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Post by lagatta on Feb 13, 2013 13:18:31 GMT
How do you carry your portable computers while travelling? In terms of both attempting to avoid theft and sparing your back and shoulder?
The other "portables" I've had (still have one of them, but will probably rehome it) were heavy luggables that I only took when I absolutely needed them on a work trip where I wasn't really going anywhere but the conference or other meeting I was working at. Now I have a cute little MacBook (thanks, mum's small inheritance).
I guess what I need is some kind of bag that doesn't scream computer and that doesn't throw my boomer-era back and shoulder out of whack.
A friend bought a tablet for travel, but I don't really see myself working on such a tiny screen...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2013 15:28:08 GMT
I just throw the Asus netbook that I use in a little shoulder bag with my notebook, reading material, maps or whatever. Its very sturdy plastic surface is now rather scratched, but what matters to me is what's inside. Actually, the cable to plug it in is a bigger pain to carry than the netbook itself.
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Post by onlymark on Feb 13, 2013 15:50:52 GMT
Ditto. Except mine's an Acer. I put it in my normal, well used daypack as a disguise.
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Post by lagatta on Feb 13, 2013 19:00:48 GMT
I guess I just need a padded sleeve for my MacBook to put it in wherever. I need something that doesn't hurt my back. The MacBook is a wee bit larger than the Acer and Asus netbooks. And I do care about its surface, as it is very pretty. (Not that I'd discard it if I scratch it).
Yes, the cable is annoying, and I'll have to buy another plug for Europe, but I believe these devices are already bitension?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2013 19:10:34 GMT
Yes, no problem for the voltage -- all you need is the plug adaptor.
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Post by htmb on Feb 14, 2013 1:30:22 GMT
Lagatta, I woud imagine it depends on the size of your laptop. I don't often carry my laptop on the road anymore, but when I do I slip it into a tightly fitting sleeve that came with a bag I used at one time or another. Then I slip the sleeved laptop into a cross body/messenger type bag.
I've noticed a lot of new bags now have a padded space for a small laptop or tablet. For instance, I recently purchased a day pack for hiking and bike riding. It's a backpack style and the slot is on the inside closest to your back. I wasn't really planning to stash electronics inside, but it has a handy, and very protected, spot for a small laptop or tablet.
I have a commercially made padded cover for my iPad. It's a Vera Bradley and was a gift. However, my daughters have found very nice, handmade and affordable covers on Etsy. Perhaps you could get a protective cover for your MacBook and then slip it into a comfortable bag; something adjustable that won't wreck your neck, shoulders and back.
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Post by lagatta on Feb 14, 2013 1:40:33 GMT
A MacBook is small; it is billed as 13 inches, though I haven't measured it. However, it is slightly larger than the most common Acer and Asus notebooks (of course they also make similar portables that are larger than the MacBook) and obviously the iPad. As iPad and similar device costs come down I might get one, but I really can't see working on it (though journalist friends who are older than I am have worked on far more primitive devices that only showed a few lines of text).
I'm a freelancer, and the only reason I'm somewhat free to travel (other than work trips) is that I can do some of my own work from just about anywhere.
I'm going to look at the AmeriBag site; they started doing healthy back bags; I'm sure they have bags adaped to those needs.
Oh, the joys of getting older! I had a horrible backache yesterday, and have no idea why, as I wasn't working hunched over for 15 hours a day, and I got in a good long walk, feeling very happy indeed about the mild weather.
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Post by mossie on Feb 14, 2013 8:19:59 GMT
I use an iPad a lot, in fact I am now having breakfast with it propped up in its cover as I type. Typing is an art but even my hunt and peck style works. If I need to take it out I have a small plain black shoulder bag which just fits, and gives room for a guide book and mapbook plus odds and sods.
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Post by lagatta on Feb 14, 2013 14:57:05 GMT
Well, I touch-type, so having to look at the screen and hunt-and-peck would be hell. I'd buy a little keyboard even for an iPad...
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2013 15:37:14 GMT
It's true that one's typing skills diminish the smaller the keyboard gets. And I hate having to go to other menus on touch screens just to get simple punctuation.
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Post by fgrsk8r1970 on May 8, 2013 14:38:37 GMT
I guess this won't really help, but I have a sleeve for my new MacBook Air and since it's so light I started to take it on trips (I did the ipad only trips last year but as many of you said, the typing suffers and uploading/editing photos is a pain). I have a small backpack for a carry-on and it fits into a pocket made for laptops. I don't however carry my MacBook around once I am at my destination, so once in Paris it stays in the apartment. IF I take anything with me it would be the iPad (to a cafe etc.)
