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The day of the desktop tower is coming to an end as PC’s and Mac’s try to keep up with their competitors: smartphones, touch-screens, and tablets.

Desktops used to be the only face for computers, now there are many different types of technology that offer access to all the same features the desktop used to have a monopoly. It would seem that desktops are heading for the basement, where all the old dinosaur equipment go, extinct as the new and fresh technology moves on and evolves.

Well that is what the desktop is doing: evolving from the basic, simple, boring model of a monitor, keyboard, mouse and keyboard with five wires going every where cluttering up space to something new, innovative, and exciting.

The desktop has come a long way from its days filling up a room, to fitting on a desk in the form of a calculator, to a personal machine with a monitor thanks to Apple and Windows in the early 80′s. From that point on it has been the upgrade and improved model, trying to change the look, feel, and performance as technology advanced.

With the history in mind, and the retrospective look at it, gives us a gauge to measure progress with. Measure the use of desktops today with the use of it 10 years ago. Big change. Now we have computers in our hand and sitting on our laps, the desktop is more like a dust-top, as people favor mobility over ability.

Ability is perhaps the key to desktops surviving. They never really lost the ability to deliver the most power in one machine, that fact has remained the same, the need for powerful performance in video, graphics, space, and speed, the desktop still sits on top. The market always changes and the big change that affected the desktop was the touch screen, which is run by the system-on-chip (SoC).

Touch screens are just cool, the way one can push a button on a screen and it presses down as if it was real, who wants to play with a mouse after that?

In comes the All-In-One PC. The idea was to follow the trend of the touch screen and the smaller, more compact design.

So developers picked up the CPU sitting in the desktop tower and shoved it into the monitor, kicking the tower out of the window. There you have it.

Now we have the iMac Core, the Gateway ZX6900-01e, and the HP TouchSmart 600 Quad. The pluses are worth considering, as Microsoft has big plans on improving their Windows 7 to work better on the touch screen. Another plus is the mobility of these All-In-One PC’s. A lot of them come with handles and carrying cases, there is only one plug so it is easy to disconnect, pack it up from your office and carry it home to use it there!

The desktop has become a better version of the laptop.

So stay tuned in to the Geek Choice Blog to find out the newest developments on this topic!

You are finishing up a 10-page report for school or work when suddenly your computer shuts down on you. Frantically you throw your arms up in the air and yell at your computer because you forgot to save. You check and find the power is still working, power cords are plugged in correctly, and you know you just ran a virus check last night. So what could possibly have shut the computer down?

DUST!

Clumps of dust can nestle around your processor, cuddle up to your power supply and choke ventilation. Computers can become havens for dust and other natural-borne air pollutants when not properly cleaned.

Let’s start off with a brief explanation of how dust collects in and around your system. Static electricity. Yes, you can blame static electricity for attracting dust to your computer. Why? Well, when a computer is in operation it creates a field of static electricity which attracts dust particles in the surrounding environment. A CRT or LCD monitor also creates static electricity. In fact, if you put your forearm up the monitor screen you may feel the little hairs on your arm rise! This is a perfect example of the static field encompassing your monitor.

Not to worry though, you won’t have to spend hours on end cleaning your computer system to prevent hardware failures and loss of ventilation. If your computer is in a clean environment you shouldn’t have to clean it out more than three or four times a year! A clean environment in our opinion is one without tobacco smoke, large amounts of pet dander or outdoor pollutants (smog/road dirt/sand). If any of these conditions are present in the computer’s environment more frequent cleanings should be considered. Let’s discuss these conditions that affect the quality of a computer’s environment. Smoke; smoke can seep into the openings of your case and settle on your motherboard and other hardware. Smoke is also responsible for discoloring keyboards, mice, cases, screens and wires. Pet hair; this can be worse than dirt because of how much larger it is. Hair can easily block the ventilation of a computer system.

Note: If you notice any dirt inside one of the plug heads use a little compressed air to blow it out.

Case Cleaning:

This is where the dust goes at night to cuddle up with your processor. Dust is not your friend, it is not something to be laughed at, and it deserves respect. This is war ladies and gentlemen! Load up with some compressed air because you?re heading off to the frontlines! Actually, cleaning a computer case isn’t that difficult. In fact, the entire process won’t take more than about 20 or 25 minutes if the dust is really bad.

