For example, a virulent malware called Gingerbread has been spreading to Android smartphones. This virus is a root kit that gives hackers full access to any information on an Adroid smartphone.

As for the Apple iOS, If malware does infect your iOS device, chances are you will not even realize it. Some Mac malware is not so subtle and has fake virus alerts such as Mac Defender. Unfortunately, if you were to suspect your device was infected with malware, there is no way to detect or remove it easily because Apple does not allow scanning anti-virus software in the Apple Store. Just this summer, an application in the Apple Store was discovered to have a Windows variant malware in one of the applications in the store. So check out the anti-malware resources for the Mac iOS listed below.

On the Windows side of things, one of the most sophisticated new forms of malware is one called Flame or sKyWIper. It can record audio, keyboard activity, network traffic and take screenshots. The program can also record Skype conversations and can turn infected computers into Bluetooth beacons which attempt to download contact information from nearby Bluetooth-enabled devices. Microsoft has provided a patch for this in its security updates so be sure you do your Windows Updates.

Knowing that malware is increasing in sophistication and that it is frequently spread through USB drives and file sharing, make sure you run some kind of anti-malware solution on all of your computing and communications devices. A sample of some of the solutions that are free include:

Smartphones and Tablets:

• AVG Free Antivirus (Android Smartphones)
• Lookout (Android and iOS Smartphones and Tablets)
• Norton Mobile Security (Android Smartphones)

Laptops and Desktops:

• AVG Free Antivirus (Windows)
• Best Free Antivirus for Mac (Article with links to software)
• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Free (Windows)

And last but not least, make sure you do your OS and application updates to ensure a trouble free year of computing and communications.

Office Applications/Suites:

• iWork for iPad ($9.99 per App): Pages for iPad (word processing), Numbers for iPad (spreadsheet), and Keynote for iPad (presentation) work as an integrated package but need to purchase each application separately.
• PenUltimate ($.99): iPad note taking application that is also great for sketches, especially if one uses a touch stylus like the Kensington Virtuoso ($24.99).
• QuickOffice Pro ($19.99): An integrated office suite with basic functionality.

Utilities:

• Adobe Photoshop Touch ($9.99): A professional level photo manipulation tool but is only available for the iPad 2.
• Bento for iPad ($9.99): A great Bento for Mac (made by Filemaker) compatible database client.
• Dragon Dictation (Free): An accurate voice transcription application for basic dictation with the basic ability to share via email, Facebook and Twitter.
• iPhoto ($4.99): Provides basic photo manipulation capabilities.
• LogMeIn Ignition (Free): This client accompanies the online remote control web service at LogMeIn.com and allows you to securely remote control a desktop or server back in your office or at home.
• Photon Flash Player Browser ($4.99): Allows you to view Flash content on web sites.

Let us know if you have found other iPad applications that have been of significant benefit to your TRIO program.

• Storyboarding: A key element of any media production effort is storyboarding to provide the basic flow and organization of the project. Some sites that have been used by other educators to provide resources in this regard include:
  • Celtx – Online Open Source Storyboarding Tool
  • Tools & Utilities for Filmmakers

• Video Editing: Probably the most convenient video editing tools available to programs are those that come directly from Apple and Microsoft. For the Mac, iMovie is a very powerful digital video editor. As for Windows, Microsoft offers Windows Movie Maker as a free download and provides the basic elements for teaching students about digital video editing. For the iPad, you might also want to take a look at Action Movie FX.

• Royalty Free Images, Video and Audio: Students not only need to learn the issues of media but also the requirements dealing with plagiarism related to original ownership and copyright. A way to alleviate potential problems is to use resources that are in the public domain. Some resources worth exploring include:
  • Creative Commons
  • Internet Archive
  • Discovery Education
  • Google Images
  • Flickr

