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Hardware

This page provides links, findings and recommendations about hardware in use by the District and Palomar staff.

Computing at Palomar.  This page will provide links to employee purchase sites for Dell, IBM and Apple computers and other hardware related information.

"How to monitor the health of your PC" (article from Microsoft).


Tablet PCs

We recommend the Electrovaya Scribbler tablet PC for superior performance and long, reliable battery life.

Also worth reviewing is the IBM ThinkPad X41, with its unique keyboard design.

CNET: Tablet PC 21st Century Notepad?

Academic Technology maintains two tablet PCs available for short-term checkout.  Contact Terry Gray for details.


Radio Frequency Personal Survey Devices (Clickers)

We have obtained 64 each, in 2 sets of 32, which can be checked out from Academic Technology for classroom/meeting room use.  The clickers are from eInstruction, and require CPS software installation.  We have also site licensed the CPS software for District use (PC only, required Windows XP or higher).  The CPS software is installed on all mobile computer lab workstations, and all Academic Technology lab workstations. 

Click here to reserve the personal response system.  You must attend Academic Technology training on the use of the clickers before checking them out.  To obtain training, call ext. 2341, or email hdavis@palomar.edu.


Digital Voice Recorders

We recommend the use the the Olympus WS-311M, WS-300 or WS-100 digital voice recorder.  Academic Technology checks out these digital recorders for faculty members wishing to make audio recordings, including those who wish to create a regular podcast.

The WS-311M0 is an excellent digital recorder that records in wma format.  It is also a USB device that will plug directly into any USB port for file transfer.  Click here for more information.  Click here to request WS-311 check out.


Sound Cards. 

For quality/performance/price consideration among the sound cards we have tested and used, we recommend for desktops, the Creative Labs Audigy 2 and for laptops in the PCIMIA format, the Audigy 2ZS.  Significant noise reduction in audio recorded directly through the sound card can be achieved by using one of these cards.

Sound card how-to articles:


Portable media players (mp3 players)

This article from Microsoft will tell you what to look for in an mp3 player.  A notable absence from the discussion is the Apple iPod.  If you have decided against the iPod for whatever reason, this article might be very useful.

We recommend the Apple iPod as the mp3 player of choice in any of its incarnations (including Nano and Suffle).  For playing academic podcasts, the relatively inexpensive Suffle will work fine.  All the iPods work with the same easy-to-use iTunes software.  The iPod does not support Windows wma sound format, but will convert it in order to import files unless the wma file contains Digital Rights Management.  (DRM is applied, for example, to the downloadable audible books from the San Diego County Library, which supports only wma format.)  We recommend any of the Creative Zen mp3 players, if you need one that supports wma format with DRM, or simply do not want to use the Apple iPod.


Audio microphones and headsets

To effectively use the new Horizon Wimba voice tools, or to do more general audio work and interact with web multimedia, we recommend using a headset with built in microphone.  This is not strictly necessary.  Any microphone/speaker combo will  work.  A simple, low cost microphone, like the AM-32 from Labtec (lapel mic for around $5.00), and a set of computer speakers will work just fine.  Almost everyone gets a mic/speaker combo along these lines when they buy a computer.  A headset can increase efficiency, though, especially important when participating in a voice board, where hands free motion is important for typing, or in Live Classroom, where echo from speakers can be eliminated by using a headset.

Here are some audio samples from various headsets we have evaluated, all variables being equal.  We recommend using a headset that plugs directly into your sound card, and not a USB headset, which can be much more problematic.

We recommend the following low-cost microphone--but if you have one that came with your computer, try using that first, before buying another:

Model Picture wav
Sample
Price
Labtec AM-32 mic only* $4.88

We recommend either of the following headsets, though there are many others that would work well.

Model Picture wav
Sample
Price
Plantronics Audio 70* $14.99
Koss SB/45* $28.46

 

Monitors

Monito how-to articles:

Related Resources

 

 
 

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