Archive for the 'computers' Category

Are Netbooks The Perfect Student Laptops?

Netbooks are everywhere, on buses, on trains, on planes… and in the classroom. It seems the little netbook has come out of nowhere to become extremely popular overnight.

But what is a netbook?

Netbooks usually have screens of 10 inches or less, runs Windows or Linux and generally sell for well under $500. As its name indicates, the netbook’s main purpose is to keep its owner conveniently connected to the net - anywhere, anytime.

First introduced by Asustek when it launched the first Eee PC in the fall of 2007. But it was only in the last year when we saw the explosive growth of these so-called mini-laptops. Now we have many computer companies such as HP, Dell, Lenovo… all jumping on this craze for a small portable laptop. So much so, that netbooks now is the fastest growing segment of the laptop industry and is expected to reach 139 million units by 2013.

Why is there a sudden popularity for the small netbook? Perhaps the answer lies mainly in our constant quest for mobility. We want a portable device that will keep us connected to the Internet and yet be small and light enough to be carried around all day. A truly ultra-portable device that keeps us connected with family, friends and the web.

The next question you have to ask: why do netbooks make for great student laptops? If the above reasons aren’t enough, try the following:

Size

Netbooks are small with 10 inch displays or less, which make them ideal for students. Plus, they are usually very lightweight - around 2 or 3 pounds. They are compact enough to tuck into your school bag or backpack, and small enough to carry around all day without developing a hernia.

Portability

As mentioned above because the netbook is so small and compact, it is very portable. A very mobile device that we can use to stay connected to the web and friends. Connectability is one of the main features - you are connected to the web at all times.

Sturdiness

Most netbooks are designed to be sturdy and tough. They can take a few hard knocks and still keep on working. Students are not exactly the most gentle creatures on the planet, so a sturdy tough machine is needed to handle the demands put upon it.

Battery Life

Because of their small size, you will usually get better battery life than with a regular sized laptop. This is important to the student since you may have to go all day without a chance to re-charge the battery. Long lasting battery life makes the netbook the perfect student laptop.

Performance

Although small, these mini-laptops still sports some very impressive specs. Many now come with at least 1 Gig of RAM and Intel Atom processors. There are even some with Solid State Hard Drives which make them more durable and less likely to be damaged. Most use Windows XP - newer models debuting this year with the Nvidia’s Ion platform may have Vista or Windows 7, but still don’t expect the kind of performance you would get from a regular laptop.

Storage

While storage on netbooks is constantly increasing, it is still nowhere near the kind of storage you will find on a regular sized laptop. Usually, most devices have around 30 or 60 Gig hard drives which should be adequate for most student’s needs. Many newer netbooks have 160 Gigs of storage.

Price

Perhaps, the main reason netbooks make the perfect student laptops is the low price. Students are usually on a very limited budget and the low price-tag is a perfect fit. Many perfectly adequate machines are now priced in the $300 to $500 range - while many good ones go for well under $300. Plus, prices are steadily dropping so almost any student can now afford a netbook.

As you can plainly see, the netbook does have many features to make it a perfect student laptop: small size, very portable, excellent connections, very sturdy, long battery life, good performance, adequate storage and most of all, a very affordable price almost any student can take advantage of. Overall, netbooks are well suited for the classroom and the student.









































Cheap Gaming Laptops - Where To Find Them?

As a general rule, gaming laptops are not cheap, they are usually the most expensive laptops you can purchase. If you go with a fully-loaded high-end gaming machine from the popular brand-name makers you will likely have to dish out 4 to 6 grand for the top rigs.

However, since all laptop prices have been falling at a steady rate in recent years, if you shop around you can find a half-decent gaming laptop at a reasonable price. Here we’re still talking about $1500 to $2500 for a good quality gaming laptop. Although there are probably cheaper ones to be found if you look in the right places.

Now, the main reason gaming laptops are so expensive is because of the high-end components and high-end specs that’s needed to produce a superior gaming machine. In a gaming laptop you need top-level Graphics (CPUs), High Processor Speeds, tons of RAM, high-end HD Displays and high-end Optical Drives featuring Blu-ray and the like.

