Lisa,

First, check out my articles on choosing adaptive technology at
http://www.empowermentzone.com/atchoice.txt  There are some great
suggestions on creating a process in choosing adaptive technology.  Do you
already have a reliable desk top machine?  If not, you can get more
computer and access for your buck starting with a desktop than going for a
laptop.  Beyond the issue of desktop versus laptop, getting a laptop that
is highly durable with a long battery life is very much possible.  The
tension is with price.  rugged laptops exist that are made out of titanium,
have rubber inside to absorb shocks, and are water tight.  These machines
have worked after surviving car fires, being dunked in water, and dropped
from a second or third story window.  It all depends how much you are
willing to pay for the device.  For these, search for what is called
"rugged laptops."  it is important to consider how durable the laptop
needs to be, as described in the process of choosing technology, to
determine whether or not it is worth the extra money for a certain level
of durability.  Everyone wants  a long battery life.  The balance is how
much do you really need and how much are you willing to pay for laptops
with longer batter life?  What about those devices that allow for battery
modules to be changed out when battery is low?  There are various
solutions for battery life but the important thing is to work through the
process described in the articles to answer basic needs and weigh
different questions.

You said that the laptop does not need to connect to the Internet at this
time?  Might it ever?  It may be useful to go back and think through the
purpose of the device and your needs for the life of the device before
making a purchase decision.  Realizing next year that using this laptop to
access the Internet is limiting and not possible may cause more problems
than simply taking the time now to consider these issues while you are
figuring out the technology solution.

There is no recipe for a best laptop or technology solution for the blind
after the obvious choices of screen reader or magnifier have been
made.  Technology choices are a personal fit, similar to one's living or
work space.

Be sure to consider reviews on http://www.cnet.com and
http://www.zdnet.com

kelly





On Thu, 14 Dec 2000, Lisa Kozlik wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>
> I want to purchase a laptop computer, but have no idea what to buy. I will
> be using it for note taking and word processing. Since it will be carried
> to and from school, it needs to be durable and have a relatively long
> battery life.
> I plan to use JFW and Windows 98 on it. For the time being, I do not need
> Internet access or email capabilities. I'd appreciate any buying tips and
> recommendations from the list. If you have any questions for me, please ask.
>
> Thanks!
> Lisa
>
>
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VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html