Into the Void

HP Netbook

New toy! It’s an HP Netbook PC. A Netbook is a tiny laptop suitable for everyday use. Email, online banking, writing letters. It’s so small you can carry it in that duffel bag you call a purse, and it can connect anywhere. Most models I investigated had integrated wireless (WiFi). AT&T and Verizon both offered Netbooks with 3G broadband wireless capability. Some models had Bluetooth for mouse or headphones.

I purchased the HP1035NA and really put it through its paces. YouTube videos played without a glitch. I will try Netflix videos in a day for two and edit this… Web browsing, email, and document editing were more than adequate, though if you normally run a high speed machine for engineering apps you’ll notice a difference. I didn’t do any tweaks to speed up the netbook, things like disabling indexing or windows animations.

The downside of the HP 1035NA Netbook is that it has less hard drive capacity and is slightly more expensive than some of its competitors, including the ASUS Eee PC 900. However, the slightly larger 10.2-inch display and the nearly full-size tactile keyboard are what sold me on the HP.

Specs:
OS:Windows XP Home SP3
Productivity: Microsoft Works
Display: 10.2-Inch
Processor: 1.60 GHz Intel Atom Processor N270 with 512KB L2 Cache
Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 (shared) with up to 128MB Total Available Graphics Memory
RAM: 1GB DDR2 System Memory (1 Dimm)
Storage: 60GB (4200RPM) Hard Drive
Connectivity: 802.11b/g WLAN & Bluetooth.
Dimensions: 6.56 (W) x 10.3 (D) x 0.99 (H) approx.,
Weight: 2.38 lbs.

I’ve been using TightVNC to log into my work computer from home so that I can give them an extra day of my life.

TightVNC is a little background application running on my work computer. It monitors activity on an unused port, and serves a copy of my work desktop to a java app in my browser window when I access the port from my home computer. I work in that window, using the mouse and keyboard as if I was sitting in front on my computer at work, but without the 50 min. drive each way. Good deal!

The only problem is that we have Verizon DSL at work… well, actually that presents a number of problems… and a dynamic IP address. The IP address identifies your computer on the Internet so that things like email and web pages – and TightVNC – know how to get to you. A dynamic IP address changes anytime you disconnect and reconnect. And Verizon seems to disconnect a lot.

For the first couple of weeks I would email the IP address home and then maybe I’d be able to remote control the computer for a day or a few hours, then Verizon would disconnect and when they reconnected the IP address had changed. Now where did I *put* that?

So I decided to try out Dynamic Network Services DNS service.

A Name Server is a computer that keeps a table of web page names and the IP address of the computer that hosts the web page. Bipolarplanet.com is hosted by Laughing Squid in San Francisco. They’re pricey but it’s worth it for the level of service they provide. The actual computer hosting The Bipolar Planet, which I believe is named “squid13″, always has the same IP address. So I told my domain registrar that IP address serveral years ago, and I never have to change it. I couldn’t register my work computer with my registrar because I’d have to log in and change the IP address every couple of days. What a pain that would be!

A DNS or dynamic name server automates the process. The DynDNS® Updater sits in my system tray and checks the Verizon IP address at specific intervals. If the IP address changes, the app contacts the DynDNS server and tells it my new IP address. Then I can type something like http://mycomputer.is-a-geek.com:5000/ into Firefox’s address bar from home and there I am – at work!

Santa wasn’t very good to me this year. I suspect that he heard me accidentally call him Satan the week before Christmas. Or maybe he figured out that I’m a [tag]techno-Pagan[/tag].
I bought myself a toy instead. It’s better that way… I got exactly what I wanted and I didn’t have to be a good girl to get it.
My latest toy is a [tag]Siemens SX66[/tag] PDA phone. I needed this phone, really I did. My old Toshiba e310 is still in great shape, but it doesn’t have enough RAM. My old cell phone was one of Cingular’s freebies.
It’s not cutting edge, but the
SX66 is still an impressive little device. It runs the [tag]Windows Mobile 2003[/tag] OS, so I didn’t have to RTFM.
Yeah, ok, you want some more details. 400MHz [tag]X-Scale[/tag] processor, 128M of RAM and 64M of flash. For reference, my spare computer is only marginally faster and originally had less RAM. 128M of RAM doesn’t hold much in the way of fun, but the SX66 has an SD slot so I can carry around videos and photos on SD or MMC cards.
I have Cingular, and they have this silly thing called MEdiaNET. It’s expensive, a penny per kbyte. Fortunately the SX66 also has [tag]WiFi[/tag], and I set it up to check for WiFi first. It also has bluetooth – and of course the first thing I did was make it talk to my husband’s Motorola Razr. Hmmm, Santa was pretty good to him this year. The second thing was to have a great bluetooth group grope at work. Engineers…
As an aside, there are variations on this PDA for other phone systems. The Audiovox XV6600 PDA Phone works with Verizon and seems to have a bonus – a camera.
The SX66 connects to my PC with ActivSync via USB, just like my old Toshiba. It shares the calendar, notes and contact list with Outlook. I don’t use Outlook for anything but to keep all that stuff backed up.
And if that’s not good enough, it also has an Irda port. I had a universal TV remote on the Toshiba, which came in handy more than once. I love a good practical joke.
And of course, I had to get some accessories:

• Logitech Mobile Freedom -Bluetooth Headset
• Krusell Handit Multidapt Case
• ClearTouch Crystal Screen Protector
• Ballpoint Pen – Stylus Replacement

Eat your heart out, DSL users. I just upgraded my Comcast Internet service, and data roars down into my computer. Before the upgrade it was at around 4000kbps.

Results of the Speakeasy.net Speed Test.
See larger picture.

I’m not terribly pleased with the stability of Windows XP Professional. I guess I’ll have to add another Gig of RAM and think about upgrading the video card. There’s enough cache RAM in the processor, I think, at least for my evil purposes. My evil purposes being engineering apps like Altera Quartus II.

I’m not going to go into the politics of buying… uhhh, renting… internet from a monopoly. And yes, I do think it’s overpriced. I’d feel much better about it if I thought they’d bring fiber into my working-class neighborhood sometime soon. I would feel better about it if I knew they’d stop charging me to help them upgrade to fiber once they have it all in place.
The only drawback to the Comcast upgrade, besides the part about them being the only game in town, is that I had to subscribe to basic cable to get it. Now Mr. X can surf dozens of channels of garbage instead of only six or eight. And I’m not allowed to use the clicker, either. I guess it’s a guy thing.

Update 11/10:
We have Verizon DSL at work and the speed test clocks it at 1500kbps.