Of course, if you’re buying a flashy brand-name gaming laptop like those produced by Alienware or Rock, you will be paying extra for all that style and flash. Now, if money is no object, going with these top brand-names could probably be your best bet if you’re playing the name game. Also keep in mind, you don’t always have to buy the really expensive \”flag-ship\” models; going with an entry-level gaming laptop from Alienware or Rock can make them more affordable for the average gamer.

However, if you’re on a really tight budget (and who isn’t these days) then you have other options when buying a completely good quality gaming laptop. You might not get all the \”bells and whistles\” but you will get a fast, high-performance gaming machine that will let you play the latest 3D video games on your laptop.

Before you even begin your search, you will have to decide whether or not you’re ruling out the possibility of purchasing a refurbished or even a used gaming laptop. If you know what you’re doing, some excellent bargains can be had with online auction sites like eBay. Just make sure you thoroughly check out the seller and product before you buy.

Refurbished laptops is another option you can take, just make sure you have some iron-clad guarantees or warranties if you’re buying a refurbished gaming laptop. Also remember, check around in your own local area… in hard economic times many perfectly good gaming laptops may be offered for sale so check your local newspaper ads and online places like Craigslist to see if you can pick up a quality gaming rig at a very reasonable price.

Next, if you’re in the market for new gaming laptop, there are several lower price models you could consider.

Gateway P-7811FX ($1,449)

The Gateway P-7811FX is one rather inexpensive laptop you should check out if you’re searching for good gaming laptop at a reasonable price. It sports a 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor with 4GB, 667MHz DDR3 memory, 200GB 7200rpm, Nvidia GeForce 9800M GTS and a HD-friendly 1920×1200 17.1 inch display.

Which is great value for your money and if you’re on a tight budget, you should consider this one.

Qosmio X305 ($1,500 - $2000)

Toshiba has recently launched its Qosmio X305 series of gaming laptops featuring two NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTS SLI graphics cards. With Intel Core2 Duo Processor P8400 and 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 1066MHz SDRAM memory - these beauties can handle the most demanding Direct X 10 games and applications.

Throw in Toshiba great 17\” Diagonal TruBrite Widescreen Display for full 1680 x 1050 (WSXGA ) resolution and 4 Harman/Kardon speakers with a Subwoofer and you have a good quality gaming machine at a reasonable price.

Know Your Clevo

Furthermore, experienced gamers know their \”Clevo\” - this is the Taiwan-based notebook maker ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) who supplies many of the Brand-name Boutique OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) like Falcon, M-TECH, Sager, Rock… with the necessary components and models. By comparing the prices on these Clevo models offered by the different OEMs, you can find the cheapest price that’s offered. You can save hundreds, if not thousands off by shopping around and finding the best priced Clevo.

These are just but a few examples of finding a relatively cheap gaming laptop, if you’re on the hunt for a good quality gaming rig. But there are many more out there, so shop around and cover all your bases.

Happy hunting!



































Top 5 Gaming Laptops - Quick Roundup

For a great gaming laptop you need high performance processors, dedicated graphics cards and a lot of system memory. These days top gaming laptops are using dual or even quad processors and hooking up two or more graphics GPUs thru SLI configurations to get the ultimate gaming performance.

Most gamers look for Nvidia and ATI as their choice of Graphics Cards which uses dedicated memory (RAM) and pulls additional system RAM when needed thru HyperMemory (ATI) or Turbocache (Nvidia). You need at least 2 Gigs of RAM, although most high end laptops now come with 4 or more Gigs of RAM. Note: 32-bit Operating Systems ONLY recognizes up to 3GB of RAM, while you need 64-bit systems to take full advantage of 4GB of RAM.

Sound and visuals are very important to gamers so you have to check for superior display qualities and top sound systems. So look for display technologies like CrystalBrite (Acer) or X-Black (Sony) for better viewing. Also look for high resolution (native 1,920 x 1,200) screens, 64 bit systems, DirectX 10 Graphics, Blu-ray or HD playback…

With all these considerations in mind, here’s a short list of a few top gaming laptops you should consider if you’re in the market. Keep in mind, although prices are coming down, be prepared to pay top dollar for all that high-end gaming hardware, especially if you’re looking at the more popular well-known brands. Also please note stated prices are rough estimates at the time of writing; so check each manufacturer’s online site for exact prices and configurations.