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Post by patricklondon on May 9, 2013 10:43:26 GMT
I have a Samsung NC10 netbook, which is what I use more than the desktop (partly because it's portable, partly because it's actually faster because it's newer). That comes with me when I travel, but only to sit "at base", as it were - for a time I did carry it around looking for wifi hotspots but I rarely used it when out and about.
I've had it for some years, but it's a more or less fully-featured keyboard for all the purposes I want, plus it has all the "media" functions I need - photo manipulation, music, e-reader, as well as the usual internet and (if I should need it) office-type software. It seems to be tough as old boots, but I suppose eventually it will seem impossibly dated (still using Windows XP!), and the time will come in the next few years when it will make sense to consolidate all the digital gear.
I'm thinking it would make sense to just have a biggish laptop (for portability within the home and at a base when away) - I have an external hard drive at home for archive storage - plus a smartphone with a big enough screen to use as an "out and about" internet and media device (e-reader, music player, etc). But the big question would be the balance between screen size, display abilities and battery life (I have a tiny smartphone at the moment, which fits nicely into my wallet, but using wifi on it drains the battery too quickly).
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Post by Deleted on May 9, 2013 11:35:56 GMT
My netbook is beginning to suffer from its XP limitations -- more and more sites are saying that they don't support XP anymore, so I am going to have to change sooner or later.
And, yes, same with me -- the netbook never leaves the room once I arrive at my destination.
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Post by spindrift1 on May 9, 2013 21:52:36 GMT
I am avidly reading your views since I am ready to upgrade all my digital stuff but cannot make up my mind what to buy. I have more or less discounted buying a MAC since the price is too high. I have a 15" Toshiba llaptop at home and I lugg it to Switzerland when I stay there. Do I need an iPad? or a Samsung tablet? i'm so confused. Would i use it a lot. I am also a touch typist and very fast on the keyboard and up to now I've had a BlackBerry so I haven't had to tap on a screen. I dont' think I'd like it much. I don't know what the answer is. In August I'll be able to finish my contract with BlackBerry and I'll either buy an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy...i read there isn't much difference between the two. Is this true?
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Post by bixaorellana on May 10, 2013 2:35:49 GMT
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Post by spindrift1 on May 10, 2013 22:30:48 GMT
You have rendered me speechless! I've never heard of Asus...of course I live in the back of the beyonds. Those look amazing. Imagine a laptop that transforms into a tablet? I shall do some research. do you have Windows 8 on yours? thanks Bixa...
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Post by bixaorellana on May 11, 2013 1:19:19 GMT
Spindrift, I have the one that is only a tablet -- the first link. The second link is to something completely new that is actually a PC and a tablet. It runs Windows.
The Asus tablet is an android tablet, so no Windows. When I first saw it, I fell for it like a ton of bricks, but still looked at every single review, both written & youtube, before buying.
I am also a touch typist and you will notice that the keyboard is smaller than the conventional one, meaning that you might change your style a little to accommodate it ..... or not.
For me it was a little bit of a crazy-just-because-I-want-to purchase. As a friend pointed out, I could have gotten a netbook for @ half the price. I don't care, I love my tablet!
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Post by spindrift1 on May 11, 2013 17:29:28 GMT
What does your tablet weigh Does it accept DVDs?
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 18:42:24 GMT
I would like my next miniature device to accept DVDs but since often I am more interested in the small size and light weight, it is a feature that I easily abandon anyway.
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Post by htmb on May 11, 2013 19:46:36 GMT
This morning I finally set up my new phone. My personal devices are now all Mac (work devices are PCs, and I caught myself mindlessly holding the control button with my left hand while clicking on my work mouse.)
This afternoon I've set up a new wireless router, so everything should now be working faster. Since the new router is upstairs, the true test will be when I go back down and give it a try.
....and it works!
I have a heavy computer case I use to carry my work laptop when I need to leave the office, but I never take it on out of town trips unless I'm driving. It's just too heavy.
When traveling on personal business I take my iPad. I've gotten pretty good at typing on it, though I need to continuously proof since it's so easy to make typos. I don't typically need to play DVDs and I like the easy and portability of the tablet. Most of my reports have been made using my iPad, including the uploading of photos.
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Post by spindrift1 on May 12, 2013 13:02:02 GMT
...^ so it's good for photos?
