René Rebe

The first 24h on the Pre (it just started to sell here in Europe/Germany beginning of this week) where surprisingly good (the email smtp authentication issue aside). Pretty snappy, even compared to the first iPhone and iPhone 3G I used before (ok, it’s basically the same WebKit on OpenGL|ES anyway, …).

The biggest pro for the Pre -compare to Apple’s iPhoneOS- are the over-the-air updates. The 1h update process (backup, flash, restore) always annoyed me to no avail). On the Pre it’s 10m over the air, reboot and you’re up-to-date (as I implemented this in my own Linux solutions for years). I only wish they would include the “changes” in the “an update is available” message. At least they have an online article. Though now I wonder why I’m up-to-date with 1.1.3 in Europe (O2), while the US customers run on 1.2.1 :-(

Maybe I find the time for a full review in the upcoming days.

First impression with the Palm Pre: Did not want to send email. After some excessive SMTP server debugging and logging (not that strait forward if the connection is SSL encrypted, so no easy packet sniffing to see what’s going on) it turned out the Pre did not honor the available, offered authentications. Defaulted (hard-coded?) to old-school’ish LOGIN.

Getting the SSL root certificate onto the Pre was also a little Google exercise. There is a “Certificate Manager” hiding in the Application List (in the top-left context (Preference) menu). But as the Pre did not download the file (displayed it in-line in the browser) I had to copy it form a real computer via the USB storage mode. Import it thereafter, … A “do you want to trust the cert: yes/no” dialog (like on any desktop e-mail app or the iPhone) would certainly be enough, and way easier.

But without a digital video out (mini DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, etc.) and an estimated target price twice as high as the Nokia Booklet 3G, I guess I’ll opt for the Nokia. Especially given it’s 10h+ battery life (Update: 9h with “normal” settings, 12h when performance tuned), 3G, and HDMI. GPS is nice, too. Not that I would need that, though. Too bad it’s glossy, and not 64bit, at least to hope Nokia did not disable the VT of the Z-series Atom (might be possible to locate that bit in the BIOS, NVRAM, otherwise, and flip back on).

Heared the Sony Vaio VGN-X will be Z-series Atom powered, likewise.

Update: So the Nokia Booklet will be O2 Germany exclusive, in the beginning at least, …

Update 2: Sony VGN-X announced, too.

I see “signs” that the any-day-imminent Intel Pineview Atom CPUs (N450, ..) might always ship with EM64T (AMD64, x86-64) “feature bit” enabled (as opposed to the N270, N280 which have this feature bit [silicon fuse’d away, or just microcode?] disabled).

Intel please! The N270 NetBooks with the performance of my 5 year old iBook really aint cutting it, …

Too bad the GMA500 integrated graphic might very well be a Linux show-stopper, until Intel and Imagination Technologies get to act together and either release SPECs or sources.

If vendors would just get to use the VIA Nano or AMD Neo, and not the performance and feature (no 64bit nor VT) stagnation that is the Intel Atom.

I’m waiting for a perfect ultra-portable (these days most often known NetBook), for some ridiculous amount of years, now.

It looks like I have to wait even longer, at least ’till October 22nd, when Windows 7 comes out. There is currently just not much going on in that market. Apparently all vendors wait with the irshiny new potential candidates for the Windows 7 lunch to get them out of the door. You know, the usual “just one SKU”, no “Windows 7 update coupons” requests and handling, no “double testing”, and no “old Vista bundled boxes in the warehouse”, etc. …

Damn-it. And not even Apple is getting some decent material out. Well, no, the Air doesn’t count–too limited, and too big (e.g. for in-train and in-airplane use).

Well, hopefully at least something in time for my birthday party at the end of October. Hopefully. Finally.

Sony Style Store Europe (Germany) lists most VAIO P models as “not available anymore”. Refresh or End-Of-Life?

Update: I got a tip from store employee: it’s supposed to be a refresh.

Update 2 Or maybe rather a replacement by the Vaio X series as showcasted at this years IFA (2009) in Berlin? I can imagine most customers found the 8″ screen of the P too tiny to actually use it, the X series would be a pretty slick update given it’s ~11″ screen. Certainly more pleasure and helpful to use the device, at all.

Update 3 Got another tip: Sony Vaio (VGN-)P is apparently being phased out in Germany. (Maybe the display was just too tiny, heh? If they had made it span the whole case and use and not as exorbitant high (1366×786 instead of 1600×768), so that one can read it without a magnification glass, …)

45 to 55 Watt Thermal Design Power (TDP), self over-clocking (Turbo Boost) by up to ten 133MHz steps (on some models this means by over 50%!). On battery power for about 1 hour (under full CPU load) and up to around 2.5 hours for a more idle workload.

So basing on an average 50W for an i7 this means an Intel i7 consumes approximately 20 times the energy of an N-series Intel Atom (2.5W)!

This is a joke, isn’t it?

Update: decide yourself how much of a joke the mobile i7 is, …

Update 2:And still an issue, …

For the last three years I enjoyed an 20″ Apple Cinema Display. Unfortunately, however, TUIfly (or better, maybe, some airport staff) lost it on the way back from the last trade-show.

Spending some good hour in the nearby Cyberport store I quickly found out: TN panels (such as in the LED backlit Lenovo Thinkvision L2440X) are definitely no joy. On top of the “just 6 bit” color range, with time or area dithering comes the extreme angle dependent color dependency.

Looks like I’ll definitely have to invest in a IPS or PVA display. Devices from NEC and, surprisingly, HP looked quite good.

Update: You may track lost baggage at this site: worldtracer.aero.

Update 2: Looks like my lost display was indeed found, crossing fingers it’s still intact and in the box :-)

Update 3: It did arrive! Looks like it travelled over Tel Aviv!!!

Update 4: From my time as student I still have two ViewSonic VP912s display, too. I invested one into my company, while the other still lives on my home desk. However, I mostly use a notebook on the living room / kitchen table when at home. It happen that I just got to sit on said ViewSonic TN display at home, once again, and I must say it ain’t too bad! For example way better than the approximately 5 years newer Lenovo ThinkVision L2440X display I checked out in the store, as mentioned above. For example simple text (editor, web page) scrolling was tearing badly on the Lenovo display, while it is pretty ok on the old ViewSonic model.

Amazing how much the individual panel technologies varies, especially how much worser it can be even after five years (of R&D one should think).

Since it looks like the MSI Wind U210 will only sport an older, AMD Neo MV-40 (single core) CPU – the Acer Ferrari One might be the first light and slim dual-core “NetBook”.

Too bad it has this ugly, impropriate Ferrari design language written all over it (yeah, I guess I always find something to nitpick, … maybe sticking an Apple sticker over the Ferrari logo might help :-).

Hopefully they’ll ship the 3G equipped flavor in Europe in a timely manner, for me to finally get my envisioned 64 bit, VT capable, digital video out (HDMI et al.) 3G equipped Netbook. Let’s hope battery life is in a reasonable 4-5h++ range (best would be 8h anyway). Please.

Update: Looks like Acer put a very uncommon XGP port (ATI eXternal Graphics Port) which allows to plug in very rare external graphic cards, instead of a way more useful HDMI (or similar) digital video out. If that is final it looks like a quite a show-stopper (on top of the red Ferrari finish).

Update 2: Received a spectacular rating of 9.0, lack of HDMI is official, noted and complained about twice … oh my :-(

and AT&T apparently thinks so, too – uses 1st generation iPhone in 3GS MMS press announcement, … If just the Aluminum would not hinder reception that much.