Sanders Media

I’ve discovered that my most indispensable gadget is my mobile phone. I’m sure many of you find the same to be true in your lives. I’ve had two people in my life recently buy new phones, and they seem to have reached different levels of satisfaction. Here are a few questions to consider before you buy a new mobile phone.

1. Is the phone easy to use? This would seem to be a no-brainer, but even I’ve succumbed in the past to a sexy looking gadget, only to find it works terribly. As smartphones grow in popularity, the operating systems running these phones become more important. From personal experience, I can confidently advise you to steer clear of Windows Mobile. I’ve found Apple’s iPhone and the Blackberry OS  to be the most easy to use.
2. How much phone do I need/want? It’s easy to be seduced by the features of some phones. However, you must decide what you’d actually use or like. For instance, even if a phone has a 5.0 megapixel camera, it won’t necessarily take great pictures.
3. Which carriers work best in my area? Ignore the advertising. Commercials have no way of knowing what service will work best for you? Talk to friends and neighbors. Check online. You’ll find a plethora of anecdotal evidence regarding the best service in your area.
4. How is the phone ergonomically? You want the phone to be comfortable. If you’re like me, and carry your phone in your pocket, then you’ll want the phone to be slim. Is it comfortable to hold? It’s no good to have a phone that you can’t wait to “not use”.
5. Is the body of the phone solid? If it feels like a toy phone, then you know you don’t want that phone. One thing I loved about the original iPhone was it’s metal body. That phone wasn’t going to break easily.

Sometimes it’s best to do some research. My best experiences with mobile phones have been those I’ve investigated. Ask yourself these questions, and you’ll likely get a phone you love.

In this tenuous economy, PR and marketing take on even greater importance. For me, the computer industry is interesting to watch. Most PC makers have slashed the cost of owning a new computer. There is one exception; Apple.

They have always tended to shy away from pricing wars, instead banking on the quality of their product. This has given way for the other PC companies to cry foul at the expense of owning a Mac. Steve Ballmer, CEO at Microsoft, is one of Apple’s chief critics. Here are some of his recent comments:

“Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment—same piece of hardware—paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that’s a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be.”

I find several flaws with the Mac-Is-More-Expensive argument. I’ll highlight two. First, look at the total cost of ownership. Macs break down far less. Also, since the hardware stays relevant longer, people spend less on upgrades. Second, Macs are generally more secure. Now I won’t say they are impervious. Far from it, in fact. However, most spyware, malware and viruses are built for Windows. You can read a more complete debunking of this myth here.

I am not here to convert anyone to a Mac. Your choice in computers is a personal one. I just have a problem with misinformation. If people have the truth, they are better able to make wise choices. When buying a computer, that can be a PC or a Mac.

The title comes from this website that encourages people to ditch Internet Explorer as their web browser of choice. This is not a Mac vs. PC issue. Rather, this discussion aims to show users safer, more productive browsers. While Microsoft has upgraded IE over time, they are often several months to years behind their competition in the innovation department. Hackers have found numerous ways to pull personal information from IE users. So here is a list of browsers that you should try. I know there are sites that only support IE. This is lazy design in my opinion, but I’ll save that rant for another day.

1. Mozilla Firefox: This has to be the most popular browser after IE. The Firefox developers are usually at the forefront of innovation. You will find that it is built for speed and security. Firefox is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
2. Opera: This browser out of Norway has a devoted user base. Like most current browsers, it has features such as tabbed browsing and built in web search. Opera is compatible with a slew of operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
3. Chrome: This is Google’s very own web browser. Since they’ve become such a powerhouse in the Web 2.0 world, it is only a matter of time before Google developed a browser. It has some truly innovative features such as improved tabbed browsing, greater support for web applications and incognito browsing. Read this article to see a deeper breakdown of Chrome’s features. Currently, Chrome is only Windows compatible.
4. Safari: This is Apple’s browser. It has many of the same features as the other 3, but it’s sleek, minimalist design will appeal to users who hate clutter. While Safari used to be Mac only, they’ve now added a Windows version.

These browsers are free, and will greatly improve your internet experience. Ditch Internet Explorer and browse happy!