1. Alienware Area-51 m17x ($4,749)

Alienware has always been the established leader for superior gaming machines. Unfortunately, while they make some of the best gaming rigs, you will have to pay for all that performance and for all that style. Many believe Alienware is too overpriced for what you get. However, if money is no object, Alienware should be your first consideration for a gaming laptop.

Currently, one of their fastest machines is the Area-51 m17x which sports some impressive specs:

CPU: Intel

















Microsoft Excel For Online Marketers

Many folks mistakenly believe that Microsoft Excel is strictly for accountants and bookkeepers, but it is really so much more. The fine programmers at Microsoft have tried to think ahead to how people would like to use spreadsheets, and they incorporated most of that additional functionality into Microsoft Excel.

Advertising Analysis

If you are a marketer who uses Google Adwords or Yahoo Search Marketing for your Pay-Per-Click advertising, both offer their customers the ability to download reports from their systems in either CSV format or Excel format. The beauty about Microsoft Excel is that you do not have to have your data preformatted in Excel format to be able to use it.

Microsoft Excel will import data from many formats, including multiple spreadsheet programs, web pages, text files, and database applications, including the database of choice on the Internet, Mysql Databases.

One can actually download data from an advertising service, for import into Microsoft Excel. Once inside of Excel, one can actually slice, dice and analyze the information in the spreadsheet, to be able to better understand the data.

While both aforementioned advertising services do offer you a table on a web page to enable you to review your data, many people find that when they put the data into a spreadsheet application like MS Excel, they find that they can uncover jewels of information that simply are not that obvious within a web page demonstration of the data.

Income Analysis

Many webmasters tend to utilize more than one system to generate revenue with their websites. For example, many webmasters offer Google Adsense ads, Yahoo Search Marketing ads, Chitika ads, advertisements connected to affiliate programs, etc.

Frequently, the analysis of what has made you money in the past is a good indicator for figuring out what can make money for you in the future.

For example, by looking at the data in an Excel spreadsheet, you might be able to see opportunity that should be pursued on a grander scale. Especially when you are dealing with Google Adsense or Chitika, you might be able to see a particular topic on your website generating a higher revenue-per-click than the others. If one topic is generating 40 cents per click, against other topics that only generate 20 cents per click, why not target more content to the 40 cents per click topic?

Improving Your Sales Copy and Information Display

As a marketer, you likely understand how important and effective it is to put data into a graph for presentation to your websites’ visitors.

By using the built-in Microsoft Excel “functions”, you can run calculations to interpret your base data for display to others. Using the built-in Excel formatting tools, you can display that data in an attractive and visually appealing manner.

By using a simple copy-and-paste function, from MS Excel, any report you build in Microsoft Excel can be copied to any graphics editor, to save as an image, which can be placed on your website quickly and easily.

The “copy function” can be reached by clicking Edit-Copy from the menu bar, right click your mouse and click Copy, or simply hold down the Control-Key on your keyboard, then hit the “c” key.

The “paste function” can be reached by clicking Edit-Paste from the menu bar, right click your mouse and click Paste, or simply hold down the Control-Key on your keyboard, then hit the “p” key.

These Are Just The Basics

What we have covered in this article are just the basic concepts of how you can use Microsoft Excel in your online business.

The potential uses of Microsoft Excel in connection with your online business are so much more than what I could document in this article.

But, the point I want to convey more than any other is that my uses of Microsoft Excel will not be the same as your use of MS Excel. As I will find many useful and productive ways to use Excel, you also will find many useful and productive ways to use Excel that will be different from me.

Only with a real understanding of Excel and all of its built-in functions, will you and I be able to see the full range of uses it could accomplish for us. But, neither of us will have the requisite understanding of this powerful software application, until we have taken the time and effort to get proper Microsoft Excel training that is designed to show us how to fully utilize this important business software.









































3 Keys to Cutting Costs Through Centralized Knowledge Management

We all know the saying “Knowledge is Power”, and this still rings true today, but knowledge can also be analogous to “Time”. Whether it be time gained, or time lost, how quickly employees can access company knowledge translates into huge amounts of time, translating into huge amounts of money. In a season where companies are forced to maintain and improve services, while often cutting budgets, time (knowledge) management can be an overlooked tool that can produce dramatic effects to the bottom line.

