Author:
Mike Adams
12/21/2009

The Holidays at the TechHub

Finals are over and the stress of school is gone for a few weeks. Now is the time to pack up and head home during this period to visit the family for the holidays. That’s when it hits you, “I never did any holiday shopping. What am I going to do?” And let’s face it, as a college student you probably don’t have much disposable income lying around to purchase these gifts with. So why don’t you just head over to the UC Davis Bookstore TechHub and put those gifts on your student account. And while you are there, pick something up for yourself and tell the folks it was a book you needed for class…

• iPod Nano
• Apple has turned their popular MP3 player into what is essentially a Flip Cam, and we still have some of the 8GB ones on sale for $139 right now at the TechHub. (Limited availability and available for a limited time.)
• SkullCandy Pipe
• Oh SkullCandy…you and your funny drug-fueled names. Don’t let the name fool you though. This little speaker system will surprise you with the sound that comes out of it. As a bonus, purchase one of these through the end of the month and you can get a free pair of SkullCandy iCon headphones. Score!
• UC Davis Logo “TechWear”
• Want people to see your school pride??? Show them by adorning your laptop, iPod or phone with the UC Davis Logo “TechWear”. Little stickers that adhere straight to your electronic device without leaving any kind of residue behind.
• UC Davis 4GB Flash Drive
• Speaking of school pride, now you can carry your documents around in a heavy-duty flash drive adorned with the UC Davis Logo right on the side.
• Windows 7 Pro
• Why not start the new year with the operating system that should have been Vista? Check out the TechHub for full boxed copies and student licenses.
• Snow Leopard
• It’s Mac OS X…exclusively for those with an Intel processor. Sorry you diehards who are clinging to your G5. Is it worth it though? Snow Leopard freed up 10GB of space on my 80GB hard drive. That alone was worth the $29 upgrade.
• Computer Games
• We all know that as a college student you don’t have much money, so you might be inclined to try and “pirate” computer software. Well don’t do it! The University has really cracked down on that kind of thing, so instead, come grab the gamer in your life a legit copy of Modern Warfare 2 directly from the TechHub. We also have copies of World of Warcraft (and the WotLK expansion), Need for Speed Shift, Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout 3: GotY Edition, and Left 4 Dead 2.

Author:
Mike Adams
12/09/2009

So, you have yourself the fancy new Apple operating system, Snow Leopard, and you also bought yourself a few software titles. You rushed home and installed that shiny new OS on your Mac and it runs like a dream. You even opened up more of your hard drive after the installation! Good thing you just bought some software to fill up that space. So you pop in your Adobe Acrobat Pro 9 to install it, and you are greeted with the message, “Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro can’t be installed on this computer. Make sure your system meets the requirements.” You have a relatively new MacBook Pro so this must be some sort of mistake…

Well, it is…kind of. What might be happening in this case is that you could have your new OS set up to run in 64-bit mode. How is this a mistake? Adobe, and many companies, have programmed their installers to run in 32-bit mode (since before 10.6, this was THE most common method of running your operating system), and again, you might have your OS set to run in 64-bit mode. Adobe has patches for its programs in place for this if you already have your programs installed, you know, so that you can continue to run their programs in 64-bit mode. This really doesn’t help your situation though. So how can you install your program?

Well first, you need to see if this is really the problem. To do this, just:

1. Head to the Apple Menu located at the top left of your desktop and click on it.
2. Next click on the option, “About this Mac”.
3. Now, you should see an option for “More info”, click on this to take you to System Profiler.
4. Scroll down on the left hand pane until you see “Software”. Click on this and you will see an overview of your System Software. Look for “64-bit Kernel and Extensions” and it should either have “yes” or “no”. If it says “no”, then that means that your OS is already running in 32-bit mode. If it says “yes”, then that means that you are indeed running in 64-bit mode.

If you are running in 64-bit mode, you will have to force your machine to run in 32-bit mode while you install and patch. To do this, you will need to:

1. Restart the computer and hold down the “3” and “2” keys on boot up. This will send your OS into 32-bit mode until you restart. Double check to make sure that you are indeed in 32-bit mode after this using the steps above.
2. Once you have verified that you are in 32-bit mode, just install and patch the program.
3. Restart your computer and your OS should automatically default back to 64-bit mode.

Author:
Mike Adams
11/24/2009

In this episode, Mike takes a look at the special deals you can get at the TechHub this holiday season. Following that, we show some highlights from our SkullCandy event we held in the store, where people traded in their old headphones for a free pair of SkullCandy ones. But stay tuned, because after that we show you how to take a screenshot on your Mac and Windows PCs.

Author:
Kyle Holmes
11/06/2009

The SkullCandy Pipe

One of the more popular items for students on college campuses is a good set of speakers for their iPod or iPhone. Products like the iHome or a set of Logitech speakers can run anywhere from $75-$200 depending on the style and the features and can take up a good amount of space on your desk or night stand. The Skullcandy Pipe is an alternative in both price and space, running customers $59.99 and taking up no more space than a flashlight.

