No place like nowhere.

The Samsung Galaxy S can share its mobile data connection via Wi-Fi.

Rule The Air. That’s the tagline from Verizon’s latest ad campaign for their DROID line of Android-based smartphones. The focal message of the ads is the feature of some models that lets you use the phone’s built-in wi-fi capability to share the Internet connection provided by a mobile 3G network. So the high-speed 3G connection used by the smartphone becomes available to wi-fi capable devices within limited range. The whole idea is genius and very  convenient should you find yourself out of range of any wi-fi hotspots when you need to get online with your notebook PC or iPod Touch or the like. In fact, ever since wi-fi became a fixture on smartphones years ago I’d wondered why none would let me do that. A few handsets offered similar functionality over Bluetooth but Bluetooth was clumsy and awkward and slow.

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Tonight I came across this blog post shared on Facebook and after reading it I couldn’t help but think… WOW! I sure hope this guy is being sarcastic. Because if he isn’t, then he’s incredibly presumptuous. It’s difficult to even begin to address all the ways in which the post in its entirety is flawed. But since I’ve got to start somewhere if I’m going to comment on it…

Firstly let’s dispense with the title. Is it time to say goodbye to free wi-fi? Seriously?! In the year 2010 when the ever expanding universe of Internet-based services and content is continually enhancing the knowledge, awareness, decision making ability, entertainment, safety, social interaction, comfort and general well being of so so many people globally, one should be hard pressed to deny that pervasive, fast and affordable Internet connectivity for as many people as possible in as many places as possible is anything but a good thing. And free is as affordable as affordable gets. So sensationalist titles aside, a quick read of the post makes it clear that the writer’s gripe is his dissatisfaction with the free wi-fi experience at Starbucks stores that he’s visited, not with free wi-fi in general. But if you agree with that then it’s all down hill form there.

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As I noted on Sunday, HP’s new line of Envy 17 notebooks no longer sport a FireWire port, making pure digital video capture difficult at best. Additionally, they don’t include an ExpressCard slot either so add-on FireWire interfaces are out of the question. I love the new Envy very much so today I set out to find a solution to this problem and find a solution I did. Meet the Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle.

This little beauty is a bus-powered SuperSpeed USB 3.0 device for uncompressed HD video capture over HDMI. It’s also got the usual accompaniment of analog ports including HD component. HDMI as well as analog output is also supported for monitoring.

The Intensity Shuttle solves the problem of full digital capture from HD camcorders but unfortunately standard definition digital (DV and MiniDV) camera users are out of luck. Sure they can use the component, S-Video or composite ports on this box but that introduces a generation of loss as the video stream goes from digital to analog and back again. One workaround is to playback MiniDV tapes on a device that offers HDMI output like many current  HDV camcorders like the Caono HV40. In that case the Intensity Shuttle upconverts the DV stream to Full HD. Again, this doesn’t result in a bit-for-bit copy like you’d get with FireWire video capture but for me, this isn’t a problem since my concern was being able to access HDV footage shot on cameras that have an HDMI terminal. AVCHD camcorders record to hard disk or SDHC/SDXC cards that allow quick, faster than real-time, random capture by USB or SD card reader.

If you’re not using the current state of the art in consumer HD video workflow (AVCHD recorded on SD cards), the least you should be using is HDV recorded on MiniDV tape. Even if your final distribution media is standard def DVD or online, there’s no good reason not to be shooting in some HD format. Follow that rule of thumb and the HP Envy 17 with it’s USB 3.0 port together with the Blackmagic Design Intensity Shuttle USB 3.0 HDMI capture device provide a very capable future-proof HD editing platform.

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It would appear that HP is about to launch a full scale assault against Apple’s flagship notebook, the MacBook Pro 17-inch and no one seems to have noticed.

A few days ago i stumbled across the HP Envy 17-1011NR notebook on Amazon.com and was instantly smitten. At first glance it seemed to have all the regular high-performance boxes checked – a fast processor, lots of RAM, a fast hard disk, good graphics, a large screen and a Blu-ray drive. All this at a pretty decent price. But after digging a little deeper I started to notice little touches that seemed to sound familiar. Little touches like the Mini DisplayPort and multi-touch gesture touchpad. Where had I heard those terms before? Oh yes! In Apple MacBook Pro specs. Then I noticed the laser-etched aluminum chassis and it all became clear. I was looking at the makings of a MacBook killer. A system forged by Sauron himself in the fires of Mount Doom. One notebook to rule them all. HP’s Precious.

Here’s a comparison of the Envy 17-1011NR next to a comparably tricked out MacBook Pro 17 from the Apple online store. Note that this configuration of the Envy 17 is not yet released although it can be pre-ordered at Amazon.

