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martronthrow

30 karma · joined May 9, 2019

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martronthrow··on HP Spectre 15 x360 2019 review: Carving a niche in a crowded space
I tested the Dell XPS13 9380, the new thinkpad x390, and the razer stealth 13 - all based on almost identical chipsets.

None of them had the same issue, although Dell did ship a bad TB3 driver which needed to be manually fixed.

I have other USB-C devices, including phone, that charge just fine on any charger.

martronthrow··on HP Spectre 15 x360 2019 review: Carving a niche in a crowded space
I called them. The rep seemed un-knowledgeable but offered that as, i suspect, a panacea.

I installed Windows 10 fresh.

Anyways, I got rid of the laptop - sorry HP, your competitors got my $2k :(

martronthrow··on Google Is Bringing Electronic IDs to Android
They already have a payments platform and app store that requires a linking, which is more than adequate for highly targeted advertising.

I really think that civic engagement and petitioning law makers to protect our privacy is the main tool we have to get out of these impending messes.

martronthrow··on HP Spectre 15 x360 2019 review: Carving a niche in a crowded space
Having used the 13 in with the same display - it's really bright. Like, way brighter at the same power consumption than any other laptop I've used. It's actually pretty incredible.

But then, I don't make a habit of computing outdoors. Also, I mostly work with a large, external monitor. So I guess it's not as big of a deal for me.

martronthrow··on HP Spectre 15 x360 2019 review: Carving a niche in a crowded space
The 15 suffers similar issues as the 13 inch 2019 spectre and other whiskey lake hp laptops - many USB-C devices, including perfectly compliant chargers, cause it to hard lock (firmware/bios bug, not blue screen). In my case, compliant devices (such as phones), EGPU docks, caused the hard lock.

You can test this by bringing an official apple charger and cable to Best Buy. When I bought mine, I was sure it was a hardware issue until I demonstrated it on every floor model laptop by plugging in an official apple charger and my pixel 3, crashing each one instantly.

HP said that they would release a firmware update that fixed this but I don't know if it's out yet. I returned my spectre and bought a razer - this kind of bug is 100% inexcusable.

TLDR: If you purchase one of these, make sure to do it from a place that doesn't do restocking fees, apply the most recent BIOS update, and then test the laptop with multiple USB-C devices (and cables). A shame - I really liked the hardware.

martronthrow··on Blue Moon
Nobody's proposing "just a few years". Both Musk and Bezos have grand visions that require difficult, complex technical and financial problems to be solved.

First up is lowering the cost of escape velocity such that "casual" flights are financially feasible. This includes reusable components, a very low failure rate, and an ecosystem of employees, engineers, and culture that supports it.

If M/B achieves their stated goals in this domain, then the next steps can be practically executed.