Recommended Computer Specifications for CST

One of the more popular questions is, “What type of computer do I need?” Well you really don’t need anything powerful to be able to keep up to the whirlwind of lab excerises, assignments and whatever else we have going on. What BCIT typically recommends is to pick a computer that has similar specifications to that of the lab computers. In this case, the lab computers have the following:

• Dell Optiplex 990 Desktops
• Intel i5-2400 @3.1GHz
• 8GB of DDR3 Memory
• Windows 7 (64bit Enterprise)
• Intel Onboard Graphics (the ones built into the i5 CPUs)

Now to some, that might seem like a lot. But we definitely do not utilize the power that these new (bought over the summer) desktops have. The previous specifications had just Intel Duo-Core CPUs. You definitely do not need the best-of-the-best computer/laptop to do anything in this 2-year program.

In Steps the Apple Macintosh Laptops

When you walk around campus you’ll notice a large amount of Apple Macbooks that people seem to have, yes even I myself have a Macbook Air. At first faculty recommends against getting a Mac, though the question is Why?

Microsoft is a big player here at BCIT. When you enrol as a Full-Time student in the COMP department (such as CST or CIT) you also get access to the MSDN (Microsoft Systems Developer Network) where you can access a plethora of software. Software such as

• MS Windows 7 Professional
• MS Windows Server 2010
• MS Exchange Server 2010
• MS VisualStudio 2010
• MS Office 2010 (Project, Visio and others are also included)
• and a lot more

One downside is that there are no Macintosh versions of the above software available, it is strictly Windows only. Granted, you don’t need MS Word to do you assignments, but some instructors will demonstrate useful things within Word to help your better organize your assignments. If you’re using something else, you’re on your own. I actually was able to purchase a legit copy of MS Word 2011 for the MacOS for only $11! Typically, student pricing is $100.

When you get into Win32 programming, obviously you cannot do it on your Mac as is, as the variety of libraries you require are under the Windows platform.  Also depending on which Option you choose for your 2nd year of CST/CIT, you might require a .NET language (C# for instance). Again, you would probably have to use MS VisualStudio and for obvious reasons, there is not Mac version.

BootCamp / Parallels & Virturialization

Now, I am not going to go into the steps to installing Windows onto a Mac-based machine. You will need access to a legitimate copy of Windows (such as the one you can get from the MSDN with your BCIT account). For me, it was a bit trickier to install as the Macbook Air (MBA) has not optical drive. Essentially, I created an ISO image of the Windows 7 installation disc, transferred if over to my MBA and then had BootCamp create a USB install for me utilizing a 8GB USB key and the ISO image I previously created. A small downside to having a MBA is that I have only a 128GB SSD which I partitioned 40GB for the Windows partition, might sound like enough but wait till you start installing MS products on it.

Awesome, now that I have had BootCamp successfully partition my drive for a MacOS and Windows configuration, you will need to look at getting some sort of visualization software. It isn’t need, but it will really make your life much easier at BCIT. Unless of course, you boot only into Windows while at school. I myself do not do that because I like using the terminal (it’s BSD right?) of the MacOS for doing my C and C++ programming outside of the Windows environment. I also take my notes using the terminal (aka Shell).

Parallels / VMWare and Others

Now, I have only used Parallels (Student pricing is $40 instead of $80), which is a Mac-based virtual-machine (VM) sort of application. It allows me to stay in MacOS but access Windows and my Windows applications easily and effortless. One thing I knew previously about VM is that any changes were not saved when you shut-down whatever you were running in that particular VM. Now, I don’t know if that is really the case with most VMs, but at least my experience is with Parallels, whatever I change while using it, stays changed on the Windows partition, so that in case I have to boot directly into Windows, I know  that nothing will be missing.

The main reason for running Windows in a Parallel session is I need access to MS VisualStudio for my Data Communications course (COMP 3980) as well as my Win32 Programming course (3770). There is also no MacOS version for MS Visio or Project which we have been using as well, so from time to time I have to access them without booting directly into the Windows environment.

