What to Buy Holidays 2009

Welcome to another year! Happy Holidays everyone and regardless of your faith and what you are celebrating, you can be sure it is going to involve some goodies for you and your loved ones.
I noticed a lot of what I wrote last year still applies, so I will add some new things to the top of the list and then get redundant later with a refresher of last years suggestions.
Lets start at the top shall we? We will start with the who, what when and where's... First off ALL new machines come with Windows 7 on them! Yahhhhhoooooo! Whoot! Ok, enough of my excitement...

Ok when we are buying new technology, we generally go to a store. Lets start with the WHO. In my opinion it is better to buy computers DIRECT from the manufacturer. The reason for this is that you know its never been touched by someone else, and there's less chance that someone owned it before you and ruined the machine and the company just placed it back on the shelf.
Do not buy machines from 3rd party websites. Doing this is taking the chance that the machine is a refurbished one, meaning they took parts from dead machines and retested them and resold them. This leaves the space for mechanical failure and you generally get a 90 warranty on these types of machines, definitly not worth the "savings" that would motivate someone to buy them.
In a retail store if it looks too good to be true it probably is. And this works in reverse as well. Many try to sell you more when you need less and less when you need more. Examples follow in mention of warranties and security software and these were issues last year and still are a problem. If a machine is extremely inexpensive, know you are getting what you paid for. A lot of the time the units are cheaper as the retailer ordered machines that have been downgraded, meaning not loaded with the basic stuff, or in other cases it is made up with refurbished parts. Cheap on a laptop should be a common sense warning.

An exception to this rule is the new MINI type machines, just know they are souped up PDA's basically, internet and word processing, no built in DVD or CD rom and have top end processing of 1.2Ghz. Good for a student doing documents and emails, anything more intense than that, you'll be disappointed.

Do not buy your added gear like external hard drives and other replacements or upgrade from retail, instead set up an account on New Egg (click here) and get all your extras and upgrades through them, and they run deals all year long. Again, this is for parts, Assec, and upgrades. Awesome place. And no I don't get paid for you going there, again this is FREE information.

SOFTWARE:

Top of the list, the one greatest thing that we can not live without! It doesn't matter if its for audio editing, video playing or the like - even security software, we should know what we are getting and what it offers - before we buy or install.

The hottest thing on the market this year is the LoJack software. If you are on the go with your laptop and ever in a situation where it could be stolen. LoJack is your answer, it will embed a tracker into your machine and if it gets stolen they will be able to GPS your machine and the goons that stole it. Amen.

Here are a few known things to look out for:

Multiple Purchasing:

Be cautious of retailers selling you multiple copies of the same program, good examples are copies of office and Norton security and the like. Most of these offer 3 product keys for every one package purchased. I have seen very often (No retailer names mentioned to avoid lawsuit) them selling a person two copies of these soft wares when each box is good for up to 3 machines.

Compatibility:

Be sure that the Software you are getting has a label on it saying it was coded for your version of machine. In example, if it says Xp, it may run on your Vista machine, but no guarantees. And you definitely don't want to install your Vista software into your XP machine. If the program does not make reference to your system at all, well assume the company that makes the program is too cheap to buy the proper blueprints for your Operating System (OS) from Microsoft and avoid it all together- it could potentially turn a "great weekend" into a tech support call and a drawn out nightmare as you try to unravel the mess it made when it was installed.

Things to Avoid:

Third rate programs and Peer to Peer (P2P) programs. They could be malicious, or contain viruses and the like. If you need to cut the budget on your program purchases, go to manufacturer websites and retail sites and look for boxed sets on sale. (It is very common)

Great Options:

There are many FREEWARE products on the Internet. Freeware and Open Source software is state of the art products that can be used without PURCHASE. Generally these programs are made by helpful Tech Gurus and placed free to the public in rebellion to big money companies and they generally function even better than BRANDED versions. And its free.

Installations:

Be sure that if you are installing a full version of a program, that you fully remove the old version off your machine first to avoid program corruptions. Example, if I had a trial of OFFICE, I would go into the Programs and Features (for Vista) or Add and Remove programs (for XP) and uninstall it, and restart my computer. Then install my copy from disc.

The other option would be to go into the Trial you have now, and click on subscribe and in here will usually be an option to put in your product key from your purchased version. Enter the key and you don't have to muss and fuss with uninstalls etc etc.

WARNING: This should never, never be done with ANTIVIRUS or computer protection software, be sure to remove the old version completely before installing a new one, and don't ever trust the program to remove the old copy correctly. YOU WILL HAVE PROBLEMS.

BIT SYSTEM TYPES:

Well there is two things to think of here. The Processor type itself and then the BIT speeds of your Operating System (OS).

Information on Bits :

32 Bit Information

64 bit Information

Let us start at the top. The Bit speed on the computers processor is important for operating speed. The latest and greatest would be a 64 Bit processor, with Duel Core technology.This is perfect and you will notice a huge speed difference in performance from the older versions we had grown to love.

