Help, please: Need portable computer

[Jane]

Hello All,

I know there are some huge ipad fans on here and many that know way more about electronics than I do!:beatup:
I need a computer of sorts that is very portable, however I need it to have Microsoft Word package. I don't type a huge amount on word but quite a bit so I am not sure that a completely touch screen is best either. I am a fan of the size of the ipad and notice you can purchase a separate keyboard.
I wondered if I could find something on Black Friday but need to try and come up with a specific product to go after.
I usually save on removeable hard drives also so that would be great to have as option still.
I have a couple fantastic laptops but I usually have a lot to carry already thru the airport and my laptops are just to large and heavy. Any suggestions? Thanks!!!!

Braidie

 

[unclejim1955]

I think Sam has been using an i-pad for some time. If he doesn't jump in on this thread, you might send him a personal message.

 

[Gargoyle]

I'm a big fan of the Lenovo Thinkpad X series notebooks- they are small and lightweight (under 3 lbs), long battery life, excellent for content creation (the tablets are aimed more at content consumption) and incredibly durable. They are noted for the quality of the keyboard.

My current x200s has been through more than 120 airplane flights, taken a 3 foot fall to the floor, and is still excellent. My previous one, an x40, survived even more flights and a 4 foot fall to a tile floor, and then I passed it on to my wife who used it for 18 months. When I get time I need to reformat it and reload the OS to refresh it.

They cost more than the mass market best buy/office supply store laptops, but they are aimed at professional use.

 

[K Frei]

I'm am I pad user, and love it... Especially since my hard drive just look a digger on my pc (I hope i will be able to recover some of my photos,) one of my co-workers uses a android tablet, very similar to the iPad and love it. The reason he went android was because he needs a microsoft format. It is worth checking into. That being said I love my iPad, and you can easily purchase apps that work on pc formats. Just read alot of reviews so you know what you are getting. K Frei

 

[Dave London]

Two things I do not like about the iPad ,cannot run flash,and videos like utube are very slow

 

[mrthe]

if you need use word or exel documents and you have a ipad you can purchase the application document to go from the app store and you will cam open and edit files in this format

 

[Sam]

iPad user/lover here. Dave's right, it can't run Flash, but my youtube videos play quickly and smoothly so I'm not sure what would be causing that. Recent tech reports show Flash is slated for extinction and Adobe has stopped Flash development for portable devices. HTML5 is replacing Flash, but it is annoying if you go to a Flash website and can't view it. Actually there are a couple of work-around apps which load Flash content if it's important to you (it's not to me).

Abigail has an iPad case with built-in bluetooth keyboard which is nice for typing. You can buy Pages from the App Store and you've got a word processor with a lot of features.

In addition to my iPad I normally carry a MacBook Pro laptop. If I need to do graphics, website maintenance, or heavier work, I need a computer. If not, then the iPad is the perfect lightweight travel companion, and a great little movie machine. Its brilliant display is awesome, and it's great for games as well. I'm normally not a gamer, but Zombie Gunship is fun!

Apple products are hardly ever deeply discounted. You can normally get free shipping or a small discount from MacConnection.com, but that's about it. If there's a student or teacher in the house they might qualify for a educational discount.

 

[Marcus Hunt]

I haven't got an iPad yet but I think I'm right in thinking that it's not actually meant to be a replacement for a computer but rather an adjunct to it. From what I've seen though it's superb at showing photos as they look great on it. An excellent tool to take with you when dealing with prospective clients but don't think you're going to be manipulating RAW images on it. Just my two penny worth....

 

[Jane]

Thanks everyone! I have no doubt that it is a very cool machine but am just concerned that it may not do everything that I need it to do. Its quite an investment so I need to make sure it does what I need it to do.
I was at a show a week or two ago and I saw someone had a credit card device of sorts that plugged into their ipad. That seems like a benefit as well but I think I can get something similar that hooks up to my HTC Sprint EVO phone. I am a fan of androids and have never owned an i anything except a simple ipod.
Thanks again for all the info and I will look into your tips :clapping:

 

[mrthe]

If you like android and you want something ultra portable like a tablet but similar to a laptop why you don`t try to see something similar the new asus eeepc?

http://www.asustablets.us/

is like a laptop but if you want you can separe the screen and use it like a tablet.

Personally i preferr a Ipad,i don`t love all that came with antivirus ( hehehe i`m a Apple fan )

al the way you can see too for a 10" macbook air that is the ultra portable laptop of apple and in weight and size is very similar to a Ipad,but is a laptop computer

 

[Gargoyle]

I was at a show a week or two ago and I saw someone had a credit card device of sorts that plugged into their ipad. That seems like a benefit as well but I think I can get something similar that hooks up to my HTC Sprint EVO phone.

I was in a coffee shop last spring, the owner shot my credit card with her phone (not sure if it was an iPhone or an HTC) and it processed the charge, she offered to input my e-mail address and it would mail me the receipt.

 

[airamp]

Hi,

I was at a gun show in phoenix and one of the vendors had a square credit card machine.

This is what you guys are talking about. you only get charged when it is used and there is no maintance, monthly fees or min.

Very cool unit and it plugs into a phone, Ipad, and such.

check it out. most likely the best unit out there from what the female vendor said.

Link:
https://squareup.com/

AirAmp

 

[Jane]

Mrthe- thanks for the info. My internet is down tonight so I had to use my phone to look at the asus eepc. It looks neat to, I see that it is currently unavailable and you can only preorder. Hopefully my internet will be back going tomorrow and I can get a better look at it. Do you know if it would have Microsoft word capabilities?
Airamp- I saw that credit card device on the today show when it first came out but was unsure of it. Seems to be a good device though.
Thanks all for the tips. I just need my internet to work and more time in the day to look!

 

[Marcus Hunt]

I was in a coffee shop last spring, the owner shot my credit card with her phone (not sure if it was an iPhone or an HTC) and it processed the charge, she offered to input my e-mail address and it would mail me the receipt.

Shot your credit card with her phone???? That doesn't sound at all secure to me. I wouldn't want someone walking around with my credit card details on their phone; no way! That's like faxing your details to someone.:no:

 

[mrthe]

marcus the normal tpv working with a gsm line if you take info in this way or with a phone basically is the same i think
heare more info about this new tecnology ( work with android too)
https://squareup.com/

 

[Jane]

Thanks for all the help everyone. I ended up purchasing an asus transformer and love it. It works perfect for what I needed and I even found it for less on Black Friday. Thanks again! :clapping: