Michael's Blog

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Lenovo ThinkPad R61i

My father-in-law asked me to recommend a new laptop for him. My suggestion based on my own experiences was either an HP Compaq like my nc8430 workhorse, or a ThinkPad based on my experience with the A31p.

In the end he felt better about the price and features of the ThinkPad, so we went for the R61i (apologies for the Italian):

Descrizione Prodotto: Lenovo ThinkPad R61i 8943 - Core 2 Duo T5450 1.66 GHz - 15" TFT
Dimensioni: (LxPxH)33.2 cm x 26.9 cm x 4 cm
Processore: Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 / 1.66 GHz ( Dual-Core )
RAM: 1 GB (installati) / 3 GB (max) - DDR II SDRAM - 667 MHz - PC2-5300 ( 1 x 1 GB )
Controller grafico: Intel GMA X3100
Uscita audio: Scheda audio
Garanzia del produttore: 1 anno di garanzia
Peso: 2.9 kg
Localizzazione: Italiano / Italia
Alimentazione: 120/230 V c.a. ( 50/60 Hz )
Batteria: Ioni di litio
Memoria cache: 2 MB - L2
Disco rigido: 120 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
Memorizzazione ottica: Masterizzatore DVD - modulo plug-in rimovibile
Networking: Scheda di rete - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g
Sistema operativo: Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Dispositivo di input: Tastiera, TrackPoint, UltraNav
Schermo: 15" TFT 1024 x 768 ( XGA ) - 24 bit (16,7 milioni di colori)
Telecom: Fax / modem - 56 Kbps
Tipo di sistema: Notebook
Dispositivi incorporati: Altoparlanti stereo, antenna wireless LAN, ThinkLight, antenna Bluetooth
Wireless NIC: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
Tecnologia piattaforma: Intel Centrino Duo
Sicurezza incorporata: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Security Chip , lettore di impronte digitali

From http://www.misco.it this was € 619,05 + VAT.

He has been very happy with this laptop (and I have had minimal suppport calls ;-). I've played with it a bit myself and find it to be rock solid with a great keyboard.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Nokia 6650

Firmware 03.09.TMUK.05 16-05-08 6650d-1c RM-400

Very nice looking Symbian s60v3fp2 clamshell. Keyboard and build quality are great.

Software apps up and running for days on end now, with no apparent system memory leaks (e.g. a la E65).

The 3-button "touch screen" on the top, closed surface of the phone is a little annoying -- my wife finds that it's easy to inadvertently end up with the stop watch or timer going.

This is a winner from Nokia.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Nokia N76

Firmware V 31.0.014 07-11-07 RM-135 Nokia N76 (55.01), unlocked from eXpansys

This is one of my favourite phones. The screen is beautiful and it's reasonably compact for a smartphone. Folds away nicely in the pocket.

This phone is rock solid in build quality and looks sexy. The only problem I've had with it is that the memory stick cover is flimsy and one of the swing arms holding it in place has broken off.

Too bad I've heard Nokia decided to can its German offices which created this phone.

Other people seem to have a lot of problems with the case/paint quality but I haven't seen these issues (nor would I care much).

As usual with Nokia Series60, Verisigned MIDlets run, but don't autostart and constantly ask to select access point.

This phone doesn't suck.

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Nokia E51

New firmware updated 200.34.36 24-04-2008 RM-244 Nokia E51 (226.03)

I tried out the latest firmware to see if it's any better and although it seemed less of a problem, I still get the "Maximum number of connections in use. Close an active connection first" issue.

My friend and colleague Mark says he never sees this issue on T-Mobile, but I've had my Vodafone contract SIM for ages and used it in numerous Series 60 phones and never seen this error.

This phone still sucks.

Firmware 100.34.20 29-09-2007 RM-244 Nokia E51 (226.02)

Like the E71, I was really hopefully about this phone. However I have run into the same inexplicable "Maximum number of connections in use. Close an active connection first" issue that plagued the E71. Seems clear that Nokia had a regression of some sort in the OS in these phones, as earlier N95, E50, E61 etc. don't suffer from this problem.

Other people seem to be having the same "Maximum number of connections in use" problem.

Unfortunately this means that...

This phone sucks.

(close though)