Quick Guide to Buying a Netbook

I’ve had my eye on a netbook for a while. I have no intentions of buying one, not until I am out of debt. It’s a luxury to me, and even though the little gadgets are about as inexpensive as a nice cell phone or PDA, I am forcing myself to wait. Prices are the lowest ever– I saw an Asus Eee Linux model for $249 at Best Buy. But NO NO NO! I cannot afford one right now, not when the kids need new North Face jackets and boots, and when I have an escalating energy bill! I’ll wait, and watch, like I usually do. When the time comes for a great deal, I’ll be ready.

But perhaps you have been looking at some, and are wondering about them. I’ve done a little research, so I’ll share what I’ve found here. One quick clarification: there are many different kinds of netbooks– some have 8.9″ screens, others have 7′; some have flash drives, others have hard disk drives with moveable parts; some have Windows XP, others have Linux Xandros or Ubuntu; etc. I’m going to keep this post simple by discussing the original and most popular netbook– the Asus Eee with Linux installed. Most models have only 4 to 8 GB of disk space, on a flash drive with no moveable parts. These are the most portable and, to me, the real definition of a true netbook.

1.) A netbook is a cross between a laptop and a PDA. It is NOT a tiny laptop. This is a mistake many people make when buying their netbook. They get home to see that these little things have very little hard drive space, tiny keyboards, and a small screen that doesn’t display large websites in the browser. The fonts are small, the keys on the keyboard are small, etc. A netbook is designed for being able to connect to the web and email while being extremely portable. If you are looking for a computer that will enable you to use your Photoshop program, run video-editing programs, and other heavy-usage– a netbook is not for you. Just get a smaller laptop for that.

2.) Most netbooks are under 3 pounds. This makes them extremely portable- you can tuck it in your bookbag or purse. The solid state hard drive, (flash drive, just like those USB flash drives, also known as thumb drives or jump drives) have no moving parts, so the netbook can rattle a little and the hard drive information remains intact. Note that on the Specs sheet for netbooks, a lot of them will list the weight as “2.2 pounds” or something like that. This is the weight WITHOUT the battery inside. If weight is extremely important to you, know that the battery will add a good pound or a little less to the weight of the netbook.

3.) Most netbooks have the Linux operating system installed. This is to preserve the speed and reliability of the netbook. It takes a lot of space to contain and run Microsoft Windows. Some netbooks do have Windows installed, but this adds more weight to the netbook and decreases its portability. Windows OS must have a larger hard drive, so the netbook may have a hard drive disk with moving parts– which makes the netbook less durable and less portable.

As to Linux– I’ve tried Xandros (a few years ago) and liked it enough. But for a Linux OS, it’s still pretty big. Most geeks seem to be dumping the Xandros and installing the Linux Ubuntu, which is smaller and more reliable than Xandros. If I get my netbook, I’m going to install Ubuntu. But that’s a story for another post.

4.) The screen is very small. The 7″ monitor size of the Asus supports 800 x 600 resolution, although some can handle a larger resolution. Either way, everything is miniature– the font, the images, the screen, everything. Be sure to test out the netbook at the computer stores before buying, to ensure that you can handle the diminuitive size.

5.) RAM size is often smaller for the netbook. The highest I’ve seen is 1GB RAM for the Asus Eee. This is enough to run the Linux operating system well, but a Windows installation may make it choke.

6.) Hard drive space is very limited. I’ve read complaints that out-of-the box, the netbook only has about 350MB hard drive space available. An Ubuntu OS installation may increase that space to 1GB or so, but that is still not a lot of space for your stuff. The NICE thing about the netbook is that it has an SD reader. There is a slot on the side of the netbook where you can slip in a 4GB or 8GB SD memory card, esssentially doubling or tripling your space. You can store all your photos and documents on this SD card, adding to the portability. All you have to do is eject the SD card and slide it into your desktop PC, and there are your documents and photos.

7.) Most netbooks come with a webcam. I’m not too fond of webcams (I hate them, actually). I’ve heard that most netbooks have the webcam disabled by default. I like that, but most people don’t. You have to get into the BIOS of the computer and enable it manually.

8.) Most Asus netbooks have the Intel Atom processor. From what I have heard so far, this is the best quality processor, designed specifically for the small needs of the netbook. Avoid Celeron processors (for netbooks as well as any PC). Celeron is like the thrift-store version of a processor. Computers are so cheap these days that $40-$50 will get you a much better processor than the budget brand. Cheapo processors are responsible for a good deal of the computer crashes and problems, and newer software programs (especially games and image-editing) won’t work with them at all.

So that’s my research and thoughts about the netbook, in a very small nutshell. I’ll be posting more about the netbook in the future, as I look into it more and as they become more widely available in varying models. As always, if you have questions, feel free to leave a comment.

