Laptop, Desktop, Hand-held. Which do you use?

I program for PCs and tablet PCs.

I maintain a palm PC.

I maintain and use laptops.

At home, I have a PC with a 17" LCD and a laptop with a 15.4" LCD side-by-side.

As for outdoor laptop use...I get that 365 days a year, as long as I have the umbrella open on the patio :)

I usually work on a laptop but also have XP/AD desktop and an NT desktop running at my desk for support and console work. I've supported laptops for years so I'm pretty comfortable on them.
At home I built a awesome desktop a year or so ago, though I rarely use it for more than checking e-mail and surfing a little. After looking at computers all day I have no desire to mess with one all night. My wife uses it the most for messing with digital images and music etc.

When I travel, or even in a meeting room, I take my laptop. Its old, not terribly fast, but I don't do much demanding work - MS Project, Visio, MS Office.

At home, I like to play games so I have a desktop and good video card.

I have used a number of PDAs. I may start up again - to manage my calender and take quick notes.

James

I tend to use my PDA for scheduling and for keeping track of day to day information while I'm on the go.

My laptop I use when I travel or I have to give a presentation off site.

My desktop I use both at home and at work to get the bulk of my compting "stuff" done...Programming, surfing, etc are all done on a desktop because I prefer the egro keyboards and mice AND I have a nice 19" screen to stare at.

At the office I have a desktop pc, a desktop MAC (cough, cough, cough), a laptop pc, two palms, an ip phone and a cell phone. Oh yeah and a data projector and fax machine...and I am attached to 5 different printers. I mostly use the desktop pc because it has the most beautiful monitor! I use the MAC when I am forced to.

At home, I have a router, 2 desktop pcs and a wireless laptop pc (which I absolutely LOVE), two printers and a partridge in a pear tree! Of course, I use the laptop at home because I can take it anywhere even two blocks down from my house...and yes it is semi secure...not locked down completely but good enough for a rural Texas neighborhood!

I carry cdrom with software for remote calls, but use hardware from there.
( diagnotstics disc usually )

otherwise, if I'm outside I'm taking a break from the computer, so no portable system wanted.
no cell phone
no pager

out is out and not available, a real break from the stresses.

Everyone in my department has two computers. Usually, they choose one of the computers as a laptop. Beefy apps, critical apps, or development suites run on the desktops but laptop apps tend to be more about collaboration and communication than power apps. Most, don't use a PDA, some do. However, all of them use cell phones, web access, and use the advanced features.

We tend to perfer the one that is needed at the moment. It also depends on the type of work that needs to be performed. For example, If one of my techs need to remotely boot a server, the cell phone works best because a laptop is not always the most convenent.

With 2 19 inch CRT as my main workstation but it is also a Dual processor unit with built in SCSI so it is more for power use. The LT is a tool that I really feel naked without when I'm out and that has several USB HDD stuffed into the bag as well as different HDD for different OS as required and a few other play toys as well but all are for diagnostic work.

Unfortunately a cell phone is mandatory :( although I'd gladly give up the thing and quite often turn it off and claim when questioned that the battery must have gone flat so stop ringing me so much!

I've used a few PDA's but as yet have not really found one that is worthwhile having but that could just be my "Fat Fingers" and the new generation of Internet connective cell phones are just way too expensive to run here at the moment so I rely on the LT and its built in wireless connection most of the time.

Col ]:)

I had my fill when I took a job and had a satellite pager that was worldwide. That wasn't so bad, but then the place I was working for got my cell number so they could "get a hold of me, if necessary."

Well, they started handing my cell number out to clients and running my minutes off. I told my company "You will pay me for my minutes, or I will change the number." Considering I had a 1500 minute plan and was paying over $150 a month for my cell (because I was travelling all over the country and did everything remote during the week), I wasn't about to let them get free phone use out of my wallet.

They did reimburse me by the minute... reluctantly...but, at least I got the money. Still doesn't make for all the aggravation of having clients call me and say "Oh...well, Chris gave us your number and said it would be okay to call you here." You don't wanna be an ass to your clients...so, I called Chris and let into him and explained how the company didn't include external clients.

