Tech Helpline has compiled some helpful tips to consider when deciding what to purchase for your business needs in the ever-changing world of technology.

Macs
Mac computers have many loyal users and for good reason. Macs rarely have problems and are visually appealing. For business use, they are comfortable and easy to use. Since Mac computers are not the prevailing force in the computing world, many websites are not Mac compatible. However, with an increase in Mac users over the past few years, this may soon change. It is definitely recommended to do some research before buying a Mac to see if it will fit your needs and is compatible with websites you frequently visit.

Netbooks
Netbooks is a new classification of laptop. They are lightweight and easy to carry, but they do not include a CD drive. These are great computers for Internet and email, as well as basic computing needs, but not as powerful as larger laptops.

iPad
The iPad is an amazing, supplementary device. Apple, the manufacturer of the iPad, did not build them as a replacement for your computer, but as an enhancement to your computing needs. The real value of the iPad is in the apps. Apps are third-party applications, just like programs for your computer. Talk to your friends who have iPads and iPhones about their favorite apps and how they use them and decide if this is a device you may want to invest in. Similar to Macs, iPads also have some limitations, and you will want to consider those during your decision-making process.

Smartphones
How great is it that our phones now have touch screens and can organize much of our work, notes, and schedules? Common smartphone brands include the iPhone and the Android-run devices. The iPhone is one, singular device, in which the same accessories work on all iPhones. There are many different brands of Android-devices, on the other hand, with an assortment of features. All Andriods run on the same operating system, but they do not support the same accessories.

What is the wise choice?
With many different options, what is right for you? Netbooks are amazing for travel, schoolwork, or in situations where you’d like to use a computer without carrying a large laptop. They have great battery life and rarely fail, but are not full computers in the sense of power. Macs are great for creative design as well as personal use, but in business, there are many needs which may outweigh the benefits of purchasing the Mac due to incompatibility issues. Some Android phones have larger screens and perform faster than the iPhone, but the iPhone has demonstrated, over the last four years, that it is a useful smartphone for professionals. The iPad is a great supplementary device but not a necessity. Also, consider that the Apple devices can be more costly than other options, so it is recommended to find out if they meet your needs before purchasing.

The price tag alone should be a serious indication of needed research, but always take time with new technology by speaking to other peers who use it before you jump head-first into new exciting trends of business, or, as always, call the Tech Helpline. We are here to help you.

Contributions to this article made by Allen Williams, Tech Helpline analyst

Tech Helpline would love to help you through the frenzy of sales with many helpful considerations that should allow you to find what fits your needs. Below you will find a list of options that may help you make the right choice and save you time and money.

Options to Consider

Much of the process of finding a new system to replace your old computer is finding what suits your needs as well as something that will stay current for a long time. New technology may have been released since you last shopped for a computer and you may not be sure if you need all the bells and whistles that are available. Consider the following options as you prioritize and budget for your next purchase.

Tech Support

Something that is often overlooked when purchasing a new computer is what will happen if the time comes when something unexpectedly goes wrong with the computer. Dell, for example, offers many levels and forms of support. Companies like Dell offer regular technical support and levels that include “North American Tech Support.” You may want to look into the manufacturers’ website for additional options other than the simple one-year manufacturers’ warranties.

Do You Really Need a New Computer?

Very often, adding more memory or having a technician install a faster/newer hard drive may save your computer from being considered obsolete, and in most cases, can cost as little as $20-$50.

Battery Life

This is a major part of purchasing a laptop or a tablet. The battery life can make or break a purchase for a hardworking individual on the go. Shopping from the website of the manufacturer may yield more battery options. Often times purchasing another battery or a longer-lasting (but bigger and maybe heavier) battery is best up front rather than worrying about it after you’ve made the purchase and realized it was not enough for your needs.

Purchasing Your Computer In-Store or Online

This is one thing many buyers don’t consider. If you purchase a computer in the store you will have it in your hands right away, but what if you want to save money and are willing to wait? It is highly recommended to consider looking at the computers in person but buying online if you have the time to wait for the computer to be delivered. Buying online can save you money and allows you to choose many of the components that go into building the computer, which you otherwise would not be able to change after having made the purchase.

