Best Buy For the Win

After careful consideration and thorough research I selected a new computer for my wife. I decided to get her a 13-inch MacBook air with 16 GB of RAM, the M3 processor, and 256 GB of solid-state storage. The next thing I needed to decide is where to buy it from.

Working for Sony, I have a number of fellow employees that have left and gone to work for Apple. I have helped a number of them pick up Sony products for a discount and they are willing to do the same for me. They receive a 15% discount on Apple products and so I used that as my base comparison price. If I couldn't find the computer cheaper somewhere else, I would call in a favor. That price came to $934.15 plus tax.

I keep getting daily e-mails for Costco and Best Buy, so I checked them first. Costco had the exact model I wanted for $899.99, which is cheaper than the Apple employee discount. Best Buy came in for a dollar less at an even $899.00. That became my new standard. My wife told me Amazon had a great price and so I looked there. They matched Best Buy at $899.00. I also looked at one of my favorite online stores: B&H Photo. They usually have great deals on Apple products and they didn't disappoint, or so I thought. They had the computer for $50 less. Then I carefully looked at the specs and saw that it was for the 8GB of RAM version. I'm glad I double checked all the specs. I came very close to making a big mistake.

Ultimately it came down to Amazon or Best Buy as the place to purchase the computer. How to decide? I looked at who could get it to me fastest as they both have free shipping. It turns out Best Buy beat Amazon by 2 days. That is where I made my purchase and I didn't have to call in a favor from a friend.

I Have a Spare PS5

Last week I received an e-mail from PlayStation letting me know I would be given the opportunity to purchase a PlayStation 5 at the manufacturer's suggested retail price. On Wednesday, I was told to log into the PlayStation Direct site on Thursday at noon using a special link to purchase the PS5. At 12:01pm on Thursday, I logged in and found myself in a virtual queue waiting to purchase the coveted console. I was told the line was about an hour long. 10 minutes later, I was let in and purchased the device. It then arrived at my house on Saturday at 1:25pm.

This is my second PS5 and so I didn't purchase it for myself as I already have one. I got it for any of my family or friends that want one and didn't want to pay the scalpers for it. So far, nobody has taken me up on my offer to sell it to them for what I paid, $536.24. I used to work for Sony Interactive Entertainment and am contractually not allowed to sell it for a higher price than I paid. While I no longer work for PlayStation, I do work for Sony and am honoring the agreement just to be sure. I would hate to have Sony cut off my account, which is something they could easily do.

I sent out messages to all of my family members on Saturday and everyone declined my offer. Next I talked to a few people that have expressed interest in the past about getting a PS5. They are still thinking about it. I am reluctant to advertise too widely about my device as I don't want someone buying it only to turn around and resell it for a profit. I looked at the usual retail sites like Walmart, Gamestop, Best Buy, Target, and a few others only to confirm the console is still hard to find. It is.

If you can convince me you will keep the PS5 for your own use and not resell it for a profit, you are welcome to buy it from me for the price I paid.

Replacing My Avalanche Beacon

My oldest son loves to research outdoor equipment. This past weekend he came to me and told me it is time to replace my current avalanche beacon (or transceiver as it is sometimes known). The company that made my mine is recommending I replace it with a newer model. The justification is that mine is an older 2-antenna model and the latest 3-antenna models have faster search times, are easier to use, and are more efficient.

That begs the question: What do I do with my old one? After all, I haven't used it that much and know it still works well. We make sure to test our beacons all the time. It helps reassure us that they function as advertised and that we are not learning how to use our equipment when we really need it. You don't want to be fumbling around with a new toy when someone's life is on the line.

With Christmas just around the corner, I am in no hurry to replace my current  transceiver as Santa may have one for me under the Christmas tree. If I don't get one a month from now then I will go out and purchase one and have to do something with the old one. My wife suggested that we use it for practice. That is not a bad idea. Another idea I had is to use it as a loaner for someone coming along with us on an adventure who may not have one. It sounds like a good idea but I am afraid it will promote a false sense of security.

I think the best course of action is to do what I do with all other outdated electronic devices and that is to utilize the services of an e-waste company. Our local Best Buy has a number of bins at the entrance of their store where you can drop off old electronic devices and they will dispose of them in a way that is better for the environment than just putting them in landfill. As with old climbing ropes that should be cut into unusable sections, I may take a hammer to mine so that nobody is tempted to used the antiquated device. If I have tears in my eyes as the hammer comes down, it is probably just allergies . . .

