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All posts tagged "hp"


Thursday, July 26, 2012

HP's All in One HP Z1 Reviewed

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 07:52 PM

http://www.trustedreviews.com/hp-z1...sktop-PC_review

"The HP Z1 is a beauty of a 27in all-in-one PC. Not only is it meticulously built and the only one of its size and class to offer height adjustment, but it's packed with connectivity and features like an adjustable 1080p webcam. It's also the only AIO that's fully upgradeable - in fact it's easier to upgrade the Z1 than any other PC we've ever reviewed. All this is complemented by a gorgeous 27in, 10-bit, 2,560 x 1,440 IPS display and stunningly good speakers. Throw in its workstation certification, and it justifies its premium pricing."

All in one computers tend to have a lot of compromises, but the Z1 from HP aims to minimize as many of those as possible. Yes, if your computer or your display die, you'll lose both of them. On the other hand, HP has done a really impressive job of making the machine user-upgradeable. Check out the review for all the details!


Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Rahul Sood Holds Court on Voodoo, HP, and Competing With Apple

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Articles & Resources" @ 08:30 PM

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/ot...2011.html#sect0

"When a company gets acquired it's absolutely critical that the larger entity maintains the culture and identity of the organization while thoughtfully blending the strategies and visions together. The number one reason strategic acquisitions fail is because there is a lack of patience and they forget about why they came together in the first place. There is nothing more important than patience when it comes to creating and fostering cultures of innovation."

I've known Rahul for quite a few years - I had Voodoo build more than a few PCs for me back in the '90s - and I've always admired his business savvy and intelligence when it comes to understanding success. This is an excellent article on some of the ways HP squandered their opportunity with the purchase of Voodooo.


Tuesday, May 17, 2011

HP Offers New Desktops

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 01:00 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/16/...d-hpe-h8-deskt/

"Lest you think the desktop is an endangered species, HP, at least, begs to differ. The company just unveiled three of 'em: the Pavilion p7, Slimline s5, and the Pavilion HPE h8 -- all festooned with black finishes, rounded edges, sliding port covers, and metallic panels designed to blend in with the electronics already populating your living room."

Desktops are so boring. They might offer better value and more upgradability than laptops, but desktops just are not as sexy. I still think of desktops as the workhorses of consumer computing. While that is being displaced with cloud computing, and the role of desktops have diminished, they still serve a useful purpose. Especially for anyone who has had to process video, or do work that is best done with three monitors or more. It is good to see that companies like HP have not forgotten us. I am still proud to say that I have and constantly use a desktop in my home. What about you?

Tags: hardware, hp, pavilion

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

HP Omni Pro 110 PC: The All-in-One Business PC

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 02:30 PM

http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/03/hp...mni-pro-110-pc/

"HP has just announced a new all-in-one, space saving, clutter-free PC designed for small businesses. Called the HP Omni Pro 110 PC, this computer places all the internals of the computer into a 20″ widescreen."

This looks like HP's answer to the likes of Lenovo's M90z; an all-in-one computer design tuned for office use. I used to be fairly negative on the all-in-one concept, but since testing the M90z my stance has changed: unless you specifically have plans to upgrade your computer over time, there's literally almost no reason to go with a desktop computer. They're bigger, usually noisier, and don't offer many advantages beyond being able to upgrade them. That said, in my office I have three desktop PCs that are in near-constant use, and I wouldn't replace any of them with all-in-one designs. I deeply value the ability to upgrade and modify my desktop computers - and also the ability to use whatever monitor(s) I wish.


Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Which Shift Key Do You Primarily Use?

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Laptop Thoughts Talk" @ 12:00 PM

After reading Chris' post about what makes a perfect keyboard, it got me thinking about Shift keys. In Canada, many laptop brands ship their laptops with a French/English keyboard, and when they do, the left shift key is cut in half to make room for an extra French-language key. The net result is that any touch typist trying to use that keyboard, if they're not accustomed to it, will constantly be missing the left shift key. I'm one of those people, and I flat-out refuse to purchase any laptop that doesn't have a full-sized shift key. That means no HP laptops for me - every single one of their consumer laptops sold in Canada have the shrunken left keyboard; it's one of the main reasons I tend to go for Dell laptops. I'm pleased that Apple allows you to choose what kind of keyboard you want on your laptop and wished more companies offered users that choice. If I primarily used the right shift key, however, I wouldn't have my choices curtailed.

