P.C. Richard & Son Blog » Computers http://blog.pcrichard.com The Official Blog of P.C. Richard & Son & the P.C. Richard & Son Theater Thu, 23 May 2013 17:12:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 HP Back to School Bundle Giveaway: Enter to Win an HP Entertainment Notebook Computer and Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones! http://blog.pcrichard.com/hp-giveaway/ http://blog.pcrichard.com/hp-giveaway/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:54:36 +0000 Allison L. http://blog.pcrichard.com/?p=1855 This post has been stickied to the top of the front page. For new content, please scroll down! While choosing the pattern on your dorm's bedspread or the posters on your wall may be an important task when packing up for school, remember that it's your computer that will help you get the grades you're striving for. Your machine will be up late with you, helping you power through your latest research paper or programming project until the wee hours of the morning. But, that doesn't mean you can't have fun with your computer, either! That's why we've teamed up with HP to give away an HP Pavilion AMD Turion II 17.3" entertainment notebook computer with Beats Audio and Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. It's a perfect balance of work and play for school!

What We're Giving Away

One back to school bundle, consisting of:]]> While choosing the pattern on your dorm’s bedspread or the posters on your wall may be an important task when packing up for school, remember that it’s your computer that will help you get the grades you’re striving for. Your machine will be up late with you, helping you power through your latest research paper or programming project until the wee hours of the morning.

But, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with your computer, either! That’s why we’ve teamed up with HP to give away an HP Pavilion AMD Turion II 17.3″ entertainment notebook computer with Beats Audio and Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. It’s a perfect balance of work and play for school!

What We’re Giving Away

One back to school bundle, consisting of:

About the HP Pavilion AMD Turion II 17.3″ Entertainment Notebook Computer with Beats Audio

You’ll be able to get your homework done quickly with this computer’s 2.3 GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, and Windows 7 operating system. When you go to class, take the machine with you and enjoy the long battery life! You’ll be able to boot up quickly before class starts with the integrated fingerprint reader and HP SimplePass Identity Management software to give you a quick, easy and secure way to access your favorite websites with a single swipe.

When you’re ready to relax, pop in a Blu-Ray disc and immerse yourself in the 17.3″ HP BrightView LED display. You can also video chat with your family at home, play a game, or surf the web with ease. The computer’s 320GB hard drive has tons of space to hold all of your photos, movies and music.

Speaking of music, the most impressive feature of this computer is the sound quality. Beats Audio delivers studio-quality playback through line-out to headphones and external speakers. You’ll notice the difference when your tunes are being played through the Altec Lansing speakers and built-in HP Triple Bass Reflex Subwoofer, or Beats by Dr. Dre headphones with ControlTalk by Monster Cable, which are also included in the giveaway.

For the full specs list of this machine, check out our product page for the Hewlett Packard Pavilion AMD Turion II 17.3″ Entertainment Notebook Computer with Beats Audio.

About Beats by Dr. Dre Headphones by Monster Cable

Hear what you’ve been missing. Beats Tour high-resolution in-ear headphones reveal the full sound of today’s digital music, including sonically demanding hip-hop, rock, and R&B that crush ordinary earbuds. Beats Tour delivers sound so big, you’ll think you have speakers in your ears. Exclusive Monster technologies reproduce clear natural vocals, detailed highs, and deep powerful bass without distortion. For more on the Monster Cable Beats by Dr. Dre heaphones, click here.



How to Enter

You have several ways to enter to win this great HP back to school bundle. You can enter using each of the methods below:

  1. 1 entry: Leave a comment on this post about why you love HP and/or P.C. Richard & Son.
  2. 1 entry: Like us on Facebook and leave a comment on this post saying you’ve done so with your full name so that we can match it.
  3. 1 entry per day: Follow us on Twitter and tweet the following message:@pcrichardandson I entered to win your great HP back to school bundle! http://ow.ly/2aJzi . Make sure you comment back on this post with a link to the tweet.
  4. 1 entry: If you have a blog of your own, post about this contest with a link back to this page. Comment on this post with a link to your post.
  5. 1 entry: Subscribe to the P.C. Richard & Son e-mail list here, then comment on this post telling us you subscribed.



