I own a computer consulting business. I have been working with computers for the last 16 years. The most common question that I get from many of my home user customers is “What computer should I buy?” There are so many different configurations and choices when you go to purchase a computer that it makes it difficult unless you know what the computer parts are, even then you still have many different choices. Most people just want to purchase computer quickly and would rather that someone just help them pick the one that would best suit their needs without trying to learn about all of the details. I can certainly understand that. For example, I personally don’t want to know the details about how my plumbing works. I would just like the plumber to fix the problem or do what is needed without hassling me with the details. But then you have that issue with being able to trust what someone is recommending you purchase. Is it really a good deal and is the sales person really recommending the best computer for your needs. Most of the sales people I have to believe are doing their very best to help you make the correct choice but it is better that you understand some of the basic details/components about the computer that you are getting ready to purchase to make the sales persons job easier and to better understand what the options are for you when you are shopping around.

So let’s get right to it:

1. The Processor or CPU (Central Processing Unit) – This is the driving force or you could say heart in your computer. It also acts as a traffic cop to the data being processed. So the faster it is the faster data can be processed. I always recommend that you everyone purchase one or two steps up from the least available if I am custom building a computer on the Dell Site or HP’s site. If you will go to one of these sites and click on one of the computers to custom build it you will see the options that I talking about.

2. RAM or Memory – Some people get this confused with Hard Drive space. Hard Drive space is a totally separate thing and you should have much more of it. Think of RAM or Memory as your desktop or temporary storage. The bigger your desktop the more room that you will have to layout papers to view without getting up from your chair so the more RAM or Memory that you have the better but it gets expensive if you go over the mid point offered. For example at this time the mid point for most PC’s would be around 2GB of RAM or Memory. I would suggest a minimum of at least 1GB for most applications but if you are doing something like graphic/image editing applications or playing games you could need more. You should check the application that you think would be most demanding or graphical to determine what the minimum amount of RAM or Memory is recommended and I would then get more than the recommended amount for improved performance.

3. Hard Drive – This is the device that actually stores your data when you save it. Think of it as your filing cabinet or permanent storage (at least until you delete it) . You will need to determine what you will be using your computer for. For example if you will be using your computer mainly to surf the internet and save Microsoft Word Documents you probably will not need over the standard drive size (for example at the time of this writing – 80GB or 160GB is standard depending on the type/model of computer you purchase) but if you want to purchase music, save photos, or will be doing a lot of image editing on your computer you may want to invest in a bigger hard drive (for example – 250GB) or you can always get an external drive to store your work on.

4. CD/CD-RW/DVD/DVD-R/DVD-RW – What more choices?? These are CD drive choices of today and of course there is Blue-Ray which I would only recommend if you are really into burning CD’s and chances are if you are reading this you will not need that technology but you can always Google “Blue-Ray” to find out more about it if you think that you would be interested. I would recommend that you purchase the best that you can afford regarding CD drives. Below is a quick run down of what each will allow you to do:

CD – Read-only CD’s – installs most programs with the exception of programs that come on DVD discs.

DVD – Read-only CD’s and DVD’s – this would at least allow you to read/install programs from DVD disc and play DVD movies.

CD-R – Allows you to install programs from CD’s, create CD’s for music/data – you can only write to CD-R CD’s which means that you can only write to the CD once.

CD-RW – Allows you to install programs from CD’s, create CD’s for music/data/rewrite to CD-RW disc but you can only write once to CD-R disc still.

DVD-R – Allows you to install programs from CD/DVD disc, create CD-R/DVD-R CD/DVD’s for music/data/videos. You can only write once to the disc.

DVD-RW – Allows you to install programs from CD/DVD disc, create CD-R/DVD-R/CD-RW/DVD-RW CD/DVD’s for music/data/videos. You can rewrite to CD-RW or DVD-RW discs.

5. Do I need a floppy disk? Most people wouldn’t really need this option any more since most programs come on CD’s or DVD’s these days.

6. Video Card – This is the device that you will connect your monitor to. Most of the time you can just take the standard video card but if you intend on modified photos or playing games you may want to invest in a better video card – keep in mind that video cards also have memory so the more memory the better here also.

