The following simple steps will help you determine how much car insurance you need to carry. And it will also help you get the best coverage at the lowest price. If you are confused about any of the terms we use, be sure to review the glossary in "Little-Known but Important Insurance Issues."
Step 1: Starting Out
When it comes to auto insurance, you want to be adequately covered if you get in an accident but you don't want to pay any more than you have to. So how can you navigate your way through this murky subject?
Keep telling yourself there is money to be saved. How much? Hundreds, even thousands, per year. For example, one of our editors typed all of his insurance information into a comparative insurance service. The quotes (for very basic coverage on two old cars) ranged from $1,006 to $1,807 — a difference of $801 a year. If you're currently dumping thousands into your insurance company's coffers because of a couple of tickets, an accident or a questionable credit rating, shopping your policy against others may be well worth the effort.
Look at it this way — you can convert the money you save into the purchase of something you've desired for a long time. Hold that goal in your mind.
Step 2: How Much Coverage Do You Need?
To find the right auto insurance, start by figuring out the amount of coverage you need. This varies from state to state. So take a moment to find out what coverage is required where you live. Make a list of the different types of coverage and then return for the next step. (You will find a list of each state's requirements and an explanation of the various types of insurance in "How Much Auto Insurance Do You Really Need?" Also, check out "Little-Known but Important Insurance Issues" as it has a glossary of basic insurance terminology.)
Now that you know what is required, you can decide what you need in addition. Some people are quite cautious. They base their lives on worst-case scenarios. Insurance companies love these people. That's because insurance companies know what your chances are of being in an accident, and how likely it is for your car to be damaged or stolen. The information the insurance company has collected over previous decades is crunched into "actuarial tables" that give insurance adjustors a quick look at the probability of just about any occurrence.
So how much insurance should you buy beyond your state's minimum?
Experts recommend that if you have a lot of assets you should get enough liability coverage to protect them. For instance, if you purchase $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage but have $100,000 in assets, attorneys could go after your treasures in the event of an accident in which you're at fault and the other party's medical bills exceed $50,000.
General recommendations for liability limits are $50,000 bodily injury liability for one person injured in an accident, $100,000 for all people injured in an accident and $25,000 property damage liability (that is, 50/100/25) given that half of the cars on the road are worth more than $20,000. Here again, though, let your financial situation be your guide. If you have no assets, don't buy excess coverage.
Another issue to consider is that the limits of any uninsured and/or underinsured motorist coverage that you purchase cannot exceed the limits of your liability coverage. Such coverage, he said, can be valuable, as it will cover lost income if you're out of work for several months after being injured in a major accident.
Your driving habits may also be a consideration. If your past is filled with crumpled fenders, if you have a lead foot or a long commute on a treacherous winding road, then you should get more comprehensive coverage. Keep in mind that you don't have to buy collision and comprehensive coverage. If your vehicle is older, if you have a good driving record and if there is a low likelihood that it would be totaled in an accident, but a high likelihood of it being stolen, you could buy comprehensive but not collision.
Step 3: Review Your Driving Record and Current Insurance Policy
Before you begin shopping for insurance you should check the following: the status of your driving record, your current coverage and the premiums you are paying.
You should know how many tickets you have had recently. But time plays tricks and our memories repress painful incidents. If you can't remember how long that speeding ticket has been on your record, check with your state's DMV. If your record will soon improve, and the points you earned will finally disappear, wait until that happens before you get quotes. Nothing drives up the price of insurance like a bad driving record.
Also, you should contact your auto insurance company or pull out a recent bill. Jot down the amount of coverage you have and what you are paying for it. Take note of the yearly and monthly cost of your insurance since many of your quotes will be given both ways. Now you have a figure in mind to try to beat.
Step 4: Solicit Competitive Quotes
Now that you have made several practical and philosophical decisions, it's time to start shopping. Begin by setting aside about an hour for this task. Bring all your records — your current insurance policy, your driver license number and your vehicle registration. Drink plenty of coffee. Have a phone at your elbow. And, of course, power up your computer.
