Busting the Doors For Craptastic Deals

I have mentioned through this blog that people love cheap. I have noticed that society likes quality and speed of computers to a point. When a low price tag is thrown in front of them, they don't care what the thing is they will just take it. If someone through a bag of dirt in their cart, they don't care they will ask how much is it.

I have noticed this since I work in this type of business. On black Friday (the Friday after Thanksgiving) many people lined up at the doors waiting for those craptastic deals on computers. While outside I noticed this. The first person in line wanted the computers I was selling, she already had tickets for three other computers, so now she had five tickets total for these computers.

I do understand these computers that were door busters are supposed to be cheap, but they are not the computers that will meet their needs. The computers are near the bottom of the totem pole. Some computers have the base operating system which would be Vista Home Basic. I totally recommend Vista Home Premium at least. This system will run better. With Home Basic these will be equipped with 512MB of RAM, which is just enough for this OS to operate but not well. The Home Premium computers will have 1024MB or 1GB of RAM which will again be just enough. The processor will also make the difference on how the computer will perform.

Yet, people don't ask questions on that day, they don't care they just see that sticker price and run with it. (On to the next store they say). So when the recipients receive the gift under that Christmas tree, they will have to take grandma's gift card back to the store to have it beefed up or the computer changed out to meet their needs.

OS Part 2

I am sure you all have read my post on OS's. Well I forgot, yes I know you can't believe it, to mention MAC OS. The latest and greatest is Leopard my Macintosh. Which Mac always name their new OS's with animal names. Why they do this I have no clue. Well not all their OS's had this kind of name. They started with the Mac OS X (10) which was first called a Tiger or something. From what Wikipeida stated they picked big cats names for their OS. Why this is so I guess it is because there for a long while Apple (Mac) wasn't doing so well. Microsoft had a huge lead in the OS war, if you want to call it that. I would suspect that they picked these big names because they wanted to make the consumers think of Mac revamping the OS and that it was a new reason why to change from it's old OS or from anything running Windows.

With seeing both systems run, I think that Microsoft might have something to look out for......MAC. This is because the new windows has so many compatibility issues. I mention again that I work in the business and see so many people wanting the operating system of yesteryear to be loaded on their pc's yes I am talking about Windows XP. From my last post you understand why. Mac on the other hand doesn't have as many problems, only if you try to run old Mac OS 9 programs on the new Leopard. This is fine because can many of the old programs or games that ran on Windows 3.1 or 95 run even on XP....Nope. People don't want to change if they don't have to. (Case in point I learned Visual Basic then moved to Java programing I don't like it. This is because I was used to VB.) But when a new OS hits the market they expect it to work with their current software.

Processors

Have you wondered what actually does the most work inside that box we call a computer? Ah yes the microprocessor or as we call it now just the processor. Without going into a lot of nerd talk, the processor commutates a lot of algorithms so we as the users don't have to. (Thank the Lord Above)

The processors that are out on the market now are far from the ones of yesteryear. When the operating system Windows XP was still in use, computers didn't need the processing speed as they do now. When this OS was in use consumers usually saw only a single processor that ran at 1.8GHZ, gigahertz. Now don't get me wrong that was fast at the time. (Heck I remember when I was younger that 1o0mhz, megahertz was blazing fast.) This was the era of the Intel Pentium 1 and the Pentium 2 chips.

Now with the OS, Windows Vista, we need just a little more processing speed. With more and more applications at hand we need more power, if you will, to aid us in our daily computing.

Their are many chips that are out there today, I am only going to focus on Intel not AMD. Some Intel chips that are out at this present time are: Pentium Daul Core, Pentium Quad Core, Celeron M, Centrino Dual Core. These processors are very different. Above I mentioned about the single processor at 1.8GHZ, here the dual core processors are just that dual processing. They can process the information twice the single processor speed and is one chip. The Pentium series runs hot and uses more power than a single core and runs fast even if you walk away from the computer. The Pentium Quad Core will run as if it was four processors stuck in one chip. Which in layman's terms it will run two times as fast at a dual core. That is a whopping four times as fast as processors of yesteryear. The Celeron M uses a lot of power and runs almost as slow as the processors of yesteryear. The chip that I recommend is the Centrino Dual Core because in a laptop it uses a lot less power and runs fast, but slows down if you aren't using it.

