Mobile device purchasing recommendations

Hello Everyone,

The technicians here at Union Tech Coop have been monitoring the many mobile device offerings since the first modern smartphones became available in 2007 and the first modern tablets became available in 2010.

We have deliberately avoided making purchasing recommendations for mobile devices until we've been able to determine the sustainability of the available options. In the years since 2007 we've had the opportunity to work with all of the major brands of mobile devices and we've gained experience configuring them all. The two dominant platforms are Apple 'iOS' and Google 'Android'.

We've recently become aware that the latest software update for Apple iOS has serious bugs which cause wireless connectivity problems:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57522869-37/apples-ios-6-stumbles-on-basic-connectivity-wi-fi
http://www.zdnet.com/apples-ios-6-0-1-still-has-wi-fi-bugs-7000006861

In addition to the recent reliability issues with Apple mobile devices, we've also noticed a pattern of planned obsolescence with Apple mobile devices. Apple is discontinuing software updates as quickly as 2 years after the mobile device hardware is released. In addition to discontinuing software updates in an unreasonably short period of time, Apple mobile devices have a trend of being difficult to repair:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad+4+Teardown/11462/1#s41249
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPad+Mini+Teardown/11423/1#s41033
http://ifixit.org/3483/one-tablet-per-child

Due to these reliability and sustainability issues, our consensus is that we're unable to recommend Apple mobile devices to our clients.

Google Android mobile devices have had some sustailbility issues with lack of software updates as well, but these issues resulted from the cellular service provider partners refusing to approve and allow the updates that Google was providing. In response, Google is offering their 'Nexus' branded Android devices, which receive software updates directly from Google as a solution.

Based on our years of experience supporting modern mobile devices, we're making the following purchasing recommendations this holiday season...

Tablet - Google Nexus 7 - $199:
https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_7_16gb

E-book reader - Amazon Kindle Fire HD - $199:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0083PWAPW?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0083PWAPW&linkCode=xm2&tag=uniontechncoo-20

Smartphones - Recommendations for each cellular service provider are available on our website at:
http://www.uniontechcoop.com/home/professional-solutions/phones

However, if you're looking for an affordable and sustainable mobile device for accessing the Internet, we're recommending the Google Chromebook over all of the mobile devices listed above. The Google Chromebook provides a much higher level of functionality (nearly equivalent to a traditional computer), while being very close to a mobile device in price at $249:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009LL9VDG?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B009LL9VDG&linkCode=xm2&tag=uniontechncoo-20

Please feel free to give us a call at (608) 616-9925 if you have any questions.

Thanks,

The Union Tech Coop Technical Committee

uniontechcoop.com

Updated computer lineup

Hello Everyone,

We're proud to announce that we've updated our computer lineup.

We've included the latest and greatest newly available hardware to coincide with the recent release of Microsoft Windows 8. As usual, all of our custom desktop and laptop computers include the professional version of the Microsoft Windows 8 operating system (Windows 8 Pro). If you'd like more information about Microsoft Windows 8 and why we're recommending it, please check out our recent blog post:
http://uniontechcoop.blogspot.com/2012/10/no-reason-to-fear-windows-8-weve-pre.html

We've designed our custom desktop and laptop computers to be the most reliable and sustainable computers available anywhere. We're using the highest quality components with the best warranties we can find - all components are warrantied for 3 years, and many of the components have lifetime warranties! We know from experience that laptops tend to suffer from more wear and tear throughout their lifecycle than desktops, so all of our laptops include 3 years of accidental damage protection so you're covered if an accident strikes.

If you're considering a new computer purchase, please take a look...

Custom desktop computers:
http://www.uniontechcoop.com/home/professional-solutions/desktop-smart
http://www.uniontechcoop.com/home/professional-solutions/desktop-genius

Custom laptop computers:
http://www.uniontechcoop.com/home/professional-solutions/laptop-smart
http://www.uniontechcoop.com/home/professional-solutions/laptop-genius

Please feel free to give us a call at (608) 616-9925 if you have any questions.

Thanks,

The Union Tech Coop Technical Committee

uniontechcoop.com

No reason to fear Windows 8, we've pre-configured it to 'just work' for our clients!

Hi Everyone,

You may have heard that Microsoft recently released Windows 8 on Friday 10/26.

Members of the Union Tech Coop Technical Committee have been testing Windows 8 for several months using the Evaluation copy Microsoft provided to developers prior to the final release.

We're happy to say that our test results have been very positive. Windows 8 has several advantages over Windows 7:

1. Performance – some 'eye candy' visual effects have been removed due to the design requirement for Windows 8 to run on lightweight hardware.
2. Security – Microsoft's anti-malware security software and Adobe's Flash Player have been integrated into Windows 8...and they receive updates automatically.
3. Compatibility – Windows 8 seems to be very similar to Windows 7. From our testing, every program designed for Windows 7 that we tested worked properly under Windows 8.

The biggest noticeable change in Windows 8 is the new user interface (called the 'Metro' or the 'Modern' user interface). The new look is the default setting on any newly purchased computer from a retail store that includes Windows 8. This new user interface has large buttons (called 'tiles') rather than a traditional 'desktop' that previous versions of Windows displayed. The new look was designed for computers with touchscreen monitors and for touchscreen mobile devices. The new look works well for touch use cases but can be unfamiliar at first.

Our technicians are able to easily configure Windows 8 to display the 'classic' desktop environment that you are familiar with if you find the new user interface is not to your liking.

Due to the advantages we've seen in our testing and the minimal effort involved in configuring Windows 8 to display the traditional look, Union Tech Coop will be including Windows 8 with our custom desktop computers going forward. We're happy to build custom computers with Windows 7 upon request for clients who prefer to continue using Windows 7 rather than move to Windows 8.

All Windows 8 computers purchased from Union Tech Coop will be configured to show the 'classic' desktop environment by default. Users will be able to easily switch to the new user interface at any time to try it out. We're happy to assist our clients to configure the new user interface to be the default on computers purchased from Union Tech Coop at any time at no additional charge.

We're proud to offer the highest quality custom computers and to include the latest Microsoft Windows 8 Pro as the operating system. We're also happy to schedule a demonstration of the computers for anyone who is interested in giving the hardware and software a try before making a purchase.

Please feel free to give us a call at (608) 616-9925 if you have any questions.

Thanks,

The Union Tech Coop Technical Committee

uniontechcoop.com