Mystery Writers Forum

General Discussion and News => Technology Troubles => Topic started by: Elena on November 04, 2006, 07:18:57 PM

Title: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Elena on November 04, 2006, 07:18:57 PM
As time marches on carrying along with it technology, I find my computer background relegated to the last chapter of the intro book.  Therefore when I sallied forth to the local computer store I found myself exchanging incomprehensible dialogue with an impossibly young child who, when I said my primary usage was for writing headed off in a land of jargon.  Eventually, I caught on and said 'NO, I am writing fiction, not music.'  For my candor I was given a start of horror, and then mumbling something unintelligable he left.

So what do you all think - what's important to look for in a lap top primarily used for writing?  I do intend to wander around with it, so it shouldn't be too heavy, and backing up easily is desireable, I think I'd like the keyboard to feel vaguely like a keyboard, but have no idea if this is an option.

Any laptops that impress you favorably?

Many thanks,
Elena
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Joyce S on November 04, 2006, 09:15:17 PM
I like my MacBook. But I've only had it about a month. Next week I will be able to comment on its 'travel-ability'.

Joyce
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: melph on November 05, 2006, 04:58:47 AM
Step one is,  go to the computer store of your choice and find one that feels right.  Try the keyboard to see if it feels good.  Is the screen the right size?  Check the heft.  Does it feel too flimsy?  Once you find a model that feels right, go on line and order it with the right options.  You need to look at things like harddrive size the speed of the processor and the amount of RAM.  Software is another thing to look at.  Do you want to buy Microsoft Word or are you going to download Open Office free?  When you have all that figured out, don't forget to get the extended warranty.  Laptops are the only things I can think of that justifies the expence of a extended warranty.  For what they are expected to do, they are as flimsy as hell.  Next you need a external harddrive for back up and a good ( hard!!!) carring bag.
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Susan August on November 05, 2006, 08:27:32 AM
Elena,
I love my laptop.  It is small enough to fit in a large handbag.  It weighs no more than 3 lbs.  And it's top of the line for its size/weight class.  When my desktop went belly up recently, I just plugged the laptop into all my peripherals and haven't missed a beat.  I don't need the desktop anymore.  But here are the things I considered when buying it, which might help you.

Weight.  If you are traveling around a lot with it, that counts.  If you just want to move from room to room, it's not as important.  You pay more for small size.  Small size also means small screen.  It doesn't bother me, but some folks really like that big screen.

Keyboard and mouse.  Try the touch of the keyboards in a store.  For the mouse, there are many options.  I love the IBM "little red dot" trackpoint, but many people don't like it.  It's very personal, so try a few out.  You can always add an external mouse if you find the one that's built in doesn't please you, but all other features of the laptop are good.  Just one more thing to cart around, of course.

Memory.  I'd go for at least 512 of RAM.  I went to 1 GB because I do photo editing, but it's usually not needed.

Hard drive.  Get the biggest hard drive that you can.  It's so easy to fill it up.  I would also get an external drive for backups.  There are also differences in hard drive speed and you pay more for faster.  Not sure that is as important, except to compare two laptops that may have unexplained price differences.

There are also differences in how you attach peripherals, such as CD-ROM, DVD, battery size and life, wireless cards, # of ports (USB, firewire, etc).

Yeah, it's a lot of detail to decipher and decide!  I found that my best resources were over the phone when I was talking to the company that I was going to buy from.  I would talk directly to the manufacturer, such as Dell, Gateway, IBM/Lexmark, Apple, etc.  They were very patient in explaining everything and I asked a lot of questions.  I wouldn't trust anyone in a retail store to have the knowledge to do this.  They are just there to sell.  Talking to you in jargon is designed to impress, not to educate.  When someone does that to me, I ask question after question to get them to explain it, until they have to admit that they don't know the answer!    ;D

Susan

If you have more specific questions, let us know.  I'm sure there are many opinions and lots of advice here for you.
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Elena on November 05, 2006, 09:41:57 AM
Joyce, Melph, Susan, thank you so much.  You've given me a place to hang my hat when looking.  I'm especially interested in the Macbook since I have a Mac now, so I'd love to hear about your experiences with it.  Am going to check out OpenOffice, that's new to me too.  Hadn't thought to call around and talk to people that way.  You have all been so helpful, I feel a lot more confident about going forth and looking - I think I'll take a pair of earmuffs, just in case.
Elena   :D
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Caro on November 05, 2006, 03:48:05 PM
Hi Elena--

I have two laptops and love them both. The one I write on is the smaller, older one and I do nothing else with it but write.  It's just over 3 pounds. I bought it "reconditioned", so there's another thing to think about.  Never had a problem and it's been five years.  It's a Compaq. The other one is a tablet hybrid,  an expensive indulgence I really didn't need and rarely use.

