Edwin Brett

Acer may be planning a major break from traditional notebook design with a dual-screen model reportedly leaked late Saturday.

Preparing for college is not only daunting but expensive, but it doesn't have to be. We've got some tips and tricks to help make the whole process easier.Sure, most students aren't heading off to college until later this summer, but if you're fresh to the university halls or you're looking for a fresh start at school, now's the time to get started. Here's a look at some of the most important hardware, software, and textbook tools you'll want in your arsenal when you matriculate. Hardware Choosing a Computer Forget the Mac or PC debateyou can make that choice on your own. The important thing is figuring out what type of machine you're going to need. It's unlikely that you'll want to head off to college with a desktop machineunless you're studying video editing, music production, or something like thatso we'll concentrate on laptops. First things first: You're going to need to figure out your optimal screen size and resolution. Most students can get by with a 13" screen and should, because it generally provides a decent resolution (at least 1280x720) and it's not too much trouble to carry around. If you're looking to drop some weight, you can consider options like the MacBook Air or DELL Adamo, but you'll be paying considerably more for considerably less in those cases. If you have cash to burn and just plan to use your machine for typing papers and taking notes in class, a pricey compact notebook might be right up your alley. Say you're going into graphic design; you're probably going to need additional screen real estate. A 13" screen probably won't cut it in your case, and you should consider something larger. On the other hand, most laptop displays aren't ideal, and if you're looking for a large screen and a better panel (for color accuracy, viewing angle, etc.), you may be better off purchasing an external monitor instead of paying more for a larger laptop screen for the best of both worlds. Your situation is going to dictate the type of machine you need, and there are too many variations to cover here. Instead, here are some important things to consider when choosing a machine for college: Does your schoolwork require a fast machine? Ideally you'd like your computer to last you the four years you're at college, but if you don't need the fastest machine on the market don't get it. There are plenty of other things you can buy with the leftover money (or you can just save it). Are you doing any graphic design, video editing, or other type of media work? Figure out if the software you'll need for your classes makes use of your GPU. If it does, make a good graphics card a consideration when choosing a machine. The size and weight of a laptop becomes especially important when you're carrying it around all day. Battery life can be a huge issue if you're spending long hours in class. If your class schedule is scattered, you may have time to charge in between. Maybe you'll even be blessed with outlets in the classroom so you don't have to worry about running out of juice. More than likely, though, you'll need your battery to last you at least four hours. Try to choose a laptop that's rated for quite a bit longer to ensure you'll get the battery life you need. But if that level of battery life just can't be possible you can always look at purchasing additional batteries or external power sources. Before you do that, however, try to get the most out of the battery you already have. We've looked at several ways to extend your laptop's battery life: maximizing your Window's laptop battery, 15 ways to increase battery life, extend your battery life with the right browser, and five tips for increasing your laptop's battery life. Getting a traditional laptop isn't your only option. Being champions of portability and battery life, netbooks and iPads are other possibilities for certain kinds of students. While I enjoy both, I personally don't see either being the best choice for studentsat least exclusively. Even 11.6" netbooks are still a bit cramped with screens packing in enough resolution to make the average person's eyes tired. The iPad is also geared more towards consumption than productivity, so it isn't necessarily an ideal choice for a student. But if you're fortunate enough to be able to afford a supplementary device used primarily for note-taking and reading, reserving your main laptop for the real work, you might not want to rule out either device. Getting a Discount Welcome to the wonderful world of student discounts. It makes buying a new machine a little easier since you'll bepotentiallysaving $100 or more. While these savings aren't as phenomenal as the software discounts you'll receive, they're generally pretty helpful. If you're looking at buying a Mac, you'll need to use Apple's School Finder to get your discount. Another lesser-known option for gaining a massive Apple hardware discount (mainly on higher-end hardware) is to sign up for a student developer membership via the Apple Developer Center. While it'll cost you $99, you'll be allowed one discounted hardware purchase. In some cases the discount will more than pay for the cost of the membership, but be sure to check before you purchase. A link to the ADC Hardware Purchase Program Store is available on this page (you need to click through from the page, which is why there's no direct link here). You only get to use this discount once in your entire lifetime, so choose wisely. If you're looking at buying a Windows PC, the