How to Buy a Laptop -- The New Reality of 2012

Never Has to be Upgraded! Easy to Use! Comfortable! 

I recently came a across an interesting article on just this subject on a site called "lifehacker", entitled "How to Buy the Perfect Laptop." Check it out -- it's a good read and will clue you in to a lot of the features in new computers that may be of interest to you. It's a good article, especially in addressing the many considerations as to size, batteries, portability, technical considerations, and so on, but it leaves out what I consider to be the 2 most important factors in choosing ANY PC these days, laptop or desktop.

And they are:

1) How Long Will It Last? Not As Long As You Think! Power = Longevity.


2) Do You Need the Extended Factory Warranty? You May! Can You Do Without Your Computer for More than a Couple of Days?

What do I mean by Power = Longevity? Well, chances are you've had an older computer and noticed that over time it had increasing difficulty in keeping up -- surfing the web, doing day-to-day tasks, multi-tasking, that sort of thing. If it had been more powerful, it would have been useful to you longer and lasted longer. There is a big difference in power and performance between CPUs like the latest Intel Core i7s, and their lesser siblings the Core i3s, as well as AMD CPUs which are less powerful. You cannot choose a new machine for its ability to run in today's environment; you have to think about the years ahead, too. Also the pace of change has ramped up -- that single core Pentium 4 running XP may have lasted you for 7 years. I guarantee you that no current Ultrabook with its mid-range processor will do the same. Buy the most powerful machine you can afford -- you won't regret it.

All arguments about whether paying for factory warranties are "Good Value" or not aside, the real question is -- Can You Do Without Your Computer for a Long Time While it is Being Fixed? If the answer is YES, then, no, you do not need the extended warranty. If the answer is NO, well then, you DO NEED the Extended Warranty. From the Factory. If you depend on your machine for daily use and you cannot just switch to an alternate computer, the first-tier manufacturer (Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba) warranty and service with in-home and on-site repair will get you back up and running within a couple of days. Non factory warranties usually won't. Do not buy that 3rd party warranty! Even if you buy a major brand laptop from Best Buy or some other retailer, you can still buy an extended warranty from the maker. Just call up HP or Dell and give them you invoice info, model and serial number, and the will be happy to sell you one.

Various statistics gathering organizations report something around 1/3 of new computers, be they laptop or desktop, need some kind of repair in the 1st 3 years of their existence. Even if it's less than that, it's enough that you HAVE to Consider the Potential Problem of Being Without your Computer.

Another important thing, and this is touched on in the LIFEHACKER article, if you can, choose a laptop with a user removable hard drive*, and back it up, preferably to a 2-1/2" laptop compatible mirror with disk cloning software.  That way, if your disk goes permanently South, you have an instantly bootable SYA** solution.

Also, about the Apple vs PC thing -- and religious arguments aside -- Apple makes great computers. But! Apple makes EXPENSIVE computers, and they are as much as double or more the cost of PCs (laptops and desktops) of equivalent power. If you like your Macbook Pro or Air, fine, but don't kid yourself about what you are paying for it, just go in peace and worship at the altar of your choice ...

Also Number 2: Remember your computer is not an iPhone or like one, although someday it may be!, and you aren't going to be changing it every year for the new model or whenever your contract is up with Verizon.  You might want something that will last a while. You are going to keep it for the long haul, right?

You aren't? OK. Never mind ...

~Ted

* Go the the manufacturer's website and download the PDF of the manual -- it'll be there and it will say!
**SYA, it's like CYA, only it's saved, not just covered.

Pillow Credit: gizmodo -- http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2009/05/this_is_the_best_laptop_in_the_world_or_at_least_the_softest-2/

Taking Care of Your Computer For Free -- How to Buy the Right Computer Cheaply -- Talk at the Kinnelon Library 7 PM Mar 7 2012

What? You don't like it???

Maybe this would be better ...

I will be giving a talk at the Kinnelon Library Thursday, Mar. 15 at 7 PM, which is the 3rd of 6 such talks a month apart, on the subject of taking care of your Windows PC, new or old, with special attention in Part 3 to:

Buying the right Computer, and Not Paying Too Much for It, including :

1) Who to buy a computer from and how to get the best price, by at least several hundred bucks.

2) What kind of computer you really need and how you can make sure it lasts a long time.

3) How to get the Very Best Deals on related computer equipment and software as well as consumer electronics of all kinds.