Caro
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Ingrid on November 05, 2006, 05:17:22 PM
I made a note of Compaq.  Susan, what's the kind you love?  Light weight is good.  And Mouse is good.  I'm not used to the pad.

I need a present.

Ingrid
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Dave Freas on November 05, 2006, 05:30:46 PM
Santa graced me with a laptop (a Dell) for Christmas last year.  I'm very happy with the thing with 1 exception I'll get to.

Weight is about 6 Lb.  I upped the hard drive to 1 Gig and got a R/W (read/write) CD drive.  Haven't had a speck of trouble with it.  Took it on several road trips with no problems.  Battery life is good so far.

I'd reccommend getting a R/W CD drive.  I use mine to back-up my files monthly, burning them to a re-writeable CD.  For day to day back-up I use a 1 Gig Flashdrive, just plug it into a USB  port and 'save' to it like you would to a floppy.  If you plan to be on the move a lot, the flash drive is easier and more compact to use than an external hard drive.

The exception is the touch pad.  I have big hands and I'm forever stroking the thing by accident with the fleshy pad at the base of my thumb and making very weird things happen.  Thank God for the undo icon!!.

Just my 2/100 of a dollar.

Dave
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: B L McAllister on November 05, 2006, 06:35:25 PM
It should be possible to obtain and plug in an external mouse, though carrying it around could be kind of irritating.  I have no end of trouble when I try to use the keypad on my spouse's laptop, though she claims she's used to it and has no trouble at all.  Byron
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Susan August on November 05, 2006, 07:06:37 PM
I have a Thinkpad x60s.  BTW, for reviews of laptops, you can look at CNET...should be able to google 'laptop reviews' and it will show up.  I think the mouse preferences are mostly about whatever you are used to.  And if you just love that separate mouse, you can get an add on item.  The Thinkpads are a bit pricey, but we get an employee discount that made a big difference.  Also, if you don't get the latest and greatest model, the prices drop across the board.

Susan
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Daniel Hatadi on November 05, 2006, 07:49:11 PM
I'll second or third the notion of finding one that feels right. A writing laptop doesn't need to be particularly powerful or expensive. I've been using a 12" Powerbook for a year and a half and the keyboard and screen size are perfect for my purposes. And this is coming from a computer programmer that used to always want to be on the bleeding edge. :)

I plan to hold on my Powerbook until it dies because it's already been superseded by the Macbook, which now uses an Intel processor. The reason I mention this is because Microsoft Word hasn't been updated to run at full speed on the Intel Macs, so it actually runs slower than the current version does on my Powerbook. Not sure when Microsoft will update, probably some time in the first of of 2007. Something to consider.

I've also played around with Sony VAIOs and some of the new ones have some really excellent full size keyboards.

And yes, nothing is better than going in the store and trying things out.
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Elena on November 05, 2006, 10:56:36 PM
You are all being so helpful. I really appreciate it.  I don't quite have the stamina I used to have, so playing with hyperactive sales people in computer stores is very hard for me.  Having some ideas what I, as a writer, am looking for makes it so much easier.

I looked at the MacBook today since I am on an eMac, and as Daniel said, they have gone over to an Intel chip - one difficulty came up - they had no idea how compatible it might be with mine. 

Also looked at Open Office and they don't even support the now 'old' Macs, just the Intel.

Makes me concerned that Apple may not be supporting the Motorola Macs much longer.

However, Caro (good to hear from you) you gave me a great idea.  There is a place here that refurbishes Macs and may have one that is compatible with mine.  Something to look at.

I truly appreciate all your thoughts and am making copious notes.
Elena
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Michele Viney on November 06, 2006, 05:05:57 AM
Elena

Yes another Mac person! I have a little i-book for the past three years which I love. Small and portable and the battery life is pretty good too. But I would ensure that whatever you get has a write facility as well as read facility for CD's which what I use for backing up - very useful.

cheers
Michele
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Daniel Hatadi on November 06, 2006, 08:16:19 AM
Elena, I'm pretty sure most people on the Mac use NeoOffice rather than OpenOffice. It's a version that doesn't need the extra doo-hickey of X11 installed, so it runs quicker and cleaner.

It also supports both the Power PC and Intel chips. I use it for spreadsheets every so often, as I didn't want to fork out for Microsoft Office (only bought Word).

http://www.planamesa.com/neojava/en/index.php

In terms of the new Intel Macs, they should be compatible with any OS X program, it's just that programs that haven't been updated will run slower.