Performance wise, I see no issues. My MBA has the Intel i5 core CPU and 4 GB of memory which I dedicate 1.5GB for the Windows Parallel session. There are no slow-downs or hiccups that I have noticed so far. In fact, fellow students are impressed at how well it handles when I move back and forth between the two operating environments. As I previously mentioned, since I gave the Windows partition 40GB, I have about 5GB left. That is after installing MS Windows 7 Professional, MS Project, MS Visio, MS VisualStudio. MS VisualStudio actually took up 7GB of diskspace, guess I choose to install everything I possibly could for it.

After Thoughts

I’ve been in my 2nd year now for about a month, which means I have been using my Macbook Air for just a little over 1 month and I am still getting used to it. Though when I do go into the Windows environment, I do find myself using various MacOS commands save as Cmd-S, Cmd-C etc, but thankfully, Parallels must have some magic and converts the keys to their Windows equivalents. Cmd-S in MacOS is Ctrl-S for Windows. I try and keep using the keyboard short-cuts environment specific, but doesn’t always happen.

Why did I buy a Macbook in the first place? I wanted something with ultra-portability. The Asus U36 I was looking at wasn’t released/in-stock in time and after adding what I wanted to it, it was the same price as this Macbook Air. With my commute to and from school is roughly 1-hour 40-minutes each way, I wanted something light enough for the backpack, but had some decent power in it for photo-editing when Robyn and I go on our little excursions (and our big 3-month trip next year). I still have my Asus 15.3″ i7 gaming laptop, which I am slowly moving things off of it. I would eventually like to sell it. It’s an awesome, stylish, yet powerful laptop! Great for those who want portability and good gaming experience.

Anyway, since I am fairly new to MacOS, I am always looking for tips, tricks and suggestions etc (this includes general usage stuff too). If you have any, let me know! If I find any that might make people’s lives easier at BCIT in a Windows dominated environment, I will be sure to share them too!

I am enjoying using the Mac and I am sure others can easily adapt to using a MacOS based machine in the CST/CIT program.

Today, or at least last night, I was able to look at acquiring a new Macintosh. With school coming up and a slightly longer commute I wanted to look at getting something more portable. This is where the Macbook Air comes into play. I finally was able to buy a Mac, a Macbook Air and I love it!

Comparison of Old and New

Now this comparison probably won’t be much use to many, but I will show you what the specifications of the Mac I used to use compared to the one I am going to be use from now on. Guess this is more of a comparison of what is current to what we had almost 20 years ago.

* – Approximately what our parents paid for the whole setup we had for our LCIII (computer, monitor etc)

MacOS X – Experience within the First 24-Hours

Now, I have dabbled with Macs from time to time but never really sat down with one since the family LCIII. A lot has changed with the MacOS. I’m still learning the tricks in using MacOS, but I am getting the hang of it. There is so much to talk about and all the little things I am enjoying about finally being able to afford a Mac.

The gestures are pretty cool and it makes not having to use an external mouse almost unneeded (for me).

I am still trying to get used to the Dock and where the files are located. I can’t just double-click on the hard-drive icon like you could with System 7.5 etc.

I do like Launchpad as it reminds me of the iOS interface for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Mission Control is interesting, but I am sure I will find it useful too.

I haven’t played much with the App store yet, but I am sure I will get there eventually. I did get the opportunity to buy a retail copy of MS Office 2011 for $11 and recently installed it too.

BootCamp; Does it make me Evil?

One of my friends thought I was pure evil for wanting to install Windows onto a Mac. Well, to ensure I can do my school work, I had to look into it.

Yes, as an avid Windows user, I have installed a Windows 7 partition with using the BootCamp utility. The process was a bit fuzzy at first but I managed to figure it out. I have a retail copy of Windows 7 Pro and Ultimate so I utilized one of them (converted it to ISO) for the dual-boot. Yes, I do have to run Windows at school, but I will try and make the push to 100% soon!

