Do you have a tablet computer?  Do you consider it a fast computer, for a tablet?  Trying to creep one up on other brands, tablet computers are trying to improve on any small thing to get the edge.  Speed of a tablet, or any computer, is important in this super-fast “no time to wait” world.

With the arrival of the iPad 2 and other tablets like the XOOM, speed just might be one thing a non-brand loyal customer would look at before buying.  The Motorola XOOM isn’t exactly the same as the iPad, out with it’s version 2, but when the price is the same, what sets these tablets apart?

Did you see the video test of page-loading times between the iPad 2 and the XOOM, posted online by CNET?  With the pages loading very, very fast it was a close call, but the XOOM took home the blue ribbon in that category.  But will that keep people from buying the second generation Apple Tablet?  Not likely, in fact, most in the industry would believe that the XOOM won’t be able to keep up with the Apple products that are holding on to a large part of the tablet market share.

Don’t get me wrong, the iPad 2 was faster than other tablets, it just couldn’t beat out hte XOOM in web page loading speed.  That doesn’t really say a whole lot, since each one has their own benefits.  The poll on the CNET site asks if users are surprised by the results and 75% said “no”, at the time of this post.  Maybe some people think that because a product came from Apple that it must just be the best.

What do you think?

Super Talent USB Flash Drives are coming to a store near you and no, you will not have to pay extra just because of the super fast transfer speeds.  The “Express Duo” is the newest flash drive from Super Talent and the price point is very nice on your wallet.  For only $14 you can get a USB 3.0 flash drive and enjoy the luxury for a little bit less than expected.

At 8GB of storage and about 67/MBs, the Express Duo is pretty fast for an expensive flash drive.  If you are all about large file transfers for work, or play, there isn’t any reason you won’t want  a couple of these around.  The 16GB version is also available for about $30.

What is the best price?

Well, the Super Talent products are about $15 less than other 16GB versions found at large electronics websites.  You are saving with ease and a product like this makes it more obvious that price comparison shopping is where it’s at.  Load up on these bad boys and enjoy speedy file transfers and plenty of space for backup if needed.

**The reasons I give in this post are based on things that I think are important when owning one or the other, you opinions may vary from mine and that is fine, let me know about them in the comments section!**

Flat screen televisions are popping up all over the place and the prices are coming down faster than Tiger’s ex-wife with a 9 iron.  You cannot get enough information about flat panel tv’s with all of the brands, cable options, contrast ratios, sizes, colors and HD-ness.  It sure makes it hard to come up with a conclusion that will make your family happy for years to come.  We know that the new televisions are NOT going to last as long as the old 2-ton console tv’s we are used to, but I really wanted to weigh in on the reasons I would choose a flat panel tv over an HD projector for my first HD experience.

Reasons I Like a Flat Panel Television Over a Projector

1. I feel like I have more options, at a better price when it comes to picture quality with a flat panel tv.  With a projector, no matter the brand, there are a ton of outside influences on the quality of picture and overall experience.
   The projector is effected by setup.  You have to know the right viewing distance, surface to project on and lighting in the room to get the best optimal experience.
2. With a flat panel tv you really need less room to enjoy the experience.  The whole purpose of the flat panel is to take up less room.  Now, if you are a lucky person that picked up the Mitsubishi 82″, then your room might have to be a bit larger than normal.  But if you are like most, your averaged size living room will do just fine with a 40″-55″ television.
   With a projector, if you want to see a 100+ inch screen (which is awesome by the way) you are going to need plenty of room just for that.  This means the possibility of using up one whole room in the house, or a section of your basement just for home theater purposes.  This can get a bit pricey in that you are either customizing a room or losing space in your home, such as additional bedroom or den.
3. The setting up of additional equipment can be a bit easier with a flat panel.  Most Blu Ray disc players, xBox360′s, cable boxes or surround sound is located right under the TV.  With a projector, it is typically setup behind you and all the above listed equipment is setup there too.  Now, try changing the settings with your remote.  Of course, you’ll have to reach behind you to do so.  That makes things less enjoyable in my opinion.

I know there aren’t as many people, average people, that have a projector setup, but there are some that went that route because they have the extra room.  Even still, I think that for your money (now) you can get a much better overall theater type high definition experience going with a quality flat panel television.  When you finally win the lottery or somehow can afford to purchase another television, maybe take a look at some of the HD projectors as an option.

As far as being the first time you upgrade from your 27″ squealing box tv, I would upgrade right to an easy-to-use flat panel that you can find just about anywhere.

So, Amazon has the Kindle and now Barnes & Noble has the nook. A wireless ebook reader that is strikingly similar to the Kindle. I went to barnesandnoble.com to check this thing out and I wanted to put some of the features here today. Since I do not plan to buy this item, I will just post what information I see on the site.

First, let’s take a look at the appearance

I must say that it really does look a lot like the Kindle by Amazon, but then I realized, how much different does it HAVE to look? It’s a slim item about the size of a book (7.7″ x 4.9″ x 0.5″ to be exact), that is lightweight (11.2 ounces) and super easy to handle. I guess the appearance could resemble a book in more ways than one, but since it is a technology toy, I expect a sleek look at best.

Wireless

Apparently the download time is in the seconds. The Nook is hook to free wireless via AT&T and that is a 3G network, so in my opinion is most likely a fair estimate. With a color touch-screen that is 3.5″ wide allows for one touch control and navigation. Swiping your finger across the screen will “flip” through your library of full-color book covers.

The display is easy on your eyes in the sun or inside your home and you can adjust the font size for easier ready and to keep the headaches to a minimum.