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Post by htmb on May 12, 2013 13:38:58 GMT
Yes, the way I do it, but I'm a bit pedantic about certain things that might drive others nuts. I connect my camera to my iPad and transfer the photos (leaving them still on the camera). I can minimally edit photos before I upload what I want in batches using the app Flickr Stacker. I have the app set to size down my photo files, but I must copy and paste each URL into a report individually, while also removing the half of the URL not needed. I don't mind the process since it gives me time to think and plan as I work.
The reason I save my photos on my camera is that I purchased the iPad with the least amount of memory. Now that I do more work on it, I'm finding i need more space. When I'm traveling I sometimes end up needing to delete some of the previously worked on photos before loading new pictures.
I haven't found a word processing app I like, so use the built in "notes" program to type longer posts. I also paste my urls into "notes" where I want them and then paste the whole thing onto the website when I'm ready.
I can touch type on a regular keyboard, but find I use a different style of typing on the iPad.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 12, 2013 18:02:55 GMT
What does your tablet weigh Does it accept DVDs? Tablet .................. 0.4 x 0.3 x 7.1 inches ; 1.3 pounds Keyboard dock ..... 10.4 x 0.3 x 7.1 inches ; 1.2 pounds As far as I know, there is no tablet that accepts DVDs. However, there is this: www.electricpig.co.uk/2012/04/26/samsung-brings-dvd-playback-to-your-android-tablet-worlds-thinnest-optical-drive/index.htmlI purchased the iPad with the least amount of memory. Now that I do more work on it, I'm finding i need more space. I may be wrong about this, but I think that previously, because iPads have no card slot, their memory couldn't be upgraded, whereas you could use memory cards on Android tablets: voices.yahoo.com/how-memory-works-tablets-11401846.html?cat=9Now, however, there are items such as this, giving iPad owners the same memory flexibility: voices.yahoo.com/how-memory-works-tablets-11401846.html?cat=9using the app Flickr Stacker. I have the app set to size down my photo files, but I must copy and paste each URL into a report individually, while also removing the half of the URL not needed. That's not so terrible, considering that you have to do that to Flickr urls even when using a full-sized pc.
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Post by spindrift1 on May 13, 2013 10:52:03 GMT
Bixa - your tablet is very light...
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2013 20:01:18 GMT
I'm still wondering if I am too old to adapt to a virtual keyboard. I don't mind using one on my telephone to send an SMS, but those are always very short. It's true that I shudder at the thought of being obliged to use one on a bigger device. Is this really progress or just a way to save money on all of the parts of the machine? I just counted the number of keys on my keyboard, and there are 110 of them -- only about half of which I actually use.
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Post by lagatta on May 14, 2013 0:39:01 GMT
It is difficult, and I have no desire to do it, as for me, touch-typing is automatic. I can switch between the Qwerty and Azerty with little problem, but my thoughts flow out through my fingers; it is far easier than handwriting.
Hunt-and-peck to translate or edit an article of any length would be a nightmare.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 14, 2013 3:11:58 GMT
LaGatta, you perfectly describe what writing is like for a touch typist. Long before personal computers were common, I wrote all my letters on an electric typewriter. I have terrible handwriting, plus I don't think anyone who touch-types can write as fast as he/she can type.
I think the virtual keyboards are a way to make tablets weigh less, so a logical innovation. I almost always use the keyboard dock on my tablet, so really can't pronounce on virtual typing. The little I've done wasn't that terrible, though.
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2013 5:04:43 GMT
I am a touch typer as well, which also shades my judgment.
Last week, I had to recopy by hand two pages of testimony that I had submitted for an ex-colleague's lawsuit. This was a legal requirement to prove that it was my testimony, but what an absolute nightmare to have to write that much by hand! And yet I used to be able to write ten-page letters by hand when I was making my first big trips around the world.
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Post by fumobici on May 14, 2013 15:26:49 GMT
It is difficult, and I have no desire to do it, as for me, touch-typing is automatic. I can switch between the Qwerty and Azerty with little problem, but my thoughts flow out through my fingers; it is far easier than handwriting. Hunt-and-peck to translate or edit an article of any length would be a nightmare. I can't even imagine being able to deftly transition between two different keyboard layouts, although for us hunt & peckers it must be easier than for touch typists. I find Italian keyboards do slow me down a good bit. Good, albeit Eurocentric, guide to the keyboard minefield here-- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AZERTY
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2013 16:52:59 GMT
Oh, me too, Lagatta -- it only takes me about 5 minutes to adjust between AZERTY and QWERTY. There really are not that many differences, but of course you get caught every now and then, but it is very easy to go back and edit a few a/q or z/w mistakes. Naturally, I very much prefer an AZERTY keyboard, because even when I am writing in English I use the accented letters on quite a few words.
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