I don’t know about other versions of BootCamp, but I did find that at least with the Macbook Air, it will also include the Apple hardware drivers for Windows included on the USB key it creates with the Windows ISO you use. After you have partition the drives and have installed Windows 7, just make sure you run the setup.exe that is located in the BootCamp Setup folder on the USB key. The setup will install all the drivers needed to use Windows on your Mac (video, keyboard, camera, chipset etc).

I am not quite sure what i will be using Windows (school-wise) for exactly, but I’ve heard there can be some discrepancies with Java and C when running tests against your code that the results were designed and created on a Windows-based machine. Some of the tests were picky that they looked at the EoF and EoL characters. We’ll see how it goes, I would rather just not use the Windows partition if I don’t have to.

Thoughts

I am sure there is more I can talk about with my first 24-hour experience with a Mac and the MacOS, but I guess I could leave that for later. For now, I have to finish off my Co-op report as it has to be done before my last day of my Co-op job this coming week.

For now, I shall try and learn as much as I can about this Mac so that I feel comfortable bringing it to school and doing my work on it. Any advice, tips, suggestions etc for my Mac setup, would be greatly appreciated too!

How Can You Improve On The GPS Capabilities Of The iPhone?

You could upgrade to the latest iPhone, but that is a pretty costly choice. You would either have to renew a contract or buy a new phone out-right. Something that probably isn’t the most economical solution for everyone.
You could go out and purchase a stand-alone GPS device, but then do you really want another device kicking around when you can utilize something you already have?

TomTom’s Car Kit for the iPhone.

TomTom (maker of mobile GPS units) has stepped in and developed a Car Kit or cradle for your iPhone, a cradle that utilizes their award-winning EasyPort(tm) windshield mount and enhances the GPS functionality of your Apple iPhone.

With the built in GPS receiver that the TomTom Car Kit has, it boosts the iPhone’s GPS capabilities which allows for better accuracy. For those who have the first generation iPhone, the one without GPS, the TomTom Car Kit will provide that GPS signal so you can utilize GPS based software, primarily their TomTom app (purchased separately).

Features

The TomTom iPhone car kit (or cradle as I tend to refer to it as) is loaded with some good features. Those features include:

• Secure Docking (EasyPort)
• Hand-free calling
• Turn-by-Turn instructions
• Easy to reach Volume control
• Enhanced GPS Performance
• iPhone Charger
• Rotatable Orientation (Landscape and Portrait)
• Line-out (AUX) for music playback

A couple of the features that I personally like are the iPhone Charger, AUX out, being able to use Landscape orientation and of course the Hands-free calling. It is illegal in Canada to drive and talk on a phone at the same time, so hands-free calling is a bonus.

The Look and Feel of the Car Kit

The TomTom Car Kit for iPhone is not your normal iPhone cradle. Sure, it holds your iPhone securely in place but with the other little features (such as those mentioned above) it is more than your typical cradle.

When you look at the Car Kit (aka cradle) you will notice its very simple and minimalist design. Your iPhone fits snug in position on the front. A small roller at top ensures there is proper force holding it in without damaging your phone. A small portion of rubber sits between your phone and the cradle to give it extra support.

There is a volume control dial on one side, and the power port and line-out (AUX) on the other side. Both are easily accessible when the cradle is in use.

The EasyPort houses the speaker for hands-free calling.

The iPhone can be positioned to where you want it by utilizing the cradle’s slide and the ball-joint between your phone and EasyPort.

Installation and Removal

The EasyPort mount system allows one to easily attach it to the windshield of your vehicle. It’s actually quite easy to do too. Moisten the back suction cup (saliva works great!) stick it to where you want to have it and then rotate the dial clock-wise to secure it. I’ve tried to rip it off the windshield before once this is done and it does not budge.

To remove it from the windshield, just rotate the dial counter-clockwise, this releases the pressure on the suction cup, and then just pull one of the rubber tabs. Make sure you don’t have your phone in the cradle as if you’re clumsy, you might have the cradle crash down on the floor of your vehicle and possibly damage your phone.

