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I love my Dell notebook (sm)

Posted By: Colorado MT on 2005-07-11
In Reply to: Considering buying a Dell notebook to transcribe. How easy is it? - anon

When I bought my Dell notebook I had the same concerns, so I purchased a "docking station."  I don't think that's the correct term.  But the notebook hooks onto it and then I can easily adjust the height of the screen.  I can also plug into that my ergonomic keyboard, foot pedal, etc.  Love it!


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Considering buying a Dell notebook to transcribe. How easy is it?
Meaning, how is the ergonomics?  I'm afraid it may cause carpal tunnel or maybe back problems due to positioning.  Would like input.
I have a Dell and love it. No problems at all.
.
I love my DELL keyboard...nm
xx
Dell for office computer and lap top and love both. (nm)
x
I just ordered a Dell off the website on credit and was approved!!! Yay! Man, I love the web!
It will be delivered by the end of the week!  I'm back in business and not so limited on options.  Thanks again for the advice! 
I have both a Dell Latitude Laptop and a Dell Dimension desk top PC and bought both...
off of Ebay.  The laptop I paid $300 for had Windows XP and works great.  It wasn't wireless, but they sent me a PCI card with it and it works fine.  The desktop PC has XP on it as well and I paid $250 for it.  Both have Pentium IVs.  Both work great for work.  I have no complaints and I feel like I got a great deal both times out on Ebay.
Company provides a Dell for work, I have a Dell for personal use, too.
x
Dell customer service is overseas. I have had a Dell, a
Toshiba Satellite, and an HP.   The Dell was a piece of junk from day 1.  The HP hard drive crashed after 4 to 5 years, but otherwise no problems.   I bought a Toshiba about 6 months ago and it is okay, nothing special.  I was looking at the Sony Viao and the salesman said that some laptops are made to be portable, but that the Sony was not one of them, but the Toshiba was.   My keyboard also has a numerical pad on it, but it throws the other keys off a bit, so when I'm in a portable mode and don't have room for an external keyboard it really slows me down.  I have a Duo Core processor and notice no difference whatsoever in speed, the number of programs I can have open, etc.   I have also noticed that even when I am not on battery power that every so often the battery is charging.  I don't know if this is a defect or something that is supposed to happen, but I need to investigate it. 
I've had two dell laptops and 5 Dell PCs. Here's the thing...

Make sure you get the extended warranty, again, MAKE SURE YOU GET THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. And, here is why.


My first laptop went out on my, though it was a couple of years old.  Because I had the extended warranty, a service tech came to my house, replaced motherboard, hard drive, heat sink, and keyboard.  He was able to back up everything first and restored it once all the new stuff was in place. 


One of my PCs kept giving some weird blue screen error and I couldn't get to go even in safe mode. I called up Dell, told them the problem, they looked up my extended warranty and they sent someone out to repair it.


Overall, I have been happy with Dell products.  The only drag is that everything Dell sells regarding accessories is proprietary and you have to order it through Dell.  No generic accessories will work.  My suggestion is if you decide to buy a Dell laptop, make sure you get the car power supply and you might even get a 2nd regular power supply because I have been known to leave town and forget the power supply at the house.  Now, I have everything in my laptop bag for when I go out of town and can just throw my laptop in the bag and know everything is there.


Lastly, some Dell laptops require a special aircard to connect to the internet.  I ended up getting a 2 cabled USB air card and I'm glad I did because 2 USB plug ins give better reception than one.


If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. I'm happy to help.


