Back to school 2015: Top tips for choosing a BYO computer for your child

If your child’s school is one of the growing list moving to ‘BYOD’ – ‘Bring Your Own Device’, then you’ve got some big decisions to make before your child goes back to school in a few weeks.  Some schools make it a bit easier by listing the specifications they require of the device; others leave it up to parents.  If that’s you then help is at hand.

The following tips from Darren Simmons, Managing Director of Acer Computer Australia, will help you navigate the options and avoid the pitfalls when your school leaves you to ‘your own devices’ when it comes to buying a portable computer for your child to take to class.

Step 1: Choose the type of device

A range of devices suitable for BYOD cover different student needs, preferences and family budgets, including:

• Notebook/Laptop – the biggest, heaviest and more expensive option, but with more storage, processing power and access to powerful applications. A full keyboard makes it easy to take notes and write essays.

• Tablet – smaller, lighter and a range of cheap and free apps. There’s no keyboard, but you can type on screen, use a stylus or ‘Active pen’ or attach a separate keyboard.

• 2-in-1 ‘combos’ - notebooks with detachable screens; detach the screen and use it as a tablet.  A full keyboard for typing and ‘Active pen’ or stylus for ‘writing’ on screen.

• Chromebook - light, low cost, simple web surfing and cloud computing (online storage). Includes a keyboard but may not support some specialist software.

Step 2: What does my child’s device need?

Your child will need this shopping list of features in their device:

•  WiFi capability – make sure it can connect to your school’s network.

• Minimum specs – ask if your school has specific requirements. At a minimum, get 16 GB storage and 2 GB RAM.

• Note-taking ability – get a device that makes it easy to create and save notes.

• Screen size - 

     o   For laptops an 11 – 13 inch screen (bigger is too heavy and bulky). 

     o   For tablets – a large screen (8 inches-plus) for easier reading, browsing and viewing.

• Battery Life - to last the school day – and fully charge it each night.

Step 3: You’ve got it, now look after it

Your device is an expensive investment. Here’s what you need to look after it:

• A robust storage case - a hard shell case is stronger than soft neoprene covers.

• Ongoing Support - Consider an extended warranty to reduce future repair costs if you school does not provide technical support.

• Secure it – Get anti-virus protection and keep it up to date.  Acer recommends McAfee Internet Protection and Absolute LoJack theft recovery software to find and track a lost or stolen laptop or tablet.

• Insurance - Ask your school if its insurance policy covers loss or damage at school & check with your insurer about cover for loss or damage outside your home.

• Label it clearly – use an engraving tool for a permanent result and make a copy of the serial number.

BYOD is a new approach to using technology at school, but it doesn’t have to be daunting. Armed with the right advice, you can decide with confidence on a device that will meet your children’s school needs on day one – and the years ahead.

Acer has a great range of products that are worth considering when choosing a device for your child - www.acer.com.au

Another way to access new technology – rent a laptop

This post is sponsored by Flexirent

So you’re in the market for a new laptop!  Your faithful old machine is starting to slow down, it takes ages to boot and you’re getting sick of waiting five minutes before you see your emails.  Or maybe you or your child is starting university next month and a laptop is needed to take to lectures?  Those shiny new models in the catalogues are looking very attractive, except for the price!

It's great to have the latest tech gadget, but it can be expensive and often your budget just can't stretch to such a large amount at once. There is another option - renting. Rather than paying the entire amount for your new laptop up front, you can rent it and pay a monthly amount instead. 

Flexirent is a market leader in flexible and secure rental options for technology customers in Australia and New Zealand, and they work with some of the major technology retailers.

How does renting your new tech work? 

Your first step is to go shopping – either online or at one of the retailers Flexirent works with (like Harvey Norman, Domayne, and Apple premium resellers).  You choose the brand and model you want, which means you can take advantage of any special deals available at the time.

Once you've made your choice you give Flexirent a call for preapproval of the amount you need (you can even do that at the store).  You'll be asked some questions to check your credit rating and given approval to buy.  Once that’s done you can pick up your lovely new laptop and bring it home that day.  All the paperwork is finalised at the store.

One of the decisions you need to make is how long you want the rental agreement to last – 12, 24, or 36 months, and that will determine the monthly amount you pay.  If there’s other equipment you need it can all be bundled together.  You might get approval to spend $2000, but that could be $1000 for your laptop, $300 for a printer, $500 for an iPad and $200 for software. 

