For the rest of you who want to know more, read on:
Remember back when computers were $1,500 or more? I’m not just talking about Apple computers; I’m talking about any computer. There was a time when any computer cost at least $1,500.

We have come a long way since then. Every facet of the technological world since those days has evolved exponentially. We can now fit the memory capacity of every computerized component involved in the first space shuttle launch onto a thumb drive. As computers have become more integral and mainstream in everyday life, the cost of personal computers has also dropped significantly.

Wal-Mart and other big box retailers routinely carry laptop computers for right at about $400. Black Friday specials can be as low as about $200. As one can imagine, this makes the PC repair business particularly difficult in some ways, because of comments like these: “Why would I invest $200 in repairing my computer when I can just go and buy a new one for $100 more?” (By the way, if you have said something like this, we do not hate you. We do, however, believe you are severely misinformed and that you are a victim of clever marketing. What follows is an explanation of why.)

The truth must be told – While the cost of manufacturing computers has come down some, it has not dropped that much. Wal-Mart is the main culprit in this scenario, because they have made such a name on low prices. What happens is that Wal-Mart is so huge that they can strong-arm manufacturers into making super-cheap computers out of super-cheap parts so that they can sell them for super-cheap.

I know what you’re thinking. “Well, I don’t need a computer for much. I just use it for Facebook, email, and ______.” But I want you think about it. It doesn’t matter WHAT you do with a computer. If you just use it to play Solitaire, and one day you hit the power button and your computer doesn’t come on, guess what you won’t be doing? Playing solitaire. Instead, you will be under the desk, unplugging and replugging stuff, calling your PC manufacturer, calling Microsoft, calling computer repair stores, and at buying a new epic-cheap computer. Does that sound like fun to you?

Simply put, if a computer does not work, you will not be doing ANYTHING on it.

Wal-Mart computers typically last about a year–maybe a little longer if you are lucky. As with anything else in life, you get what you pay for. Pay a little, get a little. Pay a lot, get a lot. There are exceptions here and there, but they are just that–exceptions.

Let me use a couple of illustrations. If you saw a car dealership selling a brand-new truck with a V-8 engine and AWD for $4,000, would you not be suspicious? What about if you drove by a new housing development and there were a two-story house with a three-car garage, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a bonus room, and an inground pool for $35,000? Would you not scratch your head and ask, “So what’s the catch?”

Why is it then that when unsuspecting consumers see a computer for $200, it sounds like the most amazing deal in the world and they feel stupid to walk away from it? There is a catch, and the catch is that the computer is built out of junk and it is not worth your time or your money. Do yourself a favor and walk away.

Bottom line: If you are spending less than $400-$500 on a computer, you’re definitely not buying a good product. You’re buying a gimmick. You are a victim of clever, low-income target marketing. Not all computers are created equal. If you want a decent, quality computer, expect to spend no less than $500-$600. It will mean less headaches in the long run, and you will actually save money too.

Au revoire,

Scott Davis
Store Manager
Powell Location

We are proud to announce the opening of our fourth location in the beautiful city of Sevierville, TN! Please join us for the Grand Opening of our Sevierville location on May 10th. Ribbon Cutting will begin at 2:00pm, and the day will continue with a reception, food, and fun! Computer Repair has never been so much fun!
Even if you can’t make it for the Grand Opening, as with our other locations, we are open from 9:00am to 5:30pm, Monday-Friday. Saturday and Sunday are spent with friends and family. So stop by for a free diagnostic!
We are located in the K.O. Family Square at 557 Dolly Parton Parkway, Sevierville, TN 37862.

Sevierly yours,

Caleb Humphries
Store Manager, Ad Director
Computer Depot Inc.

PS: I know sevierly isn’t a word, it was my attempt at being clever…you see cause the store is in Sevierville….and it sounds like sincerely….get it?

Typically, I tell most customers to avoid anything that is listed as FREE on the internet to avoid spyware, and viruses. Most of the time if you search for anything that is listed as free, you are going to run into some issues: Either, it doesn’t actually work, or your system will be moving even slower than it was before.
A ton of customer’s come in with spyware and adware on their system that they picked up from free software online, that supposedly “speeds up your pc”, or is an “optimizer”. Customers even franticly explain that they saw the ad for this software on television. Unfortunately, that does not make it a viable answer to you slowness problem.

