Tablet PCs

The basic design of a tablet PC rests on the idea of separable components. This ultralight notebook also seeks to bring back the writing tablet, the oldest and most natural form of non-verbal communication. Its built-in digitizer pen acts in place of a mouse, and also lets one write B either left or right handed B on the screen. Otherwise a tablet works just like a standard notebook, except that with an optional docking station one can gain virtually all of the capabilities of a desktop. You can run all of your favorite programs on tablets.

Tablets do get fairly warm, so if you are using it on your lap for very long you might want to put some insulation, say a washcloth or two, between your thighs and the machine. Since the tablets= first introduction in 2002, prices have come down considerably, along with the amount of heat, and most now come with a lot of bells and whistles.

The tablet PC represents a major advance in the evolution of personal computing devices. One can use a tablet PC, suitably configured, to run any standard Windows program that will run on a desktop B except for Windows itself, which comes in a format of XP or Vista specially designed for tablets. The Microsoft Office suite also now has a built-in stylus or pen functionality.

By themselves, tablets typically weigh slightly more or sometimes even less than 4 pounds, and typically they have small (9" or 10") screens, though widescreen displays are available. How much hard drive space (and whether it is internal or external) to get is up to you. Similarly, how much memory you get will depend upon your needs and budget. Remember that although processor speed is the most important factor determining a computer=s overall speed, the amount of memory is a close second. Try to get lots of both.

Here are some basic characteristics:

1. Many come with regular keyboards, and all are keyboard compatible, but the stylus is very intuitive and you will quickly master its use.

2. One can use a regular mouse if you wish, though one quickly discovers that the stylus or pen is a natural and highly efficient tool, and one that lets you be mobile to the maximum degree. 3. You may also plug-and-play any standard Universal Serial Bus or USB device. 4. Tablets all have built-in wireless (Bluetooth 802.11x) Internet capabilities.

5. Usually an undocked tablet=s central processing unit or CPU will be slightly slower than that of a desktop, but wholly adequate for virtually any task you can think of.

6. Tablets have amazingly accurate capabilities through sound recognition and through optical character recognition (OCR) to make files out of voice and handwriting input. 7. Lightness is often combined with the rugged construction required by military standards.

8. With respect to mobility and extended battery life, these machines are outstanding.

Tablets come in two basic forms, slates and convertibles. Convertibles have a screen that tilts 180 degrees, for use in either portrait or landscape mode, and it folds down over a keyboard. Slates have no keyboard except, when placed in an optional docking station or when purchased as an optional accessory. The idea is that you need only to carry with you what you need to get the job done. Now that’s progress.

Early adaptors include music composers, graphic designers, student notetakers, traveling salespersons, realtors, and anyone who works “in the field.” They often find that by eliminating many trips back and forth to and from home and/or office, their tablets save them the purchase price in less than a year.

www.lifehacker.com conducted a survey in February, 2008 that shows quite clearly the rapid trend toward portable computing. It asked users were asked whether they owned a desktop (22.8%), laptop (29.6%), or both (47.6%). The next question was, if shopping now whether the respondent would buy a laptop (58.2%) or a desktop (27.6%) or both (14.1%).

This survey left out the possibility of having the best of all possible worlds without the necessity to struggle with two completely separate sets of files, and all the headaches that brings for problems such as version control.

The new and very sensible solution is to buy a tablet or light notebook PC or Mac, and use it as such in the field, but when in the home or office to plug it into a docking station, which in effect turns it into a full-featured desktop machine.

* Because the files are all on the mobile computer’s hard disk, keeping track of them becomes immensely simpler.

* A tablet PC together with a docking station will typically cost much less than both a desktop and a mobile computer that function wholly separately.

* It’s almost like having your cake and eating it too.

OnHop lists docking stations separately, so please be sure to read about them in their own category on this website.

www.nuancesystems.ca quotes Scott Leforce, President of Realty World of Northern California and Nevada. Leforce, expressing the wave of the future, when he said: “Give your laptop to your kids because you don’t need it anymore; it slows you down.”

It is now time for you seriously to consider buying a tablet PC.

Cellular Phones

Manufacturers of mobil phones use lots of tricks to force users to stick with them, and this includes creating a wide variety of connector styles and voltages, most of which are incompatible with other manufacturers’ phones. Sometimes, even though the connector may fit, the actual charging parameters may not, which can produce an inadequate charge or even permanent damage to the device. As we’ve been saying in the business world ever since ancient Roman times, Caveat Emptor (let the buyer beware!). Carefully check the specs. for both the phone and the charger that interests you, and you should be just fine.

Here at Onhop.com, we never forget who provides the money that lets us butter our parsnips – it is you, the satisfied customer who keeps on coming back because we treated you right. We’re on your side for that very good reason.