1. Turn off your computer.
2. Remove the side cover of the computer case, exposing the motherboard and other hardware components.
3. Inspect all cables and connections. Be sure to look for cables that are frayed, loose, pinched, snug or otherwise damaged. If you come across any cables that are damaged in any way or form you should immediately replace them. If a cable is frayed do not attempt to patch it up with electrical tape, this is very dangerous fix. We also advise that you replace snug cables with longer ones before it accidentally snaps.
4. Now its time to get out the compressed air. Shoot the canned air at everything in your computer. Pay special attention to the heatsink and fan on top of your processor. This area collects a lot of dust. Some other areas to focus on are add-on cards (audio/video/modem), case fans, hard disks, power supply and removable media drives (cd-rom). A vacuum may help suck out the dust while you knock it loose with the compressed air. Caution: Follow the directions on the back of compressed air! Do not spray hardware at close range! If you choose to use a vacuum, do not attempt to vacuum anything in your computer!!!
5. If you notice dust in the PCI and AGP slots of your motherboard it may be wise to remove each add-on card and shoot some compressed air into the slots to break away the dust.
6. If your case has an air filter remove it and run it through warm water to remove the dust. To dry it simply use a cloth (lint-free if possible) and gently dab away the excess water. Place the filter back into the case.
7. Replace the side cover of the computer, but check first that there aren’t any cables that are lying next to any fans. Fasten the cover and restore the power.

Now you are all set to use your computer without worrying about damaging the inside components and losing important data.

It is all over television and magazine ads, and you might have run into those people who have different opinions than yours, about which computer is better: The PC or the Mac? Yes, there are two types of people in the world today that differ in their preference for a computer system, and they turn that preference into a side which they stand on thinking their choice is better.

In one commercial there is a hip guy who has been in cool movies as a side actor alongside a pudgy older guy who is confused about what is better: his choice of PC or this kind of funny guy who is telling everyone about how great the Mac is. The symbolism is super, the message is clear, but is that just a slander campaign or is that a fact?

PC just came out with a commercial a couple years late making an attempt to swing back at Apple.

In this video the decision to buy either a PC or a Mac might be swayed because of the ability of new PC laptops to play Blu-Ray discs. This is becoming a standard for PC’s. What does the Mac have to match up to that power?

Well, Popular Mechanics ran a real test to finally prove who is the stronger machine.

What a lot of people do not see in these commercials and are not told this by the companies, is that they both get there stuff from the same store. They are more similar than you think, they both use Intel processors, and both Windows Vista and Mac OS X Leopard have similar built-in media and internet browsers.

Now while the approach to these applications might be different, such as Macs’ Safari and Windows’ choice of Internet Explorer for a web browser, the goals are the same. But users are looking for that speed, that easy use, that perfect computer.

So Popular Mechanics decided to see which of the two had these three attributes. They used a Gateway One PC that was 400 MHz slower than the iMac, but had two extra gigs of DDR2 memory to make up for it. The test looked at how fast each computer booted and shut down, launch time for Internet Explorer and Safari, and other applications built-in put to the speed test, as well as ease-of-use and comfortable feeling.

So who do you think won?

If you thought PC, you are sadly mistaken my friend. iMac came out on top with numbers that beat the PC marginally. Both of them are very easy to use, very fast, and very comfortable. We have come a long way in the world of computers, it is amazing to see how far that it is and how awesome the capabilities are on these machines.

So which one should you pick? It depends on you and your preference, as well as on your environment. If you grew up in a predominantly PC neighborhood, chances are that crossing over to the “other side” will not happen. Which type of computer you use is almost a class of people now, as the divide between the two companies grows-the knowledge that they are very similar should not be over looked as the truth about these computers: they are the same!

At Geek Choice our main priority is to heal your ailing PC back to full health with our caring service and our dedicated mission. But what do you do before you call us? How do you know that your computer has a problem? Obviously it has stopped working properly and you are frustrated, but stop for a second and ask what the real problem is. Knowing when to go to us can make the difference between a dead PC and a small problem that Geek Choice can fix, problem solved.

