Month: March 2015

The Canon T3i has already made waves in store shelves, even though the T2i had been announced a while prior. Not surprisingly, the different technological innovations between these cameras are minimal at first sight; they have similar sensors, autofocus systems and image processors. Although the T2i can still be found on many shelves at about $579 for just the body, it can tempting offering. But when you compare the T3i and the T2i, but is the T3i worth the high cost? For others it will be, and for some it may be seen as a waste of money. This article will explain the differences between both cameras.

Similarities

Before you make a big issue about the differences between both cameras, it’s important to keep in mind that these cameras are identical when it comes operation, and there isn’t much difference in RAW image quality as well. It however comes down to the in-depth specifications and features that separate the two.

What Is New In The T3i?

Looking at them from the exterior side, the only notable difference is the LCD on the rear. The T3i comes with articulated LCD, which is quite similar to one on the Cano 60D. in order to accommodate the LCD, the camera body is a bit deeper, and the entire unit weighs just a hair more. The camera also feature a number of ergonomic changes, like the additional rubber padding at the bottom of the left side of the body to offer additional protection and comfort. The internal aspect does however have a number of notable differences such as:

• Native wireless control for off camera. The T2i requires an accessory Canon ST-E2 module.
• The T3i has a digital zoom of 1080p video that’s ideal for recording.
• Can crop mats for taking shots in a variety of aspect ratios.
• Comes with a camera guide with information about the LCD panel, which makes it easier to choose alternative setting, especially for beginners.
• Video snapshots, ideally suited for video clips that are assembled in-camera in extended video.

Who Can Buy The T2i?

If you’ve previously used a 35mm camera and are just looking for a digital camera which allows you to do similar tasks, the T2i may just be what you’re looking for. It doesn’t come as an accident that the camera was the bestselling SLR for quite some time, well before the introduction of other better models. The innovative video features on the T3i won’t really be of much use to you if you’re only looking to take interesting photos, and the camera guide as well as the auto won’t be of much relevance to someone who already has a firm grasp on photographic theory.

To really understand and know the difference between a marine and car battery, it will be helpful to first know the construction of lead acid batteries. Lead acid batteries are made of a variety of different forms of lead plates, which are immersed in dilute sulfuric acid. The reaction of lead plates with the electrolyte generates an electric charge, that is stored within the battery. The thickness of the battery plates serves an indicator for the application that the battery will be ideally suited.

Plate Size

There are two categories of lead acid batteries. The starter batteries are the first type, and they are used in cars. The second are deep cycle batteries, and they are normally used to charge solar powered systems. Car batteries have more lead plates than deep cycle batteries, but they have thinner plates. Deep cycle plates have less plates, but these plates are much thicker and heavier. Marine batteries on the other hand are best classified as hybrids, and they somehow fall in between the categories. They are much similar to car batteries, but have thicker plates.

Voltage

Just like car batteries, most marine batteries produce power supplies of 12 volts DC. A car battery is rated in CA (cranking amps), while the marine battery has a marine cranking amp rating (MCA). A deep cycle marine battery has reserve capacity rating which indicates how long the battery will run for before it begins to lose power. A marine battery is also capable of a deeper and more frequent discharge than a car battery.

Car Batteries

A car battery has a bigger amount of thinner lead plates than a marine battery, and for this reason it discharges a high initial current needed to spin the starter motor as well as crank the engine. When the engine begins to run, the alternator then recharges the battery to turn the lights on, radio, heater, a/c, etc. When a car battery is properly maintained, it can last for several years and can be charged repeatedly. Plate damage can occur when the battery is discharged at more than 20% of full capacity for extended periods, or if it sits for a while without use.

Marine Batteries

Marine batteries tend to be much sturdier than car batteries in order to prevent damage occurring from vibration and shaking when the boat cruises of the water. While sturdier, the majority of marine batteries are not meant to discharge more than 50% capacity, when compared to deep cycle batteries which can discharge 80% continually, without damage to the plate. A high quality deep cycle batteries are widely recommended for boats that are equipped with radios, rolling motors, navigation lights, bilge pumps, GPS/fish finders as well as other electrical devices.

Safety

When you work with marine or car batteries, practice extreme caution when recharging or handling. Lead acid batteries have the potential to cause shock, explosive hazards, burns, which explains why professionals use facial protection and gloves. A common accident normally occurs when battery terminals are short-circuited with jewelry or metal wrenches.

