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Having used a desktop computers and notebook computers that had been officially supplied by the company where I was employed, there was no need to worry about what type of notebook computer or whatever configuration that was required in my work.

So when I finally had to purchase my own notebook computer for personal private use, I found myself facing a myraid of questions. Just what should I look out for when buying my own notebook computer?

First, I found I had to quantify my own needs for a notebook computer. Having quantified my needs, which was to do a lot of number crunching and to perform technical analysis and charting of stock prices online, I found that even low priced models could perform work that was demanded by my needs.

I was pleasantly surprised that my needs did not demand a high priced model.

Secondly, the notebook computer I required would need to be sufficiently light. In the process of identifying the notebook computer, I decided I did not need a subnotebook, as most notebook computers weigh between 5 to 7 kg, with a subnotebook weighing at 5 kg or less.

The standard notebook computer was sufficient for my needs coming with some wordprocessing software that was already installed as part of the package that comes with the computer and with Internet access capabilities. All I need was to install my specialized technical analysis program to monitor the stock prices.

At the same time, advances in notebook computer technology ensured that I had wireless technology and can hook up online at any hotspot outlet. This would allow me to have mobile wireless access anywhere I go. I could also use a pen drivefor additional mobile storage.

Finally, I also decided that I really do not need to use the provided upgrade functionality for the notebook, perferring to use the notebook for a period of two years at most. This was because I discovered parts and accessories were expensive, and going the way of upgrades to be expensive. Changing to a new model completely after two years appear to be a better proposition in terms of more power, functionality and cost savings.

Having made these decisions, the next step was to go online for a price comparison. Shopping online allowed me the convenience of researching each one of the notebook computer that caught my attention, without feeling pressured to make a quick decision.

There were some sites that allowed the added convenience of comparing different models side by side, and doing so was very useful in helping me to make my final decision on the notebook computer.

If you are faced with the task of purchasing your own notebook computer, the considerations which I have mentioned above will help you in your initial selection in making a wise decision.

Peter Lim is a Certified Financial Planner and webmaster. For more helpful information and reference materials that he had gathered while researching for his own notebook computer, visit Peter’s website on “Buying Your Notebook Computer” at best-notebook-computers.revenuemonitor.biz

Most Americans have cell phone plans with contracts that call for a certain number of minutes per month.

For example, your plan might include 450 minutes per month. If you go over that limit, you pay extra for the extra minutes. Use fewer than the 450 and, chances are, you lose the minutes you didn’t use.

An alternative to this kind of plan, that’s becoming increasingly popular with some Americans is a prepaid plan, often called pay-as-you-go. In this type of plan, you pay in advance for a certain number of minutes, then use them at your own pace. The advantages to this is that there are no surcharges, and you never have to worry about going over an allotted number of minutes.
The way these plans work is that you contact a service provider, and load minutes into your account. There is no contract and no big penalty if you drop out.

You could talk 500 minutes one month, and 200 the next. You will find that with some of the cell phone service providers, your unused minutes expire at the end of the month in which you purchased them. However, with others, you can roll over your the unused minutes - so long as you buy new minutes the next month.

This concept makes good sense for a lot of people. For example, there are many Americans who carry a cell phone for use only in emergencies or for short calls home. So even those plans that offer 250 minutes don’t make sense for them. There are also families who want to control how much time their kids spend on their cell phones. And if you’re on a budget, a pay-as-you-go plan will save you money as there are never those weird surcharges that can run up a $39.95 plan to more than $50.00 a month.

Most of the major carriers have new or expanded versions of prepaid plans. If you feel that one of these plans might make sense for you, contract several different companies for information as there are vast differences in pricing. For example, some carriers charge a flat fee per minute. In some cases the cost per minute goes down, the more minutes you buy.

On the other hand, there are other companies that charge much less per minute, buy levy a daily rate regardless of use. Some of these plans allow roaming and some don’t. Finally, unless you already have a handset that works with the pay-as-you-go plan you have chosen, you will probably pay more for the cell phone itself. This is because wireless companies heavily subsidize these phones, knowing that their customers will be locked into their service for 12 or even 24 months.

The major downside to prepaid plans is that you will most likely pay more per minute. For example, the Cingular GoPhone plan costs $0.25 per minute. In comparison its Nation 450 with Rollover gives you 450 anytime minutes for about $0.08 per minute (plus 5,000 nights and weekend minutes and unlimited calls to toher Cingular subscribers). Of course, requires a two-year contract and any minutes over the 450 per month will be billed at a cost of $0.45 each.

Monthly service plans are probably still the best bet for most people. But if you feel you are using your cell phone less than 300 minutes a month, or just prefer to not have a contract or a monthly bill, a prepaid plan just might be what the doctor ordered.

Have you heard about HD radio technology? It makes AM sound as good as FM and FM sound almost like you were listening to a CD … and its free! To learn more about this amazing new technology, just go my Web site, http://www.hd-radio-home.com, to get all the buzz. Douglas Hanna is a retired marketing executive and the author of numerous articles on HD radio and family finances.

The number of cell phone users have grown tremendously over the years. It is quite unprecedented to think that millions of people are already using a technology that could still be considered just getting out of its infancy. Of course, because of the insane level of acceptance for cell phones it is but natural that other markets that can be considered as products of the cell phone craze have popped up to take advantage of the public’s fascination with cell phones.

The market has been flooded with many phone-related products ,accessories and utilities. This phenomenon can be directly linked to the fact that if people are not using their cell phones, they would like to watch it. This attraction for looking at cell phones has resulted in the rising popularity of cell phone screensavers. Cell phone screensavers are just like any other screensaver in that it is a picture or maybe moving graphic that is activated when a cell phone has been left in a state of inactivity for a preset period of time. Of course, the time is set by the user of the phone.

Cell phone screensavers are a very colourful and arresting addition to a cell phone although these types of screensavers are harder to find or get hold of compared to computer screensavers. But this situation is changing because more and more people want to install screensavers on their phones. This increase in the market for screensavers will only mean that screensavers for cell phones will become more readily available soon. At present there are phone manufacturers that already incorporate some screensavers as a stock feature on some of their phone models. Screensavers can also be downloaded on the internet or accessed from the service provider that provides your cell phone line subscription.

Cell phones that have an included phone screensavers as a built in feature are gaining ground in the market. There are phone manufacturers who only put one screensaver in their phone handsets while others give users a choice by putting in more than one screensaver. Of course, it is in the internet that cell phone users can go crazy and get the screensavers that they want. The internet offers cell phone users more options in terms of the kind of screensavers that cell phone owners want. There are so many genres that they can choose from for their phones that can fit not only their personalities, likes and hobbies but even their moods. Some of these screensavers can be downloaded for free while others will require a user to pay for the right to download the screensaver.

But before downloading any screensaver from any of the online sites that provide cell phone utilities and accessories, the first thing a user must do is to identify the size of his cell phone’s screen. Some of the most common cell phone screen sizes are 128X128, 101X80, 128X160, 176X220, or 174X132. A user must identify the correct screen size as well as the compatibility of the screensaver with the cell phone before downloading and installing the screensaver in order to avoid any unpleasant compatibility problems or cell phone crashes.

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