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Comments
My phone doesn't have a headphone jack, probably to make you buy bluetooth headsets!
tom
Did Apple kill you on the memory pricing or was it decent? I usually get 3rd party memory to save money.
Craig
I've read that the only accessible part of the new iMac is the memory slot. Everything else requires disassembly of the unit -- that's why I went ahead with the video card upgrade now.
Some people have complained that the Rev B and later models don't have the very clean layout the original iMac had. Have you seen the below website? Some folks in Japan have taken apart a brand new iMac:
http://mactree.sannet.ne.jp/~kodawarisan/imac_intel/imac_intel01.html
tom
Yeah, the Edu discount was a measly $100 off. My friend who worked at Apple was able to get about $250 off list.
Craig
Thanks for the offer -- will let you know as soon as I'm up and running. I'm hoping the file transfer process is as easy as Apple makes it to be.
With respect to memory upgrade pricing, surprisingly Apple's prices are very competitive. Their 1Gb upgrade lists at $100 and the 2Gb upgrade for $300. When I checked, it was very close to what 3rd party resellers like OWC and Crucial were listing.
In my case, my friend's employee discount extends to memory as well and I was able to get the 2Gb upgrade for about $250.
Ken
Perfect picture, especially on hi-def channels. However, every once in a while, the image 'freezes' for 1-2 seconds. No tiling or pixilation at all.
Tech showed up, and found a strong signal. In the next 3 hours they sent a signal to the box. Hard booted the box. Replaced the box, and basically rewired everything between the TV and the street. Not resolved.
I'm guessing at this point it may be a timing issue between the TV and the cable box. I'm going to replace the DVI cable with RGB Component cables.
Has anyone else delt with this? TIA. Rob M.
The component cable might resolve it but honestly I would guess that it will not. I'd suspect something is wrong with the tv.
~Colin
Truth is, I'm still shopping for a 'modern' set and feel frozen with fear and uncertainty. In the mean time, our 1987 Panasonic 27" set chugs on. Leaning towards a 42" HD plasma, but we are in the boonies, so my cable company cannot deliver an HD signal. May have to consider a dish in order to get the most from the set.
Steve
Steve, once you step into hi-def, there is no going back.
I personally don't watch much TV, but I was glued to the set watching the x-games in hi-def in full surround sound last Saturday. Rob M.
We have a couple of RCA 27" regular TVs and until one or the other gives up the ghost they will stay.
I am a big fan of the KISS theory, keep it simple stupid.
Cheers Pat.
I went Dolby 5.1 about 8 years ago, but the picture remains low tech!
Steve
I only recently joined the HDTV club myself. My dad forced me
I did a lot of research on my own and I decided that if I bought a plasma that it would definitely be either a Panasonic or Pioneer. They're so far ahead of the competition and each of them has their strengths, but the Panasonics are a fanastic value because of their price / performance ratio.
But unlike my dad's setup, my living room is a nice rectangle (14'x22') with the tv right in the center of the short side. No seat is more than 20 degrees or so off the center axis and there is no natural light as it's in the basement, so I felt that in that environment a DLP would be able to perform well. I spent a lot of time looking at demo material and brought in some of my own DVDs. One salesman at Ultimate Electronics put up with my antics the best, was pretty informative and in the end gave me a good deal on some cables. I bought a Mitsubishi 52" DLP because it supports 1080p. The 1080p demo material UE runs on their compatible Sony and Mitsubishi is remarkable. Admittedly, getting ahold of 1080p source material right now is a pretty tricky proposition-- but being able to support it something I considered a big selling point. The two other tvs I nearly bought were a 50" Pioneer plasma and a 50" Panasonic plasma. The Pioneer had more features and seemed to have a bit smoother/softer image, but was about $1000 more. In the end I'm positive I would've been happy with any of them, but I spent the least on the Mitsubishi and felt it would have the longest useful life due to the 1080p support.
~Colin
It's just nice to see Honda as something other than an invincible sales juggernaut.
tom
If you like rear projection units, and they certainly have a distinct price advantage, I think DLP was the right choice as an engine. I have sat in on several technology and reliability evaluation presentations by the TI folks at conferences, and their implementation of MEMS micromirrors is quite incredible. While LCD microdisplay projector engines can also be quite sharp, the high intensity illumination required in order to get a bright image on a 50" panel literally cooks them, making life expectancy and color rendition an issue over time.
My family room is 16' x 13', with the entertainment unit in the center of the longer wall (fireplace dominates the short wall). This makes the viewing angle rather large from the sides, making off-axis brightness one of the priorities. This is one area where plasma seems to do well.
LCD is fine in flat panels, and tech improvements in manufacturing are allowing them to grow beyond 32" (37", 42" and larger). Still, the relatively slow refresh rate can lead to some strange effects during faster action. But I am sure this will be addressed as well.
Bottom line - too much change in the marketplace for even a techie like me to be comfortable with, keeping me from jumping just yet!
Steve
Slight change of gears--
I bought an HD antenna last night at Radioshack because I keep hearing that Cox won't be given the HD signal for the Superbowl; apparently, this happened last year as well but you can receive the digital signal over the air. I don't know the fine details of the problem, but maybe it's a disagreement over money. :confuse:
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was getting 90% signal strength or better with the antenna placed on top of the tv! It's small square roughly 7"x3" and less than 1" thick. However it is AC powered and has 20dB gain. :shades: I completed the hookup by taking coaxial digital audio from the tv into my receiver.
