Touchscreen 2in1 Laptop Advice?

[coskigirl]

I'll go look at the differences between Pro and Home. Thanks.

 

[coskigirl]

Y'all are getting a bit over my computer hardware head but I will be backing everything up to the cloud whether that be the 5TB that the school provides or what I have via Amazon. Or both. I really do not want to lose my school work and have to start over. If that happened you'd probably find me holed up in a dark corner with a bottle of Stranahan's Diamond Peak.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Y'all are getting a bit over my computer hardware head but I will be backing everything up to the cloud whether that be the 5TB that the school provides or what I have via Amazon. Or both. I really do not want to lose my school work and have to start over. If that happened you'd probably find me holed up in a dark corner with a bottle of Stranahan's Diamond Peak.

Sorry, we got off on a tangent. In a nutshell, SSDs (solid state drives) are fast, secure and reliable.

The advantages of Pro vs Home may not seem obvious, but there are enough features, for techs at least, in Pro to warrant it over Home. Besides, who wants a 'home' edition when a 'pro' version is available.

Mmmm. Stranahan's. I hope you get to enjoy it in the light, not the dark.

One place I see some screaming deals, particularly on Dell computers, is PC Mag's Tech Deals newsletter. You can subscribe here: https://www.pcmag.com/newsletter_manage. Choose the Best Deals Today newsletter.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Backups will be your friend. Services that store versions of files are great. I use iDrive which backs up files throughout the day as possible and regularly ensures that all data from the PC is in the cloud backup. Very affordable, too.

I don't rely solely on cloud backups, though. Make regular system images of the PC. They let you restore your PC to the state it was in the backup; OS and all. Great for the catastrophic hard drive crash recovery.

File History is built into Windows and makes backups with versioning. This would be an excellent option for use with a flash drive as the flash drive would always be available, doesn't require internet access and is smaller and more convenient than lugging an external USB drive around.

Multiple local copies and cloud copies will make up a bulletproof recovery system.

 

[coskigirl]

Backups will be your friend. Services that store versions of files are great. I use iDrive which backs up files throughout the day as possible and regularly ensures that all data from the PC is in the cloud backup. Very affordable, too.

I don't rely solely on cloud backups, though. Make regular system images of the PC. They let you restore your PC to the state it was in the backup; OS and all. Great for the catastrophic hard drive crash recovery.

File History is built into Windows and makes backups with versioning. This would be an excellent option for use with a flash drive as the flash drive would always be available, doesn't require internet access and is smaller and more convenient than lugging an external USB drive around.

Multiple local copies and cloud copies will make up a bulletproof recovery system.

I may be paying you to help me set this thing up properly!

 

[Doug Briggs]

I may be paying you to help me set this thing up properly!

I'll happily continue to offer advice for free.

And I am optimistic that my free advice is worth more than what you pay for it.

 

[coskigirl]

I went by Bestbuy this afternoon and was able to put my hands on the Dell XPS, Asus Q something or otherwise, and the Lenovo Yoga 920. I wish they’d had the Asus ZenBook.

1) Dell XPS - liked it but it had 2 issues. First, the position of the trackpad and keyboard means I’ll do what I do on my work laptop which is hitting the trackpad with the heel of my hand deleting text while typing. Second, using the pen in laptop mode cause the entire unit to wobble. He keyboard part it too light to anchor it. It also had sizable chunks of plastic near the hinge broken off which makes me question the durability of the case.

2) Asus Q - Same heel of the hand deletion Issue. Also didn’t seem to automatically register when I used the pen in OneNote.

3) Lenovo Yoga 920 - This seems to be the one. I liked the function including keyboard/trackpad and pen. Felt comfortable holding it. The hinge is really nice. No issues using the pen.

I’ll probably ponder and take another pass at them all in person to confirm before purchasing.

 

[Doug Briggs]

I've worked on Lenovos. The are very nice machines.

 

[Karen_skier2.0]

Oh, yes, battery life is something that I will compare. Fortunately all the classrooms in the DU law building have outlets for every seat.

I am not looking forward to learning to type all of my notes. I'm still old school, even in work meetings. I'm contemplating asking the youngin' classmates who have only ever attended college with notes being taken on laptops to give me tips and tricks to making it efficient. With the 2 in 1 I'll probably test how I do handwriting on the screen vs. typing.

