soliciting writing advice
Oct. 1st, 2008 11:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
zanzjanMy laptop died, and it's killed my ability to get any writing done. My old laptop also weighed close to 10 lbs, which greatly interfered with me taking it anywhere else to write with even when it was working.
So, I'm looking at buying a new laptop. I want something lighter, and I refuse to run Windows Vista. I'm looking at basically two models: the Lenovo IdeaPad S10, and the Lenovo 3000 N200.
The differences: the Ideapad is a "notebook", smaller than a full-size laptop, weighs around 3lbs. No CD/DVD drive. Keyboard is smaller than usual. The 3000 N200 is a full-size laptop, weighs 6 1/2 lbs, has the CD/DVD and all that comes with a regular laptop. Battery on Ideapad lasts two to three times as long. I could put linux on either if I wanted to, but both currently come with XP which is not especially objectionable. Price difference is about $120, which is for the purposes of this purchase fairly insignificant. Both are reasonable in terms of hard drive, cpu speed, i/o, etc.; since all I want to be able to do is run Word, I don't need massive power. The lighter weight of the notebook really appeals to me, but realistically even the 3000 N200 is significantly lighter than my old dead Dell. (Dell also makes a mini but it appears to be distinctly inferior.)
So, the question I don't have an answer to is, if I got the Ideapad, would I be more encouraged to take it places and write? Or would I regret not having all the other bells & whistles of the regular laptop? Anyone out there in FLland using a mini laptop for writing or other tasks and want to weigh in on how useful they've found it?
So, I'm looking at buying a new laptop. I want something lighter, and I refuse to run Windows Vista. I'm looking at basically two models: the Lenovo IdeaPad S10, and the Lenovo 3000 N200.
The differences: the Ideapad is a "notebook", smaller than a full-size laptop, weighs around 3lbs. No CD/DVD drive. Keyboard is smaller than usual. The 3000 N200 is a full-size laptop, weighs 6 1/2 lbs, has the CD/DVD and all that comes with a regular laptop. Battery on Ideapad lasts two to three times as long. I could put linux on either if I wanted to, but both currently come with XP which is not especially objectionable. Price difference is about $120, which is for the purposes of this purchase fairly insignificant. Both are reasonable in terms of hard drive, cpu speed, i/o, etc.; since all I want to be able to do is run Word, I don't need massive power. The lighter weight of the notebook really appeals to me, but realistically even the 3000 N200 is significantly lighter than my old dead Dell. (Dell also makes a mini but it appears to be distinctly inferior.)
So, the question I don't have an answer to is, if I got the Ideapad, would I be more encouraged to take it places and write? Or would I regret not having all the other bells & whistles of the regular laptop? Anyone out there in FLland using a mini laptop for writing or other tasks and want to weigh in on how useful they've found it?
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Date: 2008-10-01 05:47 pm (UTC)My Tablet PC (from 2004) doesn't have a CD/DVD drive either. I haven't missed having one all. When I'm not at home, I never do anything that requires the CD/DVD drive. However, I do have a USB DVD drive that I keep at home. I plug it for those rare cases when I have to install software (or reinstall the operating system) from CD/DVD. That's about the only reason why I use the DVD drive with the laptop. (e.g., I don't watch movies or the like on my laptop.)
I use my laptop for a limited number of things: writing, web browsing, Chinese handwriting recognition, annotating PDFs (and playing bridge). It wasn't considered all that computationally powerful in 2004. It doesn't have a CD/DVD drive. And that's ok. (However, it's a full sized 12.1" laptop. So it has a full sized keyboard and a high density display. 1440x1050)
The difference between 3lbs and 6lbs is huge. (Yes, I realize you're coming from 10lbs.) If you find yourself carrying the laptop around a lot, you will likely notice the difference. If you don't need the extra computing power, you might as well spend your money on something that's lighter with longer battery life. (Again, test drive the keyboard first.)
Having said that, what I discovered about myself is that unless it fits in my pocket, I won't be encouraged to take it with me anywhere. I own a Newton. It's useless for web browsing, but it's a pleasure to write and edit with. (The handwriting recognition works surprisingly well.) It's about the size of a VHS cassette and weighs two pounds. Despite being so small and light, I still don't take it with me anywhere. My moleskine notebook, OTOH, fits in my pocket and it's always with me.
However, that's me. I know people who take their full sized laptops where ever they go. Certainly, I know people who swear by their mini-notebook.
If you're only ever going to use the laptop for writing, I don't think you'll miss the bells and whistles. Or at least I haven't yet. However, you may want to make sure that you either never have to install anything from disc, or have access to an external DVD drive when you need it. If the keyboard works for you, giving up some computational power which you weren't going to use anyway in favor of a lighter computer with longer battery life is really tempting. (Again, try out the keyboard.)