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2. and user responses into a computer Depending on your particular application and requirements visit scsite com ic weblink and then click the input device you use may vary Popular input devices include the keyboard mouse digital camera scanner and microphone The two primary input devices used are the keyboard and the mouse This section discusses both of these input devices The Keyboard A keyboard is an input device that contains keys you press to enter data into the computer A desktop computer keyboard Figure 4 typically has 101 to 105 keys Keyboards for smaller com puters such as notebooks contain fewer keys computer keyboard includes keys that allow you to type letters of the alphabet numbers spaces punctuation marks and other symbols such as the dollar sign and asterisk A keyboard also contains other keys that allow you to enter data and instructions into the computer FIGURE 4 a desktop computer keyboard you type using keys in the typing area and on the numeric keypad media controls F3 key function keys additional keys lt Internet controls maea o typing area numeric keypad WINDOWS key key CTRL key ALT key APPLICATION Key arrow keys wrist rest Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part Most handheld computers such a
3. A mouse Figure 7 is a pointing device that fits comfortably under the palm of your hand With a mouse you control the movement of the pointer often called the mouse pointer on the screen and make selections from the screen A mouse has one to five buttons The bottom of a mouse is flat and contains a mechanism ball optical sensor or laser sensor that detects move ment of the mouse Most notebook computers come with a touchpad a small flat rectangular pointing device near the keyboard that allows you to move the pointer by sliding a fingertip on the surface of the pad Figure 8 Notice in Figure 8 that the notebook computer has the keyboard built into the unit FIGURE 7 laser mouse a uses a laser sensor to detect movement of the mouse It also includes buttons you push with your thumb to navigate forward and backward through Web pages A media mouse b also includes buttons to control media presentations a laser mouse b optical media mouse FIGURE 8 Most notebook computers have a touchpad that allows a user to control the movement of the pointer Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part WEB LINK 4 For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click Processor WEB LINK Memory For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click Memory SYSTE
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6. Finally if you are dissatisfied with the computer and are unable to reach an agreement with the seller pay ing by credit card gives you certain rights regarding with holding payment until the dispute is resolved Check your credit card terms for specific details Consider purchasing an extended warranty or service plan If you use your computer for business or require fast resolu tion to major computer problems consider purchasing an extended warranty or a service plan through a local dealer or third party company Most extended warranties cover the repair and replacement of computer components beyond the standard warranty Most service plans ensure that your tech nical support calls receive priority response from technicians You also can purchase an on site service plan that states that a technician will come to your home work or school within 24 hours If your computer includes a warranty and service agreement for a year or less think about extend ing the service for two or three years when you buy the computer CENTURY COMPUTERS Performance Guarantee reverse for terms amp conditions of this contract invoice 1954408 invoice Date 10 12 07 Customer Name Leon Richard 10 12 07 Address 1123 Roxbury Sycamore IL 50178 Day phone 815 555 0303 Evening Phone 728 555 0203 IMB connputer Us 759290C John Smith Print Hame of Century s Auifuxrizmd Signature Effecti
7. Intel Core 2 Extreme 2 GB 2MBL3 1 5 TB 23 256 MB Blue ray or HD DVD reader writer DVD RW 10 ppm Color Laser Yes Yes Close Talk Headset With Gain Adjustment 5 1 Dolby Surround IntelliMouse or Laser Mouse and Joystick Yes External or Removable Hard Disk 2GB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Yes Yes 10 2 Windows Vista Ultimate Office Professional 2007 Yes 12 Mo Subscription Cable or DSL Yes 3 year On Site Service Graphics Tablet Plotter or Large Format Printer Second Monitor External Hard Disk Uninterruptible Power Supply FIGURE 41 Base desktop and mobile computer components and optional components A copy of the Base Components worksheet is part of the Data Files for Students To obtain a copy of the Data Files for Students see the inside back cover of this book for instructions Determine whether you want to use telephone lines or broadband cable or DSL to access the Internet If your computer has a modem then you can access the Internet using a standard telephone line Ordinarily you call a local or toll free 800 number to connect to an ISP see Guideline 7 on the next page Using a dial up Internet con nection is relatively inexpensive but slow DSL and cable connections provide much faster Internet connections which are ideal if you want faster file download speeds for software digital photos and music As you would expect they also are more expensive DSL
8. ever determine the programs you plan to use on it You should not buy a Tablet PC simply because it is an interesting type of computer For additional information on the Tablet PC visit the Web sites listed in Figure 53 You may have to Company Web Address Fujitsu fujitsu com Hewlett Packard Microsoft hp com microsoft com windowsxp tabletpc ViewSonic viewsonic com For an updated list of companies and their Web site addresses visit scsite com Ic buyers FIGURE 53 Companies involved with Tablet PCs and their Web sites use the search capabilities on the home page of the compa nies listed to locate information about the Tablet PC 2 Decide whether you want a convertible or pure Tablet PC Convertible Tablet PCs have an attached keyboard and look like a notebook computer You rotate the screen and lay it flat against the computer for note taking The pure Tablet PCs are slim and lightweight weighing less than four pounds They have the capability of easily docking at a desktop to gain access to a large monitor keyboard and mouse If you spend a lot of time attending lectures or meetings then the pure Tablet PC is ideal Acceptable spec ifications for a Tablet PC are shown in Figure 54 TABLET PC SPECIFICATIONS Dimensions Weight Processor RAM Hard Disk Display Digitizer Battery USB FireWire Docking Station Bluetooth Port Wireless Network Card Modem Speakers Microphone 12 x 91 x 1 2 Less
9. they are small lightweight and have such large storage capacities Capacities typically range from 32 MB to 64 GB VARIOUS FLASH MEMORY CARDS Media Name Storage Capacity FIGURE 24 A variety of flash CompactFlash 64 MB to 16 GB Digital cameras PDAs smart phones photo printers portable media players notebook computers desktop computers 64 MB to 4 GB Digital cameras digital video cameras PDAs smart phones photo printers portable media players 64 MB to 2 GB Digital cameras photo printers 256 MB to 4 GB Digital cameras digital video cameras PDAs photo printers smart phones handheld game consoles notebook computers Memory Stick 128 MB to 4 GB Digital cameras smart phones handheld game consoles PRO Duo FIGURE 25 AUSB flash drive Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part 4 WEB LINK Operating Systems For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click Operating Systems A smart card which is similar in size to a credit card or ATM card stores data on a thin microprocessor embedded in the card When you insert the smart card in a specialized card reader the information on the card is read and if necessary updated Figure 26 Uses of smart cards include storing medical records tracking customer purchases storing a prepaid amount of money and authenticating users such as for
10. Any mobile device is good only if it has the power required to run For example smart phones with mono chrome screens typically have a much longer battery life than Pocket PC devices with color screens The use of wire less networking will shorten battery time considerably To help alleviate this problem most devices have incorporated rechargeable batteries that can be recharged by placing the device in a cradle or connecting it to a charger Seriously consider the importance of ergonomics Will you put the device in your pocket a carrying case or wear it on your belt How does it feel in your hand Will you use it indoors or outdoors Many screens are unread able outdoors Do you need extra ruggedness such as would be required in construction in a plant or in a warehouse A smart phone with a PDA form factor may be larger than a typical PDA A smart phone with a phone form factor may be smaller but have fewer capabilities Check out the accessories Determine which accessories you want for your per sonal mobile device Accessories include carrying cases portable mini and full sized keyboards removable storage modems synchronization cradles and cables car chargers wireless communications global positioning system mod ules digital camera modules expansion cards dashboard mounts replacement styli headsets microphones and more Decide whether you want additional functionality In general off the shelf
11. Audio output capability Internet access capability FIGURE 39 Hardware requirements for Windows Vista Look for bundled software When you purchase a computer it may come bun dled with software Some sellers even let you choose which software you want Remember however that bundled soft ware has value only if you would have purchased the soft ware even if it had not come with the computer At the very least you probably will want word processing soft ware and a browser to access the Internet If you need additional applications such as a spreadsheet a database or presentation graphics consider purchasing Microsoft Works Microsoft Office OpenOffice org or Sun StarOffice which include several programs at a reduced price Q Avoid buying the least powerful computer available Once you know the application software you want to use you then can consider the following important criteria about the computer s components 1 processor speed 2 size and types of memory RAM and storage 3 types of input output devices 4 types of ports and adapter cards and 5 types of communications devices You also need to con sider if the computer is upgradeable and to what extent you are able to upgrade For example all manufacturers limit the amount of memory you can add The information in Figures 40 and 41 can help you determine what system components are best for you Figure 40 on COM 27 to COM 28 outlines consid
12. Microsoft operating system based devices have broader functionality than devices with other operating systems For example voice recording capability e book players and media players are standard on most Windows Mobile devices If you are leaning towards a Palm OS device and want these additional functions you may need to purchase additional software or expansion modules to add them later Determine whether your employer permits devices with cameras on the premises and if not do not con sider devices with cameras Some handheld game consoles include the capability to access the Web High end handheld navigation devices may include destination information such as information about restaurants and points of interest an e book reader a media player and currency converter Determine whether synchronization of data with other devices or personal computers is important Most devices include a cradle that connects to the USB or serial port on your computer so you can synchronize data on your device with your desktop or notebook computer Increasingly more devices are Bluetooth and or wireless networking enabled which gives them the capability of synchronizing wirelessly Many devices today also have an infrared port that allows you to synchronize data with any device that has a similar infrared port including desktop and notebook computers or other personal mobile devices Web Site Web Address CNET Shopper iPod Palm Shopper
13. Web site users nationwide Figure 42 lists several national ISPs and addresses visit scsite com ic7 buyers OSPs Before you choose an ISP or OSP compare such fea tures as the number of access hours monthly fees available FIGURE 42 National ISPs and OSPs services e mail Web page hosting chat and reliability Q Use a worksheet to compare computers services and other considerations You can use a separate sheet of paper to take notes on each ven dor s computer and then sum marize the information on a worksheet such as the one shown in Figure 43 You can use Figure 43 to compare prices for either a PC or a Mac Most com panies advertise a price for a base computer that includes components housed in the sys tem unit processor RAM sound card video card disk drives hard disk CD ROM CD RW DVD ROM and DVD6RW a keyboard mouse monitor printer speakers and modem Be aware however that some advertisements list prices for computers with only some of these components Monitors and printers for example often are not included in a base com puter s price Depending on how you plan to use the computer you may want to invest in addi tional or more powerful compo nents When you are comparing the prices of computers make sure you are comparing identical or similar configurations PC or MAC Cost Comparison Worksheet Dealers list prices for computers with most of these components instead
14. cnet com ipod com palm com windowsmobile com pocketpc com microsoft com smartphone Microsoft oqo com MobileTechReview pdabuyersguide com Nintendo nintendo com channel ds Research in Motion rim com Garmin garmin com oymbian symbian com Wireless Developer Network wirelessdevnet com sharp www myZaurus com For an updated list of reviews and information about personal mobile devices and their Web addresses visit scsite com ic pda FIGURE 58 Web site reviews and information about personal mobile devices Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part Learn It Online INSTRUCTIONS To complete the Learn It Online exercises start your browser click the address bar and then enter the Web address scsite com ic7 learn When the Essential Introduction to Computers Learn It Online page is dis played click the link for the exercise you want to complete and then read the instructions Chapter Reinforcement TF MC and SA A series of true false multiple choice and short answer questions that test your knowledge of the chapter content Flash Cards An interactive learning environment where you identify key terms associated with displayed definitions Case Studies 1 Computers are ubiquitous Watching television driving a car using a charge card ordering fast food and the more obvious activity of typing a term