Please leave 1 comment per entry and put your full name and e-mail address in the appropriate fields. For example, if I was John Smith, my email was john@email.com, and I entered by liking us on Facebook and subscribing to the e-mail list, I would leave two separate comments like this:

Name: John Smith
Email: john@email.com
Comment: I liked you on Facebook! Facebook name is Jonathan Smith.

Name: John Smith
Email: john@email.com
Comment: I subscribed to your emails! E-mail address is above.

This contest will run from July 19, 2010 to August 31, 2010. The winner will be selected by random drawing and will be contacted by email. For the complete rules, please click here. This contest is open to legal residents of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut who are 18 years of age or older.

Good luck! Note: All comments MUST be approved by an administrator before they will appear, so if you don’t see your comments right away, don’t panic!

EDIT: This giveaway is now closed. We will be determining and contacting the winner soon and will post an update on this blog once the winner has been chosen. Stay tuned!

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]]> http://blog.pcrichard.com/hp-giveaway/feed/ 862 Summer Gadgets from P.C. Richard & Son and Toni On! New York http://blog.pcrichard.com/summer-gadgets-from-p-c-richard-son-and-toni-on-new-york/ http://blog.pcrichard.com/summer-gadgets-from-p-c-richard-son-and-toni-on-new-york/#comments Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:30:00 +0000 Allison L. http://blog.pcrichard.com/?p=644 Have you seen Toni On! New York on WPIX yet? If not, you should check it out. Hosted by Toni Senecal, this show takes you all over New York and dishes on the city's best-kept secrets, tips, and places to go. Earlier this month, she and her team covered summer gadgets at our store on 23rd Street. Brett Larson covered some great portable products we have available both in-store and at pcrichard.com, including:]]> Have you seen Toni On! New York on WPIX yet? If not, you should check it out. Hosted by Toni Senecal, this show takes you all over New York and dishes on the city’s best-kept secrets, tips, and places to go.

Earlier this month, she and her team covered summer gadgets at our store on 23rd Street. Brett Larson covered some great portable products we have available both in-store and at pcrichard.com, including:

Flip Video UltraHD
“Don’t miss a moment of your time outside with the Flip Cam! These inexpensive cameras capture the moment with the push of a button and save from 1 to 2 hours of video. And, they slip right into your pocket when you don’t need them, so it can always be with you.”

Acer Ruby Red Netbook
(Previously covered on our blog as a hot deal) “This netbook will also come in handy for staying connected when you’re on the go. Netbooks sell for under $500, and, like this one from Acer, have Wi-Fi on board so you can connect to the internet while you’re away. Maybe do a little office work from outside the office, or just check your e-mails and surf the web.

FLO TV
(Also previously covered on our blog) “With FLO TV, you’ll be able to catch your favorite television shows wherever you go. The pint-sized devices tune into new digital frequencies and let you watch everything from news to entertainment shows. They come with 6 months of service included.”

PSP Go
“The latest PSP Go is smaller and just as fun. Games come on mini-sized discs that easily slip into your purse, pocket or backpack, and there’s hundreds of titles to choose from. Just be sure you pack plenty of battery power just in case your game goes long.”

Bose SoundDock Series II Digital Music System
“Take your tunes to go and let them sound their best with the Bose speaker to go. Just pop in your iPod or mp3 player and rock out.”

Monster Cable Lady Gaga Heartbeats High Performance In-Ear Headphones
“You don’t have to let the world hear your music with these Lady Gaga headphones. Yes, the Grammy Award-winning Lady Gaga. They’re the same headphones she wore in the video for her song Telephone.”

Monster Cable Dr. Dre Headphones
“If Lady Gaga headphones really aren’t your thing, check out the Beats by Dr. Dre. Drop it like it’s hot, Toni!”

