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I appear to have encountered the attention of the Tech Gods. For, due to a multiple coincidence, I am currently at a low ebb in the technology world. As detailed recently, the extreme incompetence of TalkTalk has left my beloved ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cheshcat and I are without a landline and broadband at our new home.[*] My current laptop, now four years old, is at Death's door and barely hobbles along -- switching itself off randomly once or twice per day. Also, since they say that things come in threes, my mobile phone decided to play up just before I left for Japan last week. The screen is dead -- finished, kaput -- making the phone of decidedly little use to me.
Thankfully, these are all just technical problems and rather solvable. Firstly, on the phone/DSL matter, we have a BT engineer coming on the morning after I return to Oxford. Unlike the engineer promised by TalkTalk, hopefully this one will actually arrive and succeed in connecting us!
On the other fronts, I have additional options. I will outline them below, for I am curious as to the opinions of my other technologically-minded friends:
About the mobile, I have been exploring my options. Currently, I have been paying month-by-month for a mobile calling plan on my phone and mobile broadband via a USB dongle. Each costs £15 per month, for a grand total of £30. The mobile broadband subscription was initiated two years ago, when I started doing the Oxford-to-London commute regularly. At the time, the WiFi on the Oxford Tube was highly unreliable and so I needed a viable alternative. Since then, the situation has improved; last year, the fleet of coaches was upgraded and the newer models have less leg room but more reliable network service. Additionally, mobile phone technology has come a long way and it is rather easy to use a smartphone in place of a dongle to bring mobile broadband to one's computer. As such, I believe that I shall drop the broadband subscription and finally join the hoards who have embraced the smartphone as their overlord and master. It looks like I can do this on an eighteen month contract for £40 per month; as the phone is thrown in, the cost is effectively the same as if I stay on my current [non-contract] plan but purchase a new dumbphone outright for myself.
After a bit of shopping about, I have tentatively settled on some flavour of the HTC Desire. The only problem is that I am having a bit of trouble in deciding which model. Two "advanced" Desires were released in Europe about a month and a half ago: The "HD" and the "Z" models. In most ways, the HD model is superior -- faster processor, larger screen, greater RAM, better camera, lighter weight. The decision is almost a classic "no-brainer" except for one thing: The "Z" model has a physical QWERTY keyboard, whilst the "HD" employs only a virtual one. Call me a neo-Luddite, call me old-fashioned -- but I do likes me a good ole physical keyboard. I've no idea why one should be penalized for preferring a physical keyboard. However, since this appears to be the case, I shall ponder these two options for awhile longer.
This could be where you join the story, gentle readers! What are your thoughts? Do you have either phone? If so, what do you make of it? Do you think I am barking up the wrong tree entirely and care to suggest an alternative? If so, let me know!
Third, and finally, I have the purchase of a new laptop to consider carefully. I am rather fortunate in that the dying gasps of my current Toshiba Satellite coincide with the surprising news from last month that I have up to £2637 at work to spend on "consumables" between now and mid-February. After
reviewing the wealth of sage advice provided by you, my dear friends, I have searched and contemplated and narrowed down the options to two: The Dell Precision Mobile Workstation M4500 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X201 Tablet. As I have configured them, both systems come in at just under the available budget; the Dell at £2,593 and the Lenovo at £2,480. For those willing to take a moment, I have included the specs of each system under the cut and would be interested in any thoughts and advice that you may have.
( Computer specifications. Because you know you want to click! )
The advantage of the Dell is that it is has a more powerful processor, 50% more hard drive space, and a larger monitor with correspondingly higher screen resolution. Plus a backlit keyboard, which is always nice. In contrast, the Lenovo has a smaller screen than I would have liked -- twelve inches where thirteen to fifteen were my preference. However, the Lenovo is lighter than the Dell, at four pounds to the Dell's six. It also has lots of spiffy bells and whistles, the most obvious of which is the uber-niftiness of being a tablet! Other things that I like about it are the conveniences of a versatile media dock, the spare battery, and the extra AC/DC power cord. There are extra extras, like the fingerprint reader, but I don't much care one way or the other about them. Ditto, for now, about the mobile broadband hardware, as I am not certain that I would pay for a separate subscription when I can use the Desire as such.
I am planning to decide on both purchases by the end of this week so that I can place orders and start configuring the new hardware shortly after my return to Merry Olde England. In the meantime, my friends, your shared thoughts have been useful thus far; if I might impose once more on your collected wisdom, I should be much obliged!
Meanwhile, it looks to be about time to make my way over to J-PARC as my first meeting session of the morning begins in just over half an hour. I shall eagerly await seeing whatever technical insights you have to offer when it is over...
