Optimize PS4 Link on PS Vita PS TV, Vita TV Fix PS4 Connection Speed

As I read about the "PS4 Link" function the PS Vita has I noticed that people had widely varying experiences with it; Kotaku wrote they couldn't play beyond their coach with it while others were saying they were playing perfectly in different states and even over LTE!

The varied experiences with the PS4 Link got me thinking that there must be some networking issues that is preventing useful streaming within Kotaku's and other peoples own wifi network. I started with a $14 piece of shit wireless n-router that has one external but non removable antenna located in the garden level office of my house a PS4 in the theater on the ground level, and my bedroom which is on the opposite side of the house 3 levels away (my house sounds huge when I describe it lol).

At first I had the same experience as Kotaku and others were reporting with "next gen" pixels and dropped connections.  I slowly went through the issues until I more or less fixed the issue with maybe one or two slow-downs and no drops anywhere in my house.

I first wired the PS4 and noticed some slight gains, but the internet connection test on the PS4 still yielded about 3mbps down and .5mbps up on a 50/15 connection wired directly to the router with Cat6.  This obviously meant something was wrong.

After exploring that I decided packets were being fragmented with just the PS4 connecting to the internet.  I used this method here: http://www.dslreports.com/faq/5793  .  Then I began to really mentally explore the issues and having a large MTU setting may be effective for maximizing throughput but we need to minimize lag and dropped packets. After I changed the MTU setting I found my internet speed through the PS4 was about 20mbps down 4mbps up.  Still not perfect and I'm sure Sony has to fix something but much better. 

This then brought me to optimize the wireless network settings along the same line.  Here are the best settings I've found thus far to ensure a great PS4 Link connection: 

1. MTU Settings have to be changed to 1152 (which is double the Ethernet minimum of 576) on the PS4, PS3, router, and PS Vita. 
2. RTS should be set to 144 or 288 (all multiples of 576 to reduce router processing time) (on the router)
1. RTS is the minimum packet size to send.  By setting this number low you can send quick controller responses without waiting for more data before your response is sent.  I'm going to try this on 1 and see if its better.
3. Fragmentation Threshold can be set to 1152.  (you can use 576 if you're getting next gen pixels or dropped data bit better for lag and ensuring packets don't get dropped or corrupted, 1152 is best for streaming)  (on the router).  I use 1152 it seems like the picture is better but perhaps its slightly twitchier if that makes sense in a game like Assasin Creed 4.  This is basically the maximum packet size to be sent over wifi.  (and RTS is the minimum).  We don't want to limit this to MTU size and perhaps cut it down to smaller packets if you want to have a more stable input experience.  This is because large packets optimize for bandwidth at the expense of responsiveness.  
4. If you have spotty internet in places i.e. you have dropped connections. I'd go 20/20 vs 20/40 

The router needs to be reset then the WAN DHCP should be released and renewed if applicable (in most broadband cases it is). If you have a stronger wifi conncection disabling "Connect directly to Vita" on the PS4 will result in a more stable connection; however, with a few more slowdowns.


For those interested I also changed but did not notice a direct fix for but may help:

1. WMM or QoS off on router.  This is because it introduces lag, unless you have a super router like a Nighthawk, in which case you'd want to test it both ways. 
2. I wired the PS4 directly to the router which resulted in less (no net) gains than anticipated.  Which led me to realize something was wrong.
1. It is a good idea to wire this though because you get full duplex communications and
1. at least less interference with the PS4 other internal radio
2. faster connections on 1gbps
3. perhaps two antennas devoted to remote direct connection. 
3. Moved the PS4 to the top rack of entertainment wedge.
4. Repositioned Router to enhance radio signals. 
1. Attempted to exchange WiFi antennas but found out external does not equal removable.  Sometimes I miss the 54gl 
5. A-MDSU (or whatever) off 
6. BG Protect mode off

Overall I went from not being able to play vita away from the vita to being able to play it well anywhere in my house, without spending a dollar more on a new router.  I likely will though its only so long you can use a 3 year old draft n $14 microcenter special. 