• Story Telling: A good way to get students engaged in digital media production is through digital story telling. Using resources like those listed by the Digital Storytelling Association can make it easy to integrate into your program. In the effort to teach students about digital storytelling, it’s worth having them consider some of the following key components:
• Point of View – Have students consider not only the reason for a story but also why it should be told now and to whom should it be told.
• A Dramatic Question – What is the question or issue that needs to be addressed? To maintain the interest of the person watching or listening to the story, what’s important and will be answered or resolved by the end of the story. For example, In an adventure, will the hero reach the goal? Once the question is answered, the story is over.
• Emotional Content – Did the story engage emotions? Did it invoke sadness, happiness, excitement, etc?
• Adding Voice – Did the student personalize their story by using their own voice. This has other benefits such as ELL instruction, practicing public speaking, etc.
• The Power of a Soundtrack – Selecting one or more soundtracks can help set the mood of the story and influence the impact and feeling related to the event currently being viewed.
• Economy – Ideally students will only shoot just what is necessary to keep the story visually rich while moving forward, with only the minimum of dialogue and number of scenes necessary to envision the larger story
• Pacing –An audience’s interest is sustained by the rhythm of a story. A fast-paced movie with many quick edits and upbeat music can suggest urgency, action, nervousness, exasperation, and excitement. Conversely, a slow pace can suggest contemplation, romanticism, relaxation, or simple pleasures.

We have been asked frequently to have TRIO programs to tell their story. With the ease and ability that this can be done now by students, maybe we can begin to build a library of stories about TRIO and its success. We welcome comments and contributions related to this post.

Source: Monjan, M. “Digital Storytelling 2.0″, 2012 CUE Conference, Palm Springs, CA

• Provide basic editing tools
• Apply effects to an image or photograph
• Provide basic capabilities similar to Adobe Photoshop Elements

The top three graphics application programs with the most features that were found to be of particular interest were:

Aviary (http://advanced.aviary.com/)

Aviary is a suite of powerful creative applications that are available just by using your Web browser. This includes:

•  Phoenix, an image editor that utilizes layers, masks, effects, undo history, and other desirable functionality.
• Peacock, a powerful effects editor
• Talon, a screen capture application
• Raven, a vector editor
• Roc, a music creator
• Myna, an audio editor
• Falcon, an image markup application
• Toucan, a swatch color editor

In addition, Aviary has a fantastic set of tutorials and supports education by providing classroom accounts for educators.

Pixlr (http://pixlr.com)

Pixlr is cited as being one of the most popular online graphics applications in the world. It provides three choices for working on images and photos: Pixlr Editor, Pixlr Express, and Pixlr-o-matic. Each application has different capabilities as described below.

• Pixlr Editor – provides many of the tools you would see if you were using Photoshop Elements with layer, adjustment, and filter controls that allow you to do almost anything you can think of to your images or photos. It also provides Navigator, Layer, and History panels to assist with tracking and making changes to images and photos.
• Pixlr Express has a much simpler interface with icons for adjustments, effects, overlays, borders, stickers, and text. Clicking on any choice brings up other icons and sliders for further refinement of the changes to the image or photo.
• Pixlr-o-matic, the third application and simplest of all, lets you upload a photo and apply an effect, overlay, and frame to an image but doesn’t have the detailed control provided with Pixlr Editor or Pixlr Express.

Phixr http://www.phixr.com

Phixr is another powerful Web-based photo editor for quickly fixing photos in three steps:

•  Step 1: Upload a photo from your computer or transfer one from your Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, Webshots, Photobucket or SmugMug account.
• Step 2: Edit your photo.
• Step 3: Save it on your computer, e-mail it to a friend to share or directly upload the photo to Flickr, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Picasa, Photobucket, ImageShack, SmugMug and others.

Phixr includes a lot of basic and advanced features. For example: crop photo, resize photo, rotate photo, remove red eye, flip or “mirror” photo or convert a picture to a charcoal drawing, oil painting, pop-art poster or matrix-printout. It can also create a comic from a photo and insert text into the photo using speech bubbles.

Color tools – Phixr Online Photo Editor can change a photo’s colors in many ways. Starting with the basics, there is, of course, a color balance and histogram-based levels tool, and a tool to correct brightness, exposure, contrast, temperature, saturation and hue. Phixr can also auto-correct contrast, white-balance and color balance. Phixr’s has a broad range of color filters that can convert a photo to sepia tone to make a photo look old, make a picture black and white or invert the colors to create a photo negative. It can also make a photo black and white, except for certain colors (e.g. imagine red lips on an otherwise greyscale photo).

