Time for a new Laptop

I'll state for the record, that I am not a Mac fan, and I am more comfortable in Windows, however, if your app can/will run on a Mac you will find that you can raise the lid on a Mac and be awake, connected, and running in 5 seconds, every time ... a Windows laptop that is not "fresh and clean" may take a full minute or more to wake from sleep mode, reload all devices, networks, anti-virus software, drivers, etc and have enough free time-slices to let you "begin working".

But, I would look at Asus or Toshiba, and an AMD quad-core, or at least an I3 intel if you can't go Mac Book. Also, in a mobile environment, if you can afford it, look for the newer Solid State Drives as opposed to the standard disk drives. They are more durable, consume less battery power, and boots up the OS a little faster and if you're a gamer, you'll probably find your data intensive games boot up a lot faster.

I chased storms the last 3 years and got tired of the long waits on PC laptops to "wake up", connect, and give me a new radar loop, bought a Mac and never looked back. Plus, if you're handy with computers and coding, you can download Mac developer software for free and build your own custom Mac apps for logging and trip database app (that is also IPhone compatible) and perhaps sell them at some point. But the same could be said of Windows, too.

 

I use to be a HP fan until my deal with HP support. They screwed me on a warranty repair.

I recently bought a Dell Inspirion 560 with a Intel Dual Core E6700 @ 3.2GHz, 6 GB RAM and I'm tickled by it's performance. Technology grows everyday. Windows 7 is pretty cool.

I'm also a fan of Pentium Processors. That last HP had a AMD and was part of the problem. While my laptop was in the shop I bought an Acer netbook with all intentions of keeping as a back up. It was a piece of junk and I took it back. Sony is good, but you pay for the name.

I'm convinced all the customer services suck. Once they got you hooked, you will be talking with someone in India for hours trying to decipher what they say.

If you are wanting to try a new brand I would also say Toshiba or Asus with an Intel.

Newegg.com is a pretty cool computer site. But as a trucker, there is a good availability buying online at Walmart.com than what they offer in the store. You have a month I think to return it, no questions asked.

 

Why not get an external drive? They are about $50 for 500gb. So, if your laptop goes you lose nothing.


You might also think about if you have a home network off a modem to invest in PogoPlug and leave a drive sitting at your house.


You can access this "home" drive via the internet cloud and you can do your backups this way. That way if your spouse is at home they can access your "OTR" records too so you do not have to wait till you get home. I have 3 - 2 tb's, 1 - 650 gb off mine.


PogoPlug is about $100 and storage is free. They are many others Cloud services, but I like PogoPlug because the information is on a hard drive at my house and not on a server somewhere.

If you have a home computer that you leave on you can also use DropBox. The computers are "linked", so if you change your files the other computer gets updated at the same time. You get a couple of GB for free.

Too many services available for an OTR driver to take the chance of losing files on the road. Cloud services keep your backups off the truck so if anything happens you can access your files and not lose the data.


Contact me if you want more details.

Mark

 

I just bought a Samsung with and I3 for 499. So far so good. Best buy.

 

I'm a Sony Viao fan. I got one in '03 and never looked back.

 

I side with the Macbook Air. Has a 250 GB solid state drive, so no spinning drive that can ruin a head or platter if bounced the wrong way. Virtually instant on after sleep. 12 second boot up from a total shutdown. No need for such things like hard drive utilities that defrag. Real light (just under 3 lb) and easy to haul around and has a great battery life and also has a backlit keyboard that is one of the best I have seen. The screen is 1440x900 resolution on a 13", yet it is clearer and easier to see and view than my previous 15" Windows laptop, even in daylight in my cab. Apple has always been at or near the top of the pack when it comes to screens. And it works and plays well with others. And if you have a real need to do so, you can run Windows either from a boot up or right inside OS X as a window along side of other windows you have open. Also nice that, just like the iPhone or Android devices, the Mac has an app store you can get a broad range of apps specific to something you are wanting to do and very reasonable prices, and there is a lot of software I use that I got legally for free. The days of having to buy a DVD in a box to get a program are virtually over.

 

Kwantz, are you speaking of the Air model or the Pro model? I have the Air and cooling is not even an issue. It never gets more than just slightly warm. Sure you can get components cheaper in another unit, but can you also get a major operating system upgrade for under $30? Not with Windows. But I got OS X Lion, complete, downloaded and installed for under 30 bucks. And Apple provides a lot of really good programs with the system that one would have to pay extra for with a Windows machine. I have ripped DVD's to the laptop while doing other things and there has been no heating up of the unit.

True, you pay a little more, but I have been using laptops since the first one, the Radio Shack Model 100, came on the scene. And I have found my Air to be the best by far. It isn't about just the components, it is the entire experience. And Apple does a real good job of making things work. Just by linking into my home network, it found the HP printer on the desktop, automatically downloaded the required driver for it, and had it up and running in ONE click on the touchpad for the total process to select it as the one I wanted to use. Automatically recognized everything on my home network upon firing it up the first time, and migrated the files I wanted put on the laptop. And it automatically syncs the files I select across my desktop, iPhone, iPod, etc and automatically backs up itself on the network drive. A moron could look like a pro with this thing.

Windows is not bad, but there is not a version of Windows, to date, that provides the easy to use out of the box experience of Mac OS X. One can pinch pennies, and there is nothing wrong with that, but you do get what you pay for with the Macbook Air. And there is no other laptop with the Air capability that offers the battery life before recharge like the Air. I have no beef if anyone wants to buy a Windows unit that fits their game. But to just dismiss the Macbook based on preconceived perceptions is a little myopic. At least with the Air, or any other Apple product, you can go to a Apple Store and put one thru its paces before laying out the cash. And one has to factor that into the experience as well. The Apple Stores are a very unique experience. But when buying one, go online to Mac Mall or one of the other Apple outlets. At least you can avoid the sales tax and the shipping is free.

One thing I have found with most who have given the Mac a try..... Once you do Mac, you won't go back. Even I didn't try Apple for a long time based on cost issues I thought were too high and I thought I could do better with another brand. Once I gave the Mac a try, I threw those ideas aside.