Here’s the clip from the show:

You can catch Toni On! New York on WPIX Saturdays at 6PM.

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]]> http://blog.pcrichard.com/summer-gadgets-from-p-c-richard-son-and-toni-on-new-york/feed/ 0 5 Free Tools to Prevent Viruses and Spyware from Crippling Your PC http://blog.pcrichard.com/5-free-tools-to-prevent-viruses-and-spyware-from-crippling-your-pc/ http://blog.pcrichard.com/5-free-tools-to-prevent-viruses-and-spyware-from-crippling-your-pc/#comments Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:14:00 +0000 Allison L. http://blog.pcrichard.com/?p=594 Spybot: Search and Destroy Spybot is a great free program that detects and removes adware and spyware, which is software that obtains information from a your computer without your consent . Even if you do not see anything wrong with your computer, you should update and run this software weekly to clean out any spyware that's tracking your surfing behavior or has installed malicious adware. For more information on how to install, scan and clean your computer, head on over to Spybot's tutorial page.]]>

It happens to the best of us: you stumble across a website or open an e-mail that suddenly unleashes havoc on your computer. Pop-up windows start flying everywhere, you can’t launch a single program, and your machine is rendered useless. You can prevent this from happening or try to fix your problems with the free programs below:

Spybot: Search and Destroy
Spybot is a great free program that detects and removes adware and spyware, which is software that obtains information from a your computer without your consent . Even if you do not see anything wrong with your computer, you should update and run this software weekly to clean out any spyware that’s tracking your surfing behavior or has installed malicious adware. For more information on how to install, scan and clean your computer, head on over to Spybot’s tutorial page.

AdAware
AdAware protects your computer from from viruses, spyware, trojans, rootkits, keyloggers, password stealers, and much more. The free-for-personal-use version is very effective at removing spyware and adware, but anti-virus capabilities are only included in the paid versions starting at $26.95. This is another program that should be run at least once a week if possible. AdAware’s website has a list of video tutorials to help you get to know the program.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
AVG picks up the viruses that the free versions of Spybot and AdAware don’t. AVG’s free edition will make sure you can’t get or spread a virus, worm, or Trojan horse that can destroy your machine and repairs or throws what it finds into quarantine. This program should be set to scan every night if possible, as viruses are usually what kills your computer over spyware. Like AdAware, AVG has some good video tutorials to walk you through their program.

avast! Free Anti-Virus
avast! is very similar to AVG but with a few differences: while AVG only allows a full system scan, avast! offers quick scans that search for infections only in typical folders on your computer. This is good if you’re being proactive in your anti-virus protection and want to frequently check your computer without spending hours on the scan. It also automatically updates itself, while AVG is manually updated. AVG is more well-known and does tend to update faster and has more stable servers, so whichever you choose is really up to your preference. They have an active support community to help answer any questions you may have.

Knoppix
Knoppix is a small operating system that doesn’t require installation– it boots right from a CD. In the unfortunate event that you get a virus that you simply can’t remove, Knoppix makes it possible to backup all of your important files without loading Windows. Simply download Knoppix for free, burn it onto a CD, pop it in the infected computer and back up your files onto a portable hard drive. For more detailed instructions, check out this guide to Computer First Aid Using Knoppix.

There are many more free software packages to use to help protect yourself from virus and spyware attacks, but these are a few of the more popular choices. What software do you use to protect your computer?

