Netbooks - everybody wants one!

They are flying off the shelves and it seems like everybody simply has to have one. The most attractive aspect is the price – somewhere around three hundred to five hundred dollars for what looks like a laptop, acts like a laptop but isnt exactly one. So whats the difference? Price for one. Netbooks are cheap! cheap! cheap! And whats the catch? Well, as we all know, you get what you pay for.

If you want a computer on the go which is light, connects to the internet but has limited performance, then the netbook is for you. Its great as a second computer, and if it gets lost, stolen or broken when you are travelling by bus in the wilds of Mongolia, it wont break your heart.

On the downside cheap means less. Some netbooks run Windows operating systems and some run Linux. If you enjoy working with both systems then you wont mind. If you cant be bothered learning a different system from what you are used to just so you can use the netbook, then you wont enjoy the netbook experience. The RAM memory is minimal, everything runs slow, and there is very little graphics ability. Forget watching DVDs. Also remember the smaller the keyboard the harder it is to type, and for eye comfort you need a minimum ten inch screen to prevent a cramped experience. Battery life is generally poor and processors are slow.

So whats the plus side? If you are tired of lugging laptops on long travels then the netbook with its basic features will let you connect to the internet and get some work done while on the go. If you buy one just because you fancy having it, then you will find that sitting at home or the office and using the netbook is not worth it. You will run back to your desktop or regular laptop, and the netbook with its limitations will finally gather dust.

3G - Three girls? Three grand? What is it?

The new mobile with 3G cost me all of two hundred dollars in the duty free. So now I'm all set and ready to go. 3G means I have broadband access through my mobile - so I can zip through the internet without www (wait, wait, wait!). I can also send and receive video and therefore see and be seen. Whether this is good or bad depends on perspective. Who would want to see an early morning vision with frizzy hair and old pyjamas?

3G phones can be used to watch TV. If you can bear watching on a 2 inch by 2 inch screen.

And dont forget all this comes for a price. You have to subscribe to the service and shell out monthlies. Worth it or not? For me, not. So why did I get the phone with 3G. Because its there and its cool to have it!

Windows 7 on the way

For those who love the latest here is something to gladden your heart. Windows 7 is already in the pre-beta version and should be here soon. If you are like me and cant wait to try whats new then its for you. A sneak preview indicates there are many new features especially with their media center. Also at the bottom of the screen the taskbar is much more Mac like. Gadgets will go where you want them. No more sidebar and Wi-Fi selection comes with a single click. Also it promises to be even more user friendly in the way you synch with portable devices. However we all want to know what its going to cost. Lets wait and see.

Goodbye screen savers!

Remember how we all started using screen savers and felt we were doing our bit to preserve our computer monitors. So we watched the flying saucers or bricks in an endless line and thought we were preventing burn in of our monitor. That was the time when we had tube monitors. Now there are no more burn ins. Flat LCD monitors don’t burn and if you are still looking at flying saucers or that slide show of last years party you are way behind the times. When you are not sitting in front of the monitor just switch it off.

Telstra, the big phone company in Australia removed all corporate screen savers from some thirty five thousand office computers. They say the change will cut tons of carbon dioxide emission which is equal to taking 140 cars off the road for a year. Good for them!

So let those flying saucers crash!