What to Look for in a Good Desktop PC

When you are shopping for a new desktop computer, if you are like most of us, you may think of the superficial things first. Like, the colour it will be and whether it looks nice… or at least, will it look like the amount of money you spent on it! Yes, those things are important to some people. The most important thing really is what the computer has on the inside.

When we talk about computer specifications, you might feel yourself wanting to retreat with your hands in the air. I understand that you might not be a geek or a techie still, it’s no reason to get duped when you go out to buy a computer.

This article should help make buying your next desktop a breeze. If nothing else, you will know what questions to ask. The first question you should ask yourself is what you plan to use your computer for? The answer to this question will determine what features and components your computer should have. This article will assume that you are looking for a new home computer that you will use for general computing tasks.

Let’s start with the simple things! Your computer screen is called a monitor. In the past, the size of a good monitor was monstrously huge. These days, most desktop computers come with discreet, flat screens. A flat screen monitor is definitely preferable. It takes up less space and it is more practical.

If you are going to use your computer for any graphics work, watching DVDs or anything that uses a lot of your computer’s resources, you need a good processor speed which at the moment is around 2 gigahertz. Generally, you want your processor speed to be as high as possible.

Working alongside your processor will be your Random Access Memory (RAM). The more RAM on your desktop, the better able it will be to handle you working with a few programs at the same time. Look for lots of memory, both RAM and storage memory. Family computers are often used to store photos or even family videos. If you see yourself doing this then choose a computer with lots of hard drive storage memory.

I always recommend that people buy a computer with lots of USB ports. So many computer peripheral tools (such as a wireless mouse) use USB technology to connect to the computer. It only makes sense to have as many USB ports as possible. Most computers come with 4 USB ports and often I find that all of mine are in full use so more than this would be better.

Geeks2U can help you with your computer purchase and when you order a PC through us you get a free 1hour on-site installation.

Star Trek – The Future Begins

We wouldn’t be geeks without a love of Star Trek.

In May 2009, Paramount Pictures will release the 11th Star Trek movie entitled, The Future Begins. “Space, the Final Frontier”, the trailer begins on top of futuristic music that indicates the mystery set before us. I am sure that all of you Star Trek fans are rubbing your hands together in anticipation! Those of you that aren’t ‘Trekkies’ may wonder what all the fuss is about.

The Future Begins continues the Star Trek tradition of exciting science-fiction adventure. There is no doubt, this film pushes the envelope. The graphics look amazing and no doubt the film will have amazing special effects you have come to expect from Star Trek. More sleek than ever before and very exciting is the fact that the movie will also be released in IMAX. This can only help bring to life this fantastic adventure.

Directed by J. J. Abrams, it seems screenwriters and the director decided to return to Star Trek’s origins in many ways. In this film, there is a return to the Starship Enterprise. The film also features some of the original and most iconic Star Trek characters such as Captain Kirk, Dr Spock and Bones. For fans, this is an exciting prospect!

The Future Begins promises to be an outstanding film with all of the special effects and fantastic story lines you would expect from a Star Trek movie. The film stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Eric Bana, to mention a few. Some drama has surrounded the cast of the film. Chris Pine is said to have broken his contract on another film to accept his role in The Future Begins. He obviously saw the career-boosting potential of being in a Star Trek film. William Shatner also expressed disappointment at not being asked to appear in the film. But how could his character credibly be brought back to life?

The film was shot in Paramount studios in California as well as in Iceland. There was a lot of secrecy surrounding the filming of the movie and security was tight. They have worked hard to prevent any leaks of the storyline.

So, there you have it! There is just a little time to wait. Star Trek – The Future Begins is scheduled for release in both the US and the UK on May 8th, 2009 and in Australia and New Zealand on May 7th, 2009. For now, all you can do is pencil it in on your calendar and count the days!

What is Skype and what do I need to use it?

Skype is an excellent and revolutionary service that allows people to speak to one another just like they do on the telephone, only through the computer and the Internet.

Skype is very simple to use. It is free to download from the Skype web site (http://www.skype.com) and it is free to use with anyone else in the world that also has Skype on their computer. The great news does not stop there! Skype can also be used to make calls to regular business and house phone numbers as well as cell phones too. The price that Skype charges for these calls is absolutely rock bottom! International calls can be made to many countries for just 2 cents (Euros)! This was unheard of before Skype!

