Hardware Upgrade Tip of the Day #41


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Hardware Upgrade Tip of the Day

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*1. SOHO SCANNER TIPS--PART 1 OF 5          
  
Small office and home office (SOHO) scanners now range in cost between 
$99 and $300. Some analysts say prices won't go any lower than this 
because manufacturers are nearing the point at which they would be 
selling the scanners at cost. Thus, if you do shop now for a scanner, 
you don't need to fear seeing your product available in a few weeks 
for less money. 

Over the next few days I'll pass along some tips for making the right 
decision and the best use of your scanner. 

First, in the Wintel world (as opposed to the Apple Computer world), 
IEEE 1394 (or FireWire) interface products are just starting to 
appear--Epson's Expression 1600 Professional FireWire model is just 
one example. You'll pay hundreds of dollars more for these front 
runners and only gain a little in performance. For the best savings, 
stick with USB and SCSI scanners.


*2. SOHO SCANNER TIPS--PART 2 OF 5          
  
You can still find sheet-fed scanners on the market. These 
small-footprint units consume a minimum of desk space by drawing your 
document or photo across the scan heads on rollers. Unfortunately, 
even after all these years, no manufacturer has perfected this 
technique. Your scanner will still occasionally crumple or jam 
documents if it has a sheet-fed design.  

The good news is that flatbed scanners have come a long way. They are 
now fairly compact--much smaller than before--and most fit neatly on 
an average-size desk along with a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Unless 
desk space is your most critical issue, go with a flatbed scanner.


*3. SOHO SCANNER TIPS--PART 3 OF 5          
  
The newest scanners offer more impressive specifications for color 
depth than past models. Now you'll see listings like 48-bit color 
rather than the traditional 24-bit.  


Don't put too much weight on these color depth specifications unless 
you are a graphics professional. In some cases you actually get an 
off-color image when the scanner and software go through their 
enhanced color depth interpolation. And consumer-level image editors 
often don't know what to do with the additional color data and the 
large files that result from a high color depth setting.


*4. SOHO SCANNER TIPS--PART 4 OF 5          
  
Peruse the software packages that come with any scanner you consider 
buying. Many SOHO scanners feature a whole range of software. Consider 
your level of interest in publishing images on the Web, creating your 
own business cards, kids' projects, and OCR (optical character 
recognition, which converts an image into a word processor-ready 
document). Then look for a scanner software bundle that meets your 
needs.


*5. SOHO SCANNER TIPS--PART 5 OF 5          
  
Don't hesitate to investigate and adjust the settings of your scanning 
software: brightness, contrast, saturation and resolution. Most 
scanners now come with default settings for photographs, documents, 
newspaper clippings, and so on. However, you may find that adjusting 
these settings up or down will give you higher quality and faster 
scans. In scanner settings, you can't please everyone, so adjust your 
scanner's settings to your work. If you get into trouble, just look 
for a Restore Default Settings button--most packages feature it. 


You might also find a programmable button on your model that lets you 
perform a task you can customize with just the touch of a button.


*6. WINDOWS ME HARDWARE TIPS--PART 1 OF 5          
  
Microsoft's new home-oriented operating system, Windows ME, is 
expected to ship in September. If you're upgrading from Windows 98 or 
95, expect to spend $109. If you're installing fresh over some other 
operating system, it will cost you $209. And, currently Microsoft is 
offering a preorder price of $59. 

First things first. Double-check the minimum system requirements, 
available on Microsoft's Web site. While a basic installation only 
requires 32MB of RAM, you'll need a minimum of 64MB if you plan to 
install the new Windows Movie Maker home movie editing software 
included on the disk. 

Get more info at 

http://microsoft.com/windowsme/default.asp


*7. WINDOWS ME HARDWARE TIPS--PART 2 OF 5          
  
Windows ME includes a new version of the Windows Media Player (version 
7, to be exact). The Media Player now works almost like a home 
entertainment system and can play Web radio broadcasts, act like a 
jukebox, and manage all your MP3 audio files. 

Here's the catch: The Media Player software requires that you have at 
least 1GB of storage free on your PC's hard drive--more than three 
times the amount of free disk space a basic Windows ME installation 
requires. Clear off all the junk on your hard drive now if you plan to 
make this upgrade.


*8. WINDOWS ME HARDWARE TIPS--PART 3 OF 5          
  
Windows ME lets you preview images from certain digital cameras 
without having to download the images to your PC. Here's the catch: 
You must have a digital camera certified for compatibility with 
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA). Theoretically, digital cameras with 
this capability should be available in September. The digital camera's 
box and documentation should clearly state whether it has this 
feature.  

Note: Other digital cameras will still work with Windows ME--they just 
won't have the preview-before-download feature.


*9. WINDOWS ME HARDWARE TIPS--PART 5 OF 5          
  
Windows ME comes with a new built-in System Restore feature, which 
brings an unstable system back to an earlier functional state. Windows 
ME also offers an emergency disk capability similar to that of Windows 
9x operating systems. Nonetheless, nothing takes the place of a good 
backup. In fact, you should perform a complete system backup before 
you begin the operating system upgrade process. Do not rely on the 
Windows ME tools to restore your system completely if you get into 
trouble.


*10. INKJET PAPER          
  
Paper remains a hidden cost of the inexpensive (less than $100) inkjet 
printer. If you ever try printing graphics or photographs on regular 
paper using one of these printers, you'll notice that you get terrible 
results. Using specialized inkjet paper with the proper absorbency for 
that technology makes your printouts look much better.  

Unfortunately, inkjet paper is much more expensive than regular 
paper--as much as 10 cents a sheet for so-called premium-quality 
inkjet paper. And you'll spend even more than that for photo-quality 
inkjet paper. Keep these costs in mind when you consider buying a new 
inkjet printer.