What is the difference between Photoshop CC and Photoshop CS6 is a popular question that pops up in many design circles. Photoshop CC shares similar functions with Photoshop CS6. Photoshop CC was developed under Creative Cloud. This means that when Photoshop has newer upgrade functions, you get access to all the latest updates as well future releases. Photoshop CC helps you work on the internet, you can also share your projects with other users in the world. Your partners can even edit your projects, save and send them to you. The Creative Cloud feature comes with such benefits and more for its members.

Photoshop CC has an Application Frame just like Photoshop CS6. Photoshop CC comes with similar functions to Photoshop CS6, and these include, Illustrator, Audition, InDesign/InCopy, Dreamweaver, Flash Pro, Prelude, Story, SpeedGrade, After Effects and Premier Pro. In addition, other tools like Adobe Edge and Muse also now come branded in Photoshop CC.

Creative Cloud CC or CS6—Which One to Get?

When Creative Suite 6 was launched back in 2012, it came with it new ways to purchase adobe software that the world hadn’t seen yet: Creative Cloud. Traditionally, most of the Adobe products had were being sold with “perpetual” licensing which didn’t expire. The drawback however is that these top of the range tools often come with hefty price tags, normally out of reach for many people. There are some substantial discounts that come with upgrading from older versions, plus lower pricing for certain market segments like teachers and students.

When Creative Cloud first rolled into the scene, there was plenty of uncertainty regarding what it meant and in which direction it was heading. But despite the skepticism, Creative Cloud has over the last couple of years gained some strong recognition and adoptions to become one of the most predominant product lines for Adobe, with customers preferring it over CS6, which is still sold to those who want it. Getting Creative Cloud also means that you get the newer “CC” version which is a successor of CS6 as one of the latest and greatest tools in the design industry, and it normally receives high ratings from different users.

Adobe CC is only available through a subscription cloud-based model, but the name has been viewed by some as confusing and certain misconceptions because the major applications are not web-based, but run on the computer as before. The company has been pretty clear and straightforward that tool like Photoshop add some a number of online capabilities, but they don’t completely run on the cloud.

So, at the core, this is one different way of purchasing and using the adobe products you love and more. Membership on Creative Cloud comes with an “all-you-can-eat-buffet” of some of the best software on the market for creative purposes, and it comes with a monthly price tag that ranges between $29 and $49. The central premise is that you can continually use the same services and applications that you always have as well as a variety of others available at your disposal, with termly-based membership which includes ongoing product upgrades and new feature additions over that time period.

What Is In Creative Cloud?

Creative Cloud comes with newer CC versions of all the applications that comprised part of Creative Suite 6, (the whole Master Collection), and others such as, Adobe Muse, Lightroom and Adobe Edge, as well as other publishing services necessary to get your projects out there. An noted, much of these components don’t run over the entire network; they simply download and install into your computer just like a any other program, and will only need connection to the internet over every 99 days for the sake of yearly membership revalidation.

With that said, there is an online collaborative Cloud-based component which envelops everything and enables easy web-based file sharing, browsing, storage and synchronization between devices and computers. For those who wouldn’t have paid their subscriptions, the good news comes in that there’s a free level of Creative Cloud membership which offers the same features, but with only 2GB free storage instead of the paid option with comes with 20GB of storage space. The best part about this kind of cloud storage is that your clients and colleagues don’t need to actually have Adobe tools installed in their computer to be able to view or comment on the files you’ve uploaded.

Photoshop CC or CS6 — Which Is The Best For You?

With so many changes having been noted over the last couple of years, and with so much developments taking place; how do you decide on which one to purchase? Your answer will largely depend on how you intend on using the software. Some of the questions to ask include:

• How long do you intend to use the products.
• How frequently to do you plan on upgrading and getting newer versions?
• Which of the Adobe products to you want or need to use at the moment?
• Which of the tools would you want to expand to using in the near future?
• Do you love getting latest tools with the best features?
• Do you currently own a similar product, which you can upgrade, or do you want to purchase full?

After everything, the choice comes down to you what your expectations are, and how you intent on using the software. Do some research and find the right software to suit your needs. Don’t compromise features and quality over price.

Of late, not much—at least not for average computer users. The optical and laser mouse differ in terms of the technology they use to follow movement. The ideal optic mouse makes use of an LED light to follow movement, and the laser mouse, as the moniker indicates, makes use of a laser.

