Electron Hut: Kyle Bedell’s Blog

This is huge. For many years now, I’ve been thinking about how we could leverage parallel processing and cloud computing to do intensive video processing, then send the rendered output back to a dumb terminal for things like high-definition video playback. My dreams have come true: OnLive appears to have perfected the idea in relation to games. Their architecture takes input from a keyboard/mouse/controller, which then arrives at a server. All of the video related to your inputs is then rendered and sent back to the client, all well-within (apparently) acceptable bounds for latency. Effectively, your PC becomes a dumb terminal that just sends controller commands and receives a video stream from a cluster of machines. Instead of playing a game running on your local machine, you’re playing it on a cluster of machines somewhere out on the internet.

The bandwidth requirements aren’t bad; you need a 1.5 megabit connection for 480i resolution (~640×480), and a 5 megabit connection to do 720p (~1280×720). The company also plans to release a set top box with HDMI, Ethernet, a few USB ports, and optical audio so that you can play titles on your television. The content model looks to be subscription-based (everyone seems to love annually recurring revenue these days), but few details are avaialble other than to expect the service in “Q4 2009.” If this works, the console as we know it is effectively obsolete, as is spending large amounts of money to keep a gaming PC up-to-date. We’ll see how it all plays out!

A short story before I start:

I’m a little late on the review bandwagon for Lenovo’s smallest ultraportable notebook, the X200 (successor to the X61). This model was released in July 2008, right around when I purchased my MacBook Pro. I ended up selling the MacBook in December, right after my fall semester classes had ended. In a fit of technological sanity, I figured out that I didn’t need a $1600, 5.5 pound workstation to write papers on when I could do the same thing with a $1200, 2.95 pound machine that had a better keyboard. I missed the ThinkPad design and reliability, and OS X didn’t have enough going for it to make me stay away from Windows.

When Lenovo’s Cyber Monday (post-Thanksgiving) sale rolled around, I managed to pick this unit up for a substantial discount. I won’t go in to the horror story that was having my order processed and delivered, but needless to say that Mark, the community manager at the Lenovo Forums, was extremely helpful and responsive in helping get everything sorted out. Thanks Mark!

This X200’s configuration, which I’ll get to in a moment, usually retails for $2000. I hit the proverbial “perfect storm” of sales and discounts, so I got mine for $1200. It pays to wait for one of Lenovo’s ubiquitous sales if you’re interested in purchasing one of their notebooks. Make sure you scour the coupon sites for any promo codes as well! You can get some fantastic deals if you’re willing to wait.

For those interested in specifications:

• Intel Core2 Duo P8400 (2.26GHz, 3MB L2 Cache)
• Intel GM45/ICH9-ME chipset (Centrino 2 vPro)
• 3GB DDR3-8500 RAM
• Samsung 64GB Solid-State Drive (SATA)
• Intel WiFi Link 5300 (a/b/g/n), a pre-wired, empty slot for a WWAN card, and Bluetooth 2.1
• 12″ 1280×800 screen w/ 200 nits of brightness (50 more than the older X61)
• Intel X4500HD graphics chip
• 5-in-1 card reader, ExpressCard/54 slot, modem, and Gigabit Ethernet jack

For those of you who enjoy pictures, please enjoy a gallery of X200 shots.

I’m reminded very much of my old ThinkPad T60 when I use the X200. The legendary ThinkPad design hasn’t changed much on the outside over the years. Still, there have been some improvements.  The nicest (and most noticable) thing about the X200 is that it’s a widescreen notebook. This allowed Lenovo to squeeze the T-series keyboard in to the design (the older X60/X61 series had a slightly smaller keyboard). As you might expect, the X200 is a joy to type on. I have to say that I even prefer it over my desktop Logitech G15 for typing purposes. The response of the keys is good, and there’s no keyboard flex at all.

