Refurbished & Used Laptop Blog

Many people when they think of wireless think of their cell phones. Unfortunately, in the US the wireless cellular network does not easily or cheaply support data transmission. So, if you have set up a wireless network in your home or go to your local cafe to use your laptop while sipping coffee then you may be aware of the 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks.

The latest improvement that has been announced is the 802.11n. Vendors are starting to ship both the base stations and the wireless 802.11n cards that will slip into a laptop. Unfortunately, there is no final standard and don't expect one until 2006. So, don't rush out to buy one unless you don't care if you have to replace it in a couple years.

The main benefit of this new technology is that it has higher speed (6 times 802.11g) and is intended to eliminate the dead spots. Vendors never seem to be willing to wait, so a number of companies have announced MIMO (multiple in, multiple out). MIMO means that with the older technology the base station transmit a single data stream, while MIMO send out multiple data streams from multiple antenna.

NetGear and Linksys Products

If you have set up a wireless network at home and your laptop does not currently work everywhere in your home or other desired location you might consider these new products.

The initial parallel port was introduced on the IBM PC in 1981. It was designed to be compatible with the Centronics parallel standard and mostly used for connecting printers to desktop computers. It is has a 15 pin connector and allowed for a 6 foot cable between the computer and the printer.

More than ten years later (March 1994) the IEEE 1284, bi-directional parallel printer interface was introducted. The main advantages of the new interface are: bidirectional communications, protection from data loss, 10 to 20 times faster data transfer rates and a longer 10 foot cable.

ECP (Extended Capability Port) and EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port) are both implementations of the parallel standard, they both offer faster data transfer (up to 2Mb/sec).

Two to three years ago the laptop manufacturers started adding these new ports to their laptops. So, if you have an older laptops and for some reason (some peripherals might require one) you can add one through either the USB port or the PCMCIA ports.

A USB to IEEE 1284 parallel printer adapter (cable) can be purchased for around $20. You can view one from Tripp-Lite. Another alternative is a USB to IEEE 1284 parallel converter. These are more expensive, as one from Quatech costs $129.

The parallel port is an older technology, so in most cases new printers include a USB Port and in some cases a Firewire interface. Eventually USB and Firewire will completely replace parallel ports.

If you want to use your laptop and a webcam to talk to relatives or friends across the country it is best to have the same camera on both sides of the connection to be able use all the features of the cameras.

You can talk by using cell phones or telephones or can use instant messaging or even send e-mails back and forth. Using the webcam will allow you to see each other to add another dimension to the phone call.

You will need the following:

– A computer.
– An Internet connection (the faster the better).
– A connection from the laptop to the webcam (most common is the USB, others include Serial, Parallel, etc).
– Two cameras.
– Software (from the webcam vendor or from others, like Microsoft).

If you already own the webcam then check the systems requirements to determine what you need in the way of a laptop, should you not already own one. If you need to figure out the webcam to purchase then check out the reviews at ZDNet. Logitech (a market leader) has a low priced webcam the QuickCam® Communicate™ for $49.95 (on their website). It requires Win 98 or later OS, P3-700 MHz with 64MB RAM if you use their VideoCall software for broadband. It costs less than $6 per month if you sign up for their one year plan.

Free software you can use for video chatting with friends are: Microsoft's NetMeeting. It includes video in both directions, chat, and audio. The systems requirements of NetMeeting are minimal as it will work with a Pentium 90 and Win 95 or later and a 56K modem. EyeballChat is a another option. It lets you chat live, share messages, music and photos and communicate securely. It's systems requirements are a Pentium II 400 MHz with at least 64 MB RAM. Another option is an web based conferencing tool for $9 per month like MegaMeeting Personal.

A website you can check out to better understand this technology is:

Webcam.com

Death and Taxes are Inevitable. Data Loss Doesn't Have To Be. According to an April 2003 article written by Imation, a leading data storage company, a survey of PC owners found only twenty five percent said they frequently backed up their data.