Camera & lens tools – Phixr online photo editor also has some camera and lens related tools. These can create a tilt-shift effect, lomography (lomo) effect, or imitate a Holga or night vision camera. Furthermore, it can add a vignette effect or put the photo behind a bunch of shaped masks such as putting a photo inside a crystal ball.

Blur/soften tools – Phixr can blur and soften photos in a number of sophisticated ways. It can motion-blur, radial blur (rotation-blur) and zoom-blur your photos. It can also pixelize (pixelate) or glass-tile photos, or build them from small toy bricks.

Other tools – Phixr can sharpen photos; imitate HDR images (using unsharp mask algorithms); remove noise; convert photos to charcoal drawings, oil paintings, or spray paintings; and add special effects such as a carving effect, matrix printer effect, or comic-book effect.

It also allows for the ability to geotag photos which provides the ability to save the location at which the photo was shot into the photo file. Phixr can read and write geotags, and allows you to upload/share geotagged photos with all third party services supporting geotagging.

Photos can be saved as jpg (jpeg), pdf, gif or png, directly out of the Phixr online photo editor. You can also print the photo or upload it to the photo sharing site of your choice. With Phixr, you can create stationery, greeting cards or invitations. Phixr has a broad range of special holiday effects and decorations.

So if your TRIO program has a need for photo or image editing, consider using one of these applications to meet your needs.

Source: Hoerger, D. “Digital·Image Manipulation Using FREE Web 2.0 Tools”, 2012 CUE Conference, Session 2083, Palm Springs, CA.

Pricing

Google SketchUp: Free
Google SketchUp Pro: $495 or Free

There are two versions of the software: Google SketchUp and Google SketchUp Pro. Google SketchUp is free, but nonetheless powerful and feature-packed enough for students to learn a lot from. Google SketchUp Pro, a version with more advanced options such as exporting models to other softwares, normally cost $495. However, through SketchUp Pro K-12 Statewide Grant, educators from most of the states in the US are able to get the Pro version for free. Be sure to check their website to learn more.

Google 3D Warehouse

Google 3D Warehouse is a library that contains models users have submitted that can be downloaded and used in your own Google SketchUp project. Notable ones include famous architectures like the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum. You can also find more generic models of buildings, people, and others.

How to use it:
File > 3D Warehouse > Get Models > Select a model you would like to place into your project > Click on Download Model

Scenes

Scenes is a function to create and save different views of your Google SketchUp model. A tab will appear underneath the top tools panel automatically for each scene you create, so you can quickly look at your models from many angles and perspectives by clicking on these tabs.

How to use it:
Window > Scenes > Set your camera where you want it and click on the plus (+) button to create a new scene.

Augmented Reality Plugin

Augmented Reality Plugin lets you to visualize and present your Google SketchUp project by displaying your models on a real physical plane. Please watch the following video for a demonstration:

Waybe Plugin

Waybe Plugin breaks down each elements of Google SketchUp models into paper prototypes. You can use this tool to to challenge your students to create paper models out of their Google SketchUp projects.

More

Please check out the Google SketchUp Video tutorials for an in depth walkthrough of the software. You can also keep up to date through the Google SketchUp blog.

Special thanks to Mark Hammond for sharing these wonderful tips at CUE.

Part 4- Academic, Institutional, and Volume Pricing
The other three posts in this series showed you a way to get the best prices with the fewest hassles on the tech items you need. For some items like software and hardware bought directly from the manufacturer, however, you might want to take an entirely different tact.

Academic institutions often get special pricing on select technology items. You might be familiar with academic pricing for software or computers available to staff and students at your campus bookstore or tech center. But academic departments can often get even better prices by taking advantage of volume pricing available from many manufacturers or software companies. If your institution has negotiated a campus-wide pricing agreement, these discounts can be huge. If they have already purchased a campus license for a particular software title or service, you might even be able to get it for free!

Some items are particularly good candidates for obtaining these academic, institutional, and volume discounts.

