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6 Steps You Can Take To Speed Up Your Computer’s Performance

2011-11-19T05:30:00.000-10:00

We live in a fast paced world and we’re always looking for the fastest way to get things done. We barely have time to wait for our burger at the local fast food restaurant, our coffee to brew, our microwave popcorn to pop, so who has time to wait around for a slow computer?

Barring adding more RAM to your computer, there are 6 steps you can take to speed up your computer’s performance. Most of these steps will allow you to speed up your computer, free of charge since they are applications already installed on your computer.

One of the first steps you should take is to empty the Recycle Bin. It’s easy to do. Just point your cursor to the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, right-click, and choose “Empty Recycle Bin.”

Next, open up your Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Internet Options. Click on “Delete Cookies,” then on “Delete Files.” In the window that appears, check “Delete all offline content” and click OK. Once that’s done, click OK to close the Internet Options window, and close your Internet Explorer.

Those two are steps are the quickest, and simplest ones so that’s why we got them out of the way first. Next, we’ll be conducting a Disk Cleanup. To do this, click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup. The disk cleanup function will now begin calculating how much space you will be able to free up. Once it finishes, it’ll give you a list of files to delete. It should already have some files checked, but you can go through the list and check off all the files you want to delete, then click OK.

Now it’s time to do a disk defragmentation. This can be a long process so you should probably set this up during a time when you’ve got other things going on. For example, set it up, then go watch your favorite TV show, or go mow the lawn, or go workout. You get the idea. To begin go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. Click Analyze. If you’re lucky, you’ll get the “You do not need to defragment this volume” call-out, but more than likely, you’ll have to click on “Defragment.” If so, click on it, go do something else and come back in an hour or two.

Once that’s done, it’s time to run a spyware scan. Most people don’t realize how easy it is to get infected with spyware, so running periodic scans is highly recommended. You can use any anti-spyware program you choose. Just be aware that no one program gets rid of everything. To play it safe, you should run at least three different programs. You might be surprised by what they find. You may have had spyware running on your computer and not even know it. Once the scans are complete, and all that spyware is taken care of, it’s time for the last step.

This last step is to run an anti-virus scan. Hopefully you have an anti-virus program installed on your computer. If not, I highly recommend you get one as soon as possible. Once the anti-virus program is set, go ahead and run it. This could take anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple hours depending on how many files you have on your hard drive so once again, set it, and then go do something else. Come back in about an hour.

Once all the steps are complete. Restart your computer and you’ll be surprised at how completely nimble it now feels. It’s a good idea to follow these 6 steps at least once per week (some steps you can even set up to be done automatically). By doing this, you will keep your computer performing almost like it did when you first bought it.

5 Tips for Buying a Laptop

2011-11-19T05:28:00.000-10:00

5 Tips for Buying a Laptop

Buying a laptop is a major investment decision. As such it is not one that you should make lightly. Below are 5 tips that will help prepare you for making the best and most well informed decision when buying a laptop.

Tip #1 Size Matters

Buying a laptop is a matter that requires some thought. Consider the size and weight of the laptop. How often will you be carrying your laptop? Your answer will help determine which size and weight will best suit your needs. If you will be carrying your laptop frequently, a lighter model will be preferable.

The keyboard is another area to consider when buying a laptop. Why is the size of the keyboard important? A larger laptop will have a slightly larger keyboard area. But keep in mind that if you worry about your fingers or wrists taking on too much stress from typing on a keyboard that is too small, you may want this to be a main factor in your purchasing decision,

Tip #2 Choose Your Mouse

A laptop it will come with a built in touch pad, an alternative to the mouse, whereby the pad is controlled by the user’s finger movement. For some people, this type of pad is uncomfortable and not easy to work with. Before purchasing a laptop, determine what mouse options are available. Test each one and determine which one best meets your needs.

Tip #3 Wireless Options

Today, when many people think laptop, they think “wireless”. No doubt people want to make sure that their laptop computer will be able to access the Internet with a wireless connection. Many try to account for this by ensuring that their laptop has potential upgrade options, such as room for an expandable PC card or a USB port. However, since so many laptop users are looking for wireless connections, many of today’s laptops come pre-wired for wireless Internet. All you need to do is activate your wireless Internet service, and your laptop will take it from there. So depending on your needs, choose your laptop whether it is capable of expanding or if it is already configured for wireless Internet.

Tip #4 Check for Ports

Peripheral equipment will be connected to your laptop through USB ports. You will make your life much less complicated by ensuring that your laptop has adequate ports. Connecting equipment such as printers, scanners, and digital cameras will be much simpler if you have the ports readily available. If you are not sure, thoroughly read the specs for any laptop that you are considering purchasing.

Tip #5 Check Your Budget First

Finally, when buying a laptop, beware that you do not overspend. First create your budget and stick to it. When you think that you have found the laptop that you want, do not rush into it. Wait a day and check over your budget, requirements, and see if you are still as excited about the laptop in the morning, as you were when the sales clerk was showing off its specs. If you still feel that it is the laptop that you want to purchase, then go for it.

An all new background for your myspace web page

2010-09-18T16:20:00.002-10:00

Not many users of the Myspace are capable of creating the web page required to invite more number of visitors to the site. The best way is to rebuild the background on your own every alternative week. But if the user is not technology savvy and not really keen on experimentation, then the best way is to access resources on the Internet. There are plenty of sites that offer assistance in making the background a highly successful component of the Myspace web page.

By checking the popular search engines such as Google and Yahoo!, you can trace the resources that can help you work on the backgrounds of the myspace page. There are multiple options to download the various complex backgrounds for the Myspace page. The first and foremost option is the free downloads from popular sites. The second and not most preferred option by the youngsters is the paid backgrounds, which is issued against a license. In the paid option backgrounds, there are a number of rich features and color schemes. Under the paid backgrounds, the users have the option of customizing the requirements as per their desires and plans. Once the payment is made to the service provider, tools and software codes are provided to the Myspace user to download the data for the background from the Internet site. It is common for these providers to make the user-friendly. If the tools given to the users are not of their personal preference, the users can go their own way in terms of opting for the color schemes. The paid backgrounds have multiple options and are issued on the basis of license. There are numerous unlicensed backgrounds available on the Internet, but their reliability is a big question.

The backgrounds are widely available on the Internet for use and they run into thousands across all links. Go through them using the search engines and download the appropriate background. The Myspace page background is available in several formats. The two important among them are paid backgrounds and free backgrounds. The paid backgrounds are rich in features and sport a number of attractive features. Though the free backgrounds are also attractive and colored in bright schemes, the have limited options and user friendliness.

The free backgrounds can be installed on the web page as whole or set in the form of tiled manner. They can also be installed in multiple formats and schemes. Check various Internet sites offering the Myspace backgrounds and themes for additional information on their use. The color mix of the backgrounds is available in various choices. The users also have the choice of mixing colors on their own.

While mixing colors make sure that the background does not resemble a riot of colors. It could spoil the entire background apart from messing up the account. The primary objective should be to enliven the background of the account and not spoil it. Exercise restrain while choosing the colors. They have to be appropriate and relate to the profile of the account holder. Any slight deviation from the color choice could mean disaster to the account page.
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Add more friends with Free MySpace Layouts

2010-09-18T16:19:00.001-10:00

Among the various networking sites, MySpace is said to be the largest community. And apparently there are more than 204,600,000 members who are part of this online networking site. Am sure some of them are fake or have multiple accounts but it is noted that the online networking concept is fast growing with the number of accounts increasing by about 40,000 every week. This shows how people have begun to get out of their shell and interact with others. Another advantage is that you can sit in the luxury of your home or office and be in touch with friends living 10,000miles away. And if you are one of those who uses Free MySpace Layouts, then you will also be making new friends everyday. Just the fact that these Free MySpace Layouts look totally cool and fashionable makes them high on demand and in popularity.

When the thought of joining MySpace or any of the other sites, one goes through various emotions related to "Do they really need to join?", "Do i have time?", "what am i looking for here?" and once they join, they are hooked on it. By browsing through your friend's page you will get an idea as to what all a simple Free MySpace Layouts code can do for a person's image and their personality. It is not just for teenagers or youngsters, but also older people who still have the ability to spend time talking to others, and are open about discussions. For a person who is into marketing or consulting, they can make use of any of the Free MySpace Layouts and leverage on the connection aspect provided by these sites. With Free MySpace Layouts, you can get traffic onto your personal website, or blog for which you must have provided a link on your main page. Once you have decided to become a member, quickly go through the Free MySpace Layouts websites to choose from a wide range of patterns and themes, put one of them in your page and watch how your life changes. The number of friends you make, or work related queries you get will mount and you will be happy that you made this choice of using Free MySpace Layouts.

For a person who has many talents, for example if a person has interest in music and can also dance well, or if he has won many prizes during his college days, he can pick out from the Free MySpace Layouts websites a layout that suits his personality. If he can find one with a guitar or maybe a silhouette of two people dancing, he can use that on his profile. So, through Free MySpace Layouts, he is able to tell the world that he likes these two activities. Free MySpace Layouts offer a wide variety of layouts across colors and styles to suit different personalities and interests.
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Computer Training and IT Certifications

2010-08-14T21:00:00.002-10:00

In the competitive world of the internet, computer training is necessary to gain skills and knowledge in order to get the validation you need to be recognized as an expert IT professional confronting all those opportunities and career challenges that have never been greater than today.

An IT certification is a common a prerequisite to get a job or a salary increase, hence professional certifications are a necessity and not just a marketing strategy to sell determined software or useless courses. Both computer training and IT certification are the best way to demonstrate your skills and expertise in any given technical field to present to prospective employers.

Computer training is possible through formal education attending one of the many colleges or university offering both IT and computer science programs. There are many other institutes offering computer training online and computer based training products and courses for Web Development, Microsoft Office, and various Information Technology certifications among others.

Computer training online and computer based training products also offer online support from expert instructors, which make it easier to learn without even leaving the comfort of your home. From study guides, practice exams, to audio training, video training and online training. Computer training offers different requirements and levels of learning to focus on anyone's demands.

On the other hand, IT Certifications not only lets you demonstrate undeniable expertise on diverse IT areas but also a document that credits your qualifications enhancing your curriculum vitae whether if getting a new job or engaging in a new system-wide deployment.

Furthermore, employers are more likely to hire job candidates with IT Certification credentials since it is a way to ensure that they are getting top qualified professionals with proven proficiency in their technology area.

For companies, this is as clear as water, certified professionals give them competitive advantage over other firms in the same field increasing customer satisfaction, reducing network downtime, and pushing their services to higher levels. A person with computer training and IT certification translates into an excellent return on their investment.

In the United States, some of the colleges and universities offering both computer training and IT certification are Berkeley College, University of Phoenix Online, Kaplan University, AIU Online, Capella University, Strayer University Online, Kennedy-Western University, DeVry University, Westwood College Online, just to name a few.

Some companies specialize in online certification, training and employee testing offer free tools online to measure your skills and determine if you need to achieve certain computer training skill or if an IT certification is required to develop your professional career.
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Computer Certification: Become A Utility Player

2010-08-14T20:58:00.001-10:00

In baseball, a "utility player" is one who plays more than one position. These players are usually backups, but they have a job in the major leagues because of their value to the team; since they can play more than one position, they have that much more value to their employer.

Too often in IT, workers become either LAN or WAN engineers, knowing little if anything about the other side. Many LAN administrators I worked with knew little about routing and switching, while many WAN engineers I knew not only didn't know much about the LAN side of their network, but they didn't want to know anything about the servers!

In today's IT world, it's a bad idea to specialize in only one thing and not know how to do anything else. Not only does it limit your future career prospects, but it limits your current prospects as well. Employers don't want to hire someone and have them get up to speed on the job - they want someone who can walk right in and do the job. The more you know, the better your chance of getting a better job - or quickly being able to get another job if you were laid off tomorrow.

A term often heard on Wall Street is "diversification", meaning that investors should not invest heavily or totally in only one stock; if that stock plummets, they're in big trouble. Your career is the most important stock you will ever own, and you're 100% in charge of it. Diversify. If you're working primarily with servers, learn some routing and switching. If you know the routing protocols your company uses on its WAN, learn something about that protocol. (If you don't know the protocol, ask!)

While you’re adding these skills, get certified while you’re at it! Adding a CCNA, MCSE, or other computer certification looks great on your resume while signaling to employers that you’re constantly adding to your skills.

Adding more skills and knowledge to your IT skill set is always a good idea. Don't limit yourself to the technologies you work with every day. Make an investment in yourself and become a well-rounded network engineer. This will help you keep the job you have - and open doors in the future that might otherwise have remained closed.
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Are computer viruses spread by the media?

2010-07-14T00:14:00.001-10:00

If you believe what you hear in the media, there are an awful lot of viruses going around. No, I'm not talking about the make-you-sick kind of virus, though they get plenty of airtime, too. I'm talking about the kind of virus that enters via your internet connection rather than your nasal passages.

What the mainstream media often don't tell you--at least, in most radio and television newscasts and in the crucial headlines and opening paragraphs of newspaper articles-- is that many of these "viruses" are not viruses at all.

What Computer Viruses Really Are

The main reason the mainstream media always are in alarm over viruses is that they tend to call any malicious computer program a virus. In reality, there are at least eleven distinct types of malicious software, or malware, commonly affecting computers today. The most common of these are worms, Trojans, and spyware.

So, what's the difference between computer viruses and the other types of malware? The difference is that computer viruses are just about the only ones that regularly shut down computers and cause other obvious damage. The most common of the other kinds of malware--worms, Trojans, and spyware--are usually only detectable with a special scan.

The Real Danger of Computer Viruses

If the other types of malware are so unobtrusive that they can only be detected with a special scan, then what's to worry about? For starters, these programs are called malicious for a reason: they are designed to cause some kind of damage, if not to your computer, then to someone else's.

Worms are most famously used to damage, destroy, or disrupt other computer networks than the one on which the host computer is located. For instance, worms have been used by website owners to shut down rival websites by sending overwhelming numbers of requests to the computer that hosts that website. Worms have also been used to send out viruses to other computers, often without infecting the host machine--after all, what would it benefit the worm to shut down its host computer?

Trojans, in turn, are often used to insert worms and other malware on your computer, even if the Trojan itself does no damage.

But even if you don't care what happens to anyone else, you should still be concerned about one kind of malware: spyware, a kind of malware that, true to its name, collects data from your computer and sends it back to a remote host.

Most spyware is only interested in monitoring your internet usage so it can tell other programs, called adware, what advertising to popup on your computer. However, there are criminal spyware programs that steal financial data, or perform a thorough identity theft. Don't think you have personal or financial data on your computer? Some spyware programs contain a keylogger, which is a program that copies whatever you type, usually in order to snatch passwords. Even if you keep no financial information on your computer, if you ever buy anything over the web, the keylogger would allow its owner to buy stuff using the same information you typed in to buy stuff yourself.

Why Blame the Media?

Given the danger of all these different types of malware, isn't it a good thing that the mass media are becoming hysterical about it? And can't they be forgiven the sloppy reporting of calling Trojans, worms, spyware, and other malware "viruses"?

No, no, no.

This is a classic case of bad reporting doing more damage than no reporting at all. In this case, the damage bad reporting has done is to promote a common myth that goes something like this: "The only malicious software is a virus. Viruses damage your computer. Therefore, if my computer is working OK, my computer has no malicious software. I only need to scan my computer for problems when there is a sign of problems."

Thanks to this myth, many people complacently let their antivirus software go months out of date, not wanting to be bothered with scheduling an automatic update. Just as bad, many people don't have any extra software to combat the other types of malware that may not be covered by antivirus software.

In fact, it's not uncommon for people who have found malware on their computers after a scan to say, "but I never had malware on my computer before!" But how would they have known if they had never scanned!

Until the biggest mainstream media--and especially television--start educating the public about the need to have their computers automatically scanned at least daily, the world will continue to have major, drawn-out problems with malware that could have been wiped out as soon as soon as the anti-malware software makers discovered it.

And until that day, the mainstream media will have many more opportunities to run hysterical stories about "viruses," thereby forcing them to sell more newspapers and broadcast to even larger audiences of people who suck at the information trough yet somehow never become full.
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Apple iWork '08 Review

2010-07-14T00:13:00.001-10:00

The $79 iWork '08 appears to be a good deal for anyone needing an affordable office suite for the Mac. Apple has finally added a spreadsheet application. At first glance, Numbers is an elegant no-brainer for anyone migrating from Microsoft Excel. In the past, many Mac aficionados bought Microsoft Excel because iWork lacked a spreadsheet application. However, with the addition of Numbers and the release of Microsoft's Office for Mac 2008 delayed until January, Mac users may stick to Apple's less expensive option. We're also happy that Mac hasn't changed its file formats as Microsoft did with Office 2007.

We like the sparse interfaces throughout the iWork package. Its features aren't as deep or rich as in Microsoft Office 2007, but iWork also hasn't changed radically from its last incarnation, unlike Office. iWork also covers much more than just the basic productivity tasks offered by online tools like Google Docs & Spreadsheets or the Zoho suite, so it should be adequate for the vast majority of home and small-business users.

System requirements, thankfully, are gentle to users of older Macs. You'll need an Intel, PowerPC G5 or G4 machine with a 500MHz or better processor in addition to 512MB of RAM minimum, running OS X10.4.10.

Pages

Apple tore a page out of Microsoft Office's book by creating a Contextual Format Bar that displays different features according to your task at hand. Select text, and the bar shows font options. Click on a picture, and the bar displays image-editing features. Unlike the contextual formatting Ribbon interface within Microsoft Word 2007, however, Pages offers no live previews of font and image changes as you hover over them.

Pages '08 also adds Change Tracking, similar to the Track Changes feature adopted many years ago by Microsoft Word. We're glad that Pages gets this treatment for displaying document revisions rather than the often confusing revision and commenting history offered by the online Google Docs.

Pages includes the usual must-have features for writers such as footnotes, bookmarks, and tables of content, in addition to integration with charts and functions from the new Numbers app. In addition, Pages now detects when you type a list and formats bulleted points automatically. We just hope that this won't drive us batty (as it does sometimes in Microsoft Word).

There are plenty of page templates for letters, resumes, reports, and the like to get started if a blank slate poses too much pressure. Page Layout mode lets you create relatively complex designs without software such as Adobe InDesign, great if you're throwing together reports for work. It lets you layer images on top of images too. The Instant Alpha feature, also found in Keynote, lets you cut out backgrounds in images without dealing with alpha channels, a la Photoshop. And we prefer Pages' color wheel, crayons, and spectrum to Word's color options.

Keynote

Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 may be richer, but Apple Keynote '08 adds some smart features that PowerPoint lacks. It's also a breeze to figure out from the get-go. Action Builds let you create basic point-A-to-B motion animation, without needing to deal with motion tweens as in complex apps such as Adobe Flash. Smart Builds enable animation, such as rotating photographs, using images you can grab from the iLife media browser. And new voiceover recordings enable you, say, to narrate podcasts with pictures. There are new between-slide transitions and slide show themes too.

Numbers

Our early look at the new Numbers reveals ease of use novelties that competitive tools don't provide. Microsoft Excel 2007 still appears to be more robust, particularly for number crunchers such as scientists, accountants, or engineers. Yet the majority of users who rely upon spreadsheets as one-size-fits-all tools for household and light office work should be pleased to have a new option for Macs.

Numbers comes with plenty of templates, including travel planners, business expenses, and school science lab reports. Of course, it can also save and export Excel-readable files. This application pleases the eye and can make attractive spreadsheets. We dragged around text boxes, images, and tables using alignment guides without a hitch. You can add 3D bar, pie, and other charts and even integrate maps into a spreadsheet.

The controls for working with tables were extremely user-friendly in our early tests. Slider bars allow you to adjust the numeric values within cells, handy if you're looking to add a range of values. Resizing columns and rows appears to be less of a hassle than with Excel. You can drag data from a file of contacts or into a Numbers table that will automatically partition information into the appropriate columns. And sorting a table smartly leaves the headers alone. Formulas appear to be the same as those in Microsoft Excel, but Numbers also has easy-to-find natural language shortcuts for common calculations, such as sums and averages.

The Interactive Print View offers more controls than in Microsoft Excel, which easily leads to unwieldy spreadsheet printouts. Numbers shows where a stray column might take up an unnecessary extra page. You can eliminate the overlap with a slider bar that instantly scales the tables, charts, and images on a page.
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Apple Powerbook – Is It Better Than The Other Laptops?

2010-07-14T00:12:00.001-10:00

There has been a long standing debate as to whether Mac laptops are better than PCs. Owners of Mac laptops say yes. Many owners of other brands hate Mac laptops and vehemently say no. Let’s compare the Apple powerbook to other brands based on a set of features.

Processors:

Powerbooks are now capable of using the same Intel processors as other laptops, so processor speed isn’t really an issue anymore.

Operating system:

This is probably the area with the most intense debates. The Mac OS X utilized in powerbooks uses a Unix platform to drive it’s system. Many programmers believe that this gives the powerbook an edge as it is a superior system, since it can handle a large number of applications running at once.

Software:

It’s true that much of the software being created is geared more towards PCs than powerbooks. In terms of productivity tools, powerbooks come with a complete set of software that is comparable to the typical Windows software. You can get web browsers, email tools and even antivirus software. However, if you plan on using Mac laptops for gaming, you may run into some problems. Many of the popular games just aren’t compatible with the powerbook. Even the graphics software, for which Mac laptops were famous, are now compatible with PCs.

Customization:

This may just be the area where PCs win outright. Just take a look at Dell. While you can customize your powerbook, up to a point, it’s nowhere near what companies like Dell and HP are offering.

Security:

Anyone would be a bit skeptical about an operating system which prompts you to download and install security updates to fix bugs on a regular basis. Windows isn’t the most secure system, as evidenced by the tens of thousand of viruses that attack it. The powerbook does have a more secure system, but there are viruses out there that attack Mac laptops, just nowhere as many.

Cost:

You only need to take a look at various company websites to know that powerbooks are more expensive than PCs. The powerbook operating system itself is cheaper so it may be an option if you’re building a system yourself.

