The next great craze.. Internet Tablet's

They are being talked about on the News, TV Commercials and all over the Internet. Any Technology based report you hear or see now, talks about Tablet's. Not so much the Tablet PC, but Internet Tablets. What's the difference? Well, the Tablet PC is a laptop that the screen flips around. An Internet Tablet is just a touch screen. Think iPad...

I don't like the iPhone or iTouch, so I'm sure I would not like the iPad, but I like the concept of the Internet Tablet. It tugs and pulls at the geek in me..LOL..
So, while I was in Afghanistan, I started to research what the best Internet Tablets on the market were. Of course, the iPad was on top, with a few Android based tablets close behind. The iPad was on top not because it was the best, but because it was the best seller. After weeks of research, I purchased what I feel was the best on the market then. The one I ended up getting was the Archos 16GB 10.1 Internet Tablet(they have an 8GB version that is even cheaper). The biggest selling point for me was that it had the Android OS(just like the cell phones), and it was half the price of the iPad.. It's also half the weight.. Archos also sells different sizes starting at 5 inches up to the 10.1 inch.

So what's wrong with it? It doesn't have an apple stuck to it...LOL.. Archos has always made really good products for the business traveler. Everything they make is light and portable with a multifunctional use. Their Internet Tablets are no different. Unlike the iPad, the 10.1 Tablet comes with a built in camera for pictures and video teleconferencing, a USB port for connecting it to a pen drive or portable hard drives, a SDHC card port that will hold up to 32GB and a mini HDMI port for HD video.. YES, this thing plays HD video. So, it's years ahead of Apple's latest and greatest iPad.
I've been able to write documents, video teleconference the wife, play games, check email, surf the web and do pretty much anything a normal PC would do.

The downsides I have with the Archos tablet would not bother the everyday user. I just tend to try and break things so I can learn how to fix them. I've only reloaded it 6 times and reprogramed it 2 times..LOL.. But I've always put Sudoko back on it for my wife...

I've had this thing for 5 months now and it won't replace my main computer, but this thing is a notepad, internet surfing, email checking, facebook posting, lightweight portable wonder. And I always feel like I'm in an episode of Star Trek.

If your interested in reading up about the Archos I've listed some links below.
ARCHOS
Engadget
Pocket-lint

The must have for a new computer

I was asked recently, "If we're going to buy a new computer in the next few months, what do you recommend in the "must have" category?"

I will try to make this brand neutral, focusing only on what you should look for when selecting a new computer.

Anyone that has talked to me more than 10 minutes knows that I'm a fan of Dell Computers. In today's rapidly changing computer market, I can't say Dell is any better than an HP, Acer, ASUS or Gateway. I've just always had better luck with them. I know people that have great experiences with other the other manufacturers. I have yet to have their blissful experience with anything other than Dell. ;-)

When you go to look for a new computer, the very first thing you need to look at is....... your pocketbook. You need to determine what you can afford to spend without dipping into your rent or house payment. Plan on spending around $400-600 for a decent computer. If you’re the type of person that only needs to check email, surf the web. You can find computers under $400 that will more than meet your needs. If you like to play the latest and greatest RPG PC games, plan on $1000 or more.

Now you need to determine what you want to do with it. Do you want to play the latest PC games? Do you want to watch movies on it? Store your music collection? Take a few minutes and write down what you want to do. The list will help in determining the type of computer you want.

I'm a huge fan of laptops. You can get great laptops now that meet or exceed what a desktop PC can do. And they are about the same price as comparable desktops. They have screen sizes from 11 to 20 inches, take up less space and they are portable.

Netbooks are.... Well, they are a different breed of computer. I'm not a fan of them. But they are okay if you are just on the internet surfing or checking email. They are small and will fit in a purse or small backpack. The screen size's ranges from 8 to 10.1 inches. Just make sure you look for one that has at least 2 gigabytes of memory and a 1.6 gigahertz dual core Atom processor. They DO NOT have CD/DVD read/writers. So you would have to purchase an external USB one extra for about $50-60. They also have a scaled down version of an operating system. Most come with a version Windows starter edition. This is not a full featured operating system. It’s enough to get you on the internet.

