A First Look @ the Dell Inspiron 1520 notebook

Well as i said in my previous post i decided to go Dell this time and purchased a Dell Inspiron 1520 with the following specifications:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T5450 (1.66 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2-cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English1 Year Base Warranty - Collect & Return
Jet Black Colour with Matte Finish with camera15.4"
Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display with TrueLife™
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
Integrated Intel® Graphic Media Accelerator X3100
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW D
rive including SoftwarePrimary
6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)

Dell payment/delivery process and even the courrier company were excellent and everything worked out smoothly.

First impressions taking out the notebook from the packaging was that a) it was a bit heavy i think it is approximately 2.5 kilos b) it seemed compoud and well build and it actually has the looks!!

As can be seen from the below photo the screen is a TrueLife and all the graphics are powered by Integrated Intel® Graphic Media Accelerator X3100 which is not a games graphics card but everyone agrees that Intel did a good job with this version of intergrated cards.


Now TrueLife means that probably taking this laptop out and working under the sun may create some problems with reflected background enviroment images. Still in an indoor enviroment the screen is amazing with nice levels of light and brightness.

The keyboard is really well build and has a nice feeling when you are typing. The silver inside frame is bright and looks great but as other people had already metnioned it may be affected over time and freaquent use.

In terms of ports and accessibilty with mobile devices it has more than enough as can be seen from the below pictures i.e 5 usb ports are really good. The wireless one touch connection slide button on the left side of the notebook is really helpful and easy to use. The speakers suprisingly are placed at the botom of the front side of the notebook but the sound is excellent!

Overall i must admit i am impressed with this notebook, it seems to suit my needs as i mentioned in my previous post. It is also a very very quite machine. Additional bonus the technical support of Dell which as in the case of Toshiba is great and covers lots of countries.
''A laptop with no substantial technical support is a disaster waiting to happen"

p.s Window Vista gave me already a blue screen but it was about time to get my hands in the new operating system whatever that means for my nervous system!!

Dimitris Magazine Appearance (In Greek)

A short version of my bio as it appeared in ΕΝΤΟΣ magazine in Volos, Greece (December 2007)

Κάντε κλίκ πάνω στην εικόνα:

The End of Speed Cameras?

Wireless sensor project signals the end for speed cameras

Published on 28 November 2007

A potential new speed monitoring invention that is the brainchild of a PhD student from Aston University has won a national computing award.

Dimitrios Georgoulas, 27, won this year's Student Project of the Year category in The Computing Awards for Excellence 2007.

Georgoulas' project, entitled 'Intelligence-Based System for Wireless Sensor Networks', involved creating an advanced computer software system which connects to wireless sensor devices and monitors the speed of a moving vehicle or object. The name of the software is In-Motes EYE and it was designed to monitor acceleration, light and temperature variation. It works without the need for human intervention.

In theory, this could be a revolutionary discovery for speed control and have a direct affect on government laws and the motor industry. The sensors and software provide an accurate answer to speed monitoring without the flaws of speed cameras. Sensors could be fitted or built into cars, with the readings being relayed to a control centre (which contains the software), with no need for cameras. One flaw of the speed camera which does not occur with the wireless system is that cameras are unable to capture speeding vehicles if they are changing lanes.

The concept for the project was developed as part of Dimitrios'PhD research at Aston University's School of Engineering & Applied Science in Birmingham. The concept was scrutinised by the readers of Computing magazine and a panel of experts from the IT industry. Dimitrios was also tested on the project's potential to advance, improve or develop IT.

The Awards recognise student achievement in the field of Information Technology (IT) and are a highly regarded accreditation in the IT industry.

"It is a really great honour to win this national award. The awards ceremony presented a great opportunity to meet leading industry thinkers, which should secure the project real recognition," Georgoulas said.

Georgoulas' project could herald the demise of the traditional speed camera

Edinburgh - Ενδυμβούργο

A magical place!!! Photos from my recent visit:

Αλ Τσαντίρι News (In Greek)

Α.κ.α το επιτυχημένο δημιούργημα του Λάκη Λαζόπουλου.....


