Macbook Pro XP/Vista audio stuttering fix

February 5th, 2009 • 12 comments
Tags: audio, audio problems, drivers, Macbook Pro, stuttering, unibody, Windows Vista, Windows XP, wireless, WLAN

My PC has seen less and less of my gaming activity in recent years. It makes me a little sad, but the current generation of consoles is delivering a more cohesive and simple gaming experience than the PC ever could. The PC still has it’s strong suits: games like RTSs and FPSs that demand the fast and accurate control only a mouse can deliver or the modding communities that have sprouted around hit PC games for quite some time now. These things are still unmatched by consoles. Development is much more accessible to basement programmers as well creating a diverse indie game ecosystem.

As such, you can imagine my frustration when I found that my XP-booting Macbook Pro’s audio was stuttering every 15-30 seconds while booted into Windows. When the stuttering occurs, the action in your game slows for a couple of seconds. It may not sound like much, but four times a minute is a little excessive. Rhythm games like Audiosurf become unplayable; all games become frustrating. I set out to find the root of the problem and squelch it for good.

Some extensive Google searching revealed I was not alone in my issue. Tons of others are having the same problems. I went through pages and pages of potential fixes and nothing worked until I ran across a link to an updated WLAN driver for the Broadcom N Wireless adapter (which I have mirrored for you on my server). I installed that, and I now have no stuttering! I can game in peace and harmony once again.

As a service to all of you, I will mirror the driver that I used in this fix. Here are the steps for the fix that worked on my late 2008 unibody Macbook Pro running Windows XP SP3:

1. Download and decompress driver
2. Right-click “My Computer” and click “Properties”
3. Click the “Hardware” tab
4. Click on “Device Manager”
5. Expand the “Network Adapters” category in the pane on the right
6. Right click the Broadcom and click “Update driver”
7. Click “Install from a list or specified location” and click “Next”
8. Select “Don’t search” and click “Next”
9. Click “Have disk”
10. Browse to the location of the files you extracted earlier
11. Open the folder for your OS
12. Click the “Open” button

Once you have completed the process, you should be gaming in bliss. Keep in mind that this will not work for Macbooks with a Wireless NIC other than a Broadcom N NIC and a specific one of those at that. I’m unsure of the model of the NIC, but I would guess all the current unibody Macbook Pros produced after October 2008 have the same wireless adapter. The driver will also work for Vista according to the user who provided the link. (I would credit him, but I can’t even remember where I found it!) I think the procedure is similar for Vista, but, if anyone would like to send me the steps, I will be glad to post it. Good luck!

Million-dollar-pc.com highlights awe-inspiring custom PC builds

February 4th, 2009 • 2 comments
Tags: builds, cases, Computer Gaming, cooling, Hardware, modding, pc

If you have ever built a PC or even tinkered around inside the case upgrading your RAM, video card, or hard drive, you will likely have an appreciation for the artistry involved in the builds featured at million-dollar-pc.com. This isn’t a site for case modding. The cases here are either stock or they maintain the stock look. The cases aren’t flamboyant at all, but the builds are beautiful and classy—the attention to detail unmatched. The photos are big and gorgeous and are taken with the same care with which the builds are constructed. The page also includes a form to submit suggestions for the next million dollar PC.

There is some serious talent putting together these cases. I’m lucky to get the case to close with all the wires inside on my builds.

Collection of 351 iPhone wallpapers

February 4th, 2009 •
Tags: backgrounds, customization, iPhone, wallpaper

This is my collection of iPhone wallpapers. It includes 351 wallpapers I have collected during my six months as an iPhone user. Only the absolute best wallpapers I have found are included. This should be plenty to keep you busy customizing the look of your phone for for quite some time. Please note that I have not created any of these wallpapers, and I do not intend to take credit for them. I have merely assembled them here to make them easier to obtain.

iPhone wallpaper collection (27.48MB)

App brings MMS to iPhone

February 3rd, 2009 • 2 comments
Tags: iPhone, mms, Multimedia Messaging Service, photo, Text messaging

One of the oft requested iPhone features has come to the iPhone by way of a (currently) $4.99 app called Fetch MMS. The implementation is far from perfect. AT&T users must first change a setting through the carrier’s online messaging center. Also, it is impossible to send MMS to other iPhone users. The app uploads your photo to a remote server which then determines the carrier of the recipient based on the phone number. I assume the recipient’s e-mail address for text messages is then used to send the photo on its way. It’s not a great solution, but it may be as close as we have right now. I really hope some upcoming smart phones *cough*Pre*cough* can put the pressure on Apple to implement some of the long awaited basic features the iPhone lacks natively.