I don't like Dell. I bought a Dell laptop and it

was a piece of junk, so I'm not the one to ask if you should buy a Dell.   I'd get at least double that processor speed.  My computer is about 10 months old and I have 5 times that, which means that there is probably something faster out now, or soon will be.  It is more than I need for work, but I also use computer to download music/pictures, and a bunch of other stuff.   The Dell I had had 650 mHz and it was slow and that was almost 6 years ago.   You may have to customize anyway to get XP unless you buy one previously owned, which you can also buy from Dell.   It is always a good idea to buy bigger than you need currently just to allow for updates to any software or new software you may add.    You need to also think about tech support.  I know Dell has tech support in India, which can be extremely frustrating.  I don't know that other computer companies don't offshore their tech support, but that would be a question I would ask and find out if there is a locally authorized dealer to handle warranty repairs or if you need to send off the computer.    I would not recommend a Gateway computer and I would not recommend any computer that has a Celeron processor.   They tend to be in all the lower end computers. 


 


little red notebook
go to horusdevelopement.com. Your can use it free for 30 days and then buy it, I think for 20.00.
Notebook ?

Do you think this is adequate for a notebook for what we do? Thanks!


http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF25a/321957-321957-64295-321838-3329741-1839150.html


Notebook if you have the $$$$$
If ALL you are doing is wordprocessing, which is what transcription is classified, you do not have a need it for graphics etc., and you have the $$$ to put in to what you need, a notebook is best because it is portable. BUT -- remember that notebooks no longer come with serial ports and few companies will include it unless it is a custom build, so a serial foot pedal cannot be used for transcription. I have tried many different adapters, and they do not work; it was explained that the TRUE serial port technology is so old that it is frequently incompatible with the USB technology used in the new operating systems, and that is why an adapter will not work. If you would like more info on your question, feel free to email me.
Another notebook ?

I really know nothing about these sort of things and would like a second opinion, so thank you for your patience in answering these questions for me!!


I looked at Sam's and basically saw nothing that was decent in memory and still high prices. I've been looking at Dell's website and saw they have a new line out for businesses. There are 3 here I am looking at. Each looks the same for memory. I really do not see what the difference is on each one or if one would be better than the other for my needs. Could someone please take a look at these 3 and give me their opinion.


For the money and with the amount of memory being offered, it seems that Dell is the way I need to go.


I appreciate the help! :o)


http://www.dell.com/content/topics/segtopic.aspx/odg/latitude_refresh?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd


Notebook
I would suggest instead of a notebook, use WordPad instead or any word processing program your hospital has on their computer. I would keep my WordPad document open at all times while typing, then use the Alt+tab key to switch between Meditech (the program my hospital uses) and WordPad. Every single thing I looked up, I added to my WordPad document. The advantage of having it in a computerized document is that you can instantly find a word by just typing in part of the word or what it s/l, then using the Ctl+F function to search the document using the whole or just part of the word. If it sounds like a certain thing, when I add it to my WordPad document, I also type "s/l _________" beside it. So that when I look it up with the search function, it will find the the word even if I didn't spell it right. I kept two separate documents, one for medications and one for all other words. If you take the document home, you can use MS Word "sort" function to list the words in alphabetical order, which I did periodically (but has to be saved in text format to be read in WordPad). If you have any questions, e-mail me at angelathrall@yahoo.com.
Little Red Notebook
Google for it.  I love mine and it is really cheap. 
notebook/lap top
How many of you use a notebook or laptop to do your work?  Are there any disadvantages? I just brought one and figure I can go to the library or somewhere else to work and not be stuck at home.  TIA.
notebook/lap top
Thank you. I had not even thought of HIPPA. At least I can work other places in my house.
Get a notebook...

Divide it by accounts.  Print samples and client profiles if possible.  Put some spare paper in there to make notes when you've done a Google search for a drug, city, street name, referring doc, etc.  Write it down.  Then when you get that account again, you slap open your notebook and it all starts coming back to you. 


Gone are the days of the same dictator over and over again.  They can only dictate so much in a day, so most of us have to expand our horizons. 


This notebook has been my lifesaver! 


P/S:  I do not use an expander.  I only use Word autocorrect.  I am old school, so to me Expanders seem like they would confuse me as I can type pretty quick after 20 years. 


Vostro notebook (sm)

Pros, cons, any other info welcome.  Thank you!


