Assignment 3

Assignment 3

 A friend has contacted me for help and advice regarding purchasing a PC to work from her home. I have asked a few questions so I can research specific hardware and software components that will suit her needs. The basic things first are the monitor and base unit.

This is a PC monitor. I have chosen this monitor for my friend as it is a great price and a great monitor at just £119. You will achieve the blackest black and the whitest of white. You are able to enhance the colour, brightness, contract and sharpness to suit you to your liking.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&q=pc+monitor&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=11282828642681482431&sa=X&ei=Z9jpTp_hK426hAer6tmXCA&ved=0CJgBEPICMAM#

I have chosen this base unit because it has great quality. It is ideal for the entire family for either work or play. It has 500GB which makes it perfect for storing photos, music, movies, important information etc. It is at a reasonable price at £449.00 and is pre-installed with Windows 7 Home Premium.

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.210-8224.aspx?utm_source=GoogleShopping&utm_medium=GSF_NormalFeed&utm_campaign=GSF_TescoDirect&utm_content=210-8224

Database and Spreadsheet

I have chose Microsoft Office Home at £80 as it is cheap and a very convenient  to install. It offers a great way to bring forth your best work in the office, school or at home. It has spreadsheets, databases, excel, publisher, visio, access and word. All the essentials you need for office or home work.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&safe=active&q=microsoft+office+home&gs_upl=3353l10373l0l14397l31l29l4l12l13l1l250l2463l0.8.5l13l0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=14523371762404478444&sa=X&ei=pNvpTqCWA5Gr8AOYpKifCg&ved=0CKUBEPMCMAQ#



Internet and Email

TALKTALK

£3.25

Up to 20Mb

I have chosen TalkTalk as the ISP (internet service provider) because it has free wireless router and free connection. Evening and weekend calls and 12 months half price and it has up to 20Mb in speed also because it is a great deal and connection is free.

http://www.uswitch.com/broadband/providers/talktalk/?bb=1&gclid=CMe04vn-g60CFUhrfAod_iuQTA

Transfer Large Video Files

I chose a Seagate external portable hard drive because it is compact and perfect for on-the-go at just £46.00. You can add more storage space to your computer and take large files with you werever you go. Setup is straight forward and easy, you simply connect a USB cable and you are ready to transfer files. Plus, it is automatically accepted by Windows, so there is no need to install software. Saving files is easy too, just drag and drop the things you want to save. It's easy to use, fast and energy efficient. It has fast data transfer speed with USB 2.0 connectivity and 5400 RPM drive performance. Built-in power management so energy is saved.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&safe=active&gs_upl=2745l2745l0l3837l1l1l0l0l0l0l156l156l0.1l1l0&q=Seagate+external+portable+hard+drive&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=993205249345296868&sa=X&ei=k9zpTqCZII338QOsm_CICg&ved=0CJABEPMCMAA#

Computer Games and Joystick

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=Sims+3&hl=en&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=2421973134292855187&sa=X&ei=y9zpTte1IMKn8QOK9bDnCQ&ved=0CJgBEPMCMAM#

At just £14.00 online I have chosen the computer game Sims 3 because it is enjoyable and you or your child will experience the variety of everyday life. It is educational on the realities of growing up and adult life. It also helps you or you child express your creativity and has great ratings.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?q=joystick&hl=en&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=3798911601946917754&sa=X&ei=D93pTs-XNsjA8gPBiZmFCg&ved=0CIUBEPMCMAA#

I have recommended the joystick as a controller for computer games because for just £25.00 it makes the experience of playing games more exciting and thrilling. It is easy to use and control. It has handle rotations, hat switch and throttle.

Digital Camera and Printer

I recommend this digital camera because it is just £49.38, is a brilliant make and one of the most common makes. It is attractive and easy to use. It has 12 mega pixels and 3x optical zoom and a 3.4 inch LCD Screen with digital image stabilization which is brilliant for taking pictures and making videos. It can be plugged into your computer simply using a USB to transfer photos and videos to and from your PC hassle free.

http://www.dabs.com/products/fuji-finepix-l55-digital-camera---red-7Q9W.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product+search&utm_content=Q200

I have chosen this printer/copier to recommend to my friend as it is only £57.00 and is an all in one colour ink jet. It uses high quality ink cartridges which are at a low cost so therfore affordable. It has an effortlessly wi-fi set up and can be easily connected to your wireless home network. It delivers high quality photos that dry instantly with brilliant detailed graphics and documents.

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&safe=active&biw=1280&bih=822&q=printer&gs_upl=3182l4290l0l6022l7l7l0l0l0l0l250l1327l0.4.3l7l0&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=17519885893012865496&sa=X&ei=KN7pTqW9K9Lc8gOs6PiDCg&ved=0CJ4BEPMCMAI#

Assignment 2

I received a phone call from my friend asking for my help. Her son is visually impaired and she explained that he has trouble using the software on his computer in its default setup.