I will discuss where you can get the best deals online for top tier name brand machines such as Dell and HP and whether or not you should consider an extended factory warranty, as well as buying from local resources such as BJ's, Best Buy, and so on.

We will repeat our "Open Mike" period at the end of the talk so you can find out why your computer isn't doing what you want:

Ask Your Questions and Solve Your Problems --"Open Mike" -- Questions such as

1) Is my machine too old? When do I need a new machine?

2) How can I "pin" that program to my Taskbar, and what is a "Gadget?"

3) Why does my computer ... ?

4) If you have a laptop with a problem, bring it along and we'll take a quick look.

5) Questions and on-the-spot diagnosis will be limited by the time available!!!

All of you Kinnelon and North Jersey people, and everybody else, are welcome to come.

Call the Kinnelon Library at 973 838 1321 and reserve a spot.

See you there!

~Ted


PS: This talk pertains to PCs running Windows 7, Vista and XP

Photo Credit: various websites

Expired!!! --- By Request -- The 2 Best Deals in Windows Laptops Since Last Thanksgiving

Note: The Coupon Code Deals Have Expired for these 2 HP Laptops. Sorry. I'll let you know when they are back!

HP dv7 Little but Cheap and Powerful

HP dv6 Even Littler but Still Cheap and Powerful

I've gotten some emails pestering, er ... asking me what are the best Laptop computers to buy right now, and the interesting thing is the 2 machines I am going to recommend have been showing up with unadvertised Coupon Codes for some months now, and they are REALLY the best deals around. You can get more expensive machines, but not much more powerful ones, and they are, the HP dv7tqe  and dv6tqe laptops. Remember, Power equals Longevity.

With the rapidly increasing demands that the internet, networking, and bigger and more CPU-intensive apps place on computers, it doesn't take long for today's mid-range PC to become tomorrow's obsolete turtle of a computer. Luckily the dv7tqe, and its sibling the dv6tqe will last for a good long time. You could pay a little less, but you'd get a lot less.

 OK, to the discounted computers: The HP dv7tqe and dv6tqe laptops differ primarily in that the 7 has a 17" screen and the 6, a 15.6"  screen. Either can be upgrade from the standard 720P screen to a 1080P full HD display. They are, after discount, with free delivery, but not including tax, $600 and $700 respectively.

Inside they are nearly the same computer with the Intel 2nd Generation Quad Core I7-2620M 8 thread CPU, 8GB of RAM, USB 3, WiFi N and Win7 Home Premium. 

The discount codes for both are:

NBDV5528


which you need to enter at checkout to get the $450 discount.

The links are, for the dv6 and dv7:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/load_configuration.do?destination=review&config_id=6948715&aoid=35252

&

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/load_configuration.do?destination=review&config_id=6948717&aoid=35252

These deals are for a few days only and can disappear at any time, but ... may reappear just as suddenly. Who can tell? Still they are great deals for great machines.

Either one you choose you can't go wrong.

These deals come to you courtesy of TechBargains.

Check them out; they do have great unadvertised deals.

Happy Shopping!

~Ted


Photo Credits: HP gets the credit for the Tiny Little Thumbnail Photos

2 Computers that Offer Great Bang for the Buck -- Powerful Enough to Last for a While

Anyone who has owned an older computer knows how pathetic an experience using that old machine can be. A good solid mid-range computer from 5 years ago that seemed like a sensible choice at the time, with a good balance of price vs speed, can't really do much. Maybe it can run one program at a time, surf a little bit, run a word processor, but not a lot more. Why is that? Well, new programs are bigger and take up more memory, put more demands on the CPU, and require more graphics processing power. And even worse, the pace at which that is happening is increasing. Which means that the sensible choice for a machine that has to last, is no longer so sensible -- you need a more powerful machine than you think you do.

My 2 favorites at this moment are based on Intel's new 2nd gen Core i7 CPU -- for laptops, the 2670M or its siblings, and for desktops, the 2600.

2 reasonably priced machines, a desktop, and a laptop, available now, at a discount, that I like a lot are the:

HP h8xt, which comes fully equipped with the Core i7 2600 processor, 8 GB of RAM and all of the goodies you need including a 15 month Norton Internet Security Subscription, Blu-Ray, free shipping and so on for about $850.

This is a great deal. You migh want to add a bigger power supply (I would) or an extended warranty, but that's up to you:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/cto/computer_customize_components.do

and the :

HP dv7tqe, which comes with the Intel Core i7 2670QM mobile processor, a 17.3in 1080p screen and  Blu-Ray, etc, and more for about $900.

