A couple of weeks ago I was very enthusiastic about Google’s Internet browser Chrome.

You only get to know a product by using it and so far I haven’t regretted by move.

There are only some minor niggles from a user point of view.

1) Some fonts don’t render properly, not a biggie for me.

2) Doesn’t work with Pay Pal.

3) Some issues with you tube style flash video.

All of these I can live with.

The one reason I am sticking with Chrome is the ability to drag a browser tab onto another monitor. This feature alone will keep me a Chrome user.

Another Internet tech retailer bites the dust.

I never shopped at Komplett but know lots of people did.

So if you are looking for a new online tech supplier try:-

Dabs:

Bolton based company backed by BT.

Link: www.dabs.com

Dabs sometimes have a liberal  interpretation of “next day delivery” but other than that are ok.

Or

Ebuyer:

I use Ebuyer and have never experienced any problem worth complaining about.

Link: www.ebuyer.com 

Tip: I check the prices at both these sites for I.T. consumables. It only takes a few seconds.

Which magazine voted Rochdale based ISP Zen Internet as the “Best Broadband Provider”.

Zen scored best for reliability of connection, connection speed, customer service, online and telephone support.

My friend Chris uses Zen and also gives them the thumbs up. He does however pay nearly double what I pay my current ISP.

But if I did switch Zen would be at the top of my list.

Link: www.zen.co.uk

Notebook Reviews most popular laptops (www.notebookreviews.com)

This guide falls into 3 categories

Read (Tip 1) > Watch (Tip 2) > Touch (Tip 3).

A great place to start if you are unsure is Notebook Review.com as this gives you a user generated view of what’s popular and current.

Tip 1: The best advice I can give you about buying laptops is to look beyond the reviews and dig into the user community or online support forums for your chosen device. This is where you find out what the device is really like.

You may find a laptop you like but want more information.

Tip 2: Try searching You Tube for video based reviews or “hands on” videos  as these can be just as useful as written reviews. The quality varies quite a bit but you can quickly get a feel for the device just by seeing it in action. Link: www.youtube.com

Tip 3: See if the Laptop you like is for sale at retail if so, go check it out. The prices at retail can be more expensive so you should know the “on-line” price prior to going. So even if you fall in love and want to buy at least you know what the true market value is.

Ok, so now you have decided.

Use the web to research the best price from a trusted supplier.

Bonus Tip: Get Warranty, I get a lot of correspondence with people with equipment that expired just out of warranty. In you are spending upwards of £500 then extending the warranty to the 2nd or 3rd year is worth it (especially on laptops).

Szu Ping Chan over at the Fool.co.uk has published a detailed comparison of the various mobile broadband offerings.

I was an early adopter a few years ago and used an Orange Data card. The experience was pretty poor and the costs were astronomical.

So once the contract expired on that I let it go. I use Windows Mobile to check my e-mail on the move and typically I am only offline while I travel between various Internet connected sites.

Recently I deployed a USB dongle from Vodaphone at a clients and the users report back a positive experience. (Link)

The market for Mobile Internet is popping so Szu’s round up post of the various service offerings comes just at the right time.

Link: The Best Broadband Dongle