Matt’s Desk: Editor’s Blog

My secret for saving big on a new laptop is simple: eBay.

Many people think of eBay as a tool for acquiring pre-owned merchandise; this is true, of course, but eBay is also awash with new, never-used gadget goodies. If you know how to use it, and have some flexibility, eBay can offer substantial savings on big ticket items.

To illustrate how much eBay can save you, I chose a popular laptop at random, the Dell Studio 17.  I configured this model on the Dell web site with a 2.53GHz CPU, 4GB of RAM, an LED-backlit display, a 256MB ATI graphics card and Windows Vista Home Premium.  Final price with tax and shipping: $1624.33.

Continue reading »

The Federal Government has used the current  recession as rationale for several actions U.S. citizens would normally not tolerate, and now it looks like they’re getting ready to do it again – but this time it’s not for the children, it’s for the states.

A bill will likely be introduced in Congress this week which would require web retailers – from Amazon.com to ZipZoomFly.com (and even eBay) – to collect sales tax on every online sale and distribute that revenue to the state to which the item will be delivered.  This new law is being sold as a way to help struggling states make up for the estimated 6.1% decline in sales tax revenue they saw in Q4 2009.

Even as we see signs that the economy will soon begin (or has already begun) to turn the corner, this measure won’t be temporary, ending when the ship is righted; it will continue forever, long after sales tax revenue in state coffers has returned to “normal.” 

Such an action won’t just result in higher prices at online checkout (every online retailer – big or small – will have to wade through a swamp of 50 different sales tax codes in order to collect the state-specific tax, not to mention city tax rules), it will also require higher prices in general as these companies will have to pay for the workforce and the time required to comply with the new law.  Do higher prices sound particularly good to you at the moment?

Our republic was designed so voters get what we want at best, and what we deserve at worst.  If this bill sounds like a great idea to you, let your U.S. Representative know.  If you don’t want companies to have to charge, collect and distribute sales tax monies, let them know that, too.

Source: NewYorkPost.com

When it comes to its competition, Microsoft is often seen as a heartless Goliath smashing every innocent little David crossing its path. While this image may have been true in the 1990s (and might seem true today if one simply looked at the ratio of Windows users to non-Windows users), the antitrust cases the company has dealt with for the past decade have resulted in a kinder, gentler Microsoft.  In fact, the word “toothless” comes to mind.

But this is beginning to change.  Microsoft has been running a new ad campaign for the past few weeks, focusing on “real” users looking for new laptops.  These co-called Laptop Hunters ads are designed to show the computer-buying public what choices are out there, and more importantly, how much money can be saved by choosing a Windows system over a Mac.

The best thing is, these ads aren’t PR hyperbole, they speak the truth – and the truth is substantial.  This morning I took a quick look at two laptops with the same major features, the 17″ MacBook Pro and the Dell Studio 17.  Each has a 17-inch screen, a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and high-end graphics card.  The price comparison?  The Mac is $2799.  The Dell — $1499.  In these difficult economic times, that’s an incredible disparity.  And this isn’t an isolated case.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m a Mac fan.  The Mac is sexy, no doubt about it.  And the MacBook can run both Windows and the Mac OS (if you pay extra for Windows).  But is the average user willing to shell out an additional $1300 if they realize it’s paying for a sleek metal shell and a shinier operating system?  I think not.  Neither does Microsoft. 

Informing consumers that the extra 1300 bucks essentially buys a perceived coolness factor and not much else (the so-called “Apple Tax”), Microsoft is showing the first sign of fight I’ve seen in a long, long while.

I hope Microsoft keeps up the fight, if for no other reason than it may force Apple to lower the price of its laptops, which is good news for that select group of Apple devotees who just can’t bring themselves to use anything that doesn’t come with a glowing fruit logo.

Matt

One IE feature I missed after making the switch to Firefox a couple of years ago was the ability to right-click and save a web page shortcut to the desktop.  You can drag-and-drop the page favicon from the address bar, but this requires resizing the Firefox window, dragging the shortcut onto the desktop, and maximizing the screen again.   It’s not exactly ditch digging, so I began using this option and learned to live with the limitation.

But a less-tech-savvy friend recently asked me how to save desktop shortcuts in Firefox, and rather than attempting to explain what a favicon is, I did what any self-respecting geek does when faced with a question to which he doesn’t know the answer…

Google pointed me (by way of a user forum) to deskCut, a Firefox add-on by Evan Eveland.  Once installed, deskCut adds “Create deskCut” to the drop-down menu you get when you right-click within a web page.  Clicking this option gives you – you guessed it – a nice page shortcut on your Windows desktop.

Two clicks and you’re done.  Doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Matt

Amazon is now selling the Magellan Maestro 4250 4.3-Inch Widescreen Bluetooth Portable GPS for $149 – that’s $450 off the retail price and a darn good deal if you’re in the market for a portable GPS unit.

“The Magellan Maestro 4250 portable navigation system boasts a 4.3" widescreen for easy viewing and includes an FM-TMC receiver for instant traffic updates. You’ll be alerted to approaching congestion, and the Maestro 4250 will recalculate your route immediately. Traffic-info service is available in most metropolitan areas. Just enter your destination through the convenient Touchscreen using an address or local search and the Maestro 4250 contains preloaded maps of the entire U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Choose from 6 million points of interest (POI) including many hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and phone number info so you can call ahead for reservations or help. Text-to-speech voice prompts announce actual road names at turns, so you can concentrate on your driving. Included Bluetooth wireless technology lets you dial and receive calls safely with a compatible phone, and access your phone’s address book while leaving your phone in your bag or pocket. The built-in microphone and speaker make communication easy. Just tap the screen for a quick connection to AAA Roadside Assistance and access service details along with recommended destinations from the leading travel resource. You can program the Maestro 4250 to understand basic voice commands in a few simple steps. You’ll be able to advance through menus and receive guidance without even touching the screen. This GPS satellite navigation unit has a built-in antenna, suction-cup windshield mount, dashboard disk headphone jack, car/home power adapters, USB cable, carrying case and built-in rechargeable battery with up to 4 hours of life.”

Price may change at any time.

Hello!  It’s been months (nine and change if you want to get technical about it) since I’ve posted to this, my Editor’s Blog.  I’m not sure why exactly I’ve been so very lax in updating my very own corner of Pocket PC Central, but the most likely explanation is being busy.

In addition to updating the site, I’m also working hard on getting our new standalone iPhone site, The Able iPhone, up and running, which I’m hoping will occur later this month.  The Able iPhone will be a replacement for the iPhone section of Pocket PC Central, and I’m very excited about it.  We’re also working on updating a lot of the information on the site that’s been stale; when changes occur as quickly as they do in the smartphone market, it’s easy to let useful info for older devices fall by the wayside – but millions of people use devices that have been discontinued for months or years, and we’re working on keeping the information and accessories listings on older smartphones and Pocket PCs up-to-date.

I’m going to begin posting to this blog at least once a week, and very likely multiple times a week going forward.  I hope you’ll enjoy my tech musings at least a bit more than the bulk of what’s available in the blogosphere. 

Fortunately, considering what’s out there, that shouldn’t be difficult.

Matt