Cheap, Fast or Good – Pick Any Two

The title of this post can apply to almost anything. You can get something cheap and fast, but it won’t be any good. Or, you can get something fast and good, but it won’t be

Back in the day, this is what you meant when you said you had a cheap tablet…

cheap. Lastly, you can get something cheap and good, but it won’t be fast.

Same rules apply to technology – only more so as cheap usually equates to being neither fast nor good and you hardly ever hear of something being cheap and good, as good and fast typically walk hand in hand. As a public librarian, I have seen the gamut of tablet and e-reader devices walk through our doors. At a glance, I can easily tell whether or not the patron’s user experience in trying to get at our e-book collection will be a dream (“Great, you have an iPad/Samsung Galaxy/Kindle Fire/insert-pricey-but-good-and-fast-item-of-your-choice-here!”) or a nightmare (“Great, you have an insert-cheap-but-bad-and-slow-item-of-your-choice-here…”).

Let the buyer beware, as this CNET (via Yahoo!) article outlines Three tech gadgets you might be tempted to buy, but shouldn’t

The part on tablets particularly caught my eye:

A tablet is a tablet is a tablet, right? Why spend $500 on an iPad or even $200 on a Kindle Fire when you can get the Pandigital Planet 7-inch Android tablet for $99? Or a MID 70009 Android tablet for $72.95?

Because they’re terrible. Most of these dirt-cheap tablets have excruciatingly slow processors; you tap an icon, and nothing happens for several seconds. Scrolling a Web page can be an unresponsive exercise in frustration. The usability here pales in comparison to what you get from a more mainstream tablet.

What’s more, some bargain tablets employ resistive touch screens, which require physical pressure. That’s in contrast to the capacitive screens used in better tablets, which respond to the slightest brush of your fingertip. With a resistive screen, you have to push — and that ruins the entire experience. Plus, with those slow processors, it’s very difficult to tell if the tablet has registered your input, so you end up push-tapping again — often with unwanted results. Bleh.

Another big issue: no Google Play (aka Android Market), meaning you’re severely limited in the apps you can add. They might have knockoff app stores, but with none of the apps you’ll want. No Angry Birds, No Kindle, no Facebook. Double-bleh.

Recently I’ve seen some attractively priced 7- and 10-inch models with fast processors, capacitive screens, and even Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), but still no Google Play (or, for that matter, Amazon Appstore). Trust me: You won’t be happy without at least one of them.

So, be careful out there! The technology landscape is littered with lots of cheap, bad junk. Don’t give in to the temptation to purchase because the “price is right”. Save up your pennies and hold out for the best that you can buy!

-Tony L.

Programs you don’t want to miss this week!

Family Posture Wellness – 7PM on Wed., April 4 in Meeting Room B – Posture building begins when we are children…and never stops.  Regardless of age, our posture reveals the first signs to certain health problems long before other more noticeable symptoms occur.  Find out what these signs are and how they can adversely affect every stage of our lives, but more importantly, learn how to fight back.  This seminar is presented by Dr. Philip Moscatel.

70 Meals One Trip to the Store – 7PM on Thurs., April 5 in Meeting Room A -Cookbook author Kelly Donlea will demonstrate how buying “smart” ingredients leads to buying less, saving money, and having greater success at dinnertime night after night. She will show us how to make three different dishes from one bag of groceries, as well as offer tips on how to avoid a last-minute run to the grocery store for a forgotten item. Food Samples will be given out!

Drop in or Register by calling 630-685-4176 or online at http://www.fountaindale.org  You do not need a library card to register.

Maureen G.

eBooks: Compare and try before you buy @ your library

Thinking of investing in an electronic book reader?  Our information desk now offers a Sony e-reader and a Barnes & Noble Nook for patron demo.  Experience each e-reader without sales pressure!  Our friendly and knowledgeable staff can give you information and technology assistance to make a great consumer purchase. 

Already have an e-reader?  Your library can assist you in downloading eBooks from our Overdrive or Netlibrary collection.  All you need is a valid Fountaindale library card and free downloadable software to start using your e-reader today.

Not sure which collection of books to choose from?  Overdrive provides popular fiction and non-fiction titles and authors such as The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson, Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts, and The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich.  Although we share a number of books with other libraries in our consortium, the Fountaindale Public Library District has purchased multiple copies of best-selling books.  Plus, we’re constantly acquiring new and interesting titles to add to our site.  You’ll find something great to read with our Overdrive collection.  Don’t forget to login with your Fountaindale Public Library District library card!   http://emedialibrary.lib.overdrive.com/9E8C3F39-3FC7-4F2B-98A6-00FA67644CF4/10/384/en/Default.htm

For assistance with middle school, high school, college, and professional research, grab your library card and download a book from our Netlibrary archive at http://www.netlibrary.com/.   This website offers a vast collection of non-fiction materials which are available in audiobook, eBooks (which are for computer viewing and cannot be downloaded to an e-reader) and downloadable (good for e-reader use) eBooks.  There are fantastic titles for school term papers, professional development and personal use resources on this site, including A Handbook for Teaching & Learning in Higher Education by Heather Fry, Applying Knowledge Management: Techniques for Building Corporate Memories by Ian Watson, and  Nolo’s Guide to Social Security Disability: Getting & Keeping Your Benefits by David Morton.

