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When Beige Won't Do 214

Posted by Zonk from the so-90s dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The days of the beige box are behind us, as computing becomes ever more a consumer electronics field. A New York Times article, hosted at News.com, discusses the newest trends in moving away from standard beige for PCs and laptops. Designer colors, artfully designed notebooks, and personalization are just some of the options outfits are now offering." From the article: "Apple Computer is widely credited with long ago shattering conventions that had for years dictated how a computer had to feel and look. Windows-based personal computers generally lagged far behind in fusing function with form in ways that consumers found exciting. But that is changing, executives from mainstay computer companies like Dell and Toshiba say."
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When Beige Won't Do More

When Beige Won't Do

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  • Small gripe (Score:5, Insightful)

    by spellraiser ( 764337 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:10AM (#16973862) Journal

    Windows-based personal computers generally lagged far behind in fusing function with form in ways that consumers found exciting.

    There's no such thing as a Windows-based personal computer. Microsoft does not manufacture personal computers, and Windows is not integral to PCs. It is perfecty possible to use various other operating systems on a PC, and you can buy a PC without Windows on it, although a lot of people seem to think that it 'just comes with the computer' (even though they do of course pay for it). It annoys me to see the two get confused.

    • Perhaps we should return to calling them IBM PC clones...
      • Remembering a long way back, the absurdly powerful 12Mhz 286 with 287 souped-up IBM PC-AT that I first worked with when I left school wasn't beige at all, it was an almost-white shade of grey, and the PC-junior that th eoffice secretary craved was a darker grey. Can anyone confirm that the original IBM PC wasn't beige either?

    • Re:Small gripe (Score:5, Insightful)

      by nurb432 ( 527695 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:48AM (#16974230) Homepage Journal
      "Microsoft does not manufacture personal computers, and Windows is not integral to PCs."

      Yet. Give it time.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by nine-times ( 778537 )

      There's no such thing as a Windows-based personal computer. Microsoft does not manufacture personal computers, and Windows is not integral to PCs.

      Geeze, what do you want out of this distinction? First, nobody said "Microsoft manufactured computers". Second, coming with Microsoft Windows pre-installed is an integral part of the phenomenon being indicated. Given that all these different manufacturers were using the same operating system, it meant that the hardware needs and what hardware was supported wa

    • Not sure I follow your logic... Right now this notebook I'm using is running Windows, was always meant to run Windows, and Dell offers no option to the contrary and will not support any other configuration. I am pretty sure this qualifies as a "Windows-based pc". Of course you are right; I could run Linux or something else with no problem. Now if I did that, I would refer to it as a "Linux based PC". Would you have preferred they use "Personal Computers based on the x86 architecture with Windows installed"

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by westlake ( 615356 )
      although a lot of people seem to think that it 'just comes with the computer' (even though they do of course pay for it). It annoys me to see the two get confused.

      live with it.

      because the only distinction that matters in the domestic consumer market is between the OEM Windows PC and the Mac.

  • I'm way ahead... (Score:5, Funny)

    by PsyQo ( 1020321 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:10AM (#16973864)
    I'm way ahead, I already use retro-themed hardware, it will be hot in 10 years!

  • Thinkpad 4 Lyfe, esse (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:11AM (#16973872)
    Any color you want as long as it's black.
    • You're not going to the right dealers. VoodooPC [voodoopc.com] specializes in weird colors and designs, and custom hardware. I've only looked at the laptops but I would also check out WidowPC [widowpc.com] if you're (relatively) less concerned about looks, as VoodooPC tends to be expensive.

  • black and silver instead (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dave1791 ( 315728 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:11AM (#16973878)
    If computers follow the lead of consumer electronics. then can we say that black and silver is the new biege?

    Looking at the box near my left foot gives a data point comfirming this, so it must be true!
    • For laptop, it's not new. Do you remember having ever seen a beige laptop?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Nimey ( 114278 )
        As it happens, I have one. It's a circa-1987 Zenith with 2x720K floppies, 640K of RAM, and a 4.77 MHz 8088, all driving a blue-on-white mono-CGA LCD screen. Still works, except for the battery pack.

        Here's someone else's website: http://members.tripod.com/~net2000plus/zenith181.h tm [tripod.com]
        • There is a beige Toshiba Tecra laptop in our pile of obsolete gear. It's got an original Pentium chip, and 64MB of RAM. No battery pack or hard drive, so I can't boot it up to find out what speed the chip is.

          • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

            by SuperMog2002 ( 702837 )
            I can beat that. I had an old Toshiba Tx000 laptop (2000? I forget exactly what model). It had a 486 at a blazing 20 MHz, and one of the previous owners had trippled the RAM to 12 MB. What color was it? Beige, of course.
        • That's not a laptop... it's a battle station!

      • I've had a biege 486 (DX4 - 100). That was one of the last biege laptops I saw.

      • The Linus Write-top [siconic.com] was a beige laptop which used handwriting recognition. It's essentially a very large precursor to the Palm Pilot. My dad has one.

  • Yeah yeah, you feel free to buy the £120 cas (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Colin Smith ( 2679 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:13AM (#16973896)
    I'll buy the £18.99 one instead. Oh look, it's beige.

    Perfume, cars, phones, clothes are all subject to the whims of fashion in order to extract extra cash from vict^H^H^H^Hcustomers, there's really no reason that computer buyers can't be fashion customers as well.

     

  • Am I the only one? (Score:5, Funny)

    by kraada ( 300650 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:14AM (#16973898)
    Am I the only one who saw this and thought: "Okay, I remember what a Red Box [wikipedia.org] did and what a Blue Box [wikipedia.org] did . . . but what in the world is a Beige Box?"

    Then I looked it up and I remembered . . . and realized that with VOIP and cell phones abundant these days, a box to steal someone else's phone line really isn't all that useful anymore . . .

    Man, I feel old.

    • Damn, you stole my joke :( Unfortunately my patent on that joke hasn't been processed yet, but you just wait, the lawyers are coming!!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mqduck ( 232646 )

      Am I the only one who saw this and thought: "Okay, I remember what a Red Box did and what a Blue Box did . . . but what in the world is a Beige Box?"

      Then I looked it up and I remembered . . . and realized that with VOIP and cell phones abundant these days, a box to steal someone else's phone line really isn't all that useful anymore . . .

      Man, I feel old.

      I have absolutely no clue what the hell you're talking about. Yes, you are old. ;)

  • Well I seem to have missed the memo, because I will not purchase a computer case unless I can buy it in beige - period.

    My case needs to be simple, cheap, quality and not look gaudy.

    I have this little baby and it does all I need.
    It's functional, well built - it has great features for the tray / drives / quickrelease stuff and yet it's now cheap because other coloured models are out.
    http://images.google.com/images?q=antec+sx635&svnu m=10&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&sa=G&imgsz=small [google.com]|medium|la rg

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by LWATCDR ( 28044 )
      I sort of agree but I don't mind color.
      What I don't want are flames, monsters, grates, or window!
      Yea the silver and black look so 70s to me. What is next harvest gold and avocado?
      I don't really need to see my PC on my desk.
      I may build a nice small box and mount the DVD drive, card reader and usb hub and mount stick it under my LCD.
      Sort of make the computer go away but still have the ease of expansion that a tower offers. I would then just hide the tower.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I would similarly like to state a set of opinions.

      1. Taco Bell should only serve food products made of mexicans
      2. All countries should have electrical fences around them. Someone wishing to immigrate are allowed to attempt to climb this fence, but if they are electrocuted in the process then anyone passing by in the receiving country can help themselves to their clothes or anything in their pockets
      3. We should build underwater nuclear reactors since all humans are on land
      4. Anyone assassinating a president

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by geekoid ( 135745 )
      "My case needs to be simple, cheap, quality and not look gaudy."

      So you won't buy a black case that fits that criteria?
      That makes no sense.

      I also like how it "PAINED" you to purches something from Apple. As if you need to be some apple zealot to buy something that does what you need.

      You got issues.

  • Beige can still be beautiful. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by baryon351 ( 626717 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:14AM (#16973904)
    Beige is OK, if the rest of a computer is designed well. The "beige box" is something that's often berated not because of its color, but because of the flimsy components, cheap design, tacky add-ons and crap fit & finish that often went with it. The fading out of the beige box isn't all because of a shift in case color, but the realisation from designers after colorful computers appeared that it was OK to be different in all manner of other ways.