I am going to minimise the ribbon so that it will only appear when the user clicks on the menu name.

Before ribbon is minimsed

After ribbon is minimised

I am going to add Font Style to the Quick Access Toolbar.

Choosing more commands for the quick access toolbar

Adding Font Style to QAT

Font Style added to toolbar

I am going to rearrange the icons on the desktop.

Before icons are rearranged

Icons arranged

Icons made larger



I am going to show printscreens of using the magnifier, the lens and the dock.

Opening the magnifier

Using the magnifier

Opening the Lens

Using the Lens

Opening the Dock

Using the Dock



I am going to change the default display to a higher resolution.

I am going to open the Narrator and setup the voice settings

                                                                  Opening the Narrator

Using the voice settings on the Narrator



The changes I have made to MS Word, the desktop and the display will help my friend’s son to see the screen more clearly and make using a computer a lot easier for him with less hassle.

By minimising the ribbon he now has less to try to look at and there is nothing confusing him as to what he has to click on.

By adding Font Style to the Quick Access Toolbar it means he only has to look at the one place to change the style of the font. As he is visually impaired this means he does not have to strain to look for it along the ribbon.

By rearranging the icons and making them larger can help him see them more clearly.

Using the magnifier is great for visually impaired people this magnifies the words and the screen to a level that suits the individual. It provides a minimum level of functionality.

The lens are also of great benefit as when he scrolls over words or pictures they will appear beneath the lens at a much larger size. Unlike the magnifier if he just wants to look at a certain paragraph or a certain picture he can do so placing the lens over that picture or paragraph.

When he uses the dock this will make the screen larger and will largen the ribbon so it is more clearly for him to choose the options on the ribbon for example the colour of his font or if he wished to insert a picture or graph.

Changing the default display by opening the narrator and using the voice setting will highly benefit him as when he is really struggling to see the screen and understand what he is looking at or he has trouble seeing what he wrote and wished to spell check it the narrator will say the words and sentence to him.

Computer software can be used to display bright attractive moving images which can encourage children with visual impairments to make effective use of their vision.

There is a wide range of software and hardware devices that can help the visually impaired. Purpose made portable Braille computers and Braille input and output devices for standard computers are one of the many electronic devices specifically designed for someone with a visual impairment.

Hardware Components

               Processor

• A processor performs the arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the computer system.
• It has four functions fetch, decode, execute and write back.

Memory

Ram

• RAM stands for Random Access Memory.
• It is a form of computer data storage.
• The two types of RAM are Static Ram and Dynamic RAM.

Input/Output Devices

Input Devices

MOUSE

• A mouse is a pointing device that consists of an object held under one of the users hands with one or two buttons and a scrolling wheel.
• The mouse's motions translates into a motion of cursor on a display.

KEYBOARD

•The keyboard remains the most commonly used for direct  input into computers

•A keyboard has characters engraved or printed on the keys and each press of a key corresponds to a single symbol

•Most keyboard keys produce letters, numbers or signs, others keys produce actions or commands

WEBCAM

Tablet

• A tablet allows users to create and draw images, watch videos play games listen to music.
• The tablet is usually used by business men.

                Microphone

• A microphone converts sounds into electrical waves.
• Microphones are used in telephones, kareoke systems, tape recorders etc. For webcam it is essential to have a microphone so you can talk to the person you are sharing the webchat with and so that the person can hear you.

      
A  webcam is a camera that is connected to a computer, either directly or wirelessly
                    

              

                 Webcam

      

• They are known for their low costs and flexibility
• They can be used for business and pleasure.

         TOUCH SCREEN

 

•A Touch Screen is a visual display that can detect the presence and location of a touch within the display area.

•It works by touching the screen with a finger or hand.

             SCANNER

 •A scanner is a device that scans images, printed text, handwriting or an object and changes it to a digital image.

    GAMES CONTROLLER

•A games controller is used with games or entertainment  systems used to control an object or character. 

•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MOIkSceV6k


         Output Devices

                   Printer

• A printer is able to print the data stored in a computer it is connected to.
• It can print documents, pictures and graphics usually on paper.
• It is connected to a computer through a USB device.
• Your images or data can be printed in black or colour depending on ur printer.

                    

Monitor

• A monitor is a screen that displays output from a computer.
• It allows the user to see programs they are vieweing on the computer.
• It shows images, videos, animations and graphics.

            

Sound

• Speakers are already installed into your computer but have low quality sound.
• You can purchase better speakers and plug them into your computer for better clearer sound.
• Speakers features usually consist of a LED pwer indicator, a headphone jack, controls for volume and a remote volume control.