• The biggest discounts are usually available for software. Many companies, including Microsoft and Adobe, offer substantial academic discounts and even better volume pricing. Many campuses have already negotiated very favorable prices or even purchased site licenses for some products. This is definitely one area where you shouldn’t pay anything close to full retail prices.
• Hardware manufacturers like Apple, Dell, and HP sometimes offer substantial discounts on items like computers, monitors, and printers to academic customers. Often, however, you can find equivalent or better items cheaper through different channels, so don’t just assume that these are the best deals.
• Instructional tools and items used in the classroom like audience response systems (clickers), projectors, and interactive whiteboards can often be found at very good prices though academic channels.
• Finally, if you are looking for online services, you should inquire if your institution can help. Several college systems, for example, have contracted with online learning companies like Blackboard to make their services available to all their departments. Even if your institution doesn’t have such an agreement, you can often take advantage of academic pricing on your own.

Academic and Volume Software Licenses
Typically, there are at least three relevant types of licenses for software:

• Retail pricing for the general public. Pay this as a last resort for software that you can’t buy any other way.
• Academic pricing available to departments, students and staff at campus bookstores and tech centers. This can sometimes be a good deal, especially when you only need one copy or you need the software now.
• Institutional/volume pricing available to departments on a university campus. This is almost always the best price, but may take a while and require a minimum purchase. Try and take advantage of institution-wide prices if you can. If your institution has purchased a site license for this software, you may be able to install it on institution-owned computers for free!

There are a few other things to consider when purchasing software that can save you time and money.

• You know those long and less than thrilling software license terms that everyone is supposed to read before installing software, but no one ever does? There’s one section that might be worth your time. You may be surprised to know that you can install a lot of software on a second portable or home computer without buying a second copy as long as the two copies are used by the same person but at different times! Next time you install software, find that section of the license agreement and see what’s allowed. Sometimes there are additional restrictions on educational or volume licensed software, but use of a second copy is often permitted as long as it’s for non-commercial use. Definitely worth a quick look at the license terms!
• One other huge advantage of volume licensing is that you can purchase a software maintenance plan. For a fraction of the cost of purchasing the software (often about a fifth), you can receive all updates and upgrades as they are released and often get access to premium support. If you renew this maintenance (usually annually) you will never have to buy the full product again. This can lead to huge savings, and is an option only available to volume purchasers.
• It’s important to know that when you buy software though a volume purchase, you usually purchase just the number of software licenses you need and usually have to buy or download the actual programs and documentation.

Taking Advantage of Academic, Volume, and Institutional Prices
Every institution is structured differently, so the easiest way to get started is to ask your colleagues. Talk to your tech folks or classroom support services or contact your bookstore or tech center. They probably get this question a lot and may well even have a website set up with the links and information you need. You can also talk to other people who have done what you want to do. This can be especially helpful if you’re trying to outfit your classroom or computer lab or start using new online services.

If none of these avenues pan out, try and find educational volume pricing information on the company website or contact them directly. You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain!

Encryption plays a key role in both the transmission of data between systems as well as the storage of the data itself. You are probably familiar with Web browsers and SSL (Secure Socket Layer) connections that use the https:// instead of just http:// in their web addresses. If you are connected to a secure Web site, then all data being transmitted between your computer or smartphone and the server on the other end is encrypted. Always make sure any of your connections to financial institutions or email have https://at the beginning of their Web address.

To protect data itself, encryption can be used to protect a single file, a file folder or even an entire data drive such as on a laptop or USB drive. A popular open source solution that works on Macs and PCs is TrueCrypt. Most operating systems for the Mac and PC also come with the ability to encrypt specific files or folders.  FileVault on the Mac and BitLocker on Windows are ways to protect files on your workstation or laptop. Both Microsoft and Apple provide brief tutorials how to use their encryption tools. You can find them by searching their respective sites with the name of these tools or to see a sample click on the links above.

Part 3 – Find the Best Price from a Source You Can Trust
Once you’ve decided what you need, the next step is to figure out where to buy it. But how do you find the best price? And how do you find a vendor you can trust? This post will give you some ideas on how to do both and some resources to get you started.

