This document provides an overview and recommendations for purchasing laptops, tablets, and interactive whiteboards for educational use. It includes terminology for key components and features of each technology. Reviews and specifications are given for sample products, such as the Apple iPad, HP Envy laptop, and MimioTeach interactive system. The document recommends the MacBook laptop for quality and software, waiting to purchase a tablet until updated models are released, and choosing the lower-cost Mimio system to outfit more classrooms with interactive whiteboards.

1. Technology Shoppers' Guide
Allison Lundquist
University of Phoenix CED 528

2. Table of Contents
Laptops:
•Laptop buyingTerminology
 HP Envy 14 laptop
Toshiba-satellite-t235d-s1345 laptop
 MacBook 13” laptop
Buying a laptop: Recommendation
Tablets:
•Tablet buying terminology
Apple iPad 16GB
Samsung Galaxy Tab-Sprint
Dell Streak 7
Buying a tablet: recommendation
Interactive Whiteboards:
•Whiteboard buying terminology
MimioTeach Interactive System
Promethean ActiveBoard 300
SMARTboard 600 series
Buying an interactive whiteboard: recommendation
Resources Used

3. Buying a Laptop: Terminology
Processor: The central brain of the computer that oversees all functions. The
state of the art processor is the Intel CORE i7 series, but the Intel CORE 2
duo can be found in most mainstream computers. AMD Athlon X2 Dual-
Core processors are comparable to the Intel CORE 2, but are constantly
outperformed by Intel processors in comparable machines ("Laptop buying
guide," 2010).
RAM: Random Access Memory, and allows the computer to temporarily
store information and commands it is currently working with (Tyson, 2001).
RAM is very important to a computers speed, if you have a fast processor,
but not enough RAM, the computer will still be slow. CNET.com
recommends users who want a laptop for photo and video editing look for a
laptop that has a minimum of 8GB of RAM("Laptop buying guide," 2010).
Hard Drive: Permanent memory that stores the files and programs on your
computer (Tyson, 2001). Generally, the more storage the better. CNET
recommends a hard drive of at least 320GB or larger that runs at 7,200rpm
("Laptop buying guide," 2010).

4. Buying a Laptop: Terminology
Graphics Card: Translates data into images on the monitor (Tyson, 2001).
The current market standard cards are the Nvidia GeForce and the ATI
Radeon (Brown, 2009).
Operating System: The software that manages all the operations of your
computer. The two standard operating systems now are Windows 7
(available in Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate), and Mac OSX
Snow Leopard.
USB: Universal Serial Bus ports allow you to directly connect most
peripheral devices to your computer. The more ports you have, the more
devices you can connect at once (Vaughn, 2008)
.

5. Buying a Laptop: Terminology
Optical Drive: Most optical drives today read Digital Versatile Disks (DVD)
which is an optical disk that can store up to 4.7 GB and is often used for
movies and file storage. Many computers offer DVD-R drives that allow you
to write and save information onto blank DVDs(Vaughn, 2008).
Bluetooth: A radio technology that allows computers to wirelessly
communicate with peripherals(Vaughn, 2008)

6. Product: HP Envy 14
Cost: $999
Click for full review
Editor's Rating: 4/5 stars

7. Product: Toshiba-Satellite
t235d-s1345
Cost: $599
Click for Full Review
Editor's Rating: 3.5/5 stars

8. Product: Apple MacBook 13”
Cost: $999
Click for full review
Editor's Rating: 4/5 stars

9. Buying a Laptop: Recommendations
•The MacBook provides the most quality for your money.
•It is simple, reliable, and comes fully stocked with a variety of software
for multimedia projects.
•Because it's a Mac, there are far less concerns about security and viruses.
•Although iWork doesn't quite match up to Microsoft Office 2007, you have all the basic
functionality without the additional cost of software.

10. Buying a Tablet: Terminology
Think about how you want to use the tablet:
Will be it an e-reader, or more of a laptop replacement?
 How long do you plan to keep it?
How important is having a constant data connection to you?
Consider the extra costs and contracts carefully. Is it worth it to wait for
the next generation of OS to be released?

11. Buying a Tablet: Terminology
Operating Systems: The software that controls the tablet. The standard OS
for tablets are Mac IOS (the mobile version of OSX for mobile devices),
Android (made by Google for handheld devices). Some companies,
including RIM, maker of Blackberry and the forthcoming Playbook tablet
have their own proprietary operating system. Microsoft is said to have a
tablet version of Windows 7 in development.
Screen size: Measured on a diagonal across the screen. 7” tablets are more
portable and e-reader friendly, but 10” tablets are better for surfing the web
and editing documents (Bell, Tips for tablet shopping, 2010).
Bluetooth: A radio technology that allows computers to wirelessly
communicate with peripherals(Vaughn, 2008).

12. Buying a Tablet: Terminology
SD card slot: Secure digital (SD) is a small card for storing data and is
the industry standard for portable device information storage. An SD card
slot allows the card to be put directly into a device to access its contents.
Flash: a software created by Adobe to add animation and interactivity to
web pages.
Megapixel: 1 million pixels, or points of digital information. It is a
measure of camera quality, based on how many pixels a camera captures
when it takes a picture.

