I have a Dell 6400 and get about 6 hours of battery life.

Mark


-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Pietruk
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2011 10:28 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [VICUG-L] anyone responding to Deborah's question

Personally, my wife and I have had positive experiences from Dell both 
with pcs and their customer service which is second to none.
People are far too concerned with what preloaded software may be on a 
machine which can be easily ignored or removed if needed.
Space on a hd is so huge these days as this hardly matters in my 
estimation.

As for Deborahs asking about laptop vs desktop, I would only note that 
historically laptops don't seem to have the longevity as a desktop.
This may not matter much for the casual user; but if you work hours a day 
with a pc, I would consider this.
Personally, I like having both for different situations.

I'd be looking more at things like the types of connectors a pc has, how 
many, amount of ram, and things like that.
I make heavy use of an external drive so for me, at least, a huge hd isn't 
a key; but for others, it may understandably be.

As for Christopher's point of installing additional ram himself, that 
might work well for someone like him who is comfortable in doing so.  I am 
guessing that Deborah may not want to touch the inside of her pc; and if 
she goes with a laptop, additional ram may be not so easy to install 
later.

As for a laptop, consider battery life and whether or not an extended life 
battery is available.  If it is, it's probably worth the cost in the 
long-run.

There are no right or wrong answers to this whole purchase thing; just 
opinions.  more than likely, whatever she buys, she will be satisfied 
along with some post-decision regrets in the process.

Perhaps the best route to take is getting the greatest bang for the buck 
and convenient servicing if needed.
An extended warranty, particularly if supplied directly by the 
manufacturer and including on site service, may be a lifesaver.
This may be especially true for a blind person if quick transportation is 
an issue.

And, oh yes, one of the things we liked about Dell customer service is 
that when once we had an issue, a tech was able to remotely fix it thanks 
to some of their software.

Good luck, and more than likely, you will make a good choice and be 
satisfied.





When God does the work, nothing is impossible.
Pastor Chuck Smith, Calvary Bible Chahpel, Costa Mesa, CA


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