So, to break up the monotony of the week, we’ve decided to play a little game we call Trivia Tuesdays. From here on out, every Tuesday morning-ish, we’ll be posting a trivia question on our Facebook page (new window). First person to get the right answer wins a $5 Starbucks Gift card! Best of all, at the end of the year, we’re going to take all of the winners and have them go head-to-head for a chance to win a prize so amazing that we can’t tell you what it is yet. So head on over to http://www.facebook.com/LaptopMD and answer today’s question. Because nothing will make getting over Humpday tomorrow easier than some free coffee.

Some Legal Stuff: If you work for us, or you’re married to one of us, or you live with one of us, or you’re my best friend, or you once knew someone who’s cousin went to the same elementary school as we did, you are ineligible to win. I can’t stop anyone from cheating and looking things up, so I won’t even try, but in the spirit of having fun, try not to be too obnoxious with it. If you’ve won in the last month (30 days), you are not eligible to win. Stop being so greedy and let someone else take a crack at it. If it looks like a question is too difficult, I’ll periodically stop by and offer hints. Void where prohibited, etc.

The things are pretty impressive. The 13 inch models on display were significantly lighter than the much smaller 11 inch MacBook Air, with much brighter and higher-resolution displays. The cases were made with Toshiba’s proprietary Magnesium alloy, and seemed both sturdy and incredibly light (did I mention how light these things are?). They were snappy, and responded quickly to commands and input. Best of all, most of them are priced at $700-$1000, or much less than either the 11 inch or 13 inch MacBook Air.

My biggest problems were the hinges. They seemed loose and flapped a little more than I would have liked to see on a laptop. Especially on an ultra-portable. I’m going to go on record now and say that we will be seeing a LOT of these show up with broken hinges within a year, or right as soon as the warranty runs out.

They also feel a little…plastic-y. I know that the Magnesium shell is one of the most advanced in the wold, and is strong, durable, and light, but it doesn’t feel anywhere near as solid or luxurious as the brushed Aluminium of the MacBook Airs.

(Apologies for upside down pictures, they will be fixed shortly.)

That’s right ladies and gents. We’re here, and we’re bringing it all to you. From on the floor coverage and video-casts, to scoops on all the latest and greatest tech being shown at this years international CES, to scandalous shots from the hottest parties. We’re here, and we’re going to rock Vegas on your behalf. Stay tuned!

The Razor Blade Gaming Laptop

Suggested by Milan, Senior Technician/Manager

In the words of one of our senior techs, “The ultimate gaming machine 17”-es of gaming greatness. Don’t get me wrong, I love my amazing 11” alienware, but this is the new age of laptop computers.” And by ultimate, we mean ultimate. Super-model thin (.88″), incredibly light (6.9lbs), and packing a 2.8 GHz Core i7 with turbo, 8GB or RAM, and a 2GB GT 555M graphics card, this is THE laptop to bust out at your next LAN party. Oh, did we mention the Switchblade UI? 10 dynamic touchscreen keys that can be bound to macros and display game-appropriate icons, as well as a large touchscreen LCD panel that either displays game information or functions as a hyper-sensitive track-pad. Yes, it’s that awesome.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

Suggested by Zoltan, Lead Technician

The first pad using the much hailed and much looked-forward-to Tegra 3 quad-core chipset. A detachable keyboard with touchpad. 18 hours of battery life with the keyboard (did we mention it houses a long-life battery) attached. Do we really need to go on? Yes? Well, how about 178 degree viewing angle? Or the 8MP rear-facing camera with flash, and 1.2MP front-facing camera? How many questions can I fit in this description? Besides all that, it comes with Android 3.2 Honeycomb, but is ready for upgrade to 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It also has a beautiful 1280 x 800 10.1″ screen and comes with either 32 or 64GB of flash storage. All this in an absolutely gorgeous brushed metal case in Gray or Champagne.

WowWee cinemin SWIVEL Projector

Suggested by Dima, LaptopMD+ Technician

I remember my last hiking trip along the Appalachian trail. It was horrible. Don’t get me wrong, the scenery was beautiful, the weather perfect, and the company pleasant and enjoyable. The problem was the new Elder Scrolls game had just come out and I could not. Put. It. Down. Carrying the Xbox wasn’t too bad. Even the generator at least had wheels. The 50″ Plasma, though? That was a killer. How much easier my hike could have been had I had a cinemin Swivel mini projector. At about the size of a point and click camera, it fits perfectly into most pockets, the projector head swivels up to 90 degrees for perfect picture, it can project a 60″ image up to 8′ at HVGA resolutions. Next time, the plasma stays home.

Nintendo3DS

Suggested by Nick, Lead Manager

After striking out with their first attempt at portable 3D gaming with the Virtua Boy (and winning the coveted #5 slot on PC World’s Ugliest Products in Tech History list), Nintendo has jumped in the arena yet again. Except this time their product is awesome! With graphics almost as impressive as the Wii, an elegant new design for the chassis, and all the bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from Nintendo’s latest-gen portable systems, this is the on-the-go gadget to have for handheld game enthusiasts. To top it all off the game lineup, already out and planned for pre-holiday launch, is amazing. Mario, Shinobi, Sonic, and a remake of the best 2D platformer you’ve never heard of: Cave Story.