First of all, it needs to be discovered what is causing the system to move slowly. Is it a virus, or does your system need an optimization or “tune-up”? If you are a lucky one, who has avoided a virus, and actually just need to optimize your system; there are a few utilities that you can use along the way, including free ones. An optimization is certainly not limited to these utilities, and can include a lot more in depth work, but these are better alternatives than the typical mock example:
www.MakeMyPCRunSuperAwesomeFastEasyFree.com.

One really great utility is called Ccleaner. This program can be installed on the system, or you can actually get a portable version for your flash drive. The upside is that it is very simple to use. Simply click the Analyze button, and after it is finished click the Run Cleaner button. When that is done, you are finished. DO NOT RUN THE REGISTRY CLEANER. As a matter of fact, never run any sort of registry cleaners. This can cause problems that may lead to a Format and Reinstall.
Ccleaner can be found on CNET, or at http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner.
In part II of the Free Utilities series, we will check out some options to remove pesky programs that can’t be removed in Control Panel, and delete Bloat ware.
Until then,

Caleb Humphries
Store Manager and Advertising Director
Computer Depot Inc.

Another amusing anecdote– when I was in Elementary School, I remember going to the school office and asking the secretary or principal if I could “Xerox” something. I didn’t know any better. I thought “xerox” was actually a verb used to describe copying a sheet of paper onto another sheet of paper. I never even paid attention to the brandname written across the top corner of the copy machine. Imagine my surprise when I one day realized that there was a brand of copy machine AND copy paper named “Xerox.” It was at that moment that I realized, “Wait. Xerox is the name of a company, not a verb.”

Guess what, Apple fans? According to this article, Apple may be facing down a similar problem, again. For the second time in ten years, Apple is fighting against losing one of their patented intellectual titles to generic usage. Nearly a decade ago, everyone was calling any mp3 player an “iPod.” Now, every tablet on the face of the globe, including Android and Microsoft tablets, is being called an “iPad.” The term is falling farther and farther into the inescapable pit of public vernacular. People are walking into tech retail stores across the nation and asking to see “iPads,” only to see Apple’s tablet as one option, amidst any number of other “iPads” from which to choose. While on one hand, this is a delightful problem for Apple to face; it’s a little bit of a legal nightmare should courts decide that an “iPad” is simply another interchangeable term for tablet.

In the South, when someone says, “Hey man, you want a Coke?” I sometimes tell him, “Yeah. Make it a Dr. Pepper.” I wonder if that will ultimately become the case for the term “iPad.” “Hey man, I think I’m going to get an iPad. I hear the new Samsung Galaxy Tab is a good one.”

Hey, don’t laugh. It’s already happening.

Au revoire,

Scott Davis
Store Manager
Powell Location

I personally have an HTC Evo 4G, and let me tell you–the Honeymoon period is over. I loved it for a long time, and it is still the best phone I’ve ever had… but after about a year, it’s starting to show some issues. My burning desire is to go out and purchase a new one, but after reading this article, I’m going to take some wise advice and wait. I suggest you do the same. It will be worth it.

True (Android) love waits, at least for the time being.

Au revoire,

Scott Davis
Store Manager
Computer Depot, Inc.

I probably check my Facebook account via my Android smartphone five times a day or more. I check my Twitter at least once a day. I post some sort of tweet or status update at least once every two-three days. What follows is not a, “Social media is the devil. It promotes infidelity and is destroying our youth”-type rant.

Social media is a fantastic TOOL, but like any tool, it can be used to build or to destroy. A hammer can hang a beautiful portrait, or it can be a murder weapon. A nailgun can give you a new roof, or it can leave you with scars that the best surgeons in the world could not remove. It is a TOOL – It has no mind or objective of its own except the intent of its user.

Social media used correctly and intelligently can be a wonderful thing. I have been able to reconnect with old friends, build relationships with previously unknown relatives, and stay in touch with my college buds. I have tried to abide by a handful of very common-sense rules, and as such have yet to encounter any Facebook drama or worse. I would like to share these rules with you.

Social Media Temptation #1
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NEVER…never, ever ever tell people you are going on vacation. I know this is a hard one, but you have to remember that more people than just your friends can view your status updates unless you alter your privacy settings. Still, people do crazy things. You may not know everyone on your “Friends” list as well as you think you do. You may not know some of them at all. Telling people you are gone on vacation is like flinging the door to your home wide-open just before you drive away. Even if you have a security system, do you really want thieves to have a free 30 seconds of run-and-grab before the police are even notified?

