No matter how much gaming seems to shift to mobile devices these days, there will always be a need for bigger, faster, stronger processing to push the video game experience to new levels. Dell and Alienware have been on the forefront of these devices for some time now, and they’re hitting the hardcore gamers as well as budget-conscious buyers with their new lineups.
Phones come and go every year, and nobody notices very much. Generally they are superseded by a new model, the Galaxy S6 replacing the S5 or the iPhone 6S replacing the 6…but sometimes they just disappear. Such is the case of the critically slammed and commercially failing Amazon Fire Phone, permanently killed off after less than a year.
It’s easy to assume that everyone out there already has a favorite gaming system, whether it be Xbox, Playstation, Wii, or something else. But what if you are totally new to gaming? What if you want to play, but you have little experience with any of the available gaming options, and you have no idea where to get started?
Last week I mentioned some of Dell’s exciting highlights from CES. I overlooked some more in-depth details specific to how the Latitude line-up has broadened its appeal and updated all of the systems in the product portfolio. The changes made impact the Latitude 13 7000 Series 2-in-1, Latitude 7000 Series, Latitude 5000 Series and Latitude 3000 Series.
As I was reading Dell’s CES 2015 announcements, I to remember a ‘Dell-free’ time in my life … and had to go back more than 20 years, during which time I’ve had an OptiPlex, Dimension, Inspiron, XPS or Alienware system close at hand. With the recent buy-back Dell has seen resurgence in both innovation and performance, highlighted by their new offerings.
I’ve recently attended Dell World, the newly private company‘s expo where attendees “gain insights into key industry trends, engage with industry visionaries, exchange ideas and learn how Dell is evolving to deliver the solutions of tomorrow.” Key words used during the conference were “Transform, Connect, Inform, & Protect”; amazingly enough, Dell managed to make the event interesting and fun.
Over the last couple of years I have reviewed the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Elitebook 8440w and 2540p, declaring them each as a laptop that I would love to be able to keep and use in my daily life, and as the two of the best business laptops I’d ever used. Well, HP has taken everything that made the 2540p and made it better in the form of the Elitebook 2570p! Let’s take a look!
I am an admitted fanboy of the Gothic franchise, with Gothic 2 listing near the very top of my ‘all time favorites’ list of games. It had been a while since I replayed Gothic 3 to any extent, so when Good Old Games added it to their lineup a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t help but buy it … for the fourth time! I have the DVD version sitting somewhere, and have bought it on both Steam and Direct2Drive to get the full Gothic Collection digitally (at the time each only had a subset). Gothic 3 is a game…
Last year I looked at the HP Mini 5103, which was a traditional netbook in many ways, but also came packing the nVidia ION chipset … and a $750 price tag. In many ways that system represented the death of the traditional netbook, which was followed by what many call ‘notbooks’ – computers that offer sub-12″ screens and easy portability with great battery life, but also with reasonably low-end notebook performance and a palatable price tag. The HP Pavilion dm1z laptop falls into that category, and I was thrilled with the opportunity to see what I could get from a…
A few months ago I reviewed the Rude GameWare Fierce Gaming Mouse 2, declaring “It is perfectly weighted and balanced without feeling so game-specific to be useless in a business setting.” Now Rude GameWare is back with a wireless version called the Fierce 3500 Wireless Gaming Mouse. I will give a quick highlight of features, a summary of whether or not I liked it, but mostly focus on a video review. The Hype: Free yourself from the chains of wired gaming mice forever! The Fierce 3500 Wireless Gaming Mouse gives you the performance and features you demand without being tied…
In this article, I test out my ‘Gaming Mode’ scenario – that is just what it sounds like: I set everything to maximum and crank up some game time! One of the big claims of the new VAIO S-series laptop is that not only does it deliver great performance in a svelte package, but combined with the sheet battery can deliver up to 15 hours of usage between charges. That requires certain settings, and while I definitely plan to put it to the test very soon, I have also had the opportunity to test the VAIO S-series in other usage…
Avadon: The Black Fortress is an ‘old school’ role playing game (RPG) from ‘indie’ developer Spiderweb Software. I have already reviewed the Mac and PC versions of the game in detail, and since the core game is identical, much of this review will go over the same stuff. The main focus is to detail the ‘iPad experience’ – how the controls work, the graphics, and so on. In other words, I have already established that Avadon is worth buying for the Mac or PC, but is it worth a purchase for the iPad? The Hype: Spiderweb Software brings you Avadon:…