Ήταν πλέον καιρός για μια λαική σάτιρα σε μορφή stand up comedy να εμφανιστεί και στην Ελλάδα απο εναν χαρισματικό άνθρωπο που είτε θα τον λατρέψεις είτε θα τον μισήσεις. Εγώ προσωπικά συγκαταλέγομαι στην πρώτη κατηγορία.

Καυστικός με απίστευτο χιούμορ, δημιουργικός, κοντά στην νεολαία, πολιτικά συνειδητοποιημένος και για πάρα πολλούς αιρετικός μπήκε στην ζώη μας και στην καθημερινότητα μας και προσφέρει αυτό που το μεγαλύτερο μέρος της ελληνικής τηλεόρασης αδυνατή να προσφέρει....γέλιο, εξυπνάδα και προβληματισμό.

'Οχι δεν εθελοτυφλώ και ομολογώ πως κάποιες εκπομπές του δεν μου άρεσαν το ίδιο με άλλες και πως κάποια σχόλια τα βρήκα το λιγότερο, άτοπα με αρκετή δόση λαικισμού αλλα αυτό δεν αλλάζει το αποτέλεσμα που δηλώνει ότι το Αλ Τσαντίρι News είναι μια όαση στην αποτυχημένη για μένα ελληνική τηλεόραση.

Η άρχη έγινε το θέμα είναι αν το παράδειγμα του γίνει η απαρχή μιας νέας πραγματικότητας για την ελληνική τηλεόραση.

Το εύχομαι αλλά δεν το βλέπω άμεσα.......

Which notebook to buy?

New year and i thought to treat myself with a brand new laptop. For those of you who had the same consideration and you have done a market search you will figure out already that the choice of a new laptop can cause quite a lot of headaches. Plenty of choices and a vast price range.

All my previous years i was a big fan of Toshiba laptops since they were reliable and strong machines although not with the best specifications. The first and most important thing you need to consider when you are buying one is what you want to do with it in terms of applications. The following is a list of things to consider before you buy one:

• Its not a desktop
• Budget
• Applications you wish to run (Is it for gaming or for bussiness?)
  
• Easiness in upgrating
• Specification (memory, proccessor, hard drive, graphics card)
• Technical Support
• Looks
  

Personally i didnt want a desktop replacement but a mobile powerful unit that i would be able to run academic/research software programs but also i would be able to enjoy movies, surfing the net, editing videos e.t.c My budget was below 500 pounds.

After reading lots and lots of reviews i ended up ordering a Dell Inspiron 1520 with the following specification:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor T5450 (1.66 GHz, 667 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2-cache)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium - English1 Year Base Warranty - Collect & Return
Jet Black Colour with Matte Finish with camera15.4"
Wide Screen WXGA (1280 x 800) Display with TrueLife™
2048MB 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x1024]
160GB (5400RPM) SATA Hard Drive
Integrated Intel® Graphic Media Accelerator X3100
Fixed Internal 8X DVD+/-RW D
rive including SoftwarePrimary
6-cell Lithium-Ion Battery (56 WHr)

Its seems a really good choice, quite powerfull and based on my budget levels. Only consideration (apart from the Windows Vista) is the graphics card. But i didnt want a gaming laptop plus if you read the specifications of the Integrated Intel® Graphic Media Accelerator X3100 you will realize that they are quite respectable. Now if you want to play new generation games thats a different story (I have for that reason my playstation and occasionally my desktop).

Added bonus: It is the main laptop that they are using in Stargate Atlantis!!!!!!

Happy New Year - Within Temptation Live

Hello everyone and a Happy New Year!!!!!!!
Καλη χρονια και ευτυχισμενο το νεο ετος!!!!!

This is my first blog post so i thought to make a start by posting some live videos i took from one of my favourite bands:

Within Temptation (Live @ Birmingham Academy 2007)

Song: All I Need



Song: Ice Queen



Song: Jane Doe