The colors on the vita really pop.  The OLED is as good as a good LCD TV.  This is the best mobile screen I've seen even better for its use than the beautiful ASUS 1080P S-LCD Pads.  The LCD has better black control but the oled is deeper black.  I think we need deeper color information for OLED.


Edit 2/10/2014:

• Check out how a nice router handles the PS4 Link with a Nighthawk
• IP Fragmentation is important to the PS4 Link Smoothness

Sony Sells 2.1 Million PS4's worldwide as of Dec. 3 2013

Sony has announced that it has sold 2.1 Million PS4 in the first few weeks of its launch.  This is not a true worldwide number as Japan and other market have not yet been released. 

Sony has expressed a goal of 3 million before 2014 and 5 million before Q2 2014.  These numbers are much more realistic than the announced 10 million vita's and they should get hit or broken. 

1080p Patches for PS4 - Do they help or hurt Xbox One?

Its been speculated that MSFT has had a hand in asking developers to not release games in 1080p 60hz for PS4 during the review phase.  I believe COD Ghosts and Assassins Creed 4 are used as examples.

The question is does it really help.  I'd say it doesn't.  Here's why.

I play a game for a few minutes then update it to the 1080p remix/patch, and then all the sudden I have a side by side comparison of 1080p vs 720p upscaled to 1080p.  And all the animated gifs in the world wouldn't be as demonstrative of the difference then running it thru the same audio hardware and display. 

To me I was shocked at the difference.  I thought I wouldn't be able to tell 1080p vs 720p upscaled to 1080p, boy was I wrong. 

On my 60" vizio the differences are clear.  Literally clear, the 1080p picture is just crisper and pops, where the 720p upscaled is kind of fuzzy. 

I wouldn't be writing this blog without that patch.  The gifs and youtube videos don't show the fidelity difference based on size and compression.  When you have it on a 60" tv in your face its clear.  The 1080p picture is noticeably clearer.   It's almost like you get a comparison of how much more performance you get with a PS4 on these third party launch games.

I got to say maybe they scored a few reviews where reviewers were claiming little differences in picture because the patches hadn't come out yet, but they showed the people the difference for themselves in a way a review couldn't because of the limitations of the medium. 

Its almost like holding a TF201 vs a TF700 a reviewer can say how clean the text is,  you can get close ups of the icons, but until you actually see it you understand the difference.  Its a small difference where the resolution becomes a non issue and you just see the data displayed without jagged lines, or in the case of the PS4 vs Xbox One you see the sharp clarity in detailed pictures vs a bit of a fuzziness/smoothing effect over everything especially roof details, foliage, etc.. 

PS Vita Push -- at Best Buy for 169

Sony is pushing the vita and PS4 synergistically with great use of "home cloud" based gaikai streaming aka "remote play".  The PS4 will render its games then stream it to the Vita which the user can play on the go or while the TV is in use, for example on Sundays.

This has reinvigorated the ~20 month old system which has been called by the NYT the best portable gaming system for adults.

Sony has also pushed back the release of the PS4 in Japan till 2014 and instead has released the PS Vita TV in Japan.  It is likely that this will make its way here.  Overall with price drops (NOW ON SALE AT BEST BUY FOR 169, YES I'M YELLING!) and interesting streaming options (which are NOT just limited to in-home wifi) Sony is making an interesting case for the Vita and I'd imagine will move quite a few units in the upcoming months.

Many PS4 and XBOX One games going for 49

Between Amazon and Wal-Mart you can procure almost every launch title for $49 a savings of approximately $11.  Wal-Mart also has Skylanders Swap Force Starter set for half off including for the PS4. 

These deals appear to be amongst the best for next gen gaming this black friday. 

