Laptops, really that useful?

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

I got a netbook just for taking care of paper work on site if it was necessary.
Then got chewed out by the mac people for having a win7 on site during a mac deployment. Unless they gonna get me a hook up, wasn't about to drop the money on a mac at the time.

 

[TridenT]

I have to disagree with this. I bought a tablet PC 3 years ago (CS major) and have used it heavily in all of my math (especially math!!), science, and computer science courses. Though i suppose you're not talking about a pen-enabled laptop. Even then, as others have said, there are many reasons a laptop is VERY useful. I don't know your school's situations with labs, but at my university there are definitely times when it's tough to find an open lab on your part of the campus.

Tablets are cumbersome though and feel weird to me. I tried writing on one and trying to get used to it, but it's really not the same as pencil and paper for me. Pencil and paper are really easy for me to take notes on and do my homework for things like math/science/engineering. Tablets also have a very high pricepoint if you want anything not super thick.

 

[destrekor]

I have a landline and no personal cell phone. People call my phone, the answering machine greets them, they leave a message, and, if warranted, I call them back. It is a simple process that works very well. I am endlesly amazed that people think they have so much time critical information to communicate that they can not be separated from a phone.

That's why I only answer my cell phone when I feel like talking, or think it is warranted to communicate with the person calling at that very moment.

Most often, I let it go to voicemail, and if needed, call back at a time of my choosing.

Texts are so much more appropriate for most simple conversations - you on your way? meeting up at blah at blah time? etc etc etc

I don't like talking on the phone, and even with friends, I'd rather just get to the point, get the necessary responses, and leave it at that. Random chitchat I like to leave to the times we are face-to-face.

 

[qliveur]

Is this even a legit question this day and age? They're useful, whatever you use them for; not to mention that basically functional ones are dirt cheap to boot.

Go back 20 years if you want to see a useless laptop.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Uh, do my work at home or at the school computers... It's prettttty easy.

If you have any group work or like doing work anywhere you want, then a laptop is essential. Being able to meet others at someone's apt, conference room, lecture room, library, coffee shop, etc... to work on a project or go over homework with, having a laptop makes things easier.

Outside of gaming, why would you use your desktop for that a laptop can't do? I hardly use my desktop anymore as I prefer my laptop. When I work from home, I'm working on the sofa or even in bed with my laptop.

 

[Capt Caveman]

I have a landline and no personal cell phone. People call my phone, the answering machine greets them, they leave a message, and, if warranted, I call them back. It is a simple process that works very well. I am endlesly amazed that people think they have so much time critical information to communicate that they can not be separated from a phone.

I haven't had a landline in ten years. Moving as much as I have, it's nice not having to set-up phone service and I don't have to tell people of my new number.

 

[Zenmervolt]

They're useful if you need portability. Otherwise, they aren't. The best household use I can think of is being able to sit in front of the TV, or outside. Not that compelling imo.

Bingo.

When I was consulting having a laptop was critical; it was, and still is, the only truly practical way to keep working on documents when you're stuck in an airport due to a canceled flight. A smart phone can work for emergency E-mails and very limited document handling, but a laptop increases productivity ridiculously.

Similarly, without my laptop here at school I'd be much less productive. The ability to hide in the law library and work on a paper is a beautiful thing.

If you don't need the ability to work remotely though, they aren't very useful.

ZV

 

[TridenT]

If you have any group work or like doing work anywhere you want, then a laptop is essential. Being able to meet others at someone's apt, conference room, lecture room, coffee shop, etc... to work on a project or go over homework with, having a laptop makes things easier.

Outside of gaming, why would you use your desktop for that a laptop can't do? I hardly use my desktop anymore as I prefer my laptop. When I work from home, I'm working on the sofa or even in bed with my laptop.

Surfing internet is easier. Working on word documents is easier. Writing papers is easier... Lots of things are much easier. Programming is easier. The screen resolution I get from the 24" screen is really significant. It's hard to get used to anything less. I hate switching windows constantly. I always have two up on my 24". Makes things nice, convenient, easy to figure.

I can do all these things on a laptop, but I rather do them on a desktop. I'll go out of my way to wait until I get home to do shit rather than use a laptop.

Also, I don't own a TV and my bed is like 5ft away from where my computer is... so... working at home on the laptop would be silly. I don't go anywhere else in the house I live in or will live in. I am in the fortress of solitude...

EDIT: I don't like doing homework outside the home, again. It's much easier for me to do it at my own leisure at home. I just sit in my room at the desk, work on whatever for however long I want, and do whatever else I want via interwebs.

