Posts Tagged ‘mouse’

DELL Laptop Computer Accessories

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Dell is one of the top computer manufacturers. Dell laptops and desktops are sold worldwide, although it’s not a very cheap brand, meaning that other manufacturers make similar products at much lower prices, without sacrificing quality.
<-336x280 Large Rectangle - center->
Most Dell laptop computer accessories are much like the products of other accessory manufacturers. Laptops have two parts that are brand-specific: battery pack and docking station. In these two cases it’s always recommended to go with the original parts, even if other manufacturers offer compatible products at much lower prices.

It’s important to buy original Dell Docking Station for your Dell laptop, because original Dell laptop computer accessories have the best quality. The docking station’s most important feature is the docking connector that has to make perfect contact every time you attach your laptop to the docking station.

The Dell Simple E-Port Replicator sells for $129 and is the ideal solution for expanding your laptop into a workstation, while you’ll be able to detach you laptop anytime by removing a single connector.

This specific docking station comes with a 130Watt power supply, making it compatible with a wide range of Dell laptops: Latitude 2110, E4200, E4300, E4310, E5400, E5410, E5500, E5510, E6400, E6400 ATG, E6400 XFR, E6410, E6410 ATG, E6500 and E6510, Precision M2400, M4400 and M4500.

It has got all important ports: 5 x Hi-Speed USB – 4 pin USB Type A, 1 x network – RJ-45, 1 x display / video – 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), 1 x display / video – 24 pin digital DVI, 1 x display / video – 20 pin DisplayPort, 1 x eSATA / Hi-Speed USB and Audio Input/Output jacks.

It’s one of the most important Dell laptop computer accessories, because all additional accessories can be connected to it.

Other docking stations connected through a USB port may not be as fast when it comes to video output and other devices that require bigger transfer rates. USB 2.0 limits total speed to a theoretical 480Megabits/s (60MB/s), but practically you’re lucky if a USB device reaches 75% of that speed. Most cheap computer accessories (like external USB 2.0 hard disk racks) function at speed around only 20MB/s (160Megabits/s).

It costs $129, but it doesn’t have a laptop power adapter because it only connects through one USB port, so this only complicates things with it’s additional power supply only for the docking station.

For travel, the most important accessory to take with you is the mouse, some kind of Internet connection and a universal power supply that will run on any AC/DC current found in outlets around the world.

At $29 the original wireless Dell mouse is the most efficient choice:

It’s compatible with Windows 7, this important to know if you intend to use the programmable buttons on it. Most laptops have integrated Bluetooth modules that will run the mouse without a problem. Laptops without Bluetooth require an additional USB to Bluetooth adapter that’s available in very small sizes, perfect for laptops.

Latest Computer Accessories

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Computer accessories have evolved a lot over the years, only the two main input devices haven’t changed much since they were invented. The QWERTY keyboard and the little box with a button on top that slides on the desk are tens of years old. Not so long ago the optical mouse suffered some modifications:
<-336×280 Large Rectangle – center->
It’s called USB OPTICAL WHEEL FINGER MOUSE. As the name shows it attaches to your index finger, so you can work the scroll and buttons with your thumb, while the sensor at you finger tip detects movement, just like the classic optical mouse.

While it may have some advantages over the classic design, it get very uncomfortable after a while, your index finger gets sweaty. Another disadvantage is it’s poor precision, because the mouse – mouse pad friction is taken out of the equation, so it reacts more quickly to your finger’s every little movement. For only $8 it’s worth trying, it’s available at lightinthebox.com. This latest computer accessory seems very simple and you would think that it’s an everyday plastic toy, but you wold be wrong. It’s a USB 2.0 hub for laptops, with four strategically placed USB ports, one on each mouse foot. This way there’s no interference between the ports, so any type of device can be connected of any size and shape. Standard desktop and laptop computers usually have ports too close to each other, resulting in unpleasant physical limitations when using the ports.

Ports face in four different directions when the animal’s legs are spread, permitting the full use of the ports, but of course only under the 5V 500mA total power limit. Four keyboards, four mice or four USB flash drives should work without any problems, but when it comes to external hard drives all bets are off. Even one hard drive could reach the limit and not start, because most of them were designed to work in one or two USB ports with 5W of power at their disposal. When connected through a USB hub, the hard disk has to share that little power offered by the port with the USB hub.

