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Going to PAX 2009 or Bumbershoot in Seattle? Check out my helpful hints

pax-09.jpgGoing to PAX this year in Seattle, or perhaps catching a few acts at Bumbershoot 2009 (maybe both)?  It seems from what I read on Twitter that we will have a number of people visiting the fair Emerald City for this weekend’s festivities: from what I’ve read, about 75,000 people are expected to attend the Penny Arcade Expo starting tomorrow through Sunday at the Washington State Convention Centre.


(BTW, both PAX and Bumbershoot are sold out so if you don’t have tickets already, try your expensive luck on Craig’s List or eBay…)


Per my tweet tonite, to aid in your visit to the fair city by the Sound, I’ve posted here a few hints along the lines of my notes from Surviving CES in Las Vegas. Using that post as a template, here are a couple of resources for you – I will add to the page later as I have time.


Flight and Hotel: Given the event is sold out, if you don’t already have either of these, good luck.  Checking Bing travel or your favourite travel site may help you find a flight in and out or a place to stay.


Weather? Oh, yes. But pack light and bring a jacket.  Keep in mind that it is cool in the Puget Sound area this time of year (high 60s to low 70s), and the weather will be in the low 50s at night, and a few showers are expected .  Check the weather report for Seattle here. 


Dress in comfortable clothes and wear great, comfortable shoes.  And don’t bring the stylish shoes, go for comfort as you will be standing and walking.  A lot.  My pick: your favourite sneakers (perhaps a cool new pair of Vans), anything from Ecco, Rockport or New Balance. And see also a few travel recommendations from Colin Cowie on packing.


BTW, nix the umbrella: unless it’s winter and it’s coming down in buckets, this is a sure-fire way to telegraph that you’re a tourist. But do bring a jacket (something in a natural toned Goretex a la the grunge scene), as it’ll make you fit right in.


Also, bring a shoulder bag (a messenger bag works well) for hauling around all the schwag you’ll likely pick up and for toting your phone, mini notebook, digital camera, and other essentials: a bottle of water or juice, snack bars and fruit… oh, sorry, I mean Red Bull and Jolt, family sized Hershey’s and a package of gummies.


Plan ahead on paces to see: Before you arrive, check out the http://www.visitseattle.org/ site where you’ll find plenty of information on what to do and see around town (a nice touch is the interactive visitors’ guide), There’s also a good list of the “10 Things You MUST See & Do in Seattle…” including a trip up to The Space Needle, Pike Place Market for all sorts of goodies to eat and local souvenirs, the Seattle Aquarium (ok, that’s our kid’s favourite), and the freaky Underground Tour.


Close to the Space Needle and the Pacific Science Center is the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame. Where else are you going to find more on Jimi Hendrix, Captain Kirk’s chair from the Enterprise (TOS) and the original teddy bear from Steven Spielberg’s A.I.? Only in Seattle. Excellent restaurants are in close range, like the delightful Zeke’s Pizza.


Getting from the airport to anywhere: Remember, if you need to get a taxi cab at the airport, look to the departures area where people are exiting the taxi.  (Just a suggestion, not an endorsement.)  You’ll receive a number of suggested modes of transportation, but always good to pair up (or three or four) with folks going to the same hotel and split the $25-30 taxi fare into town. There are plenty of rental car agencies, airport shuttles (more info here), private transportation and more: be sure to check out the SETAC airport ground transportation page, with more info on public transit options here. (It will be a breeze once the new light rail service between SeaTac/Airport Station and Downtown Seattle starts running in late 2009, just in time for the 2010 Olympics.)


Getting around town: the local Sound Transit system is an easy way to connect around downtown and the surrounding area.  Taxis are readily available from most major hotels, and likely there are a number of places to see within a short walking distance from your downtown hotel. 


If you arrive into SETAC with other folks on the same flight, consider renting a limo or get together an impromptu set of people going to roughly the same hotel into downtown: that way you’ll pay one limo fee, which runs about $35-40 plus tip.  Do NOT pick up just any limo at the airport: as Forrest Gump said, “You never know what you’re going to get.”


Last, unless you plan on traveling outside of downtown, don’t rent a car (take a cab) unless you enjoy paying daily hotel parking rates akin to what you would pay for a flat in SoHo.


