Laptop substitute?
Feb 3, 2018, 10:34 am
#31
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: I 35 south bound, finally stopped
Programs: LT Plt, 4mm, *A GLD, burned out medical provider, executing our estate plan
Posts: 1,665
A chromebook is my go to device when I am reviewing businesses, need security, and something lightweight. Do not discount the fact that some chromebooks will run Android apps, and I have found that very useful. Citrix, OneDrive, Box, Dropbox. And you can remotely wipe them.
Feb 5, 2018, 5:24 am
#32
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: HPN
Programs: not anymore! I'm FREE!
Posts: 3,459
An inexpensive, lightweight Chromebook is the way to go. I bring a Surface Pro on my travels, which is nice and light while still being a full-featured computer. But because it's so expensive, I'm always worried about leaving it. I lock it the hotel room safe, but not all rooms have safes, and sometimes I have to leave my bags somewhere before checking into a hotel or going to the airport.
One thing I've done that gives me some peace of mind is encrypt the hard drive (actually, the SSD) and also configure the UEFI (used to be called BIOS) to allow booting only from the drive. Accessing the UEFI also requires a password, as does logging in to Windows. So if a thief doesn't know at least one of these passwords, he has essentially stolen a useless brick. Of course that doesn't mean he will kindly return the device once he figures that out, but it does slightly increase the chances of it being found and returned.
(When a friend recently left his laptop on an AA plane, the agent he spoke with asked him if the computer was password-protected. When he said it wasn't, the agent said that's too bad - the chances of it being returned were very slim, and would be much higher if it had a password. Yes, this is an AA agent essentially admitting that their own employees or subcontractors are likely to steal lost items that have value!)
One thing I've done that gives me some peace of mind is encrypt the hard drive (actually, the SSD) and also configure the UEFI (used to be called BIOS) to allow booting only from the drive. Accessing the UEFI also requires a password, as does logging in to Windows. So if a thief doesn't know at least one of these passwords, he has essentially stolen a useless brick. Of course that doesn't mean he will kindly return the device once he figures that out, but it does slightly increase the chances of it being found and returned.
(When a friend recently left his laptop on an AA plane, the agent he spoke with asked him if the computer was password-protected. When he said it wasn't, the agent said that's too bad - the chances of it being returned were very slim, and would be much higher if it had a password. Yes, this is an AA agent essentially admitting that their own employees or subcontractors are likely to steal lost items that have value!)
Feb 6, 2018, 8:11 am
#33
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: DCA/IAD
Programs: most of them
Posts: 3,283
I got a Chromebook last summer. In general it does most things I need. Mine is the Samsung Chromebook Pro which is a little more expensive than most others but offers a bit better performance and features.
Otherwise there are plenty of light ultrabooks out there these days. The LG Gram line are very light, but can be a little pricey. Samsung also makes a line of very light laptops.
Otherwise there are plenty of light ultrabooks out there these days. The LG Gram line are very light, but can be a little pricey. Samsung also makes a line of very light laptops.
Aug 8, 2018, 2:05 am
#34
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 104
I think it comes down to the kind of spreadsheet work you need to do
- If you're primarily viewing spreadsheets & making few edits occasionally, your phone should work just fine.
- If you're creating and editing spreadsheets often & are going to be typing a lot, use an external keyboard & mouse with your phone (if you're comfortable with the screen size)
- If you're doing complex work(pivot table, vlookup, etc) on multiple large spreadsheets, you're probably going to need a laptop. There are plenty of ultrabooks that're extremely compact, light (2-3 lbs) & powerful.
Aug 8, 2018, 5:29 am
#35
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: NY Metro Area
Programs: AA 2MM Yay!, UA MM, Costco General Member
Posts: 49,047
I got a Chromebook last summer. In general it does most things I need. Mine is the Samsung Chromebook Pro which is a little more expensive than most others but offers a bit better performance and features.
Otherwise there are plenty of light ultrabooks out there these days. The LG Gram line are very light, but can be a little pricey. Samsung also makes a line of very light laptops.
Otherwise there are plenty of light ultrabooks out there these days. The LG Gram line are very light, but can be a little pricey. Samsung also makes a line of very light laptops.
I got a this generation Pixel Book and it works fine. That said so does my iPad Pro with keyboard. The keyboard and screen are definitely better on the Pixel Book. For security or in my case collaboration, I put a great many document on various web storage sites. With either device I can put a spreadsheet in Dropbox, Google Docs or iCloud. The access varies by device a bit but only a bit. I have the Android or iOS MS Office suite on both devices and it works well with cloud storage docs. The advantage of cloud storage is that if someone steals your device you docs are still pretty safe. Life is compromises though. You can’t get a big screen without more weight. You sort of have to decide where in the spectrum you want to be and what device works best with your software needs.
Aug 8, 2018, 8:43 pm
#36
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: PDX
Programs: AA LT PLT (3.6+ MM), UA 1K LT Gold, Hilton LT Diamond, Bonvoy Gold.
Posts: 1,662
Check out the GPD range of products, specifically the GPD pocket 2. Now that is a small, but fully formed, laptop....
https://www.techrepublic.com/article...e-gpd-pocket2/
https://www.techrepublic.com/article...e-gpd-pocket2/