SJW Tech Services

It seems like lots of people are looking for a new computer. There’s only one problem – there are literally thousands of choices! Laptop or desktop? PC or Mac? Compaq or Sony? I personally recommend Toshiba brand laptops – between my family and myself, we’ve owned 3 Toshibas and they’ve all been great machines. Several weeks ago, however, I bought an hp tx2000z. Now I know what you’re thinking – “He just recommended Toshiba, and he bought an HP. What gives?”

I think people get caught up in the choices a bit too much. While I’ve had good experiences with Toshibas, there are plenty of people who have had a less than stellar experience with their machine. A computer is a lot like a car – sure, there are die-hard Ford people just like there are die-hard Chevy people; but, in the end, they’ll get you from point A to point B. It’s basically only the bells and whistles that are different. I, personally, have had bad experiences with Dell laptops, so I don’t recommend them. Some people, however, love their Dell computer. The brand of the computer is far less important than the components inside. To determine what components you need, it’s best to answer some questions first:

• What will the computer’s primary use be? Internet, e-mail, photos? Or will video games or video editing be done as well?
• Do you want a laptop? Will it be used as a true laptop? Will you constantly be on the go? Or will you use it more like a desktop and maybe take it out to Starbucks every now-and-then?
• How much data do you already have? Tons of music, pictures, etc.? Or is this your first true computer?
• Lastly, do you already have specific software that may or may not run on Windows Vista?

Once you’ve answered these questions, you’re well on your way to narrowing down the myriad of choices that are out there. Let me help you decide exactly what computer would best meet your needs!

You can read about the business plan competition I entered at UT here and here. I think this competition is proof that my peers and I have a lot of great ideas about our world and how we can improve it. I look forward to seeing some of these ideas come to fruition. In the meantime, however, SJW Tech Services is in high gear. Websites, networks, and hardware upgrades are currently being done for several businesses in the local area. Is your technology up to par? Or does it feel more like a triple-bogey? Allow me to help!

I’ve been using Windows Vista now for about a week on my new hp tx2000z (which is an incredible laptop, by the way…) and, honestly, I’m impressed. I’ve worked on several computers with Vista, but I haven’t been able to sit down and explore. Vista has some neat features that can really help with entertainment and with business. The Windows Media Center is incredible (albeit a little slow), and the asthetics of the OS are wonderful – clear glass effects on windows with a slight drop shadow add a nice touch. My only complaint so far is the way Windows handles a program crash – the only way for it to stop bugging you is to close the window… there’s no “Cancel” action. Most people had a sour experience with Vista because they didn’t get enough RAM the first go ’round. 1 gigabyte of RAM is simply not enough – 2 is much better and 3 gigabytes is the best. (You can’t use more than 3 GB of RAM unless you have the 64-bit edition of Vista)

The transition from XP to Vista has been a pleasant one for me. There is a bit of a learning curve because lots of things are now named differently, but the fluidity and the fade effects make it a more enjoyable experience.