A Trip to Springfield

Hey! Wow two days in a row of blog posts...must be a record! Just a quick pic...put it itogether from a picture of the wife and I into http://www.simpsonizeme.com/. Give it a try, although you may have a craving for a whopper by the time you get through!

We'll be seeing the movie later in the week with some friends! So excited!

One Down, Infinity to Go

Wow, It's been a while eh? But I have something really important to share! Today is my one year anniversary married to the beautiful, intelligent and just overall wonderful wife.

We exchanged gifts last night at midnight (due to my general impatience when it comes to withholding surprises, but I had one extra surprise up my sleeve. You see, when we moved to New Haven last summer, we had no way of transporting the top tier of our cake. Rather I, who am not a prolific baker by any means, put together a passable replica for our special night. I've also recreated a dish we served at the wedding (Salmon w/ Dill Sauce and roasted Asparagus) with the same Chianti we had at the wedding. All in all it was a perfect evening, bringing back so many memories and reminding us of the ones we've made in the past year (Speaking of...there's a new video posted at http://www.ryancatania.com/ with some great sights from the last year of adventures!)

Here's some pictures of the evening!

Yep, cake making skills in action!

Enjoying our Anniversary Dinner (Even Brought out the Wedding Centerpieces!)

Well that's all for now...be back sooner than the last time!

The First 24

As mentioned in a previous post, I was fortunate enough to purchase a new Like New Asus R2h Ultra Mobile Personal Computer for a very reasonable sum. I figured I would give the unit a test drive to determine if I finally found a replacement for my trusty Hewlett-Packard TC1100. I figured I could always throw it up on Ebay to recoup my cost if I didn’t like it. First, I’d like to thank the community over at www.gottabemobile.com, where I was able to determine if the R2H was even worth buying, as well as getting some very helpful advice in preparation of the unit’s arrival.
The 5 long days of waiting for UPS to deliver my new gadget wee spent preparing all o the software I wanted to install, files to transfer, etc. Twenty four hours ago, that wait ended, and these are my experiences.

The Unboxing
Traditionally, I haven’t paid much attention to the packaging of an item, especially computers. Usually the brown box opens to reveal Styrofoam wrapped components hastily assembled and shipped. However, Asus did a really good job here of presenting the unit to the customer, with a stage by stage unraveling of the technology goodness I had purchased. After opening the first box, there was the retail box, touting the features of the UMPC in full color, which opened into two separate boxes, one for the computer, and another for the accessories.

Inside the Box
The unit has the following specification and features:
900MHz Intel Celeron M
768 MB (256@533Mhz; 512@667Mhz)
60GB 4200 RPM PATA Drive
7” 800x480 WVGA LCD (Scalable to 1024x600)
802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, Integrated GPS
Fingerprint Scanner, 1.3Megapixel Integrated Webcam
I was delighted to find the double capacity battery included in the North American models. Also the accessories included the AC adapter, a folding stand, nylon slip case, USB Transfer Cable, LCD Cleaning Cloth, Documentation and restore disks.

First Steps
I immediately performed a system perform to return the unit to factory specs (as I mentioned this was a like new unit…). I also wanted to consolidate the partitions to a single 60GB Drive (Well, actually a 55GB drive, as Asus has a dedicated 5GB partition for a recovery disk accessible at POST by pressing F9, very handy as I did not have a USB CD Drive available). After the imaging process was complete, I rebooted into the sea of bloatware those at the messageboard had warned me about…

Uninstalling
The next few hours were spent remeoving the excess software, evaluating what to keep, the performance hit, etc. In the end, I removed:

Norton Antivirus 2005
ASUS Multiframe
InfoPen
LifeFrame
Skype
Mobile Theather
Asus Screen Saver
Asus Live Update
Asus DVD

Can’t say I relaly miss any of the functionality these provided, as alternatives were either already installed or readily available with a smaller footprint. After removing the above software, the performance of the unit picked up a bit, especially when running multiple programs, but I was surprised that the biggest improvement was after running windows update to install the latest patches and drivers. I can’t say which one did it, but the unit is now very responsive. While I don’t think I’ll be running Halo or Doom 3 on it, it seems more than capable for retro gaming or flash games, which are more suited for a more portable device anyway. Oh yeah, it’ll run office applications too…

Loading Software
Before I talk about the software configuration I think it’s important to understand the vision of the UMPC. Typically, smaller devices have been limited to personal information management and other dedicated functions, but now the full power of a Windows computer can be easily transported, leading to many possibilities. Some may see the unit as a perfect Automotive Computer, with its GPS navigation and Multimedia Capabilites, while others may use it to manage their warehouse or home automation. My vision is of a portable system, one that is taken from home office to work, with all of the same applications and files available wherever I go, while being able to access the information while traveling and entertaining in between.
After converting to NTFS using the included utility, I began configuring the unit to my purposes. Activating the wifi configuration, registering fingerprints for the security software and installing programs. Microsoft has many free offerings for Tablets and UMPCs; I picked up Internet Explorer 7, .Net 2.0, the Enhancement Pack and the Entertainment Pack, as well as Windows Media Player 11 and several Powertoys. I also installed some other free software like Media Portal, MappedUP and Object Dock. The only software I paid for was Office 2007, which is worth every penny in my opinion with all of its new functionality and the publish to PDF feature.