Sleepless? There’s free Wireless in Seattle: Oh, you bet there is. First off, you’ll get free wireless at the Seattle Public Library… if all the branches weren’t closed through Sunday, Sept. 6 due to citywide budget cuts. So check out your hotel, the PAX site and check out this link on openwifispots.com for a list of over 200 free wireless hotspots in and around Seattle.


Say hello your new best friend: the hotel concierge.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it here, too: the concierge is your connection when you don’t have connections in town.  When you arrive at the hotel with a concierge on staff, introduce yourself and hand them a business card.  That one move may come in hand later more than you know.  See ‘dinner’ and ‘getting to the airport’ for starters.  If your hotel doesn’t have a concierge, ask the doorman or front desk manager.


As Cowie notes, “ask your concierge to make some reservations for you now at top restaurants so you don’t find that you can’t get in when you arrive there in peak season. Tip the concierge the moment you arrive…”  See, you can learn helpful travel hints from a man that you thought only had great party design sense. 😉


Eating out: You’ll no doubt have some free time one or two nights, and Seattle is a wonderful place. You’ll find plenty of good suggestions via Urban Spoon’s Seattle listings (see their 100 Best Seattle restaurants list), with favourites like the I Love New York Deli, Uli’s Famous Sausage (for hot dogs near Pike Place Market), Bayou on First, Cafe Nordstrom (seriously, the food is very good)…


My personal favourite for a quick lunch: MOD Super Fast Pizza. These pies are awesome and wicked fast.


Best breakfasts: See these suggestions on urbanspoon for breakfast and brunch if you don’t have a complimentary breakfast in your hotel, and if you’re game, check out my favourites La Crêperie Voilà, Dahlia Bakery and the BOKA Kitchen + Bar.


Lunch and Dinner: Around town: Check out the MSN MSN City Guide for Seattle here, as well as their restaurant guide and list of cheap Seattle eats. Also, my favourite web spot for ratings and information is Zagat’s, with links to a few of my favourites. You can also get good customer reviews from OpenTable book many of these restaurants for free via OpenTable.com.


For a nice evening out, check out Purple Cafe & Wine Bar, Shuckers at the Fairmont Olympic, Tulio Ristorante for good Italian, the incomparable Tom Douglas’ Palace Kitchen, the always good Capital Grille and our favourite Thai fusion at Wild Ginger (ooh, it’s good


A note on booking tables… Consider booking your table through your hotel concierge as noted above: if you haven’t called them in advance, ask for their help in booking a table (tip, please) and get their business card with their phone number after you check in… and give them a tip if they offer a direct dial number.  A good concierge may be able to score a reservation to a hard-to-book place: I have found that your best bet is a well-connected hotel concierge if a direct call to the restaurant doesn’t pan out.  Also, look to your credit card company (many offer a concierge service) or try your hand (or mouse) booking a table at OpenTable.com. Many of the restaurants still show availability on OpenTable as of today, so book early.


Stuff to see: Always a good reference for the best restaurants, clubs and activities in Atlanta, see 10best.com lists for Seattle.  I’m guessing that with everything going on at PAX nearly 24 hrs a day you’ll be seeing the convention centre and (maybe) your hotel room for a few hours of shut eye. I’ll add more and any suggestions.


 



Getting to the airport.  Finding a cab on the last day of PAX or any large event in the city is like finding a fishmonger that doesn’t throw fish.  Arrange a car in advance through your concierge for more than one traveler.  Or that concierge you tipped earlier just may have arranged a shuttle for a small group that has an opening.

Have fun.


Added 090409: You can also follow Ann – aka SeattleMaven – on Twitter to get more insight on the info appearing on the VisitSeattle.org site. Follow her for Seattle expertise, tips & hints!


Bumberdetails: How to navigate Seattle’s music and arts festival, with info on how to get tickets, where to park, what to bring and other information, courtesy of the Seattle Times.


Added 012010: Thanks to Stephen Rose for the link to the guide to Bellevue, adding here for MVP 10 attendees: http://www.Bellevue.com for more on restaurants, events, happy hour, nightlife and more. 


Tags: Microsoft, Seattle, Bellevue, PAX, MVP, travel tips.