[*] Not entirely true, as my mobile broadband modem can be used from home. Still, whilst exceedingly useful during travel, it is nowhere near as reliable or convenient at home as DSL plus a wireless router.
cheshcat and I are without a landline and broadband at our new home.[*] My current laptop, now four years old, is at Death's door and barely hobbles along -- switching itself off randomly once or twice per day. Also, since they say that things come in threes, my mobile phone decided to play up just before I left for Japan last week. The screen is dead -- finished, kaput -- making the phone of decidedly little use to me.Thankfully, these are all just technical problems and rather solvable. Firstly, on the phone/DSL matter, we have a BT engineer coming on the morning after I return to Oxford. Unlike the engineer promised by TalkTalk, hopefully this one will actually arrive and succeed in connecting us!
On the other fronts, I have additional options. I will outline them below, for I am curious as to the opinions of my other technologically-minded friends:
About the mobile, I have been exploring my options. Currently, I have been paying month-by-month for a mobile calling plan on my phone and mobile broadband via a USB dongle. Each costs £15 per month, for a grand total of £30. The mobile broadband subscription was initiated two years ago, when I started doing the Oxford-to-London commute regularly. At the time, the WiFi on the Oxford Tube was highly unreliable and so I needed a viable alternative. Since then, the situation has improved; last year, the fleet of coaches was upgraded and the newer models have less leg room but more reliable network service. Additionally, mobile phone technology has come a long way and it is rather easy to use a smartphone in place of a dongle to bring mobile broadband to one's computer. As such, I believe that I shall drop the broadband subscription and finally join the hoards who have embraced the smartphone as their overlord and master. It looks like I can do this on an eighteen month contract for £40 per month; as the phone is thrown in, the cost is effectively the same as if I stay on my current [non-contract] plan but purchase a new dumbphone outright for myself.
After a bit of shopping about, I have tentatively settled on some flavour of the HTC Desire. The only problem is that I am having a bit of trouble in deciding which model. Two "advanced" Desires were released in Europe about a month and a half ago: The "HD" and the "Z" models. In most ways, the HD model is superior -- faster processor, larger screen, greater RAM, better camera, lighter weight. The decision is almost a classic "no-brainer" except for one thing: The "Z" model has a physical QWERTY keyboard, whilst the "HD" employs only a virtual one. Call me a neo-Luddite, call me old-fashioned -- but I do likes me a good ole physical keyboard. I've no idea why one should be penalized for preferring a physical keyboard. However, since this appears to be the case, I shall ponder these two options for awhile longer.
This could be where you join the story, gentle readers! What are your thoughts? Do you have either phone? If so, what do you make of it? Do you think I am barking up the wrong tree entirely and care to suggest an alternative? If so, let me know!
Third, and finally, I have the purchase of a new laptop to consider carefully. I am rather fortunate in that the dying gasps of my current Toshiba Satellite coincide with the surprising news from last month that I have up to £2637 at work to spend on "consumables" between now and mid-February. After
reviewing the wealth of sage advice provided by you, my dear friends, I have searched and contemplated and narrowed down the options to two: The Dell Precision Mobile Workstation M4500 and the Lenovo ThinkPad X201 Tablet. As I have configured them, both systems come in at just under the available budget; the Dell at £2,593 and the Lenovo at £2,480. For those willing to take a moment, I have included the specs of each system under the cut and would be interested in any thoughts and advice that you may have.
( Computer specifications. Because you know you want to click! )
The advantage of the Dell is that it is has a more powerful processor, 50% more hard drive space, and a larger monitor with correspondingly higher screen resolution. Plus a backlit keyboard, which is always nice. In contrast, the Lenovo has a smaller screen than I would have liked -- twelve inches where thirteen to fifteen were my preference. However, the Lenovo is lighter than the Dell, at four pounds to the Dell's six. It also has lots of spiffy bells and whistles, the most obvious of which is the uber-niftiness of being a tablet! Other things that I like about it are the conveniences of a versatile media dock, the spare battery, and the extra AC/DC power cord. There are extra extras, like the fingerprint reader, but I don't much care one way or the other about them. Ditto, for now, about the mobile broadband hardware, as I am not certain that I would pay for a separate subscription when I can use the Desire as such.
I am planning to decide on both purchases by the end of this week so that I can place orders and start configuring the new hardware shortly after my return to Merry Olde England. In the meantime, my friends, your shared thoughts have been useful thus far; if I might impose once more on your collected wisdom, I should be much obliged!
Meanwhile, it looks to be about time to make my way over to J-PARC as my first meeting session of the morning begins in just over half an hour. I shall eagerly await seeing whatever technical insights you have to offer when it is over...
[*] Not entirely true, as my mobile broadband modem can be used from home. Still, whilst exceedingly useful during travel, it is nowhere near as reliable or convenient at home as DSL plus a wireless router.
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