Laptop without the Battery

[Durgan]

I have a laptop and a desktop system.

My laptop is never used with the battery. It is always plugged in. When traveling I use a automobile converter.

My observation is there is no need for a desktop computer, certainly in my application. Laptop keyboards are fine, and the battery is expensive and adds unnecessary weight.

I remove the battery to lighten the laptop. I would like to buy a laptop designed without the battery. This would give more space for possibly more memory plus and additional on board hard drive. All one needs is plenty of USB ports.

I have observed that many small businesses use laptops instead of the large footprint of the desktop.

Time for the designers to re-think. My view.

[MKG]

I hate laptops. The keyboards are too small (I can't type on a laptop with anything approaching accuracy), the displays are too small and the apologies for a mouse substitute are frustrating and annoying. I spend hours per day at the computer, and the first thing I'd want to do with a laptop is plug in a standard keyboard, a real mouse, and a bigger and better display, thus turning the laptop into a desktop.

Oh - and they're more expensive.

Did I say I don't like laptops?

Mike

[MuddyWitch]

My pc was murdered at the weekend, so hubby treated me to a new laptop. I have to say I was with Mike, (nasty keyboards, bad mouse etc,) but I have been pleasently surprized.

The keyboard is as big and responsive as my old pc, (and I'm just as inacurate! ), the mouse is great, (but then I'm ambidextrous (sp?) & it can be a pain constantly changing the configuration when I want to change hands), the screen is better than my old one, (which my daughter has nabbed to replace her CRT one), BUT I want decent speakers!

I agree it would be usfull to dump the battery, as 90% of the time I'll still be sat at home. I can take this baby down to the polytunnel, or veg garden too, so that per centage may change.

MW

[Gem]

Laptops have their down sides in that if one component goes then thats usually computer death whereas full pcs have the benefit of of upgrading and replacing parts as and when you want to. Very good for internal memory and graphics cards upgrade if you are ever interested in gaming.

The other benefit of desk tops (PCs) is that you can set up a decent seating position where you are not slumped over in an occupational health nightmare position (having said that my desk top has been severely neglected since the purchase of my laptop in fact I am sitting on it right now!)

Generally I have been converted by the laptop as a result of the convenience but the desk top is 'permenant storage' so all my pics, movies, music is save and backed up. Also if I ever fancy a couple of games (rare but lots of fun during the long winter nights) then I will use the desk top as it is well set up with an 'appropriate'seating position. After being smashed into in the car and the resultant whiplash, I can certainly appreciate the benefits!

For those banana fingered amonst us (myself included), larger laptops usually have better spaced keys, so netbooks are definately not the way to go!!

(in case anyone is wondering, I have lived with one of those people who 'run the internet' for a few years so have osmotically absorbed far more info about this sort of thing than I need!!)

[Cloud]

Sound like you are describing a desktop PC in a smaller (laptop siized) box, Durgan. Actually it has been done, and I think they are available. making things small can make them more expensive, and less adaptable (i.e. less room for expansion), which can make them less popular with shops who like to sell what's popular.

My PC is a box 6.5 inches square and 2 inches high. That's smaller than most laptops, although that's without screen or keyboard.

[KathyLauren]

I don't like the ergonomics of laptops. You are either too close to the screen or too far away from the keyboard, plus the keyboard is usually nasty and uncomfortable, and the function keys are never in the standard places. The pointing device (non-mouse) is usually crap.

However, I bought one for the specific reason that a laptop (with battery) can be run off generator power. That is something that is unsafe to do with a desktop model. Basically you have a built-in power-conditioning UPS. With our frequent long winter blackouts due to storms, and the fact that I need my computer to make my living, this was a necessity.

I solved the ergonomic issue by propping the laptop up at a normal screen height and distance and then using a separate USB keyboard and mouse.

[mrsflibble]

I have the two for two different purposes.

my desktop is high powered, fairly high spec with regards to RAM and processing power, huge in terms of memory capacity but most of all, it runs photoshop and has a "proper" mouse.

My laptop is a teeny tiny 12gb eeepc, runs windows xp, has a detatchable cd drive and it's for surfing the net in the lviingroom and out and about, playing games on trains and generally looking like a yuppy when we go on long trips cos i use it in service stations with McDonald's wifi and sophie sits and has a rest by watching cbeebies on iplayer ;) it's basically a £250 toy, but I earned the moeny to pay for it so I'm proud of it.