Performance / Experiences & Conclusion

This review is about the TomTom iPhone Car Kit and not the TomTom iPhone app. I did find that the TomTom iPhone app worked exactly like their regular GPS units. Perhaps a review on the TomTom app could come at a later time.

I have had the TomTom iPhone Car Kit now for a couple of months (life has been quite busy) and use it as much as possible. It’s great to keep my iPhone charged when we’re out and about in the car, as well as listening to music I have on my iPhone. A neat feature is when you’re listening to music on your iPhone through your vehicle’s stereo and incoming call will make the iPhone mute the music (fades it out) so you can answer the call. When the call is complete, the phone will fade the music back in where you left if off. Due to laws here in Canada about the use of cellphones while driving, the hands-free feature of the Car Kit is quite handy.

I have not had issues with GPS signals or inaccuracy while using the Car Kit, which can creep up with you on the iPhone alone. This includes driving downtown Vancouver amongst all of the concrete and steel buildings for which can play havoc on a GPS unit. I would have to come to the conclusion that not only is it the GPS receiver in the TomTom Car Kit, but also the triangulation that the iPhone does as well that helps create a better GPS experience.

That all being said, I can see how some people might refrain from purchasing the Car Kit and TomTom App together. It is roughly the same price as a new TomTom GPS unit, but if you do have an Apple iPhone and looking for a GPS device, I do think you should consider getting the TomTom iPhone Car Kit and the TomTom iPhone app.

Pros

• Charges my iPhone
• Change orientation (Landscape – Portrait)
• Hands-Free Calling
• Line-out (AUX) for music listening through stereo
• Easy windshield mounting

Cons

• Does not fit my iPod Touch (the iPod is just a bit short)
• Price for Car Kit + TomTom app might not appeal to people

Before the “Cloud”

When I started doing web design and development work I would make use of the various spare computers and create little WAMP (Windows Apache MySQL PHP) servers. I would have my main one at home and then one at my place of work. I would then email myself back and forth the files I was working on which worked for a little while. I would do edits at home, email them to my main email account, head to the office and retreive them from said account. A bit of a time consuming process and it was prone to human error. The human error mainly was forgetting to email the files to myself so when I got over to the other location (computer) I had no files waiting for me.

Then it dawned on me, why not use a USB key to transfer files back and forth. That would make it easier!

At that time, I also thought about running a WAMP setup off of the USB key too. That would allow me to use any computer I could plug a USB key into, to become a test environment for the various websites I work on. For that I utilize a program suite called XAMPP.

It wasn’t for about a couple of months of toting the USB key with me between locations that I started to notice an flaw in my thinking. If I forgot the USB key at the office on a Friday, I did not have my files with me on the weekend. That’s 2 days of not being able to code!

After the “Cloud”

When people mention the “Cloud” they are talking about the Internet (usually). In this case I finally got around to looking at the online service Dropbox.

Dropbox is a neat online service that allows you to sync files between computers anywhere in the world and for free (up to 2GB)! They have other plans for different storage needs, at a monthly price though.

How Dropbox Works (the simple explaination)

You install Dropbox onto the computers of your choice. In my case, I installed it on my home computer and the computer at the office. They are linked together based on an account you create with Dropbox. Pretty simple actually.

A specific folder is created (in a location of your choice) and you can drag-n-drop files into it. The files that are stored in that folder are synced with the Dropbox server(s). Linked accounts (yours or friends’ etc) can access those files (you can choose what to share and what not to share) from anywhere with an Internet connection.  You can also access the files from the Dropbox website too, if you do not want to install the little program on a particular machine.

How Does Dropbox Help Me?

I setup up XAMPP to work from the Dropbox specified folder. I also made sure that each location that I use Dropbox at has the folder in the same place (same file path) so that XAMPP looks for the appropriate webfiles without having to be modified in each location.

The use of Dropbox now eliminates any issues with me forgetting to update my files and transfer them between home and office. Whatever I change at the office, will be synced up when I get home. I love it!