Amazon $49:

• Call of Duty: Ghosts - PlayStation 4 
• Knack (PlayStation 4) (this game is underrated-- quite fun especially with kids)
• LEGO Marvel Super Heroes - PlayStation 4(incredible how well rated this game is)
• FIFA 14 - PlayStation 4
• Madden NFL 25 - PlayStation 4 (I've heard this is a bit unimpressive)

Wal-Mart $49:

• Assassins Creed 4 (the 1080p patch is quite noticeable, I didn't think it would be)
• KillZone Shadow Fall (very good, just played through it, nice story, good albeit hard environmental puzzles, interesting use of tech with OWL etc)
• Need For Speed Rivals (I haven't played this yet but I've heard its the best in series) 
• Skylander's Swap Force (PS4) 37.50 
• Battlefield 4  (haven't played all the way through but super smooth on the PS4, and very intense)

Asus Book T100 s on sale.

I've been noticing the new Baytrail Intel powered quad core Asus built windows 8 keyboard docking 2GB tablet has had some nice deals going for it.  I'll post here and try to get a review up to see if this beautiful piece of hardware has the unfortunate ASUS stutter that the T201 T300 T700 have had.

Sam's club has the 64gb version for 349.
Microsoft has a version for 299 from 11/28 to 12/02

New XBOX One Confirmed

Manufacturing sources in China have leaked and it has been confirmed a new version of the Xbox One is likely to hit the assembly lines early 2014.   This new version will likely cost the same, still include a kinect but upgrade the Xbox One internals to remove the memory bottleneck.  

I think the easiest way to see this realized is a straight upgrade of the system memory from DDR3 to GDDR5, though it might be a jump in ESRAM (less likely).

Wal-Mart Black Friday PS4 Times Released

Dualshocker has released the times additional Black Friday Advertised in Stock PS4s will be released:

"All the PS4 delivered had the USA code, which corresponds to Black Friday, and there are four different USA codes, corresponding to 8 PM, 10 PM (on Thanksgiving), Midnight and 6 AM [On Black Friday]"

Fix PS4 No Signal. Broken PS4

Check out your HDMI ports carefully there can be bits of metal that protrude into the HDMI cable which will strip pins and result in a "No Signal" on your TV. Source: http://kotaku.com/good-news-about-our-once-broken-ps4-1464813671

PS4 out of box update takes less than 5 minutes

I just updated the normal way on launch day and the servers were much faster than anticipated delivering the update in seconds with the majority of the time for the resetting.

New Nexus 7 taps Snapdragon S4 Pro to Good Reviews

The new Nexus 7 has utilized the Snapdragon S4 Pro and has shown to be a positive choice in the long term versus the Tegra 3 which had stuttering issues when built by ASUS.

Amazon Buy One Get One Free PS4 Pre-Order

If you have preordered a system from Amazon you should check your inbox for an exclusive promo to buy one game get one free. This is the best deal on next gen games yet. I've seen a few black friday ads but this is the best for PS4, next is the Buy two get one free any games at target XBONE included, finally I've seen Assasins Creed 4 by itself for 38 or so on next gen.

PS4 and XBOX ONE Video Games buy 2 get 1

The photo captures showing the Target Video Game Sale has proven to be true. I checked out Target today and they only have COD Ghosts Adventures as their only PS4 game. Amazon has followed suit but Amazon's sale starts tuesday with the code GR8TNESS. Buy 2 Get One Free

PS4 vs XBOX One / XBONE Hardware Overview

So in the past there has usually been a compute winner and a gaming system that's easier to develop on.  In the 8th generation of Video Game Systems we see a move toward x86 (Will ARM be a player here next gen?) sort of mini computers.  However, these are much more integrated leveraging its advantage over actual computers.

The PS4 utilizes low power but out of order optimized 8 core x86 which can apparently turbo to 3.6GHz.  The APU is integrated and shares a pool of 176GB/s GDDR5 Memory which in the past has only been used for video ram.  This cuts down on the need for RAM and will allow the system to compete against higher priced gaming computers.  At $399 the PS4 offers bang per buck with an optimized unified architecture and a 1156 shader Radeon GPU which has been optimized for tessellation and GPGPU.