Wow! I know that sounds like nerd talk, but I hope this helps you all in your computer buying for the next three months. The reason I say three months is because the computers by then will be obsolete aka. a paper weight.

Bluetooth or Snaggletooth?

With working in the business I have seen an increase of wireless technology, whether or not being a computer. The question is: Is bluetooth the way to go? Ah yes having the technology at the finger tips is great to have, but is it the way to go?

With the question that is posed, I think bluetooth in the way of computers aren't necessarily they way to go because it has such a short distance from the computer to it's components. Yes it is really cool to have your computer that has bluetooth and another device talk to each other without being tethered to each other with a wire. Some computers already have wireless transmission without the usage of bluetooth (i.e. 802.11 a/b/g/n). Why not use technology that is already out there and improve it?

I guess here I am old school. Here I mean if someone has something try to fix it and enhance it, don't throw it away. Understanding that current society is a through away society I understand it will be hard to change. The bluetooth technology needs to be worked improved so that you can get a further distance and transfer rate.

I am not here to bash bluetooth, but just to let people know it needs to be improved. On the other hand it is really neat to walk up to a random printer in a store or whatever that has bluetooth and send a picture to it from your phone to print. Also, having a bluetooth enabled printer connected to a computer with this technology and print without having a wireless router using the 802.11 protocol.

Operating Systems (OS)

I have seen for the most part of this year, customers aren't liking the new Windows OS. Since I work in the electronic business I have asked why and what they would prefer instead of Windows Vista. Many that have been asked want the OS of yesteryear, Windows XP. The come in looking for a new computer with XP on it, which the only maufature of computers that still offer XP is Dell. The reason the customers don't like Vista is that most of the software that they already use won't work with with the new OS. Also they don't enjoy being asked to death if the operation at hand is ok to run.

My question is why do we have to be a slave to Microsoft? I do understand that being human we like conformity, but why not change to something else. Give us choices, give someone else a chance.

Some my not know that there is more than just Microsoft out there to aid in our computing needs. There is one that programmers love it is called Linux. There are many types of Linux that are out there. Meaning anyone can make different versions of Linux not just one company. What sets Linux apart is that anyone can change the OS for free and give it out for free. Yes you will see Linux on a shelf to buy at many retail stores, but you can find it legally on the Internet for free to download. Each type of Linux is different through it's GUI (pronounced as goo ee). This is it's graphical user interface. The system back behind the GUI has the same structure as all the Linux's do. This system is called open source so that anyone can change it unlike Windows were if you do change anything of the OS you can be fined because of you breaking the user agreements.

The bad part of changing OS's is that one might be read things differently from on OS to the next. Here is the conformity coming into play. If everyone has the same system then we won't have as many problems. Although when we the, at that time, new OS Windows ME came out did everything work? No that OS needed have the bugs worked out. I hated getting the blue screen of death almost every time I booted the new computer up.

The end result is why can't we as Americans have a a choice of what goes on our computers like what goes into out bodies? If we worked at it I bet the one thing US is based on (competition) would let us choose not making deals from company to company making the choice for us the consumers.

AHHHH MICE!

Some computer users don't realize that a mouse is a very important thing users need. They use them every time they are on the computer. I wonder sometimes if some users remember not having a mouse to navigate on a computer that was around way before the internet became prevalent. (Not to date myself, but I remember playing on an Apple computer in first grade that had a green and black screen with no mouse.)

Now mice have become a necessity for computer use whether on the internet or not. There are a bunch of mice to choose from. They car kind of like high definition tv's in the amount of choices that are out there. Which one is for you, you ask. Well I am here to help you, since I would in the electronics business.

If you have purchased a computer or already have a computer that came with a mouse, but are looking for something that will better suite your needs, then you are in luck. First the mouse that come with the computers are basic in the most part. Basic meaning not many features. That is why you are probably in the market for a new one. The next step is to determine if you would like wireless or a wired mouse. Wired mice are those that were more traditional. The wired is without the tail of the mouse if you will. Once you have nailed down wired or wireless then you can move on. The only question you should ask yourself is do I want to be tethered to a piece of machinery (i.e. a computer) or replace batteries?

