Dell Studio Hybrid

Dell released a new PC to their Studio line called the Hybrid. It comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse and is available in 6 colors. Once you add features, however, the price moves up pretty quickly.

Dell now has three product lines with the Studio line being in the middle of the pack. Dell has done a great job in the last year designing very cool products. I love my XPS One.

I have been a long time critic of Dell due primarily to their poor customer support. I will say that since Michael Dell has come back things have been moving in the right direction. To address the issue of poor customer support, Dell has introduced "Your Tech Team." According to Dell's web site - "This service covers your household -- all family members and all Dell-branded consumer devices under warranty. Your call will be answered in 2 minutes or less on average. Request telephone appointments with your favorite team members and receive follow-up from the same team members you talked with!"

This represents a real paradigm shift for Dell. I hope that this works out well for them!

Cuil - Are You Kidding Me?

Here is one that is hard to believe. A former Google engineer released a new search engine today that they claim to be better than Google. Not only is the name being made fun of by every tech journalist in the world but the capabilities of this new search engine are shall we say - less than stellar.

I don't even see Cuil making a dent in Microsoft's search business and Microsoft has to pay people to use their search engine!

Is Voodoo PC Dead?

Just a shot time after announcing the two best computers available, the Envy and Omen, HP announced that they were going to bring Voodoo PC in-house rather than allow them to remain a separate entity. HP contends that this will streamline the supply chain. No idea what they mean by that. It is entirely possible that Voodoo PC will go away altogether. That is sad really. That leaves only Falcon Northwest and Puget Systems as independent players in the power PC market.

Kodi Was the Cutest Cat Ever !

Emily and I had a very traumatic week. After loosing Yogi to complications with diabetes last Monday, we lost Kodi today to carcinomatosis. It is a form of cancer that seems to have taken over his body. It seems that he may have been developing it for several weeks but the added stress of loosing Yogi pushed him over the edge. Our cute little Kodi was 13 years old. We miss him dearly!

Techno Lust - Voodoo Envy 133

The new Voodoo Envy 133 gives the Macbook Air a real run for its money. It is 0.7 inches thick, has a carbon fiber case, and can be customized with one of 14 paint finishes.

The Voodoo Envy 133 has many features that the Macbook Air lacks while coming in a little cheaper than the Macbook Air.

Do I need one of these? Of course not. Will I buy one? Well, that is another story isn't it :-)

Best Camera Bag Layout Ever

I just thought that this was hilarious. A friend of mine owns Think Tank Photo, the premier camera bag maker in the world. He is always looking for the optimal layout for his bags. I found this "optimal" layout on Scott Kelby's site. Let's see - A D200, 70-200/2.8, and a 6 pack of beer. Sounds about right :-)

We Miss You Yogi !

It is with a heavy heart that Emily and I lost Yogi this week due to medical complication related to feline diabetes. Yogi had diabetes for the last four years of his life but rarely let it slow him down.

We miss you Yogi !

Gmail fights phishing with Ebay and PayPal

People that know me know that I LOVE Google. I have moved my life to Google Apps including my new domain - markfrolick.com The core of Google Apps for many is Gmail. Google never ceases to amaze me when it comes to technology innovation. Their latest foray into fraud avoidance is called DomainKeys Identified Mail - DKIM. It is rather ingenious. What this does is verify that when you receive an email from Ebay or PayPal, it is from their actual domain and not a spoofed domain. If the email is not from an authentic domain, it never reaches you. It doesn't even make it as far as your spam filter.

Yet another reason that Gmail is so powerful!

Snow Leopard to Fix Leopard's Many Bugs

There are those in the software industry that feel that Leopard is the buggiest OS to be released in some time. Snow Leopard is officially being billed as a Security and Stability upgrade. In the Microsoft world, such a release is called a service pack.

If Microsoft takes this same tactic with Windows 7, it will be rock solid stable. I am not going to hold my breath on that happening.

Windows XP - RIP

Well, we knew that it would happen but many of us were hoping for a stay of execution. XP is officially no longer sold at the retail level. Many computer manufacturers are still working through licensing loopholes in order to offer it to customers. RIP Windows XP