Smart Tech Buy

While writing about several external hard drives in the past, we at SmartTechBuy have not focused much on Apple products.  Enter the Apple Time Capsule, so named as to back up a lifetime worth of your data!  At 1 TB worth of storage space, it’s true that the Time Capsule should be able to back up your present and future life, that is until we go entirely virtual.  What makes this external hard drive different however is that it is also a wireless router so you can network several computers to this for storage.

Windows users might find it interesting that they have the ability to use the Apple Time Capsule, although Mac users will obviously reap the greatest benefit via Leopard’s Time Machine feature.

At prices starting at around $498, the Time Capsule is very pricey for the amount of storage it offers, but hey, it’s an Apple.  Click here to find the cheapest deal on the Apple Time Capsule and if it’s what you have been searching for in your home office.

You can also find the Apple Time Capsule in a 500 GB version.

Well have no fear, here’s a few tech ways you can apologize to your sweetie.

Suggestion#1
(I call this the “Nothing says I’m sorry like giving her proof you screwed up so she can whip it out in the future for whatever argument to prove that you are, once again, wrong.”)

Suggestion#2
(The “I’m sorry and here’s something expensive that tells you just how sorry I am.” approach)

This is the strategy where you purchase her that kewl laptop she’s always wanted as a token of your love for her that she can take with her wherever she goes.

Of course, nothing will make this gesture quite as impressive as using your digital camera to take a self-portrait and using your favorite image editing program add a heart-felt message or poem — then setting it to be her default background. Or you could go with something a little less embarrassing and generic.

Here’s an example:

Suggestion#3
(The “that was the last straw so she left me, now I’m going going to get myself a consolation item.”)

Like many things, Mac is at the forefront of the coolest and hippest technology packaging out there. Toward that end, their new Macbook Air is no exception. As the Apple website touts, it is the thinnest notebook out there, between 0.16 to 0.76 inch thin to be exact, comes with sleek lines, and weighs in at a mere 3 lbs.

Some features of note are that it has a 13.3 in widescreen LED backlit display with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels. It also has a full-size backlit keyboard and the trackpad has many of the multi-touch features of the iPhone. Also, the higher end Macbook Air is available with a solid state drive which adds to the durability of the computer as the hard drive has no moving parts. It also comes with only 2 GB of RAM and cannot be expanded.

Some cons to note are that it does not come with a optical drive so if you want one, you will need to purchase the Macbook Air Superdrive which connects through the use of a USB cable — although it is important to note that the Macbook Air comes with Remote Disc which allows you to access the DVD or CD drive of nearby Macs or PCs to install software or move files. It is also slow, coming with only a 1.6 or 1.8 Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and only has a built-in Intel graphics processor which means you can’t really use this to play 3D games. Oh, and let’s not forget that there is only one USB port — one.

This computer is good for business users or college students who will use it for word processing and number crunching.

Some of the first PCs were made out of wood, but today, it is hard to find a wooden PC.  Asustek Computer Inc. plans to change all that with the Asus Eco Book.

According to Reuters.com, the Asus Eco Book case is made of laminated bamboo strips which will help save the environment.   Bamboo is fast growing and abundant.  Assustek normally caters to higher end business users, but they felt that being “green” is another way to increase sales.

If you want to show case your passion for “green” and have a good notebook, buy the Asus Eco Book when it comes out.

This past Christmas, I saw a lot of deals on external hard drives, especially ones that had a terabyte (TB) memory capacity.  Wow, that’s huge!  A TB for those that don’t know, is the equivalent of 1,000 gigs.  To my even greater shock, I found out that there are hard drives out there that have 2 TB capacity!!!

Holy cow, I’m not sure what anyone outside of a digital movie production studio would need that type of memory, but it’s just so cool!  Just for a little perspective, this is what YOU could do with 2 TB of memory:

Photos - 640,000
Videos - 2,000 hours
Music - 33,320 hours

Check out external hard drives today and start filling it up (and backing up your data)!

If you’re not an artist, you probably don’t know that there are programs and hardware out there that will allow you to replicate natural media on your computer. That means you will be able to create on your computer “using” chalk, pastels, ink, paint, pencil, etc. without having to worry about cleaning up a mess! And it saves money on paper and other materials making this great for aspiring artists or casual artist!

