Is the HP Notebook 15-bs021ne good enough to be your next laptop?

My laptop has needed a replacement for quite a while. So, I have been exploring possible replacements. One interesting option was the HP Notebook 15-bs021ne, but it here are a few bottlenecks. Let’s look at the specs and the issues around them.

Admittedly, I am not much of a laptop person. I am mostly on my smartphone for work and entertainment. But cranking out a blog post is definitely a better experience on a laptop than on a smartphone, so I often turn to my laptop for that.

HP Notebook 15-bs021ne Quick Specs

Let’s have a quick look at the key specs of this notebook.

• Operating System: Free DOS 2.0
• Screen Size: 15.6 inches, 1366 x 768 pixels,
• Dimensions: 38 x 25.38 x 2.38 cm
• Weight: 2.1 kg
• Hard Drive: 500 GB HDD
• RAM: 4 GB SDRAM
• Processor Name: Intel Core i3-6006U
• Processor Speed: Dual-core 2.0 GHz
• Video Graphics: Intel® HD Graphics 520
• External Ports: USB 3.1 Gen 1 x2 for data transfer only; USB 2.0 x1; HDMI x1; RJ-45 x1; headphone/microphone combo x1
• Battery:  User-replaceable 4-cell, 41 Wh Li-ion,

Looking at the specs of the HP Notebook 15-bs021ne, I am not sure why the battery capacity isn’t specified, at least the way I understand it. Which is in mAh. Like I said, I am more of a mobile phone person and more familiar with the mAh standard. However, searching around, I found that the battery voltage is in the range of 10.8V to 11.1V. That puts the battery capacity in the range of 3,700 to 3,800 mAh. Which is kind of small.

I’d be more comfortable with a 4800 mAh battery. But then, I may be calculating this wrong.

Anyway, battery aside, why is the HP Notebook 15-bs021ne interesting at all?

Core i3 Processor

For one, it has a Core i3 processor. Elroy helped me with vital information that helped me understand what to look out for in picking a laptop with fairly good performance. And a Core i3 is the barest minimum, if I understood him well.

The Core i3 processor is a key part of the specs of the HP Notebook 15-bs021ne

Intel’s Core i3 processor is designed for affordable laptops. I want an affordable laptop. I don’t game on my PCs. I don’t do video editing either. Some basic image editing is required for my blog posts. Other than that, the major software that I use on my laptop is the web browser.

99.5% of the time, I have only the browser running. Once in a while, I put Microsoft Office to use.

Elroy also says that for even better performance, I will need to swap out the HDD for an SSD. I have since read up a bit on that and I have a better understanding of what he means. This article agrees with him, for example, and says, “Intel Core i3 has enough power to run Windows 10 well, but you need an SSD rather than a hard drive for slick performance.”

So, performance-wise, HP Notebook 15-bs021ne is fairly good for a budget laptop. But then, I do not like the idea of tinkering with a new laptop. Which is what I would have to do should I choose to put in an SSD. But wait; what is SSD?

What is SSD?

SSD, or Solid State Drive can be thought of as a huge flash storage. It has no moving parts whatsoever, and it reads and writes information faster than HDD. HDD has moving parts, which is why you hear a slight whir when your traditional laptop is running.

Because SSD is faster, it delivers better performance during use. But the HP Notebook 15-bs021ne has HDD built in. I don’t want to have to tinker, or have someone tinker with it.

Free DOS Software? Where is Windows OS?

If you look at the specs sheet again, you will see that it says that the operating system running on this notebook is Free DOS 2.0. Free DOS is an open source software. Let me cut to the chase. Unless you are a computer nerd or geek, you don’t want to have anything to do with it.

At least I know I don’t. Which means that I will have to install Windows OS on the Notebook 15-bs021ne after purchasing it. This list of after-purchase configuration is getting long.

At this point, I would rather go hunt for a laptop that has Windows OS pre-installed and SSD built in than buy one without the two, and then start running up and down to upgrade it. Give me a laptop that I can hit the ground running with as soon as I unbox it.

Verdict on HP Notebook 15-bs021ne

If you are on a budget and love to tinker and tweak your gadgets, the HP Notebook 15-bs021ne is an interesting laptop for you to consider. It has decent specs and at N114,000 or about $330, the price is decent too.

If you are like me and don’t want to stress around with tweaking a laptop before you can put it to good use, you need to look elsewhere.

