CNET's Holiday Desktop & Laptop Roundup

Purchasing Computers Holiday Update...
Too late for the Fort Smith Library's evening session on purchasing computers and other technology items for Christmas, CNET has compiled its list of desktop and laptop reviews in time for the holiday buying season. To quote from the CNET article:

"The difference from our normal lineup of reviews is that this roundup is concerned with the specific retail models offered by brick-and-mortar stores. These are similar to those you'd be able to configure online from companies such as Dell and HP, but may have slightly different names and features. Even better, thanks to deep holiday discounts, they can sometimes be a better deal than buying direct from a PC maker."

In other words, you can use the article to check out the bargains you spot in retail store advertising through the holidays. The CNET article, with links to specific model information, can be found at:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10389907-1.html?tag=smallCarouselArea.0

By the way, the computer in the picture is the xoxo, a design concept produced by MIT's One Computer Per Child project. Technology is not quite this advanced yet, but we're getting closer every year.

This Thanksgiving Weekend...
We're thankful for all the hard working instructors who volunteer their time and talents, all the participants who attended one or more classes, and the Fort Smith Library and their staff who allow us to use the computer lab for the River Valley Senior classes. A special thanks to Star Locklear who not only serves as registrar for the whole program but compiles and sends the class evaluation results to the instructors so that participant suggestions are heard and incorporated into future classes.

All the best holiday wishes to everyone.

Updated Class Notes: How to Buy a Computer (and other digital devices) for Christmas

The class notes from the November 5th workshop on "How to Buy a Computer (and other digital devices) for Christmas" have been posted online. A joint project of the Fort Smith Public Library and the River Valley Seniors, the workshop was led by P.J. Williams, Computer Services Librarian and B.R. Black, a retired school district technology director. The workshop format allowed for plenty of "show & tell" using the actual electronic equipment being discussed. Questions were encouraged and plenty of participant questions kept the discussion focused on the needs of the class participants.

Responding to several questions on Windows 7, video cameras, and other topics several additional online resources have been added to the notes. The notes are saved in Adobe's .pdf format. If your pdf reader software permits clicking the underlined blue links should connect to the online references. Please note that several of the Consumer Reports links require a subscription, but members of the Fort Smith Public Library can either use the computers available in the main or branch libraries, or use their library card number to gain access to the library's online magazine files with the directions provided in the handout.

In short, we had a lively discussion and everyone seemed to enjoy the exchange.

Click on this link to download a copy of the class notes:
"How to Buy a Computer (and other digital devices) for Christmas"