From Pocket Protector to Pocket Projector!

Dell Puts SVGA Projector in Your Pocket for Only $500

Posted 09/25/08 at 10:39:41 AM |  by Paul Lilly

Back in July, a leaked Powerpoint slide surfaced revealing Dell’s plan to release a pocket projector, but it didn’t say when or for how much. Those questions are answered today, along with a list of final specs.

For less than what some early adopters paid for a first-gen iPhone, Dell will sell you a pocket projector capable of an 858×600 (SVGA) resolution. The $500 Dell M109S On-the-Go Pocket-Sized projector checks in at 0.80 pounds (down from the Powerpoint slide’s target weight of 1.1 pounds) and will fit in the palm of your hand. Dell rates the M109S at 55 ANSI Lumens with a projection distance of 94.5 inches. And to keep the clutter down, the pint-sized projector uses the power adapter from a Latitude or Vostro laptop. True to the slide, the shipping version remains green with a mercury free LED source Dell says will last up to four years.

Look for availability in the US right away, with a global roll out in the coming months.

Reposted with permission from MaximumPC

Strange Innovations to solve problems

It’s been said that necessity is the mother of invention and we’ve all heard that “Everything is possible…the impossible just takes a little longer,” but often times one needs to come up with some innovative or unusual “workaround” to solve a repeatable problem or simplify a task.

The other day we were working on inventorying computer/network assets for our annual audit when I found that whoever ‘tagged’ our network switches, had done so by applying the little white bar coded sticker to the back of the device…which I guess wouldn’t be too much of a problem IF WE HAD A BAR SCANNER! But we don’t and the only way to identify these units is by retrieving the tiny number under the barcode.

Oh, did I mention that the switches are rack mounted to a WALL? Yeah…so there’s like 3 inches between the back of the units and the wall…no open sides…nothing.

So, how am I supposed to read the tag? (Even the Dell Service Tag is on the back and no one thought to document which tag went to which switch ID so the “SW-1″ was useless to me)

Being an ex-plumber (Ya, ya…insert your own “Jack of all trades” joke here) I remembered using my handy-dandy ‘mirror on a stick’ to see my solder joints on the backside of the pipes; unfortunately IF I still have that, it’s in a bucket at my house in the **GULP!** garage from Hades. (Tools check in, but they never check out!) – So I asked as many purse-totin’ peeps as I could find if they had a pocket mirror I could borrow. No luck there either.

Fortunately for me I happen to work with one of the most brilliant and out-of-the-box thinkers I’ve ever met: My boss. “I’ve used my cell phone to take pictures behind the racks before,” says the wise young sage and IT Director.

 

So, with a positive ‘whatever it takes’ attitude, I did just that…and viola! (ok, so it took ten plus tries to find and get a recognizable picture; hey, it worked so nnyah!)

Anyway…that’s my story and I’m sticking with it!

 

 

 

And I end with this saying, reportedly in the words of Mother Teresa (I kid you not): “We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing”

What about you? Have any ‘workarounds’ that others haven’t thought of and would garner a strange look from an unknowing passerby? Share them here J

Online Vehicle Registration Renewal: If only EVERYTHING at the DMV was this easy!

Techies and internet shoppers will love how easy it is to renew your vehicle registration online…at least with the California Department of Motor Vehicles!

Even if you need to get a smog check done before you can register, it’s still a breeze, as the smog check station electronically relays the results to the DMV immediately upon successful completion of the process.

Step 1: Enter vehicle or vessel/boat information – So once you’ve determined whether or not you need a smog check (and done so if applicable), just check your renewal notice for instructions on how to register online…it’s literally three steps from being a done deal at that point!

Enter the “Renewal Identification Number” printed on your notice into the allotted box, enter your license plate number (on the notice too) in its box and click ‘Ok.’

Step 2: Record Verification and Payment Information – Once you confirm the info about you and your car, enter your payment method (I punched in my ATM number) and hit ‘Enter.’

Step 3: Transaction Confirmation – The third and final step is the confirmation/receipt…print it, click “Finished” and you are done!

“CONGRATULATIONS! – Your online registration renewal was successful! The Registration Card and Year Sticker will be mailed to you within 5 business days. The information from your transaction will update on the vehicle registration record after settlement of the daily transactions. This usually occurs during the next business day.”

Have a nice day…I know I am going to enjoy the two to four hours I just saved; heck, even had time to blog about this! J