Michele 1 #1 August 14, 2004 So it looks like, with the recent move from one brokerage to another, I will have to get some updated technology. None of these are mandatory, but I suspect it will make my life MUCH easier, as I will be doing more for myself rather than being dependent upon a brokerage house (i.e. fully staffed with secretaries, receptionists, and so forth...) The things I need guidance on are: ~Laptop. If I can afford it, I want to get one. But which one, what should it have, and how much would I reasonably expect to pay for one...and it would need to have a printer, too (or does any printer work with one?) ~Cell phone. Same deal. As it would only be for work, what carrier is best, least expensive, and most functional? (And I don't need a camera phone)... ~Blackberry/Palm Pilot. What are these things, why would I want one, and how much (again) should I expect to pay? Any suggestions as to where to purchase these? Thanks in advance. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leroydb 0 #2 August 14, 2004 seeing that you will probally not be using processor intensive programs... you will prob use micorosoft office. you could get a 800-1400 lappy top, i paid 999.99 for my averatec cell phone depends on your area, you'll have to look around on this. are you sure you will need a palm pilot seeing you will have a lap top?Leroy ..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mailin 0 #3 August 14, 2004 Hey! Seeing as I just bought a laptop, I have pretty good idea of what they go for, and they're expensive! You can get them as cheap as $500 and as expensive as $2 grand. Best place to start is a technology related store like Fry's. I think Kris bought her laptop there - you can ask her. I have T-Mobile for my cell phone and I really like them, but it depends on what you want. Do you want free nights/weekend - nationwide longdistance - no roaming?? It pays to shop around when getting a cell phone. Palm Pilot is probably better for what you need versus a blackberry/blueberry. You'll pay out the nose for the latter. You can get a palm pilot for less than $200 at a place like Office Depot. They're good for getting quick access to your schedule, contacts and to right yourself notes. I doubt its a necessity for you - just a small 'black book' will work just fine too. Now a days you can get items like blackberry/blueberry that are a cell phone and PDA in one! Best place IMO is ebay for any of these things. You can get refurbished (aka perfectly good) electronics for half the price new. Best of luck! Congrats on the new job JenArianna Frances Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrazyIvan 0 #4 August 14, 2004 I'll give you my humble geeky opinion about that: ~Laptop. If I can afford it, I want to get one. But which one, what should it have, and how much would I reasonably expect to pay for one...and it would need to have a printer, too (or does any printer work with one?) * I've mentioned before (numerous times) that in my opinion the BEST laptops are TOSHIBA, I'd suggest you look at the SATTELITE series, and nothing really fancy, what you should target on, is HARD DRIVE SPACE, BATTERY LIFE, MEMORY and speed, the latter can be a Pentium 4/Celeron, the newest processor (which the salesperson at any store will TALK WONDERS) is too expensive and it will really be overkill for you. ~Cell phone. Same deal. As it would only be for work, what carrier is best, least expensive, and most functional? (And I don't need a camera phone)... * Well, cellphones, some like the TREO are very cool, but they are also expensive, I'll let you decide on that. ~Blackberry/Palm Pilot. What are these things, why would I want one, and how much (again) should I expect to pay? * PALM PILOT would be your best choice, you have also PocketPC but in my opinion, browsing thru menus (since they run Windows) on a handheld I personally find it cumbersome. Check Palm's website to choose the one that may meet your needs. Any suggestions as to where to purchase these? * I'd suggest, browse the web first, get all the possible "goodies" lined up, check prices and THEN go to the store, BestBuy is a cool place to start. I hope this helped you a little bit. Any questions...you know where to find me.__________________________________________ Blue Skies and May the Force be with you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vid666 0 #5 August 15, 2004 Laptop - most people choose to go with tier 1 manufacturers ( Dell/Compaq/HP/Toshiba ETC ) - these guys do their share of R&D and the products are good. Sure, somebody can claim that one brand is better than the other, or that brand X is crap cuz they had ONE laptop that gave them hell - well, that's simply not enough date to make a judgment call. Bottom line - if it has a waranty ( and everything that is new or refurb does ), you should be fine. Most people nowadays like Dell cuz of their marketing and pricing. good website that shows lotsa Dell deals is www.bensbargains.net Cellphone - again opinions out there are mostly based on very little data, but more on ONE bad personal experience. Verizon has the largest coverage area - great, but if you stay within the city it doesn't make a difference. Different city - different deadspots for signal - talk to your friends and figure out which carriers they have used and which ones they like the most. Phone wise - again, a brand name is a brand name. If you are looking for just a phone - I would imagine most should work fine. No idea on blackberry/palm pilot .. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CrazyIvan 0 #6 August 15, 2004 Quotesomebody can claim that one brand is better than the other, or that brand X is crap cuz they had ONE laptop that gave them hell Not really, I deal with most if not all brands and the GOOD ONES always rise to the top. __________________________________________ Blue Skies and May the Force be with you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #7 August 15, 2004 I'll have to agree on the Toshiba’s, they aren’t my favorite laptop for picky personal reasons (and some graphic intensive functions i use often) but the military uses them in nearly every application and the reliability has been pretty amazing considering... now as far as price comparisons definitely do your research they can vary widely.. but if this is a work machine you should be able to write some portion of it off, and the best machine you can afford (particularly for laptops) will have a longer useful job life (you wont have to upgrade expensive if not impossible on laptops or replace it as quickly)____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vid666 0 #8 August 15, 2004 QuoteNot really, I deal with most if not all brands and the GOOD ONES always rise to the top. again, a matter of opinion. You can be a guy who tests multitudes of laptops on daily bases, but otherwise the data collected is too narrow to make a statement saying that brand X is the best. An opinion however is more than fine, since that's not to be argued about :) I have dealt with many different brands of PC/Laptop equipment over the years as well, and I am yet to say that one is overall better or worse than the other - everything has it's own pluses and minuses. Basically if you like what you have - great - but that by no means is basis saying that that is the best brand out there. Again, not meant as an arguement, merely an OPINION. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DTOXX 0 #9 August 15, 2004 I use a Blackberry everyday. This device is a cell phone that is also "hooked" into an email server. In my case its an Exchange Server. I receive all my office email via the Blackberry (or you can configure using "rules" in outlook) plus its a cell phone and email browser. Because its Java enabled I have also put on an English/French translation application. There are more options with a Palm, or Pocket PC, but if you REQUIRE email interaction this is the way to go. (read email interaction as ELECTRONIC LEASH ) ------- D.T. Holder SIMstudy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lummy 4 #10 August 15, 2004 the Treo is similar to the Blackberry in regards to features. It's a cell phone and a Palm Pilot all in one. You can get your e-mail on the Treo as part of the monthly subscription. Blackberry's integreate with mail a little better but you really need an Exchange server to get that functionality. I guess it all depends on how "wired in" you want to beI promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. I promise not to TP Davis under canopy.. eat sushi, get smoochieTTK#1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildblue 7 #11 August 15, 2004 QuoteWell, cellphones, some like the TREO are very cool, but they are also expensive, I'll let you decide on that. I have a Treo 600 - it's one of the cooler gadgets I've ever owned. They're kinda expensive, but when you figure it's a Palm (~$200) and a phone (~$100) it's not that much more expensive. I personally think it kicks the blackberry's ass, but that's just my opinion. I also get pretty high-speed internet on my laptop with it too, for $10/month, and no need to buy a card for my laptop Michele - if you spend a ton of time on the phone, and always have to search for numbers to call, have a ton of meeting/appointments - you'll want some kind of PDA. Or you can just use that old pen & paper.it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BIGUN 1,483 #12 August 16, 2004 Laptop [http://www.emachines.com/products/products.html?prod=eMachines_M2352 Cell phone For in-town local coverage only; Cricket is a good choice. Unlimited anytime minutes and 500 free long distance minutes per month - $45.00, but you have to buy the phone becuase their is no 2/3 year agreement - it's month to month. Once, you go out of your local calling area though, the phone is dead. No coverage. If you're prone to travel on occasion and need a cell; you may wish to consider a Sprint "LOCAL" service which gives more minutes for less money, but charges you a roaming fee if you travel. THe way to determine is gauge how many minutes you might use when you travel versus their Regional or nationwide coverage plan. Blackberry/Palm Pilot. Basically, these can be either a wireless PDA or a cell phone PDA. A PDA is a minature computer that houses the ability to access your appointments or word documents or excel spread sheets. On average the PDA's can cost $100 for the low monochrome end or $350 for the upper end Compaq or Palm Pilots. There are two sides to this coin. You can get a celluar phone free with Sprint, Cingular, et.al. ANd then buy a PDA for around $350. Or, you can combine the PDA and Cell phone into one package like the treo 600 or Blackberry 7000 series. If you decide to go with Cricket, you'll have the cost of the phone plus if you decide to buy a PDA, you're up to $450.00 at which point you may wish to consder an alternative carrier whose network support Treo's and Blackberry's because you get both the phone and PDA in one unit. Here's my suggestion for those on a limited budget: Get the laptop first and a free cell phone with whicchever carrier best suits your needs. Ensure that the phone has either an IR port or that you can buy a data link. There is some software out there called phonesync and datapilot, whereby you can "download" all "Contacts and appointments" from MS Outlook to your phone (Nokia 3595, for example) using the datalink or IR port to/from your laptop. If you are one of those people who doesn't need 300 contacts and your appointments in your phone, you can also use MS Outlook to Create your contacts and appointments for use in a daytimer, day runner or Fanklin series day keeper. The way to do that is to go into MS Outlook and for