It could be that the websites you use just don't work all that well on a phone. 

 for what I do mobile, searching for information, and reading a few select websites, my iphone does it all. Many big websites also have apps, and for things like CNBC and Bloomberg, the apps are more accessible than using the websites even on a pc. 

If I really want to dig into something, I prefer a real keyboard, and most laptops don't do it for me without an external keyboard.  I am currently using a gaming desktop.  It is complete overkill, but when I switched from my old desktop with a 4th- gen i5 to this Ryzen 7 3700, I definitely noticed the difference.  Everything just responded faster.  You can keep an older system going a long time by putting an ssd in it, and I'd recommend that before replacing a perfectly functioning computer made within the last 6-7 years, but once things get weird, you can't beat getting something powerful that you won't have to worry about hopefully for a long time.

I agree with you on all points here. I am not a fan of my IPhone, and always like surfing on my current laptop. I am not a good user of the IPhone. I prefer a windows computer over anything apple has to offer. That’s just me, and if someone likes their mac better, good for them. I’m going out this afternoon to see what I see. Jim

 

From: main@jfw.groups.io [mailto:main@jfw.groups.io] On Behalf Of Tyler Wood
Sent: Tuesday, January 7, 2020 10:46 AM
To: main@jfw.groups.io
Subject: Re: It's new computer time and I am looking for advice.

 

Hi,

In all fairness, when was the last time you actually bought anything on a disk? I have blank dvds from 7 years ago that still haven’t been used up. Unless you watch movies – and in that case, a portable USB dvd drive would be perfect, and cost $10. That way, when you don’t actually use it, you’re not carrying that extra half a pound to a pound constantly.

Phones can’t do everything – if I had to use my phone every day I’d be missing out on tons. Browsing the web on an iPhone is horrifically inefficient – having to use the rotor to find the item I want to jump by, then actually trying to jump by that item, is done so much quicker on any modern laptop or desktop computer with a single keypress. Don’t get me started on apples horrible audio streams and how audio can get interrupted by the smallest thing in 2020 or how multiple audio streams still can’t be a thing. My Lenovo, luckily, still has an applications key, but I’ve noticed more and more that certain things like websites are requiring simulated clicks of the mouse (good luck performing that on any mobile device, too). I really like the layout of the function keys on this machine too – I hate this new design where they are all laid out together with no spacing to separate the various groups.

I don’t think there are any less USB ports on computers than there were 4 years ago – unless you get one with all USB C ports. Mine still has 2 USB A ports along with 2 USB C. I have a USB hub which I keep hard drives and things plugged into, but it’s just a 3 port one and is not externally powered and I rarely use all 3 ports. My Toshiba from 2013 had 3 USB A ports with only one being 3.0 and it is still going today. Despite what many people claim, older machines with solid state drives are still perfectly useable – this has a 3^rd generation core i5 that still speedily does everything one could ask in an office environment, so the huge core i7’s are certainly not going to get you any further ahead. In ultra low voltage scenarios, they’re only at most 10% faster than their i5 counterparts. The core i9’s that are coming out now are, in some cases, slower than the i7’s they’re meant to beat. Intel is really dropping the ball the last year.

Still, when crunch time comes, I’ll take a computer over a phone any day of the week, any time. A phone is nice to quickly, forgive the wording, but glance at – but when I want to get work done, a computer is hard to beat.

 

 

From: main@jfw.groups.io <main@jfw.groups.io> On Behalf Of Chris Hill
Sent: Tuesday, January 7, 2020 9:56 AM
To: main@jfw.groups.io
Subject: Re: It's new computer time and I am looking for advice.

 

I used to use a laptop a lot, but with the advent of an iphone, the portability isn't of much use to me anymore.  I take mine on vacation, and that's about it.  Having fewer usb ports on a laptop means each one is going to end up getting more wear.  If one finds themselves constantly plugging and unplugging multiple devices, a cheap hub may be in order.  I think people have defaulted to the laptop as computer scenario, even though phones have made moving a computer around something that may be a lot less necessary than it used to  be.

 

Sad thing is that even some modern desktops don't come with things like built-in dvd drives.  You really have to check the specs on whatever you plan on buying.

 

Keyboards have become more and more of an issue.  Not only are things like the application keys going away, but many desktop keyboards have no key spacing and are horrible.  I bought one of the gaming keyboards, it has all the keys, is supposedly spill proof, and was the best $60 I have spent in a long time.

 

 

 

On 1/7/2020 09:35, Sieghard Weitzel wrote:
> > A lot of people don’t ever take their laptop anywhere, but if you do > or even just like to bring it to different places in your house then > a laptop is probably a better choice. > > It’s no more difficult or hard to plug an external keyboard whether > wired or wireless into a laptop and if you use a Bluetooth one like > the Logitech K780 then you don’t even have to plug it in, just > connect it. > > The same goes for speakers, you can easily plug in external speakers > or, once again, you could use a Bluetooth headset. > > I do have a laptop at home because I do occasionally bring it to > trade shows I attend or when I go on holidays for longer than a week, > but at home it almost always sits in my office plugged in and I use a > Logitech K780 and a Logitech H800 headset, both are Bluetooth and I > can go most places in my house with them. > > If I didn’t want a laptop from time to time I could easily have a > mini PC at home, those are my preference at my business because they > are small, virtually silent and they do all I need them to do. Of > course if you want a higher performance one with an I7 CPU, 16Gb of > RAM and a 512Gb SSD they may cost a bit more. > > I used to have a few of the Intel NUC mini PC’s, but a few years ago > bought two HP EliteDesk 800 G2, one with an I5 and one an I7 CPU, > both sixth generation, and by now I only have 1 Intel NUC left, the > other 3 are all HP with the latest being the EliteDesk 800G4 with an > 8^th generation I7 CPU and it’s a great little PC. > > > > Best regards, > > Sieghard > > > > *From:* main@jfw.groups.io <main@jfw.groups.io> *On Behalf Of *Chris > Hill *Sent:* Tuesday, January 7, 2020 7:24 AM *To:* > main@jfw.groups.io