Computers

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Like many Canadians, I’ve spent the past few weekends spring cleaning. Something about being largely stuck indoors through a particularly long and harsh winter (including nearly a week without wired Internet access when an ice storm took out cable service in my neighbourhood) makes the first warm day of April seem like it’s past time to get things done. We open the windows, break out the rakes and start cleaning, indoors and out. Cars are washed, windows wiped and carpets shampooed. Since I have the cleaning bug anyway, this is the perfect time to clean my PC –also, both “inside” and out. The result will be a computer that’s faster, cleaner, more energy efficient, less cluttered and a pleasure to use.

   If you’ve recently been pondering the possible acquisition of a brand new computer, perhaps you’ve already considered your needs and determined exactly what type of system best suits your lifestyle. For the rest of us, today’s blog attempts to help answer the question. If this sounds like you, join me inside for a detailed look at 3 computing categories & what you need to consider to make a happy decision.

Intel doesn’t usually get involved in PC manufacturing. Components —especially the CPUs that power computers and mobile devices— are its bread and butter. But with the NUC (or Next Unit of Computing), Intel is going most of the way towards offering its own, intel-branded PC. I say most of the way because what you get out of an Intel NUC box isn’t a functioning PC, but a kit that provides much of what you need to build a capable computer, in a tiny package. Lacking essentials like storage, RAM, Wi-Fi card and an operating system, the Intel NUC is about as barebones as retail PCs get, yet its elegant design and powerful CPU make for a very capable little mini PC —once you assemble the pieces you need and install them.

There’s a lot to like about portable computers, but Google and its hardware partners like Samsung, Acer and HP found a way to offer a light weight, lower cost alternative to the traditional Windows laptop. Chromebooks are a hot category of portable computers that run Google’s Chrome OS instead of Windows or OSX. With Chrome’s lower hardware requirements and the ability to leverage Google’s cloud services, a Chromebook can offer a full-featured PC experience in a device that’s lighter and less expensive than traditional PCs, without the limitations of netbooks. They may not be ideal for everyone, but Chromebooks are designed to cover many scenarios and are particularly useful for students, road warriors, small business and those looking for light duty home PC.  

As we hit the halfway point of summer vacation (for kids), back to school is starting creep closer. For many parents, that’s going to mean a mad scramble to find a laptop for their university, college high school or even elementary school student. But which one to choose? Best Buy alone stocks hundreds… I can’t tell you the perfect laptop for your student —the best advice I can offer is to make certain you understand your student’s requirements, research the options and don’t leave your choice until the last minute when popular models might be in short supply. To help you get started, though, here are my picks as some of the best laptops of the year for back to school.