I have seen the move towards the wireless mice. Here you can pick the size, shape, sometimes color and how many features you need. Some like the most basic. Most basic include just two buttons and a vertical scroll wheel. Most users are enjoying the features mentioned here, but also like the horizontal scroll wheel and other programable button for games are internet user or whatever, more options. Microsoft Wireless Notebook Optical Mouse 3000 is the mouse that I had tried and loved because of how small and portable it is. Size does matter to some.

Other than features, one thing that the industry has moved away from is the ball mice. Chances are that if you turn over the mouse in you hand right now, you might notice not ball. People love having no ball to loose or clean and the lack on inconsistent pointing on their monitors. With the optical and the laser mice you can now take them off their house (mouse pad) and put them on you leg or on your textbook and still continue to use it. These type of mice offer more precise accuracy.

How Internal and External HDDs work

HDDs. Already mentioned in a couple of previous posts. The hard drive is one of the most important pieces of a computer that is considered to be main storage for the system. Not many know that there are two types of hard drives.

One hard drive that most know about is the internal one. Internal is harbored inside the computer. This type of HDD will most likely have a operating system contained within it. Operating systems will be covered in another post. Anyway, with the internal HDD many different intangable objects can be stored within it for later use. Storing files such as documents, music, photos, presentations, movies etc. can be stored here. This capability will free you from having to keep ample external disks on hand. Although the HDD can hold huge amount of files, having a back up is not a bad idea. Which external HDDs will come into play.

External HDD are like those of internal HDDs. These can be used as a backup for the internals. The externals are much more portable than those of the internal. Here a computer user can bring his/her HDD to other computers and plug them in like thumb/flash drives. One difference between the internal and external is that the external can't really support a operating system. (Most computers won't recognize the operating system once it is plugged into the usb drive.) The main use for externals are for users to tote around mass amounts of information place to place without having multiple disks i.e. floppy disks.

Now I know many people wonder how do these HDDs work? Well no need to fear this nerd is here! What really happens on the inside of these HDDs are many different plates that spin fast, some from 5,400 RPM to 10,000. This allows for fast access to the information. These plates are magnetic just like 3.5" floppy disks, but look like CDs. In between these plates are read and write heads which do like they say, the read heads read the information that is on the disk and the write heads write information that you want to store onto it. There in a very small nutshell is how a HDD works.

Components

From the last post I can add to it buy sharing what other components that can be added to your new machine or old machine.

Although when there are many things that someone like yourself can add to a computer one of the most important components that I have seen that people need is more RAM. This can allow for multiple operations to happen at once. This is were you can have iTunes open, Internet Explorer, Winamp and others simultaneously with smooth transition between all of them. This also allows the computer to complete calculations at the same time running in the background without you noticing anything. No lose of performance.

Another important is an internal HDD, which holds your information and programs on this component. With having all of the information you will need a rather large HDD in the computer to hold everything. This will allow for more storage later when you need it.

To access the internet you will need either a network interface card (NIC) or a modem. With the modem a dial-up Internet service provider is needed (ISP). With the NIC card you will have to have a broadband ISP with a external modem to gain access. The NIC card also has the capabilities to connect to other computers whether it be through a crossover cable, wired network through a wired router or wireless router.

Sound cards are another way to improve your computers sound. If the computer is old and becoming out of date, which if it is older than three months old they are usually out of date. The computer, whether out of date or not, can have a new sound card thrown into it to achieve surround sound to enhance gaming and movie etc. capabilities. This can make a world of difference to the user.

Ah, video cards, this is another way to improve the video performance. With the new operating system (OS) Microsoft Vista, todays computers needed a boost in video performance. Just adding Vista to new computers or older ones the video cards had to be beefed up. With the fast video cards users can use more advanced OS's and games like Microsoft's Flight Simulator.

With these few compnent upgrades your computer will run a little faster. The computer will be able to display cleaner images, hold more information and be able to let you on the Internet. Hopefully this has helped.

Computer Size

Ah size, the question most people wonder about when they are looking to invest their hard earned money into a computer. Since most people wonder about the size of the components there are two major types of computers.

One type of computer, that was most popular in the 90's, is the desktop computer. The desktop name is well fitted for these electronic devices because it simply will take up a desk. The size of this computer was adequate for what people wanted back in the 90's. The computer had a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), this is a screen the size of a small television. Which people kept on purchasing these huge monsters. These CRTs became larger and larger in screen size. The average size of the screens were 14" to 15". Then the market for these monsters became slim since Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) became cheaper.