15. computers intended for home or professional audio video use have built in FireWire ports Most personal computers come with a minimum of six USB 2 0 ports and two FireWire ports Port Hub Expander f you plan to connect several peripheral devices to your computer at the same time then you need to be concerned with the number of ports available on your computer If your computer does not have enough ports then you should purchase a port hub expander A port hub expander plugs into a single FireWire port or USB port and gives several additional ports Printer Your two basic printer choices are ink jet and laser Color ink jet printers cost on average between 50 and 300 Laser printers cost from 200 to 2 000 In general the cheaper the printer the lower the resolution and speed and the more often you are required to change the ink cartridge or toner Laser printers print faster and with a higher quality than an ink jet and their toner on average costs less If you want color then go with a high end ink jet printer to ensure quality of print Duty cycle the number of pages you expect to print each month also should be a determining factor If your duty cycle is on the low end hundreds of pages per month then stay with a high end ink jet printer rather than purchasing a laser printer If you plan to print photographs taken with a digital camera then you should purchase a photo printer A photo printer is a dye sublimation pri
16. display should be at least 1024 X 768 pixels To compare the monitor size on various notebook computers visit the com pany Web sites in Figure 47 Type of Notebook Web Address global acer com Company Acer Dell dell com Fujitsu fujitsu com Gateway Hewlett Packard Lenovo NEC gateway com hp com lenovo com us en nec com sony Toshiba Apple sony com toshiba com Mac For an updated list of companies and their Web site addresses visit scsite com ic buyers apple com FIGURE 47 Companies that sell notebook computers Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part s Experiment with different keyboards and pointing devices Notebook computer keyboards are far less standardized than those for desktop computers Some notebook computers for example have wide wrist rests while others have none and keyboard layouts on notebook computers often vary Notebook computers also use a range of pointing devices including pointing sticks touchpads and trackballs Before you purchase a notebook computer try various types of key board and pointing devices to determine which is easiest for you to use Regardless of the pointing device you select you also may want to purchase a regular mouse to use when you are working at a desk or other large surface da Make sure the notebook computer you purchase has a CD and or DVD drive Most not
17. ic o Sales 77 230 192 82 822 010 79 401 034 73 010 304 312 463 540 Consulting 67 023 910 62 912 013 80 771 819 62 010 498 272 718 240 144 254 102 145 734 023 5160 172 853 5135 020 802 585 181 780 amp 3 4 5 6 7 Total Net Revenue Marketing 19 113 669 19 309 758 21 222 903 17 890 256 77 536 586 Payroll 34 116 095 34 466 096 37 880 880 31 932 420 138 395 491 Equipment 31 375 267 31 697 150 34 837 596 29 367 024 127 277 037 Bonus 300 000 300 000 Production 9 376 517 9 472 711 10 411 235 8 776 352 38 036 816 Administrative 19 474 304 19 674 093 21623335 19 227 808 78 999 540 penditures 114 619 800 5126 275 949 106 193 861 460 545 470 OMe 17 896 904 5 82694 5 computer calculates the results 1746363 Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part Rent a Cabin Enjoy the splendors of nature and relax ina beautiful setting at our new lakeside resort Cabins offer kitchen facilities water and electricity eee FIGURE 30 Electronic spreadsheet software frequently is used by people who work with numbers The user enters the data and the formulas to be used on the data and the WEB LINK 2 Database Software For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click Database Software WEB LINK 2 Presentation Graphics Software For mo
18. in Figure 13 uses a liquid display crystal similar to a digital watch to pro Output Devices duce images on the screen Flat panel monitors take up much less desk space and have gained significant popularity over the past few years The television like CRT cathode ray tube moni tor is shown on the right in Figure 13 The surface of the screen of either a CRT monitor or LCD monitor is composed of individual picture elements called pixels A screen set to a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels has a total of 480 000 pixels Each pixel can be illuminated to form parts of a char acter or graphic shape on the screen Mobile computers such as notebook computers and Tablet PCs and mobile device such as PDAs portable media players and smart phones have built in LCD screens Figure 14 FIGURE 13 The flat panel LCD monitor left and the CRT monitor right are used with desktop computers The LCD monitor is thin lightweight and far more popular today than the CRT monitor Mon Jan Ol imin FIGURE 14 Notebook computers Tablet PCs ultra personal computers portable media players and most PDAs and smart phones have color LCD screens Tablet PC ZEE LITT portable media player PDA smart phone Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part STORAGE DEVICES A storage device is used to store instructions data and information when
19. in the house to share files and hardware such as a printer and browse the Web Most home wireless networks allow con nections from distances of 150 to 800 feet Q If you are going to use your notebook com puter for long periods without access to an electrical outlet purchase a second battery The trend among notebook computer users today is power and size over battery life and notebook computer manu facturers have picked up on this Many notebook computer users today are willing to give up longer battery life for a larger screen faster processor and more storage In addi tion some manufacturers typically sell the notebook with the lowest capacity battery For this reason you need to be careful in choosing a notebook computer if you plan to use it without access to electrical outlets for long periods such as an airplane flight You also might want to purchase a second battery as a backup If you anticipate running your notebook computer on batteries frequently choose a com puter that uses lithium ion batteries which last longer than nickel cadmium or nickel hydride batteries Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part ESSENTIAL INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS Purchase a well padded and well designed P carrying case An amply padded carrying case will protect your notebook computer from the bumps it will receive while traveling A well designed car
20. of listing individual component costs Some dealers do not supply a monitor Some dealers offer significant discounts but you must subscribe to an Internet service for a specified period to receive the dicounted price To compare computers enter overall system price at top and enter a 0 zero for components included in the system cost For any additional components not covered in the system price enter the cost in the appropriate cells Items to Desired Desired Local Local Online Online Purchase System PC System Mac Dealer 1 Dealer 2 Dealer 1 Dealer 2 Comments OVERALL SYSTEM Overall System Price lt 2 000 lt 2 000 HARDWARE Processor Intel Core 2 Duo Intel Core 2 Duo RAM 1 GB 1 GB Cache 256 KB L2 256 KB L2 Hard Disk 250 GB 250 GB Monitor LCD Flat Panel 20 Inch 20 Inch Video Card 256 MB 256 MB USB Flash Drive 1GB 1GB CD DVD Bay 1 CD RW DVD RW CD DVD Bay 2 DVD RW NA Speakers Dolby 5 1 Surround Dolby 5 1 Surround Sound Card Sound Blaster Compatible Sound Blaster Compatible USB 2 0 Port 6 6 FireWire Port 2 2 Network Card Yes Yes Fax Modem 56 Kbps 56 Kbps Keyboard Standard Apple Pro Keyboard Pointing Device IntelliMouse Intellimouse or Apple Pro Mouse Microphone Close Talk Headset with Close Talk Headset with Gain Adjustment Gain Adjustment Printer Color Ink Jet Color Ink Jet Operating System Windows Vista Ultimate Mac OS X Application Office 2007 Small Office 2007 for Mac Software Business Antivirus Yes 12 Mo Subscription Ye
21. than 5 Pounds Pentium M Processor at 2 GHz 1 GB 60 GB JST METTE Electromagnetic Digitizer 6 Cell High Capacity Lithium lon 3 1 Grab and Go with CD ROM Keyboard and Mouse Yes 802 11a b g Card 10 100 Ethernet 56 Kbps Internal Internal Windows Vista Operating System Office Small Business Edition Yes 12 Month Subscription 1 Year Limited Warranty Parts and Labor Application Software Antivirus Software Warranty FIGURE 54 Tablet PC specifications Be sure the weight and dimensions are conducive to portability The weight and dimensions of the Tablet PC are important because you carry it around like a notepad The Tablet PC you buy should weigh four pounds or less Its dimensions should be approximately 12 inches by 9 inches by 1 2 inches Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part Q Port availability battery life and durability are even more important with a Tablet PC than they are with a notebook computer Make sure the Tablet PC you purchase has the ports required for the applications you plan to run As with any mobile computer battery life is important especially if you plan to use your Tablet PC for long periods without access to an electrical outlet A Tablet PC must be durable because if you use it the way it was designed to be used then you will be handling it much like you handle a pad of paper Q
22. their own data instructions and information on these discs Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part WEB LINK 4 DVDs For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click DVDs WEB LINK Miniature Mobile Storage Media For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click Miniature Mobile Storage Media FIGURE 23 Many types of computers and devices use miniature mobile storage media A DVD ROM digital versatile disk read only memory is a very high capacity optical disc capable of storing from 4 7 GB to 17 GB more than enough to hold a telephone book contain ing every resident in the United States As with the CD ROM format you cannot write on an optical disc that uses the DVD ROM format You can only read from it To read a DVD ROM you need a DVD ROM drive Most DVD ROM drives can also read CDs DVD R and DVD R are competing DVD recordable formats each with up to 4 7 GB storage capacity Both allow users to write on the disc once and read play it many times Two newer more expensive DVD recordable formats are Blu ray BD ROM and HD DVD with higher quality and more capacity than standard DVDs DVD RW DVD RW and DVD RAM are competing DVD formats each with storage capacities up to 4 7 GB per side that allow users to erase and write record many times BD RE and HD DVD RW are competing higher c
23. they are not being used in memory Four common types of storage devices sometimes called storage media are magnetic disks optical discs tape and miniature mobile storage media Figure 15 shows how different types of storage media and memory compare in terms of relative speeds and uses Magnetic Disks Magnetic disks use magnetic particles to store items such as data instructions and information on a disk s surface Before any data can be read from or written on a magnetic disk the disk must be formatted Formatting is the process of dividing the disk into tracks and sectors Figure 16 so the computer can locate the data instructions and information on the disk A track is a narrow recording band that forms a full circle on the surface of the disk The disk s storage locations consist of pie shaped sections which break the tracks into small arcs called sectors On a magnetic disk a sector typically stores up to 512 bytes of data Two types of magnetic disks are floppy disks and hard disks Some are portable others are not Portable storage medium means you can remove the medium from one computer and carry it to another computer The following sections discuss specific types of magnetic disks FIGURE 16 Tracks form circles on the surface of a magnetic disk The disk s storage locations are divided into pie shaped sections which break the tracks into small arcs called sectors Sectors NE track cluster FIGURE 15 Comp
24. will have to pur chase an external network card that slides into an expansion slot in your notebook computer as well as a network cable While newer portable media players connect to a USB port older ones require a FireWire port Q If you plan to use your notebook computer for note taking at school or in meetings consider a notebook computer that converts to a Tablet PC Some computer manufacturers have developed convertible notebook computers that allow the screen to rotate 180 degrees on a central hinge and then fold down to cover the keyboard and become a Tablet PC Figure 48 You then can use a stylus to enter text or drawings into the computer by writing on the screen Some notebook computers have wide screens for better viewing and editing and some even have a screen on top of the unit in addition to the regular screen FIGURE 48 HP Compaq tc4200 Tablet PC converts to a notebook computer Purchase a notebook computer with a built in wireless network connection A wireless network connection Bluetooth Wi Fi a b g WiMAX etc can be useful when you travel or as part of a home network Increasingly more airports hotels and cafes have wireless networks that allow you to connect to the Internet Many users today are setting up wireless home networks With a wireless home network the desktop com puter functions as the server and your notebook computer can access the desktop computer from any location
25. you have confidence to help you decide on the software to use The minimum requirements of the software you select may determine the operating system Microsoft Windows Vista Linux UNIX Mac OS X you need If you have decided to use a particu lar operating system that does not support software you want to use you may be able to purchase similar software from other manufacturers Many Web sites and trade magazines such as those listed in Figure 38 on the next page provide reviews of software products These Web sites frequently have articles that rate computers and software on cost performance and support Your hardware requirements depend on the minimum requirements of the software you will run on your computer Some software requires more memory and disk space than others as well as additional input output and storage devices For example suppose you want to run software that can copy one CD s or DVD s contents directly to another CD or DVD without first copying the data to your hard disk To support that you should consider a desktop computer or a high end notebook computer because the computer will need two CD or DVD drives one that reads from a CD or DVD and one that reads from and writes on a CD or DVD If you plan to run software that allows your computer to work as an entertainment system then you will need a CD or DVD drive quality speakers and an upgraded sound card Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc R
