Archive for July, 2008
Apple’s 6th-gen iPod not all it’s cracked up to be
I’ve always wanted/needed a good solid digital media player (e.g. iPod, Zune, iRiver, etc) – a device that had a lot of storage capacity for the ever-growing media library, had solid performance, an intuitive interface, support for major standards, and of course it needed to look good too. I’d narrowed my selection to two contenders: Apple’s iPod and Microsoft’s Zune.
I wanted the Zune to be honest. I own PCs running Windows Vista and XP, I’ve carefully engineered my music collection for Windows Media Player 11’s amazingly intelligent media library, and I have files scattered across multiple computers in numerous folders. The Zune would have been perfect for my needs since it easily integrates with the technology I already own. I wanted to buy a new or almost new device (and certainly the latest since this thing needs to last awhile), so I started looking on Froogle, Amazon, and eBay for the best deals on Zunes and iPods. I came to this conclusion: I could buy a Zune for nearly retail price or I could get an iPod for $100 less than what Apple sells charges on it’s website. I decided that the iPod had a good enough reputation that it would definitely suit my needs and since 99% of my audio files are in MP3 as opposed to WMA, I could let iTunes catalog the files and transfer them to the iPod. So that’s what I did–I bought the iPod Classic (6th gen) 80GB. And I got a good deal.
It took about a week to receive the unit, but once it finally arrived, I excitedly opened the package and took out a small black box from inside. Wow, I thought. That’s pretty small! It was an open-box item, but looked like to be in mint condition as I lifted it from it’s packaging. I carefully examined it and upon deciding that it was in perfect condition (minus a couple fingerprints on it’s brilliantly reflective back), I removed the quick start guide, headphones, and charge/sync cable from the bottom of the box. A few short minutes later, I was plugged in and waiting for the iPod to charge.
I walked away for awhile and gave the device the recommended 2 hours for a quick charge, deciding that I’d play with it while waiting for the other 2 hours of its 4-hour complete charge cycle to finish. First thing that happened was iTunes launched. I’d made sure a couple days previous that I had the latest version of the software (in this case v7.7) so that it would have the latest bug fixes among other things. At first, iTunes kept giving some strange unknown errors and recommended that I reboot the device. I ignored it momentarily and noticed that it had been run through initial setup by the previous owner, but there was nothing actually on the device. So, like a good tech-savvy individual, I told iTunes to look for a firmware upgrade and then restore the machine to the factory-condition settings. This would reformat the internal drive, reset the RAM, and then upgrade the device software/firmware to the latest revision. All of this went smoothly and a few minutes later I was happily clicking through the initial setup screens within iTunes. Everything seemed to be great!
Now, I decided, it was time for the true test. I had 10GB of audio imported into iTunes, a few video podcasts, and an audiobook or two that I would sync to the iPod directly after the initial setup had completed. Everything was ready and then with great enthusiasm, I clicked “Sync.”
The speed pleasantly surprised me! Everything transferred over in just a few minutes and then reported that synchronization was complete. I unplugged the iPod, popped in the included headphones and started surfing around the device. First I opened a video podcast-the image was crisp and reminded me of HD quality video. Pretty slick. Next I decided to try out the music, since that’s primarily what I’d bought it for. I opened up an album or two and played a few songs. Flawless! I opened a third album and that’s where all my troubles began.
I selected just a random song from the album and waited for the music to start-only when it did, it was the wrong song! Figuring I’d just accidentally moved the selector before hitting ‘play’ I used the click-wheel to go back a track and tried again. That’s when I knew there was a problem. Read the rest of this entry »
Virtual Memory: What is it?
Posted by Matt in Computers, Operating Systems on July 11th, 2008
It’s happened to all of us. You’re sitting at your computer happily surfing the web, checking email, or downloading the latest single on iTunes when suddenly an alert pops up on the screen: “Your system is low on virtual memory. Windows is increasing the size of your virtual memory paging file.” The first thoughts that run through your mind might be akin to confusion or concern that something is horribly wrong with your PC. Don’t worry though, this is somewhat normal. However, don’t stop reading, because it could indicate that a setting in Windows is configured incorrectly, and while this won’t bring your computer to a screeching halt, it could drastically affect the machine’s performance. Read on–I’m going to tell you exactly what virtual memory is and then how to check to make sure that Windows isn’t hiding untapped performance!
