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21 May 09 Is A Netbook Right For You?

Not everybody has the same high demands for computer usage.  In fact most need a home comp just to check email, chat online, and perhaps do a little banking and shopping.  If that’s all you’re doing at home a desktop or fully outfitted laptop seems a little pricey for the privilege.  But there is another option that’s been growing in popularity for some time now.  And that is the Netbook.

A Netbook is basically a smaller laptop, outfitted with less hard drive, processor power, RAM, and a smaller screen, just to outfit you with the basics necessary to use the internet.  As that’s essentially all a Netbook is for, but they are remarkably useful in that sense and purpose.  You don’t really need a load of extra features for your computer if all you’re going to do is use the internet, otherwise you’re paying too much for extras you don’t need that are only designed to jack up the price.

The other great thing about some Netbooks is that many of them have built in internet connections, meaning they go through a wireless network, like a cell phone on the 3G network, so that you can connect from anywhere.  Given a Netbook’s fantastically long battery life, you’ve got a machine that can connect from anywhere for long periods of time, making them extremely versatile and useful for conducting basic business on the go.

But then there’s the major problem with a Netbook.  They’re really only useful for conducting basic computer tasks, like your internet needs.  Anything to do with multimedia, games, or business that requires the use of different applications such as Microsoft Office Works becomes really difficult when applied to a Netbook.  The smaller screen makes using anything like Word a huge pain, as you’ll need to scroll around your typing a ridiculous amount.  And the smaller processor and storage space just doesn’t allow for running any program that requires a lot of real time memory.

So I would say Netbooks are all well and good for accessing the internet, but not really anything else.  Which is exactly what you should think about before purchasing one.  Sure a Netbook will end up being half the price of a much better full size laptop, but with that price difference drops off more than half the tasks that the laptop would be able to excel at, that you’ll find your Netbook can’t handle.

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15 Apr 09 Does iPod Touch or iPhone Provide A Better Media Experience?

Who doesn’t want an awesome portable media outlet?  Something on which to either play the odd game, or watch a few videos whether you be stuck in standstill traffic, or have some down time on the train.  There are plenty of options, most notably the new iPhone and iPod Touch, the only problem is deciding which is better for your needs, as they both offer relatively different features, each with their own pro’s and con’s.

A few downers on the iPhone for using it as a portable media outlet more than a phone, is that you’ll kill your battery ridiculously fast, making the thing practically useless when you actually want to call or text someone.  Apple is sort of becoming notorious for manufacturing products with disappointing battery life, not to mention the fact that Apple doesn’t manufacture replacement battery packs, or anything else of that sort to replace your electricity on the go.  Well nothing besides a car charger anyway, but you’re not always in your car when you need a charge!

Not to mention the biggest iPhone storage capacity is 16gb, not a lot if you’re not planning on doubling your iPhone as a video/game center.  But you would be incredibly surprised at how fast you’ll fill that 16gb, especially if you’re considering buying  few seasons of your favorite television show to pop on your iPhone.

Which is why I say, and prefer, the iPod Touch as a much better outlet.  A much more reasonable and manageable 32GB of storage space, allowing for twice the content of the iPhone.  You won’t have as many battery issues either, as you’ll only be using this device for media, which is exactly what iPod Touch is designed for.  All the same games, video functionality, photo storage, music storage, only better battery performance and more space for all those things you love.

Of course Touch isn’t as convenient as iPhone considering the fact you can always surf the internet and access the iTunes store via the 3G network.  Whereas with Touch you have to be near a Wi-Fi hotspot.  But then it’s all about what you’re looking for.  If you want to play a lot of games and watch a lot of videos on your mobile device, you’ll find better performance capabilities from the iPod Touch.  Whereas if you want a phone with the best gaming a video watching capabilities on the market, but you’re not going to use those things too much, then by all means iPhone away.

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09 Apr 09 Is Nokia’s N97 The Smartest Of The Smartphones?

As far as smartphones go, for something reliable, and with plenty of industry support, you’re likely to go for either an iPhone or a Blackberry.  But, if any of the hype can be believed, Nokia just may have a smartphone to outdo anything seen on the market previously with the long awaited Nokia N97 which is set to release next month.  Although I’m a bit leery, especially considering the way Nokia has promised to conquer in the past, and has as of yet failed to do so.  Well, that and the fact that the last iPhone killer, the Blackberry Storm, wasn’t so much an iPhone killer, as it was a bad iPhone imitation.

But N97 has plenty of features that would set it apart, and make it a fantastic addition to the smartphone lineup.  One of them being Nokia’s trademark flip up screen revealing a full and remarkably easy to use QWERTY keyboard.  Much better than either the Storm or iPhone’s on screen keyboards that can be a bit touchy to use accurately, especially when you’re trying to type something quickly.

Not to mention the N97 also offers 32GB of on board memory, as well as offering a micro SD card slot, which means you can add another 16GB of space, leveling out the N97’s storage space to 48GB.  Much, much larger than either the iPhone or Blackberry, and considering you can use multiple cards, the N97’s memory is pretty much limitless. A huge advantage over iPhone which doesn’t offer any removable memory options whatsoever.

And let’s also consider the fact that the N97 will also offer A-GPS as well as traditional GPS.  The abilities to play WMA/MP3/WAV/AAC audio files, and WMV/MPEG4/GP2 video files.  N97 will have a pocket office function, with mobile versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF Viewer, making it perfect for finishing up that PowerPoint presentation for work at the last minute.  All that and a motion sensing touch screen the likes of iPhone and Storm.

Meaning on paper the Nokia N97 looks pretty good, except that most of the tech demo videos show a phone that seems to be fairly buggy, and ridiculously unresponsive at times.  Which is exactly why I’m not buying into the hype, and I’ll be waiting until the N98 is released with all the same features and none of the bugs that will be reported.

Tags: , Board Memory, , , Memory Options, Micro Sd Card, Mobile Versions, Mp3 Wav, Nokia N97, Removable Memory, , Sd Card Slot, , Smartphones, , Storm, , Versions Of Microsoft Word, Video Files, Wmv, Word Excel Powerpoint