Review of the Roku Box from Netgear!

     This my attempt to review the new Roku box's available at some local retail stores and online as well.

Roku's WebSite

Scripted MacMini Dilema Support

It's been just about over 2 years since I made the leap to a Mac (Mac-Mini) after getting tired of having to diagnose and re-diagnose mostly software conflicts in my previously owned PC's. All I wanted to do is really get some work done on my computer and have it work when I needed it to do so in an application. Many will say that any and all issues can be addressed with the PC if directed to the right place but who exactly knows what that means after all I'm no newbie at this. I have been involved in electronics since 1975 and personal computers since they first starting appearing as toys on the market, yes toys not taken seriously. So looking at the specifications of the Mac-Mini and its ability to use MS Windows OS as well to make the transition easier, I made the leap at a relatively low cost (almost, less then $1k and thats without a monitor). I was surprised to see that this ignored computer by most was really quite good and very functional and a whole new world opened up for me in computer use. Mind you I had tried previous versions of the Apple computers in the past but none seemed to satisfy my need or hunger as a enthusiast in electronics to own, let alone the pricing of this very poorly market supported device (little software and or games). Many will recall and even today just how few software title there are for the Mac as compared to the PC's but quantity doesn't always transform to usability or stability. The PC compatible Microsoft OS based realm was (and still is) unstable at the very least but it is getting better. Most enterprises still use PC's and there preferred OS from Microsoft so they will not disappear anytime soon but they suffered in the last few years this and other flaws.

I made sure that my newly purchased memory matched the specifications required (bus speed, type) and I also rechecked it through the 3rd parties online seller utility plus descriptions (supplier has a good reputation of supplying memory for all types of computers including many Mac's). The new OS recognized it, identified it and passed it in its pre-boot test process and OS. The only place where I saw that memory was not being recognized was in the "Activity Monitor" application built-into the OSX. It reported a total of 3GB for use, missing 1gb. The other day I called into Apple's support system to ask a very logical question about memory usage or recognition on my Mac Mini I upgraded to improve the performance. I saw no logical reason to believe it would not be recognized properly but that did not happen. What I got from Apple's support system at the other end was a scripted tech response locked down to illogical conclusions and useless chatter even though it was politely done. I explained that I went from 2GB of ram to 4GB and that the old and the new OSX recognized it as being there and functional (pre-boot testing). The representative still insisted that my Mac Mini model would not function or recognize anything higher then 2 gb but he was wrong. The 1GB, a major loss and what poor reflection on the claims of 64 bit performance advantages as described online at Apple's web site.

My newly installed memory is working somewhat properly with the exception of what I explained but I saw no real reason to believe the new memory was either bad, incompatible with the computer or the wrong type for it. The Apple representative refused to acknowledge the OS & devices acceptance of the hardware upgrade discounting it to be a fallacy or lie on my part. The last advise I got from Apple representative was to buy a newer Mac Mini or an Apple computer that would accept more memory, of course through Apple only with a pricy tag (bad economy, don't have money to waste besides my Mac is still good or maybe they just want to stop supporting it like my old IPhone 2G, phasing them out). I decided that I'm not going to spend any more money in another Apple product (for now) and it really puts into question whether or not I should even invest in the future in any Apple product if this is the approach they will take. It almost appears like an orphaned group of products being abandoned by Apple's hierarchy. Customer service is lacking a bit right now or support depends way too much on reading a scripted screen for support answers but I'm hopeful it will change and more experienced logical thinking staff are hired soon to answer the phones of serious customers with an IQ higher then a chimpanzee, we can only hope.

The new evolution of the Internet!

It has come finally to the attention of some of the media savvy or so called experts in technology to proclaim that an unavoidable clash between the cable providers and online streaming with the Internet will happen soon. I have for some time now been saying this conflict can't be avoided. We are in a time that our elected officials see the possibilities of this happening and the advent of future technologies on the web to produce what is not yet possible due to limiting red tape and binding crippling laws that they are now willing to change in order to allow the web services to grow (I hope so). Of course the company Blockbuster had a leg up on this at one time as opposed to NetFlix but we now know that this is no longer is the case. We should ask ourselves exactly why this happened and where was the geniuses of Blockbusters been while this was going on? Well it's pretty simple really they just did not want to see the needs of their consumers but rather the bottom dollar abusive practices that the car manufacturers have been doing for years and drove them to bankruptcy. When will they ever learn that the customer comes first and that a small percentage gain is more reliable in time then any fast action abusive financial practices these companies wish to do. I'm amazed by the longevity of some companies through hard times like IBM and others and despite their short fallings they still exists today rather then others who tried to get fast easy money at the expense of customers, you and me. So will they finally learn a lesson or will they continue to try to ream their customers for all they can? We will have to see just how stupid these so called talented CEO's do in the future especially in these hard times we are in today.