Begin with the online services. If you go to InsWeb.com or other online insurance quote sites, you can type in your information and get a list of comparative quotes. These forms take about 15 minutes to complete. If this bores you, just remind yourself how much you will be saving and that you can use the money to buy something nice for yourself. If the entire shopping process takes you two hours to complete and you save $800, you're effectively earning $400 an hour.
A few things to keep in mind: 1) When you use quote sites, you may not get instant quotes. Some companies may contact you later by e-mail, and some that are not "direct providers" may put you in touch with a local agent, who will then calculate a quote for you. (A "direct provider," like Geico, sells an insurance policy to you directly; other companies like State Farm sell insurance through local agents. We'll discuss the pros and cons of each later.) 2) It's not easy to get quotes from these sites in all states — if you live in New Jersey, for instance, you'll probably find it faster to pick up the phone, since most insurers in this state currently don't provide online quotes.
You can also try getting quotes from some of the insurance companies listed on the Edmunds.com Web site — Liberty Mutual, Geico or Progressive. These forms will take about 10 minutes each to complete.
Step 5: Record and Compare Quotes
While you're researching companies, make notes in a separate computer file or on a piece of paper divided into categories. This will keep you from duplicating your efforts. When you visit the different online insurance sites, you should take note of several things:
* Annual and monthly rates for the different types of coverage — make sure to keep the coverage limits the same so that you can make "apples-to-apples" comparisons
* An 800 number to call for questions you can't get answered online
* The insurance company's payment policy (When is your payment due? What happens if you're late in making a payment?)
* Discounts offered by the insurance company that pertain to you
* The insurance company's consumer complaint ratio from your state's department of insurance Web site (more on this later)
* The insurance company's A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's ratings (more on this later)
Step 6: Work the Phones
Once you have exhausted your online options, it's time to work the phones. Those companies you haven't been able to get an online quote from should be contacted. At times, doing this process verbally can actually go faster than the online counterpart, providing you have all the information regarding your driver license and vehicle registration close at hand. When you get a quote, be sure to confirm the price. Also, ask them to fax or e-mail the quote to you as a record.
Step 7: Look for Discounts
While talking to the insurance companies' telephone salespeople, make sure you explore all options relating to discounts. Insurance companies give discounts for a good driving record, favorable credit score, safety equipment (for example, antilock brakes), certain occupations or professional affiliations and more. For more guidance in this area, check out "How to Save Money on Auto Insurance."
Step 8: Choosing the Right Insurance Company
You now have most of the information in front of you that you need to make a decision. However, there is something more to consider. You can clearly see which company is least expensive, but when you need them to cover a claim, what kind of job will they do? To put it another way, which is the most reliable insurance company?
Below, we offer a number of issues to guide your thinking and help you reach a decision:
1. Visit your state's department of insurance and check consumer complaint ratios and basic rate comparison surveys.
2. Get in touch with local body shops or dealerships you trust and ask which insurance companies they recommend.
3. Consider contacting an insurance agent for additional information about a particular company.
4. Check out the financial strength ratings for an insurance company by referring to the A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's ratings.
5. Look over J.D. Power and Associates' consumer satisfaction surveys reviewing auto insurance companies.
Step 9: Review the Policy Before You Sign
So, you've done your research, and you've decided on a company. Before you sign, though, read the policy. In addition to verifying that it contains the coverage you want, there are two clauses that you should look for in the contract:
1. Retain your right to sue. "Find out if you are giving up your right to go to court and will be forced into arbitration if there is a disagreement [between you and the insurance company]," one expert advised. "You're much better off if you don't give up this right…. It makes it easier for [insurers] to take advantage of you." If you find a clause to this effect, all isn't necessarily lost. "At least in theory, a contract is a mutual agreement, so you should be able to cross out that line in the policy," he said. If the company won't agree to the policy sans clause, then you should probably take your business elsewhere.
