Category: Back to School 2008

Summer is almost here and that means taking lots of snapshots, but making people look pretty in pictures is no easy job -- professional photographers get paid lots and lots of money to do just that (more than any other creative professionals, actually). Even so, you can improve the look of just about anyone (including yourself) with some basic photo-taking and -editing tips, the best of which ...

Usually walls are used to keep things out, you know, like the wind, or bugs, or barbarian invaders. Ironic, then, that Facebook's iconic Wall, the thing that helped to set it apart from MySpace and grab a huge share of the online social networking space, is actually being used by some to spread malicious software capable of turning your machine into a zombie, so that others with bad intents can ...

We're sure that coming up with a list of reasons to buy the new 3G iPhone would be pretty easy (number 1, it's 3G!). Five reasons not too buy it might be a little more difficult, unless, of course, you own one and have experienced the pain first hand that is the second generation of the most hyped gadget ever. Tech blogger Thomas Hawk has been running around with his 3G iPhone for about a month ...

Ever sat there and looked at the webcam in your laptop wondering if maybe someone, somewhere was, you know, watching you? Chances are that's just you being paranoid, but for a few unfortunate female students in Florida who relied on a supposed friend to fix their laptop computers, such fears were well-founded. Their no-fee technician, 23-year-old Craig Matthew Feigin, not only fixed the problems ...

Mac or PC – it's the perennial debate for anyone looking to buy a new computer (or win an argument). Passionate and valid points exist in both camps, but it ultimately boils down to your personal tastes, needs, and budget. We played around with all shapes and sizes of Macs (Mini, iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro) and PCs (Gateway One desktop, Gateway M-Series laptops, Lenovo x300 laptop, ...

As you've surely heard (and hopefully confirmed for yourself) by now, The Dark Knight is a runaway hit. So much so, in fact, that a number of manufacturers have figured it prudent to crank our hardware with the iconic Batman logo front and center. Next in line for admission on the bandwagon seems to be Microsoft, which apparently showed off a "limited edition" (read: likely one of a kind) Dark ...

You know how Stewart Copeland plays that insanely slick triplet hi-hat part in "Message in a Bottle," and every time you hear it you wonder how it's possible for him to stay so perfectly in time? And you know how his drums fit so perfectly in the pocket with Sting and Andy Summers on pretty much anything The Police ever touched despite the fact they all hated each other? Well, Copeland's ...

So which type of computer is right for you? As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, it really depends on what kind of user you are. The truth is, for most of your basic computer needs -- e-mailing, word processing, photo editing and sharing, and music management -- either a Mac or a Windows-based PC will do the trick. But beyond basic needs, the paths diverge: If you're a ...

Customer Support/Warranties This really depends on the manufacturer, but the main PC companies – Dell, HP, Acer, Sony, and others – offer one-year service and parts warranties, which also includes telephone support. Apple's warranty is also for one year, but telephone support stops after 90 days, so unless you want to shell out $149-$349 (depending on your model) for the ...

Battery life Battery life is a non-issue for desktops, but a huge issue for the portable laptop. The top reported battery life for the recently refreshed MacBooks and MacBook Pro models is five to seven hours. Contrast this with some of the newer PC laptops that get around 7-9 hours on a single charge (or Dell's freakish dual-battery Latitudes that get up to 19 hours!) and you've got a ...

Cost Though they've come down in price in recent years, Macs have always been more expensive – and, as a whole, they continue to be. You can get Windows-based PC desktops and netbooks for as little as $300 (and PC laptops for as little as $450), but the least expensive Mac Mini will run you $599 and the least expensive iMac is $1199. The entry-level MacBook laptop costs $999 and the ...

Gaming We touched on this one briefly in the previous slide, but in terms of gaming, the PC is the clear winner. Every major gaming hit, from the 'Unreal Tournament' and 'Quake' series to 'Age of Empires' and 'Command and Conquer,' comes out for the PC first. And most PC games never come out for the Mac at all. Still, it's not all bad if you're a Mac owner – companies such as Aspyr ...

Security Though Mac fanatics will tell you otherwise, the only thing keeping the Mac virus-free beyond a slightly more closed operating system is security-through-obscurity. In other words, hackers haven't targeted Macs because there just weren't that many of them compared to PCs. Apple/Mac still only has 3.5% of the worldwide computer market (with the rest mostly going to Windows-based ...

Software The variety of software programs – everything from downloadable productivity programs and Web apps to online services, Blu-ray playback software and the latest computer games – is much greater for the PC. Still, for every ten newfangled Web browsers or peer-to-peer file sharing programs that come out for the PC, there's just one innovative, versatile, and stable program ...

Accessories Though the majority of basic peripherals like keyboards, speaker systems, monitors, and mice are universal and work with both Macs and PCs, plenty of newfangled doodads – MP3 players, USB gadgets, storage drives, media extenders, and more – only work for Windows-based PCs. So, if you're someone who wants to try out the latest hardware extras for your computer, you may ...