HP tx2000 vs tx2500 Tablet PC
Recently I was planning to buy a portable computer. I was choosing between buying a tablet PC and a laptop computer. As I write/read a lot of web articles and do a lot of web surfing, I was inclined towards buying a tablet PC. A tabled PC would have been perfect for me to take notes and writing articles and also something which I can use while sitting on my couch or lying on my bed. For someone who is curious, better reasons for using a table PC can be found here. I was looking for a cheaper option as my budget was something around $1000 - $1400.
| I did some research on internet and finally chose HP tx2500 due to its Puma processor, 3GB DDR2 RAM, 250GB Hard Drive and some other nice features, list of which can be found here - HPtx2500 review at tabletpcreview.com. And the best thing was the price range which fits comfortable within my budget. Now that is when I found out that tx2500 was not even available in Canada yet. I did call HP sales and they were not sure when it will be released in Canada. That is when I started looking for another option and started taking a more detailed look at tx2000. I am listing 2 major differences that I noticed between tx2500 and tx2000 based on my online research. |
| tx2500 | tx2000 | |
| Mobility Radeon HD 3200 IGP | Nvidia GeForce Go 6150 graphics | |
| (Puma)AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-80 (2.1GHz, 2MB L2 cache) | AMD Turion 64 X2 Dual Core processor TL-66 2.3GHz |
The PUMA processor might not differ in terms of performance there are still some improvements on other parts of the processor itself. It now includes HT3 which is faster and is now able to turn off completely if no data is being transferred.
AMD also has impelmented independent power planes for the cores and the memory controller which allows the display to refresh without having to wake up the whole cpu.
The cores can now clock independently of each other which is useful for apps which are single threaded. So, its not just the same processor there have been some improvements to basically make it more mobile than before.
More details on PUMA technology can be found here.
Well with all that said, I ended up buying tx2000 for now. The retailer promised me that as soon as tx2500 ships out I can do a trade-in and will be able to upgrade to tx2500 at minimal cost. But I must say I am really enjoying my first encounter with a tablet PC. Its well worth buying one especially when difference between a tablet PC and laptop is really narrowing down.
ASP self populating drop down list using javascript
August 9, 2008 by MK
Filed under Javascript
One of my friends was trying to accomplish a no post back drop down combo using javascript and while searching on google he downloaded code from http://www.asp101.com/resources/DependentLists.asp and found that there were minor bugs in the code. He being still in college and having shortage of time he sent the script to me for debugging.
I am pasting a debugged and trimmed version of that code just in case if anybody else needs it. You can download an MDB file to use with this code from the link pasted above. This code populates 2nd drop down list from database based on the input selected for first drop down and works without a postback. And on a separate note - This is okay for small lists but for populating larger lists you need to use XMLHttpRequest object to fetch data from the server. I will write an article on that sometime soon.
<%@LANGUAGE=”VBSCRIPT”%>
<html>
<head>
<%
dim connstring, sqlstring, rs, conn
connstring = “Provider=Microsoft.Jet.OLEDB.4.0; Data Source=c:\inetpub\wwwroot\DependentLists.mdb”
set conn = Server.CreateObject(”ADODB.Connection”)
conn.open(connstring)
sqlstring = “select * from classfd_subcategory”
set rs = conn.execute(sqlstring)
x=0
%>
<script language = “JavaScript”>
| function sublist(inform, selecteditem) { inform.subcategory.length = 0 <% count= 0 y=0 do while not rs.eof %> x = <%= trim(y) %> subcat = new Array(); |
 |
subcategorys = “<%= trim(rs(”subcategory”))%>”
subcategoryof = “<%= trim(rs(”subcat_of”))%>”
subcategoryid = “<%= trim(rs(”subcategory_id”))%>”
subcat[x,0] = subcategorys;
subcat[x,1] = subcategoryof;
subcat[x,2] = subcategoryid;
if (subcat[x,1] == selecteditem)
{
var option = new Option(subcat[x,0], subcat[x,2]);
inform.subcategory.options[inform.subcategory.length]=option ;
}
<%
count = count + 1
y = y + 1
rs.movenext
loop
%>
}
</script>
<title>Submit an Ad</title>
<LINK rel=”stylesheet” type=”text/css” href=”style/summary.css”>
</HEAD>
<BODY onLoad = “sublist(document.subad,document.subad.category[document.subad.category.selectedIndex].value)”>
<form name = subad action = “thankyouad.asp” >
<Table>
cat = Request.QueryString(”cat”)
sqlstring = “SELECT * from classfd_category”
set rs = conn.execute (sqlstring)
%>
<tr>
<td>category</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<SELECT id=category name=category onChange=”javascript:sublist(this.form, document.subad.category[document.subad.category.selectedIndex].value)”>