The thing to look out for here is (once again) retailers pushing 64 Bit Operating Systems (OS) onto people that have no clue at all what they are getting into. Let me explain.

32 Bit system:

The programs transfer and communication rate should match what you have for a system itself to sync the two harmoniously. 32 Bit programs are what nearly all software developers are making and putting on the store shelves and on the Internet. If you want few nightmares, you want at best - a 64 Bit Processor (Duel core) using a 32 Bit Operating System.

64 Bit system:

If you don't work for Pixar, or Disney, and have the habit of running KAD (more here on Kad), and spend all your earnings on software that itself costs the same as a used car that is LABELED in bold 64 Bit then you want to avoid this like the plague. Go ahead, please, when a retailer offers you a 64 Bit system, ask them if they are stupid or just trying to UP SELL and ruin your life. Companies are not in the habit of making 64 Bit programs, and your software collection at home is not going to run and function correctly on this type of machine. I would like to point out however, the new 64bit Windows 7 machines are not that far out of the park and will be great for you in this season. They have worked out a lot of the 64bit issues.

A good spot to find and figure out what is available on a 64 bit machine: 64x Software Store

When a retailer offers you 64 Bit, they probably don't know what they are talking about. Just know the new machines are running Windows 7 and it will be alright. On top of this we have a very cool new toy called the XP Emulator, and look for an article soon on that. That solves the program compatibility issue once and for all.

EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES and BACKUP SOLUTIONS:

Well having a backup solution is the PRIMARY responsibility of the computers owner. If you run a home business and or freelance using your home machine or laptop and you do not have a regular back-up solution or plan, then well I am sorry- your not very prepared and you deserve everything you get. I.E. Data loss.

BACKUP OPTIONS:

It is YOUR job as a computer user that stores anything important on your machine to back this information up. Meaning make copies somewhere.

We all have multiple copies of our social Security cards, and birth certificates and every other "paper" document that's worth keeping safe forever, the same applies to your computer data and files. If you have a DATA backup solution and a good copy of your RECOVERY media for your brand of machine and its system, then you are now UNTOUCHABLE by system failure, corruption and even DATA loss.

Flash drive/ Thumb drive:

This is the most common among college students and very very easy and effective. Also very cost effective. One problem- absolutely for no reason do you ever want to get your FLASH drive near a magnet, say good bye to everything on it. You can get these now from sizes as small as 256 mega bites up to 100 Gigabytes. And they can cost now anywhere from (depending on size) $10.00 to $200.00 and can be found at any tech store. I recommend radio shack for their "no questions asked" 30 day return policy, and they are very helpful, you are not JUST a number to them and are actually treated like a human with questions and concerns.

They are also generally very honest, and will let you know if they don't know what you are talking about or if they don't carry what your looking for.

External Hard drives:

With the change in technology you have several options here. There is the old and friendly SATA drives we are all familiar with and the new Solid State drives which are basically really big Flash/ Thumb drives in essence - no moving parts.

SATA HDD:

They generally have an external power source and plug into your USB port. Again all sizes available and they usually come with an auto backup system software built in. Price varies by its size and extras. These have moving internal parts and if dropped can cause the HEADS to magnetically stick to the reading surface inside causing failure and destruction. These will also die over time from mechanical failure, (a natural act for any device with mechanical and moving parts, including us).

SOLID STATE HDD:

Basically the latest in technology, where it works and looks like the old Sata HDD, but is lighter, and holds more and instead of mechanical failures, you should be more concerned with just keeping it away from magnets. They cost a lot more but are more portable and have a faster DATA transfer rate. (suggested if you have the money)

WEB Backups:
A huge new industry, and this is becoming more and more of a standard in the industry- backing up your data onto the Internet into a VIRTUAL database. There is something really nice about this as well (without having to carry an external HDD around) you can go to Mom's house and access your storage (on the Internet ) from her home computer, and simply download all those photos of the kids and that recipe for oatmeal cookies. No fuss, these are paid services, however you can find some free options for photo and song backups like this, a good example for Photos that's free - I use www.photobucket.com
 

WHO/ WHAT/ WHERE/ WHEN WARRANTY'S:

This is a very simple thing to understand, a computer is not a cellphone- KNOW your warranty for your computer. Without extra purchased warranty's you are not getting FREE repairs when you drop your machine down the stairs, or dump your coffee into the keyboard. Don't be surprised when the Tech agent says "That's going to cost $659.68..."

Realize some repair costs are going to cost more than your machine if it needs to be fixed and that is because of the following metric: (I lay this out very good here I might add)

- My Motherboard has failed and I am Out of Warranty:

Agent explains : Cost 600.00

- But I only paid $500.00 for the whole machine!!

