PC Hardware Preview : Logitech X-540 Surround System

HE GOOD NEWS
Good news is.......Yee haw ! I have finally got myself some surround sound action !
Here's some pictures for starters.

This is the newly unopened box looks like. About the box....hmmm....see the next picture.

Now, about the box, i think its crafted in Japan. Its sharp, it brings hurt and pain. ( I'm kidding about this).
But some part of it is true, thats blood from my finger. The cardboard box's edges was so hard and well cut it somehow capable of delivering a cut onto my finger.
I've got some bad news as well.... read on.

THE BAD NEWS
The bad news is, well its a preview and i wont be doing any full noob review until i had some free time. But some short words on it, it friggin' rocks ! ! I'll post a full review sometime after 26th . Stay tuned ! and btw, here's a picture on how it looks like when unpacked, don't mind the mess, I'm gonna mount it on the wall later.

Netbook sales will soar to 22 million in 2009 – IDC

Posted by Philip Elmer-DeWitt

May 4, 2009 9:30 AM

Pressure is mounting on Apple (AAPL) to do something about the netbook problem.
IDC reported Friday that worldwide shipments of these sub-compact portable computers grew seven-fold year-over-year in the first quarter of 2009, according to Computerworld's Agam Shah. By the end of the year, IDC estimates, netbook shipments could reach 22 million.
Meanwhile, Apple's market share is shrinking, and Mac sales fell last quarter for the first time in five and a half years.
"Vendors are waking up to the fact that people respond to so-called 'good-enough' computing," Jay Chou, research analyst at IDC, told Shah. "They don't really need all the power of a Core 2 Duo CPU most of the time."
Steve Jobs famously dismissed netbooks as "a piece of junk," a sentiment echoed two weeks ago by COO Tim Cook.

"It’s not a space as it exists today that we are interested in," Cook told analysts during Apple's most recent earnings call. "Nor do we believe that customers in the long term would be interested in.”

Apple watchers parsed those lines carefully, noting that "the space as it exists today" could change dramatically the moment Apple releases its long-awaited touchscreen tablet computer.
But that misses the point.
Netbooks, which sell for s little as $300 to $350, are typically used by students for note-taking or as light-weight secondary computers in situations where all one needs is a keyboard and a wireless Internet connection.
An Apple tablet might be a game changer, but it's not going to sell for $300. and it's not going to serve those needs. Nor, for that matter, will an iPhone or an iPod touch — the devices Cook and Jobs have suggested are Apple's versions of a netbook.
That's why the smart money is betting that Apple will respond to the growing netbook threat by cutting MacBook prices — sharply and soon — before back-to-school sales start, and parents who might have given their kids Apples for graduation settle for Acers instead.

Source : http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/05/04/netbook-sales-will-soar-to-22-million-in-2009-idc/

Looks like for sure Apple have to make their iPhones or whatever overpriced small stuffs they're gonna make are capable of doing real computer works (ie : Ms Word/Powerpoint Portable , Photoshop portable, display output etc etc...) than just tapping large icons or buttons.
Those apps they have aren't doing any good.

GAME CHALLENGE : Race Driver : GRID

I was very bored today after cleaning up my room, so i was wondering what games should i play. Since i completed most of the games, i fired up RD: GRID with one reason in my mind : hit max drift combo in max race laps.

So, after firing up the game i hit straight and notice the lap can be only set to "50" maximum drift GP race laps with Extreme bots, ok then ! lets go !

I've done non breaking combo drifts in normal 3~5 laps race, but not a god-damned "50" lap combo !

After placing all my mental focus on the first max combo run at "99", bad things happened.

I was hoping to continue doing combos till the last 50th lap, somehow i lost focus during the 10th plus lap and went off track and went rage mode by crashing those stupid bots. (: P)

Before i quit, i rested for a few seconds by stopping the car at the middle of the track, then i kept trying again and failed at 80+ combo on second attempt.After second attempt i switched from right hand to left hand to control the D-buttons. Instead of stopping the race, i went on without noticing what I'm doing.

Third try and final results..

I finally reached "99" again during the third attempt and then only i realize the max combo is set to "99" max, man it was satisfying but i wish it can go beyond that especially unlimited combo (yes, I just learnt that "99" is the max after the third try for max combo on the 45th lap).
The final score was 1.4 billion, if not mistaken it could be higher than 2 billion score if the combo is continuous from first lap to last lap. (will try next time)

Lets talk about my favourite 2 wheel vehicle : Motocycles

I had my motorcycle license along with my car license, I had the same driving exam done at the same day and it was a friggin' experience for me as i need to remember two different set of basic hand signs for the bloody Perodua Kancil and the worthy Honda EX5 kapchai.

This baby escudo is a 1000bhp machine, no joke ! Been lovin't it since 2000 !

I've lost interests in fast cars since i'm 13, but i still do like a few, namely Subaru Imprezas (i do wish for one) , or McLaren F1 (Still in my favourite list, even though there are faster cars). For now, I'm interested on 4WD or Sub-compact cars like the ol' rally version of Peugeot 206.
Why I'm intereted in is the 4WD kind of vehicle ? It beats running into potholes in K.L or whatever a Malaysian road have in store for you. 

The Harley XL1200L and the Ducati Monster

Other than 4WD vehicles, I've developed an interest in motorcycles, especially cruiser bikes or the sports bike shown above. Why bikes ? i've been encountering this question or responds such as "Bikes are dangerous...".

Well my friend, on safety issue a car is as equally dangerous on a high way while moving fast like 80~120km/h. I , myself is not a road rage kind of road user and I swear (70~80 km/h is my max driving speed). The main reason for getting bike is to save fuel or doing short distance travel.
If a biker is careful and aware of the surrounding enough, its safe enough to travel further. I've seen so many car accidents or bike accidents, I dare say most of these driver or rider are careless road users (flame me! i dare you) like doing zig zags between traffics, turning without noticing the surroundings.