Other (so called) latest computer accessories just got a makeover, like this 2.1 speaker system:

The Edifer brand is very popular in China, it’s E1100 black speaker system is even more appreciated because of it’s unique design and great sound quality.
Two satellites produce 4.5Watts of sound each, while the sub woofer delivers 12Watts. When we’re talking about efficiency however, these are not very good specifications, because the sound system’s rated power is 41Watts, meaning that it’s efficiency is around 50%.

There are many electronic devices with even lower efficiency factors, but today anything below 80% efficiency can be considered wasteful.

HP Laptop Computer Accessories

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

There are many different kinds of HP laptop computer accessories for all the situations you may have to face on the road or at home (or at the office). The most important feature of any laptop is that it’s portable, so naturally the first thing it needs is an adequate carrying case. On HP’s official site the simple briefcase design is the most popular, and that’s a little surprising because the briefcase is one of the worst carrying cases ever conceived. Briefcases even with an additional shoulder strap don’t balance the load and affect your posture very negatively, especially if you use it a lot.
<-336×280 Large Rectangle – center->
On the other hand, this kind of laptop cases look great and have a lot of storage compartments for additional HP laptop computer accessories. This specific model is made by Targus and supports laptop sizes up to 17”. It costs just under $50, so it’s one of the cheapest shock-resistant computer cases around. Next on the popularity list is the HP 11.6” Mini Sleeve that addresses a completely different type of user.

These little laptop cases offer protection mostly against scratches and dust, shock protection is not really an option at such small dimensions. People who buy netbooks (laptops with screens smaller than 12”) usually want maximum portability, and less safety. It wouldn’t make sense to put a small laptop in a thick protective case. At a $25 price it may be the best choice for HP mini laptops.

The best and most ergonomic laptop case is the backpack. The most popular backpack, SwissGear 17″ Pegasus Backpack is unfortunately in sixth place on HP’s popularity list, so a conclusion would be that people don’t really care about health when it comes to one of the most visible accessories.

It costs $80, but it’s worth every cent, because not only does it divide the laptop’s weight equally on you shoulders, but it also frees up your hands to walk more naturally and to do more important things than holding a bag. At home at at the office the most important accessory for laptops is the standard keyboard and mouse, that make it possible to increase productivity compared to the laptop’s miniature input devices.

This original HP Wireless Multimedia Keyboard and Mouse cost $60. The most important features include multimedia controls on the keyboard, fast scrolling rubber mouse wheel and extended battery life. They keyboard works for up to a year on two AA batteries while the batteries in the mouse have to be changed every 6 months. Compared to early wireless accessories that needed recharging (or replacement batteries) after every 1-2 weeks, these are very close to perfect. Another laptop accessory that is worth investing in is a good docking station.

It costs $100 and it comes in handy when you have a lot of accessories at home that you don’t take with you, just the laptop. If this is the case you just disconnect the laptop from the docking port, and you’re ready to go. As you can see it supports all kinds of accessories including one monitor, analog and digital audio input/output jacks and most importantly it also has a power adapter, so you don’t have to take out the charger from the bag, you may use it only for travel. Although HP brand monitors are a bit more expensive than less-known brands, today we’re looking at only HP products. It’s important to choose a monitor with the highest possible resolution, while size doesn’t really matter when it comes to productivity.
This $212 21.5″ monitor is ideal for programs, games and any FullHD content.