So anyways...that backed off...then I went to a different job, and now always ask in interviews now if a cell or pager is required. I have turned down one job because of it. I refuse to be called 24/7 because someone else wants to "delegate responsibility" at 2am so they can stay in bed.

My job now: 8am-5pm, Mon-Fri. If we have a hurricane, I am to call my supervisor to find out where to show up (shelter, EOC, etc). Otherwise, my boss doesn't call me after hours and I only call him if I need to take emergency time off or ask a question that can't wait til 7:30am.

I seem to have more "gadgets" than one person should!

PC at work, just for doing the usual standard stuff. Oh, and the obligatory mobile phone - sorry, cell phones as you call them!

Home is a different matter. I have my own mobile office. This started off just being a snazzy laptop (admittedly the US Ladies LE!!!) but has expanded to include an Ipaq, which is extremely useful for meetings. Comes with its own foldy keyboard (cos I speed type) Along with that, being in security I have all pc locks and cables, and my own digital 3 x zoom camera - for evidence collection. All this means that when I'm asked to take on a consultancy contract, I can work from anywhere.

Also ended up with a second Ipaq purely for SatNav. Enforced purchase, honest, went from securing 5 locations to securing 86, just a small difference there! Just outside of my "home" area, so need the TomTom just to find some of these places!

Also have a personal cell phone - daughter, grandson and elderly parents provide the excuse....

Use all of these regularly, but only have one complaint. Although I have a wheely laptop bag that holds the mobile office, I could still do with a flippin' camel, cos it's all still too heavy for me!

I sit in front of my notebook, but use it to remote in to desktops at work to run specific apps. The desktops are there primarily because they're cheaper.

I tried a hand held, but it seemed to make me feel TOO connected. It's easier to leave the notebook at home than a hand held. When you can access work almost anytime from anywhere, it's nice to get away completely once in a while.

Jaqui, I married one of those foreign devil Canadians like your spouse did. What type of problems are you having? We've actually never had too much problem with US Customs And Immigration, Immigration Canada or the Canadian consulates we've dealt with. The only real headache has been the time periods for some issues. Trying to get (US born) kids Cdn citizenship cards - 9 month wait. Green card renewal - appointment 6 weeks in advance. The only Sept 11 related problem is with the waiting lines at the border.

Sorry - off topic!

I use a desktop at work and home. When I go out onsite to a customers place, I'll use there equipment. There have been a few times I wish I had a laptop, but for the most part, as long as I have my diag disks I'm ok. PDA's I have tried to use but lack the disipline to keep them up to date. A cell phone is a must for me sadly. It is the way my customers keep in touch with me. Which is ironic for me because I really dislike using them all the time.

With it being summer here in the Chicago area, after 6pm I put everything aside and enjoy the outdoors.

if your family are born and raised American citizens, you ended up as a Canadian, if you will pardon my nosiness.

Re the cell phone or any phone. The phone is there for my convenience not anyone elses. I won't ever jump out of a shower to run and answer the phone. Likewise I only turn on my cellular when I want to call someone or am expecting a specific call from someone; otherwise it is switched off. I consider the phone an intrusive device and refuse to be controlled by it. I have had people ask why I won't answer a ringing phone. They have a hard time swallowing my answer that I just don't feel like it and thanks to call display and voice mail, I can pick and choose which calls I do answer. Of course I get right pissed off when someone doesn't answer MY calls. X-(

Dawg ]:)

and the cell was kept off unless [b]I[/b] wanted to make a call. There are advantages to being the boss. Rank does have its privileges. The original cell was a Motorola about the size and weight of a brick and it was very easy to justify consigning it to my brief case and forgetting about it. I would call in two or three times a day to pick up any messages if I was on the road or to phone out for a pizza if I was stuck somewhere and didn't want to leave my room. As the business grew I was spending a lot of unproductive time jammed into hollow aluminum tubes and figured a laptop would make it easier to keep on top of my work load. With that it became easier to justify moving from economy to business class often getting bumped up to first since I was turning into such a frequent flier.

