Posts Tagged ‘back to school’
Back To School NoteBook PC for Kids
If you still need a computer for your kids as they return to or enter into grade school, then you might want to take a look at the lightweight and inexpensive Dell Mini 9 Notebook.
First off, it runs on XP. Yes, that’s Windows XP. Didn’t think you’d see that for a new computer, did you? It weighs less than 2.5 pounds, and all it’s dimensions are under 10 inches. Just look at the picture at right.
It also has a solid state hard drive instead of a traditional hard drive, so there are fewer moving parts to get damaged by not-so-careful kids.
On the hard drive you get Microsoft Works which allows your kids to do some typing for school.
The starting price for this computer is $349 though you can add a larger hard drive for an additional charge. Just remind yourself that the computer is for them to take to school and do their homework, and with all that moving around you don’t want to worry about it getting smashed, or being so fancy that some other kid takes a liking to it. Plus you don’t have to worry about the kids wasting time playing games on it because the unit wasn’t built with that in mind.
Other features include wireless (WiFi) Internet capability, three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA out (to connect to a larger monitor at home or in the classroom), an Ethernet port (for wired Cable or DSL internet access), an SD Card slot for working with music or photo files, and headphone and mic jacks. Bluetooth and a 1.3-megapixel Webcam are extra-cost options.
For more information just check out the Dell web site: Introducing the new Inspiron Mini 9 starting at only $349!
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Subscribe to the comments for this postNew Computers for K-12, pt. 2
In yesterday’s post I started discussing some new ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs) for K-12 students as many school districts across the nation attempt to increase access to computers and the research sources on the Internet. In 2003, the U>S> Census bureau revealed that 5% of high school juniors and seniors hadn’t used a computer, while 20% hadn’t used the Internet. (See the report)
Yesterday, I showed you two UMPCs: the Intel Classmate and the Asus Eee PC series. Today, I have two more computers which are being used in one-to-one computer ownersehip programs in school districts across the nation: the HP Mini-Notebook, and the Everex Cloudbook.
HP 2133 Mini-Notebook (www.hp.com, Product page)
Hewlett-Packard has 5 models in the UMPC line priced from $499 to $849.They weigh in at about 2.5 pounds and are just slightly more than an inch thick. The screens are 9 inches wide with a good sized keyboard, two USB ports; connections for microphone, headphone, and external monitor; with wired and wireless Internet (WiFi). Most models use a standard hard drive (moving parts), but the $499 model uses a Flash drive (no moving parts). The higher priced models are suitable for older students and non-students alike.HP Services includes a one-year standard parts and labor warranty, pick-up or carry-in, and toll-free 7 x 24 hardware technical phone support (depending on model). On-site service and warranty upgrades are also available.
- Model KR922UT for $499: Linux operating system (OS) (instead of Windows), 4 GB storage, 512 MB RAM (memory) with digital camera.
- Model KX868AT for $599: (Shown in video at right) Windows Vista Home Basic operating system (OS), 120 GB storage, 1 GB RAM (memory), integrated camera.
- Model KR939UT for $729: Same as KX868AT above, but with Windows Vista Business OS (or downgrade to Windows XP Pro), and Bluetooth connectivity.
- Model KR945UT for $749: Same as above with slightly faster processor.
- Model KR948UT for $789: Same as KR939UT, but with 2 GB of RAM (memory), and 160 GB hard drive (storage). Weight: 2.6 pounds.
 HP 2133 (KX868) - $629 |
 HP 2133 (KX870) - $849 |
| Other models available direct from HP | |
Everex Cloudbook (www.everex.com)
The Cloudbook has a 7 inch screen, weighs only 2 pounds, has a 5 hour battery life for surfing the web, sending email, blogging, IM, Skype, and computing. Based on the latest gOS Rocket operating system, the ultra-mobile Everex PC comes with popular applications from Google, Mozilla, Skype, OpenOffice.org and more. Also 512MB RAM (memory), 30GB Hard Disk (storage), wired and wireless (WiFi) Internet, 2 USB ports, 4-in1 Media Card Reader, webcam, headphone/line-out and microphone/line-in connections, and stereo speaker. Price: $349 at Walmart.com.
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