7. Operating Systems – Honestly at the time of this writing I prefer Windows XP Pro SP2 since there are still some issues with Windows Vista even with SP1 at this time. For example there are some issues with software and printers. If you purchase a computer from the link that I give you below you can choose to purchase most of the computers with Windows XP Pro SP2 still. Most of the computers in the store’s today will have the Windows Vista Home operating system on them. It will work and if you are just going to use the latest programs, devices and search the internet this may be the operating system that will work for you.

8. Last but not least would be that you will for sure need some type of antivirus. I would highly recommend purchasing Symantec Internet Security and understand that you must pay for the subscription each year or pay for a 24/36 month subscription in order to keep getting updates. I have so many times worked on peoples computers where their antivirus had ran out and they had gotten viruses. They didn’t even know that it had ran out because they forgot that they must update it or it seemed unimportant then I get a call because their computer is infested with pop-ups, etc.

Here are some links that are helpful if you would like to view my recommendations:

Dell Hot Offers

www.hp.com

I would highly recommend a Dell OptiPlex for PC’s or Latitude for a laptop. You can go through the Dell Hot Offers to get the best deals. The reason that I would suggest these models is that these models have a standard 3 year warranty and these are the models that are standard for business. What is the advantage? Well, the parts that would be in these model of computers would have been through the testing process and should be more reliable. For example the Inspiron, XPS, and Vistro may have later technology but that is just it these computers are more stable for business use. I can’t say that you would have any problems with the Inspiron, XPS, Vistro, or any other brand of PC that you would buy but I am just saying that the Optiplex and Latitude seem to me to be a better computer. If you want some of the later technology (for example built-in SD, Micro SD card readers, capability to watch TV from your computer, etc.) I would recommend purchasing something like the XPS or Vistro.

One more very important thing is to get the media for the operating system with the computer that you purchase or make the restore disc as soon as you get the computer since it would be necessary if you have to restore your system to factory default later.

Here is an example of a standard PC that I would have setup for a customer (remember that this is as of 04/07/2008 – in other words the prices change regularly but this will give you an idea):

Optiplex 330 MiniTower

Starting Price $1282

Instant Savings $352

SubTotal $930

This would include the following:

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E4500 (2.2GHz, 2M, 3322T – Processor

Geniune Windows XP Pro SP2 with media Operating System

2GB DDR2 Non-ECC SDRAM, 667MHZ (2 DIMM) RAM or Memory

160GB High Reliability SATA 3.0 GB/s and 8MN Databurst Cache – Hard Drive

16X DVD-ROM SATA, Cyberlink Power DVD DVD Drive

Dell 20 inch E207FP Widescreen Flat Panel, Analog

Internal Speaker At least get the internal speaker so that you can hear the computer if you receive a beep or error

Standard Keyboard

Standard Mouse I would suggest that you purchase an optical mouse.

Microsoft Office Basic and Adobe Standard This was an additional $150 so if you don’t need it you can use OpenOffice.org to do the same thing and it is FREE

Norton Internet Security 36 month subscription If you want to use something free you can use AVG Free but I would recommend Norton over AVG personally

3 year warranty This is a standard warranty for this model computer

As I said this is as of 04/07/08 and the price I am certain will be different when you view this product and there may be even a different model number but the Optiplex and Latitude models should be available.

I hope that this does help someone out there and makes it clearer when you go to purchase a computer what you need to be looking for.

If you want to create a website for an existing business or for a new business you can either have it done by professional design firm or try to do it yourself with an online site building program or editing software on your computer. A new entrant into the field of website building software is XsitePro. Its manufacturers claim that it is the ideal program for those who wish to build many, easy-to-maintain content rich sites for online commerce. I tried it recently and here are my findings.

Before you decide to build a website by yourself, you should think whether this is a good idea for you. It may in fact be better to get your site designed professionally. It is usually well worth it. However, even after your site is designed you will have to maintain it and if you have no skills then this can be difficult or costly. So it may be useful for you or someone in your company to have the ability to make and edit websites.

Online site-builders, as offered by some hosting firms and some online package firms often produce sites that are not search engine friendly, and if you can avoid them it is better. The two leading web design software options are Dreamweaver and Frontpage. Dreamweaver produces sites with good html code and this is helpful in the task of search engine optimization, but it takes time to learn the program. I have been using Frontpage for many years and use it because that is what I am used to (though I know Dreamweaver is a bit better).

