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Advantage of Laptops?

Posted By: Just Curious on 2006-01-28
In Reply to:

Another poster asked how many MTs use laptops, and that got me wondering what the advantage to a laptop would be.  I understand traveling, but it sounds like some use it for home. 


I guess what I'm getting at is that I'm trying to figure out how I can transcribe outside on the back deck with a C-phone and computer (I live in a rural area).  I guess a laptop, extension cords, and moving with the sun would probably be logical, but are there any problems with that scenario that anyone can think of?  Does anyone have any other ideas for outdoor transcription?  I get kind of lonely during the day, so I thought the outdoors might help.  Also, work wants me to transcribe 2 hours before breaking!  Even though I'm new with this company, I haven't met that goal yet.  Thought I would try some new scenery, if it's possible!  ');>




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MT Advantage anyone?

I have to get some additional training and think I might go with MT Advantage.  Anyone have any experience with them?


Or, any other suggestions perhaps?


do you know someone who took advantage?

What process would I have to go through?  I'll talk to the director at my school, maybe she can help too.  As for the spelling, I think MTs are some of the worst spellers because we're used to the luxury of a spell checker.  Not bad spellers just lazy spellers.


One advantage we MTs have over - sm


most other people in that we know how to WRITE.  A friend of mine used to call it "The Power of the Pen", and it's true.  Even when you don't get the exact response you wanted when you write a letter, the fact that you were concerned enough to do it at all does NOT go unnoticed.  It raises questions in the minds of those to whom they were written.  And we have to KEEP AT IT.  Some of those with thicker skins (and skulls!) need to be reminded again and again that this country has a big problem with other countries profiting from our generosity, so-called "political correctness", and their general perception of our overall naivete.  With enough talking, blogging, letter-writting, petitioning, and educating of the American public, it might be possible to bring offshoring of American work to the forefront of the next election.  People need to be made aware that NO job is safe. 


It's sickening that big US firms are taxed to the MAX when it comes to offshoring.  What a huge windfall for THEM.  Instead, those of us that they are screwing are expected to pay the taxes that support our country's infrastructure.


If this trend continues the way it has for the past 10+ years or so, there will be no need for another country to take ours over militarily.  We'll all simply be BOUGHT.


 


 


Don't be afraid. Use the law to your advantage. SM

Stop a minute and think about this. What other person on the planet would be allowed to do this to you? Not one. The reason he is allowed to do it is because you let him.


"Tired of working?" Hell, we're all tired of working, but we do it because we have to. You keep your chin up, girlie. Find you a rat-hole and put some money in it. Even if it's a quarter at a time. Save your change, filch from your paycheck. Get a little padding there so you will have some options.


I lived with a horribly abusive man who took advantage of me for 30 years. I'd still be living with him but he's dead. I know I'd never have left.


Don't get me wrong. I adored him, God knows why - I let those "good times" outshine the horrible times and I stayed with him till death did us part - all to the detriment of my poor children. I have a daughter who thinks it's noble to stay with an abusive man. I have a son who, I'm grateful to say, is kind to his SO, but he endured a 10-year relationship with a lying, emotionally abusive girl - all thanks to me.


Do it as soon as you can. If that guy quit his job because he's "tired of working" there's nothing he won't do. Sending a hug. I know where you're coming from.


Do you feel like you are being taken advantage of? (sm)
My guess would be yes.  If they gave you more money, would you feel better about it?  If the answer to that one is yes, then ask for more.  Otherwise, I would have to agree with the other poster who said get out.  There are places that have retirement benefits, and if not, you could always start your own IRA.  That is what I did.   I just feel like there is nothing worse than going to a job everyday feeling like you are not appreciated and being taken advantage of.   Good luck, but check out other places before you actually walk out the door, then decide.
Kinesis Advantage
I just purchased a Kinesis Advantage a few months ago. I LOVE IT. It is sturdy and easy on the hands and wrists, plus my speed has increased! They are expensive, as I paid $300.00, but well worth every single penny.
What is the advantage of having the wrist pad detachable?
x
Kinesis Advantage is my favorite!
If you go to the Kinesis website, you can see if they have a refurbished one and save $60. Depending on how much you use it, it takes a little time to get up to speed with it. However, it has a very light touch and erased any discomfort I was having once I was used to it.

I haven't tried any of the upright keyboards.
Anyone use the Kinesis Advantage keyboard? see msg....
I would really appreciate any kind of feedback on this keyboard.  It's expensive but my hands/wrists/fingers are killing me.  Since I do VR mostly, I'm wondering where the arrow keys are.  Can't tell by the pics on the Kinesis site.  Also, are the keys really low-force and do you think that helps reduce pain and discomfort when typing?  Anything you could tell me, good or bad, before I spend this much money would be so appreciated.

 

Thanks!

