5 reasons to upgrade your laptop

How many times have you been complaining about starting problems or lag in video playback or fast drainage of your laptop battery? If it is becoming an annoying problem, then it is time to upgrade your machine and revamp it for the ease of usage. Upgrading your laptop is also required to keep up with the dynamic technologies of modern times and also for your changing requirements.

Upgrading a laptop necessarily means hardware up gradation in terms of space, size, weight, compatibility, features, configuration and others. Software applications are dependent on the type of inbuilt hardware, so upgrading also means enabling yourself to work on the latest and advanced software applications, mostly audio, video and gaming applications.
Some of the main reasons for upgrading your old laptop are:

Better Power: If you are looking for higher speed and performance, then you should definitely upgrade your laptop. This means you will get a new high speed processor and will be able to work more effectively and efficiently. Hence, you will be able to work faster, multi-task properly and not put your machine on charge every now and then. This increases your battery back-up significantly. Download options also vary with processors, so you can get a better version.

Better Compatibility: As mentioned earlier, a lot of new softwares or applications have specific hardware and space requirements. They also need higher versions of the OS or video/audio cards, etc. So, to be able to play the latest version of your favourite game, you might need to upgrade your laptop as it is not compatible with your older one. Or, to develop or edit a new video for sharing, you might need the latest video card. This is basically for your changing work or personal requirements.

More Space: With time, your laptop memory space tends to get filled with personal files and you want more and more space to save pictures, videos, movie and others. Upgrading your laptop also gives you more memory space at your disposal or better memory partitioning options. More space in turn enables you to download more softwares and you don’t have to delete others.

New Features: Upgrading your laptop also means you will now have new features in your system. These might include high-resolution camera, touch screen, fingerprint recognition, biometric settings, security features, HDMI or external device features, software features and many more.

Better Resale Value: Old laptops mean old and expired warranty. So, maintenance becomes an issue and you might have to pay recurrently. Moreover, if you want to sell off your laptop later, a latest system will fetch a better price than an outdated system.

If you are facing too many problems with your old laptop, then it is time to think about moving on and changing it for better. You might want to sell off or discard your old laptop before you upgrade to a new one. Don’t be stuck with your old one, when you can get a better one with the latest features at a feasible price.

4 Reasons To Buy A Laptop Screen Guard

People frequently use a screen guard for their mobile phones, but for laptops? Yes, using a screen guard for your notebook can benefit you a lot by making the visual experience of the laptop much better. Today you have a lot of good screen guards in the market for the various models. Let’s look at the top 4 reasons why you should buy one for your device.

Reason 1: Screen Guards can reduce glare
They can reduce the glare on the phone to a great extent. By having a matt finished coat and diffusion, they break up the reflected light from the screen’s surface thus reducing the consistency of the reflected images.
Just this reason is enough for you to buy a laptop screen guard, as it reduces the strain on your eyes by avoiding the need to squint from the glare on the screen. Further, when you need to use the laptop outdoors, you will have ease of using as these screen guards will enhance the display visibility by combating reflections and glare from the bright sun.

Reason 2: Screen Guards can avoid finger prints and also sticky fingers
Today, Laptops have also become touch screen models. So it is vital that you get a screen guard to avoid finger prints or sticking of fingers when using. The screen guards come with a lipophobic coating that can repel the skin oils as well as provide resistance to fingerprints and smudges. Also you have thinner versions that ease the use of movement of fingers on the screen.

Using a screen guard will reduce the use of harsh cleaning agents that might be employed for cleaning the display surface of these smudges, prints, and marks. These agents can affect your screen surface as well as damage the glossy finished look.

Reason 3: Screen Guards can keep away dust, dirt, and bacteria
Be it touch screen or traditional laptops, their constant use can form a layer of dust or stain on the screen surface which may be difficult to clean later on. With a screen guard, these dust and dirt can be kept at bay.