What about you? Which shift key do you primarily use? I use the left shift key 100% of the time - never even touching the right-hand shift key.


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

No Drive Extender? No HP MediaSmart!

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 12:30 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/01/...s-wont-be-hitt/

"More bad news for fans of little Windows servers for home. HP, makers of the MediaSmart boxes that defined the first release of Windows Home Server, has confirmed that it is canceling plans to support the next major release of the OS, codenamed Vail."

I can hardly say that I am surprised that HP is pulling out of the Windows Home Server market. Whether the removal of Drive Extender support in Vail is a good move or not, the negative buzz across the Internet makes it seem like no one is going to buy a server based on Vail. I do admit that Microsoft's decision has affected me and am already looking at alternatives to Windows Home Server and Drive Extender for my next NAS solution. Maybe Microsoft is right and with multi-terrabyte drives, drive pooling is not really needed anymore by the average home user. What I can see is that Vail no longer looks like a step above other NAS solutions and if my own needs were meager enough, cloud computing would even be enough.


Thursday, November 11, 2010

What Happened to Dell's Customization?

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Talk" @ 12:00 PM

I don't know about you, but I feel like Dell's customization options have become dramatically restricted over the past year or so - it's like they're trying to get out of the custom, built-to-order computer business and into the "Buy Model A or Model B" business. I can't tell you how many times over the past year I've tried to spec out a computer or laptop and found that I'm locked into a "template" where the CPU, screen resolution, and GPU are locked down - allowing customization of the RAM and hard drive, and that's about it.

Case in point: the above computer is the Dell Inspiron All-in-One desktop computer. My wife's aunt is looking for a new computer, and an all-in-one would have several advantages for her. Dell Canada's email promo talked up the touch-screen aspect, so I assumed that the touch screen was an integral part of the product and included in all versions - it's not. When you go to the product page, there are three configurations you can chose from: Read more...


Friday, November 5, 2010

Hey Scanner Companies, Here's An Opportunity For You

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Talk" @ 07:00 AM

I've owned a flatbed scanner for as long as I can remember; I think my first one was in the mid-'90s, a Mustek if memory serves. It was a tank of a scanner, but for the time, it did a pretty good job. Before that, I owned a grey-scale hand scanner - anyone remember those? You'd have to slowly, and steadily, drag it over the object you wanted to scan. If you twitched, you'd screw up the scan. Now, in 2010, even though I have a multi-function printer/scanner/fax machine, I still own a dedicated flatbed scanner - an HP Scanjet G4050 - because quality scanning is important to me. Read more...


Sunday, September 19, 2010

HP Release The HP V5020u Camcorder

Posted by Andy Dixon in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 08:00 AM

http://www.chipchick.com/2010/09/hp-camcorder-v5020u.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed: ChipChick (Chip Chick)

"Every company has at-least one answer to the Flip nowadays, so why shouldn't HP. Their new V5020u Digital Camcorder offers full 1080p HD recording with electronic image stabilization via a built-in gyroscopic sensor that prevents image blur caused by camcorder movements. It also features a 10x digital zoom, a 2″ LCD screen, a 5MP sensor, an SDHC slot, the ability to record H.264 videos, a motion detection feature, and the ability to hook the device up to your TV via HDMI. A wrist strap, cleaning cloth, HDMI cable, and carrying pouch are all included with the device. The HP V5020u camcorder will retail for $159 and will be available in October."

HP have announced the new V5020u camcorder which is another entry in to the competitive mobile video arena. There are a huge choice of devices out there now with just about every need covered for from normal usage, to the more rugged and waterproof needs. This is definitely in the more day to day usage category and at $159, it's not a bad price either. I've never tried one of these but I'd love to know if how they compare to some of the new HD mobile phone videos, and if it's really worth investing in one compared to just using my phone.