Tracking the Flu’s Spread

Creeepy. As much as I like demographics, this still creeps me out: Google is using web searches to track the spread of the flu. In other words, spying. On people, who use Google, for web searches. And then making it into a huge spreadsheet, in a way.

Turns out a lot of ailing Americans enter phrases like “flu symptoms” into Google and other search engines before they call their doctors.

That simple act, multiplied across millions of keyboards in homes around the country, has given rise to a new early warning system for fast-spreading flu outbreaks, called Google Flu Trends.

Tests of the new Web tool from Google.org, the company’s philanthropic unit, suggest that it may be able to detect regional outbreaks of the flu a week to 10 days before they are reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In early February, for example, the C.D.C. reported that the flu cases had recently spiked in the mid-Atlantic states. But Google says its search data show a spike in queries about flu symptoms two weeks before that report was released. Its new service at google.org/flutrends analyzes those searches as they come in, creating graphs and maps of the country that, ideally, will show where the flu is spreading.

The C.D.C. reports are slower because they rely on data collected and compiled from thousands of health care providers, labs and other sources. Some public health experts say the Google data could help accelerate the response of doctors, hospitals and public health officials to a nasty flu season, reducing the spread of the disease and, potentially, saving lives.

But does this leave room for error? I mean, what if Americans watched a television show about the flu? And then they went on the Internet and searched for more information. It’s very easy to make an assumption that people have the flu. Who can tell?

I don’t like the unreliability of these things. There are too many variables and there’s too much to lose (like freedom, if there is a quarantine) if things go wrong, which they usually do.

Still, some public health officials note that many health departments already use other approaches, like gathering data from visits to emergency rooms, to keeping daily tabs on disease trends in their communities.

“We don’t have any evidence that this is more timely than our emergency room data,” said Dr. Farzad Mostashari, assistant commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in New York City.

Hmmm.

The Printer Chip Resetter WORKS!!

Excuse me while I take just a moment to dance around for joy!

Last week, I lamented my problem I’d suddenly had with my Canon MP530 All-in-One printer. I just LOVE the printer and it’s so easy to use. But I was suddenly getting an “Error U150,” saying that there was something wrong with the printer ink cartridge. It wasn’t being “recognized” by the printer. The cartridge was only half empty, and I wasn’t about to spend another $50 on a new cartridge. I’d spend that money and get a different printer if it came to that! This little bitty cartridge was shutting the entire printer down– I was unable to scan, copy, send/receive faxes, everything. All because of a stinking ink cartridge error. That’s evil. folks.

So I did some searching around and found out that this is an all too common and frustrating problem with Canon printers. I thought Canon was a high-quality brand, but apparently not. I had always gone with HP in the past, but my HP printers were doing strange things (like saying the ink cardtridge was empty, etc). I dumped my HPs thinking Canon was better. Looks like a whole lot of printer manufacturers are scheisters! They make cheap printers and then force consumers to purchase gallons of ink– even wasting the ink– and making their money that way. Um, Mr. Printer Manufacturer, that makes people angry. Why would you do such a thing and make people angry and hate your product?? Why would we want to throw away another perfectly good printer into another landfill because you can’t fix an ink cartridge problem??

ANYWAY, I’d also read that there existed an amazing little gadget called a “chip resetter.” This tiny device is used on ink cartridges that have microchips. Microchips on ink cartridges are the things that always cause the problems– they tell your computer that there is something wrong with an ink cartridge and you need to shell out more dough to get another one! Even when you have plenty of ink in that cartridge yet!

The chip resetter will reprogram the microchip. It tells the microchip to start over– a reboot, in a way. It reprograms to microchip to original manufacturer’s data. So now the computer thinks there is a brand-new cartridge in there. PERFECT!

The chip resetters are NOT cheap. This little piece of plastic cost me $30.00. But if it reprogrammed just one ink cartridge, I’d have immediately recouped my ink investment, plus $20.

IT WORKS! My Canon printer is back in business. So now I can receive faxes, send faxes, scan, copy, and print once again. But I will never chang emy mind that what these printer manufacturers are doing is EVIL and it should be outlawed. It’s corporate theft!

Managing Partitions

Most computers now have partitions on the hard drives. A partition is like a room. You might have two partitions on your hard drive, say C Drive and D Drive. C Drive is the portion of your hard drive that has all your stuff– the operating system, your files and folders, etc. D Drive is the portion of your hard drive that has, say, your operating system’s recovery information. Fewer and fewer computer manufacturers are including the operating system on disk anymore– they now install the operating system on the computer’s hard drive (on a partition) where you have to copy that information on a number of backup DVDs. I dislike it very much. I like having a factory disk of the operating system, I hate making the recovery backup disks, and I hate having all that wasted, unused space on my hard drive.