If you are someone who uses the laptop in schools, hospitals or public places which are great breeding ground for bacteria then you should definitely buy a screen guard which has an anti-bacterial property. By using this screen guard that has a specially formulated coating, can kill almost 99% of the common bacteria that may cause stains, odours or other problems on the laptop due to their growth and transmission.

Reason 4: Screen Guards can enhance your privacy
When working on a confidential project, using a screen guard with a screen door property can diffuse others from seeing what you are working on. This screen guard only shows the images when kept in the right position. If the angle is tilted then the contents become masked keeping everything confidential by blocking the view to anyone apart from the user.

So with plenty of benefits, what are your waiting for? Get a screen guard for your laptop today!

5 Reasons Laptops are better Than Desktops

Everyone today has a use for a computer. As a student or professional, getting your personal computer is an occasion to celebrate. But what are you buying – A laptop or a Desktop? The most preferred today by consumers are laptops for many reasons. Let us look at the Top 5 reasons why laptops are better than desktops:

1. Portable:
Laptops are highly portable and mobile. You can simply carry them anywhere and continue with your work interrupted; be it your living room or a coffee shop. But desktops are hard and bulky and cannot be shifted from one place to another. In fact, laptops have revolutionized the corporate world by allowing people to work from anywhere in their own comfort. Being slimmer and of less weight, they can easily be carried around. Even the most powerful gaming notebooks are fairly portable, some with weights around 6 pounds.

2. No need for a constant supply of power:
Laptops can easily work with battery power for a minimum of 3 hours. Depending upon the battery capacity and model, some laptops even work for longer hours. This eliminates the need to be always connected to a power supply which is not the case with desktops. So you can grab a coffee or lunch at your favorite restaurant and still work without being interrupted with a laptop. But make sure you buy a laptop with a long battery backup of 6 to 8 hours.

3. No more wires:
There will be no more annoying wires connecting various accessories to your laptop. The keyboard, mouse, speakers are all inbuilt in your notebook. Even though this is possible on a desktop by going wireless, but you can’t do away with the CPU of your desktop which is connected via a cable and which in turn is attached to a power supply. The only wire you have to deal with in your laptop is your power adapter for charging your battery. But you can do away with that too for a few hours when your battery is fully charged.

4. Size:
Laptops are smaller and more compact without occupying much space when compared to desktops. And they are in every way a real or a complete computer as space and memory of their hard drives are similar to desktops. Even if you can shrink the desktops to the size of laptops, you will not be able to add external disk drives circuit boards, etc. The only thing missing in the laptop will be the processing speed which can be rectified today with higher end Core-i5 or Core-i7 processor laptops.

5. Privacy:
A personal computer is not personal anymore if it does not give us privacy. When you are working on a confidential project for your school or work, you might want to maintain complete secrecy. Only laptops can provide you that secrecy. It can be hidden from plain sight by keeping it in a secure place where no one can have access to unlike a desktop. Desktops need to be set at a place and anyone can have access to it.

So, in every way Laptops make a better choice than Desktops.

5 reasons to spend more on a laptop bag

laptop bagYour laptop needs a good bag to carry it around. If you want things to go smoother, choose a bag which is more durable, lighter and functional. Choosing lower priced bags will make traveling with your laptop more challenging and make organization much difficult. Consider these pointers while buying a new laptop bag:

1. Comfort comes first:
Do you prefer a well padded, light-weight and a tough bag for your expensive computer or a cheap one which might finally force you to buy a new laptop?! The choice is yours. With an increase in price, one has the option of choosing comfortable and durable bags which make carrying your heavy laptop more bearable. You could choose variations like a duffel bag or a rucksack or even the traditional laptop bag according to your preferences.

2. Durability:
The cloth used for the bag decides its life. When the tensile strength of the fabric is more, it gives the bag more years thereby avoiding the need to invest in a new one. Also, the padding provided all around makes it secure and reliable preventing wear and tear making money spent much more worth.

