Mobile technology rant...

Coke Robot

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Bob Saget.

I read today that Nokia is gearing up for three new Lumia Windows Phones for this year. One of which is codenamed Catwalk. Basically, it is the successor to the Lumia 920, and instead of being built out of durable polycarbonate, it will be built with aluminum so it's lighter.

Ugh....

I don't mind that they're building new Windows Phones, good on them. But already to have a successor to their flagship so soon? What?! Apparently, it's rumored that the iphone 5s will have another screen size and come in knock off colors of probably cyan, magenta, and yellow along with their monochrome colors; something that Nokia brought into play with the Lumia 800 and their N8/9 handsets.

What the crap right now?! A majority of people buy the flagship handset and are locked into that contract for two years. It's annoying to read that in less than a year, a new flagship device will be out that is probably better than the one you have. Yes, the one you bought is the one you liked, but when it gets to the point that there are literally better technologies coming out in less than a year versus two, this gets annoying and a tad frustrating. No wonder many phone makers aren't doing so well, they're pumping out a whole new device every six months! And for the fans of that particular OS or device, it's annoying that there is a new, possibly better handset.

Personally, I'm glad with the Nokia Lumia 920 and see no reason to make it lighter, as it's not even significantly heavier than my Lumia 900, literally, those two phones are almost the same size and weight. It's just that the 920 has significantly better technologies over the 900. And yes, Nokia released a new flagship Windows Phone in only six or so months, which makes the anger of some adopters more potent as yeah, a new and better device came out in the fall of 2012. And, I personally am not doing contracts anymore, so it's the whole unsubsidized cost I pay upfront for the phone plus REALLY less expensive service. That's going to be almost 600-700 dollars. If I'm to pay that much for a phone, I want the best and latest model, which makes this a little annoying for me since I planned on the Lumia 920. I'll have to see if there is any news at CES about it, as Nokia might be announcing some RT tablets and hopefully those Lumia phones so I know if it's worth it or not...

Condensed point, OEMs need to stop with the short release schedules. Technology as it is already moves at a fast pace, there is little need to aggravate that for no reason. And apple too! Holy crap they're getting bad at that! They released like three ipads last year, imagine the debt said apple fanboy would be in right now!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
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    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
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    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
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    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
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    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
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    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
I know what you mean but you have to remember that everything we buy/lease is a "point in time" decision. If we buy/lease a car, the new model comes out and it doesn't make our car less useful or less desireable UNLESS we buy into the consumerism tha is "I need to have the latest and greatest of everything". I'm not saying that's what you're doing, it's just that companies constantly have to innovate and create the competitive product for their current product before another company does. Product lifecycles are so short now and products are often discontinued in 6 months or less.

Earlier this year (August) Intel released a new series of motherboards and in December, they announced the product was being retired (4 months). I'l still buy the motherboard because it's a good value and if the prices drop, which is almost guaranteed to happen, it's an even better deal.

I learned several years ago that it's not good to be "bleeding edge", you get the best vaule and bang for the buck one or more products behind the "latest and greatest". I broke that rule with my Lumia 920, but I knew full well that it would only be about 6 months before the L920 was replaced by a bigger, badder, faster, prettier device, but I really don't care as the features that I love with my phone didn't change, it's still what it was when I bought in November 9th. My 2010 MazdaSpeed3 is still a great car for me and I really don't care about some newer model until I'm in the market for a new car... but then again, I'm an old fart...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
I know what you mean but you have to remember that everything we buy/lease is a "point in time" decision. If we buy/lease a car, the new model comes out and it doesn't make our car less useful or less desireable UNLESS we buy into the consumerism tha is "I need to have the latest and greatest of everything". I'm not saying that's what you're doing, it's just that companies constantly have to innovate and create the competitive product for their current product before another company does. Product lifecycles are so short now and products are often discontinued in 6 months or less.

