I have never given serious thought to getting one. I have a nice desktop, I am thinking, what need have I for a laptop? I may have thought about it in passing, I guess, but nothing I have ever really said: gee, I must have one of those.
Remember that I grew up without computers, for the younger generation. Schools weren't filled with them, the internet didn't exist and cellphones were a figment of a Star Trek type of imagination. No, really: the internet has not always been around, trust me, it hasn't.
Today, while sitting in the semi for 2 hours waiting for a contractor to actually stop the other stuff he was doing and get to what he wanted me to do, which was move pipe from once location to another, I was writing up a list for the things I will need - and yes - want - for the trailer when I finally get it up north and have it up and functioning.
Internet access. I will want it. I mean, I will spend a lot of time hiking in the woods up there with the dogs, oh most definitely. I have ALWAYS loved the mountains and the allure of it. Umm, on a sidenote: I won't be going unarmed. Now I will be having a holstered 40 caliber SW40VE Sigma at my side. I have been challenged by numerous animals in the forest in the past, including a very large elk that was mad that I scared her partner off; a mountain lion that stalked me for well over an hour; javelina and coyotes to name a few. The idea of having something to defend yourself - even if you have no intention of using the firearm unless actually, physically, attacked, is quite appealing. Although,I'm not sure that gun would stop a mountain lion in it's tracks and definitely not a giant elk unless the bullet hit perfectly - like in the heart.
I stopped on that one, the laptop that is. Not the mountain hiking. I have always taken the risk of hiking even though I know there are all kinds of wild animals out there - usually they run off and don't bother you if you do happen upon them.
My thoughts? Why am I running around all over the place, sitting frequently for 30 minutes up to 2 hours and sometimes even longer, without a laptop and an aircard to access the internet? I mean, this idea of having a laptop in the mountains for internet access barely scratches the surface once I started thinking about it. I could be doing all kinds of stuff on the internet. There is absolutely nothing else I can do when sitting at a construction site waiting to get unloaded.
This gave validity to this idea of getting an aircard at around $50 to $60 per month and getting rid of this texting phone. I am not in love with texting, I have found out, and I never will be. I can deal with it, but it's not my first choice of communication. Talking on the phone is MUCH faster. Writing an email on a regular keyboard is a hundred times faster than trying to use my rather large fingers on these very small keys in typing out a message.
Yes, I will gladly give up the texting phone to get a laptop computer to have something to do while out on the road during lagtime. Indeed, yes yes yes.
Oh, just one caveat: Laptops aren't exactly cheap. Black Friday and beyond or even before that are all kinds of "Christmas deals" to be found. I just balk, btw, seeing huge, fake Christmas tree and ornaments/lights/etc. displays set up at - everywhere? In OCTOBER? YES, I KNOW it is November, but this stuff starting showing up LAST MONTH. Christmas is meaningless to so many people nowadays. Or conversely, it is a depressing time for families that have nothing and haven't figured out that - giving expensive gifts isn't the point. It is nice, yes, but if you don't have the money, it doesn't matter.
Whatever. Another goal now: get a laptop, preferably not a cheap piece of junk. Minimum memory is mandatory.
4 comments:
I think you saw BG's tablet, which can frankly do most of the things her laptop does and is much smaller and easier to carry.
I would be very wary of claims of how well an aircard will work at your Mom's property UNTIL you see one working there. And mine had a five Gig monthly limit and when you passed that, it get too slow to do anything.
f
It was six years ago this month that I got my verizon internet wireless card, which plugs into a USB port and purports to give you internet access. And in places, it does. We found in Dixie it worked in some rooms of a house and not others. And when we hit the Texas border, it died till Dallas, came back to life and then died again just before Almost West Texas.
When it is working 'well', connect speeds for downloads are in the realm of 700kbps. This will enable you to blog and maybe share photos, but videos are going to be questinable.
So I would begin by looking at the coverage maps the various providers show you, and if it shows your Mom is in a fringe, or marginal area, believe it! I would be very upfront with the sales staff as to where and how you intend to use it. You can literally spend thousands on a laptop, but it is useless if the card won't work where you want to use it.
Thanks for the info/advice Fin, I was going to look at the maps, actually, and see what kind of coverage there is. I received internet service on my Cricket phone last time I was up there which is the only reason I had any hope that perhaps it might work - but I definitely don't want to get drawn into some 2 year commitment to a plan if it isn't going to work up there, that's for sure.
However, it would definitely work around town, if nothing else.
ben
I have:
Two Desktops, one with dual monitors.
One Iphone4
One Galaxy S2
Two laptops with Win7
My advice?
A laptop and an Iphone. I'm on the GD things all day but can't live without the laptop.
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