Finding the Best Price
There are many price comparison sites available, and you can now even search directly for products from most major search engines. Check our resources page for links.  Here are some suggestions to make sure you get the best price:

• Use more than one search tool: Different methods will search a different set of vendors. This is especially important if you’re searching for older or more obscure products.
• Sort by lowest total price for new items: Often the results aren’t sorted by price. Sometimes used  items are included in the results. Be careful of prices that seem too good to be true, though. They usually are! See below for more hints.
• Don’t forget shipping and tax: Many sites offer free shipping (often with a minimum purchase) and taxes, of course, will vary based on where you purchase.
• Search for specific models, not for product names: There are often many slightly different models of the same product, especially for things like laptops. You want to compare prices for exactly the same model.
• Make sure that the product is the same one you searched for: Often when you go from your search results to the vendor’s product page you will find it’s for  a different product. Verify before purchasing!
• Be sure that everything included: To undercut prices, some disreputable vendors will remove accessories that are supposed to come with an item and try to sell them to you at additional cost. Do you really want to buy a digital camera without a battery?
• Make sure that the item has a full warranty: Sometimes the cheapest prices are for “gray market” or imported items that don’t come with the full manufacturer’s warranty, but are warrantied only directly through the vendor. Look  for terms like “Authorized Dealer”, “US Warranty” or “Full Manufacturer’s Warranty” to make sure you’re covered.

Finding a Vendor You Can Trust
If you are searching for a popular product, your search will probably return a large number of potential suppliers, often with widely varying prices. How do you choose the one with the lowest price that will send you what’s advertised without a lot of hassles? Here are some tips (again, see the resources page for links):

• Ask folks who buy a lot of tech stuff: Any one who has been purchasing a lot has definite go-to sources. Most of them do a search and go with whichever of their regular suppliers has the lowest price.
• Look for vendors with large numbers of positive reviews: Most price comparison sites have a snapshot of user reviews posted along with the results. Look for established vendors that have a lot (at least thousands) of reviews that are rated 4 star or above. It’s no guarantee, but it’s one of the best tools you have to determine if a dealer is legit.
• Check out unfamiliar vendors with ratings agencies: You can also check with agencies like the Better Business Bureau and Reseller Ratings (see our resources page for links) if you are ordering from someone for the first time.
• Consider “Virtual Malls”: Online sites like Amazon and Buy.com offer ways for smaller vendors to provide their products to a larger market. Consumers benefit as well, since these vendors agree to abide by the terms of the hosting site. You often can resolve disputes through the hosting site. Since the affiliates don’t want to jeopardize their position with their host, they are usually more accommodating.

Making Your Purchase
Once you’ve found the product you want from a trustworthy source, there are still a few things you can do to make sure your purchase goes smoothly:

• Whenever possible, use a credit card: This is the best protection against fraud and makes returns much simpler.
• Ship to the billing address of the card or add it as an approved address: Online tech companies are often sticklers when it comes to verifying addresses, so save yourself some hassles.
  
• Make sure that you are ordering from a secure encrypted site: Look for https in the URL or the lock icon in your browser.
• Get a tracking number:If a merchant can’t give you a tracking number, chances are it really hasn’t shipped. Make sure you know when things are set to arrive.
• Make sure you know the return policy: The return windows for many tech items are notoriously short; many returns are hit with restocking fees, and some items like software can’t be returned at all once opened.
• Open it like you’re going to return it: Returns are MUCH easier if the merchant can resell any non-defective item without having to repackage it. Save everything in the original box and don’t cut out any UPC codes for rebates until you know you’re going to keep it.
• Keep track of all the details including who you talked to and when: You’ll need this info to resolve any issues that arise or if you need to file a complaint.

Other Ways to Find Great Deals
There are several other ways to get the best deals, but some of them require a little more work or that you subscribe or provide some personal information in return for access to special deals. Here are some things you may want to take advantage of (see the resources page for links):

• Subscribe to email lists: Most vendors will send you special offers that can sometimes include some very good deals. The volume of these messages can quickly get overwhelming, so you might want to limit it to a few trusted vendors or use an alternative email address.
• Price Alerts: Some sites or services will notify you when the price on an item you’re watching drops.
  
• Sites that post discounts or special coupon or promo codes: In theory this sounds great, but the search results often promise much more that they deliver so you’ll visit their site. Sometimes worth a quick search, but not a lot of time or effort. You’ll quickly get a sense if your regular vendors participate.
• Daily deal sites: Once the province of restaurants and entertainment, these social buying sites are moving into retail products, including tech items.
• Smartphone shopping apps: Allow you to check prices in the store to see if you’re getting a good deal, often by scanning the bar code before you buy.
• Rebates: These can be quite rewarding for tech purchases, but you need to proceed with caution. Make sure that both the product and the vendor are eligible and be sure that your both you purchase and rebate submission are within the allowed time period. Follow all instructions to the letter, make copies of everything you submit, and make sure to redeem any checks, gift cards, or credits before they expire.