Friday, August 6, 2010

Mark Hurd, HP CEO, Resigns Under Storm of Controversy

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Laptop Thoughts News" @ 05:00 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/06/...-investigation/

"Wild news out of HP just now -- CEO Mark Hurd has just resigned over a sexual harassment investigation. Hurd and the HP's board of directors decided that he should resign following a sexual harassment claim against Hurd and HP by a former marketing contractor -- HP claims that although there was no violation of its sexual harassment policy, Hurd violated the company's standards of business conduct by submitting inaccurate expense reports that covered his relationship with the contractor."

Absolute power corrupting absolutely? You betcha'. HP acted fast on this one - and it came to the fore because the woman involved had an attorney and contacted HP. Lots of missing information here, but I find it depressing that in typical white-collar fashion, when someone gets caught doing something wrong, they don't get punished - they get rewarded with a $12 million dollar severance package and stock options. Seriously, what the hell? What a morally-inverted world we live in...equally interesting that Engadget doesn't mention Hurd is married and has two kids.


Sunday, August 1, 2010

Hot Hardware Reviews The HP ZR30w 30-Inch S-IPS LCD Monitor

Posted by Andy Dixon in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 03:00 PM

http://hothardware.com/articles/HP-...Monitor-Review/

HP ZR30w 30-Inch S-IPS LCD Monitor "How should you go about determining what size monitor to buy? It's simple - go out and purchase the biggest, baddest display you can afford, because really, you only get one shot at this thing called life, so why waste it staring at a 23-inch panel? If you're still not convinced, consider that, more than any other component in your entire build, it's the monitor you'll use to its fullest 100 percent of the time. You can't say that about your dual-videocards, six-core processor, or even your keyboard, but it certainly applies to your display, the one piece of hardware that brings the entire build together."

I've currently got a 26 inch monitor which I think is huge on my desk, though I must admit I am getting used to the size now, but 30 inch... it must look massive on a desk. I think if I was to replace my current monitor, rather than get an even bigger one, I would probably downsize and get three 24 inch monitors and stretch the desktop across all three. I find I am more productive that way. Anyway, if you prefer to have one big monitor, or even three of them, then check out this review of the HP ZR30w 30-Inch S-IPS LCD Monitor.

Tags: hardware, hp, lcd, monitors

Friday, July 9, 2010

Notebook Bundle Giveaway at Notebooks.com

Posted by Chris Gohlke in "HP Laptops & Netbooks" @ 01:00 PM

http://www.notebooks.com/2010/07/09...and-hp-printer/

"How would you like to win a mobility bundle that includes an HP Pavilion dm4 notebook, Beats by Dre headphones and a Canon PowerShot SD1300 camera? All you have to do to enter this Notebooks.com giveaway is answer a few questions in our July 2010 survey about your recent or planned computer purchase."

Nice prize bundle, since I plan on winning, you should not even bother entering.  But if you insist, you should head over to Notebooks.com, take their survey, and enter the contest.  Open to US residents only.


Saturday, June 19, 2010

HP's ePrint Delivers Content Directly to Your Printer

Posted by Reid Kistler in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 11:00 AM

http://h30495.www3.hp.com/about/eprint

"HP ePrint lets you print from virtually anywhere. One of the ways that ePrint works is to assign an email address to your printer. To print, simply send an email containing your document to your printer's address. You can print images, Microsoft Word, Excel* and PowerPoint documents, PDFs, and photos. Note: .... Documents printed with ePrint may appear different from the original. Style, formatting, and text flow may differ slightly from the original document. For documents that need to be printed with a higher quality (such as legal documents), we recommend that you print from the software application on your computer, where you will have more control over what your printout looks like."

Sending a print job via the internet is not new technology, but HP's ePrint service raises the ante by simplifying the process, and by signing on content providers such as CNET, USA Today, and Google Maps in hopes of increasing the desirability and usage of the service. Indeed, while HP mentions the ability to store documents in "the cloud" for later printing, most of the emphasis appears to be on the "Print Apps" which provide "Instant access to relevant, printable web content from your printer screen," and appear to be primarily home or family based in their appeal. To utilize the service you need a HP printer with ePrint capability, and you must create an account, which will assign a random e-mail address to your printer. A typical Print App will then allow you to print content such as a Google map, a daily news summary, or perhaps a page of coupons. If the service catches on, HP would realize an increase in printer sales, and - perhaps more significantly - an increase in profitable printer ink sales. However, given the popularity of smartphones, netbooks, and tablets (Apple or otherwise), I would question how many people are clamoring to have more printed pages as opposed to having content sent to (or natively available on) their portable device of choice. Does HP's ePrint service seem significant enough that you would be willing to base your next printer purchase upon it?