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Of interest: NetworkWorld with 5 Reasons Macs Can’t Claim They’re Better than Windows 7: the debates will continue

j0438655 As I noted on Twitter today, writer Mitchell Ashley says that he didn’t realize he’d ruffle so many Mac user feathers with his article 5 Reasons Macs Can’t Claim They’re Better than Windows 7 (also available via http://bit.ly/BeSTp)…

I regularly use both Windows and Mac PCs, so any comments that I’ve never used a Mac are bunk. I’ve been using Windows 7 since before its public beta release at the first of this year. I use my Mac for video editing, iPhone development, etc. I love all of my computers equally — my Windows PC, my Mac and my Linux servers. They all do what I ask them to do very well, and I have things about each that I like and things I don’t.

But frankly, the differences in the Windows 7 and Mac OS X platforms from a usability standpoint are pretty much nil. Windows 7 has simplified much of the complexity introduced in Vista and made Windows a very clean and easy-to-use OS. I would even go so far as to predict that the days of Apple trampling all over Windows in the "I’m a Mac" commercials are pretty much over. Not to say Apple won’t go after Windows 7 as soon as Windows 7 has some vulnerability or issue Apple can exploit in a TV commercial. I’ll grant, too, that Apple still has its "cool" factor and Windows isn’t like to encroach on that. But Windows 7 is not only a "good enough" operating system, it is so much better an OS and user experience that Apple will have to think hard before using the same advertising tactics that worked so well on Vista.

He notes a few key points, namely the clean and simple user experience in Windows 7, frequency of Mac crashes, the flexibility and lower cost of PCs overall, PC performance and considerations on computer security.

Coming out with such views, he’s likely set himself up for a few swipes.

I’ll add the rich ecosystem of devices from which to choose – whether you’re looking for a new home desktop PC, a small notebook or a versatile kitchen model or high-end gaming rig with powerful graphics – you can choose the PC that best fits your need. I found that it’s beneficial to consider what Mitchell looks at as a whole. As note here, I use Macs and PCs at home, and Windows 7 is my most often used OS at home and (obviously 😉 at work.

Click thru here to read his five reasons Apple fears Windows 7.

Also, see my previous post which includes a look at the Mac vs. Windows PC debate:

You’ve no doubt seen the latest Microsoft Windows commercials. Well, BusinessWeek’s Arik Hesseldahl has a bone to pick with the math in his article, Mac vs. PC: What You Don’t Get for $699 – BusinessWeek (Byte of the Apple April 15, 2009: "A 17-in. PC may cost a lot less than a 17-in. Mac. But you get less, too, including security, multimedia tools, and, some say, satisfaction."

"Now Microsoft is fighting back with its own advertising campaign. I’ve enjoyed some of its elements. The Seinfeld spots were weird. I was intrigued by some of the "I’m a PC" spots that aired last fall, depicting PC users engaged in a variety of jobs—teaching law, protecting endangered species, blogging for Barack Obama. The message: You can use a Windows PC and still do cool and interesting things. Not bad. Then came the adorable little girls: Kylie, age 4, and Alexa, age 7, e-mailing pictures of fish and stitching together pictures of a fort into one. Microsoft, it seemed, had finally found its advertising voice.

"Yes, $699 beats the $2,800 you’d pay for a Mac with a 17-in. screen. But when it comes to PCs, there’s still a great deal more to buy.

"Add it all up and it’s not hard to imagine Lauren’s $699 computer costing something closer to $1,500."

I’m sure that you’ll see plenty of analysis on his analysis and opinions in the nearly 60 pages of comments, as John Byrne Editor-in-Chief of BusinessWeek.com, noted in his Tweet: "A raging Mac vs. PC debate at BW.com today. Perspectives from readers take up 56 pages on our site for a 2-page story. http://is.gd/sJTP"

I’m reminded of Harry McCracken’s earlier post Microsoft’s New Windows Ads: They’re a Trap! Bwahahahahahahah! (April 5, 2009) in which he muses…

"Can we all agree that it’s always a bad idea to mistake advertising for rational discourse? Axe deodorant won’t cause armies of gorgeous women to throw themselves at your feet. I know of no evidence that cows who live in California are any happier than those in other states, nor that their mood impacts the quality of their milk. Cigarette companies would still be claiming that their products were good for your throat if they could get away with it. After thirty years, I’m still unclear about the benefits of being a Pepper. That’s all fine. (Okay, not the part about the cigarette ads.)