I tried Xsitepro because the online video demonstrating it was so compelling (you can watch the video at www.a1-optimization.com/websiteprovideo.htm . It is indeed quick to learn and I built a site of several pages in a few hours. XsitePro has been made with search engine optimization in mind and it produces web pages without adding any extraneous code that would be a hindrance to search engine optimization. It has built in instructions for search engine optimization and analyzes each page and gives you a checklist of things to do to improve the search engine friendliness of your pages. In addition, the software compiles a nice site map with text links to all the pages and a description of the pages under each link.

One feature that I really like is that it lets you add article pages to your site very easily. This is important if you want to build a content-rich site. Coupled with this, it has a built-in Adsense installation facility. You just have to insert your Adsense registration number and you can add Adsense code to your pages and format the adds without having to go online to fetch the code from your online account.

Another feature that is helpful is a built in pop-up window. You can add pop up windows that are not affected by pop up blockers, and you can time them so that they open when and where you want them.

One thing to remember, no program can make you a great designer. Xsite pro comes with more than 100 templates, but if you want graphics that are just right for you, then you may have to go to a professional. Recently I did just that, I hired a professional to make header and footer graphics and a three dimensional ebook cover and then I used Xsite pro to build the site. The result is at www.start-meditation-stop-smoking.com. I made a few mistakes and can do it better the next time but in general I was satisfied with the results.

If you would like to see if XsitePro is a good solution for you, then visit www.a1-optimization.com/XSitePro.htm

Many to Many web video conferencing is a combination of two web casting services named video conferencing and web conferencing. Video conferencing means collaboration of one or more than one people at same time while sharing sounds and videos with each other live. Web conferencing is an expansion pack of video conferencing. It includes not only live audio and video conferencing but also remote desktop sharing for sending or receiving documents, files and folders from one pc to another. Many to Many term is used when people are interconnect with each other in such a way that all participants can see, listen and speak with each other independently. It is just like a gathering in single room where everyone has independent access to each other. In a business meeting, business partners and co workers collaborate with each other to analyze their business objectives, sharing reports and making new business plans. When someone talks, all are able to listen and discuss at any point. This is a routine business meeting is real world. Many to Many web video conferencing is the best alternate of routine business meeting by providing virtual collaboration of business personnel through internet.

Why many to many web conferencing :

Question is why someone needed many to many web video conferencing rather than physical collaborations. What are advantages of web conferencing which replaced traditional business meetings with virtual business collaboration by using online web video conferencing technology? Answers are not much complicated. During current era, boom of technology creates enormous opportunities of business and trade. Horizontal and vertical expansion of business identifies the need of fast collaboration among different departments. Whole world was becoming a global village and geographical boundaries were no more barriers for any industry to establish its business and find new target markets. Need to be fast collaboration provides the opportunity of online virtual business meeting without travelling. Online Many to Many web video conferencing make it possible by availing this colossal opportunity. It saves travelling time from one region to another. There is no extra travelling and residential cost. Everyone has access to meet his partner at computer screen while sitting his workplace. Invention of web conferencing makes files and documents sharing very easy. there is no need to travel out of region with holding your pc. Someone can access his own computer from a long distance by using online remote desktop sharing solutions. During Many to Many web video conferencing, everyone can share business reports, videos and other data by sharing their personal computers with each other.

History:

History of online audio video conferencing is old as development of internet. In early 60s, a small program for distance learning was developed. It was designed for single class room and is called Plato. This program was much costly and main frame computers were used to run and operate it. During next few years, it was much developed and organized. In the mid of 70s, it was launched for commercial use. Hundreds of companies started to use video conferencing in next ten years. History of web video conferencing take a turn when main frame base Plato terminated in 1980 due to much high cost and low quality communication system. Mainframe computers were replaced with latest micro computers. Audio video conferencing technology enhanced to web video conferencing solutions. lot of expansions were added to facilitate and simplify online collaboration. Today’s online web video conferencing solutions has become an industry which serves telemedicine, online seminars, online business meetings, law firms, religious organizations and online marketing companies.

