eric dombroski

Dell Optiplex 755, BartPE, and Intel 82566 Drivers

I was having some trouble getting my BartPE disc to work correctly with Dell’s new Optiplex 755 desktop, due to the fact that it comes with a new Intel Gigabit NIC chip (82566-2, specifically). I had added the new drivers as downloaded from Dell’s website, to no avail, getting a “Cannot install network devices” error at bootup.

Read the rest of this entry »

Technology Wishlist

  1. Windows Media Center: If I happen to throw down a small fortune for a Digital Cable Ready (read: CableCard) Windows Media Center PC, I would love the ability to stream both live and recorded TV to other Windows Media Center PCs in the house. It only makes sense to offer the ability to combine the resources of multiple WMC PCs with eachother, with a unified electronic program guide (EPG). Media Center Extenders should also be able to use this aggregation of resources, presenting a seamless experience.
  2. iPhone: the closest thing to the perfect phone needs some serious upgrades before I’d consider owning one.
    • Exchange ActiveSync
    • 3G
    • Picture Messaging
    • WPA enterprise
    • Bluetooth DUN/PAN or WiFi sharing support
    • More storage would also be nice
  3. Other automobile OEMs to offer something similar to Ford’s Sync. It doesn’t necessarily need to be voice activated, but I really would like my car to seamlessly integrate with my iPod and Bluetooth phone.

iPhone + Lotus Notes/Domino?

Engadget had a post yesterday detailing rumored plans for a Lotus Notes application for the iPhone. I’m pleased to see that at least someone is doing something to try to get corporate email on the iPhone, but my immediate response is “WTF about Exchange”? You can access Exchange via IMAP, but that hardly compares to the push-email features of Exchange ActiveSync or even on a BlackBerry. I’ve come to enjoy push email on my seriously outdated Treo 700w. Why I can’t have my cake (wicked cool phone) and eat it (push email) too?