Acer T231H Windows 7 and 8 touch monitor
Surprisingly the Acer T231H bmid is the only $300 monitor that delivers a multi-touch in Windows 7.
Once I started using this monitor, it was hard to give it up, so I bought another one to replace an old Samsung.
There is only a small cost premium over a non-touch monitor. Continue reading
ECS A780LM-M2 AMD DiabloTek Barebones Kit $199 limited time offer
This is the lowest priced computer kit we’ve seen. At $199 for a limited time, you get a $270 Athlon bare-bones computer kit! The price expires March 31st, 2012.
At that price it’s like getting the SSD for nothing.
It surprised me to learn recently that big companies like Microsoft and Amazon.com don’t buy computers anymore. They build their own computers and servers from kits and parts.
Most of the computers in the stores and from Dell contain parts and software that cost more and slow down the system. Continue reading
Updated – Most of the articles that are being printed about Windows 8 imply you must upgrade and adopt Windows 8 this fall. Windows 8 is being designed for new computers.
However, Windows 8 is such an improvement over previous versions of Windows, I predict tens of millions of people will want to make the upgrade. Continue reading
Acer T231H 23" multi-touch monitor with Windows 8 Metro home screen (click for larger image) Photo NJN Network
Windows 8 needs two things to be a hit on the desktop – a multi-touch monitor and touch pad. Acer delivers the multi-touch experience with the T231H bmid. The monitor is stunning. At under $350 retail, it leads the pack of competitive monitors we have investigated. Continue reading
Windows Server 8 Beta Dashboard - Illustration Avolve Technology
By Edith Larkin, Avolve Technology – Microsoft is preparing a hat-trick with Windows 8 in 2012.
Microsoft plans to score three times with Windows 8 for desktops, Windows Server 8 and Microsoft SQL Server 2012.
To test the new Windows Server 8 Beta, we set up a virtual server on a computer already running Windows 8 Consumer Preview (Win8CP) Continue reading
Logitech Wireless Touchpad (image Logitech)
The Logitech Wireless Touchpad is one of the best and easiest ways to add multi-touch computing to Windows 8 (Win8CP) and Windows 7.
At half the price of Apple’s Magic TrackPad, the Logitech is a no-brainer.
Even better, it has one or two-finger swipe which has eluded me on the Apple TrackPad so far.
Nothing could be simpler than unboxing the Logitech Touchpad, placing it right or left of the keyboard and plugging in the USB 2.4 HZ stub-adapter. After that, the Touchpad just works. Continue reading
3M Ergonomic Mouse
Holding a mouse in your hand and clicking repeatedly can cause hand and wrist pain. Eventually that leads to Repetitive Motion injury and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Lost time to Repetitive Motion injuries out ranks all other work place injuries.
The 3M Ergonomic Mouse virtually eliminates the stress and pain of a regular mouse. It is a recommended solution for people with arthritis in the hands and wrists.
Your hand is held in a more natural joy-stick position, avoiding the 90 turn in the wrist which can pinch the nerves in the carpal tunnel. 3M calls this the neutral position.
Continue reading
Windows 8 is faster for booting and restart
By Stephen Pate – With Microsoft aiming Windows 8 at mobile and desktop computers, the operating system had to get smaller and more efficient. They succeeded with fast boot and restart times even on older computers.
For desktops, a few seconds saved won’t add any productivity to an 8 hour day. Laptops and other lower powered computers should benefit from Win8CP. Of course, Windows 8 has to run efficiently on smart phones and tablets. Continue reading
Unit sales 2012 - (Chart - Aquilium Group)
By Stephen Pate, Aquilium Group – At the new iPad announcement, Apple CEO Tim Cook called this the “Post-PC era.”
In terms of real market size, Apple’s claim of the demise of the PC doesn’t hold up. Continue reading
Intel 520 Series SSD
SSD drives have been getting faster and less expensive. Intel leads the performance race with its new SATA III 520 Series SSD drives.
SSD drives can boot Windows 7 and now Windows 8 in less than 20 seconds. Continue reading
Windows 8 soft keyboard user interface (illustration Microsoft)
By Stephen Pate – Aquilium Group - While some will focus on the touch interface, there are substantial improvements in Windows 8 that addresses energy costs, organizational security and productivity both within the corporate network and through mobile access. Continue reading