The Skullcandy Pipe has both an iPod dock, as well as a line-in you can use to plug in other MP3 players or your computer and even comes with a fully functional remote. The dock runs on a 110v power supply, or you can use four AAA batteries and bring it with you on the go. It’s sleek design allows for easy storage and transportation and takes up little space when you need to listen to your music. The 50mm audio drivers deliver a load and clear sound that surprises most because of the devices small stature.

If you’re looking to get a sweet, portable sound system for your iPod at a low price, the Skullcandy Pipe is definitely the way to go. If you still need a cheaper alternative, you can always check out one of these bad boys.

Author
Mike Adams
10/16/2009

On October 15th, the TechHub held the SkullCandy “Headphones For Your Dead-Phones” event at the shop. To participate, you had to bring in a pair of your old broken down headphones and trade up to a pair of SkullCandy Icon headphones. The event started at 11AM on the dot, but we had people showing up to wait well before that time. Once the event kicked off, we wound up trading all of the headphones we had in about 20 minutes. Below, you will find pictures of the event and filmed coverage of the event will be posted in the next webisode of TechTalk. Now, on to the pictures…

The first ones in line

Setting up for the event

Lyia and Alfiya holding the last of the headphones

And then there was one...headphone that is...

The tree of dead head-phones after the event

Author:
Mike Adams
10/13/2009

Thank you to those who participated in the Buzz 2009 TechHub event. It was great playing “Blackjack” with everyone that evening. We posted the names of the winners of the raffle that we held, and the winner of the ASUS 1005HA Netbook has claimed their prize. So congratulations to Jennifer Nguyen. We hope you enjoy it!

The netbook winner, Jenny Nguyen!

Author:
Kyle Holmes
10/02/2009

Sandisk Cruzer 8GB

USB Drives have become a necessity for college students and faculty alike– a cheap and portable way to store your files and get them from Point A to Point B. Also known as thumb drives, USB sticks, Flash drives, memory sticks , thingamajig, magic sticks, and the memory thing – they can be found everywhere on college campuses. Even my grandmother has one.

But let’s be honest – they’re small and easy to lose. And with a steep price, it can add up quickly if you’re one who easily misplaces things.

The SanDisk Cruzer offers a solution for both – not only is it cheap and affordable for a decent amount of storage space (8GB), it also has a key-ring, making it near impossible to lose if utilized correctly.

Also among its finer features is the retractable drive itself, preventing permanent accidental damage as it dangles from your keychain.

While other USB drives will run you about $40 retail, this drive can be purchased for $29.99 from the UC Davis TechHub.

Author:
Mike Adams
09/28/2009

First of all we, at the TechHub, wanted to say we had such a great time at the Buzz on Friday night. It was great getting to meet everyone that came by. So again, thank you to everyone who came by and participated in our little game. Now, without further ado, the winners of the UC Davis Bookstore TechHub raffle:

• Grand Prize (ASUS Eee PC)- Jenny Nguyen
• Second Prize (Converse Sneakers donated by Adobe)- Jack Liu

All prizes must be claimed by 10/31/2009. Winners must submit ID when claiming prize. Winner must also take a picture with the prize for future use in advertising. To claim your prize, just head over to the TechHub in the UC Davis Bookstore.

Author:
Mike Adams
09/24/2009

It’s that time again. The annual flood of Freshman and Senior alike to the Bookstore looking for books, supplies and whatever else they might need to survive the year. During this, lots of folks find their way over to the TechHub looking for items they originally did not think of, but are almost as necessary as the books they are buying. So this is a very small list of the most essential of items that one needs when they come to the TechHub. (Assuming that they already have their computer, which of course, should meet the campus recommended system specs…)

• Ethernet Cable- You want the Internet in your dorm room, you need an Ethernet cable. Most people go with either a 14’ one or 25’ one, depending on how much walking around the room you plan do with your computer.
• Computer Locks- Don’t be the one who comes into the TechHub needing to buy a new machine because yours was stolen while you were out of your dorm room. I hate hearing about that because I know how I would feel if that happened to me. You might be thinking to yourself that you would never leave your computer out in the open, but that doesn’t mean a roommate might accidentally leave the dorm room open. So please, buy yourself a computer lock and save yourself the worry.
• Student Licenses- These are the perfect software solution for most college students…especially those that live on campus. People living in the dorms typically only have one computer in order to save on space. If this is you, and you need Microsoft Office, or an Adobe product, pick up a student license of one of these products. You get what would be the full retail product, but you can only install it on one machine…and at a fraction of the cost.
• Flash Drives- You aren’t always going to want to carry your laptop with you to every class, so what do you do? Throw a flash drive on your keychain. The price of flash drives has plummeted over the last 6 months, so this is really a fantastic alternative to carrying around that computer. Just head to a lab, do what you need, put it on the flash drive and head home. It is as simple as that.

And that, as they say, is that. The TechHub carries much more, but again, this was just a tiny list of the most essential items you may need to make your stay at Davis as easy as possible. Well…from a computing standpoint anyway.