What in the world is Virtual Memory?
So, what exactly is this stuff? I’ll start off by telling you this: it really isn’t ‘memory’ at all. Nearly everyone has heard of RAM and how you can’t really ever have too much in your computer, and to a certain extent this is absolutely true. RAM is the real ‘memory’ of the computer. In fact, without RAM the computer couldn’t run a single application! An operating system such as Windows must load and keep a part of itself in RAM while the computer is running, but on top of that each program you launch must be stored and run in RAM while it’s being used. The icons in your system tray next to the clock are also partially running in RAM. Unfortunately, this memory is quite limited when it comes to storage capacity. Most machines include 1GB standard, although many machines are shipping with 2GB or more of RAM.
Here’s our dilemma: as multiple applications and windows are opened, the computer’s main RAM begins to fill and not every part of every running application can fit in the limited space. So, the computer has to have another location to send the ‘overflow’ of data that doesn’t make it into RAM; therefore, it reserves a certain amount of space on the hard-drive (usually 1-2GB) to hold data until other information is cleared out of memory to make space for new stuff. It’s a bit like a wedding wherein more individuals have been invited than will fit into the church. Once the venue has reached capacity, the ushers will then escort others to a room where they may watch on closed-circuit TV. They’re still able to participate in the event, but they aren’t directly involved in the main service. Of course, this example breaks down, but you get the idea. In a nutshell, Virtual Memory looks and acts just like real memory to most applications…except for the fact that it’s a whole lot slower. Other names for this reserved disk space include ’swap file’ and ‘paging file.’
Do I have enough?
Even though we don’t necessarily like using virtual memory, it’s a fact of life. Ensuring that your computer has set aside enough space for virtual memory is crucial to keep things running smoothly. If you’re using Apple’s OS X Leopard or Windows Vista, you probably don’t need to adjust anything. These modern operating systems come preconfigured to manage their own swap space and generally do a pretty good job of it. If you’re using Windows XP on the other hand, things may be a different story. Follow these steps to check the virtual memory settings on your XP Home or Pro equipped computer.
Step 1:
Open your Start Menu, right-click on My Computer, and select Properties.
Step 2:
Select the Advanced tab, then click Settings in the Performance section of that window.
Step 3:
Click this window’s Advanced tab, then the Change button under the virtual memory section. Now set your virtual memory to “System managed size” and click Set. If you know what you’re doing, you may want to choose a Custom size, but this is probably not necessary.
Complete the process by clicking ‘OK’ until all the windows are closed, then restart your computer.
If anything was set differently or possibly amiss, you may notice a performance increase at the expense of a little disk space. Either way, your virtual memory should now be optimized for maximum effectiveness.
Happy computing!
Remind me again why anyone would pay $600+ for an Apple Cinema Display…
I once again question the disparity of Apple’s monitor/display market compared with that of other LCD manufacturers. Aren’t consumers and businesses concerned that Apple is ripping them off when it comes to buying a good quality display?
Take for instance Apple’s 20-inch “Cinema Display” (which is quite misleading since there’s nothing “cinema” about it). It’s specs are pretty much par for the course (except for the 16ms response time which is actually below normal standards). 700:1 contrast ratio, 1680×1050 native resolution, etc, etc. In fact, the only feature that makes it special in any way is the touch sensitive controls on the side. Monitors containing USB and Firewire ports are available from other manufacturers as well. The kicker? It’s $599 + tax.
On the other hand, take a look at the new ViewSonic VA2626W 26-inch LCD display with HDMI, DVI, and VGA inputs plus a pair of 2.5 watt stereo speakers, a 800:1 typical contrast ratio (meaning you could probably get better in optimal conditions), and the winning feature: full 1080p HD support. It’s native resolution is 1900×1200, which is actually above the standard HD specs (therefore you get a little more letterboxing than you would on a standard HDTV) and a very low 5ms response time. All this for a price of $529 (MSRP is $650, but expect retail price to be $100 lower). You could buy two of these and be just $150 over the price of Apple’s 23-inch display. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.
So do yourself a favor and get a monitor that will save you money, perform better, and is still stylish enough to pair with that silver Mac you’ve got sitting on the floor.