December 04, 2008
Death of Dell
I used to be a big fan of build it yourself white box computers. I stopped being a fan as it became more difficult to find quality, compatible and quiet components. Dell picked up the ball for me at that point. They offered fully customizable machines in a wide variety of configurations which were inexpensive, well designed, quiet and came with a warranty. Unfortunately they've gone backwards. For quite some time I've been completely unable to configure a computer I want at Dell. One of the big sticking points seems to be the monitor. I can't seem to get the Dell LCD I want with the computer I want. I don't know why Dell would limit options so much in this area as the products are completely independent and ship in separate boxes even. I've know that there are issues with Dell quality, especially on the lower end and consumer lines and that their support is abysmal, but its better than nothing. Whats more surprising is that Apple has several computers with configurations I want, even though they have next to no options. If Dell can't come through I guess I'm going back to building my own or switching over to Apple for my next desktop.
November 28, 2008
Another Round of Test Drives
As the lease came do on my Accord it was time to start shopping for a replacement. I really liked my Accord so I looked at the new Accord and while it's been "completely redesigned" it seems like a pretty incremental improvement. The interior however is a huge disappointment, I'm pretty much repelled by it. Seeing that my current Accord's interior was a big selling point, it's certainly gone backwards with button overload, poor design and cheap looking plastic components. I started looking at some of the alternatives. A diesel is something I was keenly interested in. I drove the 2009 Jetta TDI with DSG transmission and loved it. Felt very powerful, excellent handling and pretty full of features. However a couple things made me hesitant. First you can't order it with power seats or auto-climate control, second the price was quite high and nearly the same as a fully loaded Accord. High demand for the new model meant the price is pretty non-negotiable. The projected fuel savings would be about $1000/year though. I looked at purchasing it in the US to knock the price down, the retreat of the Canadian dollar put the final nail in that coffin. I drove a Ford Fusion, mainly because you can get it very well loaded with SYNC and AWD, it was pretty bland all around and a new model was on the way. I tried a Nissan Altima, very nice car, don't like the CVT transmission. That ruled out any hybrid options. The economy dropped the option of leasing or financing many cars, that was the death blow to the Malibu. I looked at the Toyota Camry too, pretty good, but nothing really makes it stands out, I would probably stick with the Accord over the Camry. Drove a Toyota RAV4, it has a rated economy similar to the Accord. It drove quite nicely and would be a nice vehicle, but just wasn't really interesting or the right fit. Next tried the new revision of the Mazda 6. I really liked the previous Mazda 6, it was my second choice to the Accord so I had high hopes for this major redesign. It started looking bad as the details emerged, larger engine, larger car, both opposite of what I'd really like. I went over to the dealership I had good luck at the last time. Could not get service. Stood around, walked around, looked at each and every salesman and person there, nothing. Asked the receptionist for help, she called for someone, no-one came. The manager eventually came out to help, but he was new and could do nothing, so he gave me the keys and let me sit in the car alone. After another long wait a salesman finally was free and gave me a plate to drive the car. He took the time to explain the features like the auto-unlocking door, but not how to start the car or put it into gear, both things I found extremely difficult to figure out. The end result, nice enough car, has some draw backs though. Those fancy electronic features don't seem to work that well or at all, simple refinements are lacking. The one memorable downside, a huge trunk, but tiny opening, good luck getting anything in there. Looked at some used cars from Lexus, Acura, Infiniti and the like, nothing really stood out as something I wanted. Subaru's looked interesting but the price jumps exponentially with options. Starting looking at the VW options a little more since I liked the Jetta so much. The Tiguan looked nice, but not quite right. The Passat looked very nice. You can get it with AWD and its very similar to the Jetta, about a foot longer, but the same in most other dimension, mechanics and options, just dressed up a little nicer. Went over to the dealer to drive one, they didn't have much in stock but they had a used V6 for me to drive, or so I thought. Somehow that V6 model ended up being a 2.0T model. It was a happy accident as I really enjoyed the smaller engine, plenty of pep and pull with the 6 speed tiptronic transmission. That made the Passat stick out a lot more as pretty much every configuration was now acceptable on my list. So I started looking through the used listings. Eventually I ended up narrowing down the acceptable configurations to not very many, but just enough to find what I was looking for.
Continue reading "Another Round of Test Drives"
The Perfect Shoelace?
It seems to me that by now we should have perfected a simple technology like shoelaces. Sure Velcro is supposed to be the replacement, but who wants that. Why is it that it is still hit and miss to get shoelaces that work great. Ones that hold, don't need constant re-tying, that don't break or fray. You get a pair of shoes with laces work just great and then the next pair of shoes has something completely useless again, what gives?
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