Mind-boggling deal on Creative Vado HD camcorder ($130 @ Amazon)

February 3rd, 2009 •
Tags: 720p, Camcorder, deals, flip, vado hd

If you’re familiar with the Flip line of camcorders, the Vado is Creative’s answer to the Flip. The Vado HD bests Flip’s Mino HD in a couple of key areas. It has an HDMI output and comes with an HDMI cable for easy connection to an HDTV; the Mino HD does not have HDMI. It also doubles the storage of the Mino HD from 4GB to 8GB giving you two hours at 720p resolution. I bought one of these camcorders just before Christmas, and I have been really impressed with it. It takes fantastic video for the price.

Chris Pirillo wrote a roundup of the three hottest cameras in this space: the Mino HD, the Kodak Zi6, and the Vado HD. He favored the Vado over the others.

This week’s upcoming episode of raddevon video was shot with the camcorder. That will be released on Friday, but, until then, there are video samples available elsewhere.

Amazon.com is now offering the camcorder for $130!  Use this link and enter the $100-off coupon code MY88J7DV when checking out.

Tiny USB monitors bring happiness, don’t use up video ports

February 2nd, 2009 • 1 comment
Tags: friendfeed, Instant messaging, monitor, touchscreen, twitter

Why would you want to hook up a tiny 7″ monitor to your computer? Twitter, FriendFeed, IM apps, and other apps that are most useful if you can have them up at all times to watch for notifications. Mimo Monitors go a step further by connecting via USB to keep all your video ports free. This means you can easily plug one in even if you already have two, three, or more monitors. The base model is priced attractively at $129.99 and offers a very basic featureset. Its only cool trick is the ability to change orientation of the monitor from landscape to portrait or vice versa. The $200 model has a touchscreen and integrated camera making it great for an app launcher or a Skype monitor. Very cool. Wired Gadget Lab had the scoop.

Mini USB Monitors Give Pleasure with Every Tiny Inch

iTunes is now DRM-free. So what?

February 2nd, 2009 •
Tags: Amazon, DRM, eMusic, iTunes store, lala, MP3s, music, online music stores

Apple has kindly decided to allow users to pay 30 cents per track to remove the crippling DRM which would otherwise render users’ songs useless should the iTunes DRM servers vanish (as Wal-mart’s did last year). I understand that this charge was probably mandated by the RIAA, but I still have a problem with a store that charges me again to have unfettered access to my own purchases. This is especially true since other stores have already been selling DRM-free music for a while now. Many of us who care about owning music with fewer conditions have already found iTunes alternatives. Here are a few of the iTunes store alternatives that have made my radar.

eMusic- eMusic is a subscription-based service that offers a number of downloads per month for the life of your membership. The current entry-level plan is $10 for 30 tracks which is significantly cheaper than ordering from other online music stores (except maybe for those based in Russia). The drawback is availability of major label artists; there is none. Because eMusic was among the first services offering DRM-free music, they still don’t really have a relationship with the majors. They have gained something of a reputation of being the online store for indie titles and have developed a following as a result. I can’t argue with the pricing!

Amazon- Based on my experience, Amazon’s music store comes closest to iTunes in size. Up until recently, Amazon was the place to be if you wanted DRM-free music from the majors. One unique aspect of this store is that they actually run discounts and deals on songs and albums. They offer a daily deal which is often an entire MP3 album for $2. Not bad at all!

lala- In lala’s previous life, it was a CD trading service. Someone got smart and decided CDs weren’t going to be around forever. Now, lala is a DRM-free music store with good selection (although not quite as good as Amazon’s) and a number of very unique features. Lala has a web-accessible music library. You can choose to purchase an MP3 for $.89 or the web-playable track for $.10. If you buy the MP3, the track is automatically added to your web library. If you buy the web track, you can upgrade it to the full MP3 for $.79 more. When you first sign up with lala, you will download the Music Mover app which acts as a downloader for purchased tracks. It does double-duty as an uploader for any MP3 tracks it finds on your computer. These songs will be added to your web library as well giving you roaming access to your entire library for no more than you would pay (or have paid) for the tracks themselves. It’s a really nice service, but the store is excellent as well. Most albums are $7.50 which is a pretty healthy savings over iTunes typical $9.99 price. I have also had to deal with customer service on a couple of track downloading problems. They were very responsive and provded me with an opportunity to redownload any tracks I did not receive. This one is my current favorite by far.

