My Idea For My Boyfriend's New Tech Wardrobe

I call it a tech wardrobe because he's not just looking for a new computer, but a new phone...preferably a smart phone. And, having a geek girlfriend, he often turns to me for my opinion.

Phone
As far as phones, he's been caught between a Droid X and iPhone 4 for a while now. He's leaning more toward the Droid X now, and I'd have to agree with him. At first, I thought: "IPod Touch, iTunes, therefore iPhone." However, after he showed me his Droid vs. IPhone Excel Spreadsheet Scoreboard (he's a very smart shopper), I have to side with the Droid X. AT&T and Apple have a few issues regarding that phone that I'd advise people to research before purchasing the iPhone 4. Having not done this (yet), I won't go into that today.

Outside of those two phones, Windows Phone 7 and Android have come out with some pretty impressive-looking smart phones. Then there's the new Blackberry for those who happen to favor those. Moral: Don't buy into hype; find the phone that fits you. Go out and play with some of them. And for goodness sake, ASK QUESTIONS!!!

Laptops
Well, at this point, if it's not a Macbook, it's a Windows 7 PC. I'm currently using Windows 7 (By that I mean, I have a laptop with Windows 7. I'm actually using an iMac right now), and I like it. I never had Vista, so I can't really tell the difference. However, there seems to be a reasonable consensus that Windows 7 is an improvement from its FAIL predecessor.

Most University of Michigan college students either (a) have a Mac or (b) have a PC and want a Mac. Macs are more expensive, but are notoriously better computers. The way I see it?

I like Microsoft Office better on a PC (because that's what I'm used to), so I handle big writing, presentation, and spreadsheet business on a PC. Otherwise, I prefer a Mac.

My ideal plan, that my boyfriend is so not going to use, is to buy a Macbook (regular, Pro, or Air) and use Google Docs instead of Microsoft Office. [See post: 'Why Are People Using Google Docs???'] Safari is a great browser, so you don't have to replace IE with Google Chrome or Firefox, but I would download one of them. (I like having two browsers.)

Conclusion
The moral of all this is: Every now and then we need to update our tech wardrobe. Do the research, though, so you can be as comfortable with your new electronics as possible. Also, look up ways to increase battery life and things to go with your computer like exterior speakers. Be a smart shopper in all your consumption!