Have a notebook or rolodex (sm)
or anything with alpha tabs to record terms looked up. The very act of writing it down will help you commit it to memory. I once knew an MT who used a little rolodex system and would write a definition on a card for later reference. Periodically she would look through her rolodex and weed out the cards that she had completely memorized, keeping her system streamlined. I thought this was the best learning system I ever heard of.
URL for Lil Red Notebook inside
Sorry, I meant to add the website, although you can find it quickly by using Google.

http://www.horusdevelopment.com/rednotebook.html
Acer notebook
I had a Radio Shack notebook several years ago. I loved it. It was back in the days of floppy discs 3 1/2 inch. I never had to have it serviced.

I have a laptop now and would not go any other way. I have used it for transcription for over four years and had very few problems other than spy ware which you can get on any computer. I got mine at Sams with s 3 year service agreement and never had to use it.

Hope this helps. Good luck either way you decide. I am sure you can take it back if you wish since you just bought it.

ext. keyboard for notebook? sm
I JUST bought a laptop and my 2-year-old went to town on the keys.   So I need a keyboard I can use with it. I've heard about 'usb' keyboards and mice for laptops. Can someone recommend one that responds to a light touch and is economical?
Buy a Dell!! You can't go wrong with a Dell but
I bought an Emachines and had trouble with it from day one. I returned it, as the store I bought it from a six month return policy, so I returned it after about five months. I bought a Dell two years ago and have had no problems since!! Buy a Dell, you won't be sorry!! :)
I am not a Dell lover. My Dell has been
a lemon.  I just replaced mine with a Toshiba Satellite and I have seen a few others here recommend this.  Dell's customer service is in India.   The only thing I dislike about my Toshiba is that because it also has a number keypad the shift key is in a different position than I'm used to and I end up deleting and retyping when I use the laptop keyboard.  I normally use an external keyboard, but I travel a lot and try to work on the road and just don't have space for an external keyboard.    
Where did you hear that everything you buy for a Dell has to be from Dell?

I have LOTS of peripherals on both my laptop and desktop Dells and they certainly didn't come from Dell. You've been misinformed.


I love my Dells.


Notebook and Legends of the Fall....nm
nm
My husband and I watched The Notebook (sm)

We both teared up.  He told me that he loved me like that, and that I was his Allie.  My birthday was shortly thereafter and on my envelope he wrote "To My Allie."  What a guy I'm married to.  After 23 years of marriage, our love is still growing strong!


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
Survey Notebook Vs Desktop (sm)

Which is preferred, Notebook or Desktop for working 8+ hours per day doing MT?  Any specifics you'd like to share about processor/memory would be helpful.  Upgrading my computer and deciding which would work best for me.


What are the technical specs on your notebook (sm)
Would like more info on the specifics such as the brand, RAM, processor speed.
Another option would be to use an electronic notebook sm
Like Microsoft OneNote or Little Red Notebook (is this still available?). It's so much faster to cut and paste with the keyboard rather than stop what you're doing to write it down!

Plus after typing so much for so long, my handwriting is practically illegible at this point!
crash was decent, the Notebook is good
they dont make them like they used to tho !
17 years, my husband's got yours beat, he's STILL crying over the Notebook!

Laptop/notebook recommendations for transcription work?

I am going to get a laptop/notebook in about a month and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for one that seems to work well with transcription.  I need to know specifics like hard drive, RAM, memory, model number, etc.  Thanks in advance