Contributions to this article were made by Allen Williams, Tech Helpline Technical Analyst

About Tech Helpline
The Tech Helpline goal is to provide superior technology support services to all. We have been in operation for ten years, and our talented, US-based analysts share a passion for technology and are here to help you with your technology questions.

E-book Readers
An e-book (electronic book) is a text and image based publication in digital form that can be read using a hand held device called an e-book reader. There are several advantages to using this method over traditional print media.
1. There are over 2 million free books available for download, including all fiction from before the year 1900.
2. E-book websites can include the ability to translate books into many different languages.
3. E-books are generally cheaper to purchase compared to other traditional media.
4. An e-book can be purchased, borrowed, downloaded and used immediately.

The e-book reader market is highly saturated, giving consumers many options. There are some e-book features to consider before purchasing a model.

Screen
While there are multiple different screen variations, the two most popular are e-ink and LCD. The LCD screens will illuminate your text making it ideal for reading in low light conditions. The e-ink screen, however, will offer a more natural look that mimics how a paperback might read. The screen size can vary from 5” to 10”. Note: the bigger the screen, the heavier the device. Some of the 10” e-book readers can be quite cumbersome to work with and can fatigue you quickly because of their associated weight.

Capacity
Capacity is the amount of storage space on the hard drive within the device. Some e-book readers offer the ability to expand the storage through the use of a MICROSD card. Be sure to check the initial storage as well as the ability to expand onboard storage, especially if you are an avid reader.

Additional Features and Compatibility
The varieties of e-book readers come from their additional features and compatibility with a variety of e-book formats. The most common additional features are 802.11b/g/3g connectivity, online newspaper subscriptions, integrated dictionary, touch screen, text-to-speech and web browsing. Compatibility is also important to consider when deciding on a reader. Some readers will only read proprietary formats associated with the manufacturer’s distributor and library. Make sure to check if your reader will work with your e-book library.

Price
Price is most often the deciding factor for most e-book reader purchases. There are several entry level e-book readers (e.g., Kindle, The Nook) starting at or around $139.00 USD. You will most often get the best price by purchasing your e-book online. If you have a local computer store nearby, you may want to visit it to “get a feel” for the device before purchasing it online.

Remember to contact Tech Helpline for your computer support needs. Form Individual Memberships, please click here.

What is the iPad?
But what is the iPad, exactly? According to Apple, the iPad is a “new class of device between a Smartphone and a laptop”. What does this mean, exactly? Well, the iPad runs the same graphical interface as the iPhone, but does not make phone calls. This means applications compatible to the iPhone would be very close to working as well on the iPad. This is a wonderful device for web-browsing, watching movies, showing property photos uploaded with iTunes, reading magazines, and looking at e-books using Apple’s custom software.

Purchase options
One thing to consider is that the iPad will not be your only device. The iPad supplements your other devices and works around your needs. As such, the iPad comes with many purchase options.

The iPad comes in two styles; “Wi-Fi” and “Wi-Fi + 3G”. The difference being with “Wi-Fi” you can access the company’s wireless internet, and with “3G” you can purchase a data plan with AT&T and access the Internet anywhere, making it easy to use “Google Street View” to show the neighborhood of a property. The “Wi-Fi” and “Wi-Fi + 3G” options each come in three packages; 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB. The wonderful part is, being a satellite device, you are asked to sync your iPad with a PC or Mac upon turning it on, allowing you to manage and backup all your information at your convenience.