Knowledge Sharing:

Organizations use knowledge management/sharing for both internal and external use. Some companies post answers to FAQ’s , company information, and even product manuals in knowledge base articles located on their company websites. Call centers typically use knowledge base technology to provide customer service reps the ability to search for and quickly provide answers to callers. And there are companies that simply have a corporate knowledge base for internal knowledge sharing.

Selecting the right Knowledge Base Tool:

There are many Knowledge Base (KB) software tools on the market today that are built to organize your company knowledge. You’ll need to develop specific criteria based on your needs because all software applications are not created equal. For example you will need to consider:

  • Web Based Apps - Web based apps are hosted on the web, so they can be accessed by anyone with access to a web browser. This is especially effective for remote access such as remote employees.
  • Ease of Use - your KB should have an easy to use article editor, so that articles are easy to create. It should include the ability to create links, include images, and add attachments to the article. Additional features to consider are the ability to load and view multiple file types, such as video and flash files. The inclusion of a flexible template system allows different departments to quickly create articles based on their needs.
  • Flexible Roles - You will have administrators that manage the app, and employees and/or web site visitors that will be the ‘end-users ‘of the app. The software should be highly flexible where administrators can delegate the content (through permissions), so that you can decide who has access to view what.
  • Search capabilities - what good is storing knowledge if you can’t easily find it? The KB should have both basic and advanced search capabilities, such as the ability to not only search the KB, but also the ability to search common attachments. Other high-quality search features include a built-in thesaurus engine, as well as search filters that further refine your search.
  • Work flow Capability - this key feature can be a huge time management tool. In certain cases, Knowledge Base articles that have been added or changed require multiple people in various departments to approve the new or changed article. A Work Flow System provides a flexible method for automating AND keeping track of these approval tasks. Advance features should allow for auto email notifications, to complete the loop and advise when tasks are completed or rejected.
  • User Feed back mechanisms - this will help you keep your KB well maintained. Metrics such as hit tracking, search phrase logging, and an article rating system can let your users tell you how the app is working for them. Some KB’s even allow your users to propose an amendment to a given article.
  • Traceable Security - supports compliance with archival histories, such as who/when an article was edited, and as mentioned above, who has permissions to view selected company data.

  • Getting Your Employees on Board:

    Sharing employee knowledge is one of the greatest benefits of a KB System. Whether it be documenting company policies, or company best practices, getting that information out of the employee’s heads and into a centralized reservoir is essential. Letting valuable knowledge leave when an employee leaves is costly and unnecessary. With the knowledge base you can:

  • Reduce employee training time - document training and company “best practices” to get new employees trained and quickly up to speed.
  • Retain employee knowledge - prevents knowledge from leaving when an employee leaves.
  • Share knowledge among departments - encourage employees to propose or amend articles to help management solve problems- they can often give higher level management a great perspective ‘from the ground level’. (Most employees are eager to contribute - awards for article submissions are a great incentive to get employees to play a part).

  • Companies whose Call Centers maintain statistics regarding the number of incoming calls and the average time per call are often able to see an immediate reduction in the “cost per call”. This quickly translates into increased efficiencies as well as proven Return on Investment (ROI). Once employees begin to see the benefits and how much easier their jobs will be, they will often quickly get on board and become huge proponents of the system. In the end, management gets a system that quickly pays for itself and the employees are pleased to be able to quickly access the data they need in order to do their jobs better and provide their customers the best and most expedient support possible.

















    Learning the Basics of Microsoft Excel

    If you have never used Microsoft Excel before, it is a computer application that is part of the Microsoft Office package. Many people think of MS Excel as simply a spreadsheet application that is to be used by accountants and other number crunchers, but the truth is that it is an application that can be so much more than just a spreadsheet application.

    Some people use Microsoft Excel to build reports, with beautiful, well-formatted tables that can easily convey information in an attractive manner. For this reason, many people in marketing and sales use MS Excel as a tool in their works as well.