I then obsessively switched between HD stations on the antenna which were 720p and those on digital cable which are upconverted somewhere (or perhaps fed that from the originator) to 1080i. I couldn't tell a difference, but I did watch my first episode of Lost. LOL
C'mon in Steve, the water's fine!
~Colin
Actually I'm suprised. Pilot sales were up 13% in Jan 06 vs Jan 05 and were up 12% for all of 2005. Perhaps they forecasted higher and now need to cut production.
-juice
Home today with a sick kiddo (the big one), which is nothing compared to having to deal with a parent with a fractured pelvis last weekend. If it rains, it pours!
Cheers!
Paul
tom
Yeh, picked up the new issue off of the island when I got home, and ran around the kitchen yelling "I want, I need!!!". I think the family thinks I am crazy. Then I ran off to the bathroom to read!!! (Ok, maybe too much information that you didn't need to hear in that last line).
Steve
You first!
Steve
Jim
Steve
I have a BlackBerry 7100T phone with T-Mobile service. I picked up the basic, cheapest Bluetooth headset, about $80 or so, I think it was a Motorola.
It doesn't have noise cancellation, so it did not work too well in a convertible with the top down, as you can imagine. It does work well in quiet and non-windy environments, though.
The pain, to me, is that you have a 2nd item to charge all the time, and that's a nuisance.
Since my phone does have a headphone jack, I end up using the corded ear phones instead.
-juice
Let 30 years of mostly misery be put in the past with one victory today!
If Seattle had to lose, I'm glad it was to Pittsburgh. Sorta reduces the sting for me. I have family in western PA, so the Steelers have always been my #2 team. This was a dream matchup for me.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5310192
Also, Fox poll online asks what you will remember most from Superbowl XL. Nearly 60,000 responses, with 42% answering "Questionable calls", far outdistancing next answer "Steelers' trick play TD" with 24%. I'm not sayin' the officials cost Seattle the title ('cause that sounds like whining!), but it certainly could've been anyone's game with a few different calls.
It works well. When I first discovered my devices it found a lot of bluetooth components within range but it wasn't too hard to get everything setup. It works great, requiring about 3-4 seconds to switch affinity from the desk phone to my blackberry. About 10 seconds after I end a wireless call, it automatically drops off and reconnects to the desk phone.
The one thing I wish it had is mute.
But it's much better than nothing!
~Colin
I figured Pittsburg was going to win but I was glad to see a game of it, even if it was a bit boring. The conference championships were largely over after the first 15 minutes, so I was glad to see this one was up for grabs in the last quarter.
~Colin
-juice
It wasn't a game that was a satisfying win or loss because you wonder 'what if' the officiating was better.
In a game that was basically won not by consistent play, but 3 'big' plays by the Steelers, not giving Seattle some big plays of their own is definitely a moral crusher.
tom
I didn't have too much luck with my first bluetooth headseats (one of the older Motorola ones) but am going to try it again!
BTW, do you know if your blackberry is still going to be working? Bummer if they shut them down!
tom
We're not going to bother to push it out until the injunction is finalized. If it never happens, then we don't waste any time updating.
If you're feeling overwhelmed about the tech specs or pro/con of various technology types, maybe you should just visit some local retailers and sample some units.
You'll see which ones are within your budget and what it costs for various features. Some things will start to eliminate themselves. With luck, you might even find a good salesperson who can fill you in on some of the details.
~Colin
-juice
NTP doesn't really want to shut RIM down. They just want RIM to pay them a royalty for using their patented technology. The possibility of an injunction is a negotiating tactic.
-juice
All I can say is that I'm one happy camper. Transferring files and has been one chore, but using the Mac has just been one great experience so far. Everything from opening up the box (love their packaging) to booting up for the first time -- they've done a great job in understanding the touch points of a customer.
Ken
Craig
My initial impressions:
- Form factor is just oh-so sexy. It's actually not very heavy and so today I unplugged the unit and carried over to another room that I wanted to use it. The built in power supply and Airport make it a psuedo-portable.
- The iMac is quiet. In a completely silent room, I just barely hear the fans in the unit. I really appreciate how Apple designed this unit with air intakes on the bottom and a thin strip along the top to vent.
- It's speedy as advertised. I'm coming off a 5-year old PC so it's great how applications just pop right up. Also, I'm able to run multiple applications and the iMac doesn't even break a sweat. I don't think I've ever seen the visualized on iTunes render so quickly and smoothly.
- The display is awesome. Bright and clear, no dead pixels that I can see. The wide format really lends itself to watching DVDs. Only one nit is that the image is just a hair off to the right and could use a tiny, tiny keystone adjustment.
- The built in iSight camera has exceeded my expectations for a built in camera. I loved how it takes a photo of you when you are first launching OSX and it registers you as a user.
- The remote is actually a neat feature. It's kind of cool to be able to run Front Row as well as put the iMac to sleep using the remote.
- One OSX feature I'm really loving is Expose. Combined with the 20" screen, it's awesome how you can quickly sort through open applications and windows and zoom into what you want.
- I'm liking the Mighty Mouse. The scroll button works great and I can still use right and left mouse clicks.
The only problem that I've run into is with Front Row itself. There currently seems to be a problem with the latest build of OSX that for some reason causes lines and other artifacts to appear while using Front Row. The problem affects only 20" iMacs with the enhanced video memory. Apple is aware of the problem and it looks like a new patch is on it's way.
Ken