Functionality
The iPad has many capabilities, but it has some incapabilities we’d like to point out for you. The iPad cannot use Adobe Flash, which is a web technology used to view many integrated technologies on websites. Youtube is supported, but this is because Youtube is not Adobe Flash-based as it was in its infancy. The iPad is also incapable of printing on it’s own. Another very important functionality concern is the iPad’s lack of support for Adobe Reader/Acrobat. How does this affect you? Digital contracts and forms are created for Adobe Reader. Not having the ability to run Adobe Reader on the iPad means you cannot fill out these forms. The iPad also does not have a camera, which means you will have to use iTunes to transfer pictures over by syncing it to a PC or Mac. Some MLS providers have also informed us that the iPad’s functionality does not support their websites. We recommend that you contact your MLS before purchasing the device.

What fits your need?
There are many devices which have a niche. Smartphones are one. With a Smartphone you can ‘Google’ anything, manage a calendar with tasks, send email, and make phone calls. The iPad does all of this except make phone calls. In essence toward this idea, the iPhone is best for these tasks, with the iTouch device at a close second for being the same as the iPhone without the phone capabilities.

The laptop is another niche item. You can create documents, manage office spreadsheets, create forms, and print out documents. Because of this, the iPad fits as an expansion of your work environment. It is, itself, not a laptop, so it is to be treated as a device which you can use to manage your photos, browse websites, or use one of the many “App” applications which can be purchased from Apple’s “App store” web storefront.

Before purchasing an iPad, every REALTOR® needs to realize that he or she must find the need and niche for which device fits within his or her work environment. The device is great for taking notes, surfing the web, viewing videos on Youtube, or showing photographs of properties to potential buyers. The device is a supplement to tools we already have. The consideration is finding how it fits your needs.

About Tech Helpline
The Tech Helpline goal is to provide superior technology support services to all. We have been in operation for ten years, and our talented, US-based analysts share a passion for technology and are here to help you with your technology questions.

What’s new?
There are plenty of reviews about the new operating system, and they all share an underlying theme. While Vista was not the XP successor users were hoping for, Windows 7 has real promise of filling the gap. With its revamped user interface, yet low-key, minimalist approach, it offers a much altered experience to that of Vista.  

Enjoy new user interface enhancements like the reorganized Taskbar, which gives the Mac OS X dock a run for its money. Experience features like Jump Lists that keep the most recent things you’ve used close by for fast access; or the Pin feature which lets you “pin” programs or files to your Taskbar or Jump Lists. 

Keep your desktop organized with Aero Peek, a new management tool that provides thumbnails of all open windows. Scroll over thumbnails to get a peek of the full view window. Or use the desktop peek feature to view your desktop by making all windows transparent with a simple click of the mouse. This might be one to get used to because Windows 7 has omitted the Sidebar, the portion of the screen that Vista reserved for gadgets. Now you’ll find your gadgets such as your calendar, pictures, weather or games directly on the desktop.

A few other changes worth mentioning are enhanced security with less annoying UAC (User Access Controls), easier network sharing with HomeGroup, and XP Mode for programs that require a PC running XP. 

Which edition is right for you?
Windows 7 comes with six different editions to choose from – Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, OEM, and Enterprise. However, the three editions that will be most marketed are Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate.

For most users, Professional will be the appropriate choice. While Home Premium has all the cool user interface enhancements and updated Windows Media Center, it lacks the tools needed for working in XP mode, backing up to a network, and joining a network domain – all of which are activities many professionals may require. For an additional $20 you can get the Ultimate edition that includes BitLocker, a security enhancement that encrypts all computer drives, including USB flash drives and portable hard drives to protect your data and passwords.

Upgrading options: 
You also need to determine if you’ll be doing a clean install or an upgrade. This may be decided for you, depending on the operating system you’re currently running.

Windows XP users: Unfortunately, XP users only have the option of doing a clean install to Windows 7. In fact, most experts suggest a clean install because not only does it provide a fresh start, it also removes old files and registry entries that could slow down your machine. The only down side to a clean install is that you lose all your programs and data. However, that can be remedied by backing up your data and transferring it over once you’ve completed the installation.

Should you upgrade? The choice is yours. If you currently own a strong operating XP machine, there’s no need to upgrade just because it’s available. XP will continue to be a primary operating system for the foreseeable future.

