Probing for Portables
- by Nicole Eardley
- Published on 7/19/06
- Article views: 734
I don't know about you but I think laptops are primarily for the young. Oh, yeah, I have one and there are times that I just don't know what I'd do without it but I really hate the thing. I really do. You see, I'm - well, let's just say I won't see forty again and leave it at that. I'm part of the set that thinks a computer is about word processing and Internet research. My son cringes every time he sees me find the exact site and pages I need for a project and then print out the several pages so I can curl up in my easy chair with my cup of coffee to peruse my hard copy.
I just can't study from the screen. I am totally adverse to sitting at a computer workstation and reading, reading, reading. And I can't imagine chatting online. I work on the thing day in and day out. It's not my entertainment and certainly not my toy. My son on the other hand watches movies from his computer. He'll sit there totally absorbed in the screen from credit roll to final scene.
What do I hate so much about laptops? Mostly I think it's the keyboard. I learned to type 80 wpm in high school. I was a woman of the sixties. I was supposed to type. And type I did. But when I sit down at my laptop and try to reproduce at that speed I get nothing but gobbledygook. The keys are too small, my fingers too fat. And where on earth is the number pad that's supposed to be on the right side?
Make sure you have a minimum of three ports, to accommodate a number of peripherals such as printers, cameras and external floppy drives or modems. The number of ports you need depends on the internal features of your laptop as well as your own need for peripherals. Obviously, if you have an internal modem you don't need a port for an external one. But if you have only a CD drive and copy to floppy on your PC at home, for the two to talk to each other you're going to need an external floppy drive on your laptop. For this you'll need a port. Be cognizant also of the types of ports. Your old mouse may connect by parallel port, but the newest versions require USB connection.
Make sure you have an internal modem and fax rather than external. And if you're shopping for a brand new laptop the wireless feature is terrific. Many places, such as RV and other resorts are totally Wi-Fi capable now. If you're used to a traditional mouse do play around with several versions of mice available on laptops. Some will drive you crazy until you get used to them. See if you're most comfortable with trackball, touch pad or trackpoint. While you're checking that, play with that keyboard. So much smaller than a PC keyboard, you may have difficulty typing accurately with some. Try several.
The final things you'll want to compare are the software and the warranty. Major software programs such as Windows are almost always included in brand new systems, but do check. Especially if buying used. You can spend many hundreds of dollars on Microsoft Office and the latest Windows version if you don't have a version that you can upgrade.
Nicole Eardley is the webmaster and owner of
Laptops Cases which is an excellent
place to find laptops links, resources
and articles. For more information go to:
http://www.laptopscases.com/.
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I don't know about you but I think laptops are primarily for the young. Oh, yeah, I have one and there are times that I just don't know what I'd do without it but I really hate the thing. I really do. You see, I'm - well, let's just say I won't see forty again and leave it at that. I'm part of the set that thinks a computer is about word processing and Internet research.
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