Have Laptop Will Travel

RoverBook Steel: Russian Alternative to Mac?

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They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Maybe that’s why electronics manufacturers from the four corners of the globe are imitating – or at least trying to imitate – what Apple does with its products. One can’t really deny that Apple products look good, so it is easy to understand why others would try to follow suit. And Russian manufacturers are no exception.

If anything, one might just be amazed at the striking resemblance. Look for yourself. ((Source: Laptop Computer Planet))
RoverBook-Steel-and-Apple-Macbook-Pro-2010

So what did I just say? Don’t those two (somehow) look alike?

The Russian notebook is dubbed the RoverBook Steel and has an aluminum casing. It runs on Google’s Android 2.1 Eclair OS and has a RockChip RK2818 640MHz processor. Add to that 256MB of RAM and a 4GB flash storage, and it’s not a very attractive package specs-wise. (It does have Wi-Fi, though.)

The makers of the RoverBook Steel do not exaggerate about the capabilities of their notebook, though. In fact, they seem to be rather upfront about the limits of the product. The description reads:

“Quick and easy surfing on the Internet, work office applications, email, listening to your favorite music, view the latest masterpiece of world cinema – this is not an exhaustive list that will let you do your new e-friend…

If you do not want to keep up with modern trends and you want a convenient, fast and reliable notebook then RoverBook Steel – it’s your choice!”

So yeah, if you just want something that remotely looks like the Macbook Pro and you don’t want to keep up with the changing times, consider this alternative. Then again, that could just be Google Translate messing things up! If you know anyone in Russia and you want the Steel, prepare a little under $300 (plus whatever taxes you might have to pay).

My Wife, The Mac Convert (From the Archives)

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My wife’s Macbook is officially two weeks old and all indications point to a new member of the Church of Jobs.

She has taken to the Mac like a duck to water. I’ve noticed that she’s not afraid to tinker with the Mac’s many features. She only needed me to show her some basic stuff from the first three days and after that it was her, unguided, all the way. She even pushed me away when she said she wanted to play a CD. She said she can figure it out.

I think that the Apple OS is really the every-OS. The configuration is just easy and there is a wide room for error. Compare that with Windows where an untracked error could spell disaster at some point. It’s like walking through a minefield–and only those with a preternatural ability to memorize Windows quirks can navigate it with a degree of confidence. My father-in-law is the perfect example here. He believes that he is one of these people but, unfortunately, he is not. This only means that his PCs conk out after a mere two months.

I’m quite happy my wife is having fun with her Mac and just to join in on the fun, I just might get one myself next year.

Setting up a router

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My broadband provider gave us the shittiest, most temperamental WiFi modem-router I have ever encountered in my life. It’s so temperamental, my PS3 always gets disconnected and my wife’s Macbook suffers from the same problem. Any device that goes out of a four feet radius gets wonky connections, and this includes my Nintendo DS and my ASUS EEE (yes, I have THAT kind of a home).

I finally had enough of the router and decided to get a new D-Link WiFI draft N router. Prices for the N routers have dropped significantly that I thought to myself that it would be a good time to try it. Setting up the D-Link was a breeze. But the best bit is that my wife doesn’t mumble under her breath anymore everytime she gets disconnected from Perez Hilton.

Non-Macintosh users, you can make your own MagSafe Power Adaptors Too!

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One of the things I envy the most about Macbook users would be the pretty neat MagSafe power adaptors. Aside from the fact that it’s much, much easier to plug and unplug your laptop, it also keeps your Macbook safe if someone trips on the cable. And have I mentioned the fact that it also reduces wear and tear damage? So yeah, that’s the one feature I really, really like about Macs. [Read more…]

Mimo launches new 7″ USB monitor

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Image of Mimo 710 external USB monitorWhat a difference 2 years make. Last time I posted here, I was no Apple fan. Today, little more than 2 years later, my unibody MacBook 2.4Ghz has replaced the NASA desk. That’s right, only a 13″3 monitor with 1280px screen estate width. At home it is simple and I can easily connect to an external 20″ monitor when I actually want to sit at a desk.
But things get complicated when I want to hog a whole table at our corporate coffee overlords and try to be productive, trying to keep up with my NADD. 1280 Pixels clearly isn’t enough and even the wonderful pr0n hider Spaces in Leopard can not come to help. I need more screen estate and the Mimo 710 7″ USB external monitor seems to be exactly what I need. [Read more…]