Social Media Temptation #2
————————–
You do not have to accept everyone. If someone attempts to add you as a Friend on Facebook, and you don’t have a good feeling about accepting them, I have one word of advice for you– Don’t. You may think, “Well, if I don’t accept them, they’ll know it.” Not true–when you do not accept someone as a Friend, Facebook does not notify them and say, “We’re sorry. The person you are trying to reach does not like you. She thinks you’re a dirtbag and she hasn’t forgotten that stunt you pulled in high school. She has notified the police of your harrassment. The KGB will arrive shortly.” As a matter of fact, they receive no notification at all. Facebook just continues to say, “Awaiting response” when they pull up your public profile. That leads me to…

Social Media Temptation #3
————————–
Look at your privacy settings. Take the time to go through them. Give at least half the amount of mental energy you would put toward Farmville toward deciding if you want total strangers viewing pictures of your children or not. I personally recommend choosing the option to be completely unavailable unless the person searching for you is already friends with someone you are friends with. This removes a considerable amount of risk being messaged by rogue/phishing/false Facebook profiles. (By the way, if someone attempts to add you as a friend, and you have never heard of them, and their profile picture is a half-naked girl you’ve never seen, don’t flatter yourself. It’s a phishing profile, and you need to ignore it.)

Social Media Temptation #4
————————–
Be mindful of the pictures you post. I am sorry, but we do live in a perverted world. It may not bother you at all to post pictures of yourself in a bathing suit, or pictures of your children in the bathtub, but I discourage this. It’s simply not a good idea. You may disagree with me, and that is fine. I just want to encourage you to think before you post. This leads me to my conclusion:

NEVER POST SOMETHING TO SOCIAL MEDIA THAT YOU WOULD NOT WANT EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD TO SEE. Remember, the Internet was designed to share information, not conceal it. Anyone in the world with a laptop and an Internet connection is capable of seeing everything you post on social media.

Do not be afraid of the Internet; respect it. In turn, it will respect you.

Au revoire,

Scott Davis
Store Manager
Computer Depot, Inc.

Windows 8 – the optimized-for-tablets form of Windows 7 – is scheduled to be officially unveiled (Nevermind the fact that many of us have had access to the beta software for months now!) later this month. With the release of Windows 8, we are also looking forward to Windows 8 tablets which thus far sound like they will function much like Windows phones and the XBox Live interace do now. The interface will be dominated by large “live tiles” that allow for easy multi-tasking. I haven’t had the opportunity to play around much with a Windows phone, but I expect Windows tablets to be pretty fun little gadgets.

It will be interesting to see how Windows tablets fare against the latest incarnation of iPad set to release…well, who knows? No official word from Apple on that one yet. The Internet is replete with rumors.

Do you plan to upgrade to Windows 8 when it releases? Are you looking forward to the iPad 3? Leave your comments in the comments section below, or let us know on Facebook or on Twitter.

Au revoire,

Scott Davis
Store Manager
Computer Depot, Inc.

About two weeks ago, I received my latest ###cast bill. It was $10 higher than I what I had been paying for six months. I had previously been on a promotional rate, so I knew this time was coming.

So how much was I paying? Keep in mind– I only have Internet service; I don’t have any bundled telephone or cable television included. My bill was about $55 for a single month, and I wasn’t even renting any equipment! I don’t know which side of the street you played on growing up; but where I come from, $55 is a lot of money.

I decided to call ###cast and talk to them about it. After finding my way through the automated system, I had the opportunity to speak a very nice Indian woman working at the call center ’round the world. I told her that I didn’t want to pay $55 per month for my Internet service, and I would rather cancel my subscription than pay that much. She placed me on hold for about five minutes, came back, and offered me a promotion that would give me the exact same service for $30 a month for 12 months. I readily accepted her offer.

Yes, it’s a promotional rate; and twelve months from now, I will probably have to go through the same process again. But I think saving $300 over the course of 12 months is worth it. Don’t you?

Are you paying your Internet company too much? Give them a call. See what happens. You’ll never know unless you try.

Au revoire,

Scott Davis
Store Manager
Powell Location

Despite my lack of desire to become involved in politics, there is a very important bill being considered in Congress now. This bill will likely affect my day-to-day life, as well as yours. Anyone who has access to and/or uses the Internet frequently will be affected by this bill, should it pass. That bill is the SOPA – Stop Online Piracy Act.

