Sunday, September 7, 2014

My Devices

I confess; I'm a closet techie.


I've always been drawn to hobbies that combine creativity with technology; digital photography, video editing, fiction editing.

So for fun, and for any other closet artists/geeks out there, here are my devices:

  • Dell Inspiron One 23-inch All In One Desktop Computer 
  • Price $820. I got this price at Microcenter.  Check Amazon's price here. This is a desktop PC without the CPU box. It has bluetooth keyboard and mouse. There is literally one power cord in the back. The USB ports and speakers are built in to the screenIt comes with Windows 8.1, which is essentially an Android touchscreen format. I splurged and got the 8GB DDRM-3 i5 versus the older i3 processor. I replaced my seven-year-old PC with the antique box and the spiderweb of cords. The kids use the All In One for web browsing, watching movies and school work. I use it for Angel Edits and for Hi Def video editing. The RAM and storage capacity are twice as powerful as my old computer. So it's not really just 8GB of RAM, it's like 16GB. 
  • My mom asked me to get her a computer from Amazon, but she didn't want a touch screen or Windows 8. So I got her this. It has Windows 7 and 8GB DDRM-3 i5. 
  • Kindle Fire 8.9" HDX Tablet with bluetooth keyboard (Keybook Poetic case) 
    Price: $400 I paid this price at Best Buy. Check Amazon's price here. The word "tablet" implies the HDX is somehow less than a traditonal PC, but the truth is, this tablet can do almost anything a PC can do. I do all my Angel Edits work using Kingsoft Office and save to .doc files compatible with MS Office/Word. The HDX is fully integrated with Amazon/Goodreads, has a Mayday button that gets you a live person within 15 seconds, and a fantastic dictation/voice recognition feature. The limitations are screen size, processor speed, and software compatibility. Some software programs, particularly at a professional level, do not yet support advanced features for Android devices; the software developers aren't there yet. The HDX does not have enough processing power to render multilayer Hi Def video or other memory intensive tasks. It's also Amazon proprietary and you can't use the Google apps store. However, most apps are easily sideloaded directly from the manufacturer website. 

  • Kindle Fire 7" Previous Gen 4 Price I paid: $170. You can get these for $80 now. Check Amazon's price here. This was my first Kindle. It's not HD and has a much smaller screen. It has similar function to the HDX, but lacks the coolness. I'm using this as a second/third screen in my editing process. My other family members are using this now since they are not allowed to touch "Mommy's Kindle." 

  • Samsung Galaxy S Android Phone Price: $400 This was my first Andoid device and perhaps the beginning of my Android obsession. I read ebooks on my phone before I got my first Kindle. I have a ridiculous plan that's only $35 a month for unlimited everything, but the browser is slow. I use it for texting and directions mostly. I have been lusting after the new Galaxy S5 and waiting for someone to make me an offer on an upgrade.
  • Canon T2i DSLR Hi Def Camera Price: $400 The T-series is the highest level of Canon DSLR before going to the professional grade. It takes beautiful Hi Def video with all the benefits of a camera, blurred background and everything. The video files are huge, so I've been recording in Low Def. With the All in One, I can record in Hi Def finally. I make an annual family video; fully edited with music, transitions, effects, and titles (using Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Pro 13 Home, $80). I also make our family Christmas cards and portraits of the kids, so we don't need to use Shutterfly or the school photographer. The latest version of this camera, the T5i, is on my wish list and has auto-focus in the video feature.
  • Canon MG7120 Pixma Inkjet Printer 
    Price: $125 Check Amazon's price here. This wireless printer is compatible with my Kindle HDX and all my clouds, etc. So nice not to have all those cables behind the desk. Love the brown color and the print quality is great.




Now you know my secret. What are your favorite tech toys?

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