The Technology Thread

[Tugboat]

1 hour ago, AkronsWitness said:

I agree with the tablets part, Ive worked in the business world long enough to where I only really see them used by sales reps because they can sit down with you and run slides/presentations on them at a table. Same thing with door-to-door outside sales where somebody can show you a presentation of their product on a actual screen and not their phone or carrying around a laptop. They just seem to be incredibly niche where they are REALLY good, but only for this small group of people.

The one thing I will say.....and hear me out....is that I had a major major major infatuation with the Microsoft Surface Pro tablets where you can attach the 'dock' and keyboard with all of the normal peripherals of a laptop, but you can also detach it when you need to leave and it functions like a high performance tablet on the go. Wheeeeeeew that thing is awesome.

Since I was a digital marketing person, the idea of having the stylus pen to use all of their editing/design programs either at my desk attached to the dock or when I had to go into another room in the building I could take it in tablet form....boiiii stop. I want it, I need it, I have to have it.

Problem is they are like $50M and I couldnt possibly justify the cost (as I sit here on a 2k gaming computer)

Tablet are definitely a niche thing.

 

For consumers who actually have a real use for them and for business purposes.

Seems like they're becoming a lot more valuable for mundane stuff like inventory tracking though.  Just having a real time list of products.  It can skip an entire step in managing inventory.  You can connect it to a database and save a lot of double-handling of information.

Or sales like you said.  It's so valuable to be able to provide people convenient visuals on demand.

The construction industry as well, seems to be gradually moving in that direction.  It's handy to pull up a set of drawings on a tablet instead of rolling them out on a table.  And you can mark them up on the spot to identify changes, problems, etc.  Especially with really large, complex projects like civil engineering where you're dealing with huge areas and a lot of complicated stuff that you need to keep multiple parties apprised of.

 

That whole stylus thing is another aspect that is hilarious to me because of the widespread failure of the idea initially way back in the way with palm pilots and blackberries.  But it's finally started to come into its own as a really valuable creative tool.  The ability to just draw and doodle on the spot is something that you can't do on a phone or laptop the same way.

[adamq]

Is there a science thread? I don't think so, and I'm not gonna go searching so this is close enough

 

This is just one step but it is a massive one.. still very far off from this being a long or even short term solution for patients needing transplants.. but we're getting there

 

https://www.sciencealert.com/for-the-first-time-pig-kidneys-transplanted-into-a-human-provide-life-sustaining-function

 

They have taken the kidneys of a genetically modified pig and successfully transplanted the organs into a brain-dead patient with the permission of his family.

 

Scientists have tried this before with some success, but what sets the current case study apart is that the pig kidneys quickly made urine and cleared the patient's body of creatinine.

..

Historically, these surgeries have mostly failed, because the human immune system attacks the foreign tissue, even with immunosuppressive drugs. But if that animal organ is genetically modified to trick the human immune system into accepting it, scientists could theoretically prevent rejection.

[BobbyPhil1781]

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Edited September 1, 2023 by BobbyPhil1781

[Heimdallr]

Is it worth getting a full 5.1 speaker setup, or are soundbars good enough now that it isn't worth the hassle of doing more?

[AkronsWitness]

16 hours ago, Heimdallr said:

Is it worth getting a full 5.1 speaker setup, or are soundbars good enough now that it isn't worth the hassle of doing more?

Depends what your looking for. You can get a 5.1 system that is actually relatively cheap and nowadays, are fairly easy to setup (as long as you have the space). LG makes one with Dolby Atmos and you can get it for only $350. 

There are also some great soundbar/subwoofer combos out there, specifically by Vizio that pack a great punch for a cheaper price.

I would say the deciding factor is the layout of your room you are putting it in. If it is a moderate sized room without tall ceilings, a soundbar would work perfectly fine. If you have a larger open concept type room maybe with vaulted ceilings, a 5.1 system would help fill the open air a lot better.

Edited October 9, 2023 by AkronsWitness

[Tugboat]

15 hours ago, AkronsWitness said:

Depends what your looking for. You can get a 5.1 system that is actually relatively cheap and nowadays, are fairly easy to setup (as long as you have the space). LG makes one with Dolby Atmos and you can get it for only $350. 

There are also some great soundbar/subwoofer combos out there, specifically by Vizio that pack a great punch for a cheaper price.

I would say the deciding factor is the layout of your room you are putting it in. If it is a moderate sized room without tall ceilings, a soundbar would work perfectly fine. If you have a larger open concept type room maybe with vaulted ceilings, a 5.1 system would help fill the open air a lot better.

 

I agree with most of this, except Vizio.  Don't buy Vizio stuff.  Bad.

 

The whole 5.1 thing is really about...do you want that true "movie theatre surround sound" experience or not?  I think a lot of people find that it's not necessary and honestly kind of pointless or even distracting for the majority of their TV watching.  Soundbars with a sub component are pretty awesome and will give you the vague illusion of surround sound for blockbuster movies where it matters...and are just a lot more reasonable for literally everything else.

 

Especially if you're someone who doesn't just sit there and watch TV.  Like maybe you jump up and go back and forth from the kitchen while cooking or whatever.  Full 5.1 surround sound won't help with that at all.  In fact, it might even make your experience worse.

