LegacyBox vs. The Digitize Center – Which one is better?

Posted on May 21, 2022 by TechGuru

A question we are asked on a near daily basis, is which digitization service is better, Legacybox or The Digitize Center? Both companies basically provide the same service, and that is they take your old media such as VHS tapes, Hi8 and other camcorder tapes, photographs, film reels, and more, and they digitize it so you can save the media on your computer, smartphones, and tablets. In this article, we will attempt to explain the differences between the two companies and determine which one is better for your home media digitization needs.

Legacybox can be visited at www.legacybox.com

The Digitize Center can be visited at www.thedigitizecenter.com

Price

As usual, the first thing people look at when comparing the two companies is price. Both Legacybox and The Digitize Center have similar prices, with The Digitize Center coming out slightly ahead. For instance, right now the Legacybox 2 Item box costs $35.99, whereas the same 2 Item Digitize Kit from The Digitize Center costs $24.99. We will give the edge here to The Digitize Center.

We also need to look at the shipping costs of both companies. Both companies seem to have nearly identical shipping costs for all of their products, so we can call this a tie.

Overall Price Winner: The Digitize Center

Product Offerings

Both companies offer to digitize most old media types, including VHS tapes, Camcorder tapes of various types, Film reels, and print photographs. However, The Digitize Center additionally offers to digitize CDs, DVDs, Newspaper Clippings, and Yearbooks. So in this category, we will give the edge to The Digitize Center.

To see a full list of media types The Digitize Center can digitize, visit here.

To see a full list of media types Legacybox can digitize, visit here.

Overall Product Offering Winner: The Digitize Center

Quality

To determine which company provides a better quality digitize service, we had to place orders with both companies using the same exact media types. We sent in 2 VHS tapes, 2 Camcorder Tapes, 25 Photographs, and 1 Film Reel to both Legacybox and The Digitize Center. When we received them back digitized, these were the results.

VHS Tapes

The digitized versions of the VHS tapes came back at the same exact quality. The only difference we noted was that The Digitize Center clipped the end of the video when it ended, whereas the Legacybox did not clip the end of the video, so there was an additional 38 minutes of blank video at the end. The Digitize Center also labeled the digitized VHS media to match what we had written on the actual VHS tapes, which was a nice touch. Legacybox did not do this.

Camcorder Tapes

The digitized versions of our camcorder tapes came out at the same exact quality.

25 Photographs

Here is were we noticed some significant differences between the two companies. When we received the digitized version of the photographs from Legacybox, some of them had what appeared to be roller marks on them. The same effect did not appear on The Digitize Center media. In addition, The Digitize Center offered to “restore” the photos, which was a nice touch we appreciated.

Film Reel

Both companies were similar in the quality of the digitized film reel.

Overall Quality Winner: Tie

Speed of Order Process

This was pretty straight forward. All we did here was see how long it took both companies to complete the same exact order. We used the standard free processing option of both companies. The Legacybox order took a total of 16 days from the day they received our media until the time we received it back in the mail. The Digitize Center order took a total of 13 days for the same exact scenario.

Overall Speed Winner: The Digitize Center

Customer Service and Support

This was a little harder to measure as we did not have any support issues we needed to address with any of the companies. So for this analysis, we analyzed all the verified reviews both companies have received.

Legacybox overall customer reviews: 4.84 / 5.0 Stars

The Digitize Center overall customer Reviews: 4.9 / 5.0 Stars

Scanning through the Legacybox verified reviews, the most common complaints were of failure to digitize certain items, lost packages containing media items, and hidden costs.

Scanning through The Digitize Center verified reviews, the most common complaints were of failure to digitize certain items and longer than expected time to receive items.

It’s difficult to determine from these reviews which company has better customer service, so we will call this one a tie. However, we were taken aback by the number of complaints from Legacybox customers who claimed their media items were lost by the company. Whereas, The Digitize Center claims on their website that they have never lost a single item or package.

