Tech for Students

Tech for Students Reviewed

The best in Technology for Education

If you’re replacing an old, reliable PC that just isn’t cutting it anymore, or you’re outfitting your student with some computing power, the back to school season is a prime time to buy electronics. The wave of shoppers drives down prices as retailers compete for your dollars, so it’s a good time to find a great deal. But with all the choices – desktops, laptops, Ultrabooks and tablets - how do you pick the best device to suit your needs? We’re here to help you choose.

Desktop tower: Even though their popularity is waning, there are benefits to a stationary work station. The lack of mobility is great for younger students. Just set up the family PC in a high traffic area to monitor your kid’s online activities, and you’ll never have to track down the computer under junior’s bed when it’s time to power down at night. They’re also friendlier to clumsy fingers: if Johnny spills his soda on the desk you may have to replace a $20 keyboard, but sticky liquid on a laptop can take the whole system out of commission. They’re more cost effective to upgrade, so the system will likely last you longer than more portable alternatives.

Pick a desktop is you are looking for a family PC and have younger students.

Laptop vs. Ultrabook: The benefits of an all-in-one mobile computer are clear. It takes up less space, can be used anywhere and could accompany your older student to class if necessary (although they’re still a bit big to handle the surface space offered by the typical college classroom desk). While monitors aren’t as large as those that usually accompany a desktop PC, they’re comfortably sized to accommodate the long term use expected to compose a term paper or, say, research the mating habits of alpacas.

While laptops and Ultrabooks are usually lumped into the same category when you’re cruising the electronics store, there are some key differences. Ultrabooks are often referred to as “next generation” laptops. They’re smaller, thinner and similar to a tablet with an attached keyboard and a fully-functional Operating System. While this may all sound good, keep in mind that these systems trade their upgrade capability for lightweight portability. Components are stripped (you won’t find an optical drive) or soldered to the motherboard to reduce weight and size, so the memory and hard drive that you buy it with will need to last you the life of the device.

Pick a laptop for a household with older students that you trust to use the system unattended but where out-of-house travel is likely to be minimal. Laptops are available with larger screens than Ultrabooks, so they can better accommodate multi-taskers who like to split screen multiple applications simultaneously. Also, a laptop is a good pick for students who will be using it for extended periods of time, anyone who needs to connect to a variety of shared peripheral devices like communal printers, or anyone who will need a DVD drive.

Pick an Ultrabook when portability is paramount. If your student will be taking the system to class on a regular basis, travelling with it to offsite study locations, or has an exceptionally small workspace available, an Ultrabook may be the best choice.

Tablet: While tablets are gaining popularity, they are not designed to seamlessly replace a fully-functional computer. Consider them a Smartphone with a larger screen that requires a WiFi signal to work optimally. Tablets typically run a mobile OS which is pared down from the software offered on a laptop or Ultrabook. They don’t offer as many connectivity ports, so many functions (like printing or transferring data) will likely require that you connect over a shared WiFi network. You won’t have a disk drive, so content will have to be downloaded from the device’s affiliated App store, limiting you to software developed for mobile devices.

However, tablets can serve a purpose. If you have a shared family PC and older students that need an additional device to surf the net or check email, or want to stream content from tutoring sites or video chat with their study group, a tablet can be a handy tool. With the addition of a note-taking program and compatible stylus, your student can take notes in class and have them instantly transformed into digital, searchable text, making studying for exams a bit less daunting.

Pick a tablet if you need additional Internet access without a lot of workhorse capability.

If you’re still puzzled about the best device to outfit your student for back to school, drop us a line. We’ll help you narrow down the sea of choices to the computer or mobile device that’s right for you.

Sharing a Computer: How to Live in Harmony

Sharing a Computer and Retaining your Sanity

Sharing a computer can be tricky.  Whether it's the kids vying for screen time or summer house guests looking to check their email, following some easy tips can save your sanity.

First, create separate user accounts for each family member and one for “Guest.”  This allows each user a sense of individuality as they can set customized backgrounds, desktop icons and folders.  Establishing individual passwords allows everyone some privacy, while your administrator access lets you maintain ultimate control.  Separating users also helps reduce the impact of your kid’s activities on your productivity – no one wants to come home to discover a new default browser or that your work project has been “lost.”


Windows 7 users should head to Control Panel – User Accounts and Family Safety – “Add or remove user accounts.”  Mac OS X Lion users can follow the walkthrough on Apple’s support forum: http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4600

I recommend that you limit user privilege and allow only the administrator to install or remove programs.  This reduces the likelihood that a user will unknowingly install a virus and restricts their ability to install applications you don’t want clogging up your PC.  It also stops them from installing an alternate browser to circumvent plug-ins or parental controls.

Establish clearly divided work and storage areas around the computer.  If space permits, install cubbies near the computer so everyone can have a place to stash their personal gadgets and gear.  Otherwise it’s all too easy for your thumb drive to get commandeered, or the desk overrun with the kids’ game disks.  Consider establishing the ground rule that everyone clears the desk of personal things upon logging off to reduce clutter.