I think you have the Kinesis Advantage not the Freestyle...
I know the Advantage is remappable. I have the Freestyle Solo, the one with the two separate halves. I love it so much that I'm going to send it back and have Kinesis remap the delete key for me. There's no "program" key (unfortunately) on this keyboard. But I absolutely LOVE this keyboard. The keys are very low force and using it has totally gotten rid of my achy wrists.
there is an advantage having black snakes
in the basement, as they eat rodents. So keep this in mind.
What do you prefer? Rodents or black snakes?

I just hate both, but if I had to choose I would choose the black snake.
I also have astigmatism and wear Accuvue Advantage as well.
I was told the Accuvue is the best contact lens made and that it might just take a while to get used to it.
I don't experience blurriness, but it feels like the lens moves every time I blink. I can see the outer rim of the lens out of the corner of my eye every time I blink.
When I went in for a followup, they fitted me with several different lenses until I found one I was comfortable with.
Good luck!
advantage of real college is once MT collapses, you can
go back and finish your degree. Can't do that with Andrews, CS, etc.
Look at Audio Advantage by Turtle Beach

It is a USB thing that looks like a flash drive and it bypasses the sound card.  It has lots of settings to adjust to improve sound.   I got it and didn't think it made much difference, but then didn't use it for a couple of days and realized that it did make a difference.  I got mine at Best Buy for about $30.  There have 3 different levels and I think Audio Advantage is the middle one (which was the only one they had at Best Buy).  You can Google Audio Advantage by Turtle Beach and probably find their website. 


Creative is a good brand of sound card and likely it isn't the sound card that is the problem, just poor quality dictation.  The USB thing above will help, but if you don't have good dictation to work work, you can only do so much.   If you don't have them also try noise-cancelling headphones.  They are rather pricey, though can probably get a good pair for about $60 or less on sale, and they make a significant difference too. 


Having IT provide phrases, sentences is its best advantage. Two words together.
But one word? By the time it arrives in the layout screen, you have typed all but the last letter.

claudicatio - semicolon

of the - bracket

I miss Word's auto correct boohoo
What is the advantage to having a book over using reliable Internet sources?
and yes I KNOW not to believe everything you google, but there are reliable sources.  Why buy a book every year?  Not arguing at all, just want to know your rationale.  Thanks!
I was told by Dell today that the only advantage to the upgrade would better graphics . He said it i

it because it also uses a lot of memory.  I decided to go with Windows XP instead.  Dell is offering a free upgrade to Windows Vista if you purchase one of their systems.   They still gave me a free upgrade option, but I doubt I will use it.


Good Luck.


Laptops sm
I would appreciate knowing how much memory the laptop needs, as mine is pretty slow. My desktop has more than enough, so could I plug my laptop into the tower of my desktop? Sounds crazy, but I would not have to move the monitor, just the tower case if I'm going to be at another location, that in itself would be so very helpful. Is this possible? Have USB ports available on both. Also (dumb question) do you use a footpedal or function keys?
for those of you using laptops
I've been looking into getting one for my son who's going off to college - which ones do you use and are happy/not happy with?  Thanks!
Laptops

Do any of you work on a laptop and how do you like it?  Which one do you have?  What do you consider the pros and cons?  Thanks


laptops
We bought our son a Toshiba, satellite series laptop 3 years ago and it is a good one, added memory to it also, hope our luck continues with it.
Laptops
A laptop will work FINE with ANY platform including Dictaphone ExText -- I have had mine since 2006 and it is an HP and I run XP Pro on it with Word 2000 -- I also purchased a four hub USB port to plug into my bottom USB port and have four available ports for my other devices -- I also run a Sprint USB card on my laptop and have NO problems whatsoever -- also, for you people that want to know about "wireless" -- if you DONT have a wireless network setup at home be it a laptop or desktop it WILL NOT work!!!! If you have a neighbor that has a wireless network, if it is a private network, you wont be able to access it -- people want the convenience of a laptop and "thinking they can work outside" -- think about battery life etc -- my laptop is plugged in just like a desktop would be and NEVER outside -- also, being outside half the time you cannot see the screen -- wireless keyboard and mouse as well for comfort and footpedal to work with -- think about you "home setup" before buying a laptop cause it may be more headache than it is worth
laptops
I use my laptop and my cell phone as internet connection. I do not use the card slot for the PC but am Bluetooth directly to connection with internet.. I have used my laptop while in the car, hubby driving, of course. It is really great. I use an external keyboard so that does slow me down in the car when i use the keyboard from the laptop but if I need to begin my weekend early I can and travel for the last few hours of my shift
Laptops
Laptops now have just as much memory, hard drive size, and use the same CPUs as desktop or tower computer systems.

Also, the Acer (or other brand) you get from Walmart is identical to the one you'll buy from an electronics store...and you'll pay more.