    A friend has a well-preserved collection of old beige machines ( http://www.danaquarium.com/gallery/beige/ [danaquarium.com] ), and the photos show to me that a tidy appealing design isn't dependent on just color.

    • Beige "works" in many settings.
      Anyone wanting to beige-ify their non-beige case (for example to blend with beige decor) can use common automobile vinyl dye or plastic interior paint.

  • Bling = bad (Score:4, Interesting)

    by hcdejong ( 561314 ) <hobbes.xmsnet@nl> on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:19AM (#16973952)
    One trend I've noticed leaking over from the consumer electronics field is the use of bling: high-gloss or (even worse) chrome design elements, ultrabright blue LEDs etc. Apart from looking awful, chrome is annoying on a laptop because it deteriorates quickly. Nothing looks worse than flaked-off chrome. High-gloss surfaces highlight dust and fingerprints, and ultrabright LEDs dazzle.
    Can we please avoid the mistakes of the fashion world (where everything looks the same during a given 'trend') and actually have the choice of buying something more understated? I want my electronics finished in matt black, not silver.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by shmlco ( 594907 )
      According to the managers of several local Apple stores, about 75% of the people who buy MacBook Pros choose the matte screen option, so there's plenty of people who think like you. The brushed aluminum case doesn't print easily, doesn't show dust, is non-glare, and the system avoids the "hey, I'm working here" LEDs.

      Some people complain about scratches, but I just handed off a two-year-old PB, which only had one minor scratch on one edge, barely noticable. All I did was put it into a sleeve before tossing

  • The new Beige (Score:2, Interesting)

    by dJOEK ( 66178 )
    after reading some of the comments here, it's safe to say that "Black is the new Beige" ;-)

  • My biggest problem with beige (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Nevtje(hr ( 869571 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:24AM (#16973994)
    The worst thing about beige is that it gets dirty. Or rather- the fact that dirt easily gets visible.

    Anyone remember high school public computers? With layers upon layers of ingrown grease and dirt on the keyboard, mouse and case? That would be my biggest problem with the color beige.

    Nobody can possibly enjoy working in an environment where the best reason for learning to touch-type is that you'll keep your lunch (if I can't see it, it won't disgust me).
    • "The worst thing about beige is that it gets dirty. Or rather- the fact that dirt easily gets visible."

      Exactly. Thats why I have carpets in my home instead of bare wood floors. With wood floors your sweeping them twice a week (!!), whereas a carpet can go months without being vaccumed!
      Out of sight, out of mind!

  • Design to distinguish (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:27AM (#16974022)
    That doesn't only apply to computers. Actually, computers are (again) the last ones to hop onto the fad.

    A few decades ago, you bought brands because they were 'better' than nonbranded stuff. They offered more functionality, or they didn't wear out so fast or they simply worked (while that generic stuff didn't). You bought a Mercedes because it didn't break down, compared to that Beetle that required constant tinkering. You bought the brand name chips because they were crispy while the generic ones were bland. You bought an IBM because those "IBM compatibles" were more or less compatible, but not necessarily so.

    Now, that has changed. Mid level cars offer the same kind of protection and reliability the luxury cars offer. Generic chips are just as crispy as that overhyped brand stuff. And it's the same with computers. Some very, very cheap boards and cards aside, they all offer the same value. It works. Some run faster, some run slower, but they all work.

    Earlier, the brand tried to offer more functionality as a selling point. This worked to some degree, but we're now at the point where the generic version offers anything the customer might want, and he is not willing to spend more for functionality he doesn't want. A good example are cell phones. They offer an MP3 player, digital camera, PDA functionality, some play games and with some I heard you can even make a phone call. What else could you cram into them?

    So the next logical step is design. There is no other way to distinguish yourself from the bland, generic versions anymore if you're a brand product. You cannot offer more primary use to your customer, so you have to appeal to his other senses. Not only his logic, but also his emotions. You try to reach him through the 'look and feel' instead of the facts under your hood.

    This is anything but a surprising development. It is the logical next step in the attempt to distinguish brand merchandize from generic one.
    • Now, that has changed. Mid level cars offer the same kind of protection and reliability the luxury cars offer. Generic chips are just as crispy as that overhyped brand stuff. And it's the same with computers. Some very, very cheap boards and cards aside, they all offer the same value. It works. Some run faster, some run slower, but they all work.

