August 25, 2010
Hey, guess what? Staples is offering a great deal on a laptop this week and since my defective HP Pavilion Dv7 is no longer any use to me, I quickly snagged one before it went out of stock. Actually it was “out of stock” online all day yesterday but surprisingly the laptop became available first thing this morning. I’m not that familiar with the way the Staples website inventory works but I’m glad I got in on the deal.
Here’s what I got:
it’s the Acer® Aspire AS5741Z-5433 for $399 (sale ending 8/28).
it features -
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core P6000 Processor (1.86GHz)
4GB installed memory
320GB hard drive
8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
15.6″ HD Widescreen CineCrystal™ LCD Display (1366 x 768)
Built-in HD Webcam (1.3 megapixel)
Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
1 – HDMI™ Port
6-cell Li-ion Battery (4400 mAh)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
1 year warranty
So what do you think? yeah, I know it’s on the low end in terms of tech but after what happened to my 17″ HP, I’m a bit gun-shy about spending more money than I should on a laptop that may or may not last two years. Hopefully this little Acer won’t let me down. At the least, it’s a bit reassuring to know that the Acer is PC Magazine’s Editors’ Choice for budget laptops.
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August 24, 2010
well, I finally got a call from the local PC repair shop about my laptop. They simply confirmed what I already knew. It’s the motherboard and there’s no cheap fix for it. The motherboard can be replaced for $400 but as all of us know, you can easily get a new laptop for that price.

So, does anyone want my HP Pavilion DV7 for parts? I might as well put it up on ebay to get something out of this piece of crap. It’s only a year and a half old and now it’s just a paper weight. lovely.
Thanks for nothing HP.
August 18, 2010
hey all!
I’ve got lots of updates for the blog including a review of last night’s Asia concert but my personal laptop died on me. Well, I’m still hoping and praying that it’ll come back to life so we’ll see. There’s tons of important stuff on the hard drive that I don’t want to lose so hopefully I’ll be able to get it back up on running.
Anyway, just thought I’d post this notice for those waiting for new posts here.
stay tuned…
August 2, 2010
Thanks again to all those that participated in the Doors – When You’re Strange DVD giveaway.
all the entries (including all the retroblog facebook fans) were compiled into a spreadsheet and numbered sequentially. I then used random.org to produce a random number.
and without further ado – the winner of the When You’re Strange DVD is:
Belinda Moore
Congratulations! Please send me your mailing address and I’ll forward your info to the PR rep at Universal Music who will be sending the DVD directly to you.
OK, so that was fun!
Be on the look out for our next DVD drawing which should be posted in the coming weeks. and please join us on facebook to keep up to date on the latest happenings on retroblog as well as to qualify for future drawings & contests.
July 13, 2010
thanks again to all those that participated in the Rolling Stones – Stones in Exile DVD giveaway.
all the entries (including tweets) were compiled into a spreadsheet and numbered sequentially. I then used random.org to produce a random number.
and without further ado – the winner of the Stones in Exile DVD is:
Jacob Boss from Minnesota
Congratulations! I’ve forwarded your info to the PR rep at Universal Music who will be sending the DVD directly to you.
Be on the look out for our next DVD drawing which should be posted real soon. and please join our new facebook page to keep up to date on the latest happenings on retroblog as well as to qualify for future drawings & contests.
July 9, 2010
Like most facebook users, I’ve been utilizing the FB news feed to keep up with my favorite websites and blogs. It’s just a convenient online tool to stay connected with all your favorites sites similar to how RSS feeds are used. So I figured I’d create a facebook page for RetroBlog to give readers another option to help keep up with the latest goings-on here on my site. Yes, I know I will never have the readership of popular pop-culture blogs like StereoGum or PopDose but you know me, I’ll try just about anything to help the cause.

So if you’re on facebook, why not support this lil’ ol’ blog and “Like” the Retroblog facebook page. It’ll definitely make this ol’ blogger real happy!
Oh and by the way, I’m planning on incorporating the facebook page in future CD/DVD giveaways so you might as well join the page now so you’ll automatically be eligible for the drawings.