13. Product: Apple iPad 16GB
Cost: $499
Click here for full review
Editor's Rating: 4/5 stars
Operating System: Apple IOS 4.2
Weight: 1.5lb
Screen Size : 9.7”
Camera No
Battery Life 10 hours
Blue Tooth: Yes
Flash supported No
SD Card Slot No

14. Product: Samsung Galaxy
•Cost: $399
(+2yr Sprint contract and monthly data plan)
•$599 off contract
Click for full review
Editor's Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Operating System: Android 2.2
Weight: 0.8lbs
Screen Size : 7”
Camera 1.3MP front, 3MP rear
Battery Life 7-10 hours
Blue Tooth: Yes
Flash supported Yes
SD Card Slot MicroSD

15. Product: Dell Streak 7
Cost: $449.99
($199 with T-Mobile 2 year contract)
Click here for full review
Editor's Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Operating System: Android 2.2
Weight: 0.9lb
Screen Size : 7”
Camera 1.3MP front, 5MP rear
Battery Life 7-10 hours
Blue Tooth: Yes
Flash supported Yes
SD Card Slot Yes

16. Buying a Tablet: Recommendations
•Don't buy just yet! The new iPad expected in April is widely predicted to have front and rear
facing cameras, which is the only area where the Android tablets take the lead.
•If you really want a tablet, the iPad is still the best. It tops overall quality, responsiveness, ease of
use, and number of apps.
•On a limited budget, a smartphone will do all of the same things on a smaller scale.
•A laptop is a more practical overall choice.
•Avoiding contracts because tablet technology is evolving so quickly, and still has lots of room to
improve.

17. Buying an Interactive Whiteboard: Terminology
Things to consider:
Does it need to be portable?
Do you have access to LCD projectors?
Can the board be mounted in a place that can easily be projected onto?
LCD projector: A projector that connects to your computer by VGA cable
and projects the images from your monitor onto a screen or other flat surface.
LCD projectors can cost between $300-$500, although more sophisticated or
compact models can cost several thousand.
USB: Universal Serial Bus ports allow you to directly connect most peripheral
devices to your computer. The more ports you have, the more devices you can
connect at once (Vaughn, 2008)

18. Product: MimioTeach Interactive System
Cost: $729
Click for full review
Editor's Review: 4/5 stars
Click to view a demonstration
Screen Size up to 113”
Portability yes
Installation Time 10 minutes
Dry erase friendly: Yes
Technology: Sensor and stylus
Input: Stylus

19. Product: Promethean ActivBoard 300 Series
Cost: $1795
Click for full review
Editor's Review: 2.5/5 stars
Click to view a demonstration
Screen Size 78”
Portability no
Installation Time 2+ hours for wall
mount
Dry erase friendly: yes
Technology: proprietary surface
Input: Stylus

20. Product: SMARTboard 600 Series Interactive Whiteboard
Cost: $1999
Click here for full review
Editor's Review: 2.5/5 stars
Click to view a demonstration
Screen Size 77”
Portability Can be wall mount or on
cart for extra cost
Installation Time 2+ hours for wall mount. 30
min for cart
Dry erase friendly: No
Technology: Proprietary surface
Input Stylus or Finger

21. Buying an Interactive Whiteboard: Recommendation
•If your goal is to get as many interactive whiteboards into your
classrooms as possible, the Mimio system is the way to go
•Since it is less than half the cost for the other boards , you can outfit
twice as many classrooms
•If you still need to share, you can easily move the Mimio from room
to room without having the pay the extra $500 for the portable
SMARTboard stand
• The software that comes with the SMARTboard and the ActivBoard
offers many well produced lessons and features, but isn’t worth the
extra cost.

22. Resources
Ackerman, D. (2010, June 08). Cnet editor's reviews: Apple Macbook spring 2010. CNET Reviews,
Retrieved from http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/apple-macbook-spring-2010/4505-3121_7-
34109002.html?tag=mncol;lst;8#reviewPage1
Ackerman, D. (2010, August 11). Cnet editor's review: HP envy 14. CNET Reviews , Retrieved from
http://reviews.cnet.com/hp-envy-14-review?tag=rvwBody#reviewPage1
Bell , D. . (2010, November 23).Cnet editor's review: Apple ipad. Retrieved from
http://reviews.cnet.com/ipad-16gb-review?tag=contentMain;contentBody
Bell , D. . (2011, January 31).Cnet editor's review: Dell Streak 7. Retrieved from
http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/dell-streak-7/4505-3126_7-34468625.html?
tag=contentMain;contentBody
Bell , D. . (2010, October 27).Cnet editor's review: Samsung Galaxy. Retrieved from
http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/samsung-galaxy-tab-sprint/4505-3126_7-34194814.html?
tag=contentMain;contentBody
Bell, D. (2010). Tips for tablet shopping. [Web]. Retrieved from http://reviews.cnet.com/tablets/?
tag=revCatWrap
Brown, R. (2009, November 2). Graphics card buying guide. Retrieved from
http://reviews.cnet.com/2719-19600_7-264-4.html?tag=page;page
Editor's Choice (2010, February). Retrieved from http://www.smartboardsreviews.com/

23. Resources-continued.
Laptop buying guide. (2010, October 5). Reviews , Retrieved from http://reviews.cnet.com/
2719-7602_7-273-1.html?tag=page;page
Mimio teach interactive system. (2010). Retrieved from http://us.mimio.com/en-
US/Products/MimioTeach-Interactive-System.aspx
Promethean ActivBoard 300 range. (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.prometheanworld.com/server.php?show=nav.19192
Smartboard 600 series interactive whiteboard. (2010). Retrieved
from http://smarttech.com/us/Solutions/Education+Solutions/Products+for+education/Interactive
+whiteboards+and+displays/SMART+Board+interactive+whiteboards/600+for+education
Stein , S. (2010, August 17). Cnet editor's reviews: toshiba satellite t235d. CNET Reviews , Retrieved
from http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/toshiba-satellite-t235d-s1345/4505-3121_7-
34120474.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody#reviewPage1
Tyson, J. (2001, June 5). How pcs work. Retrieved from
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/pc1.htm
Vaughan, T. (2008).Multimedia: Making it work (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.