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Post by JGRobinson on Mar 29, 2011 6:15:36 GMT -5
Hello Clippers, I guess y'all might call me a Tech Geek, I wear that hat proudly, a Mini Tweeker Extron Screwdriver can be found in my shirt pocket whenever I'm not sleeping (sometimes when I am), a sure sign of Geekdom. The below site is a Tweeker Geek inspired site, funny stuff but only for dorks like me who love Phoenix Connectors. www.extron.com/company/archive.aspx?archive=tweeker&page=1Mom knew I was either going to be a Fixer or a Devastator early on (turns out I'm good at both!). I took everything apart, some things I even fixed, others didn't turn out so well at first. My bedroom was filled with old car radios, tubes, power supplies and anything electronic that I could get my hands on. Ive been submersed in Electronics since I was 19 and a 'Cruit Radio Operator in the Army. I combined 10 years in a TV Shop starting as an Apprentice Electronics Technician and 16 Years Repairing and Designing Scientific Equipment, Tech Enhanced Learning Spaces and Multi-Media Systems for a local University. I started my own AV business, JAVA Solutions, (Johns Audio Visual Advisory Solutions), real creative Huh? Unless your a Contractor, Educational AV Person, Architect or Engineer, you likely would never hear of my services, 99% of my business is word of mouth. My folks Consult, Design, Coordinate, Install and Repair Commercial, Educational and Residential Multi-Media systems across the state and out of state occasionally. I have lots of great Carpenters and Electricians, a couple fabulous Technicians and a bunch of super AV wannabee Laborers that keep me hopping! I can't answer every question but I probably know someone who can, y'all may have suggestions and solutions to add. I love it, this could be fun! Thanks for reading all of this Tech Babble, hope to hear from you soon. JR |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2011 9:18:37 GMT -5
Oh, goodie.
I want to buy an Acer Aspire One 10.1" netbook. It contains a 802.11b/g/n amd 10/100 Ethernet LAN. No idea what that means. Since it doesn't have a modem can I hook up Verizon DSL to it. Also I noticed these broadband card at walmart, different prices for various megabites. They are good for a month. How fast would I use up a 250MB card if I used the computer to read a few newspapers each day along with some websites and blogs I use.
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Post by JGRobinson on Mar 29, 2011 10:58:16 GMT -5
Alan, Acer is not a top 10 brandname, I would beware. HP, Dell, Lenovo all have lower priced mini laptop solutions that would serve you better. All have a real Warranty, Keyboard and internet connection. Xtras would be an internal CD/DVD Drive, Wireless Internet, Bigger Hard Drive and More RAM. Most of that you can do without as a low intensity user.
Your Verizon DSL comes with a Modem that will give you at least one Computer Network connection. If you need more than that, I suggest a cheepo wireless Router/ Switch ($39.99 at Rat Shack)
How fast would I use up a 250MB card- I really dont know about that, most news content is pretty text intensive, graphics and such cost the most time downloading and are larger files. DSL has become pretty cheap especially if you don't get the fastest speed attainable.
Good luck! JR
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Post by Swimmy on Mar 29, 2011 12:25:59 GMT -5
There is a difference between broadband card access and DSL. I think you're confusing them. DSL requires a physical connection. You would take a RJ-45 cable, plug one end into your netbook, and the other into the DSL modem (which comes separately from the netbook). Broadband is similar to a 3G network for smartphones. And those have different data plans, one can be 250MB per month at a certain monthly fee, others can be unlimited for a larger monthly fee.
I agree with JGRobinson. Stick with HP or Lenovo. I have a Lenovo and it works great.
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Post by chris on Mar 29, 2011 16:58:14 GMT -5
Alan I have one of those. I only use it to take to my mom's at the nursing home so we can do Skype calls. It's okay for what I do and some quick getting on line to check emails and Facebook or even the Clippers forum of course but if you are serious about a real laptop/or desktop then this would not be the route to go. Mine has a built in webcam and WiFi so you can take it anywhere that has a hotspot and it gets you on line. You can connect it to your DSL if you already have it or or get a router (as I did) so you can use it anywhere in the house besides the dsl modem connection. I also suggest if you do get it to buy a wireless mouse for it.
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Post by JGRobinson on Mar 29, 2011 17:04:52 GMT -5
Swimmy, great Point, I wasn't clear if Alan was talking about Verizon's Track Phone type 3g Card Modem or some new home plan based on usage.