discounts will vary. Most major manufacturerssuch as HP, DELL, and Sonyoffer student discounts on their hardware, but not every discount is equal. You'll want to compare machines from each brand you're considering and check the discounts offered. Don't forget to factor in the cost of shipping as well. Often ordering direct can land you higher shipping costs than you'd accrue with an online retailer. Tax is another issue. While student discounts are great, often times your tax rate will negate them entirely. In some cases, like in the great state of California, sales tax is so high that your student discount won't actually help you save money. When tax bloats the cost of the machine, it's worth looking at online retailers. Generally an online retailer will offer a lower price than the manufacturer, and because you can avoid tax and shipping in most cases (especially if you sign up for Amazon Student), you may end up saving money by forgoing your student discount altogether. Before you assume your student discount is the best route to saving you some cash, calculate your discounted total with tax and compare it to the deals available through your preferred online retailers. Secure Your Purchase Depending on your living situation, the need for security can take a few forms. In dormsespecially with roommates who may be bringing people in you don't knowyou're going to need to make sure your laptop is safe. While tethering your laptop to your desk is something you probably won't do, you need to make sure you keep it somewhere safe. Work out a plan with your roommate to look after your stuff when you're out and s/he's home. Ask a friend to watch your laptop if you need to take a bathroom break while studying in the library. If you have friends you can trust, they'll prove to be better security than an inanimate object. If the worst does happen and your laptop is stolen, you're going to want to make sure all of your data is backed up. We've created a fool-proof automatic backup plan using Mozy, but if you'd like to figure out your own plan you should consider the following: Ideally you want to follow Peter Krogh's 3-2-1 backup rule, which states you need 3 copies of any important file, 2 different media types, and 1 copy stored off site. That means you'll need an external hard drive (discussed later) for backing up locally and an online service of your choice (such as Mozy, Backblaze, or Carbonite). Figure out what you need to back up and what you don't. If your computer were to be stolen or your hard drive were to crash, you'd probably be able to reinstall much of what's on your machine already. What really matters is backing up irreplaceable, unique files like your schoolwork. For that purpose, something like Dropbox (a Lifehacker favorite) may do the trick-especially when you get 2GB of storage for free (which grows as you invite your friends). Backup isn't just about having the latest copy of a file, but several older copies as well. If keeping multiple versions is important to you, you'll want to take this into account when designing your backup plan. For a fee, Dropbox will keep multiple versions of your files. For Mac Users, OS X's built-in Time Machine will manage several versions as well. If you want to get a little geeky, you can set up a shared web hosting account (here are some recommendations) and use Subversion to keep track of multiple versions of your work. Software The software you'll need when heading off to college is going to vary based on your major, but there are a few staples every college student should explore. Note-taking Regardless of your major, you're going toat some pointfind yourself in a position where you're taking notes. While it would be easy to say use Evernote and be done with it, that doesn't necessarily cover all your bases. Microsoft OneNote is a popular choice on Windows, as is Circus Ponies Notebook on OS X. If you're simply looking to capture (mostly) plain text, Simplenote may be what you're looking for. The Office Suite On Windows, the standard is Microsoft Office, of course. On the Mac you can get Office too, but Apple's iWork is a worthy alternative (in some cases). If you're running Linux or are just looking for a cross-platform and

7 diggs in Technology 19 months ago

Old spice guy replies Kevin Rose via twitter again, in a towel.

Dearest Kevin,\r\n\r\nI know you've been under the weather lately and I made a little video to help cheer you up. Stay well, my brainiac friend!\r\n\r\nSincerestly,\r\nThe Old Spice Man

The latest Microsoft operating system may be selling seven copies a second, but it's no match for the behemoth Windows XP, still the most popular OS in the world despite recent nefarious attempts (we kid) to invoke spontaneous shutdowns, slow hard drives and trigger blue screens.

This declassified Lockheed Martin video shows the first flight of the A-12, the super-secret spy plane precursor of the SR-71 Blackbird. Only 15 were made under the CIA's OXCART program. The story of this technological wonder is fascinating.

Google's new YouTube mobile Web site makes the dedicated YouTube software app look arcane.

For half more then half a year now YouTube has supported 1080p videos but today they raised the bar even more by supporting native resolution videos up to 4096p (1096×3072)! While cameras that actually record in this format are quite a bit out of the grasps of the average YouTuber who knows where we will be in five more years.

An iphone app to help you get through your to-do lists by turning them into quests and showering you in XP and loot...This is freaking genius