Airzooka Air Gun

Suggested by Matt, COO

You know what you never hear about anymore? Bazookas. It seemed for a while in the 80′s and 90′s they were everywhere, and then…nothing. Makes you a little suspicious, doesn’t it? Like “they” are trying to hide something that “they” don’t want “us” to know about. It’s like how they covered up the alien spaceship that crashed at Roswell that no one knows about. Well, I’m on to them, and I have a secret weapon to uncover the truth: The Airzooka. Disguised as a mild-mannered office cubicle prank, the Airzooka is capable of launching a soft ball of air over 20 ft. Absolutely devastating to pets, paperwork, and clandestine government agents with comb-overs. Best of all? It never runs out of ammo!

 Roku 2 XS

Suggested by Tim, Director of Online Marketing

Cable is great. Paying a hundred dollars a month even though you really only watch three channels (IFC, Cartoon Network, and The History Channel!) is not. Then along comes Roku and says “Cable? What’s cable?”. With the ability to stream over 350 channels straight from the web to your TV, this is THE device to get if you’re looking to jump into the post-cable world. The 2XS edition is capable of wirelessly streaming beautiful 1080p content, and even has built in support for playing games, for those of us who still can’t put Angry Birds down. The best part is that even with Netflix and Hulu Plus, the $99.99 unit still comes out cheaper than most cable plans in just a couple of months.

Bang & Olufen BeoSound 8 iPhone Dock

Suggested by Pasha, LaptopMD+ Technician

iPhone docks, like iPod docks before them, usually look cheap and ugly and have horrible sound. After all, most people don’t want to spend more on iPhone accessories than they spent on the actual iPhone. Then along comes the BeoSound8. It’s gorgeous. Museum-quality gorgeous. Almost too good to be wasted as a dock for a $300 phone gorgeous. Which would be fine on it’s own for a lot of people, but the BeoSound8 also sounds amazing. The days of audiophiles complaining about digital music sounding hollow and tinny could well be over. It’s a little pricey at just under a grand, but with looks this good, sound this deep and clear, and the Bang & Olufsen name, it’s well worth it if you like rich, vibrant sound.

USB Tethering Pro for Android

Suggested by Arthur, LaptopMD+ Founder

Even in NYC, finding an open WiFi hotspot can be difficult sometimes. Especially if you accidentally wander into one of the outer boroughs. Well, unless you have a smartphone (if you don’t, why are you reading this?) with an unlimited data plan (see last comment). With the USB Tethering Pro app, you can turn your phone into your own personal hotspot, without having to pay the ridiculous charges the major cell carriers tack on for tethering, and without having to unlock and root your phone. Because if you’re already paying for unlimited data, why should you have to pay extra fees to use it, right? And with 4G a, you’ll likely get a faster connection than you would at Starbucks.

HIS IceQ X Turbo Radeon HD 6950

Suggested by Steve, LaptopMD+ Data Recovery Technician

It might seem shocking, but most of us at LaptopMD+ enjoy computer games. Who could have seen THAT coming? Not only do we enjoy computer games, we enjoy the latest computer games at the highest resolutions possible. And to get there, we need a graphics card that comes with 2GB of 256-bit GDDR5 memory. And a core clock speed of 840MHz. And a cooling system that could keep Frosty the Snowman intact in July. Which is where the HIS IceQ X comes in. With full DirectX11 support and CrossFireX support, this thing can handle pretty much anything you throw at it. And that’s before even considering the cards massive overclocking potential. A must-have for serious gamers.

Tesla Coil World Domination Doomsday Device

Suggested by Alex, Marketing Guru

I’ve been putting off my plans for world domination for a long time now, and I’m getting to that age now where I’ve started to realize I’m not getting any younger. So this holiday season seems as good a time as any to finally make good on my plans. Think of it as a long-overdue New Year’s Resolution. Now don’t be alarmed. I promise I’ll be a benevolent dictator once I use my giant, world-destroying Tesla Coil to enslave mankind. How about this, if all of you just come quietly, I’ll make Nintendo give everyone a 3DS? And some games. And maybe one of those fancy Transformer Prime tablets from earlier in this post? Sound good? Really, I think it’s probably for the best this way.

Happy Holidays, from everyone here at LaptopMD+ World Domination Headquarters!

It’s that time of the year again: the streets smell of chestnuts roasting, the Rockefeller tree lights up the night, and Oh Ya SHOPPING! Hours waiting outside, the lines to buy what you wanted the joys of holiday shopping are here. With Black Friday coming up this week to kick off the season we wanted to know what deals were worth climbing over people and standing in line for. Here are the deals that we’re standing in line for:

1) Netgear N600 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router

Netgear is synonymous with routers and this is one of their crown jewels. With dual band technology ensuring top WiFi speeds, while gigabit bandwidth offers ultra-fast wired connections.

The N600 usually retails at $149.99 but this Black Friday it is down to $79.99 at HHgregg.

2) Seagate – FreeAgent GoFlex Desk 3TB External USB 3.0/2.0 Hard Drive

Why have multiple hard drives when you can back everything up onto one? This 3 TB external has enough room for all of your media. If you manage to fill it I have just one word for you: “WOW”.

The  FreeAgent GoFlex 3TB is normally $159.99 and will be down to $99.99 at Best Buy.

3) Samsung Series 7 Laptop / Intel Core i7 / 15.6″ / 6GB Memory / 750GB HD Drive

We all know Samsung makes one of the best screens on the market, but back that up with a 750GB HDD and a Core™ i7 CPU and we’re talking serious fun! Netflix will look so nice on this laptop.

Samsung – Series 7 Laptop is going from $949.99 to $799.99 at Best Buy.

4) Toshiba Thrive Tablet with 8GB Hard Drive – Black Tie

Welcome to the era of tablets!  This is the perfect laptop alternative: simple to use and light weight. The Thrive runs on the Android Honeycomb OS so you can play and work at the same time.