"So I haven’t taken Microsoft’s new ads with shoppers spurning Macs for HP laptops too seriously. Mostly I’ve mused about why they seem to ignore Microsoft’s own contribution to the PC and used them as a springboard for PC-Mac price comparisons of my own. (I’m happy to say that these posts have prompted dozens of comments by members of the Technologizer community cogently taking both pro-Windows and pro-Mac stances–they make for great reading.)

Tags: articles, what I read, twitter, blogs, reviews, Windows 7.

Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, reviews, Windows 7, Challenge-Windows 7

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Announcement: Microsoft Windows Daylight Saving Time and Time Zones Hotfix available for Egypt, Western Australia

Clip art from Office OnlineOnce again, as has happened in the past, a couple of countries will see new changes to their observation of Daylight Saving Time (DST) , this time in Egypt and Western Australia. (see here for 2008 changes in Egypt)


A new Microsoft Knowledge Base article is up – KB 974176 – noting the hotfix now available to update the Daylight Saving Time for the “(GMT+02:00) Cairo” and “(GMT+08:00) Perth” time zones for the year 2009 for Windows Server 2003-based, Windows Vista-based, Windows Server 2008-based, and Windows 7-based computers.



Egypt has announced to change the Daylight Saving Time (DST) to end on midnight August 21st. This hotfix updates the end date of DST for the “(GMT+02:00) Cairo” time zone in 2009. The clock will move one hour backward at midnight between August 20th and August 21st.
Australia has announced the end of Daylight Saving Time for the Western Australia time zone. This hotfix removes the Daylight Saving Time for the “(GMT+08:00) Perth” time zone.
More specifically, this hotfix:



  • Sets DST end date for Egypt at 23:59:59.999 on August 20th, 2009

  • Removes DST for Western Australia time zone.

To get the hotfix, click here to view and request hotfix downloads.


Please note that these packages are call-in/request only packages and will not be released to the Microsoft Download Center or via Microsoft Update Services.  This change will be included in the next DST Windows cumulative package released for all currently supported operating systems in December 2008 (Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista).


As noted in this article, Microsoft strongly recommends that DST and time zone updates be installed on all impacted systems, devices and applications to ensure consistency with current DST rules and time zone settings worldwide. Customers should review the product updates available and posted on this site and at http://support.microsoft.com/gp/dst_prodlist for the latest and updated information of Microsoft products affected by daylight saving time.



An important note for Consumers


For those customers (consumers, small businesses) wondering “Does this mean I have to install the updates manually?” 


No.  Generally, consumers should wait for the updates to be installed via Windows Update rather than download and install these from the DLC.  And for end users who have their PCs managed by a central administrator, your IT folks will handle the distribution and updating of your PCs over the network.  (When in doubt, ask. 😉


Additional information


Please note that where we have heard that changes may be coming to a territory but have yet to receive an official confirmation from a government, we indicate that the changes are “not yet confirmed.”


As a reminder on our cadence (outlined here and in a prior post), our product teams are have moved to a semi-annual product update cadence (with provisions for out-of-band releases as needed).  Following the Windows regular cadence for publishing newly legislated DST rules and time zone updates, our “Cumulative DST and Time Zone Updates” will be released in November/ December (to the Download Centre and via Windows Update respectively) for the coming calendar year; we also provide semi-annual updates (like this one) in the July/August timeframe as needed. 


For each, the window closes for additional updates a few months (generally four to six) prior to the release date. 


As I originally posted here, most Windows applications (and some services) reference the underlying OS for DST and time zone information, but some do not. The product and service groups with offerings that have internal DST or TZ references have agreed to follow the regular schedule for cumulative Windows OS DST & TZ updates. The regular Windows release provide a regular schedule for other product groups to follow, as noted in the DST & TZ Product Update Cadence policy. We hope that this will provide a more predictable way for our customers to anticipate and plan for our cumulative updates


Let us know if you have questions.


Tags: Windows, Microsoft, Daylight Saving Time, Daylight Savings Time, RSS, DST, Egypt, Australia, ; 18,000,000 (up from 3M six months ago); 20,400,000 (up >3M)


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More help and tips in finding that perfect laptop computer, this time from Rob Pegoraro of the Washington Post

image Over swim lessons today, I read Rob Pegoraro‘s article “Tips to boot up your laptop hunt” (which was picked up in today’s local paper) for users looking for new laptops (as I Tweeted today)…



“… many users — college students among them — still need laptops that survive away from desks and power outlets. Neither heavy “desktop replacements” nor ultralight netbooks with tiny screens and cramped keyboards work in that scenario.


