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Archive for the 'desktop' Tag

Your next computer: Laptop, desktop, netbook or tablet?

April 4th, 2010, 8:52 am by

Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. And don’t forget to stop by the Gadgetress’ home for the PC Club, at ocregister.com/link/pcclub, to find out how to ask a question and read past answers.

QUESTION: I’m thinking of making my next PC a Notebook PC instead of a Desktop. What features should I consider and what are the pros and cons?

PC CLUB: Let’s start with some definitions:

Desktop PC –This is actually a misnomer since these types of PCs usually sit on the floor and the case is often referred to as a tower.

Notebook PC – These are often referred to as Laptops since that was their name when portables first arrived on the scene. They were too heavy to be totally portable and sat on your lap – hence the name Laptop.

Netbook PC – These recent arrivals are intended for the “Internet, Email and Word Processing” user. They are extremely portable due to their sub 3-pound weight. They have a relatively slow processor and lack a built-in CD/DVD drive.

Tablet PC –These are characterized by a touch screen and are available as Notebooks and Desktops. They allow you to draw directly on the screen using a stylus or your finger depending on the technology. Read the rest of this entry »

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PC Club: Fixing broken desktop shortcuts

February 11th, 2009, 11:51 am by

Welcome to the revamped Stump the PC Club. We’ve redesigned the logo based on today’s question and have created a special page just for PC Club fans (available at gadgetress.freedomblogging.com/pcclub.) Please check out the new page and the archive. Enjoy!

And as with every column… the North Orange County Computer Club helps The Gadgetress tackle the multitude of readers’ cries for help. NOCCC group has experts in Windows, Word and all sorts of computer topics. The club, which meets monthly on various topics, has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org. To get this answer delivered to your computer automatically, sign up for the e-mail update HERE.

QUESTION: Suddenly, some of my desktop shortcuts do not work. We are using Windows XP Pro. Some of these shortcuts are answers.com, ask.com and about.com. Clicking the shortcut brings up a dialog box asking to choose a program to open the file. None of the options work. How does one find the file? ~Henry

PC Club: Desktops can be the home for various items including shortcuts, actual files or even folders. Usually, shortcuts have a tiny black arrow in a white background in the lower-left corner of the icon. Also, your Desktop can be set up to respond to single or double clicks on these icons to open an item. You can change this option by opening My Computer, selecting Tools and then Folder Options. With the General tab selected you can elect to use single or double clicks to open the item. Read the rest of this entry »

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eMachines finally comes out with sub-$300 computer

October 10th, 2008, 4:55 pm by

eMachines, now part of the Acer computer family based mostly in Irvine, finally offers up a PC just $2 shy of $300. It’s a 25 percent price drop from its $399 price tag that eMachines slapped onto PCs 10 years ago, which changed the entire price scene of the PC market. Until now.

Its first small desktop computer, the EL1200 Desktop Series PC, is an interesting offering for the brand, which isn’t known for its pretty PCs. But this must be different. Even the press release calls it ‘stylish.”

eMachines has come out with sub $399 PCs before but those usually had lesser hardware and weren’t that interesting. The brand started in Irvine, was later acquired by Gateway, which in turn was acquired by Acer last year. eMachines and Gateway are now brands of Acer.

All I can say is – About time! eMachines should have led the latest trend of budget-priced PCs (see “Netbooks everywhere. Do consumers really want them?“). The small form factor has already been done by everyone else, including Gateway. Dell has really nice-looking ones in the $599 range.

Getting back to the latest machine … The EL1200 is “one-third the size of a traditional PC,” according to the company. It’s 40 to 55 percent lighter than eMachines smallest desktop. Yet, as with traditional eMachines, the series “pack as much computing power as most mainstream full-size towers.”

The goods?

It has a 64-bit AMD Athlon 1.5 GHz chip (OK), 1 to 2 GB of memory (can add more cheaply), NVIDIA GeForce graphics chip (not bad), 160 GB hard drive (the going rate) and a DVD SuperMulti drive with Labelflash technology (fun!)

A nice touch: a low-power 15-watt CPU that uses less energy than a standard desktop (let’s hope so).

Two versions are available now. The $298 is at Wal-Mart. The $349 version, which has a larger hard drive and faster chip, is at Best Buy.

The new eMachines EL1200 models are available now. The EL1200-05w, available at Wal-Mart, has an MSRP of $298. The EL 1210-01e can be purchased from Best Buy, and has an MSRP of $349.

Specs are after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »

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