Overall Customer Support Winner: Tie

Overall Winner: LegacyBox vs The Digitize Center

Given the information we analyzed between the two companies, we can easily declare The Digitize Center to be the better company to get your home media digitized with. They are the clear winner in terms of price, product offerings, and speed of order. We will continue to monitor both companies to see if anything changes.

Overall Winner: The Digitize Center

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iPhone Manual for Beginners vs. iPhone: the missing manual. Which book is better for your iPhone

Posted on January 31, 2020 by TechGuru

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The two best-selling books on using your iPhone are the iPhone Manual for Beginners by Joe Malacina and iPhone: the missing manual by David Pogue. We are often asked which one of these books is the best? So we decided to give both books an evaluation and put together the following comparison review.

First, let me start out by explaining that both books do an excellent job at explaining how to use the many functions and abilities of the iPhone. However, they each utilize their own approach and style in delivering the information, and there are many other aspects to consider, such as price and additional features.

Which book is easier to read physically?

Winner: iPhone Manual for Beginners

By this question, we mean which book best utilizes illustrations, font size, formatting, and style? Both books contain color illustrations throughout the text that demonstrate exactly how to perform certain tasks on your iPhone. The Missing Manual book has more illustrations than the iPhone Manual for Beginners, however the latter’s illustrations are larger and easier to comprehend. In addition, many have complained that the Index in the Missing Manual is jumbled and difficult to use, so we give the Index advantage to the iPhone Manual for Beginners. For readability, the iPhone Manual for Beginners is the clear winner here with large font and smooth spacing between paragraphs.

Which book contains more information?

Winner: iPhone: the missing manual

There is no doubt that iPhone: the missing manual has the edge when it comes to the amount of information contained in the text. The Missing Manual comes in at 720 pages with a size of 6″ x 9″! Conversely, the iPhone Manual for Beginners comes in at 144 pages with a book size of 8.5″ x 11″. If you are looking for a big box manual that contains every possible ounce of information, then the Missing Manual book may be right for you. On the other hand, the iPhone Manual for Beginners utilizes a different approach; it can be read in its entirety in one day, and teaches using a building blocks approach, which seems to be best for beginners who are trying to learn from the ground up. In summary, the iPhone: the missing manual contains much more information than the iPhone Manual for Beginners, however, that does not mean that it is a better book.

Which book is best for different iPhone skill levels?

Winner: iPhone Manual for Beginners

This one is a no-brainer. At 720 pages, I do not expect a complete beginner, let alone an intermediate user of an iPhone to read the entire Missing Manual book. On the other hand, a complete beginner would find the iPhone Manual for Beginners very easy to read and complete. In my opinion, the book has a better flow of information and is structured so that beginner concepts you use in early chapters are utilized more fully in later chapters. In addition, as the book continues on, the author covers more intermediate and advanced functions of the iPhone. In summary, the iPhone Manual for Beginners is the better book for users of all skill levels, including beginners. The only exception would be if you are a highly experienced IT professional, then the Missing Manual book may be better for you.

Which book is cheaper?

Winner: iPhone: the missing manual

This was somewhat surprising given that the Missing Manual contains nearly 600 more pages than the iPhone Manual for Beginners. However, it should be noted that physical quality of the iPhone Manual for Beginners is slightly better than the Missing Manual with better colors and better binding. The cost of the Missing Manual seems to fluctuate almost daily, however it can usually be purchased for between $16.99 USD and $29.95 USD. The iPhone Manual for Beginners’s price is more steady, and can usually be purchased for between $19.95 USD and $24.95 USD.

Which book has better availability?

Winner: iPhone Manual for Beginners (just slightly)

By availability, we mean which book is available in more places and will ship the quickest? This was a difficult question to answer definitively. The iPhone Manual for Beginners is available in most countries, including the United States, Canada, all of Europe, and Australia, and also ships from within these countries so delivery is quite fast. The Missing Manual is stocked by more bookstores in comparison, however we were not able to verify if the Missing Manual is locally available in more countries.

Which book is best? The iPhone Manual for Beginners or iPhone: the missing manual?