The only reason I'd go to an electronics store is if I needed something installed on the system, like additional memory or a different operating system than the one that comes "standard" (Vista Home Premium for Acers and many others now) or something like that. And, even if I needed something like that I probably would just order it with whatever "customizations" I needed directly from the company over the Internet.
More about laptops, would you share?
What brand do you have?  What specs, actual screen size, hard drive, RAM, ports?  Do you have a parallel port for your foot pedal?  Do you have a docking station?  I'm looking and am curious what everyone else is using.
should not use laptops on laps....sm

Read months ago in news articles that men should not use laptops on their laps due to radiation to their male body parts and affecting sperm counts...


it can be googled for verification


I have 2 laptops, 1 in case something happens to the other, but
99% of the time I have used the same laptop the entire time.  I do work full-time and until recently worked 7 days a week, so it has gotten lots of use.   I've also traveled quite a bit with my laptop so it has taken lots of wear and tear. 
laptops are no different than desktops.

You most likely won't have a serial port or game port connection on a laptop unless you have it customized, but there will be several USB ports and most everything these days comes with USB connections.  There will be a place for headphones on any computer.  As far as the rest of the stuff it is the same and you would look for the same things as if you were buying a desktop.  I was told recently though that the Sony Viao run hot and that they weren't really made for a mobile type situation. 


If you want to travel you have to know all your internet options because you'll find yourself in various situations and your primary option may not be available for some reason, so you always have to have a backup plan. 


Opinion on laptops.....sm

Would anybody mind telling me which type of laptop pc they prefer....Toshiba  vs. HP, type of processor etc. that they prefer  ex.AMD, core duo etc.  Considering getting myself one but there are so many out there with so many different specs it is getting quite confusing.  You are welcome to e-mail if you wish.  I would appreicate any input that I can get to help sort it all out. 


Thank you so much......


speaking of laptops
how do you sit outside when you need a foot pedal??  laptop knowledge is  sort of new to me also.  Thanks!! 
Looking at Dell laptops, need help plz..sm

I am going to purchase my first laptop with Dell but have no clue which one to get.  I will be working from home with it so I am not too concerned with wireless internet connection and all that.  Does anyone have any advice?


Thanks


I use laptops exclusively...sm
I have used a laptop exclusively for years and years and have never had a problem with the screen. I currently have an HP with a 17" screen and keep it constantly during the week. It is about a year old and is just fine. My old one that is for personal use is still going strong after 3-1/2 years.

Any advice on laptops? sm

I'm searching for a laptop to use occasionally.  I have a Dell desktop, but have heard some bad things about their laptops.  A friend did tell me that Acer has a good reputation for their laptops.


Any/all advice appreciated.


RUN FROM DELL LAPTOPS
Ish will never by a Dell again!!!
Laptops - I am clueless!
Sorry if this is a really dumb question but are all laptops equipped for headsets and foot pedals?  I hate all my wires and am considering going with a laptop and wireless connection to do my work but I'm not sure if you can plug in your foot pedal and headset? 
Laptops and traveling
I have two accounts that I work on. My account during the week we don't have strict times, just a time you have to have files done by, so that does allow for a little more ease. On the weekend I cover for a small 50 bed hospital, so sometimes I may have 20 files, sometimes I may have 2. The one on the weekend has a special footpedal that you can only use with their program, but it really isn't that awkward in the car. The one during the week I can use a foot pedal or use F2 to start/stop, F3 to rewind, F4 to FF. At first I was a little slow with this but now I don't find my speed any different with using F2 or with the foot pedal.

It takes some getting used to, but where i live it takes forever to get somewhere, and it's really nice to be able to get some work done. I actually got to make some extra money the other day. My mom drives for a trucking company and they needed someone to take her to get her truck. So she drove my truck to go get it (about an hour away) and I worked the whole time. Got paid a $100 bucks to ride in my truck and work! Of course that was like a one time deal.

The best for me though is getting to go to Florida and visit my dad who is 6 hours away. I can still take my work and work on the road with a pc card (about $60 a month) and not have to take time off. Just have to make sure you discipline yourself to work and not chat with hubby! :)

Like I said, it takes some getting used to, but it comes in handy!
Employees Using Laptops

If you are working from home as an employee, do any of you have employers who allow you to use laptops?  If so, does the company provide those, or are you required to buy your own?