“This piece is for those shoppers. What should they consider when looking for a new laptop?”


A good article. (Update: Per Rob Pegararo’s tweet, I’m including a link to his original article in the Washington Post (other coast)at http://bit.ly/LQkOR, and his accompanying blog post at http://bit.ly/eoAX0.)


In addition, I offer some additional information, recommendations and colour commentary in my recent post “It’s nearly back to school time: here’s info on buying a new PC“


But I don’t agree with Rob’s assessment WRT upgrades…



“Both releases look promising, but history suggests that Apple’s upgrade will be easier than Microsoft’s.”


Hmmm… I just completed the upgrades of a couple of machines this weekend to Windows 7 RTM and it went flawless. Many new PCs you might purchase today may also come with a free upgrade to Windows 7 once it ships (aka: general availability or “GA”) on on October 22.


(Added 081609) Also, after reading Rob’s blog post, I disagree with his assessment on the crop of PCs out there..



Once again, the Dell was boring, clean and affordable; the H-P looked stylish but suffered from a high price and a lame set of add-on software; the Toshiba was not so stylish and had an even worse software bundle.


imageWow. I agree that the really low-end machines may not win any style contests, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by many of the new, fairly sleek machines. In the mini notebook category, the HP 2140 mini notebook, and the new crop of laptops from Toshiba (like the PC Mag’s Editors’ Choice Toshiba mini NB200 companion PC) take the cake, as do the newer models from Acer, MSI and Dell. Plus the sleek new Toshiba Portege R600 is quite nice in the more expensive ultralight notebooks, Not to mention new PCs from Sony, Lenovo, HP and particularly the new Dell Adamo.


I agree with the comment that Rob should revisit this post later in the year after a few models ship with Windows 7… say, around late October. 😉


For more on upgrades to Windows 7 once it arrives publicly, I also offer Ed Bott’s update to the Windows 7 upgrade chart.  A good read.


Want to find out more about what laptop is right for you? Check out the Microsoft Windows Laptop Hunters site where you’ll find more information on choosing a new laptop computer via the “PC Chooser” wizard, as well as links to our Windows Laptop Scout site.


Tags: articles, blogs, Windows 7.


Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, how-to, Windows 7, download, backup, Challenge-Windows 7


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It’s nearly back to school time: here’s info on buying a new PC

IMGP1554-smAs I posted on Twitter today, Joel Santo Domingo over at PC Magazine has published a new article, How to Buy a Back-to-School PC. He covers what you should consider when shopping for a new PC for back to school or for you home.

It’s helpful and timely information given the article I recently read from Jonathan Starkey on How to clamp down on spending for college, given how expensive tuition and housing are these days. Starkey said that "It all can add up quickly, but there are ways to stretch a family’s college budget."

This reminds me of my prior post, "What kind of a computer should I buy?" from late last year, with suggestions from Tony Hoffman of PC Magazine:

As per my previous Tweet, I recently updated my answer to a popular question around this time of year: "What kind of a computer should I buy?"  I noted that there is something for everyone, at all price points.  It seems that new PCs are high on many people’s holiday shopping lists, and the price:performance is better than ever before.

This week, Tony Hoffman from PC Magazine has posted a timely article on How to Buy a Bargain Laptop.

"Everyone likes a good bargain—the trick is distinguishing what’s truly a worthwhile deal from something you may regret after you’ve used it a while. We define bargain laptops as ones costing $1,000 or less, though you can find great deals at any price. These days, with retailers going the extra mile in an attempt to boost flagging sales, laptops that might otherwise be out of reach for the frugal shopper have been descending into the affordable zone. Here we’ll look at what you should be able to get for $1,000 or less."

As I noted, you can get a great computer these days for far less than $1,000 depending upon your use.  As I said in my previous post…

"For under $500 at one of the big box office stores (on sale or after rebates), you can find a name-brand notebook with a 15.4-inch screen with (as I concur with many of my associates) a decent 1280×800 resolution, Intel Pentium Dual Core T3200, 120GB HDD, 2GB of memory, six cell battery, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, 802.11b/g wireless and a CD/DVD Burner running Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic (splurge and get Windows Vista Home Premium for a few dollars). 