But how fast can you type anyway? :)
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Ingrid on November 06, 2006, 01:36:56 PM
Thanks, Susan.  It's the light weight that turns me on.  :)

Ingrid
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Susan August on November 06, 2006, 08:00:25 PM
Yes...it's so much fun to carry my laptop around...so light, like a toy!  So, if I want to write in my PJs in bed, I can just prop the coputer on my knees.   ::)  We just went wireless, too.  So, next summer, I'll be able to sit on the deck and still have internet access.  Aaah, sounds so nice as the temperature drops here.

Susan
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Lance Charnes on November 07, 2006, 03:58:41 PM
I have a Dell Inspiron that's been a workhorse for 2+ years, now.

Two things I'd do differently:
1. More USB ports. Everything uses them now, two just isn't enough.
2. CD-R/W. I got my laptop from Dell's scratch-and-dent section, so it came the way it was, no customization.

Always get built-in Wi-Fi. My Dell has a Centrino chipset, but there are other approaches. With hotspots and wireless networking becoming like pay phones used to be, there's no point in not getting it, or spending extra bucks for a PC-Card-based wireless LAN solution.

If you absolutely have to choose between hard drive capacity and memory, go for memory. You can work around a smaller hard drive; there's nothing you can do about a memory-challenged laptop.

If you're going to pack your laptop around, invest in a good case and especially a good strap (may not come as a package).
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Dave Freas on November 07, 2006, 05:21:19 PM

Two things I'd do differently:
1. More USB ports. Everything uses them now, two just isn't enough.

And you can get around that by picking up one of those things (can't think of the proper name for it) that's like an extension cord for USB ports--has a USB plug on one end and a block of 4 (or more) USB ports on the other.  I have one on my list for Santa.

Dave
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Susan August on November 07, 2006, 08:27:27 PM
It's a USB Hub.  I have 2 of them 'daisy-chained' on my laptop(12 total ports), even though I have 3 USB ports built-in!  When I travel, 3 ports are more than enough, but we've got a lot of 'stuff' connected at home.

Susan
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Dave Freas on November 07, 2006, 08:35:57 PM
Yes!  USB hub.  That's it!

Pardon my previous brain cramp.

Dave
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Susan August on November 07, 2006, 11:18:02 PM
Hope you find it under your tree at the holidays, Dave.
 ;D

Susan
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Charles King on November 08, 2006, 03:16:41 PM
I've owned three laptops, but have worked with several models--all pc versions. I have a strong bias against Compaqs. Sony, if you can swing the price tag is very good. Tobisiba is the brand I use and I have few complaints about them. Here are some tips though for buying and owning a laptop.

Many new models don't have an A-Drive, make sure yours does. This is important because if you go on vacation, or have an older desktop, you won't be able to transfer files via the CD-RW drives unless you upgrade the older unit.

Someone else said they use the laptop only for writing. I second this: A) because you can buy a far cheaper model if your needs are small, and B) keeping it off line will increase the life of the machine.

Batteries. Once you charge the battery, always take it out and put it back in only when you're working at a remote location. This will increase the life the battery because if you leave it in the machine(even when it's off) the battery will continue to drain, and become less and less effective faster. Too, with the money you save on buying a laptop you're only going to use for writing, buy an extra battery. I recommend buying them online because generally you'll save $ on the tax-free.

A good site to check out for all these things is: http://www.tigerdirect.com
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Susan August on November 08, 2006, 03:42:39 PM
Charles,
Can't really agree with you on the a: drive issue.  It just adds to the weight/size of the laptop.  I don't think I've used a diskette drive for at least 5 years, even on my desktop.  The new portable jump drives or USB drives are so cheap and handy that the diskette is pretty much history.  And a diskette is often too small to hold even one file if there are some graphics included.  I also didn't buy the CD-RW....too slow for me for back-ups, and when I need one to install software, I just connect through my router to the one on my husband's desktop...very neat trick that saved me money on the purchase.

I leave my battery in simply because it's annoying to remove it.  It is a good idea to have a backup battery, but I didn't buy one yet, since I usually can find an outlet to connect.  If I were on airlines a lot, as I once was, I would definitely get the extra battery.

Susan
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Elena on November 08, 2006, 08:48:55 PM
Thank you for your thoughts Charles, I have already converted all my diskettes to CD's.  Whether or not they are readable is unknown to me at this time, but my idea for a lap top is for new writing, not my old stuff.  And, definitely I just want it just for writing - my Mac is fine for internet access.