Tuesday, June 1, 2010

HP Announces 30" ZR30w S-IPS LCD Monitor that Displays 1 Billion Colours

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 11:24 AM

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/e...71-4194577.html

"HP today announced its first 30-inch monitor to display a range of more than 1 billion colors, the HP ZR30w S-IPS LCD Display. Adding to the already powerful lineup of HP Performance Displays, the 30-inch diagonal display provides 30-bits per pixel color resolution and 1.07 billion displayable colors, compared to 16.7 million colors available on most 30-inch diagonal panels. Ideal for professionals in animation, game development, broadcast, design and graphic arts where accurate color is imperative, the HP ZR30w achieves more than 64 times the colors available on mainstream LCDs. With a wide gamut panel that covers 100 percent of sRGB and 99 percent of Adobe RGB, reds, blues and greens are visibly deeper."

Selling for $1299 USD, this is definitely a monitor for the professionals or hardcore prosumers who want a killer monitor. The 2560 x 1600 resolution is a 16:10 aspect ratio, which bucks the trend for monitors to be 16:9. I remain very pleased with my latest monitor purchase, a Dell Ultrasharp U2711.


Friday, May 21, 2010

The Cost of Our Shiny Gadgets

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Talk" @ 01:00 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/...hts-on-foxconn/

"It's obvious, by now -- or it should be -- that something's going on at Foxconn -- the owners of massive factories in China which most famously assembles Apple products (though it's also responsible for many, many others). There have been several suicide attempts this year -- at least a few of them successful (though it's been pointed out that the number is pretty much on par with the rest of China) -- and over the past few days we've seen what can only be called a shocking expose by a worker who went undercover there."

Engadget's Laura June shares her thoughts on the real cost of the gadgets we know and love - because this Foxconn issue isn't just about Apple; they make products for HP and other big OEMs. I share June's thoughts that I'm not an economist; I know enough about wages to know that they need to be appropriate for the country the workers are in...you can't just take a North American minimum wage figure and use that. On the other hand, I support the concept of a "living wage" no matter what country we're talking about - if someone can't make a reasonable living working 40 hours a week, then they're not getting paid enough (and that applies to my own country as well).

I'd be a hypocrite if I said that the plight of the workers making my gadgets was at the forefront of my mind when I opened the package on a new device, but it's definitely something I've been thinking about more lately. Do I like cheap gadgets? Yes. But would I be willing to pay 10% more, knowing that money would make its way back to the workers in the form of better pay (which would be hard to do, but possible)? Yes, I absolutely would. Would you?


Wednesday, May 12, 2010

HP's Touchscreen Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Printer

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 04:00 PM

http://h71036.www7.hp.com/hho/us/en...ity-photos.html

"You won't believe how many photo fixes are at your fingertips with the simple-to-use touchscreen on the HP Photosmart Premium TouchSmart Web All-in-One. Watch this video to see how you can edit and print your images like a pro-without even turning on your PC."

I think this is a pretty neat concept, but the real revolution would be if HP dropped the prices of their ink cartridges by about 50%. That would make home-based printing more feasible; right now ink is so expensive, I'm not sure I'd be all that interested in printing an image without making sure it looked good via my computer. What about you? Can you see a printer like this sitting in your kitchen and being used for photo prints, sans computer?


Monday, April 19, 2010

A Peek Into the Upcoming HP Slate

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 05:30 PM

http://conecti.ca/2010/04/15/mini-r...comment-page-1/

"Each develops a gadget that Apple does not spare those who come after announcing that they have a replacement. Just as there are a lot of iPod Killers (still waiting) and iPhone Killers (Hello?), now has been the range of IPAD Killers. Case to light, the HP Slate. We had a short in our hands."

