August 16, 2010

Laptop Buying Guide

When you are in college or running a small business, buying a laptop is a necessity.  But don't let the marketing folks of Intel or Microsoft convince you that it is necessary to have 8GB of memory and a Quad Core processor.  For the typical user 1-2 GB of memory and a dual core process will be more than adequate, and save you a significant amount of money.

The first step is determining what type of laptop you are looking for and making sure it can handle the tasks which you plan to use it for.

Laptops for the most part can be broken down into five unique categories each with its own intended purpose of use. These categories range from budget laptops through desktop replacements.

Budget Laptops

Budget laptops are developed and marketed to provide a basic system at a very attractive price point.  They typically use scaled down processors such as the Intel Celeron or AMD Sempron designed specifically for them.  All budget laptops should be able to handle basic computing tasks such as web browsing, word processing, email, presentations, and watching DVD's.   What these systems do not have is high end graphics which means they will not be a good choice for a gamer or anyone who uses high end graphic applications. 

Typical budget systems include:  HP G60, Dell Latitude D520

Ultra portables

Ultra portables are designed to be as light and compact as possible.  With smaller screens in the 12-13 inch range, these laptops are suited toward people who travel and want a system that is not very cumbersome to move around with.  Do not mistake an ultra portable for a netbook.  In fact most ultra portables are fully equipped and can handle any task a budget system can handle plus more.  But do not be surprised to find that an optical drive such as a DVDRW is external and may not be included with the purchase.  So if you plan to watch a lot of movies or always need an optical drive to access data, this may not be the system for you.

Typical ultra portable systems include:  HP DV2, Dell Latitude D400, Dell Latitude D410, Dell Latitude D420

Thin and Light

Thin and light laptops would be considered the middle of the road.  They typically have 14-15 inch displays, powerful processors, and plenty of memory.  They can vary greatly in price relative to the features each manufacturer may included.  Just about any laptop in this category can hand the tasks of a small business or college student.

Typical thin and light systems include:  HP DV6, Insprion 15

Business

Business laptops are very similar to thin and light systems.  However, they trade the stylish looks of consumer models for a modular design focused on stability and reliability.  If you need a system for CAD design or just need a very reliable system that is easy to find parts for or repair, this would be a good category to look in.  They systems are also typically leased and represent an excellent opportunity for the savvy buyer to purchase at significantly discounted pricing.

Typical business systems include:  Dell Latitude D610, Dell Latitude D620

Desktop Replacement

Desktop replacement laptops are build and designed to be a complete system with the power and capabilities of any desktop.  The trade off is a size and weight.  They will normally have 17+ inch displays, large keyboards, dedicated graphics, and high end processors.   This is not a system that you would want to travel with for extended periods.  However if you are replacing your desktop and would like the ability to move about the house or office, this may be a good option.

Typical desktop replacement systems include:  HP DV9, Dell Inspiron 17, Dell Studio 17

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July 6, 2010

Netbook Buying Guide

Netbooks continue to be a hot category and the selection shows this.  The typical features of the netbook remain to be 1GB of memory, 160GB hard drive, and a 10 inch LCD screen.

Screen Size:  Most netbooks are available with 10 inch or 12 inch screens.  The most common size is the 10 inch with a resolution of 1024 x 600.   If you are looking for the smallest unit consider the Asus Eee PC 900SD-BLK009X which is the epitome of the netbook category with a 9 inch screen, solid state hdd, Windows XP, and a web cam.  Otherwise stick with a 10 inch screen.

Hard Drive and Memory:  Your hard drive allows you to store files and programs, where your RAM allows you to keep tabs on what you were working on most recently and determines how quickly things launch once you click to open it.  Hard drives of current netbooks range from 160GB to 250GB, whereas older netbooks may have as small as 4GB drives. 

Wireless:  Wifi allows you to connect to routers and surf the web.  Wifi comes in different speeds such as 802.11 a/b/g/n.  802.11n is the fastest allowing netbooks to transfer data as fast as 300Mbps.  The tradeoff is that when you use this functionality it takes away from battery life.  The faster it is the stronger the signal and the higher the drain on the system.

Keyboard:  Most netbook keyboards are 92% the size of a standard laptop keyboard.  You have the option of a chicklet style keyboard or a keyboard where the keys are flush.  If you are a touch typer you’ll find that typing on a chicklet style keyboard is a lot easier and allows you to type faster.

Processor:  There are currently four generations of netbook processors for you to choose from.  The processors used initially in netbooks were 900Mhz Celeron processors which were not fast but used little power.  Intel quickly moved to their Atom platform with N270 processors with a speed of 1.6GHz.  Afterwards, the N280 processor added a little extra pep with a higher FSB pushing the speed to 1.66GHz.  Netbooks from previous generations with screens larger than 10 inches used the Z520/Z530 class of processor.

Graphics:  Intel did not want netbooks to compete with laptops.  In an effort to keep these products separate as well as costs lows, Intel integrates their own graphics solution into most netbooks.  These graphics leave a lot to be desired.  They will allow you to use Windows but you will be hard pressed to play any advanced games.  You will be able to stream some video but most of it will play slowly if at all.  Nvidia saw the need and provides graphics for netbooks under the name ION.  ION is a graphics solutions which allows you to not only stream online HD video, but also quickly encode your own.  The premium for ION graphics is only warranted if you have a current need or anticipate a future need of watching video online or playing games.  If not the graphics Intel give you will accomplish what you need it to.

There you have it.  There are other decisions you will end up making regarding a netbook like the color, or if the keys make too much noise when you type, or how hot it gets while you are using it but those kinds of features are subjective and can not really be controlled for as they vary from one brand or model to another.

If you have a manufacturer preference that will not be a problem.  Dell, HP, and Asus are just a few of the top netbook manufacturers.

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Tiny Cameras Can Take Surprisingly Good Photos

June 3, 2010
By Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
Original URL: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2010-06-02-summertechcameras02_ST_N.htm
Summarized by Scott Peterson


LOS ANGELES. Summer photo season brings with it the associated picture taking, many of which will occur on pocket cameras and cellphones. Inexpensive pocket digital cameras and cellphone cameras rarely stack up to more advanced cameras or big digital SLRs. Or do they?

Technology has enabled these little cameras to produce great images. The secret to better photos is to use traditional photography techniques.

Here are some tips to getting better results from a smaller camera:

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