26. Experiment with different models of the Tablet PC to find the digital pen that works best for you The key to making use of the Tablet PC is to be comfortable with its handwriting capabilities and on screen keyboard Not only is the digital pen used to write on the screen Figure 55 you also use it to make gestures to complete tasks in a man ner similar to the way you use a mouse Figure 56 compares the standard point and click of a mouse with the gestures made with a digital pen Other gestures with the digital pen replicate some of the commonly used keys on a keyboard FIGURE 55 Tablet PC lets you handwrite notes and draw on the screen using a digital pen Mouse Unit Digital Pen Double click Right click Click and drag Double tap Tap and hold FIGURE 56 Standard point and click of a mouse compared with the gestures made with a digital pen Check out the comfort level of handwriting in different positions You should be able to handwrite on a Tablet PC with your hand resting on the screen You also should be able to handwrite holding the Tablet PC in one hand as well as with it sitting in your lap Z Make sure the LCD display device has a resolution high enough to take advantage of Microsoft s ClearType technologies Tablet PCs use a digitizer under a standard 10 4 inch motion sensitive LCD display to make the digital ink on the screen look like real ink on paper To ensure you get the maximum benefits fr
27. Internet purchases COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES A communications device is a hardware component that enables a computer to send transmit and receive data instructions and information to and from one or more computers widely used communications device is the telephone or cable modem Figure 1 on page COM 2 Communications occur over transmission media such as telephone lines cables cellular radio networks and satellites Some transmission media such as satellites and cellular radio networks are wireless which means they have no physical lines or wires People around the world use computers and communications devices to communicate with each other using one or more transmission media COMPUTER SOFTWARE Computer software is the key to productive use of computers With the correct software a computer can become a valuable tool Software can be categorized into two types system software and application software System Software System software consists of programs to control the operations of computer equipment An important part of system software is a set of programs called the operating system Instructions in the operating system tell the computer how to perform the functions of loading storing and execut ing an application program and how to transfer data For a computer to operate an operating system must be stored in the computer s memory When a computer is turned on the operating system is loaded into the computer s memory
28. M UNIT The system unit Figure 9 is a case that contains electronic components of the computer used to process data System units are available in a variety of shapes and sizes The case of the system unit also called the chassis is made of metal or plastic and protects the internal electronic parts from damage The motherboard sometimes called a system board is the main circuit board of the system unit Many electronic components attach to the motherboard such as the processor memory and expansion slots The sound card and video card shown in Figure 9 are examples of adapter cards which allow a user to enhance the computer system with add on products Processor The processor bottom right in Figure 9 also called the central processing unit CPU interprets and carries out the basic instructions that operate a computer The processor is made up of the con trol unit and arithmetic logic unit Figure 3 on page COM 4 The control unit interprets the instructions The arithmetic logic unit performs the logical and arithmetic processes High end processors contain over 200 million transistors and are capable of performing some operations 10 million times in a tenth of a second or in the time it takes to blink your eye Memory Memory also called random access memory or RAM consists of electronic components that temporarily store instructions waiting to be executed by the processor data needed by those instructions and the results of p
29. May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part WHAT DOES A COMPUTER DO 5 WEB LINK Information Computers perform four basic operations input process output and storage These operations For more information comprise the information processing cycle Collectively these operations change data into infor visit scsite com Ic7 weblink and then click Information mation and store it for future use computer processing requires data Data is a collection of unprocessed items which can include text numbers images audio and video Computers manipulate data to create informa tion Information conveys meaning and is useful to one or more people During the output oper ation the information that has been created is put into some form such as a printed report or it can be written on computer storage for future use As shown in Figure 2 a computer processes several data items to produce a grade report People who use the computer directly or use the information it provides are called computer users end users or sometimes just users DATA e FIGURE 2 A computer processes data OA A into information In this example the student identification number semester course codes and course grades all represent data The computer processes the data to produce the grade report information PROCESSES e Computes each course s grade points by multiplying the credits earned by th
30. OMPONENTS Processor RAM Cache Hard Disk LCD Flat Panel Video Card CD DVD Bay 1 CD DVD Bay 2 Printer PC Video Camera Fax Modem Microphone Speakers Pointing Device Keyboard Yes Backup Disk Tape Drive USB Flash Drive Sound Card Network Card TV Out Connector USB 2 0 Port FireWire Port Operating System Application Suite Antivirus Internet Access Surge Protector Warranty Application Home User Intel Core 2 Duo at 2 66 GHz 512 MB 512 KB L2 250 GB 17 or 19 256 MB CD RW DVD RW Color Ink Jet Yes Yes Close Talk Headset With Gain Adjustment 5 1 Dolby Surround IntelliMouse or Optical Mouse External or Removable Hard Disk 256 MB Sound Blaster Compatible Yes Yes 6 2 Windows Vista Home Basic Office Standard 2007 Yes 12 Mo Subscription Cable DSL or Dial up Yes 3 Year Limited 1 Year Next Business Day On Site Service Game Home User Intel Core 2 Duo at 2 93 GHz 4GB 512 KB L2 300 GB 21 512 MB Blue ray or HD DVD reader writer DVD RW Color Ink Jet Yes Yes Close Talk Headset With Gain Adjustment 5 1 Dolby Surround Laser Mouse and Joystick Yes External or Removable Hard Disk 512 MB Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Yes Yes 8 2 Small Office Home Office User Intel Core 2 Duo at 2 93 GHz 1GB 512 KB L2 500 GB 19 or 21 256 MB CD RW DVD RW 18 ppm Laser Yes Yes Close Talk Headset With Gain Adjustment 5 1 Dolby Surround I
31. Yos SHELLY CASHMAN SERIES Office 2007 THOMSON COURSE TECHNOLOGY Microsoft Office 2007 Introductory Concepts and Techniques Windows Vista Edition Executive Editor Alexandra Arnold Senior Product Managers Reed Curry Mali Jones Product Manager Heather Hawkins Associate Product Manager Klenda Martinez Editorial Assistant Jon Farnham Senior Marketing Manager Joy Stark Vancs Marketing Coordinator Julie Schuster Print Buyer Julio Esperas COPYRIGHT 2008 Thomson Course Technology a division of Thomson Learning Inc Thomson Learning is a trademark used herein under license Printed in the United States of America 12345678910 BM 09 08 07 For more information contact Thomson Course Technology 25 Thomson Place Boston Massachusetts 02210 Or find us on the World Wide Web at www course CcCom Gary B Shelly Thomas J Cashman Misty E Vermaat Director of Production Patty Stephan Lead Production Editor Matthew Hutchinson Production Editors Cathie DiMassa Jill Klaffky Phillipa Lehar Developmental Editors Jill Batistick Amanda Brodkin Laurie Brown Lyn Markowicz Proofreaders John Bosco Kim Kosmatka Indexer Rich Carlson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic electronic or mechanical including photocopying recording taping Web distribution or information
32. amera A PC video camera is a small camera used to capture and display live video oa te in some cases with sound primarily on a Web page You also can capture edit and share 9 video and still photos The camera sits on your monitor or desk Recommended minimum specifications include 640 x 480 resolution a video with a rate of 30 frames per second and a i USB 2 0 or FireWire port USB Flash Drive If you work on different computers and need access to the same data and information then this portable miniature mobile storage device is ideal USB flash drive capacity varies from 16 MB to 4 GB Video Card Most standard video cards satisfy the monitor display needs of application home and small office users If you are a game home user or a graphic designer you will want to upgrade to a higher quality video card The higher refresh rates will further enhance the display of games graphics and movies Wireless LAN Access Point A Wireless LAN Access Point allows you to network several computers so they can share files and access the Internet through a single cable modem or DSL connection Each device that you connect requires a wireless card A Wireless LAN Access Point can offer a range of operations up to several hundred feet so be sure the device has a high powered antenna Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part BASE C
33. an yd pod 5 IB ood The Free RSS Reyter your feeds from Py PACE cor se Page Tons Myspace com treat iow 99 079 ED BE j gt MED Conl New Videns R oer DyBoere memts ary me Dew Ft wgn te mot tmhateee seat seere Phe amd ctm year omes prodest une 9 Parbing sie Animaten On Catt anadeem OW Dump n Gvoaming curt Survival tes i Bac Mones wots Chataooms Lanas Muse TY On Geren Horoscope Muse video deos Foret emer imr Cont New People yout MySpace trends ume Ashir amanda DL gin to mall bulietina and more inetant alerts for all requests messages and Comments Fine and view your friends profes one cick t Thy Phennmenaut s Neston MySpace Music prore 18 Scrap Rap d Hap Hag Canh ei net Prceerted Moze Or um IE Poceerted Or IL Types of Web sites Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part As shown in Figure 36 a URL consists of a protocol a domain name sometimes the path to a specific Web page or location in a Web page and the Web page name Most Web page URLs begin with http which stands f
34. ant to edit digital photographs 100 to 200 GB if you plan to edit digital video or manipulate large audio files even occasionally and 200 to 500 GB if you will edit digital video movies or photography often store audio files and music or consider yourself to be a power user It also is recommended that you use Serial ATA SATA as opposed to Parallel ATA PATA SATA has many advantages over PATA including support for Plug and Play devices Joystick Wheel If you use your computer to play games then you will want to purchase a joystick or a wheel These devices especially the more expensive ones provide for realistic game play with force feedback programmable buttons and specialized levers and wheels Keyboard The keyboard is one of the more important devices used to communicate with the computer For this reason make sure the keyboard you purchase has 101 to 105 keys is comfortable and easy to use and has a USB connection A wireless keyboard should be considered especially if you have small desk area Microphone If you plan to record audio or use speech recognition to enter text and commands then purchase a close talk headset with gain adjustment support Modem Most computers come with a modem so that you can use your telephone line to access the Internet Some modems also have fax capabilities Your modem should be rated at 56 Kbps Monitor The monitor is where you will view documents read e mail messag
35. apacity rewriteable DVD formats To write to a DVD you need a recordable or rewriteable DVD ROM drive Tape Tape is a magnetically coated ribbon of plastic housed in a tape cartridge Figure 22 capable of storing large amounts of data and information at a low cost tape drive is used to read from and write on a tape Tape is primarily used for long term storage and backup Miniature Mobile Storage Media Miniature mobile storage media are ufi Ee x rewriteable media usually in the form of a flash memory card USB flash drive or a smart card Miniature mobile storage media allow mobile users to transport digital images music or documents eas ily to and from computers and other FIGURE 22 A tape drive and a tape cartridge devices Figure 23 Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part Flash memory cards are solid state media which means they consist entirely of electronics chips wires etc and contain no moving parts Common types of flash memory include CompactFlash CF Secure Digital SD xD Picture Card and Memory Stick Figure 24 A USB flash drive Figure 25 sometimes called a pen drive or thumb drive is a flash memory storage device that plugs into a USB port on a computer or mobile device USB flash drives are the portable storage media of choice among users today making the floppy disk nearly obsolete because
36. are either built into the system unit Figure 18a or are external to the system unit and connected to the computer via a cable Figure 18b Data stored on a floppy disk must be retrieved and placed into memory to be processed The time required to access and retrieve data is called the access time The access time for floppy disks varies from about 175 milliseconds to approximately 300 milliseconds one millisecond equals 1 1000 of a second On average data stored in a single sector on a floppy disk can be retrieved in approximately 1 15 to 1 3 of a second FIGURE 18 a personal computer you insert and remove a floppy disk from a floppy disk drive a Floppy disk drive installed inside a desktop computer A f l Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part WEB LINK 2 CDs For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click CDs Optical Discs An optical disc is a portable storage medium that consists of a flat round portable disc made of metal plastic and lacquer that is written and read by a laser Optical discs used in personal computers are 4 75 inches in diameter and less than 1 20 of an inch thick Nearly every personal computer today has some type of optical disc drive installed in a drive bay On these drives you push a button to slide the tray out insert the disc and then pus
37. arison of different types of storage media and memory in terms of relative speed and uses Memory is faster than storage but is expensive and not practical for all storage requirements Storage is less expensive but is slower than memory faster transfer rates Stores Hard Disk Operating system application software user data and infor mation including pictures music and videos Cards and USB files to be Flash Drives transported CDs DVDs Software backups movies music Tape Backups omall files to be transported Flash Memory Digital pictures Floppy Disk slower transfer rates Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part WEB LINK 2 Hard Disks For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click Hard Disks Harp Disks hard disk also called a hard disk drive is a storage device that contains one or more inflexible circular platters that magnetically store data instructions and information Home users store documents spreadsheets presentations databases e mail messages Web pages digi tal photographs music videos and software on hard disks The data on hard disks is recorded on a series of tracks located on one or more platters The tracks are divided into sectors when the disk is formatted Figure 17 shows how a hard disk works The hard disk platters spi
