and there's a new option for a 32GB SS HD now. There are rumors of some new Apple thing possibly surfacing this summer. But it's getting harder to wait. I'm tired of lugging a laptop around for non-processor intensive stuff (email, iTunes, a handful of productivity apps).

and there's a new option for a 32GB SS HD now. There are rumors of some new Apple thing possibly surfacing this summer. But it's getting harder to wait. I'm tired of lugging a laptop around for non-processor intensive stuff (email, iTunes, a handful of productivity apps).

I find it hard to believe that Apple will price a netbook less than say, the Ipod Touch. I fully expect whatever Apple comes out with to be in the $600+ ballpark, if not higher.

Bought one.

Damn you.

I find it hard to believe that Apple will price a netbook less than say, the Ipod Touch. I fully expect whatever Apple comes out with to be in the $600+ ballpark, if not higher.

Oh yeah, totally... at least $600. I wasn't really making a comparison on the pricepoint, more on the potential functionality. It's an attractive stopgap since you can hack a Dell Mini 9 to run OS X fairly easily and get all functionality without having to find homebrewed drivers to support native hardware on the machine.

Dealzmodo: Dell Mini 9 for $199 Today Only (Again)

Dammit... why must they tease!

I got an email from Dell today. They are having a general one day sale so there are other interesting things too. I haven't checked out the Dell web site but here is what was in the email:

INSPIRON

I just did a double take at my email from that 3rd item, very cool. 6 dimms of 3 channel DDR3

Stacy decided that she "needed" a laptop so I just ordered a Mini 9 for her. After customizing to have max memory, ss disk space and Bluetooth capability, plus shipping and tax, the total for this $199 laptop was:

$441.17

Oh well, still very cheap for a nice laptop. She was pleased that the OS was Ubuntu as she likes to play with Linux.

Engadget's recession antidote: win a 1.5TB Drobo!

Win a DROBO, all you have to do is post a comment to enter.

Going at a rate of about 5 comments/second, it's up to 13,050+ at last look.

Going at a rate of about 5 comments/second, it's up to 13,050+ at last look.

Funny, there's so much tough talk on some of the forums about Drobo, how "any idiot can build a cheaper server in a computer case", blah blah blah.

Yet so many entries....hmmmm.

Funny, there's so much tough talk on some of the forums about Drobo, how "any idiot can build a cheaper server in a computer case", blah blah blah.

Yet so many entries....hmmmm.

Ah, but there's the rub. No-one can build a cheaper one than this Drobo -- a free one.

Alot of the computer folk have enough spare crap around to make 2 or 3 computers sometimes tho.

I'm just bitter after explaining to such people that a full tower, motherboard, powersupply, ram, etc is not always as desirable as something the size of the Drobo.

The real answer is "it's only cheaper if your time is free"

It's cheaper to build a mini-server, if you you use really inferior parts, and have the skill/time to fiddle with linux to set it up. My only concern with the Drobo is the noise. Small fans tend to make high pitched whines that drive me nuts. I haven't heard a Drobo in person, so I don't know how big a problem this is. Part of the reason I pay extra for LaCie external drives is that they don't have shrill cooling fans.

I found these images online, I dont know if its a 1st or 2nd Gen Drobo. But the fan seems decent enough to me. The smaller the fan, the more noise, in general. These seem big enough.

If this is the 1st Gen, chances are the 2nd Gen fans are even bigger.

120mm fans, perfect. Easy to change, too. Just put a Scythe Slip Stream 1200rpm or 800rpm depending on how much airflow you need in there.

Or even if it's 92mm or 80mm there are good ones out there, and it's doubtful you need a fast fan in there anyway.

I'm told changing it voids warranty, but ymmv. Also, the guy who took these shots said something about the Drobo using a different power connector, which required either splicing some wires differently or making a connector, or some such jazz.

I forget the specifics, but I think I have it bookmarked at work, and I'll post the link here tomorrow. It took a while to find for some reason, not too many internal Drobo pics out there....

Yeah, a search for stuff like [drobo fan swap] didn't really turn up anything.

this thread will change that soon

OK, so here is the original thread I found.

The Phantom Mimbler: How to take your Drobo apart...

And here is the stock fan that comes with the 1st gen. Drobo, which is louder than the latest (2nd gen) Drobo.

The blog is from April 25, 2008, and doing a search on Engadget revealed the 2.0 Drobo announcement in July 2008, so everything above is the 1st generation.

Just wanted to comment on that drobo picture....

Where's a good place to work on electrically sensitive components? Ah yes, the carpet will do just fine!

Heartbreaker | Bloodshot Records

Heartbreaker re-release, number limited edition of 500 copies, 2xLP, 180gr, remastered by Bernie Grundmann from the original analog mastered tapes. $12. The same vinyl is going for $24 at Aural Exploits for some reason. I have no idea if it sounds any good, I just ordered mine.

^^ I never stopped to look at that cover long enough until now, but the cigarette looks photoshopped.

Westinghouse TX-47F430S REF 47 1080p LCD HDTV with Built-In ATSC/NTSC/ClearQAM Tuner, Refurbished

$639.99 refurb 47" TV.

Heartbreaker | Bloodshot Records

Heartbreaker re-release, number limited edition of 500 copies, 2xLP, 180gr, remastered by Bernie Grundmann from the original analog mastered tapes. $12. The same vinyl is going for $24 at Aural Exploits for some reason. I have no idea if it sounds any good, I just ordered mine.

Three words. Need el drop!

The CD has quite a lot of background noise.