Show #46 - 09.09.2007

[Download Show #46 as MP3]

News

• Sony to Release Wii-Like PS2 System for Christmas
• AT&T Sells Parental Cell Phone Controls
• Called "Smart Limits"
• Extra feature, $4.99/line
• Call blocking, hour limits, texting limits, etc
• Also can block web sites from being browsable on the phone
  
• Apple Event Round Up (This past Weds.)
  
• Ringtones for the iPhone
• New iPod Nanos, with support for games, cover flow, and video
• 4GB & 8GB ($150/$200)
  
• New iPod Cla ssics
• 80 & 160GB ($250/$350)
• iPod Touch
• 8GB & 16GB ($300/$400)
  
• Phone-less iPhone
• Multi-Touch, WiFi b/g
• Safari Web Browser
• Also announced a new WiFi iTunes Store for the iTouch and on iPhones later this month
• And a $200 price drop on the 8GB iPhone, now $399
  

Software / Hardware / Power Web Picks

• Desktops
• Why pick a desktop over a laptop
  
• Prebuilt
• Advantages
  
• Usually come with a warranty of some kind
  
• No worry about making sure all the parts work
• Sold as a package with monitor at a discount
  
• Disadvantages
• Hard to upgrade
• Parts are usually sub-par
  
• Build Your Own
• Advantages
• Usually can end up with a faster PC
• Easier to upgrade overall
• You can tweak to your hearts content
  
• Disadvantages
• No warranty on the whole PC, warranty is on individual parts and has to be handled through the parts manufacture (more paperwork)
• There can be incompatibilities with different parts causing the system to not work optimally
  
• Laptops
• Why pick a laptop over a desktop
• Laptops are portable and take up less space, so for a college student they work great in dorm rooms
• They allow a student to be able to type their notes in class
• Disadvantages over Desktops
• They usually have smaller hard drives leading to smaller amounts of storage space, utilizing an external hard drive can cause more bulk
• They do not hold long charges, and need to be plugged in frequently. If your laptop goes dead and there is no plug around, then you are out of luck
  

Penny Pinchers

• Save money on that new PC purchase
• Be realistic with your feature choices, are you really going to need the TV Tuner card on your laptop?
• What do you plan on doing with the computer
• Do plan on playing games?
• This means you will need a better video card and possibly a faster processor
  
• Do you plan on recording media onto it for editing
• This means you will need more RAM and a larger hard drive.
• Or you might need to invest in an external drive
  
• Is it going to be simply to write documents and surf the web?
• You can get by with the basics, nothing fancy and you will be fine
• If this is your primary use of a computer, then you might want to consider an appliance-like computer, like a MacBook
  
• How portable does it need to be
• Common rule in technology: the smaller you make the device, the more it costs
• If you do not need to carry it with you, buy/build a desktop
• Prices on PCs
• Desktop
• Normal
• Dell
• $349 - Non XPS
• $999 - XPS Non-Gaming
  
• HP
• $300
  
• Mac
• $1199 - iMac (20 inch)
• $1799 - iMac (24 inch)
• $2499 - Mac Pro
  
• Gaming
• Dell
• $1699 - XPS Gaming
  
• HP
• $799 - "High Performance"
  
• Laptop
• Normal
• Dell
• $549 - Low End
• $799 - Inspiron
  
• HP
• $499 - "Everyday computing"
  
• Mac
• $1099 - MacBook
• 13.1" Screens
  
• $1999 - MacBook Pro
• Faster Processors
• Bigger Screens (15"-17")
  
• Gaming
• Dell
• $1499 - XPS Laptop
  
• HP
• $2999 - "Extreme Multimedia"
  

Security & Privacy

• Desktop Security
• Laptop Security
  

Gamer's Corner

• Gaming PCs
• We know that almost any computer can play games, so
  
• What makes a computer a "gaming computer"
• Hardware
• Fast Processor
• Powerful video card, PCI-E over 256MB video ram, etc
• Fast RAM

Tech Forum Talk Back

• Dell
• HP
• Apple
• Toshiba
• Acer