Dabs.com the online retailer launches Dabs.tv

Dabs.tv shows you a video preview of the gadgets and gizmo’s that dabs.com offer.

Sadly someone seems to have forgotten to link back to the products in the dabs.com store.

So you watch a cool video preview, then you have to browse to another website and do a search for the product.

So 10 out 10 for effort 7 out of 10 for execution.

Having a link to the product in your own store would have been a much better way to do it.

Link: http://www.dabs.tv

Done properly it can take 2 hours

Here is an example of what you have to do when an existing user moves to a new laptop.

The Dell/Windows install (6 mins)
Reboot (2mins)
Uninstall unwanted Dell software (10 mins)
Reboot (2mins)
Windows update (20 mins)
Reboot (2mins)
Install Office 2003 (6 mins)
Office Update (20 mins)
Join networking domain (1 mins)
Reboot (2mins)
Basic user environment tweaking (4 mins)
Backup existing user profile and data (10mins)
Restore existing data (10mins)
Install AntiVirus (8 mins)
Reboot (2mins)
Configure e-mail accounts (2 mins)
Install Network shares/mapped network drives (1min)
Install multiple network printers (6 mins)

In total about 114mins or just under 2 hours.

I could eliminate a few reboots, but it feels safer to update/reboot one step at a time. So if anything goes wrong you know what caused it.

So now you know.

Link: N/A

Its quite rare for me to buy a desktop PC for my self. However I have a number of projects I need a box I can destroy and not worry about it too much.

I have a few computers

A Family Computer (A Dell Dimension 8300, that I hate with a passion)
A Media Center PC (A Shuttle PC that is pretty cool actually)
A Dual Boot Laptop Windows XP/Windows Vista

On my office desk is my Dell XPS M1210 Laptop connected to my TFT Monitor over VGA. The monitor supports dual input so the Dell Precision 390 is going to plug into the unused DVI connection.

The Precision 390 is a low end Intel Core2 Duo Processor E6300 (1.86GHz, 2MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB) I say low end but I hear its a really powerful chip and will will trounce the 3.0Ghz Family PC.

I have never purchased a Dell Precision Workstation before. I regularly supply and use Optiplex/Latitude equipment, middle range business equipment in other words. The Precision is slightly more upmarket primarily aimed at the workstation market.

I chose the Precision due to the out of the box driver support for linux.

Link: N/A

Iomega used to be known for the “zip” disc a small blue 250mb external storage device.

Those are now relics but one good product they have is these host powered hard disk drives.

Host Powered means you don’t need a power cable, it power’s the device from the computers USB port.

I have deployed about 6 of these at clients and they have all continued to work.

The key benefits

Size, they are small and easy to transport.
No power cabled
Reliable.

These are typically used for users who want privacy, who for one reason or another don’t want their confidential work backed up on a server or a road warrior who is days/weeks between connecting to a secure sever for backing up.

Link: http://www.iomega.com

The computer industry faces a skills crisis, the president of the British Computer Society has told BBC News.

Unless steps are taken now, there will not be enough qualified graduates to meet the demands of UK industry, warned Professor Nigel Shadbolt.

Good more work for me…………….

Link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6155998.stm

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