Setting up a New WiFi Access Point

My wife and kids have been complaining about the slow Internet at my house and so I had to take a look at it this weekend. When your kids are young, you can blow off their complaints about slow Internet access. When they know more than you do about computers it is time to listen and fix the problem. That is where I found myself on Saturday.

I couldn't understand what the family was talking about because my primary computer has a physical wire connected to our Internet router. Everything worked well for me. I even ran a speed test and got close to the physical limits of my hardware. Then I started running speed tests on other computers around the house that connect via WiFi. To keep things uniform, let's assume my max Internet connection is 100 Mbps (that's mega-bits per second, not to be confused with mega-bytes per second). Running an Internet speed test on my hardwired desktop results in a speed of 93 Mbps. The laptop next to my WiFi access point came in at a paltry 23 Mbps. The further away from my access point, the slower the speeds. That indicated I might want to update my WiFi access point. I headed down to the local Best Buy and spent $60 on a new piece of hardware.

Setting up a WiFi access point is not as simple as plugging in the hardware and turning it on. I had to turn off and on the cable modem and run a configuration program to let it set itself up. It only took a few moments and then I had things working to the point where I could run my speed tests. My hardwired desktop still had a result of 93 Mbps. Next I tested my laptop and it came in at 83 Mbps. That is significantly better than the 23 Mbps from before. Furthermore I was getting significantly better numbers on devices scattered throughout the house. The PS4 Pro in my TV room came in at 53 Mbps while the PS4 in my bedroom tested at 45 Mbps.

One thing I noticed is the degradation of the WiFi signal. My new WiFi access point actually comes with 2 access points: one at 2.4 GHz and the other at 5.0 GHz. The higher number frequency provides for faster speeds but has a range limitation. I can see the 2.4 GHz signal throughout the house but have to be fairly close to the access point to see the 5.0 GHz network. You'll want to remember that as you select where to place your WiFi access point should you be running through the same exercise. As my bedroom PS4 is furthest from the access point, it is stuck on the 2.4 GHz network as it can't see the 5.0 GHz one.

The final step for setting everything up was to configure my printers. I use IP printing with 2 laser printers (one black and white with the other color). All of the computers in the house expect the printers to be at fixed IP addresses and so I had to configure that in the new WiFi access point. It is easy enough to do and I completed it quickly. Now everything is set up.

I did all of this work while the rest of my family attended a wedding reception and so when everyone got home they noticed they couldn't get on the Internet. The old access point SID had disappeared. All anyone needed to do was look for one of the two new ones and reconnect. I do have to admit I chuckled every time I heard one of my kids exclaim, "Hey, what happened to the Internet?"

Video Game Review: Detroit Become Human

This evening I finished the game Detroit: Become Human on the PlayStation 4 and have to say that I enjoyed it. It is from Quantic Dream, the same studio that created Heavy Rain. I have to say that I enjoyed Detroit a lot more even though they are very similar. If you are looking to play a game that is more like a movie where you can make choices that effect the outcome, then I suggest taking a look at Detroit: Become Human.

The game starts out with you controlling an android that tries to keep another android from killing someone. You then go through the story playing as several different android while they all become self-aware. Unlike any of the Telltale games, your choices really do effect the story and you are shown how through a nice flowchart at the end of each chapter. This is something new to this game that didn't exist in Heavy Rain and is a welcome addition.

Detroit: Become Human is one of those games where someone can watch you play and still enjoy the story line. My wife came and joined me on several occasions. She would ask if it was the "robot game" and then sit down until I finished the chapter before going to do something together. Each chapter only takes between 15 to 30 minutes to complete. The final one takes a bit longer.

The game has an ESRB rating of M for Mature due to partial nudity, violence, and strong language. I wish the game had a setting to dial back the language as I think it didn't add that much to the story. As for the nudity, there are several scenes where you see androids without any skin, but they are more mechanical than human. During the course of play, you enter an android strip club but everyone is wearing rather modest swimsuits as opposed to being nude. That is one of the scenes my wife watched and had it been risque, I might have lost my game-playing privileges at home.

If you are a late teen or older looking for a fun interactive movie that runs about 20 hours in length, then I can recommend Detroit: Become Human. I picked up the game at a huge discount using my industry discount but you can find it right now for about $40 at places like Best Buy.

