• Unlimited mail box size (starting at 2 GB and increasing with your consumption)
• Unlimited mail box allows Gmail to be used to backup files!
• Chat client which can be used with other Gmail users (useful for collaborating on with
• other students)
• Calendar utility, allowing you to easily plan your timetable / diary, and share this with
• others if you choose
• Powerful Google search can be used on your mail box, making it easy to find your stuff!
• Easy to tag (star) useful mails for quick retrieval
• Better spam filtering than other clients I have used

Disadvantages

• Privacy! Google are not really giving this tool away for free! They scan your mails and use the content to target advertising (visible on the left of the screen). Google promise not to actually read personal information, and I believe them, there is no commercial incentive to do this. That said, the fact that they are using personal data for market research does concern some people.

As mentioned, one of the most useful features of Gmail is the ability to mail large files back to yourself; thus backing them up, and having access to them from any machine with an Internet connection. Whilst you should not rely too heavily on this, it is a very useful feature. Google know people do this, and do not seem to object, I suppose its all useful information for their data miners!

If you create folders to organise your backups, and make good use of the search tool within Gmail, it does prove an effective backup tool, especially if you forget your USB disk!
In order to stop Gmail being used for spam (unsolicited mail advertising Viagra) you need to be invited (a mail is sent to your current mail account) by an existing member. If you ask around, it shouldn’t take long to find a Gmail user willing to send you an invite.

For full backup or archiving of your degree work you may like to consider a USB hard drive. There are two basic types available:

Mains Powered

As the title suggests, these drives require their own power source, i.e. a spare plug socket near your PC. A second (USB) lead connects the drive to the computer.

Advantages

• Very cheap for the amount of storage they offer

Disadvantages

• Create more mess with wires
• Are too bulky to carry around with you
• Require a power source, so not suitable on the move

Mains powered drives are really for extra backup at home, for example backing up a laptop.

USB Powered

These drives are powered via the USB connector on your machine.

Advantages

• Only one wire, i.e. the wire connecting to the PC
• Usually pocket size, maybe 10cm x 10cm x 1cm
• Suitable for use on the move, with a laptop for example

Disadvantages

• More expensive for the amount of storage they offer
• Short connecting wire, or no connecting wire at all (direct plug)
• If no connecting wire is present, the plugs are easily damaged

Personally I do not consider USB powered drives suitable for archiving or backup, due to their comparative fragility, though with current models offering between 20 and 80 GB storage, they do have the capacity to be used in this way.

My first 128 MB drive cost £25, and a 1 GB drive would have cost well over £100.
A year later I replaced the 128 MB with a 256 MB for the same price (£25).
At time of writing a 1 GB drive can be bought for a little over £10.
This price crash is typical of I.T. related equipment and illustrates why, in my opinion it is always better to go for the cheapest product that does the job.
A 1 GB card should be more than adequate for a degree student, but remember the following:

• Do not pull the drive out without stopping it first, you may destroy it, and your work!
• Flash drives are small and easily lost, make sure you back up before removing from the PC

• Is a very cheap (less than £15 inc. delivery)
• Reliable (mine is fault free after almost 2 years)
• Linux compatible (picked up by Ubuntu, no driver installation reqired, easier than configuration in Windows!)

It is a standard 54g card running at 54mbps, but should be more than adequate for 99% of degree students requirements.

DabsValue Edimax 802.11g 54Mbps PCMCIA

If you are sharing broadband in your house and want to network your desktop, there is also a PCI version available:

DabsValue Edimax 802.11g 54Mbps PCI card

• You spend a lot of time travelling on trains
• You frequently go home to visit parents
• You like working outside, or in other areas where no computers are available

If you do not travel or do degree work in areas with no computer access, then there are far cheaper (and some free) alternatives discussed in the post on data storage and backup.

If you think a laptop would give you more working time for your degree course, consider the following before buying:

• An entry level laptop will suffice for 95% of degree courses
• Specifications increase at a rapid rate
• Price versus specification fall at a rapid rate
• Spares and repairs can be expensive compared to desktops
• The keyboard on a laptop is slightly slower to use than that of a desktop
• Thieves love laptops
• Batteries don’t last for ever (two years before they stop charging properly)
• Batteries are expensive to replace

Taking the above into consideration my advice would be:

• Wait as long as you can before buying (falling prices)
• Get an entry level machine, not an expensive one
• Consider the cost of insuring it
• Make sure you regularly backup in case of theft / failure
• Buy a docking station with separate keyboard and monitor if it is going to be your main PC at home, it will be more comfortable and lot faster to use

At time of writing an entry level machine is around £350, that said, it is worth going to maybe £450 (including delivery) if you see one on special offer, but certainly no higher than this.

Research products and prices as much as you can, when looking at online stores don’t forget to check the feedback left by other customers, this can be really useful.

I have personally used the following brands:

Toshiba: Good build quality, decent design, can get good special offers

HP: Good build quality, decent design, can get good special offers

Acer: Poorer build quality, quite bulky, but very fast (good performance) for the money. Being budget machines already, you don’t tend to see many ‘bargains’ offered on Acer’s.

Dell: Generally to be avoided, poor build quality and prices for upgrades and servicing are absolutely scandalous. That said I have seen Dell selling end of line items off at silly prices. If you see one at a silly price, just make sure you deselect all servicing plans and do not pay for any upgrades, get your hardware upgrades elsewhere.

Fujitsu Siemens: I have one of these and swear by it, good build quality and reliable. Different models are used extensively where I work, and are also pretty good. Unfortunately I know two other people whose laptops have started falling to pieces, cases cracking around hinges, things coming loose etc.

The Fujitsu Siemens information illustrates the problem with recommending laptops. Everyone has their personal favourites and dislikes. Users of the same model machine can have very different experiences.

This is where the online sites with customer reviews really come in handy. If you read 20 posts, that’s 20 different machines reviewed. If you read a review in a PC magazine, it is likely they have just one machine to review. If that machine was supplied by the manufacturer directly to the magazine for review, you can be sure it received rigorous
testing before it was given to them.

I.T. Hardware Retailers

I have personally used the following national retailers:

PC World: If you see a good deal in the tabloids, then it may be worth a visit, but do not buy anything else whilst you are in there. PC world offer just enough items at a good price to support their advertising campaigns. Everything else in the shop will be an absolute rip off.

Do not be fooled by PC worlds advertising campaign stating they are both and online and high street retailer. Yes they have a Website, but the prices are not competitive with ‘true online retailers’.

I use two online retailers regularly, Dabs.com and Ebuyer.co.uk

Both of these companies offer better prices than you will find on the high street. Generally the service is good and the delivery prompt, however, things quickly unravel if you have a problem, particularly if you need to return an item.

Last time I tried it was impossible to speak to these companies over the phone. If you go through their help pages and send a mail with a standard subject line, you will get an automated mail, i.e. no-one will look at your problem.

In order to get a human to read your query, you need to add your own query title. Then you will be lucky to get more than a three word reply.

You will also lose your shipping fee if you need to return an item which is not faulty.

To avoid an infuriating debacle:

• Make sure you know what you are ordering
• Make sure you really want it!

Despite the trouble I have had with returns, these companies are still worth using, as 95% of the time everything goes smoothly and you save a lot of money.