Earlier this year (August) Intel released a new series of motherboards and in December, they announced the product was being retired (4 months). I'l still buy the motherboard because it's a good value and if the prices drop, which is almost guaranteed to happen, it's an even better deal.

I learned several years ago that it's not good to be "bleeding edge", you get the best vaule and bang for the buck one or more products behind the "latest and greatest". I broke that rule with my Lumia 920, but I knew full well that it would only be about 6 months before the L920 was replaced by a bigger, badder, faster, prettier device, but I really don't care as the features that I love with my phone didn't change, it's still what it was when I bought in November 9th. My 2010 MazdaSpeed3 is still a great car for me and I really don't care about some newer model until I'm in the market for a new car... but then again, I'm an old fart...
I don't ever buy into the consumerist thoughts for cars, I as have a 1990 Mazda 626 I adore, but is kind of sucky for cold -5 degree winters, poor thing's rear defroster takes a good while to defrost! I want to buy 2000 BMW 525 or 528i for my winter car, as it's newer and has better technologies for snowy conditions, along with a manual transmission and rear wheel drive. But that's cars, technology generally isn't rapidly shifting every six to twelve months as it takes the manufacturers years and years to release a WHOLE new different car. Usually, every two years with cars, newer, better, and more efficient technologies are there; usually.

Computing technology is a different thing altogether, as the newer models of something generally ARE better than before, which is to be expected, but released on such a rapid pace. For example, AMD is releasing their FX 8300 processor, which is like the 8350 but at a 95 watt TDP versus the 125 watt TDP of the 8350, which means less actual power consumption, something I do like. But they just released the latest FX series last fall. This doesn't annoy me much as I won't be in the market for PC hardware until well into this year.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
In the technology world, it's best for people not to try keeping up. Just wait out the 2 years and see what is available. People need to get over needing/wanting the latest/greatest.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
And another thing, why are laptop speakers so crappy!? Seriously, they're so underpowered when smartphone speakers BLOW them right out the water?! Crap right now!
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
I've never heard a laptop or a smartphone with good speakers.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
I've never heard a laptop or a smartphone with good speakers.

iphone, Nokia Lumia 900/920, HTC Trophy/8X. 8X especially as it has a built in amplifier. Don't know about android phones. But compared them to current laptop PCs, it's clear as day the higher quality sound between them. Even enabling loudness equalizer on new Windows 8 laptop PCs doesn't even make them louder. Them speakers are SO underpowered.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
Sometimes, you buy the right technology and you get a lot of use out of it and don't have to make every incremental upgrade. For instance, in 2007, I bought an Intel DG43GT motherboard with an Intel Quad Core 6600 CPU and 4GB of DDR2 RAM. It's 1/2013 and I've upgraded the RAM to 6GB, but I'm still using the same motherboard and CPU. I've gotten a lot of use out of this workhorse and I'm not a gamer, so it's just as good for me now as it was when I bought it. I'll use this PC until some critical component fails or I win the Lotto and build myself a monster PC just to do it.

Even though this CPU/motherboard are old, and the newer tech blows them away, the performance has and still is good enough to make it very difficult for me to justify replacing it. I'll take rock solid and reliable over faster performance any day...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built Intel i7-3770k-based system
    CPU
    Intel i7-3770k, Overclocked to 4.6GHz (46x100) with Corsair H110i GT cooler
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 OC Formula 2.30 BIOS
    Memory
    32GB DDR3 2133 Corsair Vengeance Pro
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce GTX 980ti SC ACS 6GB DDR5 by EVGA
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD, Corsair SP2500 speakers and subwoofer
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 27EA33 [Monitor] (27.2"vis) HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (system drive)
    WD 6TB Red NAS hard drives x 2 in Storage Spaces (redundancy)
    PSU
    Corsair 750ax fully modular power supply with sleeved cables
    Case
    Corsair Air 540 with 7 x 140mm fans on front, rear and top panels
    Cooling
    Corsair H110i GT liquid cooled CPU with 4 x 140" Corsair SP "push-pull" and 3 x 140mm fans
    Keyboard
    Thermaltake Poseidon Z illuminated keyboard
    Mouse
    Corsair M65 wired
    Internet Speed
    85MBps DSL
    Browser
    Chrome and Edge
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, MalwareBytes Pro and CCleaner Pro
    Other Info
    Client of Windows Server 2012 R2 10 PC's, laptops and smartphones on the WLAN.