Alienware Computer Accessories

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Alienware is a top gaming PC manufacturer, purchased by Dell back in 2006. The latest Alienware masterpiece is a 11.6” gaming laptop. It’s based on a low power 1.3GHz Intel dual core processor (Pentium SU4100 or Core 2 Duo SU7300) and nVidia’s most powerful graphics card ever used in a sub-15” laptop, Geforce GT 335 with 1GB of GDDR3 memory. Although the graphics card is not the best, keep in mind that it has to control only a 1366 x 768 resolution screen, so most games will run without any problems using medium or high graphics detail settings. Alienware desktops on the other hand are nothing special (except for the case design). They include mostly standard components and a liquid cooling system that (or something similar) can also be installed in almost any non-Alienware computer.
<-336×280 Large Rectangle – center->
Computer accessories made by Alienware are a completely different story. For example Alienware monitors are specially designed for high definition gaming. This monitor looks the same as the others, but it has very realistic RGB colors and the response time is under 2ms that makes it perfect for gaming. The next monitor however offers something special, a very wide viewing angle, however the resolution is not so great, only 2048 x 1536. Other Alienware computer accessories include very resistant led-backlit keyboards designed especially for gaming.

The keyboard can be lit up in 20 unique colors with up to 400 possible combinations.Alienware also designed a very practical gaming mouse. It isn’t very stylish, but it’s very comfortable and it lets you play for many hours non-stop without hurting your hand even in the most action packed games.Considering the fact that most passionate gamers play well into the night, some soundproofing comes in handy. Alienware manufactures some really cool headphones too.Also designed for many hours of non-stop use, the earpieces surround your ears without pressing them to your head, and they produce a very high quality sound making it easier for midnight gamers to abandon their huge 5.1 speaker systems and let people sleep in the rooms nearby.If you have bought a very expensive Alienware gaming laptop it’s essential to carry it in a very secure and resistant bag.The Alienware Orion Messenger Bag supports laptops with screen sizes up to 17”, and offers great protection thanks to many safety features that are achieved by an optimal combination of different resistant materials:

Some people may not pay attention to your cool Alienware bag, so it’s best to buy an ware original Alienware Alpha-4 Trucker Caps too. Of course this is not always a good thing, it may draw unwanted attention from muggers and thieves. It would make more sense to choose, carry the Alienware bag or ware the cap, but not both at the same time.

Desktop Computer Accessories

Friday, April 30th, 2010

Desktop computer accessories today include thousands of different devices. To a simple desktop with the right interfaces almost any laptop/desktop accessory can be connected, and even some industrial accessories too, like robotics controllers (and robots), different types of microscopes, telescopes, oscilloscopes …and so on. This is possible because personal computers are becoming more and more powerful every year. Those years are over when only NASA had computers with sufficient (?) speed to guide Apollo spaceships to the Moon and back.
<-336×280 Large Rectangle – center->
There are a few types of computer accessories:

  1. Input: data flows from the device to the computer
  2. Output: data flows from the computer to the device
  3. Input & Output: data flows in both directions
  4. Other non-digital accessories: there’s no data transfer

Input devices (or accessories) include keyboards, mice, microphones (and other audio sources), webcams, digital video cameras, TV-Tuners, scanners, DVD-ROMs, power reset and sleep buttons …etc. Output devices (or accessories) are screens, printers, speakers, projectors, LEDs. I/O devices (or accessories) are mostly storage and communication devices, like dvd-writers, external hard disks and networks, The Internet, telephone lines …etc.

Non-digital accessories are components or external devices that ensure the right electrical and thermal conditions for the computer’s components and accessories. Accessories that belong to this category are fans, power adapters, fluorescent lights, cables …etc. Today’s most frequently used desktop computer accessories are the ones that are already incorporated in most laptop computers: Keyboard – the best input device ever, in the last 100 years no one came up with a better idea than the QWERTY keyboard

Pointing device – laptops and some desktop keyboard include touch pads, but the best pointing device ever developed is the computer mouse, undefeated since apple first introduced it (the original Apple one-button mouse). Speakers – that’s something that any digital or analog device must have for warning sounds or simply for music/film/game/application sound. Image input – usually a simple webcam, incorporated in (or placed on) the top of the laptop/desktop screen, that’s used together with a microphone in most cases. Printers are becoming less practical desktop computer accessories, because storing stuff on hard drives, dvds or on the internet is much safer than keeping physical documents, photos or videotapes. Authorities and firms in evolved states already accept documents in digital form, thus simplifying procedures and making everything more efficient. In more primitive states you still have to do everything by going down to the authorities, filling out forms, taking documents and files to different institutes in the city or state and paying at a completely different place. Faxes are also obsolete, in fact they had a very short life. Although the fax was invented a long time ago, when it was finally manufactured at a larger scale the Internet and free E-Mail services were already wide-spread and far more practical.