Afterthoughts

Perhaps when I get a bit more time, I’ll look at setting up my LAMP (Yup, Linux this time)  server at home to utilize Dropbox too. That way, my dedicated web server at home will have all the necessary files in sync with the computer at the office and at home.

For those who are wondering my LAMP server has Samba set up so I can edit files live on the laptop that are stored on the server itself. I hvaen’t quite wanted to set up a repository yet as I find that as a single user, having to commit, checkout and various other subversion functions are a bit inefficient for me. Though in a multi-user environment, subversion can be great (if set up correctly).

So if you use multiple computers, perhaps you should take a look at Dropbox to help organize files for which you edit in separate locations.

From watching him play with his Nikon bodies, I have always found that the Nikon bodies (D300s, D3s etc) have always been more intuitive’ than their Canon counterparts. It just seems Nikon has put more thought into the layout of the camera’s controls. Things are easier to get to, less multiple-button pressing has to be done and there seem to be more customization with their features too.

The weather was alright, nothing spectacular so we decided to wander around the lagoon for a short time. I used the Nikon D3s, Nikkor 70-200 f2.8  VRII with the 2.0x (TC-20E III) teleconverter which gave me 400mm (full-frame). Too bad there wasn’t more to shoot though. Perhaps I’ll get to use it again on a sunnier day!

The Photos

It’s pretty neat to see how easily I could use the Nikon D3s body. The button layout (after quick little overview from Keith) was quick to understand. I noticed that I didn’t have to hunt around to switch between Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority, I also didn’t have to hunt around to change the values of the settings either. Everything was available to me without having to take my eye away from the (full-size) view finder.  I still find from time to time I am hunting around on my Canon XSi to change settings, which isn’t fun and can cost you a brilliant photo!

Another feature of Nikon cameras I do like is that I don’t have to go through the menu options to change my Auto-Bracket settings, the Nikon bodies (D300s, D3s) that I have used, they are specific buttons for them on the body themselves.

If I had the money, yes I would switch to Nikon. In fact, once I am done school and have a steady source of income, I will more than likely switch over to Nikon. The D3s has ruined me from using any other camera, which means I am going to have to save up a HUGE amount of money. I definitely want to go full-frame next. Can Canon win me back? Who knows……

While taking my course at BCIT, I have had a hard time trying to find a good example of the strchr() function in C that would allow me to parse though a string extracting elements based on a delimiter.

Most of the example I have found have been more about how to count the amount of delimiters used in a string, but not how to get the information prior to a delimiter.

Let’s see if I can give a decent little example. For those who are curious, I use the Dean’s Code Highlight plugin to highlight code syntax.

This will output:

Hello
World

Pretty straight-forward eh? An easy way to parse through a character array (aka string) and separate words based on a delimiter of your choosing.

There might be other ways to do this, but for our particular course, we’re limited to the Standard ANSI C library.

Remember how I mentioned way back in the day about Facebook Owning Your Photos? Well it seems they have decided to step up their sharing of photos a notch. They now allow people to download “high resolution” photos that they see on Facebook!

How is this a problem?

This might not be a problem for many people who use Facebook. Sure, Facebook is about sharing your photos with your friends and family. If you’re a professional (or even amateur) photographer and use Facebook as one of your marketing channels, then perhaps you have some samples of your photography you might not want people to take without permission, especially if you are in the habit of uploading full-resolution photos to Facebook. Perhaps even uploading proofs for friends and family to see?

Currently, I do not see a way to disable the “Download in high resolution” link among photos on Facebook. You do have some options or some Best Practices if you do upload your work to share with people.

A few things you can do to ensure people have a harder time trying to take your photographic work without your permission include

• Watermark your photos – Yea, place some sort of watermark can help deter people from downloading your photos and passing them off as their own. Granted, if you do use a watermark, don’t make it so that you cannot see the underlying photo!
• Limit the size and quality of the photos – Try and upload smaller versions of your photos, such as 600×480 or at most 800×600. Check to ensure you are using 72dpi, JPEGs as well. This will hopefully limit people from trying to print out your work. If they do, then the quality will be pretty low and pixelated.
• Stop uploading photos – This might seem extreme or perhaps odd, but if you don’t want people taking your work without compensation, then don’t put it online.