How it works:

In many to many web video conferencing process, powerful dynamic streaming system is used today to run, stop, pause, and rewind online web video conferencing. It is latest technology till the day which works with integrated HTTP server. Adobe flash media streaming server 3.5 is a powerful mechanism to run all technical operations of web video conferencing. One person hosts the whole conference and invites guests by sending them conferencing link through email. Guest accepts this invitation to join many to many web video conferencing. Desktop sharing ID provides him access to desktop of another computer with him.

Coverage industries:

Many to Many web video conferencing is a bridge for telemedicine industry to Secure plus cure the health without any geographical restrictions. Get online Medicare by web video conferencing with your doctor while sitting at home. Online hospitals have become mature industry. Patients save time wastage, travelling expenses and other worries by instant consulting with their doctor. Online marketing companies are second largest coverage sector of Many to Many web video conferencing. Daily online collaboration made easy for online marketing companies to target achieving. Personal online meetings and virtual business collaboration are possible through face to face gathering by using many to many web video conferencing solutions.

A VGA Matrix Switcher is designed to route high resolution computer video and stereo audio signals from many computers to multiple displays. These devices feature multiple inputs and multiple outputs, offering flexible routing of video and audio signals for complex installations. It ensures a sharp, stable image for improved signal compatibility with any LCD, DLP, plasma, or other digital display device.

These switchers are equipped with 15-pin HD connectors that are used for all computer-video input and output connections. These devices also use standard VGA cables, thus eliminating the need for external interfaces and coax cable connections via BNC connectors, making installations faster and easier. A Video Matrix Switch can distribute signals from a range of input sources to various output devices, creating a matrix pattern of connections. Switching operations between multiple outputs can be triggered through RS-232 serial control, via touch-of-a-button input and output selection directly from the front panel or with optional TCP/IP control.  Video resolution of 1920×1200 is supported by these switchers.

The switching devices also features a built in signal booster which maintains flawless signal integrity. It is so designed that it provides maximum control while saving space and eliminating clutter and can be used as a standalone solution or can be rack mounted.

This Video Matrix works on simple plug and play functionality and a user can connect VGA and analog audio sources to the VGA Matrix’s inputs. The VGA and analog audio outputs are then connected to the VGA displays and audio devices. Once the power supply is plugged in, the device is ready to be used. Since it is a matrix switcher, it allows any input to be routed to any output; or the same input to be routed to all outputs or any combination. It can be used with a wide variety of VGA sources such as computers, security cameras and DVRs.

The VGA Matrix Switcher is primarily used in places where information from many computers is being presented such as in Classrooms, Boardrooms, Conference and Training facilities, Control rooms, Entertainment facilities, Trade shows and Exhibitions.

A Video switcher enables a user to select between several different video sources. Its main function is to provide multiple video signal sources that can share one display screen. These switchers are designed for applications where multiple high resolution computer video signals must be switched between one displays. They help in maintaining picture quality and resolution. Each image appears crisp and clear as though it is directly connected to the original source. The video switcher sizes can vary from two video inputs and one video output to sixteen video inputs and one video output. It supports a video resolution of up to 1900 x 1200.

There are a variety of choices available to users as far as Video switchers are concerned. Recently, the most popular option amongst these is the HDMI Switcher. They enable 2, 3, 4 or 5 computers with HDMI to output video to one HDMI display. These switchers are compatible with any HDMI equipped and HDCP enabled HDTV devices. Besides the high quality images HDMI supports, the main advantage of this switch is that it uses only a single cable, which transmits both audio and video, to connect from the HDMI video source to the HDMI/HDTV video display. The HDMI Switchers operate via a simple push button control or via Infra red remote control. This switch easily solves the problem of insufficient HDMI inputs. By using these video switchers, people are no longer bound by the problem of limited HDMI connectivity. Some HDMI switch units also act as a matrix switch splitter allowing for multiple inputs to switch between multiple outputs.

The VGA Switcher is available in 2, 4 and 8 port units and can be cascaded for larger applications. The control of these switchers is typically done via push buttons on the front of the unit although some models are available with an Infra Red remote control or an RS232 option. These switches help in switching video from multiple VGA video sources to one VGA display device via standard VGA cables. They support high resolution up to 1920×1440 @ 60Hz. The VGA switcher eliminates the need for redundant monitors saving you valuable space and money.

The Video switcher is ideal in places where information from many computers is being presented. It is widely used in the commercial or educational arena or in training facilities as well as board rooms where presentations need to be made.