A laser mouse has higher dpi, meaning it can track more dots per inch, and with that making it more sensitive to movement. But although this may have somewhat of an issue before, both laser and optic mice can now hit high dpi marks, and you won’t be able to take note of the difference. Graphic designers and gamers might still perceive one of them and have their personal preferences for each device.

The technology in computer mice has greatly evolved over the previous rollers and ball, which were used on analog mice. The choice between laser and optical mice is normally a matter of individual preference and the person’s tech budget. One of the main differences between these two devices is how the mice’ movement is tracked; either through laser or LED light.

Optical mice use digital image processing tech to track and trace mouse movement, and interpret that position on a computer screen using a cursor. In actual matter of fact, it comes with small camera that takes a staggering 1,500 pictures per second. An optical mouse can also be easily maintained as it doesn’t have any moving parts, which are prone to fail.

In many cases, optical mice are plug and play devices which don’t require specific software to install. One notable advantage of the optical mice is that it doesn’t require a mouse pad, and will still work even if you run on a non-even, non-flat surface. Certain models may however experience trouble on shiny or black surfaces.

The main objective of laser and optical mice is to offers means of interpreting motion from the mover’s hand into a digital signal that the computer can make use of. The main difference between an optical and laser mouse is the kind of light both devices use to track movements on to the computer screen. Although the optical mouse utilizes LED light, laser mice contain small laser beams that are used to monitor mouse movements and represent them onto the computer screen. This is one feature that makes the laser mouse more expensive.

When you go out shopping for a mouse, it is always important for you to consider dots per inch (DPI) on the model you are considering. Ann optical mouse can generally track in the range of 400 to 800 DPI. When comparing, laser mice generally track more than 2,000 DPI. This allows the cursor move further and freely on screen.

Making sure that your computer is kept secure and operating smoothly requires you to be continually on the lookout for different threats that could slow performance or leave your systems susceptible to external attacks. There’s also other non-external threats to also deal with. As an increasing amount of information and media is stored in your computer’s hard drive, you need to pay a lot of attention to system maintenance. Norton Antivirus and Norton Internet Security are two popular products that deal with such threats.

Common Features

Both these software packages offer comprehensive protection against identity theft, spyware, Trojan horses and numerous of other online threats. They also offer parental control to prevent children from viewing inappropriate websites. Each of these applications will help protect your web browser from different malicious sites and other unwanted cookies.

Internet Clutter Removal

When surfing the web, your computer picks and stores temporary data and other images that are specifically designed to increase performance by keeping copies of those files on your computer. In this way, the web browser won’t need to go out there are look for the image if its needed several times. However, this process leaves additional data stored on your hard drive, and it can slow overall performance. Norton Antivirus removes all these extra files to ensure that your computer achieves maximum performance, but Norton Internet Security doesn’t.

Disk Clutter

Internet browsing isn’t the only thing that stores temporary files. Your computer’s operating system creates temporary files needed to restore images and other data which may get lost if your browsing application closes unexpectedly. Norton Antivirus removes this extra to enhance system performance, Internet Security Doesn’t.

Start-up Times

Many a times, when software loads onto a computer system, the installation programs initiates a small program for the start-up routine so that the main programs starts faster. This, however slows system booting and uses up more resources, which eventually slows the system. For programs that are less frequently used, the compromise can be worth it. For less-often used programs, Norton Antivirus can stop start-up programs for launching and running, which in-turn speeds booting times and improves overall system performance. Norton Internet Security doesn’t however use these features.

System Fixes

Norton Antivirus has a variety of features which monitor system settings, performance and automatically fixes any problems. This automated maintenance ensures that the system runs efficiently and smoothly with you having to do anything. Norton Internet Security doesn’t however have this feature.

Backup and Restore

Norton Antivirus has certain backup and restore features that aren’t available on Norton Internet Security. Such features back the hard drive automatically, and on a regular basis, making sure that your data remains secure in the event that something unexpected happens to your hard drive.

When looking to buy a car, you normally come across the phrases “all wheel drive” and “ four wheel drive (4wd)” thrown around and frequently interchangeably. If you are not a boorish car nerd, then kudos to you if you are not, you may actually not know that these two phrases are not interchangeable. The phrases actually refer to different systems, which provide drastically different results.

So you will wonder, what the heck are these differences and why at all should they matter to you? In this article we’ll briefly give an overview of both these automobile systems and how the function.

Four-Wheel Drive

Let’s begin with the old school version. Four wheel drive also referred to as 4WD, 4×4 or Four by Four, is normally used to describe off road vehicles.