Flash Drives

Introduction

The USB flash drive is the technological, logical and honorably worthy successor to the floppy disk drive. It is removable so that you can transfer the data it stores from one computer to another, simply by removing it from one and plugging it into another. Flash drives use a standard type-A USB connection, and are “plug and play,” in the sense that as soon as you plug one into a computer, the computer recognizes that it has just acquired another drive, which it usually designates as “drive E.” On the other hand, it is always possible to format the flash drive, and even to partition it like a hard disk on a PC or a Mac. Also, they don’t mind at all being formatted in Linux or Unix.

Normally, the flash drive’s data becomes immediately accessible, just as though you had inserted a floppy disk into a floppy disk drive. Although the flash drive acts just like any other disk drive, to call it a drive is a misnomer, because it has no moving parts, and so nothing is being “driven.” Although it relies on solid-state circuitry, nonetheless, the name “drive” has stuck. Flash drives are to be distinguished from the Flash Cards used in digital cameras or MP3 players. Other names for flash drives are: Thumb Drives, Jump Drives, Pocket Drives, and Pen Drives.

These “drives” are almost all compatible with both Universal Serial Bus specifications 1.1 and USB 2.0, which replaced 1.1 in 2001, so they should run on any PC or Mac that actually has one or more USB receptacles or slots into which they may be plugged, which is most of the computers out there today. To determine whether your PC’s USB slots are 1.1 or 2.0, open device manager and expand the Universal Serial Bus section. There should be an “Enhanced” USB host controller present if USB 2.0 is in place.

On the older machines, most flash drives just default to the USB 1.1 specs., and so run a bit more slowly. As a practical matter, fast USB host can in actual practice achieve transfer rates of up to 30-40 Mbs. per second, while the older specification permits a (theoretical) maximum of only 12 Mbs. per second, but in practice tends to function at just about 1 Mb per second. To upgrade to the faster speed, if you have a free slot you can just pop in a USB 2.0 PCI card, which will do the trick.

Uses

Uses are as varied as your imagination. These Swiss army knives are often favored by system operators and network administrators, who load them up with configuration information and software that they use for system maintenance, troubleshooting, and data recovery. People in the PC repair field use them to transfer recovery and antivirus software to infected PCs, while allowing a part of the host machine’s data to be archived in case of emergency. If you plan to use one for this purpose, be sure that it can be set with write protection. Not all drives are write protectable, but if you are going after a virus, this is a very important feature.

Many people use flash drives to carry applications that run on a host computer without requiring installation. Flash drive vendors support U3 by offering API to flash drive-specific functions. A free, open source, software platform called Portableapps allows U3-like functionality on non-U3 drives. The Mozilla’s Firefox, and the Opera browser, each have a configuration for flash drives. There is also a Creative MuVo, a small solid-state digital audio player that comes in a flash drive form.

To boot ailing operating systems is another use. Much like the way used in LiveCD, one can launch any operating system from a bootable flash drive, known as LiveUSB. In Windows Vista, the “ReadyBoost” feature allows use of some flash drives to augment system memory, which makes it one of life’s cheapest possible system upgrades.

An increasingly popular use of flash drives is for people to carry their entire medical history, lists of ailments, medications, allergies, etc., on their key chains for hospital use should a medical emergency arise.

Of course, the most common use is to transport and store personal files such as documents, pictures, music and video.

Buying considerations concern:

Capacity – the 32 and 64 Megabytes are being phased out. Go for a larger drive instead.

Speed – This is usually quoted either in Megabytes or Megabits per second to read and to write. There are 8 Megabits in one Megabyte.

Physical size – they range from the size of 3 “C” batteries down to that of a pack of gum, or even smaller. This is important because of the fact that USB slots are usually very close to each other, so a physically large flash drive could block another USB slot. You can, of course overcome this problem with an adapter.

Design – Most units have protective covers for the USB plug. Some fit on key rings or have small cables to fit with lanyards or to hang from hooks, etc.

Built-in Features – some have a LED that lights up to indicate when data is being transferred.

Compatibility – Almost all will work with Windows 2000, Mac OS 9.0, and Linux 2.4.10 or higher without any special drivers. Most work with Windows 98SE and Mac OS 8.6 with a download from the manufacturer.

Warrantee – Many units have a 1 to 5 year warrantee. Some even come with a lifetime warrantee.

How to Choose

Since this technology is the successor of the floppy disk, and since it comes in a variety of speeds, capacities, etc., you should buy have on hand several of these drives for various purposes. If you are just moving data between computers, the speed is relatively unimportant. If, however, you are using the drive to make a presentation loaded with graphics to an important audience, then be sure you have an extra drive with the same information, and go for the maximum speed and capacity you can afford. One size does not fit all. If you are distributing data to a lot of older machines, then make absolutely sure that your drive is in fact backward compatible (most are, but please be sure).