I can not run photoshop on my laptop, 1. i can't use a tacker pad as well as i can a mouse, or with as much accuracy, 2. it doesn't have the processing capacity, 3. i can't calibrate the monitor fully enough.

however, my desktop compoopter is not portable by any sense of the word lol!


me using my desktop


showing the portability of my laptop, and non-portability of my printer


and finally, sophie being a yuppy.

[Millymollymandy]

I hate my husband's laptops and can only use them if they have a proper mouse attached and then I can't type on the ruddy things. I'm a touch typist and those things are too small plus the punctuation and function keys are all in wierd places.

It doesn't help either that his current one has a French keyboard and the previous one had a Swiss keyboard. Millzmollzmandz was a common typo with the Swiss one!

[Green Aura]

I love my laptop, in fact I've just been bought a new one for my birthday - a baby pink viao. Not very Ish I know, but I don't care. I'm very well behaved in other ways, usually

It's very useful to email OH to tell him to put the kettle on!

As well as my birthday today - it was our 25th anniversary 2 days ago so we have to find new and exciting ways to communicate - a pink laptop is just the ticket

[Millymollymandy]

Aha that's how Susie found out it was your birthday!

[Cloud]

Taking mrsfibble lead here's my desktop PC on the desktop...

The PC is the top one on the two small silver boxes on the right. The lower is an extra hard disc for backup and for my photo library. No mouse - I use a Wacom tablet (smug).



I think this clearly demonstrate size of the PC box is not the issue it take up very little room on the desk. I like my large Wacom tablet and I would not want a smaller screen.

I don't have a laptop, but I do have an iPhone that I use for web and e-mail when I'm out and about. I think a laptop is a poor compromise in comparison, neither as portable as my iPhone, or as powerful comfortable to use as my desktop PC.

Not sure where this thread is heading , but does anyone remember the old CRT monitors that took up half the depth of the desk, took an age to turn on and could heat the whole house?

[Brij]

I have a lower-end Vaio. I've never really liked laptops, but I tend to travel fairly regularly, so it really is the only solution (being internet AND Sims-less is not something I'm willing to entertain!). Plus it doubles up as a portable DVD player, and has fairly decent speakers. When I'm at least semi-permanently established somewhere I tend to get a cheap set to live on my desk and plug in whenever I'm on a music or movie-spree, but otherwise they're powerful enough.

It took me a while to get used to the keyboard, and I have it set into French-mode as I do most of my typing in French and can't be bothered with messing about for the accents and that. The keys, are, however, marked as the English layout, so thanks to Ubuntu I have a little icon to click to switch it over, if, for example, someone else is using it, or I decide to type in German or something.

I understand the thing about either being too close to the screen or too far from the keyboard, so I have adopted an out-stretched typing technique. But it is a wide-screen, which IMHO makes films better to watch, and means the keys are a decent size. Though my thumb seems to constantly brush the blinking mouse-pad.

[george]

I also love my laptop. I have been using a laptop and not a desktop at home for many years mostly because I don't have space for a desk for a computer and I can sit on the sofa with a laptop.

Early this year I treated myself to a new netbook (an Acer Aspire one) which is similar to Mrs Fibble's eee pc in size (10inch) although mine has 160gb of memory. It is fantastic. I can carry it around everywhere (and I do carry it to and from school every day) and most places I can get wifi with it.

I haven't found anything that I want to do on it that I can't do yet. It runs all the software I need without any problem. I chose the Acer because I liked the keyboard best and although it is small I can still touch type without any problem on the keys (which is not true for all laptops I admit).

I am really happy with my laptop and wouldn't go back to a desktop ever.

George

[Millymollymandy]

but does anyone remember the old CRT monitors that took up half the depth of the desk, took an age to turn on and could heat the whole house?

If that's the big deep ones like my telly then yes, I only got rid of the old one about a year ago by freecycle and only got this flat screen one about 3 years ago. It's not like they were from the 1960s is it? Flat screen things have only been around for a short while, and then they were far too expensive to buy until the last few years!

So unless you are about 10, then I expect the answer to the above question is yes.

[wulf]

Mac Mini? I've got one of those, too. Very nice - small, quiet and also very energy efficient.

Wulf