Fox Page: November 2006

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Thursday, November 30, 2006

Tonight's Tech Check: Windows Vista, Ubuntu, and Macs!?

Tonight's Tech Check was on the launch of Windows Vista, and encouraged anybody still using Windows 98 or Windows ME to upgrade to an alternative, like Linux Ubuntu. We also made fun of Apple's Mac. We hope there will be no repercussions!!!

For basic information on Windows Vista, be sure and scroll down to our last Windows Vista post - read the excellent Wikipedia article, if nothing else.

For information on Linux Ubuntu:

The Official Ubuntu page: CLICK HERE
Download Ubuntu: CLICK HERE

Wikipedia on Ubuntu: CLICK HERE

Ubuntu Guide: CLICK HERE

Screenshots of the Ubuntu install procedure: CLICK HERE

Ubuntu Forums: CLICK HERE

More Vista links:

Pcmag's lates on Vista (with a slideshow of updated screenshots): CLICK HERE

PcWorld: Ultimate Guide to Vista. CLICK HERE

Cnet: The Dawn of Vista. CLICK HERE

John Dvorak on Vista: CLICK HERE

Offended by our slap at Mac's? Be sure and tune in next week!! ;)

posted by Chase Thompson @ 5:16 PM 0 comments

Friday, November 17, 2006

Gifts for Geeks (Work in Progress)

Note: This is a work in progress..... Stay tuned for a more complete 2006 Gifts for Geeks post by Thanksgiving!

Okay this keyboard projection unit could be handy for space conservation or convenience with handheld bluetooth enabled devices, but honestly?.... it's just a show off toy that is pretty dawg gone cool... that is if you like expensive "wow your friends" toys. Click Here

Atari 2600 Plug and Play Keychains: Controllers that fit on your key chain but really work. This is for every retro-geek out there. Click Here

Protect your cubicle from needless foes with this usb attached missle launcher!!! Laugh maniacally while you zero in on your unsuspecting target. Rain down foam punishment upon him with a click of the mouse. Click Here

Keep track of important geek nuggets o'info. with this usb external display keep up with stuff like monitoring of eBay auctions, streaming IRC chat and updates on the latest posts in your favorite forums. Click here!

Indoor remote control helicopter. I want this. (and wish I had an indoor cat) CLICK HERE
Video of the helicopter: CLICK HERE
A cheaper (but larger) version: CLICK HERE

USB Beverage Cooler - keep your coke cold at your desk!! CLICK HERE

Wi-Fi/Gmail/Flickr compatible digital photo frame. (Price is a bit ouchy) CLICK HERE

$100 laptop from Circuit City (DON'T EVEN TRY IT!!) CLICK HERE

Green Laser Pointer (Has to be seen to be believed DO NOT POINT AT ANYONE...Steve Sp., this means you! ;) Click Here

Nokia Multi-media phone. 20 gb hard drive, 3.2 mega pixel phone, video camera, games, music player, FM tuner....come to papa! (not out yet) CLICK HERE

Ninja Remote Control. Take control over any tv set... and hope you can fight like a ninja when the sports bar people figure out you are messing with them! CLICK HERE

Nintendo Wii. More bang for your buck than the other consoles, and possibly even more fun! CLICK HERE

Electro Flyer.....Amaze your kids! CLICK HERE

Titanium Spork. No, really! CLICK HERE

Mindstorm Lego Robots - they've come a long way! CLICK HERE
Mindstorm video: CLICK HERE

Wi-Fi Detector (3rd generation) CLICK HERE

Got carpal tunnel, or know somebody who does? A normal mouse can exacerbate the problem...try an ergonomic mouse like this one. CLICK HERE

Thumb drive size GPS Data logger. Carry this with you, and then plot out where you've been on Google maps. Sweet!! I don't think anybody is going to use these for any unintended surveillance purposes. CLICK HERE

LED blow on, blow off safety candles - looks like the real thing, and will last 300 hours!! CLICK HERE

Celestron Skyscout. Are you into astronomy? You'll want one of these viewers, trust me. Read about it here: CLICK HERE

Gerber LED flexi-light. CLICK HERE

Sensor Fresh. Worried that bit of hamburger that has been in the fridge for a week now might exit your body faster than you'd like? Check out its bacteria content with this new tool. Great for germophobes like me! CLICK HERE

Space Age ant farm. Great gift for the kids! CLICK HERE

Creative Zen Vision M. This is the mp3/video player that Chase uses - NO DRM!! CLICK HERE

U2 by U2 - An interesting, autobiographical documentary. CLICK HERE

More gifts for geeks:

Extreme Tech Gift Guide

Pc World Gift Guide

Cnet Gift Guide

Buy.com Gift Guide

Think Geek

posted by Chase Thompson @ 11:45 PM 0 comments

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Tonight's Tech Check...Windows Vista!

Greetings Fox 6 viewers, and thanks for checking in with us after our vacation from Tech Check!

Tonight, Sam and I talked about Windows Vista - how much it's going to cost you, and which version of it you're going to need.

Here's the main thing to remember about Vista: The newest and best features of Vista will only run on a computer with high end specs - if your computer is more than two years old, or if it's a bargain basement computer that is relatively new, or if it's anything less than a top of the line laptop - chances are, you're going to miss out. To really enjoy all of Vista's new features, like the slick Aero interface, you're going to need a computer with at least a 1 Ghz processor, 1 Gigabyte of Ram and a dedicated Video card with an updated driver and AT LEAST 128mb of dedicated ram. Most casual computer users don't have a system like that, and few office systems are equipped with high end video cards. Next week, we'll cover alternative, next generation operating systems that look just as good as Vista, and don't have system requirements in the stratosphere

Here's the price list for the four major Vista packages: (For more info on what each edition contains, check out the links at the bottom of the article.)

Windows Vista Home Basic. Upgrade: $99.00 Full: $199.00 You should probably avoid this edition of Vista, as it quite stripped down. Try Ubuntu instead, if price is a big issue (or stick with Windows Xp!)

Windows Vista Home Premium. Upgrade: $159 Full: $239.00 A good choice for most home users, if you don't need advanced networking features.

Windows Vista Business. Upgrade: $199.95 Full: $299 Comparable to Windows XP professional, Vista Business contains networking and fax features that make it useful in a business environment, but leaves out Media center and movie making capabilities found in Home Premium.

Windows Vista Ultimate. Upgrade: $259.00 Full: $399 WOW! That's a lot of money for an operating system!!! For your big investment here, you get all of the best features of Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Home Premium, along with some other nifty features like Podcast software, DVD ripping software and the ability to tweak your system to perform better on games.

Here are some links to articles with excellent, up to date information on Windows Vista:

Wikipedia article on Vista (very thorough!) CLICK HERE

Paul Thurrott: Windows Vista complete: CLICK HERE

PcMag: What you need to know about upgrading to Vista. CLICK HERE

John Dvorak: Caveat Emptor; watch out for Vista's activation scheme! CLICK HERE

Buying a computer now, but want to upgrade? Microsoft is offering a discount coupon towards upgrading to Vista. CLICK HERE

Not ready to upgrade to Vista? Check this out: Twenty tips for keeping Windows XP fresh. CLICK HERE

posted by Chase Thompson @ 7:20 PM 2 comments

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