I am in the minority, and I know that I am. I am a highly tech-savvy computer user without a single illegal mp3 or movie download on my computer. Nothing that I own in digital form is not on my DVD rack in physical form. I personally believe that having such things is theft, and I promote the fact that it is illegal to have and distribute such material. Making and publishing good movies on a visibly public scale costs millions of dollars. Doing the same with music costs tens of thousands of dollars. Who are we to think we are so important that we should own this material that cost so very much to make for free? The fact that anyone would have this material and not pay a penny for it makes one a bit of a thief. I am convinced this activity costs the economy billions of dollars and thousands of jobs. I promise that I am not speaking to anyone in particular, and I would never make a big deal about this unless I were asked. But this is my blog post; therefore, my opinions go here.

The SOPA has far-reaching implications. In theory, it will give the government the right to block Internet traffic from YOUR computer, because YOU are attempting to download copyrighted material you do not own and you have not paid for. This means that the government could possibly moderate both Facebook and YouTube on a daily basis. Because of this power that must be made available to the government, the process of securing the Internet from hackers and other ill-doers will be greatly compromised. This means you will probably have more viruses on your computer, and identity theft will sky-rocket.

I have two opinions regarding this bill. #1: I hate it. I hate any bill that gives the federal government more power over the private sector. That means I hate a lot of things, including SOPA. I hope it does not pass; but from what it looks like, it will. There really is not much I can do about that.

Opinion #2: We did this. It is our fault. People who know their way around the Internet so well that they download thousands of gigabytes in illegal intellectual property (usually movies) a week. If the bill passes, we have only ourselves to blame. I am convinced that it is because of illegal downloading that truly talented musicians (including personal friends of mine) without beefy pockets are unable to get ahead of the bubblegum pop garbage we hear on the radio every day. It is because of illegal downloading that we see so few new successful movie directors, producers, studios, and actors. It is because of illegal downloading that the SOPA will probably pass, and the Internet as we know it will change forever. We did this. It is our fault.

I would like to know where you stand. Feel free to leave your comments in the comments sections below.

By the way, I hope I did not make anyone I know mad in this post. I promise it is nothing personal.

You can read all about the SOPA here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/sopa-internet-censorship-online-piracy-house-hearing_n_1098255.html

Au revoire,

Scott Davis
Store Manager
Powell Location

“You know, you never really have used Apple(R) products much. Your first computer was a PC, and every computer thereafter. You really haven’t given Apple(R) products a fair shake. Someday, you ought to give them a chance. Maybe they’ll surprise you. Maybe you were wrong. After all, how can you really have an opinion on something you have rarely tried?

I bought my wife an iPad(TM) for Christmas. I knew she would love it, and she does. She isn’t tech-savvy; she doesn’t have a lot of technical demand. She wants a chic, sleek, “toy” that she can use for Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, email, and everyday web browsing. This is what the iPad(TM) excels at; therefore, she loves it.

I however, have a far different opinion. Let me briefly explain why:

1. It will not connect to HDMI without a proprietary-Apple(R) USB adapter.
2. It will not connect to USB devices without a proprietary-Apple(R) USB adapter.
3. It will not charge without a proprietary-Apple(R) USB adapter.
4. It doesn’t support Flash. At all. Ever. And never will.
5. It will not print to anything but an Apple(R) Air(TM) approved printer.
6. It has no micro-SD card support; therefore, there is now to access additional local storage.
7. There are very few free apps on the App(TM?) Market.
(By the way, Apple(R) has engaged in lawsuits against Google and Amazon in an attempt to safeguard their usage of the word “App.” No, I’m not kidding.)
8. Apple(R) is constantly pushing new updates to prevent you from “Jailbreaking” your iPad(TM)
(“Jailbreaking” is exploiting backdoors in the software in order to make the iPad(TM) capable of being almost as productive as a tablet by any other name).

Summary: Apple(R) makes good hardware, but their software is so restricting that you couldn’t possibly get into trouble if you wanted to. Everyone thinks Apple(R) products never have problems; the only reason that might be somewhat true is that they don’t let you DO anything. A child locked in his room with nothing but bread and water is not likely to break your neighbor’s window. If you want a high-dollar TOY that makes you look cool while you sip on your Sixbucks coffee, the iPad is for you. If you like the idea that a $500+ gadget should be capable of performing the functions on a 20-year old Gameboy, I refer you to an Android tablet.

Computer Depot sells those by the way, in case you’re interested.

Au revoire,

Scott Davis
Store Manager
Computer Depot, Inc.