Operating systems are diverse and for the most part the biggest expense. The cheapest operating system you can get is Linux. I don’t recommend it unless you are tech savvy. The other option is the different versions of Windows. The latest and greatest is Windows 7. It comes in different variants starting with Windows Starter, which is on netbooks. Then there is Windows Home, Windows Professional and Windows Ultimate. Unless you are running a network server at home or you are a techie, don’t spend the extra money for Windows Pro or Ultimate.

So, what are the “must have's”?
My minimum recommendation would be.
Operating System:--- Windows 7
Memory:--- At least 4 gigabytes of memory.
Hard Drives:--- At least 300 gigabytes of hard drive space.
Processor:--- Do not get anything less than a dual core processor. (Both Intel and AMD have websites that will ask you questions about what you want to do with the computer and recommend a processor or a computer to look for. I'll post the links at the end.)
CD & DVD players/re-writers:--- These have become common and are included in most computers now. (Just make sure it includes a CD/DVD re-writer because most of the small laptops and Netbooks do not come with them.)Blueray is the new thing. You can now get blueray players for your computer. If you’re not a movie buff, don't bother.
Ports:--- Audio and Microphone jacks, at least 2 USB ports, Multi Media card reader, LAN, VGA, and if you want to hook your computer up to your HD TV, look for a computer that has an HDMI port. (Just make sure you have an HD TV with HDMI. Some of the first HD TV's on the market didn't).
Extras:-- If you get a laptop, look for an integrated webcam.

It’s not easy to pick a system without knowing what you want to do with it.
The more you want to do, the more money you will have to spend. Some of the most expensive computers on the market are specifically designed for people that play high end PC games. Those computers can cost more than $3000. (Yes, that’s three thousand dollars.) Search online for deals from places like Newegg.com and TigerDirect.com. If you want to go into a store, check Circuitcity.com and BestBuy.com before you go. You can usually find cheaper prices online. Also, don’t be afraid of purchasing online. DO NOT buy a computer from Walmart. Yes they sell Dell, HP..etc… But the models are not standard models and Walmart forces them to use substandard parts. I found that out the hard way.

Here are the sites that I mentioned above.

http://www.intel.com/consumer/products/processors/comparison.htm?iid=gg_play+products_processors

http://sites.amd.com/us/vision/help-me-choose/Pages/help-me-choose.aspx

Let me know if you have any questions.

I'm Back and Now back to work.... What about Internet speed?

Well, I'm back. 6 months in Afghanistan was pretty much what I expected it to be. It's one of those places I don't ever want to go back to. The people I worked with are the best and brightest I've ever worked with. I miss the people, but not the place..

Now, on to better subjects.....
I was asked almost a year ago to blog about "How do you decide which speed internet connection is best for your personal computer?" (Sorry Mary)

Unfortunatly the rural area we reside in has only one provider of DSL internet. There are options for sattilite internet, but that get's pretty expensive, so I'll stick to our COOP Telecom provided DSL. DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. It's a fancy techno term for internet over your phone line.

The provider offers 3 packages of internet.
1. up to 768k for $39.95
2. up to 1.5mb for $59.95
3. up to 3mb for $99.95

Notice all 3 state "up to". That means you at some point during the 24hr day you may experience the advertised speed. Then again, you may not ever(I'll get to that)

There are a lot of complicated gizmos widgets and gadgets that allow you to send and recieve email and browse your favorite website (like this one ;^) ) But one of the most important pieces is the cables that connect you to where you want to go. The cables can be either copper like the cable that hangs out of the back of your phone or fibre optic being the fastest and most expensive.

Our provider has been working at there own pace the last few years to upgrade those cables. We don't have fibre optic lines going to our homes, we have copper lines. And if your house has not had the provider dig new phone lines in your front or back yard in the last 3-4 years, you have old phone lines that were probably put in back when we had party lines.

2 problems effect copper lines. 1 is age and the other is distance. The older the lines are, the harder it will be for your favorite website to travel on(Think of it like a old clogged sink drain). We've all seen what happens to copper when it age's. The pitting and tarnishing is what makes it hard for the information to travel. And the longer a cable is, the information starts to slow down, get garbled and lost before it can reach you, which starts around 300ft. So, if your within 300ft of one of the green waist high switching towers, you will probably get the advertised speed. Beyond that it starts degrading.