It isn't enough that some companies live in the past and wish to impose (sometimes by law) their antiquated practices by way of providing poor or limited services and or over charging us for it (by force), but they also now want to cripple the very technological advances that could propel the internet into a new evolutionary phase of existence for the better good of us all. The cell phone industry is also going this route and just about all media is hanging on for dear life as the Internet evolves into a consumer choice of services on demand or another cable provider that the consumers can control at their whim. If these companies would just get their fat heads out of their A holes and start thinking with reason they will see many opportunities that are available to gain their so called bottom dollar within reason, if they do not I'm sure the foreign markets will. Technology will not stand still and wait for a few mentally challenged CEO's in the industry to finally wake up, it will go on and evolve many services like it or not by the industries involved. Today Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter and others are the stars of the Industry but it may not be that way in the not too distant future especially if there are talented kids in a garage inventing the new hot services or items to come to light. After all didn't most of our now top dogs start out in one form or another that way? So I say to the industry now to start putting the consumer first and stop abusing them with higher and higher fees unjustly. Take a smaller steady percentage so that you may last longer in the tech world to come and make products and services that the consumers really want not like some of these crippled devices that exist today. It's within their grasps to do so, or not it's their choice.

VRPCWORLD 1st Podcast

Just the 1st of many videos/ podcasts so keep checking out the YouTube account at: http://www.youtube.com/vrpcworld

The Death of Cable TV!

Reading and listening to many of the news related articles in reference to the cable industries last attempts to stay alive within the new world order of the Internet revolution, has made me to imagine quite easily a world without Cable TV service at all. With net neutrality becoming a topic to discuss not only in our homes but now with our federal government agencies and elected officials, how it will affect the cable TV industry is a very scary topic for the industry or media to bring up at this time. You have to wonder how cable TV will be able to continue when so many people (and growing every moment) now more and more dependent on direct access to movies and shows on the internet when they want it and NOT from a cable TV channel line-up. The cell phone industries boom lately had a lot to do with the publics ever growing demand for more media intense content online. This puts the cell phone providers (and also Cable TV) in a corner of unexpected and uncontrolled data hunger from the public. It is in many ways directly related to Apple's unpredicted talented attempts to make cell phones & mobile devices used more with media friendly Internet apps but the home desktop use has largely been ignored and it's on the rise. This is largely due to the news medias lack off reporting on this not very well discussed or openly subject of the industry (what problem?).

The cable providers band aid cure (as we can see) are just imposing unwarranted data ceiling limits to the general public and making up excuses that they "just can't handle it". An industry that has been around so long and claim to be able to provide unsustainable speed performance most of the time to the consumers as reported just recently by the Federal government agencies that oversee them. Now Apple and in some parts Google's Android OS has created another surge in demand for content with their new product lines success. The Android OS is now powering up many cell phone devices and is on its way to becoming the de-facto OS for most tablets to come and who knows what else. The demand is great but the need to know by those involve in the industry on how to gouge their consumers inside this new world order is scary but they are working on it believe me. The consumer must be vigilant against this new form of consumer abuse within our new Internet world to come or the industry will have its way. The audio and video industry is learning how not to completely stifle the innovative leaps in technology, they need to so as well.

So do not be surprised if someday soon you see different packages from your cable providers making less emphasis on their Cable TV channel line-ups and more on phone services (cell also) and of course your direct line access to the Internet based services. We are all seeing how many home intended devices (TV's, Blue-ray players and more) are Internet friendly with built in and downloadable apps ready. At times, these devices are a bit too friendly for the cable industry to handle, but thats ok. They have cured it (at least they think so) with the "finger-in-the-dyke" analogy of hope and their data limit policies rammed down our throats.

