Just for interest, whats the best techie thing you've bought?

jamtart6

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/e-port-replicator-latitude/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&sku=430-3113 e port replicator, turns my laptop into a desktop for work, then I have all my files on it to take it home to work at night. Have it connected to a 24" monitor at work - super!

Oh my goddd just found Logmein and GotomyPC thanks to this thread. I should have found this sooner!

isofa

Ohh interesting thread!

Probably everything I've been an early adopter in (something I don't do anymore!). First HP colour inkjet in the early 1990s along with my first Mac, Photoshop and PageMaker. I was producing documents and artwork for courses which no one could match outside the print industry, all from a desk in my house, with around £4000 worth of gear! (I worked very hard to save for the tech, running a small company during A levels). My degree tutors were using 386 PCs with some poor DOS "layout" program <snigger>.

First digital camera, around 1997, although hideous quality, was quite incredible. This was a serious turning point, I knew my days of SLR film would soon be over. Moved up to a PowerShot G2 as soon as it came on the market, I still have shots today in my photographic portfolio from that camera, a really awesome piece of kit at the time.

Current main digital camera, one of my favourite bits of "tech" – a Canon 40D. I'm forever amazed how its shutter can fire off 6.5 frames a second and record what seems like hundreds of frames in burst mode to a fast CF card.

First 15" Dell colour laptop around 1996 to 1997, hideously expensive, but lasted well, that was my first laptop too and for a while revolutionised the way I worked, but I prefer desktops today.

First 15" TFT desktop monitor, about 10 years ago, cost an arm and a leg if I remember rightly – I then stumped up for two 17" as soon as they appeared, they might have cost nearly £1000 each, but well worth it, both are still in use today, that's a good investment in my eyes.

Best long term piece of tech, broadband internet connection – how could we live without it?

Photoshop would be my other choice, I've been using it since v2, and just couldn't live without it, it's my killer app.

Mobiles, sat nav and the like, although I have these ubiquitous pieces of "tech", I could easily live without both: sat nav I find only useful in unfamiliar town centres, the rest of the route is easy to map read, and mobiles are as much magic as they are a curse!

cmatt360

tee - i don't pay o2 for iphone tethering at all ;)

and i would NEVER pay for remote desktop usage... i have a pc with no-ip client installed on it - and a router that port forwards the remote desktop port to my PC.
:beer:

cmatt360

anewhope wrote: »

The construction of their products is second to none. Nothing by Orange has ever left me with the feeling that it's mass produced with little regard. The cabs can take a good battering too, although I do keep my gear in aluminium flight cases for transporting around, they get a bit knocked about in the back of the old Land Rover Defender I use for pottering around in

The necks on Ibanez guitars are really fast, ones that I'd take the action right down low to the cusp of it causing some fret buzz



That looks really interesting, let us know how you get one when you've had a good play with it!

I have a grande punto as my wheeelz I had a 350w hartke amp in it back when i played bass... AND a marshall.... that was a good gig too actually

i entrust the chap doing it - and it is free except parts.

Taffybiker

anewhope wrote: »

That looks really interesting, let us know how you get one when you've had a good play with it!

As promised: re Vocalist Live 2
Opening the box, my first impression was that it certainly seemed to be tough enough for gigging. It had a look and feel of quality about it, but was smaller than I imagined it to be.
The manual showed a few common setups - I naturally chose the one most suited to my gear. I plugged in the mic and guitar, then both guitar thru and mic output to my PA. I switched off all effects on the PA mic channel. I do not use guitar effects pedals but these can be connected between the guitar thru socket and the PA.
All connected, I switched on, and set the four rotary controls to halfway. Holding the left footswitch down for 2 seconds activates the guitar tuner. I found this to be sensitive and accurate. While the tuner is active, the guitar thru output is muted - very handy for checking tuning accuracy between numbers.
The venue was still empty so I thought I'd try a number or two. The harmony was pitch perfect but too overpowering, so I tweaked the harmony mix control. It did take a bit of experimentation to get the settings right but it is time well spent. The sound went from ok to good, then to even better. I decided in the end that for me Unison 2 and a 3rd above were the effects I wanted.
Apart from being used for the tuner, the left footswitch acts like the effects pedal of the PA, switching the reverb, compressor and enhance functions on or off simultaneously. These need to be preset to your preferences in the same way as the PA reverb/echo control would be. The right footswitch turns the harmony on and off, great for harmony just during the chorus for example.

On the negative side, the LED's indicating the state of the footswitches cannot be clearly seen unless I look down at my feet. It is also not possible to switch between harmonies using a footswitch, and that means bending down if a different harmony style is required.

Overall, I am glad I bought it. Once the settings are adjusted correctly the results are quite impressive. I would rate this gadget 9/10, losing one point for the minor niggles mentioned above.

Any questions or further information please PM me.

gjchester

cmatt360 wrote: »

and i would NEVER pay for remote desktop usage... i have a pc with no-ip client installed on it - and a router that port forwards the remote desktop port to my PC.
:beer:

Log Me In do various levels of package including Free. Limits you to 5 PC's but great for parent support when they are 100's of miles away.

I can also control mum's PC from my phone if need be as they have a Windows CE client..

cmatt360

gjchester wrote: »

Log Me In do various levels of package including Free. Limits you to 5 PC's but great for parent support when they are 100's of miles away.

I can also control mum's PC from my phone if need be as they have a Windows CE client..

for mumsie tech support i use: http://www.crossloop.com/

Which is similar idea - repackaged vnc client/server

Leopard

"Just for interest, whats the best techie thing you've bought?"


For the reasons explained in an earlier thread, my Junghans Mega Solar watch.

It's powered by light, it synchs by radio to an atomic clock and it's outstandingly and discreetly elegant.

For ten years it has kept split-second accuracy, adjusted itself for Daylight Saving, leap years and leap seconds and has been entirely self-sufficient for energy.

What it does and how it does it is utter perfection in concept, design, manufacture and execution.

savemoney

Without doubt my 2nd Humax 9200 PVR having already got the 8000 single tuner version

I got it within a month or so of them coming on market uses it every day and its a damn God send and now I watch what I want and not have to put up with garbage on tv

We now have 2 X 9200's, 1x8000 (around 6 years old now), and one Humax freesat+ HDR box

epz_2

for me its a toss ub between a tom tom (used to use it a LOT but it hasnt been turned on in a year) and what i got a as a "netbook" namly a toshiba R400, it cost about the same as a high spec netbook but is a tablet with a real cpu.