We have long since come from the world of “burning” (CD-RW) and simply watching DVD’s on our computers — we can even make our own DVD’s (DVD-RW). We have asked for more. And our demands have been answered. We can now watch HD or High-definition video on more than just our televisions — we can watch it on our computers, our laptops.  We have successfully brought this desire to fruition and made it portable to boot!

There are many different formats for the once simple disk. This article will review the most common selections that are available.

We have CD ROM’s, CD-RW’s, DVD-Rom’s, DVD-RAM, DVDRW Rom’s, Blu-ray or BD-Rom, and even optical drives or rom’s that include a feature known as LightScribe.

Most are familiar with Cd’s and DVD’s. Yet Blu-ray is a fairly new term. Blu-ray, the project, began in February of 2002. The first consumer devices were in stores just over a year later. The first device was the Sony BDZ-S77 and was only available in Japan for the whopping price of $3800.00. At the time of its initial release there were no pre-recorded video and movies available. The Blu-ray standard was still years away from being common and ‘practical.’ The biggest fear was the undesirable repeat of the copy right failure previously used on DVDs.

The physical specifications were finished in 2004, however, due to setbacks involving security, the first BD-ROM players were not released until the middle of June two years later. The first BR Disk rewritable drive for the PC was released by Sony on July 18, 2006. It recorded both single and dual layer BD-R as well as BD-RE; the suggested retail prices in the US was $699.

There was some competition from HD DVD discs but that was overcome with the help of Sony’s PlayStation III. Many believe The PlayStation served as a catalyst for Blu-ray as the PlayStation 3 used a blu-ray disk drive as its primary information storage medium.

Blu-ray formatted discs can hold much more than the formats that preceded it.

At one time it was only possible to store 700mb worth of data on a standard CD-ROM disc. Now we have expanded with the help of DVD disks and Blu ray as well. DVD and Blu ray discs come in different forms. The two most common are single layer and dual layer capacities.

The difference between single layer and dual layer lies with in the names themselves. Standard DVD discs are single layer and hold 4.7 GB of data. Dual Layer discs are just that — they have two layers and thus are able to hold twice as much information (8.54GB). These discs work only with certain burners that specify Dual Layer writing ability. Dual layer allows for the writing of DVD movies without having to compress them thus improving video quality. Blu ray single layer discs holds around 25GB of data and a dual layer disk will hold roughly 50GB of data.

Blu ray format gives you a higher quality picture and more space available on a media disc.

Another feature included in optical drives is LightScribe or LS. LightScribe is an optical disc recording technology that utilizes specially coated recordable CD and DVD media to produce laser-etched labels with text or graphics, as opposed to stick-on labels and printable discs.

LightScribe uses a laser in a similar way to when plain data is written to the disk; a greyscale image of the label is etched onto the upper side of the disc. This feature requires a special disc–said disc comes in many selectable colors.

The way LightScribe works is the surface of a LS disc is coated with a reactive dye that changes color when it absorbs light from a laser. The etched label will show no noticeable fading under exposure to indoor light for at least two years. Yet optical media should always be stored in a protective sleeve or case that keeps the data content in the dark and safe from scratches. If stored this way, the label should last the life of the disc in real-world application.

Essentially, this feature is great if you are in the profession or maintain a hobby in which you would use this feature. I.E: music production, video editing, etc. (You would want to professionally label your cd’s)

My advice with optical drives goes back to the same advice for wireless, if you aren’t going to truly use something why spend the extra money? That’s all for today folks. Feel free to leave some suggestions for posts that you would like to see in the future.

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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….

