West Florida Components

Google's new Chromebook

We have been anxiously awaiting the release of the newest Chromebook.  After reading about the larger Chromebook 550 last year, we wondered if this smaller version might be the answer to our ‘bigger than a tablet and netbook’ and ‘better for travel than a laptop’ needs.

With it’s smaller memory (16GB – not expandable), you most certainly will be relying on the cloud (100GB free for 2 years from Google) to store your documents, music and images. This is not necessarily a drawback as you can then access those same files from other computers as needed.

The battery life is estimated to be about 6.5 hours which is plenty for travelers on long flights or extended car rides and the weight is under 2.5 pounds – ideal for slipping into a backpack or large purse. Total thickness is under an inch (0.7″ to be exact) yet the screen size is just under 12″ and it has a full size keyboard (no full numeric keyboard but I guess that would just make it TOO perfect).

So what are the drawbacks to the new Chromebook? Other than the lack of storage space on the device (although it does accept memory sticks and SD cards), you will have to get used to web based applications such as Google Docs or Microsoft Live Documents for productivity and office type programs. Again – not necessarily a bad thing – just a shift in the programs that most businesses and people currently use.

Another benefit is the built-in virus protection which stays updated as well as the start-up speed of around 10 seconds (how long did your Windows based machine take to load this morning?). For the all-important internet access, you can count on 802.11 dual band WIFI access (a/b/g/n enabled). It is also Bluetooth enabled, has 2 USB ports and a built-in VGA camera for Skyping. Honestly, this has just about everything most folks would need – especially if used as a spare or travel computer.

Google will also be releasing another version that is 3G enabled so that like your smartphone or tablet computer, you can have access to the internet without relying on a network or WIFI. This adds another $70 to the price but in addition, you will have to pay monthly access charges to use the 3G. I think the WIFI is enough for us for now.

Ready to purchase a Google Chromebook? They are currently available at Amazon (short delays right now for orders) and some Best Buy stores (call before heading down there).

We are sure that the Chromebook will be a hot seller for the holiday season at $250.

If you are donating, disposing of or selling anything that contains a hard drive, chances are that drive should be wiped clean before it leaves your hands. Even if the hard drive has failed, special equipment can read a hard drive which could expose your private and confidential information to the next owner.

So what should you do before your dispose of your equipment with a hard drive? There are several methods that are recommended by the experts. Here is an explanation of two of them:

1 – Destruction:
According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-88, “Destruction of media is the ultimate form of sanitization.” Some methods to destroy a hard drive include pulverization, incineration, melting, and shredding however it should be noted that it is recommended that you never burn a hard drive, put a hard drive in a microwave, or pour acid on it in an effort to destroy it. Those methods should be avoided. What IS recommended is that you drive a nail through the hard drive, being sure to pierce the hard drive platter. This can be accomplished with a hammer and nails or even a drill. If you use this method to destroy the hard drive, drive several nails through or drill through it several times. Another method is to remove the hard drive platter and sand it to erase the data.

Destroying the hard drive ensures that you or anyone else will never be able to use the hard drive again. Should you want someone to be able to use the hard drive again, you might consider another option which is data destruction software.

2 – Data Destruction Software:
Sometimes called hard drive eraser software or disk wipe software, data destruction software is a way to remove your personal data off of a drive without permanently destroying the drive. While not a fool proof method (user error comes into play here), it is the easiest way to wipe a drive clean. Data destruction software overwrites a hard drive in a particular way to make extracting data from it very difficult, if not impossible. Most computer users should be able to safely wipe their hard drive clean using this type of software.

There are other methods available however they are generally expensive. Either of the two methods outlined above should suffice for the average computer user that would just like to wipe a drive clean before disposing of it.

At our electronic components e-commerce business, we love to push the limits with our electronic gadgets. But could we replace our notebook computer with an iPad2? We wouldn’t have thought so, but a writer for PC World did a 30 day challenge where he set out to prove once and for all if it were possible to replace his trusty Windows7 laptop with an iPad2.

There were many computing tasks that he looked at. Most of the criteria he included in his challenge were everyday tasks that most of us could relate to. Some of the tasks that he evaluated during the challenge were interesting.

In the end, he wanted to see if he could:

• Web Surf

• Email

• Office Productivity

• Manage Contacts

• Back Up to Cloud

• VPN to Company Network

• Online Meetings / Video Conference

• Calendar

• Social Network

• Finances

• Printing / Scanning

• Entertainment

The result? A resounding YES to all of the above. Was it a perfect solution? No. Was it even a long term solution? No way. But, other than the physical constraints of the tablet’s small screen and cramped keyboard, the writer had no major operating issues or complaints. In fact, he was even confident that should his notebook computer crash, he’d not have to run out for a replacement that very moment.

Is the next challenge going to be if he could replace his notebook computer with a smart phone? Maybe. That would be a great challenge to see.