I'm trying not to focus too much on how insane this is as a mechanism of self-defense. I figure I'll have 4 years (or more accurately 3 years and 9 months) to question my sanity every day.

I don't know if it has to do with age, but I recall things that I write on paper much more than typing. I don't know if it's my era, or just how I'm wired. I know my niece is forbidden by some teachers to take paper notes during classes and they must use their iPad--I really don't believe that is fair.

 

[Karen_skier2.0]

I went by Bestbuy this afternoon and was able to put my hands on the Dell XPS, Asus Q something or otherwise, and the Lenovo Yoga 920. I wish they’d had the Asus ZenBook.

1) Dell XPS - liked it but it had 2 issues. First, the position of the trackpad and keyboard means I’ll do what I do on my work laptop which is hitting the trackpad with the heel of my hand deleting text while typing. Second, using the pen in laptop mode cause the entire unit to wobble. He keyboard part it too light to anchor it. It also had sizable chunks of plastic near the hinge broken off which makes me question the durability of the case.

2) Asus Q - Same heel of the hand deletion Issue. Also didn’t seem to automatically register when I used the pen in OneNote.

3) Lenovo Yoga 920 - This seems to be the one. I liked the function including keyboard/trackpad and pen. Felt comfortable holding it. The hinge is really nice. No issues using the pen.

I’ll probably ponder and take another pass at them all in person to confirm before purchasing.

If you don't use the trackpad, you can turn it off.

 

[coskigirl]

If you don't use the trackpad, you can turn it off.

I use it.

 

[Karen_skier2.0]

I still use a mouse.

 

[scott43]

I still use a mouse.

Trackpad sux0r...if I go to a meeting and forget my mouse, I'll actually walk back and get it if I actually have to do much in the meeting. Hate the trackpad.

 

[albertanskigirl]

I went by Bestbuy this afternoon and was able to put my hands on the Dell XPS, Asus Q something or otherwise, and the Lenovo Yoga 920. I wish they’d had the Asus ZenBook.

1) Dell XPS - liked it but it had 2 issues. First, the position of the trackpad and keyboard means I’ll do what I do on my work laptop which is hitting the trackpad with the heel of my hand deleting text while typing. Second, using the pen in laptop mode cause the entire unit to wobble. He keyboard part it too light to anchor it. It also had sizable chunks of plastic near the hinge broken off which makes me question the durability of the case.

2) Asus Q - Same heel of the hand deletion Issue. Also didn’t seem to automatically register when I used the pen in OneNote.

3) Lenovo Yoga 920 - This seems to be the one. I liked the function including keyboard/trackpad and pen. Felt comfortable holding it. The hinge is really nice. No issues using the pen.

I’ll probably ponder and take another pass at them all in person to confirm before purchasing.

try to find a Zen Book to try!

 

[coskigirl]

I still use a mouse.

Trackpad sux0r...if I go to a meeting and forget my mouse, I'll actually walk back and get it if I actually have to do much in the meeting. Hate the trackpad.

Most of the time my work computer is in a docking station with 2 large monitors, a wireless keyboard, and a trackball mouse. At home I also have a docking station (although I'll probably need to update that to something I can use for both computers) with another large monitor, wireless keyboard, and a standard wireless mouse. I only use the trackpad when traveling or sometimes when I work from home and am too lazy to put it on the docking station there.

I'm trying to find the ZenBook Flip near me and so far no luck. I went to Costco today, not sure where else to try.

 

[Dwight]

I would call around to non-chain computer stores in the area.

 

[Dwight]

@coskigirl did you make a decision?

 

[cantunamunch]

I don't know if it has to do with age, but I recall things that I write on paper much more than typing. I don't know if it's my era, or just how I'm wired. I know my niece is forbidden by some teachers to take paper notes during classes and they must use their iPad--I really don't believe that is fair.

It's not just you.
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/pen-and-paper-beats-computers-retaining-knowledge

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/

 

[coskigirl]

@coskigirl did you make a decision?

I've pretty much decided on the Lenovo but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Partially because I found out that through a workplace perk system I can buy the new car I'm getting at a significant discount and with other amazing benefits (payment toward insurance deductibles/repairs) and it credit me enough points in that system to be worth $200 toward the laptop that I can buy on that site.

 

[cantunamunch]

OK...now anyone have suggestions for a 2-in-1 that will be doing simulation level runs all day (to pick a non-random example, neural nets in Keras)?