Which type of Computer should I get?

Which computer is best for me? 1.What do I want to do with it? 2.Does it have to be portable? 3.How much do I want to spend? 4.What will it do? 5.What will it not do? NOTE: Make this an interactive session

1.What do I want to do with it? Electronic mail? Word processing? Spreadsheets (e.g. accounting; lists)? Skype? Pictures management? Watch movies? Genealogy? Does it have to be able to take pictures?

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 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.

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

Smart ‘phones

Smart ‘phones (cont.) Best suited for voice communication Texting Voice mail Most have built-in camera Very small keyboard Easily portable Cost between $0.00 and $800.00

Pads / Tablets

Pads / Tablets (cont.) Larger screen than smartphone Usually have “touch screen” Screen can be used as the keyboard Auxiliary keyboard can be attached Usually have built-in camera Some degree of office functionality Relatively limited storage capacity Easily portable Cost between $80.00 and $1,300.00

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 $ 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 Broad office functionality Easily attached to peripherals Portable Cost between $ and $3,500.00

Desktops

“All-in-one” Desktops (cont.)

Desktops (cont.) Excellent ‘all-round’ machine Larger RAM Larger storage capacity Broad office functionality Easily attached to peripherals NOT portable Cost between $ and $7,000.00

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.