Wow! When I watched this…talk about nostalgia! It brought me back. The modem sound alone will strike memories and allow one’s brain to begin a playback of all things he or she can relate to in this short. I truly cannot believe 25 years have gone by with the internet and communication via the “World Wide Web.” There are so many new innovations in the technology world being created both mentally and physically every single day. What is “top of the line” today, could be extinct tomorrow. For that reason alone, it is very important to choose something that will meet your needs and last accordingly.The first feature that many want to day is the ability to connect to the internet. Unless otherwise specified, all laptops we sell will have this highly desired ability. But the desire goes deeper…

First, allow me to formally introduce myself, Hi! My name is Jessica! I am the Senior Technician here at Usedlaptops.com. I will be here for all of your questions, concerns or just to say hi. You can reach me at 1-800-642-6094 x.202 or deen.jessica@usedlaptops.com

Okay, back to what was at hand…

We don’t want wires anymore. We want to be wireless!!! We want to be able to sit on the couch and relax while we “surf” the web and watch our reality television shows.

Now, some may wonder, “What does wireless truly mean?” “I also hear about bluetooth, what is that?” These are very good questions. Wireless means “without cables” or “over the air.” Yet the understanding of the concept goes deeper. Let’s take a look…

Wireless internet communicates through a signal. This signal has a speed assigned to it. There are various speeds and levels identified through letters. For example, there is wireless “b” which is also known as 802.11b. This signal transmits data at 11mbps or mega-bites per second. A good comparison for just how big a mega-bite is to think of an audio track. An song is usually between 3 - 5 mega-bites in size.The next step up would be wireless “g” which is also known as 802.11g. This signal transmits data at 54Mbps.

Both of the “b” and “g” signals transmit on a 2.4GHz frequency. When routers first became popular and consumers were still widely using cordless phones this created an issue. Cordless phones used to transmit on frequency of 900MHz but then too upgraded to a frequency of 2.4Ghz. This created issues for wireless internet users who also talked on the phone while browsing the internet. This has since been corrected as most cordless phones transmit on a frequency of 5.8GHz allowing technology users to multitask.

More recently, a newer signal and speed has emerged. The letter assigned for this signal is “n” or 802.11n. This signal improves upon the previous 802.11 standards by adding “multiple-input multiple-output” (MIMO) and several other newer features. This signal allows the transmission of data to be upto 270mpbs. This is currently the fastest wireless signal available.

Technology certainly has upgraded since the internet first came on the scene. It is important to recognize that while there are many options, it is not necessary to always choose “the best” and “the greatest” if you truly will not use it. You could save a few hundred dollars by selecting the options you need most rather than the options that sound good at the point of purchase.

Another popular feature that many hear about these days is “Bluetooth.” Many recognize a bluetooth device as the ear bud we here in California place in our ears while we operate vehicles. (Here in CA its a law to be hands free while driving) Yet this is not the name for the device rather it is the name for the technology the device uses. Bluetooth is a wireless protocol for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices. It was originally designed as a wireless alternative to RS232 (9 pin serial port) data cables.

Bluetooth or “BT” (abbreviated) uses radio technology called frequency-hopping spread spectrum, which chops up the data being sent and transmits chunks of it on up to 79 frequencies.

Basically, BT doesn’t allow for a “wireless” connection to the internet which may be the first thought that pops in to our heads when we hear the word ‘wireless’; rather it allows for a wireless connection from one device to another. If the laptop you select is BT capable it is able to connect to other BT devices such as mobile phones, keyboards, mice, printers, and coming in April of this year, monitors. See this article, Sony Bluetooth Monitors for more information.

I think that’s enough for today. The next post will discuss the different technologies used with optical drives. It used to be simple. We used to know our options — CD, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-RW.

But now there are so many different selections to choose from it is easy to get confused and overwhelmed. Stay tuned….