’re selling more 10-inch models than the 7- and 8.9-inch netbooks.

Asus plans to have a 30% market share in the ultra mini-PC market.  This translates to sales targets of between 6 million to 7.5 million units next year.  Asus shipped 1.7 million units this past quarter and hopes to ship a total of 5 million units for the year.

The ultra-mini PC is a thriving market with the highest growth rate among PC market segments.  And Asus has shown that this could be a viable market, and not just a niche or boutique market.

There are other players in the netbook market, which include Dell and HP.  About seven years ago, Fujitsu was selling a mini-notebook for $1,500.  For one reason or another, Fujitsu did not deem it the proper time to continue that series.  At $1,500, there wouldn’t be too many buyers for the sub-notebook.  But a $200 Asus Eee would be very viable.

Source:  DesktopReview.com

Dell has just introduced to the market a new all-in-one PC, this time it’s larger than the older 20-inch model.  The XPS One 24 is based on a 24-inch display with 16:9 aspect ratio. Capable of up to 1920×1080 pixel resolution, the PC runs on an Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 processor with 4GB RAM standard.  Other standard features include an integrated Intel GMA X4500HD graphics, high definition analog and digital TV tuners TV tuner, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11a/b/g/n wireless connectivity, an 8x Super-Multi DVD+/-RW slot-loading optical drive, and a wireless keyboard and mouse set specially designed for the XPS One 24.

An NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT graphics card with 512MB video RAM is optional, as well as a Blu-ray drive.  A larger hard drive is also optional.

The original 20-inch XPS One sold for $999, and the XPS One 24 starts at $1,699.  The additional equipment and upgrades are just about worth the $700 premium.

I’ve been wondering why there’s not a lot more all-in-one PCs on the market.  It’s more elegant, saves on desktop space, it has less wires running all around the place and the monitor is hardwired to the case.

Of course, trade-offs for the all-in-one form factor include:  a fixed non-upgradeable casing; cooling problems; and the monitor is hardwired to the case.  For some this is a deal-breaker.  The monitor has a longer lifespan than the rest of the computer.  You would expect to replace the hard disk in three to five years, and the rest of the computer after 5 years, but you expect to still be using the monitor even after five years.

All in all, if you’re into all-in-one form factors, this looks good.

Cloud computing is that part of the computing experience where the applications are on the web, allowing for access anywhere, as well as for groupware capability.  One of the successful implementations of this concept is with SalesForce.com, Google Docs, as well as some other implementations of a base stations.

The whole concept of cloud computing is that the physical computer is less of a repository for both program and data, and more of a terminal with the data and program residing on the net.  The web browser now becomes the virtual computer and platform for accessing, editing and manipulating the documents.  As a groupware function, this will allow any member of a group to store, access and edit the documents as well as discuss this online with other members wherever they may be.

Microsoft seems serious in implementing their own model of cloud computing.  The next versions of MS Office will have the capability to store the document or spreadsheet on the web, and be accessed for editing on the web as well.  And since this is Microsoft, this will be an add-on service (for a price) for buyers of MS Office.  This is not a bad model.  Microsoft already gives its users space to store their documents on the web and this is just a step forward for their cloud computing model.

One good thing with Microsoft’s plans is that it puts impetus for more software manufacturers to have offerings on the web, not just for file, photo, music, and video sharing but also for office productivity and other office function specific software.

About ten years ago, when Compaq was at the height of its company buying spree, Compaq had a product demonstration for its latest line of notebooks.  Called the M-series for mobile computing, the M-series also introduced magnesium alloy casings.

Magnesium alloys are more commonly used in mag wheels or magnesium alloy car wheel rims, as well as for high-performance bicycle frames.  The alloy itself is light, and strong and rust free.  It’s a low maintenance metal, but expensive to manufacture.

As part of the demonstration, it was explained that due to the process of creating the casings, and allowing them to cool gradually, it is not possible to create smooth surface chasis for the notebooks.  The manufacturing process resulted in a crinkly exterior unique to each case.  At first glance, each notebook with the magnesium alloy case looked the same, but on closer inspection, there were minute differences between casings due to the crinkly surface.

Since that time, there have not been too many announcements about magnesium alloy casings being used by other notebook manufacturers.  Truth is, while most computer market segments are trying to cut down on prices, high-end notebooks can maintain their costs and prices.  And to that end, it would be natural for manufacturers of high-end notebooks to give value for money with the use of aluminum alloy casings.

I was thinking about this when the latest series of Mac notebooks were announced.  This time, during the presentation it was emphasized that the notebook casings started out as a solid block of aluminum, which was carved out for the space for the notebook’s innards.  That was important to explain because aluminum is one of those metals which are not easy to forge and shape, but soft enough to carve.  The metal gouged out could easily be recycled anyway.

Between the plastic casing of the Apple iBooks and the aluminum casing of the MacBooks, the MacBooks are more “green” because the aluminum can be recycled.  It’s an easy enough fact to forget but the consumer and Mac user should be increasingly aware of the manufacturer’s responsibility to recycle computer parts.  Unfortunately, more and more notebooks are being made with plastic in order to save on costs.  I can’t say I can blame them as consumers will usually buy the cheaper model if there’s no differentiating factor between the available choices.

Among other things which was left unsaid during the presentation and release of the new Apple iBooks and MacBooks is that Apple is the undisputed leader in that market segment.  Apple notebooks sell at a premium compared to other notebooks.  And in the above $1000 notebook market, Apple is number 1.  In fact, further segmentation would show that in the more expensive notebook segment, Apple has a higher market share.

This is significant because Apple traditionally has never fought over market share in any price segment.  What’s surprising is that Apple is now going to release sub-$1000 notebooks.  This may be just a toe to test the waters, but if ever the netbook market continues to grow and explode, it’s a sure bet that Apple would be fielding something in that market.