2. Avoid aftermarket parts requirements. If an insurance company has written in the policy that "new factory," "like kind and quality" or "aftermarket parts" may be used for body shop repairs, go to another company, one expert advised. If you own a relatively new car that you plan to keep for a while, you will probably be much happier if you spend a little more time researching companies on the front end rather than try to fight the company when you have a claim.
Step 10: Cancel Your Old Policy
After you lock in the insurance policy you want with the company you select, you have two more things to do. The first is to cancel coverage with your existing insurance company. Second, if your state requires you to carry proof of insurance, make sure you either have it in your wallet or the glove compartment of your car (some experts discourage this, however — if your car is stolen, the thief has everything he needs to prove the vehicle is his).
Now, there's one last thing to do: reward yourself for saving so much money on car insurance.
Checklist
* Determine your state's insurance requirements.
* Consider your own financial situation in relation to the required insurance and consider buying more to protect your assets.
* Review the status of your driving record — do you have any outstanding tickets or points on your driver license?
* Check your current coverage to find out how much in premiums you are paying.
* Get competing quotes from an Internet insurance Web site such as InsWeb.com, YouDecide.com and InsureOne.com.
* Make follow-up phone calls to insurance companies to get additional information about coverage.
* Inquire about discounts you might qualify for such as a multiple policy discount.
* Evaluate the reliability of the insurance company you're considering by visiting your state's insurance Web site.
* If you have chosen a new insurance company, remember to cancel your old policy.
Philip Reed |edmunds
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP White Console Review
A completely redesigned version of the popular Game Boy Advance, this system has a new illumination feature and a sleek, flip-screen design -- making it the most distinctively stylish, compact and portable Game Boy system ever.
The rechargeable lithium-ion battery takes just 3 hours to fully recharge, and its good for 10 hours of continuous play with the light on and 18 hours of play with the light turned off. Game Boy Advance SP is backward compatible, allowing you to use virtually all games previously released for the Game Boy® line.
Specification:
Product MPN
MPN : 44100
Key Features
Console Type : Handheld
Platform : Game Boy Advance SP
Color : White
Processor : 16.78 MHz Sharp ARM7TDMI
Display : LCD TFT (Active Matrix)
Gaming Type : LAN Gaming
Processor
Processor type : Sharp ARM7TDMI
Processor Speed : 16.78 MHz
Memory
Installed RAM : 256 KB
Installed Cache Memory : 32 KB
RAM technology : WRAM
Display
Display Type : LCD TFT (Active Matrix)
Screen Size : 2.9 in.
Max. Resolution : 240 x 160
Graphics
Max. Number Of Colors : 32,768 Colors
Audio
Audio Support : Stereo
Technical Features
Communication Type : Serial Cable Proprietary
Expansion Slots : Game Cartridge Slot
Main Controls : 4 Way Cross Keypad A/B/X/Y Buttons
Input / Output Ports : 1 x Game Boy Advance link connector 1 x Game Boy Advance SP multi-access port
Battery
Battery Run Time : 18 Hours
Battery Type : Rechargeable Lithium-ion
Dimensions
Height : 3.2 in.
Depth : 0.97 in.
Width : 5.69 in.
Weight : 0.31 lb.
Miscellaneous
Supplied Accessories : AC Adapter
Release Date : March, 2004
Product ID : 55496922
source
MSI Launches Wind Top AE2010 20-inch All-In-One Desktop
MSI just announced its next-generation all-in-one desktop PC, the Wind Top AE2010. This step up from the previous AE1900 is a 20-inch model with a 1600 x 900 touchscreen, AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core 3250e processor, and an onboard ATI Radeon 3200 graphics card with DDR3 128MB memory. The AE2010 also has 4GB of DDRII 533MHz SDRAM, a 320GB hard drive, 6 USB ports, and a 4 in 1 card reader. Look for this new model to be available next month for a starting price of $649.99.
