Smartphones! Whats the difference?

So why should I trade in my cell phone for a smart phone? Well, if all you need is to make calls and receive calls then theres absolutely no problem in carrying around the old cell phone which looked like a brick and weighed about the same. But if you want to move on, then might as well go all the way and get a smartphone.

They are more than cell phones and work like a computer linked to the internet. They provide instant access to the internet, you can work on documents and sync with your desktop or laptop, and besides playing music you can store and play a whole movie on a smartphone. They are open to third party applications where you can download whatever interests you and is of use. They will connect by Wi Fi and 3G for faster browsing speeds. All in all smartphones are here to stay and will only get better with time.

A netbook just for travel!

It has limited uses but it sure is a travellers delight. I got the Acer Aspire One 751h after swearing a netbook is no use. Now its a real handy andy! So light! And instant wireless connections anywhere, without any effort on your part. 

So whats not so great - well theres no DVD drive and I spent another hundred dollars on an external one. Why? To make backup DVDs of the system. Now if you have been using laptops for as long as I have you will know that as sure as the sun rises and sets each day, one day that laptop/netbook will die and you will have to reinstall the OS. And you cant do it if you dont have the backups and none come with this netbook. A fact I found out after the purchase. Theres no other way to do the backup except to an external DVD drive and if you dont have one and nobody else has one either to lend you, then you are stuck with buying it. 

Other than this issue I am quite happy with this netbook though it does seem a little too plasticky and not at all robust. So handle with TLC. 

Windows 7

There have been a surprising number of complaints about glitches in Windows 7 after upgrading. The system hangs and goes nowhere. (Had a car like that once!) I would suggest waiting a bit. Remember the old saying - never be the first to try anything or the last to quit! 

Facebookies!

It slowly creeps up on you. First you join Facebook because so many friends ask you to. You have no idea what its about and wonder why it sparks so much interest. Then suddenly you are in and having a great time finding that friend from kindergarten you lost touch with, or looking at the pictures of a relative's birthday party halfway across the world. You have officially become a Facebookie! 

As you get comfortable with the website some patterns emerge. Theres the poster who tells you about every single moment of his life excluding his bowel movement, the one who actually works in real estate and sneaks in a sales pitch from time to time, and the most dedicated poster of all - the cause runner. The cause runner has a new one every other day and throws himself heart and soul behind it and tries to get you to join as well. All part of the Facebook community. How to maintain your sense of fun through it all? Enjoy!