It’s common for family members to fight over whose “turn” it is when two people want to get on at the same time.  Assign every family member a set amount of screen time, inclusive of TV time and mobile device use.  Allow everyone to participate in the discussion; decide whether to allow a set amount of time per day or rather allot each person a pool of minutes for the week so minutes can roll over from day to day.  The latter is more challenging to monitor, but can allow for more flexibility if someone has a favorite show they want to save up for.

The quickest way to enforce time management is to post a clock prominently near the computer.  This works best if you’ve decided to assign time blocks to each user.  A timer that makes an audible beeping also works well as it’s harder for your child to fight with the timer than it is to argue with you for “five more minutes.”

There are options built into Windows for limiting when each user account can log on to the computer, either by setting approved times of day or by giving a daily time allotment to each user account.  Visit the Windows support site for details, or watch their video here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/control-when-children-can-use-the-computer

Finally, remember that a wide variety of mobile devices can handle basic web searching, email and gaming.  Installing a wireless router, even if you don’t have multiple computers, allows family members to reserve computer use for activities that can’t be done on other devices and guests to use a tablet or smartphone to get online.

[caption id="attachment_16199" align="alignleft" width="300"] Share a computer with the Mini X G4[/caption]

Even if your budget doesn’t allow for another computer, you may be able to siphon off some of the usage overlap to an inexpensive tablet such as Amazon’s 7” Kindle Fire (www.amazon.com/Kindle-Fire-Amazon-tablet/dp/B0083Q04IQ, starting at $159 for new or $129 for refurbished).  If you have an extra HDMI-capable monitor, USB hub, keyboard and mouse, consider a “computer on a stick” such as the MiniX Neo G4(www.minix.us/products/NEO-G4.html, $65) or attach it to your TV to do basic web activities in your living room.

Windows Blue Details - What to expect

Windows Blue - Big Changes to 8 Ahead?

If you’re using Windows 8, you’re about to get a big upgrade. In June, Microsoft will roll out some big changes (Windows Blue) to their operating system that will significantly help the user. While it’s not available for download yet, a development version was leaked on the internet and us Nerds have had the time to check it out and analyze the features.

Refined Metro UI:  The first improvements come on the surface. Most of the tweaks to the operating system are refining the metro UI, and not the base of the operating system itself. The upgrade, nicknamed Windows Blue, adds the ability to make the home screen tiles smaller. It also allows you to change color options, including primary and accent colors.


IE 11:  Internet Explorer 11 is getting a new download manager as well as the ability to sync your tabs across all your devices, a feature pioneered and standardized by Mozilla and Google. However, Microsoft has expanded this experience to the start screen as well as your paired devices, like headsets or mice.  That means if you have a Windows 8 desktop, tablet, and phone, you can keep your experience the same.

Quiet Hours:  You’ll also have the ability to set quiet hours for the notification center, a feature common on Android phones. Many of Microsoft’s improvements to this operating system focus on making a unified user experience – that is, people using Windows 8 will be able to recognize their content no matter which device they are using.

In A Snap:  On the desktop and tablet side, Windows Blue is also getting improved snapping options. You’ll be able to snap at ¼, ¾, as well as ½ in both directions. Previous versions only had two snapping options. This upgrade allows for more efficient multi-tasking.

Aside from cosmetics, Windows Blue offers mostly security updates, but also adds four new apps: an alarm, a sound recorder, a calculator, and a video trimmer. All have very basic functionality but will likely evolve with the operating system, as this version is a very early test version.

When the final upgrade rolls out in June, expect to see a lot more features!  Which makes us computer repair Nerds very happy!

 

Find the Best Tech Deals with These Tips

Find the Best Tech Deals Around

Top Money Saving Tips

There’s no denying that indulging a love of electronics can get pricey.  Here are a few tips to ensure that you don’t overpay for technology.

Don’t pay more for “high end” cables/connectors: It may come as a surprise that part of your TV, home theater or computer purchase that is typically most profitable for the electronics store is the additional cables you were sold on your way out the door.  When it comes to cables that transfer digital information (such as HDMI or DVI cables), in almost all cases you aren’t going to experience a noticeable improvement in image or sound quality if you pay more for the cable.

You may find a variance in the thickness of the cable casing and/or plastic surrounding the connector on higher priced cables, which may make the cable somewhat more durable.  This may make a difference if you need your cable to go a large distance or through a wall.  However, most people use their HDMI cables over a distance of less than six feet, behind their TV, where a light weight cable will be perfectly suited.


USB cables are similarly overpriced.  The same cable that you pay $25 for at a big box retailer is available for less than $2 through a site like Monoprice.

Don’t assume refurbished means broken: Refurbished products are typically sold at a sizeable discount over the brand new, in original packaging version of the gadget you’ve had your eye on.  Many consumers are hesitant to consider a refurbished item, assuming that it was damaged or found to be defective and then returned to and repaired by the manufacturer.