Yes, renting is going to cost you more than buying the laptop outright, and it definitely won’t suit everyone’s circumstances - but there are benefits to renting that you might not have considered:

Because you rent, rather than own, your laptop, if something goes wrong it’s Flexirent that takes care of it – not you.  If your laptop needs repairing you’ll be given the loan of another laptop until yours is fixed - delivered to you the next business day.    If your laptop is lost, stolen or accidentally damaged it will be replaced.  That’s especially important if the laptop is going to school or university every day.  Of course, the main benefit of a laptop is portability, so there’s no restriction on where you take your laptop – as long as it’s within Australia. 

At the end of your rental period you have the option of swapping your laptop for the latest model, continuing your agreement, returning or even buying your laptop. 

Flexirent also offers their customers up to 50% discount on mobile broadband plans with Blink.

You need to consider your individual circumstances when deciding whether renting is a viable option for you.  Those that benefit the most from renting are those who need a laptop for work, or have their own business.  If your laptop is even partly for business use it is tax deductible – 100% if it is solely for work.  If you wanted a laptop worth $900 your monthly rental payment would be around $60 on a 24 month agreement, but if that laptop is for work, depending on your tax bracket, it could work out to be around $36 (or less) a month.

If you’re a business owner your monthly rental payments are classed as an operating expense that you run through your profit and loss statement, rather than a depreciable asset.  It doesn't appear on your balance sheet as a debt or loan.

As with any financial undertaking, make sure you read all the terms and conditions first and understand the agreement before you commit to it. 

You can find out more about renting with Flexirent here.

New iPads on the way

Apple announced some new products just a few hours ago.  First the iPad news….

On 1 November you’ll be able to buy the fifth generation iPad, called the iPad Air.  So, what’s different?

It’s just under 2mm thinner (from 9.4mm down to 7.5mm), and slightly lighter.  The Pixel resolution is the same as the iPad 4, but the performance is double that of the iPad 4, and 8 times that of the first iPad. 

There are two microphones which will improve the sound quality of FaceTime calls and video recording – and important for those using dictation and VoiceOver (I’ll be writing about accessibility features on the iPad very soon).

Two antennas and new technology mean the iPad Air will be twice as fast as the iPad 4 over Wi-Fi.   There has been no change in the rear camera – still 5 megapixels, but there’s a new FaceTime HD front camera. The battery should still last 10 hours.  Pricing is the same as the past iPads, starting at $499 for 16GB.  The iPad 4 will be discontinued, but you’ll still be able to buy the iPad 2, for $100 less that the new one.

To go with your new iPad you’ll be able to buy a new Smart Cover.  Instead of folding into four sections it will fold into three to create a triangular stand.  It also features hinges that match the curve of the new iPad.  You’ll pay $39 for a cover that protects just the front, or $79 to cover the back as well.

The other announcement from Apple is a new iPad Mini with Retina display.  This will be available later in November.  You’ll still be able to buy the original iPad mini, but it should be $100 cheaper, with the new iPad mini at $399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model.

Included now with the purchase of any new Mac or iOS device will be all iWorks and iLife apps for free.  iWorks is Apple’s productivity suite of Pages, Keynote, and Numbers (equivalent to Word, PowerPoint and Excel) which have all been updated for iOS7.  iLife includes a redesigned iMovie, iPhoto and GarageBand.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about the other new products from Apple.

Do you need to 'Safely Remove' a USB device?

When you use a USB device – do you just pull it out when you’re done?  

You've probably been told that you should ‘safely remove’ the device from your computer – but is it really necessary?

Cubiclebot.com

Data Corruption Danger

If you unplug your USB device while data is being written to it – for example, while you’re moving files to it or while you’re saving a file to it – this can result in data corruption. You need to make sure your USB device isn't in use before you unplug it.  Some USB sticks have lights on them to indicate that they are still in use.

However, even if your USB device doesn't appear to be in-use, it still may be. A program in the background may be writing to the drive – so data corruption could result if you unplugged it. If your USB stick doesn't appear to be in-use, you can probably unplug it without any data corruption occurring – however, to be safe, it’s still a good idea to use the Safely Remove Hardware option. When you eject a device, Windows will tell you when it’s safe to remove – ensuring all programs are done with it.

