Posts by Morely Dotes

Akasa Integral P2 LAN

Too much money, not enough innovation

I've a similar NDAS box. Where this one cost 54 Pounds Sterling, mine cost 59 US dollars - which I'm given to understand is quite a bit less dosh.

No drivers are needed with the one I have (I won't mention the brand name because I don't want to come off as a shill), and while it does support a direct USB connection, that's not why I bought it. It's meant to be attached to the network, and it's being used pretty constantly by two humans and a half-dozen unattended servers, with simultaneous read and write operations.

Frankly, anyone who can't figure out how to hook up a network cable and then query the DHCP server to find out the device's IP address (or do a MAC address lookup) has no business trying to operate a network. If you didn't know how to use that funny guage with the "kph" markings on it in a car, you shouldn't be driving, either. These are very basic parts of operating a network.

Requiring proprietary drivers, as Akasa does, is in my opinion merely a Microsoft-like attempt to lock the user into continuing with the same brand in future; it's meant to discourage buying more versatile, less expensive (and probably more reliable) products from other makers.

HTC TyTN 'super 3G' smart phone

Insufficient memory

If one is going to produce a small PC, one should expect it to be used like a PC. 64MB RAM is not nearly enough for that. A bare minimum is going to be 256 MB, and a 512 MB option would be extremely welcome.

The TyTn as-is will not get my money. Make it a functional laptop replacement by increasing the RAM, and give it backward-compatible cell phone functions (so I can use it in most of the USA and Canada), and add a microUSB port so an external modem or network card can be attached, and we have a winner. However, at 560 Pounds Sterling, it's already far too pricey to be realistic. For that money I can have a full notebook with cell modem *and* a portable DVD player.

So I guess that HTC is still thinking they're only catering to the "more money than brains " crown.