Hardware Upgrade Tip of the Day #47


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Hardware Upgrade Tip of the Day

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*1. NEW WIRELESS PALM--PART 1 OF 2        
     
by Dean Andrews 
           
Palm has released its new wireless handheld device, the Palm 
VIIx. It features 8MB of RAM--four times what the original 
Palm VII offered. More RAM allows you to store more programs 
and data on your device. 

In the case of the Palm VII series, more RAM also allows you 
to store additional Web Clipping applications, small applets 
that control what data you can download from the wireless Web.
With the Palm approach, you cannot freely browse from site to 
site; you must pick what sites you want to visit and download 
each site's Web Clipping application to your Palm device. 

http://www.palm.com


*2. NEW WIRELESS PALM--PART 2 OF 2        
     
by Dean Andrews 
           
The new Palm VIIx wireless handheld device features an update 
of the Palm OS, version 3.5. It features usability 
enhancements over the original Palm VII's version 3.0.

OS 3.5, for example, offers an updated address book that makes 
it easier to store multiple contacts for the same company. You 
can also view both your to-do and agenda lists simultaneously. 

http://www.palm.com


*3. UPGRADE ISSUES FOR THE APPLE G4 CUBE--PART 1 OF 3

by Dean Andrews

Apple's sleek new G4 Cube is a wonder to behold, but the tiny 
metallic system unit does have some upgrade issues. 

For starters, the Cube offers no PCI card slots, because there 
is simply no room inside the box. This means you can't add PCI 
graphics cards and other devices. 

http://www.apple.com


*4. UPGRADE ISSUES FOR THE APPLE G4 CUBE--PART 2 OF 3

by Dean Andrews

You can replace the hard drive of Apple's G4 Cube, but it 
doesn't have any extra drive bays for an add-on hard drive (or 
any other internal device that resides in a drive bay). 

If you own a G4 Cube and you need extra hard drive space, you 
might consider a FireWire-based external hard drive. The G4 Cube
does offer FireWire ports. 

http://www.apple.com


*5. UPGRADE ISSUES FOR THE APPLE G4 CUBE--PART 3 OF 3

by Dean Andrews

If you plan to add extra storage drives to your Apple G4 Cube, 
whether they're CD recorders or Zip drives, you'll have to go 
with external devices. While the G4 Cube offers an array of 
interfaces for such devices (Ethernet, FireWire, and USB), 
you'll still pay slightly more for an external device than for 
an internal device. Also, the clutter of devices on your desk 
will quickly overwhelm the Cube's minimalist aesthetics. 

Plan to address these upgrade issues before you buy a G4 Cube, 
or go with a more upgradable Apple computer. 

http://www.apple.com


*6. BUYING A DIGITAL CAMCORDER--PART 1 OF 3

by Dean Andrews

These days, most digital camcorders offer a FireWire (aka IEEE 
1394 or i.Link) port--but not all of them do. The basic 
shopping rule is, don't buy a digital camcorder unless it 
offers a FireWire port. 

One of the most compelling reasons to go with a digital 
camcorder is the ability to edit your footage on your home 
computer--and the FireWire port is quickly becoming the de facto
standard interface for this purpose. It doesn't matter whether 
you have an Apple or a Wintel-based system; both camps are 
heading the same way when it comes to digital video editing.


*7. BUYING A DIGITAL CAMCORDER--PART 2 OF 3

by Dean Andrews

Another important port to look for on a digital camcorder is an
analog input port. If you have an older, nondigital camcorder or
just a bunch of old VHS videocassettes around the house, you 
probably have nondigital footage you'd like to include in your 
editing projects. 

An analog input port on your digital camcorder will allow you to
run that older, nondigital video through your digital camcorder
into your PC. The DV camcorder acts as a gateway.


*8. BUYING A DIGITAL CAMCORDER--PART 3 OF 3

by Dean Andrews

The LCD viewfinder is an important feature in any digital 
camcorder. Not only does it let you quickly frame an image 
without putting your eye against a small lens, but it also 
allows you to set up a shot from a distance. You can adjust 
props or people by moving them around yourself and at the same 
time glance up at the LCD viewfinder to check whether you have 
everything you want inside the video frame. 

Before you buy, make sure you can rotate the LCD Viewfinder of 
the digital camcorder so it's visible from in front of the 
camera (for just this type of prop adjustment situation).


*9. BUYING COMPUTER HARDWARE FROM ONLINE AUCTIONS--PART 1 OF 2

by Dean Andrews

Buyer beware! Unlike children's toys or nostalgic memorabilia, 
computer hardware purchased from an unknown source might not 
work at all.

Make sure you use any and all authentication tools to verify 
that the seller of computer hardware is trusted and honest. If 
you're new to online auctions and naive about the scams that go 
on, start small. Purchase only inexpensive computer hardware at 
first--perhaps a mouse or a modem--thereby spending an amount 
you can afford to lose.


*10. BUYING COMPUTER HARDWARE FROM ONLINE AUCTIONS--PART 2 OF 2

by Dean Andrews

While you may save money by buying computer equipment via an 
online auction, you're also in most cases obtaining computer 
hardware without a valid warranty; this is always a 
risky maneuver.

If possible, calculate what you would pay for a common repair on
the type of computer hardware you plan to buy through an online 
auction and factor that in to your decision.