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]]> http://blog.pcrichard.com/5-free-tools-to-prevent-viruses-and-spyware-from-crippling-your-pc/feed/ 0 Sweepstakes of the Century April Giveaway: Win a Houseful of Electronics from Sony! http://blog.pcrichard.com/sweepstakes-of-the-century-april-giveaway-win-a-houseful-of-electronics-from-sony/ http://blog.pcrichard.com/sweepstakes-of-the-century-april-giveaway-win-a-houseful-of-electronics-from-sony/#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:08:36 +0000 Allison L. http://blog.pcrichard.com/?p=222 enter to win over $10,000 in Sony electronics for your home, including a slew of TVs, Blu-Ray and DVD players, cameras and camcorders, and more. You could probably open up your own P.C. Richard & Son with all of the stuff you'll receive! This contest is open to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania residents over the age of 18 and the winner will be randomly selected from the entry pool. The lucky winner will receive 12 Sony electronics, amounting to a $10,120.00 value. These electronics include:]]> We’re continuing our celebration of 100 years of P.C. Richard & Son by offering a sweepstakes every month this year. This month, enter to win over $10,000 in Sony electronics for your home, including a slew of TVs, Blu-Ray and DVD players, cameras and camcorders, and more. You could probably open up your own P.C. Richard & Son with all of the stuff you’ll receive!

This contest is open to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania residents over the age of 18 and the winner will be randomly selected from the entry pool. The lucky winner will receive 12 Sony electronics, amounting to a $10,120.00 value. These electronics include:

  1. One (1) 52” BRAVIA NX800 Series HDTV (KDL52NX800)
  2. One (1) 46” BRAVIA EX700 Series HDTV (KDL46EX700)
  3. One (1) 40” BRAVIA EX500 Series HDTV (KDL40EX500)
  4. One (1) 400 Disc Blu-ray Changer (BDPCX960)
  5. One (1) Blu-ray Disc™ Home Theatre System (BDVE570)
  6. One (1) Blu-ray Disc™ Surround Sound System (HTSS370)
  7. One (1) Blu-ray Disc™ Player (BDPS570)
  8. One (1) VAIO® Notebook (VPCEB12FX/BI)
  9. One (1) VAIO® L Series All-in-One 24″ Touchscreen Computer (VPCL111FX/B)
  10. One (1) 16GB HD Handycam® Camcorder (HDRCX150)
  11. One (1) Cyber-shot® Digital Camera (DSCW330)
  12. One (1) 9” Portable DVD Player (DVPFX950)

Entering is simple and there’s no purchase necessary. There are two ways to win:

In-Store
Stop into your nearest P.C. Richard & Son store during business hours and locate the promotional displays at Point of Sale terminals throughout the store and/or ask a P.C. Richard & Son employee to assist you in entering the sweepstakes during normal store hours.  At the counter, there will be a computer where you can access the electronic entry form and follow the directions to complete it.

By Mail
On a 3”x5” card, hand print your full name, address, city, state, zip code, telephone number (area code included), date of birth and email address (optional) and mail in an envelope with proper postage affixed to: Houseful of Sony® Sweepstakes II, P.O. Box 1443, Midlothian, VA  23113. All mail-in entries must be mailed separately, postmarked by April 30, 2010 and received by May 8, 2010 to be eligible.

Only one entry per person will be accepted, no matter how many times or by what means you enter. For more details and further rules, check out the sweepstakes page. Good luck!

If you won this contest, what would you do with all these products?

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]]> http://blog.pcrichard.com/sweepstakes-of-the-century-april-giveaway-win-a-houseful-of-electronics-from-sony/feed/ 0 Celebrate the Season with Spring Colors! http://blog.pcrichard.com/celebrate-the-season-with-spring-colors/ http://blog.pcrichard.com/celebrate-the-season-with-spring-colors/#comments Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:31:48 +0000 Allison L. http://pcrichard.powweb.com/?p=151 With the spring holidays upon us (like Mother’s Day!) and the winter months behind, why not treat a loved one to a bright gift that’ll lighten their mood? Brighten up and celebrate the season with some of the unique color options we have available. Here are some of our favorite products that come in a wide range of colors. Click to view their product pages!

