Kansas State University

search

IT News

Category: Buying

Dell warranty options when buying a new computer

Posted on by Eric Dover

When purchasing a new Dell computer for your department, you may wonder “Which is the best warranty to get to ensure that iTAC can service it under the provisions of the warranty?”

Dell offers an array of warranty options that may or may not meet your needs. For the service that iTAC offers, it is recommended to purchase the less expensive “Basic Hardware Service”. This provides a decent savings over purchasing the “ProSupport” service.

Continue reading “Dell warranty options when buying a new computer” →

"Buying a computer for college" computer recommendations updated

Posted on by Eric Dover

The computer specifications for students purchasing new computers or bringing existing computers to campus have been updated for the Fall 2011 semester. The updated specifications can be found on the 2011-2012 Computer Recommendations website.

Continue reading “"Buying a computer for college" computer recommendations updated” →

Today (Sept. 7) is last day of back-to-school computer sales

Posted on by akagdis

Computer back-to-school offers at the K-State Student Union Computer Store end today (Tuesday, Sept. 7). K-State students, faculty/staff, and emeritus with valid K-State IDs can buy qualifying Mac and iPod products and receive an online rebate of up to $199.

Along with a full inventory featuring MacBooks, iPads, iPods, accessories, as well as a select line of Dell laptops, your Authorized Apple Campus store continues to offer education discounts on Student Select Microsoft and Adobe products. The software savings can be as much as 80 percent off of retail prices.

Continue reading “Today (Sept. 7) is last day of back-to-school computer sales” →

Faculty/staff can now buy parking permits online

Posted on by Diana Blake

Faculty and staff can now order a K-State parking permit online using HRIS Employee Self Service. Parking Services announced the upcoming change May 13, and more than 600 faculty/staff permits have already been ordered online since the service went live June 1.

The ordering process is quick and easy. Faculty/staff may reorder the same parking permit as the previous year or select something different. Payment options include payroll deduction, credit card, check, or cash. After completing the online process, a confirmation e-mail is sent to the user.

Continue reading “Faculty/staff can now buy parking permits online” →

K-State computer recommendations for 2010-2011

Posted on by Sarah Silva

K-State’s computer recommendations for students buying a computer to bring to college have recently been updated with the 2010-2011 purchasing guidelines. Intended for freshman/sophomore levels, the recommendations cover operating systems, networking, software, environmental considerations, and more.

The updated website also:

See the K-State 2010-2011 computer recommendations website for more information.

IT Orientation session Feb. 23: Computing at K-State

Posted on by Sarah Silva

Learn more about Computing at K-State at the next one-hour IT Orientation session 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, in 401B Hale Library. It is open to all K-State faculty, staff, and students but requires pre-registration.

Other upcoming IT Orientation sessions this semester include:

  • Library Technology – 10 a.m. Thursday, Mar. 4
  • Emerging Technologies – 10 a.m. Wednesday, Mar. 10

See the IT Orientation website for details on the sessions.

Spotlight: Smartphone pro/cons for holiday purchases

Posted on by Eric Dover

iphone20091208During this holiday season you may be considering purchasing a smartphone. Here is a rundown of some pros and cons of popular smartphones on the market in Manhattan — the iPhone, Droid, Palm Pre, Hero, and BlackBerry smartphones. NOTE: The purchase of a smartphone usually requires the purchase of a data plan.

iPhone pros/cons

Pros

  • Over 100,000 applications available through iTunes Store
  • Plays iTunes content, music, movies, TV shows, pod casts
  • Can purchase apps, music, TV shows and movies from iPhone
  • Integrates well with Zimbra (e-mail, calendar, contacts)
  • Integrates well with Gmail (e-mail, calendar, contacts)
  • Integrates well with MobileMe (e-mail, calendar, contacts)

Cyber Monday has online technology bargains; safe shopping is key

Posted on by Betsy Edwards

Nov. 30 is the first Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday — and is “Cyber Monday”, the now-traditional marketing event for finding big electronics and technology bargains online. According to Wikipedia’s Cyber Monday page, the term was first used during the 2005 holiday season.

Good sites for scoping out technology sales include:

Stay safe online while shopping

Don’t lose your head during all the sales and savings. Read security company McAfee’s Twelve Scams of Christmas, which it calls the “most dangerous online scams that computer users should be cautious of this holiday season.” Continue reading “Cyber Monday has online technology bargains; safe shopping is key” →

Spotlight: Black Friday shopping tips

Posted on by Ryan Hagar

Retailers offer large discounts on Black Friday (the big shopping day after Thanksgiving). Many of them also post their ads online beforehand, so you can do your research and find the best deals. Checking things out online will also help in planning where to go first, for those brave souls that are out and about at 5 a.m. hitting all of the sales.

Also, don’t forget about Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving). [Editor’s note: See the Cyber Monday article in this issue.] Some sites offer deals that are even better than the ones on Black Friday. Shopping online also provides the luxury of not waiting in line at department stores and fighting massive crowds. Continue reading “Spotlight: Black Friday shopping tips” →

Q/A: Windows 7 purchasing options, cost, security, etc.

Posted on by Betsy Edwards

Q. I heard Microsoft released the Windows 7 operating system Oct. 22. When will it be available for individual purchase?

Microsoft is expected to make the Windows 7 software available mid-November at the earliest for academic/educational purchasing, said Chris Loehr, manager of the K-State Student Union Computer Store. He said there are a few points that K-Staters should note:

  1. Academic versions of Windows 7, unlike previous Microsoft products, will only be available to people at schools that have a student-licensing agreement, which K-State has.  Any K-State student or employee with a valid K-State eID can get the educational discount. (Those at other educational institutions without the licensing agreement cannot purchase the software through K-State.)
  2. K-Staters who wish to purchase Windows 7 at the academic/education price must present a current, valid K-State ID.
  3. Departmental purchases of Windows 7 should be done through the university contract with SHI (see the “Software, Large Acc Reseller” contract #07359 link on the K-State Purchasing Contracts webpage) .

Q. What Windows 7 versions are available?

There are three for individuals — Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. See Microsoft’s Windows 7 comparison chart for details.

The SHI contract for departments has Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate.

Q. How much will Windows 7 cost?

Continue reading “Q/A: Windows 7 purchasing options, cost, security, etc.” →