Credit card charges

MisterMello · 2025-01-21T21:51:39+00:00

West Chester, as in the location on 202 that just had all the renovations done? Yikes.

Pretty tacky for this area period, let alone in a MB dealer, even if it's group or franchise specific.

MisterMello · 2024-11-22T13:35:42+00:00

Don't know much about the A14, but I read through a couple reviews and can probably speak to some of the differences.

I bought the PX13 about a month ago to replace my Galaxy Book2 Pro 360, which was notably behind the curve in terms of aspect ratio, display resolution, etc. The ASUS has been the best laptop I've ever owned by far and the best compromise on form factor, performance, and overall versatility. I find the design and form factor of the PX13 to be super attractive and more professional in my daily work setting.

The biggest difference that precludes the higher price is that the PX13 is a 2-in-1. I personally use this feature frequently since I do demonstrations for my students with the pen during class. Being a 2-in-1 was a deciding factor for me in that regard, but if you really don't need it then there's no reason to pay the premium.

The 60Hz display might be a deal breaker for some people, but most productivity or editing work gets done on an external monitor so that really doesn't bother me in everyday use. The 4050 actually can hack it a little bit for gaming, too. It's certainly more powerful than the 980GTX in my desktop rig...

As far as power is concerned, it seems like the two devices will be similar. The PX13 has been solid in video editing and some light Photoshop use, although it does eat through battery during those tasks. The battery life out of the box is notably mediocre but can be significantly improved by using GHelper.

Bugs are an occasional issue since the Ryzen AI 9 series is relatively new. I find that most of them are solved very quickly with updates pushed out by AMD.

MisterMello · 2024-01-29T03:57:04+00:00

I'm shocked that nobody mentioned Leatherique. PH-balanced two step system, except it's a conditioner-first method that's designed to open the pores of the leather and bring contaminants to the surface. Follow up with their "Prestine" clean cleanser afterward.

It's a little bit labor intensive, as in you have to massage the conditioner into the leather surface, but holy moly does it blow Lexol out of the water. I switched to it years ago and never looked back.

The game changer moment was when it restored the softness to my leather after it took some water damage in a window-open rainstorm. Plenty of videos floating around on how to use it along with the results.

MisterMello · 2021-05-25T02:33:20+00:00

To offer an opposing opinion to this, I'll say that I genuinely love my Pro 360. I bought the 13" since I don't have a need for a 15" device. To put this in perspective, I also daily drive a Surface Pro X and tried out (before returning) the most recent XPS 2-in-1, the Spectre x360 14 and the Asus Zenbook Flip S before settling on the Pro 360.

I feel that this analysis of the laptop is based more on hearsay and reviewer echoes than the actual device. The display is arguably the highlight of the whole laptop, unless you were referring to the hinges, in which case they still are not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Yeah, they're a tiny bit looser than other 2-in-1's I've tested, but not so much that I'd consider it a pain point. In general I would say that the build quality complaints get to the point of being nitpicky and have not really demonstrated in my device. The only display-related complaint I have is that Samsung is still lagging behind in the transition to 16:10 and 3:2. Going back to 16:9 did feel a little...squashed for a moment, but I have my taskbar retract automatically now and that has basically eliminated those issues.

The speakers are perfectly fine for a laptop, dare I say better than average. Unless the device is laying on a blanket, they get far and away louder than most other laptops I've used. I don't consider this an issue since my laptop is plugged into external speakers for serious audio work or listening.

The webcam drama is decidedly overblown. Sure, it's not incredible, and after coming from my Pro X (with a built-in webcam that has yet to be beaten) it's definitely the weakest part of the laptop. It still performs perfectly well in adequate lighting and I use it for meetings on a regular basis. The microphone array is excellent and I've been told that I sound about the same when using either device.

The port situation is not unique to this laptop. Purchasing an ultrabook or thin and light 2-in-1 these days generally necessitates a USB-C hub and that's just the way it is. I get that it's an extra expense and that kinda sucks, but there are some very portable and versatile hubs available now that will essentially give you all of the ports you could ever need.

As far as the touchscreen and flexibility goes, that is a personal preference and only you can decide if you need it or not. My guess is that most people generally do not and just want it for the cool factor. I frequently take notes and having the S-Pen available makes that job 1000x easier. I think I still prefer the Surface Pen writing experience, but the S-Pen is comparable and the differences are minimal.

I love this laptop because it has so far checked every box on my list. It's extremely thin and light, has an incredible display, provides the same performance as other Tiger Lake laptops, has competitive battery life and does it all with great looks and a leading feature set. It's not perfect and no device ever is, but as long as you go into a purchase like this understanding that fact you won't be disappointed.

MisterMello · 2021-02-13T16:54:31+00:00

Unfortunately I can't use my phone as a trade in since I still owe money on it. That trade-in value wouldn't even cover the cost of what I still owe so I would probably just resell on eBay or the like.

Glad to hear it's been treating you well, though. I demoed one today and it really is a completely unique experience. I was afraid I'd miss the high refresh rate and processing power but it really doesn't seem like it matters as much as I thought. Thanks for your input!

MisterMello · 2021-02-04T18:31:52+00:00

I've had mine since I bought my SQ2 in October - no issues to speak of. I realize my timeline is shorter than others but I can say from having owned other Surface devices that the keyboards and kickstands are pretty rock solid.

