BinaryWolf

Happy New Year! This popular 22-inch Dell UltraSharp Widescreen LCD monitor replaces an aging 19-inch Samsung SyncMaster CRT that I was using. The UltraSharp was the monitor option I chose for my new Dell Optiplex Mini Tower.

Great Deal — 1000 Notebook with dual-core processor, 1GB memory and 120GB storage starting from .

AMD AthlonTM 64 X2 Dual-Core processor TK-53 (1.7GHz/512KB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Basic
1GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHZ, 2 Dimm
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA LCD Anti-Glare Display
120GB1 5400RPM Hard Drive
8X DVD+/-RW2 with double-layer3 DVD+R write capability, Cyberlink Power DVD
1 Year Limited Hardware Warranty4 with Mail-in Service

Dell Notebook Smart Values!

Buying a new , or?

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Why did Apple leave the faster 3G (third-generation technology wide area cellular telephone networks with high-speed internet access) capability out of the ?

Anandtech does an interesting analysis of a few of the reasons why the much slower network was selected and why using Wi-Fi with your iPhone makes sense.

Without a doubt, current implementations do require more space and consume more power than simply outfitting a phone with support for EDGE.

At the same time, Apple’s choice to include 802.11b/g support in the iPhone makes a lot of sense. Battery life actually increases with Wi-Fi over EDGE whenever the data connection is being used, not to mention that performance goes up tremendously as well.

At least based on these initial results, it would seem that Apple’s Wi-Fi implementation is a no-brainer: you get better performance and better battery life. It definitely doesn’t have the convenience of 3G, but if you find yourself using your phone in areas where Wi-Fi is prevalent then it makes a lot of sense.

If you live near an Apple Store, go play with an iPhone. It’s the future of mobile devices.

Recently I inherited an older Mac laptop, the . The locking ring for the battery compartment was damaged, so the battery would drop out when anyone picked up the laptop.

Attempting to figure out how to fix this I viewed a how to guide on repairing an iBook broken bottom case. The case (Apple Part #922-6148) was available for $29.95 from the same site. It was doable, but I had another option.

Fortunately, when it was purchased, the original owner bought the 3-year for $249.00. It was (is) still in effect so I brought my iBook to the local Apple Store. They took it and told me it would be ready in a few days. When I went in to pick it up, I looked at my receipt and was amazed at what I would have been charged: $135.00 for labor and $54.69 for the lower case for a grand total of $189.69!

The extended warranty was a good investment, but when it eventually runs out I’ll remember the do-it-yourself guides at ifixit.com.