So what’s the bottom line? Mac laptops ruled the roost, as it were, for many years. While the OS X operating system is still superior, PCs have come a long way in catching up. Unless you really have a strong preference, you might be better off getting a PC with a good antivirus program.
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Add spice and jazz up your Myspace account

2010-07-14T00:10:00.000-10:00

Myspace account holders need to spice and jazz up their pages in an effort to make them look trendy and designer oriented. The page should be loaded with a number of features such as audio and media files, images and personal documents. They can further improve upon them through add on features.

Ensure that there are no specific colors for each layout groups. But make sure the color combinations are in accordance with those generally accepted norms. For instance, the color meant for youngsters come in trendy colors that may attract the attention of the youngsters. Therefore, while pasting the images on the layout, make sure that the colors are trendy and in synchronization with the times. The layout can also have many trendy designs spread all over the place. It could be anything relating to objects or designs that may be of personal interest. It could be wild animals all over the layout if you are somebody liking the wild life. It could also be stars, clouds and heavenly objects if you are a star gazer. Similarly, it could be of landscape and art work if you like nature and surroundings, embedded in the layout.

The account holder can opt for design based layouts and themes. For instance, the color combination can be interspersed with designs. In case, you are a person with a feel for nature, the flowers, such as wild lilies or orchids can be spread in the layout in a masked manner. The flowers can also be highlighted effectively to ensure that they are present prominently on the layout. But make sure that the size of the flowers on the layout are not too large that can hinder the beauty of the background, The problem of the background is such that it should not only meet the aspirations of the Myspace member, but at the same time, maintain the aesthetics. The trendy design is the most preferred these days, since it is the youngsters who are on Myspace these days in huge number. Unless, the number of people on Myspace is spread across multiple age groups, having people with common interests could be a problem. Therefore, make sure that the features on Myspace are common to other users.

The layout plays a critical role in ensuring that there is some amount of commonality among the Myspace users. All it needs is sprucing up the Myspace page with attractive layouts. If you are an elderly person, not keen on multiple colors, then opt for serene colors that can go along with your age in the layout. There are various layout options than can make the page of Myspace a very attractive piece. Just follow the instructions given in the Internet site.

It is fun adding color to the Myspace account. It is all the more fun when the updates are done on a daily basis. It sets off a competition among friends to make the account page look attractive over each day. However, it is not a difficult task. All you need to do is download the codes without any interference. Install the codes carefully and run the Myspace account.
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Why Do We Need Myspace Backgrounds?

2010-06-15T02:11:00.002-10:00

Everyone is aware that Myspace is a popular networking site, as there are millions of active users. There are many great features in this site, and this attracts many users. This is because they are allowed a lot of variety. When the user signs up there may be very few designs and choices. A user may thus want to customize the profile, and make it look better.

There will be plenty of visitors to the profiles, and they must make the profile as interesting as possible. For this the use of Myspace backgrounds will come in handy. There are several thousands of backgrounds that will give a different feel and look to all the categories as well as entire look of the profile.

The backgrounds can be very simple in nature, they may be of simple colors of they may have various designs. Whatever the design, there is bound to be variety, and users will never be short of backgrounds. This is because they are being updated every day. There are many contributions to these sites that have the backgrounds.

There are several sites that are exclusively available for Myspace backgrounds and there will be many categories too. A lot of these designs can be mixed and matched as one pleases. They can be of various types, and it is up to a user to use his creativity and pick the best. If the backgrounds are chosen according to the profile, then it will make it more interesting.

A lot of time may be needed to customize the backgrounds. This is because there are several thousands and there are also various categories, so the appropriate category must be chosen. Customizing the backgrounds is very easy as there is only a simple code that needs to be used. The user has to just copy paste a code into the home page or page where he desires to have the effect.

Since this is a very popular site there are many people networking in these sites, and they will want to see different profiles. If they are very boring they are most likely to just pass it by. So if the user takes a little interest in using good and different backgrounds, they will bring a lot of visitors to the profiles. It also gives a chance for the user to be very creative.

He may choose how to apply the backgrounds according to the nature of the profile. This will also reflect on the nature of the user, and how much care he takes about the presentation. Once this is done well, there are sure to be more visitors to the profiles. The use of backgrounds is also exciting, as there will be many to choose from, and there will be good experiences with the process. Since Myspace backgrounds are available for free, users may have fun with creating their profile with a better look.

10 Benefits Of Smarthphone Bluetooth

2010-06-15T02:11:00.001-10:00

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Article Body:
10 Benefits Of Smarthphone Bluetooth Below, are 10 benefits and reasons to use Bluetooth technology.

1. Wireless As you probably already know, there are many benefits and advantages to using wireless devices. Along with improving safety as a result of eliminating wires you don't need, wireless also offers you plenty of other advantages. When traveling with your laptop or other wireless devices, you'll no longer have to worry about bringing connection cables.

2. Bluetooth is actually inexpensive The technology of Bluetooth is cheap for companies to implement, which results in lower costs for the company. These savings are then passed from the company on to you.

3. Bluetooth is automatic Bluetooth doesn't have you set up a connection or push any buttons. When two or more devices enter a range of up to 30 feet of each other, they will automatically begin to communicate without you having to do anything.

4. Standardized protocol Bluetooth is standardized wireless, meaning that a high level of compatibility among devices is guaranteed. Bluetooth will connect devices to each other, even if they aren't the same model.

5. Low interference Bluetooth devices almost always avoid interference from other wireless devices. Bluetooth uses a technique known as frequency hopping, and also low power wireless signals.

6. Low energy consumption As a result of Bluetooth using low power signals, the technology requires very little energy and will use less battery or electrical power as a result. This is an excellent benefit for mobile devices, as Bluetooth won't drain the battery.

7. Sharing voice and data The standard for Bluetooth will allow compatible devices to share data and voice communications. This is great for mobile phones and headsets, as Bluetooth simplifies driving and talking on your cell phone.

8. Instant PAN (Personal Area Network) You can connect up to seven Bluetooth devices to each other within a range of up to 30 feet, forming a piconet or PAN. For a single room, you can also set up multiple piconets.

9. Upgradeable Upgradeable is the standard for Bluetooth. There are newer versions of Bluetooth in the works, which offer many new advantages and backward compatible with older versions.

10. The technology stays Bluetooth technology is a world wide, universal wireless standard. With it being as popular as it is, you can count on it being around for years to come. As more and more devices start to use Bluetooth technology, more manufacturers will be eager to make their products compatible. A chain reaction will occur, making Bluetooth the standard for cutting edge wireless.

A Laptop of My Own

2010-06-06T02:45:00.002-10:00

Working from home day after day and night after night on a borrowed laptop is no fun. Especially when it is borrowed back off you. So, for that reason, I feel the time has come for a laptop of my own. Or do I want a desktop? A PC or Apple Mac? Or maybe one of those little palm-held jobs would look the part; after all, it would fit neatly in my handbag.

After much consideration and deliberation, I go full circle and end up back at the laptop. But where do I start? What are my requirements? Well, my business is a small one, so I don't really require anything top of the range. Yet! I'll use it mainly for article writing and up-dating my website. Oh! And maybe a spot of shopping! And I will be the only one using it. Probably!

So I have a look on the internet to find out what other people are buying. And what manufacturers are selling. Suddenly the English language becomes muffled jargon. Do I really know what I want?

What memory is required? My husband, a programmer, insists 2GB is what is called for. Added to that is the essential 2.0TB of storage! Whatever all that means! I'm not so sure! I fear he may have his own reasons for these specifications...

Dell is mentioned; so I go online for a browse. Having found one within budget that appeals and appears to tick all the boxes, I am suddenly confronted with an array of extras - all of which serve to push up the price.

So I pull the reigns in. Perhaps I don't really need a lap-top of my own. Maybe my husband's will suffice after all.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be - well so much for Shakespeare - it seems to work for us...
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A Guide To Using Internet Fax Services

2010-06-06T02:44:00.004-10:00

Using internet fax service is an easy way to send and receive fax messages over the internet. Online fax services provide great advantages to its subscribers at affordable rates. By subscribing to internet fax services a customer can send and receive fax messages from anywhere at any time – what one need is a computer, an internet connection and an email ID.

Nowadays there are several companies offering web faxing services. Most of these companies provide a paid service and a free service. The difference between these two is that if a customer needs to utilize all the features of an online fax service he/she need to subscribe for a paid fax messaging service. Free services are offered with various limitations such as only receiving faxes or sending a limited number of faxes.

Using internet fax services is quite easy, the technology is similar to email services to a certain extend. To start using web fax services, first you need to subscribe with an internet fax service provider. The service provide assigns you a unique internet fax number. Same as email ID, this is the address to which other users can send in their fax messages. The subscriber also has to create an email id in the service provider domain, in order to send and receive faxes. This is where the users are supposed to type their messages and it is where the incoming fax messages will be delivered by the service provider. Once the user sent the fax message, the message will be dispatched to the service provider’s server, where it is converted into a suitable file format before eventually forwarding it to the recipient’s mail box or fax machine, whichever is applicable.

The advantages of using web faxing are that the users can send and receive as many faxes simultaneously or send all faxes instantly. Another major advantage is that, the there is no complexity of a conventional fax machine and those never-ending paper jams. The technology is quick and even cheaper than traditional fax messaging. So why spending time and energy with the traditional fax machine – subscribe for an online fax service now!
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3 Super Advantages Of Barcoding And Barcode Scanners

2010-06-06T02:44:00.003-10:00

The use of barcoding and barcode scanners has transformed operational efficiencies of a phenomenal number of businesses both large and small. Simple yet effective, the barcode as an invention has made itself indispensable purely by the multi-faceted advantages that its offers to the user across the entire barcoding spectrum – from generating barcodes through customizable barcode generating software right up to sophisticated barcode scanners and barcode readers. Here we present to you the killer advantages of these marvelous devices.

Super Advantage 1: Speed and Accuracy – A really good data entry operator would be able to enter a 12 digit number (like product code for example) on his keypad in approximately 4-5 seconds, but the average would be more like 7 seconds. The same operation if performed with a barcode scanner would take just one flick of the wrist, less than a second. The speed difference is evident – the use of the barcodes is unmatched in its ability to plough through large volumes of these operations effortlessly. While a data entry operator might make keyboard errors when he types in data, the chances of a barcode reader giving wrong output is practically nonexistent tending almost to zero. For all practical purposes, accuracy is exact, every time the barcode reader makes its flowing motion over the barcode.

Super Advantage 2: Implementation Ease – You decide you want to start using barcodes for your products but are worried that you have never done it before? Fear not, for in 10-20 minutes of your time that scenario will get reversed. The use of barcode readers is almost childishly simple with no prerequisite for usage. Not only can anybody do it, but they can do it quickly as well for the learning curve of using barcodes is extremely steep and short.

Super Advantage 3: Bang for the buck – If you could capture information quickly and accurately, it could only mean a tighter supply chain and well-knit business processes based on this information. With superior information, you can take superior business decisions that increase shareholder value. Imagine what disastrous consequences incorrect information could have on your business! A vast collection of barcodes and barcode scanner usage data has revealed that the investment made in this technology pays back in as short a period as 6 to 10 months – way faster than most modern technologies that attempt to improve the way we conduct our business. Thus the barcode genre is one where the customer truly gets good value for money and high return on investment.

One can never get enough of the importance and advantages of barcodes and barcode scanners. It now only remains for you to start scouring the market for various barcoding solutions to unlock the immense savings and gains that are lying in wait for your business! Go ahead and barcode your business growth in to the future!
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3 Simple Ways To Save A Bunch Of Money When Buying A New Computer!

2010-06-06T02:43:00.001-10:00

Looking to buy a new computer?

Overwhelmed by all of the options available to you?

Stressed by the high cost of computers today?

For most people, buying a new computer does not have to be as stressful as buying a new car. Nor does it have to be as expensive. If you’re like most people, and you have a limited budget for buying a computer, then you need to try to get as much computer for your money as possible.

Here are 3 simple ways anyone can save money when buying a new computer:

1) Shop around for best deal.

Sounds pretty obvious. But many people don’t realize they don’t need the fastest, most expensive computer with the most “extras”. In fact, if you are already using an older computer, even the least expensive new computer will be a big upgrade. If you don’t know a lot about computers, you can learn a lot by shopping around. Ask lots of questions, compare prices, compare features, then find the best price. Shop at your local electronics store, and look for the best deals online. You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save by shopping around!

2) Install your own “extras”

Many computers you will find in a store have a lot of extra software already installed. While this is convenient, it is not always the best way for you to save money. Also, while many of these extras sound good, you don’t always need them. You can often find better deals by shopping around separately for your own software extras (such as a word processor, anti-virus, popup blocker, spyware removal, games, etc). And some of these you can get for free. So before you buy the “fully loaded” computer, ask yourself if you really need all the extras, then shop around to see if you can buy a scaled down computer - and get the extras yourself for much less!

3) Don’t buy extended warranty

If you are not a computer “techie”, the extended warranties offered by the computer retailers often sound like a good idea. After all, who wants to be bothered paying for service on a computer after you buy it. But keep in mind that most computers come with a warranty, and most computer problems will either happen at the beginning (when you still have the warranty in effect) or much later (when it might be cheaper to buy a new computer). Technology changes very quickly these days. So consider whether or not it’s worth the inflated price of the extended warranty. And, if you really feel you need the extended warranty, then ask to purchase it at a lower price. Not all retailers will negotiate on the warranty, but some will. And whether you buy the extended warranty or not, make sure you back up all your files periodically, just in case!

If you have an unlimited budget, consider yourself lucky. And if you do business on the computer, make sure you get what you need, while trying to keep the price down. At any price, buying something that does not fit your needs is not a good deal.

Hope you find these tips helpful, and happy computer shopping!
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A Buyers Guide to Dictaphones and Digital Voice Recorders

2010-05-05T23:21:00.001-10:00

Dictaphones or Digital Voice Recorders (DVRs) are ideal for recording voice memos, interviews, conferences, meetings and phone conversations. The term Dictaphone is a brand name that refers to the version that uses cassette tapes to record, as opposed to the newer Digital Voice Recorders (DVR) that the save the audio to memory.

Digital Voice Recorder (DVR)

• Use your USB port to save typing time by directly transferring audio files from your DVR to your computer

• With the DVR there is no need to rewind; when you finish recording you simply press the play button to playback immediately

• Each audio file you record to your DVR is automatically saved under a number with a time-and-date stamp

• The DVR usually has between 2 to 5 folders to separate audio for better organization

• Some DVR's allow you to move messages between folders and split or delete messages

• You won’t cause a distraction during meetings or conferences changing tapes and you won’t miss anything important whilst doing so

• Some DVR's come with software that automatically converts the voice file to text for easy transcription

• Newer DVR's have expandable memory and come with external memory cards. Look out for this as it gives you more flexibility with recording time and makes it easier to download audio to your computer

• The DVR is normally powered by 1 or 2 AAA alkaline or rechargeable batteries

Cassette Tape/Dictaphone

• Choose between Mini, Micro or Standard; Mini cassettes (15min per side) hold half of the content of Standard and Micro (30mins per side)

• Cassette Tape Dictaphones can be played on any player that takes the respective size

• With digital you only have a limited amount of space to store recordings (if you have no external memory card) - whereas with a cassette tape Dictaphone you can simply exchange tapes if you run out of room

• Battery life is longer in a Dictaphone than a Digital Voice Recorder

• A Dictaphone is a cheaper alternative

• There is no digital storage on a Dictaphone cassette tape

• Reuse the cassettes - you can buy a machine that automatically erases micro and mini cassettes

• Many come with equipment specifically for recording phone conversations

Desktop or Portable Voice Recorder?

Desktop DVR's or Dictaphones are generally cheaper and are ideal for recording phone conversations or are used in conjunction with transcription software. There are numerous models of portable Dictaphones varying in size and ability, but are all ideal if you are on the road or need a Dictaphone or DVR for times of inspiration.

Push Button or Thumb Slide Recorders?

Push Button Cassette Recorders usually have the ability to insert dictation but it can be very difficult to find the point you want. With the Thumb slide switch it is much easier to review and control with rewind review capability, rewind, insert, play and stop.

Which Mode?

There are three levels of recording quality and differing recording times. The longer the recording time the lower the quality.

High Quality (HQ) - 43 mins approx.
Short Play (SP) - 65 mins approx.
Long Play (LP) - 121 mins approx.

Advertisers usually display the longest recording time, so keep in mind that the Dictaphone or DVR will record at less than half of that on high quality. This is particularly important for DVR's, as the higher quality mode uses much more memory and you don’t want to be halfway through a meeting or interview and find you are out of memory.

There are usually two levels of sensitivity available on a Dictaphone or DVR. LOW is the best for dictation, as the microphone tends to be uni-directional in this mode and will focus on your voice. HIGH sensitivity picks up sound in all directions along with unwanted background noise.

Dictaphones and Digital Voice Recorders: Other Features to Consider

• Voice Activate System (VAS) - Dictaphones or DVR's with VAS will automatically record when they hear your voice (or other sound) without having to push any buttons. Great for when your hands are tied up.

• Alarm - to remind you when to record or a timer that you can set to automatically record between two times

• Tie clip microphone - for hands free recording

• Earphones - for play back when you do not want to disturb others

• Rechargeable batteries and a battery level indicator

• Microphones can either be built in or detachable. If you want your Dictaphone or DVR for a higher quality of recording such as music, then look for one with a microphone jack

• Speakers – most are built in but some models have detachable speakers that can be used for presentations.

• Digital storage - some come with more than others

• Hands free or foot control - keep your hands free for typing or playing an instrument

• Automatic backspace - automatically reverse the desired number of seconds for input or playback

Transcribers and Docking Stations

All digital transcription systems require you to use a foot pedal connected to your computer. This enables you to transcribe files from your Dictaphone or DVR from audio to text by listening and typing a few seconds at a time.

Docking stations make it very easy to download the files you have recorded to your computer. Some docking stations also recharge the batteries on your recorder, which is ideal if your Dictaphone is in high use.
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7 Great Computer User Tips - For Windowsฎ Users Only

2010-05-05T23:20:00.000-10:00

An Easy Performance Enhancement

If you’re using the NTFS filing protocol on your system, instead of FAT32, you can get a bit more speed by disabling Windowsฎ Indexing. The downside to this is that searching your drive for a specific file might take a moment or two longer, but everything else should run faster.

To disable this feature open My Computer and then right click on the drive you wish to reset – usually C-drive. Now click on Properties and then uncheck “Allow Indexing Service.” It will take Windowsฎ a few moments to accomplish this task, based on your processor speed. If you have other hard drives, perform the same process for them. After this is done, it’s a good idea to empty the Recycle Bin and then Defragment your hard drive(s).

FREE Software

If you have a system and it does not have an office suite, such as Microsoft Office, and you don’t want to pay several hundred dollars to have one, try Open Office. This is a great alternative to other suites, and it’s free! Simply direct your browser to www.openoffice.org and follow the instructions for downloading and installation. Make no mistake, this free office suite is an extremely powerful set of software tools – easily a match for any competitor.

Internet Explorer (Microsoft’s Internet browser) is unarguably the standard in computers. This is why hackers develop so many malware applications to invade it. If you use a different browser, you have much less chance of an invasion by malicious software. There is a great alternative available, and it’s free. You can download a copy of Firefox at www.mozilla.org/products/firefox. You can even move your Internet Explorer settings into Firefox automatically – so you don’t lose your Favorites, etc.

Laptop Printer Fix

If you’re using a laptop that is running Windowsฎ ME, and you’re having trouble printing through the USB, try this simple fix. Go to the website for the company that manufactures your printer. If you use a Hewlett-Packard, for example, go to www.HP.com and download the appropriate drivers and install them. ME has drivers that recognize the USB printer is present and attached, but not the drivers needed to make it print. Which drivers you download and install will be dependant on your printer. After installing new drivers, update the printer as necessary in the Control Panel.

Save $$$ When Shopping On-line

If you’re making a purchase on-line, and you know the item you want to buy, you can easily compare pricing all across the Internet. This can amount to a very substantial savings.

At this writing, I went to www.mysimon.com and typed in that I wanted to buy a printer: a Canon PIXMA iP4000. The service instantly checked the Internet and returned prices ranging from $62.00 up to $286.00. This kind of price spread is not at all unusual, especially for computers and electronics.

The My Simon website service only checks pricing, it does not provide a platform for purchasing anything, though it does link to such places. It also gives a rating for the sellers and other users’ input regarding their experiences with the company. You can order the results of the search for your product by price, so that you can quickly find the lowest price from the highest rated dealer.

Windowsฎ XP Professional Only

A feature of Windowsฎ XP Professional, that is not available in the Home Edition, is the ability to encrypt files. This encryption prevents others from opening the files in the folder you encrypt. To encrypt one or more a folders, follow these easy steps.

Click Start, then My Documents. Now locate the folder you wish to encrypt and right click on it and choose Properties.

On the General tab, click on Advanced. Put a tick mark in the box for Encrypt Contents to Secure Data. Click okay two times and the confirmation dialog box will appear allowing you to select the folder, the folder and all files, and/or the subfolders within it.

Now you'll be able to place files in this folder (or folders) and since they're encrypted, others will not be able to access them.

Internet Safety

You should never reveal your username or password to anyone who e-mails you and asks for it. This information is frequently asked for by an Internet scheme called “phishing.”

In a common phishing scam, you receive an e-mail that looks quite official. It usually appears to come from a bank or credit card company. A common title for these e-mails is “We need to verify your account information.” Another is “Please logon to your account and verify your settings.” If you do click where instructed, you’ll end up on a site that appears to be the real one. If you fill in the username and password for of your on-line banking account, you can expect serious problems within twenty-four hours.

If you believe that a company or business that you do on-line business with really does require your information, then simply contact them. This way, you will know where you are sending your information, and what it will be used for.

CD Burning Error Fix

Burning music, video, and data CDs has become quite popular over the past few years, and the evolution of the supporting technology has yielded hardware and software that is better than ever – and very reasonably priced. CDs offer a great place to store substantial amounts of data in a small, easily retained format. They also give us new control over aspects of our entertainment.

A relatively common error received during CD burning informs you that the CD cannot be burned, or that there was an error during burning. Of course, you could actually have a defective CD drive, but this is usually not the case.

