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TECH. |. |. Toys for…. the holidays. TECH for the Holidays. Computers. Tablets. Cameras. Everything Else. The $300 Computer. $200. Intel Celeron or AMD E-240 APU Onboard AMD Discrete Class Graphics or Intel Extreme graphics 2-4 Gb DDR3 RAM 250-320 Gb hard drive DVD+-RW drive
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TECH | | Toys for… the holidays.
TECH for the Holidays Computers Tablets Cameras Everything Else
The $300 Computer $200 • Intel Celeron or AMD E-240 APU • Onboard AMD Discrete Class Graphics or Intel Extreme graphics • 2-4 Gb DDR3 RAM • 250-320 Gb hard drive • DVD+-RW drive • Windows 7 Home Premium • Did we mention it’s a LAPTOP!!!
$300 Laptop (Available now!) • AMD E-350 APU • Onboard AMD Discrete Class Graphics w/ HDMI • 4 Gb DDR3 RAM • 250 Gb hard drive • DVD+-RW drive • 15.6” 1366 x 768 LED Screen • Windows 7 Home Premium x64
What to look for in a good Laptop • Intel Core i3, i5, i7 or AMD A6 Llano • dual core or quad core CPU • 2 Gb DDR Ram is minimum • 4 - 8 Gb is recommended • Hybrid Graphics • ATI or Nvidia • At least 256 Mb video Memory • 500 Gb hard drive or better- You can go with SSD but far more expensive • Blu-Ray RW, or BD/DVD+-RW driveGo for a 1600x900 resolution or better • Widescreen laptops have either 16:9 or 16:10 ratios • Remember, ALL screens are HD but that doesn’t mean they are all 1080p • Check if unit has LED edge lit or Array (Array is better)
What happened to the netbook? • Yes, they still exist… • Ultra Mobile PC • 1.6 Ghz Ultra Low Voltage CPU (some dual core) • Weight under 2 Lbs • 1Gb RAM • Screen Size 11” or smaller • 1024x600 • 250 Gb hard drive • Wireless N and bluetooth or WAN Modem • Windows 7 Starter Edition • Cost between $300-600 (price hasn’t changed)
What are SSDs? • SSD – Solid State Drive • No moving parts • Uses non-volatile (non magnetic) memory • Has much better seek speeds • Dropping in price
How Do They Stack Up? • Do not run on standard PC hardware (NOT A PC) • Ultra Mobile Internet Device • 1 Ghz Ultra Low Voltage CPU (some dual core) • Weight under 2 Lbs • 1Gb RAM • Screen Size 10” or smaller • 1024x600 • 8 - 32 Gb Flash Drive Memory (integrated) • Wireless N and bluetooth or WAN Modem • Android OS (Open Source developed by Google) • Cost between $300-700 (price negotiable)
What About Desktops? • $300 Desktops • Pentium Dual Core or Athlon II • 4-6 Gb DDR3 RAM • 320-500 Gb hard drive • DVD+-RW drive • Onboard Graphics with HDMI hookups • Windows 7 Home Premium
What to Look For in HDTV • 1080p or 720p? • Full HD is always better • 120Hz or better • 3D maybe? • Depends greatly on the content • Contrast Ratio (real vs. dynamic) • Make sure you know what your looking at • Smart TVs • Get Netflix strait to TV!
Note about LED and Backlighting • First, LED is the backlight method, not the image rendering element. (LED is LCD) • “LCD” TVs use CCFL (Florescent) Bulbs • LED TVs come in two types • Edge lit: LEDs strung around edge of screen • Cheaper, Lighter • Array: Every pixel has its own LED backlight • Expensive, more power usage • Best contrast (can turn off backlight for pure blacks)
What To Look For in a Digital Cameras • Native Sensor Size • Some cameras have high resolution but small sensors. This can cause apparitions or Moiré in photos • Optical Zoom • Digital zoom will crop pictures giving lower quality picture. • Image Stabilization • Electronic vs. Optical • Screen/EVF resolution • The screen on the back of the camera may be big but it may not be clear • Video • Not always used but can be useful. Some have 720p or even 1080p.
$100 Cameras 8-10MP Resolution 3x to 5x Optical Zoom Many photo shooting options
Digital SLRs – Now under $500 6-10MP Resolution Optical Image Stabilization Live Preview Options
Black Friday Predictions
Door Stoppers • 42” LCD 1080p HDTV • $299 • 15.6” Laptop • $199 • Android Tablet • $99 • iPhone • Free (when you sell your soul to Verizon, Mua ha ha! ) • BluRay Player • $39 • 10MP Digital Camera • $49 • The smile I will get when I get all this for Christmas • Priceless