STACK #183 Jan 2020

LIFE TECH FEATURE

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J anuary. It can only mean one thing for kids - it's time to head back to school. But it can be a dreaded month for parents who have to find a reserve of cash after Christmas has raided the bank to finance the return. If you’re the parent of younger children, you can probably get away with a new uniform, bag and stationery. But for those with children entering a school level where a tablet or notebook is a requisite purchase, or if it’s time to upgrade an older model, allow us to explore what’s available at JB Hi-Fi and select a range of devices to take the hard work out of your buying decisions. But first, some tech lessons. School’s out for now, but it’ll be back in before we know it. Here are the essentials on what you need to know about arming your kids with the right tech. Words Adam Colby

function: temporarily storing information based on what’s currently being worked on. Represented in gigabytes (GB), the higher the number, the better suited the device will be for multitasking. Long-term memory Confusingly, the other kind of “memory” in these types of devices is storage memory. Unlike RAM, which is designed to be used on-demand, internal storage – also called a hard drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD) – is a long-term type of memory used to store software and files for the life of the product. Cloud storage is effectively a hard drive in the cloud, but items stored on local HDD or SSD storage aren’t reliant on an Internet connection to access. Battery life Measured in milliamp hour (mAh), expect these particular devices to last from a handful of hours to an entire day. Battery capacity is reflected in numerical form: the bigger the number, the longer the battery life. That said, certain tasks drain batteries faster. Basic word processing and web browsing preserves battery life, while watching videos or study-break gaming can quickly chew through even a fully charged battery. Wireless connectivity While a wired Ethernet connection is the fastest and most reliable for networking, slimline devices these

Curriculum considerations

Budget bucks Cost is obviously a big one. Whether you’re spending hundreds of dollars on an entry- level solution or investing more than a thousand in something more fully featured, there are a range of options to meet budgetary requirements. Device-orama explained It used to be that there were two computing options: mobile laptops and immobile desktops. These days, it’s more complicated. For take-to-school purposes, laptops are flanked by options across tablet, Chromebook and 2-in-1 categories. Their size makes them all look kind of like laptops, but there are differences. Laptops are generally more expensive, weightier and powered by Windows OS. The 2-in-1 is usually a laptop spin-off that mixes laptop and tablet functionality at around a similar price range to laptops. But just to complicate things a smidge, a 2-in-1 can also be any other device category that

performs the functions of another. A tablet is the most mobile option with great battery life and lightweight mobility, as well as mid-to-high-range pricing. And Chromebooks are low-to-mid cost options reliant on Android apps and cloud-based software, and have very limited internal storage for downloading stuff. Processing processors All of the devices we’re talking about here have processors, or central processing units (CPUs) if you want to use their formal salutation. The CPU, measured in gigahertz (GHz), is the heart of any of these devices that does the main heavy lifting for whatever your kid is doing. Because of this, more expensive devices tend to have more powerful processors that allow for faster and more efficient operation. Short-term memory A device’s random access memory

There’s quite a lot to factor in, which is why we’re here to help. The key starting considerations begin with the operating system. Then there’s your budget to consider, alongside device particulars. Processor power. Storage capacity. Battery life. Wireless networking capability. Weight for lugging around every day. And then the all-important The vast majority of devices are running on a Windows operating system (OS). But there’s also Mac (and its related iOS ecosystem), Chrome OS and Android to consider, depending on the type of device. The more you keep devices within the same ecosystem – for instance, Mac, iPhone and iPad – the nicer they play together. But for schoolwork, that may depend on the compatibility requirements of the school. Check this last point in particular before purchasing. content-creation potential. Operating system

(RAM) is aptly abbreviated to ‘memory’ because that’s its

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JANUARY 2020

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