    I have even known people to use an Excel spreadsheet to build work schedules for their employees. Managers with the knowledge of Microsoft Excel’s advanced features and tools, can utilize the functionality of MS Excel to process functions to keep track of the hours assigned to each employee to ensure that people are not over-scheduled, such as in a restaurant environment where an employee may a few short shifts in the day, as opposed to a straight eight-hour day.

    Simply put, the range and functionality of Microsoft Excel is so varied that many people can find new uses for it, once they understand how to best utilize its built-in advanced tools and features.

    Getting Started

    When you first open Microsoft Excel for the first time, it will seem such a plain and simple computer application, with columns and rows.

    If you plan to use Excel to build reports, you can actually put your mouse on the black line dividing rows and columns, hold down your mouse key, and resize the rows and columns to match your actual display needs.

    With the icons on the toolbars, you can set font size, color and styles in very short order. To apply one of the toolbar features to a data cell (a single box), just click that cell and then select the feature you want added to that cell.

    You can actually choose to apply settings to rows or columns, as opposed to just cells. To do so for the row, just click the number to the left of the form, and it will highlight the entire row you wish to adjust the settings. To do the same for a column, simply click the alphabet letter above the form to highlight the full column, and then apply your choice settings to it.

    Editing Information

    The hardest thing to get used to when using Microsoft Excel, for the first few times, is how to edit information easily. When you add data to a data cell, the brain naturally wants to do all editing in that little box on the form.

    But, every time you click a data cell, the cell will be highlighted with a dark black line, and the data inside that box will be shown at the top of the form, in the long text box below the menu bar.

    You only need to teach yourself to click a data cell on the form, then to click on the text box at the top of the form, so that you can easily highlight text or edit it as you need to do.

    Inserting New Information

    If you have set up an entire spreadsheet, only to realize that you left some information out of your form, you can add rows and columns to your form on the fly, with only a few clicks. It is so easy to do. You actually have more than one method available to you to do most functions, including this one.

    For example, if you need to add another column:

  • You can select a data cell, right-click your mouse, click “insert”, then tell it to “shift right” or “shift down” to insert either a row or a column.

  • You can also select the column head (where the alphabet letter is at the top), then right click, and select “insert”. The software will automatically insert a new column for you.

  • If your right-click is not working on your mouse, you can either select the data cell or column head as previously mentioned, then click “insert” on your menu bar at the top of the application.

  • The truth is that Microsoft has made Microsoft Office’s Excel so intuitive that even John McCain, who claims he has never used a computer, could figure out how to use it well in only a few days.

    The same processes used to add information to a spreadsheet can be used to also delete information (cells, rows, and columns) from the form.

    Introducing Advanced Capabilities

    In the example of the restaurant manager, who uses Microsoft Excel to build a schedule for his or her employees, one advanced feature really pays for itself in no time at all.

    Suppose the manager put the employee name in Column A, and then sets Columns B to H to represent each of the seven days in a calendar week.

    On the menu bar, under Insert, there is a feature there called “functions”. One can actually set up their spreadsheet to run calculations on the data in the form. For the restaurant manager seeking to use MS Excel as a scheduling tool, he or she can set up a function to calculate the number of hours worked during the workweek, by taking advantage of Excel’s internal functions.

    Telling you exactly how to do this is a bit beyond the scope of this article, but with some hands-on Excel Training, it is something that you can learn to do within a few uses. You might need to refer back to the training materials for the first couple weeks, but once you have done it a few times, it will be like second nature to you.

    One thing that many users really appreciate about the Microsoft Excel package, is that you can actually set up functions on your spreadsheet and save the basic template to be opened at a later date, with all of the formatting and functions built right into your spread sheet.


















































    Microsoft Excel Is No Longer Just a Business Application

    Back in the 1990’s, the only people who had a need to learn to use Microsoft Excel product, were those who used accounting spreadsheets in the course of their work. But, this is 2008 and the need for MS Excel is so much more than it was just a decade ago.

    Honestly, the application itself has not changed much in the last decade, but the benefits of using a spreadsheet application have increased considerably.

    College Students Worldwide

    It has come to a point where college students cannot graduate, unless they have first learned to utilize all of the Microsoft Office tools, including Microsoft Excel. At its most basic level, Excel is not that difficult to understand. But deep down in its advanced features, it can become quite difficult to learn and understand.