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The scam of free speech on social media has come full circle

First, they insisted that free speech was a right regardless of what was said and how it was said, then years down the road, they flipped and insisted that some things were not to be said. Welcome to the scam of free speech on social media.

I remember years ago here on MobilityArena.com, when some individuals showed up and would post abusive comments. I argued that free speech did not cover abusive speech, and I, as chief administrator of this website, proceeded to consign such comments to the dustbin.

Some people screamed and yelled and said I was a dictator who had no respect for free speech. Unfazed, I continued to delete any abusive comments submitted on MobilityArena. I was not going to turn a blind eye to abuse by one person against another.

Those who wanted free speech without any form of responsibility moved on to other platforms where the administrators were too weak, too naive, or too concerned with the numbers to see what was going on and take a stand for what was right.

Free Speech On Social Media

Social media has blossomed since then. Whether it is Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or some other social network, the humans of the world gathered like flies to a carcass. And unfettered free speech was let loose without any responsibility required of those speaking.

It didn’t seem so bad at first, but then it degenerated. And the wake-up calls began to happen. Suddenly, administrators of social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook woke up to the reality that they would have to step in to keep abusive behaviour in check. It soon became clear that unfettered free speech on social media, and elsewhere, was a scam.

The world has had to embrace the very thing I had insisted on years ago – that free speech came with responsibilities and no-one had the right to say just anything just because they could.

Hate Speech

Free speech on social media quickly degenerated into hate speech. We could say anything to anyone, regardless of how it hurts them. We now had free speech after all. But as it snowballed, the need to act against it became clear.

It is interesting how quickly and far the pendulum swung – from absolute free speech to the need to police hate speech.

But beyond hate speech, another evil sprung up. It was also mild to start with but soon assumed mega proportions, the hydra called fake news.

Fake News

Whether it is on WhatsApp, Facebook, or Twitter, fake news has taken huge proportions. And once again, the Lords of social media had to admit that something had to be done to combat fake news as well.

Whether battling hate speech or combating fake news, the reality is that people are now required to be responsible in what they publish. We have come full circle from that situation years ago in which people were up in arms over the need to allow everyone say what was on their mind, regardless of whether it hurt people or not.

Cyber Bullying And Mob Action

From discouraging bullying in schools and at places of work, many have come to embrace it on social media. Every day, people get bullied and harassed online under the guise of fighting for a cause and free speech on social media. And right on the shoulders of bullying have risen the monster of mob action.

Certain people delight in ganging up on those who express opinions different from theirs. They attempt to mob them into silence or retraction. The court of public opinion, especially on Twitter, is a vocal, vociferous one. They will have their pound of flesh should you take a stand contrary to theirs. This has to stop too.

The scam of free speech on social media has come full circle

We are all seeing how destructive hate speech, fake news, cyber bullying, and mob action are to individuals and to the society as a whole. It is blowing up in our faces now.The scam of free speech on social media has come full circle.

Simply put, individuals have to be held accountable for what they post on Twitter, on Facebook, on MobilityArena, and elsewhere. And wherever anyone’s speech violates another, action must be taken.

That is what I stand for. Here on MobilityArena, we have refused to give in to the scam over the years and continue to take action on abusive content submitted by users. Where necessary, a user gets banned.Our goal is to keep this platform a safe space for everyone. Every single user.

Unrestricted free speech on social media is a huge scam. What the world needs is free speech that is responsible, sensitive and considerate.

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MicroSD Card Buying Guide

If you use a smartphone, then in all probability you are not a stranger to microSD cards. SD is an abbreviation of the term “Secure Digital”. At the moment, microSD cards used to be the smallest commercially available memory cards for a long time, but nanoSD cards have been introduced now. Our microSD card buying guide shows you what to look out for when buying your microSD card.

Different Types of Memory Cards

There are different sizes of memory cards, including:

• Standard SD card;
• MiniSD card;
• MicroSD card: this is currently the most popular size of memory cards, and what this article is about.
• NanoSD card: this was introduced by Huawei in late 2018. Huawei Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro are the first smartphones to support this size of cards.

This is what a microSD card looks like:

Why you should pay attention to that MicroSD Card

Despite their tiny size, microSD cards do pack a wallop, with 8GB and 16GB cards being available. Cards with smaller disk space are available too – 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB. But unknown to lots of people, these cards are not only about disk size. Perhaps you have seen different retailers offer cards of the same disk size at significantly different costs, and naturally just went for the cheaper option?