38. arry around usually operate automatically in terms of lighting and focus and contain storage cards for storing photographs A 5 megapixel camera with a 512 MB storage card is fine for creating images for use on the Web or to send via e mail Digital Video Capture Device A digital video capture device allows you to connect your computer to a camcorder or VCR and record edit manage and then write video back on a VCR tape a CD or a DVD To create quality video true 30 frames per second full sized TV the digital video capture device should have a USB 2 0 or FireWire port You also will need sufficient storage an hour of data on a VCR tape takes up about 5 GB of disk storage External Hard Disk An external hard disk can serve many purposes it can serve as extra storage for your computer provide a way to store and transport large files or large quantities of files and provide security by allowing you to keep all of your data on the external disk without leaving any data on the computer External hard disks can be purchased with the same amount of capacity as any internal disk If you are going to use it as a backup to your internal hard disk you should purchase an external hard drive with at least as much capacity as your internal hard disk Hard Disk It is recommended that you buy a computer with 60 to 80 GB if your primary interests are browsing the Web and using e mail and Office suite type applications 80 to 100 GB if you also w
39. c Vistas Home gt Grand Canyon gt Park Info gt Scenic Vistas Grand Canyon National Park is world renown for its scenic vistas With ever changing and colorful scenery of enormous that is er Web deserts sandstone canyons mesas and plateaus volcanic and geologic features the Colorado River perennial streams and waterfalls contribute to edip le pan ws Lodging Maps Park Info Plants and Wildlife Nature and Science Geology For Kids Scenic Vistas Backcountry FAQ Info Grand Canyon Planning Fees Facilities Plan Your Visit Camping Climate Activities FIGURE 36 After entering the Web address http www us parks com grand canyon scenic vistas html in the Address box this Web page at the US National Parks Travel Guide Web site is displayed Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part How to Purchase a Personal Computer a desktop computer b mobile computer notebook computer or Tablet PC Should buy a desktop or mobile computer or personal mobile device For what purposes will use the computer 7 Should the computer buy be compatible with the computers at school or work At some point perhaps while you are taking this course you may decide to buy a personal computer The deci
40. computers to take advantage of their portability to work while traveling and at home The past disadvantages of mobile computers such as lower processor speeds poor quality monitors weight short battery life and signifi cantly higher prices have all but disappeared Today hard drive speed capacity processor speed and graphics capability in notebook com puters are equal to if not better than desktop computers If you are thinking of using a mobile computer to take notes in class or in business meetings then consider a Tablet PC with handwriting and drawing capabilities Typically note taking involves writing text notes and drawing charts Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part schematics and other illustrations By allowing you to write and draw directly on the screen with a digital pen a Tablet PC eliminates the distracting sound of the notebook key board tapping and allows you to capture drawings 5ome notebook computers can convert to Tablet PCs Mobile computers used to have several drawbacks includ ing the lack of high end capabilities Today s high end note book computers include most of the capabilities of a good desktop computer Manufacturers have made great strides in improving durability and battery life Most notebook comput ers are 1 5 to 2 inches thick and weigh less than 10 pounds making them very portable and eas
41. crossword puzzle that challenges your knowledge of key terms presented in the chapter 3 People use personal computers for many reasons for work for school for entertainment and much more What are your main reasons for using a personal computer With these in mind research your ideal personal computer system using one or more local computer stores or online computer Web sites Create a list of the hardware and soft ware that would be included the cost of each item the total cost for the entire system and your main reasons for using this computer system 4 Today the functional lines between personal mobile devices seem blurred Your cell phone has a digital camera your PDA has wireless Internet access and plays digital music and your game console plays videos These are examples of technological convergence a process in which separate technologies merge in single products Write a brief report on how your favorite personal mobile device is an example of convergence listing the various technologies that it uses Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part INDEX access points wireless COM 27 active matrix screens COM 32 adapters for overseas computer use COM 34 application software COM 19 20 arithmetic logic unit COM 8 backups COM 12 Base Components worksheet COM 29 batteries for computers COM 33 COM 38 booting proces
42. e about 40 milion people living vam HIV worldwide er tharede 1 end di E T gt yaratar ore t ncreasing in every region in the woeld ir itis tie ocr use of deat E Feat entified Cur Bright House Stadium that s in the construction stages Loca Recem change Recem chang wil tu pomatly zxed for Amoncan mabal and di be home a UCI jan e Random stive Kregtta wi from thee facikty the Otus Bow near downtown Orland The present a tree ve voee c 500 Atncans die each day trom thi bous d Help wil hold 45 000 ence completed and state pen 1 a Contec Wpada onaons a Ihe Tasas Longoms wit be the 8 pponeet fmi the wil he 15 Hess Ong Appeoa the Comey si uei Cetero rora Pe r RED d minted Anis dt 2 Pn thu e veas hene A a Hun t de e Relaten changes als pary Brom House Nemak Location East Oceano Camou Arpt A mo pages 21ta 793 axi olical DL as The Dungen e brnas o Permaened ie References MA 15 200 e mamat of ering ore ut ted Mote trp wii ped e ti Or E ript
43. e an issue if you plan to connect directly to a school or office network using a cable or wireless technology You usually can obtain the minimum system requirements from the Information Technology department at your school or workplace After evaluating the answers to these three questions you should have a general idea of how you plan to use your computer and the type of computer you want to buy Once you have decided on the type of computer you want you can follow the guidelines presented in this guide to help you purchase a specific computer along with software peripherals and other accessories Many of the desktop computer guidelines presented also apply to the purchase of a notebook computer and a Tablet PC Later in this guide sections on purchasing a notebook computer or Tablet PC address additional considerations specific to those computer types This guide concentrates on recommendations for purchasing a desktop computer or mobile computer HOW TO PURCHASE A DESKTOP COMPUTER Once you have decided that a desktop computer is most suited to your computing needs the next step is to deter mine specific software hardware peripheral devices and services to purchase as well as where to buy the computer Determine the specific software you want to use on your computer Before deciding to purchase software be sure it contains the features necessary for the tasks you want to perform Rely on the computer users in whom
44. e grade value i e 4 0 3 0 12 00 e Organizes data e Sums all credits attempted credits earned and grade points 10 00 10 00 and 36 00 e Divides total grade points by credits earned to compute term GPA 3 60 Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part WEB LINK 4 Computer Programs For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click Computer Programs WHY IS A COMPUTER SO POWERFUL A computer derives its power from its capability to perform the information processing cycle with amazing speed reliability low failure rate and accuracy its capacity to store huge amounts of data and information and its ability to communicate with other computers HOW DOES A COMPUTER KNOW WHAT TO DO For a computer to perform operations it must be given a detailed set of instructions that tells it exactly what to do These instructions are called a computer program or software Before pro cessing for a specific job begins the computer program corresponding to that job is stored in the computer Once the program is stored the computer can begin to operate by executing the pro gram s first instruction The computer executes one program instruction after another until the job is complete WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF A COMPUTER To understand how computers process data into information you need to examine the primary componen
45. ebook computers come with a CD and or a DVD drive Although DVD drives are slightly more expensive they allow you to play CDs and DVD movies using your notebook computer and a headset O If necessary upgrade the processor memory and disk storage at the time of purchase As with a desktop computer upgrading your notebook computer s memory and disk storage usually is less expen sive at the time of initial purchase Some disk storage is custom designed for notebook computer manufacturers meaning an upgrade might not be available in the future If you are purchasing a lightweight notebook computer then it should include at least an Intel Core Duo processor 512 MB RAM and 80 GB of storage Q The availability of built in ports and a port extender on a notebook computer is important A notebook computer does not have a lot of room to add adapter cards If you know the purpose for which you plan to use your notebook computer then you can determine the ports you will need Most notebooks come with com mon ports such as a mouse port IrDA port serial port par allel port video port a FireWire port and multiple USB ports If you plan to connect your notebook computer to a TV however then you will need a PCtoTV port If you want to connect to networks at school or in various offices via a network cable make sure the notebook computer you pur chase has a network port If your notebook computer does not come with a network port then you
46. educational refer ence and entertainment games simulations etc Often application software is available for purchase from a Web site or store that sells computer products Figure 28 Personal computer users regularly use application software Some of the more commonly used applications are word processing electronic spreadsheet database and presentation graphics WorD PROCESSING Word processing software Figure 29 is used to create edit format and print documents A key advantage of word processing software is that users easily can make changes in documents such as correcting spelling changing margins and adding deleting or relocating entire paragraphs These changes would be difficult and time consuming to make using manual methods such as a typewriter With a word processor documents can be printed quickly and accurately and easily stored on a disk for future use Word processing software is ori ented toward working with text but word processing packages also support features that enable users to manipulate numeric data and utilize graphics SPREADSHEET Electronic spreadsheet software Figure 30 allows the user to add subtract and perform user defined calculations on rows and columns of numbers These numbers can be changed and the spreadsheet quickly recalculates the new results Electronic spreadsheet soft ware eliminates the tedious recalculations required with manual methods Spreadsheet informa tion frequently is co
47. erations for specific hardware components Figure 41 on page COM 29 provides a Base Components worksheet that lists PC recommendations for each category of user discussed in this book Home User Small Office Home Office User Mobile User Power User and Large Business User In the worksheet the Home User category is divided into two groups Application Home User and Game Home User The Mobile User recommendations list criteria for a notebook computer but do not include the PDA or Tablet PC options Computer technology changes rapidly meaning a com puter that seems powerful enough today may not serve your computing needs in a few years In fact studies show that many users regret not buying a more powerful com puter To avoid this plan to buy a computer that will last you for two to three years You can help delay obsolescence by purchasing the fastest processor the most memory and the largest hard disk you can afford If you must buy a less powerful computer be sure you can upgrade it with addi tional memory components and peripheral devices as your computer requirements grow Consider upgrades to the mouse keyboard monitor printer microphone and speakers You use these peripheral devices to interact with your com puter so you should make sure they are up to your stan dards Review the peripheral devices listed in Figure 40 on pages COM 27 to COM 28 and then visit both local computer dealers and large retail stores to t
48. es and view pictures minimum of a 17 screen is recommended but if you are planning to use your computer for graphic design or game playing then you may want to purchase a 19 or 21 monitor The LCD flat panel monitor should be considered especially if space is an issue Mouse As you work with your computer you use the mouse constantly For this reason spend a few extra dollars if necessary and purchase a mouse with an optical sensor and USB connection The optical sensor replaces the need for a mouse ball which means you do not need a mouse pad For a PC make sure your mouse has a wheel which acts as a third button in addition to the top two buttons on the left and right An ergonomic design is also important because your hand is on the mouse most of the time when you are using your computer wireless mouse should be considered to eliminate the cord and allow you to work at short distances from your computer FIGURE 40 Hardware guidelines continued next page Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part continued from previous page Ports Depending on how you are using your computer you may need anywhere from 4 to 10 USB 2 0 ports USB 2 0 ports have become the connection of choice in the computer industry They offer an easy way to connect peripheral devices such as printers digital cameras portable media players etc Many