Using the Device
Now that I was ready to go, I have been putting the unit through its paces. It’s a very capable machine with a great feature set. I love Media Portal on this device to manage videos and pictures. The launcher is pretty, but I wish it was more like the Origmai Experience they have put out for vista, with integrated programs. The touch screen is great for stylus input, but doesn’t provide good touch response by fingers, usually requiring fingernails. This all but makes the dial keys program useless and I ended up disabling it. That said the stylus is of good heft and compact but I usually use the Quatrex 4-in-1 I picked up at staples. Also, I miss being able to rotate Onenote or word to better review documents and enter notes. The fingerprint scanner is very useful, and saves me A LOT of time from entering passwords , which was probably the biggest pet peeve of mine with a slate tablet PC, as entering in that information on the on screen keyboard can be insecure and time consuming. The units aesthetics are worth mentioning, ASUS did a great job designing the unit to look clean, and it’s definitely an eye catcher, but some may be turned off by the industrial look. The buttons have very good tactile feedback and the webcam and GPD both work very well.

Summary
The R2H will replace the TC1100 as my portable work machine. The small size makes it extremely portable, while its integrated fetures make it very useful as the same time. I can run the GPS on the way to work, use it to manage my media, do a little gaming and even work, too. However, the unit isn’t without compromises: The performance leaves a little to be desired in anticipation of what the second generation might include; while the unboxing experience was nice, the out of box experience was horrible, there should have been an option to restore OS only without the bloat; and finally I wish, no PRAY there will be a docking solution available in the near future (Hey ASUS: I’ll Buy Two!), but a port replicator bar is the best option currently available.

Price Paid: $790
Rating: 8.5/10

We get around...

How do you spell relief?

So it's been a while since the last post I guess. So what is it that could pull me away from obscurity? Well aside from the newfound free time...it's the Microsoft Ergonomic 4000 Keyboard.

I haven't been the biggest fan of split keyboards, and I must admit I am still getting used to it, but recent episodes of numbness in my left hand have required I change my stance. I do alot of typing in my line of work, and I can say this is one of the best keyboard I;ve had the pleasure of typing on. The resistance to the keys is perfect, with good travel and almost silent. The layout is ideal and the hotkeys are customizable and in ample supply.

But what really sets this keyboard apart is the design. The 'gull-wing' design resembles split keyboards of ages past, but with a smooth curve towards and depth of the user. Also, a removable riser put the overall slope in a negative position in relation to the wrists, which alleviates all wrist strain I've felt with no name standard keyboards. If I had to gripe, my only complaint would be the fact I have to unlearn certain 'cheats' I have used in typing for years, so there may be more typos at the beginning.

All in all, I highly recommend this keyboard for anyone doing alot of typing on a daily basis. There's a $20 rebate on it too, so you should be able to find it for $25 to $45 online or in stores (I picked mine up at staples).

I'm getting a new gadget next week (yes the wife knows)...the Asus R2H Ultra Mobile PC! If only the UPS driver could get those trucks up a couple mph!

I'm not normally one to do this...

Found this over at Marie's Blog. I compares my personal thoughts about my personality with that which I have presented or impressed upon others. Thought I'd give it a try.

http://kevan.org/johari?name=RyanCatania.Com

BTW, today is Vista Day! I'll put up my full review and upgrade story here later.

A better way to spend your birthday...

As I begin my final year in the 18-24 demo, I leave behind my 23rd year with bittersweet memories. On the good side, I got married and began my new life on the East Coast with my new bride. Otherwise, the past year was plagued with various health ailments and too much anxiety for any one person should have to endure.

Appropriately, thus, the celebration of my birthday has included some negatives, but has more than been made up for in positive aspects. I am the luckiest guy alive to have such a wonderful woman who can brighten up even a cold northeast morning, take this past weekend for example:

Saturday morning, we wakeup to begin packing; I know we are going somewhere for the weekend, Im just not sure where that is, but I'm told to pack warm. By the time I figure out we're going to Boston, we have about 2 minutes to catch the train and start our adventure. Once we arrive in Boston, we drop off our luggage at the Hotel and begin to explore. We make it as far as the quincy market where we decided to stop off at a familiar establishment (even though we've never been to Beantown.

We sat down right away (they didn't even take my name, but that's because they already knew it, I presume) and looked over the Cheers-themed menu. Being my first trip there, I had to have the New England Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bowl, A Sam Adams Lager, and finish off the meal with a Boston Cream Pie. I was NOT disappointed, and highly recommend visting this unique establishment.

However, I must admit, this was as far as we got into exploring Boston that day, as my next surprise would once again confirm my love...

Yep, Saturday night tickets to the Senator v. Bruins at the TD Banknorth Garden. Interestingly, the garden is right smack on top of the train station at the other end of town, so its a quick ride in and out and only costs about $4...no parking hassles or traffic delays! While I had a good time, it wasn't so good for the Bruins, losing 3-0. But I had a blast, even with the $7 pizza slice.

The next day we got to see more of the city, including Boston Common, Park Avenue Church, King's Chapel, Paul Revere's House, Quincy Market again, the Old State House, Freedom Trail, and much more, with pictures of all and memories to last a lifetime.

The only problem is we had to come home. Even though it was bitter cold over the weekend, I'll have warm fond feelings for my 24th Birthday Weekend Celebration.

Additionally, on my actual b-day, some shipments I had been waiting for arrived (Including Vista! which I will describe my upgrade in more detail later) and this weekend, we're having over some friends from the grad program over for food and Wii! It's hard not to forget about the little problems when so much good is coming your way.

Until next time, thanks for reading!