CITY OF INDUSTRY, CA – August 26, 2009 – MSI, a world-wide leading manufacturer of computer components and systems, is excited to announce the next-generation all-in-one desktop PC, the Wind Top AE2010. The AE2010 is upgraded with an AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core processor for increased computing power and features an efficient touch-enabled All-in-One PC with a crystal clear 20-inch widescreen. The improved performance and beautiful form factor combined with EPA ENERGY STAR Version 5.0 efficiency rating provides users with a PC powerful enough for everyday computing and aesthetically pleasing enough to have as a design centerpiece.
The new AE2010 also includes a VGA input and output allowing the user to utilize the All-in-One PC as a monitor or transfer video data to another television or computer screen. Additionally, graphics capabilities have been improved via the onboard ATI Radeon 3200 graphics card with DDR3 128MB VRAM. Users will now experience brighter colors, sharper contract and significantly improved picture clarity. Lastly, design functionality has been improved with the addition of a VESA standard wall mount. Whether you choose to set on a countertop or mount on the wall, the AE2010 is poised to change in-home computing.
The MSI Wind Top AE2010 features touch-enabled applications, wireless connectivity, SuperMulti DVD Rewriter and a built-in webcam and microphone for maximum personal computing. Whether you are sharing and editing photos, videoconferencing, browsing the web or completing school or work products, the AE2010 provides the tools to get the job done efficiently and in style. Starting at $649.99, the AE2010 offers a tremendous value proposition for any computing scenario.
The AE2010 also features a 320 GB hard drive, 6 USB ports, 4-1 card reader and a color-matched multimedia keyboard and mouse. The ultra-silent, state-of-the-art cooling system eliminates traditional cooling fan noises and keeps the noise level no more than 26 decibels. As with all MSI All-in-One PCs, the AE2010 is engineered to consume up to 75% less energy than traditional desktop PCs.
System Specifications
MSI Wind Top AE2010-02SUS
CPU :AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core 3250e Processor
Operating System :Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium (with Free Window® 7 Upgrade
coupon)
Chipset :AMD RS780G and SB710
Graphics :ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics Core (Side Port DDR3 128MB memory)
Memory :4GB DDRII 533MHz SDRAM on board
Display :20-inch Touch Widescreen (16:9) 1600 x 900 High Definition
HDD :320GB SATA Hard Drive/5400RPM
ODD :Tray-load DVD Super Multi rewriter drive, support dual-layer
burning
Card Reader :4 in 1 (SD/MMC/MS/XD)
I/O :1 x DC-in jack, 6 x USB 2.0, 1 x E-SATA, 1 x LAN jack (RJ45), 1 x
Mic.-in, 1 x Headphone-out, VGA-in and VGA-out
Wireless :802.11 b/g/n
LAN :10/100/1000 Gigabit LAN
Webcam :1.3MP Webcam with Microphone
Sound :3W x 2 SRS Premium Sound Technology
Dimension :15.46” x 20.07” x 2.15”
Keyboard / Mouse :Color-matched multimedia keyboard and mouse
Support :VESA Wall Mount, VGA-in (monitor mode) / VGA out (dual display)
Software :Microsoft® Office 2007 (trial version), MSI Wind Touch, MSI Easy Viewer, MSI Burn Recovery, MSI Controller, MSI Q-Face, MSI Easy Face, WinRAR (trial version), SoftStylus™, Adobe® Reader, BurnNow, Cyberlink® PowerProducer, Cyberlink® PowerDVD8, Cyberlink® PowerDirector, Cyberlink® Power2Go, Cyberlink® DVD Suite, Cyberlink® PhotoNow, Gimp2, Dia, Ganttproject, FreeMind, GeoGebra, Java 6, Microsoft® DirectX, Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5, Microsoft® MSN
Power Supply :External 90W Power Adapter with Active PFC
Via: MSI |hothardware
The 7 best features in Mac OS X Snow Leopard
When a new OS upgrade costs $29, you can be forgiven for thinking of it as a service pack. Such may appear to be the case with Mac OS X 10.6, aka Snow Leopard, which Apple has positioned as an under-the-hood upgrade whose new capabilities won't be so obvious to users, and thus not worth the usual $129.
I agree with that price assessment (if only Microsoft had made the same judgment about Windows 7), but I don't agree that what Snow Leopard offers resides merelyunder the hood. Instead, it provides many enhancements and some new features that Mac users of all persuasions will really like. (Note: The $29 upgrade price is for Leopard users; if you have an older Mac OS X version, it'll cost you $169 to upgrade.)
Much of Snow Leopard's focus has been internal. For example, Apple has revamped the kernel, included apps, and much of the OS itself to be 64-bit (to allow virtual addressable memory of 16 exabytes and physical addressable memory of more than 32GB). But until apps are rewritten for 64-bit and the new Mac models support that kind of memory, there's little immediate benefit -- ditto for multicore enablement in the Grand Central Dispatch engine. But the revamped QuickTime X and Java engines should result in faster processing of streaming media and Java applets (such as on Web sites).
Putting aside these important but long-term changes, here are Snow Leopard's most immediately beneficial new features and enhancements.
1. ActiveSync and Exchange 2007 support
Following in the footsteps of the iPhone, Snow Leopard makes these Microsoft technologies native to the OS. That means Apple's e-mail, calendar, and contacts apps work just peachy with Exchange 2007 server, giving users the same capabilities as Microsoft Entourage but with the better-designed, less-memory-intensive apps -- Mail, iCal, and Address Book -- included in OS X.
2. Exposé integration in the Dock
The Mac OS X Dock makes it easy to access applications, open documents, and common folders, a concept Windows 7 is stealing in its retooled taskbar. Open documents are even more easily accessed in Snow Leopard, thanks to the integration of Exposé. Now when you click and hold an app icon in the Dock, you get preview windows for each of its open documents, allowing you to switch easily among them or to close them, all without having to clutter your screen with document windows. I never cared much for Exposé in its traditional role (providing hot corners and shortcuts to open application windows), but I love the Dock-integrated Exposé functionality that Snow Leopard adds.
3. Automatic location detection
When you travel, it's easy to get mixed up as to when your appointments are, since your computer is still in your "home" time zone, and you have to mentally calculate the current time when looking at the calendar or clock. Sure, you can change the time zone in the Date & Time system preference, but it's easy to forget. So Snow Leopard changes the time zone for you automatically (if you set that as the default behavior), using Wi-Fi mapping to figure out where you are -- you will need to be connected to a Wi-Fi access point or router. iCal can also be set to adjust the times to the current time zone automatically, so your calendar always reflects the current times.
4. The new Preview is more like Adobe Reader
I have nothing against Adobe Reader, but I love that Preview now can open multiple PDF documents, display their contents as contact sheets, and show thumbnails of pages in a sidebar for easy navigation. In other words, it works a lot like Adobe Reader. That's one fewer app to launch -- and since Preview loads much faster than Reader, I can get to my PDFs' contents much faster now.
5. Movie and screencast recording
Snow Leopard takes the formerly $35 QuickTime Pro and makes it a standard, free app in Mac OS X. That means you can record movies and -- great for many marketing, education, and Web professionals -- screencasts from your Mac with no additional software.
6. Systemwide automatic text replacement
Automatic text substitution as you type is nothing new; Microsoft Word has had it for more than a decade. But Snow Leopard lets you specify such substitutions via the Keyboard system preference, so you have a common set of substitutions available to all applications. Right now, only TextEdit, Mail, and various Apple apps use this common auto-text service, but if other software developers adopt it, you may finally get all your text-oriented apps to autocorrect the same way.
7. No more gesture segregation
I have a late-2006 model MacBook Pro at home, and it's frustrating that its gesture-capable trackpad supports only the first generation of touch gestures (one- and two-finger moves), not the second-generation three- and four-finger options. Snow Leopard fixes that, so gesture-capable trackpads now support all gestures, no matter what Mac model you have. (Of course, your Mac has to have a gesture-capable trackpad, so models before 2006 aren't helped out by this update.)