Overall Winner: iPhone Manual for Beginners by Joe Malacina

Taking everything into consideration, the iPhone Manual for Beginners is a better book for most people when trying to learn how to use the iPhone. We prefer its style compared to the Missing Manual and also prefer its organization. The iPhone Manual for Beginners utilizes a step-by-step approach with illustrations for most functions, and also presents information in an easy-to-follow manner. In addition, the organization of the book is superb, with a clear and concise Table of Contents and an understandable Index. The only downside of the iPhone Manual for Beginners is its additional cost (by about $4-$6), however the additional cost seems to be worth it given its overall presentation of information. In conclusion, we would recommend the iPhone Manual for Beginners for iPhone users of all skill levels, including beginners and intermediate users.

Both books can ordered on Amazon and other websites:

Order iPhone Manual for Beginners on Amazon.

Order iPhone Manual for Beginners on Infinity Guides

Order iPhone: the missing manual on Amazon

-DummiesBlog.com Review Crew

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Amazon Fire Tablet Beginner’s Guide for Dummies, Beginners, & Seniors

Posted on June 15, 2019 by TechGuru

The Amazon Fire tablet, commonly referred to as the Kindle Fire or Fire HD, is an amazing tablet that is becoming increasingly popular throughout the tech world. Our favorite feature of the Fire HD is its integration with the entire Amazon universe. With the Fire, you can access Amazon’s entire library of movies, TV shows, books, and of course online shopping.

Using the Fire tablet is unlike using any other type of smart device. The Fire has its own layout with a unique navigation system. Not only this, but the Fire tablet is highly integrated with your Amazon account, which is required in order to use the device. Given this, we recommend that anyone who gets a Fire tablet becomes well-versed in using their Amazon account, so that they can take full advantage of all the Fire has to offer.

We have checked out the best how-to guides on how to use the Fire tablet, both online and in-store, and have determined which is the best guide to use to get you started using your Fire tablet.

The Best: Fire HD Manual for Beginners by Joe Malacina

The *Fire HD Manual for Beginners* book, by Joe Malacina

This book is really the complete resource for using any Fire tablet, and covers just about everything we were looking for. Our favorite part is that the author explains everything in with simple terms and concise language, so a complete newbie could pick up this book and understand it easily. We also like that the book has color illustrations, showing exactly what your Fire’s screen will look like for each function and aspect it demonstrates. Moreover, the book has a few chapters with excellent recommendations for apps and Amazon services. Lastly, there is a tips and tricks chapter at the end that even taught us some new things (and we are experts!).

All in all, this book is the complete guide for using the Fire tablet (it’s literal description on the front cover).

The book is available online at InfinityGuides.com and Amazon.com, and is also available in select bookstores in the United States, Canada, and Australia. We have reached out to the author for an interview request and that request is still pending.

Click here to order this book on Amazon.com

Click here to order this book on InfinityGuides.com (Use discount code ‘SAVE’ at checkout to save 10%, thank you to an Infinity Guides’ rep who reached out to us after we published this article).

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Forgot Passcode on iPhone – What should I do?

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Credit Source: Apple, Inc (www.apple.com)

It’s one of the most common questions I receive, “I forgot my password and now I can’t get into my iPhone/iPad, what do I do?” Don’t worry, I will show you how to get back into your iPhone, but first, a couple caveats.

This is a terribly common issue among many iPhone users. Here is the typical scenario: you get your brand new iPhone and start setting it up and it asks you to set up a 4-6 digit passcode. You do so. Then it registers your fingerprint. Now days, possibly weeks go by where you never have to enter your passcode since your fingerprint has been unlocking your device, until that one day comes when your iPhone suddenly asks for your passcode. Why? Why do you need to enter your passcode when all this time you have been using your fingerprint? Since its been so long since you first created your passcode you have completely forgotten it and you’re stuck. Your iPhone refuses to let you inside to use your iPhone.

If you’ve read the iPhone Manual for Beginners you would have never gotten into this situation. But we’re past that now, so what do you do?