"For many general computer applications (surfing the ‘net, writing term papers, listening to music and watching DVDs, streaming video from Netflix) this would fit the bill. And more.

"This tops the 1.73GHz Dual-Core processor (T2080), half GB of memory, an 80GB drive and a double layer DVD Burner with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic I noted last year for the same amount."  (Dec 17, 2008)

Today you can get a very good computer under $500 that includes just about twice as much computer as you  were able to get less than a year ago. I found one name brand OEM model with an Intel T4200 (2.0 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB), 2GB of Memory, 160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive, 14.1" WXGA 1280 x 800 LCD screen, SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW optical drive, Wireless-G Networking, on-board camera… 

Even consider the current crop of excellent mini laptops, like the HP Mini 110 XP Edition or crop of new mini notebooks that will arrive with Windows 7 (that’s what I’m waiting for after my positive experience with the Dell Mini, HP 2133 and 2140).

"For under $1,000, you can get a very nice 15" laptop with Core 2 Duo, 4GB, 320GB & DVD Burner (after current discounts).  Or even better if you’re looking for a desktop replacement with a bigger screen, I found a 17" (1440 x 900 resolution) notebook with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5800, 3GB memory, 320GB SATA Hard Drive, Intel 4500MHD Graphics, 802.11g wireless, 8X Slot Load CD / Dual Layer DVD+/-R Drive, 2.0M webcam, 9 cell battery, all running on Windows Vista Home Premium Edition SP1.  (Dec 17, 2008)

"Very nice when you consider a year ago the same amount got you a 17" widescreen with a Core Duo Processor (T2350), 2 GB of memory, 120GB hard drive and DVD SuperMulti drive. Ouch."

Double ouch: today that same $1K will get you a slim notebook with an Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 (3MB cache/2.0GHz/1066Mhz FSB), 4GB SDRAM, Widescreen 15.6" WLED LCD (1920×1080), 500GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-RW optical drive, 512MB discreet video card, Wireless-N, Bluetooth Module and an on-board 2.0 MP camera. Again, nearly twice the PC, and I didn’t look very hard for any big discounts, but I’m sure that you’ll see plenty as people return from vacation and the kids make their way back to class.

For just a little more (under $1,500 SRP before discounts), consider one of the slim beauties like the Dell Adamo, complete with a 1.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB of memory and a 128GB solid state drive in a very sleek package.

Not to mention the incredible deals on home desktop PCs: we added a new desktop PC at home with amazing specs for just about $600 that a year ago cost more than $1,200. You can also find great deals on mainstream desktop PCs for the home for $300-400, especially inexpensive if you have an existing monitor.

Below are the editor’s choices PC Magazine’s Back-to-School PC article…

  • Apple iMac (Nvidia GeForce 9400M)  Apple moves closer to the sweet spot with the iMac (Nvidia GeForce 9400M). This new all-in-one gives you the screen real estate you crave, along with strong multimedia capabilities, and the covetable Apple design, all for a reasonable price.
  • Dell Inspiron 545  The Dell Inspiron 545 gives users something they want: a bundled system with monitor that they can open and start using right away.
  • Compaq Presario CQ5110f  One of the least expensive dual-core systems out there, the Compaq Presario CQ5110f brings the power of dual core to the sub $400 level.
  • Lenovo IdeaCentre A600  With a love-it-or-hate-it design, the Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 gives the value PC buyer an all-in-one option that’s more powerful than that cheap nettop, though power users will want more.

If you’re kids use Macs at school, consider the Apple iMac. Personally, I like the mini form factor desktop PCs from Dell, HP, Lenovo and Acer not to mention the all-in-one designs like HP’s Touchsmart on my desk at home), and laptops from Dell, HP, Sony and Lenovo – but with so many to choose from, you’ll likely find a great PC that meets your needs and price point.

More info: Upgrade or buy a new one? Suggestions from the Seattle Times

Tags: shopping, RSS, Microsoft, New PC, articles, blogs, Microsoft, Windows 7.

Clubhouse Tags: Clubhouse, Windows Vista, Windows 7, computers, hardware, how-to

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