If you receive a message indicating that your CD cannot be burned, go to the website of your CD drive manufacturer. Look for the list of CD types (manufacturers/numbers) that are compatible with your device. Most often, you’ll find that your CDs are not listed. The two types that seem to have the least difficulty being burned are manufactured by Sony and TDK. These cost a bit more, but they burn very reliably.

Along the same lines – H-P has introduced a new CD burner. This new burner requires the use of special CD blanks, but after you burn your data into the CD, you can flip it over and close the drive again. Then you can use the laser to burn a title for the CD directly onto the CD itself. It’s new technology, but perhaps it will catch on and we’ll see newer, better such devices in the near future.
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HP Pavilion DV7-2270US 17.3-Inch Espresso Laptop

2010-02-05T21:55:00.000-10:00

Product Description

For those who want an all-in-one performance notebook with rich multimedia features, the HP Pavilion dv7 Entertainment series delivers desktop-replacement performance that looks as great as it runs. Powered by the latest processor and graphics technologies, it delivers optimal mobile performance to support your lifestyle. Enjoy full-screen viewing of HD TV and movies with the large 16:9 17.3-Inch diagonal display. HP Triple Bass Reflex Subwoofer amplifiers put out 12W total while supporting a full range of treble and bass frequencies. Chat face to face with the HP Webcam and add fun special effects. Enter data quickly with the separate numeric keypad. Create personalized, silkscreen-quality DVD and CD labels with LightScribe.

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #671 in Personal Computers
Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Model: VM189UA#ABA
Dimensions: 8.07" h x 5.35" w x 1.69" l, 23.59 pounds
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 2 GHz
Memory: 4GB SODIMM
Hard Disk: 500GB
Processors: 4
Display size: 17.3

Features

2.0GHz Intel Core2 Quad Q9000 Processor (6MB L2 Cache, 1066MHz FSB)
4 GB DDR3 RAM (2 Dimm), Max supported 8 GB
500GB (7200RPM) SATA Hard Drive, LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
17.3" Diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightViewWidescreen Display (1600 x 900)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, *Up to 4.5 Hours of Battery Life
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 (M96) with up to 2.8 GB total available graphics memory with 1 GB dedicated

Editorial Reviews

From the Manufacturer

IDEAL FOR

Replacing a desktop PC and entertainment. Edit and enjoy photos and high-definition videos using the large widescreen display, plus listen to music in premium audio and play games. Work in multiple applications at the same time and count on fast data entry with the numeric keypad.

SPECIFICATIONS

Processor
2.00GHz Intel^® Core™2 Quad Processor Q9000

Operating System
Genuine Windows^® 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Memory (RAM)
4GB DDR3

Display
17.3" Diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)

Hard Drive
500GB (7200RPM) SATA

Optical Drive
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support

Wireless
Intel WiFi Link 5100AGN

Graphics Card
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4650 (M96) with up to 2815MB total available graphics memory with 1024MB dedicated

Battery
8-cell Lithium-Ion Battery; Up to 4.5 hours battery life^*

Weight & Dimensions (w x d x h)
7.74lbs; 16.2" x 10.9" x 1.37"/1.70"

FEATURES

LightScribe Technology
Burn labels directly onto CDs and DVDs

Built-in HP Webcam
Video chat live

Mobile Remote
Control music and videos easily from across the room

5-in-1 Digital Media Reader
Transfer photos from digital cameras without using cables

INCLUDED

Remote Control

Customer Reviews

Great function but lacking form at $1000
The cons:
1) No roll back of OS as drivers are scarce for XP
2) Finish is easily tarnished leading to pseudo-professional look. Gateways 'fingerprint resistant' finish around for years.
3) Most jacks are to the sides leading to an untidy setup. Some newer standard jacks not labelled .
4) Blu-ray ROM should have been included for price
5) No Installation/Driver Disk included in case hard drive files are unuseable.
6) keys are easily mistaken as it difficult to feel the boundaries of keys.
7) Screen is somewhat dimmer than expected for this class of machine
8) Alternate function keys are difficult to discern as they are all in WHITE
9) backlit keys would be a lot more useful than the backlit HP logo

The Pros:
1) meets performance specifications. 3D rendering in Autodesk Revit is brisk.
2) wide screen for those doing Arch/Engineering drawings.
3) temperature is lower than i would expect for 7200rpm HDD and quad core processor i.e. cool to hands
4) relatively quiet fan sounds more like ambient noise
5) no latches to break during open and close process
6) Full keyboard is a plus to those using programs for Accounting, Engineering,
7) Relatively slim and average 8+lbs weight considering size.
8) built-in camera has a built in light
9) sound is crisp and full of depth with subwoofer built-in
10)Crome looking accents add aesthetics are compensate for 'dust and sweat magnet' finish
11)Screen is crisp although I still believe additional brightness would welcomed by most users
12) although I believe keys should be better constructed as they are the primary input they are adequately firm to the touch to compensate for the lack in chamfered or indented or dished keys.

Verdict: great machine that requires greater thought into the ergonomics, appearance and overall form.

This laptop is a DREAM!
I was looking for a laptop that would have the graphics features and speed of a desktop PC, and this is it! It handles my Adobe CS4 products and web design software beautifully. I bought the three-year warranty...expensive but I was told I'd be disappointed in support the first year otherwise. I plan to have this product a long time. It is sleek and beautiful. Finding a carrying case was a challenge, but the Toshiba 18.4" does the job. After much research and reading many reviews, I can see why there are very few complaints against this HP Pavilion!

Great choice
I spent a Sunday afternoon doing research on laptops - since this was my first one ever, I took the time. I needed a laptop that could easily handle several CPU intensive programs running at the same time, so I limited my search to laptops that come with high-end CPUs and are reasonably priced. This one fitted that description, and now that I've been using it for a month, I can say that it delivers what I expected. I'm not giving it a five-star rating, because 4.5 hours of battery life seems overstated to me.

HP Pavilion DV7-3060US 17.3-Inch Espresso Laptop

2010-02-05T21:54:00.000-10:00

Product Description

Product Details

Amazon Sales Rank: #325 in Personal Computers
Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Model: VM237UA#ABA
Dimensions: 5.00 pounds
CPU: AMD Turion 64 2.4 GHz
Memory: 4GB SDRAM
Hard Disk: 500GB
Processors: 1
Display size: 17.3

Features

2.4GHz AMD TurionTM II Ultra Dual-Core Mobile M600 Processor (2 MB L2 Cache)
4 GB DDR2 RAM (2 Dimm), Max supported 8 GB
500GB (7200RPM) SATA Hard Drive, LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support
17.3 Diagonal High-Definition HP LED BrightViewWidescreen Display ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4530 with up to 2.3 GB
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, *Up to 4.5 Hours of Battery Life

Editorial Reviews

From the Manufacturer

IDEAL FOR

SPECIFICATIONS

Processor
2.40GHz AMD Turion™ II Ultra Dual-Core Mobile Processor M600

Operating System
Genuine Windows^® 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Memory (RAM)
4GB DDR3

Display
17.3" Diagonal HD+ High-Definition HP LED BrightView Widescreen Display (1600 x 900)

Hard Drive
500GB (7200RPM) SATA

Optical Drive
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support

Wireless
Wireless LAN 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN

Graphics Card
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4530 with up to 2302MB total available graphics memory with 512MB dedicated

Battery
8-cell Lithium-Ion Battery; Up to 4.5 hours battery life^*

Weight & Dimensions (w x d x h)
7.69lbs; 16.2" x 10.9" x 1.37"/1.70"

FEATURES

LightScribe Technology
Burn labels directly onto CDs and DVDs

Built-in HP Webcam
Video chat live

Mobile Remote
Control music and videos easily from across the room

5-in-1 Digital Media Reader
Transfer photos from digital cameras without using cables

INCLUDED

Remote Control

Customer Reviews

Overall Great Laptop
Wow what can I say about this laptop? I placed my order on 11/7, product was shipped 11/9 and delivered 11/11! The shipping was listed as free super saver shipping but since Amazon had a free 2-day shipping promotion going on shortly after I bought it, I think they may have automatically upgraded it to that.

Anyways back to my review. Since I've only had this computer less than a week, I cannot be too critical or list every single pro/con. However I will attempt to list that which I have experienced (Typing the review on the laptop now!)

1) Computer came securely packaged and arrived on time, much earlier than expected. Package had the computer, battery, user manual, quick-start guide, power adapter + cord, and an HP remote (made for use with HP MediaSmart technology)

2) Initial set up is a breeze for a novice user. I'm not a novice by any means, so it really was a snap to get this computer up and running. Just make sure to plug it in and then let the computer run all the necessary updates and whatnot. Expect to set aside a minimum of 2 hours to get all this done.

3) I have been using Windows XP since...about my 7th or 8th grade year (2nd year sophomore in college, currently), so suffice it to say I didn't want to use Windows 7. Because this is a 64bit computer, and it has 4gigs of RAM and a 2.4GHz processor, I must say that Windows 7 is surprisingly fast and a very refreshing change after the last disaster of Windows Vista. The transparency effects arent too flashy like in Vista, and everything runs very clean, fast, and efficient. It does take a bit of time to get used to all the new options, but that might only be me since I did NOT upgrade to Vista, so I'm really learning for the first time the new layout of Windows.

4) As far as performance and graphics, I have not done any task which is terribly processor or graphics card intensive for me to have any opinion on that. I have installed Unreal Tournament 2004 and Rome: Total War. Both games are pretty graphics heavy and have run very very smooth so far. The settings are automatically calibrated in the game and it is nice to see the game set everything to HIGH quality. Proves this computer really has the punch to deal with games, even in a laptop form. The 17.3" screen is very vivid and bright while gaming, allowing the user to experience the best high-quality and high-def computing experience available.

5) A MAJOR point I want to make is the size of the computer and the search for a laptop case. I read alot about this computer before I bought it, and I did my best to try and shop online for a case to fit a screen this big. Unfortunately, not many case manufacturers have items made for a 17.3" screen, so my advice is to NOT shop online and have it be a hit-and-miss for finding the right size. I initially bought an (overpriced) backpack from Best Buy for damn near $80, and very quickly realized the incredible markup and bloated price they charge. Very soon after I returned it since both Staples and a local computer specialty store (GT Computers) had much cheaper and better quality items. I do want to make a note that some cases say 16", but they CAN fit this computer if they are spacious enough. My personal decision was to buy a laptop backpack rather than a case since this computer weighs in at a hefty 8lbs and is not the easiest thing in the world to carry around. Long story short is the advice to go to a store, rather than rely on a website, when it comes to buying a laptop case that actually fits.

6) Accessories + junk: The computer comes with an Altec Lansing Premium Sound System with Built-in Subwoofer. While this sounds good on paper, its not the best sound in the world in actuality. Perhaps I'm a bit biased since I have a 2.1 system with 40W subwoofer at my desktop, but for a pair of laptop speakers for the average user, they are really good. I was in a loud cafeteria setting, and my friend pulled out his USB powered speakers to hear a video he was playing...just for comparison purposes I turned my speakers up maxed and they not only drowned out HIS speakers (these were seperate, dedicated, USB powered speakers) but they also drowned out some of the cafeteria noise. An audiophile or someone who is really tech-savy will be able to tell the difference between low quality and high quality, but any other user or someone just looking for a casual computing experience will appreciate this laptop. Another fun accessory is the built-in HP MediaSmart remote control. It is slim, stylish, fits easily into the computer, and its alot of fun to show off to friends by turning my music on/off or skipping tracks and changing the volume from across the room. This computer really is aimed to be an entertainment PC, and hooked up correctly with an HDMI cable and a decent sound system, one could stream movies or videos from the internet, watch them on the tv, and control it all from the comfort of your couch! Very nice touch, and very fun to have.

7) Battery life: The product name boasts an "Up to 4.5 hour battery life" and I'm not sure how true this claim is, since I don't get anywhere NEAR 4 hours, but more on the low end of 3. All my settings are set to low, including screen brightness...everything is designed to save power. Don't get me wrong though: for a laptop with a screen this big, and with the processing power it packs, the battery has stunning performance. However, don't expect to get more than 3 hours, maybe 3.5 hours if you do -nothing- but word process and web surf. Windows 7 doesn't show the battery time remaining when you hover over the system tray icon like Windows Vista and XP do, but to circumvent that I downloaded a free program called BatteryBar, and it gives detailed statistics on the battery's time left to charge, full charge capacity (measured in megawatt-hours, or mWh), as well as the charge/discharge rate, full lifetime, and battery wear (Mine is at 3.4% of 73,440 mWh, meaning I can use about 97% of the battery's full capacity. Its current capacity is 70,963 mWh, and this is just due to normal degredation that happens as soon as the battery if manufactured.) On that note, it is really best to USE the battery rather than not to, since either way it is going to degrade. You cannot stop the natrual degredation process, so its better to just use it up. The HP user guides recommend discharging the battery down to 5% before fully recharging, to help the battery retain its charge/discharge cycles.

Anyhow, I think that is more than enough information from someone who has only had this computer 5 days. I'm sure I will write a revision to this review in the future, if I notice any major changes, or decide to upgrade the information for more potential buyers. Thanks for reading, and I hope it helps in your decision! My verdict? Get this computer if your are someone looking to watch lots of movies, view pictures or slideshows, and do alot of music/video based stuff (watching Youtube, movies, etc). I'm not a gamer but in looking for a laptop I wanted something that HAS the performance, if I need it, whether I decide to use it or not. If you are a college student (like I am), its a great laptop with great battery life, but be prepared to carry around a bit of added weight, just due to the sheer size of this thing.

Overall great laptop and I wouldn't change it for the world. Thanks for reading!

Superb for the Money
I had bought a zd8000 series 17 inch laptop 5 years ago. And not had a single problem with it.
So I went back to HP for this model. The zd8000 is a p4 and cannot chomp high def video.

This computer, dv7 3060us can chomp/edit the high def video. You'll be able to hook up that 500 $ canon
high def camcorder to it and flow easily. Which is what I was looking for. Using magic edit movie pro 15
when I added 3D titles, it began to struggle and the cpu went to 100 %.
Hehehe, this is to be expected. Regular titles are no sweat. I'm having no probs with high def playback.

Came sealed in the box, which is a +++ Nothing cheeky.
I seen someone complain about the chrome touchpad in another review, believe me, its a non issue.
I see someone else complain about fingerprints, believe me, its also a non issue.

This computer is high tech looking, and when I compare it to my old zd8000 it sits lower
but is wider. My wrists are very happy with this lower position, good work HP.
Super wide comfortable keypad ....

I'm also using this laptop to do multi tracking with music, and so far, no hiccups for that.
Working like a dream for multi tracking.

Windows 7 on this will boot up in about a minute, which is very nice also.

For the money, its a great laptop, good update for me.

Okay, here's what you really want to know.
This is an honest review from the perspective of a 50+ year-old guy who is very picky and cheap, overeducated and damn proud of his underachievments. Let's face it: most of what old folks do is CEREBRAL; I'm not a marathon runner or a dumbass nosepicking kid on a skateboard. I think for a living, and for those who can appreciate the difference, I offer the following nuggets of wisdom.

This new HP Pavilion DV7-3063CL replaced my 20-year old IBM Aptiva desktop that ran my own custom version of Win98SE. (I re-wrote and compiled parts of the OS to suit my needs, as well as used code from Windows ME to properly support large DASD's. Reverse engineering ROCKS.) I have used 56K dialup and a nice old NEC 15" flatscreen that worked great for almost 20 years. I bought this thing on a whim for Christmas, now that I'm divorced and finally have some extra money. I've always wanted a decent laptop and now I have it! Here are my honest impressions of this thing.

I'm cheap, so I bought discounted at Costco. What caught my eye immediately was the stainless steel around the edge, the HDMI port, the touchpad and the brick-sturdy feel. It's not ultra-light, nor does the screen flip open easily. The screen hinge is tight and has remained that way since I bought it. This is good: I don't want the damned thing flopping around while I type. The artsy-fartsy design on the front sucks but it's not obnoxious either. It's HUGE, heavy and it takes up a lot of real estate. This isn't a laptop: it's a portable desktop computer, which suits me just fine.

Windows 7 isn't as much of a PIA as I thought it might be. The function keys really save time. The DVD player controls up next to the screen are outstanding and very useful. The keyboard is quiet and mushy which bothers me, as I prefer my old classic IBM 5150 board that makes lots of soothing clickety-clackety noise. Getting used to a laptop keyboard takes lots of PATIENCE. Separate numberpad is nice. Ability to turn off touchpad is great because my big paws often get in the way. GOBS of ports on this thing, more than you'll ever need. It feels SOLID and well made. The HD is lightning fast and quiet. The screen is a stunner and easy to read --great for us old guys who can't see their feet anymore.

This machine is often reviewed as mediocre in performance testing. Bullcookies. It's unbelievably fast by anyone's standards, and I've run Windows 7 performance index testing that proves it. The AMD dual-core processer, 4-gig DDR2 memory and 500GB 7200-SATA drive work well together; I shut the swapfile nonsense off completely, de-crapified the HD and made numerous tweaks including the deletion of dozens of scheduled tasks, and this machine now flat-out HAULS ASS.

Watching instant-play movies from Netflix on an HDTV is a breeze using a $.50 cent HDMI cable. I discovered the DVD drive supports DVD-RAM disks, although writing is extremely slow. Win7 also can use DVD -/+RW disks like a floppy for reading/writing. Great for backing up data, but again, SLOW. There is also a 2nd drive bay to install another hard drive for full-system (cloned) backups. You can turn off the foofy screen effects through Control Panel so that it looks like older versions of Windows and speed things up, but I find that computer speed is greasy-fast no matter if the silly effects are on or off, thanks to the fast dedicated video card. The SDHC card slot works great and is fast; I use Class 6 cards to back data up, and it's much easier than using DVD's by a longshot.

The bad news: tons of bloatware and crap slow boot times and suck up RAM. Thanks, HP, you cagefull of simeon, crap-throwing idiots! The good news: it can be blown away easily using "PC Decrapifier" (Love the name! Freeware and it WORKS) and tweaking task scheduler. All I left in was MS Works. All that "Windows Live" crapola, Photoshop X2 nonsense and the rest got blown away immediately. Same goes for the demoware, upgrade-beggerware and especially the upgradeware games --GONE, and whatever you do --be SURE to blow the Norton Antivirus demoware away ASAP; it causes nothing but problems. Nuke anything that loads up at boot time, esp. those damned "updaters" that sit in memory and basically do nothing. I shed 20GB by just dumping bloatware and I now have an honest-to-goodness 30-second cold boot to brag about. If you take the time to dump all the crap that comes preinstalled, you will be awestruck by the raw speed this thing has to offer for such a bargain laptop.

Bottom line: lightning-fast, beautiful huge screen, Win7, oodles of storage and RAM and sexy lines at a great price. Battery life is not overstated; I easily get 4+ hours on a charge with the screen brightness turned down. This is a great replacement for a desktop system, and I can recommend it to the over-50 crowd that just wants something fast, cheap, and that WORKS with just a few tweaks. Dump the bloatware and you've got a greasy-fast, sexy, wide-screened toy that will make your nipples hard just thinking about it.

How to Buy a Computer: The Basics

2010-01-06T22:33:00.001-10:00

RAM (Random Access Memory):
Memory is one of the key components of a computer which is measured in megabytes. Note that 1000 MB is equal to 1 gigabyte (GB). So the more megabytes you have the better your computer works. Most computers today come with a minimum of 512 MB (about half a gigabyte) of RAM. You should try for 1 GB and more because your computer will run that much faster. Not that Windows Vista and Mac OS X Leopard operating systems require 1 GB for good performance and 2 GB to run at top speed.

Recommendation: I suggest buying at least 1 GB (1,000 MB). Remember that Windows Vista and Mac Leopard are memory hungry so I advise buying as much RAM as you can afford. Memory is the crutch of making a computer run like it should.

Insider's tip: Buy the minimum amount of memory and then purchase extra memory components called "sticks" from a site such as www.datamemorysystems.com/. This can save you up to a couple hundred dollars.

Buyer Beware: It is not uncommon for low end computers ($300 to $600) to come with low amounts of RAM. Make sure to check on the ability of your computer as it should be able to handle 4 GB.

Central Processing Unit (the brains):
The CPU handles all the calculations of the computer. For the average user, CPU speed is not as important of a gauge as it used to be. The common computer user will not need to worry about cpu speed as much as a gamer or multimedia user.

CPUs are made by either Intel or AMD and both companies have great product options. Intel controls most of the market share and costs more than AMD.
Recommendation: CPUs come in two forms: 32 bit and 64 bit. I suggest the 32-bit processors because the 64-bit processors have a lot of problems working with software programs.

Dual Core processors are all the rage right now. What's Dual core? This means that your computer has two CPUs which give the user twice the computing power. Dual core is a must for high end computer users.

Hard Drive: the storage unit
All of your personal data such as your documents, digital photos, music, and software programs are stored on the hard drive which are available in many sizes and speeds. Hard drive Storage is measured in gigabytes and computers usually come with at least 80 GB of storage.

Insider's tip: Computers can be configured with two hard drives.
Option 1: Two drives giving which can double your storage.
Option 2: One hard drive keeps an exact copy of the other drive. So if you have a hard drive fail it is not a big deal because you can run off the other drive

Recommendation: You are best getting a 120 GB drive with a speed of 5400 rpm.
Video Chipsets: graphics eye candy1
Windows Vista and Mac OS X Leopard are the new operating systems that require a lot of fancy 3-D animation that requires better graphics hardware.

You have two choices when choosing video chipsets:
1.An integrated or built in Video card right into the motherboard of the computer. If you are an average computer user than this option should work just fine.

2.ATI and NVIDIA offer video cards that produce much better graphics and can handle Windows Vista and Mac Leopard with ease. Cards by these two companies are your only option if you on gaming.

Recommendation: Look for an Intel GMA3100 (model #) or better with the higher numbers being more advanced.

Now that you have mastered the basics of how to buy a computer, it's time for you to make some decisions. Don't worry, we are here to help!

6 Tips to Save on Your Printer Ink Cartridges

2009-12-29T20:24:00.000-10:00

Buying a printer is a one time cost, but since printer ink cartridges need to be bought on a regular basis, the cost of operating the printer and maintaining it in proper condition can add up. Each ‘print’ command, however small, makes your printer use ink, but with some easy tips, you can actually save a lot of ink and use a cartridge for a longer period than usual.