Like any other kind of drive, these flash drives need to be backed up in some way. However, because these drives are extremely rugged, and due to their lack of moving parts are extremely reliable, you might choose to view the warrantee as a lesser consideration than the other main characteristics. They are virtually impervious to the dust and scratches that afflicted previous forms of portable storage, such as CDs and floppy disks, and top of the line flash drives can store more data than a DVD. The flash drives’ robust nature and low price make them both extremely reliable, and certainly a wholly worthy successor to the now obsolescent though still dearly lamented floppy disk drive. [Moment of Respectful Silence; imagine the smell of lilys and the sound of subdued organ music]

Video Cards

Video Cards

Choosing a new video card is not rocket science

As computers become faster and faster, many of us fail to see that technology has been moving steadily away from the CPU and more into the video card industry. Someone looking for a gaming monster should reevaluate the budget and spend less on the CPU and look more at the RAM (Random Access Memory) and the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). In a gaming machine, most of the processing is done by the video card... and not so much the CPU as one would think. But think about it.... those photo realistic graphics portrayed by most of the new games require a LOT of processing power – 90% of which is handled by the graphics card.

Choosing a new video card is not rocket science, but you still have to know what to look for. More video memory does not necessarily mean higher performance. One can purchase an ATI 1300 with 512 megs of ram on it or a previous generation ATI X800 with 256megs. Most people would think that the newer generation video card with the more memory would be faster right? Let's put it this way. Would a 2007 Ford Focus be faster than a 1999 Porche 911 even though it is newer and bigger? No, because the Porsche has a much more powerful engine. Just like the X800 has a much more powerful “Engine” than the X1300.

It is always wise to check minimum requirements on games, before proceeding to buy, to ensure that your videocard will perform to the required specifications for an enjoyable gaming experience. Always look at the Recommended specifications as opposed the the Minimum Specifications. Minimum specifications are just that. Minimum required to make the game work. It won't necessarily be pretty to look at, but it will work. Whereas with the recommended specifications, now it may start to look pretty and smooth.

Points to consider for gaming

Push more towards higher end video cards to enhance your experience

Double check video card performance before your purchase

Look at previous generation cards

Always check the minimum requirements for the game

The human eye cannot see more than 60frames per second (fps) good gaming

andquot;a computer is only as good as the person in front of itandquot;

Setzer

Computer Systems

Computer Systems

How to approach the task of compiling a computer system using our online store (or anyone else's) to find the right components and parts.

Select your computer platform. Before you start shopping, you should determine whether you want a Mac or a Personal Computer. To make this decision consider what platform the majority of your friends and coworkers use. If PCs are the standard platform at work, you should probably purchase a PC for yourself. PCs are the choice of most businesses, except those focused on artistic endeavors, such as advertising agencies. Many elementary schools have standardized on the Mac computer, so if you are a teacher or have children who use Macs at school, then that should be your platform of choice.
Pros and Cons. People who own Macs report high levels of satisfaction with Mackintosh reliability, and with the level of technical support. The PCs strength is the much greater "native" availability of software, but viruses, spyware and malware in general are hundreds of times more likely to target PCs than Macs. This ratio will decrease now that we have Intel-based Macs that can run Windows programs. Good antivirus and firewall protection is essential for either platform. Macs cost more to buy, but their greater reliability saves money in terms of fewer repairs and less down time.

Definition. A computer system is the combination of hardware, components and parts, and software. According to Wikipedi, owners of computing systems commonly give them female names by due to the impact these systems have on our lives. Networks connecting computers, in contrast, typically get male names. While compatibility problems still exist, the standardization that has evolved around PC architecture helps to ensure that many parts and peripherals are now "Plug and Play," or at least are configurable with not too much trouble.

Ensure compatibility. Anyone who wishes to build a customized computer system should carefully ensure that all of the system requirements of the various components and parts are compatibly met. Within this limitation, virtually any combination of computer attributes can be incorporated to meet the individual's specific needs. Do you need the blazing speed and computational power required for happily addictive gaming? Is speed less important than the truly enormous storage that a professional photographer requires? Whatever you need (within reason) is possible to acquire by mixing and matching appropriate components and parts. Keep costs down by bearing in mind Vernon Howard?s wise observation:

"You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need."

Laptops / Notebooks and Tablet PCs

Laptops / Notebooks and Tablet PCs

Actual physical size and weight are the primary reasons why you're considering buying a laptop, notebook or tablet PC. Don't get us wrong. The technical specs are just as important. So too, are the ratings and reviews of the specific laptop or notebook you're considering buying. However; size and weight should be the main features or factors in your buying decision. The reason is simple. If you're buying a regular PC for your home ─ size and weight are not really a significant concern. You're only going to stick it somewhere in your room, and just leave it there. On the other hand, when buying a notebook, laptop, or tablet PC, the size and weight are your first considerations. Once you’ve hauled it halfway around the world, you will fully appreciate this fact.

* One piece of good news is that, in recent years, the price of portable computers has declined drastically. * Another is that the capabilities of these computers have dractically increased -- to the point that they rival those of desktop machines. There has never been a better time to buy a computer "to go."

Parts for Networking

Parts for Networking