The XBOX One is a lot like the PS4 but it lacks some deep level integration between the CPU and GPU in the APU, the parts are slightly less powerful, and it utilizes 32 MB of 107/GB/s  ESRAM.  I do not understand adding the ESRAM.  It is not enough to render a 1080p 24bit picture, the number should have been like 128MB or 512MB to not be a bottleneck.  The choice of 32MB for the ESRAM optimizes the Xbox One for 720p 16bit resolution since its not enough for 1080p.  The Xbox One also utilizes a similar AMD/ATI Radeon GPU but with 768 Shaders vs 1156. 

Xbox One opted for 8GB 68.4 GB/s DDR3 (vs GDDR5) which took one of the major advantages of the PS4 unified system and made it a disadvantage.  The Xbone GPU will also be gasping for RAM during graphical sprints. 

This is a pretty big step back for the XBOX One, however, the Original XBOX 360 didn't have a HDD and had some other small issues like overheating.  I would think Microsoft may upgrade the ESRAM or the DDR3 to GDDR5 in later versions.  This would help increase minimum frame rate and make it easier for later games to run at 1080p. 

In conclusion, I would have liked to see this generation run at 4k 60fps or upscale to them competently.  All is not that bad though we do have computers which can run that and the introduction of the 8th gen systems means we all will benefit from DirectX 11 visuals which has long been held at bay by the least common denominator.

EDIT UPDATE:  Sources from China have confirmed a "new" version of the XBOX ONE is in the works.  What's not confirmed is what's different.  Some have posited its the $349 version without a kinect but that doesn't seem to hold water as they would just ship the current version without a kinect.  The new version is a new Xbox One with modifications to the hardware hence "new" not just "re-bundled".    It is likely that this report confirms an Xbox One is in the works using GDDR5 to be built early next year.  

h100i quad fan push pull with SP120

I recently went with the h100i over an earlier corsair all-in-one, closed loop, water cooling system which performed well for years. The earlier h50 lasted about 3 years with an OG Core i7 running at 4.2Ghz. A task which it wasn't up to the task under full load with HT on. So I went to a push pull setup with different fans and it helped a lot but it was still noisy and would occasionally crash. This instability under full load led me to a larger all in one cooler that could run my i7 930 at 4.2GHz without a hiccup.

If your H100i doesn't seem to be controlling SP120 you should install the inline supplied SP120 voltage droppers.  For some reason this allows the h100i to have a much broader range of RPM variability and it will then sync all of the fan RPMs up to 1700 RPM which seems to be the reduced maximum.


Here's what I've found in traditional mark tech bullet format:

• Push Pull lowers idle temp about 5-7 C from stock intake setup on HAF
• Setting up the rear fan and case side fan to exhaust further dropped temperatures vs these being intakes as well as a top intake.
• I didn't measure front and bottom which also remain intakes.
• Expect another 2-3 C drop If you match fans on each side
• e.g. 2 SP120s on top, 2 Stock h100i on the bottom vs mismatched fan sets.
• You need to run the SP120s with the voltage droppers for them to match the rest of the H100i fans. 
• Otherwise they run in a very narrow rpm band around 1800-2000.
• With the voltage droppers the H100i will match RPMs between the fan sets nearly perfectly to 1700 rpm
• not utilizing the voltage droppers does not seem to significantly increase cooling performance.  maybe 2 C
• The SP120 voltage droppers allow the H100i to control the SP120 RPM
• 4.2GHz I7 on Push Pull H100i ~55GFLOPS
• quiet 37 idle 91max core reading Intel Burn Test extreme 8GB 10 runs
• balanced 32-33 idle 89 C max ,, ,,
• performance 86 C Max
• max 31-32 idle 84 C Max ,, ,,
• temp spikes seem to occur as the H100i catches up to a maximal load, however they never seem to get hot enough to cause concern in terms of stability.
• Arctic Silver 5 drops the temperature only a degree or so from OEM goo.

Amazon Has PS4 Pre-Orders Available Now.

PlayStation 4 Battlefield 4 Launch Day Bundle Available Now as of time of posting,  Update gone within hours but what a cool gift a launch day ps4.