 

[GeekDrew]

Surfing internet is easier. Working on word documents is easier. Writing papers is easier... Lots of things are much easier. Programming is easier. The screen resolution I get from the 24" screen is really significant. It's hard to get used to anything less. I hate switching windows constantly. I always have two up on my 24". Makes things nice, convenient, easy to figure.

I can do all these things on a laptop, but I rather do them on a desktop. I'll go out of my way to wait until I get home to do shit rather than use a laptop.

Also, I don't own a TV and my bed is like 5ft away from where my computer is... so... working at home on the laptop would be silly. I don't go anywhere else in the house I live in or will live in. I am in the fortress of solitude...

EDIT: I don't like doing homework outside the home, again. It's much easier for me to do it at my own leisure at home. I just sit in my room at the desk, work on whatever for however long I want, and do whatever else I want via interwebs.

IMO, screen real-estate can't be argued all that much, because of docking stations... which makes the laptop more of a very portable desktop. Not that it sounds like you need that, either.

 

[TridenT]

IMO, screen real-estate can't be argued all that much, because of docking stations... which makes the laptop more of a very portable desktop. Not that it sounds like you need that, either.

Docking stations are expensive though and I have to get a laptop that supports that too. Otherwise I gotta plug shit in all the time and fuck that...

 

[GeekDrew]

Docking stations are expensive though and I have to get a laptop that supports that too. Otherwise I gotta plug shit in all the time and fuck that...

I'm just playing devil's advocate. I can't imagine myself ever buying a laptop that doesn't support a docking station, even if I don't immediately have a need for one.

Yeah, I wouldn't be screwing with cables every few hours. That'd be reason enough for me to procure another computer.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Now that i've graduated I find myself using my iPad A LOT more than my laptop, poor thing sits on the dresser in my bedroom, I use it maybe once a week.

I was a Microbiology/Criminal Science double major in college, most of my bio classes had PDFs of lectures which i annotated with One Note, and my crim lectures I recorded and took outlines of lectures. Everything was backed up to my desktop at home as soon as lecture was done.

I too preferred studying in my apartment, but if I ever did need to study on campus or somewhere else all my notes were easily accessible where ever I wanted to and all synced up to changes I made. I had a pretty slick system.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Surfing internet is easier. Working on word documents is easier. Writing papers is easier... Lots of things are much easier. Programming is easier. The screen resolution I get from the 24" screen is really significant. It's hard to get used to anything less. I hate switching windows constantly. I always have two up on my 24". Makes things nice, convenient, easy to figure.

I can do all these things on a laptop, but I rather do them on a desktop. I'll go out of my way to wait until I get home to do shit rather than use a laptop.

Also, I don't own a TV and my bed is like 5ft away from where my computer is... so... working at home on the laptop would be silly. I don't go anywhere else in the house I live in or will live in. I am in the fortress of solitude...

Get a laptop with a hi-res screen(mine's 1400x1050) then plug your 24" monitor and you have dual screens. I'd rather do stuff on the sofa and be comfortable then have to sit-up at a desk.

So, you will have no group projects or do any work with any classmates? I hardly ever did any homework at home. Use to always meet classmates at cafe's, study halls, lecture halls, library, etc to do homework.

Where I work now, we have around 7 different buildings on our campus and I'm constantly going from one building to another.

There's a reason why laptops outsell desktops. But to each, their own.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

I can do all these things on a laptop, but I rather do them on a desktop. I'll go out of my way to wait until I get home to do shit rather than use a laptop.

Also, I don't own a TV and my bed is like 5ft away from where my computer is... so... working at home on the laptop would be silly. I don't go anywhere else in the house I live in or will live in. I am in the fortress of solitude...

EDIT: I don't like doing homework outside the home, again. It's much easier for me to do it at my own leisure at home. I just sit in my room at the desk, work on whatever for however long I want, and do whatever else I want via interwebs.

You've obviously made up your mind that you don't want one, so why start the thread? Most people in your situation (student, particularly CS/Eng/Science student) find them useful. If you don't want one, don't get one.

You mentioned in your OP you're looking at a gaming computer. My advice to you is to go for the laptop instead while you're at university. I bought a cutting edge gaming PC at the start of my final year and really hardly played games at all except in summer. Thankfully it's still good enough to max out most modern games now, but frankly if you have time for a lot of gaming then you're doing university wrong.

Edit - also, as people have already said laptops are extremely useful in group work. In fact I would argue it's critical that there is at least one laptop per three people in a group project.