Windows Vista users: Depending on the Vista edition you currently have installed, you may be able to do an upgrade to Windows 7 rather than a clean install. The benefit of doing an upgrade is that it requires less free space for installation and transfers over your existing programs and user data. View the chart below to see if you qualify for an upgrade.

Should you upgrade? For those who have recently purchased a computer running Vista, the decision is a bit tougher. A Vista machine running Service Pack 2 is a stable, efficient operating system. However there are some Vista computers that would benefit from the upgrade, such as laptops with a single core processor or computers with less than 2 GB of memory because of the built-in memory management that Windows 7 provides.   

Check your requirements
Before you start your installation, please make sure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements. These will vary slightly depending if your machine is a 32 or 64 bit. If you’re not sure which version you’re running, go here for instructions to find out.

One last step you might want to consider before installation is running the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. The advisor tool will scan your hardware, devices, and installed programs for known compatibility issues and will advise you how to resolve potential issues. 

Final thought…
The choice to upgrade to Windows 7 is completely up to you, but if you’re in the market for a new computer then Windows 7 is definitely a great choice. Windows 7 is simply the operating system Vista should have been. And while your current computer may function fine, if it meets the requirements to upgrade, most likely you’ll enjoy the benefits the new system has to offer. 

We hope that this information has been helpful and remember if you have any questions or need computer repair or remote tech support, call Tech Helpline.

Internet Browsers Have You Scratching Your Head?

Overwhelmed by Internet browser choices? How do you determine which one is right for you? Here are some features of my top three browser picks so that you can decide which one is for you.

Mozilla Firefox 3.5

Many surveys have shown that users think Firefox is the king of browsers. It now works faster and uses less memory than previous versions. Another bonus – it works with all platforms including Windows, Linux, and Mac.

• Private Browsing: This feature allows you to go undercover online, where your online fingerprint is completely untraceable.

• Open Video and Audio: This is the first open source video and audio format which allows sites to display media content without plug-ins and other proprietary software.

• Awesome Bar: This feature learns about you, and the more you use it, it adapts to your preferences by providing new matches from previous searches.

• Instant Website ID: This allows you to avoid illegitimate sites, especially when making purchases. This feature gives you a quick identity overview of the site, company and its location.

Internet Explorer 8

IE’s new features may help it increase its competitiveness and become the favored choice once again. This may be your preferred browser if you are into gadgets and tools to gain efficiency when browsing.

• Web Slices: Key lime pie? Not quite, but nearly as nice. If you frequent certain portions of a website, such as checking on auction items or stock quotes, then this web slice icon could be handy. It will provide you with updates on these sites directly from the favorites bar.

• Accelerators: You can shorten browsing steps with a couple clicks of a mouse. You can highlight a street address and use the accelerator icon to get driving directions. Or you can even translate a word. IE offers several, different accelerators.

• SmartScreen: It’s like having your own personal online bodyguard! This filter detects and notifies you of malicious websites and downloads that are reported as unsafe.

• Parental Controls: This allows you to customize a security mix to protect your family.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome is very fast, intuitive, and applies the rule that “less is more,” giving Windows users a stripped down option without clutter.

• Untraditional Toolbars: Chrome offers new tab attributes – drag tabs from the browser to make new windows, rearrange or delete tabs, and if one tab accidentally closes, you will not lose the other open tabs because they’re independently run.

• Incognito Mode: Similar to Firefox’s Private Browsing feature, this mode allows you to view websites privately.

• Task Manager: This feature shows the amount of resources being used by open web pages or plug-ins. If one’s slowing you down, you can terminate the process without even having to shutdown the browser.

Keep in mind that anytime new browser updates are released; be sure to check for compatibility issues with your current programs or the websites you use most often. Happy browsing!

Tech Helpline’s goal is to provide superior technology support services, including: computer repair, spyware removal, virus protection, helpdesk outsourcing, remote support, data recovery services and email technical support. We’ve been in operation for nearly ten years, and we currently support more than 250,000 individuals. Our offices and staff are U.S. based, located in Orlando, Florida.