Evergreen has released the DN-2000 Black, a 58×60×13 mm (about 2.5”x2.5”x.5”), 30 g MP3 player for the equivalent of about $9.99 Canadian.

The DN-2000 is about the barest-bones MP3 player imaginable. It has no internal memory, requiring an SD card of up to 1 GB; plays only MP3s; and uses a USB 1.1 connection. The DN-2000 went on sale yesterday, and the retailer that DWT links to has already sold out! (sorry people available in Japan only ATM) Full story here

The speed difference of USB Flash Drives that support the USB 2.0 standard can be more than 15 MB/s with maximum speeds of about 30 MB/s for fast drives. That’s still less than modern hard drives are capable of but better than a few years ago. I think it’s really astonishing that there are only a few recent comparisons of USB flash drive speeds available on the first results pages of Google. A recent (another one) comparison from May 2008 that tested seven USB flash drives showed differences of more than 15 MB/s between the fastest and slowed drive while copying files of a certain size

If you already have an USB flash drive and want to know how it compares you can test the speed of it with the free version of HD Tune which can benchmark USB drives as well. The free version will only test the read speed and access time but it should give a good impression of the capabilities of the device at hand.

To make the test accurate you should set the test speed to Accurate in the benchmark options. The last two steps are to select the USB flash drive from the pulldown menu at the top and to click on start to start the benchmark.

Those speed differences are really interesting. It’s probably a good idea to research USB flash drives extensively before buying one. What’s your experience with those drives ?

Are you using a Mac laptop or desktop and feel that it is running a bit sluggish? If so read this quick little guide on how to improve the performance. I don’t pretend to be the greatest Mac tweaker in this side of the country but I do have some tricks up my sleeve so listen up!

~ Programs you don’t need

The first thing you should consider is the use and avoidance of unnecessary programs. This really has to do with Widgets and Widgets are like the toys you got at Christmas but never ended up using ever again. They just sat there in your room collecting dust and taking up unnecessary space. Think of all the Widgets that are available out there for free. You could spend all day downloading and installing them. To make a long story short… keep the widget obsession to a minimum because they do use up system resources and if you hardly ever use them… maybe you shouldn’t have them loaded at all This method also applies to other unnecessary programs that you may have installed in your apple computer at some point. The first step towards a faster more efficient computer is the removal of unnecessary programs.

~ Start Up Program Clean-Up

It might be time to tidy up that start up menu. In a Mac they are called Login Items. Click the Apple Button on the top left. Go to > System Preferences > Accounts > Login Items.

You will find many programs in there that you probably don’t need to start up. I can’t really go into detail here because your layout in the Login Items will most likely differ from mine but in general look at the programs listed and think to yourself… “Do I need this program to start up as soon as I turn on my machine?” If you can say no then just select the program in question and hit the [ - ] Minus button. That’s it! You’ve disabled another unneeded item.

~ Tweaking the System

You will find many useful features under System Preferences. You can enable / disable many different features that come built in to your machine. You can turn off the Bluetooth feature if you don’t really use it. You may also turn off the Universal Access features of your Mac. Go nuts in there but of course mind what you turn off. If you disable the Wireless radio and suddenly lose the internet you should be able to go back and retrace your steps. System Preferences is your buddy and through that panel you will be able to change the system as you see fit. Keep in mind that any feature that is Enabled and not used will simply use up RAM / System Resources / and Voltage which lowers battery life.

~ Hard Drive Clean-Up

Use Finder to explore different areas of your hard drive. If you see remnants of old programs you have long since removed then just drag those to the Trash. If you see old files and or large picture folders hanging around the hard drive try to organize them into folders in the desktop so that you have a neat layout of your most used files.

~ Backup and External Storage

This is actually a very good way to keep your Mac in good standing. Backup everything you need from your machine and keep only necessary files in there. The less files the machine has to load at start up, the better the performance will be. The choice for external storage has become vast nowadays because every major hard drive company is jumping on the external storage market. Pick up a nice 500GB Hard Drive with dual interface plugs [FireWire + USB] and plug it in your computer. Create a structured backup and backup often. In most cases the machine must be just about spotless with few files running around in memory. Everything you need will be in that hard drive and with a fast FireWire or USB connection, accessing the data should be fast and easy.

~ Heat Management

O.K., Heat is one of those unspoken subjects because it does not seem to interest many when it comes to their machines. Too much heat in a machine can cause all kinds of weird problems anywhere from an abrupt shutdown of the system to actual data loss and internal chip damage. Heat makes machines run sluggish so you should consider options on how to make your unit run faster. When you’re sitting in your bed and using the laptop try not to have the air outlets be covered by anything. Unfortunately beds act as ovens for the underside of the machine so their use in bed does not make it a recommended location. Try getting a cooling fan or some kind of elevated rest for the laptop so that it has plenty of room to “breathe” the hot air it warms inside. The cooler the machine runs the better it will run and the longer it will last. There are also utilities that let you adjust fan speeds like the Fan Control application found at the following website: http://www.lobotomo.com/products/FanControl/

~ Hardware

Let’s face it… Everything described above would not do much if you lack RAM in your machine. If you have it in you to purchase more RAM and a bigger hard drive then you might actually get yourself a real treat with your current machine. I recommend that with any Mac you have at least 1GB of Ram and at least an 80GB hard drive. The more the merrier but stick to those numbers as a bare minimum if you care about performance and like to multi-task with your machine. Imagine being able to run Photoshop while listening to your favorite tune and chatting with your friends on AIM. If your computer can handle that situation without too much sluggishness then you are on the right path my friend :-).

As always I don’t expect this article to apply to everyone but if you like what was written here and it really made a difference… write a comment and leave me some feedback. Feedback makes me happier than a case of beer… and believe you me, Mr. Tech loves his beer.