The Thrive Tablet with 8GB HDD is going from $379.99 to $279.99 at Best Buy.

5) Sony HDR-XR160 160GB HD Hard Drive Camcorder

Do you struggle at telling stories? Show the whole family what happened in high definition with this HD camera. Afterward you can download everything directly to an external had drive to keep for perpetuity.

Sony – HDR-XR160 is $599.99 and will b going down to $399.99.

6) iPhone 4 8GB w/ 2-year activation (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon) at Best Buy for $99.99

It’s an iPhone4!

Enough said.

BestBuy

7) All Apple iPad 2s On Sale

Even though we don’t know how much the iPad 2 will be marked down yet, we do know even a little markdown is worth it.

And seriously: it’s an iPad2!

All Apple iPad 2 On Sale at Best Buy

8) Samsung 46″ 1080p LCD HDTV

As we have said before Samsung make one of the best screens on the market. Their HD TV’s almost redefine the term HD. With prefect color and unbelievable depth this is easily THE home TV to get this Black Friday.

It goes from $799.99 down to $599.99 at BJ this weekend.

9) Sony BDP-S370 Blu-ray player

Now that you have your HD TV, you’re going to need to get a Blu-ray player to go with it. Sony’s has you covered! You can’t get bragging rights to a home entertainment system if you don’t have a Blu-ray player.

Best Buy and Target will be selling the Sony BDPS370 Blu-ray player for $99.99

10) HP 20-inch LCD monitor

Now that you went HD in your whole house there’s just on thing you forgot to upgrade: your monitor! With more and more people moving away from desktops it’s easy to forget them, but Staples has a great deal to squeeze every last perfect pixel out of your desktop.

HP 20-inch LCD monitor is $99.99 at Staples

Of course being the compulsive deal hounds we are, we’re going to be keeping a close eye on things until Thursday night. Any tips? What Black Friday tech deals are you looking forward to?

Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011

When Steve Jobs passed away yesterday, the tech world as  a whole lost a visionary and innovator.  Whether you’re Mac zealot, a PC user, an android enthusiast, or you simply care that your technology works and that’s it, in some way the products that we use and the way that we use them have influenced by Steve Jobs himself.

LaptopMD+ employees took a brief moment this morning to reflect on Steve Jobs and his influence and we want to share them with you:

Arthur Zilberman, Owner and President – “Steve Jobs was genius as a businessman, as an entrepreneur, and as a technologist.  One thing I love about Steve Jobs is the perseverance he had to continue building a great product and a great company even after being pushed back several times by competition and even his own company.  His determination and his drive were keys to his success and marked him as an individual.  He and his vision of technology will be sorely missed.”

Tim Bogus, Director of Online Marketing- “I grew up in the iGeneration.  The products that Steve Jobs pioneered may not be unique, per se, but his direction and vision moved normal computing devices in a completely different direction which had never been taken before.  Apple’s unique position now separates them as a computer company focused on delivering a superior product rather than as many products as possible.”

Zoltan Kovacs, Senior Engineer – “The guy built an empire from his garage – AMAZING!  His contribution to the computer world cannot be mistaken and his legacy will live on.”

We also would also suggest that you watch the Steve Jobs commencement speech at Stanford in 2005 – it is filled with great nuggets of wisdom and practical advice that is fitting coming from Steve Jobs.

1. The first masquerades as a PDF containing offensive political statements in Chinese and creates a backdoor that installs malware on a person’s Mac.
2. The second trojan virus poses itself as a fake Adobe Flash installer which temporarily attempts to siphon off personal information from the user’s computer sending it back to remote servers.

No Worms in this Apple, Thank You Very Much

Apple has responded with swiftness, quickly updating its central database of malware definitions, which are downloaded daily onto a person’s computer and used to notify users of potentially harmful files that they download.  (Note: Malware definitions are only available to users of Apple’s Snow Leopard and Lion operating systems.)

Users who have not yet been affected by these two trojan viruses should automatically receive a warning from the operating system before opening the affected files.  Also, it goes without saying that it’s always wise to only download software from sites that you trust but if you think that you’ve been affected, please let LaptopMD+ know and bring your computer in right away.

As a reminder: Apple’s malware alerts should not be considered fixes but simple warnings meant to keep people aware of the type of files they are downloading, providing an extra level of caution.  As always, make sure you are downloading the latest software updates from Apple and have installed an anti-virus program on your Mac.

Read more about these trojan viruses from Mac Rumors and CNET.

Commodore 64 with Blu-Ray Player

As geeks, a moment of joy and jubilation has been delayed – Last April, the Commodore 64 computer that many of us grew up on (a geek or not) was relaunched with modern hardware and a flashy redesign.  The Commodore 64 was the first personal computer for thousands, if not millions of kids and computer enthusiasts who grew up in the 1980’s and it’s been rebooted with the same nostalgic blue, programming screen.  I remember growing up that I used a Commodore 64 to learn programming for the first time and over the years it has been a personal lament that the computers were no longer available.

Today, 25 years after its initial debut, it is now possible to buy a modernized Commodore 64, either in the traditional tannish beige color or in a sleek black both featuring a modern intel chipset, graphics cards, integrated audio, and Ethernet/WiFi capability?  Don’t be worried if you think this new Commodore 64 comes with limited memory and hard drive capabilities.

Updated Commodore (64) VIC

You can soup up your new Commodore 64 with up to 2 GB of RAM and a 250 to 500 GB hard drive.  It’s comes with USBS ports, the options of a Blu-Ray Disc player, and is preinstalled with Linux but you’ll be able to install windows on it.  The traditional Commodore 64 models are available at pricing starting at $350 and 2 other models range up to $1500.  The modern, slim, and sleek Commodore VIC starts at $400 with 3 models ranging up to $1000.

