laptopsandspares

+1 for flipboard. There do seem to be a few bugs in the latest "retina display" version with logging into linked accounts but I'm sure there'll be an update shortly to resolve it. If you like good photography check out 500px.com, you can add this to flipboard too (or there's a pretty decent stand alone app too). Fotopedia Heritage are a good series of apps too, it's Nat Geo type photography listed by Geographical region.

Interestingly the biggest publicised problems with batteries in recent years was the mass Dell original recall that actually used Sony built cells! Sony run two versions of a software driven check, on older models it's a windows level programme which can be disabled in msconfig (or just deleted), on more recent models it's at BIOS level which is a pest, but resolvable. There is a huge range of quality available in the "3rd party" market which makes it very difficult for end users, (schools, business or public) to be sure what they are getting. The key to a reliable third party is really making sure (as best you can), that the units while undoubtedly assembled in China, are built with Japanese or Korean cells (Think Samsung, LG, Panasonic). The standard for traditional Li-Ion laptop battery cells (the round AA style but bigger), is set by Samsung, the 18650 design and if units meet this design standard they will match a physical shape and size and confirm to charging tolerances and predefined capacities. Most of the issues we see with samples of "Cheap chinese" offerings is that although standard is copied, it's not copied with the level of precision needed to produce a reliable product. In most cases, failure occurs when the cells in the unit fall out of balance and then won't charge because they've not been matched properly, although as you've all seen, occasionally things catch fire. IMHO, if manufacturers wanted to encourage the purchase of originals, all they need to do is pull their margins in a bit which in the long run would probably cost them less and create more business than developing restrictive software which the firms in the far east will counter fairly swiftly anyway. It is interesting though to hear another manufacturer is going down this route. There's plenty using smart tech already (anyone come across Dell's not charging with third party chargers?) but only a few being super restrictive with it.

Congratulations Sir!! What about "Ed" (although not sure ugeek works as a middle name ) Even less sleep now then!!

Ahh, so sales tax is their version of VAT. I did wonder but reading up on it it seemed to vary so wildly in percentages (from 0 through to about 105) and from State to State I thought it might be a suplimental tax. That would explain why it's so much higher over here then. Thanks for clearing that up.

That's a nice set up you have there! Two or Three of those on my wish list. Are you planning to get to Focus at the NEC in march to get "hands on" ahead of your purchase arriving? D

Looks lovely doesn't it? I've been waiting a year for this and have spent most of my savings I need to find a few £ and mine will go on order. Ironically the D4 is more what I wanted it the D800 to be for my wedding work but unless I can offload a kidney for cash I think that's out of the park. One thing puzzles me though, launch price in USD is $2999.95 which equates to about £2k. Is the extra being charged in the UK (for the most part) just our VAT element? Don't the US have a VAT scheme? I did google it but there seemed to be a lot of information on sales tax in the US but nothing definitive. Seems like a hefty price differential and although I could get a family friend to bring one back from the States, I've had warranty issues with my D300 and would prefer a UK product, just in case. Anyone care to point out the obvious point I've probably missed?

We get asked for this stuff a lot but it's not particularly commercially viable for us to pick ship and invoicing individual keys, but there are firms who do. There are two ways to attack it. There is a firm on eBay who do list individual keys, I'm afraid i can't remember the name but a quick search for "laptop keyboard keys" I'm sure will turn them up. I think they have a stadard site too if you can't purchase via "the bay". The alternative approach is to buy a keyboard, providing you have a fair few same model laptop, and use it as a donor. This falls down a bit if the same keys are going missing all the time but it's quite good for donor mechs and for the pricing of most now, if you can repair 3 or 4 machines from one keyboard, it'll equate to a similar cost to buying and shipping a similar number of individual keys. Hope this helps. David

I'm on! Available via my e.mail address of this link doesn't work David Shepherd - United Kingdom | LinkedIn I've only just started looking at it in the last week or so to keep up with some old IT contacts in a more professional way than having them on my FB account, I'm not sure my old boss wants to see pictures of my kids rubbing a dozen eggs into my living room carpet! Would welcome contact from any of you guys OFC. D

A few years ago the Independent did a language course giveaway, I think they do it every couple of years in various formats but this particular promo was a "First 100 words in..." series. I'm racking my brains to try and remember the name of the lady who produced it, if I can find the CD I'll post her name (I think it was Elizabeth something), but the point was it was really well structured. In this instance I listended to the Spanish one but it was set as a role play, a guy like you wanting to learn a bit to make his travels more interesting, on a plane journey with (handily) somone who happend to speak fluent Spanish. I listended to it in the car on the commute to work and although it was a few years ago, I still remember more Spanish from this than I did of French from 4 years at GCSE. I'd highly recommend trying this way, although we all learn differently the conversational format worked much better for me than the structured learning approach. It gave you key words in normal situations, like asking and understanding directions, "where is the bank/toilet?", in a resteraunt etc etc. I can still say "I like to climb on the rocks and dance at the disco in German but I can't say I've ever had cause to use it. From here, I had a poke round itunes and found a load of people doing podcasts for languages (often in French Canadian accents!!) to take my vocab a bit further. In contrast to this, a year or so later, the paper did another language course giveaway, but a more sturctured approach. I still play the "Teach yourself Mandarin" CD every now and again to see if perhaps this time I can get past the first lesson, "introducing yourself" but 4 years on, every attempt is still resulting in a big fail! I'll see if I can find the Spanish disc and get the ladies name, I remember she does French, german and Russian I think. D

Unless you want apple original hit "The Bay". Swapping the back of the iP4's is easy, two screws at the base and then push the back up about 1mm (push in direction of headphones/on off switch), and lift out from the screwed end. some of the later models are usings a micro torx screws rather than a cross head but if I can do it, you can. there's a complete tear down of the iP4 on-line, Ifixit w/s I think. There might even be a link from another thread on here. D

Bluetooth is likely to be a problem for iOs devices as (at least the last time I looked), the devices only support about 2 of the many bluetooth standards. The one's used by apple headsets. Try and bluetooth anything off my iP4 and it won't/can't be seen or see any of the other devices in the house (laptop, other mobile and a dedicated bletooth dongle for my PC), a quick google told me the above.I can't even transfer files to my mac via bluetooth, it'll only allow the phone and mactop to talk if I set my phone up as a 3g access point and even then I can't transfer files. Some would argue iOs users deserve all they get As one, I can't really even argue )

oh, just re-read my post, FYI we don't use the Geroge Foreman for repairs. Honest!

amazing. I love this forum glad you got a result, I'm going to add an oven to our workshop wish list!! (We've got a George Foreman but I don't think it'll work the same way)

Not normally. The old IBM 600 series used to ask you to reset the time and date on every boot when the CMOS batteries got old and eventually it would get so tired it would restart straight away and then ask for the time and date again! There was some life though when you hit the go switch. Anyone else feel free to correct me on this but even with a dead CMOS you should see some action and not complete darkness.

You might be the unlucky guy with two faulty switches, but it does sound like power is going through the board. Same laptops do tend to develop the same faults so if it's a weak link a second dead one is possible but hard to be sure. Re shorting the pins, I'm probably outside my field of expertise at board level (I can swap stuff and sometimes . Following logic if there are 6 connectors, I'd think it's 3 pairs but how you'd tell...... Maybe other Geekers are better placed technically to answer this?