It was bound to happen. . . PowerBook lookalike

**spigidygak** · 10-22-2002, 02:21 AM

What better design company to do it than porsche? Anyhow, this company is being sold through best buy, so tempted to go check it out today. http://www.vprmatrix.com/products_notebook_200A5.asp

Very similar to the PB Ti. A lil' porkier all around and heavier by a pound. But screens are same size and resolution. Both have slot loading drives. One nice thing with the matrix is that it has 2 usb 2.0 and 2 firewire ports

But no integrated wireless, or at least it looks like it isn't. But damn, this is in my book as one of the best lookin windows lappies around town now. I think I might still prefer a pb ti though. . . could be close, hopefully the best buy near me will have one on display. . . . stay tuned.

**ribitch** · 10-22-2002, 04:23 AM

i prefer the all titanium look on he tibook. this seems to have a darker finish on the top interior portion (whn opened)

both are 802.11b ready

vpr - 10/100
powerbook - 10/100/1000

the vpr system is slightly bigger in all dimensions

vpr matrix - vga out
powerbook - dvi out

vpr runs windows xp
powerbook runs OS X

i would still take the powerook. OS X is just so much nicer to use than windows xp in my opinion.

**~~Cantacuzene~~** · 10-22-2002, 06:21 AM

Originally posted by ribitch
i would still take the powerook. OS X is just so much nicer to use than windows xp in my opinion.

I'm still trying to figure out how to run Neverwinter Nights and Medieval Total War on OSX. They run so easily on Windows XP.

**ribitch** · 10-22-2002, 07:11 PM

Originally posted by Cantacuzene

I'm still trying to figure out how to run Neverwinter Nights and Medieval Total War on OSX. They run so easily on Windows XP.

actually using virtual pc those can run on the powerbook, but not as well as the mattrix system.

The real question is, can the matrix laptop run Final Cut Pro 3? Or DVD Studio Pro? What about iTunes? Hell, I am having a hard enough time having my pc read a hfs disk. It just doesnt want to read it. Amazingly, my mac can read my pc's zip disks and floppies.

I am happy with a console for games. You can't run these types of apps on a console or windows machine. Guess i will keep my mac.

**LPMiller** · 10-22-2002, 08:21 PM

no one cares. Not if it means yet another lame mac/PC war.

**Bires** · 10-22-2002, 08:40 PM

Originally posted by ribitch
Amazingly, my mac can read my pc's zip disks and floppies.

How much did your floppy drive cost? Mine was $9.

**spigidygak** · 10-22-2002, 08:43 PM

Originally posted by ribitch

actually using virtual pc those can run on the powerbook, but not as well as the mattrix system.

The real question is, can the matrix laptop run Final Cut Pro 3? Or DVD Studio Pro? What about iTunes? Hell, I am having a hard enough time having my pc read a hfs disk. It just doesnt want to read it. Amazingly, my mac can read my pc's zip disks and floppies.

I am happy with a console for games. You can't run these types of apps on a console or windows machine. Guess i will keep my mac.

Actually I doubt vpc can run games. . . especially since most games these days require 3d cards and vpc doesn't support 3d cards as far as I am aware, which is the biggest weakness of vpc. About FCP3 and DVD studio pro. . . most people don't use those and if they did there is avid xpress which ain't too shabby, its no fcp and dvdsp though. And iTunes. . . I love it, but sometimes I like winamp more for its simplicity (*ahem* thats. . . 2.82 not 3.0 YOU HEAR ME NULLSOFT?!?!).

BTW, went to best buy today, they were sold out of these didn't even have the display model so I didn't get to check it out

. So still the Ti is first on my toy list

.

**spigidygak** · 10-22-2002, 08:46 PM

Originally posted by Bires

How much did your floppy drive cost? Mine was $9.

. . . the floppy is dead silly wabbit, heheh. You paid $9 too much, he he he.

*sigh* if only usb floppy drives weren't so much . . . would be nice "legacy" support for me ibook.

**Bires** · 10-22-2002, 09:13 PM

Originally posted by spigidygak
*sigh* if only usb floppy drives weren't so much . . . would be nice "legacy" support for me ibook.

exactly my point. As old and slow as the floppies are, most *normal* ppl still need them now and then, and I find it lame that apple charges you $60 for one.

**spigidygak** · 10-22-2002, 09:27 PM

Originally posted by Bires

exactly my point. As old and slow as the floppies are, most *normal* ppl still need them now and then, and I find it lame that apple charges you $60 for one.

actually apple charges $0 for them since they got none. . . and suprise I guess I'm not normal. Last time I used a floppy disk was uh

oh well it is nice to have around I think

.

**seqiro** · 10-22-2002, 11:38 PM

Originally posted by Bires

exactly my point. As old and slow as the floppies are, most *normal* ppl still need them now and then, and I find it lame that apple charges you $60 for one.

My PC has a floppy drive in it, but I don't think I've ever used it. I put it in there when I built the machine "just in case" but so far I haven't found a case.

Call me abnormal I guess.

**Tommy Boomfiger** · 10-23-2002, 12:01 AM

Originally posted by seqiro

My PC has a floppy drive in it, but I don't think I've ever used it. I put it in there when I built the machine "just in case" but so far I haven't found a case.

Call me abnormal I guess.

im in the same boat, i never use my floppy drive any more. but as far as all the people i personally know, im the only one who doesnt use floppies. even my sister who has a new imac uses floppies. and its the only standard in removable storage. until there becomes a new standard, the floppy isnt going away.

**seqiro** · 10-23-2002, 12:06 AM

Originally posted by Tommy Boomfiger
and its the only standard in removable storage. until there becomes a new standard, the floppy isnt going away.

I just use CD-RWs.

**Tommy Boomfiger** · 10-23-2002, 12:25 AM

Originally posted by seqiro

I just use CD-RWs.

as do i. and im trying to get my sister to see that too

. but the problem is that if you walk into any computer lab in a school or library you wont find a standard other than floppy. some might have zip drives but i have yet to see a library with a cd burner for public use. so for those of us without broadband have little recourse but to span those floppy disks

(update on my high speed connection: it took me 3 months to find out that SBC

cant provide us dsl. my house is 1300 feet from the place, cant think of the name, which is over by just 100 feet. which means my next door neighbor can get it but i cant. but heres the punchline- sbc wouldnt tell me this, they would just try to charge me for it, i had to find out from earthlink

)

**ribitch** · 10-23-2002, 04:13 AM

i didnt pay a dime for my USB superdisk/superdrive. it collects dust in my closet. The only need i had for it was to read floppies from a mavica we have at work, and to read a superdisk 1 time. I think it does a great job at sitting in my closet

the whole floppy issue is stupid in my opinion. Last I heard, intel is supposedly phasing out floppy support in new consumer motherboards. I have seen very few on the market though. The whole "well i still use floppies" arguement is kinda out dated. floppy usage has dropped dramatically. Have you seen the prices on floppy disks now? They are amazingly expensive.

spigidygak, you did get me on the VPC 3d graphics issue. It shows you how often i use vpc. I have the app installed, but never use it. The last time i did use it was when i was installing xp on it.

as i said before, i will stick with my mac. Maybe it doesnt play a majority of new games on the maket as of today, but i really dont give a rats ass. I expect more out of my computer than the ability to play a game at 200+ fps. Just my personal opinion though.

**Bires** · 10-23-2002, 07:58 AM

Originally posted by Bires
...As old and slow as the floppies are, most *normal* ppl still need them now and then...

Allow me to explain...

Most ppl on these boards have considerably more technological experitise than do the chattle out there still trying to figure out why their keyboard came shipped without an "any" key. You know this: you have to work with them. For these ppl, the floppy disk is THE medium for moving files, not CDRWs and not x-drives or ftp sites. In fact, many of the professors at the colleges in Southern Oregon prefer to have digital assignments turned in on floppies, rather than email-easier to sort out. So, for their sake, it bothers me that apple stopped installing floppy drives and occationaly offers them instead as a "great deal" *free upgrade.*

**mcs328** · 10-23-2002, 08:40 AM

Originally posted by Bires

Allow me to explain...

