“Still, we bet people still fall for the hype — oh hey, if you’re looking for the ultimate in sound, we’ve got half a meter of oxygen-free, triple-wrapped double-insulated Sonically Shielded AmpliSized Egyptian Llama cable here that we’ll part ways with for just a couple grand.”
It is good to remember that the places like Best Buy make the most profit on luxury models, and that goes for cabling as well as TVs. I remember when silver_bits and I went into BB to get her a DVD system, and the salesman insisted she needed a Line Conditioner. You know, to go with her Electronic Shampoo, I’m sure.
Be skeptical, and remember that there is not necessarily a connection between quality and price. “All things being equal” is deceptively attractive logic.
Audiophiles can’t tell the difference between Monster Cable and coat hangers
HDMI cable scam used to fool in-store customers
UNRELATED EDIT:
Doesn’t this remind you of Ender’s Game? I can’t wait until solid state hard drives (SSD) are standard for laptops – the (virtual) end to loss of data from dropping!
What’s so special about the Tablet PC? That form factor has been around for quite awhile now.
No need to be curmudgeonly, I wasn’t saying this was new, just what it reminds me of. Though it does offer an SSD option.
Dell’s got a good dual-mode tablet out now, the “Latitude XT”; capacitance touch for navigating by fingertip, and WACOM (? active, anyway) digitiser for inking and drawing. It too has an option for solid state (64GB), but that’s on top of a ~$2500 starting price.
I’d never buy one, as it’s too pricey, but I am glad that Dell’s jumped into the industry. Maybe TabletPCs will get more traction in the general market and not just the specialty medical/POS applications.
— Steve’s kept an eye on the tablet offerings out there, because the interface fascinates him, but will stick with the one he’s got for quite a while yet.
I’m particularly fond of the Modbook, actually, though I’m not in the market for a new laptop (I have a Dell Inspiron 9200, still fairly useful).
There’s a big difference between a tablet PC and a slate, like the one I was talking about. I’m not saying I’d actually pick up a slate PC (IE, no keyboard), but I think it’s totally cool looking, and regardless, reminds me of one of my favorite novels from childhood.
My Origami slate is great because it’s half as thick without the keyboard, making it easier to carry. I don’t mind the handwriting interface, but for bulk entry I use either a folding Bluetooth keyboard (down to shirt pocket size; can’t remember if I showed it to you at ARGfest) on the road or a cheapie USB at home. I’ll agree, though, that the slate form isn’t to everybody’s tastes.
— Steve will, somewhat guiltily, admit that the idea of using what’s essentially a Star Trek doohicky is a bit of a hoot. Oh, yeoman…
Electronic Shampoo
*giggle*
I’m no big fan of Monster myself. Even if they do deliver some sort of quality premium, it’s got to be in dog-whistle frequencies or something… maybe something detectable by instruments, but not by humans. Save your money, folks, and get any sort of cabling that’s not too long and not visibly kinked or cracked. It’ll do, really.
— Steve buys his cables from liquidation stores, and hasn’t spent more than $20 on a 7’/2m set yet.
1. Monoprice is a godsend.
2. I totally need my power conditioner.