Computer Accessories For Kids

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Before presenting some interesting computer accessories for kids, it needs to be said that today’s kids all over the world have no problems with standard computer keyboards, mice, touch pads and touch screens. Many people don’t realize it, but all basic input/output devices were designed to be as simple as possible, so it’s no big surprise that even kids can easily use them.
<-336×280 Large Rectangle – center->
As if standard keyboards wasn’t simple enough, Sakar managed to simplify it even more:

The Crayola 11071 Keyboard is one of the best products from Sakar. The most important thing about it is that unnecessary keys were eliminated, and the rest is separated in appropriate groups by colors. This way any child will learn the differences between keys right from the start. By color it’s easier to differentiate numbers from letter, and signs from function keys.
Chester Creek Technologies has simplified the mouse, bringing it back to the first Apple mouse design with only one button.
Apple’s one button mouse designed ~30 years ago for Macintosh computers:

Chester Creek Technologies Ctmo One-button Optical Tiny Mouse, designed for kids:

There isn’t much to say about this tiny mouse. It has a friendly exterior, and its basic functionality makes us realize that for many applications one mouse button is enough.

Other computer accessories designed for kids are not so practical, they are normal computer accessories with an exaggerated exterior.
The C-3PO MIMOBOT flash drive is a nice gift for kids (or for any Star Wars fan). It’s preloaded with Star Wars-themed bonus wallpapers, screensavers, avatars, sound software and more.

Personalized mouse pads are also appropriate gifts for kids and adults, although they also lack any practical advantages over a simple, mono color mouse pad. Early optical mice had a problem with mouse pads that had many colors, but the latest GLaser mice work flawlessly on any flat surface, even on transparent glass.

A more useful computer accessory would be a computer desk in the kid’s favorite color or the universal pink for girls:

Paired with an appropriate ergonomic chair:

This combination is appropriate for kids because the desk is lower than normal and it also has a bottom part that raises the floor by 10cm, so kids may rest their feet if they sit on an appropriate height chair. Some manufacturers also offer pink computer cases, if the pink chair and desk weren’t enough:

It’s basically a simple ATX form factor computer case, compatible with today’s most configurations. The manufacturer of these cases is Raidmax, a very serious brand known for gaming and server cases. On the official website the pink case is listed in the Corporate section, which is a bit odd. I can’t imagine serious programmers, web designers, accountants or bankers working on such machines.

Computer Blue Tooth Accessories

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

Bluetooth is a short distance radio wave communication method. Compared to other similar technologies like Wi-Fi, it’s very slow, but speed wasn’t the main concern when it was invented. Bluetooth is mainly used in mobile phones to communicate with hands free earphones and microphones, but its applicability doesn’t stop there. It’s also suitable for small file transfers between phones or between a phone and a PC. Sharing a dial-up (HSDPA, 3G, WCDMA …etc.) internet connection is also possible through Bluetooth between a mobile phone and a PC (in both ways). The Bluetooth specification was developed in 1994 by Jaap Haartsen and Sven Mattisson, who worked for Ericsson in Sweden. The first two versions, 1.0 and 1.0b had a lot of problems, the biggest of them all was poor interoperability between two different brand devices.
<-336×280 Large Rectangle – center->
With the implementation of version 1.1 in 2002 most problems previous versions were fixed, but the first practical connection was possible with Bloutooth V1.2 (ratified in 2005) that had a 721kbit/s (90K/s) transfer rate speed. This was enough for small jpegs, sharing an internet connection, and of course for high-quality audio devices. Most laptops, phones and other devices available in stores today use Bluetooth version 2.1 + EDR (enhanced data rate) communication modules. Ratified in 2007 the new Bluetooth version supports transfer rates up to 3Mbits/s (up to 384KB/s), still not comparable with Wi-Fi speeds that range from 54Mbit/s to 600Mbit/s, but enough for smaller file transfers and Internet connection sharing.