This technology has been a long time in the making. For many years, attempts were made to make phone calls through the Internet. The problem at that time was that there was not enough bandwidth so conversations would be dropped or reception was gargled. Paired with increasing amounts of bandwidth, Skype upped the standard and offered us a product that for the first time, made Internet phone calls feasible.

If your computer comes with built-in speakers and a built-in microphone, then you have everything that you need to use Skype. If not, don’t worry, you can still use Skype. You would need to purchase a headset with a microphone combined.

If you have family members overseas, Skype is a true opportunity to stay in touch and save money. Phone calls have never been so cheap! The thing to remember is that even if your family or friends overseas do not have Skype or a computer, you can still call them at extremely reduced prices by opening your own account with Skype and calling them.

How to Choose a Good ISP

An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is a company that brings internet access into your home or office. You can think of this very much like the company that brings phone service or cable TV into your home. As a consumer, you should expect an ISP to give you very little interruption of your service as possible. When their service is working, it’s called ‘up time’. When the system is down for any reason, it is called ‘down time’.

You won’t see a lot of what your ISP does, but you will feel the results. An ISP, among other things, will monitor their service for outages and maintain their equipment so that you get the service you hard earned cash has paid for. Some of the things your ISP will do for you is route emails to you (if you are using an email address that they provided you) and perhaps store your emails on their servers. Therefore, it is important to work with a company that you trust. Friends can give you a good idea of what ISPs have worked well for them.

When it comes to ensuring that you are satisfied with your ISP, you must find a company that has good ‘up time’ coupled with excellent customer service. If you need to speak to them for any reason, you want a company that values you as a customer and that has a helpful attitude. In many cases, you can get a very good sense of how your company values customer service by your very first contact with them.

The questions to ask yourself when dealing with an ISP the first time are: How quickly did they answer the phone? Were they able to clearly and competently answer ALL of your questions? If a person understands the technology they are working with, they will be able to answer your questions. Did they rush you off the phone? This can sometimes be an indicator that they are understaffed and have other ringing lines that they have to get to.

Customer service reflects the level to which a company is willing to take responsibility for what happens with their service. If their service crashes, will they be ready to rectify it quickly, and will that be a priority? Will they monitor their service with diligence?

You can have a local ISP which will most likely be a small, local business. There are also some ISPs that are huge, International corporations. They can often offer you more for less however the whole process is very impersonal and can be quite frustrating and limiting for the novice.

Facebook/Social Networking sites why are they so popular

Facebook is what is known as a social networking web site. Believe it or not, computer users are able to have an extensive social life without ever leaving the house! Facebook is just one social networking web site that makes this type of cyber-socializing possible.

Facebook and other social networks allow users to open personal accounts where they create a profile that represents who they are. Users basically have their own space that they can decorate how they want and turn into something that reflects them and their interests – kind of like having your own room in a house.

Social networking sites like Facebook are in a constant state of evolution. Many people use them to stay in touch with friends or family that are far away. Through uploading recent photos, making regular status updates that reflect their mood or what they are currently doing, friends can feel a connection to one another even though they are not necessarily in the same country… or continent!

Social Networking sites have grown in popularity in ways that we could never have been predicted or imaged. Facebook is probably the most popular of them all. It features a myriad of great tools that allow users to send public messages to people or private messages to each other. People can upload photos, videos and written notes to express themselves.

On Facebook every user has a Friends List that shows the world how many friends that user has on Facebook. Among the younger generation, there is an unspoken competition to see who has the most friends. Friends can also be introduced to one another, which opens up the door for online dating and cyber-friendships.

There is a lot of entertainment that can be had on social networking web sites. Programmers put together all types of games that groups of people can play and they even do fun stuff like give virtual gifts to other members of the site.

Facebook is one web site that has managed to put together some of the best features of social networking in one, single web site. It continues to grow in popularity throughout the world because it makes use of the most recent Internet technology and to the fullest extent.

What’s the difference between LCD and Plasma

Flat screen TVs give a modern, fashionable look to your home. Although flat screen TVs give high definition and crystal clear pictures, not all flat screens are equal! Generally, flat screen TVs come in two different varieties: LCDs and Plasmas. When buying a flat screen TV, you will choose between a plasma or an LCD television.