So, what would be your suggestions for a stable DC 3 type laptop?  Still the expensive Sony?  I agree with you about Compaq.

Susan, could you explain what you mean by a router?  Is this something that might work with my Mac?

Thanks everyone - I'm paying the price for not keeping up with technology - sigh, :-\
Elena
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Jonathon on November 09, 2006, 05:23:33 AM

The exception is the touch pad.  I have big hands and I'm forever stroking the thing by accident with the fleshy pad at the base of my thumb and making very weird things happen.  Thank God for the undo icon!!.

Just my 2/100 of a dollar.

Dave

I finally got my second hand Acer working.  It turned out the words that jumped to different lines as I typed was caused by a loose connection between the keyboard and motherboard.  I still have odd happenings like new documents popping up when I know I haven't hit Control N, but further investigation showed that was caused when I brushed the touch pad when my cursor had drifted down to the bottom task bar thingie (near start) so I was opening new Word documents.  Now that I carefully place the cursor up in the top, I can type without problems.

I don't know if being mindful of your cursor will help you, Dave, but you might want to give it a shot.

Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Susan August on November 09, 2006, 10:13:13 AM
On routers:

Just to provide context so you understand the role of the router, we are connected to the internet by a cable modem.  If you have DSL, then you would have a DSL modem, so essentially it's the same.  Then, we connect a router to the modem, which allows us to connect multiple computers to the modem, so everyone in the house can be on the internet at the same time.  In our case, that used to mean that everyone had to plug in to the router, until recently when I switched to a wireless router.   You can think of it as providing the "route" for signals to go out to multiple places, though it is pronounced like "out", not like "root".

Now, once you have the router with everybody attached (wireless or wired), you can create a home network.  This means that I can work on my computer, but I still have access to everything on my husband's or daughters' computers, as long as they give me permission.  So, we can share printers, our scanner, CD and DVD drives and even specific files.  And now that we are wireless, I can send something to print from my deck or bedroom and it will print on the printer in our study.  If my husband wants some help with a document he created, since I'm the graphics guru at home, he just marks the file to give me permission to edit it.  Then I can make the changes for him without ever taking it off his computer.

And the neat thing is that this wireless router I just bought cost only $40.  You can spend a lot more, but this seems to work just fine.  If you have only one computer, of course, it is not of any use, but it sure beats buying a new printer and additional CD or DVD drives for each computer.

Hope that helps explain things a bit.

Susan
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Elena on November 09, 2006, 08:49:40 PM
Thank you, all is clear - it's like setting up your own network at home.  You're right, there's just one of me, the cats haven't taken to using the computers yet, so my mind wasn't going that way.

And, after taking notes on all the good wisdom everyone gave me, and doing some other researching on the topic, headed for the local computer shop today and promptly fell in love with an iMac.  Sigh - living with me can be a challenge!

Elena
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Michele Viney on November 10, 2006, 05:41:53 AM
Elena

So happy that you found a computer that you fell in love with. I too had an iMac and loved it, even though it was bright green! ::)

I only moved to using a laptop when it became obvious that as part of my job I would have to be more mobile. Although I know a First Assistant Director who used to lug his iMac with him on jobs. As long as there was a power source he was happy :o

May you have long and happy hours writing on your new computer.

Michele
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Susan August on November 10, 2006, 07:36:08 AM
Congrats, Elena.  The important thing is that you found what you wanted and it sounds like you have.  BTW, our cats are very avid computer-philes.  They pounce on keyboards at inappropriate moments and sleep behind my monitor, where they have a window view.  In the days before thin screens, they sometimes climbed on top of the monitor and chased the mouse on the screen.   :) :) :) :)

Susan
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Alice on November 10, 2006, 10:40:42 AM
Susan,

Your beautifully clear explanation for Elena solved some lingering questions for me.  Thank you!
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Charles King on November 13, 2006, 11:46:10 AM
My thinking was to create a writing laptop, which to my mind means few bells or whistles, no internet, no games, etc. Going out and buying an old used laptop for 500 bucks would serve this purpose-- hence the A drive (my main files are on CD as well, though I still have hundreds of floppy disks around). Just put a program like Word on it and go from there. I've been out of the market for about three years now as I'm happy with what I've got, so battery info and the like might be outdated as the tech keeps improving. ... Oh, one other place to buy these things-- and I shudder to admit that I've used it once or twice-- Home Shopping Network. They really have great deals on Desktops and laptops-- huge bells and whistles and complete packages come with them and you do save money with their deals. With the PCs you can always change the specs once they arrive, adding memory, etc..