If you’re totally okay with Facebook having a “Download in high resolution” link, then you obviously don’t need to pay attention to any of this. I just believe, that if Facebook releases a feature like this to the masses, they should at least a) notify their users they are doing this and b) allow them to disable the option.

Yes, people can still right-click, save-as if they really want the photo, but Facebook has made it so that lazy or not-so-computer-savvy-people can download your work even easier.

Currently, I don’t upload photos larger than 800×600, though 640×480 is something I typically do for Facebook. I don’t watermark because it’s just not in my editing process. Will I change this? Perhaps, but I also upload a lot of my photos to Flickr (at 800×600) too . Then on Flickr, I do have the option of not showing a “Download This Photo” link, and people typically email me if they do wish to use a photo of mine.

What do you think about Facebook making it easier for people to download your photos? Do you currently limit the resolution size of your Facebook photos or watermark whatever you upload?

Futurelooks.com

Futurelooks.com is run by Stephen Fung and crew. I first got on board with with Futurelooks back in about 2002 while working as a Computer Specialist for London Drugs. Since then I have done numerous reviews of geeky gadgetry available to consumers. My more recent work with Futurelooks has been the following:

• Vantec EZ Swap 2.5-inch SATA Hard Drive Enclosure
• Razer Lachesis High Precision 3G Gaming Mouse (I still use this mouse today)
• M-Rock Zion 525 Camera Backpack

If you are looking for some great reviews on latest technology I do recommend checking out Futurelooks and the community that Stephen has build over the years.

ThinkComputers.org

ThinkComputers.org is another great technology review website based in the US. Bob Buskirk has also recently switched over to using WordPress for their platform of choice for their reviews. It is also a great example of how you can use WordPress for something other than a blog. Here is also a list of my more recent product reviews:

• Samsung HMX R10 Full HD Digital Camcorder
• Axus FiT RAID 500 Storage Device
• Samsung EX1 10 Megapixel Digital Camera

I have quite enjoyed receiving product and writing about it my experiences with it over the years but with school coming up in less than 8 days, I find myself without the time to do them. Once I get more comfortable with being a full-time student and being able to better manage my work load and whatever else happens, I am sure I’ll get back into doing product reviews. At this time it has been a great experience and I will miss doing it.

If you have a product you wish to have reviewed, I do highly recommend checking out both Futurelooks.com and ThinkComputers.org. The exposure you can receive with those two websites can definitely help increase your sales.

I set up my Canon 7D (along with my EF 50mm f1.8) on a tripod (I need a new tripod, the $30 Velbon can’t handle the weight of my Canon 7D). Used one of my (many) USB cables and plugged it into my new Asus G51J laptop. Pretty simple actually. You then (in Lightroom) select File -> Tether Capture -> Start Tethered Capture… That’s about it. The great thing about this is you don’t need to have a memory card inserted into the camera! Granted, using a memory card would allow what you are shooting to be stored on them as well as the computer your camera is attached to.

I switched into Live View, manually set my settings, manually focused on the item in the light-tent and voila! Images were being recorded and transfered to the laptop via Lightroom and stored in the location I specified. Instead of seeing the result on a 3″ screen, I could review/edit/delete on the laptop’s 15.6″ screen instead. Definitely a great way to shoot in a studio type setup.

I’m pretty excited to shoot more things like this as it is much more efficient than taking a series of photos, dumping the card to the computer/server, importing into Lightroom, reviewing and then editing. I skip a bunch of steps and streamline the product photo process. This would also be great for studio work, granted I am using a USB cable with an extension, I do know both Nikon and Canon have Wireless Transmitting grips for remote tethering. This sort of setup is a bit more budget friendly than remote WiFi transmitters.