Power is transferred from the transmission to a transfer case. This gear system splits power between the rear and front axles to make maximum torque reach every wheel. This piece of engineering was good enough to beat the German Nazis, and it still remains good enough to take your Jeep over a pile of rocks and rough terrain. Despite having a heroic heritage, it does come with its fair share of drawbacks.

When power is evenly split by the transfer case, it makes sure that each wheel rotates at the same velocity. This can be very problematic when you are doing turns. For instance. For a car t turn, the inner wheel has to rotate slower than the other wheel, which covers more ground. If the vehicle fails to do this, the inner wheel will lose traction and spin freely. This, as you may guess is not a great feature for moving the vehicle forward efficiently.

All-Wheel Drive

An All-Wheel Drive is a recent innovation, and as you may guess, more complex. This feature appears in just about everything like supercars with super performance such as the Audi R8, SUVs and crossovers like the Volvo XC90.

One major difference between four wheel drive and all-wheel drive is the all-wheel drive system is always on every time you drive. Well, mostly. And there are two types of AWDs: electronic and mechanical.

An ideal of achieving a competent mechanical all-wheel drive system is by making use of three differentials. A differential is box that contains gears as well as other engineering magic that allow power to be drawn from transmission and split at different levels between the rear and front axles. In an all-wheel drive, the systems works to distribute power to wheels that have the most traction by evenly splitting power between the rear and front axles on the middle differential as well as the separate wheels by rear and front differential.

The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) offers taxpayers looking to file for their individual tax returns with three different options: Form 1040A, Form 1040 and Form 1040ES. Form 1040EZ is for simple and easy tax situations, and Form 1040 is rather for more intricate tax scenarios.

Form 1040EZ is a simple form to fill out and complete, and is ideally suited for taxpayers who meet certain conditions. Taxpayers can file as individual single parties or jointly as married parties. Filers should not have any dependants, and must be below the age of 65. Taxable income must also be below $100,000, and the taxpayer must not be currently in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Filers must also not owe taxes of the employment of domestic employees like maids. Perhaps one of the biggest hurdles of using Form 1040EZ is that filers can’t claim on any income adjustments, like deductions for retirement contributions, study loan interest deductions or any other form of credit other than earned income credit.

Form 1040 is probably the most complicated and intricate of forms for individual people filing their tax returns, but offers taxpayers with a variety of options for claiming credits and deductions. Self-employed taxpayers, like consultants or freelancers are only eligible for filing for Form 1040. Other tax situations require that taxpayers use Form 1040. These include matters such as having adjustments from a partnership, S corporation or from Alternative Minimum Tax. If your employer didn’t withhold any Medicare or Social Security taxes, or if you owe other taxes for using a household employee. Any taxpayers with adjusted gross incomes of more than $100,000 or those who underreported tips are required to file using Form 1040.

Filing with Form 1040EZ and not Form 1040 may be much easier and simpler, but may cause taxpayers to miss put important tax deductions and credits. A thumb rule to remember, the longer a tax form, the more tax breaks that are available.

What Tax Return Form Can I Use?

Many people simply hate the idea of filing out tax forms, just as much as the detest the idea of forking over dough to Uncle Sam. This is why it is important to use the easiest and simplest tax return you can, more especially if you’ll filling out the forms by hand.

You need to choose carefully. Although personal income tax forms —1040EZ, 1040A and 1040 are designed to help you pay the right amount of money to the IRS, the specific differences in these tax return forms can cost you a lot more if you fail to pay attention to their details.

Form EZ is the simplest and shortest form, the 1040A is somewhat more complicated, and the lengthy 1040 has greater detail and potentially more difficult. However, even if your tax life is pretty straightforward and simple, it certainly may be worthwhile for you to scrutinize the other forms. Why? Ideally, the longer the tax form, the bigger the opportunities for tax breaks:

How Form 1040EZ Could Cost You

Let’s look at the case of Frank D. Taxpayer Frank just completed his college studies in the previous year and landed a full-time job earning $35,000. He’s a single chap, renting a bachelor apartment and doesn’t have any investment incomes. This is the perfect Form 1040 EZ filer, right? Quite sure if you are Uncle Sam, because Frank will overpay his taxes using this short form.

Why so? This is because Form 1040EZ doesn’t really offer Frank some crucial tax breaks like those found on the other two forms.