    1GBps Ethernet ports
Agreed, my current home pc is a gigabyte mobo , Intel q9550 cpu, 8gb DDR2-800 ram, a hx 620 psu, in an antec antec p180 case. I built in June of 2009. Thus far, I have added an SSD and an Nvidia gtx-570 gpu.

At work I am running a core i7 3770 on an Asus P8z77 mobo. So, I have a good handle on current levels of performance and feel that my current home build is easily holding its own. I rarely keep a primary machine over 3 years...but this one has been a great build, stable, solid performer.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
Taking this rant onto another fork...

Holy crap! What is the with price of said mobile technologies?! Especially some of the Windows 8 PCs?!

You can't find a decent laptop PC that doesn't start at least 800+ dollars, and these are non-touch PCs too. When we get into touch, there are a few decent non-expensive ones. But getting into the tablet PC realm, WOW! :eek: MSI announced this kind of neat slider tablet, 11.6 inch screen, specs of an ultrabook: $1,200! What the crap is that?! This is partly the reason why these new PCs are flying off the shelf, they cost a leg! Touch AIO PCs are apparently doing better, and they generally start at 800 dollars and decent specs as well.

The other day I was at walmart and I saw this HP notebook running Windows 8, it had a lower end AMD APU I believe, 300 dollars. If one took a decent touch screen with a stylus, boom, for about 500 dollars one could have a cost effective touch Window 8 PC. Most of the laptop PCs I've personally come across from people are generally mid-range with prices from 250-600 dollars. I don't get why tablet PCs are even higher, there has to be some amount of economics with supply being less than demand here.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS
    CPU
    AMD FX 8320
    Motherboard
    Crosshair V Formula-Z
    Memory
    16 gig DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS R9 270
    Screen Resolution
    1440x900
    Hard Drives
    1 TB Seagate Barracuda (starting to hate Seagate)
    x2 3 TB Toshibas
    Windows 8.1 is installed on a SanDisk Ultra Plus 256 GB
    PSU
    OCZ 500 watt
    Case
    A current work in progres as I'll be building the physical case myself. It shall be fantastic.
    Cooling
    Arctic Cooler with 3 heatpipes
    Keyboard
    Logitech K750 wireless solar powered keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Touch Mouse
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, but I might go back on KIS 2014
You can't find a decent laptop PC that doesn't start at least 800+ dollars, and these are non-touch PCs too.
I'm seeing quite a few models (12+) at BestBuy.com that are between $579 and $799. They all have 8GB of RAM, Windows 8, 750GB+ hard drives and Core i3-i5 processors.

I don't get why tablet PCs are even higher, there has to be some amount of economics with supply being less than demand here.
Smaller components, less supply, demand from consumers.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 7
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Self-Built in July 2009
    CPU
    Intel Q9550 2.83Ghz OC'd to 3.40Ghz
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R rev. 1.1, F12 BIOS
    Memory
    8GB G.Skill PI DDR2-800, 4-4-4-12 timings
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA 1280MB Nvidia GeForce GTX570
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC899A 8 channel onboard audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    23" Acer x233H
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Intel X25-M 80GB Gen 2 SSD
    Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black, 32MB cache. WD1001FALS
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX modular
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    stock
    Keyboard
    ABS M1 Mechanical
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Internet Speed
    15/2 cable modem
    Other Info
    Windows and Linux enthusiast. Logitech G35 Headset.
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