What About Academic, Institutional, and Volume Pricing?
This process will usually get you the best prices with the fewest hassles on the best tech items for your needs. For some items like software and hardware that’s usually bought directly from the manufacturer, however. you might want to take a different tact.

Available Now:Part 4- Academic, Institutional, and Volume Pricing

 Don’t forget to visit our Resources:  Finding the Best Price from a Vendor You Can Trust page for links and more information about many of  the sites discussed above.

Part 2 -Find the Best Items for Your Needs
Once you’ve spent some time looking at what you currently have and figuring out some basics about what you need, the next step is to find the most suitable products. In this post we will discuss how to find the items that will will best suit your needs, while in the next we’ll look at how to find the best price from a vendor you can trust. Note that we do not endorse any specific brands, products, services, or vendors. Whatever and wherever you decide to buy, these recommendations are provided to help you make the most informed decision.

Finding information you can trust
As we discussed in the first part of this series, it be difficult to find impartial and reliable (not to mention intelligible) information about the best tech products for your needs. Knowledgeable friends and colleagues can be a great help in getting you started. Beware, however, if their opinions seem especially polarized or always seem to come back to one particular brand. Students can often be a great resource for all things tech, but keep in mind that their interests and priorities might be slanted more toward gaming and things like video performance that probably aren’t  the most important considerations in an office environment. What you want is someone who will ask you a few questions to clarify what you need then point you in the right direction and suggest a few alternatives. Luckily, most techies love to talk about what works and doesn’t and what to buy, so don’t be afraid to ask.

Narrowing down your tech choices There are an enormous number of sources for tech reviews and information. The key is to find impartial information that starts at your current level of knowledge and provides just the right amount of detail. The graphic to the right illustrates one way of approaching this process as described below. Links to specific sites that provide information at each level are provided on our Resources: Tech Reviews page. For  items you’re familiar with, you might well start this process in the middle; for very few will you need to go all the way from top to bottom.

Next time you need to make a tech purchase, decide which of the categories below best fits and visit our Resources: Tech Reviews page for links and info.

Getting Started: Guides and Comparative Reviews
Best for: Popular items that you don’t know much about
These sites are often the best place to start, especially if you are very not familiar the items you are buying. The comparative reviews are especially helpful. Be sure to check the date the reviews were last updated. Sites like Consumer Search and TopTenREVIEWS will help you get an overview of the types of products available and many of the issues involved in choosing between them. If you don’t need specific features or want to invest a lot of time deciding, this may be as far as you need to go.

Narrowing the Focus: Tech Publication Reviews and Forums
Best for: Popular items when you have a general idea of what you want
These sites often feature helpful comparisons of similar products and are a great source for reviews of individual items. Again, be sure to check the date of the reviews. Usually these also include user reviews and forums that can be helpful once you’ve narrowed it down to a few options. Sites like Macworld focus on products for specific operating systems, while others like PCMag try to address a broader audience. Usually you will have a pretty good idea of what to choose after spending some time at these sites, so for most purchases you can stop at this level.

Getting Down to the Nitty Gritty: Enthusiast and Techie Reviews
Best for: High-end items or when you are looking for specific features
These are the sites to visit when the details are important and you are looking for a specific feature or the highest performance you can get. Try viewing the “Conclusion” or “Final Thoughts” type pages first to see if it’s worth sifting through all the details. If a print view is available it often makes these lengthy reviews easier to navigate. If you can find a review of a product you’re considering, sites like Anandtech, TomsHardware, ExtremeTech, and Benchmark Reviews will usually tell you all you want to know, and often a whole lot more.

