Tag Archives: laptop

Which Business Tools and Supplies are Good Buys in December?

 While you may be doing a great deal of shopping for the people on your gift list, you might also be wondering whether this time of year is a good time to scout out the sales on items that you need for your home – based business. If you itemize deductions on your tax return, it makes sense to shop now, especially if you have identified some things that you need. There are also some items that are usually on sale in December. For example, December is one time of year where computers are at their lowest prices. In fact, … Continue reading →

How to Turn an Old Laptop into A Christmas Gift

And now, here is a little idea that proves that creativity is the best friend of a person on a budget. Somewhere there is a laptop graveyard where old laptops go to die or at least lay there because they are too slow or unequipped to handle today’s software and Internet requirements. Laptops are often hard to dispose of when you are done with them. Many charities, such as Goodwill won’t take old computer equipment. As a result, you can usually find older laptops either discarded on the street or given away through Freecycle.org. If you have an old laptop … Continue reading →

Good News for Laptop Lovers Taking Flight

I can’t count how many times I have been stuck behind an annoyed business traveler at an airport security checkpoint who spends precious minutes complaining to Transportation Security Administration agents about having to take his or her laptop out of its bag. I stand there (holding my carry-ons, my child and her backpack) staring at my watch contemplating how to politely tell my fellow flyer how much quicker we could all make it through the line if he would simply close his mouth and open his bag. It’s the rule. So deal with it and stop wasting other travelers’ time … Continue reading →

How Much Laptop Do You Need?

Computer users are increasingly turning to laptops as a secondary or even primary computer. Laptops, because of their smaller size, are usually more expensive than are desktops. Because of this, the old “give me the works” mentality can make for an expensive purchase. In addition, laptops come in so many different configurations and with so many different features. It is best to first figure out what it is you will be doing with the laptop and then match that usage to the right combination. The first decision to make is the Apple versus the PC. I have to disclose that … Continue reading →

Laptop, PC or Both?

Like many people, I have run the gamut working with all sorts of computers in the past twenty years. I cut my teeth on Macs, but had to learn to work on P.C.s at work with many different jobs. I have had to update and upgrade and wrestle with crashed hard drives and other mishaps. I have fallen madly in love with some computers and been a bit disappointed in others. With my home business, my computer really is my lifeblood—I could probably even say that it IS my office. A couple years ago, when I bought a new P.C.—it … Continue reading →

The Phenomena of Second Notebook Computers

Today must be a day for me to talk about interesting phenomena. One trend that I have been noticing lately is the growing number of people who are purchasing second notebook computers. Much like the second (and third and fourth) televisions in a home, second notebooks seem to be coming almost a standard desire, or seen as a very convenient necessity. For our terms, when I talk about a second notebook, I don’t mean having more than one notebook in a household that is assigned or used by different household members. Dad may have a laptop and so may Junior, … Continue reading →

Are You Shortening Your Laptop Battery’s Life?

One of the concerns that plague laptop owners is whether or not they should make an effort to run down their laptop computer battery to nothing before charging it back up again. Sometimes this just isn’t convenient, such as when you shut down your laptop at night and it only has 15 minutes of battery time left. That 15 minutes is certainly not enough to get your through the next day, but if you plus the laptop in to charge it, are you shortening your battery life? The brief answer is probably not, although there are some considerations to make. … Continue reading →

MacBook Air

One of the big bits of news coming out of MacWorld during Steve Job’s keynote address today is the confirmation of the latest Apple laptop, which is something quite different. The MacBook Air boasts a slimmer than slim profile, with a thickness of only .76 inches at its thickest part. Apple is pronouncing the Macbook Air to be the world’s thinnest notebook. Some of the coolest features of the MacBook Air include a large touch pad that utilizes multi-sensory touch. What that means is that you can use more than one finger on this touch pad, such as rotating a … Continue reading →

Computer Accessory Deals

Notebook Case FAR I love my laptop. Okay, so it’s not actually mine, it’s my son’s. But as the parent, I get first dibs when I need it. He saved for it and we kicked in the other two-thirds as a Christmas present. It’s been a blessing at times. They’re so convenient. The only thing I worry about with it is dropping it. No, we didn’t buy the $200 extended warranty even though the salesman was pretty convincing. Instead, we have it packed into a very nicely padded case. It cost a lot more than the Free After Rebate deal … Continue reading →

The $100 Laptop

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative, started by Nicholas Negroponte, promises to bring laptops to children in less advantaged areas of the world. The laptops are an engineering feat of economy and efficiency. Currently they cost about $175, but the goal of the OLPC is to get that cost down to $100 or less with mass production. Called the XO, the laptop device is highly practical. Because the children who could use these laptops might not have access to electricity, the laptops use very little of it, and can be recharged manually. Earlier designs featured a hand cranking system, … Continue reading →