REVIEW: Ipad's/ Epad's from China

Through the use of Ebay's listings to purchase many items (recommend it) and other sources you can find easily, you can get a cheap but useful IPad like device made in China. These touch tablets (EPad/ APad) are inexpensive to get, and fill in a hole left open by the fever to get an IPad when none are available through Apple's website or stores due to their shortages. Leave it to Apple's big shots to start a new wave of need and then not take advantage of it by making enough units. Most IPad owners lucky enough to get one are in the tech media with a few exceptions. I also found its small 7 inch footprint to be easier to handle for long periods of time in my hand(s).

I have found these units to be intriguing both in it's very low price and the features they both have. They both use the Android OS/ Firmware (1.7+) but customized by the manufacturer's with some limits that can be at times frustrating, not to mention some Chinese language references. Although they both include Google's Android Market app, neither one of them work properly getting stuck in the download process when an application is selected to download. The Apad at first did seem to work after clearing out cache & data stored on various Android applications through the settings/ application management utility but don't reset the device or you will loose this ability, some missing app or utility is wiped out in this process. The touch screen is just as good as most cell phones out there today with similar hardware and it takes getting used to. For the people who had their hearts set on getting an IPad knowing how well the IPhones worked, you are not going to enjoy these devices for they are not IPads but for the price it's not really so bad and serves a purpose. Many Youtube video reviews on these types of touch tablets from China, but beware many look alike models.


Having sparked my childhood curiosity of knowing what's inside and makes it work, I tore into my Epad to be surprised by the level of technology and design these so called CHEAP touch tablets have inside. It should really be no surprise to anyone this fact because most or our products are made overseas like china and they have the experience to do something like this but outside the US corporate control of over pricing and gauging the consumers. Most US based tech reviewers and so called experts do not have it in their interests to speak positively about these products preferring to convince us that our USA branded ones are better, you feel better paying for more I guess. There are exceptions to this tech media bias but they are few, so take care who's advice you believe before buying, they have hidden agendas and many times sponsors that encourage them to do this.

Google and Verizon go into bed to kill Net Neutrality!

Hearing all this news about Net Neutrality both online and in printed media (a dieing industry), forces me to touch upon a subject I have been addressing for some time especially with my ISP. Unrealistic data limits imposed by both cell phone carriers (5GB per month,really) and your ISP's (your cable provider usually like Comcast with 250GB limit per month) must be addressed and reflect the reality of today's situation. The reasons that so many online tech media buffs are in an uproar about this is because it affects them the most (using cell phones like a fat lady in a candy store) and they don't like it. I do not convict them from bringing this important subject to light on there shows or news articles, God knows someone has to do it with so many indifferent people unwilling to take action or point it out.

I have always said, since the advent of data limits by the carriers that the practice was unfair and also crippling to the video on demand or streaming industry which is just begining to flourish with innovations. These rules and practices stifle innovations in these industries and is a greedy power play by the carriers to earn more income at the expense of customer service trying to make a quick buck with no regard to their own stable financial futures. As an example, just take a look at our US auto industries plunders and their inevitable fall from the consumers confidence and support where they were forced to file for bankruptcy, mergers, and eliminating many product lines. The auto industry had to adapt to our current reality and seek out the help of the federal government with bailouts (and who knows what else) just to survive and so does the internet carrier companies before they become the GM's and Chrysler's. Consumers in the end is the primary force for success or failure so it's best not to screw with them. It's funny, there are laws currently enacted and several federal & state agencies suppose to protect us from these types of abuses, but they are either have an interest to keep quite and do nothing or they're too stupid to do the jobs they were hired to do (and may I note with expensive salaries to do so).

I enjoyed main street media (non techy) covering this topic like Countdown from MSNBC with Keith Olberman (hope spelling is right) but we all have to become involved and contact the FCC, FTC, the White house or anyone else with power to do something about this now before the axe falls on this subject. In the end it is up to us (the masses involved, the majority) to point this out and not to tolerate it, so get off that couch and do something about it now before you start getting zapped and regret it. By the way tech media critics, cell phone technology exists today and not in some imaginary future (will not mention critics or show but you know who you are) so this topic will effect all of us now even the few elite among us.