I am as guilty as the next person. A few weeks ago I had a gliche in the Eudora e-mail program I have been using the last ten years on my laptop at home. It wiped out a lot of the e-mails that I have been storing. It could have been worse, as my laptop at work is backed up to our server. However, it got me to thinking how important backup is and so I decided to write this article for the 80% that are like me that do not regularly back up.

So, the first thing I did in writing this new addition to the used laptop blog was to research the best backup software packages. Not surprising I did not find the free Micrsoft backup utility that comes with the Window Operating System. I have been using it irregularly and don't find it particulary endearing.

The December 23, 2004 PC World Article, led me to Argentum Backup 2.1. So, I downloaded their free trial copy and am testing it as I write this article. It got the PC World best buy award and is very inexpensive at $25. My initial impression is that it is very, very easy to use. A critical factor for those 80% that don't backup. I am writing this article as it backs up my precious data and it I hardly notice it is running other than the noise on my external USB hard drive. So, it takes little in the way of system resources. It seems designed for the beginner in that it has templates to backup the Windows registry, the Windows shell settings, outlook folders and even the database of your favorite messenger application, like MSN or AIM. You can either back up manually or automatically, which requires no regular effort. Most people should set up a schedule and allow it to happen without any effort on their part.

Wow! Argentum just finished backing up and I looked on my USBDrive E: and the data appears to be all there. I will continue to use it and give you and update in a few months to provide some longer term feedback.

Check out Backup Sofware Reviews.

Other programs that I found by searching for "backup software" reviews 2004 are Genie Backup Manager Professional 5.0 and Dantz Retrospect. I had used the Danz program a few years ago, but can't remember why I stopped, so will check it out again. This program is of particular interest, since EMC Corporation, a leader in information and storage purchased for $50 million them in October 2004. Another back you might consider is Mozy. The offer a free version that has 2GB of space available or Mozy Plus for $4.95 a month.

As time permits I will update this posting with details about these two programs.

The main advantage of a laptop is that it is small in size and self contained, so it's portability makes it easy to move around. If you are a road warrior then the need is obvious. If you are a gamer you most likely would be better off with a desktop. Most people are between these two extremes, so should evaluate the issues rather than deciding that a sexy looking little laptop is for them!

If you often need to take your computer back and forth to work, on planes or to your second home then the portability is of great benefit. However, this benefit can also be a serious problem in that laptops are stolen at alarming rates. When they steal your computer they will also steal your valuable data.

Should your laptop break, due to their "proprietary" nature, there are a limited number of companies that can fix it, so the repair is often far more expensive than those of desktops. It is amazing how many times I hear about a laptop that has been dropped and the display cracked, resulting in a very expensive repair. I have never heard of that happening to a desktop. People also carry them around open and break the hinge, which is also a very expensive repair.

Laptops are often far more expensive than desktop, $300 to $500 more and often twice as expensive. If you want a really light weight one it might be $1000 more than a desktop. You are paying for the proprietary design and the more compact package, which means more expensive components. Unless the feature of portability is very important it may not be worth the premium. If you are a gamer then there might even be a much larger premium to get a powerful gaming laptop. A large monitor and a very fast graphics board would be a more cost effective investment.

If you spend more than a few hours a day then the small laptop screens, compared to a 17" or larger display you can buy with a desktop would easier on the eyes.

You should also consider the operational cost of owning a laptops. Some people use them for the portability factor and always have them plugged in. Others want to use them on battery power. The batteries often do not last more than 1-2 years. They are expensive to replace at typically $100 or more. If you purchase a brand new laptop they never have more than a one year warranty. Depending upon what you are doing they may not hold a charge for more than an hour or two. So, you need to factor this into your buying decision.

Since, I have been selling laptops for almost nine years it is obvious I am a proponent of laptops. I have one at home and one at work. For doing e-mail or browsing the web a $300 or $400 laptop is a great bargain. However, I firmly believe that like all computing decisions understand your computing needs and then decide whether a desktop or a laptop would be the best choice for your situation.