ATI laptop tips

[DanFlasar at aol.com]

These are very good questions, Alicia, but a little more information on  
your needs is needed to give the best advice.
     First, how much usable vision do you have?   If you have no vision, 
then the quality of the screen and it's 
size is not an issue but depending on what you can do visually will make a  
big difference in what kinds
of display and capabilities you need to have.
     What course of study will you be in?  Needs  are greater for science 
and math software than for work
in the humanities.
      What use of the Internet will you need  primarily?  Reading sources 
on-line or a lot of uploading and
downloading of large files?
     Of course using a laptop is not all work all  the time - do you plan 
to watch movies on the device at
times or play music?   
      Wireless connection is becoming ubiquitous  across the country, 
particularly in the cities.  Most libraries
offer wireless service, as well as coffeehouses both chains and  
independents.  Most laptops have integrated
wireless capabilities.  Though wi-fi connection can be slow, it  shouldn't 
be a problem for reading and small
downloads and uploads.  For those times you're not in a wireless  
environment, you can download
what you need beforehand and just work standalone.
 
     How much have you budgeted for  your laptop?
     Include in this the cost of software.    In many cases, your college 
bookstore will offer significant dis-
counts on important packages like Windows Professional.  You have to  be a 
registered student to get these
discounts but they can save you hundreds of dollars.
       
      Will this laptop be your primary PC or does  your family have a good 
desktop at home you can use for
heavy-lifting usage?
     
     It's always a good idea to get the fastest  processor and largest hard 
drive you can afford because over
time, you will need to upgrade to a new operating system and newer versions 
 of software - including 
accessibility software.   These programs *always* get larger and  demand 
more resources.  Never get
the latest and greatest - it will only be greatest for 4 or 6 months or so  
and the price will drop significantly.
 
     Dell and Toshiba are both good brands but HP loads  up their hardware 
with a *lot* of software, games and
junk that you will never need.  It's a pain to remove it to free up  the 
space and thereby end the constant
requests to sign up to purchase the software add-ons you didn't  ask for in 
the first place.
      
    Finally, what area are you in?  In St. Louis, there  is a place called 
MicroCenter that offers very good
deals on PCs and laptops and offer good support service. I'm sure KC,  
Columbia and Springfield have 
comparable venues.
 
Dan
 
 
 
In a message dated 6/24/2010 2:30:09 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
astarner at charter.net writes:

 
Hello Everyone, 
My husband and I finally saved up the money to purchase a  new laptop for 
me to start the school year with this fall. I don't know a lot  about 
computer hardware and wondered if some of you who are more knowledgeable  can help 
me decide what is most important when purchasing a laptop. How much  memory 
should it have? Is there anything to consider about the processor when  
considering the laptop will be running JAWS? Are certain brands better than  
others? Etc. I will be interested to hear what your thoughts are. I want to  
use the laptop for accessing my textbooks in alternative format, reading and  
creating MS Office documents, sending and receiving email, etc. Also, how 
and  where do I purchase Internet service that will allow me to connect to the 
 Internet regardless of where I am. What I want to be able to do is to 
connect  to the Internet to complete homework assignments and such, even when I 
am not  at home. Perhaps I go to the library with my children and want to 
sit at a  table and work on my homework and need to go online, where can I 
purchase  service that will allow me to do that for an affordable price? 
Thanks again for all your help. 
Alicia 
"The chief handicap of the blind is not blindness, but the  attitude of 
seeing people towards them"  
Helen Keller (1880-1929) 



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