Thursday, January 15, 2015

January 2015 Edition – Monthly Mini-Bytes

Are You Ready for Ultra HD TV?
Things to think about before spending 4K on 4K

If you followed any of the buzz at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that just wrapped up in Las Vegas, you couldn't help but notice all the new Ultra HD (UHD) or 4K capable TVs. They were everywhere, and streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video announced plans to offer more Ultra HD titles. But here are a few things to know before you run out and pick one up for yourself.

Go Big or Go Home
Size does matter with regard to Ultra HD TVs. The jump from standard definition TV to HD was a significant step up in image quality, but going from 1080p to 4K Ultra HD is more subtle. The general rule is, at comfortable viewing distances, 720p is indiscernible from 1080p on TVs under 50 inches. In order to get the best bang for your Ultra HD dollar, the advantage really shows up at 70 inches or larger. Ultra HD or 4K is a theater sized standard so think big when you shop.

Check Your Internet Connection
For HD video (1080p) your internet connection must support a constant stream of 5 Mbps. In real terms this means having a service in the 20 Mbps range for reliability. 4K or Ultra HD content requires a minimum of 25 Mbps! You can do the math, but if you are not subscribing to at least a 50 Mbps package you may run into buffering and the slow spinny wheel of boredom. A robust connection is a must!

Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad
Delete, Manage, Sync and Be Happy!

Are you running out of space on your iPhone or iPad? Well here is how to check what's clogging the drain. 

Go into Settings -> General -> Usage -> Manage Storage. Be patient as it all calculates. 

If you are like most, Photos and Messages are the two biggest storage hogs. Make sure to transfer photos to iPhoto and delete them from the device. The iPhone/iPad is a temporary holding location. The iPhoto database on your Mac is where they should all live to be kept, cataloged, and backed up with Time Machine. This spring, Apple will be announcing an "iPhoto in the Cloud" where you can have access to all of your photos all the time from any device. But for now, copy them into iPhoto and delete the photos from the iPad or iPhone to free up space.

Also, Photo Stream actually downloads a copy of the photos onto your device. These will accumulate over time. If you are sure they are synced in your iPhoto, toggling Photo Stream on and off will clear out the old ones. To do this go to Settings -> Photos & Camera; then toggle My Photo Stream off and on.

For Messages, remember that they can grow large and at the end of the day, texts are not considered archival. So go ahead and delete old conversation streams. To do this go back to the top level in Messages, select Edit, choose the conversations you'd like to delete, and click Delete in the lower right.

Our Printer Picks for Home or Small Office
Narrowing Down the Field

It's always tough picking a new printer. The salesman at Office Superplex is usually quick to name whatever he has on sale as an incentive that week, but you deserve better. We want to take "100% Off" of your worry today by helping you narrow down the field.

Color Inkjet Printer - Epson WorkForce
The Epson WorkForce model printers are very Mac friendly and we have found them to be reliable and easy to set up. They come in several different models and all have AirPrint, which allows you to print from your iPhone or iPad. As a general rule: Never spend more than $150 on an inkjet for home or small office use. $125 is the sweet spot, which will get you a solid current model, but sometimes you can find them on sale for around $99.

B&W Laser Printer - HP Laserjet
There are probably still HP Laserjet 4 printers circa 1992 chugging away in offices and homes across the country. HP builds a solid black and white laser printer and they tend to last. If you need to print and print a lot, a black and white laser printer can have many advantages over a color inkjet.

Color Laser Printer - Xerox Phaser
We don't usually recommend a color laser printer for home or small office use. They are expensive and don't have the resolution of comparable inkjet printers. If you are considering one and are willing to spent $400-$500, then take a look at the Xerox Phaser series. The more you spend, the better the image quality. If you really really really (x1000) want a color laser printer then break out the Benjamins and either lease or buy a Cannon ImageRunner.