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Laptop Replaced
Hearing no objections to the contrary but more than a few people curious about it once I test-drove the model, I purchased the Asus EEE laptop mentioned yesterday for $370 (taxes included):
So far, I've installed the current round of Microsoft XP patches, Office 2003, a Cisco VPN client, an anti-viral package and most of the square dance stuff I need. The anti-virus full system scan is still in progress as I write this.
Initial impressions:
The machine is speedy enough for my general office usage. Apps load promptly and the machine feels very responsive. The lack of a CD/DVD drive hasn't been an issue since I could use our home network to reach drives on other machines. While there is still much I need to do with the box to evaluate it fully, I'm optimistic. At the low price and light weight, this is a great road warrior netbook.
On the down side, there are two significant gotchas which could trip up the unwary: the keyboard and the screen.
The keyboard itself feels nice and not so small that I can't type my normal speed. The snag is that the right shift key down in the bottom right is a half-inch further right than I would expect: in effect, the up-arrow/page-up key is where most people would expect to find the shift key. I can retrain myself on this, but it's a nuisance.
The LCD screen is more problematic. The best resolution is a funky 1024x600 ratio, giving one much less vertical space than normal for a PC. This isn't a big issue for me for most things but it is throwing off my Internet browsing a little, forcing me to page down more often than normal. One can select a more common 1024x768 resolution but the laptop's LCD screen effectively becomes a window onto a larger virtual desktop, forcing one to scroll down the entire PC workspace to find the tool bar at the bottom. Odd. (One can escape all of this by using an external monitor, of course... the output port is available.) Photos, graphics and video are definitely contraindicated for this machine --indeed almost any netbook-- although the office apps I'm interested in will be fine.
So far, I've installed the current round of Microsoft XP patches, Office 2003, a Cisco VPN client, an anti-viral package and most of the square dance stuff I need. The anti-virus full system scan is still in progress as I write this.
Initial impressions:
The machine is speedy enough for my general office usage. Apps load promptly and the machine feels very responsive. The lack of a CD/DVD drive hasn't been an issue since I could use our home network to reach drives on other machines. While there is still much I need to do with the box to evaluate it fully, I'm optimistic. At the low price and light weight, this is a great road warrior netbook.
On the down side, there are two significant gotchas which could trip up the unwary: the keyboard and the screen.
The keyboard itself feels nice and not so small that I can't type my normal speed. The snag is that the right shift key down in the bottom right is a half-inch further right than I would expect: in effect, the up-arrow/page-up key is where most people would expect to find the shift key. I can retrain myself on this, but it's a nuisance.
The LCD screen is more problematic. The best resolution is a funky 1024x600 ratio, giving one much less vertical space than normal for a PC. This isn't a big issue for me for most things but it is throwing off my Internet browsing a little, forcing me to page down more often than normal. One can select a more common 1024x768 resolution but the laptop's LCD screen effectively becomes a window onto a larger virtual desktop, forcing one to scroll down the entire PC workspace to find the tool bar at the bottom. Odd. (One can escape all of this by using an external monitor, of course... the output port is available.) Photos, graphics and video are definitely contraindicated for this machine --indeed almost any netbook-- although the office apps I'm interested in will be fine.
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Thanks
BTW: Very good to see you last night. Have fun this weekend.
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We were only able to do about 3 hours of tutorial, and we're now doing checking back and forth over the phone to see what's what and eventually we'll get her going. The box said easy-to-use, and I tend to agree.
This is to get a middle-aged woman in an abusive relationship to connect with the world after several years; I say yeah.
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http://www.zetronix.com/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=62&osCsid=33113d852a328e0a95e314033ec1042f
You don't need to SEE the dancers do you?
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When I see a square stumble or struggle, I have a tendency too adjust my calling level or speed downwards to match. That's fine with newbies but with more expeienced dancers, I should keep up my pace for the benefit of the rest of the floor, trusting the struggling dancers will find their way in the short term and possibly work on their skills in the long term.
The 3D glasses look neat. If you get a pair, let me know... I'd love to test-drive them without blowing huge amounts of $$$. :-)