So, If you have older phone lines, and/or are more than 300ft from a switch tower, it doesn't make sense to pay almost $100 for something you probably won't even get half of. I have the #2 plan and I get a little more than the speed of #1 on a good day when the planets are all aligned right.

If the only thing you do is send and recieve email's with a few pictures and browse a few websites, then plan #1 is just fine.

If you do alot of sending and recieving emails with lots of pictures and view some online videos from time to time from Youtube, then plan #2 is okay. but some large videos like TV shows on CBS, NBC or Hulu with be a little jerky and you will have to wait a few times for your computer to store some of the video locally.

If you like watching online video alot and have zero patience like me, then plan #3 is the only choice.

95% of the people I talk to fit into plan #1. Then there's me and the other guy that make up the other 5%...LOL..

There is a brick wall when it comes to internet speed that has to do with how fast your computer is vs. the speed of the internet. If your computer was purchased in the last 7 years, you have nothing to worry about.

Shutting Down

Well, I will be shutting down my business for awhile. My current main employer has decided to send me to Afghanistan for 6 months. I leave on the 29th of June and should be back by the 29th of December. It wasn't by choice. It was either go or sit in the unemployment line. Computer jobs in this part of the country are few and far between. Hell, jobs in general are hard to find.

I will be checking email, blog and FaceBook when I can. So if anyone has questions, I will try my best to answer them.

Since this blog is supposed to be about computers and technology, Let me fill everyone in on what I learned about global wireless phones...
While preparing to head over there. I did have an interesting time working with Verizon to get a global phone. I had the DROID, which I love. For a phone operating system, you cannot get any better. I searched for an Android global phone, but struck out finding one. So, Verizon only had 2 global phones. 1 was the Blackberry Storm and the other was the HTC Touch Pro 2. The Blackberry was in stock at every Verizon store I went to, but nobody had the HTC. I decided to get the Storm.. Let me say that I have no idea why anyone would want to use one of these antiques. The operating system just flat out sucks. It is completely un-customizable and all the software for it is proprietary and costs way to much.. Well, after 24 hours, I almost threw the Storm out the window...LOL.. After that, the wife said lets go get the phone you want... So I had to custom order the HTC Touch Pro 2.. It's a Windows Mobile Device with WM 6.5.. It's not bad, I had the phones predecessor.. But after having the DROID.. I'm wishing they made a global DROID... Well now that it's close for me to leave, A friend of mine discovered the Nexus One.. A GLOBAL DROID... UGHHHH.. Wish I knew that before... So, I'm stuck with a phone I can deal with, but don't really want..
What's the moral of the long winded story?
Your always happier when you slow down and wait for what you want..

So, I guess it really wasn't about global wireless phones.. It was more of a rant.. LOL

Have Great Day Everyone............................
Tony

Wireless Networks, Wi-Fi are you giving it away?

I get asked a lot about how Wireless works and what is Wi-Fi.
Wi-Fi stands for Wireless Fidelity. Wi-Fi is basically radio waves that carry the zeros and ones(computer language) your computer uses to communicate. It's just like the way your cell phone sends and receives text messages.

When you open a web browser from your laptop connected to Wi-Fi, the URL is converted to zeros and ones then passed to your wireless card. The wireless card converts it to a radio wave and sends it to the Wireless Access Point(WAP) your connected to. The WAP sends it to the router, then the router sends it to the modem provided by your service provider then off to the Internet. Once the information is found on the Internet everything is reversed and sent back to you to appear on your screen.

The radio signal for Wi-Fi is good for 150-200 feet indoors. Five times that outdoors. Now those are published, recommended distances. I've seen routers that have reached 300-400 feet. Your house or building construction materials will change those numbers. If your Wi-Fi router is in a room that has stucco on the walls, it may not penetrate very well because of the chicken wire that is used to stick the stucco on the wall. Or if you put the router near your microwave. It will work great until you make a bag of popcorn. The microwave will interfere. I've seen homes that had insulation in all the interior wall that had a type of foil on one side. Wi-Fi did not work in that house because the foil was bouncing the Wi-Fi radio waves all over the place. The radio waves could not find the WAP.