Geeks are celebrating everywhere over this decision to bring back an American technology icon (I know I am) but so should you.  The Commodore 64 computers are sleek, compact machines that fit most budgets as a cool conversation piece in addition to being a usable and functional device.

From Top to Bottom: Toshiba’s Portege Z830, Apple's MacBook Air, Google's Chromebook

As we talked about in our introduction to ultraportable laptops, ultraportables come in many different sizes, shapes, and configurations.

We looked briefly at the difference between ultraportable laptops, netbooks, and tablets: netbooks are outdated compact laptops which were built with all the features of a laptop but in a smaller form and with processing power limiting functions to 1-2 tasks at a time.  Tablets, on the other hand, were built with the same hardware and components as ultraportable laptops but are designed to be a balance between a laptop and a smartphone with appearance and design as defining factors.

Today we look at the different types of ultraportable laptops and what sets each apart from one another.  Everyone is a player in this emerging market with PC makers, Apple, and even Google all laying a stake with ultraportables.  As we’ll see the characteristics of weight, battery life, and hardware configuration set ultraportables apart but function and form also play a big role.  Additionally, each type is defined by their small contributions and enhancements to the laptop, such as wireless syncing and cloud based offerings.

Read on to learn about the different types of PC, Apple, and Google ultraportable laptops and how the MacBook Air from Apple and Google’s Chromebook add unique twists that set themselves apart from the others.

Ultraportable laptops can typically be categorized into three different categories, typically based off of the manufacturer, hardware/software specifications, and other key factors.

PC Ultraportable Laptops

Acer, Toshiba, and Lenovo lead the pack in the still young ultraportable PC market offering most standard features of normal laptops though Sony, Dell, and Asus all have great ultraportable offerings. Growing with the help of Intel’s Ultrabook standard, the options may be small at the moment but look for this market to explode in the coming months.

PC ultraportable laptops or ultrabooks as they’re often referred to are starting to pop up more frequently as PC makers adopt Intel’s new ultrabook standard for mobility and portability.  The laptops being introduced today that can be defined as ultraportable are foregoing optical (DVD/CD) drives, user lighter weight material, and focusing heavily on battery life and power consumption.  However, it is still possible to find ultraportable laptops which have optical drives and adhere to the more traditional concept of a laptop.

Some great examples of PC ultraportable/Ultrabook laptops include Acer’s Aspire S3 which is similar looking to the MacBook Air and Toshiba’s Portege Z830 laptop which has a 13.3 inch screen and weighs 2.5 pounds, in addition to the Lenovo IdeaPad U300S.

The MacBook Air

One of the first laptops to spark the ultraportable generation of laptops, the MacBook Air is Apple’s signature ultraportable laptop that originally differentiated itself from PCs by letting go of optical drives and switching to solid state drives (SSD) relying on cloud based hardware components and external devices to pick up the slack.

The MacBook Air, available since 2008, was recently updated in July of 2011 with an updated Intel chipset and is available in 13.3inch and 11.6 display configurations.  The MacBook Air has claimed the “world’s thinnest laptop” title (at 0.76 inches) since its inception but is being challenged on all corners by PC makers for this prestigious distinction.  One other prominent characteristic of Apple’s solo ultraportable laptop is its 5-7 hour battery life which is rather good for ultraportable laptops.

The MacBook Air is being tightly integrated into Apple’s family of products, and is a cornerstone of its new cloud based storage system, iCloud.  Apple enables Air users to stream content over WiFi networks.  The ability to stream and share content between the MacBook Air and other macs offers a great solution to the storage problems all ultraportable laptops have for high maintenance users.  One other integrated feature, within the Mac family, that makes the MacBook Air unique is its ability to leverage Apple’s Time Capsule device for wireless storage as well as increased ability to stream and backup files over a network seamlessly.

The Google Chromebook

The Google Chromebook, which launched this year, is considered an ultraportable with a twist. As we’ve discussed, the Chromebook adopts traditional PC hardware but reduces other components, including memory and unnecessary hardware, to create a perfect device for running applications in the cloud with little need for a local hardware to back up the users’ needs.  Google has spearheaded the development of this new cloud based laptop with its Chrome Operating System which puts the operating system and the user’s functions in the hands of independent websites which now function as a generation of new web apps.

Although not billed as an ultraportable laptop, the Chromebook meets all of the necessary requirements of portability and mobility and is unique in its use of web-based software.

The Chromebook, with models available by Samsung and Acer, are simplistic in nature but very versatile in nature.  The versatility and portability of a Chromebook is achieved through its wi-fi availability and the almost non-existentence of internal memory and storage space.

Stay tuned to our series for a more indepth look at how to make the right purchase decision with ultraportable laptops, how you can use ultraportable laptops in different situations, and more in our continuing series.

Do you own an ultraportable laptop or looking to buy one?  What stands out to you as the best options?  What questions do you have as you’re looking to buy one?

What is an Ultraportable Laptop?

Ultraportable laptops are a newer breed of laptop that has been introduced to consumers in the last few years. These computers, aimed at providing the full experience of a normal laptop, typically apply the “less is more” approach in design so they can be more easily carried around than your 6-10 pound brick of a laptop.