After coming from an ultra-high res 1400×1050 12″ panel on the X61 tablet and a 1440×900 15″ panel on the MacBook Pro, moving to a 1280×800 12″ panel seems like a step backwards. The screen is brighter than the X61 series, although that doesn’t make up for its mediocre viewing angles. The horizontal viewing angles are okay, but the vertical ones definitely leave something to be desired. At least the brightness is higher! Speaking of the display, I had no issues playing back 720p HD content in my tests, largely thanks to the hardware acceleration present on the Intel X4500HD. I haven’t tested any games yet, but benchmarks other folks have run put the X4500HD slightly ahead of NVIDIA’s discreet GeForce 8400M chip.

All of the usual Lenovo durability features are here. Unlike the IdeaPad and ThinkPad SL series, the X200 comes with the same Roll Cage and other durability features as the T-series. You can see the Roll Cage and some other interesting bits in this post over at Inside the Box.

One of the upgrades I was particularly happy to get was the Samsung 64GB solid state drive (image from ExtremeTech). Wikipedia has an excellent article on SSDs, so I won’t go in to the details of explaining all of the differences. In short, with a solid state drive you don’t need to worry about moving parts (better durability) and the read speeds are out of this world (Windows 7 boots in 9 seconds from BIOS to log-in screen).

On the subject of power, the bundled 4-cell battery doesn’t hold a candle to the 9-cell that came bundled with the X61t. I can barely squeak out 2 hours at 80% brightness with WiFi enabled just surfing around. I ordered a 6-cell a few days ago (it doesn’t stick out from the back like the 9-cell does), so I’m expecting a substantial improvement when I start using that. If you order an X200, makes sure you get the 6-cell battery. Or, if you’re willing to spend an additional $500 premium, get an X200s that’s been slimmed down and optimized for maximum battery life.

Despite its viewing angle and 4-cell battery life issues, the X200 is a winner. It’s powerful, small, lightweight, and has (as far as I’m concerned) the best keyboard in the business. While it doesn’t have the LED backlit screen of the X200s or built-in optical drive of the X300/X301 series, its “bang for your buck” ratio is far better than the X200s or the X300/X301. If you’re looking to stay connected and have a tough, lightweight computing companion by your side, the X200 is your laptop.

As always, I’m more than happy to answer any questions in the comments!

P.S.

You may have noticed that I’m running Windows 7 in the images I posted; it installed in (I kid you not) 15 minutes, and Windows Update had all the drivers I needed except for a few low-level PCI controller drivers that don’t seem to be impacting anything. If you have a spare machine to toss it on and check things out, I would highly recommend it. Windows 7 is what Vista should have been.

Also, I has a chance to use my lightbox, tripod, and side lights to take these shots. I think they turned out better than my product photos usually do!

Katt gave me an early Christmas present this year: an import Nintendo DSi! I haven’t had too much time to tinker with it, and the menus are all in Japanese (no language selection in this firmware; more on that in a second), but here’s a breakdown of what’s new.

• The unit is covered in a matte finish, as opposed to being glossy
• It’s a little wider and a little thinner than the DS Lite. The build quality is also better.
• It comes with two cameras, a 0.3MP one on the center of the hinge and a 1.3MP one on the top cover
• It has an SD card slot and upgradable firmware!
• Opera is preinstalled
• The screens are larger (3.25 inches as opposed to 3.0 inches), but they run at the same resolution as the older DS models
• It comes with a “DS Shop” application (much like the Wii’s)

So far, the build quality has been fantastic, and the screens are definitely better in terms of color and contrast. My only complaint is that unlike the other DS models, there’s no way to switch the firmware language to English. I’m hoping the homebrew community finds some way to convert Japanese units to north American ones at some point…

With that, here’s a bunch of pictures!

Computer, phone, and handheld users of the world, I ask you:

Glossy or matte?

I find that my preference for a particular screen type depends entirely on the device I’m working with and the environment that it gets used in most often. On my desktop, I have an NEC MultiSync 20WMGX2 with a glossy front. It’s in our dimly lit apartment (Katherine’s monitor gets washed out by the open window, so we keep the shades drawn), so I don’t get any of the glare issues. The colors are vibrant, the contrast is solid, and I find I like the “pop” that the gloss lends to the image.

Outside, or in environments where I get a lot of direct sunlight on my workspace (like in the spot where I love to sit in the Bentley library), I prefer the anti-glare properties of the matte screens.

What’s your preference?