There is little disadvantage to using these alternative services. In many cases, you get much more for your money than you would from iTunes. The advantages are clear: extra services and better prices. Both Amazon and lala are easy to try since there is no subscription and eMusic offers a free trial. The only disadvantage is that these stores are most likely not integrated into you computer’s media player. Fortunately, the features and savings you get for that little extra effort are really worth it. Even though iTunes now offers DRM-free music, there still remain compelling reasons to give the alternatives another look.

Frequent short power failures? Try an UPS.

February 1st, 2009 •
Tags: Internet access, Power outage, Uninterruptible power supply, ups, Wi-Fi

I bought a house about six months ago, and, to my disappointment, the neighborhood seems to have frequent, short power outages in which the power goes out just about long enough for all the devices in the house to lose power then immediately returns. This is a minor inconvenience as clocks have to be reset, but those can always wait. The thing that can’t wait when the power blinks is Internet access. Most geeks have multiple connected devices in the house and maybe have wireless and thus a router. The problem is that, when a reset occurs, the router needs to come on after the broadband device is completely connected so that it can pull an IP address from your providers DHCP server. (This is why your ISP’s customer service asks you to reset your equipment in a specific way when you call for help.) Of course, your house’s electrical circuits cannot do this automatically; they apply power to everything at once when the power returns.

I got tired of having to do resets every time the power blinks so I remedied the issue with an uninterruptible power supply (or UPS). The UPS is like a surge protector with a battery built-in. Upon initial connection, the battery charges and will allow power to be maintained for a short time in case of an outage. For my purposes, a very small UPS was sufficient.

I connected the UPS in my basement where my cable modem and wireless router live. I then connected the power cables for those two devices to the UPS. Lucky for me, my home media server is also in the same location so I was able to provide it with access to the battery as well.

These small UPS units start in the $50 range. I have the six-outlet 350VA APC UPS which will probably get you through 5-10 minutes with a computer connected. This probably isn’t enough to get you through your Left 4 Dead match, but it is enough to save your work. It’s also enough to get you through those short power outages without even having to reset your router and modem! In fact, if your cable or DSL hasn’t gone out as a result of whatever caused your power outage, you should be able to continue using your Internet access and wi-fi on laptops or any other system that is on a battery backup.

It may seem like a lot of money for a small convenience, but, if you have frequent short outages like I do, you may agree it is worth the initial investment.

iPhone may finally get Flash

February 1st, 2009 • 2 comments
Tags: Adobe, Adobe Flash, Adobe Systems, Apple, flash, iPhone

Adobe‘s CEO has stated they are now in collaboration with Apple to develop Flash for the iPhone. It seems to me that, if this ever comes to fruition, we will see a major shift in the type of games available in the app store. After all, why would I pay $5-$10 for a tower defense game or a card game when I could play them for free in the web browser? Now all we need is a version of the Kongregate site for the iPhone…

Adobe, Apple working together on Flash for iPhone

If you aren’t wooting, our relationship is over

January 31st, 2009 •
Tags: deals, shopping, Tech, woot, woot.com

I’ve enjoyed these last couple of weeks. I really have. We really have a lot in common. I assume we have at least a little in common too; otherwise, why would you be here? But, there’s a problem: you’ll never understand my daily pilgrimage to the various woot sites to find today’s insane deal. You can’t understand because you just aren’t wooting yourself! You won’t know what it means to wake up and see the lights on the page meaning two things:

1. It’s a woot-off.
2. You’re not going to get anything accomplished today.

I feel your pain. I once was an innocent babe with no concept of what woot was. Luckily, there is something you can do to salvage our relationship. Check out woot.com, sellout.woot, wine.woot, and shirt.woot today to see what the deals are. You may not see anything you like so keep checking throughout the upcoming week. If you’re a geek (and you must be) you are bound to find something within a week’s time that you absolutely must have and is 30% cheaper than any other online retailer.

If you can’t learn and come to understand my relationship with woot, I’m afraid we will have to cut this whole thing off right here. That’s right, you’re going to need to find another blog. I just can’t think of another way out of this!

Actually, you’re welcome to stick around, woot-fan or not, but you should really check it out. I can’t think of anyone I’ve told about it who didn’t immediately become addicted. Enjoy!