BREAKDOWN:

-Shipping and Receiving : internal mail handlers and postal fees and rates

-Labor to rip the old part out

-The cost of the replacement part

-Labor to put the new part in

-Overhead costs (micromanaged) costs to maintain the service center

a) rent

b) electricity

c) insurance for workers

-Return Shipping : internal mail handlers and postal fees and rates

Overall cost to the manufacturer: 600.00

RETAILER WARRANTY'S:

Here are some tips: KNOW WHAT THE RETAILERS WARRANTY COVERS

Retailer warranty's don't start usually until the manufacturers warranty expires~

Retailer warranty's generally don't cover software issues, only hardware failures

If you take your machine to them they are likely to bill you for software repairs

If it is something big and complicated, they are going to mail it to the manufacturer

(this means your retailer is now a middle man)

They take your machine and make repairs and there is no real interaction, and with this also comes lack of understanding and knowledge as to the solution to the problem or how to avoid similar issues in the future. Your just as clueless in the end as the beginning, they'll see you again.

MANUFACTURER WARRANTY'S:

Here are some tips: KNOW WHAT THE WARRANTY COVERS

The manufacturers warranty is automatic and generally covers you for a year

Extended service plans are generally one year less than stated, meaning they are an extension not actual coverage for the term. Example: a 3 year extended warranty is actually a 2 year extension of your warranty not 3 years of warranty. Yes confusing.

Manufacturers offer hardware and software support

Software support is done through troubleshooting on the phone or in some cases in-home support, which can sometimes cost an added fee for a person to come to your house.

You learn more about your machine by being involved, you don't just take your child to the doctor and say here fix them. You get involved and want to know how to protect them and keep the problem from happening again. Don't do any less for your computer.

You will get more from the manufacturer than from a retailer, despite what retailers say~

TWO TYPES of WARRANTY:

ADP - accidental damage, which generally covers, breaks, drops, minor water damage and power surges that cause damage to the internal components.This is very important if you are moving around with your machine a lot. If you are then you want to protect the machine from enviromental dangers and get this type of warranty.

STANDARD- covers hardware failures (not wear and tare from usage)

(Manufacturers generally add software support on this which is golden)

DIFFERENCES in service:

Retail:

They are generally low paid counter people and run their diagnostics through "formated" steppe processes and only encounter a "controled" group of people and their issues and in very small quantities, so exposure to commonalities in trouble shooting is low to none.

Compare them to a Children's doctor with a small clinic.

Manufacturer:

Techs are higher paid advanced trouble shooters and certified A+ agents and are geared in all ranges of hardware and software support. Networking and setup processes, dealing with all levels of different companies one on one from Microsoft to Linksys and Net gear, or Norton and Trend Micro. One agent handles 100's of cases a week, and in the big picture they know that a computer is 98% the software operating environment, and have to troubleshoot to prove functionality of the machines hardware and software functionality.

Compare them to a M.A.S.H. unit in a War Zone.

Retailers call the manufacturers tech support, tech agents call tech support. In the end these agents are the frontline of true chaos and mayhem and its their job to sort it out and make things better for all involved. Yes you'll have a few bad encounters, but rotten apples are in every Field of service, from the local and state government all the way down to the grill line at McDonald's.

OTHER DEVICES:

Hmm, what dictates another device? Well, anything that is going to plug into, Sync to or extend the environment or user interface of someones machine.

There is one main rule here, before buying know what your getting. See a trend here?

If its a ROUTER to make your home network, be sure it is compatible with what your running at home, don't just trust a retailer to know, or a friend- research and get some answers and compare.

Just a small note on Blue ray Players, and that is that the industry is presently fighting over who is going to own and imprint the UNIVERSAL format.
What is that you ask? Well this is the code that the Blue Ray disc runs on or the (Firmware), this is kind of a battle between big companies right now and many of them are making their own machine that run and play only their formatted DVD's. This is a BIG problem. What this is can only be compared to Lord of the Rings, where they all want the ring so that "they" can rule the universe. In this wave of greed, power and control, you could buy a Blue ray device that won't play your discs from Walmart. Be warned.

External User Interfaces:

Web cams and the like along with Air cards can change the way your machine works and operates, again know what your buying and know what your installing. Air cards are a last resort choice for someone whos only other option was dial-up service. They are not fast and stable and I do not advise ever doing updates or downloads for your system while using these, find an Internet wire to plug into at a friend or family members house for your system updates. Otherwise your running a risk of getting corrupted file downloads and that can cause 858994835038 issues.

Microsoft Mice (wireless):

Great alternative to a touch pad, however the wireless mouse they released constantly sends a signal to your computer and causes the screen saver to never come on. When buying Microsoft hardware devices, be sure to research, I have had many reported issues with their devices, and in my opinion, they should just stick to making software that works.

I appreciate your feedbacks, comments and suggestions, Happy Holidays 2009!
Smart shopping to you and yours!~

Use the comments box below or email me at : pcspyder@gmail.com
Stephen