1) Print only what is necessary

Let’s begin with economising. Most often, we end up making unnecessary printouts and in the process waste precious ink. For instance, you might need to print only a small portion of a web page instead of the whole page. Instead of simply printing the whole page, complete with its heavy graphics etc, be specific on what you want to have in hard copy and print only that portion.

Text always consumes less ink compared to graphics or images. If textual information is all that you need then you can make sure that you don’t print the graphics and images. If it is a web page you need to save in a printed form, check for its print version. If there is no print version, you can copy and paste the text in a word document and take a printout of that.

Also try to do a bit of planning and double check what you are printing before hitting the print button.

2) Go for a quick print preview

Most branded printers such as HP, Canon, Dell, Epson or any other printer come with a printer driver which has a very useful print preview function. With this function, you can have a prior preview of the copy you want to take a print out of.

This function is especially handy when you are directly taking the print out from the Internet. At times, what you see on a site is totally different as compared to the printed version. A quick preview can help to get the printout of the material that you specifically want.

3) Make sure the power is turned off

Just as you never switch off your computer without properly shutting it down, the same rule applies to your printer too. If you don’t shut down the printer properly, the print heads will remain directly exposed to air causing the ink to dry in the nozzles which, in turn, could affect the quality of printing adversely. Make it a habit to check the position of the print heads before cutting off the power.

4) Use good software

There are various ink saving software options available online. These software applications are designed to reduce the consumption of your printer ink. With these applications, you can get good quality printout copies with less ink consumption even during high resolution printing.

5) Use printer ink cartridges smartly

If you don’t do printing regularly, run a small printing test at least once a week, to avoid the ink cartridges from drying up. This little precaution will help you to increase the life of the cartridge.

6) Never expose your printer to extreme temperatures

Too much variation in room temperature is bad for printer ink cartridges. You must avoid keeping your printer in too hot or too cold a temperature as the cartridges can dry up. For lasting printer performance, make sure the room has a normal and stable temperature.

With these small but important tips, your printer ink cartridges will get a longer life. It is easy to buy good quality printer ink cartridges at excellent prices from online shops.

5 Tips To Buying Ink Cartridges For Printers

2009-12-29T20:23:00.000-10:00

$As a general rule, black ink cartridges are more affordable than color toner. When considering which to purchase, take a moment to think about how you will be using your printer. Will your printouts require color or will they work just as well in black & white? If the answer is ‘yes,’ you will save a considerable amount of money in purchasing the black ink cartridges.

$If you are cost conscious and also have a great concern for the environment, purchasing recycled ink cartridges may be your best bet. Not only are these more affordable, but they are also better for the environment as are other recycled products. One of the best places for purchasing quality recycled ink cartridges is Viking Office Products and Staples.

$When you purchase any type of ink cartridge, make sure that it is compatible with your printer. Many people are surprised to learn that ink cartridges are designed to be used with a specific model and manufacturer of printers, which should be clearly explained on the outside packaging. If you have trouble remembering the model number on your printer, simply write it down on a piece of paper and take it to the store with you. This will be the single most important information to have on hand when selecting ink cartridges for printers because without the right printer model number, you are not likely to get the right product.

$Because ink cartridges are sometimes very expensive, it is often possible to find a real bargain on a printer/ink cartridge combo. A recent visit to a local retail store revealed a single ink cartridge for $29.97. Just beside the ink cartridge selection were several boxed printers. Among them, a new printer and color ink cartridge combo, which was priced at just $34.95. When you consider the difference of only $5.00 and the fact that you could purchase a brand new printer and ink for almost the same price as a single ink cartridge, the better deal was obvious. In this scenario, you could simply resale your former printer on eBay and replace it with the new printer. This just goes to show that a little smart shopping can go a long way in terms of getting the best value for your dollar.

$The majority of ink cartridges for printers carry a manufacturer’s warranty guaranteeing your satisfaction. The only way to receive coverage as promised is to retain the original purchase receipt, ink cartridge packaging and warranty information. If your new ink cartridge should fail to work as promised, most manufacturer’s will either replace the cartridge at no cost to you or refund the original purchase price in it’s entirety.

Compaq CQ4010F Black Desktop PC (Windows 7 Home Premium)

2009-12-12T04:00:00.000-10:00

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

IDEAL FOR

Everyday value. Get all the essentials with an easy-to-use, affordable PC. Email, browse the Web, manage calendars and household finances, plus burn your favorite songs and photos onto CDs and DVDs.

SPECIFICATIONS

Processor
2.30GHz AMD Sempron™ LE-1300 Processor

Operating System
Genuine Windows^® 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Memory (RAM)
2GB PC2-6400 DDR2

Hard Drive
250GB (7200RPM) SATA

Optical Drive
SuperMulti DVD Burner with LightScribe Technology

Graphics Card
NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE Graphics with 256GB integrated shared graphics memory. Up to 895MB Total Available Graphics Memory as allocated by Windows^® 7

FEATURES

Front-access USB 2.0 Ports
Connect mp3 players, digital cameras and more with minimal fuss

LightScribe Technology
Burn labels directly onto CDs and DVDs

INCLUDED

Product Description

The Compaq CQ4010 delivers all the productivity of a traditional PC, in a sleek, streamlined design. It comes fully loaded with the essential features and applications you’ll use most for working and playing. When a computer looks this good and takes up so little space, you won’t want to hide it under your desk. It’s a perfect fit for any space and any budget. Together, Compaq and Windows 7 provide intuitive system control, powerful search and organization, and more security when you go online. HP Advisor PC Discovery gives you access to software and services you need to get the most out of your Windows 7 HP PC.

Apple MacBook Pro MB986LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop

2009-11-03T07:16:00.001-10:00

Apple MacBook Pro MB986LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop

We are interested in Apple MacBook Pro MB986LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop from amazon website you can see now

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Real improvement
Coming from a troubled Nvidia 8600M GT MacBook Pro - let me say that I was very skeptical buying another Apple Laptop with nVidia chip in it.

However, one weekend I decided to visit the nearest Apple Retail Store and check out the newly released models. My decision was mostly influenced by the reduced prices and increased battery life.

After some debating over buying the older model for same price or getting the latest one we settled on the newest mid end $1999 model with 2 GPUs. As is common I got a very nice resale price for my older MacBook Pro as it had AppleCare.

This generation is an all around improvement over the past generation unless you happen to be using ExpressCard on 15" model that is. In our case we never used the ExpressCard after attempting to use a eSATA card that did not work really well. And we have a few SD Cards that we figure we can easily use.

So on to the specific improvements over its predecessor -
1) Battery Life - I was very doubtful that the battery would last any longer than 4 hours at the maximum but was pleasantly surprised to find that for surfing/email type and the occasional CNN/Youtube flash videos getting 6+ hours was quite easy.

2) Prices - No doubt prices are the most reasonable Apple laptops have ever had. If you have no need for the dual GPU you can get the $1699 model which comes with a respectable 2.53Ghz Processor, 4GB RAM and a very capable 9400M GPU.

3) Operating Temperature - I have owned my share of laptops (Apple and non-Apple) and I have to say this one is the coolest - it never gets too warm and I can use it on my lap all the times - even encoding videos using the HandBrake application did not make it uncomfortably hot. However if I switch it to use the 9600M GPU it gets warmer even on regular use. It also runs very quiet - the fans may be coming on but I never notice.

Initially there was a lot of furor over Apple's downgrade of the Serial-ATA interface speed (used to transfer data to and from the hard disk) to 1.5Gbps but Apple quickly restored the speeds to 3Gbps - I do not however notice any difference with the 5400RPM hard disk.

About the display - it is gorgeous and colors are vibrant. I had the opportunity to use a calibrated color profile to make it look even better. However I find the display to be a little too much reflective but I am coming from almost always using matte display so I figure it's a matter of getting used to it.

Apple's use of Mini DisplayPort is ahead of its time - not many displays support it and so I had to buy a $30 DVI adapter - not a big problem but Apple should at the very least re-start bundling the adapter with the Pro machines. Also, another USB port in lieu of the SD Card Reader would be quite welcome - people can use the SD Card Reader for only SD Cards, but a USB port can be used for SD Cards as well as other peripherals.

That said, this generation is overall a very nice improvement - the great battery life itself is enough to convince one to upgrade.

[ Edited to add some findings after extensive use ]

After using it for a few months, I find a handful of things moderately annoying about this laptop -

1) The positioning of USB ports - both USB ports are on one side of the laptop and they are far too closely positioned to use both at once. For example I found I could not attach my Sandisk USB thumb drive and anything else at a time. And I don't have any irregular/unusual devices. They should really go back to having the ports on two sides or at least position them a bit more apart.

2) The Lid of the laptop is loose - this was known to me before but I never thought it would become annoying. I don't routinely use the laptop in bed but whenever I do it's annoying.

3) The amount of RAM Apple advertises (4GB) is not actually entirely usable - only 3.75GB is. So you lose 256Mb of RAM for the dual GPU.

Compelling alternative to PC
After installing a Trend Micro update and bricking my PC (which I was later able to remedy after 8+ hours of system restores and firewall modifications), I had enough and decided I was done with Microsoft. I have been using the Macbook Pro 15 for a little under a week, and so far, I'm pleased that I made the switch. Obviously, there's a pretty steep premium on Macbook Pros, so I'll try to cover the items that make it worth the extra coin, as well as some annoyances I've encountered as a first time Mac user.

Here are some benefits:

+ Beautiful 15" widescreen display. I'm coming from a 17" PC, and since the display was a bit more squared, I don't feel that the screen size decrease is too noticeable

+ Much lighter than PC. At 5.5 lbs, it's easier to carry around than similarly sized PC's

+ Super fast power up and power off. I would say it takes between 30-40 seconds to power on, and less than 10 seconds to shut down- outstanding

+ Robust battery life. It's rated at 7 hours. This time will vary depending on your usage, but it's about right if you don't jack the brightness and surf too heavily

+ Refined, gestured trackpad. If you want to scroll, just swipe with two fingers- to select options or webpages, a single tap on the trackpad will accomplish this. Also nice is the ability to zoom webpages a la ipod touch/iphone pinching. I wish you could save a zoom setting to default on Safari though

+ No crashes, except for internet surfing (more on that later)

+ Love the preinstalled iPhoto application it comes with to view and edit photos

+ No problems with spyware, viruses, or crappy, obtrusive antispyware (i.e. Trend Micro) to combat it

+ Outstanding customer support (and I've used them a lot so far!)

And now for the not so good:

- If you want word processing/spreadsheet functionality, you're pretty much stuck with plunking down $100 for Microsoft Office. You could use alternatives like iWork, but with most people using the Office standard, it makes sense for compatibility purposes. No generic preinstalled word processing software, Apple?

- The learning curve (if you're a long-time PC user). The menus and interface that Macs use are pretty well laid out, but it's a pain to relearn where some items are. Example, you're in Mail and you'd like to add an email folder. The solution? Select "New Mailbox." I'm sure most PC users were scratching their heads with that solution

- There's no "maximize" function on the windows. It will save your settings once you resize everything, but if you want a window to take up the screen, you'll be doing some manual dragging to get them the way you want

- Not enough ports. Here's an example. Let's say you have a usb mouse, you're listening to iTunes from your iPod, and you're saving backup data to a USB drive as you're working in MS Word. Well, that's one too many usb apps, so you'll have to constantly unplug everything to accommodate your needs

- No number pad. Now I realize this does not affect a large percentage of users, but I'm a finance guy, and work in Excel a lot. Not putting a number pad on the keyboard is reasonable, but what is not reasonable, is offering no first/third party solutions for a USB/Bluetooth numpad. Props to anyone that can find such an accessory

- A bit tricky to port your iTunes media from PC to Mac. You'll be contacting support on this one, trust me

- Too many extra charges from Apple. $350 for 3 years of support, $99 per year of storage backup. Considering what we're paying for Macbooks, you'd think Apple would cut us a break on some of the "extras"

- Here's my biggest gripe. I have had SERIOUS stability issues with my Macbook and 2Wire DSL AT&T modem/router working together. I originally had a problem with Airport dropping my signal (fixed it with a Google search). Then, I had numerous problems with "Broadband Link Not Established Errors" from my 2Wire modem. Again, I was able to find a posting online which allowed my to turn 2Wire notification messages off, resolving this. So after numerous Google searches, and tech support from Apple and AT&T, my internet is pretty stable, but still not great. I'm still having issues where common websites will not load without stopping the request and clicking the reload button. Some users have had these stability issues resolved by purchasing the Airport Extreme Router, but at $179, this is not a cheap solution. I've had none of these internet problems running other devices from 2Wire. I'm not sure who is at fault, but my gut tells me that Apple did not go out of their way to make their Macbooks overly friendly with 2Wire's network. I feel like Apple should send me a partial rebate for all the hard research I've put in to get a stable connection

So is it worth it to switch to Mac? In a word, yes. Although they're certainly more expensive, 13" models are available at $1,200 which provide decent value. New Mac users will certainly notice an increased level of refinement and simplicity when they make the switch. Overall, a very nice laptop that would easily merit a 5 star rating, if not for the terrible 2Wire compatibility issues.

8/5/09 update:

My 2Wire modem continued to error out and reset itself while surfing webpages. The DSL and Internet lights would flash red, and my internet would disconnect for 20 seconds every time this happened. I finally found a solution to this problem. Not thrilled about the extra $89, but my internet experience is finally stable. The product I picked up is the D-Link ADSL2/2+ Modem/Wireless Router combo. I also reviewed this product on Amazon.

The D-Link is highly recommended for AT&T DSL users with Mac/2Wire compatibility issues.

Wow. Better in most ways than previous models
Apple's latest version of the MacBook Pro combines a sleeker case, more GB of RAM, an SD slot, and longer battery life, all with a lowered price. The 15" LED backlit display (available on the previous models as well) is simply gorgeous, with crisp graphics and easy-on-the-eyes clarity.

Unlike older models of the MacBook and MacBook Pro, this laptop runs fairly cool, even after hours of using a lot of processor power. The case, though not as thin as the Air, is slimmer than most (non-Apple) laptops I've seen, with an aluminum case that resists fingerprints better than the old MacBooks. The keyboard is comfortable, with responsive keys, and is lit from behind with blue light. The touch pad is a single square, without a visibly separate clicker, although it's there, at the bottom, under the pad, with right and left click functions; navigation using the touch pad and clicker is extremely easy, but most heavy users will want to purchase a separate mouse, as they would with any laptop.

The 4 GM RAM is twice what the lower end of the Pros offered previously. The battery life is now at seven hours. Naturally, the actual time depends on what you are doing, but the estimate comes pretty close. The SD slot is a nice touch. The GEForce NVIDIA integrated graphics has been in the Pros for at least a generation, with generally good reviews, although this newer entry-level Pro no longer has the dedicated graphics chip. If you want the best Mac graphics, you'll have to purchase one of the more expensive Pros that include the integrated graphics and the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT chip. For most people, however, this version is enough.

The MacBook Pro comes bundled with the newest iLife Suite, a fantastic set of programs that keep getting better: iPhoto, iMovie, Garage Band, PhotoBooth, iDVD, etc. Users of older versions of these programs will be blown away. This MacBook should come with Snow Leopard, Apple's latest OS X, released in September 2009. (For more information about Snow Leopard, see Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard)

If you want to occasionally run Windows on this, you'll need to buy a copy of Windows, such as Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition FULL VERSION with SP2 or other version, and a program such as Parallels Desktop 4.0 for Mac or VMware Fusion 2. Keep in mind that if you plan to run most programs on a Windows platform, you should probably not get a Mac. Most programs these days will have versions for each platform, but there are exceptions.

Students and heavy word-processing/presentation users should consider purchasing Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Home & Student Edition.

The MacBook Pro is a fantastic machine. The debate between PCs and Macs will continue to rage, even as computers like this Pro win converts. Consumers who wish a small, budget desktop Mac instead of a laptop should look at the Apple Mac mini MB463LL/A Desktop.

NOTE: This review is for the 15.4 inch MacBook Pro. Amazon has pooled the reviews for all sizes. According to another customer, the 17 inch size does not have an SD slot and instead has an Express Card slot.

-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann

About Apple MacBook Pro MB986LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #207 in Personal Computers
Brand: Apple
Model: MB986LL/A
Dimensions: 10.00 pounds
CPU: Intel Core Duo 2.8 GHz
Memory: 4000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 500GB
Processors: 2
Display size: 15.4

Features

Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor
500 GB hard drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive, 4 GB DDR3 RAM
NVIDIA Geforce 9400M + 9600M GT Graphics, 15.4 inch LED Display
Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard Operating System

Apple MacBook Pro MB986LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop Description

MacBook Pro brings high performance and precision design to everyone. Every new MacBook Pro features a breakthrough, long-lasting battery that delivers up to 7 hours of wireless productivity on a single charge and can be recharged up to 1000 times—nearly three times the lifespan of typical notebook batteries. The new LED-backlit display has a 60 percent greater color gamut than that of previous generations, giving you richer, more vibrant colors. Every MacBook Pro features the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor, which provides an outstanding graphics experience for everyday tasks. Power your way through the latest 3D games—including Call of Duty and Quake—and enjoy improved graphics performance with iWork, iLife, and everything you do in Mac OS X. Select 15-inch models have an advanced graphics architecture that employs both the integrated 9400M and the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics processor. Experience the fastest, smoothest, and clearest graphics yet for pro applications like Aperture and Motion, productivity tools such as Keynote, and intensive 3D games. Depending on how much performance or battery life you need, it’s a snap to switch between the two processors. And with the latest 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, it’s the most powerful Mac notebook ever. All in a precision aluminum unibody enclosure that’s less than an inch thin.

Have a COOL !
Cheers

Tag : Pro, Apple, MacBook

Apple MacBook Air MC234LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop

2009-11-03T07:15:00.002-10:00

Apple MacBook Air MC234LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop

To day I find introduce you this Apple MacBook Air MC234LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop Yes, I think that interesting .

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Ultimate Ultra-Lite
After owning and enjoying the first generation Macbook Air (1.6 MHz, 80GB drive), this unit is an unbelievable upgrade. For the same price as the original, this unit is incredibly faster. Programs start up about 3 times faster and the SSD drive is silent and extremely quick. Startups and shutdowns are noticeably quicker too. My initial experience has indicated that the battery life should be better as well. I was also impressed with the browser speed pickup as pages seem to render all at once without the typical lag the original unit had.

Possibly the best "Apple" investment I've made
I don't think I'll go back to regular "full-size" laptops again. I didn't think that the weight difference between my 15.4" 2008 MacBook-Pro and the "AIR" would be so substantial, but it is. My back is thanking me. Even with the power supply and my average bring-to-work payload, I often forget that I'm wearing a bag.

As far as general computing goes, it has been -- by far -- the most pleasing computing experience I've had in over 17yrs working with computers... no doubt because of the SSD.

--Average applications load in one or two "bounces", tops.
--Web pages load faster
--No stuttering when displaying the contents of a a folder, scrolling through image galleries, etc.
--Startup/Shutdown times.

Other PROS:

--Screen is perfect. I was worried that the glossy screen may be a little bothersome, though I've yet to come across a situation where it was a problem and I've taken it everywhere with me.

--Its build seems "solid". Maybe it's a trait of the new unibodies, but, when the lid is closed; it feels like a solid piece of metal that would be very difficult to damage. Maybe im naive, but I no longer feel the need to wrap my laptop in 4 layers of protection to keep it from damage in my bag.

CONS:

--Today's laptops support up to 8GB, typically in 2x 4GB configurations. It would be nice to see support for a 4GB module in the future.

--Typical complaints: no firewire or eSATA, only 1x USB.

--Runs a little hot, and I'm not fond of the location of the exhaust vents.

OTHER:

Don't call it a netbook or a laptop. It's the best of both worlds. It deserves its own category.

Worth the wait
After humming and ha-ing about this purchase, to replace my 17" macbook pro, I finally bit the bullet and am delighted with the results. The start up time is stunning, the graphics, keyboard etc are wonderful. The only drawback I have found is the USB slot. If you have a usb device which has large "shoulders" you will need an adapter. I don't miss the dvd drive, I can simply hook it up to my macbook pro and install from there. It's light and sexy, you know you want one ;)

About Apple MacBook Air MC234LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #117 in Personal Computers
Brand: Apple
Model: MC234LL/A
Dimensions: 8.00 pounds
CPU: Intel Core Duo 2.13 GHz
Memory: 2000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 128GB
Processors: 2
Display size: 13.3

Features

Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
2.13 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor
128 GB Solid State Drive, 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M Integrated Graphics, 13.3 inch LED Display
Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard Operating System

Apple MacBook Air MC234LL/A 13.3-Inch Laptop Description

MacBook Air continues to redefine what’s possible. Just 0.16 inch at its thinnest point, 0.76 inch at its thickest point, and a mere 3.0 pounds, it’s still ultrathin and ultraportable. And now, pushing the performance limits of ultraportable notebooks, it features a faster 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a 1066MHz frontside bus, 2GB of DDR3 memory, and 6MB of L2 cache, so you can be as productive on the road as in the office. Offering ample storage, MacBook Air comes with either a 128GB solid-state drive that uses less power and provides enhanced durability. Its advanced NVIDIA processor brings you amazing, high-speed graphics, delivering a graphics performance boost up to 6x that of the original model. Unlike other ultraportables, MacBook Air doesn’t compromise on features users care most about: the display and the keyboard. It includes a bright, 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, a full-size backlit keyboard, a spacious Multi-Touch trackpad, and a built-in iSight camera. Engineered for the wireless world, MacBook Air also comes with 802.11n Wi-Fi,4 Bluetooth 2.1, and Remote Disc to deliver unparalleled wireless versatility.

Have a Nice Days!
Cheers

Tag : Air, Apple, MacBook

Apple MacBook Pro MB985LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop

2009-11-03T07:15:00.001-10:00

Apple MacBook Pro MB985LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop

This day I'll introduce you about Apple MacBook Pro MB985LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop Coming Soon I find this from Amazon I will That interes, You that Agree?.