The program I am talking about is Painter X. With this program you will be able to fool most people into thinking that your were working with the real deal. You can set the texture of your paper, work with different types of brushes, blend as well as many other things. One of the features I find very useful is that you can set an image as something you want to “trace”. That means that the image you select will appear transparent on your art board so that it can be used as a base when painting or sketching. This is great for beginners or for people who just like to get straight into the work as you do not have to lay down your guides and other helpers. Also, because you can work in layers, you can have several things going on at once and try different colors or compositions in certain sections without having to re-do the whole thing or “paint over” and lose what you originally did.

Now that you know what program to use, the only problem is how you’re going to draw using your mouse right? Well, that’s no problem! You may not be aware, but there are devices out there that will allow you to use a “pen” on your screen. This means that drawing, painting, etc. takes on a more normal feel. And the good thing about this is that the pen is usually pressure sensitive with them and so you will be able to gain a finer control of your tools.

Wacom Cintiq Pen Tablets
If you are looking for the coolest tablet available, I would say it is the Wacom Cintiq line of tablets. This tablet is actually a monitor so it really replicates pen on paper feel and use. Some key features of this product are that it provies pixel-level pen accuracy for highly precise cursor control and the pen features 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity on the pen tip and eraser for precise image editing, accurate brush control, and selective application of effects and filters. Also, for this product you do not have to develop the hand-eye coordination needed to look at your screen while working with your pen. This makes it very user friendly and easy to master but because it is such cool tech it comes with a hefty price tag retailing $999 for the smallest version (12.1″ TFT display) and reaching $2499 for the largest version (23.1” TFT display). However, considering that it is a pressure sensitive monitor, it makes sense.

Wacom Intuos3 Pen Tablet
This tablet comes with all the bells and whistles but it is not a monitor. It also has 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity and it has buttons which can be preset to do certain functions. With this tablet you will be able to easily edit photos and create using the full power of over 100 leading software applications that support Wacom Pen Tablets. Sizes for this product range from 4”x6” to 12”x9” and prices for this product range from $229.95 to $749.95.

Other recommended Wacom tablets are the Graphire and Bamboo Fun tablets. These are more consumer oriented tablets, are more affordable, and come with less functions. However, with 512 levels of pressure sensitivity and programmable keys they are still powerful tools. Let’s not forget that they also come with a suite of useful programs such as Adobe Photoshop Elements, Nik Color Efex Pro, and Corel Painter Essentials.

Windows Vista users should also keep in mind that with a pen tablet, you can use the new functionalities provided for pen tablets. This includes personal note taking, email signing, handwriting recognition, as well as other functions.

All brands and models can be found by clicking here.

If you’re like me, you either:

A) Can’t get enough of WoW
B) Have friends who can’t enough of WoW
C) Both of the above

In either of those cases, you should be aware that Dell is now making laptops with WoW graphics. These awesome laptops are power monsters and not only do they come with some sweet hardware, but they come with some pretty sweet extras as well (like a World of Warcraft themed Backpack, T-shirt and Mouse Pad). The options for these systems are fantastic and will allow you to play the newest games on the go! You even have the option of getting solid state drives to keep your computer running faster and longer — no worrying about moving your laptop while accessing your HDD here! This computer package will also allow you to show everyone your faction of choice with original Honor Badge designs as well as with custom Blizzard WoW designs on the back of your LCD and the hinge cover.

Buy it NOW!

If you have less than 512MB of RAM or you run many applications at once, chances are that your computer isn’t running as fast as it could be. An easy fix to this solution is adding more RAM to your computer. For the max mount and size of each DIMM of RAM you should check your user manual as all the technical specs can be found there. A good amount of RAM to have for the average user running Windows XP (assuming that the user only surfs the internet and does word processing) is about 512MB. If your are using more processor intensive programs such as video games, video editing, or 3D editing programs or running many programs at once you should upgrade to at least 1GB or more.

Here are a few popular brands of RAM:
Crucial
Kingston
Corsair

On the second day of Christmas, my true love game to me…

2 Dell Computers!

Dell Desktop Computers
Dell Laptop Computers

And a 65 inch Sharp Aquos LCD!

If you’re looking for a great deal on a new computer this holiday season, there’s no other place to turn to than Dell!  Until 12/7/07:

Get $200 off instantly on the Inspiron 1520 laptop computer - prices starting at $699!
Get $330 off instantly on the Inspiron 531s desktop computer - prices starting at $399!

Dell coupons change frequently and expire after so many uses as do their deals, so check back often to see if there are new deals or new codes!

To customize your own Dell, click here.