Will it Work for ME? : Forums, User Reviews, and Vendor and Manufacturer Sites
Best for: learning how well something will work in a particular context or researching less popular products
It’s usually best to start somewhere else when you’re researching a product, but these can be extremely helpful when trying to decide between a few options or seeing if an item will work in a specific situation. If you are looking for a product that hasn’t attracted much attention from the reviewers or something that has just been released, these are often your best source.  It’s often worth consulting user reviews at sites with more savvy users (like NewEgg and B&H PhotoVideo) even if you plan to purchase elsewhere. At other sites that have a more general audience (like Amazon) it is usually best to sort reviews by those which are rated “Most Helpful” . When all else fails, take the specific model number from your vendor and go to the manufacturer’s site and search for the owner’s manual. It’s not often you’ll need this level of detail, but when you do it often provides the definitive word.

Another Tact: Focused Reviews on Specific Products
Many of the best reviews are produced by enthusiasts that are only interested in one particular product. If you are looking for a digital camera, for example, the reviews from sites like Imaging Resource, DCResource.com, and DPReview.com will provide you with not only a wealth of information about each model, but also pointed (but often contradictory) recommendations. If a product gets high marks from all these sites, you know it’s a winner. Other specialized sites like Laptop Magazine and Notebook Review are great for researching portable computers while sites like SmallNetBuilder are a valuable resource for anyone working on computer networks.

Finding the Best Price from a Vendor You Can Trust
OK, you’ve done it! Congratulations – you’ve found the perfect item to suit your budget and needs. Now how do you find the best price? How do you know that your going to get what you paid for from a reputable source?  Stay tuned for Part 3 in this series for more...

Available now: Part 3- Finding the Best Price from a Source You Can Trust .

Don’t forget to visit  our Resources: Tech Reviews  page for links and more information about many of  the sites discussed above.

1. Figure out what you need
2. Find the best item for your needs
3. Find the best price from a reputable vendor
4. Take advantage of educational, institutional, and volume pricing

In this four part series, we will help you stretch your tech budget. We will also provide you with helpful resources to get you on your way.

1. Figure Out What You Need
It can be a daunting task buying new tech items. There are a dizzying array of choices and a lot of details to keep track of.  Here are a few things to consider before you begin:

Do you really need the latest/greatest technology?
Usually there is a high premium for the newest and fastest. Honestly assess whether it’s worth the cost for the last little bit of performance. For most users, the “Best Value” award winner might well be a better choice than the “Best Overall”.

Do you need it now?
Prices on tech items go in the opposite direction from most other things we buy: next year it will be faster AND cheaper. Historically many aspects of computer performance have been doubling about every year and a half. What this means in practical terms is that you should wait until you need something to purchase it.

Take a good look at what you’ve already got.
For computers, use a system information profiler like those built into most operating systems to get a picture of what you’re starting with. This will give you an idea of what your upgrade options might be and will give you a point of comparison when you go to buy something new.

Would a tune-up help?
If you’re looking to upgrade something like a printer, monitor, or camera, you’re probably going to need start fresh. Many computers, however,  are slow not because the hardware is inadequate, but because of problems they develop over time. Malware, poorly written or incompatible software, and disk errors and fragmentation can quickly hobble even the fastest computer. If your look into what’s inside your computer shows it SHOULD BE FAST, try the Utilities on our Free Software Resources page to fix some of the more common problems. Remember to back up your data first!

Should you upgrade?
Some of the most cost effective upgrades like increasing the amount of memory (RAM) in your computer are surprisingly easy to do. Vendors (like Crucial) offer reliable scanning tools that will quickly tell you what your options are for adding more memory. Some other good candidates are increasing storage space and upgrades like improved audio and wireless networking that can be added by USB devices.

Some tech items have become commodities and might be be best purchased online.
Items like computer memory, hard drives, video cards, and even desktop computers can largely be evaluated by their specs alone. You might be most satisfied with your choice of other items like laptops, monitors, smartphones, headphones, and keyboards if you have the chance to see or play with them first.

Find information you can trust.
Let’s face it, most sites that you find when searching for tech advice are trying to sell you something. It used to be that you could type “_____ review” into a search engine and find well considered advice on what to buy. Best bets these days are knowledgeable friends and colleagues and the  “What to Look For” type pages from review sites like ConsumerSearch and the tech magazines. For higher-end or more specialized purchases, the enthusiast sites and user reviews are usually the most helpful. Stay tuned for Part 2 in this series for more...

Available now: Part 2- Finding  information you can trust.