Brazil Speaks out Against Pervasive USA IP Surveillance

Brazil has suggested that not only citizens who are not the subject of investigation not be subject to electronic profiling and data collection of medical records, credit records, emails, text messages, phone calls, criminal records, and everything else parsable, but that US Allied countries should not be subject to pervasive profiling and spying as well.   Google is helping the US out immensely with its aggregation and profiling already in place.

This speech was made to the UN immediately before Obama spoke. 

HTC to use S4 Pro, again.

HTC has tapped the S4 Pro once again, over the newer, slightly more powerful but same architecture S4 600 and 800.

It has been reported that this move is slated because of shortages of  newer Snapdragon S4 600 800.  While these new models were likely planned with the newer S4 chips the move showcases how powerful the S4 Pro was for it's time, and how it's still a modern mobile CPU.   

iPhone 5c Not Selling as Well as Expected

iPhone 5c not selling well?  Although it is clearly too early to say anything definitive, thats never stopped me from posting on the internet.  Ok so sources speaking on conditions of anonymity have suggested the iPhone 5c is not selling as well as anticipated, alluding to less than expected pre-orders and early sales.  However, the iPhone 5c is an international phone it will take some time for us to get good/official numbers. 

This may not be a condemnation of Apples product although it certainly didn't wow anyone with few new features introduced and a higher than anticipated base price, but rather an indicator the mobile phone space may be slowing down as we also saw the Galaxy 4s not sell to expectations either. 

iPhone 5S doesn't have "Console Quality Graphics" Despite Claims, Reviews off by >200%

I see splashed everywhere that the iPhone 5S has Console Quality Graphics.  I think this is based on clips that featured extremely quick cuts.  I'm not trying to be a "hater" but here's the thing, based on the numbers and power game the iPhone 5S won't and can't afford the power draw it would take to match the power hungry GPUs in consoles. 

If the A6 and A5X and A7 and A8 were actually as powerful as consoles (as claimed) we would see common benchmarks such as polygon fill across devices.  Even if it can support some of the same feature sets its not that impressive because the current generation of consoles is quite old, the PS4 will set a very high bar for "console graphics". 

If we go with 2x graphics performance 5s/5 claim than we can say Apple can do 150million triangles per second (offscreen 1080p) vs approximately 500million triangles/s for the Xbox 360.  We are getting close but the Apple pushes lots of pixels with constraints of a battery, and in the case of the PS3 the Cell does a lot of the graphical work. The GPU's in consoles also feature various special features including low level tessellation optimizations and such which isn't built into mobile GPUs. 

Is the iPhone 5c going to be better than the iPhone 5s

Possibly, if the "secure enclave" of the iPhone is actually some sort of hypervisor that takes up processing power.   In other words if there is an additional DRM layer there may be a performance penalty that equalizes the real world performance of the devices. 

Although the battery life on LTE will likely be better.  I'm not sure advanced gyro does much but track you more.  Unless you work out often the cost benefit of privacy of potential always on gyro may be unattractive.

New Transformer Infinity Revealed false/incomplete information here

The Transformer Infinity 2013 was revealed at computex 2013. I'm a bit late to the party and sketchy on the details but I feel that reflects my authority in the field.  Basically we are looking at 2GB RAM  Tegra 4 @1.9Ghz with 4k output for the infinity, 2500x1600 ips display (no mention if its Super-IPS that we all love). The dock has been updated with official SDXC (I recall you could work it) and a USB 3.0.  No mention if the poor NAND storage performance has been upgraded. 

there is also an intel variant (infinity book trio?) and an i7 variant for win8 both with 2gb and 64gb onboard.  With 11.6" IPS @ 1080p.

Here's Asus' Press Release which has other transformer related products as well.

Best DNA Rom

so far I'd have to say is Rage DNA Optimized Stock. This wakes up quick everything performs as it should. but faster and smoother.  Just scored 19133 antutu stock speeds.  Picture quality is excellent (although I am trying to confirm or find a larger file size/less compression mode). 

Check it out.  Looking forward to an optimized Stock based Sense 5 rom, come on verizon.