Here’s a cool (and FREE) program that helps manage your partitions: Easeus Partition Manager. Don’t ask me how to pronounce it, though! I have not used this yet, but I intend to. My hesitation right now is that there doesn’t appear to be a free program for 64-bit Vista, which is what I have. So I’m waiting until I have made data backups (and am feeling adventurous) to see if Easeus will work on my computer.

Easeus has gotten rave reviews. It enables you to create, delete, manage, resize, amd reformat partitions on your hard drive. I am in need of making more space for my C Drive and shrinking the monster that is my D Drive. It looks very user-friendly. But as always, do backup your important data before messing with your files.

My Totally Cool Thanksgiving Gift

My family exchanges gifts for Thanksgiving Day. Guess what I got for Thanksgiving?

THIS!!!!

Isn’t it terrific?!

It is the Apple Aluminum Keyboard. It’s BEAUTIFUL. It doesn’t “match” my black PC, but I really dont care. This is the coolest and easiest to use keyboard I have ever had. I just love it!

I have a PC, Windows Vista, but the Apple keyboard works just fine. There are a few fancy media buttons above the FN keys that don’t work for me, but that’s it. Everything else is compatible. The only thing I regret is not having a “mute” key. I use that all the time. But I may be able to find a software program and download it, to resolve that problem.

The keys are very thin and light. They are lighter then Scrabble tiles. I am used to pounding on the Acer keyboard that came with the PC (which wasn’t a bad keyboard; it was probably the best PC keyboard I’ve ever had, next to this Apple). But I’d had my eye on this Apple for a while. It’s a little pricey, at $50. BUT I work at my computer all day long (it’s my business). I have become very fussy about my keyboards and mouses, since I use them incessantly all day.

I am pleased with the Apple. I wondered if it was going to be compatible with my Vista machine, and I am very happy to see that it is. Yay!

Computer Hard Drive Space: No Truth in Advertising

I recently purchased an Acer Aspire Desktop with AMD Phenom™ X3 Triple-Core Processor 8400 (Model: AX3200-U3600A). I’m finding it a terrific computer, except for a few important things.

For one, the Acer is advertised as having 320GB hard drive space. I bought the machine mostly for that reason- because I use my computer for my business, I need a ton of space. Well, when I checked the stats at home, I see that I REALLY only have 110GB hard drive space. The rest is partioned off, storing the Windows Vista Operating System Restore. Grrr!I was steamed.

Secondly, when I went to create Recovery Disks for the Operating System, it won’t do it. The Recovery process (Acer’s “Empower”) goes through a half-hour of burning the first DVD, then it quits and tells me “Error 204. You must use a CD/DVD disk.” DUH! I was! Brand new DVDs disks, actually. I wasted three of them, trying to get the Recovery process to work. DVDs aren’t cheap. [Update: there was something wrong with the hard drive. BestBuy replaced the computer and the Recovery process works now]

So I am disgruntled about these things so far. I really want my 320GB hard drive space. I supose I could reformat the whole shebang, but I can’t because I can’t get the Vista OS to copy. And do you have any idea how much Vista costs?

I think computer manufacturers and retailers need some lessons in truth in advertising. This isn’t some cute wine of the month club purchase– I spent good money for a very good machine; I’m kind of disappointed that I’m not getting what I thought was advertised.

As for me, I guess I’m going to have to do some research on how to eliminate the data in the partition drive (the partition holding the Recovery information) so that I can actually USE it. If you’re a geek and you have any tips, please leave them!

Acer’s Budget Aspire with Triple Core Processor

I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled for a replacement desktop for a while now. I was meandering the computer stores shelves when I came across an Acer Aspire desktop. It was a small little thing (think two loaves of bread stacked on top of each other; it’s about 11″ x 4″). What got my attention was that it had the AMD Phenom triple-core processor and Windows Vista 64-bit. The machine looked SO smooth. It was priced right, too– on sale for $479. (The next day when I checked, it was back up to $579.)

I decided to give the machine a test drive. I have been needing a new desktop (the CD drive on the main family computer doesn’t work, and the hard drive at 40GB is stuffed to capacity at 39GB). I have the added benefit of being able to claim my purchases as tax deductions for my business since this new machine would be my main work machine (I work at home). I have to say: I am very impressed.

To the uber-geek, a triple-core processor would probably incite a yawn. But I am an “average” user. I needed a beefy machine for photo and video editing for various jobs (and the kids’ projects). A dual-core machine just wasn’t cutting it, and a quad-core is over my budget. I saw the triple-core and fell in love. The AMD performs a lot like a quad-core, it’s just a little easier on energy and is much better then the dual-core. It’s not a “green” machine, make no mistake– it still uses energy, judging by how hot it gets, as hot as an electric blanket when I push the processor. But it’s still a lighter than a quad-core.

