Upgrade Blues?
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Computer Solutions by
Complete Computer Solutions
I assume that if you are an average
home computer user, you probably have a 486 or less.
Right? And, with all of the new software goodies,
multimedia, the Internet, etc. you have probably
seriously been considering an upgrade. Or, you just
bought that new Pentium 75Mhz this year and it is just not fast
enough to keep up with the latest technology. Upgrading
that current system can set you back hundreds if not
thousands of dollars. Did you know that the majority of
that upgrade will be labor? Sure you could take your
machine to a computer store that will do the upgrade for
$30, but considering that a good computer technician
earns 35-50K and the upgrade takes two hours of time,
what is the likelihood that your computer will come back
in working order? And, if you are lucky enough to get
your computer back in working order, you will probably be
considering additional upgrades within a few months. By
this time you are asking yourself if it is really worth
it.
Well, we just might have the solution. A few months ago,
Complete Computer Solutions started to carry a line of
computers called NEXAR. Their logo said that they
"made obsolescence obsolete". Catchy eh, but
would it live up to the claim. Let me tell you what we
found.
Supposedly this computer was able
to use any standard components on the market today and in
the future! So far so good. We found only one little
glitch. At present, the only brand of processor that
works flawlessly is Intel. But that’s OK since most
users prefer Intel anyway. All of the other components
are interchangeable with current and future technology,
so the computer appears to live up to its claim. The
motherboard can even use any available Pentium CPU chip
up to 200 MHz. Very impressive.
But here is the real beauty of the NEXAR. Upgrades and
repairs can be done by the end user. That’s right,
no more expensive labor. This machine really is a dream
come true. The case has a removable side panel that
allows quick and easy access to the processor, cache RAM
and system RAM. Upgrading any of these is as easy as
popping out the old and popping in the new. In most
instances, the computer configures itself. How is that
for quick and easy? Moving on, the hard drive is in a
casing that slides into a drive bay on the front. There
are no wires and no configuration. You can unlock the
hard drive and carry it with you if you so desire; or,
you can upgrade to a larger drive just by sliding it in
the bay. Keep in mind that, not only are the parts
modular, they are completely 100% industry standard.
There is nothing unique about any of the components. The
wiring, hard drive brackets and chip mountings were all
designed to use industry standard components with little
or no effort or configuration. As a matter of fact,
upgrades and repairs are so easy that every machine comes
with a poster showing you, step by step, how it is done.
Presto! No more labor charges.
And for those of us who are
technologically challenged and do not want to try even
these easy repairs or upgrades, the NEXAR comes with a 1
year on-site warranty that can be extended to four years
for just $200! Best of all, this computer doesn’t
cost any more than the non-modular computers that require
a technician. Stop by Complete
Computer Solutions located at 225 South 19th Street in
Camp Hill, to check out the new and very practical NEXAR,
or call CCS at 717-731-9707.
Also, you can see the NEXAR up close at the Capital
Region Business Fair, Wed. and Thurs. November 20th and
21st, in MODE’s booth, #178.
Q. Why does my modem say that I am connecting at 56.6
when I only have a 28.8 modem?
A. First, you are not connecting at 56.6! Theoretically,
if you had a perfectly clean dedicated phone line and two
modems that were running identical compression at each
end, you may approach 56.6; however, in the real world,
short of a leased line, that never happens. Your service
provider probably is not running the same modem and you
never connect with a perfectly clean phone line.
Basically, the modem shows a 56.6 connection, but you are
averaging between 28.8 and 33.6 assuming you have your
modem set to use data compression. Actually, the 56.6 you
see displayed on your screen is registering the speed
with which your modem is interfacing with the motherboard
on your computer. The actual connect speed is not
metered. Good news though, after the first of the year,
there will be new modems available that actually do hit
speeds of 56.6 over standard phone lines. Good-bye ISDN!
Is it time to throw away your keyboard?
At a recent conference, Bill Gates, President of
Microsoft Corporation, explained that Microsoft is
working on both speech and visual recognition for
computers. Within the next decade, computers will listen,
talk, see and even learn. This could lead to a whole new
definition of Computer Nerd.
Vivitar has just released a golf
ball shaped camera that connects to the PC and will
transmit both audio and video over standard phone lines.
This little device reduces the cost of video conferencing
at least 10 fold. Additionally, with a direct connection,
the camera is capable of 10 frames per second, which is
very close to full motion video. At a retail price of
just $239 and the ability to use the camera over the
Internet, video phones should be common place in most
homes within a few years.
Brand name computer manufacturers do NOT dominate
consumer market.
According to International Data Corporation, the
following is a breakdown of PC sales by major companies:
Dell.....................6.2%
Apple....................6.9%
IBM......................8.6%
Packard Bell.............9.7%
Campaq..................11.8%
(Others) Compatibles....56.8%
New
Scientist
A lot of cool scientific facts. The best part of the site
is the tour of Australia and the United Kingdom.
http://newscientist.com/
Ask an Astronaut
This site actually allows you to ask questions of the
astronauts. There is also a lot of information about
space travel.
http://www.nss.org/askastro/
The
Hubble Space Telescope
All of the information you could want about the Hubble
Space Telescope and Astronomy. They even have pictures
from the telescope on-line for viewing.
http://www.stsci.edu/epa/
Amazon
This is an actual expedition through the Amazon going on
now. Pictures and information are being posted to the
Internet as the expedition progresses. This site is
unpredictable, we guess it is the Amazon’s weather
patterns, so keep trying if you can’t get through.
http://sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/netspedition/
These cool sites are available on Internet Gateway
Corporation’s web page at http://www.igateway.com,
along with back issues of this newsletter and previous
cool sites. If you have questions or comments about any
of the information in “Computer Solutions”
please call CCS at 731-9707.
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