The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I needed a laptop. Then, it was a question of what specs do I need? It came down to a big screen, a powerful processor and a long-lasting battery. I needed something that I could use to edit photos and possibly create short videos. I needed a desktop replacement.
I never thought I’d want a desktop replacement for a laptop. It kind of defeats the function of a laptop if you can’t use it on your lap, doesn’t it? Not really. In today’s age of the coffee shop, a laptop is just a portable computer. A laptop is something you can take with you and work on while you sip a latte. It’s something you can pull out at the airport and catch up on a little work while you wait for an airplane. It’s something that you can use in a hotel room to work while on the road. And when you think about it, all of these places now have work surfaces and even accessible power outlets because laptops have become ubiquitous. No laps required!
Back in my computer geek days, I knew that the XPS line of Dell computers was something that power-users used. So, that’s what I got: a Dell Studio XPS. When I placed my order for my laptop, I knew that I wasn’t going to be getting an ultra-portable laptop. This thing is no netbook. It’s heavy. It’s big. It’s got a bulky battery. But you know what? When it showed up, it wasn’t nearly as big as I was expecting. It’s actually kind of sleek. It’s a good looking piece of technology. Sure, it’s heavy, but it’s also powerful, and that’s a tradeoff that you have to accept.
This laptop is much more powerful than my desktop computer. It’s got a newer processor that has more cores. It’s got more RAM. It’s got the same resolution screen (1080p). It’s got a full-sized, backlit keyboard. It’s pretty darn nice. When I can, I try to use it instead of my desktop to edit photos because it’s faster. There’s less down time. And remember, down time is a bad thing.
So, any negatives? I’ve found a few. Again, it’s big and heavy. When it was time to look for a camera bag that could hold my laptop, I was limited because of the size of the laptop. I even found that my laptop bag options were limited. And talk about heavy… Belinda won’t even lift my camera bag when I have my camera gear and laptop in it at the same time.
What else? For some reason, the keyboard has a strange stutter and random keys will type two letters in a row while I’m typing. The screen is pretty glossy, which can be pretty distracting when there’s a bright light behind me. The processor can get pretty hot while I’m editing photos, which makes the computer hot to the touch and uncomfortable to work on.
In the end, I’m quite happy with my laptop. It does everything I need it to do. It’s fast. The battery is awesome. The screen is beautiful. It’s red and shiny. Now I can be productive anywhere I want, just as long as I can find a table and a power outlet.
Oh, and sorry for the recycled photo. That's just the way things are going today. :)
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