As the size of cells shrank more features became available on them. My most recent one includes a 1.3 megapixel camera which I can use to send real time images back to the office. Handy little beast but I only turn it on when I want to, like to retrieve voice mail or order another pizza. Oh yes, I keep the number blocked so that others can't retain my number and there is a curiosity factor at work here. People invariably answer my calls because they are curious to see who is calling from "Caller ID Restricted".

I was never overly impressed by PDAs but recently a totally computer illiterate cousin of mine won one in some sort of contest. Since she had no idea of what she could use it for she asked me if I wanted it. A free PDA??? Why not??? It turned out to be a Palm Tungsten T5 c/w a 512MB SD card and a fold up keyboard. I also acquired a Panasonic IC recorder c/w voice recognition soft ware. So now the laptop, which was a 5 kilo load, can stay at home, except for the longest trips. The recorder and Palm combination weighs in at about 650 grams. I can dictate most of my corespondence and transfer it to the word processor on the Palm; touch it up using the keyboard; access the net and transfer it and some images I may have taken with the cell and send it all back to my desktop. The Palm has Bluetooth capabilities and it is absolutely amazing the number of network devices it can access. LOL ;\
I still will need a laptop when I'm away for more than three days but right now I'm having a blast learning the limitations of this thing. There seems to be no end to the possibilities. Oh yes, I certainly do love new technologies. I sort of feel like I did back in the early 80s when hacking was fun. Of course I would never do any harm but it is fun to see what is possible and I'm astounded at the locations and number of unprotected network devices that can be found. Security still seems to be taken as an afterthought. Won't these people ever learn??? Bluetooth has certain limitations as regards distance but the range is truly shocking if you have a clear line of sight. BTW I'm not bragging here, well maybe a little but do take this as a warning. You have no idea just how many vulnerable connections you can find and I'm talking business not private connections. This gets even worse when you throw WiFi into the mix.
So beware!!! I'm responsible and more or less a neophyte at this but others are not so responsible and also not so scrupulous. If you want an example of what I mean just type the word Hack or hacking into Google and Yahoo.

Dawg ]:)

I have three desktops at home, configured for different client needs.

My notebook is like my umbilical cord, don't leave home without it.

I will sit 5' away from my desktop with the fancy high-end specs and a 21" LCD while using my notbook and not even consider it a bother.

I love IBM's keyboards even in the notebooks. The screen, 15" LCD, fine by me, I remember when that was desired for business users, before 17" became standards. Yet I HATE, absolutely lOATHE, 17" notebooks. They are desktop replacements, NOT notebooks. The weigh a tonne, and if they don't they are so stripped down they are pretty much useless. You have to buy a notebook case for a 17" which is limited in choice and it's just a HIGE pain in the a$$. I won an HP 17" and sold it before leaving the function (despite having HK speakers), of course the HP sponsor who donated it wasn't present at the time.

But since I have GROWN attached to my notebook, desktops just seem like anitquated, clunky boxes. Almost like the old motorola BRICKS they sold for cell phones compared to a new camera phone.

My notebook outperforms even my more expensive desktops, it has fewere problems and I use it day in and day out. I just metwork it to my desktops for file transfers, other than that I run my recording studio software on it, ALL of my web and print graphics software, my CAKEWALK studio even runs flawlessly on it. And it multi-tasks better than any machine I've ever used. You just can't seem to slow it down no matter what is open.

SO my question I have yet to resolve is WHY would I go back to using my desktops for anything other than remote client logins? Even that I can do on my notebook but why should I run THEIR software on MY notebook, I get them to buy my PC's for me instead.

Aren't they? :D

What I'm constantly amassed by is the way that they pass themselves off as professionals but really know next to nothing at all. The ones who are really good will at best say well I have a little knowledge I maybe able to help you, now they are the ones who really know what they are talking about and get the results.