If you hear your hardware inside of your computer making a clicking sound then it may already be too late, the PC is near death at this point. How did it get to that point?

The power supply units are the main cause of this problem. What most people do not know is that when it comes to making a PC, a company will most likely skimp on this very important component of the computer in order to cut costs of making it. This big metal box that sits in your computer is overlooked when it should be the first thing you check out.

When you look with the perspective of electricity, the power supply runs through every little electronic component in the computer. Kind of important, right?

When you want more hard drives, CD/DVD-ROM players, and floppy drives added on to your computer, you are really asking for an overload of power. By overloading the power supply, the system might not shut down right away leaving you to suspect other problems for the reason why your PC is going slow. The results of putting too much pressure on the power is the slow failure of the supply or the fluctuating power that creates an unstable system.

Another way in which your computer might be failing is the Power On/Off switch you keep hitting. When you power on the computer the electricity heats up the components, expanding them. When you power off the system, they contract. The thermal shock to the computer is too much for it to take after a while, leaving you with a broken piece of machinery. This is a problem that might be happening in your computer right now, for example, when you had to push the power button 0n your computer two or three times on and off in order to finally get it running.

This is when the question of whether to fight or flight comes in. What should you do? Unless you have a degree in Computer Science, I would call places like Geek Choice who can get to you fast and fix the problem. Next time you are about to throw the computer out of the window for acting up again, check how the basics. It might be over heated, or it might be getting too much power. Simple right?

Computers do not have to be a big mystery on how to shoot the trouble in the face and go along your business without interruption. But most of the time it is through ignorance that leaves the person stumped on why their computer needs repair. You did not know what you did not know, that is okay, just make sure you make the right decision.

Some of us are particular about the appearance of our desktop, annoyed by the clutter that can result from having too many icons scattered about. If you’re someone who likes to keep their desktop free of icons, while still retaining the ability to launch those apps which would otherwise be available, FLS Launcher is a free tool that affords you that luxury.

Once installed, this application can be launched from either the system tray — where you’d simply click on the corresponding icon — or accessed by moving your mouse cursor to the upper-left corner of the screen. After you’ve opened it, a window will pop-up, offering you a tabbed interface that’s easily navigable and customizable with additional tabs and icons for those applications you wish to include. You have the ability to drag and drop applications as you please,  between the computer and this utility, exiting the launcher once it’s fashioned to your choosing.

FLS Launcher is for the neat freaks amongst us, amongst whom I admit membership. It keeps your desktop free of the clutter and gives you quick access to your favorite apps.

I should note that there are two versions: a donation version, which offers the full set of features for a small contribution, and a freeware model that has 90% — pretty much all you’d need — of the utility’s functionality for free.

This is for Windows only and can be retrieved here.

We all like to spruce things up, keeping fresh for the New Year. With that in mind, you probably want to introduce a bit of variety to your desktop, making sure to rotate your wallpaper so you’re never looking at one that begins to grow stale.

While I have hundreds of images I’ve used on my desktop over the years, I’ve always had to manually set them, finding that I usually do so when growing tired of being greeted by the same image when booting my computer up.

There’s a new application that will juggle your images and update your wallpaper, leaving your desktop fresh in 2010. Not only will this tool set a rotating schedule for your wallpaper, but it also downloads new wallpaper images from two sites – Interfacelift and Wallpaper Stock.

Called Wallpaper Juggler, this tool is for Windows users.

Whether you’re buying a new suit for your wardrobe or hitting the roads in a shiny new car, ringing in the New Year fresh is a long held tradition for many, one that could very well apply to something as mundane as your desktop wallpaper.

If you want to keep your desktop looking fresh, you can grab Wallpaper Juggler here.

The holiday season is upon us, which means a good deal of you are probably in the mood for some holiday themed wallpaper. Looking below, you’ll notice that we’ve listed an assortment of desktop treats.

If you see something that catches your eye, click on one of the pictures, which will bring you to the page featuring that particular wallpaper.

Once there, you can right-click on the wallpaper, bringing up a menu from which you’re able to set it as your desktop background.

Over here at Geek Choice,  we’ll be closed for Christmas Day, but we’d like to wish all of you a Happy Holiday.