This is another great deal and takes about $500 off the list price of the laptop, and is based on an  unadvertised coupon code that you can get through TechBargains:

http://www.techbargains.com/news_displayItem.cfm/278907

Note you have to copy the discount code and enter it in the coupon code box at checkout.

Both of these machines are available as I write this, but can disappear at any time.

Also, since it is true now more than ever before, that *** Power = Longevity *** these machines will last you a while, too.

Nothing says Happy Holidays like buying well and keeping the change.

Happy Holidays!

~Ted

Photo credits: My screen captures at HP

7 Cool Computer and Related Useful Toys for The Holidays! Continued, Part 2 of 2

Are the holidays over? OK, they are. But I still intend to finish this article on useful tools, or toys, since they are so nice.

Now -- I was on the subject of nice monitors for the holidays in Part 1. My second recommended, still somewhat (by my standards) sensible, and also qualifying in the Holiday Toy Department, is the HP ZR30w, also available from Provantage for under $1120, no tax, incl delivery (over $100 less than from HP). With a resolution of 2560 X 1600 pixels it far exceeds that of HD TV and is among the highest resolution and largest computer monitors in the consumer marketplace. Until you've used one of these, you DO NOT KNOW what you are missing.

There are other monitors similar from Samsung and Dell, as well as more models from HP, but they are either not as good, in my opinion, or more expensive. $1120 is a lot of money to pay for a monitor, and you could argue it's hard to justify such an expense on practical grounds, but if you spend a large part of your day in front of your computer, this HP 30" monitor will make it a lot more pleasant. This is one sharp, beautiful, high-resolution display.

Especially if you are an Everything Out on The Desk kind of Person to whom putting something away is akin to forgetting about it, it is very nice to be able to see all of the stuff you are working on, not to mention, staggeringly beautiful high resolution photos for you photographers, and incredibly detailed and deeply textured, almost 3D movies.

You be the judge whether or not it's worth the extra $900 over the Asus VW266H, which at nearly 26" diagonally, and 1920 X 1200 makes for a great display as well.

I confess -- I own both of them -- and I'm happy with both of them.

One of my favorite new printers is the excellent new Photo Quality Canon Pixma 4820 for about $75 tax free delivered at Amazon. The ink is a bit pricey and it's not a network or wireless printer but it does print gorgeous borderless photos at up to 8-1/2" X 11" and also auto-duplexes as well, that is, it prints on both paper sides automatically. It's not wireless, but it includes great software and is easy to use. I have one and like it.

Other good Photo Printers to consider are the Epson Artisan 50 which is about $100 at Amazon tax and delivery charge free, which at $20 more than the Canon above justifies itself by being stingier with the ink, so you should save that $20 back in no time, and uses high capacity cartridges in addition to standard cartridges, so you'll be longer between replacements. No duplex, though.

If you want a Photo Printer that does it all and is also a multi function  all-in-one device, the Canon Pixma MP 640, at less than $150 from Amazon delivered, does everything you could ask above, including duplexing, is networked and wireless, scans, fixes flawed photos, and connects with almost all media cards. 

I do not recommend the HP Photos Printers, sadly, since in recent years I have seen too many fail shortly after warranty expiration, and this is true of their All-In-One printers as well.

There are a lot of laptops I like, but I am only going to recommend one, the HP dv7t, which is available with up to a quad Core i7 mobile processor, is lightweight and gorgeous, has decent battery life and can usually be had at a discount. Check out www.techbargains.com and www.cheapstingybargains.com for the latest discount codes for this machine. Today it's $500 -- yeah -- $500! That makes a nicely equipped Core i7 720m machine with a lot of goodies sell for about $1000! With an extended warranty!


Happy New Year!


~Ted

Photo Credit: www.dell.com -- Dell 30" monitor

7 Cool Computer and Related Useful Toys for The Holidays! Part 1 of 2

Looking for a Holiday Computer?
It's already decorated!

OK, sometimes you get tired of doing or buying what you NEED, what you should buy or what you have to buy. Sometimes you get to buy what you Want To Buy! In that category, let's put useful Computer Toys.  Oh, I don't mean kid's toys, but something like the latest iPhone, or Android 4G phone, or iPad. Maybe a top of the line computer with MORE hard disk space, CPU horsepower and memory than you need, that will not only do the job you need done, but obliterate it, that is, do it so fast and so well, that it's a pleasure. Holiday Toys. Computers, Monitors and Printers for 2nd Decade of the 3rd Millenium CE.