Most WAP's are combined with routers now to create the Wireless DSL/Cable router modem, that everyone uses. Netgear, Linksys and D-Link make the most popular Wi-Fi routers on the market. All of them are ready to use out of the box and require little to no configuration to get surfing. The tricky part comes when we have to configure security.

Why would you configure security on a Wi-Fi router?
Would you let anyone off the street just walk into your home and make long distance phone calls?

Wi-Fi security prevents people from using your Internet connection and possibly taking your data.
Most home use Wi-Fi routers allow for around 10 connections. Any more than that and it slows down the Wi-Fi router. But you need to take into account that for every computer actively attached to the Wi-Fi router, and surfing the Internet, your connection speed to the Internet will be cut by half.
Remember that Wi-Fi is radio waves. Everything that is sent and received from your computer to the WAP can be received by somebody else on the sidewalk, in the street or your driveway. Stand by your router and look out your window. Try to figure out where 500 feet would be. Do you think your neighbor can receive your radio waves? How about somebody driving by?
I don't think you want your financial or family's personal data being read by your neighbor or anybody just driving by.

Most Wi-Fi routers come with an instruction manual that show you how to setup the security settings. If you don't have a paper manual, look on the CD that came with it. If you can't find it. Go to the manufacturers website and look in the Support section.

If you want to learn more, check out these great articles by HowStuffWorks.com

If all else fails, give me a call and I can secure your Wi-Fi.

AD-Ware, Spyware & Virus's

The biggest problem today is the morons on the internet that create AD-Ware, Spyware & Virus's. For most people it's hard enough to operate a PC, now they have to spend 90% of their time worried when it's going to blow up because some 16 year old kid is bored and releases havoc on the Net.

Today AD-Ware, Spyware & Virus's can come in email, from the web via web page code, links or in an image. The only protection we have is products that significantly slow down our PC's because the have to scan everything that goes in and out of the PC. Some of my favorite products are Avira AV(FREE), Spybot S&D(FREE), IOBit security 360(FREE for a short time) and Lavasoft AD-Aware(FREE). These four products have helped keep my systems clean for the last 2-5yrs.

The products that stay constantly running on my systems are Avira AV and Spybot S&D's Teatimer service. The rest I run on a weekly basis.

But the point I wanted to make in this entry was that it doesn't matter what you use, if it's Norton, McAfee or something else. The most important thing to do is keep it updated and check that it is scanning. All of the products show the last time it was updated and the last time it scanned the PC. If the dates are more than a week old. Update and Scan.

Here is one more thing everyone has to worry about now. Makers of AD-Ware, Spyware & Virus's realize that people are more proactive. So now they started making the pop-up look like you are receiving a message from the installed Anti-virus product. One you click on it, your infected. The only thing you can do is read the message carefully. If it does not have the name or images of your Anti-virus product don't click it.

So what's a person to do? Well, be proactive and make sure you use Anti-virus, ADAware, Spyware detection products and keep them updated. Make sure they are scanning. And don't automatically click on pop-up until you read the whole message and can determine if it's real or not. If you suspect it's not real, disconnect your PC from the network by unplugging the network cable or shutoff the router and power down the PC. Pull the power plug if you have to. Then start it back up and run the Anti-virus, ADAware, Spyware detection products one at a time before plugging it back into the internet.

Windows 7

I've been testing Microsoft's new Windows 7 since it was in beta stages. I can tell they must have hired some Unix/Linux programmers. Because this OS rocks.

I've heard many people say that this should be a service pack to Windows Vista. And that it's practically the same. Well it's an entirely different animal.

For starters it doesn't require the high end, amp'd up hardware that Vista did. So if your currently running a PC with Vista and upgrade to 7; you'll notice almost a 60% increase in performance.

I've been testing it in a virtual environment with a 1GZ processor and 512MB of ram with only 10GB of hard drive space(which is almost full). And it runs great.

Microsoft did not put older drivers built in, and there are not many that have been developed, but some of the Vista drivers work. So if you have a 5yr old system, it's a gamble whether it will work completely or not. I say completely because it will load and run, but you may not be able to have sound, or the video will be lesser quality because there are no drivers for it.

But it's lighter, faster and just plain kicks a$$.

In the next week or 2, I'm gonna be testing the new Google OS. I'll let ya how that turns out..