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

About Apple MacBook Pro MB985LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #254 in Personal Computers
Brand: Apple
Model: MB985LL/A
Dimensions: 10.04 pounds
CPU: Intel Core Duo 2.66 GHz
Memory: 4000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 320GB
Processors: 2
Display size: 15.4

Features

Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor
320 GB hard drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive, 4 GB DDR3 RAM
NVIDIA Geforce 9400M + 9600M GT Graphics, 15.4 inch LED Display
Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard Operating System

Apple MacBook Pro MB985LL/A 15.4-Inch Laptop Description

MacBook Pro brings high performance and precision design to everyone. Every new MacBook Pro features a breakthrough, long-lasting battery that delivers up to 7 hours of wireless productivity on a single charge and can be recharged up to 1000 times—nearly three times the lifespan of typical notebook batteries. The new LED-backlit display has a 60 percent greater color gamut than that of previous generations, giving you richer, more vibrant colors. Every MacBook Pro features the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor, which provides an outstanding graphics experience for everyday tasks. Power your way through the latest 3D games—including Call of Duty and Quake—and enjoy improved graphics performance with iWork, iLife, and everything you do in Mac OS X. This 15-inch model has an advanced graphics architecture that employs both the integrated 9400M NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics processor. Experience the fastest, smoothest, and clearest graphics yet for pro applications like Aperture and Motion, productivity tools such as Keynote, and intensive 3D games. Depending on how much performance or battery life you need, it’s a snap to switch between the two processors. And with the latest 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, it’s the most powerful Mac notebook ever. All in a precision aluminum unibody enclosure that’s less than an inch thin.

Cheers and have a GREAT day!
Cheers

Tag : Pro, Apple, MacBook

Apple MacBook Pro MC226LL/A 17-Inch Laptop

2009-11-03T07:13:00.000-10:00

Apple MacBook Pro MC226LL/A 17-Inch Laptop

Now I find Apple MacBook Pro MC226LL/A 17-Inch Laptop I will think This Interesting ,and you can see that

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

About Apple MacBook Pro MC226LL/A 17-Inch Laptop detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #43 in Personal Computers
Brand: Apple
Model: MC226LL/A
Dimensions: 13.00 pounds
CPU: Intel Core Duo 2.8 GHz
Memory: 4000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 500GB
Processors: 2
Display size: 17

Features

Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
2.8 GHz Core 2 Duo Processor
500 GB hard drive, DVD/CD SuperDrive, 4 GB DDR3 RAM
NVIDIA Geforce 9400M + 9600M GT Graphics, 17 inch LED Display
Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard Operating System

Apple MacBook Pro MC226LL/A 17-Inch Laptop Description

MacBook Pro brings high performance and precision design to everyone. Every new MacBook Pro features a breakthrough, long-lasting battery that delivers up to 7 hours of wireless productivity on a single charge (8 hours on the 17-inch MacBook Pro) and can be recharged up to 1000 times—nearly three times the lifespan of typical notebook batteries. The new LED-backlit display has a 60 percent greater color gamut than that of previous generations, giving you richer, more vibrant colors. Every MacBook Pro features the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor, which provides an outstanding graphics experience for everyday tasks. Power your way through the latest 3D games—including Call of Duty and Quake—and enjoy improved graphics performance with iWork, iLife, and everything you do in Mac OS X. The 17-inch MacBook Pro has an advanced graphics architecture that employs both the integrated 9400M and the NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT discrete graphics processor. Experience the fastest, smoothest, and clearest graphics yet for pro applications like Aperture and Motion, productivity tools such as Keynote, and intensive 3D games. Depending on how much performance or battery life you need, it’s a snap to switch between the two processors. And with the latest 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, it’s the most powerful Mac notebook ever. All in a precision aluminum unibody enclosure that’s less than an inch thin.

I would be grateful if you would give me the Interview
Cheers !.

Tag : Pro, Apple, MacBook

Compaq Presario CQ5110F Desktop PC

2009-10-25T00:14:00.000-10:00

Compaq Presario CQ5110F Desktop PC

This day I'll introduce you about Compaq Presario CQ5110F Desktop PC I will think This Interesting ,and you can see that

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Great Basic Computer
I bought this computer as a gift for my mom when my old Laptop died. This computer is VERY fast. There is a LOT of bloatware that comes pre-installed (MS Office 2007 Trial, Norton Anti-Virus Trial, Various Games Trial, etc) and I recommend you remove these trials and install your own programs.
As a Computer Technician, I know my stuff. And I FULLY recommend this computer highly.
In short this is a good basic and inexpensive computer for that works wonders for Internet use, MS Office, etc.

Quick, Classy and Cool !!!!
I agree wholeheartedly with the reviewer *Paglia* who recommends this desktop as well. It is much lighter than my older desktop, yet it feels strong and well built. I mention this because some of the newer desktops look and feel flimsy, as if they could be blown over by a feather......not so, with this one. It doesn't get hot and bothered either.

It is extremely fast for my needs and I can open many windows without any delay in speed. It is also very quiet, one of the most quiet desktops I've ever owned. It comes pre-installed with lots of goop and all the essentials as well. I just remove the goop and add a few ingredients of my own... I don't do any *gaming* so I can't vouch for that, but there seems to be more than enough space for my needs.

The price is great and the machine is perfect. For everyday personal or business needs, this desktop is your best bet...... HAPPY COMPUTING !!!

Great computer for e-mail and browsing
This computer is used for e-mail, browsing the internet and storing pictures. It is great for our needs especially at under $400 on our doorstep. We didn't need another monitor so why pay for one? I had all files and pictures transfered and the computer on-line in about an hour. No problems at all.

About Compaq Presario CQ5110F Desktop PC detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #457 in Personal Computers
Color: Black
Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Model: NP185AA#ABA
Dimensions: 15.11" h x 6.54" w x 16.87" l, 11.00 pounds
CPU: AMD Athlon 2.5 Hz
Memory: 3GB SDRAM
Hard Disk: 320GB

Features

AMD Athlon X2 7550 Dual-Core Processor
3GB PC2-6400 DDR2 SDRAM memory (1x2048MB and 1x1024MB for ultimate performance) (expandable to 4GB)
320GB hard drive(7200 rpm) ¿ Save up to 64,000 of your favorite songs
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
NVIDIA GeForce 6150 SE Graphics with 128MB intregrated shared graphics memory.

Compaq Presario CQ5110F Desktop PC Description

Get exactly the computing performance you need for home, school, and your essential computing needs. The Compaq Presario CQ5110F comes with the power and memory to handle a variety of tasks, efficiently and reliably. The Compaq Presario CQ5110F, with its stylish design, is backed by Compaq¿s award winning support and services. What's in the box: Presario cq510f desktop PC, Compaq USB keyboard, Compaq USB optical mouse, power cord, Cyberlink DVD Suite Deluxe software, muvee Reveal Basic, Microsoft Works 9, Adobe Reader 8 and Norton Internet Security 2009 with 60 days of complimentary live updates.

Bye Bye
Cheers and Care

Tag : CQ5110F, Compaq, Presario

Acer AspireRevo AR1600-U910H Black/White Desktop PC (Windows XP Home)

2009-10-25T00:13:00.000-10:00

Acer AspireRevo AR1600-U910H Black/White Desktop PC (Windows XP Home)

Are You Interested in Acer AspireRevo AR1600-U910H Black/White Desktop PC (Windows XP Home) You can see Now!

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Great HTPC
I know some people will use this aa a small form pc for everyday use, but I'm only reviewing this from a HTPC perspective. Right now its connected to my network wirelessly and Im streaming my movies to my flatscreen tv. Its great for viewing Hi def content, I thought theres no way a processor this slow could ossibly playback through HDMI clearly. I was pleasantly surprised, after a bit of setup it streams ANY format thrown at it through HDMI. I loaded windows vista on this because of windows media center wich really helps with managing all my movies, music and pictures. The only issue is viewing flash video online, dont get me wrong it plays the video reasonably well but you will notice the stuttering at times on the video. Flash currently is not configured to run on these new processors so viewing flash online will be an issue until flash 10.1 wich will be released some time early next year. The processor isnt strong enough to handle high end computing tasks like video editing or photoshop, but this isnt what this pc is made for. Coupple of notes about setup, it comes with windows xp home but that OS may not provide as much sophistication as most people would like, I installed vista on this pc pretty easily. You must have either an external dvd drive or a usb drive with at least 4 giggs of available space. If your using a usb drive you must load the OS dvd on a diferent pc and then copy the files over to the usb drive, afterwards connect to this pc and start setup while in windows xp. Also please remember to load all the drivers needed if you install a new OS. [...]

About Acer AspireRevo AR1600-U910H Black/White Desktop PC (Windows XP Home) detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #43 in Personal Computers
Color: Black/White
Brand: Acer
Model: AR1600-U910H
Dimensions: 7.10" h x 1.20" w x 7.10" l, 9.00 pounds
CPU: Intel Atom 230 1.6 GHz
Memory: 1000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 160GB
Processors: 1

Features

1.6GHz Intel Atom 230 Processor
1024 MB DDR2 Memory, Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
160 GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive, No Optical Drive included
Integrated NVIDIA ION LE Graphics, 6 USB 2.0 Ports, VGA & HDMI ports,
Windows XP Home with Service Pack 3, USB Keyboard & Mouse

Acer AspireRevo AR1600-U910H Black/White Desktop PC (Windows XP Home) Description

Ultra-Slim PC Perfect for Everyday Computing: The Portable AspireRevo is the perfect mini PC providing everywhere connectivity to surf the web, view/edit photos, watch HD movies, listen to music and more. Compact Design: Its compact 1L size makes it easy to stand discreetly on a desk or mount (mount sold separately) to the back of a monitor to save space. Grab it to go for remote entertainment with friends or for travel. Optimum Performance: Designed for low energy consumption, the Intel Atom Processor combines performance and efficiency to let you explore the Internet and enjoy entertainment and games. The AspireRevo keeps you in touch all day via Gigabit Ethernet LAN connectivity. Six USB ports and a Media Card Reader make transferring your photos and other files as fast and easy as ever.

Have a Nice Days!
Cheers

Tag : AR1600-U910H, Acer, AspireRevo

HP Pavilion DV7-1170US 17.0-Inch Laptop

2009-10-02T23:08:00.000-10:00

HP Pavilion DV7-1170US 17.0-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, Blu-Ray and DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

Are You Interested in HP Pavilion DV7-1170US 17.0-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, Blu-Ray and DVD Drive, Vista Premium) You can see Now!

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Great
I was looking for a 17" screen computer and this one fit the bill. It is easy to operate, and the 64 bit operating system is working fine. I deleted the software that came with it and loaded AVG anti virus, Spybot spyware and also Open office instead of paying for the microsoft office system supplied. I have not had any problems but one annoying thing was the automatic update feature. I suggest you change the settings to ask if you want to download the update to keep the computer from re-starting when you are in the middle of a project.

I priced this at other stores and Amazon was cheapest. Free shipping and I got the computer in 3 days!

An extremely capable laptop
I purchased this almost exact same model from Best Buy a little more than 3 weeks ago for $899. The only difference I can see between the two is that this one has bluetooth and the Best Buy model (dv7-1175nr) did not. The performance of this laptop is very good. Screen image is better than that of my aging dv8113cl that I purchased from Sam's Club 4 years ago. Bluray works well, but it will only work in Quick Play mode when the computer itself is shut down. It also sports one of the hottest graphics cards on the streets,... the 9600Gt is the same card HP shoves into their HDX series books in 256 and 512 flavors. The one in this model is the 512. Even at this relatively high price, it is a worthy purchase.

I'd advise you to see if you can get the Chrome theme though. I got the bronze theme and the keys are very hard to see unless you are in the best of lighting conditions. Not a lot of constrast between the white letters and the bronze (brown) keys. Backlit keys would have been nice.

Great value and performance
Fast, powerful laptop with zippy wireless Internet performance. Acceptable battery life. Bluetooth wireless mouse is great accessory to add. Only nit is slightly washed out (low contrast) LCD monitor performance on web pages. Found notes on web on how to manually adjust video driver settings to optimize for crisper whites. But for the price, we are very happy with this purchase.

About HP Pavilion DV7-1170US 17.0-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, Blu-Ray and DVD Drive, Vista Premium) detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #642 in Personal Computers
Color: Bronze
Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Model: DV7-1170US
Dimensions: 4.30" h x 15.59" w x 1.66" l,
CPU: Intel Core Duo 2 GHz
Memory: 4000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 320GB
Processors: 2
Display size: 17

Features

17.0-inch Diagonal WXGA plus High-Definition HP Brightview Infinity Display, 1440 x 900 resolution
2.00 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5800 with 2MB L2 Cache
4096MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm), 320GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA), NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with up to 2302MB Total Available Graphics Memory with 512MB dedicated
Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Double Layer, Intel WiFi Link 5100AGN and Bluetooth
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium, dims in inches: 15.59 (W) x 11.22" (D) x 1.31 (min H) in approx., 7.64 lbs

HP Pavilion DV7-1170US 17.0-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, Blu-Ray and DVD Drive, Vista Premium) Description

HP Pavilion DV7-1170US 17.0 Inch Laptop. Expanding on the sophisticated elegance of the current line, the new DV7-1170US is defined by fluid, modern lines and metalized finishes with surprising innovations inside and out. High-gloss HP Imprint finish in bronze and chrome now encases all surfaces visible during normal use for greater durability. The DV7-1170US Intersect Imprint features an argyle-like pattern for subtle contrast to the liquid appearance of the metallic finish. The streamlined look is enhanced with a color-matched keyboard and touchpad. And touch media controls light up and become visible only when the system is powered on further enhancing the clean appearance. Providing more choices than ever, QuickPlay enables access to DVDs, videos, photos, music, karaoke, games, and Internet TV. Built-in demos show you how to add music to your slide shows or videos with drag-and-drop functionality, and much more. An HDMI port enables you to watch films on an HD TV. Muvee autoProducer makes creating films complete with effects and transitions a snap! Extras include dual headphone jacks and an HP Mobile Remote Control. For those who want rich digital entertainment capability coupled with desktop-caliber performance in a stunning mobile design, the HP Pavilion DV7-1170US Entertainment Notebook PC delivers! Its elegant Intersect Imprint finish helps protect your system which includes a full-size keyboard and numeric keypad. The DV7-1170US ships with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5800, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT with up to 2302MB Total Available Graphics Memory with 512MB dedicated, 4096MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm), 320GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA), Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD±R/RW Double Layer, and Intel WiFi Link 5100AGN and Bluetooth. Dimensions: 15.59 (W) x 11.22" (D) x 1.31 (min H) in approx., weight: 7.64 lbs approx.

Cheers and have a GREAT day!
Cheers

Tag : DV7-1170US, HP, Pavilion

Toshiba Satellite L515-S4925 14.0-Inch Laptop - Black/Grey

2009-10-02T23:06:00.000-10:00

Toshiba Satellite L515-S4925 14.0-Inch Laptop - Black/Grey

Have a nice time i find Toshiba Satellite L515-S4925 14.0-Inch Laptop - Black/Grey from amazon and I read about that ,I think that wonderfull.

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Great display, not so great battery
The Toshiba L515-S4925 is part of Toshiba's main consumer line: the L500 series of laptops. This version is the thin-and-light entry. It's a very good laptop for someone who values good video quality (where this model excels) above battery life (where it lags behind).

A good friend bought this model and had me come over to uninstall the junk software (it was no worse than the typical bloatware found on retail notebook computers) and get it setup on his home network. Overall I liked this model but it has rather strong pluses and minuses. This is a pretty competitive market segment and I think Toshiba took a risk that will appeal to the right buyer: cut back on some less valued features and deliver a very high quality display. It's aimed pretty squarely and HP's very popular DV4 line of 14" laptops and I think it competes well on most levels and (on Amazon at least) is priced about $150 less (depending on the exact DV4 model you compare it against).

Here a quick break down of the features:

CPU: Intel Pentium T4200 2.1 GHz (my friend's came with the T4300 which is just slightly better). This is a decent dual core CPU for home use and it's pretty typical for laptops in this price range. It's not for anyone serious about gaming but it will run typical home apps and "light" games with no troubles. Two cores mean your system won't slow to a crawl just because your anti-virus kicks in. While not as powerful at the Core2 line it's still a good CPU for home users.

RAM: 4 GB 800 MHz RAM. This is becoming the new norm and it's nice because this is lot of memory and provide some future proofing. This is plenty for home use.

HDD: 320 GB 5200 RPM. This is more than most home users will need (few exceed 100GB) and the speed is what I recommend for home users because it has a much lower failure rate than faster drives (and it's plenty fast enough for home use).

Graphics chip: Intel 4500HD. This is also pretty typical of notebooks in this price range. It's great for home use (including movie playback) and can run any non-3D game just fine. Older 3D games will run great too. Most new 3D games will run at dramatically reduced settings or not run at all.

Display: 14" 1366x768 resolution (natively supports 720P video playback). This is a very nice display and I don't know of any other laptop in this price range with a screen this nice. It's is much better than the display you will get on the HP DV4-1433 which only comes in at 1280 x 800. It's bright, has brilliant colors and good blacks. Toshiba clearly thought about the most important part of the laptop for most users and stepped it up a notch from the competition. Like most home systems it's glossy which is great indoors but can be hard to read outdoors.

DVD-RW: Has a nice combo DVD-RW drive, which means you can read and write to CD and DVD media. It also has "Labelflash" which lets you use the DVD laser to "burn" blue imagery onto special media that supports it. It's not great looking but it's easier than printing, pealing, and installing labels and looks a lot better than a label written on with a sharpie. I can be slow (up to 20 min for a complex image).

Battery: 6 cell 3700mAh. Here is one of the places Toshiba trimmed money back off. This is a fairly low end 6 cell and I wouldn't expect much more than 2.5 hours of real battery life (you'll get more keeping the screen dim and turning off the wireless but who does that?). A more typical 6 cell batter will come in at 4400mAh and high-end 6 cells will deliver over 5400mAh. For most home users this is fine, they tend to plug in wherever they go. Outside the home this could get old fast.

Ports: Comes with the typical port assortment (USB, eSata, RJ-45 Lan, RJ-11 modem, VGA) except for one important one - DVI. The lack of a DVI (or HDMI) port means you will get degraded video when outputting to an external LCD monitor (because instead of a direct digital connection the video has be converted to analog sent out from the laptop and re-converted to digital by the monitor). As a result I would not recommend this model to anyone who wants to hook it up to an external display. I should not that some other L500 models do have HDMI ports

Control layout: I found the control layout to be good but not earth shattering. The picture on Amazon doesn't show the front very well so let me describe it in detail: There are lights for the wireless, AC, on/off, battery, HDD activity and the media adapter. The memory card reader is also in the front but it only handle the smaller media like SD cards to make certain your digital camera media is supported (for example no compact flash support). Here's the list: Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Mini SD Card, Micro SD Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO. The volume control is also here (which is a little odd because the other controls are on the keyboard up by the display). On the sides are the usual USB, VGA, LAN, etc... Above the keyboard you will find the media controls, the on/off switch, and above the screen is the usual webcam and microphone.

Wireless: Supports older wireless specs "B" and "G" along with the newer "N" standard. You shouldn't have trouble connecting to wireless networks at home or traveling. This model does not support Blue Tooth.

Weight: At 5.02 lbs this feels pretty light and is a typical weight for 14" laptops.

Build quality: This one is always a little subjective but I found the build quality to be very good if a little boring. It's well made but there's not much trim or flash to it. There's a good side to boring: less stuff to break or scratch, and it lets Toshiba get that great display in this price range.

For the price anyone looking for a smaller and lighter laptop with a great display should be very happy here. As mentioned before serious gamers, travelers, and people planning on using an external display will probably want to keep shopping.

Linux Laptop
I set this up with Ubuntu 64-bit and it works like a charm. It didn't have any silly driver issues (as I did with my previous (HP) laptop. It's solid, quiet and doesn't have the myriad of LED's glaring at you that seem to be so popular on other brands (HP). The keyboard has a good feel and spacing and clear (simple, legible). The touchpad buttons are a bit clicky but I only ever use an external mouse anyway.

I play World of Warcraft on it through wine over the wireless network and it works beautifully. Exactly what I wanted !

Toshiba Satellite L515-S4925
This is my third laptop which I like most is the size, the power is not on the side which you do not turn it off easily while you move it around. What I don't like is the sound that I have to add a speaker to make it a little bit louder while watching movies. Anyway, for entertaining, it is the best.

About Toshiba Satellite L515-S4925 14.0-Inch Laptop - Black/Grey detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #21 in Personal Computers
Color: Black/Grey
Brand: Toshiba
Model: PSLF2U-00S00L
Dimensions: 1.50" h x 13.40" w x 9.13" l, 5.07 pounds
CPU: Intel Pentium M 2.1 GHz
Memory: 4000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 320GB
Processors: 2
Native resolution: 14
Display size: 14

Features

2.1GHz Intel Pentium T4200 Processor
4GB RAM
320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
14" HD TruBrite Widescreen Display

Toshiba Satellite L515-S4925 14.0-Inch Laptop - Black/Grey Description

An affordable portable, the 14-inch Satellite L515 laptop gives you the essential tools for living life on the move, especially if you’re on a budget. Light enough to carry, but powerful enough to keep you going, it’s packed with innovative, eco-smart Toshiba advancementslike a brilliant HD TruBrite widescreen display and built-in Webcam with Face Recognitionto help you manage everyday tasks and have a great multimedia experience most anywhere. Perfect as a first laptop or portable addition for your busy lifestyle, it offers Intel dual-core processing power, great battery life and high-speed connectivity to make you more effective on the go. It’s also encased in a handsome high-gloss Fusion finished case with a Breeze pattern in Graphite Gray.

Have a Nice Days!
Cheers

Tag : L515-S4925, Toshiba, Satellite

Apple Mac mini MB464LL/A Desktop

2009-10-02T22:57:00.001-10:00

Apple Mac mini MB464LL/A Desktop

We are interested in Apple Mac mini MB464LL/A Desktop Yes, I think that interesting .

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Mac Mini low end model. A much better buy!
So I got one of these little bad boys (the cheaper model) from the apple store the day after they came out. With a student discount it came out to be just under $600 after tax, so I figured why wait for it to be available on amazon for the same price.