[RuskieTitan]

Any good pre-built PCs with this prime sale?

[naptownskinsfan]

On the June topic on tablets, I cut down on my technology and went from a laptop, iMac and iPad down to a Mac mini and iPad Pro with the keyboard and mousepad and will never go back to an everyday computer setup that isn’t like that.  No more heavy laptop in my backpack.  If I need it in tablet mode, I can detach the keyboard and I carry a light “tough” case in my bag.  I have the stylus but don’t often use it.  It is great for pulling up reports and swiping through them with people on my team, and I can use the touchscreen to interact with them.  I can do presentations on the home computer and they are uploaded immediately to the cloud and I can airplay from the iPad directly to a screen.  

I really like how this has worked for me over the past two years, and I couldn’t imagine going back to the way it was before.  The iPad Pro I have is still running pretty damn strong too for having every day use.  

I got a gaming monitor for the Mac mini and I also use it with my gaming laptop.  Which I am also in the market for getting a replacement over the next year.  

[Tugboat]

On 10/12/2023 at 7:34 AM, naptownskinsfan said:

On the June topic on tablets, I cut down on my technology and went from a laptop, iMac and iPad down to a Mac mini and iPad Pro with the keyboard and mousepad and will never go back to an everyday computer setup that isn’t like that.  No more heavy laptop in my backpack.  If I need it in tablet mode, I can detach the keyboard and I carry a light “tough” case in my bag.  I have the stylus but don’t often use it.  It is great for pulling up reports and swiping through them with people on my team, and I can use the touchscreen to interact with them.  I can do presentations on the home computer and they are uploaded immediately to the cloud and I can airplay from the iPad directly to a screen.  

I really like how this has worked for me over the past two years, and I couldn’t imagine going back to the way it was before.  The iPad Pro I have is still running pretty damn strong too for having every day use.  

I got a gaming monitor for the Mac mini and I also use it with my gaming laptop.  Which I am also in the market for getting a replacement over the next year.  

 

I'm still really vacillating on this whole thing.

 

Trying to figure out what exactly i want.  Apple does seem to do a really nice job of just making this question easy for people.  It's all just like gradients on the Apple spectrum.  Which device does the job you want.

 

I'm looking more in the Windows world.  I hate it.  But it's where i live.  Still not even sure which route i want to go.  So many ways to split between tasks.  Not really sure what'll work best for me.

[rickyt31]

Trying to pick between the Google Pro 8, Samsung s23 Ultra, or Sony Xperia 5 V. I run everything off of Google and would easily pick the Sony, but they only get 2 years of updates and their relationship with Google doesn't seem to be as strong as Samsung's. 

[AkronsWitness]

On 10/18/2023 at 9:40 AM, rickyt31 said:

Trying to pick between the Google Pro 8, Samsung s23 Ultra, or Sony Xperia 5 V. I run everything off of Google and would easily pick the Sony, but they only get 2 years of updates and their relationship with Google doesn't seem to be as strong as Samsung's. 

I have the Pixel 8 Pro and so far its really good. The biggest selling point is obviously the tie in with everything Google, especially if you have Google Home/Nest devices. The camera system is also insane if you take a bunch of photos. The seemless/minimalism/speed of the UI because its 'stock android' Google software running on Google hardware is something I dont think I can every switch away from tbh. 

Everything is so clean, so fast, so snappy and no bloatware.

The only gripe I have with the entire phone as a whole is the charging/battery. Its not bad, its just not great. It hits the solid benchmark and doesnt do anything past that.

Edited October 26, 2023 by AkronsWitness

[rickyt31]

4 hours ago, AkronsWitness said:

I have the Pixel 8 Pro and so far its really good. The biggest selling point is obviously the tie in with everything Google, especially if you have Google Home/Nest devices. The camera system is also insane if you take a bunch of photos. The seemless/minimalism/speed of the UI because its 'stock android' Google software running on Google hardware is something I dont think I can every switch away from tbh. 

Everything is so clean, so fast, so snappy and no bloatware.

The only gripe I have with the entire phone as a whole is the charging/battery. Its not bad, its just not great. It hits the solid benchmark and doesnt do anything past that.

Thanks for the response! 

 

I'm pretty much down to Google and Sony now. Google is in the lead. Sony is only up because of the camera features.  I'll likely get the 8 pro or Fold. 

 

They don't offer it in the US, but the Honor phone in China is crazy.  They even partnered with IMAX. 

[BobbyPhil1781]

Is this considered technology? Kinda.... maybe?

Impressive nonetheless. Good grief!

 

[Tugboat]

2 hours ago, BobbyPhil1781 said:

Is this considered technology? Kinda.... maybe?

Impressive nonetheless. Good grief!

 

Now post the one with that ****ty piece of vaporware trying to do "offroading" while a bunch of random old Jeeps and Range Rovers have to drive around it because it's stuck and in the way.

[naptownskinsfan]

Got a great deal on a Garmin Fenix 7, and it blows the Apple Watch out of the water.  As I am getting serious with running, this is going to be a big game-changer.  

Apple still does apps better than all.  But I rarely used the watch apps anyway.