Digital Cameras

Appliances

Computers and Computer Accessories

Video Games and Portable Media

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]]> http://blog.pcrichard.com/celebrate-the-season-with-spring-colors/feed/ 0 Hot Deal of the Week: Gateway 15.6″ Notebook Computers now $499.97 http://blog.pcrichard.com/hot-deal-of-the-week-gateway-15-6-notebook-computers-now-499-97/ http://blog.pcrichard.com/hot-deal-of-the-week-gateway-15-6-notebook-computers-now-499-97/#comments Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:10:03 +0000 Allison L. http://pcrichard.powweb.com/?p=108 NightSky Black or Cherry Red. Both have an Intel Pentium Processor, 4 GB of RAM, 320 GB of hard drive space, and a DVD-DL/CD-RW Dual Layer drive. Dual Layer DVDs write on one side of the DVD, but in two separate layers, allowing for up to 8.5GB of data between them. They also come with Windows 7, an easier and more stable operating system than XP or Vista.]]> Save $130 this week with a Gateway notebook, available in NightSky Black or Cherry Red. Both have an Intel Pentium Processor, 4 GB of RAM, 320 GB of hard drive space, and a DVD-DL/CD-RW Dual Layer drive. Dual Layer DVDs write on one side of the DVD, but in two separate layers, allowing for up to 8.5GB of data between them. They also come with Windows 7, an easier and more stable operating system than XP or Vista.

These are the perfect notebooks for a student, commuter, or those computer users who enjoy watching video, surfing the web, accessing media and light multitasking. Downloading pictures from your digital camera is easy with the 5 in 1 Integrated Digital media reader, which supports Secure digital(SD), Multimedia cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, or xD Picture Cards.

Either notebook will fit the bill for the average computer user looking for a convenient, long-lasting laptop for a great price. These computers won’t be available at this price for long, so buy them now!

Gateway NV5425U NightSky Black Intel Pentium Processor 15.6″ Notebook Computer

Gateway NV5423U Cherry Red Intel Pentium Processor 15.6″ Notebook Computer

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]]> http://blog.pcrichard.com/hot-deal-of-the-week-gateway-15-6-notebook-computers-now-499-97/feed/ 0 How To: Choose the Best Computer Processor for You http://blog.pcrichard.com/how-to-choose-the-best-computer-processor-for-you/ http://blog.pcrichard.com/how-to-choose-the-best-computer-processor-for-you/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:07:58 +0000 Allison L. http://pcrichard.powweb.com/?p=77 Our customers always ask us questions about processors when choosing their computer models. A processor is an integral part of your system and is one of the things you should really invest in when choosing a new computer. This guide will help you understand computer processors, learn how to choose one, and give recommendations for your computer usage.

What is a computer processor?
A computer processor is a small microchip that fits into a socket in your motherboard. It analyzes and controls data flow in your computer. The speed at which it processes this data is measured in gigahertz, and common desktop computer processor speeds range from 2.6 to 3.66 GHz, and laptops/netbooks are usually less than that.

When choosing a computer processor
Consider what you will be using your new computer for in the next 3 years. How many windows do you keep open at once? Do you have multiple users logged into Windows at the same time? Do you regularly connect to your work computer from home, or vice versa? Do you or your kids play 3D games? All of these things take up processor speed, so the more you do on your computer, the faster the processor you’ll need.

You’ll usually find an Intel or AMD processor in laptop and desktop computers. They have various models that are appropriate for different uses:

For the casual computer user
If you play the occasional game of Solitaire, use Excel or Word or use e-mail almost exclusively, you won’t need a very fast processor. An Intel Pentium, Intel Celeron or AMD Sempron processors would be a good match for you.

For the multitasker & mainstream performance user
If you browse through your pictures, listen to music and watch movies on your computer while running other programs simultaneously, you should consider the Intel i3, AMD Athlon II or the AMD Turion II Dual Core processors.

For the power computer user
For a gaming machine, running 3D modeling software, editing long videos and other processor-taxing tasks, Intel i7, AMD Athlon II X4 or AMD Phenom Quad Core processors are best.

As technology advances, so will your need for a faster processor. Always consider the future of your computer use before you decide on a new model to purchase, and assess the processor that comes with the machine you’re looking to buy. Our sales associates or online live chat representatives are always there to help you determine the right processor for you, so let them know any questions you may have. Enjoy your new machine!

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