Need a small and thin laptop for travel? How about a larger 15.6″ dual core for the home office? You can buy either right now for $349.

The lighter and smaller notebook computer is currently available from Dell is a Vostro V13. Some of the features and specifications are:

2.0GB, DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM, 1 DIMM320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, with Media, 32-bit, English
Microsoft® Office Starter
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor ULV SU7300 (3M Cache, 1.30 GHz, 800 MHz FSB)
13.3 inch Wide Display HD (1366 x 768) with Anti-glare
6-cell 30WHr internal battery
Intel Pro/Wireless 5100 802.11b/g/n
Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Module
1.3MP Webcam with Digital Mic for Win 7
Intel ® Centrino® 2 Processor
US 65W AC Adapter

If you want a larger screen, you can opt to purchase a Gateway from Best Buy. Here are some of the features on the Gateway notebook computer:

3.0GB, DDR3.0MHz SDRAM, 320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
AMD Phenom™
15.6 inch High-definition widescreen TFT-LCD with Ultrabright technology (1366 x 768)
6-cell lithium-ion
Built-in 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45 connector) Wireless-B+G+N
ATI Radeon HD 4250 Graphics
Webcam

Priced at just over $349 (plus shipping and sales tax) both are excellent deals for either home or small business use!

Whether you are updating your office’s networking component needs or starting from scratch, there are many things to think about when you are considering wired vs wireless. For starters, ask yourself:

• How many people are on your network? How about in 2 years?

• How long will this system be in place? (any moves planned within 2 years?)

• How fast does the network/internet access need to be right now? How about in 2 years?

• What kind of files have to be moved across your network right now? How about in 2 years?

• How fast does this need to be done?

• Is this a temporary or permanent solution?

• What is your budget?

Wiring a space can be cost prohibitive – especially if this space is temporary, but if the budget is unlimited, then hard wiring could be the way to go for speed and security. Very often a combination of both wired and wireless are the best solution.

If you need some help deciding, then take this quiz from PCWorld which might help you make a decision if you are on the fence or unsure about your options.

We have a love/hate relationship with our computers….and anyone running a Windows operating system or Microsoft Office knows the frustration that we’ve all experienced at one time or another. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to make your system and applications run smoother by tweaking the settings in Windows and other commonly used programs like Microsoft Office.

For example, plugging any device like thumb drives, smartphones and cameras into our USB ports will generally bring up the AutoPlay screen. To keep that window from popping up when we insert a device, insert the device into the USP port, wait for the device drivers to install, allow the AutoPlay window to open and then close it by clicking on the “X”. Disconnect the device and then insert it again. This time when the AutoPlay window opens, select the “View more AutoPlay options in Control Panel” option. Make the default setting “Take no action”. You can also choose to turn off AutoPlay for all devices in that same window by unchecking the box that says “Use AutoPlay for all media and devices”. No more pop-up window.

Want to go directly to your task manager? Use ctrl-shift-escape or right click on your taskbar to select that option. Much quicker than the old way of using ctrl-alt-delete and then selecting the task manager.

These tips, along with 28 others can be found in this PC World article titled “5 Minute Fixes for Windows PCs”.

If your small business uses more than one computer to manage its business, you may be ready to upgrade to a small server to efficiently run your business.

Keep in mind that adding a server to your business is not a huge expense – in fact you can get started by putting an unused desktop computer to work, but the rewards go beyond the financial concerns.

Here’s how to recognize the signs that it’s time for you to invest in a server for your small business.

- Has your business grown beyond a few desktop computers, laptops and other data collectors including PDA’s?
- Is the thought of losing the company data that is stored on different computers making you uneasy? In fact, have you experienced a loss of data or incurred costs associated with the recovery of lost data?
- Do multiple employees need to access the same programs and documents?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are your business is ready for a server.

Some of the benefits are that your business can use the server as a security gateway to regulate the different levels of access to your data, particularly for your employees. It is also possible to host your website on your company’s server but if your site has a reasonable amount of traffic, you might want to leave that alone.

Just in time for graduation, Apple has announced a super deal:

Buy a Mac and get a free iPod touch

iPod Touch

Pretty cool! Here’s how it works: If you buy a new Mac with Apple education pricing from May 25 through September 7, 2010, you can get a free 8GB iPod touch. That’s a value of $199! The $199 is in the form of a rebate which is processed online, and if it’s like other Apple online promos, it’s pretty painless and fast.

Want a bigger iPod touch? No problem. You can get the 32GB iTouch for $100 after rebate or the 64GB model for $200 after rebate.

Right now they have some other good deals going on including a rebate of up to $100 for qualifying printers, and as always, they offer to help recycle your old PC or Mac, sometimes giving you some $$ if your old computers qualify to be reused.

One other thing to keep in mind… Apple offers an educational discount for students and teachers….so current pricing on the site shows that the Mac’s are also discounted a little bit – starting at a $50 discount on the basic MacBook. Great deal all around!