Unless your a rover and want to link up anywhere you can get coverage, your better of with a straight DSL plan at home. I have DSL, No cable TV or FIOS in the Boondocks, this is plenty fast. 3G without all the rest of the package, Cellular, Texting etc is pretty expensive generally. Lots of Coffee shops offer free wireless access now, if roving is your thing, make sure you get a laptop with a built in wireless net adapter.
Lenovo makes descent stuff, used to be IBM, now Chinese. Ive got a little Dell Inspiron as my Toy and and I have 4 other various Desktops and Laptops but this one really gets the most pounding, its my road warrior also. Mac I Books are also an option, they are almost reasonably priced and rock solid, they run Windows but MAC OS is a foreign land to most PC users!
Stay away from closeouts with Vista on them and name brands that make toys, phones and other gadgets, and no home builds unless you build it and know how to fix it!
Good luck,
JR
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Post by JGRobinson on Mar 29, 2011 17:41:35 GMT -5
Chris, Great point, a wireless mouse is a must for me, I'm terrible with a glide pad....
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Post by dgriffin on Mar 29, 2011 18:06:22 GMT -5
Alan I have one of those. I only use it to take to my mom's at the nursing home so we can do Skype calls. It's okay for what I do and some quick getting on line to check emails and Facebook or even the Clippers forum of course but if you are serious about a real laptop/or desktop then this would not be the route to go. Mine has a built in webcam and WiFi so you can take it anywhere that has a hotspot and it gets you on line. You can connect it to your DSL if you already have it or or get a router (as I did) so you can use it anywhere in the house besides the dsl modem connection. I also suggest if you do get it to buy a wireless mouse for it. I have the HP 10 inch netbook. Use it all the time. Used it exclusively while I was away for 6 weeks, posting to forums, writing my short-shorts every day. I even put together my spring book with it and constructed the Monk In The Cellar blog with it, from post no. 1 through post no. 220. I think Netbooks are terrific. |
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Post by JGRobinson on Mar 29, 2011 18:24:28 GMT -5
Dave, Netbooks are another option, tablets even another. Netbooks won't work for me because of the Tech stuff I have to do but they work well for web browsing, Email and Documents. 10" is also a bit small for my dwindling vision but certainly big enough for most.
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Post by dgriffin on Mar 29, 2011 19:15:39 GMT -5
Before I bought the netbook, I compared its keyboard to that of a standard and found it only 10 percent smaller. And my fingers don't notice the size difference, although some people might take a while to to get used to the tactile feel, which is great, but different. As for the screen size, I bought the netbook with the assumption I'd type in 14 point and then convert to 12 or 11, my normal type size. But it turns out the clarity of the screen is such that I haven't typed in 14, but have stayed at 12. I use Paint and Gimp graphics programs to construct my cartoons and (as a radio nut) I run real time graphic signal analyzer software that looks great on the netbook.
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Post by dgriffin on Mar 29, 2011 19:23:31 GMT -5
Re Lenovo: Great deals on the used stuff. I'm typing to a Lenovo 3.4 GHz, 2 GB memory, 80 GB hard drive machine that I bought used from IBM for $229. Goodbye Dell, whose attitude has changed for the worse, by the way.
I'll bet I could get a new one for that price or less direct from Hong Kong.
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Post by JGRobinson on Mar 30, 2011 4:38:50 GMT -5
Warning, used Laptops are a bad risk unless you know how to fix them or get one so cheap its worth the risk <$100. Hard drives and Mother Board IO's are serious wear points and expensive to replace if they fail. The price of new is so low now, used is not worth the risk!
Just my opinion,,,
JR
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Post by dgriffin on Mar 30, 2011 5:52:32 GMT -5
My lenovo is a desk top and I didn't mention that I got an employee discount and paid $179, but you're right about used laptops.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2011 8:55:37 GMT -5
Thanks to everyone for the help. Not sure what to do.
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Post by clarencebunsen on Mar 30, 2011 10:16:42 GMT -5
I'll echo Chris & Dave. My main machine is a decade old XP, but I maintain a notebook and a netbook for my wife. She got the netbook for the times that she didn't want to lug her notebook around.
It's an Acer, haven't had any problems to date (about a year). It's what I'm using right now. No heavy use: email, daily scans of news & such, skype a few times. The heaviest gaming it gets is my granddaughter on Nick Jr. or Disney. Good battery life, I normally just shut it & let it hibernate when I'm done.
I wouldn't want to use it all day every day, but it is light, easily portable and useful.
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