      I take some exception with this...

      First, kinda trivial but, there is no way in hell a new Pontiac is going to be as good as a Benz 300. Infact I would go as far

    • And it's the same with computers. Some very, very cheap boards and cards aside, they all offer the same value. It works. Some run faster, some run slower, but they all work.

      I don't really know about some of the other things you've mentioned, but I'm guessing by this statement you've never worked helpdesk support. To this day, it's usually worth investing in bigger brands. A lot of instability and problems come out of crappy hardware and poorly-written drivers. Those cheap components with "the same valu

      • That's what I got my dealer for. I buy the extended pick-up warranty he offers and get a computer with the warranty of Dell and the flexibility of a build-your-own. Not as cheaply as a self built, but usually cheaper (or more 'value' in the sense of the power under the hood) than a Dell.

        And unlike Dell, for him I'm valuable. For Dell I'm just some minor customer. When I call, his techs jump and zip over. I buy computers and hardware worth about 5k a year. Nothing for Dell, I'd wager, but something my dealer

  • But I LIKE beige! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Eudial ( 590661 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:33AM (#16974076)
    I like beige so much I'm still using an old compaq-mouse from the early 90's. It weighs about as much as five optical mice, and it only has two buttons and no wheels or any of that fancy stuff. Not to mention it's beige.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Fred_A ( 10934 )

      I like beige so much I'm still using an old compaq-mouse from the early 90's. It weighs about as much as five optical mice, and it only has two buttons and no wheels or any of that fancy stuff.

      This might be good enough for Windows (although the wheel *is* a welcome innovation) but in X11 a 2 button mouse is quite painful to use (and I'm not even talking about a 1 button one).

      I know you can chord or use the keyboard (for the 1 button mouse) but it's still not comfortable.

      This being said it's true that I r

  • that sounds like an old telephone ring?

    Face it, beige is here to stay.... just not as much.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by east coast ( 590680 )
      Ringtones on a phone can actually serve a purpose tho...

      We live in a world where 90% of the people around me at any one point have cells on them. If we all stuck with the default tone we'd have everyone looking at their cells every 3 minutes when any phone rang. For me, unless I hear Tubular Bells I don't even think twice about a phone going off.

      My PCs and laptops at home? Who's ever going to see them anyway?

  • Black IBM computers (Score:3, Informative)

    by Bob Cat - NYMPHS ( 313647 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:50AM (#16974258) Homepage
    For what, 10 years now?
    Plus, they're not all wonky-shaped, so they fit into a rectilinear desk.

  • 1996 called. It wants its article back. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by xxxJonBoyxxx ( 565205 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @09:55AM (#16974296)
    1996 called. It wants its article back. When's the last time you saw a beige computer on display at Circuit Shitty or some other big box?

    Apple Computer is widely credited with long ago shattering conventions


    Dunno about that; my Apple ][ was beige...and so were Macs for a while.

    I think you have to give the nod to Dell for the "black" revolution here; I know many server admins who bought Dell's crappy hardware in the early 2000's just because they thought it looked sexier in the fucking server room. (Yeah, like any eligible female would ever make a trip down there.)
    • Dunno about that; my Apple ][ was beige...and so were Macs for a while.

      IIRC, the "beige" was a bit different than the "putty" that everyone else sold.

      I think you have to give the nod to Dell for the "black" revolution here; I know many server admins who bought Dell's crappy hardware in the early 2000's just because they thought it looked sexier in the fucking server room.

      Black is always good. But I disagree on the Dells. The problem with Dell is they insist on prominently displaying their goofball logo on
    • 1996? Although there were non-beige computers at that time, it was the original iMac (announced in 7 May 1998) that started the non-beige craze.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Manchot ( 847225 )
      1995 called. It wants its slang back.
      • Honestly, I never thought my post would get mod'ed up on Slashdot without a reference to "sharks with lasers" or some fawning reference to Google.

        Don't worry, this phrase will be cutting edge again in five years with our current pop-culture memory; the other day I posted a Caddyshack quote and it took about ten replies before someone figured it out.

    • I think you have to give the nod to Dell for the "black" revolution here; I know many server admins who bought Dell's crappy hardware in the early 2000's just because they thought it looked sexier in the fucking server room. (Yeah, like any eligible female would ever make a trip down there.)

