When I reviewed my Sony Vaio, I mentioned having to disable the very annoying startup sound that played on the Sony splash screen. Unlike the Windows startup sound, this one has to be disabled in the BIOS.

Yesterday, I got an email from someone asking me how to do this. So in the interest of helping others out, here are some step-by-step instructions should you need to do the same.

To access BIOS and disable the Sony Vaio startup sound, do the following:

1. When you see that first Sony VAIO startup screen, press the “F2″ key on your keyboard.
2. On the BIOS setup screen, use the “Right Arrow” key to select “Advanced”.
3. Use the “Down Arrow” key to select “Speaker Volume”
4. Press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.
5. Use the arrow keys to select “0″.
6. Press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.
7. Press the “Right Arrow” key to select “Exit”.
8. Make sure “Exit (Save Changes)” is selected, which it should be by default.
9. Press the “Enter” key on your keyboard.
10. On the “Save Configuration Now” screen, select “Yes” and press ‘Enter”

Enjoy an annoyance free boot!

The 2004 Grand Prix was a random rental, so I didn’t expect much as I drove away from the airport. In fact, I didn’t even turn on the radio. The next day was a different story however, and with speakers thumping I rocked out to Poison’s “Talk Dirty to Me.” When this was followed by Def Leopard’s “Photograph”, I had to see what was going on. Sure enough, my console simply said ‘The 80s’, and that’s when it hit me…this thing had XM Satellite Radio.

Over the next four days, I drove around a snowy Toledo bouncing back and forth between decades. A little Frieda Payne with a REO Speedwagon chaser. I really liked this. I even heard some obscure stuff, like that Mick Jagger/Michael Jackson duet from the 80s…I was literally in a State of Shock.

I didn’t get a chance to explore the other channels, though a brief scan revealed bluegrass, country, top 20, jazz, and just about everything else. I wish I had more time to ingest this orbital bliss, but my trist ended at the Hertz counter and I headed home. This was a great first impression, and I going to take a more serious look at this service after tha holidays.

After a few weeks of use, I would like to add a few more bullets to my previous review of the Sony Viao S560P:

Things I like:

• The comfortable balance of power and portability is just what I needed. I’m happy with it’s weight and handling, and equally impressed with it’s performance (despite only 512MB of RAM.)
• I love the wifi. It’s strong, and I’ve been able to use it in many locations without issue.
• It feels great in my hand when I’m carrying it, particularly the rounded hinge edge. Smooth!

Things i don’t like:

• It runs hot; really hot. It feel like it raises my body temperature, and sometimes it makes me sweat when it’s on my lap.
• The touchpad isn’t as consistent as other laptops I’ve owned. I like to click using the pad, and this doesn’t work 100% of the time. Sometimes the mouse movement is sluggish as well.
• The headphone levels seem really low, even when everything is maxed out. Listening to Blues Clues on the plane with my son was tricky, but still effective.

I’m writing this 800 miles from home and untethered to the ether…that’s why I love this thing. I still recommend it without question.

I had to get one. No, I actually had to get one. After a day-long clicking seizure, my 4G’s failing hard drive was no more. So, naturally I picked up a 5G iPod as a replacement (Portable Music Withdrawal is powerful stuff…I had no idea.) Anyway, the headline should read, “Love at First Sight, Again”, which is of course completely predictable. It’s sort of like cars or even cats: the only iPod better than an iPod is a brand new iPod.

THE GOOD: The screen is underbilled - it’s shockingly sharp, and immediately changes the way I feel about the device. My photos look bright and crisp - it’s nice having them in my pocket. The video and album art functionality is a nice bonus, but I’m not really focused on that. The PSP-user in me knows the iPod has moved way past the typical DAP, but all the things I loved about the music part are still there. My favorite enhancement is the recognition of Compilations - Thank-you! Managing Podcasts - that I like. It’s smaller, yet more powerful; vibrant, yet longer-lasting - these are all good things.

THE BAD: I’m not sold on the flat front yet. I like the rounded bevel of the 4G - it mades the whole thing feel like a flat pill, and that is strangely appealing to me. The button on the 5G is flat, making it hard to find. When I navigate quickly, the firmware transitions slowly and sometimes get stuck for a moment.

TAKEAWAYS: You can’t go wrong with an this iPod. White or Black, 30 or 60, this thing will do what you want it to. It works well, looks great, and brings with it all of the collateral value of iPodding. Unlike what a pre-bugeye-glasses Bono once recorded, in this case you have found what you are looking for.

My Sony Vaio S560P arrived without issue from the Best Buy warehouse. I unpacked the box, which included only the laptop, power supply, battery, and requisite paperwork - though it didn’t come with a CD of any kind (cool!) I charged it up, turned it on, hopped onto my wifi network, and I was in business.

THE GOOD :: This laptop is very well built, and feels sturdy despite its meager size and weight. The finish is quality, and the screen is amazing - The XBrite technology is as advertised. The simple layout makes it easy to use, as there aren’t buttons and inputs everywhere < -- a complaint I have of my Dell Inspiron which this Vaio is replacing. It feels great when typing, something I was worried about with such a small laptop. The fact that it is only 4.3 pounds is it's biggest selling point (besides the kickin' monitor), and it closes up and carries very easily. The widescreen monitor is crisp and sharp, and very very bright (did I mention that I love the monitor?)

THE BAD :: The screen drains the power very quickly, and I have to turn the brightness way down to expect any kind of longevity. I would like to see a volume control on the body, but the FN key will work fine once I commit it to muscle memory. The VAIO startup screen has a horribly loud audio file associated with it, and I had to go into the BIOS to manually turn it off. I miss the mouse nub, but am already used to the pad. I had to uninstall some seriously knaggy programs, but this is common with most PC purchases, so I can't blame Sony.

TAKEAWAYS :: I did my research, and this laptop provides exactly what I need: A portable, powerful, wireless laptop that makes typing easy. It's going to serve me well as a wireless terminal, not a desktop replacement. It will also work well as a DVD player for the kids when we are traveling. All in all, I am happy happy happy. I've always been a big Sony fanboy, and so far my first experience with a VAIO has been wonderful.

After many months of teasing and scoffing at countless fakes, Apple finally revealed the new iPod (video). While the gadget itself looks pretty slick - 16:9 screen, thin, light, and in black - the biggest leap forward here is its support of video. And I’m not talking about the music videos available via iTunes in the past, but actual content that you can throw down a couple bucks for.

For $1.99, you can download an episode of Lost or Desperate Housewives. iTunes even has some Disney content available for the kiddies. This is all well and good, but what amazes me is our affinity as consumers to purchase anything - and this anything apparently includes content that is already widely available for free. Paying for TV?

It seems Apple is betting that people will buy TV in small chunks. I’m sure their strategy is sound - afterall, the iTunes music store has sold 8.9 trillion songs and counting. But I can’t help but think of all the people that will end up buying 24 episodes of Lost for their iPod. While music can be enjoyed regularly over a period of years, the same can’t be said for television programming. It’s shelf life is much, much shorter. Because of this, I envision a future army of people screaming at Steve Jobs much like that paperboy screamed at Lane Meyer, “I want my two dollars” (back)!