Frank has a study loan. By filing Form 1040A, he can deduct from his income $2,500 he paid on the debt. He certainly cannot do that using the shortest of forms available. Frank has also began planning for retirement by depositing $3,000 into a traditional IRA. Since his employer does not provide a company retirement plan, Frank’s deductible IRA contribution can reduce his taxable even more, but only if he files using the longer form.

When Fran chooses Form 1040A over Form EZ, he suddenly owes tax on $29,500 and not on his fill income of $35,000. And he is placed into a lower tax bracket, the 15% one instead of the 25% tier—even well before he reduces taxable income by using the personal exemption, which every taxpayer is entitled to and the standard deduction amount.

This means that, choosing Form 1040A over Form1040EZ will have saved Frank a great deal amount of money. There are even better tax-saving opportunities for individuals that are found on the longer Form1040. They may not be applicable to Frank’s case, but still have the potential to cut the tax bill—provided you carefully take time to go over each form.

Form 1040EZ

Form 1040EZ is ideally one of the simplest IRS forms to complete. And when IRS is doubled, the earning limit on tax filers who’ve used it some years before, Form1040EZ is now easily available to more taxpayers. You are eligible for filing for Form 1040EZ returns if you:

• You file as a single individual party or as jointly married.
• You are below the age of 65; and your spouse also meets the set age requirements if you are filing for joint returns. If you or your partner’s 65th birthday is January 1, then for the sake of filing purposes, you are regarded to have turned 65 in the previous year and for this reason you can’t file for the form.
• You and or your spouse, if filing jointly were not medically blind during the previous tax year.
• You have an interest income of less than $1,500.
• You don’t have any dependents .
• Your individual income, or combined incomes if you are joint filers, is below $100,000.

Category 6, commonly referred to as Cat6 cables, offer low crosstalk, higher signal to noise ratio and ideally suited for 10GBASE-T (10-Gigabit Ethernet. Cat5e cables only support up to 1000 BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet). For future-proofing your network, a CAT6 is normally a preferred choice and costs less. Both Cat5e and Cat6 cables are backwards compatible, meaning that newer Cat6 cables may be used with older Cat5, Cat5e and other Cat3 equipment.

So, let’s just say you are interested in playing one of those gaming consoles everyone has heard about, or you are just looking to connect to the interweb.net that many youngsters can’t seem to stop gabbing about. You will require some cables right? In your quest to finding the right cable, you’ll more than likely come across Cat5e, Cat5 and Cat 6 cables without any clues as to what the designations mean. Perhaps the cables feline tails, and the number indicates how many lives they are left with? That’s utter nonsense, and you wouldn’t think of that. These cables will help you hook up to connections, but there are a number of distinctions to consider when choosing which one is right for you. Let’s look at them.

CAT5

Cat5 is the slowpoke of the lot. It hands 10/100 Mbps speeds at up to 100 MHz bandwidth. These are a lot of numbers, but it means “slow and obsolete”. Newer installations don’t even utilize it, and sadly it will soon be phased out. For savvy cable connoisseurs, there are stronger, newer, better and faster options out there on the market. This is why it’s not advisable for you to purchase the older version cables, that’s if you can find them, maybe from backyard garage sale or something.

CAT5e

Cat 5 enhanced is currently one of the most used cables for new installations. It reduces crosstalk, and while you may not know what crosstalk means, it’s fine; after all it’s not why you are reading this article. It basically means that the Cat5e is better at maintaining signals across different channels or circuits from interfering with one another. It can handle speeds of 1000 Mbps at 100 MHz.

CAT6

Cat 6 is an appreciated improvement to the Cat5e. It’s basically the Bee knees, and ideally suited for 10 Gigabit Ethernet at 250 MHz. To help at tackling pesky crosstalking, Cat6 cables have internal separators that isolate pairs from each other. For those looking to future-proof their home or commercial networks without increasing the cost, Cat6 is a good choice. This doesn’t however mean it will protect your networking from future cyborgs or anything, it just means that it will be up to date for a while until the next innovative thing comes up.

Hopefully, you now have some basic understanding at knowing which Cat cables to choose. Now let’s look at the features of these cables.