Galen Gruman | InfoWorld
I agree with that price assessment (if only Microsoft had made the same judgment about Windows 7), but I don't agree that what Snow Leopard offers resides merelyunder the hood. Instead, it provides many enhancements and some new features that Mac users of all persuasions will really like. (Note: The $29 upgrade price is for Leopard users; if you have an older Mac OS X version, it'll cost you $169 to upgrade.)
Much of Snow Leopard's focus has been internal. For example, Apple has revamped the kernel, included apps, and much of the OS itself to be 64-bit (to allow virtual addressable memory of 16 exabytes and physical addressable memory of more than 32GB). But until apps are rewritten for 64-bit and the new Mac models support that kind of memory, there's little immediate benefit -- ditto for multicore enablement in the Grand Central Dispatch engine. But the revamped QuickTime X and Java engines should result in faster processing of streaming media and Java applets (such as on Web sites).
Putting aside these important but long-term changes, here are Snow Leopard's most immediately beneficial new features and enhancements.
1. ActiveSync and Exchange 2007 support
Following in the footsteps of the iPhone, Snow Leopard makes these Microsoft technologies native to the OS. That means Apple's e-mail, calendar, and contacts apps work just peachy with Exchange 2007 server, giving users the same capabilities as Microsoft Entourage but with the better-designed, less-memory-intensive apps -- Mail, iCal, and Address Book -- included in OS X.
2. Exposé integration in the Dock
The Mac OS X Dock makes it easy to access applications, open documents, and common folders, a concept Windows 7 is stealing in its retooled taskbar. Open documents are even more easily accessed in Snow Leopard, thanks to the integration of Exposé. Now when you click and hold an app icon in the Dock, you get preview windows for each of its open documents, allowing you to switch easily among them or to close them, all without having to clutter your screen with document windows. I never cared much for Exposé in its traditional role (providing hot corners and shortcuts to open application windows), but I love the Dock-integrated Exposé functionality that Snow Leopard adds.
3. Automatic location detection
When you travel, it's easy to get mixed up as to when your appointments are, since your computer is still in your "home" time zone, and you have to mentally calculate the current time when looking at the calendar or clock. Sure, you can change the time zone in the Date & Time system preference, but it's easy to forget. So Snow Leopard changes the time zone for you automatically (if you set that as the default behavior), using Wi-Fi mapping to figure out where you are -- you will need to be connected to a Wi-Fi access point or router. iCal can also be set to adjust the times to the current time zone automatically, so your calendar always reflects the current times.
4. The new Preview is more like Adobe Reader
I have nothing against Adobe Reader, but I love that Preview now can open multiple PDF documents, display their contents as contact sheets, and show thumbnails of pages in a sidebar for easy navigation. In other words, it works a lot like Adobe Reader. That's one fewer app to launch -- and since Preview loads much faster than Reader, I can get to my PDFs' contents much faster now.
5. Movie and screencast recording
Snow Leopard takes the formerly $35 QuickTime Pro and makes it a standard, free app in Mac OS X. That means you can record movies and -- great for many marketing, education, and Web professionals -- screencasts from your Mac with no additional software.
6. Systemwide automatic text replacement
Automatic text substitution as you type is nothing new; Microsoft Word has had it for more than a decade. But Snow Leopard lets you specify such substitutions via the Keyboard system preference, so you have a common set of substitutions available to all applications. Right now, only TextEdit, Mail, and various Apple apps use this common auto-text service, but if other software developers adopt it, you may finally get all your text-oriented apps to autocorrect the same way.
7. No more gesture segregation
I have a late-2006 model MacBook Pro at home, and it's frustrating that its gesture-capable trackpad supports only the first generation of touch gestures (one- and two-finger moves), not the second-generation three- and four-finger options. Snow Leopard fixes that, so gesture-capable trackpads now support all gestures, no matter what Mac model you have. (Of course, your Mac has to have a gesture-capable trackpad, so models before 2006 aren't helped out by this update.)
Galen Gruman | InfoWorld