Verizon Wireless Rewards Mediocrity: Moto gets exclusive rights to Droid

The Recently announced Droid Ultra, Droid Maxx, Droid Mini, are the beginning of the end for other manufactures to market "Droid" devices.  The devices chosen are not exactly Halo/Hero devices since they aren't even cutting edge when announced.  Motorola has also promised these devices to be sold for longer than previous models.   It's a bold move for Verizon to back mediocrity so hard.

Droid Ultra, Mini, Maxx Announced then Pronounced Obsolete

Techies have already picked apart the "exciting" X8 system which is loosely based on S4 Snapdragon with Adreno 320 GPU, which isn't weak but it isn't cutting edge.  The practically free Droid DNA boasts better specs besides battery, & microsd/nand.  That would be significant advantage if they were all released at the same time but the DNA is already 9 months old. 

I'm sure they are built well and will sell well.  But they are announced with already old, but good, hardware.  This may not present enough of a jump for users to upgrade from S3, DNA, Note 2, etc. 

Microsoft Windows RT & Surface is Dying-- MSFT Needs to Open Up OS Access

Open letter to Microsoft re Windows RT:

I announced this months ago, if you want to have an impact in this mobile space where Apple and Google are well entrenched you will have to make Windows RT boot on any unlocked device. 

You're not going to lose any sales, these people wouldn't buy your product, at least now, because there's no developer support.  However, developers love unlocking devices and trying new things.  Every device that newly runs Windows RT will not be running a competitor OS.  It's so simple. Now that you're own partners are stopping making the devices Windows RT will have to open up or die and this computing sector is far too important to give up on, even if you have to give the software away.

Microsoft don't give up on Windows RT: open it up, get the developers, point out enhanced privacy and you may just stand a chance at not sucking. 

Snapdragon quad core S4 pro 600 800 vs Tegra 3 SOC Subjective Comparison

Its easy to compare benchmarks between similar devices.  However benchies don't tell the whole story.  Especially when it comes to this comparison which is completely subjective based on the user experience of devices.

Tegra 3 and S4 are quad core devices, one based loosely based on 4 ARM Cortex A15 the other with A9 cpu architecture with a low powered ninja core (can you guess which one is which 'cause my writing is not telling).  The Tegra is from Nvidia and has been touted to have some extra 3d features; however, running viper on the DNA with beastmode kernel water splashes up to the screen on Shine Runner which is supposed to be a Tegra 3 exclusive (iirc). 

Anyway the Adreno 320+ is the equal or better of the Tegra 3 in graphics even replicating extra features.  I do like how the Tegra 3 can output 3D over HDMI I am not sure S4 architecture can. 

The biggest difference between the two processors is from the seat of the pants feel.  The S4 is much smoother without hiccups.  I would posit this is from better RAM, NAND interfacing, and better out of order processing.  The whole data gathering android experience is much smoother with navigation of complex pages.  In fact the S4 is the first SOC that runs Android in an Apple iOS smooth fashion, very impressive. 

I'd say this round goes to S4, and it highlights areas Nvidia NEEDS to address to stay competitive.  The Tegra 3 needed more RAM bandwidth and better ability to address NAND quickly, Tegra needed this too as did the Tegra 2.  I say this needs to change because more processing power and gpu compute power will highlight these information/performance bottlenecks further. 

(I can't wait to get a Tegra 4 devices in my hands later this year.) EDIT: Still haven't seen any Tegra 4s in the wild. 

ASUS TF201 Proposed Class Action Settlement

If you remember your TF201 serial number you may be eligible for $17 and a free GPS extension kit under a proposed class action settlement. 

I'll post links and pictures. 

Is the Galaxy S4 Not Selling Well?

While watching the season finale of Psych with my girlfriend mention they are really "pushing the s4".  I told her the finale was sponsored by Samsung but the thought stuck with me.  Although our taste in TV couldn't be more dissimilar, we both would see tons of S4 commercials with discounts.  Wal-Mart has the S4 for $168 with a $50 rebate! Etc! Etc!

I started doing some research and found that the S4 sales forecast has been downgraded by analysts.  Why the phone's sales are potentially lacking is an interesting question especially considering the iPhone5 also seems to be down.

