HOUR 1:
Tech News & Commentary
Nancy in Fairview, PA listening on WPSE 1450 AM asked: “Interested in purchasing a refurbished laptop for myself. I’m taking some college classes and would need it for Internet use and some word-processing. I’d like to find out what specifics I should look for in a refurbished model and if different brands are preferable to others and so forth.”
Refurbished laptops are a pretty good option for deal-seeking consumers, since they provide “like-new” product, usually at a significant discount. There are a few things you must keep in mind before to buy a refurbished laptop:
• Check the date of first purchase of the laptop to know how old the hardware is, you don’t want to end up with a laptop full of almost obsolete parts which can be difficult to repair or replace.
• Check how many users the laptop has had before you buy it, a laptop which has had more than 2 users will probably not do you much good.
• Make sure that the laptop comes with a warranty, if the manufacturer’s warranty has expired, than the vendor should be giving one.
For example, you can try something like a 14-inch HP Pavillon DV2910us refurbished, with an Intel Core 2 duo processor, 3GB RAM, with Windows Vista for under $450.
Or, a Dell Latitude D610, 1.73Ghz, with 1GB RAM and XP Pro. You can buy that one online for under 200 bucks.
Or – as another example – a 14-inch Sony Vaio Series N, 1.60 Ghz, 1GB RAM, Windows XP for about $ 650.00. So you can see, the prices can be all over the place.
That being said, we would not be doing our duty if we didn’t note that the difference in cost between “value priced” notebooks and refurbished notebooks is smaller than ever before. For example, the same $449 that buys you that refurbished HP would buy you a brand new Dell Inspiron 15 with a Core 2 Duo processor, a 320GB hard drive, 3GB of memory, Windows 7, and a 15.6″ widescreen display. So a newer version of Windows, a larger screen, equal or better in every other respect, and a one year warranty, all for the same price. It’s really difficult to recommend refurbished Windows notebooks in particular, for that reason.
There are a couple of exceptions to this, refurbished high-end gaming notebooks and refurbished Apple notebooks. In both cases, the high cost of the original product means there is room for a used market. However, you said “Internet and some word processing,” which could be done by any level notebook. So we urge you to look long and hard at a value priced new computer.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
“Consumer Reports” Feature with Terry Sullivan
Are you in the market for a new pocket camcorder? There are tons of options available, and some have better picture quality than others. Consumer Reports Associate Editor Terry Sullivan tested a few and has some tips for choosing the best model.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently…
- For Android:
TurboTax SnapTax – You can magically do your taxes on your phone with the snap of a photo, IF … you have a simple return with no deductions!
1 – Snap a photo of your W-2
2 – Answer a few simple questions
3 – Review, pay, and e-file securely!
It’s FREE!
Dropbox – Dropbox is one of those “drives in the cloud,” where you can store files from any computer just by dragging and dropping it on the Dropbox folder in the same way you’d drag and drop files to a folder located on your hard drive. Dropbox gives you 2GB of storage for free, and you can subscribe at varying rates for additional amounts of storage. The software on your computers or your Android smartphone is completely FREE.
- For iPhone/iPad:
Google Translate– Translates voice input for 15 languages. It also translates words or phrases into 50 languages and can read translations aloud in 23 languages. With it, you have the ability to view dictionary results for single words, access your starred/favorite translations and translation history even when offline. It’s available on the App Store for FREE.
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details.
Guests in this hour:
• Richard LaBerge, Executive Vice-President, CMO – SENSIO Technologies
SENSIO Technologies is a pioneer in the 3D industry with a distinctive 3D offering.
Jim in ID listening on KBLI 1260 AM asked: “Looking to buy a new HDTV. I have one now, but want a newer one. One time I saw the speed at 60Hz and then 120Hz. I’m pretty sure I saw a 240Hz. Now, I’m looking at televisions and wondering what happened to it and why it’s not there anymore.”
For those who don’t know the 60, 120 and 240hz refers to the refresh rate of the High Def television sets. In physics, a hertz is just a unit that is used to measure cycles per second, and that’s all it really is, what 60 hertz actually means is that the TV screen is refreshed … 60 times every second, 120hz means it’s refreshed 120 times every second, 240hz means 240 refreshes a second, and so on.
Most TV viewers don’t really notice a huge difference between the 60hz sets and the 120 and 240s, but the higher the refresh rate the crisper the picture should be. Some people will swear by their 120hz sets, specially sports fans and action movie lovers, and people generally notice more of a difference between 60hz and 120 than they do between 120 and 240.
Now, as for not finding the hertz on new TVs, it’s probably up to the store, but in our experience that information is still posted by most vendors, online.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
David in North Pole, AK listens to the podcast at work at the Fort Knox open pit gold mine and he suggested the name “Into-Its” for Into Tomorrow listeners.
For more information, tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Radio Shack: Several Weather Alert Clock Radios with SkyWarn
RCA: Several travel chargers with surge protection
Intuit: TurboTax Deluxe Online – Several Pre-Paid Codes.