working on laptops
How nice for the MTs out there who can work on their laptops.  At Amphion you work from their computer.  I tried to be able to get to work on my laptop and got shut down, confidentiality reasons, etc.  I only wish I could go outside or be more comfortable than my desk and chair setup.  I bet I would be much more productive.  Anyone from Amphion who is working on their laptop please let me know how, I would really appreciate it.
Verizon has a card for laptops (sm)
$60 a month for unlimited high speed access from anywhere you can get a signal. I have a Verizon cell phone and get pretty good coverage with it.
problem with laptops is ergonomics...sm
o.k. to do a little here and a little there but can't imagine putting in 6-8 hour days routinely. The keyboards are just too small and set too far back. Plus are you balancing it on your knees at Starbucks or what? For heavy production, you need a good chair and desk set up. Tempting to have one to carry around though and jump on line now and then while at the football game...
RE: For those of you who use laptops - where do you do most of your work, i.e. in a recliner (sm)

at a desk, at the kitchen table, etc.??  Just curious.  I'm serious wanting a laptop so I don't have to be chained to this desk


 


Notebook/Laptops with calculator key pad?
I am in search of the brands of notebook/laptops that have the calculator key pad on the keyboard.  I really do not want to have to buy a separate calculator key pad to carry around along with the headphones and a foot pedal.  So, can you all tell me which brands have the calculator key pad already on the keyboards?  Thanks MT Mom
HP laptops come with keypads. Mine and DH's both have one....sm...
Not all HP's have them.  Ours do though.  I use an ergo keyboard plugged in via USB though when I'm doing transcription.  I just got mine in January so they probably still have some.
laptops and foot pedals
Hi.  could you explain a little further how the hot keys works versus foot pedal?  thanks for helping me out.  I feel so out of it with some of this.
I just got my 5th Dell---have 2 laptops and 3 desktops - sm
My laptop which I bought used about 5 years ago has been acting up for about a year, so expect it to die soon, so bought a new/used Dell laptop to replace that (use for travel only basically). My desktop crashed last year, got it fixed, bought a backup though about 8 months ago to replace that one. My everyday one finally died right after Christmas. On my backup desktop used Dell now, but this is supposed to be my younger daughters computer (and just my backup for emergencies); so I went and ordered a new Dell last week (with XP though), just got it and plan on setting it up over the weekend. I am very happy with the Dell product. My first one lasted 6 years, my used laptop is about 8 years old and still going though it is dying, my new/used laptop is about 2 years old and in great shape; my backup is also about 2-3 years old but I expect it will last longer than 6 years as it will not be abused like my regular desktop. I am sure I will be happy with the new one. I had a Gateway before and it died after 4 years, so I find Dell more reliable.
Docs with laptops instead of recording sm
It's happening, docs typing in only what they feel necessary as they see you and your PMH only as necessary, you may have been through a lot in the past but don't think they care, they only want what they can efficiently store & do themselves. That's a fact! It's sad!
Laptops and foot pedals
I just discovered that the foot pedal I use with Bayscribe does not fit into my laptop! The foot pedal has a 9-pin connection and the laptop has mostly only USB portals. I don't want to buy a new foot pedal. Is there any sort of adapters or some other way to make this work?
Laptops and Satellite/Wireless Internet

Does anybody work off a laptop and have a wireless or satellite internet connection? Just wondering because we'd like to do some traveling and it would be nice to be able to work also and not have to use so much PTO time, etc?


 


 


All internet-based accounts & laptops...sm
Excuse me for being so dense about this, but what kind of laptop and internet connection do you all get that enables you to work outdoors or on the road?  Can this work for anybody on any internet-based account?  Do you just plug your foot pedal in your laptop, hook up to internet (but how do you connect to the internet when you are outside or camping?) and go to work.  If someone could explain this to me in detail, I would very much appreciate it.   TIA
Been using a laptop only for 7 years now. Some laptops aren't

meant to be mobile, at least that what a salesman told me.  I was looking at the Sony Viao and he said there weren't really meant to be mobile, at least not as their main function.   Get a good padded case, use an external keyboard.   Anything you get off the shelf these days should be enough for you to work on.   I'd get one that had a DVD player just in case you want to watch movies while traveling.  I'd get a minimum of 512 RAM, preferably twice that. 


With all the back to school sales now is a good time to be buying a laptop.  Also, if your state has a tax-free weekend (ours is this weekend) you can save another $200.


I'd make sure you had enough USB ports to plug in everything you need.  You can always buy a USB hub for $20 or less if you need more.  


Be sure and get the extended warranty.  If you need repairs it will pay for itself the first time.  


Whatever you get don't get Vista.  It might be hard to find one without it unless you order it.  I'm not sure if you can dump Vista and install Windows or not.


Whatever you get give yourself a couple of weeks to try it out at home and make a check list of all you need to take with you.  I've traveled and left my external keyboard at home, I've left the adapter to convert my PS/2 keyboard to USB, and I think I even left my power cord once, so it is good to have a checklist so you don't forget stuff.  


When I upgrade my Stedman's I get the electronic ones so when I travel I have them on my computer and don't have to worry about carrying my books, or not being able to look things up if I don't have constant internet access. 


 


 


We have a few Acer laptops in our family. No probs. nm
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