49. es listed in Figure 58 on the next page to gather more informa tion about the type of personal mobile device that best suits your computing needs gt Determine the programs you plan to run on your device All PDAs and most smart phones can handle basic organ izer type software such as a calendar address book and notepad Portable media players and handheld navigation devices usually have the fewest programs available to run on them Ultra personal computers usually have the most number of programs available because the devices can run almost any personal computer software The availability of other software depends on the operating system you choose The depth and breadth of software for the Palm OS is significant with more than 20 000 basic programs and more than 600 wireless programs Devices that run Windows based operating systems such as Windows Mobile may have fewer programs available but the operat ing system and application software are similar to those with which you are familiar such as Word and Excel When choosing a handheld game console consider whether your favorite games are available for the device Consider if you want extras on the device such as the capability of playing media files Consider how much you want to pay The price of a personal mobile device can range from 100 to more than 2 000 depending on its capabili ties Some Palm OS devices are at the lower end of the cost spectrum and ultra persona
50. est the computers on dis play Ask the salesperson what input and output devices would be best for you and whether you should upgrade beyond what comes standard Consider purchasing a wire less keyboard and wireless mouse to eliminate bothersome wires on your desktop A few extra dollars spent on these components when you initially purchase a computer can extend its usefulness by years Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part CD DVD Drives Most computers come with a CD RW drive A CD RW drive allows you to create your own custom data CDs for data backup or data transfer purposes It also will allow you to store and share video files digital photos and other large files with other people who have access to a CD ROM drive An even better alternative is to upgrade to a DVD RW combination drive It allows you to read DVDs and CDs and to write data on burn a DVD or CD A DVD has a capacity of at least 4 7 GB versus the 650 MB capacity of a CD An HD DVD has a minimum capacity of 45 GB Card Reader Writer A card reader writer is useful for transferring data directly to and from a removable flash memory card such as the ones used in your camera or audio player Make sure the card reader writer can read from and write on the flash memory cards that you use Digital Camera Consider an inexpensive point and shoot digital camera They are small enough to c
51. from auxiliary storage This process is called booting Today most computers use an operating system that has a graphical user interface GUI that provides visual cues such as icon symbols to help the user Each icon represents an application such as word processing or a file or document where data is stored Microsoft Windows Vista Figure 27 and Windows XP Apple Mac OS X and Linux are four popular personal computer operating systems ckqgro Change the c Adpust screen resolution Clock Language and Region Change keyboards oc other methods Change dispis language Ease of Access Let Windows suggest setting Opterrnize wesal depia Additional Options FIGURE 26 A smart card and smart card reader FIGURE 27 graphical user interface such as Microsoft Windows Vista makes the computer easier to use Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part Application Software Application software consists of programs designed to make users more productive and or assist them with personal tasks Some widely used application software includes Web browsers personal information managers project management accounting computer aided design desk top publishing paint image editing audio and video editing multimedia authoring Web page authoring personal finance legal tax preparation home design landscaping
52. ftware Manufacturers claim recovery rates of 90 percent or more for notebook computers using their product FIGURE 51 Fingerprint scanner technology offers greater security than passwords FIGURE 50 A notebook computer connected to a video projector projects the image displayed on the screen Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part HOW TO PURCHASE A TABLET PC The Tablet PC Figure 52 combines the mobility features of a traditional notebook computer with the simplicity of pen cil and paper because you can create and save Office type documents by writing and drawing directly on the screen with a digital pen Tablet PCs use the Windows Tablet Technology in Windows Vista operating system A note book computer and a Tablet PC have many similarities For this reason if you are considering purchasing a Tablet PC review the guidelines for purchasing a notebook computer as well as the guidelines below Im FIGURE 52 lightweight Tablet PC with its handwriting capabilities is the latest addition to the family of mobile computers E Make sure the Tablet PC fits your mobile com puting needs The Tablet PC is not for every mobile user If you find your self in need of a computer in class or you are spending more time in meetings than in your office then the Tablet PC may be the answer Before you invest money in a Tablet PC how
53. geared more for use as a PDA and have a PDA form factor Other smart phones such as those based on Microsoft Smartphone or Symbian operat ing systems mainly are phone devices that include robust PDA functionality Research in Motion Blackberry based smart phones include robust data features that are oriented to accessing e mail and wireless data services Make sure your device has enough memory and storage Memory RAM is not a major issue with low end devices with monochrome displays and basic organizer functions Memory is a major issue however for high end devices that have color displays and wireless features Without enough memory the performance level of your device will drop dra matically If you plan to purchase a high end device running the Palm OS operating system the device should have at least 32 MB of RAM If you plan to purchase a high end device running the Windows Mobile operating system the PDA should have at least 64 MB of RAM An ultra personal computer can have 512 MB of RAM or more while a hand held navigation device may have over 2 GB of flash memory An ultra personal computer can have 512 MB of RAM or more while a handheld navigation device may have over 2 GB of flash memory Many personal mobile devices include a hard disk for stor age Portable media players ultra personal computers and some smart phones include hard disks to store media and other data Consider how much media and other data you need
54. h as Dell sell computers online For an updated list of used computer mail order companies and their Web site addresses visit scsite com ic buyers FIGURE 46 Used computer mail order companies Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part Consider more than just price The lowest cost computer may not be the best long term buy Consider such intangibles as the vendor s time in business the vendor s regard for quality and the vendor s reputation for support If you need to upgrade your com puter often you may want to consider a leasing arrangement in which you pay monthly lease fees but can upgrade or add on to your computer as your equipment needs change No matter what type of buyer you are insist on a 30 day no questions asked return policy on your computer Avoid restocking fees Q Some companies charge a restocking fee of 10 to 20 percent as part of their money back return policy In some cases no restocking fee for hardware is applied but it is applied for software Ask about the existence and terms of any restocking policies before you buy Use a credit card to purchase your new computer Many credit cards offer purchase protection and extended warranty benefits that cover you in case of loss of or dam age to purchased goods Paying by credit card also gives you time to install and use the computer before you have to pay for it
55. h the same button to close the tray Figure 19 Many different formats of optical discs exist today These include CD ROM CD R CD RW DVD ROM DVD R DVD R DVD RW DVD RW and DVD RAM Figure 21 on the next page identifies each of these optical disc formats and specifies whether a user can read from the disc write on the disc and or erase the disc A CD ROM compact disc read only memory is a type of optical disc that users can read but not write on record or erase hence the name read only A typical CD ROM holds from 650 to 1 GB of data instructions and information Software manufacturers often distribute their programs using CD ROMs To read a CD ROM insert the disc in a CD ROM drive or a CD ROM player Because audio CDs and CD ROMs use the same laser technology you may be able to use a CD ROM drive to listen to an audio CD while working on the computer Some music companies however config ure their CDs so the music will not play on a computer They do this to protect themselves from customers illegally copying and sharing the music FIGURE 19 On optical disc drives you push a button to slide out a tray insert the disc and then push the same button to close the tray Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part A CD R compact disc recordable is an optical disc onto which you can record your own items such as text graphics and audi
56. ights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part Type of Computer Web Site CNET Shopper PC World Magazine BYTE Magazine PC Magazine Web Address Shopper cnet com pcworld com byte com pcmag com Yahoo Computers MSN Shopping Dave s Guide to Buying a Home Computer computers yahoo com shopping msn com css msu edu PC Guide Macworld Magazine macworld com Apple apple com switch to Mac Campaign apple com switch For an updated list of hardware and software reviews and their Web site addresses visit scsite com ic buyers FIGURE 38 Hardware and software reviews Know the System Requirements of the Operating System After deciding what software you want to run on your new computer you need to determine the operating sys tem you want to use If however you purchase a new computer chances are it will have the latest version of your preferred operating system Windows Vista Linux UNIX Mac OS X Figure 39 lists the minimum computer requirements of Windows Vista versions Minimum Computer Requirements 800 MHz processor 512 MB of RAM DirectX 9 capable graphics processor Windows Vista Versions Windows Vista Home Basic Windows Vista Home Premium Windows Vista Ultimate Windows Vista Business Windows Vista Enterprise 1 GHz processor 1 GB of RAM DirectX 9 capable graphics Windows Vista Enterprise 40 GB of hard disk capacity 15 GB free space DVD ROM drive
57. ite heads determine the current or new location of the data Step 4 The head actuator positions the read write head arms over the correct location on the platters to read or write data Step 1 The circuit board controls the movement of the head actuator and a small motor Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part platter two surfaces are available for data If the drive uses two platters four sets of read write heads read and record data from the four surfaces Storage capacities of internally mounted fixed disks for personal computers range from 10 GB to more than 750 GB The system unit on most desktop and notebook computers contains at least one hard disk Although hard disks are available in removable cartridge form most hard disks cannot be removed from the computer FLoPPYv Disks Another older form of magnetic storage is the floppy disk or diskette an inexpensive portable storage medium Figure 18a The most widely used floppy disk is 3 5 inches wide and typically can store up to 1 44 megabytes of data or 1 474 560 characters Although the exterior of the 3 5 inch disk is not floppy users still refer to them as floppy disks Floppy disks are not as widely used as they were 15 years ago because of their low storage capacity A floppy disk drive is a device that can read from and write on a floppy disk Floppy disk drives
58. l computers often are at the higher end A PDA will be less expensive than a smart phone with a similar configuration For the latest prices capabilities and accessories visit the Web sites listed in Figure 58 Determine whether you need wireless access to the Internet and e mail or mobile telephone capabilities with your device Smart phones often give you access to e mail and other data and Internet services Some PDAs smart phones ultra per sonal computers and handheld game consoles include wire less networking capability to allow you to connect to the Internet wirelessly These wireless features and services allow users to access real time information from anywhere to help make decisions while on the go Most portable media players do not include the capability to access Internet services For wireless devices determine how and where you will use the service When purchasing a wireless device you must subscribe to a wireless service Determine if the wireless network carrier you choose has service in the area where you plan to use the device Some networks have high speed data networks only in certain areas such as large cities or business districts Also a few carriers allow you to use your device in other countries When purchasing a smart phone determine if you plan to use the device more as a phone PDA or wireless data device Some smart phones such as those based on the Pocket PC Phone edition or the Palm OS are
59. lan vacations At work at school and at home computers are helping people do their work faster more accurately and in some cases in ways that previously would not have been possible ge wes LINK WHAT IS A COMPUTER 4 Computers For more information A computer is an electronic device operating under the control of instructions stored in its own visit scsite com ic7 memory that can accept data input process the data according to specified rules process pro weblink and then click duce results output and store the results storage for future use Generally the term is used to Computers describe a collection of hardware components that function together as a system An example of common hardware components that make up a personal computer is shown in Figure 1 FIGURE 1 Common computer hardware components portable media player printer output device monitor PC video camera _ output device output device screen input device PS storage device hard disk drive storage device gt system unit mouse Processor memory input device and storage devices keyboard input device scanner input device digital camera microphone input device input device external hard disk storage device modem card reader writer USB flash drive communications device storage device storage device Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved
60. ll computers via a network Figure 33 the network enables all of the computers to access the same printer Most business computers are networked together These 4 networks can be relatively small or quite extensive A net ee work that connects computers in a limited geographic area such as a school computer laboratory office group of E buildings is called a local area network LAN A network that covers a large geographical area such as one that con nects the district offices of a national corporation is called a wide area network WAN Figure 34 gs AL L I appen F Jappie juppe Mame Telwphens Numbel AG New Fink ad ane Cache Blf SS SIT L Lig Domh 517 388 3 P3504 IT FIGURE 33 The local area network LAN enables two or more separate computers to share the same printer Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part The Internet The world s largest network is the Internet which is a worldwide collection of networks that connects millions of businesses government agencies educational institutions and individuals With an abundance of resources and data accessible via the Internet more than 1 billion people around the world use the Internet for a variety of reasons including the following Communicating with and meeting other people e Accessi