Wiring

Cat5e and Cat6 cables are twisted pair cables that use copper wires, normally 4 twisted pairs in every cable. The Cat6 cable has more stringent specifications for system noise and crosstalk, and it offers performances up to 250 MHz. Cat5e, on the other hand performs at 100 MHz. This often achieved using a longitudinal separator also known as the spline in the wiring, and isolates each of the twisted pairs of wire. However, this is what makes Cat6 more rigid; newer network cables tend to use other methods to reduce noise and are more flexible. Despite whether or not a spline is used, Cat6 cable specifications provide lower interference in the transmission. It also enhances crosstalk, insertion loss and return loss when compared to the Cat5e. The results are fewer errors, lower noise, and high data rates in signal transmission.

How to Identify

The category is always labeled on Ethernet cables. It’s impossible to identify cable categories based on color alone, but Cat6 are often much thicker than Cat5e because of the thicker copper wires used.

Speed

As previously mentioned, Cat6 cables can be used for 10 Gigabit Ethernet or 10GBASE-T, which the Cat5e has a maximum support of 1 Gigabit Ethernet or 1GBASE-T. This is because the Cat6 cable performs at 250 MHz, twice more than the Cat5e which hovers at 100 MHz.

Cost

The cost of Ethernet cables differs based on the seller, manufacturer and length. Cat6 cables are generally 10-20 percent more expensive than their counterpart Cat5e cables. However, cables are generally not expensive and the speed provided by Cat6 cables is what normally makes their pricing worth it, even for residential home use.

Maximum Length

Cat5e and Cat6 cable specifications allow for lengths of up to 100 meters, but Cat6e, however has lower maximum length of 55 meters when used for 10 Gigabit Ethernet. For you to run 10GBASE-T for 100 meters, Cat6a cables need be used. They allow for performances of up to 500 MHz. if your network requires coverage for distances over 100 meters, switches or repeaters are needed to amplify the signal.

Network cables are ideal for enhancing communications between platforms. Whether they are for your gaming console, intranet or internet communications, choosing the right cable will get you the speeds and efficiency needed. Make sure you shop for network cables from a trusted and reputable supplier, who will tell you the benefits and drawbacks of each. Some suppliers will even deliver and install for you. Take your time, do some research and determine the kind of network cable you need. Making the best choice will save you a lot of money in the long-run, and paying a few bucks more for a premium cable will definitely go a long way.

These two terms are quite commonly used interchangeably. Although the term “electric keyboard” can also be used to describe both, there are some definite differences between digital pianos and portable keyboards. The differences normally come down to features, size and cost.

Body and Keyboard Size

Portable keyboards, just as the same states, are portable. They normally weigh less than 20 pounds and have smaller ranges; 61 and 49 key models are among the most common. There are also some optional keyboard stands that may come with the instruments for an additional cost. They are easily storable and can be played table-top.

Digital pianos are however not storable, but they supposed to sit atop a custom fitted stand. Digital pianos can weigh anywhere in the range from 25 to 60 pounds, and normally come with 88, 61, or 78 keys.

Keys and Sensitivity

Keys on portable keyboards are very plastic and light when compared to digital or acoustic pianos. Touch-sensitivity, which enables volume change depending on how hard the keys are pressed—may not be a feature; and polyphony, which gives the ability to play many notes simultaneously is at times limited.

Keys on digital pianos are normally of full-length and feel like an acoustic. Certain models even replicate the piano feeling incredibly well, with heavier keys to touch in bass octaves, a feature commonly referred to as the “graded hammer-action.” Polyphony varies and may range anywhere from 32 to 64 notes, and at times even more; and touch sensitivity is standard and can even be adjusted.

Voices and Song Banks

Portable keyboards have many rhythms, voices and built-in songs, and most times will include a variety of organs, woodwinds, percussion and pianos; as well as other lovely random sound effects. You should keep in mind that voices can sound electric and phony, and the volume of the speakers may be limited.

Digital pianos on the other hand tend to offer few voices, and may not contain any rhythms or songs at all. The voices that are offered normally sound genuine (depending on quality and brand), and they tend to be the staples: harpsichord, grand piano, strings and pipe or jazz organ.

Price Comparison

Normally a portable playing instrument fetches a lower price tag, which hovers around $100 to $500 depending on the size of the keyboard, features and the brand. For instance, a Casio WPK with a 76key option will cost about $200.

Digital keys can be found around the $300 mark, but may also fetch in the range of $500 to $1500. An expensive digital piano may cost you as much as a whopping $20,000, and that will be grand piano/digital hybrid.

Bottom Line

A digital piano is a widely preferred cost-effective alternative to an acoustic piano. The best suited practice instruments for practice, beginners for just for fun are portable keyboards.