Although two more revisions have been made to the Bluetooth communication method, for some reason manufacturers hesitate to adopt the new specifications. Version 3.0 supports transfer speeds of up to 24Mbit/s (3MB/s) while Bluetooth version 4.0 has focused on efficiency, and kept the same maximum speed as v3.0. For computers version 2.1 is more than enough. Bluetooth connections are used for connecting keyboards, mice, wireless headsets …etc. to the computer. None require greater transfer speeds or bigger than 20m functioning distances. One of the most popular accessories for computers connected through Bluetooth is the Apple wireless keyboard:

It’s small, resistant and with a stylish aluminum exterior captivates anyone’s attention. Keeping the number of cables around the computer is essential, so using wireless headsets for Skype, Yahoo Messenger and other types of chat programs that allow voice and video calls makes a lot of sense. With Wi-Fi capabilities spreading to all devices a Bluetooth modem doesn’t seem so practical anymore, it may have some advantages in specific special situations.

USB to Bluetooth adapters have been significantly reduced in size, for laptop mice (but also compatible with any Bluetooth device) they made a very small adapter that has a body of a few millimeters beyond the USB plug itself, and it’s also rounded so you don’t accidentally brake it off with a cable or while getting the laptop in or out of the laptop case. In conclusion Bluetooth is a very handy connection type, hopefully most manufacturers will start to adopt the new 4.0 standards until the end of this year.

All Computer Accessories

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

Many years ago the computers were just some really big and unpractical devices that were capable of just some simple and basic operations. But in time they evolved a lot and today they had become really small and lightweight devices that are also capable of very advanced tasks. The computers had spread all over the world, in so many domains, that today in 2010 we can definitely say that they are a part of our life. Either if we use them for work or for personal fun, they had become indispensable for so many of us that we can’t even imagine how the world would have been today without the computers.

<-336×280 Large Rectangle – center->

As you might already know, a computer is made out of 2 basic components: the monitor, and the central unit that contains all of the internal components – hard drive, processor, RAM memory, video card, etc. So these are the two basic components, that a computer definitely needs to have, and the other components can be considered accessories. It is true that we can’t use a computer without having at least one of these components : mouse or keyboard. So even though they are also accessories, they can be considered indispensable accessories. We guess that anyone who used a computer so far knows what a keyboard does, and which are the purposes of the mouse, so we won’t discuss about them anymore. But we will discuss about all the other computer accessories that you can use.

First of all there are the speakers. They are accessories, but they are also very important, and anyone usually has them. They can have all sorts of shapes and sizes and they are the devices that are giving the sound from the computer. So either you are playing a video game, watching a movie or listening to some music, you will definitely need some computer speakers. But if you don’t want to use some speakers, then you can choose to use headphones. These are much smaller than the speakers and they are giving quite a good and accurate sound. And the best part is that you can play the music really loud, because only you will hear the sound, and you won’t disturb the others around you.




Another audio computer accessory that you can use is the microphone. You can use this one for communicating over the internet with friends or family and also to record your voice or any other sound you want. There are microphones with all sizes and shapes, depending on the audio quality you are searching for. Another computer accessory that is also used for online chatting is the webcam. This is usually a small device that is filming you and allowing other people on the internet to see you….only if you agree with this of course. It is really useful for the times when you are far away from your family and friends, and you want them to see you, and also you to see them. The webcams also have a lot of shapes and sizes, and most of the new notebooks today come with an integrated webcam, so you don’t even need to buy one.

Other computer accessories are the gaming accessories. So these are used when playing video games, and they are meant to improve the gaming experience. The most popular accessory is the steering wheel which of course will be used in racing games. Most of the steering wheels today also come with pedals and a gear shifter, so the driving experience will seem more realistic. Another gaming accessory is the joystick, and this one can be used in many types of games, and can allow you to play the game easier, and feel it better.




The printers, scanners and all the other similar devices can also be considered computer accessories and they can be really useful for printing and scanning documents, pictures, or any type of files you want.

So these were all the accessories that you can use with your computer. If we missed some just let us know, and if you have some good computer accessories that you are really proud of, tell us all about them!

Basic Computer Hardware

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Computer hardware is the physical part of the computer including the digital circuits inside the computer as opposed to the software that carry out the computing instructions. The hardware of a computer is unlikely to change frequently unless due to the crash or for upgrading them. The devices that is capable of storing, executing system instructions and controlling other logical outputs.

