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Author: Eric Dover

Departments: Dell discount pricing via bulk-purchase initiative

Posted on by Eric Dover

This year, Information Technology Services has negotiated low-cost computers from Dell as part of the bulk-purchase initiative that is conducted twice a year. We are pleased to be able to provide one desktop, one laptop, and two monitor options at aggressive pricing.

As in past years, each department will be able to order the computers directly through Dell using the provided quotes. The following is a breakdown of the specs:

Desktop for $538.00 (Quote_513513540 in PDF format)

  • Processor – Core 2 Duo E7500/2.93GHz, 3M, 1066MHz, FSB
  • Memory – 4GB, Non-ECC, 800MHz DDR2, 2x2GB
  • Video Card – Integrated Video, GMA3100
  • Hard Drive – 160GB SATA 3.0GB/s and 8MB Data Burst Cache
  • Optical Drive – 16X DVD+/-RW SATA
  • Monitor  – None Included
  • Warranty – 4-Year Next Business Day Parts and Labor Onsite

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Travelers: Beware of international data-roaming rates

Posted on by Eric Dover

With the proliferation of smartphones in the last few years, more consumers are using data services such as e-mail, streaming video, web surfing, or other activities that require access to data through a mobile network from smartphones. Consumers are accustomed to the “all you can eat” data plans that can be used everywhere, which enhance productivity and support the interaction with information in new ways.

Those who travel abroad with data-enabled smartphones are used to higher roaming rates per minute for telephone calls and seek cheaper alternatives for overseas voice calls. However, data roaming is an entirely different beast. Many smartphones will silently ping various data services for updates on new information, which ranges from e-mail and instant-messaging applications to GPS-enabled street maps. All of this traffic requires data plans, which on overseas jaunts can add up to big bucks.

For example, AT&T charges $0.0195 (about 2 cents) per kilobyte; downloading a 1-megabyte file could cost about $20. For a consumer who uses about 50 megabytes of data on a phone the cost would be $975 if AT&T roaming rates were applied.

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Alternative for Oracle Calender access on a BlackBerry

Posted on by Eric Dover

A lot of folks have been using the application SyncJE to sync their BlackBerry with the K-State Oracle Calender system, with varying levels of success. A work-around for those experiencing issues is to check your K-State Oracle Calender from the BlackBerry web browser.

To do this, go to the kcalendar.ksu.edu address in the web browser and sign in with your K-State eID and password. The formatting is not perfect, but you’ll be able to see appointments for the day as well as past and future appointment information.

Dell computer quotes for department purchases

Posted on by Eric Dover

This spring, IT staff from across campus worked on the annual bundled pricing of Dell computers. The team negotiated a total of five different computer packages, with two packages below $1,000. As in past years, each department is free to use the included quotes to purchase directly from Dell. Ordering instructions are at the bottom of each quote. This year’s packages and quotes are as follows:

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Tips for buying a Netbook computer

Posted on by Eric Dover

A new computer craze has been hitting the IT world over the last year. It’s called Netbooks. These tiny, ultra-portable computers are attractive for those looking for inexpensive, ultra-portable computing power. The concept appears to have evolved from the One Laptop Per Child initiative that sought to make small, portable, cheap, kid-friendly computers. A promotion during the 2007 Christmas shopping season gave one computer to a child in need and one to the purchaser for $400 total. This promotion was met with strong enthusiasm from the media and had mobile workers excited about the possibility of small, cheap computers.

The excitement turned to frenzy when Asus announced their consumer-oriented Netbook–the Eee PC. This Linux-powered computer sold for around $250 and is the catalyst for the current Netbook boom. In a span of a little over a year, we have gone from one manufacturer making Netbooks to nearly every computer manufacturer offering  some version of a Netbook. With the proliferation of the Netbook platform,  a rough guide to help with the quest for that perfect Netbook is provided below.

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Skype voice-over-IP arrives for iPhone

Posted on by Eric Dover

On Monday, March 30, the official Skype client arrived for the iPhone. This application offers inexpensive voice-over-IP calls to anywhere in the world. It also allows individuals to chat with other Skype users via instant messaging and make free Skype-to-Skype calls.  Currently, the voice-over-IP feature only works on WiFi networks. Check out the iTunes App store for more details and to get this much anticipated app for free.

Twitter not just a “what am I doing now” service

Posted on by Eric Dover

Twitter started out as a micro-blogging system that served the basic function of answering the question, “What am I doing now?” Over the last few years, this status-update service has grown in different directions, all of which have been user-driven. Although there are plenty of “I’m at work” updates floating around Twitter, users are expanding the horizons of Twitter into an emergency-update service, information exchange, marketing system, and a more robust status-update system.

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Amazon Kindle books now available in iPhone, iPod touch

Posted on by Eric Dover

Last week Amazon released a free Kindle application for the iPhone and iPod touch through the Apple App Store. This application allows you to read Kindle books on your iPhone or iPod touch. Currently you can read books purchased through your Kindle or directly from the Amazon Kindle web store.

The app does not yet allow for the direct purchase of books. To buy books from the iPhone and iPod touch, you will need to go to the Amazon Kindle store website using the Safari browser on an iPhone or iPod touch.

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Learn to play an instrument with Apple’s GarageBand application

Posted on by Eric Dover

garageband-basic-lessonsIn the new version of Apple’s iLife 09 application suite, GarageBand has received a big update and one really cool feature. Apple has added a feature to help people learn to play either the guitar or the piano.

The basic lessons are free and can be downloaded through the lesson store built into GarageBand. These lessons cover the fundamentals of playing a new instrument and guides users through learning to play a basic song.

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