I am not sure if all cameras support this tether capture feature of Lightroom 3, but I am sure the larger manufactures and their dSLRs should be able to.

So with this program, being heavily programming based, I wanted to get a notebook/laptop. One that will replace my desktop. One that will be hardy enough not only to compile code quickly, but to also speed up my work-flow for photography. Though if I have time to take photos here and there is a different story all together.

So what have I been looking at computer wise?

Apple’s Macbook Pro

Specifically the Intel Core i5 model. Though I would bump up the memory to 8GB and choose the higher resolution screen with the anti-glare coating. I really dislike the glossy screens laptops seem to have these days. The price for the one I configured is about $1850 (free shipping), which includes the 4GB not the 8GB (where I would buy that elsewhere).

I have ALWAYS loved the design of the Macbooks (Pros too), but they are always more expensive than their PC equivalent, and in this case almost $1000 more expensive.

Dell Studio 15

This one is hard for me not to choose. I even picked out a camera/photography based skin for it too! It’s details are: Intel Core i7, 8GB DDR3, 500GB SATA 7200RPM HDD, ATI Mobile Radeon 5470 1gb, 9-cell battery,15.6″ 1080p capable backlit LED panel, backlit keyboard etc etc. Currently priced out to be $1450 (free shipping) the only thing it lacks is the video card on the low-end side of the scale. Talking to Dell, they cannot put in a different video card for this particular model.

MSI GX740-079US

This is the first time I have ever looked at an MSI notebook, but the specs for this particular model are similar to that of the Dell. It offers the higher end ATI Mobile Radeon HD5870, a larger 17″ screen (capable of 1050p), though only comes with 4GB of memory opposed to the 8GB I would prefer. The price of this little guy is $1500 but with a $100US mail-in rebate (hopefully for which MSI would be good for!), it is quite hard to say no to.

I have even looked a similar spec’d out Asus Notebooks (thanks to the guys over at Futurelooks.com).

My Thoughts

Like I mentioned above, I have ALWAYS wanted and liked myself an Apple notebook, but they have always been just more expensive than their PC equivalents. I’ve had my heart set on the Intel Core i7 processor, though with the Core i5 being comparable to the Core i7, that doesn’t really put the Macbook Pro out of the races. Though the video card on the Macbook Pro is less than both that of the Dell Studio 15 and the MSI, I was hoping to get a slightly higher end card. The Macbook Pro also has the smaller screen out of the bunch I am looking at too.

I was looking for a smaller notebook, but with programming and web development the larger screens are a bit more welcoming. Portability is a bit of a thing for me, but the three notebooks are within a pound of each other, yup the 17″ MSI isn’t that much heavier than the Dell due to the similar battery sizes though it will have slightly larger dimensions. The keypad on the MSI is also a nice touch as I do like using a separate keypad for number entry.

Even at this point now, it’s not a MacOS versus MS Windows issue. I have Windows 7 Ultimate which I can dual boot on the MacOS, and I can even VMWare into Windows if I need to run a windows app. Mac’s have always done multimedia out of the box better than a Windows based PC.

Also being a Student of BCIT, I can get educational pricing on a Macbook Pro, granted only $100 off, but that allows me to get the higher resolution, anti-glare screen.

Though the other two notebooks are $500 LESS than the Macbook Pro. So really, the Macbook Pro to me, is more about style/design if I would to go that route.

Also there isn’t really anything I do on my Windows desktop that a Mac cannot do; Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, World of Warcraft, Web Design/Development. Though one thing that does worry me is the compatibility of running something like MS Visual Studio on a Mac, but then John was mentioning I could dual-boot, and boot into Windows 7 if I found that VMWare was sluggish.

If you’re reading this (I am as I write it) it almost sounds like I’m trying to convince myself to go for the Macbook Pro. Don’t they hold their resale value too?

What advice do you have for me? I understand some of you have already commented on something similar to this on Facebook and such, but I’m willing to hear what other people have to say was well!