Hardware Geeks

Today is my last full day with the 2009 Lincoln MKZ and well I am a bit sad, because the car is amazing. It handles well it’s comfortable to be in and it is loaded with features in particular Sync.

Being that today is Sunday and typically my down day I really didn’t do much with the car today, I only drove her around the neighborhood to see how she handled and she handles oh so well. Living in NYC you face a lot of obstacles and the MKZ handled them all flawlessly. One scary moment I did have was while driving down Utica Ave in Brooklyn NY. There is a lot of bus and cab traffic on that street and there was a bus at a bus stopped and I was in the lane next to it when suddenly a cab pulled out from in front of the bus. I did not see it as it was hidden behind the bus, but if it weren’t for the good brakes that the MKZ has, I don’t think if I could of slowed the car down enough to prevent an accident.

So I have now have had the Lincoln MKZ 2009 for three whole days and I pretty much have two days left with her, Sunday and Monday.

Today I pretty much road around and tested out how easy it is to listen to music, not just the radio but music from my Zune and my sisters iPod. I pretty much just plugged them into the two USB ports and using my voice I would tell the car to play a song.

I could instruct the car to play a particular song or album, I could even narrow it down to artist or genre. It was really easy to do, at first I had to remember I needed to get into the music menu but once I was in it, it literally was a breeze.

So I have had the Lincoln MKZ 2009 now for two days, and for the second time in two days I have been stopped by the NYPD. While I did not mention it in my first post I did mention it on facebook for those of you who have befriended me there.

Like the first time, the NYPD claimed they stopped me not for violating any traffic law but because the tags on the car are out of state “Michigan” Tags and are “Manufacture” tags. So both times I was stopped for that, I personally think they thought I stole the car. Something funny I’d like to share with you guys though is I was able to demo some of the cars features to the cops and they were impressed.

So if the NYPD pulled me over I must have been putting the car to the test, and boy have I been testing it out in particular the Microsoft Sync system. 

Today Western Digital (WD) introduced a new passport studio drive with a Firewire 800 interface. I have been using the drive for one day now and I have to say it is much faster than any other firewire drive I currently have.

“Photographers and videographers, be they creative pros or Mac computer enthusiasts, have a genuine need for large amounts of fast, portable storage for their high-definition files,” said Jim Welsh, senior vice president and general manager of WD’s Branded Products and Consumer Electronics Groups. “With a new FireWire 800 interface, My Passport Studio speeds up editing and transferring of big media files making it perfect for performance-minded Mac computer users on the go.”

So today I picked up the Lincoln MKZ 2009, to test out the newest version of Microsoft Sync which is available on almost all ford vehicles. Being in NYC I do not drive as much as I’d like because everything is with in walking distance or you get there fast by taking a subway or bus. But once in a blue moon I find my self in the driver seat of a car.

I have to say that the Lincoln MKZ 2009 handles really well, you can turn her on a dime if you had too.

I will have a full review on the car and the “Sync” system next week sometime, and I will be posting some pictures later on today maybe tomorro. 

Today HP introduced the new Mini 1000 companion PC, a thinner smaller lighter version of the HP Mini-Note 2133. But unlike the 2133 which is geared towards education and business users the Mini 1000 is meant to be a Companion PC for anyone.

The HP Mini 1000 will come in two colors and three flavors, and weighing in at only 2.5 pounds it is one of the lightest Mini Notebooks available. Even though the Mini 1000 systems are thinner and lighter than the HP Mini-Note 2133 it enjoys the same keyboard that made the 2133 popular.

Today HP will open their doors and allow third party developers to create applications and or port in their current applications, to take full advantage of the popular Touchsmart Computers.

“The guidelines will be posted on the new TouchSmart Community site, http://www.TouchSmartCommunity.com—they’ll likely post by the end of the day today.  The community site is intended to be a destination for our installed base to download new applications created by developers and engage in conversation to share ideas, information and suggestions for the TouchSmart experience.” Said Ann Finnie HP’s Public Relatios Manager for Consumer PC’s.

Today Dell introduced the new Mini 12, an easy to carry extremely portable notebook which according to Dell is ideal for tweeters, and those who just want an easy and portable way to access the web, blog or check email. (Tweeters are People who Twitter.)

The Mini 12 is currently only available in Japan which sucks since mini notebooks are all the rave lately, but late November it will be available globally. The systems will have an under $600 dollar starting price and will be available with Windows XP or Ubuntu.

From pictures I have seen of the Machine it looks fairly stylish and a lot better looking than the HP Mini-Note 2133. Click here to view an image of the machine. 

When I first told you all about the Skeleton case I thought cool, really didn’t think much of it. Some people even said it would be an expensive mouse trap.

But then I got one for review (I’ll get you a review in a week or two) and I honestly don’t think it as just cool anymore, it’s almost artistic and in a way resembles the Base Eifel Tower or something, and it’s jam packed loaded with features such as a removable motherboard tray and a huge three speed fan at the top.

I will go into more detail about the case in my review, but until then enjoy the pictures.