Range Rover & Offroading Tech in New Blog

So I think I'm going to narrow down the focus of Mark Tech Review to Computer and Tablet Tech and spinoff a blog for Range Rovers and Off roading and a future blog for luxury tech (e.g. s.t. DuPont lighters).  I'm still not sure where future car reviews will go though but likely under the my new Range Rover Blog.

TF700 Thrashes my SD Cards

Has anyone else noticed that the TF700 thrashes memory, both its own and on SD Cards.  I've had a couple complete failures but usually a repartition cures it.  Anyone else experience this?

Why you should want a 4K Passive 3D TV

I think overall most experts agree the viewing experience on Passive 3D TVs is faster, more convenient, comfortable, and natural. The problem with these Passive 3D TVs is that they essentially cut down the visual information presented to each eye in half which Active 3D doesn't do.  Text looks sharper, details have less artifacts with Active 3D technology which presents 1080p to both eyes via active shutters.

A 4K Passive 3D TV can present 1080p image to both eyes with all the other advantages of a Passive 3D image.  Such an advance would be very notable when screens are larger than 60".

Although 4k is all the rage, I'll hope for a 4K Passive 3d TV soon.

Next Genration Tablet Wishlist

I commented before how current tablets are not much better than the TF201 released almost two years ago now.  Certainly ASUS could have bolstered my case by using NAND that wasn't complete dog shit.  Now though with Tegra 4 details and reference hardware being tested I hope we find that these issues get addressed which got me thinking what else would I want to see. 

Here is my wishlist for what we can only assume will be the upcoming Asus Transformer Pii: 

1. Tegra 4 relatively unlocked
2. 4GB Fast Shared System RAM or 2GB RAM and dedicated 512MB VRAM
3. NAND subsystem that writes and reads fast and consistent across data sizes and randomness with good data reliability (cough ASUS)
4. 2K Passive 3D Output via HDMI with lossless audio (I am waiting for a 2K passive 3D TV).
5. >1080p super IPS or better (ASUS really got this right imo)

What are your most wanted features of the next gen tablet?

HTC One Confirmed for Verizon Wireless

The phone that HTC president bets his job on is now confirmed for release on Verizon Wireless.  This is great news HTC makes good stuff, but you have to question its integrity from foreign espionage based on US reports.

Google RSS Feeder doesn't mean the end of RSS

First Google should release the code to its RSS reader, don't be evil.

Second the end of Google RSS feeder is not the end of RSS on any level.  On a consumer level an RSS Newsreader was just bought a few days before by LinkedIn.com for serious cash.  On a backend level so much of what google now does relies on RSS.  Most of their shopping system is based on this.  Many other technologies are also built upon RSS delivery including lazy ticket aggregators like fansnap.com.

So much relies on RSS it isn't going anywhere despite what lazy journalism has to say. 

SOG Stingray 2.0

The SOG Stingray 2.0 is a gentleman's knife from a primarily tactical supplier which makes for an interesting knife.  It's smaller than most SOGs with higher quality handle materials.  The ARC lock has a bit of play when opening with one hand.  The thumbstud on the Carbon Fiber version I believe is Carbon Fiber and not abalone.  The Stingray is a mini Tomcat 3.0 with upgraded materials.

The inlays are real materials and the epoxy cover even captures air bubbles uniformly across the 3 dimensional carbon fiber. The Stingray is covered in brushed stainless its nice though I'd like to see contrasting polished stainless edges as found on a Breitling. 

The blade is very sharp and as a thinner knife than SOG usually makes cutting tests seem easier.  Truly this is the SOG to get if you want to cut pieces of paper.  

Other than that its a very nice execution with extremely nice opening play when using the thumbstud (although it is one sided so opening on the offhand is offlimits).  For those who like to ARC Lock fling their blades would be better with a San Mai Vulcan Tanto or the SOG Toothlock. 

I'll get more pics up and comment about its durability. 

Range Rover Review:New & Used Range Rover Buying Guide

The Range Rover is one of the most iconic cars in history.  It is supremely capable while being luxurious.  The real purpose of the Range Rover is to have a car that can luxuriously get "important" people anywhere.

