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Kash

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About Kash

  • Birthday 11/12/1984

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    Edison, NJ

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  1. No, we need more California winners! Particularly one applicant in Irvine, CA!!!
  2. I used to be the go to guy back when I was in high school and college. Everybody expected me to know everything about computers. Once I had an uncle practically demand that I fix his laptop, which had gotten bogged down with spyware and viruses and needed a good, thorough cleaning. Keep in mind that this "request" was made while we were all at a family party at this other uncle's house, so everybody was there to have a good time. I worked on it for a little bit, and set it down while it was running some scans to go play Xbox with my cousins. My uncle gets all indignant and wants to know why I'm not devoting 100% of my time fixing his computer! I pretty much told him that I wasn't his tech support and that I was cleaning his computer as a courtesy and that if he wanted professional level help, then go pay for a professional. That shut him up real good. Since then, I've downplayed my technical abilities. I really don't want to help people out with stuff who aren't going to show any gratitude. Whenever a professor has a technical problem, I refuse to volunteer my services, because the first time I do it, I'll be expected to do it from then on. No thanks, that's what the school's IT staff is for, ask them for help. Yea, that's fraud.
  3. What exactly are you looking for in an email service that you can't get through a free provider such as Gmail?
  4. What exactly is this PC going to be used for? Just watching movies/TV shows? Streaming media from Hulu/Netflix? Playing games?
  5. I'm sure in time they will come down significantly in price, like any other technology. Flat panel TVs would cost five figures, now you can get a 46" LCD TV for well under a grand. Everyone expected the iPad to cost $1000 because Windows tablets always held a high premium over regular laptops. Everybody was surprised when it was half the price at just $500, thereby establishing the fact that tablets can indeed be affordable. Now we have Android tablets that cost just $150. It won't be long before we have iPad quality tablets for under $200 and everybody will have at least one tablet in their home, just like how everybody has at least one TV and one computer.
  6. Fortunately for 99% of the population, that's all they want to do. They do serious work/play on their primary machines and then do everything else on the tablet. I have three computers in my home. A desktop for heavy duty work, playing games and storing all of my media. Then I have a mini PC that serves HTPC duties and streams from the first computer. Then I have my laptop that I primarily use at school and almost never at home. Then I have my iPad. I can use it to browse the internet, check email, update Twitter, and play games while walking around the apartment or lounging on the couch while watching something on TV. I love having a tablet in bed, where I can do my casual reading, or even stream movies/TV shows from my media collection. It's much more convenient than having a laptop in bed due to its significantly smaller footprint, and not to mention it doesn't give off searing heat. If you can't see a use for a tablet, then you either have no use for one, or you're simply lacking in imagination.
  7. What is it with tech nerds and their obsession with specs? It all boils down to usability, if the tablet is easy to use then it will be a success. Android may be a good OS, but it is a bit lacking in the tablet space. Hopefully 3.0 will take care of that. It also needs to be priced reasonably. The Samsung Galaxy Tab would have done really well if not for it's ridiculous pricing scheme.
  8. Kash

    HTPC

    You can set Media Center to start automatically when Windows loads. It's in the Media Center settings
  9. Thanks guys, you've all been very helpful. I'm feeling pretty confident about easily sharing files across the network. However, now I'm confused as to which device I should get. The HP Mediasmart has better hardware and more software options plus a vibrant community, so I'll have access to lots of support and software addons. However, the Acer is cheaper and offers more storage to start with, which means I won't have to deal with the hassle of swapping out the primary drive sometime in the future. Of course, now I also have the problem of whether a WHS device is what I need or whether a simple NAS will fulfill my needs. I have a $600 budget. What's the best option for someone who wants to stream media to Windows, Mac, and iOS; backup files; access all the contents remotely; and allows for plenty of expansion?
  10. I have another question. How hard is it to swap out drives once you're already underway? I'm especially interested in the process of swapping out the primary drive. The EX490 comes with a 1TB drive and the EX495 comes with a 1.5TB drive, if I wanted to swap those out with a 2TB drive, is that easily done?
  11. Awesome, thanks! I assumed it would work right out of the box, but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.
  12. Hey guys, I need a little help setting up my home network to get optimal performance for media sharing. Here is my current setup: Router: DLink DIR-655 running the latest firmware. Supports UPnP. All media is located on either internal or external drives connected to the PC in my sig. Connected to the network via Ethernet. I have a Dell Zino HD serving as an HTPC for my TV (hooked up via HDMI). I am using XBMC as a media front end. Connected to the network via Ethernet. Macbook has an external hard drive hooked up to it, used primarily for backup purposes. Connected to the network via Wi-Fi. I also have an iPhone and an iPad, obviously hooked up wirelessly. What I would ideally like to do is get a Windows Home Server, either the Acer Easystore or the HP MediaSmart EX495, and use it for backing up and storing media on it to stream to all of my computers/devices. I have about 4TB of media and probably 1TB worth of backups (games, documents, pictures, etc.). If possible, I would like to be able to remotely access the server when I'm away from home. My question is which WHS I should get and what are the ideal settings for the server, the computers, and the router? Would a WHS even work if I plan on using XBMC? I've heard about something called DLNA but have absolutely no idea what that means for me, if it even applies. Thanks guys, I appreciate any help you can provide.
  13. So many options on the CA ballot! Next time I'm going to do it from the comfort of my own home rather than standing at a booth going through dozens of selections.
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