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Solution:
Hardware
A laptop is a great idea for you college bound kid -
they can take it to class, to their dorm, to the friends
crib, the local coffee house ... you get the picture.
It's a really versatile way to go.
The hip choice of course is the Mac laptop ... your
kid's will try and convince you that this will somehow
raise their grades ... but it's only really because
their brain isn't developed enough to understand that
commercials are mostly evil - especially with respect to
your pocket book. I have no problems with Mac other than
it's more expensive out the door and the fact that it
will bite you hard when you need to get it worked on...
a Windows computer will be much cheaper out the door,
and the computer tech's are much less snobby about
fixing it ... personally I would choose to save the
$500.00 dollar premium that you pay for Mac and buy that
cheaper Microsoft version. And believe me, I am no
fan of Microsoft either ... Vista is the most convoluted
crummy running OS that I've seen come out of Redmond,
but I've come to peace with the notion that I HAVE no
choice. They are moving forward with it, and that
is all there is to it.
If you really want to go out on the limb and rebel, you
might try getting a laptop with Linux. The rebel
in me want's to recommend Linux, however my experience
with this OS only leads to the conclusion that this is
not a mainstream product ... it's best suited for those
that have computer experience and aren't afraid of
digging in and learning. But if you want to save a buck,
by all means go for it - I will personally continue to
experiment and use this great OS as time permits.
For Hardware specs, look for a laptop with 2GB or more
of RAM, at least a 150GB hard drive, and a dual or quad
core CPU. Most have built in WiFi capability, but
make sure it has this. Think about the extra
warranty ... if it's more than 10% of the price of the
unit, it's probably not worth it. Take a look at
your credit card benefits, many credit cards offer to
double your manufacturer warranty if you use their card
for the purchase. And hang on to those receipts !
Software - Office
Your kids will need a basic Office suite of software -
Word Processing, Spreadsheet, Presentation. The
de-facto standard software is Microsoft Office
which runs about $400 plus .. for students you can get
it for $150 or so ... hold on a minute !! Do your
students really need Microsoft Office ? Is it
really necessary ? Corel Word perfect is a lower
cost alternative. It will do most of the things that
Microsoft Office will do, but at a much lower price.
The only knock on this is that it isn't necessarily
compatible with Microsoft Office ... so what to do ???
How 'bout something that is not only compatible with
Microsoft Office and is really reasonable in price ?
Impossible you say ? Try
http://www.openoffice.org - its an open source
alternative to Microsoft, it's compatible and its FREE !
All you have to do is take the time to download and load
the product or order a CD from their site. If you
get stuck, contact us and
we'll send you a copy for a nominal fee.
Software - AntiVirus
If you get a Microsoft Windows desktop or laptop
computer you WILL need to get a decent Anti-Virus and
Firewall product. If you are like a lot of
computer users, you probably have a high speed ISP -
(Internet Service Provider). Typically ISP's
provide a free version of Antivirus for your home
computers. This can be a great money saver.
So the next time you purchase a computer and the
salesperson is trying to sell you a whole set of
AntiVirus and other software, think about your options
before you shell out any more of your hard earned money.
If
you aren't comfortable with installing the software
yourself, we can help. We can install your own ISP
software or we can install
AVG antivirus - your choice.
Other hardware
MP3 player or iPod
MP3 players can be very useful as a tool for students.
The Apple iTunes service provides school lectures,
lessons, and other forms of educational material etc in
their iTunes store in the form of Podcasts. This
is really a great feature, but keep in mind that
iTunes only works with iPods. At first blush this
would seem to eliminate cheaper alternative MP3 players
from downloading Podcasts, but there still is hope ... I
am guessing that many of the lectures are maintained at
the universities, and I would bet that the material is
available via other services. Probably best to
check with the school, so a cheaper MP3 player may
still be of considerable use.
Camera
Digital cameras have become so ubiquitous and cheap that
it should be one of the many tools your child uses.
They can certainly make academic use of it, but it's
really great to get some pictures of your loved one so
that the "distance" factor becomes less of an issue.
USB memory sticks
These little gadgets replace the floppy's of days past.
They are very cheap and provide that extra bit of
portable storage and backup that your students need.
I recommend that your students use these to back up
their important files, so in case something happens to
their laptop they don't lose their valuable files.
Cellphones and such
It goes without saying
that cellphones will be part of your children's lives at
college, but you might want to consider augmenting this
service with some computer type of communication.
Skype allows you to
use your internet connection to talk free to other
Skype users.
You can even use your webcam and see your loved one ...
how great is that ?
Yahoo Voice and
Google Talk
are also interesting.
Printers
Printers are very cheap
also and are probably a very big necessity. But
really think hard about whether your student really
needs color. Inkjet printers are a dime a dozen, but
your credit card will get dinged hard as your student
buys new cartridges every few weeks. I recommend a
cheap laser black and white printer. If your
student really needs color for a class, they can take
the file on the USB stick and run down to Kinkos and pay
for the service as needed.
BTW - just to show you where my head is at, I sell
inkjet and toner cartridges. Inkjet cartridges are
big business. If you need a price, please
let us know and we promise not
to make fun of you! :-)
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