Standard classifications for ultraportable laptops have yet to surface but Intel is leading the way with their Ultrabook standard to create a standard among PC makers. While less is more, the features of ultraportable laptops allow users to go farther and be more mobile than they can be with traditional laptops. Ultraportables are defined as laptops whose screens are less than 13.3 inches and weigh less than 4 pounds. Although screen sizes might vary and be as little as 7 inches, the emphasis of an ultraportable is its weight which determines, many times, what features are or are not included in the laptop. Battery life, overall thinness, and memory/hard drive space are also determining factors that make classify a laptop as an ultraportable.

Read on for more defining characteristics, netbooks are now considered defunct, and an overview of the various types of ultraportable laptops.

Due to the varying factors that define an ultraportable laptop, hardware configurations can be wide-ranging and even seem ‘revolutionary’ or just foolish (depending on your perspective) when compared to normal laptops. For example, some ultraportable laptops like the MacBook Air completely leave out optical drives (DVD and CD drives) in lieu of wireless connection points and the dependence on external drives. Some also replace high-quality, high-definition graphic chips with lower-end chips designed for less processing capability making functions like gaming less desirable. Keyboards may also be smaller than normal as the overall laptop size is reduced but this does not typically affect the higher end models which have higher resolution displays.

One last criterion that is being used to define an ultraportable laptop is the type of hard drive used, which may or may not seem like a big deal but it is a trend that is reshaping the price and usage of computers. SSD (Solid State Drives) hard drives are being used in ultraportable laptops as way to cut down on weight, conserve space, and maximize hard drive performance. Though the differentiation from traditional hard drives is nuanced, the key thing to remember is that traditional hard disk drives (HDD) are made of multiple, moving parts and are more prone to shocks and vibrations while SSD hard drives are compact in size, boot up faster, use less power and typically microchip based flash memory, much like a flash drive, smartphone, or other mobile device.

How are ultraportable laptops different from netbooks and tablets?

Ultraportable laptops are normally sized laptops that are built with portability in mind – minimizing the use of ‘heavy’ or extra components in the form and functions of the laptop itself.

Netbooks are much smaller than laptops in size, have a lot of extra components and features, and are only viable for a few activities such as surfing the internet, etc. Netbooks, for the most part, have been replaced by tablets including the iPad, the Samsung Tab, and others.

Tablets share many similarities with ultraportable laptops such as hardware and function. Ultraportable laptops, though, retain the laptop form factor and are treated more as a new type of laptop rather than an intermediary step between the smartphone and the laptop. Many of the features and components used in making tablet mobile devices are finding their way into the new class of ultraportables as both strive for portability and ease of use.

Stay tuned to our series for a more indepth look at the different types of ultraportable laptops, including models to buy for business/personal use and what to look for when buying one.

Got a question about ultraportables, netbooks, or tablets?  Share it in the comments section and we use your feedback as we continue our ultraportable series.

So this weekend, we will remember all those who lost their lives on that day, and honor all those who risked everything to help who they could. We’d like to send our gratitude to the brave men and women of the New York City Fire Department and the New York City Police Department, whom our very own founder Arthur Zilberman has worked with.

Just as importantly, we want to look forward to a better New York, and a brighter future, and the men and women from every walk of life and every neighborhood who are making that future happen. We will never forget, but we will never let it hold us back either.

It seems that in certain fields and among certain demographics, Apple products reign supreme. Among 20-somethings who work in “creative industries”, you’ll hardly find a single machine or gizmo without a shiny apple plastered somewhere on the case. Nevertheless, despite fitting squarely into that “20-something creative type” category, I refuse to own an Apple product. It’s not because I’m trying to buck a trend, or because I want to stand out from my peers. Really. It’s because when you look at it, there are very few positives to owning a Mac, iPod, iPad, or iPhone. Here’s my top 10 reasons why I personally will never (or at least not in the foreseeable future) own an Apple product (in no particular order):