]]> http://ucdavistechtalk.wordpress.com/2009/09/24/rush-at-the-uc-davis-techhub-2009/feed/ 1 ucdavistechtalk http://ucdavistechtalk.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/apple%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cit%e2%80%99s-only-rock-and-roll%e2%80%9d-event-2009/ http://ucdavistechtalk.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/apple%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cit%e2%80%99s-only-rock-and-roll%e2%80%9d-event-2009/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:08:07 +0000 ucdavistechtalk http://ucdavistechtalk.wordpress.com/?p=404 ]]>



Apple iPod Event 2009

Author:
Michael Adams
09/09/2009

Well…Apple’s “Buy a Mac, Get a Free iPod Touch” promotion ended yesterday. What are they going to do now? The answer is simple! Introduce new iPods! That’s right folks, at today’s “It’s Only Rock And Roll, But We Like It” music event, Apple unveiled a few things it had up its sleeve. The Internet was ablaze with rumors of what these new toys would be. Quite a few of these rumors turned out to be true, and some turned out to be not so true (Mac Tablet, I am looking at you). Anyway, let’s take a look at what went down at the event.

1. Steve was back! That’s right, Steve Jobs was back. I know that this isn’t exactly an announcement, but it was a big deal to have him deliver the keynote. I wish I could have seen it live.
2. The first thing Apple unveiled was the iPhone 3.1 OS. What this patch does is it will allow you to use the very nifty “Genius” feature of iTunes on apps now. Let’s say you like playing Monopoly. Hit the Genius button and the iTunes store will now suggest apps you might like based on the fact you like playing Monopoly. With this update, you will also be able to gain access to 30,000+ ringtones for your iPhone at $1.29 each. This update is available right now. [Side Note: I do not actually have the iPhone/iPod Touch 3.0 software installed on my iPod Touch as of yet. But it appears that with the release of 3.1, the cost of the 3.0 update has lowered in price from its original $9.95 price tag to $4.95. Looks like holding out might have paid off.]
3. Next up…iTunes 9. What do you get with iTunes 9? To start with, you get a new Genius feature called “Genius Mixes”. As Steve stated, it will basically be like a DJ, playing an endless loop of music that compliments each other. Kinda like the Genius playlist option, but continuous. You also get “Home Sharing” which will allow you to share your iTunes purchases with up to 5 machines on your home network. But the biggest enhancement of all? The “Application Manager”…finally! Don’t want Vampires vs. Werewolves vs. Elvis on your iPhone anymore? You can now easily get rid of it, along with a bunch of other apps taking up space on your precious 8GB HD. All I have to say for this is thank you Apple. Thank you.
4. After that, they talked about iTunes LP and iTunes extras. With iTunes LP, Apple is trying to bring back the glory days of the vinyl jacket in a digital age. When you purchase an iTunes LP, you get liner notes, lyrics, video interviews, art, etc. Basically, you are getting DVD bonus type content, except applied to music. And with iTunes extras, you are getting DVD bonus content with the videos you get from iTunes now.
5. Now, the iPods. To start off, they announced new iPod Touches. There is not anything drastically new with these little guys as far as hardware is concerned (which was probably the BIGGEST surprise of the Keynote…just wait til we get to the Nano to see why), but there is a price cut and bigger HD capacities. The 8GB version is now only $199, the 32GB is $299 and the 64GB version is $399. Man…64GB…that just dwarfs my 16GB Touch.
6. Next on tap was an update to the iPod Classic. Despite rumors of its demise, it is still around and doing well. The only thing they did was up the HD capacity to 160GB for $249.
7. The iPod Shuffle was updated as well. Offering new colors instead of the plain old silver and black, you can now get your iPod Shuffle in pink, green, blue, silver or black. And there are now two different sizes…2GB for $59 and 4GB for $79.
8. The “one more thing” of the event though, was the iPod Nano. The iPod nano now offers a bigger screen, a built-in FM Transmitter, and a built-in video camera! That’s right, your Nano has just been turned into a Flip Cam (which is obviously what Apple was going for…as they even compared their new Nano to a Flip Cam). The 8GB models will run you $149 and the 16GB models will run you $179.

So there you have it. The camera on an iPod is not a surprise if you have been following the rumor mill. What WAS a surprise is that there was no built-in camera on the new iPod Touches, especially considering that the iPhone has a nice one built in to it…and really…isn’t an iPod Touch essentially just an iPhone you can’t talk to. Well…you could, but you might look a little weird, although you could just tell folks you are recording yourself. Anyway, I digress. While I like most of the announcements that were made, I do have to wonder as to why Apple is offering two models of the Shuffle and the Nano, especially since the difference in cost between the 2 and 4GB (or 8 and 16GB for the Nano) is very minimal. Why not just make one model?

Anyway, that’s all the news from Apple’s music event. New iPhone OS, new iTunes (yay application management) and new iPods. If you have any questions, just feel free to let me know. Maybe next time, we will finally get a look at the ever elusive Mac Tablet…darn you rumor mills and my willingness to believe.

]]> http://ucdavistechtalk.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/apple%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cit%e2%80%99s-only-rock-and-roll%e2%80%9d-event-2009/feed/ 1 ucdavistechtalk Apple iPod Event 2009