Laptop users

[CindyL]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Since ETI isn't taking over the entire campground, there's nothing to prevent others from making their own reservations. However, ETI does control who can participate in any sponsored food events, swag bags, tours, etc. While I haven't heard of any exclusive brand gatherings, other than this one, it's also the only one I know about that's sponsored by the manufacturer.

Bigfoot has one every year, at least the Bigfoot Owners Club does. Next year, it will be in Custer, SD, so we plan to attend. As far as I know, it is only Bigfoots.

CindyL

[cpaharley2008]

I use a MacBook Pro at home and take a MacAir in the Escape.....

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by CindyL

Bigfoot has one every year, at least the Bigfoot Owners Club does. Next year, it will be in Custer, SD, so we plan to attend. As far as I know, it is only Bigfoots.

CindyL

I am aware of that one, the variable is trailer delivery schedule.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Since ETI isn't taking over the entire campground, there's nothing to prevent others from making their own reservations. However, ETI does control who can participate in any sponsored food events, swag bags, tours, etc. While I haven't heard of any exclusive brand gatherings, other than this one, it's also the only one I know about that's sponsored by the manufacturer.

Ironically we were planning on buying a 23, but it’s still vaporware for the time being. We aren’t young enough to wait a couple of years for a new one now. We were on the lottery for a production slot . Ergo our decision.

[WiseGuys]

Thank you to all who have replied so far to our LAPTOP question. So... it looks like so far from the replies that it comes down to Dell Latitude/ Chromebook/ MacBooK Air. As posted earlier we will be using it for streaming (good sound or ability to plug in speakers/ lots of pixels) and lots of trip planning (multiple windows open at a time/ quick speed/ good memory - ability to attach external drive/ use of multiple and latest apps/great battery life - we boondock alot). Husband likes to surf the net and watch YouTube, whenever possible. And due to 2 sets of poor tired eyes a large screen of not smaller then 14-15". I do take a ton of pictures but do some editing and drop to external drive so need output for that. Have very "limited" computer knowledge; just enough to drive me crazy.


With this in mind - do you all still stand with the 3 above?

[cpaharley2008]

Just remember, no signal, no internet. The computer is not as important as the ability to obtain a signal while camping. That is the weak point in the equation.

[Donna D.]

If all I was interested in was cruisin' the web, I'd have a Chromebook. They're certainly cheap enough. However, I use some software that requires either a Windows or MAC operating system and a Chromebook has neither.

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

If all I was interested in was cruisin' the web, I'd have a Chromebook. They're certainly cheap enough. However, I use some software that requires either a Windows or MAC operating system and a Chromebook has neither.

Keep in mind there have been warnings about Chrome (Google's browser and the base of Chromebooks), for a few months now. The warnings are drastic with most advising developers to remove Chrome from all your devices. I did this too and it's too bad because they make great developer tools.

It looks like they have not kept up with security concerns and are now a big problem. You can Google it for more information, oddly enough.

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by WiseGuys

Thank you to all who have replied so far to our LAPTOP question. So... it looks like so far from the replies that it comes down to Dell Latitude/ Chromebook/ MacBooK Air. As posted earlier we will be using it for streaming (good sound or ability to plug in speakers/ lots of pixels) and lots of trip planning (multiple windows open at a time/ quick speed/ good memory - ability to attach external drive/ use of multiple and latest apps/great battery life - we boondock alot). Husband likes to surf the net and watch YouTube, whenever possible. And due to 2 sets of poor tired eyes a large screen of not smaller then 14-15". I do take a ton of pictures but do some editing and drop to external drive so need output for that. Have very "limited" computer knowledge; just enough to drive me crazy.


With this in mind - do you all still stand with the 3 above?

To me the clear winner is theMacBook Air. Every Microsoft installation will eventually go bonkers. At least you will have driver issues and eventually compatibility issues. Not to mention the buildup of cruft. The ultimate killer.

Chromebooks don't seem to be built for that level of work. I could be wrong since I don't use one on a daily basis.

MacBook Air is a great choice. Best battery life out there as long as you don't start attaching stuff like a portable hard drive. And if it breaks take it in to the local shop and ask them to fix it. Remember to say please. I have that problem.

Load it up with a solid state drive and lots of memory. Plus you get Pages and Numbers and SHORTCUTS (check to be sure)!

[Centex]

Originally Posted by WiseGuys

.... we will be using it for streaming (good sound or ability to plug in speakers/ lots of pixels) and lots of trip planning (multiple windows open at a time/ quick speed/ good memory - ability to attach external drive/ use of multiple and latest apps/great battery life - we boondock alot). Husband likes to surf the net and watch YouTube, whenever possible. And due to 2 sets of poor tired eyes a large screen of not smaller then 14-15". I do take a ton of pictures but do some editing and drop to external drive so need output for that. Have very "limited" computer knowledge; just enough to drive me crazy.

With this in mind - do you all still stand with the 3 above?

If you are already comfortable with the Windows environment as I am, IMO the Dell Latitude with the available 15" display is still a good candidate. If you've a preference for or are willing to learn a different OS, you can skip the rest of this post, no worries!

The 5000 series, 5520 in particular, is often available as a refurb on Dell's Outlet website. The offerings change frequently (often by the minute) but it's easy to select the features important to you to see what's available meeting your criteria.