Final Answer

My son finally made it home safely after two years in Armenia. I have been struggling with the decision on what computer to get him for his first year in college. I presented several choices to him and let him do some research for several days. He came back with a computer choice. Then I felt I needed to make one last look to make sure we reviewed all possible options.

There are several online computer vendors that allow you to specify the features you are looking for and so I visited Best Buy's. They have a store really close to my house and so I knew I could order it, have it shipped there for free, and pick it up rather quickly. I used the configuration tool and put in the options I thought would work best for a college freshman looking to start in the Mechanical Engineering department. Surprisingly I found a computer I had overlooked. I presented it to my son as a viable alternative to his choice and let him decide. I always believe that any large purchase should be thought about for at least a day. When I go to buy cars, I often tell the salesperson I want to sleep on it before I make a purchase. They hate that but then I don't have buyer's remorse. So I let my son sleep on the decision.

He came back and settled on a MacBook Air with an Intel i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128 GB solid-state drive. Sure I could have gotten more disk space, but with terabyte drives costing $70, why would you need to? I agreed with his decision and so I ordered the computer. The only problem with his choice is that the i7 is an upgrade and so it is not kept in stock at the Apple stores. I had to have it custom built. It will be here next week but is coming all the way from China. School starts on Monday so I hope my son doesn't need his computer until Wednesday when it is due to arrive.

Time for a New College Laptop Again

Back in February I wrote about how my youngest son will soon need a new laptop. I didn't see the urgency in making a decision at the time because heading to college seemed so far off. In two weeks he will be home after spending two years in Armenia and getting ready to attend college.

As I wrote before he will need to talk with his academic advisor to see the best recommendation for his engineering program in school. Some engineering software is only available for Windows and so a Mac might not be a good choice. Or the opposite could be true. I doubt it, but it could be.

A quick stop at Best Buy shows that there are even more choices than before. In addition to Windows or Mac, you can also choose a Chrome OS laptop. If you can get by with using online applications for everything you do, then it is a viable option. I don't think it is a good choice for an engineering student though and so I won't bother looking at one of those.

The next question boils down to budget: How much do I want to spend for my son's laptop. I always joke with my other children about how I like my youngest son the most. They all think that is true but reality is that whatever I do for one child, I have to make it fair for all of the rest. When my older son went to pick his laptop, I looked at the lowest price MacBook Pro and used that as the maximum budget. Why? That is what I got his two sisters. While time passes and laptop specifications change, Apple has done a pretty good job identifying realistic price points for student computers. Yes you can get a lower-priced computer but they don't last nearly as long as if you spend a bit more. Just look at my oldest daughter's experience as most of her college roommates needed new computers before the end of the first year.

I am often asked if brand makes a difference. The short answer is, "Yes." You want to be careful about what you purchase online. However if you are visiting a reputable store like Best Buy, they won't carry a junk brand and so your choice will boil down to features for a given price. I recommend more RAM over a faster processor. I also favor a solid-state drive over rotating disk even though you can get enormous disks for next to nothing. If you think your child will have a lot of large files, spend $60 and get an external USB drive and factor that into the cost of the computer.

Writing all of this down has helped me organize my thoughts as I get ready to help my son with his computer. Hopefully it helps you as well. Naturally I will be sure to let you know what I decide.

Where to Get a PS4 for Christmas

Last night my son wanted to go to Best Buy to do a little Christmas window shopping. I'm not one to pass up the chance to go to the local electronics store and so we made the quick trip. Naturally they were all out of the next-generation game consoles and so I asked when they are getting a new shipment of PS4's. They are getting one today but the store won't put them out until Black Friday. I'm not sure if they will also have XBox One's as I only asked about the PS4. I imagine they will have both machines Friday morning.

Sony has tried to anticipate demand for the PS4 this Christmas season and rumor has it they will be shipping consoles on an almost weekly basis. That means if your favorite store doesn't have a PS4 at the moment, you just need to ask a salesperson when they get their next shipment. Then be sure to be at the store as soon as they restock their shelves.

A lot of my friends know I am in the video game industry and have been asking how to get a PS4 for Christmas and this is the advice I give them. It is just a matter of timing. Chance favors the prepared and so do everything you can to reduce being there at the wrong time.