      Couldn't give a fuck what they looked like, bought Dell servers because they were cheap, had relatively standard hardware and could throw the POST out on a serial line. Admittedly, we just installed FreeBSD on them and used them for apache / bind / sendmail etc and didn't give a crap if they blew up. Only had one fail on us over a 3 year period, and that was no big deal as we had redundancy in place.

      These days (new job) we have IBM and Sun servers, the IBM stuff sucks really badly. Very very rarely have a p

      • IBM? You ARE fucked. I extend you my full sympathy. We often have to work with these clowns at other companies and it seems they rotate personnel every three months just to spin up training costs. (And no, they never hand off any information to the next team, so you get to explain/train it all over again.)
    • Yeah, definitely a little late considering beige, brown, and woodgrain and coming back. Go look at Sony's new line of consumer electronics. And the Zune comes in a cream brown. Also worth noting that this is not the first time Silver [blakespot.com] and Black [bemmu.com] have been popular.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by geekoid ( 135745 )
      If thats true, then I damn well hope those admins were fired.

      Ironically, the women who would be intrested in looking at those boxes would be turned off by the fact that they were not made from quality equipment.

    • The funny thing is that Apple basically invented the Beige thing in the first place, although not really on purpose... they just happened to use beige plastic (for whatever reason) and big the biggest computer seller very early on in the industry.
  • Doesn't the Zune come in Beige?

    Microsoft may have missed the memo.
  • gray? Oooooo... Ahhhhhh....

    • I don't think I've ever seen a beige box computer. Most of them are some light shade of gray. Beige is more like light brown.

  • For sweet fuck's sake (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Lord Kano ( 13027 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @10:24AM (#16974604) Homepage Journal
    Apple Computer is widely credited with long ago shattering conventions that had for years dictated how a computer had to feel and look. Windows-based personal computers generally lagged far behind in fusing function with form in ways that consumers found exciting. But that is changing, executives from mainstay computer companies like Dell and Toshiba say.

    It wasn't the Life Savers style of Apple's machines that made them good. It was the combination or hardware, OS and customer support that spoke English and actually gave a damn.

    Dell and Toshiba are only going to reproduce the least important reason why Apple survived the dark times. And when it doesn't help them, they still won't get it.

    LK
    • It wasn't the Life Savers style of Apple's machines that made them good.

      Nope, but it did get them noticed. Now that they've been noticed, look at how many computers they make that aren't white, black, or grey. Now that they've been noticed they focus more on performance and features, but when the iMac and toilet-seat laptops first came out, colour and style was the selling point.

      SGI made some beautiful gear too, but it was to it's detriment. The Origin 2000, with it's indigo (or purple, depending on lig

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dfghjk ( 711126 )
      "...and customer support that spoke English..."

      I think you're mixing eras. Outsourcing support is more recent than the candy-colored macs.

      "...and actually gave a damn."

      From my experience, Apple's no different than anyone else there.

      "Dell and Toshiba are only going to reproduce the least important reason why Apple survived the dark times. And when it doesn't help them, they still won't get it."

      Actually, Dell and Toshiba are very different companies and neither is much like Apple at all. Any strategy that i

  • Bad design. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by MaWeiTao ( 908546 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @10:49AM (#16974830)
    Most PC case designs look atrocious. Current PC design apparently is dictated by how many LEDs, windows and vents can be forced onto a case.

    I miss the days of clean, beige cases simply because most of what's available is over-designed and gaudy. There are the rare exceptions, and companies like Dell, Sony and others are designing some decent looking machines. The problem is that companies like Dell aren't involved in the entire manufacturing process. They're normally designing an existing shell, so they're always going to be constrained in how creative they can get. It doesn't help that they're normally trying cut corners to reduce costs.

    That's the huge advantage Apple has. They're involved in the design and engineering process at every step. So they can get creative not only with design, but the use of materials and construction. It's also why the software integrates so well with the system. That's not really possible in the PC world, unless Microsoft began designing and manufacturing PCs. Although, somehow I doubt most people here would welcome that.