    It is a shame that most textbooks offered for Microsoft Office products are either short on detail or downright confusing. When it comes to technical computer software textbooks, there are so few good products out there. Even those textbooks offered at the collegiate level fail to deliver on the hope that many college students have for mastery of this most important software.

    By the end of a college students first year, he or she will be required to turn in homework assignments that require the successful use of MS Excel. When one’s GPA is so very important, most college students simply cannot afford to let their grades slip in any single class, because they could not master the intricacies of another Microsoft product.

    When the available study aids for Microsoft Excel are so inefficient at teaching students how to best utilize the advanced features of MS Excel, the student intent on keeping his or her GPA would do well to find an advanced teaching tool that has proven itself in the marketplace to be an effective teacher of this important class of business software.

    Important to Business

    The reason why colleges are putting so much emphasis on learning Microsoft Office and Excel is because these computer applications are essential tools in business management in the modern marketplace.

    While MS Excel was designed as an accounting spreadsheet, the use of the spreadsheet has gone well beyond just a basic accounting tool.

    MS Excel is integral to websites and business applications that require the use of a database system. In fact, many websites that businesses work with now on a regular basis permit reports and data to be moved between the central server and the desktop, utilizing Microsoft Excel as one of the supported formats.

    It is also a very useful tool for creating business reports for both accounting and marketing.

    Expanding Beyond The Basics

    One of the most useful tools for business marketing, management and finance, within the Microsoft Excel software, is the Functions Tool.

    The Functions Tool enables the people who compile reports within Microsoft Excel to do calculations on the available data. Functions run from simple date functions, to addition and subtraction calculations, to statistical comparison, to full-blown trigonometry formulas.

    The beauty of functions inside of Microsoft Excel is that you can load your basic data into a spreadsheet and then rearrange your formula uses to generate new and varied results to be placed into a report.

    Most people don’t think too much about business marketing when they think of Excel spreadsheets, but the merging of spreadsheets and the use of formulas can help marketers combine their data sources to provide reports to their potential customers, about what customers can expect to receive from a company.

    Beyond School and Business

    Mom and dad can actually use Microsoft Excel to help them with a variety of different needs.

    For example, suppose mom and dad want to build an inventory of all of their belongings, complete with purchase dates and serial numbers. They can keep a spreadsheet that holds all of this information on their desktop, and as they add new items to their household inventory, mom and dad can print off an up-to-date copy of their household inventory for placement in the banks’ safety deposit box.

    More so in these times of high gasoline prices, mom and dad might keep a spreadsheet showing how many miles they drove on each tank of gas, how much they paid for that tank of gas, and what the seasonal variables were, in order to better understand how they can squeeze more miles out their vehicles’ gas mileage.

    Actually, these are just a couple of examples, but mom and dad can find many uses for Microsoft Excel, including keeping the family budget in check.

    Getting The Most Mileage From Microsoft Office and Excel

    As previously suggested, it can be challenging to head to your local bookstore to find books that will teach how to effectively use Microsoft Excel to do with it what you would like to do.

    The Dummies Series are fine if you want to know how to turn the application on, but beyond the very easy basics, the Dummies’ series is generally a waste of money.

    Most people who want to use any software application have desires to use some of the more advanced features. If you rely on the Dummies books and many of the other books that are available to teach you how to use the Excel software, those books simply won’t even mention the advanced features, let alone teach you how to properly use them.

    While some books simply fall short in providing the detail that you need to understand how to most effectively use the software, other books make the mistake of trying to shove too much information into the book in a very unorganized and hard-to-follow format.

    Hands-On Training Always Beats Book Training

    K-Alliance is a company that specializes in creating hands-on tutorials that deliver their teaching power through a CD-rom format. Learning Microsoft Excel using the K-Alliance Excel Tutorial CD is made so much easier, because it shows you what to do and allows you to experience Microsoft Excel on your computer screen as you learn. Back in the 1990’s, the only people who had a need to learn to use Microsoft Excel product, were those who used accounting spreadsheets in the course of their work. But, this is 2008 and the need for MS Excel is so much more than it was just a decade ago.

    Honestly, the application itself has not changed much in the last decade, but the benefits of using a spreadsheet application have increased considerably.