I just ordered 4GB of ram for around $65 after tax and shipping. Just read on a few forums that once you put another gig of ram into the new lower end mac mini, the NVIDIA 9400M graphics card automatically allocates another 128MB of VRAM, making it have a total of 256MB VRAM (instead of 128MB in which it is originally configured with)!

For another $90 or so you can plop a 320GB 7200RPM hard drive into it. A faster drive then the higher end model comes with.

This makes it virtually pointless to pay another $200 for the $800 model, when you can pay a total of $760 for a model that is better:

- 4GBs of ram vs 2GB
- 320GB 7200RPM hard drive vs 320GB 5400RPM hard drive
- with the same NVIDIA 9400M 256VRAM

So whats the only draw back? You have to pop the baby open and install the ram and hard drive yourself.

Is that so bad? Not at all for me, but it may be for some. However there are already forums that contain detailed instructions with pictures and videos for doing so, and as long as you can follow instructions it should not be too difficult at all. It is also somewhat less difficult to deal with than previous models, in terms of installing ram and hard drive.

Oh, I forgot to mention that you can (at the moment, 3/9/09) also get a $6 rebate for sending the 1GB ram chip from your stock mac mini to OWC if you are planning to buy the 2x2GB modular set from them. Another good buy is a $30 USB2 sata enclosure to plop that extra 120GB hard drive into for a little extra storage.

Hope this helps in you purchasing decision.

Oh forgot to mention the computer itself. I upgraded from a 1.42 DP Powermac G4 (FW800) to give you a perspective. First off it is much, much quieter and runs very cool. I have now left it on for 3 days straight and it is still cool. Leaving it on all night while processing video and other processes no longer keeps me up due to the absence of loud oscillating fans. I also like the idea that it uses very low power for a desktop, since I'll keep it on most of the time.

The main reasons for jumping to the mac mini bandwagon for me was because of its FW800 and better video card (two things you will never be able to upgrade on a mac mini without swapping out the entire logic board, which is basically a new computer anyway).

Although it has FW800, I was a little leery to make the upgrade from my Powermac G4 because I have an external 16x DVD burner that uses FW400, an external hard drive with FW400, and a RAID drive with FW800. All of which I wanted to use with my mac mini.

Due to its only 1 FW800 port, I was left to speculate whether daisy chaining all of my external drives together via one FW800 port would actually work properly and efficiently. (FW400 HD to FW400 DVD-R to FW800 RAID HD to one Mac mini FW800 port?).

Seems like a stretch, but all the drives have their own power source, and I am not going to use the FW400 HD much, so I figured what the heck, if it didn't work, I'd have to shell out the extra cash to update my external drives to USB 2 if I wanted to keep the same configuration I'd been using for years.

Anyway to get to the point... It works! I can burn a DVD at 16x from the external burner with media from the RAID drive while watching video, editing photos, and swapping files all from the RAID drive in which the burner is daisy chained to with no hiccups. (Don't know that my old G4 would have been happy with this set up, but it had 2 FW400 ports along with a FW800, so I needn't try.)

For those of you I have lost... this means that the new mac mini is a solid performer and although it has less expandability than my previous mac (less ports, no PCI expansion slots, no upgradeable video cards and processors), it still gets the job done at a faster rate and at a lesser price than upgrades.

So far it has saved me processing time, space, and the utter sound of a power hungry loud fanned G4 buzzing in my ear!

One more thing. I use "PC only" software for work, so having a mac that can boot up in windows was a definite plus for me, and another large factor in my upgrading/buying decision.

Yet another great addition is dual display support for those of you who want to hook up a couple displays at once. And to comment on another review, the mac mini does support a VGA monitor (or 2!), you just have to pay an additional $20 for the adapter from apple (as it only comes with a Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter in the box). And although the quality is going to be better with a DVI monitor, you may want to hold onto your VGA until it poops out (especially if you are low on cash like me) because by that time DVI monitors will be even cheaper and better in quality. Just a thought! (Not to mention the difficulty and expense to recycle those old VGA's).

Update - April 12, 2009

Mac Mini is still great, I am just updating this review due to an important issue that was brought up by another reviewer in regards to upgrading Mac Minis.

Mac Minis have no user-serviceable parts inside according to apple, so upgrading it yourself may void the warranty. I did a little research on apple forums before I opened mine and found that the general consensus is if you break something, you void your warranty. If you don't break anything, it should not void your warranty, but ultimately depends on the apple authorized retailer's decision. If they can find that the defect was possibly caused from you opening it up, they may not uphold your warranty. For me the risk was worth it, as I have been working on macs for years, but definitely take this into consideration when installing yourself. I still recommend buying the low-end model as you can always upgrade it later if/when you want. If you are uneasy about upgrading yourself, you can always buy a larger hard drive and/or ram from OWC or another third party and have an authorized apple retailer install it for you. This will still save you a considerable amount of money and protect your warranty, as a money saving hassle free solution.

I would not like to be responsible in any way for people accidentally screwing up while installing their own ram/hard drive and possibly voiding their warranty. Sorry for not mentioning this issue previously in my review.

Awesome home system
Just purchased am already very happy with the decision. This was a replacement system that I purchased for my wife - I am the home tech support resource and I was tired of constantly having to keep her system patched, updated and rebuilt (from XP to Vista SP1) in order to fight off ad/malware that was constantly infecting it.

Even though the hardware spec's for the Mini are lighter than the Vista system that it replaced, it is much snappier in browsing and using the included applications as compared to the Vista equivalents. One correction to the displayed specs on Amazon - the included adapter is a mini-DVI to full DVI adapter, not a DVI/VGA adapter as listed. If your old monitor does not support DVI, you will need to get a new monitor that supports it. Considering the graphics focus of Mac systems, this is a worthwhile investment in any case if you have an old VGA only monitor - the graphics will really "pop" when you convert to DVI.

Update will follow in a few weeks once I have the wife fully converted over to the new system.

A Powerful Machine For Many Things
This Mac mini builds on the success of the last one. The biggest upgrade to the machine is the new graphics. With this change, movies and games perform much better.

Items of clarification: Currently the description on Amazon lists 4 USB ports, but there are actually five.

Also, the Mac mini no longer comes with an Apple Remote so if you're looking to use it as a media server, you may want to pick one of those up.

Our favorite upgrade in this new machine is the ability to handle more RAM. It can now address 4GB of RAM, and it is also DDR3 RAM so it performs much better.

Also, the upgrade to Firewire 800 allows for some very fast external drives if you're looking for increased storage.

We have a few hundred Mac minis performing as servers at macminicolo. According to our early benchmarks, this machine will be even better at for a server. No doubt this is due mainly to the faster, increased RAM.

About Apple Mac mini MB464LL/A Desktop detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #250 in Personal Computers
Brand: Apple
Model: MB464LL/A
Dimensions: 10.00" h x 9.00" w x 7.00" l, 6.00 pounds

Features

Elegant, energy-efficient, compact desktop Mac measures 6.5 inches square, 2 inches tall--just add keyboard, mouse, and monitor
2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 320 GB hard drive, 2 GB RAM (4 GB max), 8x SuperDrive with dual-layer support
Draft-N Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n); Gigabit Ethernet; Bluetooth 2.1; NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics with 256 MB of shared memory
Five USB 2.0 ports; one FireWire 800 port; Mini-DVI and Mini DisplayPort video output
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, iLife '09, and Front Row software included

Apple Mac mini MB464LL/A Desktop Description

The Mac Mini features the powerful 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. It has two cores, so it's like having two 2.0GHz processors in one! Another great feature is the suite of applications in iLife '09. Full-featured collections of programs that are designed to let you easily take control of your creative projects. iPhoto organizes your Digital pics, and has a cool feature that groups them by event. iWeb makes it easy to create your own website. iMovie & iDVD lets you Edit your videos and make your own DVD movies. GarageBand gives you the tools to make your own music, and even start your own virtual band! All of this and more are made from sleek, anodized aluminum with refined, rounded corners and a pearly white cover that can fit anywhere! NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256MB DDR3 Shared Video Memory Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD+-RW DL/CD-RW) AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ports - 5 x USB 2.0, FireWire 800, Optical Digital Audio Output/Headphone out, Optical Digital Audio input/audio line in, Mini DisplayPort with support for DVI, and VGA, connections via Optional Adapter, RJ-45 (LAN) Approximate Unit Dimensions - 2 (H) x 6.5 (W) x 6.5 (D) Approximate Unit Weight - 2.9 Pounds

Cheers and have a GREAT day!
Cheers

Tag : mini, Apple, Mac

Gateway SX2800-01 Desktop PC

2009-10-02T22:56:00.002-10:00

Gateway SX2800-01 Desktop PC

Are You Interested in Gateway SX2800-01 Desktop PC from amazon website you can see now

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Has been a perfect machine.
I wanted to upgrade from my Dual Core 2 HP Laptop to something with more kick - ie a good desktop which was small yet powerful and within a budget. I also wanted to make a move into 64-Bit Windows.

I was a bit apprehensive on ordering something so complex, online, all the way to (Arabian) Gulf where I reside.

JR dispatched my order to my forwarding address in the US within 24 hours. From there the forwarding couriers took 2 days to get it here so withing 5 days I had the machine on my table which was amazing.

Experience
- The machine arrived in mint condition. No damage to the packaging or inside.
- Setup was really easy, it was literally Plug n Play.
- There are no setup disks for the OS so I advise making a backup of the system using the Gateway software present.
- Make sure to switch the power settings tab from 110-120V to 220-240V if you intend on using the machine outside the US/Japan.

Pros and Software Performance
- It is an amazingly quiet machine along with it's small size. The mouse and keyboard feel good and the speakers are ok.
- Installing most generic 32Bit software was easy. Installing more complex stuff like AutoCad and 3DMax requires patches or 64 Bit releases.
- AutoCad 2008 and 3dMax 2008 run very smooth. Rendering via Vray has been quite good and it will suffice for home renderings etc.
- I have installed a few older games like Doom 3,Cricket 2007 and Tombraider which run smoothly on Medium settings. On High, they sometimes crash.
- Photoshop has been very fast on this machine with so much Memory to play with.
- Multi Tasking between all these and a WinAmp running has not lagged the system.
- If you are attached to some older software which don't work on Vista 64, there's a free Microsoft Download called Virtual PC which allows one to install a separate OS System like XP which runs completely on its own when activated. Unlike the old days, this is not a gimmick. I have tried installing and running a 32 bit Autocad 2008 in it and it runs very fast.
- Movie Encoding - Usually takes my HP Core 2 Duo laptop 6-8 hours to encode 2-3 avi's onto a DVD in highest settings. This machine did that in 60-70 minutes.

Cons
- So far Ive noticed the Eject button on my machine is too hard. You have to press it hard until you hear a faint click to make the CD Drive eject. Its a bit irritating but not a major factor as these days one mostly uses USB Sticks or HDs. It could also be the case only on my machine.
- It's very important to realize that this machine is great for casual mid level gaming but if you are looking towards the high end gaming scene, you will need to change the Video Card. These you will only be able to choose from the "Low Profile" types which will fit the small casing. Normal ones won't.
- It would have been nice to have a wireless card but it's ok, one can exchange that with the existing one.

Overall Experience
- As usual Microsoft introduced an OS 2 years back (Vista) which was laggy, with bugs and slow on most of the new machines those days. Now the Vista experience on this machine has been a breeze and fun.

Enjoy! :)

A best buy for under $500.00
I was searching for a Business/School Desktop under $500.00 with good solid computing power. With its Intell Quad processor and 4 Gigabites memory, it was a standout.

The Intell Video Processor is plain vanila, not the best choice for gamming. Analog connections are no problem, but if you use the Digitial Video output, it is HDMI. HDMI is fine for newer monitors, but requires a HDMI to DVI converter to work with some older monitors.

There is no room to add video boards, but the footprint of the minitower pack a lot of punch for it size. Gateway claims that the computer can handle up to 8 gig of memory, with the 64 bit processor 6 should be max for performance because of the grater capability of the 64 bit processor. If you know what will work best with your applications and if this fits the bill, you won't find more value for your money.

I have three Gateways less than two yers old, they are very reliable and I have found their US BASED help centers to be excellent. I hope this does not change under ACER.

Great value
I was looking for a simple (not for gaming) Windows PC. Since I am no longer a hobbyist when it comes to building computers, I really was looking for something that would work well, have a small footprint on my desk, and give me the most power for my dollar, all under $500. I found exactly what I was looking for with this Gateway. Compared to similar models from Dell and HP, I think this is a great value. Fast Core 2 Quad processor, healthy 4GB RAM, large HDD at 650GB. So all your basic specs are top-grade, and you're not spending a lot of money. OK, so what are the trade-offs you make when choosing this computer?

First, you can't really upgrade it all that much. It only has 1 space for an internal HDD, so to add more space you are talking about external (to Gateway's credit though, they do include a nice handy eSATA port in the back so you can do this and not suffer with slow USB speeds). The case's small size means the 2 PCIe slots won't find too many cards you can buy and fit inside (one of the slots is taken up by a modem - really, a modem but no wireless?)

Second, the video card is good enough to run 64-bit Vista, but not good enough for graphics-intensive tasks like gaming, or running dual monitors. I couldn't get both video ports (HDMI and VGA) to run 2 monitors at an acceptable resolution - it could do it, but not at a decent resolution. I might evenutally take out the modem and add a half-height PCIe video card to drive a second monitor but we'll see. For now I'm running it at 1900x1200 on a Samsung 26" monitor and it works great via HDMI.

Some details I found out once I bought it which shouldn't impact your decision too much, but are probably good to know. Even though it looks like it could stand vertical or horizontal, it really is designed to stand vertically only. There are no rubber feet on the side, and if you lay it flat on it's side, the door for the front ports will scrape against your desk and possibly break off. So don't buy it thinking it'll be good to sit a monitor on top of it. It's not good for that. If you want to have the DVD drive print labels on your discs, the DVD drive uses the less popular LabelFlash technology. Discs are more expensive than LightScribe and I guess more difficult to find, but odds are I would never use either one (so I don't really care, but you might). A minor point that I liked, it didn't come pre-loaded with a ton of garbage-ware. Uninstalled Norton (so I could install Kaspersky) created the recovery disks (3 DVDs) and that was about all.

Overall I am extremely happy with this purchase - the small case fits nicely on my desk, the CPU is very fast, lots of RAM, big HDD, and ready for 64-bit Windows 7 (free upgrade when Win7 comes out.) A lot of computer for your money as long as you know what the limitations are and don't want to use it for gaming or hobbyist upgrading. Only reasons it doesn't get 5 stars: the case should have been made to stand vertical or horizontal, and the modem should have been a wireless LAN card.

About Gateway SX2800-01 Desktop PC detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #145 in Personal Computers
Brand: Gateway
Dimensions: 19.00 pounds
CPU: Intel Core Duo 2.33 GHz
Memory: 4000MB DDR3 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 640GB
Processors: 4

Features

Contents -Desktop PC, Keyboard/Mouse, USB Stereo Speakers
Software Bundle - Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit Edition, Microsoft Works 9, Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition 2007 60-Day Trial
Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 60-Day Trial, 1-Year Limited Warranty
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33 GHz Processor; 4 MB L2 Cache, 1333 MHz Bus Speed
4096 MB DDR3 RAM; 640 GB (7200RPM) SATA Hard Drive

Gateway SX2800-01 Desktop PC Description

Unleash your creative side with the Gateway SX2800 Desktop featuring powerful Intel Core 2 Quad performance, 4GB DDR3 memory and a large 640GB hard drive packed in a sleek compact design that takes up very little desk space. Recessed into the top of the SX Desktop, a handy device holder with a grip-like feel provides a convenient place to rest your camera, MP3 player, camcorder or more while download media from the front accessible Multi-in-One Card Reader. Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500 18x DVD+-R/RW Labelflash Drive with Double Layer 6-Channel (5.1) High Definition Audio 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet LAN Multi-in-One Card Reader Front ports - 5 x USB, Headphone, Microphone Back ports - 4 x USB, eSATA, IEEE-1394, 2 x PS2 ports (keyboard, mouse), Center/Sub, Rear, Side, Line-in, Microphone, Optical, S/PDIF, RJ-11 (Modem), RJ-45, VGA, HDMI Expansion slots - PCI Express x1 (occupied), PCI Express x16 (available) Drive bays - 5.25 (occupied), 3.5 (occupied) Monitor is not included

Cheers and have a GREAT day!
Cheers

Tag : Desktop, Gateway, SX2800-01

Apple iMac MB418LL/A 24-Inch Desktop

2009-10-02T22:56:00.001-10:00

Apple iMac MB418LL/A 24-Inch Desktop

Are You Interested in Apple iMac MB418LL/A 24-Inch Desktop You can see Now!

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Great home/media alternative, a review from a PC user - 4 1/2 stars
This review is intended mainly for PC users who are new to the Mac. I'm not a huge computer person, I've always had PCs, and frankly I've always thought Macs were for hippies with ponytails. I pretty much have to use a PC for my job functions, but over the last few years I've been underwhelmed by both my home and work desktop (both dells) and my home notebook (HP). I'm fed up with the windows BS - freezing for no reason, slowing down for no reason, taking forever to shutdown/startup, constantly nagging to update virus software etc. I'm ok putting up with this for my work PC, but when it was time to replace my home desktop I decided to take a look at the Mac. I'm glad I did. I went with the 2.66ghz iMac with 24" monitor and 640gig HD.

First Impressions: Coming from a Dell, the iMac was pretty damn impressive right out of the box. The single box was smaller than I expected, and Amazon packed it pretty good (important because Amazon has dropped the ball on this before on other items). The 24" screen is HUGE and looks great. Setup is a breeze - it took much longer to disconnect my PC than to set this up. Just plug it in, connect to router, connect keyboard and you are ready. No, I don't miss the gigantic bundle of wires that used to be next to my desk. I was connected and playing around with this within 5 minutes of opening the box.

Pros: Beautiful screen, fast, easy to get set up and start using. The display is impressive compared to a windows PC. No dealing with virus software nagging for updates. The Time Machine feature makes it extremely easy to back up. Great overall design w/ few wires and nice touches like 2 USB inputs on the keyboard, camera built into monitor etc.

Cons: No Bluray player option (why not?). No numeric pad on keyboard (but I can't knock them for this since it is an option if you order from Apple's website). Built in speakers in monitor are pretty weak for music (I'll upgrade). I do think the "it's so intuitive to use" hype of Macs is a bit overhyped today - I think the user interface on a windows machine is just as intuitive, albeit much less visually impressive.

Where to buy: I purchased this from Amazon and I'm glad I did, as I saved about $150 vs. the Apple store. The downside to ordering on Amazon is the apple store gives you a few choices (like a numeric pad on the keyboard and wireless mouse) that Amazon does not. I initially started to purchase this from the Apple website because I wanted the numeric keypad, but as I was checking out I noticed they slapped me with sales tax of about $100 - you normally don't pay sales tax when you buy on the internet and the vendor is out of state. When I saw that I immediately cancelled my order and purchased from Amazon (plus Amazon was a bit cheaper to begin with in addition to no sales tax). Amazon also shipped it to me faster (though I have Amazon Prime), and did a good job packaging it. If you go w/ the apple store online, pay attention to sales tax your results may vary depending on your state.

Bottom line: I'm glad I got this. It's a great alternative for a home computer which I mostly use for internet and media purposes (I won't be installing excel on this machine!). It is a bit pricey compared to a PC, but it's worth it if you appreciate the impressive design, nice asthetics, great monitor, and less headache vs. a PC.

Simply Fantastic.
First of all, I am a software developer who primarily uses my home computer for web development. I was previously struggling with a Dell laptop that was running Windows XP, and gave me nothing but problems from the beginning. Everything from the shoddy construction of the computer itself, to the slow software bogged-down by antivirus software made every task a chore. I was already in the market for a new desktop, and was leaning towards an iMac. When the new lineup with the upgraded RAM, hard drive, and nVidia graphics card was released, I decided the time was right to upgrade.

I purchased the 24" 640GB/4GB iMac from Apple because I received a substantial discount through my company, and one week later it arrived. I was extrememly excited to open the box, and after doing so was not disappointed. The computer comes packaged beautifully, and looks awesome. Everything about the design and packaging exudes minimalism and simplicity. I plugged in the keyboard, mouse, and power cord, pushed the power button, and was off. The startup included a cool animation followed by the typical registration/configuration screens. About 5 minutes after pulling the computer out of the box, I was exploring the massive desktop and checking my email. The software runs smoothly, and everything loads instantaneously. The computer runs silently, and restarting the computer takes about 15 seconds. The keyboard is wafer-thin, and is not the most ergonomically-sound piece of equipment I have seen, but it is still very nice, and the mouse is the best I have used.

As a user who does more than just surf the net and check email, I can say that there really is no comparison between my old computer and this one- they are two different machines, and this one is just capable of doing things that my old one wasn't. My old laptop actually had a 3GHz Intel P4 and 1GB of RAM, so we're not talking about a 386 here. However the software and crappy hardware were a constant headache- I actually had to solder together several wires in the motherboard due to a widely reported design flaw which Dell would not fix. They actually suggested that I mail the laptop in for $200 so they could diagnose the problem. That one episode is why I will NEVER consider a Dell again. They build crap and don't stand behind their products. Due to a virus, I had to wipe my hard drive clean and reinstall Windows, losing about two years worth of files in the process. I am with Apple for the long haul.

So to summarize, if you are on the fence about this computer, and don't care to wait for Snow Leopard to be released, get this computer- there will be no buyer's remorse. Also, definitely opt for the 24" model- the screen is enormous, and the display is just gorgeous. One suggestion- Apple packages the new iMac's with a keyboard with NO numberpad. If purchasing from Apple you can opt for the full keyboard for no extra charge. Since Amazon typically sells these at a substantial discount from the Apple store (and with no tax), it is probably worth just dealing with the shipped keyboard (since I don't think Amazon allows any customization). You can always use another USB keyboard, but the Mighty Mouse has a cord that is about 6 inches long, so it is really designed to plug into the keyboard, so if you are subbing in a different keyboard and want to use the Mighty Mouse, you will probably have to have a USB port on the keyboard.

