Question: Tablet vs laptop for under $500?
— -- Question: I need a portable gadget for school that costs less than $500 — that's what my parents are willing to shell out. What would you recommend?
Answer: Well, you're either going to want a tablet or budget laptop. For school, a laptop is better suited to academic tasks like researching and typing papers. Tablets do have on-screen or external keyboards and document-creation apps, but it isn't quite the same. Additionally, most tablets start right at $500. Amazingly, you can find a decent laptop for less than that. If you do go for a tablet, try a refurbished iPad or iPad 2 from Apple. You can save $50 to $100. Go to my site at http://www.komando.com/news to see more gadget comparisons.
Q: I've amassed a large collection of apps for my iPad and want to know how I can rearrange them. Also, I'd like to delete apps I don't use anymore.
A: It would be nice to have the apps you use the most on your Home screen. To do that on your iPad (or any iOS device), press and hold an app icon until all the icons start jiggling. While the icons are jiggling, you can drag them where you want. If you drag one to the screen's left or right edge, that moves it to the next page. Removing an app is as easy as tapping the "x" in the upper left corner. (Some apps, such as calendar and mail, can't be removed). When you're satisfied with the new arrangement, press the Home button.
Q: A friend told me that burned CDs aren't as sturdy as store-bought CDs and wear out after just a few years. Is that true?
A: The answer is a firm maybe. Unlike manufactured CDs, where information is a physical part of the CD, burnable CDs use an organic dye to store information. This dye can last 20 years before breaking down — or it may last less than two years. It depends on how the CD is stored and handled. If you keep the CD in a dark, cool, dry location, it should last many years. A CD exposed to sun, heat and rough handling might not last nearly that long. If you're thinking of archiving digital information, make multiple copies using multiple methods. You'll want a CD or DVD copy, a hard drive copy and an online copy.
Q: I heard that Microsoft is enabling silent updates for Internet Explorer. What does this mean? Can I take control of those updates myself?
A: Newer versions of Internet Explorer are much more secure and handle the modern Web much better than older versions of the browser. However, some people don't know to update their browsers. With the new silent update option, Microsoft automatically updates the browser to the latest version for you. It works as long as you have automatic Windows updates enabled. If you want to keep using an older version of IE, my advice is don't. However, you can prevent the update by switching your updates to manual and checking them before installing.
Q: The new ultrabooks are a little on the expensive side. What makes them different from regular laptops?
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