Hardware comprises all of the physical part of the computer such as Monitor, CPU, motherboard, ram, CD-Rom, printer, scanner, hard disk, flash drive (AKA pen drive), processor, pci buses, floppy disk, power supply, VGA card, sound card, network interface card, peripherals, joystick, mouse, keyboard, foot pedal, computer fan, camera, headset and others.



CPU (Central Processing Unit): CPU or central processing unit relates to a specific or processor. The performance of the computer is determined by the CPU chip (processor speed) and the other computer circuitry.



Hard Disk Drives – Disk drive is the mechanism to run the disks. All disks need a drive to get the information, read it and put it back to the disks. Hard disk is used to store the data permanently. Often the terms disk and drive used to describe the same thing but it should be clear that a disk is a storage device.



Modem – A modem is used for the modulation and demodulation of the data that is transferred through the modem and the telephone lines. Modem translates the data from digital to analog from analog to digital. Because on the telephone lines data can travel in the form of the analog signals and in the computer data transmits in the form of digital signals. Modems are measured by the speed which is called baud rate.



Video cards-Video cards allow computer to display video, graphics and animation. Some video cards allow computers to display television. A video card with a digital video camera allows users to produce live video. A high speed broadband internet connection is required to watch the videos on net.



Network cards: Network interface cards allow PCs to connect with each other and communicate. Every network computer is required to have a NIC card. NIC cards are required both in wired and wireless networking.



RAM (Random Access Memory) RAM is a memory that is being used by the computer to store the information temporarily. For example when some work is performed on some applications that work is temporarily stored in the RAM. More RAM in the computer more faster computer works.



Cards – Cards are the hardware components that are added to the computer to increase their functionalities and capabilities.

Memory – Memory is the one of the important piece of the hardware. Sometimes memory chip memory is confused with the hard disk memory. Sometimes unallocated space of the hard disk is used as virtual memory also known as page file. This type of memory is a temporary memory and is used actual memory is less and requires some additional memory to perform a specific task.

Computer And Its Parts

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

If you use a desktop computer, you might already know that there isn’t any single part called the “computer.” A computer is really a system of many parts working together. The physical parts, which you can see and touch, are collectively called hardware. Software, on the other hand, refers to the instructions, or programs, that tell the hardware what to do.

The illustration above shows the most common hardware in a desktop computer system. Your system may look a little different, but it probably has most of these parts. A laptop computer has similar parts but combines them into a single notebook-sized package.


The system unit is the core of a computer system. Usually it’s a rectangular box placed on or underneath your desk. Inside this box are many electronic components that process information. The most important of these components is the central processing unit (CPU), or microprocessor, which acts as the “brain” of your computer. Another component is random access memory (RAM), which temporarily stores information that the CPU uses while the computer is on. The information stored in RAM is erased when the computer is turned off.



A mouse is a small device used to point to and select items on your computer screen. Although mice come in many shapes, the typical mouse does look a bit like an actual mouse. It’s small, oblong, and connected to the system unit by a long wire that resembles a tail. Some newer mice are wireless. A mouse usually has two buttons: a primary button (usually the left button) and a secondary button. Many mice also have a wheel between the two buttons, which allows you to scroll smoothly through screens of information.



A keyboard is used mainly for typing text into your computer. Like the keyboard on a typewriter, it has keys for letters and numbers, but it also has special keys. The function keys, found on the top row, perform different functions depending on where they are used. The numeric keypad, located on the right side of most keyboards, allows you to enter numbers quickly. The navigation keys, such as the arrow keys, allow you to move your position within a document or webpage.

A monitor displays information in visual form, using text and graphics. The portion of the monitor that displays the information is called the screen. Like a television screen, a computer screen can show still or moving pictures.

There are two basic types of monitors: CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors and LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors. Both types produce sharp images, but LCD monitors have the advantage of being much thinner and lighter. CRT monitors, however, are generally more affordable.




Speakers are used to play sound. They may be built into the system unit or connected with cables. Speakers allow you to listen to music and hear sound effects from your computer.