If you’re not familiar with it, the Safely Remove Hardware icon is found at the right hand end of your Windows task bar. It may be a separate icon on the task tar, or it may appear in the collection of icons when you click on the up-arrow.

• Select the Safely Remove Hardware icon

• Click on the device you want to remove

• Wait for the response from Windows advising that it is safe to remove before you unplug it

 

You can also right-click the device in the Computer window and select Eject.

Techie Germs

This post isn't about a virus on your computer; here we’re talking about the germs that you’ll probably find on the techie tools you use every day – your computer, phone, calculator, tablet, remote controls and game controllers. 

Your keyboard

Did you know that 93% of keyboards have a bacterial contamination?  One of the main causes of germs, apart from poor personal hygiene, is eating at your desk.  Crumbs will lead to bacteria growing in their millions.  To clean your keyboard, turn your computer off, wipe it down with a damp cloth, turn the keyboard upside down to shake out the crumbs and other bits that somehow end up in your keyboard, and then disinfect with alcohol wipes.

Your mobile phone

Most phones are contaminated with bugs ranging from salmonella to E. coli and staphylococcus aureus, which can result in some nasty stomach upsets.  You need to regularly wipe over your phone with disinfectant wipes, and don’t use your phone in the toilet!

Your earphones

Earphones increase the temperature and moisture in the ear, giving germs such as staphylococcus an ideal breeding ground.  In fact, the bacteria in your ear increases by 92% after wearing earphones for 30 minutes.  Your earphones can be cleaned by gently scrubbing the earpieces with a dry toothbrush to dislodge dirt, then dampen a lint-free cloth with a solution of warm water and mild soap and wipe them over.

This Infographic gives a few more tips on keeping yourself tech germ free

Source:  Keeping It Kleen

The easiest things you can do to minimise picking up something nasty from your techie devices is to:

• Regularly wash and dry your hands, especially before you use your computer and phone.
•  Don’t eat near your computer.

Can a tablet replace your computer?

The recently released MumsNow 'Mums in 2012' survey found that while 80% of mums use a laptop as their primary techie device, 50% of those surveyed had an iPad at the top their wish list.  Could that be because they're wanting to replace their laptop?  

Can a tablet PC replace your computer altogether? It's a question I'm often asked, especially with so many iPad and tablet devotees raving about what they can do.  If that's something you're considering I may be able to help with your decision.

Today I'm posting over at Adventures and Misadventures of a Mummypreneur, one of my favourite blogs, where Amanda provides brilliant advice on managing work and children.

Pop over there now and we'll take a look at what a tablet is good for and what it can and cannot do. 

How to get the best deal on technology

Apologies to my international readers.  This post mentions some sites and retailers that apply only to Australia and New Zealand.  The tips for buying techie products, however, are still relevant no matter where you live.

While there’s been a lot of publicity lately about how we pay so much more for technology in Australia than in other parts of the world, there’s still a lot you can do to reduce what you pay.  Here are my top tips for getting the best deal on technology.

Plan first

Don’t turn up in a shop to buy a new product without having a clear idea of what you want.  If it’s a new computer – do you want a laptop or desktop?  What are you using it for – emails and internet, or will the kids be using it for playing games?  What you plan to use your computer for will determine the size of the hard drive you need, the amount of RAM, and the size of the screen.  If it’s a new phone – iOS, Android or Windows?  

Shop Around

Make sure you check the price at a number of retailers.  Check the prices in catalogues, visit the stores, but don’t buy – yet.  In Australia we are lucky to have a brilliant website where you can compare the prices at most of the major retailers as well as a lot of online stores.  www.lasoo.com.au

On the Lasoo site you can search for a particular product and you’ll be given the product details and prices at all the retailers featured on Lasoo (both actual shops and online) who offer that type of product.  The search results can be sorted from lowest to highest price or vice versa, and also by the date any specials are expiring.  If you sign up to Lasoo you can also isolate the search to retailers that are close to where you live.  You can also view catalogues on the Lasoo website.  Of the major retailers selling computers and other technology, Dick Smith, Seconds World, Apple Store, Deals Direct, digiDirect, JB Hi-Fi, Myer, Officeworks, The Good Guys, BigW, Harvey Norman, estore.com.au, and DCA Computers are all on Lasoo.  When you find some products you like you can save them to your shopping list.  Lasoo is also available in New Zealand at www.lasoo.co.nz

1.     Compare the prices on Lasoo, in catalogues and even in-store. 

2.     Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few retailers on Lasoo, check the price on the retailer’s own website.  Some retailers even vary their prices between stores – Officeworks and Bing Lee do.