1. Price: The cheapest current generation Mac available is the 11″ MacBook Air with the 64gig hard drive and 2 Gigs of RAM, which retails for $999. If you slide over to Dell, meanwhile, you can buy a 14″ Inspiron 14R with similar specs (actually, you get a processor almost twice as fast and twice as much RAM, a hard drive that despite not being solid state is 10x larger, not to mention those extra 3″ on the screen) for $599.99. Sure, you loose out on the form-factor and the ultra-lightweight portability , but I hardly think the extra 2.5 lbs of the Dell will kill you. And besides, I for one am of the opinions that hipsters could stand to get a little more exercise. If form is an absolute must for you, for $699.99 you can get the Dell 14z and still have $300 left over, which is enough to pay someone to follow you around for a day telling you how awesome you are. And that’s not even counting building your own machine from scratch.
2. Options: You can pick any Mac you like…so long as it’s the MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. They come in a wide range of colors, ranging from “aluminum” to “metallic” to “kind of silvery” to “shiny grey”. That’s TWICE as many colors as are available for the iPhone. And don’t forget the wide range of configurations! You can chose from 2 or 3 different hard drives, RAM configurations, and graphics cards. For a company whose motto is “Think Different!”, their options all look surprisingly the same. I understand that that’s sort of the point: simplicity. Just as an adult who is not completely ignorant of computers, and recognizing that my computing needs are not the same as a million other people, I would like some choices in my hardware, thanks.
3. Chicklet Keyboards: This is a personal pet peve of mine, and I understand some people actually enjoy this setup. These are usually people who type hesitantly with one finger and think that the internet is piped into their house through a series of tubes. This wouldn’t bother me all that much, except that for whatever reason, other manufacturers have decided this is a great design decision and have taken up the chicklets. When will the madness end?
4. Back-seat device owning: Hey Apple, remember how people pay you in order to get one of your fancy iPhones? Remember that part? Well, generally, the way that works is that after they hand over their money and you hand them their phone, the phone is theirs. If you want to decide what apps should and shouldn’t be loaded on it, you are more than welcome to pay for an iPhone yourself. And yet Apple insists on micromanaging every possible interaction their devices have with the outside world. And most people seem completely ok with it. I shouldn’t have to jailbreak and unlock my phone, putting the hardware at risk in the process, to be able to load home-brew and non-approved apps on a device which I supposedly own. Period.
5. A thief, by any other name…:  More on the topic of approved and unapproved apps, Apple is quickly developing a string of allegations that they use  the App Store development community as free R&D for Apple products. Take for instance this case, in which apple purportedly took an idea for an app from the app developer and filed for a patent, using a virtually identical mock-up of the app’s interface to demonstrate their patent. Or the case of Camera+, in which case the app in question was banned for giving users the option of using the volume buttons to take a picture, a feature that Apple conveniently unveiled in it’s updated self-released camera software.
6. Apple thinks I’m stupid: Ok, this may be an overreaction, but must everything be dumbed down to the most basic functionality possible? I know some users prefer the simplicity and ease of use of Apple products, but I like getting to the heart of my computers and devices. I liked being able to set obscure setting on my first Creative MP3 player. I LIKE messing with my registry files. I thoroughly enjoy having a hundred and one toggles, switches, and slides in my control panel. Again, that’s just me, but so is most of this article.
7. iTunes: I absolutely can’t stand being forced to use proprietary software to do things that open standards software is capable of doing. Why should I have to use iTunes to load music on to an iPod? What’s wrong with dragging and dropping from file explorer? Also, why is all my music tied one device? Let’s say I have a home computer, a laptop, and a work computer. I want my music collection to be on all three, so why can’t I transfer songs from my home computer to iPod to laptop to work computer? Who is Apple to tell me what I can and cannot do with my music collection?
8. Tethering: Why does a wireless device need to be connected to a computer with a cable every time you need to update it or transfer media or sync contacts? It’s called wireless for a reason. I shouldn’t have to pull out my cord every time I want to do anything more complex than data tethering.
9. Proprietary Connectors: ‘Nuff said. The rest of the world somehow manages to do everything that needs doing with a micro-usb. Get on board, Apple.
10. Apple Users: Technically not a problem with Apple itself, but they certainly foster a particular culture. A culture that seems to defy all logic. Here is a computer built to be ideally suited to suburban soccer moms who can’t be bothered to learn how to operate their devices, and don’t quite “get” the internet, and yet it’s being adopted by otherwise tech-savvy youth. It’s as if the entire population of Williamsburg traded in their fixies and Vespas for Rascall Scooters. It defies all explanation. The only thing more puzzling is how anyone can have the energy to be so smug all the time.

With a sunny, cloudless sky and perfect 80 degree weather, it’s hard to imagine that just a few days ago we were running around in absolute panic. We hope that you have survived this hurricane and are healthy and safe. While we in New York City got mostly lucky and dodged a bullet, we know that many of our customers on Long Island, Staten Island, and in New Jersey were not so lucky. Our thoughts go out to all the people still dealing with flooding, power loss, and the damage Irene brought.

That said, it seems we in New York City are on a roll of underwhelming natural disasters. First an earthquake that was barely felt, then Hurricane Irene which luckily fizzled out. All we’re missing now is a mighty blizzard that drops half an inch of flurries, and a little tiny volcano and we’ll complete our bingo card. Whatever happens next, rest assured that we at LaptopMD+ will be here to help you with whatever you need, assuming we aren’t busy running for the hills from a massive 6″ tsunami.

Best of Luck and Best Wishes,

The LaptopMD+ Team

With Irene aiming directly for New York City this weekend, here are some basic tips for us New Yorkers to prepare ourselves digitally for the highly inclement weather coming our way.

Add your comments to this open thread as we weather the hurricane together.  Stay safe New York!

Backup Your Data Offsite and to Your Email – Whether it’s paper copies to put in your ‘go bag’ or a full-on offsite backup or file syncing like we recently talked about, NOW IS THE TIME to protect your digital life.

Upload important files and emergency contact lists to your email account and share them with your friends and family.  You’ll be able to access them wherever you are from any computer but be sure to keep paper copies with you as well.

Know Your Passwords and Download Pertinent Contact Information – backup your contacts, passwords, and other pertinent information to your phone from your computer in case you lose access to your computer.  Keeping printed copies, just in case, isn’t a bad idea.

Keep Your Devices Charged – Make sure that your devices are fully charged and that you have backup batteries for any devices which run off of battery power.  The electricity may go out so be prepared to ration computer and cell phone use due to a possible unknown outage period.

Protect Your Devices from Electrical Surges – New York City is no stranger to heavy duty storms but remember that surges can occur and short out electrical devices.  Keep your devices plugged in as long as possible but unplug them as soon as the storm hits.

Texts Will Come in Handy/Be Prepared for Bogged Down Networks – With an expected increased load on the cell networks, text messages may have a higher likelihood of getting through.  Communicate as much as possible with friends and family through texts if cell phone coverage becomes spotty.  Be aware that internet speeds will become much slower if local utilities are knocked out of comission – ration your bandwidth usage to conserve battery strength.

If the Electricity Goes Out – You can get more battery juice by shaking the flashlights.  Also, pack your refrigerator with food and keep it closed as much as possible.

Have you weathered a hurricane before like us?  Share your tech preparedness tips for Hurricane Irene in the comments.

Please note that if you are in need of repair service, LaptopMD will be open during regular hours on Saturday, 11am to 9pm, and (hopefully) on Sunday, 11am to 6pm, depending on exact weather conditions – Stay tuned to our Facebook page for up to date information on Saturday, Sunday, and early next week.