Incredibile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just recently purchased this wonderful piece of engineering and I am very impressed with it. I have always been a user of Windows based machines but I am currently learning programming and have branched out to Linux based laptops in my studies. Sadly, the past five years I have only used laptops because of the size of my apartment, I just could not fit a tower. Even more discouraging, the all in one Windows based machines only have Vista. I was actually in the market for a Macbook but when I saw the new iMac I was in love. It was the perfect size for me to finally have a desktop after all these years. The screen, resolution and colors are beautiful. Even from few feet away I can view the screen clearly. It feels so good not to squint at a laptop screen. It has been easy to adjust to this OS and I find the experience painless. The feel of the keyboard is like no other; I was apprehensive about the small size but typing is incredible and quiet. I did have an issue regarding iTunes but the customer support was fantastic and they resolved the issue better then I imagined. Compared to Windows based machine one may find the power in the iMac to be less but keep in mind Mac's are very efficient with resources. For example, the new iMac is ready to go after a few seconds after startup. My mother's HP with 4gb of ram, same speed processor and dedicated video graphics memory-requires a few minute to boot up to a usable environment. I am able to open application(s) in the Mac very quickly after startup. I am very impressed and I can't wait to play around with Xcode and other development options. In the end I highly recommend to anyone looking for a solid system for home use. Power users may want to consider the iMac with dedicated graphics. Just one last note upgrading the 2Gb RAM to 4Gb is very easy and cost around $60.

About Apple iMac MB418LL/A 24-Inch Desktop detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #127 in Personal Computers
Brand: Apple
Model: MB418LL/A
Dimensions: .0 pounds

Features

All-in-one Mac desktop with 24-inch glossy screen and sleek anodized aluminum enclosure
2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 640 GB hard drive, 4 GB RAM (8 GB max), 8x multi-format/dual-layer SuperDrive
Draft-N Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n); Gigabit Ethernet; Bluetooth 2.1; NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics with 256 MB of shared memory
Four USB 2.0, one FireWire 800, Mini DisplayPort output (with optional adapters for DVI and VGA), audio line in/optical digital audio input
Pre-loaded with Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard and iLife '09; includes Apple Keyboard and Mighty Mouse

Apple iMac MB418LL/A 24-Inch Desktop Description

The all-in-one iMac packs a complete, high-performance computer including the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors into a beautifully thin, anodized aluminum and glass design. The latest Intel Core 2 Duo processor with advanced 45-nm process technology and 6MB of shared L2 cache, allowing you to run your applications faster and more efficiently than ever before. This iMac features a glossy 24-inch widescreen display and NVIDIA GeForce graphics, that gives you a blow-you-away level of detail and realism in games, three-dimensional graphics, high-resolution photos, and high-definition video that comes alive with rich, vivid color. Built into the top of iMac is an iSight camera. You'll hardly notice it's there until you want to launch iChat, Photo Booth, or iMovie. iSight is easy to use and highly advanced. The remarkable picture quality and color accuracy make this tiny feature huge. With iLife '09, Mac OS X Leopard, built-in wireless, speakers, and ultrathin anodized aluminum Apple Keyboard, you'll be creating, sharing, surfing, and playing within minutes of opening the box. 24 Glossy Widescreen TFT Active-Matrix (1920 x 1200, 385 cd/m2, 750 - 1 contrast ratio, 178 H/V viewing angle) Liquid Crystal Display Built-in iSight Camera with Microphone NVIDIA GeForce 9400M with 256MB GDDR3 Shared Video Memory Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive (DVD+-RW DL/CD-RW) Stereo speakers with 24-watt Digital Amplifier AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ports - 4 x USB 2.0 (2 x USB ports on keyboard), FireWire 800, Optical Digital Audio Output/Headphone out, Optical Digital Audio input/audio line in, Mini DisplayPort with support for DVI, and VGA, connections via Optional Adapter, RJ-45 (LAN) Approximate Unit Dimensions - 20.5 (H) x 22.4 (W) x 8.1 (D) Approximate Unit Weight - 25.4 Pounds

I would be grateful if you would give me the Interview
Cheers !.

Tag : MB418LL/A, Apple, iMac

HP Pavilion DV6-1260SE 15.6-Inch Entertainment Laptop

2009-10-02T22:49:00.000-10:00

HP Pavilion DV6-1260SE 15.6-Inch Entertainment Laptop

Now I find HP Pavilion DV6-1260SE 15.6-Inch Entertainment Laptop Yes, I think that interesting .

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Good features and good price
My wife and I purchased a slightly different version of this laptop for her mother and I have been very impressed with the features and build quality (there are several DV6 models but they are all built on the same chasis). It is well constructed with a metallic toned black or white plastic exterior (this model is white, we have the black). Take a good look at the shell art since it is something that may not appeal to everyone (especially this one which is the "SE" artist edition). My mother-in-law definitely appreciated having something a little more individual than the usual dull grey exterior. Despite the glossy exterior we haven't noticed much in the way of finger prints or any scratches despite the helping hands of our kids who love to "help" grandma with her computer. (Update: I've learned there are some models without art work such as the HP Pavilion DV6-1050US 16.0-Inch Laptop and the HP Pavilion DV6-1030US 16.0-Inch Laptop.)

The specs for this model are set well above what the average home owner needs today which (in my mind) future proofs it nicely. If you are on a tight budget you can get what you need for less (look at the HP Pavilion G60 line). If you have a little bit more to spend and you want some headroom to handle your computing needs for the next few years this is a great choice.

CPU - The dual core Turion is a solid notebook processor. It can handle two threads which means you can have the virus scanner running while you surf the web with no noticeable slowdown. No it's not the most aggressive notebook CPU out there but it's a solid mid-tier processor that runs cool and has a great power envelope. Outside of gaming CPUs are not the performance bottleneck in notebooks so most users should aim for a mid-tier CPU and spend their budget on things that will get them more tangible enjoyment (like a nice display and good graphics).

RAM - of RAM is combined with a 64bit OS to which should provided more than enough memory for pretty much any application you can think of outside of extremely high end gaming.

HDD - 500GB plenty is far more space than you need now but again, I like the future proofing. Some people may not like that it is 5400 RPM (vs. 7200 RPM) but the performance difference for home users is nearly zero and the reliability of 5400 RPM drives makes me prefer them in notebooks which are hard on hard disks (because they move around while in use notebook HDDs suffer far more failures than desktop drives)

Graphics - The integrated ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 is vastly superior to the usual low-end graphics that plague notebooks. You can actually do a little gaming on this notebook which is a truly rare thing.

Display - HP has a reputation for high-end displays and this one delivers. Tuned slightly for indoor use the HP Brightview display is good enough for outdoor use though not as much as a more matte display. Indoors it is brilliant with surprisingly strong blacks (too many notebook displays are all brightness with no depth). I like that the screen provides a decent amount of vertical space without overdoing it. The difference between this and a 14" is surprising. (Note: HP recently starting mixing 15.6" and 16.0" screens in the DV6 model line. You can usually buy a very similar model with either screen size though you may have to custum order).

Sound - Surprisingly good sound for a notebook. The speakers are well positioned and deliver a good range. I've heard better but it was on a $3K notebook.

Battery - For years the retail notebook market has been plagued with cheap six cell and even four cell batteries that could barely deliver 90 minutes of real computing use. To see HP bundle a 12 cell Li-Ion battery in with this notebook is hopefully a sign the industry is recognizing that noteboo users want good battery life. With a 12 cell battery you can realistically plan to go all day without plugging in. This does add slightly to the weight but few users will notice (about 1/10 of a pound).

I don't have any serious "cons" for this computer. The "Touch Media Controls" for things like the volume (as opposed to buttons you push) are a little odd at first but we got used to them quickly and hey, they look cool when they light up.

To wrap it all up: you can always buy more features for more money but if you are looking for a laptop with some higher-end features and upscale build quality this is an excellent choice. HP spent money in the right places and has created a high-end laptop at a mid-tier price.

Great Laptop.
I bought this laptop for the wife as a going back to school gift. So far its been a great laptop. There are two things that I don't care for too much (but not a big issue) The screen resolution is pretty low. It barely meets the minimum for Windows Vista But otherwise the resolution is ok.(720p) The other thing is the battery. I guess it has the extended battery and it sticks out of the bottom about three inches. This does add a nice little incline when sitting on a desk, but trying to find a sleeve or bag to carry it in is proving difficult because of this. Otherwise, the laptop is great. Good sound, Great battery life (extended battery) and the Graphics card is very good. It runs the Sims 3 perfectly, albeit at a low resolution, but with all the eye candy turned on in the game its still looks really good and runs very smoothly. There are plenty of ports and connections along all sides(Including HDMI) and the DvD drive is quiet and fast. I bought a bluetooth mouse for her and it connected and works will with the built in bluetooth of the laptop. The build quality is some of the best i've seen. (Better than the Alienware laptop i have)

I would recommend this laptop to others.
I have no problem rating this laptop as 5 stars.

AWESOME!
I just received this laptop yesterday after doing extensive research. You can't touch this laptop with the same specs anywhere for this price. PLUS, this is a GREAT looking laptop - I just love it. The keyboard is like a pearly white and the graphics on the front are awesome. I am definately a person who doesn't like "cookie cutter" things - so this was right up my alley. I know that these types of graphics aren't for everyone, but I absolutely am blown away. Now for the good part! This laptop has amazing speed. It was up and running in about 15 minutes - right out of the box. I just love my new laptop and am extremely pleased!

About HP Pavilion DV6-1260SE 15.6-Inch Entertainment Laptop detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #284 in Personal Computers
Color: White
Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Model: NV139UA#ABA
Dimensions: 1.61" h x 10.15" w x 14.90" l, 6.47 pounds
CPU: AMD Turion 64 2.3 Hz
Memory: 4000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 500GB
Processors: 2
Native resolution: 16
Display size: 16

Features

AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-85 Dual-Core Mobile Processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 with up to 1 GB dedicated memory
4 GB DDR2 RAM (2 Dimm) (8 GB Max)
500GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA), SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with LightScribe and Double Layer Support
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition with Service Pack 1
15.6 inch Diagonal High Definition HP LED BrightView Display (1366x768)

HP Pavilion DV6-1260SE 15.6-Inch Entertainment Laptop Description

YOUTH DESIGN: Selected from over 20,000 designs entered in the 2008 MTV Engine Room competition, the Sea & Sky design was inspired by the scenery around the artist's home town on the island of Okinawa in Japan. Shades of pure blues and green set within wave-like lines flowing from a burst of sun-yellow at the center contrast cleanly with the white background. The oceanic effect crashes over to the palm rest and flows throughout the system desktop, wall paper, flash demo icon and program menus for a truly-integrated aesthetic experience. A white color-matched keyboard and touchpad plus touch media controls that light up and become visible only when the system is powered on further enhance the clean appearance. Packaging, plus setup and user guides, coordinate with the winning design as welll. ENTERTAINMENT EVERYWHERE: Providing more choices than ever, HP MediaSmart enables access to DVDs, videos, photos, music, Internet TV and radio at the touch of a button. Built-in demos show you how to add music to your slide shows or videos with drag-and-drop functionality ¿ and much more. An HDMI port enables you to watch films on an HD TV. Muvee Reveal makes creating films complete with effects and transitions a snap! Enjoy full-screen viewing of HD TV and movies with the 16:9 aspect ratio. Extras include dual headphone jacks and an HP Mobile Remote Control. SRS Premium Sound delivers the ultimate audio experience. What's in the box: dv6-1260se laptop, 90W AC Adapter, 12-Cell Lithium-Ion battery, Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 with 60 days complimentary live update, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Shockwave Player, Corel Paint Shop Pro X2, Corel VideoStudio X2, Corel Painter Sketch Pad, Magix Music Maker 14, Stardock MyColors, Muvee Reveal, Cyberlink DVD Suite and Adobe Acrobat Reader

Cheers and have a GREAT day!
Cheers

Tag : DV6-1260SE, HP, Pavilion

Samsung 2233SW 21.5-Inch Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor

2009-09-05T18:17:00.002-10:00

Samsung 2233SW 21.5-Inch Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor

This day I'll introduce you about Samsung 2233SW 21.5-Inch Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor Yes, I think that interesting .

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

great monitor, and cheap too!
I was looking for a nice large monitor to attach to my 15 inch macbook pro. I[...]The only problem i have encountered is it is a bit difficult to get the base attached to the monitor. The socket in which it goes is very tight and it took a while and a lot of force to get it in there. The directions about this part were very unclear.

Once the monitor was set up i plugged it in to the wall, then my computer through the included dvi cable and powered it on. Picture showed up in full resolution right away with no need to install drivers or make any adjustments.

This monitor works great as a second monitor, or even as the only monitor with the macbook closed. THe picture is great and this monitor has a 16x 9 aspect ratio instead of the normal 16x10. This makes it great for watching movies or online tv shows.

Great product and great value.

Fantastic monitor. Inexpensive and beautiful. Gamer review. 5ms response
I am using this monitor right now as a backup monitor for my main which died last week. I got this one because of 2 main things; price and repsonse time. If you are into games then you know what a fast response time means. It means less video tearing and faster black to black. My last monitor was 8ms and I thought that it was perfect. Now with this one I am very impressed.

Here are the main specs:
<> Response time: 5ms.
<> Viewable Screen Size: 21.5 inches
<> Viewing Angle: Horizontal 170deg & Vertical 160 deg
<> Contrast Ratios are; Dynamic 15000:1 & Native 1000:1
<> Brightness: 300 cd
<> Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Pros.

>> Price
>> Speed
>> Controls
>> Real HD

Cons.
<< Stand is kind of flimsy
<< Piano black finish shows Cheetos and fingerprints too easily.

Overall 5-star and a great product.

Thank you for reading my review.

Great Monitor Just Not For Wall Mount
This is a great monitor if you want a desktop monitor but I ordered this to wall mount it. The back of the monitor has four screw holes where you can attach it to the wall mount. The first monitor I ordered arrived and the plate that allow you to screw into the monitor had come loose and there were sounds of small pieces bouncing around inside. I returned it and ordered another one. The second one arrived with the same problem but it was not as bad. I removed the case lid as I am comfortable doing so having built computers. Do not do this if your inexperienced as you will inevitably break a plastic clamp doing it incorrectly. With that said I discovered two small metal pieces that provide the screw mounts internally. One had come off and was at the bottom of the monitor. I also discovered that the pieces probably wouldn't have damaged in internal components as they are all well protected. I fixed it and it works great but I should not have to take a monitor apart to wall mount it. In Samsung's defense this is probably not an issue if you buy it a store as they are shipped to the store in bulk. I ordered online and had it shipped as a single unit. That probably caused the weak plastic clamp to break in transit but not enough to cause any other problems. It's clearly a design issue but since I love the lcd I could not return it and buy an Acer although I was tempted. I am sure Samsung will fix it but this isn't the experience I expected on my 10th or so Samsung product. Optimistic but disappointed they will fix it in future products but disappointed. - Brian, CT

About Samsung 2233SW 21.5-Inch Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #55 in Personal Computers
Brand: Samsung
Model: 2233SW
Platform: Windows
Format: CD
Dimensions: 4.80" h x 16.10" w x 23.40" l, 13.08 pounds

Features

21.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor
1920x1080 Full HD Resolution
Distinctive soft design with rich piano finish
5ms response time, up to 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
Exclusive Samsung Magic technologies for rich, natural color

Samsung 2233SW 21.5-Inch Full HD Widescreen LCD Monitor Description

Imagine a sculpture that doubles as a valuable business tool. That describes the Samsung 2233SW 21.5" widescreen LCD monitor perfectly. Its soft curves, rich piano black finish and clear acrylic accent bar lend distinctive style and sophistication to your desk. Its clean look extends even to the back, with an integrated housing that hides all your cables. And when you turn it on, the 2233SW more than lives up to expectations. The 16:9 aspect ratio provides more room for multitasking. 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution gives you the highest resolution possible. The 5ms response time and 15,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio mean razor-sharp, detailed motion video. Exclusive Samsung technologies give you rich color with natural skin tones. With Aspect Ratio Control, the 2233SW won't stretch 4:3 content to fill the widescreen. Whether you're viewing 5:4 or 4:3 content, it will always be distortion free. The 2233SW also offers you a Custom Key, for quick, one-touch access to the Samsung picture optimization function you use the most. And an energy-saving Power Consumption Control lets you set your 2233SW to turn off automatically at a specific time. Beauty inside and out. With the Samsung 2233SW, it's not hard to imagine.

I would be grateful if you would give me the Interview
Cheers !.

Tag : 21.5-Inch, Samsung, 2233SW

Acer V223-WBD 22" Widescreen TFT LCD Monitor (Black)

2009-09-05T18:17:00.001-10:00

Acer V223-WBD 22" Widescreen TFT LCD Monitor (Black)

Have a nice time i find Acer V223-WBD 22" Widescreen TFT LCD Monitor (Black) I make this product appeal to young people

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Great bargain.
I am extremely happy with these monitors (I bought two and use them side by side). They are very bright, clear, and crisp with the DVI inputs (note that they come with DVI and VGA but not HDMI inputs). I don't do a lot of graphics-intense gaming so I can't comment on how they hold up in those conditions.

I'm sure there are better monitors out there (for a lot more money) but my 20/25 vision can't see any imperfections.

So so monitor, has very irritating flaw.
It is what it claimed to be. 22 inch monitor. Received, plugged in, booted computer, changed resolution to 1680x1050. Viola! Had it working in about 5 minutes. Tilt can be adjusted somewhat. No adjustment to height, no USB ports or anything like that. Came with digital and analog cables.
Update: If the computer goes into power save mode, or you turn off the monitor....or anything else happens to have the monitor stop receiving a signal, it will not come back on until I reboot the computer. The monitor goes brain dead and refuses to recognize that there is a digital signal coming into it.

Perfect Monitor for the Cost
I bought this monitor for under 170$ off of Amazon marketplace. So far it has worked perfectly with my vista laptop. Graphics and text looks great, and movies are satisfactory. If you want a big, great looking monitor with no frills, this is definitely the best one on the market.

About Acer V223-WBD 22" Widescreen TFT LCD Monitor (Black) detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #21 in Personal Computers
Color: Black
Brand: Acer
Model: ET.EV3WP.001
Dimensions: 4.80" h x 18.10" w x 22.50" l, 13.10 pounds
CPU: AMD Athlon 1 GHz
Memory: 128000MB DRAM
Hard Disk: 1GB
Processors: 1
Native resolution: 22
Display size: 22

Features

1680 x 1050 resolution
2500:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 300 cd/m2 brightness
170°/160° horizontal/vertical viewing angles
VGA and DVI (HDCP) connectors
5ms response time

Acer V223-WBD 22" Widescreen TFT LCD Monitor (Black) Description

ACER 22-Inch W V223WBD 2500:1 DVI B

Bye Bye
Cheers and Care

Tag : 22", Acer, V223-WBD

ASUS VH242H 23.6-Inch Wide 16:9 5 ms Response Time 20000:1 Smart Contrast Ratio LCD Monitor

2009-09-05T18:16:00.001-10:00

ASUS VH242H 23.6-Inch Wide 16:9 5 ms Response Time 20000:1 Smart Contrast Ratio LCD Monitor

Have a nice time i find ASUS VH242H 23.6-Inch Wide 16:9 5 ms Response Time 20000:1 Smart Contrast Ratio LCD Monitor from amazon and I read about that ,I think that wonderfull.

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Simply Spectacular
While I have used Asus MoBo's and video cards in the past, this is my first Asus monitor.

I replaced two 17" Samsung LCD's with this one 24". It is truly beautfiul. The color clarity and sharpness of the image are excellent. The HDMI port allows me to hook up a cable box to watch TV. The DVI port is connected to my PC.

I am very impressed with this ASUS VH242H monitor.

Great Brand, Great Price, Buy it!
Well, I was shopping for a new monitor to upgrade my 15 inch lcd. After shopping around, I saw this monitor and instantly was intrigued. A 24 inch monitor for less than 200 dollars seemed a little cheap. But anyone who knows about computers can tell you that Asus is no small name. So I gave it a shot, and I don't regret it! This monitor looks great with computer games, it has all the computer inputs you need as well as HDMI! Hooking an Xbox 360 through this looks just as good as my 1080p 42" tv. Even my HDMI DVR box looks great with this monitor. The buttons feel a little cheap on this, but when do you ever use them? This monitor is a smart choice to save the most money and have the same quality as a $400 monitor. I get compliments about this monitor from people who paid way more for an HP or Dell monitor. If you are the least bit interested in this product, buy it!

Great value for the money
I got this monitor some weeks ago for $189, and it's great... default color presets are not very satisfying, but after playing it for a while it works great, 1920x1080 is great to use programing IDEs, watch movies, gaming, etc... it's a excellent price/product deal

About ASUS VH242H 23.6-Inch Wide 16:9 5 ms Response Time 20000:1 Smart Contrast Ratio LCD Monitor detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #77 in Personal Computers
Color: Black
Brand: Asus
Model: VH242H
Dimensions: 6.75" h x 19.00" w x 25.00" l, 17.90 pounds
Native resolution: 23.6
Display size: 23.6

Features

23.6" Wide (16:9)
5 ms Response Time
HDMI/24-Pin DVI-D/15-Pin D-Sub
HDMI/24-Pin DVI-D/15-Pin D-Sub/SPDIF Audio Out
2W x 2 Stereo, RMS

ASUS VH242H 23.6-Inch Wide 16:9 5 ms Response Time 20000:1 Smart Contrast Ratio LCD Monitor Description

16:9 Full HD, HDMI, SPDIF out and 2Wx2 Build in Speaker

Have a Nice Days!
Cheers

Tag : 23.6-Inch, ASUS, VH242H

HP 2009M 20-Inch HD LCD Monitor

2009-09-05T18:15:00.000-10:00

HP 2009M 20-Inch HD LCD Monitor

This day I'll introduce you about HP 2009M 20-Inch HD LCD Monitor You can see Now!

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Excellent Value
This monitor has a great picture and works flawlessly with my MacBook. The 16:9 aspect is perfect for watching DVDs and hulu.com. The design is slick and modern, and the glossy screen is vibrant. For under $150.00 how can you go wrong?

The built in speakers are a little quiet, but better than my notebook's built in speakers.