61. management the two output devices more commonly used are the printer and a display device Print FIGURE 10 rinters A dot matrix printer is Printers used with computers impact or nonimpact An impact printer prints by striking an capable of handling inked ribbon against the paper One type of impact printer used with personal computers is the wide paper and dot matrix printer Figure 10 printing multipart forms It produces Nonimpact printers such as ink jet printers Figure 11 and laser printers Figure 12 form printed images when characters by means other than striking a ribbon against paper One advantage of using a tiny pins strike an nonimpact printer is that it can print higher quality text and graphics than an impact printer inked ribbon such as the dot matrix Nonimpact printers also do a better job of printing different fonts are quieter and can print in color The popular and affordable ink jet printer forms a character or graphic by using a nozzle that sprays tiny drops of ink onto the page Ink jet printers produce text and graphics in both black and white and color on a variety of paper types and sizes Some ink jet printers called photo printers produce photo quality pictures and are ideal for home or small business use The speed of an ink jet printer is measured by the number of pages per minute ppm it can print Most ink jet printers print from 6 to 33 pages per minute Graphics and colors prin
62. n at a high rate of speed typically 5 400 to 15 000 revolutions per minute When reading data from the disk the read head senses the magnetic spots that are recorded on the disk along the various tracks and transfers that data to memory When writing the data is transferred from memory and is stored as magnetic spots on the tracks on the recording surface of one or more of the disk platters When reading or writing the read write heads on a hard disk drive do not actually touch the surface of the disk The distance between the read write heads and the platters is about two mil lionths of one inch This close clearance means that dirt dust smoke or other particles could cause a head crash when a read write head touches a platter usually resulting in loss of data or sometimes the entire drive Although current hard disks are sealed tightly to keep out contami nants head crashes do occasionally occur Thus it is crucial that you back up your hard disk reg ularly A backup is a duplicate of a file program or disk that you can use in case the original is lost damaged or destroyed The number of platters permanently mounted on the spindle of a hard disk varies On most drives each surface of the platter can be used to store data Thus if a hard disk drive uses one FIGURE 17 How a hard disk works Step 2 A small motor spins the platters while the computer is running Step 3 When software requests a disk access the read wr
63. ng computers generally COM 24 25 COM 31 desktop computers COM 25 32 notebook computers COM 32 34 personal mobile devices COM 37 39 tablet PCs COM 35 36 reviews of software products COM 25 26 scanners COM 2 COM 28 COM 34 screens monitors COM 2 COM 32 security fingerprint scanners COM 34 servers Web COM 23 smart phones cards COM 6 COM 18 software COM 3 COM 4 types of COM 19 20 product reviews COM 25 26 speakers computer COM 26 COM 36 storage device types COM 11 18 synchronization of data COM 39 system software COM 18 system units COM 2 COM 4 COM 8 tablet PCs COM 24 25 COM 35 36 tape tape drives COM 15 16 touch screens COM 38 touchpads COM 7 transmission media COM 18 URLs Uniform Resource Locators COM 21 COM 22 USB flash drives COM 2 COM 17 video cameras COM 2 COM 27 COM 36 video cards COM 27 Vista operating system COM 26 Web browsers pages servers COM 21 23 WANs wide area networks COM 20 21 wireless Internet service providers WISPs COM 21 LAN access points COM 27 media COM 18 synchronization of data COM 39 tablet PC access COM 36 worksheet Base Components COM 29 World Wide Web COM 21 Opener Courtesy of SanDisk Corporation O Medioimages Alamy Courtesy of Intel Corporation Courtesy of Intel Corporation Courtesy of Advanced Micro Devices Inc Courtesy of Microsoft Corporation Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of Sony Electro
64. ng a wealth of information news and research findings Shopping for goods and services e Banking and investing Accessing sources of entertainment and leisure such as online games music videos books and magazines Most users connect to the Internet through a regional or national ISP an online service WEB LINK provider or a wireless Internet service provider An ISP Internet service provider is an organi UP World Wide zation such as a cable company or telephone company that supplies connections to the Internet Weh for a monthly fee Earthlink and AT amp T Worldnet are examples of national ISPs Like an ISP an For more information online service provider OSP provides access to the Internet but it also provides a variety of visit scsite com ic7 other specialized content and services such as news weather financial data e mail games and weblink and then click World Wide Web more Two popular online services are America Online AOL and The Microsoft Network MSN A wireless Internet service provider WISP is a company that provides wireless Internet access to computers and mobile devices such as smart phones and PDAs Boingo Wireless and Cingular Wireless are examples of WISPs The World Wide Web One of the more popular segments of the Internet is the World Wide Web also called the Web which contains billions of documents called Web pages A Web page can contain text graphics audio and video and has built in c
65. nics Inc Courtesy of Acer America Corp Courtesy of Microsoft Corporation Figure 1 Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of D Link Systems Courtesy of Logitech Inc Courtesy of Maxtor Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of Sandisk Corporation Courtesy of SanDisk Corporation Courtesy of Motorola Courtesy of Sony Electronics Inc Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company David Young Wolff Photo Edit Figure 2 Bill Aron PhotoEdit Figure 4 Courtesy of Microsoft Corporation Figure 5 Courtesy of Veo Intl Courtesy of Socket Communications Inc O Gustaf Brundin istockphoto com Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Figure 6 Kaluzny Thatcher Getty Images Figure 7 Courtesy of Microsoft Corporation Courtesy of Microsoft Corporation Figure 8 Yo Getty Images Figure 9 Courtesy of Intel Corporation Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of SMART Modular Technologies Inc 2002 Courtesy of Creative Labs Inc Copyright 2003 Creative Technology Ltd SOUND BLASTER AUDIGY 25 All rights reserved Courtesy of Matrox Graphics Inc Figure 10 Courtesy of Oki Data Amercas Inc Figure 11 Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of Xerox Corporation Courtesy of Epson America Inc Figure 12 Courtesy of Xerox Corporation Figure 13 Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of NEC Mitsubishi Electronics Display of America Inc Figure 14 Courtesy of Acer America Corp Image courtesy of TabletKiosk Courtesy of Archos C
66. ntelliMouse or Optical Mouse Yes External or Removable Hard Disk 512 MB Sound Blaster Compatible Yes Yes 6 2 Windows Vista Home Premium Windows Vista Business Office Standard 2007 Yes 12 Mo Subscription Cable or DSL Yes 3 Year Limited 1 Year Next Business Day On Site Service Wheel Office Small Business 2007 Yes 12 Mo Subscription Cable or DSL Yes 3 year On Site Service Postage Printer Mobile User Intel Core 2 Duo at 2 33 GHz 1 GB 512 12 100 GB 17 Wide Display 256 MB CD RW DVD DVD RW Portable Ink Jet Yes Yes Close Talk Headset With Gain Adjustment Stereo Touchpad or Pointing Stick and Laser Mouse Built In External or Removable Hard Disk 512 MB Built In Yes Yes 4 1 Windows Vista Business Office Small Business 2007 Yes 12 Mo Subscription Wireless or Dial up Portable 3 Year Limited 1 Year Next Business Day On Site Service Docking Station Carrying Case Fingerprint Scanner Portable Data Projector Large Business User Intel Core 2 Duo at 2 66 GHz 1GB 512 KB L2 500 GB 19 of 21 256 MB CD RW DVD RW 50 ppm Laser Yes Yes Close Talk Headset With Gain Adjustment 5 1 Dolby Surround IntelliMouse or Optical Mouse Yes Tape Drive 4GB Sound Blaster Compatible Yes Yes 9 2 Windows Vista Enterprise Office Professional 2007 Yes 12 Mo Subscription LAN WAN T1 T3 Yes 3 year On Site Service Power User
67. nter or an ink jet printer with higher resolution and features that allow you to print quality photographs Processor For a PC an Intel Core 2 Duo processor at 2 66 GHz is more than enough processor power for application home and small office home office users Game home large business and power users should upgrade to faster processors RAM RAM plays a vital role in the speed of your computer Make sure the computer you purchase has at least 512 MB of RAM If you have extra money to invest in your computer then consider increasing the RAM to 1 GB or more The extra money for RAM will be well spent Scanner The most popular scanner purchased with a computer today is the flatbed scanner When evaluating a flatbed scanner check the color depth and resolution Do not buy anything less than a color depth of 48 bits and a resolution of 1200 x 2400 dpi The higher the color depth the more accurate the color A higher resolution picks up the more subtle gradations of color Sound Card Many computers come with a standard sound card that supports Dolby 5 1 surround and is capable of recording and playing digital audio Make sure it is suitable in the event you decide to use your computer as an entertainment or gaming system Speakers Once you have a good sound card quality speakers and a separate subwoofer that amplifies the bass frequencies of the speakers can turn your computer into a premium stereo system m f PC Video C
68. nverted into a graphic form such as charts Graphics capabilities now are included in most spreadsheet packages FIGURE 28 Stores that sell computer oroducts have shelves stocked with software for sale TEE talc Flyer Microsoft Word Py Hame Insert Page i wout References Mailings Renew view 1 dmg 14 y Pi uo den ta VA oo taneous feet FIGURE 29 Word processing software is used to create letters memos newsletters and other documents WEB LINK 4 Word Processing Software For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click Word Processing Software WEB LINK 4 Spreadsheet Software For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click Spreadsheet Software Prine D AaBibC Ann 2 c No Spacing weno mending Change Sess tet 3 3 3 E E a 3 4 Du Review View i r Soa zi SR k 2 9r ra P Paste lime i Se p Conaitions tomt ind Fins amp J wu u a FS BFS ee formatting as fabie Stes zJfomat 2 Piter Jelet Clpboaet fa 2 bees Eating Ey EP EP EP EP ES Ep Ep Ep Sh Ep ED SD ED cD Vashon s IT Hardware a Services Projected Annual Revenue and Expenditures V
69. o With a CD R you can write on part of the disc at one time and another part at a later time Once you have recorded the CD R you can read from it as many times as you wish You can write on each part only one time and you cannot erase the disc s contents Most CD ROM drives can read a CD R A CD RW compact disc rewriteable is an erasable optical disc you can write on multiple times A CD RW overcomes the major disadvan tage of CD R discs which is that you can write on them only once With CD RWs the disc acts like a floppy or hard disk allowing you to write and rewrite data instructions and information onto it multiple times Although CDs have large storage capacities even a CD cannot hold many of today s complex programs Some software for example is sold on five or more CDs To meet these tremendous storage requirements some software companies have moved from CDs to the larger DVDs a technology that can be used to store large amounts of text and even videos Figure 20 FIGURE 20 A DVD is an extremely high capacity optical disc OPTICAL DISC FORMATS Optical Disc Read Write Erase DVD ROM BD ROM HD DVD ROM Blu ray Gist DVD RW DVD RAM BD RE HD DVD RW FIGURE 21 Manufacturers sell CD ROM and DVD ROM media prerecorded written with audio video and software Users cannot change the contents of these discs Users however can purchase the other formats of CDs and DVDs as blank media and record write
70. om the new ClearIype technology make sure the LCD display has a resolution of 800 X 600 in landscape mode and a 600 x 800 in portrait mode Q Test the built in Tablet PC microphone and speakers Although most application software including Microsoft Office recognizes human speech it is important that the Tablet PC s built in microphone operates at an acceptable level If the microphone is not to your liking you may want to purchase a close talk headset with your Tablet PC Increasingly more users are sending information as audio files rather than relying solely on text For this reason you also should check the speakers on the Tablet PC to make sure they meet your standards Consider a Tablet PC with a built in PC video camera A PC video camera adds streaming video and still photog raphy capabilities to your Tablet PC while still allowing you to take notes in lectures or meetings Review the docking capabilities of the Tablet PC The Tablet Technology in Windows Vista operating system supports a grab and go form of docking so you can pick up and take a docked Tablet PC with you just as you would pick up a notepad on your way to a meeting Figure 57 Wireless access to the Internet and your e mail is essential with a Tablet PC Make sure the Tablet PC has wireless networking Bluetooth Wi Fi a b g WiMAX etc so you can access the Internet and your e mail anytime and anywhere Your Tablet PC also sh
71. onnections or links to other Web documents Figure 35 on the next page shows different types of Web pages found on the World Wide Web today Web pages are stored on computers throughout the world A Web site is a related collection of Web pages Visitors to a Web site access and view Web pages using a software program called a Web browser A Web page has a unique address called a Uniform Resource Locator URL FIGURE 34 wide area network WAN can be quite large and complex connecting users in district offices around the world cellular a connection communications Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part ESSENTIAL INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS ett a portal MB The Wall Breet Menai Onine Business ant n Pio D THE VALL STRET pg e TODAY S NEWSPAPER t R gt Medicare gow The Off cial LAS Govemment Sim Page QD Too Ae Health amp Hun www hhis gov JOURNAL Home i anen Reader Y Pomtabie Yarston Espanr Mailing List a PEOPLE YELLOW PAGES SHOPI IMAGES S VIEO TR N n Mews ial S NEWS our ed Sn UII Medicare 008 NETAORK EN a memi Site far People witt Site Updates