As our library is closing for the move to our new building on Monday, February 7^th, now is the time to visit the Adult and Teen Services Information Desk and let our knowledgeable staff help you with your eBook questions.  There are free handouts and information available at the library and online at our eResources homepage: http://www.fountaindale.org/component/content/article/4/287-e-readers-and-content-are-here.html .

Keeping you up-to-date in an eBook world,

Deb

911 Turkey

Every year, many people face the dilemma of not having a clue how to cook a turkey! How long do I thaw it? How do I stuff it? How do I carve it? Well, ponder no more! There are several websites you can visit for help. The biggest and most known site is  Butterball Help , where you can have many of your questions answered. The site includes cooking tips,how to choose a turkey,  special recipes and even a calculator to figure out how many pounds you need for how many people (and if you want plenty of leftovers!). And finally, it has its most famous and used number this time of year 1-800-Butterball, for all your turkey dilemmas. There is also an email link if you prefer to ask that way.

Other websites that can help you cook that bird include Honeysuckle, Foster Farms, Reynolds, and the USDA.

So don’t fret, help is just a click or a call away! Happy cooking and especially happy eating.

-Christine

Super-Couponing with Jill Cataldo

On Saturday October 16, Fountaindale Public Library was pleased to welcome Jill Cataldo! What an amazing and informative presentation!  I was lucky enough to be in the audience and I can tell you I learned some useful tips to save hundreds on my family’s grocery bills – and the tips didn’t just apply to money spent on a food budget.

“You might be wondering, ‘Is it worth becoming a coupon shopper?’

The real question is… why wouldn’t you want to shop with coupons?

In life, we continually insist on the best prices for major purchases. We seek out the lowest price when buying a new car, booking the cheapest airfare, or finding the best deal on a new television. And yet, where groceries are concerned, most people don’t even give a second thought to what they’re paying for them. They go to the store and accept $150-$200 weekly grocery bills as part of life.

But groceries comprise one of the largest parts of our entire household budgets! If you knew you could easily cut that grocery bill by half or better, still buying the groceries and products you want and need, why wouldn’t you? With my system, coupon shoppers are happily spending a small amount of time each week, about a half-hour to an hour, to reduce their grocery bills by 30%, 50%, 75% or more.”  Excerpt taken from Jill Cataldo’s Super-Couponing web page.

Jill’s site is set up to help newbies and pros alike and has a getting started guide, coupon center for printing online coupons, and a coupon look-up guide that helps you easily locate coupons from the inserts that come in the Sunday paper. You can also check out Jill’s blog for her Deals of the Week posts, break downs of costs on ACTUAL shopping trips, more helpful tips, and the occasional give away.

“Jill Cataldo is also the author of the nationally-syndicated newspaper column, ‘Super-Couponing® Tips,’ read by over 20 million readers each week!

With “Super-Couponing® Tips,” (formerly “The Coupon Queen,”) Jill shares coupon tips and tricks, bringing a new Super-Couponing® lesson to readers, as well as answering questions from readers around the nation.

ABC’s Nightline called Jill’s column ‘Dear Abby with Coupons!’” Excerpt from Jill’s Super-Couponing web page.

Be sure to check our Events Calendar for upcoming events and for future programs featuring Jill Cataldo.

Rozie

More Saving on College Texts

Still looking for ways to save on your college texts? The website Lifehacker has a good article on saving money.

When I was in school, I found that Amazon.com usually had better prices for college texts than the campus bookstore.

Also, most schools have a “reserve” desk at its library where some professors will put the texts for their classes on hold for students to use. You can’t check the books out, but can make copies from them in case you have trouble getting the texts. Check with your school library, or your professor, to see if this service is available.

-Tony L.

Two newsletters from Consumer Reports now available in the Adult Services Department

Two newsletters from the publishers of Consumer Reports magazine have been added to the Adult Services Department.

Consumer Reports MoneyAdviser brings to its readers unbiased information regarding personal finance. The articles are written in clear, easy-to-read language. Each issue contains practical tips and strategies.

Consumer Reports onHealth offers objective facts and clear recommendations to help you make smart decisions about your health. Topics range from nutrition and weight loss to prescription drugs …disease prevention …pain relief…and more.

Both these monthly newsletters are available for reference use at the Consumer Table on the lower level of the library.

- Tom D.