3.     Check the price through an online store.  There are some online stores featured on Lasoo, but you’ll find 262 online Australian retailers at www.staticice.com.au. A tip:  you need to be specific on this site.  You’ll need to state the brand and model name you’re searching for, eg. laptop computer won’t get you very far – try Acer Aspire.   ‘Apple computer’ won’t get you any results, but ‘macbook pro’ will.  The results are shown in price order, which means you’ll see page after page of accessories for the computer you specify before you get to the actual computer prices.  It’s not the easiest site to navigate, but if you can specify the exact brand and model of the product you’re after you’ll have more success.

Don’t be in a hurry to buy

Beware of sale prices.  There’s been a few reports in the media about retailers advertising discounted prices on products, but those prices are actually more expensive than their normal prices.  Everyone just assumes that the prices are lower when they are ‘on sale’.  If you’ve been researching your purchase you’ll know what’s a good price and what’s not.

Don’t pay the first price

Once you’ve narrowed down your options and you’re up to the buying stage, don’t pay the price you see on Lasoo, or the price on the product in store.  Visit at least two retailers before you buy and …..

·       Ask “can you do a better price”.  Most retailers are not going to say ‘no’ if you look like you’re ready to spend some money.  That doesn’t mean you go and buy as soon as they quote you a reduced price.  You can go to a few retailers and ask the same question.  Just make sure you take note of the salesperson’s name with the quote so you can go back to them if they turn out to have the best price.

·       Buy at the end of the month.  Most of the salespeople at the big retailers work on a monthly bonus system.  An extra sale at the end of the month could be just what they need, and they may be willing to give you an even better price to secure that sale.

·       Use the information you’ve gathered at these retailers so you can go to Shop A and tell them “Shop B has quoted me this price – can you beat it?“   That also applies to different stores of the same retailer.

When you’re ready to hand over the money

If you’re happy with the price and ready to pay – hold on.  There’s another question to ask….

What else can you include for that price?

 

Here’s what I’ve been given in the last 18 months, just by asking what else they can include, and that’s after I’d negotiated the discounted price on each product:

·       1 year Norton Internet Security subscription (not a trial version) – value $79

·       In-car phone charger – value $20

·       Surge protector powerboard – value $20

·       Additional two–year warranty – after I’d refused to pay for it – value $60

Each of those products was at a major retailer – Dick Smith, JB Hi-Fi and Bing Lee.

If you haven’t tried asking for a discount at one of the major retailers before – give it a go - you’ve got nothing to lose and your money to save.

Windows 8 - Microsoft's new operating system

Microsoft has just announced that their new Operating System – Windows 8 – should be available for sale to the public at the end of October this year.  That doesn’t mean you need to go out and buy a new computer, but if you are shopping for a new computer at this time, it means you have a few things to consider…..

If it’s a new computer you need, not the new operating system, you’ll be able to get a great deal.  Retailers are going to be selling off their current Windows 7 computers at great prices to get rid of old stock before the new Windows 8 computers are released; and if you buy a new Windows 7 computer now, you’ll be able to download the upgrade to Windows 8 for just $14.99 up until 31 January 2013, if you want to. 

What if you don’t need a new computer? Just because Microsoft releases a new Operating System doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with what you’re using now and definitely doesn’t mean you have to upgrade.  There are still plenty of people happily using Windows XP, which was originally released back in 2001.  As at June 2012, 26% of all computer users are still using XP, 3% on Vista, and 53% on Windows 7 (8.6% on Mac).

What if you like the idea of having the latest thing, but don't need a new computer?  If you already have a Windows computer running XP, Vista, or Windows 7 you’ll be able to download an upgrade to Windows 8 for $39.99 up until 31 January 2013 – subject to the technical specifications of your computer being suitable for Windows 8. 

But can your computer be upgraded?  If you have an older PC, running XP or Vista, your computer hardware may not be capable of running Windows 8.  Windows 8 has two parts to it – the normal Windows interface that isn’t much changed from Windows 7, and a completely new design – called Metro.  Even if your hardware is capable of being upgraded to Windows 8, the Metro interface has been designed for touchscreens, touchpads and touch mice that support gestures, without which you won’t be able to experience the full Windows 8 functionality.

