Which type of Computer should I get?

Which computer is best for me? What do I want to do with it? Does it have to be portable? How much do I want to spend? What will it do? What will it not do?

1. What do I want to do with it? Electronic mail? Word processing? Spreadsheets (e.g. household accounts; lists)? Skype-type communications? Pictures management? Watch movies? Genealogy? Do I want an integral camera?

2. Does it have to be portable? Do I want to be able to take it with me on vacation? Do I want to be able to carry it from one room / house to another? Does it matter if it stays in one place?

3. How much do I want to spend? “Bang for the buck!”. Large range of costs, regardless of which type of machine you decide to buy. As a general rule you’ll get what you pay for. Be careful of the offered “add-ons” like set-up, extended warranty, etc!

4/5. What will it do? What will it NOT do? We’ll be covering most types of computer device from “smart ‘phones” to desktops, discussing the capabilities of each class of machine.

Smart ‘phones

Smart ‘phones (cont.) Best suited for voice communication. Texting. Voice mail. Internet access. Games. Most have built-in camera. Very small keyboard. Easily portable. Cost between $0.00 and $1,200.00.

Pads / Tablets

Pads / Tablets (cont.) Larger screen than smartphone. Usually have “touch screen” (keyboard). Auxiliary keyboard can be attached. Internet browsing / Games. Usually have built-in camera. Some degree of office functionality. Relatively limited storage capacity. Easily portable. Cost between $80.00 and $1,400.00.

Netbooks

Netbooks (cont.) Small laptops. Primarily designed for accessing Internet. Relatively limited storage capacity. Relatively limited RAM. Smaller overall size. Limited office functionality. Portable. Cost between $230.00 and $600.00.

Notebooks / Laptops

Notebooks / Laptops (cont.) Excellent ‘all-round’ machine. Built-in microphone and camera. Can have larger RAM. Can have larger storage capacity. Full office functionality. Easily attached to peripherals. Portable. Cost between $400.00 and $7,500.00.

Desktops

“All-in-one” Desktops (cont.)

Desktops (cont.) Excellent ‘all-round’ machine. Larger RAM / storage capacity. Separate keyboard / mouse. Touch-sensitive screen. Full office functionality. Easily attached to peripherals. NOT portable. Cost between $500.00 and $8,500.00.

Conclusions It’s important to plan in advance what you want to do with your computer. Remember that as a general ‘rule-of-thumb’ you’ll get what you pay for.