Most ppl on these boards have considerably more technological experitise than do the chattle out there still trying to figure out why their keyboard came shipped without an "any" key. You know this: you have to work with them. For these ppl, the floppy disk is THE medium for moving files, not CDRWs and not x-drives or ftp sites. In fact, many of the professors at the colleges in Southern Oregon prefer to have digital assignments turned in on floppies, rather than email-easier to sort out. So, for their sake, it bothers me that apple stopped installing floppy drives and occationaly offers them instead as a "great deal" *free upgrade.*

I agree. What's the point of looking for a burner or taking the time to burn your files onto a CD (CD-R or CD-RW) that can scratch up for a writing assignment that can perfectly fit onto a floppy disk. At least with a floppy disk, it has it's own protective casing (minus the occasional magnetic fields going around) and it's faster to save to or move files off and on from. Who the heck wants to open another program to burn the files...and which program should I be hunting for??? Nero, adaptec...etc? The answer for a while was the ZIP drive but then CD-burners essentially killed them off for large storage options.

I think for quick and easy file movement and portability, these USB thumbdrives are the way to go. Sadly I think they have the same failings as ZIP drives. Not all computers have a ZIP drive or FRONT accesible USB interface. Zip disks are way more expensive per disk than a floppy and these USB drives are pricey too. Floppies are going to be around for a few more years just b/c it's cheap and easy to user for the common Joe. CD's are cheap, large storage but more hassle to use/understand to the lay person who just wants to print out his weekly homework assignment.

**Merlin** · 10-23-2002, 09:55 AM

Windows seems to want to use floppies to create the much needed "Rescue Disks"

Rescue Disks my a$$. When you need them the only real solution is a clean install.

**ribitch** · 10-23-2002, 10:39 AM

Originally posted by Merlin
Windows seems to want to use floppies to create the much needed "Rescue Disks"

Rescue Disks my a$$. When you need them the only real solution is a clean install.

LOL, has anyone ever tried to install windows 95 off of floppies?

gotta love the floppy. If pc makers were smart, they would adopt a highspeed floppy drive or something that makes the process less cpu consuming.

**Merlin** · 10-23-2002, 11:43 AM

Originally posted by ribitch
...If pc makers were smart, they would adopt a highspeed floppy drive or something that makes the process less cpu consuming.

It really is surprising that this device was not really improved much over the past 15 years. You would figure that over time it would have been made faster etc.

**Bires** · 10-23-2002, 12:27 PM

The superdrives made nifty floppy drives because they wrote and read at about 8X faster than normal PC's floppies. Problem was not all floppies would like to be written faster, and the superdrives failed like drunk frat boys in a math class.

**LegendKiller** · 10-25-2002, 01:21 AM

Originally posted by ribitch

LOL, has anyone ever tried to install windows 95 off of floppies?

gotta love the floppy. If pc makers were smart, they would adopt a highspeed floppy drive or something that makes the process less cpu consuming.

1. Intel has NOT phased out floppies on any board, nor will they for a while.

2. They have NOT phased them out due to the ultra-large install base. Why alienate people and demand them to buy an external drive? Floppy doesn't harm anything.

3. Floppys are STILL very useful for BIOS upgrades and windows installs (2k 3rd party drives...anybody ever install off of a new SCSI HBA?). Upgrading your bios with some TSR's loaded is NOT smart.

Thats all I am going to say on this topic. Ribitch, who cares about what programs you have, what you run, or how you run them. Mac's are good because they are macs. PC's are good because they are PC's.

Hey, anybody have a Toyota? I hear Honda's suck.

LK

**ribitch** · 10-25-2002, 08:28 AM

heres some more stuff on it with a few shots of it

http://www.cnet.com/techtrends/0-601...65.html?tag=ld

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