February 2002 EduNotes

Greetings from EduCyber. We are pleased to present the February Edition of EduNotes. In this issue you'll have the opportunity to attend a seminar, learn about handheld computing devices, get our take on the new iMac, and learn about email programs and what a browser is.
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Computing Seminar
Don't get let out! Come and participate in the free seminar, "Computers: Time Wasters or Money Makers" being held Thursday, February 7 at 7:00. Refreshments will be provided. Learn all you need to know to get the most out of your computer. Led by Brian DeLaet of EduCyber, the seminar will be at the Arbor House in Maple Grove Park (one mile west of I-70 on 32nd Ave.). RSVPs (to 303 421-2223 or info@educyber.com) appreciated but not necessary to attend.
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Computing on the Go
A change came over our house and business when my wife received a Palm for Christmas. Calendars covered with handwritten notes and dates are slowly disappearing. The Black Box, our list of any and all addresses and phone numbers has found its way to the junk heap. Now all that information is kept quite neatly and conveniently in the Palm of her hand (held).
With prices starting as low as $100 (for the M100), these little handheld gadgets can quickly pay off by putting the information you need at your fingertips when you need it. And if you need a lot more punch you can get the M505 for around $400. This could practically be your computer with expansion slots that let you add a wireless modem or even plug in a full size keyboard.
But what can you really do with one of these things? With the power of the Internet, a lot. When I visit a new client, I can punch in their address on my mapping site of choice, www.MapQuest.com, and then get step by step directions downloaded to my Palm so I've got it all right there for me.
There are also hundreds of different programs that can be downloaded (www.palm.com) and installed on your Palm. These programs can be productivity tools (like mini-word processing or spreadsheet programs), specialized tools to help a given industry or business sector perform specific tasks, or games (like cards or breakout) to play while sitting on the plane or sitting at home.
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What's new?
Well if you haven't seen the ads or seen one up close yet, you must be living in a closet. The ads for the new iMac are all over. I've worked primarily with PCs now for three years and before that I worked with both Macs and PCs. I've been pleased with the way the PCs I've used have performed and never understood all the hype about how Macs were so easy to use. When the iMac first came out, I remember thinking it was a pretty cool looking machine but did not feel the urge to rush right out and get one. Not so the new iMac. I can't wait to get my hands on one.
Talk about cool. Talk about elegant. Talk all you want, these machines can perform. I recently saw the latest Apple operating system OS X in action and it blew me away. Put that operating system in the shape of the iMac and you have got a hands-down winner. The new iMac will not only increase its share of traditional Apple markets like education and high end publishing, it will also capture a lot more home users. These things are cheap. A high end iMac starts at $1800 and has an 800 MHz G4 Processor, 256 MB of RAM, 60 GB hard drive, and a very nice video card as well. It also comes with a 15" flat screen stuck on a swivel arm so you can put the monitor right where you want it. The thing that really makes this system a great deal? The SuperDrive. The SuperDrive is a combination CD and DVD burner that will, of course, play both as well. That's right, it will allow you to create both CDs and DVDs. So if your computer is beginning to sputter or if you're ready for the latest and greatest in technology, you should at least take a look at one. Visit Apple at www.apple.com for more information.
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Choosing the Best Mail Client
If you use a web-based email account like Hot Mail or Yahoo, you can skip right over this article. If not, read on to learn about the different email programs and their strengths and weaknesses. The four main programs that can be used to handle your email are Eudora, Netscape, Outlook, and Outlook Express. Let's take a look at each one of these.
Eudora is available from www.eudora.com and is free. A stand alone email client, Eudora allows you to handle multiple email accounts from a single, easy to use interface. It also allows you to have a different email signature for each personality or email account. It handles mailing lists quite well and is generally quite easy to use. For a fee of $39.95, you can get the paid version. The only difference I've been able to detect between the pay version and the free is that the free version has a small ad in the lower left hand corner. It is not very intrusive and so I recommend sticking with the free version. Eudora is probably the best email client of the bunch but if you have a Palm or other handheld, it can be much more cumbersome to try to sync up.
Netscape actually has several different email clients though the most common one in use right now is version 4.7. If you use Netscape for your web browser and only have one email account to manage, this is the best email client for you. The three pane format that nearly every email client uses works well and it is very easy to manage your email; from creating new folders to changing how your inbox looks. The downside of Netscape 4.7 is that you can only manage one email account at a time. Netscape 6.1 is also available and does provide the capability to manage more than one email account but the 6.1 browser and mail client load slower than 4.7 and just don't seem to have same get-up-go that 4.7 has. Netscape is available as a free download at www.netscape.com.
Outlook 2000 or XP are quite powerful email clients that integrate tightly with Internet Explorer. If you are in a business environment using MS Exchange then Outlook should be your email client. It allows you to manage multiple email accounts and syncs up with any handheld. The only problem I've found with Outlook is that I have yet to figure out a way to easily use different signatures with different email accounts. Outlook is a part of any MS Office purchase or it can be purchased separately for around $95.
Outlook Express is Outlook's younger brother. It is free and comes with Windows and / or Internet Explorer. It can even be downloaded at www.microsoft.com. Outlook Express is a solid email client that allows you to manage multiple email accounts and supports HTML email. While Outlook has several other features including calendaring and contact management, Outlook Express is just a mail client. If you use Internet Explorer to surf the 'Net and don't have MS Office, Outlook Express is probably the easiest to set up and use.
Our picks? Eudora is probably the best whether you've got one account or several. If you have a handheld device though, consider using Outlook.
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Computing Basics
I'm often asked the question, "What is a browser?" So let's see if we can figure it out. First we need a very brief definition of the Internet. For most of us, the Internet consists of two parts, the email part and the World Wide Web part. The email part is easy enough to understand. It's where you send and receive email. You can use any number of programs to do this with and the major ones are explained in the article preceding this one.
The other part of the Internet, the World Wide Web requires a browser to view it. Morphing from its simple beginnings, the WWW now allows you to view text, graphics and video as well as listen to voice and music. But all of these require a software program called a browser. The two major ones are Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer (IE is also used in all the AOL software), but there are others. Opera makes a browser that can be downloaded from www.opera.com. You'll also find a browser built into any wireless Internet device.
So when someone asks you which browser you use, you'll know to answer with Netscape or Internet Explorer instead of Yahoo or MSN which are simply places or web sites you can visit on the World Wide Web instead of programs called browsers.
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© 2002 EduCyber, Inc. This newsletter is brought to you by EduCyber, Inc. Permission is hereby granted to redistribute all or part of this newsletter as long as this copyright message is included. http://www.educyber.com
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For questions, or to be removed from this monthly newsletter distribution, email us at edunotes@educyber.com.