Microsoft Corp India and HCL Infosystems Ltd have announced a set of joint initiatives, including the launch of world’s cheapest Windows enabled laptop computer and the setting up of a center of excellence (CoE) to create a customized solution framework for India.

Making the announcement in Mumbai on Friday, Ajai Chowdhry, chairman and CEO of HCL, said, “The laptop will be launched under HCL’s MiLeap brand and will cost Rs 16,990.”

Via Tech2

I bought a Reliance data card on 2nd Jan. Let me share my experience having used this wireless internet soultion from Reliance for almost a fortnight. Anyone considering to buy this may find this post useful. I have also mentioned how to improve the connection speed.

Need For Wireless

I bought my laptop some months ago and was considering what internet plan to go for. Here in Siliguri I can’t go for my favourite Dataone (that I have at home) as that needs a wired landline connection. Also, a pity that Airtel broadband is not yet available in Siliguri. So wireless seemed to be the perfect option - it also has the carry-it-along advantage. I was unsure which data carrier to go for until a friend told me about Reliance’s freedom @ night plan.

Reliance Netconnect Plans

There are many plans to choose from. All are expensive I tell you. The one that suited me is the Freedom @ night plan. It offers unlimited surfing in night hours i.e. 10 pm - 6 am for a monthly rental of 400 INR and daytime surfing charges 0.50 INR per minute.

Getting The Data Card

The data card comes mainly in 2 models - USB and PCMCIA. The prices are 2890 INR and 2850 INR respectively. There is an activation charge of 330 INR. I went for the USB one as it can be used in both desktop and laptop. Besides, I thought there might be some heating problem with the PCMCIA as it is internal.

To get the data card you have to go to any Reliance Webworld or Reliance Communications outlet or computer shops. I got it from a Reliance Communications outlet on Hazra road (opposite Paramount Nursing Home near Hazra more), Kolkata. As for any other postpaid connection, you need to carry these documents - an identity proof (voter card, PAN card, etc.), a residence proof (ration card, electric bill, phone bill, bank statement) & a passport size photo. After two days I got a call from reliance for verification, they even went to my house to verify - the formalities of a postpaid connection.

Setting it up

Run the installation disc and follow the instructions to install the Reliance Netconnect software. Insert the data card in the USB port or PC card slot when asked.

Netconnect software

The installer registers the data card as a modem and adds a dialer software. The software interface allows you to connect/disconnect, send/read SMS, make/receive calls, change settings. It shows the connection speed and bandwidth used. However, the bandwidth and timer readings are reset everytime you disconnect making it impossible to keep track of total bandwidth or time usage. Netconnect installs an internet optimizer software called Netbooster which accelerates surfing speed by reducing the quality of images in real-time.

Connection Speed

This modem relies on the same tower as mobiles. A mobile tower is too busy handling calls to and fro and you can’t expect a dedicated connection. As a result, the connection is erratic. I have used it in Siliguri and Kolkata.

Siliguri: Every now and then the connection dies - although it is connected speed becomes 0 kbps. Chatting on Gtalk is next to impossible as I get dc almost every minute. Surfing speed is not bad, does the job. After 2 a.m. the connection becomes somewhat stable allowing me to surf with peace of mind. Those who are on time-bound plans will find this erratic speed all the more irritating.

Kolkata: Descent speed and satisfactory surfing experience. I don’t need to use Netbooster. The connection is more or less stable and doesn’t drop usually. Gtalk experience is also good.

Delhi: A friend who has used this in both Delhi and Siliguri reports far worse speeds in Delhi compared to Siliguri which is really surprising.

Tips to increase the speed

I continuously ping a server (google.com) to keep the connection alive. This way the connection remains active all the while and chances of getting dc are significantly lowered. By continuous pinging, I am able to chat in Google Talk. Surfing speed also improves considerably this way.

Now how to ping? Open command prompt and type ping www.google.com -t and hit enter key. The command prompt can be invoked by going to Start > Run and typing “cmd”. Vista users need to enter “cmd” in the Search box under the Vista Start menu.

Value for money

I think the tariff pricing could be lower. The price for the data card is reasonable but the monthly tariffs are not. The problem is the wirless internet market is yet to mature and there is not much competition in the sector. Reliance will tell you the reason behind such pricing is it is wireless. But considering the quality and speed of connection this is priced steep.

Other options

Tata indicom has a similar offering. Though I have not used that, I think both are in the same league when it comes to speed. The Airtel data card is priced higher at 5000 INR. Then another option is using your mobile phone as a modem and subscribing to the Airtel Mobile Office. Mobile Office offers unlimited internet access over GPRS or EDGE (depends on your area). The cost in West Bengal is 498 bucks per month. Then you have the 199/- monthly rental plan for BSNL postpaid users which is also unlimited EDGE internet.

Future

With the launch of 3G the speeds will increase.

Final Word

I can surf most sites smoothly. I can keep in touch with friends online. Can download small files of megabytes sizes. I can research on net. Chat with friends. Orkut pages load pretty fast. People at home can see me on webcam (video quality sucks due to slow speed). I can have voice chat with friends. So this serves most of my needs. However I can’t rely on Reliance if I have to give an online exam which is timed.

I’ve recently acquired a few old P2/P3 laptops. Most either work properly but are slow, or have various problems with power supplies and/or batteries. Attempting to sell them would probably earn less than the cost of shipping, so that’s out of the question. I was hoping the Slashdot crowd could give me some ideas on what to do with these old computers. As somebody who already has ~10 computers lying around the house there is certainly no need for an additional computer to ‘experiment’ with, so I was hoping for some more creative suggestions.