Loud and clear

I didn't join the weekly SAG hangout yesterday afternoon because my headset is on its last legs.

While I'm not a "gamer" earlier this week I made a purchase of a piece of gaming technology from Amazon AU. I was hoping that it would be delivered by 4pm so I could join my genimates at The SAG but it didn't arrive until way after dark. 

This morning I plugged the new device in and fired up a zoom session to give it a test run. If you listen to the zoom recording below you'll see that the new tech works.

FYI My purchase was a Logitech G432 Gaming Headset. It was only $AU85 and came with free delivery. 

When I plugged it in it was immediately detected by my computer, it's reasonably light and comfortable and appears to work. I'm pleased with my purchase.

Getting to know UX

Meet my new Genimate, the ASUS 13.3" UX303UB Multi-Touch Notebook.

My faithful laptop purchased over four years ago has given me good service but was getting very slow and starting to do strange things.

I often read horror stories from fellow genies with computers that just crash and die. I decided that I didn't want to be in that situation so I started looking around for a new model before the inevitable happened. I spent hours on the internet deciding what to buy without spending a fortune.

I've had my new toy for two weeks now and am delighted. I cannot believe how quickly it boots up and connects me to the internet (no time to walk away and make a coffee). This baby is fast.

The advertising says that the model I have purchased has:

• 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7-6500U Dual-Core (Not the fastest but fine for me, has decent reviews)
• 12GB of DDR3L RAM (My old computer had 8GB so I wanted more)
• 512GB SSD (Don't need heaps of storage I use external HDDs, wanted the SSD for speed and stability)
• NVIDIA GeForce 940M (2GB) (This means nothing to me)
• 13.3" IPS Glossy Multi-Touch Display (Wasn't too fussed about having a touch screen)
• Quad HD+ 3200 x 1800 Native Resolution (Suppose this is good - it has a clear display)
• SD & MMC Card Reader (Handy for downloading all my photos)
• 802.11ac Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 4.0 (Wi-Fi essential, not fussed abt Bluetooth)
• Built-in 1.2MP Webcam, Mic, & Speakers (Yet to test these, hope they are good enough to use on the road, travelling with lots of peripherals is a pain)
• Windows 10 (64-bit) (Lazy me wantedWindows 10, which I like, reloaded, didn't want bother of upgrading).

 

I was influenced in my decision by the reliability of the ASUS netbooks I have owned since my first eePC in 2007. The price for these specs also seemed competitive.

I wanted something small and light that would travel easily. The screen size is fine for occasional use and I'm using an external monitor at home. I like the feel of the keyboard too. I didn't need an optical drive, I have a couple of old ones on hand.

Tweaking and adding of programs is ongoing. It is not until I set out to do a task that I realise I need to download something extra to complete it. The good news is that my genealogy software, Family Historian, is running like a charm and syncing with my smaller Pink ASUS. I still need to get my desktop set up to suit me, I could do with a bit of guidance here.

I haven't found anything yet that makes me regret my decision to upgrade to this model.

An ill wind blew some good

Following on from the problems in last night's Hangout where my headset failed for the second time I raced out to the shops this morning and purchased a new one. I'll keep my old headset as a backup as it seems to work spasmodically.

New Gear

There was no doubt about me buying the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 from JB HiFi (who price-matched Officeworks) when I noted the Purple sticker "Get 40% cashback". On arriving home I went to the Microsoft website to put in the claim for my cashback and found that there is a whole list of Microsoft accessories that one can buy with this offer at participating retailers prior to the 1st February.

Participating Retailers

I was waiting until I went to Rootstech in the US to buy a couple of new mouses and who knows what else but, with that cashback offer, prices should be better than in the US so I'm returning to the  local shops to add to my collection of tech toys.

If you are into Hangouts on Air you need a headset (as was demonstrated when mine failed),  this is a good opportunity to purchase a good headset and any other essentials that are on the product list.