The MintBox Is Here!

Linux Mint and CompuLab have made a tiny (smaller than a DVD case), yet powerful computer (4 Gb Ram the Basic version, 8 Gb Ram the Pro version) powered by Linux Mint 13 (Maya).  It is called mintBox!

Now, is it worth checking out?  Here are its specs:

Dual-head display HDMI + DisplayPort

Digital 7.1 S/PDIF and analog 2.0 audio, both input and output

Gigabit Ethernet

WiFi 802.11 b/g/n + BT combo with dual antennas

2 USB3 ports + 2 USB2 ports

2 eSATA ports

Bay for 2.5” SATA HDD

2 mini-PCIe sockets / 1 mSATA

Serial RS232 port


This looks like a pretty good deal, doesn't it?

The price is reasonable, too:

The mintBox is available in two versions.
mintBox Basic ($476 + shipping, duty & VAT):

• 250GB HDD
• APU G-T40N (1.0 GHz dual core + Radeon HD 6290 – 9W)
• 4GB RAM
• Flat metal case
  

mintBox Pro ($549 + shipping, duty & VAT):

• 250GB HDD
• APU G-T56N (1.65 GHz dual core + Radeon HD 6320 – 18W)
• 8GB RAM
• Ribbed metal case              

You can even open it and add memory or replace the Hard Drive easily. 

I am glad to see more Linux boxes out in the market.  I am thinking about buying one for my birthday!  

How to Turn up Sound with AlsaMixer

Some distros have problems enabling sound on various equipments.  An old trick I learned recently is using AlsaMixer to check how the sound is handled.

To use AlsaMixer, you just have to open a terminal and type "alsamixer" (without the quotation marks.)

Then, you will see something like this:

That is AlsaMixer.  All you have to do is using the cursors to set the different bars!

A New Start for Jetpack 2

Adam Pedersen, creator of the original game Jetpack, had launched a Kickstarter project for the version 2 of that great game.

The project, however, was cancelled yesterday.  That was an unfortunate outcome, many of us would say.

The good news is that the developer relaunched the project.  The previous goal was maybe too high.  Now, he set a lower goal and added lower tiers for pledges, also extending the time limit.

You can find the link to the new Jetpack 2 Kickstarter project here.

Hopefully, we will be able to see this game become a reality!

Jetpack 2 in December 2012?

Adam Pedersen, creator of the cult game Jetpack, has announced Jetpack 2 to be out in December of this year, if everything goes well.

You can watch this video in which he talks about the project:

However, his project needs funding, so he joined Kickstarter and is asking for contributors (backers).

You can see the Jetpack 2 Kickstarter project here.  Hopefully, you'll join it, to.

The developer says Jetpack 2 will have Linux, Mac, and Windows support.  That's good news! 

Apparently, I'm not the only one who has been waiting for Jetpack 2 for about 10 years!  :P