New computer - OQO UMPC

1 comments at Monday, October 15, 2007

I've been trying to find a good mobile computer for a while now. My previous computer was a HP TC1100 but it was a little big for what I was looking for. I have a desktop computer with a 22" monitor for working on big files so I just need something small, with a tablet PC form factor that would allow me to quickly type out an e-mail, surf the net, and sync my other mobile devices ( iPhone, Garmin Forerunner 305 watch). I just got rid of a

HTC Advantage x7500 pocket PC phone (when I got the iPhone), which could get net access (a mobile version) but couldn't sync my other devices. The solution I found was the OQO model 02 UMPC. It is a super small tablet PC that is small enough to carry in your pocket. It even has a slide away keyboard with integrated track stick which makes it an amazingly useful computer. Its not a terribly powerful computer, but it sure does work great for me. I can easily sync my devices, surf the internet from the couch, and it easily goes to work with me in my lab coat pocket. The pharmacy I work for does have computers with internet and Microsoft office, but no color printer and no Adobe Acrobat Pro so when I have the need, I just grab my OQO and plug it into a $25 HP printer, or can generate a pdf. The only things I feel it is lacking are an extra USB port (there is only 1 port) and a SD card slot; however, it does have a HDMI port(go figure). With WiFi and bluetooth, I can use a wireless keyboard and mouse, then just dock it to a larger monitor if I have the need for a bigger screen.

 

I read a book, and this time it wasn't assigned!

0 comments at Saturday, October 13, 2007

Just finished reading a great book. After being in school for the last 7 years, I forgot what it was like to read for fun. The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space. Time. And the Texture of Reality, is about theoretical physics, cosmology, and particle physics / string theory. The book gives a nice history of the people and the experiments leading to the current theories in physics and cosmology and then goes on to describe the physics of the super small (string theory) and the super large (cosmology) and the attempts to join the two (unification). Brian Greene uses analogies (often involving the Simpsons) to explain some of the scientific concepts which makes it much easier reading but still gets the meaning across. Overall, the book tries to convey that our perception of our "world" is really far from the way the physical world works. Every chapter left me in awe at how truly amazing our universe is and with even more respect for those physicists who got us to the point where we are now in our understanding.

 

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)