The Rover is not exactly reliable although it is durable.  The difference may seem like splitting hairs but its evident when you look at the parts used on a Range Rover which often exceed 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks compared to a reliable toyota which use small cheap parts well put together and constantly improved. 

Range Rover's marketing material once mentioned it was a "heritage" vehicle, one that would be suitable to give to your kids.  The truth is it doesn't fall far from that mark, its heavily built with gorgeous materials and good multipurpose driving dynamics.  If you're okay fixing them and performing the extensive maintenance called for they will last a long time.  The Air Suspension has been soaking up bumps for two decades (before the Jeep Grand Cherokee), the electronics are sealed like no other truck I've ever seen, it offroads like a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon while driving like its on rails.

SOG Toothlock

The SOG toothlock is the cheapest way to get the best blade materials SOG currently carries.  The SOG Toothlock can be found for about $60 shipped at this price you will find san mai VG-10 core sandwiched between 420j steel.  The blade has a bit of a kick start with a piston lock employed.  I haven't seen this "piston lock" on any other knife from SOG and it appears to be similar in construction and lockup to the ARC Lock, which is to say excellent. 

The sides are zytel covered steel skeleton liner with aggressive grip pattern.  So aggressive that it has caused premature wear to my pants from inside the pocket or clip. The blade shape is awesome, its small but thick with a recurve that aides in cutting.

Overall the Toothlock is excellent at $60 and offers premium Japanese Chef Knife materials in a legal, and decidedly tactical package. 

The Long Reign of the TF201 TF700

I first got a TF201 off of a hidden friends and family Bestbuy.com page Christmas 2011.  Although there were faults it was still the best tablet out there.  The TF201 was king of the tablet market during its production run despite the slow NAND, questionable build quality, and lackluster radios. 

The TF700 came out, essentially supplanting the TF201 with approximately 2x the pixels.  It was the first Full HD screen in the high end android market and man it was bright and beautiful.  It's ability to shine bright even in the sun still set it apart in the market.

Now approximately two years later essentially the same model has remained as one of the top choices in the Android Tablet realm.  Yes there are other tablets out there that have some better features, but all around there isn't a hands down better tablet right now and thats nuts in what is essentially the "Model T" era of Tablets.  

I've been looking for a new tablet because my TF700 NAND is unfortunately unstable and it crashes wiping all the data and putting it into a bootloop.  I've lost essential information multiple times and it makes me think Android is still not ready for prime time in terms of essential business processing. 

Where is the next generation of quad core tablet with fast NAND, FULL HD+ screen, 2 or 4GB of RAM? 

Chronomat by Breitling

B13048 Chronomat 

Since 1894 Breiltling has been putting out instruments that have measured and withstood the tests of time.  One of the most iconic lines of Breitling has been the Chronomat, and infact it has been their number 1 seller since 1984. 

The Breitling Chronomat has always been an important and quality time piece.  The original Chronomat's employed the famous slide rule also/later? found on the Breitling Navitimer.  The Modern Chronomat introduced in 1984 is a piece that is designed to be Rolex' better which it would need to be to compete against such an iconic and venerable brand. 

Although Breitling arrived to the "in-house" (movement) party late they instead focused on the case, the band, the function, the build, and execution of the movement used.  Breitling's are all COSC since 2000 and I've been told by Roff the Prof at BreitlingSource.com that all modern Breitlings can be overhauled and regulated within COSC specifications. In all of these areas Breitling outpaced its competitors Rolex and Omega for years until the late 2000's. 

How To Convert a Dreamweaver Instance Page to a Dreamweaver Template

1. Get rid of all things that say instance:
1. <!-- InstanceBegin template="/Templates/wtf.dwt" codeOutsideHTMLIsLocked="false" -->
2. Change InstanceBeginEditable to TemplateBeginEditable
3. Change InstanceEndEditable to TemplateEndEditable
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until document is cleaned
5. Save as a dwt
1. if you're trying to overwrite an existing file backup then copy and overwrite that file and save within dreamweaver