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| carrobin |
 Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 1:50 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| My friend David, whom I've known since the third grade and who moved to New York a couple of years after I did, has returned to South Carolina and hasn't returned to the city since he had a bad experience with a guy who sublet his apartment. The diner where we had Sunday brunch nearly every week had closed abruptly around the same time, and his Chelsea neighborhood was getting fancy and expensive (the new apartment building across the street from his rundown walkup was the entrance to Glenn Close's home in the second season of "Damages"). There seems to be little for the middle class these days, with most of Manhattan geared to the very wealthy. (And a lot of the wealthy are foreigners who use their NYC flats as pied-a-terres.) Ever since I came to New York, I've wondered how anyone without a high-paying job can afford to live here--and whether the wealthy will still find it appealing when the taxi drivers, actors, dancers, street cleaners, store clerks, and other folks who keep the place going are gone. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:12 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| My ten-year-old laptop at home is fading fast and I've just found a new freelance client that may require Microsoft Office, so I went to Staples yesterday and looked around. They have an Asus laptop that the clerk recommended, on sale for $400, and I also looked at an Epsom printer--one with fax for $130, one without for $70. Any thoughts or recommendations? |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:35 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Strange as it may seem (at least it does to me) some companies are still using fax machines. This seems like playing home videos on VHS tape or listening to music on an 8-track, but so be it. So maybe the printer with the fax is a good idea. However, I'm not so sure about Epsom. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 12:41 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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My boss just reminded me that I might be able to get a discount through Time Inc., so I'm looking into that too. But I want to get something soon--I've been procrastinating for a year now.
And my new freelance client wanted me to fax him the signed contract that he e-mailed to me, which I mailed back to him instead. And an insurance agent I'm dealing with wants a fax of an invoice. The fax at the office is part of the Xerox machine and I have to get someone to show me how to use it. So they may be old tech, but faxes are still in use. |
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| grace |
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:18 pm |
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Joined: 11 Nov 2005
Posts: 3214
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Not a fan of Epson printers, just a personal opinion. I've had two, and both bled ink; not that they used a lot, which they did, but they also physically bled ink onto the back of things I was printing.
I am a fan of Canon - and you can get a nice all in one from Amazon for $60. A larger - and IMO slightly better model runs about $100 from Amazon. If you're willing to spend $150-$200, you can get a (Canon) laser all in one at Amazon* - you won't have color (don't know if you need it), but even if toner costs an arm and a leg, it's cheaper in the long run. You'll buy toner a lot less often than you will ink.
Also, whether you like Canon or not, if you have a Target handy, you can often pick up a good HP or Canon there for less than you would pay at STAPLES. Can't hurt to look. I mean, if you have the time and inclination and all.
Lots of businesses and people still aren't scanning, so faxes aren't obsolete quite yet.
*Disclaimer: I have no financial interest in Amazon. Really. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:39 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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The Time Inc. discounts section has a Toshiba Satellite laptop, recertified (the spellcheck thing didn't like that word, made it "rectified"!), which I figure means refurbished, for $340; it has 6GB and uses Windows 8.1, and I'm very tempted. Especially having looked at the "discount" prices for Macbook Air. (I don't need bells and whistles, and weight doesn't matter much because I just use it at home; I do want to use Windows Office and watch movies on it.)
I haven't checked for printers yet--my boss has one she might give me. Good to know about Epsom's faults. |
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| grace |
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 pm |
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Joined: 11 Nov 2005
Posts: 3214
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carrobin wrote: Good to know about Epsom's faults.
Or even the EpsoN's. Best of luck however it turns out. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:01 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12921
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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| I've been using an HP 6500 for three or four years with no problems (once I figured out how to set up the scanner). Never owned a laptop. |
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I had a love and my love was true but I lost my love to the yabba dabba doo, --The Flintstone Lament |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:06 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6958
Location: Black Hills
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Epsom makes salts
which have no faults.
have heard Toshiba is mediocre in the laptop area...Asus and Lenovo arent too bad.
Have wonder ed why fax is still around - you can attach to email, then recipient prints att. Where's the need? must be a bulk thing. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 3:55 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| My printer is Hewlett Packard and it's good. |
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| daffy |
| Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 8:59 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 1939
Location: Wall Street
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| daffy |
| Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 9:14 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 1939
Location: Wall Street
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carrobin wrote: ...and I also looked at an Epsom printer--one with fax for $130, one without for $70. Any thoughts or recommendations?
Jill & I have an Epson Artisan 800 that's about 5 years old and it still works pretty well. It's an all-in-one, though we've never used it for faxing. I imagine the technology has improved a lot since we bought it, but it does a pretty good job and the inks are available in lots of places. It takes a minute to warm up for printing or scanning. We don't use it all that often though, maybe once a week, so keep that in mind. Their customer service reps are knowledgeable, but often difficult to understand because of their accents.
It is amazing how much things have changed. We've got a mouse now that functions as a scanner. I'm too spooked to try it. |
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"I have been known, on occasion, to howl at the moon."
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 2:43 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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The laptop I'm most seriously considering is an HP Pavilion that Staples has on sale for $500 (after rebate). It has 6GB and uses Windows 8.1--which worries me a little because the customer reviews indicate that it's difficult to get used to 8.1 when you've been using earlier versions, but all of them seem to have 8.1. I may get an HP printer as well.
I could order it online, but does anyone think it would make things easier if I bought it at the store and talked with a salesperson? The fellow I talked with the other day said all I had to do was plug a laptop in, but with new technology I always feel like I need a seminar. |
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| grace |
| Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 4:33 pm |
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Joined: 11 Nov 2005
Posts: 3214
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Windows 8 is widely reviled, and W 8.1 is considered by many to be a small improvement. Windows 9 is due out next year, and it's expected to be greatly improved (from 8 ), but you don't have the time to wait; so 8.1 might not be the worst thing. If you can find something comparable with Windows 7, it might be worth considering. Or not.
You might be able to save some bucks online, but your comfort has value too. If you want a seminar, get the seminar. You might also be able to find a freelance computer person who can show you the ropes - I don't mean to beat on STAPLES, I could spend a week in there, but it really depends on the tech you get to show you things. Their knowledge and/or helpfulness levels vary, at least in my experience.
If you do buy at the store, STAPLES will set up the computer for you - for a charge, maybe $100 or so these days? -- so you do basically go home, plug it in and go. At least that's how it worked last time I did it. I have an HP Pavilion and it's still going strong at 6+ years, for what that's worth.
On the other hand, my husband got a new computer online from HP last year; he's not at all tech-savvy and was able to start up and go. So whatever route you go, you should be fine. |
Last edited by grace on Fri Aug 01, 2014 4:49 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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| grace |
| Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 4:44 pm |
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Joined: 11 Nov 2005
Posts: 3214
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daffy wrote: It is amazing how much things have changed. We've got a mouse now that functions as a scanner. I'm too spooked to try it.
That sounds fun; but you must need a really steady hand. |
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