Your computer’s processor speed and size is important. You should use the processor specs to determine what kind of computer you need. Do you use your machine for just email and basic surfing? A single-core processor will do just fine (and they cost a LOT less). But once you start getting into photo editing, digital media, watching and editing videos, you need to go up the scale; otherwise your computer will work too hard and you will find your computer lagging. I found the processor size and speed had a direct relation to my own computing habits. As I added more uses to the computer, my needs for a stronger machine grew. I used to be very budget-conscious for the first several years of computer ownership; now I am more selective. It really pays to spend $50 more on a higher end model that will last you a long time, than to constantly pinch pennies for a computer that will become outdated in 3 or 4 years. And because I use computers for everything now– banking, media, my jobs, and the children’s education– I am very choosy.

A triple-core straddles the dual-core and quad-core. I think it’s a great “average” size for most at home computer users. And I am loving the Acer AMD processor. If you’re looking for more details (a LOT more details), try Tom’s Hardware page where he thoroughly investigates the AMD Phenom triple-core processor. The data gets pretty technical, but Tom’s final conclusion is that the AMD Phenom looks like a great deal and a good upgraded processor for budget-minded people who have the need for speed.

I’ll tackle my experience with Vista 64-bit operating system next. It’s come a long way.

My Take on LCD Monitors

I am very, VERY fussy about my computer monitors. For one, I spend all day in fron the of computer. Two, I have sensitive eyesight, and dim or unclear monitors cause strain and pain. I had an HP Pavilion laptop (well, I still have it) with a failing monitor and I would go to bed with SUCH eye pain after sitting in front of it all day. So I like my monitors big and I like them very bright and clear. In my younger years, I really didn’t care what kind of monitor I had (I was just so happy to have a computer!!), but now I am quite fussy. I will pay a little extra for the uograded, higher-end “Harley parts” monitor than a cheaper, name-brand monitor. I don’t know if it’s just old age or refining tastes!

Well, anyway, I was very happy with my Toshiba laptop monitor until my daughter got an HP laptop. The HP monitor is SO much nicer! It’s clearer and brighter. I am not too crazy about HP computers, but I was pretty impressed with their monitors. So I decided to check them out at various stores, to see if HP really measured up.

They do! I’ve been keeping my eye on monitors and quality for several months (more like a year now). I’ve seen the Acer, Dell, Gateway, Westinghouse, HP, and Samsung brands. I’ve been to various computer stores, read online reviews, and surfed the Net for specs. Here’s what I found:

HP monitors are consistently high quality. And they aren’t paying me to say that (although I wish they were). They are vivid, crystal-clear, and although they cost more than the “generic” models, I think you get a great deal for your dollars. The HPs often have a glass-like surface. It’s glossy and extremely clear. The Dells and Acers I saw were dull in comparison.

As far as monitors go, there are some qualification you should look for. Most monitors worth their weight in salt have a good refresh rate, 5 milliseconds or so. 5ms is as high as I would go; like I said, I’m fussy. Some monitors have 8 milliseconds and that’s OK if you are not fussy. But once you get in the 10ms or higher, you’re going to have a lower response rate. If you view a lot of videos or do gamng, you really want a 5. I’ve even seen some at 2, which is very good (the one I saw at 2ms was an HP one).

Another important thing to consider is contrast ratio. To me, something like 300:1 or 500:1 is excellent. But you can still get something with 1000:1 and still do well.

LCD monitors now come with speakers, I see. You can probably guess that the speakers aren’t anything to write home about; after all, speakers are extra. The HP monitors get low marks for their speaker quality (I think almost all LCDs do??), but the quality is OK if you’re doing everyday computing. If you want to fill your room with the chordant swells of Beethoven, use your regular speakers. A monitor speaker just isn’t going to cut it.

Finally, size is a big issue when choosing monitors. In my opinion, anything smaller than 17″ isn’t worth getting. LCD monitors re just gorgeous– why get a mini one?? I have a 19″ and I just love it. A 22″ would be nice, too, but anything larger then 22″ is too large, in my opinion. I’ve seen the 24″ and I just can’t imagine sitting in front of it all day– it would be like watching tennis– back and forth, back and forth. It’s probably good for work, when you can use all that real estate for a billion open windows… but a 17″ to 19″ is just right for a personal computer, I think. By the way, here’s a little reminder– if you have a computer desk with immovable shelving, measure the inside of the space and take it with you to the store. This will prevent you from accidentally getting a great, but huge, monitor that won’t fit in your desk!

I hope this information helps somewhat, should you find yourself looking for a new monitor. We sure have come a long way with them! I couldn’t ever imagine going back to a Cathode-Ray-Tuibe monitor!

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