When Microsoft introduced Windows XP it took them over three years to get it mostly bug free. So, the short answer is NO. I would wait until at least a year and several upgrades before considering it. Microsoft has extended retail sales of XP for five more months until June 2008. The new end-of-availability pushed back to June 30, 2010. Shows what the market is demanding.Sales of Vista have been lackluster, so maybe the buying public is making a statement? Only time will tell. Price. Very expensive. $399 new, or $299 for the upgrade to Windows Ultimate? The cheapest version, Basic ($199 full, $100 upgrade), isn’t worth the trouble. The extra hardware needed is even more daunting. You need to check first which version you intend on upgrading to? You might need 2GB RAM, a very, very fast CPU and even an integrated graphics chip with it’s own onboard RAM (not found in many laptops). Not much new. It looks pretty, but do you care about photo tagging and 3-D window flipping? Not me! It’s annoying. Most Vista users have turned off User Account Control, which nags you with an “Are you sure?” prompt every time you try to do anything beyond run the calculator. Many, many missing drivers. Who wants their scanner or printer to stop working? Lots of software won’t run on Vista, so one of your important applications might not run. It’s confusing. Everything that XP could do, Vista can do… only it’s buried under a different menu and it has a new name. Sigh! It’s doesn’t work that well. There are many bugs and flaws with the design of Vista and it needs a Service Pack. So, you should wait for one or maybe two. On the other side I expect over time Microsoft with its vast resources will fix the problems and you will get to the good stuff.

AERO: Transparent windows, tasteful animation, elegant design.

2. SEARCH: Fast, smart, and you can create virtual search folders to revisit your searches with a single click.

3. NETWORK MAP: Finally, Microsoft gets networking right; it’s a great way to get an overview of your network and its devices.

4. WIRELESS NETWORKING: Connecting to multiple wireless networks and hotspots is a simple affair.

5. SECURITY: You get a firewall with outbound filtering, a better browser, and a lot under the hood offering better protection.

Maybe in 2008 or 2009 Vista will be something worth considering. If you have decided to upgrade it is not simple a matter analizing your computing habits and then figuring out which of the seven versions of Vista meets your needs. Windows 9X, ME and 2000 cannot be upgraded without performing a clean installation. Various versions of XP can be only upgraded to various versions of Vista per the following article: http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2082982,00.asp

You should also note that Micrsoft has set up the Vista Upgrade to install only if your hard drive already has Windows XP or Windows 2000 already loaded. According to Microsoft, only the full retail license of Windows Vista can be transferred to new devices. OEM versions are ostensibly tied to motherboards, and upgrade versions are now technically tied to previous installations.

People get hung upon what laptop is best, as the vendors push their features, but users should consider what they want to use the laptop for rather than trying to figure out which is the best one. If you want to do word processing, browse the web and send e-mail and only use the laptops an hour or so every few days then that is quite different from a power user on the road that needs a long lasting battery and the latest and greatest with the fastest CPU and a huge display.

If you only send e-mails and browse the web and the laptop is always plugged in, then you can buy a refurbished laptops for $300. You can find one by typing “used laptops” or “refurbished laptops” into www.google.com and checking out the first few vendors that show up. If you want a new laptop and are cost conscious type cheap laptops in www.google.com and check out the first few vendors that come up. If you stick with HP, Dell, Acer, IBM, or Toshiba, who are the top five manufacturers of laptops, in order of who makes the most, then you can”t go wrong.

It is expected in 2007 that over 125 million laptop swill be manufacutered. Each company makes millions of laptops each year and they are all billion dollar companies with organizations in place to design, sell and support their products. Dell does the most marketing, so is the best known to consumers, but if you were to ask my techs, who have been servicing laptops for many years they are not the best made. IBM and Toshiba are the best made with HP next and are very well know and respected in the corporate world. However, this is relative as most parts are made by third parties and the laptops are often built by third parties.

]]> http://www.usedlaptops.com/laptopblog/2007/09/19/who-makes-the-best-laptop/feed/ http://www.usedlaptops.com/laptopblog/2007/07/05/3/ http://www.usedlaptops.com/laptopblog/2007/07/05/3/#comments Fri, 06 Jul 2007 02:13:35 +0000 Marc http://www.usedlaptops.com/laptopblog/?p=3 There are a number of factors to consider. If you only have or want to spend $200 to $300, then the answer is maybe. A major consideration is your intended use and what features are important. You should also consider the importance (critical or use occasionally) of the laptop. If critical, seriously consider new or get an extended warranty on an older unit. When browsing the web, you only need 128MB of RAM and even 64MB will work if you turn off graphics. Word processing requires very little in the way of CPU power, as you can”t type faster than a Pentium 90. E-mail needs very little in the way of CPU power or other computer resources.