    College Students Worldwide

    It has come to a point where college students cannot graduate, unless they have first learned to utilize all of the Microsoft Office tools, including Microsoft Excel. At its most basic level, Excel is not that difficult to understand. But deep down in its advanced features, it can become quite difficult to learn and understand.

    It is a shame that most textbooks offered for Microsoft Office products are either short on detail or downright confusing. When it comes to technical computer software textbooks, there are so few good products out there. Even those textbooks offered at the collegiate level fail to deliver on the hope that many college students have for mastery of this most important software.

    By the end of a college students first year, he or she will be required to turn in homework assignments that require the successful use of MS Excel. When one’s GPA is so very important, most college students simply cannot afford to let their grades slip in any single class, because they could not master the intricacies of another Microsoft product.

    When the available study aids for Microsoft Excel are so inefficient at teaching students how to best utilize the advanced features of MS Excel, the student intent on keeping his or her GPA would do well to find an advanced teaching tool that has proven itself in the marketplace to be an effective teacher of this important class of business software.

    Important to Business

    The reason why colleges are putting so much emphasis on learning Microsoft Office and Excel is because these computer applications are essential tools in business management in the modern marketplace.

    While MS Excel was designed as an accounting spreadsheet, the use of the spreadsheet has gone well beyond just a basic accounting tool.

    MS Excel is integral to websites and business applications that require the use of a database system. In fact, many websites that businesses work with now on a regular basis permit reports and data to be moved between the central server and the desktop, utilizing Microsoft Excel as one of the supported formats.

    It is also a very useful tool for creating business reports for both accounting and marketing.

    Expanding Beyond The Basics

    One of the most useful tools for business marketing, management and finance, within the Microsoft Excel software, is the Functions Tool.

    The Functions Tool enables the people who compile reports within Microsoft Excel to do calculations on the available data. Functions run from simple date functions, to addition and subtraction calculations, to statistical comparison, to full-blown trigonometry formulas.

    The beauty of functions inside of Microsoft Excel is that you can load your basic data into a spreadsheet and then rearrange your formula uses to generate new and varied results to be placed into a report.

    Most people don’t think too much about business marketing when they think of Excel spreadsheets, but the merging of spreadsheets and the use of formulas can help marketers combine their data sources to provide reports to their potential customers, about what customers can expect to receive from a company.

    Beyond School and Business

    Mom and dad can actually use Microsoft Excel to help them with a variety of different needs.

    For example, suppose mom and dad want to build an inventory of all of their belongings, complete with purchase dates and serial numbers. They can keep a spreadsheet that holds all of this information on their desktop, and as they add new items to their household inventory, mom and dad can print off an up-to-date copy of their household inventory for placement in the banks’ safety deposit box.

    More so in these times of high gasoline prices, mom and dad might keep a spreadsheet showing how many miles they drove on each tank of gas, how much they paid for that tank of gas, and what the seasonal variables were, in order to better understand how they can squeeze more miles out their vehicles’ gas mileage.

    Actually, these are just a couple of examples, but mom and dad can find many uses for Microsoft Excel, including keeping the family budget in check.

    Getting The Most Mileage From Microsoft Office and Excel

    As previously suggested, it can be challenging to head to your local bookstore to find books that will teach how to effectively use Microsoft Excel to do with it what you would like to do.

    The Dummies Series are fine if you want to know how to turn the application on, but beyond the very easy basics, the Dummies’ series is generally a waste of money.

    Most people who want to use any software application have desires to use some of the more advanced features. If you rely on the Dummies books and many of the other books that are available to teach you how to use the Excel software, those books simply won’t even mention the advanced features, let alone teach you how to properly use them.

    While some books simply fall short in providing the detail that you need to understand how to most effectively use the software, other books make the mistake of trying to shove too much information into the book in a very unorganized and hard-to-follow format.

    Hands-On Training Always Beats Book Training

    K-Alliance is a company that specializes in creating hands-on tutorials that deliver their teaching power through a CD-rom format. Learning Microsoft Excel using the K-Alliance Excel Tutorial CD is made so much easier, because it shows you what to do and allows you to experience Microsoft Excel on your computer screen as you learn.