So I have 7 computer related suggestions, for things I like very much, which are still  useful and sensible, but which  represent the best of their type and should bring a lot of pleasure in use for a long time.

They are 2 Desktop Computers, 1 Laptop, 2 monitors, and 2 Photo Printers.

Both of the Computers I like use the new AMD 6 core processor, which, while not a powerful as Intel's 6 core unit, runs about $700 less, plus, these computers use related components which can be cheaper as well.

They are the Dell Studio XPS 7100 and the Cyberpower AMD Hex Core Custom PC -- the Dell is configurable and offers the advantage of purchasing from a first tier maker and a 24/7 extendable warranty, -- whereas the the Cyberpower is not only configureable by can be ordered with a stable overclock for a nominal fee, which is like a free upgrade to a faster computer, and has a good warranty for up to 3 years as well but not the 24/7 support and service scheduling.

As for the Dell, for most users adding the 1090T upgrade to the fastest AMD 6 core processor for $90 is worthwhile -- you can upgrade the graphics card too if you want to play video games -- as is upgrading to 8 GB of RAM for $60. You will need at least basic speakers for $20, and you can upgrade from the included 2 year on-site service to a 3 year plan for $80 which is a good idea. Total price delivered, not including tax, is $999.99. Beautiful machine, beautiful price. Over $350 off the SRP as this is written.

The Cyberpower offers a huge and confusing array of options, many of which are irrelevant to most users, but quite a number of the options are VERY USEFUL indeed and make for a very powerful computer at a very good price.  The set of options that I like, and which gives you a faster, more robust, and more powerful machine than the Dell, includes the top of the line AMD 1090T CPU, 16 GB of 1600 GHz memory (8 GB max is availalble with the Dell), 4 Sata 3 6 GHz  2 Terabyte drives in a RAID 10 configuration for 4 Terabytes of Stoarage and a 4 TB mirror so you are protected  in case of a drive failure, and a 2 TB backup drive. Also included are the Coolermaster 690 II case, a Corsair AX 750 Pro Gold super Efficient 750 watt Power Supply, an ATI 5770 1 GB Graphics card, a BluRay Rewritable Optical Drive that plays BluRay movies, DVDs, and CDs and writes them, too, up to 25 GB per disc. This machine also includes USB 3.0.
Total price $2228.00 including a 5% limited time discount.

What is that you say -- the price is over 2 X that of the Dell? Yeah, and it's worth it, too. You get high quality stuff on this system that you cannot even order on any Dell. But you can reduce or change the disk configuration or any other part of this machine to suit you and your wallet.

FYI USB 3 and Sata 3 are the new peripheral and disk interfaces that operate at much faster speeds than USB 2 and Sata 2, and are not available on the Dell.

So you get to choose. The 24/7 support Dell warranty is very nice, and I know from experience that this Dell computer is a good one. Cyberpower is a well respected, by comparison with Dell, boutique PC maker, and nobody can guess if they will have long term staying power, but the Cyberpower machine is made of industry standard non-proprietary parts and can be serviced easily by any shop long after the 3 year warranty ends.

Now to my favorite Monitors: You can buy a lot of nice 1920 X 1080 pixel  1080P Full HD monitors in the $220 to $300 price range, but for sheer size, beautiful picture, even higher and more useful resolution, not to mention low price for all of that, nothing beats the Asus VW266H. It's almost 26" diagonally across and has a taller than HD 1920 X 1200 resolution, so you can not only watch HD movies, but also see almost 3 full size letters in Microsoft Word side by side across the screen. Because of the big screen, the fonts are bigger, too, so no eye strain. It truly is your window on the electronic world. I purchased mine from Amazon, which inexplicably doesn't have it in stock as I write this, but Buy.Com has it for less that $290 not including the $30 Asus rebate. Good deal, beautiful monitor. Do not buy the Dell or Cyberpower monitors -- buy this one

The next Monitor I like is a 30" 2560 X 1600 Resolution device, and that's a screen like picture window. When you see a screen like that for the first time attached to a computer, you feel like you could just step into the CyberWorld.

But I've talked too much for today, so I'll finish this series in a few days.

May dreams of Sugar Plums and Cool Computers Dance in Your Head!

~Ted

Make 2011 Go Off Like A Rocket!

Photo Credits: Lighted Computer c/o www.theolivepress.eu
                       2011 photo c/o various websites