<OPTION selected value=”"></OPTION>
<%
do until rs.eof
%>
<OPTION value=”<%= rs(”category_id”)%>”><% = rs(”category”)%></OPTION>
<%
rs.movenext
loop
set rs = nothing
%>
</SELECT></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><SELECT id = “subcategory” name=”subcategory”>
<Option selected value=”none”>————————-</option>
</SELECT>
</td>
</tr>
</form>
</BODY>
</HTML>
Silverlight 1.0 Fire Starter
August 9, 2008 by MK
Filed under Online Media
Microsoft Silverlight is generating a lot of interest these days among both Microsoft and Flash Developers. One of my coworkers at work is an Adobe fanatic and he beleives Adobe Flash is far more stable, have more features and compatible then Silverlight. According to him Microsoft is attempting to clone Flash Player just to introduce another product in the market to capture a part of the market dominated by Flash. I think competition is always good and it helps bring up the best in you. So we will be seeing a lot more enhancememts in both Flash and Silverlight. And clearly we designers/developers are the winners.
I have done some work both in Silverlight and Flash and I think when it comes to integration with .NET Silverlight is clearly a winner (And yes I code most of times using ASP.NET, C# but my views are unbiased or atleast I am trying to keep them unbiased). But yes there are issues with silverlight when we talk about browser compatibility, cross platform, streaming (Complete list can be found here - http://www.onflex.org/ted/2007/04/m-silverlight-vs-adobe-flash-player.php ). We will see how Microsoft deals with those issues going forward.
Anyways to get more info about Silverlight you can visit http://www.visitmix.com/University/silverlight/firestarter/
The Silverlight 1.0 Fire Starter is a one-day event providing developers and designers information on the concept behind Silverlight as a technology, what tools are useful in development and the knowledge in order to start building their own applications. The eight sessions listed, are available to watch here and to be downloaded in video and audio formats.
While you are there look for other articles http://www.visitmix.com/. I like there unbiased approach towards development, design and business. And that reflects in there punch line too which is -
MIX is an ongoing conversation between web designers, developers, and business decision makers. We showcase topics and solutions that bridge Microsoft and non-Microsoft perspectives, and emphasize the inclusive and participatory nature of the next web.
Why using Google Adwords can cost you dollars $$ and generate revenue for Google …
August 9, 2008 by MK
Filed under Online Marketing
Most of us might not agree but there is a downside of having a popular website and its a sitting duck for solicitors if you are running a service oriented business through that site.
One of my friends (using Google Adwords) have been getting Solicitation calls for boosting there web search rankings on Google and other search engines. And his advertising costs were increasing … he was thinking that a lot of people are clicking on the keywords but wondering why clicks were not generating enough sales.
But this is what he found out when he called one of the call centers he received a call from - These call center guys were clicking on the pay per click ad to get his contact information. And as a result his click expenses were going up and instead of increasing his sales, clicks were generating revenue for Google.
So next time if you get any solicitation call please ask the call center rep how they got your information if you are a part of any pay per click program.
Apple’s iPhone generates 50 times more searches then any other mobile device
Howzzat … it’s quite predictable, and the cause is obvious here: the iPhone is a very popular Internet-centric handset, and Google Search bar is integrated in its Safari web browser.
Google on Wednesday said it had seen 50 times more searches on Apple‘s iPhone than any other mobile handset, adding weight to the group’s confidence at being able to generate significant revenues from the mobile internet.
“We thought it was a mistake and made our engineers check the logs again,” Vic Gundotra, head of Google’s mobile operations told the Financial Times at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. - Financial Times
iPhone Results - Google Adwords Keyword Tool
And on another note I am sure iPhone searches is generating a lot of web traffic too. Try searching for iPhone as a keyword at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal and here is what you will get -
I am sure a lot of Online Marketers are using iPhone to generate traffic to there sites. With that said - iPhone was launched in Canada by Rogers last month and I have seen people waiting outside retail stores the previous night in Toronto (including myself standing in a long queue outside Etobicoke Rogers store). I had some funny experiences that night … but that is for some other day.
