Episode 12: The Dell Inspiron

You Got Tech attends its first tech event and we witnessed Dell uncover the first line of consumer products they are going to offer the market - the Inspiron. Dell country manager, Barry Bunyi, said that they have so far only covered the corporate market for the Philippines and have finally decided to capture that opportunity.

The Inspiron notebook comes in 8 different colors - Ruby Red, Midnight Blue, Spring Green, Flamingo Pink, Jet Black, Alpine White, Expresso Brown, and Sunshine Yellow. I WANT THE RUBY RED!!! I asked Marrku what it's good for, he said that it's best for doing multimedia especially when you have a lot of photos and dabble with videos (is it the Mac for the PC???). If that is so, then it should match my needs, but the notebook comes in 14" and 15.4" screen which is a tad too big for me.

Here are the specs from the press kit:

• Choice of colors including Jet Black matte finish, Alpine White gloss finish, Espresso Brown, Flamingo Pink, Midnight Blue, Ruby Red, Spring Green, Sunshine Yellow with microsatin premium finish.
• High definition display with TrueLife™ technology
• Choice of hard drive sizes up to 250GB
• Integrated 2.0 megapixel webcam with dual digital microphone and noise-cancellation earbuds
• Dell MediaDirect and Instant Office technology for fast, one-button access to videos, music or photos, calendar and contacts
• Standard 802.11a/g
• Standard integrated 8-in-1 media card reader to enable easy transfer of content from digital devices. Other ports include four USB ports, and IEEE 1394
• Choice of Microsoft® Windows Vista™ Basic or Premium
• Starting weights: Inspiron 1420 – 2.45kg; 1520 – 2.9kg

Starting prices: Inspiron 1420 – Php 33,995 (SRP and inclusive of VAT); 1520 – TBD

Here's how the event went -



Too bad I did not win in the raffle. Boohuhu.

My Internet Connectivity Diary

Working remotely requires me to be connected to the internet everyday. Aside from using communication and collaboration tools, I utilize the internet for learning. I spend a lot of time learning new things by reading and checking out new things online. But key to this is being connected.

I mainly use PLDT DSL and Globe Visibility to be connected to the internet. I survived using dial-up until the last month of 2006, but my need increased so I finally got DSL at home. Months after some friends chided me for not having wifi at home, so I got a router and they set it up. I've been enjoying being connected to the internet anywhere at home. I have not had any problems with my PLDT DSL probably because most of my neighbors are out most of the day, but lately I've been experiencing difficulty in connecting to select websites. I've cleared out my cookies, but it's been erratic. I wasn't even able to connect to You Got Tech, Facebook and Friendster for a couple of days and sometimes I'm not able to watch some Youtube videos. But generally, PLDT DSL has given good service to me.

I got a Globe Visibility since I travel a lot. I had to do a lot of ranting though before everything stabilized and I've been using it for almost 9 months now and here's a simplified review of how I've used it in different cities across the country:

Metro Manila
Makati - the only place where you'll get HSDPA (only in the mall area)
Paranaque - normally GPRS, but you'll get a bit of 3G
Ortigas - for some strange reason it's hard to connect in Ortigas
Manila - same as Paranaque
Pasay - same as Paranaque
SLEX - will drop whenever you're in the area of the Merville toll

Luzon
Baguio - mainly GPRS and a bit hard to keep connected
Pampanga - mainly GPRS
Cabanatuan - had a hard time connecting, good thing there was wifi in the place I went to
NLEX - managed to keep connected the whole stretch
Palawan - signal just for mobile was quite hard, I wasn't able to connect to the internet

Visayas
Cebu - mainly GPRS, hard to connect except in Ayala
Boracay - you'd get some HSDPA, connection was like Glorietta
Iloilo - GPRS, don't bother with surfing, just do mail and IM
Capiz - like dial-up in early 2000
Kalibo - mainly GPRS

Mindanao
Cagayan de Oro - don't even think about connecting, Globe's Invisible here
Davao - I did not bother using my Globe Visibility here since they have free wifi anywhere
Gensan - mainly GPRS, takes a long time to connect to any site

PLDT DSL definitely gives a stable connection, albeit it's not perfect but I can more or less count on it (except when there's no electricity!). I'll let you surmise whether Globe Visibility is something useful or just a disappointment. I just wish though Manila would be like Davao.

Episode 11: Tips on Buying a Gadget

It normally takes me at least a year before I actually purchase a gadget. Buying a gadget is an expensive treat that's why I do a lot of thinking before I buy one. Here are some tips that I've gathered from fellow You Got Tech contributors and friends - Migs, Winston, Andrew, Ria and Blogie - which I think would be useful for non-techies who intend to buy new toys.



I have about half a year before I finally decide whether or not I'm going to get a new camera.

Happy gadget buying!