 

[IcePickFreak]

What kind of question is this? How can you not decide for yourself whether you need a laptop or not? How are people you never met suppose to determine your need/want for a computer more than you?


Do you need or want a computer away from the desk?

If you answered "Yes", you need a laptop!

If you answered "No", you don't need a laptop!

 

[BoomerD]

I use mine for watching football and neffing on ATOT...or when we travel. I didn't find it that useful for school...I have difficulty typing notes while I listen to the professor. I do a MUCH better job with notes using paper & pencil.

 

[sdifox]

You seem very conflicted. I suggest you buy a laptop and not use it. That would cover you.

 

[Born2bwire]

For lectures, I used laptops to record notes.
For some courses, it was a wrist saver - at some point, using pen and paper I'd start to lose my writing ability and legibility was in question for the future.

But, if you don't desire to use a laptop in class, and don't care about portability, then obviously a laptop is not necessary.

I don't get how this is a question:

you either feel there is a need for a laptop because of portability concerns, or you don't.

A laptop was nice at times, even in the home, because then I could study while relaxing on the couch. Also allowed me to use my computer somewhere else that wasn't my desk - could use it anywhere on the campus, could use it in the living room, take it somewhere to do group study.

That's why I just got a cheap Acer laptop 3 years ago - does what I needed a portable computer to do, and did it just fine. I use it less now that I graduated, but still has moments where it's nice to have a second computer that I can use anywhere (handy when troubleshooting or doing extensive overhauls). My money goes into my actual desktop, but I could never say that my laptop was a waste of money - I abused that thing like no other during the years or so years of college I had it (took about a year of college for me to decide it would be a good idea after all).

But everyone has their own personal opinions, desires, and needs. And course styles matter too - a course load of mostly psychology, sociology, and political science - laptops are wonderful. Science and math heavy courses? Not very useful (though a tablet could still work wonders).

Yeah, seriously how is this a question? A laptop doesn't have any hidden features that they do not tell you about. I'm pretty sure anybody with the capability for abstract thought can discern the advantages of a laptop. They're portable. It allows you to bring your laptop with you. Imagine a phone and think about what it's used for. Now imagine what you can do if that phone is with you as a cell phone. Now do this with a computer.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Surfing internet is easier. Working on word documents is easier. Writing papers is easier... Lots of things are much easier. Programming is easier. The screen resolution I get from the 24" screen is really significant. It's hard to get used to anything less. I hate switching windows constantly. I always have two up on my 24". Makes things nice, convenient, easy to figure.

I can do all these things on a laptop, but I rather do them on a desktop. I'll go out of my way to wait until I get home to do shit rather than use a laptop.

Also, I don't own a TV and my bed is like 5ft away from where my computer is... so... working at home on the laptop would be silly. I don't go anywhere else in the house I live in or will live in. I am in the fortress of solitude...

EDIT: I don't like doing homework outside the home, again. It's much easier for me to do it at my own leisure at home. I just sit in my room at the desk, work on whatever for however long I want, and do whatever else I want via interwebs.

Having a large screen on your desktop doesn't impact the usefulness of a laptop in any way. I have dual 24" screens on my desktop as well as a 19" lcd set up as a third monitor but I still use my 10" netbook on a regular basis and couldn't image going without it.

 

[TecHNooB]

i use my laptop to facebook on the go and play games during class.

 

[Ns1]

masturbate anywhere in the house instead of only on the computer chair


/thread

 

[Imp]

I just blew $600 on a new laptop. My reasoning was because I have the money to burn, I wanted to be able to surf, do school work directly infront of the TV or away from my desk, and so I could do stuff without having to power on my 150W (idle) beast.

Oh, and ya, I could take it places occasionally to do stuff. What stuff, I do not know right now.

 

[erikistired]

laptops are incredibly useful for people who leave their house.

 

[God Mode]

Battery life makes laptops clunky and useless in most of the situations where I need something portable. I've also had issues with the HD corrupting after an unfortunate bump while powered on (solved with an SSD). An Ipad or something equivalent makes more sense.

 

[Gooberlx2]

I think laptops are incredibly useful. They're powerful enough to replace desktops for most people and have the advantage of being portable.

If I had a somewhat more powerful and useful laptop (I hate the UL30vt's screen, and the CPU is too weak for any real image/video editing) then I'd turn my tower in to a home fileserver and do everything else on the laptop.

Personally, I'd love a HP 2740p with the battery slice. Sadly, it's rather expensive.