Here is a quick rundown on some tech that may be great for the small business owner. I ran thru the Staples store and jotted down some picks that you should check out and see if they are right for you.
For those of you moving to Windows 8 for the 1st time, one of the things you’ll notice at the store are all the “8 Was Easy” signs. This is basically a program which helps you move to Windows 8, without the stress. You can get free personalized training on the new OS, and with the purchase of a computer that goes for $699 or more, their certified Microsoft advisors will transfer your data from the old machine to the new one, no strings attached!
I always tell people go in to the store and test drive the devices and compare them for yourself. If you haven’t used Windows 8 yet, I’d strongly recommend you try it on both a touchscreen and non-touchscreen device before buying. While you may not know if you want a touchscreen device yet, after trying one out you may be singing a different tune.
Since there are so many different types of tablets, laptops, and in-between devices on the market these days, it’s hard to know what to buy. I’m going to make it easy for you by talking briefly about a few of the choices I found at the Staples store:
Lenovo ThinkPad Twist
It’s a laptop… no it’s a tablet… wait, it’s a Lenovo! The Lenovo ThinkPad Twist is a unique laptop because when you need to take it on the go but keep working you just twist the screen around and BAM! You suddenly have a tablet computer in your hands. You can check out my Tech Tip Tuesday video to see it in action—you really won’t believe what a unique device this is and how it bridges the gap between laptop and tablet until you get into a store and try it for yourself though!
Samsung ATIV Windows 8 Tablet
The Samsung ATIV Windows 8 tablet runs an Intel Atom processor, so that means a lot of benefits, like long battery life and no noisy fan. Plus, you can buy a keyboard dock the tablet snaps into and suddenly you’ve turned this tablet into a laptop with a full keyboard and mouse! How cool is that?
HP Envy 4
An Intel Ultrabook-branded laptop at a budget laptop price? Yup! That’s the sub-$700 HP Envy 4, a lightweight and portable machine that will handle almost any task you throw at it, from business work to playing movies or games. Now, because it’s a budget machine, there are some sacrifices you have to be willing to accept. First up, there’s a traditional hard drive in this machine, not an ultra-fast SSD like in some other Ultrabook models like the Sony I talk about below. While that won’t impact gaming or video editing performance, it will mean that the computer is slower to boot up and that apps will launch slower than on some other, more expensive machines. Also, there’s no touchscreen on this one. So you’ll want to go into the store and try it out before deciding if this is the Ultrabook for you.
Sony T13 Touch Ultrabook
This is a touch screen with a screaming fast latest-gen Intel Core i5 processor, a 32GB SSD for Windows & Apps, a 500GB standard hard drive for all your documents, photos and music. 6 GB of RAM, an HD webcam, and of course, the beautiful touchscreen round out the package. With an attractive aluminum lid and awesome Sony style, this is an Ultrabook that makes sure you have it all, and is available for under 900 bucks!
Nexus 7 from Google
While not a Windows 8 device, it’s hard to argue with this Android tablet’s $199 starting price tag. The best made 7” Android tablet on the market, this guy is perfect for working through your email, handling some light editing on documents or spreadsheets, or even just playing a game or watching a movie while traveling. While not a replacement for a laptop by any means, this little guy is a great companion to any of the machines I’ve talked about above.
Disclosure of Material Connection: Hey readers, this is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a gift, a payment or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I have tested personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Whether you’re shopping online (and taking advantage of their free shipping online throughout the holiday season) or in-store (to touch and test everything before you buy), you’ll want to make sure Staples is one of the stores you’re including in your shopping plans as Black Friday approaches.
This holiday season, you’ll want to consider shopping at Staples for a hot new Windows 8 device like the ones featured in the video above. From the innovative laptop/tablet hybrid Lenovo Twist, to the Intel-Atom powered Samsung ATIV and the HP Envy 4 Ultrabook, by going in-store and playing with these devices yourself, you’ll be able to really figure out what product will make the right gift for your family or friends. Plus, with the 