When connecting with a Mac, I recommend turning the monitor's auto sleep function off, as it would sleep before I could get my Mac to output video.

Well worth upgrade
I was in the market for a monitor to replace my 17in LCD that came with my desktop, and although there was nothing wrong with mine, I wanted to have a bigger screen to be able to have two word documents open side by side for school and work purposes. I also wanted something that was reasonably priced, and also have the flexibility of playing games and watching movies from time to time, and this monitor by far meets all my requirements.
The wide screen is perfect for viewing documents without having to change the settings on the resolution in which the letters would be so small to read, and for this price I was not able to pass it up.
The build in speakers are adequate, however when I am listening to music or doing anything related to media I enjoy the full sound that my logitech speakers provide, needless to say I was not interested on the sound the speakers provided, only on the image the monitor has.
The monitor comes with the software and drives on a CD, but I did not even open the package, I just pluged it in and I let Vista find the latest drivers for it and I had no issues updating the latest drivers and installing them (although it was not necessary).
Overall I am happy with the purchase and I would recommend this monitor to anyone looking into upgrading without having to spend too much money. The case of the monitor itself is sleek and looks really good, and if it was not because of the HP logo, I would confuse it with the Samsung brands cause it looks like my plasma TV.

entering the flat panel world
i had a 21" CRT for 10 yrs. it was fine, just starting to flicker, but was old tech and weighed 50lbs. i looked for a year for a reasonable flat panel (hoping for a 22" under $200). never did find one with speakers that i liked. then volla! here comes an hp and not just under $200, but $50 less and with speakers. looks great! nice design and nice picture. hp designs, to me, are the pc version of mac. found this at my local ODepot for the same as amazon, without the wait of course.

it truly is a plug and play. it came with a cd and i was about to stick it in, when i looked up and everything was working just fine. what a relief! i have xp. the directions say native resolution is 1600x900, but everything was too small. i wanted icons and text sized like my old CRT. so after finally figuring out exactly what 'native resolution' is i tried setting it at the same ratio, but less than the recommended (1280x720). that worked just fine, icons and text are larger; i really don't know what 1600x900 does besides make things smaller. nothing is distorted, so i'm happy.

i like the 16:9 ratio, double windows is a plus that i wasn't looking for, but programs like photoshop do allow for more room without the menus getting in the way of the work screen. may have to reconfigure your tool bars on some programs since u will lose height while gaining width.

the speakers are fine with me, just what i was looking for. wasnt planning on watching a movie anyways. just wanted to get rid of the external speakers i had to use. the screen is glossy, so the glare can be an issue if your lights reflect at the wrong angles.

after using it for a month now, i really dont need a larger screen. i might go up to the 21.5 version if i did. it is so much clearer than the CRT that i guess that makes up for the reduced height, because i see everything fine.

a great deal! buy it before hp figures that out and raises the price to $180. which is probably where it could be since the price jumps between the 21.5 and the 23 is only $30, but $80 between the 20" and 21.5".

better than anticipated.

About HP 2009M 20-Inch HD LCD Monitor detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #12 in Personal Computers
Color: Black
Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Model: HP 2009m 20" 16x9
Original language: English
Dimensions: 19.80" h x 14.60" w x 7.20" l, 13.23 pounds
Native resolution: 20
Display size: 20

Features

Expand your view to include more room for web pages, wide documents and online games, using a 20-inch screen with HP widescreen technology.
View details clearly with a maximum resolution of 1600 x 900.
Get crisp, clear images with a 1000:1 contrast ratio.
Sharpen images and reduce glare with HP BrightView technology.
Listen to audio clips through space-saving built-in speakers.

HP 2009M 20-Inch HD LCD Monitor Description

Give yourself more room for web pages,1 wide documents and photos with a stylish 20-inch monitor featuring both digital and analog connectivity. Expand your view to include more room for web pages, wide documents and online games, using a 20-inch screen with HP widescreen technology. View details clearly with a maximum resolution of 1600 x900. Get crisp, clear images with a 1000:1 contrast ratio. Sharpen images and reduce glare with HP BrightView technology. Listen to audio clips through space-saving built-in speakers. Complement your computer by adding an HP monitor¿designed to be a perfect match with any HP PC or notebook. Free up more desk space with the monitor¿s slim profile that fits a keyboard at its base. Adjust your monitor to your preferred settings, using the swivel and tilt feature. Optimize the display to match your experience¿movies, photos, or games¿by selecting one of the Quick View modes directly from the monitor. Display both digital and analog content, using DVI-D with HDCP and VGA connectivity. Easily connect to a second PC or notebook, using both DVI-D and VGA ports.

Have a COOL !
Cheers

Tag : 20-Inch, HP, 2009M

HP Pavilion DV6-1280US 16-Inch Entertainment Laptop

2009-08-27T01:07:00.001-10:00

HP Pavilion DV6-1280US 16-Inch Entertainment Laptop

We are interested in HP Pavilion DV6-1280US 16-Inch Entertainment Laptop Yes, I think that interesting .

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Excellent notebook
My wife and I purchased this laptop for her mother and I have been very impressed with the features and build quality. It is well constructed with a metallic toned black plastic exterior. Take a good look at the shell art since it is something that may not appeal to everyone but my mother-in-law definitely appreciated having something a little more individual than the usual dull grey exterior. Despite the glossy exterior we haven't noticed much in the way of finger prints or any scratches despite the helping hands of our kids who love to "help" grandma with her computer.

The specs for this model are set well above what the average home owner needs today which (in my mind) future proofs it nicely. If you are on a tight budget you can get what you need for less (look at the HP Pavilion G60 line). If you have a little bit more to spend and you want some headroom to handle your computing needs for the next few years this is a great choice.

CPU - The dual core Turion is a solid notebook processor. It can handle two threads which means you can have the virus scanner running while you surf the web with no noticeable slowdown. No it's not the most aggressive notebook CPU out there but it's a solid mid-tier processor that runs cool and has a great power envelope. Outside of gaming CPUs are not the performance bottleneck in notebooks so most users should aim for a mid-tier CPU and spend their budget on things that will get them more tangible enjoyment (like a nice display and good graphics).

RAM - The 64 bit Windows can utilize more RAM than the old 32 Windows so why not through a lot of memory at it? It's cheap and a better path to improved performance for the average notebook user than more CPU horsepower. 6 GB of RAM might seem like overkill but this is one area where too much now = enough later.

HDD - 500GB plenty is far more space than you need now but again, I like the future proofing. Some people may not like that it is 5400 RPM vs. 7200 RPM but the performance difference is nearly zero thanks to the 6GB of RAM and the reliability of 5400 RPM drives makes me prefer them in notebooks which are hard on hard disks (because they move around while in use notebook HDDs suffer far more failures than desktop drives)

Graphics - The integrated ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 is vastly superior to the usual low-end graphics that plague notebooks. You can actually do a little gaming on this notebook which is a truly rare thing.

Display - HP has a reputation for high-end displays and this one delivers. Tuned slightly for indoor use the HP Brightview display is good enough for outdoor use though not as much as a more matte display. Indoors it is brilliant with surprisingly strong blacks (too many notebook displays are all brightness with no depth). I like that the 16" wide screen provides a decent amount of vertical space without overdoing it. The difference between this and a 14"-15" is surprising.

Sound - Surprisingly good sound for a notebook. The speakers are well positioned and deliver a good range. I've heard better but it was on a $3K notebook.

Battery - For years the retail notebook market has been plagued with cheap six cell and even four cell batteries that could barely deliver 90 minutes of real computing use. To see HP bundle a 12 cell Li-Ion battery in with this notebook is hopefully a sign the industry is recognizing the note users want good battery life. With a 12 cell battery you can realistically plan to go all day without plugging in. This does add slightly to the weight but few users will notice.

I don't have any serious "cons" for this computer. The "Touch Media Controls" for things like the volume (as opposed to buttons you push) are a little odd at first but we got used to them quickly and hey, they look cool when they light up.

To wrap it all up: you can always buy more features for more money but if you are looking for a laptop with some higher-end features and upscale build quality this is an excellent choice. HP spent money in the right places and has created a high-end laptop at a mid-tier price.

Dv6 1280us GAMING LAPTOP
the one guy sums it up its the best for the money...the only i disagree with is this is one of THE BEST processors on the laptop spectrum on the market right now...and a little gaming....NO WAY i bought this thing to play games (i have a number crunching INTEL HP laptop for school) Im running Americas Army two in full graphics and Americas Army 3 on this system and my fav game Battlefield 2142 in full graphics, i can play halo 2 a guitar hero on this machine while itunes is running Battlefield 2 RUNS IN FULL GRAPHICS!!! :) rainbowsix vegas and vegas 2...grand theft auto 4 thats just some of the games i play and they run awesome on this machine...the battery life isnt the greatest but for a gaming laptop it has really long battery life....its not made to take to a meeting or to school (although its built REALLY well) if you want to do that i suggest an older HP Nc6230 with the extended battery and no joke i actually get 4 hours of battery out of that if you want a multi media POWER HOUSE and you don't want a homo iMac then this BEAST is the way to go

About HP Pavilion DV6-1280US 16-Inch Entertainment Laptop detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #83 in Personal Computers
Color: Black
Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Model: NV138UA#ABA
Dimensions: 1.61" h x 10.15" w x 14.90" l, 6.47 pounds
CPU: AMD Turion 64 2.4 Hz
Memory: 6000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 500GB
Processors: 2
Display size: 16

Features

AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-87 Dual-Core Mobile Processor, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 with up to 1 GB dedicated memory
6 GB DDR2 RAM (2 Dimm) (8 GB Max)
500GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA), SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with LightScribe and Double Layer Support
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition with Service Pack 1
16 inch Diagonal High Definition HP LED BrightView Display (1366x768)

HP Pavilion DV6-1280US 16-Inch Entertainment Laptop Description

UNSURPASSED STYLE: Expanding on the sophisticated elegance of the current line, the new dv series is defined by fluid, modern lines and metalized finishes with surprising innovations inside and out. High-gloss HP Imprint finish now encases all surfaces visible during normal use for greater durability. The dv6 series Imprint pattern provides contrast to the liquid appearance of the metallic finish. The streamlined look is enhanced with a color-matched keyboard and touchpad. And touch media controls light up and become visible only when the system is powered on further enhancing the clean appearance and helping illuminate the 16:9 widescreen. HP¿s mobile products have won coveted International Red Dot, iF and CES Innovation design awards and been recognized by other leading design institutions. MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT: Providing more choices than ever, HP MediaSmart enables access to DVDs, videos, photos, music, and Internet TV at the touch of a button. Get access to watch the best video clips from Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and MTV. Built-in demos show you how to add music to your slide shows or videos with drag-and-drop functionality ¿ and much more. An HDMI port enables you to watch films on an HD TV. Muvee Reveal makes creating films complete with effects and transitions a snap! Enjoy full screen viewing with the 16:9 aspect ratio. Extras include dual headphone jacks and an HP Mobile Remote Control. What's in the box: dv6-1280us laptop, 90W AC Adapter, 12-Cell Lithium-Ion battery, Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 with 60 days complimentary live update, Microsoft Works, HP MediaSmart. Muvee Reveal, Cyberlink DVD Suite, Adobe Acrobat Reader and HP Games Powered by Wild Tangent

Have a COOL !
Cheers

Tag : DV6-1280US, HP, Pavilion

HP Pavilion DV4-1430US 14.1-Inch Entertainment Laptop

2009-08-27T01:06:00.000-10:00

HP Pavilion DV4-1430US 14.1-Inch Entertainment Laptop

This day I'll introduce you about HP Pavilion DV4-1430US 14.1-Inch Entertainment Laptop Yes, I think that interesting .

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Amazing!
Before buying this laptop I had bought one from Gateway and it gave me so many problems that I couldn't stand it. I returned it to the store and my only other option for the same price was this laptop. I absolutely love it! Its 100x sturdier than the Gateway and much better looking with its lightup "HP" symbol and cool design. Also, the performance is just as good.

PROS
-durability
-style
-speed
-price
-hardware
-audio quality(high definition)
-ports (HDMI, eSATA, VGA, USB)
-comes with a remote
-battery life (over 2 hours of heavy use)

CONS
-runs hot
-seems to be a little buggy (video card driver crashes every once in a while but recovers itself after a few seconds. Reinstalling driver didn't fix the problem)
-there is no program that comes with the computer or from HP that allows the webcam settings to be changed (resolution, quality, etc)

Overall I LOVE this laptop though and I'm glad that I bought it regardless of its flaws. The value is amazing!
-

Bad Omen!
Well, how to start....
The specs on this quaint little laptop are pretty nice for the price. I've never owned an HP and I was debating between the DV4-1430US and the Toshiba Satellite A505-6973. Both had similar specs, the Toshiba with a bigger hard drive. But I'm a sucker for the 14" laptops for their mobility. I must say that I didn't actually purchase the HP from Amazon. I got it from another retailer because of a lower sale price. So, out of the box, this is an attractive little unit. Light weight yet sturdy. Basic functions are quick. I'd heard that HPs ran a bit hot and that this model was not an exception. But I didn't find it to run quite as hot as my previous laptop that is only a year old (gave it to my nephew - that's why I bought this one). Anyway, for the basics: internet, writing papers, doing some programming - it was fine.

Here's where the review goes downhill and the reason for only 2 stars.

Never got a chance to really test the "entertainment value" of the DV4-1430US. My keyboard stopped working. Wouldn't respond to anything. Luckily, I was within the time frame to return it to the store and did so immediately. Exchanged it for another - same model. By the second day of having the new one, definitely noticed that the hard drive was running very loud. I'm an IT Systems technician for a large company and while some people may not really notice the loud hard drive, I recognized it right away as something that would wreak havoc very soon. Because I have another week to return it to the store, I've hung onto it to get a chance to "window" shop for another because I'm definitely not returning it for the same model. Well, guess what....? Blue Screen of Death tonight. So, I'm pretty much guessing that's my queue to figuring out whether an HP is right for me. Too bad. They have some nice looking laptops.

Will probably go with the Toshiba. Amazon still has it for a nice price and I'm a big Toshiba fan. Guess I should learn to stick with what I know works.

Perfect Laptop For Me
I've had this laptop for 3 weeks now and no problems except that I can't get the scroll bar on the track pad to work. I did a clean install of Windows 7 RC 64-Bit and this laptop runs like a champ!! Those with performance issues are probably due to the combination of Vista and all the bloatware HP installs. I've got this laptop humming!! Highly recommend it. Very light and portable with good battery life. HDMI out looked pretty good on a 52" LCD TV. Probably would look perfect on something a little smaller like a 32" 1080P monitor. Great bang for the buck with this one!

About HP Pavilion DV4-1430US 14.1-Inch Entertainment Laptop detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #95 in Personal Computers
Color: White
Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Model: NU985UA#ABA
Dimensions: 1.57" h x 9.45" w x 13.15" l, 5.08 pounds
CPU: Intel Core Duo 2.1 Hz
Memory: 4000MB DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Disk: 320GB
Processors: 2
Display size: 14.1

Features

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6500, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
4 GB DDR2 RAM (2 Dimm) (8 GB Maximum)
320GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA), SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with LightScribe and Double Layer Support
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit edition with Service Pack 1
14.1 inch Diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)

HP Pavilion DV4-1430US 14.1-Inch Entertainment Laptop Description

UNSURPASSED STYLE: Expanding on the sophisticated elegance of the current line, the new dv series is defined by fluid, modern lines and metalized finishes with surprising innovations inside and out. The dv4 series Imprint pattern provides interesting contrast to the liquid appearance of the metallic finish. And touch media controls light up and become visible only when the system is powered on further enhancing the clean appearance. HP¿s mobile products have won coveted International Red Dot, iF and CES Innovation design awards and been recognized by other leading design institutions. MOBILE ENTERTAINMENT: Providing more choices than ever, HP MediaSmart enables access to DVDs, videos, photos, music, and nternet TV at the touch of a button. Get access to watch the best video clips from Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and MTV. Built-in demos show you how to add music to your slide shows or videos with drag-and-drop functionality ¿ and much more. An HDMI port enables you to watch films on an HD TV. Muvee Reveal makes creating films complete with effects and transitions a snap! Extras include dual headphone jacks and an HP Mobile Remote Control. It¿s time to play! What's in the box: dv4-1430us laptop, 65W AC Adapter, 6-Cell Lithium-Ion battery, Symantec Norton Internet Security 2009 with 60 days complimentary live update, Microsoft Works, HP MediaSmart. Muvee Reveal, Cyberlink DVD Suite, Adobe Acrobat Reader and HP Games Powered by Wild Tangent.

Have a COOL !
Cheers

Tag : DV4-1430US, HP, Pavilion

Compaq Presario CQ60-210US 15.6-Inch Laptop

2009-08-27T01:04:00.000-10:00

Compaq Presario CQ60-210US 15.6-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz AMD Athlon X2 QL-62 Dual-Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

This day I'll introduce you about Compaq Presario CQ60-210US 15.6-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz AMD Athlon X2 QL-62 Dual-Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium) I will think This Interesting ,and you can see that

BuZZ from Customer Shopping

Great Value Priced Laptop! Highly Recommended!
The Compaq Presario CQ60-210US is a very nice, feature rich laptop for home or student use. I was truely impressed with ease of setup, which took about 15 minutes from opening the box and connecting the battery.

This is a rather large laptop and it is somewhat heavy, but not unreasonably so. Here are my observations:

* Large 15.6" screen is very sharp
* Keyboard includes a numeric keypad
* Good sized Hard Drive
* DL DVD RW
* Fast Processor (beats the heck out of my old ACER)
* Lots of RAM (expandable to 4GB)
* 3 USB ports
* Built in Wi-Fi support
* Built in Eathernet
* Built in Modem (but why? :-)
* Built in 5-1 Memory Card reader

Note that this laptop does not have any card expansion slots! This isn't a problem for me, but might be an issue for those wanting to add Firewire or other non-included (like DV) support.

The system scored a respectable 3.8 on the Windows performance scale, which is fairly good for a laptop.

Overall, I am very pleased with Presario CQ60-210US! Highly Recommended!

Nice laptop, good price
This was a replacement laptop for a 2 yr old compaq and is a much better machine. It is large for a laptop, has a great screen, and has given me no problems. I loaded 2007 Office Suite on this. It is a very fast machine. Shipping from Amazon was quick and easy. I later found the same machine at the same price at a local Staples but since Amazon did not charge for shipping I came out the same. Look through the laptop literature carefully - there is reference to an extended accidental damage warranty that can be purchased online for slightly over $100 a year. It is a good idea if the laptop is going to travel around or be used by a younger person. You can make restore disks one time - it takes 3 DVDs or about 17 CDs. Best to do this right away after purchase and store in a safe place. If I had done that last time I might have been able to save my previous laptop. It will take about an hour and well worth the trouble.

Very Good machine...with just a different key board layout...
I bought this one, with a 4GB RAM, from Staples, during their President's Day 2009 Sale.

The machine is very capable, comes with AMD Athelon X2 (Core 2 Duo type) processor, a whopping 4 GB RAM, NVidia Graphics card etc. It also comes with a 64 bit Windows Vista HOME PREMIUM. So thats much better than the Vista Home Basic.

The only thing different with this machine is its key board layout. Since it has a saperate number key-pad, the keys for Pageup, Page Down, Arrow Keys, Insert, Delete etc are either small or on some other location. That takes some time to get used to.

* Large 15.6" screen is very sharp
* Keyboard includes a numeric keypad
* Good sized Hard Drive
* DL DVD RW
* Fast Processor
* Lots of RAM (4GB)
* 3 USB ports
* Built in Wi-Fi support
* Built in Eathernet
* Built in Modem (in case you still live in old days :-)
* Built in 5-1 Memory Card reader

It has a 15.6 inch screen and comes with direct DVD playback. So its easy to watch movies on this laptop.

Overall, this machine is a wonderful machine for home and small business purposes.

Hope this helps!

About Compaq Presario CQ60-210US 15.6-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz AMD Athlon X2 QL-62 Dual-Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium) detail

Amazon Sales Rank: #558 in Personal Computers
Brand: Hewlett-Packard
Model: CQ60-210US
Dimensions: 1.72" h x 9.90" w x 14.88" l, 9.55 pounds
CPU: PowerPC G4 2 GHz
Memory: 2000MB SDRAM
Hard Disk: 1GB
Processors: 1
Display size: 15.6

Features

Stylish laptop with 15.6-inch screen for true 16:9 aspect ratio and glossy black Imprint finish,
2.0 GHz AMD Athlon X2 QL-62 dual-core processor, 250 GB hard drive, 2 GB RAM (4 GB max), dual-layer DVD burner with LightScribe printing
54g Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), Fast Ethernet, NVIDIA GeForce 8200M graphics (up to 895 MB total)
Connections: 3 USB, 1 VGA, 5-in-1 memory card reader (compatible with Secure Digital and Memory Stick)
Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit, SP1)

Compaq Presario CQ60-210US 15.6-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz AMD Athlon X2 QL-62 Dual-Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium) Description

The Compaq Presario CQ60-210US Notebook PC redefines simplicity with thin lines, an iconic touchpad design and sleek touch control panel. Glossy black Imprint finish encases the form and is more durable than traditional painted surfaces. A silver panel covers the palm rest and touch pad area for clean contrast. Compaq Presario notebook PCs are designed with the features and power you need to get the most from Windows Vista. The result is intuitive system controls, powerful search and organization tools and more security when you go online. For those who want everyday computing capability that's built to last at a great value, the Compaq Presario CQ60-210US Notebook PC delivers. Balancing mobility and performance needs at 6.52 lbs, the CQ60-210US is powered by AMD processors and NVIDIA graphics, and includes integrated high-speed wireless LAN. The CQ60-210US ships with Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1, AMD Athlon X2 QL-62 Dual-Core Processor, NVIDIA GeForce 8200M with up to 895MB total graphics memory, 2048MB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm), 250GB (5400RPM) Hard Drive (SATA), LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW with Double Layer Support, 802.11b/g WLAN. Dimensions: 14.88 (L) x 9.90 (D) x 13.80 (min H) approx., weight: 6.52 lbs. approx.

Have a great day everybody!
Cheers

Tag : CQ60-210US, Compaq, Presario