Well, you might be shooting yourself in the foot. You see, microSD cards are rated by class. As such, you can have two 4GB cards with two different ratings, and one will perform better than the other. In some cases, some smartphones’ performances are impacted if you use a lower rated microSD card than it requires.

This are the reasons why you will find this microSD card buying guide useful.

MicroSD Card Buying Guide: Ratings

• Class 2 -speed of 2 MB/s or higher is guaranteed at the best fragmented state where no memory unit is occupied
• Class 4 – speed of 4 MB/s or higher is guaranteed at the best fragmented state where no memory unit is occupied
• Class 6 – speed of 6 MB/s or higher is guaranteed at the best fragmented state where no memory unit is occupied
• Class 10 – speed of 10 MB/s or higher is guaranteed at the best fragmented state where no memory unit is occupied

For example, if you have a smartphone that does full HD video recording, you are better off with a card rated Class 4 or above.

Be sure that you know what the requirements of the device that you will be using a microSD card with, and check the card for a rating before buying. For many of today’s smartphones, I recommend that you do not use a card rated below Class 4. Not worth it.

Take a look at the close-up picture above. See the circled figure that the red arrow points to? That’s the rating of that card. That card is a Class 4 card. Not all manufacturers provide this information on their cards. Of course, if they don’t, you have no way of knowing.

As a rule, purchase microSD cards made by reputable manufacturers. One well known brand is SanDisk. Another is Kingston. If possible, avoid nameless cards.

MicroSD Card Buying Guide: Size/Capacity

What size of memory should you buy – 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB? It depends on your phone. Phones have maximum card capacities they can handle, so you need to look at the specs of your phone and then buy the largest capacity you can afford.

In 2015, SanDisk introduced the world’s first 200 GB microSD card.  The same brand came up with the first 400 GB microSD card in 2017, and 1 TB cards are already on the way, as announced in February 2019 by Micron.

MicroSD Card Buying Guide: Conclusion

Why should you care? Because it matters. Some of the complaints about some smartphones freezing up or hanging stem from the user putting in lower rated cards. Because the device requires something faster, each time info is to be accessed or lodged in the card, the device stutters, freezes or slows down significantly.

Video recording and/or viewing is another case, especially high definition video. Higher rated cards guarantee you good quality recording and smoother playback.

Now you know. If you found this microSD card buying guide useful, do share it with others. Happy shopping.

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Google Stadia vs Apple Arcade: Gaming will never be the same again

Google Stadia and Apple Arcade are two new gaming services by tech rivals. One works by streaming games over an Internet connection. The other is a little different. They both want to own the gaming market.

Right after the announcement of Google Stadia, gaming companies of all kinds must have began a scramble to review their strategies and plans. And now, with Apple Arcade thrown into the mix, that scramble just got worse.

Two of the biggest forces in modern consumer tech have moved gaming to the cloud. If they have their way, you will never need to purchase another game app or software again in your life.

Both Google Stadia and Apple Arcade are cloud-based services that allow you to play games on any connected device – smartphones, tablets, laptops, and TVs.

How The Two Gaming Services Work

In summary, the two new cloud gaming services free you from the restrictions of traditional gaming hardware.

However, Apple Arcade works a little differently from how Google Stadia does. It is cloud-based in the sense that players can pick up where they left off in a game, even if they switch devices, but the company says that “every game will be playable offline”. So, the games are downloaded to the devices, but synced via the cloud so you can drop your iPhone mid-game play and continue the game on your Apple TV.

Of course, switching between devices is also available on Stadia. The game download and offline playing component of Arcade is undoubtedly an added bonus, as it means you can play games even without an Internet connection. Odd how the script has been flipped there. It is usually Apple’s services that cannot run at all without an internet connection.

But as is typical of Apple’s closed system, Arcade will be available to only iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV devices, so Stadia is the more accessible of the two cloud gaming services.

Streaming Games Brought To You By 5G

The issues of internet connectivity is one that has to be dealt with. With some of the games being streamed at 4k quality at 60 frames per second and with full surround audio, a strong and robust connection will be required for high quality gaming. Which is perhaps why these announcements are coming at a time that 5G mobile networks are popping up around the world.

The beauty though, is that just as with video streaming, Google Stadia service will stream games depending on your internet connection. Which means, one person can stream at 4k quality, and another with a weaker connection at1080p quality.