Touch screens have been around for a while so you may already have one, and if you have a desktop computer you can easily replace your current monitor with a touch screen.  But if you’ve got a laptop it’s not an option, unless you attach a separate touch screen monitor – which sort of defeats the portability purpose of having a laptop!  However, as long as your laptop is running Windows 7 you can add a Microsoft Touch Mouse for around $30, so you will be able to use Windows 8’s Metro.

What would I do if I knew I was going to buy a new computer in the next few months?  I would buy a Windows 7 computer knowing I was getting a great deal on the price before Windows 8 is released.  If you’re not worried about having the latest, brand new techie thing, it’s usually better to get the last version of a known and trusted operating system, rather than the first release of a completely new one.  I’d recommend waiting until any glitches have been detected and fixed before jumping in to Windows 8.  If I was hearing good things about it I would then take advantage of the $14.99 offer to upgrade to Windows 8 before the end of January 2013.

Would you like to more about Windows 8?  Take a look at this quick video

Now that we have a more definite release date, I’ll be posting more about Windows 8 and its features.  If you’ve been trying the preview that was released last September I’d love to hear what you think about it.

What you must do before you give away your old computer

With the end of the financial year approaching, you may be considering taking advantage of all the specials around and upgrading your computer.  What are you going to do with the old one?  Give it to your children – great.  What about giving it to another family member, or a friend? 

What have you been using that computer for?  Have you used your browser to store passwords?  Internet banking?  There’s bound to be a lot of personal data on it, and while you might trust a family member not to use it in a malicious way; what if they then give it away to someone else?  What if you decide to sell it at a garage sale, or on eBay?

Once you have finished with a computer you need to wipe it clean of all your personal data.  That means deleting:

• Everything in the My Documents folder.
• All temporary Internet files.
• All cookies.
• All files relating to personal and financial matters that may have been stored in folders other than My Documents.
• All email: Outlook Express users need to search for and delete .dbx files; Windows Mail users need to search for and delete .eml files; and Microsoft Outlook users need to search for and delete .pst files.
• Remove all email account settings and passwords.
• Empty the Recycle Bin as the last step 

But, you're not finished yet.  When you delete a file from your hard drive it’s not really deleted, only the reference to it has been removed.  It’s like you’ve removed a chapter from the Table of Contents in a book.  Even though the chapter isn’t listed in the Table of Contents, if you look through the book you’ll still find that chapter.  The files you deleted still exist on your hard disk until they’re overwritten by other files; and while it’s harder for the average person to recover them, an experienced programmer or hacker could easily locate them. 

So, the last step you need to take before you give way or sell your computer is to overwrite everything on your hard drive.  You can run hard-drive erasing software, which will overwrite any remaining information with random ones and/or zeros.  Once your data is overwritten it is much harder to recover.

Some of the free drive-wiping software available is:

Ccleaner3 - Great drive-wiper, but also has tools for optimising your Windows system.

Eraser - Deletes files permanently and overwrites it multiple times.  

Active@KillDisk - Destroys all data on hard disks, USB drives, and then overwrites the drive using zeros.

Softpedia/DP Wiper - overwrites your data using zeros from one to 35 times.

As an alternative, if you have your operating system’s installation CD you should be able to reinstall and clear your hard drive simultaneously.   This should be enough to prevent the average person from obtaining personal information from your hard drive.   Unfortunately most modern computers don’t come with operating system disks. 

If your computer is broken or you have no one to give it to, and you’re just getting rid of it – there’s another option:  Just open up the computer and remove the hard drive; Unscrew the casing, exposing the disks; then smash them to pieces!

USB Hubs

You've got your lovely new laptop computer and you've decided to use a mouse instead of the touchpad - that's one USB port gone. Then you plug your mobile broadband dongle into another USB port - that's two used.  If you're lucky, you still have one left - so you can connect a printer. But what if you only have two, or you want to use a USB flash drive, or connect your camera to download some photos?

What you need is a USB hub. It's like a powerboard for your computer - giving you extra USB ports when you need them. You just plug it into one of your USB ports and then you can use each of the ports on the hub as you would the USB ports on your computer.

You can buy USB hubs at any office supply store, most larger supermarkets and discount department stores. They come in all sizes and shapes, but why go for something ordinary when you can have some fun....