The review, in Spanish (translation through Google here), looks at a pre-production HP Slate, so I would take some of the comments with a grain of salt. The one thing I do take away from it is that HP seems to have considered the Slate a netbook sans keyboard, which I believe to be a mistake. It seems that after years of tablets, both convertibles and slates, manufacturers should be aware that a different interface is what is needed, and this is where competition against the iPad needs to be made. I am reminded of the lesson that Microsoft learned with Windows CE and then the PocketPC OS/Windows Mobile. When Microsoft first came out with Windows CE, they mirrored the Windows 95 interface which failed horribly. Then they tried what is seen up to Windows Mobile 6 which still has its limitations. The form factor dictates a different interface. As it stands, it looks like the HP Slate will be a disappointment. Anyone still interested in getting one?


Monday, April 5, 2010

HP Slate Specs Leaked?

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home Hardware & Accessories" @ 08:00 PM

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/05/...5-hour-battery/

"Well, well -- what's this? We just got our hands on what looks like an internal HP Slate presentation given to cool down some of the iPad hype amongst HP employees, and it just happens to have specs and pricing details on the elusive Windows 7 tablet."

This looks official enough, but anyone with moderate skills can mock up nearly anything, so I'll hold off on believing this 100%...but there's nothing on here that's difficult to believe. An Atom Z530 CPU makes sense, as does 1 GB of RAM (I wish it were 2 GB though) and everything else makes sense. It's nice to see they didn't cripple it with Windows 7 Starter edition - what with its non-background changing and all - and the two cameras are a nice addition. The hardware addresses many of the things that the iPad lacks - but the Slate clearly falls short in the battery life department when stacked up against the iPad. So what do you think? If the HP Slate comes out at $549, will you buy one?


New HP Slate Video Looks Amazing

Posted by Jason Dunn in "Digital Home News" @ 10:22 AM

http://h20435.www2.hp.com/t5/Voodoo...ence/ba-p/54735

"Up to now, we've given you only tiny glimpses of the HP slate device coming out later this year. You saw it first in a video we released during CES and most recently in videos demoing its Web experience and Adobe Flash and Air support. We've also blogged about the evolution of the slate category and our history in the space. So far, almost everything we've shared showcases how you'll consume media with the device. And by media we mean all types of digital content, whether it's a story from a major news outlet or videos and photos you've shot. But we also believe that media consumption is only half of the ideal mobile experience."

One word: WOW. I've been cautiously optimistic about the HP Slate, and what was holding me back was the fact that Windows 7 isn't a touch-focused operating system, or is it an operating system that tends to work really well on low-end hardware. While I can't speak to the performance yet (and frankly I'm a bit worried about that), if the work that HP has done on this custom UI goes fairly deep, I could see spending most of my time inside this software suite. It's hard to judge the final product based on a slick marketing video, but I see a lot of things here that I like.


Saturday, April 3, 2010

The Life of a Netbook; Short and Sweet

Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 07:00 AM

http://www.windowsfordevices.com/c/...-netbook-plans/

"Quoting unnamed sources from netbook manufacturers, DigiTimes reported yesterday that HP and Dell -- the world's number one and number three PC manufacturers -- are scaling back production due to disappointing sales of new netbooks powered by Intel’s new Atom N450 "Pineview" processor. (The story was posted on April 1 report, but the pretty-much-all-business DigiTimes has never been known for its practical jokes.)"

It seems like only yesterday that I heard about the original ASUS eee netbook. A liliputian 7" micro-laptop that was designed for light duty, portability and a really low price point. Since then, the netbook has changed dramatically as manufacturers tried hard to figure out what consumers wanted. Now, there is news that HP and Dell are not selling them as well as one would like. There could be a lot of reasons for this; saturation of the market, nothing exciting about the new netbooks, other alternatives such as smart phones and slate tablets. I honestly think that even if the netbook disappears, it has done a fair bit to invigorate the market. Since the netbook, we have seen much more experimentation and as much as I hate change, I consider this to be a good thing. Hopefully, the momentum will keep up and we will see more changes.

Tags: hardware, hp, dell, netbook

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