The quality of Internet connection is not a such a big issue with Apple Arcade, thanks to the ability to play games offline.

Devices and Hardware For Google Stadia and Apple Arcade

All you will need for streaming games is your Android smartphone or iPhone, tablet/iPad, laptop, or Internet TV. Both services also support gaming controllers and other USB accessories.

But Google is also investing in hardware. The company has announced that it will be making a Google Stadia controller.

Google says that the “controller also includes a button for instant capture, saving and sharing gameplay in up to 4k of stunning resolution. And it comes equipped with a Google Assistant button and built-in microphone.”

Pricing for Apple Arcade and Google Stadia

Apple has stated that Arcade will be a monthly subscription service. Google is yet to make a statement about the pricing for Stadia. Arcade will be available before the end of 2019 in over 150 countries, while Stadia will initially roll out in the U.S., UK, Canada and Europe.

Concerns And Backlash From Gamers

Already, serious concerns have been raised about these services. For example Kotaku[3] reports that “..gamers have begun asking deeper, more troubling questions. What do mods look like in a world of game streaming? What happens to game preservation? What happens if Google dwarfs gaming the same way it has with search, browsers and advertising? And most worryingly of all, what happens if Google decides to walk away from the industry later on?”

These questions and concerns are just as valid for Apple as they are for Google. The key difference is that Apple does not have a track record of shutting down services and walking away like Google has.

How Do You Roll?

To be honest, which service you jump on will largely depend on which ecosystem you are invested in – Apple’s or Google’s. And perhaps, you will adopt a wait-and-see approach to this and stick to gaming the good old way till the tide is strong and irresistible.

References

1. Stadia: a new way to play
2. Apple introduces Apple Arcade — the world’s first game subscription service for mobile, desktop and the living room.
3. The Google Stadia Backlash Has Begun.

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Automated support is a nightmare, whether in digital media or in the air

utomated support is a nightmare, whether you are dealing with a locked Twitter account, a locked Microsoft account, or a jumbo jet in the air. Software will be the death of humanity eventually if fail-safe measures are no implemented.

This morning, Twitter locked my account because they “detected suspicious activity” though I passed a verification test they sent to me via email. Trying to do a password reset, I am told I have exceeded the maximum number of tries. Trying to get help from Support, I keep being sent an email that says, “The email address used to file your request does not match the email associated with the Twitter account you mentioned.”

The entire support system is automated and sending me round in circles. The automated support system has been of zero help.

How It Happened

I was logged into Twitter on Firefox browser. I installed Opera Browser and logged in there too. Twitter said they detected something suspicious and said they had sent me a code to verify my identity.The email arrived and said:

Looks like there was a login attempt from a new device or location
If this wasn’t you, secure your account by resetting your password now.

If this was you, please confirm your identity by using this temporary code on Twitter or wherever you might enter your Twitter password: xxxxxx

Of course, it was me, so I copied the provided code in the email and entered it as required. My Twitter feed loaded, abut then some moments later, the page refreshed and threw this message at me:

Password change required

Mister Mo
@moverick

What happened?

We have detected unusual activity on your account. For your security, your account has been locked until you change your password.

What can you do:

To secure your account, please change your password before logging back in.

I have since attempted to change my password, but Twitter automated support keeps telling me:

Please try again later.

You’ve exceeded the number of attempts. Please try again later.

Automated Support Systems Suck

This is so eerily familiar to what happened when Microsoft locked me out of my Hotmail account and we kept going in an unbroken circle of password retrievals. Eventually, I had to let go of the Hotmail account. And the problem is software. Or more explicitly, automated support software. These digital services are replacing human support with software, so it is mostly software trying to walk you through the recovery process. And the software algorithm messes up again and again.

I have followed all the instructions provided on Twitter’s support page for Help with locked or limited account, and the result is a continuous loop.

All attempts result in an email response that says, “The email address used to file your request does not match the email associated with the Twitter account you mentioned.”

If there was a human being at the other end of the support channel, this matter would have been resolved in minutes. I would have resolved the issue with my Hotmail account as well. But thanks to automated software, we are here.

Simply put, automated support sucks, whether you are trying to resolve a locked account or get anything else done.

