[nabs] kinds of laptops

[Ashley Bramlett]

Chase,
Good to know. I want the Ms office suite including outlook, internet explorer and windows media player on it; so I don’t have to buy office 2010 in addition to the computer. That is great wi-fi is so common now.
I think there are little number keypads one can buy so that might be an option for me. Also, I think you can hook a traditional keyboard to it so then it feels more like a desktop and the jaws commands are the same then. When I travel, not an option, but at school in some faculty office it would work.


From: Chase Crispin 
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 6:50 PM
To: 'Discussion list for NABS,National Alliance of Blind Students.' 
Subject: Re: [nabs] kinds of laptops

Hi Ashley,
I've used a lot of laptops, and they all have insert keys.  Very few have the full numeric keypad to the right of the keyboard, but almost all laptops do have an insert key.  Usually, it is located in what is commonly called the 6 pack.  Above the backspace key, you find 6 keys, 3 on top and 3 bellow them.  The top row, going from right to left is insert, home, and page up.  Right below those three, you find delete, end, and page down.  SO, even if you don't get a number pad, you will still get an insert key.

I'm not going to go into too much details on the laptops that I use, simply because they all use Windows XP and are probably all unavailable now.  However, most laptops boot up time is around the same as it would be on a desktop, though it all depends on how much is installed, how much is in your registry, etc.

Laptops come with differing amounts of memory, from 1 to 4 GB usually.  I would recommend 2 GB of memory or more so that you can easily use Windows, your screen reader, etc.

Almost all laptops have a CD drive, but netbooks almost always do not.  All laptops that I've ever seen have an Ethernet port and wi-fi, most have Bluetooth as well.  Most laptops, excluding those made by Apple, come with Microsoft Windows, so they all come with Internet Explorer.  They will have the same software that you would find on any desktop you've used in the pass.  Generally, the software that comes with laptops and desktops is the same.  
HTH,


Chase Crispin
http://www.blindmobiletech.com/
chase dot crispin at gmail dot com



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From: nabs-bounces at acb.org [mailto:nabs-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf Of Ashley Bramlett
Sent: Saturday, January 21, 2012 5:41 PM
To: National Alliance of Blind Students. Discussion list for NABS
Subject: [nabs] kinds of laptops


Hi all,

Well, many of you seem to have found laptops that meet your needs. I probably will get one. A reason why I avoided it was I did not think the keyboard had a number pad. I like the number pad and am very used to the insert key. I’m not one for change; so if I bought a laptop, I’d really prefer it to have a number pad.

So which laptop did you pick and why? How fast do they boot up? How much memory? The things I’d prefer in a laptop are theCD rom drive, a number pad, and wireless internet. Are all laptops built with internet connection now? I assume all have a web browser, probably internet explorer.
Also how long will the thing run on battery power?  Just wanted some opinions since if I spend money for a laptop, it should meet my personal, academic and professional needs. I am thinking a laptop might be a good thing to demonstrate to a potential employer or to take for my volunteer work.

However, I do want to minimize carrying it around. I’ll probably put it in a locker and get it out after class when I need it.
Do you roll it in a bag or do you have a carry bag? I already have a backpack, but do not know if it will fit.

Ashley



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