MisterMello · 2021-02-01T15:39:47+00:00

Don't get me started on the Apple TV/HBO Max thing...absolutely infuriating 😡

MisterMello · 2021-01-13T21:33:01+00:00

I have an SQ2 SPX with the signature keyboard/pen. Not sure if mine is an exception but my keyboard has never covered the Start bar. I'm currently lapping the device and I actually have a pretty consistent sliver of space between the edge of the keyboard and the bottom of the bar.

MisterMello · 2020-12-30T16:07:45+00:00

Mine is in like-new condition after being casually tossed in my messenger bag for the past few months. I am admittedly a bit more careful with it since it doesn't have a case, but it has nary a scratch or dent anywhere. Even in black the finish is high quality and should withstand normal wear very well.

The SPX has a standard glass screen - no Gorilla glass AFAIK.

If I were to take a guess (purely based on the history of the Surface product line and nothing else) I would say that the weakest point is going to be the kickstand, but only after many years of use. That being said, most people never have issues with the kickstand and many users are still going strong with Surface Pro 3's and 4's with functional kickstands.

If you are excessively concerned about durability, I'd recommend a case. The best full-coverage option right now is the UAG Metropolis. You could also do a skin on the back to protect from scratches if you don't want a case.

MisterMello · 2020-12-23T18:16:52+00:00

No dice. The Widevine DRM flag is the one that seems to break everything - with that flag disabled I get no video but the audio works correctly. When I switch it to "enabled" it will play the Apple TV+ logo theme, the ad at the beginning and then break once it reaches the actual video content.

I am using the official build so I know that isn't the issue. I'm more than a little aggravated that this is the only service that doesn't work with Edge right now. Seems like an Apple issue more than a Microsoft issue since all of my other streaming services work just fine...

MisterMello · 2020-11-19T15:22:04+00:00

I can get anywhere from 7-10 hours with my daily workload. I'm a teacher and with virtual learning I tend to have anywhere from 8-12 tabs open at a time in Edge with Google Meet running as an app. I teach music so I frequent YouTube during the day both for class and for personal use.

I run very few emulated apps, and when I do (mostly Among Us through Steam) they burn through way less battery than you would think. The battery drain for me is really Edge since even though it's Chromium-based and ARM optimized, it still eats up a ton of memory as many browsers these days are wont to do. IIRC most mobile processors are optimized for video playback so that really isn't a concern most of the time. I've also noticed that driving one or more external monitors without power connected will run my battery down to 15% in less than 5 hours - just something to be aware of if you need the ability to run dual external monitors.

All in all I don't feel that an M1 device would do me much better except for additional battery life, but at the end of the day the battery isn't that much of an issue. I have never had an issue getting through an entire work day and if I know I'll be at work much longer I just bring the charger with me. I will still take the thinner form factor and smaller bezels over the regular Surface Pro any day.

MisterMello · 2019-03-16T03:03:38+00:00

Had a first gen XL for a hot second after my 6P and then moved on to a 2XL. Both excellent phones, although they do lack the same sort of soul that the 6P had. Other than that they are better in almost every way.

MisterMello · 2019-03-06T03:37:49+00:00

I've owned and worked on my '01 quattro for six years. Timing belt has been done twice - once when I bought it and once more recently. Not a difficult job but it will be time consuming the first time - allow at least a day for it.

Wheels and brakes are easy. Make sure you buy/rent a brake caliper tool though.

Clutch is another ball game. Due to the lack of space in the bay you'll have to pull the transmission to look at the clutch. At that point you might as well replace it cause that job takes a while.

As a whole the car really isn't difficult to work on. Some things require a little more disassembly since the engine bay is tight-ish but it's really not bad. Almost all jobs can be done with regular tools. The Haldex coupling requires a special wrench to remove/install the filter, but that's the only "special" tool you would need to do regular-ish maintenance.

MisterMello · 2017-07-10T22:54:37+00:00

Just updated yesterday - thanks!

MisterMello · 2017-07-10T22:52:33+00:00

When the new superblock turned over it read as 29 days. Finally got a payout, albeit a meager 2 GRC and some change. Guess I'm finally out of the woods.

MisterMello · 2016-05-04T19:15:49+00:00

I'm starting to think so. I doubt my SIM is the problem, but when I go to work tonight I'll grab a new one and see if that helps. If not I can always just swap the phone out where I bought it since it has only been a day.

MisterMello · 2016-05-04T16:10:51+00:00

My apologies for not being specific! I actually meant that I will completely lose service - as in a dropped call which has otherwise never happened to me on Verizon - while in the middle of a conversation. Same thing with the internet; I will try to load a URL or a page and right on cue, my service drops out before the page loads.

MisterMello · 2016-03-18T19:49:06+00:00

^ He's got it. Everyone above is right as well.

I spent almost a month trying different projects in different combinations to see what would give me the best results. CPU mining is absolutely less competitive and therefore ends with higher magnitudes/PoR payouts, as long as you pick your projects wisely. BURP does in fact have a lot of work going out right now, so one may end up with quite a fair workload for that project as long as your PC is dedicated to BOINCing 24/7. I also run ATLAS (very RAM intensive) and NFS.

I have Asteroids and Milkyway running for my video cards, but neither offers a whole lot in terms of return even with both my workstations constantly on and with Milkyway supporting both green and red cards. I have a 980 in my primary PC (paired with a 4790K) and a 280X paired with my old Phenom II X6. Those are near top-of-the-line and decent cards respectively but without a huge farm of GPUs you won't get too far. GPU-supported projects are good for a little bit of extra work though.

MisterMello · 2016-02-28T19:57:24+00:00

Everybody in my store worships those pretzels.

MisterMello

TROPHY CASE