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iamdmc · #1 Post by **iamdmc** » Mon May 05, 2008 4:13 am

Topic 1: Wireless USB (UWB) / Bluetooth 3.0 - This option (wireless USB) is now available on select ThinkPads, but is it worth it? Are there any devices presently on the market or even announced that support this feature?

Topic 2: USB 3.0 vs. Firewire S3200 - Both are going to be introduced into computers soon enough (I predict by Q4 or Q1 2009) but which will you use and why?

Topic 3: OLED vs. Laser TV vs. "Pico" projector from Texas Instruments - Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each - and drool over OLED's flexiness (that's flexibility and sexiness)

Topic 4: SSD vs. HDD - Solid state gives better battery life than HDDs, but the cost is much higher. With HDD cost/GB falling to below $0.16/GB, and more price cuts coming, will SSD ever overtake it?

Topic 5: LED bulbs vs. Plasma bulbs
LEDs are very power efficient, but are Plasma bulbs the future? They seem to emit a more "natural" spectrum than LED bulbs - or am I wrong?
Info on Plasma Bulbs:
http://www.ufxcomic.com/EverybodySucks/ ... ightsaber/

WiMAX vs. LTE vs. other 4G technology - which is the best, why, and when can I have it already (WiMAX was supposed to be "rolled out" in 2007)

FiOS vs. other ground-based blazing fast internet vs. Japanese Satellite internet - benefits, drawbacks, timelines (ie. gimme now!)
Satellite internet link:
http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Jap ... e_999.html

Go!

Trekk69 · #2 Post by **Trekk69** » Mon May 05, 2008 6:14 am

To comment on #4 only, with the decrease in price per Gb of HDD, I think SSDs will only follow that trend as they become more mainstream and available from manufacturers.
I will be interested to see if 'holographic' drive technology will become widely available and its influence on battery life, speed, etc.

makai · #3 Post by **makai** » Mon May 05, 2008 5:51 pm

Comment on #4 also... although it's not totally related to computing.

I converted my ipod mini to using a 4Gb flash drive instead of the microdrive it originally came with. A few days ago, and for no apparrent reason, the entire library got corrupted. I mean... some songs were still there, but a lot were totally gone... even though the menu items were still present.

Related to computers... seeing as the SSD drives are just now becoming popular, will they be robust enough? Only time will tell! I think I will bank on harddrive-based computers for awhile longer. Yes, I know harddrives corrupt too!

#4 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon May 05, 2008 6:25 pm

And another follow-up to #4: Flash memory is not totally non-volatile - meaning that the data is retained with the absence of power. The tiny electrical charge that is stored in the memory cell leaks off with age (and is accelerated by high temperature). Typical data retention time is measured in decades (10-100 years) but this is normally an extrapolation of experimental results. In other words, a highly educated guess.

iamdmc · #5 Post by **iamdmc** » Sat May 10, 2008 6:23 pm

Hmm ok

ajkula66 · #6 Post by **ajkula66** » Sat May 10, 2008 8:23 pm

Any satellite technology will, to a some degree, by affected by atmosphere and weather. FiOS won't.

BTW, who's rolling out FiOS in Canada? I thought it was Verizon's patent, and they do not have subsidiaries over there.

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