Laptop advice - please help!!

[fionah]

Ok, I know next to nothing about technology, so bear with me! If I bought a laptop to use at home, just to type word documents on and not to use for the internet, would I still have to have it plugged into one of those computer telephone line things? Thankyou!!

[LeMarchand]

If all you are doing is using it as a word processor, no. If you want to send the document somewhere from that computer (either as a fax or email), then yes. (Assuming the laptop is the only bit of PC type kit you have @ home).

[gilf]

No. I assume a computer telephone line thing is a network slot which I'm guessing your using at work. The answer is no you dont need to have a connection to use word or most other things for that matter. Having said that the internet is being linked into software much more than it used to be, for help file and resgistration etc. But yes its no problem to have a laptop and new connect it to the internet or network.

[fionah]

so all I would have to do it charge the thing up every now and again? do laptops tend to include things like Word and MS Office in them already, or would those be extra things that I'd have to buy? Can anyone recommend a decent laptop/notebook for a novice like me that isn't massively expensive? Thankyou!

[LeMarchand]

Not sure what the battery life is on current laptops, but I suspect that you'd be better off using the mains power where possible. (You can usually pick up a spare power supply so you can have one at work and one at home). As for software, it depends on what laptop you buy. It would probably be better to get one that runs the same version of Windows and Office that you use at work pre-installed. It would be cheaper to get a laptop without Office, but if you are a novice, you don't really want to mess about with compatability issues between home and work. Office cost as small fortune, so if you get a computer that you need to install it onto remember to factor in the cost. As for recommendations, my laptop still runs Win 98, so you'd batter wait for someone with a more up to date system to recommend one. Having used a tiny Vaio, I would say make sure that whatever you buy has the CD and floppy drives built in - it's a pain in the a** having to connect them up when you need them. I would recommend getting one with a CD writer, and getting a decent case for the whole lot. Basically, go for the highest spec you can afford: a) It'll be out of date by the time you've paid at the till, so you might as well get the "newest" laptop you can and b) You'll find that once you start using the laptop, you'll rapidly grow in confidence and if you've only got a low-level machine, you'll kick yourself. If you are absolutely positive that word processing is all you'll ever do (and this will be pretty unlikely when you find out all the cool things you CAN do), you might be able to get away with a low end machine.

[j2buttonsw]

How about a Compaq EVO from PC World (Compaq 2138). It has a fast processor, lots of memory and hard disk space, Windows XP, Microsoft Works, a DVD/CD burner combo and all for �800!

[romano]

if all you're wanting is to write word documents, why go to the expense of a laptop? why not go for a PDA? Smaller, cheaper and more versatile if that's all you want to use it for... COMPAQ IPAQ H3950 in Comet �300 v good write up in Which magazine. You wld need a suitable keyboard as well but they are great fun and very usuable.

[fionah]

This is great!! I've looked on the Comet website and I see what you mean about these PDA machines (it looks like a cool toy!), but I s'pose what I'm really after is basically something with a floppy disk drive so that I can work on something at work, save it on the desk then work on it at home aswell - would the Compaq EVO be more suitable for the things I need?

[romano]

i may be wrong, but you shld be able to connect the PDA to your work PC download the stufff you want and off you go! Plus, there are loads of cool gadgets for saving files on, doesn't have to be a floppy disc anymore.

[LeMarchand]

Just my personal opinion, but I would go down the laptop route rather than the PDA route. That said, I have a PC, laptop AND PDA! PDA's are great for portability (I take mine with me wherever I go), but not as convenient to type on. Also some companies get a bit funny about you installing your own software on their machines (which you would need to do to copy files from your work PC to your PDA), so check it's allowed first. If you buy your laptop from PC World, a word of warning: they will do their utmost to sell you an extended guarantee (apparently they make little money from selling you the hardware, and most of their profit is in selling aftercare). I have tried many times to get them to fix faults on my laptop, and the guarantee doesn't seem to be worth the paper it's written on. I gather other people have had the same problem. It may be that I have just been unlucky, though.

[romano]

it really does all depend on how much you are going to be typing and I agree with LeMarchand's remarks. But �700 (cheapest laptop) is a lot of money for a word processor!

[fionah]

Yeah I know, and eventually I'm sure I'll succumb to the internet and CD burning and whatever else you can do with these marvellous machines, but it's primarily an issue of space in my flat that has led me to think about getting a laptop, unless anyone knows of a PC that's teeny tiny or folds away or something??

[romano]

This is a work of art! http://www.apple.com/uk/imac/

[LeMarchand]

The new macs are very pretty, but I'm not sure that they're the best way to go considering nearly every office in the land is PC based!

[romano]

probably not, I used to be a Mac user until I got fed up not being able to read half my emails from PC users! But Mac is definately a better operating system, better designed machines and really the imac is stunning! Didn't there used to be word processors that looked just like typewriters?

[fionah]

that Imac really is quite lovely, and if I had that sort of money to chuck about i have to say it's probably the kind of thing I'd really like, but my budget is a little more restricted than that! i used to have a electronic typewriter that was actually quite cool - it had a little screen so you could preview what you were typing before pressing "return", and I also used to have one of those Amstrad PCW word processors that saw me through college, but it was a bit frustrating coz I couldn't even do anything to change the font, let alone anything really fancy! i just need something a little higher up on the technology food chain now!! Any suggestions for a poor man's Imac?

[romano]

http://www.dabs.com/products/prod-info.asp?quickli
nx=2MYCKK&refererid=KK This is the cheapest laptop I've found