3. Carrying extra affairs:
It’s not just the laptop you have to carry, but a lot of other things that go with it like the charger, the battery, flash drives, disks, headphones and other gadgets which only add to the rule of playing safe than being sorry. The amount spent on these devices adds to the fact that they have to be protected well to avoid spending more on their repairs or replacements. Well partitioned compartments with an easier access to these gadgets will save you a lot of time. After all, who would deny the importance of time that almost doubles up as money?

4. Functionality:
The primary purpose of buying a laptop bag is that it allows you to carry your laptop around safely. When you invest in cheap bags, the very purpose becomes questionable. With sensitive data on your notebook, you could be risking more than just an electronic gadget. With lesser specifications being met, the low quality of the bag makes it difficult for the laptop and the other paraphernalia to be carried around posing risks of damage making you pennywise and pound foolish!

5. Specification adherence:
You may count on the specifications mentioned on the packing when you buy a genuine brand than when you go for a cheaper fake brand. This way, you can be sure of fitting in your laptop of 15” screen when the packing says that it can accommodate that screen sized laptop. Fake ones often have setbacks in adhering to the claims made through advertisements or on their packing. So, you end up paying for the fake one and an original one coughing up more than necessary.

So, while you go shopping for your laptop bag, be aware of such frauds to avoid spending double and buy a bag worth the money you spend which also buys you the assurance of lasting longer.

4 Safe Ways To Clean Your Laptop

Almost all of us use our laptops to work, but there are instances when laptops could double up as a quick snack table. We also often ignore the rule of regularly wiping the keyboard with a cloth. Have you looked at your keyboard lately and seen a bunch of junk inside which tends to look like a lint trap in your dryer or the lint in your pockets? Well, sadly, all this dust and dirt causes computer lagging and faster wear and tear of your device. When cleaning a laptop, you must be careful as lint can cause a lot of excess static buildup. So, when working with cleaning it is suggested to ground your laptop and remove the battery and plugs from the wall. The key with cleaning is not to let any component come in contact with water or liquid.

1. Good Old Pressurized Air
Pressurized air in a can is a lifesaver for cleaning. The little straw nozzle that comes with it can fit into almost all tight spaces in the keyboard. Spray gently and don’t go overboard. Spray out all the USB ports, Ethernet ports, and plugs. Make sure you spray into the exhaust as well. Once you have sprayed the dirt over to one side of the laptop to clean it properly you will need to get it out. This will require you to open and remove the cover.

2. Removing Cover
When removing the cover, please make sure you either watch a YouTube video or consult manufacturer’s instructions on removal. Be careful and try not to break anything. Once the cover is off, take a dust-free cloth and remove the dirt. Use the pressurized air and the cloth to clean up the sticky dust.

3. Using Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol will not harm components because it dries quickly unlike water. After opening the laptop, take a dust-free cloth and wipedown the dirty areas. Get as much out as you can. The performance will increase if you remove all the dust. Make sure you clean the cooling fan as well with the air and the rubbing alcohol to remove any residue causing it not to turn properly. The keyboard should be cleaned with rubbing alcohol too as it removes oils from fingers and most stains without destroying the paint on the keys.

4. Dust-Free Cloth & Soapy Water
Water is always going to be kryptonite to a computer. So, be careful when using water and soap. A small amount of dish soap and warm water on a dust-free cloth can clean all the plastic found on the laptop as well as the computer screen. When cleaning a computer screen make sure you do not press hard and that the cloth is just damp and not dripping wet. Do not use this cloth to wipe down any ports; it is best only to use on the surfaces that do not contain static electricity.

A few final points on cleaning a laptop are:

  • Do not spray pressurized air into the screen top.
    Do not clean when hands are wet.
  • Do not open lid if not grounded.
  • Remove battery and plug.

Keeping your laptop clean will ensure a longer life, faster speeds and a cleaner working environment for you.