{"id":2337,"date":"2019-03-14T07:00:07","date_gmt":"2019-03-14T11:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=2337"},"modified":"2019-03-14T14:48:25","modified_gmt":"2019-03-14T18:48:25","slug":"a-reader-asks-what-is-your-favorite-laptop-that-you-have-ever-had-or-used-and-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/14\/a-reader-asks-what-is-your-favorite-laptop-that-you-have-ever-had-or-used-and-why\/","title":{"rendered":"A reader asks: “What is your favorite laptop that you have ever had or used and why?”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Reader Jenni Wieter asks; “What is your favorite laptop that you have ever had or used and why?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hmmm. Two top contenders come to mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Model 100:<\/strong> This was my first portable computer: a TRS-100<\/a>. Back in the day when PC’s were usually bulky, desktop units with several separate components, this lightweight, all-in-one portable design was a revelation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
The TRS-100 display had just 8 lines of 40-character LCD text, and the unit only had 8K of RAM, but the battery life was huuuuuge!
<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Model 100 was powered by four standard, cheap, easily-replaceable AA batteries, and was miserly in its power use anyway — important because, back then, airplanes, cabs, and buses didn’t have seat electrical outlets. On one business trip that featured a 22-hour flight (Taiwan to Moscow), my Model 100 used up one set of four AA batteries, and was still going strong on the second set when I landed. No other portable PC could have done that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The built-in modem (300 baud) also made it easy to phone in columns and stories; and to remotely work on various projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IBM ThinkPad 701:<\/strong> Perhaps the cleverest physical design ever in a laptop, the IBM ThinkPad 701<\/a> featured a “butterfly” keyboard that was actually wider than the laptop that housed it: The keyboard unfolded, origami-like, when you opened the laptop lid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
The 701’s extremely clever mechanical design fits a full-sized keyboard inside a smaller case: The keyboard “butterflies” open as the lid is raised, with halves moving out and down to interlock into a sturdy, easy-to-type-on, full-width unit.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Image from Reddit<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As a writer who then traveled a lot, having a full-width keyboard in a highly-compact and portable PC made working on the go much easier than otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve had many other laptops and notebooks, but those two were true standouts!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Permalink: https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=2337<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"[seperator]\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

COMMENT \/ QUESTION<\/strong> on THIS ITEM?<\/strong> See the<\/em> Comment box<\/strong> at bottom of this page!<\/em>

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(Want free notification of new content? Click<\/em> <\/strong>here<\/a><\/b>!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reader Jenni Wieter asks; “What is your favorite laptop that you have ever had or used and why?” Hmmm. Two top contenders come to mind: Model 100: This was my first portable computer: a TRS-100. Back in the day when PC’s were usually bulky, desktop units with several separate components, this lightweight, all-in-one portable design…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,30,10,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-reader-asks","category-hardware","category-science-and-tech","category-writing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-BH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3865,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/12\/06\/how-much-did-your-first-laptop-portable-computer-weigh\/","url_meta":{"origin":2337,"position":0},"title":"“How much did your first laptop\/portable computer weigh?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-12-06","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by Ian Alter) Probably less than you think. My first notebook was a TRS-100 Model 100, weighing in at about 1.4 kilograms (3.1\u00a0lb), including its power supply --- four ordinary, buy-anywhere, AA cells.) I carried my Model 100 literally around the world, back in the day. :) This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Radio_Shack_TRS-80_Model_100.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Radio_Shack_TRS-80_Model_100.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Radio_Shack_TRS-80_Model_100.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Radio_Shack_TRS-80_Model_100.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Radio_Shack_TRS-80_Model_100.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Radio_Shack_TRS-80_Model_100.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1191,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/11\/29\/a-reader-asks-what-is-the-difference-between-laptop-and-notebook-pcs-if-any\/","url_meta":{"origin":2337,"position":1},"title":"A reader asks: What is the difference between laptop and notebook PCs, if any?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-11-29","format":false,"excerpt":"Q: What is the difference between laptop and notebook PCs, if any? (via Quora) A: There is a difference, although in casual use the terms are more or less interchangeable now. Strictly speaking, laptops are larger portables with full-sized keyboards or nearly so. Screens generally are larger, too; 17\u2033\/43cm is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1610,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/09\/a-reader-asks-are-portable-speakers-that-much-better-than-phone-or-laptop-speakers\/","url_meta":{"origin":2337,"position":2},"title":"A reader asks: “Are portable speakers that much better than phone or laptop speakers?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-01-09","format":false,"excerpt":"Reader Terrence Clay asks: \"Are portable speakers that much better than phone or laptop speakers?\" There are many variables, but --- if everything else is equal --- high-quality larger speakers will sound better than high-quality smaller speakers. It's partly physics, partly biology. Music and nature produce sounds over a huge\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Misc"","block_context":{"text":"Misc","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/misc\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2661,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/25\/if-you-could-only-have-a-smartphone-or-a-laptop-for-the-next-5-years-which-would-you-choose-why\/","url_meta":{"origin":2337,"position":3},"title":"“If you could only have a smartphone or a laptop for the next 5 years, which would you choose? Why?”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-04-25","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm glad I don't have to choose! But if I did: I'd choose a high-end, state-of-the-art smartphone. Why? Because you can turn a high-end smartphone into a pretty capable notebook-equivalent by adding a USB- and Bluetooth-connected monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Example: The Samsung DEX system lets you use a full-sized\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1214,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/03\/a-reader-asks-why-wont-my-laptop-charge-when-its-running-it-only-charges-when-its-off\/","url_meta":{"origin":2337,"position":4},"title":"A reader asks: Why won’t my laptop charge when it’s running? It only charges when it’s off.","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2018-12-03","format":false,"excerpt":"Q*: \"How do I fix my laptop? When it is turned on and I plug it in, it will not charge, and will only charge when it is plugged in while turned off. What's going on?\" A: The most common cause for this is an aging battery that draws too\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "A reader asks..."","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2040,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/14\/a-reader-asks-how-do-i-unfreeze-my-laptop-ive-pressed-ctrl-shift-del-but-it-did-not-work\/","url_meta":{"origin":2337,"position":5},"title":"A reader asks: “How do I unfreeze my laptop? I’ve pressed ctrl-shift-del but it did not work.”","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-02-14","format":false,"excerpt":"If a laptop is completely unresponsive to normal keys and switches, your only option is to kill the power. 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