On the GNC podcast #238 Angelo’s Time Warner situation was briefly discussed. Basically he moved across town into a new home and experienced a dramatic loss in connectivity speeds with his Time Warner Roadrunner Cable service. The worst part was the pathetic customer service he received. You can find the whole story and what he ended up doing on his blog. [link] I hope he gets some compensation for the insanity he was put through.
Road Runner Debacle
Posted by geeknews at 1:30 PM on January 30, 2007Posted in Technical
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HP TouchSmart PC revealed at Bloghaus
Posted by geeknews at 9:22 PM on January 7, 2007I will be bringing you some pictures and video later on this new device. All I can say it is beautiful. Stand by for more information.
Quick Picture Video Coming Shortly
Rendering Video with Final Cut Pro and need some help!
Posted by geeknews at 8:01 PM on January 7, 2007I do have a few observations here at CES getting Video Rendered is proving to be time consuming beyond belief as we expected. I have no problem getting the projects ready for rendering but I really would like to batch the renderings to process while I am asleep at night. I am using Final Cut Express so I am not sure if the version supports it but you Mac masters out there find me a solution and you will get a big warm hug. geeknews@gmail.com
My EV-DO Amplifier Experience
Posted by todd at 1:45 AM on December 10, 2006For about a year now I have had a Sprint EV-DO card that has worked well in all of the locations that I find myself in. But recently I changed offices which moved me from a outer wall in a building with few windows to inner office. I knew I was in trouble when the guys desk I was taking over for told me that if I wanted my cell to work I would have to place it about 20 feet from my desk on top of a cabinet.
Obviously when I plugged in my EV-DO card at my new desk the signal was non existent even though I had perfect reception at my old desk that was less than 30 feet away along with a couple of walls.
I started hunting online for an external Antenna and Amplifier solution. The more I looked the more I become concerned when I found many sites that sold Antennas and Amplifiers did not have a customer support line. With the price of most solutions just under $250.00 I wanted to talk to someone that had a clue.
I finally found one company that had a responsive customer, and a warm body I could call with any questions I may have. Ultimately I ordered a amplifier and antenna from Gordon over at Maximum Signal. Gordon was very helpful and the kit I purchased really did the trick and I have a usable EV-DO card again.
The amplifier – antenna combo raised my signal from like -110 to -85 db it’s not perfect but it’s better than not working at all.
Meanwhile I am hoping Sprint looks at the building and installs a commercial amplifier in it so that our cell phones will work. It really sucks in this day and age to be in a location where the thickness of the walls kill the mobile coverage.
If you need a solution that works I highly recommend using the folks at Maximum Signal!
I will have more to say though about a couple of popular EV-DO sites that I have some serious concerns about in their site information and sales transparency.
Laptop Blows up at Airport!
Posted by geeknews at 12:04 PM on September 18, 2006Update: I have gotten some info that this is a hoax.
I can almost guarantee you that there will be a ban on using Laptops in Airplanes happening very soon. Some airlines have already banned the use of Dell and Apple computers in-flight. The latest laptop to blow up was a Thinkpad and I am sure if it had a Sony battery in it that it will be added to the list of banned devices used at 35,000 feet. [Engadget]
Using Sprint EVDO on the Fringe!
Posted by geeknews at 9:36 PM on September 5, 2006My moms house is 13 miles from the closest town were most of the major cellular services work. My mom business uses Verizon Wireless phones which is the only service that works reliably here at the house. I have a T-Mobile and Sprint cell phone in my pocket and neither of them even register a single bar of signal level. In order to get my VoiceMail I have to dial in via a land line or go to the second floor of the house and hang out a window.
Yesterday on a whim I plugged in my Sprint EVDO card into my computer and tried connecting to the sprint wireless network, even though their was no signal on the card it connected. I about fell out of my chair. Well it turns out that if I sit at the kitchen table which is next to a window the PCMCIA card will connect to sprint. I am getting transfer speeds that are a little slower than dial up.
To give you a idea my moms home is on a dirt road and will likely never get broadband via cable I doubt ADSL service will ever be available as well. This has made me realize that someday when Sprint and Verizon get their act together and get 3G or next gen wireless broadband speeds deployed to rural areas via their cell towers people like my mom will be able to get connectivity.
I have always told my parents that I would love to live in this area, we have land to build on but with no broadband there is no way I could operate my business. There is a huge untapped market of people here that are stuck on dial up in a broadband world.
Honestly I am pretty shocked that my EVDO service with Sprint works at this point even though it is at dial up speeds. The Samsung Sprint cell phone I am reviewing has no signal at all. I suspect if I stood on the roof I might get a signal with the handset. It is obvious that the antenna on the PCMCIA card is better.
I should have brought my wireless router that I can plug my EVDO card into as I would have tied it down on top of my dads 3 story barn to get a better line of site connection. Hey Sprint I would be happy to give you some land to put a tower up here at my moms place if you will give her free 3G broadband access as long as you have a tower here. Until then I guess I will have to deal with less than dial up speeds.
Getting Revenge on a Crashed Hard Disk Drive
Posted by geeknews at 4:20 AM on August 17, 2006Lost some data from a crashed hard drive… We all have been there and if you haven’t you will (back up daily) but when it does happen to you and you get done screaming and crying you can always do this. [Extreme Tech]