Here is how you get back into your iPhone and never run into this situation again. Please note, the process for getting back into your iPhone/iPad when you forget your passcode is tedious, and will delete all of the data on your iPhone if it is not backed up. So i HIGHLY recommend trying to remember your passcode if you can. Otherwise, follow these steps when you forget your passcode:

In order to do this, you are going to have to completely erase your device. There is absolutely no way around this and it must be done for security purposes. So with that said, the first thing you are going to need is a computer or laptop.
You must download the Apple iTunes software onto your computer and install it. For directions on downloading iTunes, visit https://www.applevideoguides.com/itunes-install.html
Once iTunes is installed, open it on your computer. Then plug your iPhone into your computer using the USB cable.
This step will differ depending upon which iPhone you have.
1. If you have an iPhone X, 8, or 8 Plus: Quickly press and release the volume up button. Then quickly press and release the volume down button. Then press and hold the power button until you see the iTunes symbol appear on your screen.
2. If you have an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, press and hold the power button and the volume down button at the same time, and keep holding them until the iTunes symbol appears on your screen.
3. For all other devices including older iPhones and all iPads, press and hold the home button and the power buttons together. Keep holding the buttons until you see the iTunes symbol appear on your screen.
Now look at your computer with iTunes open. A prompt will appear in iTunes asking you whether you want to restore or update. Choose Restore
Let your iPhone restore itself. This will take some time.
When its finished, it will be like you have a brand new iPhone. Follow the setup instructions on your screen.

That’s the process! Now this time, make sure you write down your passcode somewhere safe so you never forget it. Better yet, check out the iPhone Manual for Beginners so this never happens again.

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Learning your new iPhone – An iPhone Manual or Video Guide?

Posted on May 1, 2017 by TechGuru

How to learn your new iPhone

I often get asked what is the easiest way to learn how to use your iPhone. My answer: it depends. There are a lot of variables to consider. Some people have never used a smartphone in their life. Some people have never used an Apple product in their life. Others are switching from a Samsung or Motorola smartphone. I’ll break down my recommendations here so if any apply to you, you can evaluate the advice.

The iPhone is your first “smartphone”, and you have no idea what you are doing.

The first scenario is quite common, and finding help for these people can be tricky. What do I mean by your first “smartphone”? By smartphone I mean a phone that utilizes a touch screen for the majority of its features and that can browse the internet and download apps. Older flip phones do not count. So what are you to do in this scenario? It depends on how you like to learn. The two options I would recommend are either to get a book that teaches you how to use your iPhone, or watch a video course on how to use your iPhone. I have found that many seniors prefer to go the book route, whereas many baby boomers seem to prefer the video.

If you want to learn via a book, I would recommend the iPhone Manual for Beginners. The book is very successful at teaching people how to use their iPhone and contains detailed illustrations to help the learning process. It also works as a great reference manual for when you need a quick review.

If you are looking to learn by watching a video, I would recommend How to Use the iPhone for Beginners. The video is about 30 minutes and covers most of the important aspects of the iPhone.

You are switching from a Samsung or other smartphone to the iPhone.

If you fall in this category, learning to use your iPhone will be much easier. The iPhone shares some similarities with other smartphones and you can pick up on these pretty quickly. Most people in this category probably won’t need a book or a video guide. You can most likely figure out the iPhone slowly over time. However, if you feel the need for a quick course on the iPhone’s ins and outs, I would recommend the video guide How to use the iPhone for Beginners.

You just got an iPhone, but you have experience using an iPod or iPad.

Lastly, if you find yourself in this category there is no need to seek outside assistance in learning your device. Upon using your iPhone, you will quickly realize that the iPhone is almost identical to the iPad and iPod touch in terms of how it works. So if you have used those devices in the past there will be very little adjustment needed. If you think you still need some assistance with your iPhone, subscribe to my newsletter on the right. I send out weekly emails with tips and tricks for using your iPhone, including my monthly recommended apps.

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Computer Running Slow? Try these tips to get it fast again.