The computer towers where just that, towers. They were huge in size compared to what we have today. They were slower and less compact. Now they have reduced in size, became much faster and compact in size.

The Second type of computer is the laptop, also known as a notebook, the reason they are called that it is as small as a notebook and can very easily be put on a lap. Here the computer is all in one, opposed to having many components cluttering up a desk. The computer itself, some call it a CPU which a CPU is a central processing unit within the computer, is just under the keyboard. The screen is that of a LCD which is compact. The laptop will offer a self contained power source that of a battery. It can also be tethered to the wall with a power cord like that of a desktop.

With working in the electronics business I have seen a huge influx of customers purchasing laptops. Most of these customers have kids that are going to attend or already attend college. Which if they are going to college that is what they need. Something that is compact and can be moved around easily. Another observation is people are starting their own businesses or have one already and need the convenience of moving to place to place. So these folks have been buying them at almost an exponential rate opposed to the desktops.

If it were me looking for a computer, which I am, the laptop would fit my needs. When recommending either or I mostly recommend the laptop, as for the reasons above.

The Internet

Ahh Computers. These things are a blessing to society. One of the features to look for when shopping for computers is how they connect to the internet. Also the amount of storage of which to save your work on the computer itself, through the HDD, plus the amount of RAM for the speed. (Look at the previous post to learn more.)
Many of us have grown accustom to the wonderful feature the "Internet". Since it's arrival, most think in the year 1995, it has become a powerhouse. Anyone can do just about anything legal and sometimes illegal on it. It has paved the way for virtual communities. These are the likes of MySpace and Facebook. Others are online chat rooms or instant messengers which are still part of virtual communities.
Since you have read the previous post, I hope, and read the above you must know that you have to have a way on how to reach the internet. There is a couple of ways on how to get to the internet. One, by having a dial-up modem which then you will have to acquire numbers from a service provider then dial-up to the internet. The more conventional way to connect is through a network interface card (NIC pronounced nick). This way the internet is always a click away. You don't have to dial-up (du) and wait, plus it is a faster connection. One of the fasts growing ways to connect to the internet is wireless which the computer that is purchased will most likely have a wireless card built in. If the computer doesn't purchase a wireless card and a wireless router, that can produce the internet connection. By that the wireless card can then pick up the signal.
Hopefully I have enlightened you on some of the things to look for when purchasing a computer.

Computers

Hello folks. This is the first of many posts. Just a little background. I work for a company that deals with selling computers and other electronics. Since the blog is computers and virtual society that is what I am going to focus on....Computers.
What I have noticed since the begining of this year is that computers have become faster and have become more of a fasict of human way of life. What I mean here is that ever since the release of the new operating system from Microsoft, Vista, the computers now have to have a lot of high specs. This makes for a more enjoyable journey of virtual societies like those of Myspace and Facebook.
There are many components in the computer that make up a computer. Most of what are desireable from the users are Ram and hard disk drive (HDD) with a better video card. These compounents each do a separate job, but come together to achieve one goal. The Ram, random access memory, will allow the computer user to work on the computer and remember what is going on just while the computer is on. What I mean here is that what I am typing here in this sentence is not save onto a HDD untill I tell the computer where on the HDD to save it. This means that nothing has been saved it only saves the information temporarily to and helps proccess the information for later use and current use. The use of faster Ram and more quantity of it will aid in the speed of the computer. A larger HDD will help in more room to save the progress of the document or whatever is at hand. Having a faster video card can help out when watching videos, working on documents, playing games etc. What is meant here is a better running computer.
All of the components metioned above all need to be upgraded when moving to Vista, since it is a power hog.
I know what most of you are thinking. How is this going to help me out? Well, after I post more you will see.
If any of my readers haven't seen or heard of Leo Laporte, he is a great computer wizard. What I mean is that he knows computers inside out. He used to be on Call for Help and the Screen Savers that were on ZDTV then TECHTV, but since G4TV has come to existance he is no longer there. He is no on Call for Help in Canada. He also has podcasts, blogs and books all about computers. If I can't answer a question I know he can. I have learned a great deal of information from this gentalmen.
I just wanted to explain the link over to the right.