UPDATE: LaptopMD will be CLOSED this weekend due to Hurricane Irene. Please visit www.LaptopMD.com/Irene for more info and for a LIVE webcam feed of Hurricane Activity.

UPDATE x2 (8/29/11): LaptopMD+ is open normal hours for business – please contact us at 212-920-4833 or come in with your computer, iPhone, and laptop repairs.

On a more personal note, we wish our customers in the New York City area a weekend of safety and calm preparation in advance of Hurricane Irene.

Catch Notes is a simple and effective note taking program which allows you to take notes quickly and add reminders to your notes so you don’t forget about them.  Reminders is one feature that Evernote lacks and is lacking although Evernote is still great for collecting and organizing vast amounts of data.

Catch presents the user with an easy to use application which turns your notes into task reminders and is built for the user whose note taking needs are short-term rather than long-term.

Learn more about Catch at PC World or download and try the app out for yourself online or on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device today.

What other task/note taking applications do you use on your smartphone or tablet devices?

In preparing for our digital back to school tips sections, a few weeks ago I came across an article from PC World about Going Back to School in the Cloud and I thought to myself – “this is a great guide to cloud computing that anyone can use”.  There’s a lot to talk about in this article but here are a few key take-aways in the areas of online office suites, online digital storage, and cloud based file syncing and sharing that will help you make better use of new (and old) technology.

Online Office Suites

Google Documents isn’t the only player in town when it comes to offering web-based tools for word processing, presentation creation, and spreadsheet manipulation online.  Both Zoho and Microsoft are attempting to take on Google in offering additional computer applications in their online office suites:

Zoho – Zoho offers a whopping 27 different applications as part of their collaboration and productivity offerings.  In addition to the traditional word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet programs, Zoho give users (especially business users) a wide variety to choose from including wiki collaboration, project organization, and advanced bug/issue tracking.  Zoho also offers tight integration with Microsoft Office giving users sharing, saving, and integration features that Google Documents does not.  Zoho is great for users looking for a variety of services from one provider with exceptional Microsoft Office support and integration.

Pricing for Zoho services vary by product but they offer many of their personal services as limited featured, free trials.

Microsoft Office 365 - Microsoft’s cloud based offering launched earlier this summer, as Microsoft Office 365.  Still in its infancy, Microsoft Office 365 offers Word, Excel, and Powerpoint viewing capability to users with limited/basic editing functionality with more expected in future releases.  Microsoft’s online office suite also enables business users to take advantage of extended traditional Office features such as Microsoft Exchange, OneNote and Lync.

Even though it is currently limited in features, Microsoft 365 seems like a steal at $6 per month for their starting plan and shows that the software giant will become a bigger player in the future.  However, this service does not appear to provide the right fit for more advanced users who are looking for more in their cloud based office suite.

Online Storage

We’ve talked about how backing up your computer files is the most important thing you could do to make a major computer disaster cause less personal impact and speed up the transition to a new computer system.  Mozy is a great online backup tool that will automatically backup your computer on a regular basis to a cloud-based storage system.  BackBlaze is another online storage option which will backup your entire computer and allow you to remote in to see your stored files from any location at any time.

Both storage services offer varying plans starting at around $5-$6 per month.

Folder Syncing

Similar to online storage opportunities, folder-syncing services allow you to share specific folders and files on your computer without creating a mess with extraneous files or not wasting valuable (and pricey) web storage space.

Sugar Sync - SugarSync allows you to share files and folders across multiple devices so you can access and make edits to the same file from your work or home computer (or vice-versa) without the worry of multiple versions, duplicate copies or a clogged inbox.  SugarSync allows access from multiple devices including your smartphone and offers advanced features such as remote file sharing and access.

Plans for SugarSync start at $4.99 per month with specialized storage plans for businesses as well.

SkyDrive - Microsoft’s SkyDrive is a Windows Live component which allows you to store and share your Microsoft Office documents and photos.  SkyDrive is available free to all Windows Live/Hotmail users with 25 gigabytes of available storage.

PogoPlug - PogoPlug functions very similar to SugarSync (with the ability to access your files and folders from any location) with the exception that the PogoPlug is in fact a piece of hardware that connects directly to your internet router and shares files across the internet either from your desktop, an attached external hard drive, or a simple USB flash drive.

A PogoPlug drive is a one-time purchase of $40-$50 or a one-time $39 download for the software version which works as a program on your computer.

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Share your online storage tips in the comments and ask me any questions you might have about these and other cloud-based productivity tools.

Evernote: Evernote is a free program download and web service that allows you to take quick notes of any kind (text, images, voice memos, etc.) and store them in an easy, tagged based system.  Evernote is available as a PC or Mac program but you can also use the web or your smartphone (iPhone or Android) to take, record, and retrieve your notes from just about anywhere.  If you consume a lot of information and need to save it in an easy to retrieve manner, then this program is for you!

Scrivener: Scrivener is a great tool that allows students or individuals who like to compose and organize larger written works than just notes.  Scrivener functions as a digital white-board or cork-board to brain storm ideas, move paragraphs, and compose perfectly written masterpieces, whether it’s a term paper, business deal, or the next New York Times Bestseller.  This is another tool that I have personally used and I must say that I have found nothing better to organize my thoughts for larger writing ‘assignments’.  This program is available for Mac as a 30 day free trial and costs $45 after the trial ends.  You can also take advantage of the public beta of their new Windows version as well!