    I think in general many electronic devices have gotten uglier. Where devices used to have nice clean lines and designed in more thoughtful colors too many products today are bloated, overly organic, covered in contrasting textures and almost always come in frosted silver or black. It's like manufacturing has gotten easier, allowing for more unusual shapes and designers have gotten carried away. Another part of the problem is that because of cost cutting measures companies are putting less effort into design, having the Chinese manufacturers handle design. It's either that, or they're just trying to rip off Apple's design. Although, as nice as current Apple designs are, the previous generations, starting with the first iMacs, were horrendous. They look even worse today, and they unfortunately spawned an entire generation of ugly electronics.

    I don't know what it is about the American electronics market, actually, because in Asia, well, Taiwan, Korea, in Japan there are plenty of cool-looking products to be hand. Phones out there are light years beyond anything available in the US, not only in terms of technology, but design. And this applies to all electronics, PCs included.

    A mark of good design is how it ages. If something was well-designed it should look good 10, 20 or 50 years later. Its style might look out-of-date, but it should still be appreciated for it's good design. The vast majority of current PC cases don't look good today, let alone how they will look 5 years ago.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dfghjk ( 711126 )
      "The problem is that companies like Dell aren't involved in the entire manufacturing process."

      Now THERE's a claim that couldn't be more wrong. Dell is totally involved in the "entire manufacturing process". That is their contribution.

      "They're normally designing an existing shell, so they're always going to be constrained in how creative they can get."

      You speak like that's a bad thing. Continuity is a good thing especially when you ship in high volumes. "Creativity" is not a high value quality to volume

  • Invisible? (Score:3, Funny)

    by gelfling ( 6534 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @11:08AM (#16975044) Homepage Journal
    My Thinkpad if you removed the keyboard, monitor, battery would not be any bigger than its power supply.
  • So store bought computers are dull. So what. Real geeks build their own. I haven't had a beige PC in a long time, and none of them are gaudy overlit pieces of crap. I will take my brushed aluminum wavemaster over any other design, apple's or anyone else's. Thing is people can put a PC in anything. I saw one that had a PC in the belly of a department store mannequin.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Wow! I like the way... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by frank_adrian314159 ( 469671 ) on Friday November 24, 2006 @12:54PM (#16976270) Homepage
    I like the way some Dell PR flack can submit a puff piece to the media and then a bunch of morons spread the story around, making it seem like the "next big thing". This piece of crap is 18 pounds, has only as much power as a Mac PowerBook having less than half the weight, and people think that this is interesting? Oh yeah, the keys backlight when you press them making the computer look like it's "blushing". Heavy *and* annoying. What are they going to call this model - the Rosanne Barr?

    Shame on Slashdot's editors for passing on this piece of PR crap disguised as a story...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dfghjk ( 711126 )
      As if that were somehow a new thing. It seems like Apple's iTV has certainly got a lot of press despite the fact that it's a long way from being a product and it's mostly a ripoff of a Windows Media Center Extender. How is that any different?

      "...has only as much power as a Mac PowerBook having less than half the weight..."

      What kind of bullshit is that? A Powerbook is in no way comparable to the Dell machine you are referring to, and anyone considering either product wouldn't consider the other. Does a P

  • Remember Brazil (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    In the movie Brazil the tv adverts are for the latest ventilation ducts in amazing new colours, rush out and buy them. It was deeply depressing then and still is now.
  • Honestly, what I'm seeing more and more is that the "beige box" is dying because we've reached the point of diminishing returns with hardware upgrades. I used to be a serious hardware hacker, upgrading my hardware after only a couple of months of use. Yeah, that upgrade cycle still exists for video cards at the moment, but even then I am beginning to see huge investments for very little actual return as we're reaching the point where the human eye can no longer distinguish the difference. Essentially, there
  • As an ex-Intel developer I've had first hand experience "trying" to develop new form factors - new looks - "new excitement" for the PC industry. Back in '99 whne the defacto PC was a full ATX tower running a Pentium III and making 45dB in noise. We designed a radical pyramid shaped legacy-free PC (only USB, Firewire, LAN, VGA) that would fit on a mouse pad ad produced only 37dB in noise. It was an experiment in shock therapy for the PC industry. We went on to do many others - but the bottom line is the PC i
  • It's just a matter of time before the "beige box" or "Black box" or whatever becomes the "no box." Wireless USB, 802.11x, wireless monitors (like mira) and other simple things will allow you to stick the box (if you even need one) in the closet, cupboard, or somewhere else. At that point, fashion will be more relevant to the monitor than the box.

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