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If you’re in the market for a blade server, I’m not going to hold your hand through this article. Blade servers are meant for business. They are meant to be run in tandem with other blades within a blade enclosure. Unlike traditional rackmount servers, blades put all the non-essential hardware in the blades’ enclosure, leaving the core computing pieces intact and hot-swappable on the blade itself. (The enclosure provides power, cooling, networking and, often, other management firmware.) As you can see, those in the market for a blade server are either going to want a full blade system (blades + enclosure) or the individual blades.

I won’t try to convince you of one blade brand or another. Why? If you already have a blade enclosure, you already know what you want (you cannot usually put blades of one brand into the enclosure from another.) We feature deals on blades by makers like HP Proliant and IBM Bladecenter.

If you’re starting from scratch and are looking to buy a blade server enclosure, check out our Intel Blade Server Chassis. Inventory includes new blade server enclosures for just over $3000 and refurbished blade server enclosures for under $2500 USD. The IBM is described as

The Intel Blade Server Chassis SBCE is an example of state-of-the-art blade engineering that allows you to greatly expand computing power while reducing management resources. No matter how you configure it, the Intel Blade Server Chassis SBCE was built for efficient management. The system includes a management module that monitors temperatures and controls fan speeds, to maintain an optimum operating environment.

Do your research. Know your needs. When you decide that power, scalability and redundancy are top on your list of priorities, consider buying a blade server system.

Reference:

• Blade Servers on Wikipedia

Technorati Tags: blade server, servers

Quick post: I just received an “insider” email notifying me that you can get an Inspiron desktop computer from Dell for just $449 (+taxes, s&h).

Inspiron 531 only $449 (before tax, fees, shipping & handling) after $310 instant savings

These systems are normally $759! This is a limited time deal, with the offer expiring in under 2 weeks: 11/01/07. Of course, you should consult the deal’s rules and restrictions but this should be a bargain many entry-level users find attractive.

Dell’s E-Value Code for this Inspiron deal is 6VAFF-DDDAEA3.

Technorati Tags: Dell, Inspiron

Found: A great deal on Dell’s newest entry level computer, the Dell Vostro 200 desktop computer.

While Dell’s newest brand "Vostro" targets the small business crowd, tech savvy bargain hunters are finding the name also means capable computing at a low price. Since Dell hasn’t been making these for long, it has taken a while for Shop.FeaturedSystems.com to get them in inventory but, at last, we have a good deal lined up.

For just $399, the Dell Vostro 200 Desktop comes with a 1.60 Dual Core Processor, 1GB of RAM, a 80GB hard drive, 16x DVD-ROM drive and, best of all, it comes with Windows XP Home – not Windows Vista. (We’re not big fans of Vista…) Like the rest of the Vostro line up, bloatware is kept to a minimum, meaning you actually get to use more of that 80GB drive than with other desktop systems since lots of unnecessary programs aren’t there to take up space. If you’re a novice user who likes or wants programs like AOL and software “Lite” pre-installed, this computer isn’t for you.

Pros and Cons? An interesting positive feature we’ve seen mentioned again and again – this computer is quiet! If there’s one negative issue we’ve seen come up: the motherboard doesn’t have a parallel port to support older printers. A few users have been disappointed to learn they have to buy a USB printer to go with their new system.

So take a look at the Dell Vostro 200 Desktop if you’re in the market for a strong, economical desktop computer. Browse online resources like Compreviews.About.com and ComputerShopper.com for more opinions but, ultimately, our $399 price is hard to beat.

Technorati Tags: Vostro, desktop computer

Remember Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM)? Just a year or two ago, they offered the hottest handheld gadgets around… like the venerable Palm Pilot. Unfortunately, News.com recently reminded me that, yes, the brand still exists but it has fallen upon hard times this fiscal quarter.

…Palm recorded a net loss of $800,000, compared with net income of $16.5 million last year. Smart phone revenue was up 21 percent, but overall revenue was up just 1 percent from $356 million last year to $361 million this year.

Much has been made about the effect of the iPhone on Palm, but were that it’s only problem. Everyone’s passing Palm by these days as the company has been slower than rivals like Research in Motion, Nokia, and others to introduce updated designs…

Seeing the iPhone mentioned, I ask myself what Palm, Inc. still has to offer and, more importantly, is there an iPhone killer in their product line? After all, at this stage of its development, the iPhone is overpriced, has no-software and allows for AT&T communication only. What happened to Apple’s “anti-corporate” image? But I digress. Seeing how iPhones suck, what does a quick search of Palm handhelds show? PalmOne, Palm Tungsten and Palm TX, to name a few… The Palm TX in particular caught my attention. Check out the features and ask yourself if all of this is worth just $200:

Palm T/X Handheld PDA is anything but business as usual. Connect a portable, folding keyboard to make working on your business documents even easier. Need driving directions? Get turn-by-turn voice-guided directions with the Palm GPS Navigator (GPS requires optional accessories). Whatever you’re into, you’ll find an application you can use among the thousands made for the Palm OS. Affordable Wi-Fi is here. Introducing the Palm TIX handheld. With built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology, this is the wireless device you’ve been waiting for. Browse the web and check email from your office, campus, or a home Wi-Fi network-and places like airports, cafes, and hotels (with ISP service applicability). Carry your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files and get more done anywhere. Web pages, presentations, spreadsheets, photos, and videos come to life on a large color screen that rotates from landscape to portrait mode. Have time to unwind? The Palm TX handheld even lets you listen to MP3 and read eBooks.

Sound familiar? Like an iPhone, but for a lot less? Yeah, there’s no phone capability, but you already had that, right? More than 400 people have reviewed the TX and found i to be a four star product. The PalmOS has been around for years, with far, far more applications available than what’s out there for the iPhone. WiFi, MS Office compatibility, memory slots, MP3 player, etc. make this a great package for people who are about business rather than the latest marketing coup. What do you have to say?

Technorati Tags: Palm, handhelds, handheld devices, iPhone