LibreOffice/OpenOffice.Org: If you’re looking to unshackle yourself from Microsoft Office and not pay the sometimes ridiculous software prices, I would recommend checking out either of these open source office suites.  I have personal experience with OpenOffice.Org and can only assume that LibreOffice is the same if not better.  Both office suites offer alternative programs other than Word, Excel, or PowerPoint but give you the same functionality as those name brand software titles and also you to open and save in native Microsoft formats.

Check out the PC World article for some more great back-to-school software tips.  Share your recommendations in the comments below.

1) Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Cleaning a computer or laptop sounds like a simple thing, but it can actually add years to your device. Laptops and desktops have to move a lot of air through their innards to keep cool and not overheat. Since overheating is the number one cause of failure in computer equipment, this function is crucial. Unfortunately, over time the fans that move the air through your laptop or desktop can get dirty and clogged. Opening up your computer and giving it a good cleaning before heading back to school can insure it runs smoothly all year long.

2) Just Be Cool

Speaking of keeping your computer cool, if you want a low-cost way to extend the life and functionality of your laptop, a good place to start is a USB-powered laptop cooling system. These generally run $10-20 and will not only extend the life of your laptop, but will make holding your laptop for a prolonged period of time significantly more comfortable for you. As far as cheap solutions to complicated problems go, you can’t beat this one.

3) Back It Up

External hard drives are dirt cheap these days. And for the money, nothing will help you keep your sanity better than knowing that even if the worst were to happen, your data is safe. Back everything up to your external daily. It’s fast, it’s easy, and in fact most external drives come with software that will let you set up automatic backups of certain folders at predetermined times. As an extra measure of protection, upload all of your school documents to a Google Docs account once a week. That way, even if your desktop or laptop fails, you don’t lose any work.

4) Memories…

If you have a small budget for upgrades, the most noticeable upgrade you can give your machine is a more RAM. RAM, which stands for Random Access Memory, works as a buffer, storing pieces of data and other information that gets used on a frequent basis, so that the computer doesn’t have to keep pulling it off the hard drive. Because RAM is so much faster than the hard drive, the performance gains from upgrading the amount of ram you have are massive and instantly noticeable. You will be able to multitask with less obvious lag when opening new programs and have multiple browser tabs open with no problem.

5) Vide…oh

If you plan on playing some games or watching High Definition videos between hitting the books, you might think about investing a little in a new graphics card since most entry level machines don’t have one and instead rely on a built in graphics processor. These range from about $100 to $600+ each, and can give a very sharp boost to your computers ability to cope. There are a couple of things to watch out for, though: First, make sure that whatever you get is actually going to be better than what you already have. Second, not all laptops allow you to put in an aftermarket graphics card, so check if you’re not sure. Third, adding a high powered graphics card will increase the power consumption and temperature of your computer, so you might need to upgrade your power supply (don’t worry, they’re fairly cheap) or your cooling system (see #2 above).

With these 5 easy tips, you should have no problem making it through another school year with your computer, and sanity, intact. Now if you could only manage to schedule all your classes after noon and get Fridays off, this year would be perfect.

1) Jailbreaking:

Well, it only took two days, but iOS 5 has been successfully jailbroken. Now, granted, this is not a full jailbreak since iOS5 is still in Beta, so the phone needs to be tethered to a developer machine or else the jailbreak will not work. It is also not for the faint of heart, since the phone will not auto-update after being jailbroken, and can do all sorts of nasty things like lock up or permanently lose your data. Don’t try unless you are either really curious and really good with Apple products, or you’re a developer working on jailbroken apps. The good news is that once iOS5 hits the shelves, a fully operational jailbreak should be ready and waiting to go.

2) Looks Familiar:

Unless Apple is keeping developers in the dark in order to have a flashy last-minute reveal (not entirely to be ruled out, Apple has pulled zanier stunts), it looks like the look and feel of the new iOS will be the same as iOS 4. Not surprising, given that most of the updates seem to be more technical than flashy. Think of it as an evolution, not a revolution.

3) No Strings Attached:

Well, after who knows how many angry editorials and forum comments, Apple has finally introduced tetherless, or over-the-air (OTA) as it is commonly known, updating. Now iPhone users will be able to see when an update to iOS comes out and update their device with the touch of a button without having to connect to iTunes. In other words, the iPhone now has all the functionality of an Android device circa 3 years ago.

4) No Alarms and No Surprises:

I take my last comment back. With the introduction of a less intrusive alarm and alert panel that is swiped down fro the top of the screen, NOW the iPhone has all the functionality of an Android device circa 3 years ago. If you’ve ever used an Android device, this will be intimately familiar to you and should be a lot more user friendly than the old obnoxious notification system.

5) This One’s For the Birds:

Twitter, that almost but not quite ubiquitous social platform of dubious value, has gotten the nod of approval from Apple. In fact, it’s gotten a nod, a pat on the back, and a strong hearty handshake. Twitter is now being built into the very fabric of iOS 5, meaning that Twitter functionality will probably feature largely in every app released for iPhones and will be significantly more integrated than in current generations.

6) With Your Head On the Ground and Your Feet In the Clouds:

iCloud. Do we really need to say more? Apple’s foray into cloud computing has been thoroughly integrated into the iPhone and (one would assume) any new Apps built since iOS 5 was first announced. Apple HAS been nice enough to allow users to turn iCloud off, and decide which apps sync with the service, though unless the service somehow interferes with jailbroken devices I can’t think of any reason why iPhone owners would turn it off. BONUS: iCloud offers a free “Find My Phone” service, so if someone steals your phone and isn’t smart enough to turn it off or block transmissions until they can wipe it, you now have an easy way to recover it without paying for third party apps.