While this is sometimes the case, there are other reasons that perfectly good gadgets end up on the shelf tagged as refurbished.  In some cases, the item (or even just the packaging itself) was scratched or damaged in transit.  Units that retailers have made available as demo or display models are often sold as refurbished.  If a product has been purchased, opened and subsequently returned it will be sold as refurbished even if it was never used by the original owner.

The best way to save money by choosing a refurbished product while protecting yourself from buying a defective dud is to look for one labeled “factory recertified” and be sure that it carries a decent warranty (at least 90 days).  While you can find even better deals on refurbished items sold through third party retailers, exercise caution.  If the item was damaged and repaired, it’s important that you have a reputable company that will stand behind it while you determine that it’s working properly now.

Don’t invest in the “wrong” things when buying a new desktop PC: Historically, the processor made a noticeable difference in system performance, even to basic users, so it made sense to pay more to upgrade from a 1.3 GHz processor to a 1.8 GHz processor.  These days, processors process data so quickly that most of us wouldn’t notice a difference between an Intel Core i5 to an Intel Core i7 for the $200-$300 more you may spend on the upgrade.  Instead, spend your money on RAM (aim for 8GB with a new PC) or upgrade from a standard hard drive to a solid state drive (SSD).  Both will lead to a more noticeable speed increase and aren’t as costly as upgrading the processor.

 

Before You Upgrade to Windows 8, Prepare your PC

Looking to Upgrade to Windows 8? Check this out first

Windows 8 officially hit the market on Friday, October 26th. I haven’t waivered in my recommendation that you use caution when considering upgrading to such a drastically different Operating System, but if you’re eager to join the ranks of early adopters, here are some tips to smooth your transition to the next generation of Windows.

First, make sure your computer is compatible with and able to support Windows 8. It actually doesn’t require many resources to run (one of its benefits – its streamlined nature helps it to boot up and run fast), so if your system was built in the last six years or so you’re probably good to go. The minimum requirements are: 1 GHz or faster processor, 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of hard disk space, and a Graphics card with Microsoft DirectX 9 and WDDM driver.

Next, head over to Microsoft’s Compatibility Center (www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compatibility/win8/) to confirm that your peripheral devices (such as printers, monitor, mouse, cell phone, camera, etc.) are compatible. Most devices that work with Windows 7 will work with Windows 8, but its best to make sure before you upgrade.

Once you’ve determined that your system is ready for Windows 8, watch a few online walk-through videos to see the software in action. I don’t mean the glossy commercial-style videos produced by Windows and designed to sell you on the “coolness” of the product. I mean videos like those posted on CNN’s technology page or even those on YouTube (search “Windows 8 walkthrough”) - just prepare to weed through some truly atrocious amateur contributions.

This is the best way to get an idea of how drastically different Windows 8 will be. Keep in mind that it’s designed to be used with a touch screen device, so if you’re planning to install it on a standard PC with a mouse and keyboard, make sure you peruse some video coverage of how it runs without touch capability.

Now it’s time to hunt and gather – for all the installation disks, codes and/or drivers for your software and peripheral devices. Without a way to reinstall the software that supports your system’s hardware and peripherals, you could be left without a working display or way to input commands should Windows 8 fail to recognize the drivers for your monitor or keyboard. Be prepared to reconfigure your modem and/or router to get back online.

If you don’t have a handy keepsake box full of installation CDs (doesn’t everyone?), look up your devices online and download a backup copy of the drivers BEFORE you upgrade lest you be left without internet access after installing Windows 8.
Are you still on board? Now do a complete backup of your data. While upgrading to Windows 8 shouldn’t affect the programs and data stored on your system, performing such a major change always warrants backing up first. Backup your important files to another computer, an external hard disk, or cloud-based storage account.

Finally, prepare for the worst and make sure that you’re prepared to do a re-format of your hard disk in order to reinstall Windows 7. This will require a valid Product ID (it can be found on the System page where you found your system specifications) or Windows activation key (for Windows XP it’s often located on a sticker on the system itself.

Good luck on your new Windows adventure!

Apple's New iMac

iMac: “Sleek” Makeovers Unveiled: Apple’s Newest Additions

Topping today's announcements, Apple unveiled a number of new and sleek devices, including a major update to both their laptop and desktop lines.

Popularity gets a makeover: The first device is an addition to the MacBook Pro line. The "world's most popular notebook" now comes in a 13-inch size with retina display for crisp and highly detailed graphics, which also reduce eye strain. Coming in at a resolution of 1680x1050, the laptop is able to handle an impressive amount of computing, including HD video while rending audio and photo graphics. The device adheres to the same rigorous design standards as previous iterations, and is constructed out of aluminum and glass.


“Hybrid” is the New Vogue: Speaking of storage, Apple also introduced their new "Fusion Drive," which is a hybrid drive that contains both a solid-state drive for increased speed and a traditional hard drive for maximum storage. All new iMacs can be configured to contain the new Fusion Drive.

Can’t wait for the new line of sleek Apple products? The 21.5-inch iMac will be available in November, and the 27-inch version in December, just in time for the holidays.