In regard to screen size concerns, one thing to note is that the 5520 will directly support an external monitor concurrent with display on its own screen. You could, for example, install a large monitor (or a TV with HDMI input capability) on a 'TV arm' in your Escape for viewing movies or whatever via your laptop. The mentioned Latitude has plenty of ports to connect sound-bars (external speakers), external storage, CD drive, or other devices if that's of interest.

With the addition of a Dell 'docking device' you can set up all the peripherals you like in your trailer and make the connection to all of them a simple matter of plugging one cord into the laptop (and do the same for your 'in-home' workstation).

One note about Windows versions - Win 10 is still supported (until October 2025) but Win 11 is available now and will be the longer-term supported version. All Dell machines that ship now with Win 10 include the capability to upgrade to Win 11 (free), so I personally would not avoid a machine meeting my build-criteria just because it's shown as shipping with Win 10.

All just for your consideration among the many other good suggestions offered.

Have Fun!

[Fox hunt]

Mac book air just bought it i also have an iPhone and iPad and a watch....

[John in Santa Cruz]

re movie watching, with an Android phone or tablet, and a flat screen TV that supports 'chromecast' (or a tv with a chromecast module plugged into hdmi on the back), anything you can play on the phone screen can be 'cast' to the TV. Apple has something similar.

btw, those 'delete chrome immediately' warnings are a bunch of hysterical clickbait.

re: Dell laptops, in addition to the business oriented Latitude line, do give the XPS series a good look. Their have been a lot of generations of these since they were introduced, all are very thin and light. They come in XPS 13 (13" diagonal screen) and 15 (15" ...). The 13's in particular are VERY light and portable. The newer versions of these use USB C / Thunderbolt 4, and can be mated with a small Thunderbolt port expander which can drive a couple monitors, plus provide a bunch more I/O like additional USB ports and stuff. The same USB C/Tbolt connector can power/charge the laptop, so its wall power -> power supply -> port expander -> laptop.

whatEVER you get in the laptop department, it should be ALL SSD, no spinning disks. M.2 SSD sticks come up to 2TB or even 4TB now, but 1TB should be plenty of space for all but the heaviest file users.

[Sean Murry]

When I am boondocking I am fine with a sun dial and a abacus.

[Crazypill]

Seconding that "delete X immediately" articles are clickbait trash.

OP, I'd recommend an ultrabook with an OLED screen. Dell XPS 15 OLED? Asus VivoBook is pretty affordable. If you want MacBook Pro level production quality and finish with an OLED display, there's always the Razer Blade laptops, but not all of them have OLED and they're very pricy.

If it's just for streaming videos and doing other administrative tasks, you simply cannot beat the OLED quality.

Do note that display burn-in may result if you keep static images on the screen constantly. I'd recommend doing things like setting a solid black wallpaper, and setting the windows taskbar to auto-hide.

[Vermilye]

I currently am using an over powered MacBookPro (2018 15" 2.9Ghz 6 core i9 with 32 GB of memory, Dual graphics cards, and a 2 TB SS drive. Far more than most need - I could probably do the same with a MacBook Air, but I'm still recovering from having a 17" MacBookPro screen - Don't know if I could live with a 13" screen, the 15" is a PIA. It is the only computer I have & I do a fair amount of Lightroom / Photoshop editing while on the road in my trailer, so a nice 32" monitor, while it would work, is impractical on the road.

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

btw, those 'delete chrome immediately' warnings are a bunch of hysterical clickbait.

Here's some click bait for ya! Go Google "chrome browser problems" or something similar.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoff...h=3bbb13bd4a97

Here are the search results for such a search.
https://www.google.com/search?q=chro...client=gws-wiz

Bottom line: No one will be there to hold your hand when things go bad. I cannot tell you how many late night distress calls I have received over stuff like this.

Ya live your life, ya take your chances. Good luck deciding.

[Dave Walter]

I just purchased (yesterday) a Dell XPS 15 for my daughter who is a 2nd year university student. I have been using Dell business laptops for the past 20 years (currently typing on a Dell Precision 5550) and have always been happy with their capabilities and performance.

[oldwave]

Indeed lots of clickbait, I do like however Safari’s new privacy settings.

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by WiseGuys

With this in mind - do you all still stand with the 3 above?

My MacBook Air has a smaller screen than you would like. It should be possible to connect it to a 24" TV with HDMI input, but you would need extra hardware, as the Air has only USB-C connections. I'm trying to do this myself and I don't yet know what I will need to accomplish this.

I'm not sure how well the Air's M1 chip will handle video streaming. I don't do streaming so I just don't know. Others will know. I think the idea of loading it up with SSD storage and RAM is a good one. Note that with the MacBook Air you can't add internal storage and RAM after purchase; you're stuck with what you bought. Otherwise it's a fine laptop that is easy to use.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by UncleTim

Here's some click bait for ya! Go Google "chrome browser problems" or something similar.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoff...h=3bbb13bd4a97

Here are the search results for such a search.
https://www.google.com/search?q=chro...client=gws-wiz

Bottom line: No one will be there to hold your hand when things go bad. I cannot tell you how many late night distress calls I have received over stuff like this.

Ya live your life, ya take your chances. Good luck deciding.

if yoiu carry a cell phone and/or use a credit card, and/or have health insurance, you are already so tracked and spied upon, its not funny.

if you don't want websites logging your visits, don't visit websites, plain and simple.