72. or hypertext transfer protocol the communications standard used to transfer pages on the Web The domain name identifies the Web site which is stored on a Web server A Web server is a computer that delivers serves requested Web pages Electronic Commerce When you conduct business activities online you are participating in electronic commerce also known as e commerce Some people use the term m commerce mobile commerce to identify e commerce that uses mobile devices These commercial activities include shopping investing and any other venture that represents a business transaction Today three types of e commerce exist Business to consumer B2C involves the sale of goods to the general public Consumer to consumer C2C involves one consumer selling directly to another Business to business B2B provides goods and services to other businesses protocol domain name path Web page name http www us parks com grand canyon scenic vistas html Grand Cip National Park Scenic Vistas US Parks com Windows Intenet Exple B e 1183 2 http www us parks com grand canyon scenic vistas html ww e Grand Canyon National Park Scenic Vistas US P US Parks amp Travel Guide S Parks Go your whee tlf ir hei WEB LINK E Commerce For more information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click E Commerce l Grand Canyon National Park Sceni
73. ould include stan dard network connections such as dial up and Ethernet con nections Review available accessories to purchase with your Tablet PC Tablet PC accessories include docking stations mouse units keyboards security cables additional memory and storage protective handgrips screen protectors and vari ous types of digital pens FIGURE 57 Tablet PC docked to create a desktop computer with the Tablet PC as the monitor Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part HOW TO PURCHASE PERSONAL MOBILE DEVICE Whether you choose a PDA smart phone ultra personal computer or portable media player handheld navigation device or handheld game console depends on where when and how you will use the device If you need to stay organ ized and in touch when on the go then a smart phone or ultra personal computer may be the right choice Choose a handheld navigation device if you often need directions or information about your surroundings If you plan to relax and play games then a handheld game console may be right for you Busy professionals who are on the move often carry more than one personal mobile device This section lists guidelines you should consider when purchasing a PDA smart phone ultra personal computer portable media player handheld navigation device or handheld game console You also should visit the Web sit
74. ourtesy of Nokia Courtesy of Palm Inc Figure 17 Courtesy of Maxtor Corporation Figure 18 Masterfile Royalty Free Div www masterfile com Photo Courtesy of Iomega Corporation Copyright c 2005 Iomega Corporation Rights Reserved Zip is a registered trademark in the United States and or other countries Iomega the sylized i logo and product images are property of Iomega Corporation in the United States and or other countries Figure 19 Gary Herrington Photography Figure 20 2005 Dell Inc Rights Reserved Courtesy of DeLorme Figure 21 Courtesy of Merriam Webster Inc Courtesy of Memorex Products Inc Courtesy of DeLorme Figure 22 Courtesy of Sony Electronics Inc Figure 23 Sam Lee istockphoto com Marianna Day Massey ZUMA Corbis Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Scrambled istockphoto com Figure 24 Courtesy of SanDisk Corporation Figure 25 Toshiba America Information Systems Inc Figure 26 ITAR TASS Alexander Bundin Landov Figure 28 OMark Richards Photo Edit Figure 33 Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of Fujitsu Siemens Computers Figure 37 Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of Wacom Darrin Klimek Getty Images Figure 40 Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of SanDisk Corporation Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of Avid Technology Courtesy of Seagate Technology Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of Logitech Cour
75. paper on a personal com puter all involve interaction with computers Make a list of every computer you can recall that you encountered over the past week be careful not to limit yourself just to the computers you see Consider how each computer is used How were the tasks the computers performed done before computers existed Write a brief report and submit it to your instructor 2 The Internet has had a tremendous impact on business For some businesses that influence has not been positive For example surveys suggest that as a growing number of people make their own travel plans online travel agents are seeing fewer customers Use the Web and or printed media to research businesses that have been affected nega tively by the Internet What effect has the Internet had How can the business compete with the Internet Write a brief report and submit it to your instructor Practice Test A series of multiple choice questions that test your knowledge of chapter content and key terms Who Wants To Be a Computer Genius An interactive game that challenges your knowledge of chapter content in the style of a television quiz show Wheel of Terms An interactive game that challenges your knowledge of chapter key terms in the style of the television show Wheel of Fortune 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000009000000000000000000009200009 Crossword Puzzle Challenge A
76. re information visit scsite com ic7 weblink and then click Presentation Graphics Software LI Tas 11 u d BN UA c HB z FIGURE 31 FIGURE 32 Presentation graphics software allows the user to produce professional looking presentations mhi aare OO na a xx Database software allows the user to enter retrieve and update data in an organized and efficient manner DarABASE Database software Figure 31 allows the user to enter retrieve and update data in an organized and efficient manner These software packages have flexible inquiry and reporting capabilities that let users access the data in different ways and create custom reports that include some or all of the information in the database PRESENTATION GRAPHICS Presentation graphics software Figure 32 allows the user to create slides for use in a presentation to a group Using special projection devices the slides are pro jected directly from the computer NETWORKS AND THE INTERNET A network is a collection of computers and devices connected together often wirelessly via communications devices and transmission media When a computer connects to a network it is online Networks allow users to share resources such as hardware software data and information Sharing resources saves time and money For example instead of purchasing one printer for every computer in a company the firm can connect a single printer and a
77. rocessed data information Memory consists of chips on a mem ory module lower left of Figure 9 that fits in a slot on the motherboard in the system unit The amount of memory in computers typically is measured in kilobytes megabytes or giga bytes One kilobyte K or KB equals approximately 1 000 memory locations and one megabyte MB equals approximately one million memory locations One gigabyte GB equals approxi mately one billion memory locations A memory location or byte usually stores one character such as the letter A Therefore a computer with 512 MB of memory can store approximately 512 million characters One megabyte can hold approximately 500 letter size pages of text information and one gigabyte can hold approximately 500 000 letter size pages of text information FIGURE 9 system unit on a typical personal computer consists of numerous electronic components some of which are shown in this figure The sound card and video sound card card are two types of adapter cards video card Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part OUTPUT DEVICES Output devices make the information resulting from processing available for use The output from computers can be presented in many forms such as a printed report or displaying it on a screen When a computer is used for processing tasks such as word processing spreadsheets or database
78. rying case will have room for accessories such as spare CDs and DVDs a user manual pens and paperwork Figure 49 FIGURE 49 well designed notebook computer carrying case If you travel overseas obtain a set of electrical and telephone adapters Different countries use different outlets for electrical and telephone connections Several manufacturers sell sets of adapters that will work in most countries ey If you plan to connect your notebook com E puter to a video projector make sure the notebook computer is compatible with the video projector You should check for example to be sure that your note book computer will allow you to display an image on the computer screen and projection device at the same time Figure 50 Also ensure that your notebook computer has the ports required to connect to the video projector You also may consider purchasing a notebook computer with a built in video camera for videoconferencing purposes More than half a million notebook computers are stolen or lost each year If you have critical information stored on your notebook computer then consider purchasing one with a fingerprint scanner Figure 51 to protect the data if your computer is stolen or lost Fingerprint security offers a level of protection that extends well beyond the standard password protection If your notebook computer is stolen the odds of recovering it improve dramatically with anti theft tracking so
79. s 12 Mo Subscription OTHER Card Reader Digital Camera 5 Megapixel 5 Megapixel Internet Connection 1 Year Subscription 1 Year Subscription Joystick Yes Yes PC Video Camera With Microphone With Microphone Port Hub Expander Scanner Surge Protector Warranty 3 Year On Site Service 3 Year On Site Service Wireless Card Internal Internal Wireless LAN Access LinkSys Apple AirPort Point Total Cost FIGURE 43 worksheet is an effective tool for summarizing and comparing components and prices of different computer vendors A copy of the Computer Cost Comparison Worksheet is part of the Data Files for Students To obtain a copy of the Data Files for Students see the inside back cover of this book for instructions Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part Q If you are buying a new computer you have If you have a computer and are upgrading to several purchasing options buying from your a new one then consider selling or trading in school bookstore a local computer dealer a the old one local large retail store or ordering by mail via If you are a replacement buyer your older computer still telephone or the Web may have value If you cannot sell the computer through Each purchasing option has certain advantages Many college classified ads via a Web site or to a friend then ask if bookstores for example sign exclusive pricing agreemen
80. s COM 18 browsers Web COM 21 bytes COM 8 cable broadband COM 29 cameras digital COM 2 COM 6 COM 27 card readers writers COM 2 COM 27 CD DVD drives COM 2 COM 27 CD ROM CD R CD RW discs COM 14 commerce electronic COM 23 communication devices COM 18 20 computers See also specific type components of COM 2 COM 4 operations of COM 3 PC vs Mac COM 30 purchasing See purchasin consumer to consumer C2C e commerce COM 23 control unit COM 8 CPU central processing unit COM 8 data described COM 3 synchronization COM 39 database software COM 20 desktop computers COM 24 32 devices See also specific device communication COM 18 20 display COM 10 input output COM 5 10 storage COM 11 18 digital cameras COM 2 COM 6 COM 27 digital pens COM 36 discs optical COM 14 16 disks storage COM 2 COM 11 13 PHOTO CREDITS display devices COM 10 drives CD DVD COM 2 COM 27 CD ROM COM 14 DVD ROM COM 16 floppy disk COM 13 hard disk COM 2 USB flash COM 2 COM 17 DVD ROM media COM 15 16 electronic commerce e commerce COM 23 electronic spreadsheet software COM 19 ergonomics COM 38 external hard disks COM 2 COM 27 fingerprint scanners COM 34 flash memory COM 17 flat panel monitors COM 10 floppy disks COM 13 formatting magnetic disks COM 11 gigabyte GB COM 8 hard disks drives COM 12 13 COM 27 HD DVDs COM 16 impact printers COM 9 information proce
81. s smart phones PDAs and Tablet PCs use a variety of alternatives for entering data and instructions Figure 5 One of the more popular handheld computer input devices is the stylus A stylus is a small metal or plastic device that looks like a ballpoint pen but uses pressure instead of ink to write draw or make selections Smart phones often include a digital camera so users can send pictures and videos to others Figure 6 FIGURE 5 Users enter data and instructions into a PDA using a variety of techniques take pictures by inserting the card attached to the digital camera in the PDA s card slot use one end of the pen stylus to make selections on the PDA screen and the other end to write on paper scan documents by inserting the card attached to the scanner in the PDA s card slot Start July 31 woer C Doe 1 Active task mE D XI e Dinner with Angie 30P 00 7 30PM 1 2 3 4 5 o 7 8 9 0 e Tab qwe v 5 enter text based messages by pressing buttons on an on screen keyboard transfer data and instructions to and from computer and PDA in its cradle by connecting cradle to computer with a cable FIGURE 6 Many smart phones include a digital camera so users can send pictures and videos to others Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part The Mouse
82. sion is an important one and will require an investment of both time and money Like many buyers you may have little computer experience and find yourself unsure of how to proceed You can get started by talking to your friends coworkers and instructors about their computers What type of computers did they buy Why For what purposes do they use their computers You also should answer the following three questions to help narrow your choices to a spe cific computer type before reading this guide At the end of this guide you ll also find tips on purchasing PDAs smart phones portable media players and other personal mobile devices such as handheld navigation devices and game consoles Y i un Met APTAM M y EP A desktop computer Figure 37a is designed as a stationary device that sits on or below a desk or table in a location such as a T ai home office or dormitory room A desktop computer must be plugged in an electrical outlet to operate A mobile computer such as a notebook computer or Tablet PC Figure 37b is smaller than a desktop computer more portable and has a bat tery that allows you to operate it for a period without an electrical outlet Desktop computers are a good option if you work mostly in one place and have plenty of space in your work area Desktop computers generally give you more performance for your money Increasingly more corporations are buying mobile
