
Hardware Upgrade Tip of the Day #23



*1. NEW SET-TOP OPERATING SYSTEM          
  
If you're on the fence about buying a set-top box for your television,
 you may just want to sit there a little bit longer. Early next year,
 you can expect the introduction of a number of set-top boxes running
 the OpenTV operating system. Open TV will allow you to send email,
 bank online, and be interactive with TV programming, initially from
 the Dish Network satellite TV network. You can contact OpenTV at

http://www.opentv.com


*2. FOOT INPUT          
  
One way to avoid the repetitive stress injuries keyboard and mouse 
 devices can exacerbate is to use your feet. HTH Engineering at 

http://www.startstop.com 

sells a foot pedal called the Pedal Power that sends keystrokes and 
 mouse button messages to Windows applications. You can customize the 
 two-pedal device to communicate with your software.


*3. COLOR INK JET PRINTER TIPS--PART 1 OF 8          
  
Color ink jet printer prices have now dropped so low that even SOHO 
 users can afford them. Lower-end color ink jets range in price from 
 $99 to $400. Depending upon your home or office budget, you might now 
 be able to afford one of these color printers. Busy offices often use 
 a standard black-and-white printer as the office workhorse, since they 
 are usually cheaper to run over the long term due to less expensive 
 consumables, but there may occasions when you wish to use a color ink 
 jet for special color jobs.  

Over the next few days I'll pass along some tips to keep in mind about 
 these inexpensive color ink jets. First, with color printers, it's 
 best to consider print quality over speed. Most of us don't print 
 color documents often enough that we can't wait a few extra seconds 
 for them. Don't concern yourself with the pages-per-minute 
 specification (at least the color ppm rating) of your new color ink 
 jet. But do try to get some sample color pages from any ink jet you 
 are considering. Watch for crisp and clear images, little or no color 
 bleeding, and solid, not fuzzy, lines.


*4. COLOR INK JET PRINTER TIPS--PART 2 OF 8          
  
Ink tank issues may be something that black-and-white-only printer 
 users may not have had to contend with in the past. With color ink jet 
 printers, scoping out the ink tank is an important task to do before 
 you buy. Some printers have just one tank that contains all the 
 separate ink colors, while others have small individual tanks so you 
 can replace just one color at a time if you need to. The latter design 
 will save you a lot of money in the long run. You won't need to throw 
 out an entire ink cartridge simply because you've run out of one 
 color. Put ink tank design high on your list of criteria for a color 
 ink jet printer, and have the salesperson of your local computer store 
 show you how the ink tank works on any printer you're considering.


*5. COLOR INK JET PRINTER TIPS--PART 3 OF 8          
  
Did you know that you can buy special ink jet printer paper? The paper 
 is specially designed to provide quality printing without soaking up 
 excess ink. Over the long term, using ink jet paper rather than 
 regular paper with your color ink jet printer will save you money. 
 Just make sure you can use this type of paper with the color ink jet 
 you're thinking of buying. Also, check whether you can buy and use ink 
 jet paper from various manufacturers, not just the one that makes your 
 printer.


*6. KEYBOARD KEY REPLACEMENTS          
  
Keyboard keys break or go missing more often than you might think. If 
 you've ever busted a key on your keyboard, you know how frustrating it 
 can be. Before you buy a whole new keyboard, check into replacing the 
 key itself. Your first stop should be your PC manufacturer (or your 
 keyboard manufacturer, if you purchased it separately). Also try The 
 Key Connection, at 

http://www.customkeys.com 

In addition to replacement keys, the company also offers colored keys 
 and specially labeled keys to suit your work or applications.


*7. COLOR INK JET PRINTER TIPS--PART 4 OF 8          
  
How often do you address envelopes? If you plan to use your color ink 
jet as your regular office printer, you should take this need into 
account. Most printers make the standard paper trays (8.5 by 11 
inches) very user friendly and easy to access, but when it comes to 
single-feed envelope slots, there are good and bad designs. Some 
printers force you to remove the standard paper trays before you can 
access the envelope slots. Carefully check this feature on any color 
ink jet you plan to buy.


*8. COLOR INK JET PRINTER TIPS--PART 5 OF 8          
  
Duplex printing is another factor to keep in mind when you shop for 
color ink jet printers. Some models will print on both sides of a 
sheet of paper without your intervention. Others--in fact, most of the 
low-end models--force you to turn the paper over and send it through 
again when you want to use both sides. If you commonly use duplex 
printing (or if you just like saving trees), check for duplex printing 
capability in any color ink jet on your shortlist.


*9. COLOR INK JET PRINTER TIPS--PART 6 OF 8          
  
How is your small office configured? If you have all the PCs in your 
office connected on a LAN, you might consider a color ink jet that 
features an Ethernet adapter (or offers one as an expansion option). 
This way, all the office PCs can access the printer without slowing 
down the one PC to which the printer is locally attached. Expect to 
spend around $100 to $150 for an Ethernet printer adapter.


*10. COLOR INK JET PRINTER TIPS--PART 7 OF 8          
  
Some of the latest printers come with multiple interface options, 
including parallel, serial, and USB ports. They also sometimes support 
both PC and iMac platforms. This is all good. Because SOHO computing 
environments often change, you should buy a printer that is flexible 
and can change along with your setup. Ask whether these interface 
options come standard with the printer or are optional configurations. 
The best buy would be a printer that's ready for multiple interfaces 
and multiple platforms right out of the box.