XP last update is in April

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For those worried about Microsoft withdrawing XP support in April there are several options.

1) Windows 8.1 RT or Microsoft surface. Cheapest Windows 8 but does not run XP / Win 7 programs.

2) Windows 8.1 or surface Pro. Runs XP / Win 7 programs but may not have drivers for older peripherals. Requires Virus checking and is expensive.

3) Chromebooks. Cheap with limitations. Only real issues for general use are no Skype or iTunes. These are now being manufactured by every major PC company except ASUS. These have been heavily advertised against by Microsoft which means they are worried about their impact. All their adverse reasoning also pertains to Windows 8 RT which is their favoured system.

4) Android Desktops. Several manufacturers are selling their monitors with Android and come complete with keyboard and mouse. Open office is now available for Android.

5) Tablets. The latest tablets do most things a PC does and is particularly useful with a keyboard and mouse attached.

6) Linux Mint 16. User experience is similar to a XP interface. The only general use program that there is no real equivalent is iTunes.  

7) XP. Keep using it and rely on third party Updates.

8) Dual boot XP and Linux. Leave XP on computer to run legacy programs but disconnect from the Internet. Use a Linux variant for Internet applications and other general use programs. Use a third partition for personal files that both operating systems can use. Total time to reboot to other system should be less than one minute.

Merry Christmas and a happy new year

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Clipart from Corel Draw and Page setup in LibreOffice

Desktop PC's coming back as 'Androids'.

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Ricomagic is one of hundreds of companies in China that make small runs of computers (10,000 per week). Most of these manufacturers have noted the desktop PC has disappeared from the retail sector, and realise the time is right for a small inexpensive computer to fill the place. The model shown is priced at US $143 (NZ $170) and is a 1.6G quad core with 2G of ram and a 5MP built in camera for Skype. This unit runs Android and is capable of everything that a normal PC does. Its primary input is keyboard and mouse, with HDMI (modern monitors) or AV (old TV's) output. I have  personally been using an Android system for everyday use for the last month and I have found there is an application for everything I have needed from word processing to electronic circuit design. Best of all there is no updating and virus checking required. Unfortunately these systems will have to be bought online as they compete with the more expensive 'Windows' computers and retailers prefer upselling products, especially ones that slow down with time or catch a virus making the subsequent sale sooner.

Desktop Monitors

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As  the Desktop PC has virtually disappeared from the retail stores several manufacturers are putting an Android Computer inside a conventional monitor. If a computer is not connected to the monitor an internal Android system will immediately start up and can be used as a Desktop computer when a keyboard and mouse are connected, either by wireless or USB. Android has a large number of online and offline applications to choose from including browsers, e-mail clients, office suites, media players, games etc. Printing and scanning is achieved through wireless printers or cloud printing. Files can be stored on an external hard or flash drive. Virus checking and updates are not required. The monitor in the picture is a Viewsonic 24" with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 and should be around NZ $500. Sound is built in to the monitor.

Lenovo's Android Laptop

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Lenovo, the second largest PC manufacturer, is starting production of an Android laptop simply called the A10. These will run on the same hardware as the Windows 8 RT computers that failed to sell due mainly to incompatibility with Windows 7 and prior programs. As Android is now a household name and holds over 70% of the Mobile market (Phones & Tablets), Lenovo hopes these could sell even though they manufacture Chromebooks that would suit this computer better. Android does work well on a Laptop for Internet, e-mail, media playing and has many office suites to choose from. Also Lenovo is starting to put an Android computer into their latest Monitors meaning a PC can be connected or just use the built in Android computer as a stand alone system.

Intel branches out

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Intel and Microsoft have partnershiped each other for more than 3 decades but now with the declining PC market Intel is looking at other avenues. The Mobile phone and Tablet market have generally used 'ARM' chips as Intel had little to compete with them, until the arrival of the low power 'Haswell' chipset. As Windows 8 has not been well received Intel are now looking at the Chromebook market to recover in the PC market. Acer, Asus, HP, Lenovo and Toshiba are all releasing new model Chromebooks of which some are using the Intel chips. These are selling for under US $300 and are capable of word processing, media playing and picture editing without an Internet connection, contrary to the misconception that they only work with the Internet. More offline applications are appearing each month. These units are maintenance free and will not slow down with time. They are automatically updated from Google so always have the latest software on them. New Zealand is always slow at bringing new ideas in but hoping they will be in the shops for Christmas.

Is your next computer a tablet

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As the desktop computers disappear from the retail stores the tablets are taking over. Most people in the older age group will worry about being able to manipulate and see these newer touch screen devices. It has to be remembered that the important specification is the "Dots per inch" (dpi) value. This is a characteristic of the screen resolution and the diagonal dimensions of the screen. The higher the dpi value the clearer the picture. A typical high resolution desktop screen has only 100 dpi compared to a 7" tablet having over 300 dpi. That is 3 times clearer and brighter. The other factor going for tablets is the "Pinch to zoom" feature making it easy to read small print with one movement. Security is at a much higher level for tablets except for the Windows 8 pro tablet which uses the standard windows 8 OS and needs the normal virus checkers and updates.