Plasma TVs take advantage of a fairly old technology but in a new way. They give a crystal clear picture that is high definition and they do it through tiny tubes that are filled with neon and xenon gases. This new use of neon gives plasma TVs their amazing picture clarity.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) uses an older pixel technology. LCD TVs create their clear picture by placing pixels in front of a reflector or a source of light. LCD technology is not only used in flat screens, its popular in portable devices because it only needs a small amount of battery power.

When it comes to buying a flat screen TV, both plasma and LCD technologies have their pros and cons. Which one you choose depends on your own situation and how you anticipate using your television. LCD technology has some screen size limitations. Plasma technology allows for much larger screens than LCDs. So, if size is a factor for you, a plasma TV would be the way to go.

You can potentially have a very flat screen with both LCD and plasma technology, especially in comparison to traditional televisions. However an LCD TV can go the flattest. LCD TVs can be as thin as 2 inches, they tend to weigh much less than plasma televisions and require only about half the electricity of a plasma.

Plasma TVs have delicate, vulnerable screens. They can easily sustain damage and are expensive and, at times, impossible to repair. LCD televisions have much tougher screens which have a longer lifespan overall.

One of the most significant differences between a plasma TV and an LCD is their response time during fast action sequences. LCD screens have more of a process to go through to create an image onscreen. Therefore, they can have a slight blur during fast, action scenes. On the other hand, LCDs offer more clarity on still pictures.

How to give your PC a quick health check

The first sign that your computer is having trouble is when it starts to slow down. Slowing down is just a sign that something is wrong, it in no way signals the death of your computer. I don’t know how many times I have heard people say, “my computer is starting to get slow, I think its time to get a new one”. Wait. A slow computer means its time for a check up, not time to throw it out! After all, you wouldn’t prepare for your burial each time you caught a cold, would you?

Your computer came with quite a few useful utilities already installed. They are usually found by clicking, Programs/Accessories/System Tools. These programs were designed to help keep your computer in tip-top condition. Run these programs on a regular basis, along with a good antivirus program and firewall to give your computer a health check up. They will keep your computer humming along nicely, instead of coughing, spluttering and aggravating you by freezing and hanging in the moments when you need it most!

When you save files, they can sometimes get stored in different areas of your computer memory. A single file can potentially have parts of it stored in several locations on your computer. A fragmented file, as this is called, takes a long time to be retrieved and opened. The Defragmenter utility fixes this and places files together in one place and should be run every time you do a check up of your computer.

Often when you delete files and programs, they are not completely erased. Parts of them linger on your hard drive. The Disk Clean utility gets rid of unwanted files, which frees up memory and helps your computer to run much faster.

Aside from your system tools, an antivirus program and firewall are must haves. They do not usually come installed on your computer although, at times, you may receive a trial copy with a new computer. Both an antivirus and a firewall should be installed on your computer before you ever go on the Internet with it.

Viruses slow your computer down significantly. An antivirus program will protect your computer from infected files. A firewall protects your computer from intruders, just like a burglar alarm. Any program that tries to enter your computer through a port open to the Internet will be stopped by your firewall.

So, if your computer is playing up, don’t throw it out try the above techniques or call us and we can send out a technician who can help

How does the Internet Work?

You may never have used the Internet. Or you may only have used it a few times. Still, these days, it’s almost impossible to avoid hearing about the Internet and all of the buzz words that are associated with it. “Email me”! “Find me on Facebook”! “Are you on MSN?”… Google, Yahoo! AOL! What does it all mean and how does it work?

The Internet is made up of millions of networked computers (called servers) in locations all over the world. These servers house (or store) web sites, data and all types of information. Internet technology gives us the ability to visit any server connected to the Internet, in any location in the world, and view its web sites, data and any other information that the owner of the server allows.

Much of the language used to describe the Internet and what goes on there mimics real-world language and concepts. When an email is sent, it is sent in packages to what we call an (IP) address and it has an envelope that states where the message is going and where it came from. That doesn’t sound too complicated, does it?

Again, all of the information found on the Internet is held on computers called servers. You can think of a server as a house (a place where data is stored) or even as the place where a web site lives. Every server has a completely unique address, as does a house in the real world. A server address is known as an IP address.