	Apple MacBook Pro 17	HP Envy 17-1011NR
CPU	Core i7 2.66~3.33 GHz	Core i7 1.6~2.8 GHz
Memory	8 GB DDR3 1066 MHz	8 GB DDR3 1333 MHz
Hard Disk	500 GB 7200 rpm	640 GB (2 x 320 GB 7200 rpm)
Optical Drive	Slot-loading DVD-/+R/RW	Slot-loading DVD-/+R/RW with Blu-ray ROM
Display	17” 1920 x 1200 Full HD LED Backlit	17.3” 1920 x 1080 Full HD LED Backlit
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 512 MB GDDR3	ATI Radeon Mobility HD 5850 with 1 GB GDDR5
Video Out	Mini DisplayPort (Supports VGA or DVI or HDMI via adapters)	Mini DisplayPort and HDMI (Supports DVI via adapter) and VGA simultaneously via ATI EyeFinity
Audio	Speakers with subwoofers Omni-directional mic Audio In Jack Audio Out Jack Supports iPhone headset with mic	Beats Audio and HP Triple Bass Reflex Subwoofer Dual noise cancelling mics Audio In/Out Jack Supports 4-pin headset with mic
Keyboard	Full Size Backlit	Full Size Backlit
Pointing Device	Multi-Touch Trackpad	HP ClickPad with Multi-touch Gestures
Connectivity	Wireless-A/B/G/N Bluetooth Gigabit Ethernet	Wireless-A/B/G/N Bluetooth Gigabit Ethernet
Webcam	iSight Camera	HP TrueVision HD (1280 x 800)
Expansion	1 x FireWire 800 3 x USB 2.0 SD Card Slot ExpressCard/34 Slot	1 x Superspeed USB 3.0 3 x USB 2.0 (1 shared with eSATA) SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro, xD Card Slot eSATA
Chassis	Aluminum Unibody	Laser-etched Aluminum Finish in Carbon Relic
Weight	6.6 lbs	7.5 lbs
Price	$2,949.00 (July 4, 2010 Apple.com)	$1,649 (July 4, 2010 Amazon.com) $1,300 LESS!!!

You’ll notice that the HP machine matches or beats the Apple in almost every component. And yes, you read correctly. It’s $1,300 cheaper. Note the killer points – Faster memory, larger hard drive, Blu-ray drive, larger 16×9 display, support for 3 external displays simultaneously, USB 3.0, External SATA, and support for more flash memory types. With all this you give up a FireWire800 port, ExpressCard slot, a slightly faster processor and you gain a pound.

What’s the verdict? Considering the big picture, I can live with the slower processor. It’s a Core i7 and that means 8-way multiprocessing. A few MHz won’t be missed, especially with the faster RAM in the HP. FireWire 800 seems to be only good for connecting to external hard drives. I’ve never come across another type of device that uses it and I’ve never come across the ports on any systems but Apple’s. USB 3.0 makes up for the missing FireWire 800 port and external drives that use the new USB standard have already hit the market.

The only true loss is the ExpressCard/34 slot which means that adding new types of device or expansion ports to the Envy won’t be possible unless they’re USB 2.0 or 3.0 compatible. For some that may be a deal-breaker but it’s not for me and it won’t be for the majority of users. One other thing to note about the Envy is the absence of a FireWire 400 port. Unlike it’s faster brother this type of port has been a staple on HPs performance notebooks for years as well as on systems from most vendors. Although you can connect external storage devices to an FireWire 400 port, the most common use is connecting to digital camcorders. Now that AVCHD camcorders that record to hard disks and SD cards have become the norm in the consumer and prosumer markets, this is less of a bother because USB ports and SD card slots offer the benefit of faster than real-time non-linear access to video stored on those cameras. But if you own an older HDV camcorder that records to tape, you only capture option is FireWire. And to make matters worse, the last of an ExpressCard slot means you can’t even add FireWire capability. This isn’t the end of the world. You can capture on another system then edit on your Envy. But that may not be an option for every user every time the need arises. And lastly, the MacBook Pro is about 1 lb lighter than the Envy. Again, this makes little difference when the price and other advantages of the Envy are taken into account.

It’s clear that the HP Envy 17-1011NR blows even the best Apple MacBook Pro 17 out of the water. I haven’t done a comparison of HP’s all-in-one desktops to the iMac, but HP has confirmed they’re working on a WebOS-based table now that their acquisition of Palm is complete. Such a device done right, and with the right amount of dedication to taking the wind out of Apple’s sails in the tablet dept. also could result in a simply brilliant product that hits the mark as precisely as the Envy. I wish HP all the best. May The Force be with them. Apple needs a reality check right about now.

Main HP Envy 17 series site.
Main Apple MacBook Pro site.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Every once in a blue moon, in a quiet moment, my mind drifts to 1994 when I first discovered the personal computer and I shed a tear for kids today (and some adults) who’ve had their first computing experience on Windows XP and Vista or Mac OS X. That’s because they have no appreciation of how far Windows (and the industry as a whole) has come. My first PC ran MS-DOS and Windows 3.11. There was no Internet back then but I was always captivated and deeply immersed in something. Today when there’s a undersea fiber cut somewhere and the net isn’t just a wireless or mobile connection away I feel like a fish out of water.

Then I snap out of it and dry my eyes. I remember that somewhere in the world there’s a guy shedding a tear for people like me who have no concept of the TRS-80 or Commodore 64 and have no appreciation for how far the industry has come.

But for those of you who get all nostalgic about Windows 3.1, you can induce that warm fuzzy feeling any time you want by pointing your browser to michaelv.org. The site’s author has recreated the Windows 3.1 desktop experience quite faithfully within the bounds of your web browser. You can run apps, play videos, poke around the DOS prompt and even browse the web from within Windows 3.1.

And while on the subject of graphical operating system interfaces being recreated on the web, check out these SGI Irix and Mac OS X desktops. I prefer the former because it feels more polished and authentic to me.

These links are all courtesy of OS News and the its users.

(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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