83. ssing cycle COM 3 COM 4 ink jet printers COM 9 input device types COM 5 7 Internet and networks COM 20 23 ISPs Internet service providers COM 21 COM 30 joystick wheel devices COM 27 keyboards COM 2 COM 5 COM 27 COM 33 LAN local area networks COM 20 COM 27 LAN access points COM 27 LCD monitor COM 10 Mac computers vs PCs COM 30 magnetic disks COM 11 megabyte MB COM 8 memory cards COM 17 computer COM 8 COM 26 on personal mobile devices COM 37 38 and storage devices COM 11 microphones COM 2 COM 26 COM 27 COM 36 miniature mobile storage media COM 16 mobile computers COM 24 25 modems COM 2 COM 27 COM 29 monitors COM 2 COM 10 COM 26 COM 27 motherboard COM 8 mouse COM 26 COM 27 networks and the Internet COM 20 23 notebook computers COM 7 COM 32 34 online computers COM 20 service providers OSPs COM 21 COM 30 operating systems COM 18 COM 25 COM 26 optical discs COM 14 16 OSPs online service providers COM 21 COM 30 output device types COM 9 10 PC video cameras COM 2 COM 28 PCs vs Macs COM 30 PDAs personal digital assistants COM 6 COM 37 personal computers COM 24 25 personal mobile devices COM 37 39 photo printers COM 9 pointer mouse COM 7 portable storage medium COM 11 ports COM 33 COM 36 power supply notebook computers COM 33 presentation graphics software COM 20 printers COM 2 COM 9 COM 26 programs COM 3 4 purchasi
84. storage and retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher For permission to use material from this text or product submit a request online at http www thomsonrights com Any additional questions about permissions can be submitted by email to thomsonrights thomson com QA Manuscript Reviewers John Freitas Serge Palladino Chris Scriver Danielle Shaw Marianne Snow Teresa Storch Art Director Bruce Bond Cover and Text Design Joel Sadagursky Cover Photo Jon Chomitz Compositor GEX Publishing Services Printer Banta Menasha Thomson Course Technology the Thomson Course Technology logo the Shelly Cashman Series are registered trademarks used under license All other names used herein are for identification purposes only and are trademarks of their respective owners Thomson Course Technology reserves the right to revise this publication and make changes from time to time in its content without notice softcover binding ISBN 13 978 1 4239 1228 6 ISBN 10 1 4239 1228 4 softcover spiral binding ISBN 13 978 1 4239 1230 9 ISBN 10 1 4239 1230 6 hardcover spiral binding ISBN 13 978 1 4239 1231 6 ISBN 10 1 4239 1231 4 Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part ESSENTIAL Introduction gt to Computers and How to Purchase a Personal Computer OBJECTIVES After completing this ma
85. t at the slower rate A laser printer Figure 12 is a high speed high quality nonimpact printer that employs copier machine technology It converts data from the computer into a beam of light that is focused on a photo conductor drum forming the images to be printed Laser printers can cost from a couple hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars for the home and small office user to hundreds of thousands of dollars for large business users Generally the more expensive the laser printer the more pages it can print per minute continuous form paper FIGURE 11 Ink jet printers are a popular type of color printer used in the home Many photo printers which can produce photo lab quality pictures use ink jet technology FIGURE 12 Laser printers which are available e in both black and white and color are used with personal computers as well as larger computers color laser printer Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part Display Devices Output A display device is an output device that visually conveys text graphics and video information Devices A monitor is a display device that is packaged as a separate unit Two basic types of monitors For que i qe are the flat panel monitor and CRT The LCD monitor the most popular type of flat panel mon visit scsite com ic aes itor shown on the left
86. terial you will be able to 1 Define the term computer and discuss the four basic computer operations input processing output and storage 2 Define data and information 3 Explain the principal components of the computer and their use 4 Describe the use of magnetic disks USB flash drives and other storage media 5 Discuss computer software and explain the difference between system software and application software 6 Identify several types of personal computer application software 7 Discuss computer communications channels and equipment and the Internet and World Wide Web 8 Define e commerce 9 Explain how to purchase a personal computer Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part omputers are everywhere at work at school and at home In the workplace employees use computers to create correspondence such as e mail memos and letters calculate pay roll track inventory and generate invoices At school teachers use computers to assist with classroom instruction Students complete assignments and do research on computers At home people spend hours of leisure time on the computer They play games communicate with friends and relatives using e mail purchase goods online chat in chat rooms listen to music watch videos and movies read books and magazines research genealogy compose music and videos retouch photographs and p
87. tesy of Microsoft Corporation Courtesy of Zoom Technologies Inc Courtesy of ViewSonic Corporation Courtesy of Microsoft Corporation Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of Hewlett Packard Company Courtesy of Intel Corporation Courtesy of Kingston Technology Courtesy of UMAX Courtesy of Logitech Courtesy of Logitech Courtesy of SanDisk Corporation Courtesy of 3Com Corporation Courtesy of D Link Corporation D Link Systems Inc Figure 48 PRNewsFoto Mindjet LLC Figure 49 Courtesy of Fujitsu Siemens Computers Figure 50 Courtesy of InFocus Corporation Figure 51 Digital Archive Japan Alamy Figure 52 Patrick Olear PhotoEdit Figure 55 Courtesy of Motion Computing Figure 57 Courtesy of Motion Computing Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part
88. to store on your device The hard disk size may range from 4 GB to more than 80 GB Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc All Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part Practice with the touch screen handwriting recognition and built in keyboard before deciding on a model To enter data into a PDA smart phone and some ultra personal computers and handheld game consoles you use a pen like stylus to handwrite on the screen or a keyboard The keyboard either slides out or is mounted on the front of the device With handwriting recognition the device translates the handwriting into a computerized font You also can use the stylus as a pointing device to select items on the screen and enter data by tapping on an on screen keyboard By practicing data entry before buying a device you can learn if one device may be easier for you to use than another You also can buy third party software to improve a device s handwriting recognition Decide whether you want a color display PDAs ultra personal computers some handheld navigation devices and some handheld game consoles usually come with a color display that supports as many as 65 536 colors Smart phones also have the option for color dis plays Having a color display does result in greater on screen detail but it also requires more memory and uses more power Resolution also influences the quality of the display Compare battery life
89. ts of the computer The six primary components of a computer are input devices the processor control unit and arithmetic logic unit memory output devices storage devices and communications devices The processor memory and storage devices are housed in a box like case called the system unit Figure 3 shows the flow of data information and instruc tions between the first five components mentioned The following sections describe these primary components FIGURE Most devices connected to the computer communicate with the processor to carry out a task When a user starts a program for example its instructions transfer from a storage device to memory Data needed by programs enters memory either from an input device or a storage device The control unit interprets and executes instructions in memory and the ALU performs calculations on the data in memory Resulting information is stored in memory from which it can be sent to an output device or a storage device for future access as needed CONTROL ARITHMETIC UNIT LOGIC UNIT ALU instructions data information ES information DEVICES DEVIC instructions data information DEVICES Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part INPUT DEVICES F WEB LINK Input Devices An input device is any hardware component that allows you to enter data programs commands For more information
90. ts the computer dealer will buy your old computer An with computer manufacturers and thus can offer student increasing number of companies are taking trade ins but discounts Local dealers and local large retail stores however not expect too much money for your old computer more easily can provide hands on support Mail order com Other companies offer free disposal of your old PC panies that sell computers by telephone or online via the Web Figure 44 often provide the lowest prices but extend less Be aware of hidden costs personal service Some major mail order companies how Before purchasing be sure to consider any addi ever have started to provide next business day on site serv tional costs associated with buying a computer such as an ices A credit card usually is required to buy from a additional telephone line a cable or DSL modem an unin mail order company Figure 45 lists some of the more popular terruptible power supply UPS computer furniture a USB mail order companies and their Web site addresses flash drive paper and computer training classes you may want to take Depending on where you buy your computer If you are buying a used computer stay with the seller may be willing to include some or all of these in name brands such as Dell Gateway Hewlett computer purchase price Packard and Apple Although brand name equipment can cost more most brand name computers have longer more comprehensive
91. ve Date 10 12 07 Expiration Date 100120 System amp Serial Numbers HOW TO PURCHASE A NOTEBOOK COMPUTER If you need computing capability when you travel or to use in lectures or meetings you may find a notebook computer to be an appropriate choice The guidelines mentioned in the previous section also apply to the purchase of a note book computer The following are additional considerations unique to notebook computers Purchase a notebook computer with a sufficiently large active matrix screen Active matrix screens display high quality color that is view able from all angles Less expensive passive matrix screens sometimes are difficult to see in low light conditions and cannot be viewed from an angle Notebook computers typi cally come with a 12 1 inch 13 3 inch 14 1 inch 15 4 inch or 17 inch display For most users a 14 1 inch display is satis factory If you intend to use your notebook computer as a desktop computer replacement however you may opt for a 15 7 inch or 17 inch display Dell offers a notebook computer with a 20 1 inch display that looks like a briefcase when closed Notebook computers with these larger displays weigh seven to ten pounds however so if you travel a lot and portability is essential you might want a lighter com puter with a smaller display The lightest notebook comput ers which weigh less than 3 pounds are equipped with a 12 1 inch display Regardless of size the resolution of the
92. war ranties are better supported and have more authorized centers for repair services As with new computers you can purchase a used computer from local computer dealers local Hewlett Packard hp com large retail stores or mail order via the telephone or the Web CompUSA compusa com Classified ads and used computer sellers offer additional out lets for purchasing used computers Figure 46 lists several major used computer brokers and their Web site addresses Type of Computer Company Web Address CNET Shopper Shopper cnet com TigerDirect tigerdirect com Dell dell com Gateway gateway com Macintosh Apple Computer Store apple com ClubMac clubmac com MacConnection macconnection com PC amp MacExchange For an updated list of mail order computer companies and their Web site addresses visit scsite com ic buyers ee P Errant ose here ona Enn Chica s dd FIGURE 45 Computer mail order companies Notebooks Company Web Address Amazon com amazon com TECHAGAIN techagain com American Computer Express americancomputerex com EFS E2018 XP 5 E210 Uhr hemide i i opm Fog Lide B IL LT ET MEDIE Perla NNI Pye pei pie TICA Depp 5 U S Computer Exchange usce org modii T rendi diae qal TI NIE m paces alf fa Lgs monies eBay ebay com FIGURE 44 Mail order companies suc
93. which is available through local telephone companies also may require that you subscribe to an ISP Cable is available through your local cable television provider and some online service providers OSPs If you get cable then you would not use a separate Internet service provider or online service provider Copyright 2008 Thomson Learning Inc Rights Reserved May not be copied scanned or duplicated in whole or in part If you are using a dial up or wireless connec Service Web Address tion to connect to the Internet then select an America Online OSP aol com ISP or OSP AT amp T Worldnet ISP www att net You can access the Internet via telephone lines in one of two Comcast OSP comcast net ways an ISP or an OSP Both provide Internet access for a monthly fee that ranges from 6 to 25 Local ISPs offer Compuserve 5 Internet access to users in a limited geographic region EarthLink ISP earthlink net through local telephone numbers National ISPs provide Juno OSP juno com access for users nationwide including mobile users through NetZero OSP local and toll free telephone numbers and cable Because of their size national ISPs generally offer more services and MSN OSP have a larger technical support staff than local ISPs OSPs fur Prodigy ISP OSP myhome prodigy net nish Internet access as well as members only features for For an updated list of national ISPs and OSPs and their
94. y to carry For what purposes will you use the computer Having a general idea of the purposes for which you want to use your computer will help you decide on the type of computer to buy At this point in your research it is not necessary to know the exact application software titles or ver sion numbers you might want to use Knowing that you plan to use the computer primarily to create word processing spreadsheet database and presentation documents however will point you in the direction of a desktop or notebook com puter If you want the portability of a smart phone or PDA but you need more computing power then a Tablet PC may be the best alternative You also must consider that some application software runs only on a Mac while others run only on a PC with the Windows operating system Still other software may run only on a PC running the UNIX or Linux operating system Should the computer be compatible with the computers at school or work If you plan to bring work home telecommute or take dis tance education courses then you should purchase a com puter that is compatible with those at school or work Compatibility is primarily a software issue If your com puter runs the same operating system version such as Microsoft Windows Vista and the same application soft ware such as Microsoft Office then your computer will be able to read documents created at school or work and vice versa Incompatible hardware can becom

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