Posted on February 25, 2017 by TechGuru

We’ve all been there. One day you turn your computer on, and it takes forever just to get started. Next thing you know, opening a program takes several moments longer than it did just a few months, days, years ago. Even worse, with internet speeds getting faster and faster, your internet just seems to be getting slower and slower. Why is that? Is your computer just getting old? Should you buy a new one?

We asked Joe Malacina, CEO of No Limit Enterprises, a tech company to break it down for us. Here are the results:

Computer Age

Computers nowadays should last you a long time. It is normal to experience a slight slowdown in speeds as the years go by with your computer, but these should barely be noticeable. In fact, any computer built in 2010 or later should last ten years without missing a single beat. There are exceptions of course, but for the most part a decent computer should last you a very long time before things start slowing down.

Why is my computer Slow?

For the vast majority of cases, your computer just needs a good cleaning, and I don’t mean with a cloth. Over time our computers start accumulating a lot of useless programs, and outdated software. When this happens, your computer usually keeps trying to run the software when its so old that nothing can even run it. This uses valuable resources that your computer could be using to run smoothly and efficiently. So what you need to do, is browse through your computer and cleanup all the old junk.

Secondly, spyware and viruses are infecting more and more devices every single day. So a good virus and spyware scan can clean up a lot of junk.

How do I get my computer fast again?

There are several things you can do to get your computer running like a cheetah again. The first thing you should do is make sure your computer’s operating system is updated to its newest version. Some older computers won’t be able to do this, but most can. Next, run a virus scan and delete any viruses that appear. You can also cleanup your startup programs. This will get your computer booting up faster than ever. I also recommend deleting obsolete programs and utilities.

A Step-By-Step Approach

Going through the steps in an article might be a little confusing, so we searched around for a comprehensive guide to cleaning up your computer and making it fast again. After reviewing several websites, the best one we could find was on Infinity Guides. They have a Clean Your Computer Easy Guide that shows you how to clean up your computer in less than 30 minutes. We ran through the guide ourselves and afterwards, we were impressed with the results. We found that our computers booted up 20% faster on average, and programs loaded nearly 40% faster. Our internet browsing also improved quite significantly, and we learned some helpful tips to keep our computer fast.

Here is a link to the Clean Your Computer Easy Guide from Infinity Guides that we recommend.

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How to Use the iPhone 7

Posted on February 25, 2017 by TechGuru

The new Apple iPhone 7 is here, and the phones have been flying off the shelves at Apple Stores and retailers across the world. We have everything you need to know about the new iPhone 7.

iOS 10

iOS 10 is simply awesome. Our favorite feature is everything you can do from inside the Messages app. iOs 10 has added many additional features to messaging on an iPhone or iPad. One of our favorites is the new preview that appears within a message when you paste a link. try it out for yourself. Sending a link in a message will automatically populate a small preview of the link along with a short description.

The new sending effects for messages is pretty cool too. Just hold down on the send icon to see all the new sending features. You can now send text messaged with special effects such as fireworks and lasers.

The New Home Button or lack thereof

Here is something that might take getting a little used to. The new iPhone 7 doesn’t have a home “button.” Let me clarify, the iPhone 7 has what looks like a home button but it does not actually depress like a button should. Instead, when you press it you will get vibrational feedback from iPhone 7 that feels like you’ve pressed a button. It seems Apple did this to shore up some room inside the phone.

Still No Manual with the iPhone 7

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus do not come with an instructional manual, but there are still plenty of resources available to you to learn how to use your new iPhone. We recommend checking out Apple Video Guides. As always, they have a new guide out that covers everything about the iPhone 7 to help get you started.

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LegacyBox vs. The Digitize Center – Which one is better?

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iPhone Manual for Beginners vs. iPhone: the missing manual. Which book is better for your iPhone

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Amazon Fire Tablet Beginner’s Guide for Dummies, Beginners, & Seniors

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Forgot Passcode on iPhone – What should I do?

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Learning your new iPhone – An iPhone Manual or Video Guide?

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Computer Running Slow? Try these tips to get it fast again.

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How to Use the iPhone 7

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