If you were inviting a friend to visit your home, you would give them the address of your home. Since your address is completely unique, they would find you. In the Internet world, your web site address (also called a Domain Name) is 100% unique. It is connected to an IP address that is also completely unique. Therefore when you want someone to find and visit your web site, you give them your domain name.

Another way that people can find your web site on the Internet is by searching for it on a search engine. A search engine is basically like a Yellow pages or a directory. A search engine does not necessarily require an exact name or address to give results. You can find a business simply by describing it, or what it does and the city that business is in.

All data and information that is sent back and forth throughout the Internet is relayed through routers that send the information from point to point; checking the envelope and forwarding it on to its final destination (the specified IP address). As Internet technology continues to improve, this is becoming an increasingly speedy process; often a matter of seconds.

So, there you have it! For all intents and purposes, the Internet is nothing more than an electronic/digital imitation of the real-world postal system.

So how did the Internet get started?

There is no disputing the fact that the development of the personal computer (PC) and the Internet have literally changed the world! Having said that, many in our generation just can’t see what all the fuss is about! Computers may well have changed the world; still, it is safe to say there are many of us that don’t want any part of them!

People are using the Internet these days to do all kinds of things; to find friends, shop, watch television and movies, and even to talk on the telephone! As unbelievable as it all sounds (and perhaps even confusing), the Internet is definitely here to stay.

If you have seen any of your friends or relatives become completely obsessed or overtaken by the Internet, you may very well ask yourself, where did it all get started? If you use, and love the Internet, you may even have a hard time remembering what life was like pre-Internet.

The technology that created the Internet began many decades ago. Software developed for the military, called ARPANET, was the first attempt at having two computers on two different networks communicate through typed messages. This simple experiment was the beginning of the technology that we now call the Internet.

Once programmers were able to get computers ‘talking’ on different computer networks, this Internet technology was applied to more and more business tasks… and then personal tasks. This was helped along by the rise in popularity of the personal PC and Microsoft Windows technology. These made computer use by the everyday person easier than ever before.

From the earliest days of the Internet, people began to predict how much the Internet (initially known as The Information Super Highway) would change our lives. It was not long before the commercial potential of the Internet was discovered.

Initially, sites were very simple and were used for advertising and marketing. Soon though, shopping carts were developed along with secure ways to shop. The Internet has now been used in every imaginable way to make money: people buy and sell on the Internet, it has its own advertising and marketing industry, people meet socially on the Internet, gamble, play cards and video games, and even find marriage partners!

It is hard to fathom today, that such a small seed of curiosity and the innovation of getting computers to speak to one another, spawned such a life-changing and expansive technology!

What’s the fuss about plasma TVs?

Plasma televisions are much like today’s fashion models; they are sleek, slim and very attractive. A plasma TV requires very little floor space. Gone are the days when TVs were chunky and bigger than any other item of furniture in the house. Flat screens and tiny electronic components mean that today’s televisions only need a little space on your wall.

Plasma TVs are the fancy, flat TVs that you often see hanging on the wall in homes these days. They are popular because they produce a crystal clear, high definition picture without any glare. They can also be configured to display your computer screen or video games. Plasma TVs are often paired with a good surround sound system to create the feel of having your own personal movie theater.

When buying a Plasma TV, do your research before you leave the house. Visit a price comparison web site to get an idea of what you should be paying. Secondly, when you have found a model you like, do a Google search to see what every day consumers are saying about it. Thirdly, ask around. Word of mouth is still a great way to get the ‘low down’ on a product. If a certain model has a reputation for breaking down, you will hear about it!

The science behind plasma TVs is the use of neon and xenon gases to produce colour. Very much like a neon sign, miniscule tubes of neon are used to create the picture rather than the traditional pixels in older TVs and computer screens. Plasma technology produces a picture that is clearer than we have ever known as TV watchers.

Plasma TVs do have vulnerabilities. Screens are weak and susceptible to expensive or irreparable damage and they generally have a lower lifespan than traditional TVs. With time, neon tubes can lose their responsiveness or begin to leak.

Be sure to purchase an extended warranty and as much damage coverage as possible for your plasma TV. If you have a local retailer that offers to replace or exchange damaged items, this is the option you should choose when buying plasma as they can be very costly to repair.

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