Charles  8)


Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Joyce S on November 13, 2006, 04:40:20 PM
An alternative to a laptop comes from Alphasmart. I only know this through NaNoWriMo, with which the Alphasmart company teamed up to offer loaner laptops to NaNo'ers.

They sound interesting, but I have no experience with the brand. Here's the URL:

http://www.alphasmart.com/individual/index.html

Joyce S
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Dave Freas on November 13, 2006, 05:14:22 PM
An alternative to a laptop comes from Alphasmart. I only know this through NaNoWriMo, with which the Alphasmart company teamed up to offer loaner laptops to NaNo'ers.

They sound interesting, but I have no experience with the brand. Here's the URL:

http://www.alphasmart.com/individual/index.html

Joyce S

I have an AlphaSmart (the 3000--an older model) and, even with the laptop, still use it fairly often.  It's basically a laptop word processor and nothing more, but it's great for quickly jotting down ideas or hammering out rough drafts.

Pros:  It's light (about 3 Lbs).  It goes about 700 hours on 3 AAA batteries (I've had mine 3 years and am only on my 4th set of batteries).  It's durable (I've lost count of the number of times I've dropped it).  It's easy to use (turn it on and you're ready to go.  No waiting to boot up.).  Transfer of data from it to your computer is just a matter of connecting the two with a cable and hitting the send key on the AlphaSmart.  It's not expensive (Mine was under $200.  Newer models are more expensive.).

Cons:  A fixed spellchecker (you can't add words to it.  Proper names drive it nuts.).  No special fonts such as italics and underlined.  A display that shows only 4 lines at a time.  A limit of around 12.5 pages in each of its 8 files.  I understand newer models have corrected some of these minor shortcomings, and that's all they are--minor shortcomings.

If all you're looking for is a basic word processor, you can't go wrong with an AlphaSmart.

JMHO

Dave
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Kathy Wendorff on November 13, 2006, 10:39:21 PM
I love my Alphie. The spellchecker and lack of formatting aren't  problems for me, because I don't bother with that stuff til the text has been downloaded to a Word file. The 4-line screen is a boon when writing a first draft -- keeps me from compulsively rewriting the first half of the page.

It's not much good for editing, but it's a handy thing to throw in a big purse and type first drafts, letters, lists, whatever in spare moments, because it powers up and shuts down so quickly.

Kathy W.
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: linda on November 14, 2006, 01:55:01 PM
I have an older Alphasmart also and I love it.  Because it's not as expensive as a laptop, I don't feel bad about taking it with me where ever I go.  I've taken it on camping trips, to the park, to the mall and restaurants, to my daughter's softball games, and so on.  It's hard to break, it goes forever on a charge (I have the rechargeable batteries) and it's not going to break your piggy bank.

I'm on my second keyboard for the thing.  I asked the company about repairing a sticking "b" key and they sent me a completely new keyboard to replace the one I had. 

Obviously, I like the Alphasmart and the company.

Linda
Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: Jonathon on September 11, 2011, 01:09:25 PM
I just bought a new HP Pavilion laptop and I love it.  The great thing about this touch pad-- which I tend to brush with my left palm and scroll down--is that it turns off.  What a good feature.

It is a 15.5" so the screen is big enough to work on, when I set Word to Zoom, Text size, and the keyboard has everything where I'm used to.  The left shift key is smaller that the right, but most sentences begin with words on the left side of the keyboard, so that doesn't matter so much.

This is a business machine, not a gaming machine, so it doesn't have a super duper video card, but at the same time it's great for watching videos or DVDs.

The hard drive is way bigger than what I had on my old machine, it's smarter, faster, and I can take it into the living room when it gets so hot I can't live without the AC.  During the last heat wave, by the time I booted up my old computer, I was too hot to use it.

Wireless internet.  Wow, I love it.  You can go into the library or a cafe and (with the proper code) go online and check your mail.  Sweet.

If you have a person who knows computers around, take them.  Even though Will and I checked online to know the best deals and the best computer for me, I still took him along to the store.  Good thing, too, because the computer I chose was sold out. The salesman wanted me to buy it's big brother beside it.  My son said, "At the same sale price, sure thing."  And it worked!  Even though this machine was listed for $100 more.

So, yeah, take a computer savvy person with you.

Jon



Title: Re: Thoughts about laptops wanted.
Post by: tholepin on December 26, 2016, 06:39:04 AM
(I read the warning, but I'm a clinical list ethnologist deep down.) I find the Macbook air laptop coupled with the Scrivener writing program a comfortable platform. Lots of battery time as well.

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