Most software and hardware vendors will list the minimum systems requirements for their software or hardware. So, it is easy to research to understand if the inexpensive laptop you are considering work for the software and hardware you need. Other factors to consider are size, weight, display size, battery life, how you will connect to the Internet, etc. If you are a frequent traveler you should buy a laptop that weighs four pounds or less. Older laptops often do not have working batteries versus a new battery for brand new. You might not care, as you may always use it plugged in. Older laptops often have no warranty or a 90 day warranty versus one year for new laptops. If you use it a lot and don”t travel then get one with at least a 13.3″ display. If you have only a telephone then most laptops include a 56K modem. If you have DSL or cable then your laptop needs to have an Ethernet card. If you have added a Wi-Fi router to your DSL or Cable modem you need a Wi-Fi 802.11 card in the laptop. You can easily add these to even older laptops for less then $50. You should also consider the price of brand new laptops, but if you only have $250 to spend it may not matter.

At the moment (June 2007) you can buy a brand new Dell Inspiron 1501 on their website for $499. However, that is the get started price and by the time you add sales tax and other needed options you most likely will be over $600. It might be worth it, but you have to check it out to be sure. Next do some additional research to see what is available. Go to Google and search for “refurbished laptops” or “used laptops”. Check out the first couple of vendors to see their inventory and check them out. Go to www.ebay.com and search for laptops. Be sure to check out the rating of the seller and if you want fewer hassles buy from a vendor, as they often include a warranty. Last if you aren”t tired of looking check out Dell, HP and Lenovo’’s refurbished laptops. You will find few, if any, laptop deals from them for less than $500. You can expect to get years of use out of a refurbished laptop. If they have been tested by an experienced laptop tech, a warranty, it works the first 30 days and you don”t drag it all over the place and treated kindly it should work fine for 2-3 or more years or longer.

The first question to answer if you are student looking to purchase a laptop or a parent thinking about buying a laptop for your child is the budget. If there is no budget or you can spend $800 or $900+ consider buying a new laptop. Once the budget is in hand then consider the intended use for the laptop. For colleges and universities, visit the school’s Web site for useful information. They will often provide a recommended minimum required laptop specification. However, don’t be fooled they often will suggest much more than is needed.

One final thought: students need a notebook that is small and light enough to lug back and forth across campus but rugged enough to withstand bouncing around in a backpack. If it is to browse the web, instant messaging and type papers then a minimal laptop will work fine. Browsing the web only requires 128MB RAM. You can’t type faster than a very old Pentium 90 laptop, so word processing runs fine on older laptops. If you have any specialized applications it is always a good idea to go to the software vendor’s website and check out the Minimum Systems Requirements to make sure the application will work. If you are a serious gamer all bets are off as you might need 2GB RAM, a fast CPU and even a specialized graphics chip and have to spend $2000.

Most college campuses these days have wireless networks. Older laptops can accept Wi-Fi cards, which cost $30, so they are easily to upgrade. Older laptops often do not have working batteries and even on new ones after a year or two the battery may not work. It usually does not matter, as schools know students want to use their laptops everywhere and often provide many extra wall outlets, so they can be plugged in. New batteries often don’t last more than 2-3 hours.

So, the question of new vs. used … depends upon your budget, battery needs and how much you will be using the unit. If you only have $300 to spend the only choice is refurbished. If you want a brand new battery then you will rarely find them in used laptops. As a matter of fact the battery might not even work. If you use the laptop a lot then seriously consider upping the budget and get new, as over 2-3 years the cost will be less. So, once you have shopped around and narrowed it down to two choices then search Google for and see who has the best deal. But remember the best price may not much matter if they have poor customers service, should you have a problem.