example - select contacts. Then go to "File\Pgge setup and scroll right. Let's say you choose "Medium Booklet." A popup box will occur which will have tabs on it. Select the "Paper" tab and go to the right side of the box. In that box is a selection of all the top Day keeper series for whatever size three or seven ring daykeeper binder you have. Select Print preview to ensure that its what you want and the right style. If not; repeat. Once you're satisfied, print it out, three of seven hole pucnh it and stick it in the telephone section of your day keeper. You can do the same for your calendar. On that note, if you already have a printer... lets say an HP inkjet of some kind. Windows XP will generally have the driver for it and once you plug it into the back of your laptop a box will popup that says, New Hardware found and tell you what it is. It'll ask if you want to intall it as a printer and make it your default printer - in which case you'll answer both as yes. If for some reason you stick a printer on their that XP doesn't recognize, you can go to that printer manufacturer's website and download the driver and install it on your laptop. Hope this helps... Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michele 1 #13 August 16, 2004 Tons of great information! Thanks, all!! I am not exactly sure what I will need, but I think I'm going to invest in either a lappie or a desk computer. My office won't be ready until sometime in late December or early January (we're building out the whole 2nd floor into a gorgeous place - and I get to help with the interior design!I will need to get a cell phone, though, ASAP, and I'll be researching that this week. And I got a "good luck with your new office" Palm Pilot (gently used) from a DZ.commer, so I'm set there. All y'all rock. Thanks so much. I will take all the information into consideration, and I will research tons. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildblue 7 #14 August 16, 2004 NO! : http://www.emachines.com NO! Cricket also sucks if you ever plan on leaving your house. ATT/Cingular is going to have the best coverage - you might just have to put up with a month or two for bumps. I'm totally unimpressed with Sprint. Nextel also leaves something to be desired.it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Clownburner 0 #15 August 16, 2004 Cell Phones: For coverage, you can't beat Verizon in southern california. Cingular/T-Mobile is the worst*, followed closely by Sprint. AT&T is less awful but not great. I've had really really good results with Verizon for a couple years. They don't have the coolest phones though. (* at least in my geographic area) For PC-Compatible laptops: Toshiba or IBM are very good; the Panasonic Toughbook is very nice (but pricey), Sony VAIO are cool but pricy and I've heard mixed reviews of their customer service. Dell is a nightmare, I would avoid them like the plague. You'll get a lot more computer for the money (or the same computer for a lot less money) if you go with a desktop vs. a laptop, but you lose the portability - you need to decide just how important that is to you. Good luck (and call me if you need more info)! 7CP#1 | BTR#2 | Payaso en fuego Rodriguez "I want hot chicks in my boobies!"- McBeth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zenister 0 #16 August 16, 2004 I agree while its not really a GSM network and so wont do you much good outside of the US, Verizon has consitantly had the best coverage areas as i've travelled the US. Even in on test ranges in the middle of nowhere NV i've had coverage while everyone else has not... of course if your not travelling that much the coverage only matters in your area..so another provider may be better....____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Clownburner 0 #17 August 16, 2004 Well, NOBODY (including Verizon) gets coverage at Lost Prairie - but everywhere else it's been good. I did get reception at the top of the fire tower at LP though. They built a 'cell tower' at the drop zone, but it didn't help for some reason. Maybe because it was made out of a pile of refrigerators bolted together. 7CP#1 | BTR#2 | Payaso en fuego Rodriguez "I want hot chicks in my boobies!"- McBeth Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #18 August 16, 2004 QuoteLaptop - most people choose to go with tier 1 manufacturers ( Dell/Compaq/HP/Toshiba ETC ) - these guys do their share of R&D and the products are good. Sure, somebody can claim that one brand is better than the other, or that brand X is crap cuz they had ONE laptop that gave them hell - well, that's simply not enough date to make a judgment call. Bottom line - if it has a waranty ( and everything that is new or refurb does ), you should be fine. Most people nowadays like Dell cuz of their marketing and pricing. I'd agree for the most part, other than the fact that Dell does virtually no R&D. They are an assembler. IBM, Toshiba, and Sony actually seem to care about design. Dell, Compaq/HP - it's just a small PC with a feature set. All of them unfortunately are making transportables - 7-8lbs is the norm again. Only a few offerings in the 4lb category. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BIGUN 1,483 #19 August 16, 2004 QuoteNO! : http://www.emachines.com NO! I defy you to open up a Dell, Compaq (HP), or Gateway (which now owns emachines) and tell me the difference between them and an emachine. QuoteCricket also sucks if you ever plan on leaving your house. Metaphorically speaking; if your house is your local calling area, then I said that. In both cases, my solution was as stated - "If you're on a limited budget..." and need a year to build the business, then my solution will cover that. If money is no issue; then I would recommend the Toshiba or Sony for laptops and Cingular, Sprint or Verizon with a Treo 600.Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