Storage

The Nook comes with 2GB, or about 1500 books worth, of storage and can be expanded via microSD slot. These days you can get SD cards up to 16GB, so that would be an additional 17,500 books!

Audio

Audio is supplied by a built-in mono speaker and since the Nook serves as an MP3 player, you can listen to audio books as well. Universal 3.5mm stereo headphone jack is included.

Battery

The Nook uses such little battery juice, you can actually read for about 10 days before having to recharge. And that only takes a cool 3.5 hours from wall outlets. Now if you have the wireless in the ON position you won’t be able to go quite as long, but let’s just say that if you were trapped in a cave with your Nook, you could at least read for 7 days before the battery dies out.

Today I was reading the tech.msn.com site and see they have a list of the 10 Most Extreme Laptops and thought I would share them with you. I will post the name & extreme spec and give my 2 cents on the whole deal.  (PC World)

Dell Adamo XPS

• Coming soon
• Price unknown
• .40-inch thickness

I think this laptop is crazy thin. Pretty soon laptops are going to be actual sheets of paper and you will be able to just roll them up and stick them into your pockets. You can expect to pay over $1500 for this laptop, but if you want the thinnest of the thin, just wait another 6 months, another one will be made.

Sony Vaio X

• Available Nov. 2009
• Priced at $1300 and up
• Weighs only 1.6 pounds with battery

Lightweight is good when you have to lug a laptop all over the place in your daily job. 1.6 pounds WITH battery is nice. It only has an 11-inch screen, but that seems to be the trend these days with the netbooks gaining popularity, etc.

HP Pavilion HDX Dragon

• Discontinued, but check ebay
• Over $2,000
• 20.1-inch screen

Yes, this gem is discontinued, but I am sure you can still find them on ebay. With a 20.1 inch screen, this is one of the largest laptop screens around. Naturally, with a screen so large, it will weigh more (about 15 pounds), but if you don’t have to move it much, it’s worth it. 4GB of RAM and TWO 160GB HD, this thing is a computing all-star.

Dell XPS M2010

• Limited availability, check for refurbs
• Under $1,000
• 18.30 pounds

Well, we can easily see why this “laptop” isn’t around much anymore. The thing is just an ultra-portable desktop in a sense. You are getting a 20.1-inch screen again and a ton of computing power, but I really don’t see the desirable spec on this one.

Eurocom D901C Phantom-X

• Available now
• $5900+
• 133 score in Worldbench 6

The specs on this thing are insane even for a laptop. 8GB of RAM, 2 solid-state 80GB HD, one 320GB traditional HD, nVidia 9800M GTX graphics card and a 3GHz Xeon Quad Core X3370 processor. The WorldBench 6 speed champion here is super fast and only weighs 9 pounds, not bad and cheap!

Alienware M17x (European Model)

• Available in Europe
• $3,000+
• TWO 500GB hard drives

What could you do with TWO, yes TWO, 500GB hard drives in your LAPTOP? Just about anything you want. Don’t have to worry about every filling those bad boys up with music, photos, games or whatever you download. The optional TV Tuner and BluRay drive is a sweet deal as well, although the battery life is only about 3 hours.

Toshiba Portege r600-ST4203

• Available now
• $3,500
• 512GB solid-state drive

Now you are getting into less moving parts on a laptop with the solid-state drives.  SSD can download faster and they are much more durable than regular HD.  12.1-inch screen is OK, but the built-in webcam is a nice touch.  All this fancy-ness for under 3 pounds.

Gyy

• Available in Europe
• $220
• First solar powered laptop

All fine and dandy for the Greenies out there, but what are you going to do with no sun, you ask?  Who cares, this thing is so slow you could make ten phone calls while you wait for your IM program to start up.  8-inch screen and only 128MB of RAM is nothing, you might as well look into a iPhone or something.

Lenovo ThinkPad X200

• Available now
• $999
• Eight hour battery life

I like the long battery life, but of course, most of the time you can plug in the laptop by then.  If you travel a lot, this might be an option for you.  12.1-inch screen 2.4GHz Core processor, 4GB RAM, fingerprint reader and weighs under 3 pounds.  I like this one a lot for the power and portability.

Umid M1

• Available now overseas
• $599
• 6.1×3.7×0.6 inches

I am not a fan at all.  I just don’t see why laptops have to be smaller.  What can’t they just be portable and pack some power and storage?  This thing is just a tad larger than a smartphone, so I wouldn’t see any advantage of having one.  Blah.

Eee PC 900HD

• Available now
• $250
• Cheapest around

Well, if you need something cheap, here it is.  Don’t forget that you get what you pay for, no matter what it is.  1GB of RAM, 160GB HD, 10GB of online storage, 8.9-inch screen and built in Wi-Fi.  Under 2.5 pounds and cheap, what more can you ask for?

Ego Bentley

• Available now
• $19,943
• Over the top price tag

Will you take a look at this thing?  What a crappy laptop, unless you live in Beverly Hills of course.  I would hate to see ANYONE with something like this.  If you buy a laptop like this you are not even into using a computer.  It’s all about looks, check the name, but it does have a 12-inch screen, 160GB HD, 2GB of RAM, webcam, Wi-Fi and more.  Weighs in at only 6 pounds, it might be lighter than most handbags woman carry around.

MacBook Air

• Available now
• $1499+
• Droolicious

The MacBook Air is quite stunning and there is a lot of hype online about this laptop.  I have never owned a Mac, but if you are serious about something hot-to-trot and portable, this one is for you.  The price is very reasonable considering the specs.  13.3 LED screen, 1.86GHz, 128SSD, 2GB of RAM, nVidia GeForce 9400M and iSight webcam, just to name a few.