love, love, love the show. hate american idol. this show is for real.
the only reason i entertained watching it was because of mark burnett and as usual he has such genious casting and editing. btw, don't know who anything about "metal" music but these performers make me like it. love marty and jd as performers. HATE JESSICA. susie is so nice and so emotional. it seems they all support each other and enjoy each others skills. regarding ty and bob marley, ty was excellent but he also lucked out on the song! bob marley was genious too and his music is very easy to listen to. i don't like 3/4 of what the others are given to sing but their performances make me love the music. dave navarro shines on this show, very gracious for the most part and letting the contestants down easy when they have to leave. he was great last night with brandon (?). sweet, sweet show. i am so impressed with everyone involved.
"The Searchers", "Gone with the Wind", and "The Notebook" nm
.
Yep that's it, 4000. Love, love love the zoom
But I feel like a dork typing...every time I try to type But it is coming out as Nut!
My Dell
My computer is an Inspiron 5150... it ran about $1200 and I have had it going on 3 years  now.  Probably more computer than I needed, but I figure if you can afford it  try to get the best, especially since I use it mainly for work and got a tax write off for it. Mine has a CD burner and other stuff which I probably could have done without, but I have been very happy with it.
Dell
You should have gone to Best Buy or somewhere and gotten an E-machine. Superior computer, best sound quality, fantastic amount of RAM, top of the line. Second one for me, have had nothing but success. First one still going strong after 6 years and 1 lightning strike. I think they're now merged with Gateway, but no matter, still the best.
Dell!
I found it so ironic that when I called to order a laptop for my kid, they were all American good ol boys that spoke just like me...that is to secure the order and make sure it's on it's merry way to the customer.  Once delivered well, then all communication heads offshore and you can here all the little Dellites just  cracking up saying suckers! 
Dell -
I bought a Dell and then found that I had to purchase Microsoft word for it - and then some footpedals are not compatible, plus tech support is $99 a question or $260 a year - wished I would have bought a Compac or Emachine. Expensive lesson learned.
I have 2, a Dell and an HP. The

Dell has been a lemon, no problems with HP.  I do not have a docking station, not really needed unless you plan on moving the laptop a lot without using any of the peripherals such as foot pedal, external keyboard.


Just about any laptop you buy off the shelf will have 256 RAM, I would recommend more if available.  I have a 15" screen, which is pretty standard, although I have seen some with I think 17" screen.   I have a serial port, game port, and USB port.  These are pretty standard too, but you can get adapters for any of these if your computer doesn't have them.


I don't understand why laptops confuse people.  They perform all the same functions as a desktop, come with the same options, just in a smaller package. 


go to Dell.com but look under ...
Make sure you choose the small business section for the laptops and not the home use. I just ordered and received mine within the last 2 weeks with Windows XP and NOT Vista!!!!
Dell XPS
Dell customer service is US based when you are first ordering your computer. Then if you call back later with any issues your call will be handled from India. BUT If you buy one of the new Dell XPS series computers, you will get all US based customer service and technical support. All XPS computers come with "rapid-response support from XPS trained technitions" who are American.
My Dell ...
Is in my closet collecting dust!!!
I have a Dell and might have to
get some memory taken out to load on more ram. Mine is 2002 but everything loaded and darn if I don’t hate to have all that done again. Are you talking desktop when you talking about closeouts? Mine is 2002 XP model. I hear some of the newer models equipped with a program we cannot use in our platform- that is another reason I am not so anxious to buy another right away.
I would go for the Dell
Simply because they offer better warranty service options. I have a Toshiba, have had a couple of problems, and have had to mail it out for service.

I just did my first MTing trip about a month ago. It worked out wonderfully. I packed all my stuff up in a backpack and carried it on the plane so nothing would get lost or damaged. The hotel set up was comfortable. Check reviews for where you are staying to make sure the internet connection is a reliable one.

Where are you going? Mind sharing?
Dell
The Dell computer I have came with a printer.  (My mom gave it to me for my kids to use.  It is a couple years old, but works great.)  I tried to setup a network with the Dell, my 2 HPs, and the Dell printer.  I had problems because the Dell CD containing the Dell drivers would not run on anything but the Dell.  I did finally get it all worked out, just took me a lilttle longer.  When I buy print cartriges they have to be ordered through Dell either online or by phone.  Otherwise, all software is compatible. 
Dell (SM)
Better to order on-line.  A real live person will try to get you to purchase other stuff you don't necessarily need.  JMHO.