Last year I reviewed the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Elitebook 8440w Mobile Workstation, and earlier this year I looked at the svelte but ultra-powerful Elitebook 2540p. These represented a fairly typical pair of powerful business notebooks – with the prices to go along with the features! But imagine if HP decided to cram many of their business features into a mid-price laptop that would satisfy corporate IT, the comptroller and end-users alike? Based on my experience, they could call that the HP ProBook 4430s. Let’s look in more detail! The Hype: Equipped to get the job done • Optimized for Genuine Windows®…
Gamers are a funny group when it comes to controllers, and none are more particular than PC gamers with their mice. I remember years ago buying a BOX of Microsoft Intellimouse 3.0 mice … that is 5 mice! That way I had one for any situation or possible computer I would access. The reason? The two side buttons were perfect for games like Jedi Knight II where I could assign them to Force Push and Pull. The question now: is the Fierce Laser Gaming Mouse something to inspire that sort of idiotic devotion? Read on and see! The Hype: We’ve…
I’m not sure I understand the Chromebook pricing model. Acer is introducing an 11.6″ Chromebook [Ars Technica] in June, with wifi-only for $350. Samsung’s 12″ model will come with 3G wireless in addition to wifi, and cost $500. I could buy a Gateway dual-core Windows 7 11.6″ netbook today for $330 [Amazon]. The Gateway has 160 GB of hard drive space; the Chromebooks are limited to a much smaller amount of SSD space (16 GB). So, where’s the market for a notebook computer which costs as much as (or more than) a notebook with a known OS? Don’t get me…
Recently I have reviewed the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Elitebook 8440w Mobile Workstation and the Elitebook 2540p, laptops with powerful Core i7 processors, solid graphics systems, a business focus, and a price tag higher than what a typical family would want to pay. So when I had the opportunity to look at an all-in-one system with a list price just over $1000, I was thrilled to get the opportunity – but a little concerned about what I might think about the lower-priced system. The Hype: Capable. Integrated. Designed with enterprise class performance, manageability, and stability in an integrated form. Get a desktop…
Image courtesy of Corbis Images According to a new Reuters study “the national penchant for watching television every evening before going to sleep, playing video games late into the night or checking emails and text messages before turning off the lights could be interfering with the nation’s sleep habits.” I know this will come as hilarious irony given my recent take on how obnoxious technology has made us, but this is something I am terrible about. On my bedside table I always have my Alienware laptop, Nintendo DSi, and Sony PSP, and I also generally bring my iPad upstairs with…
Last year I reviewed the Hewlett Packard (HP) Elitebook 8440w Mobile Workstation, declaring it one that I would love to be able to keep and use in my daily life, and as the best business laptop I’d ever used. Well, move over 8440w – because I have a new favorite, the svelte but ultra-powerful Elitebook 2540p! The Hype: Stay connected and productive on the go—without getting weighed down. Starting at just 3.38 lb, the durable HP EliteBook 2540p is HP’s smallest and lightest EliteBook, designed for maximum portability and uncompromised performance. Ultra-portable: • Compact, lightweight design with a 12.1-inch diagonal…
As I recently announced, I have started switching my Netbook Gamer series to a more broad-based look at games called ‘GearGames Retrospectives’. I have already done a couple before making the transition official, including the ongoing ’50 Games That Defined The Decade’ series and the look back at Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. But for now let’s start the series officially a little closer to home with a game that I have already written on rather prolifically: Dungeon Lords. You can read my review, my review of the Collector’s Edition (required to get the final patch), my original review, a lamentation,…
I recently reviewed the Hewlett Packard (HP) Elitebook 8440w and loved it, so when I had the chance to look at the recently released HP Mini 5103 my thought was: ‘take the 8440w and shrink it to netbook dimensions and you have the PERFECT business netbook’! At first glance that seems to be exactly what they did, but of course, I needed to put it through the day-to-day paces of my work life to see how it did. And since I have an unhealthy obsession with trying to shoehorn ‘big PC’ games onto netbooks, naturally I had to see how…
For the second time in two days I was giving a technical talk: one at night in a public setting, the other to a project team at work. In both cases I needed to note some questions, discussions, take contact info and jot down some ‘to do’ tasks and follow ups. It was only when someone said something in each case that I even realized – all I brought with me was my iPad. It has been nearly 8 months since the release of the iPad, and I cannot imagine going anywhere without it. Through numerous discussions I know that…