I had a similar experience many years ago now one of the Island resorts burnt down and when it was rebuilt they specifically asked that I go up there install the equipment and stay on till they got it up and running to work out any problems. They naturally where paying for my trip and accommodation so the Sales Boss approved the trip for all of 2 weeks which I thought was a tad excessive but what a trip that was. I was flown first class to Mackay all of a bout a 45 minute trip with the hardware and all the gear then picked up at the aircraft by a limo and driven across the tarmac to a Lear jet to take me and the equipment across to the island. Of course the flight crew had instructions to look after me and I had a drink in front of me before I got my bum in the seat of the first aircraft. Then the pilot of the Lear was constantly apologizing to me for the delay in waiting for all my luggage to arrive as if it was his fault. :D

Well I got to the island and was put up in the best room of the entire place not allowed to do any work that day as I must have been tired after the flight so I was told to relax. The next day all I had to do was walk around plug in the hardware and make sure it all worked which of course it did because I had already tested it out as a complete configuration before boxing it up and taking it up there. For the next two weeks I was the guest of the owner and never touched any hardware at all but was used as a Guinea pig to make sure that all the amenities where perfect. I went Scuba diving sailboarding and you name it I did it and was permanently drunk the whole time. Great job though hard as hell but someone has to put themselves out to do it. :p

When I arrived back the Sales Managed picked me up from the airport and I was literally carried off the plane drunk as a skunk and he hit the roof claiming that under no circumstances was he allowing my expenses for me to go away and party on at the companies expense. Two days later he got a phone call thanking him for sending me up there and helping them all so much so he finally came down to my dungeon and asked for my expenses and I just replied that I could not spend any money if I tried it was impossible on that trip. Of course he didn't believe me and insisted that I tell him just how much I had spent and who I had entertained while I was there, well the entertaining bit was easy but the costing was impossible so he ordered a statement on my company card which showed absolutely no transactions at all.

12 months latter when they did an upgrade they asked for me again and the mongrel refused to allow me to go. :(

Col ]:)

not anymore.
for the last 20 years or so the border between canada and the us has been closing for immigration either way, to many people going both ways it seems.

it's the money behind both hollywood and pro sports that keep their people able to go both ways, and if a us based company was willing to sponsor me, then I may be able to move down there.
but it appears not many us firms will sponsor it staff.

It is alright if it is by choice! ;\

And still no Friday Yuk. Things are getting really bad aren't they? :D

But if you want something else to think on I used to have a Great Dane and he stood 36 inches at the shoulder and well over 7 feet tall when he decided to rest his fore paws on something so he could look down on the world around him. :p He was really funny as he would take my daughter for a walk when she was little so small in fact that you couldn't see her head over his back from the other side just her legs and didn't she get upset when the dog wouldn't go where she wanted to go. For an dog with absolutely no road sense he always kept her away from anywhere near a road I think he had the idea that he was big enough for no one to dare hit him but he certainly wasn't going to let his properly "My Daughter" get hurt while he was looking after her. We couldn't punish the kids either as the dog would get between the adult and the kid and cry it was really pathetic but when the kids upset the dog he would just walk away and as he passed them swing his hips and send them flying just to let them know that they had overstepped the mark. :D

Col ]:)

But I do know many people, mother in law included(4 years ago), who have moved south in the last few years. And I know others who have moved North. I know its not always a simple process - my brother was up for a job in the US and was not accepted.

James

You've been doing that a lot lately Colin, try giving it another day before you start bitching at me about it.

Did she take the pants this week AGAIN and leave you pissed off and doing the ironing?

Now to be fair I didn't make that previous posting until after 1.30 AM Saturday local time so it must have been posted Friday your time. :p

Did you loose a day this week? :D

Col ]:)

Rely on wireless laptop mostly at home. I use hand held to co-ordinate appoints & as a contact base & desktop for majority of work

Every post has a date remember?

06/16/05

That would be Thursday, June 16th 2005