Buying An Office 360 Subscription

Some months ago, a client of ours needed an Office 365 subscription and I sat down to get it for her. Ordinarily, this should take no more than 10 minutes, but the system gave an error, and there the round trips began again, thanks to Microsoft’s automated support. All attempts to get direct human intervention failed. Eventually, the client got tired and got a solution from Computer Village. Microsoft’s loss.

I have steered clear of Microsoft’s products since then. Twice beaten…by their automated support system.

AI Automation In The Skies

This reminds me of the recent Boeing 737 Max crashes: both were as a result of automated software that humans could not bypass. Fully automated support systems and software are a bad idea. There should always be a line of human contacts or a manual override that users can fall back on when all else fails.

Au revoir, Twitter

It looks like this is it with Twitter for me. I just might forget about Twitter, the same way I ditched Microsoft. Who knows what is next – Facebook? I have been tired of social networks in particular, for about 2 years now and already shut down my Instagram account. Nobody died. I have been on the verge of deleting my Twitter account too. This current situation just makes it easy to walk away. Nobody will die.

However it plays out with Twitter, life goes on. We all had lives before social media, and when social media implodes, we will all still be here. Life always does one thing – it goes on.

I do hope that domain name registrars and web host service providers will have enough sense, when the time comes, to not repeat the mistake that Microsoft, Twitter, and even Boeing, have made. I’d like to keep MobilityArena.com and CP-Africa.com running and not get locked out this way with no means of getting human help.

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The West African country where everyone still needs a power bank in 2019

In 2019, the world is making progress at breakneck speed, but in a certain West Africa country, you still need a power bank to experience a semblance of modern life.

Depending on which country you live in or visit in West Africa, you may enjoy the semblance of modern civilisation, thanks to stable public power supply. If you live in or visit a particular West African country, you will find that even in 2019, there is no such thing as uninterruptible power supply, and so, you still need a power bank.

Yesterday, my assistant informed me that because of the horrible state of power supply at her residence, she would be purchasing a power bank for her personal use. That is no news. What is news is the fact that she managed to even live without one for any period of time.

But then, I remember that I braved it just recently. I went about my daily life without having a power bank to top up my Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. To its credit, the S9 Plus has a robust battery life, but even at that, I find that I often need to tiop te battery up during the day, depending on how heavily I use it.

I got away without having a power bank partly because I have a car charger in my vehicle and often resort to using it to top up my devices. Yet, eventually, I still needed to get a power bank and I did.

Public power supply is so bad that my assistant has been recently unreachable for stretches of time because her smartphone had run out of power. And now, she must get herself a power bank.

Without stable public power supply in 2019, any country is a village stuck in the dark ages. Which is why almost everyone in Nigeria still needs a power bank. Forget those who make up the upper 5% percentile of the population and can afford to run a power generating set round the clock.

Power Banks Are Big Business In Nigeria

In the giant West African country called Nigeria, power banks are big business. No; not the production of power banks, but the business of selling power banks. After mobile phones and chargers, power banks are perhaps the hottest mobile accessories in te market.

Forget about production, because the lack of stable power supply makes production in the country an unprofitable venture, especially where there is competition from imported competing products.

Yes to Innovation; Competition is Mission Impossible

Despite the horrible lack of stable public power, there is a lot of innovation happening in Nigeria. There is a growing army of young people who are making things happen despite the horrible operating environemnt. And that is commendable. Anyone who is able to build anything useful in Nigeria is a hero. Making things happen in this huge West African country is akin to squeezing water out of rock.

But while it is easy to be excited over whatever innovation is happening in the country, it is important to note that much of those cannot compete on the global stage. Eleswhere, the costs of production does not include the cost of acquisition and running of power generating sets on a daily basis.

Individuals and organisation producing in Nigeria cannot compete on the global stage because their products will always cost more. The dire state of public infrastructure ensures that is so. Nigerians can innovate but will find it difficult to compete globally, and it will remain this way till power supply is fixed.

No matter how much the individuals innovate and work around the lack of power supply, it will be at extra cost. As such, if a manufacturer were so foolhardy as to venture into producing power banks in Nigeria, those products would cost more compared to imported products of similar specs.

There is a reason why many manufacturing concerns in Nigeria have relocated their factories to Ghana and elsewhere.

It is the same reason why the power bank is a necessity in this massive West African village-nation. Those who cannot afford a power bank as a separate entity simply buy what is called a “power bank phone”  and live happily ever after. Or for as long as it lasts.

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