Would you Spend £700 on an Extra 1.1 Inches? I just Did!

[mawnansmiff]

Following my request for advice regarding purchasing a new touchscreen laptop I had narrowed my choices down to two devices, a Huawei Matebook 2020 (16gb RAM, 512 HD) or a Microsoft Surface 3 (16gb RAM, 256 HD) (as recommended by Tim aka Ashdigger).

The Huawei was 13.9" at £999 and the Microsoft Surface was 15" but a shocking £1,699. Thing is I needed as big a screen as possible so as to display my family tree software in such a way as I could read it without squinting so that alone prompted the purchase of the more expensive of the two devices. It is also the one with the smaller hard drive but 512gb should see my right.

It arrived yesterday and i'm reasonably pleased with it though the power pack gets mighty hot! Oh, and it only has 2 USB ports.

Also, for the life of me I cannot get the damned thing to highlight text for copying and pasting. I watched many a YouTube video but it just won't work. I can highlight a single word but no sentence ;-(

On the Kindle it was a breeze, on my desktop too though that does have a mouse. Perhaps I need a mouse for this thing!

Regards,

Jay.

 

[jaytex1969]

Congrats. By the thread title, I was expecting a much more sordid, back alley at midnight, sort of tale...

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I bet those YouTube videos looked a lot better on that new computer. Congrats!
I can't help with using it to highlight. I've never had a touch screen PC.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Never had a touch screen computer, but my iPhone and iPad have them.
My newish MacBookPro has only a 13" screen, but four USB3 (Thunderbolt) ports, and can drive a large second screen.

Once you go Mac, you never go back!

 

[Chasing Embers]

I won't pay more than $60 for a phone, so no.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"By the thread title, I was expecting a much more sordid, back alley at midnight, sort of tale..."

You have a filthy mind Jay, see me after class!

BTW, I think I have the copy and paste thing sorted.

Regards,

Jay.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

You have a filthy mind Jay, see me after class!

That doesn't sound right either.

 

[sablebrush52]

Hi Jay,
I hope your Surface 3 gives you many years of service.

 

[mso489]

It's always hard to gauge what the lifespan of a "device" will be. If we are talking fifteen years here, it spreads out the expense, and the presumed extra usage makes it worthwhile. If what you get is preempted by some advancement in technology, then it was a bad bet. Being on an 11-year-old PC, that was recently rehabbed by a tech shop, I'd say you may have done just fine. Yeah, the title on this post is X-rated -- a dirty mind is a perpetual feast, as someone else said first.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I wouldn't, but my wife probably would

 

[jpmcwjr]

Few items in the fast moving electronics field become obsolete within 10-15 years. They will still do what they did when new, if they haven't been dropped, soaked or abused.

That leaves the question as what drives us to get new devices when we don't really need them?

Usually, faster, cheaper (per performance) and prettier; sometimes smaller, more compact, or larger with more resolution. Or just because we can or want to; features have been introduced that weren't there when we got the first device.

 

[brian64]

Few items in the fast moving electronics field become obsolete within 10-15 years. They will still do what they did when new, if they haven't been dropped, soaked or abused.

I'm relieved to know you're not using the water method for cleaning your computer.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'm relieved to know you're not using the water method for cleaning your computer.

But, I am pretty damned sure that he writes where he is from on it with a Sharpie.

 

[LOREN]

Few items in the fast moving electronics field become obsolete within 10-15 years. They will still do what they did when new, if they haven't been dropped, soaked or abused.

That leaves the question as what drives us to get new devices when we don't really need them?

Usually, faster, cheaper (per performance) and prettier; sometimes smaller, more compact, or larger with more resolution. Or just because we can or want to; features have been introduced that weren't there when we got the first device.

It seems a lot of times new software won't work on older systems (on purpose?) and manufacturers stop supporting their older hardware, which isn't really that old in my opinion.

 

[Old School 3319]

I won't pay more than $60 for a phone, so no.

I was told I had to start carrying my wife's old Iphone I have a pre pay plan for 35 dollars

 

[Chasing Embers]

I was told I had to start carrying my wife's old Iphone I have a pre pay plan for 35 dollars

My plan is unlimited everything for $55. Even comes with mobile Hotspot. Would never have even had a smartphone but my service provider discontinued service to my flip phone.

 

[kcghost]

I guess you are fortunate in only needing one inch.

 

[anotherbob]

Following my request for advice regarding purchasing a new touchscreen laptop I had narrowed my choices down to two devices, a Huawei Matebook 2020 (16gb RAM, 512 HD) or a Microsoft Surface 3 (16gb RAM, 256 HD) (as recommended by Tim aka Ashdigger).

The Huawei was 13.9" at £999 and the Microsoft Surface was 15" but a shocking £1,699. Thing is I needed as big a screen as possible so as to display my family tree software in such a way as I could read it without squinting so that alone prompted the purchase of the more expensive of the two devices. It is also the one with the smaller hard drive but 512gb should see my right.

It arrived yesterday and i'm reasonably pleased with it though the power pack gets mighty hot! Oh, and it only has 2 USB ports.

Also, for the life of me I cannot get the damned thing to highlight text for copying and pasting. I watched many a YouTube video but it just won't work. I can highlight a single word but no sentence ;-(

On the Kindle it was a breeze, on my desktop too though that does have a mouse. Perhaps I need a mouse for this thing!

Regards,

Jay.

yeah laptop "mouses" are a pain in the ass. You kind of get used to them after a while but only kind of.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"You kind of get used to them after a while but only kind of."

To be fair, the scratch pad thingy on here is much better than the one I tried to use many years ago.

Regards,

Jay.

 

[saltedplug]

About a year ago I calculated that I had paid $24K for my telephone in the last 25 years. I was outraged, and without knowing how I was going to get different phone service, I had the current service terminated.

How much did it cost my company to maintain my line? Maybe a thousand or two, I guess, but I feel quite assured that it didn't cost them 24K.

An still no cell phone. I'll be damned if I'm going to spend $100 a month to take my phone with me. I'm home a lot and can make calls at will. I'm on the internet a lot from my desktop. Why do I need the internet when I' not?

I use Google Voice; not bad for free.