 January, 2008, "On The Road"
Depending on your generation, On The Road is either Jack Kerouac's most famous novel or part of the title of Willie Nelson's classic track, On The Road Again.
Both celebrate the joys and disappointments of life on the road, often far away from the familiar comforts of home.
Whether you're a seasoned business traveler, a student off to school, or a small business owner/manager with a network of desktop computers back at the office, being away from home brings certain computer challenges.
This month, our "Tech Tips" looks at:
- The Desktop/Laptop Dilemma: Do You Need Both?
- Stay Connected to Your Small Business, Anywhere
You'll find some surprising answers, and you may be pleasantly surprised at their low cost.
Plus, good wishes to Pats and Giants fans out there in Sunday's big game.
Avi & Tahl
Avi Smith-Rapaport, Tahl Smith-Rapaport, and the entire team at:
We Care Computers, LLC
860-836-4191 or info@wecarecomputers.com
The Laptop/Desktop Dilemma: Do You Need Both? .jpg)
There's been great progress on the laptop side of computers in screen size, lower weight, higher speed, and hard drive capacity in the last two years. While you can still expect to pay more than a desktop (it costs more money to make them smaller), you don't have to sacrifice overall computing power when you get a new laptop.
While they are convenient (some say irreplaceable) on the road, there are still a lot of issues when you have a desktop at home and a "laptop to go." You love the convenience and feel of the classic keyboard and your bigger monitor. And that's before you have to start transferring necessary files between the desktop/laptop.
Is there a solution? Yes. Switch to a laptop only scenario, BUT keep a traditional keyboard, mouse (if you prefer a mouse over a touch pad), and large monitor at home. Simply plug in your laptop at home, and enjoy the large monitor screen and easy typing that you don't get on your laptop.
Plus, your files all stay on one computer, and that eliminates transferring the files, forgetting which files you've transferred, overwriting previous versions of files, and all that not so good stuff.
Large computer monitors have come way down in price in recent years, and if you spend a fair amount of time on your computer, it is absolutely the best way to view your information. Large monitors can support multiple windows at once, easily. Plus, if you're doing any photo editing or graphics work, a good desktop monitor is usually much better than most laptop screens.
Is it easy to make the switch to laptop only? Yes. In addition to a monitor, mouse, and keyboard (and you may already have these), we just have to check your video card in the laptop to make sure it hooks up easily with your new monitor.
Then you're ready to rock. One additional benefit of going only with the laptop is that you may also use the laptop screen WHILE you use your large monitor. Email on the small screen, everything else on the big one, for example.
Please shoot us an email or phone call if you'd like to switch. Or, if you've got a tired desktop system and want to upgrade to the laptop / large monitor combo described in this Tech Tips, we also can get you a new Dell Laptop (or other manufacturer's) at prices below internet specials.
Small Business Owners, You Don't Have to Travel with a Laptop!
Many small businesses depend on their small network of computers for daily operation, and access to this information is important whether you're on the road or even just away from the office.
Laptops that are not connected to your office network don't really provide all that much of a solution. Yes, they'll let you work on a plane or in a hotel room, but it's the same old problem of transferring files back and forth.
What if you could:
- Connect to your computer network from anywhere in the world that had internet access?
- Work on your office computer just as though you were in your office?
- Monitor the activity on all of the computers in your network?
- Even fix network problems while you are on the road?
Well, it's all possible with a fantastic new software product from the "I'm In Touch" software company. Their traditional consumer software AND their new premium software package answer "Yes" to each of the questions above. You can reach the office via any computer in the world that is attached to the internet.
Now, that might be your laptop, but it could also be a public library somewhere, Starbucks, a business center at a hotel or resort, or even a cruise ship. That's how wired and connected the world is getting to be.
There's also another huge benefit to installing the software, and that's a potential cost savings down the road. We Care Computers uses this software all the time, and if it is installed on your small business network we can also access your network for troubleshooting purposes.
A lot of the time, WCC will be able to fix the problem without ever visiting your business, saving you $$ since we won't have to make a site visit.
So, connect from anywhere, plus save on network maintenance costs. A good deal, and all it takes is an email or phone call to get started.
Special Introductory "I'm In Touch" Package
As we noted above, using the "I'm In Touch" software is pretty easy, and we'll make it even easier.
Normal pricing for the software for one machine, one hour installation, and familiarization charge (we always make sure you know how to use any of the products we install, hardware or software) is: $ 189
First ten email or phone orders from this Tech Tips get this great package for: $ 149
Please use this link for email: info@wecarecomputers.com
Or call: (860) 836-4191
Sneak Peek: Dell's New 24" Monitors
In next month's newsletter, We Care Computers will be discussing how to buy a new monitor for your home, business, or laptop/desktop combo.
It used to be pretty easy... Check your budget, then buy the biggest one you could move or carry, for what you wanted to spend, and throw it on your desktop.
It's not that easy, anymore. The lines between even Hi-Def TV's and today's computer monitors are blurring, and there's some fantastic quality out there for reasonable prices.
As always, "caveat emptor" is also in play (let the buyer beware). There's are some marginal products or downright ugly deals out there as well.
We Care Computers has just completed a round of tests on the current monitors in the market, and we liked Dell's new 24" one so much that we've ordered and received quite a few. As usual, we'll be beating Dell's best web price (including any specials).
Please give us a call if you'd like to hook your laptop up to one, or have us configure your current desktop system to take full advantage of the remarkable color this monitor displays.
Monitor Specs, Dell 24", Model 2407WFP-HC: (WCC comments in Blue)
1920 x 1200 Native Resolution – Stunning detail and more real estate. Best for the $$ in our opinion, around $ 549
1000:1 Contrast Ratio – Sharp, crisp images and text. Very sharp, bright images, variable control over brightness
6 millisecond Response Time – Reduce ghosting and motion blur when gaming or watching movies. Faster than any monitor at this price
Dell TrueColor Technology – Accurately displays more colors than most monitors. YES
High Definition Excellence – FullHD 1080p support with HDCP. Sorry for the tech speak but it looks better than most Hi-Def TV's for movies and gaming programs
Available Now, from We Care Computers |