PS4 First Impressions

The new PlayStation 4 has some impressive features. It also has some problems. Most of the problems I have encountered are software related and so I know they can be fixed with an update. The biggest problem is that there is an update to begin with. I got wind that the update was going to be huge and so I downloaded it to a memory stick yesterday. Then when I turned on my PS4, I held the on button for 7 seconds and listened for a beep. This put the console in safe mode and allowed me to install the update. Then I could begin playing games. Unfortunately the PlayStation Network is so overwhelmed with people logging in and trying to install the almost 1 GB update that I couldn't download any of the new PS4 games and am stuck playing the only game I purchased on disk so far: Killzone Shadow Fall. Don't worry, I ordered a couple of more games this afternoon.

The first thing I noticed was how superior the graphics are over the PS3. Don't get me wrong, the graphics on the PS3 are incredible. The PS4 is just that much better. We are playing both PS4 and PS3 games this evening and so it is easy to notice how much better the PS4 really is. The PS4 games have intricate detail while the PS3 ones looks plastic and fake.

We also tried to watch some movies on the PS4 today with mixed results. DVD's played just fine. Some Blu-ray disks worked without any problems on the PS4 while others didn't. Speed Racer played flawlessly and I felt it looked better on the PS4. Neither Chasing Mavericks nor Avatar would play. As for 3D Blu-rays, I don't think they are supported yet. The only 3D disk I own is Avatar and I was not even given the option of 2D or 3D, just 2D and that didn't work. No worries though as I still have my 2 PS3 units that play them just fine. I have also not been able to get to the PlayStation Store because of connections problems.

I'm sure it will take a bit to get the kinks worked out of the PS4 and so don't feel bad if you have to wait a bit before you can pick one up. I also talked with the folks at my local Gamestop and Best Buy stores this evening. They are both getting more shipments soon and so you should be able to get one before Christmas if that is what your family wants. The trick to finding one will be to ask the store when the next shipment comes in and being their that day. Otherwise you run the risk of someone else getting your console.

The Death of a Power Supply

A few months ago, I started noticing some weird behavior on my desktop Linux computer at home. I have been able to work around it until I got home from the airport this past Friday night. I went to turn on the computer, but it wouldn't boot. There were not lights nor fans that came on. It was like I was pressing a random part of the computer as the "On" button seemed to have no effect. When this has happened in the past, it was just a matter of disconnecting all of the cables from the back, re-inserting them, and turning it on. Friday night, that didn't work.

It is a good thing I have several other computers in my office at home as I was able to search the Internet for help. My Linux desktop is a Dell. In fact, it is one of the first Dell computers to have the new Intel i7 processor and it seems the engineers never got full credit on their homework assignments in college. Searching on my model number and a few other key words like "won't turn on" brought up numerous accounts of other Dell customers experiencing the same problem. When Dell built my computer, they put in a 300 watt power supply, which turns out to be way too small. Judging from the number of posts, I was lucky my power supply managed to last as long as it did.

Computer power supplies are relatively cheap. I probably could have ordered one online and gotten a better price, but I needed to get my computer running immediately. As it was 1 am by the time I felt I knew how to solve my problem, I went to bed. The next day I added a stop at Best Buy to my list of chores. I read about a 600 watt power supply that solved the problem nicely, but the largest my local store had was 450. I asked to make sure it would fit in my Dell case and was told all power supplies were interchangeable. In truth, they are not, but I decided to give it a shot.

I got home and opened the case only to be amazed at how many wires come out of a power supply. I had removed the case of my computer before but never really noticed all of those wires. There were really only 4 bundles that mattered: 2 for the motherboard, 1 for my graphics card, and 1 for my disk drive and DVD drive. I unplugged them all and pulled out the defective power supply. Getting the old one out took a bit of skill. Putting the new one in was almost impossible. When you build a computer, the first thing you put in the case is the power supply. I didn't want to pull everything out of my case and so it was rather difficult to work the new supply around heat sinks and cooling fans. Bending a bit of the sheet metal in the case helped but it was a non-trivial process. Besides, with the cover back on, nobody can tell I had to bend anything.

I connected everything back up only to discover that the power cable running from the supply to the hard drive and then to the DVD drive wasn't long enough. A quick internet search showed me I could get an 8-inch extension cord for around $5 and so I ordered one. After all the case bending, I didn't want to take out the new power supply and return it for one with more of the newer SATA power interface pig-tails. Right now I don't have a DVD drive as I had to choose between it or the hard drive, but that will be fixed on Wednesday when the part arrives.

I left a panel of the case off and made sure the computer would turn on. It did and so I turned the computer off and put the case back together. That was a huge relief as I really need my Linux desktop. It is nice to have it back from the dead.