shopping for a laptop PC

Apparently you can still buy both, but the standalone, purchased version is not upgradable, so it looks like they're trying to discourage purchasing that version. The lease version is Microsoft 365, the purchased version is Office 2021.

There's also a free version that works in your web browser.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-s-the-difference-between-microsoft-365-and-office-2021-ed447ebf-6060-46f9-9e90-a239bd27eb96


Yeah, that's what I saw when looking for OFFICE. 


I've got Microsoft 365 myself.


Another vote for Lenovo.


drummerboy said:

I've got Microsoft 365 myself.

Is it the "business" version? 


I'm ready to pull the trigger - as soon as I get back from vacation.  


The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

I've got Microsoft 365 myself.

Is it the "business" version? 

I actually don't know. Didn't realize there were two versions.

OK. Just checked. I have the personal edition. It doesn't look like the business edition is meant for individuals.


drummerboy said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

I've got Microsoft 365 myself.

Is it the "business" version? 

I actually don't know. Didn't realize there were two versions.

OK. Just checked. I have the personal edition. It doesn't look like the business edition is meant for individuals.

I'd be using it for work so it would have to synch with the version work colleagues are using. 


Also, thank you everyone. This dialogue has been VERY helpful in creating a set of criteria for the new laptop. 


drummerboy said:

Yeah, the Lenovo has an SSD drive. Looks like it's not a refurb, but I can't figure out why it's marked down so much from MSRP.

Looks like a good deal.

Doesn't come with Office though. I don't see many laptops that come with Office these days.

People still spending money on Microsoft Office?

I use free LibreOffice. It can read and write Office docs and I've found, for me, it does everything office does.


RTrent said:

drummerboy said:

Yeah, the Lenovo has an SSD drive. Looks like it's not a refurb, but I can't figure out why it's marked down so much from MSRP.

Looks like a good deal.

Doesn't come with Office though. I don't see many laptops that come with Office these days.

People still spending money on Microsoft Office?

I use free LibreOffice. It can read and write Office docs and I've found, for me, it does everything office does.

I used Libre on my old laptop but I work in corporate environments where I need thorough compatibility.


RTrent said:

drummerboy said:

Yeah, the Lenovo has an SSD drive. Looks like it's not a refurb, but I can't figure out why it's marked down so much from MSRP.

Looks like a good deal.

Doesn't come with Office though. I don't see many laptops that come with Office these days.

People still spending money on Microsoft Office?

I use free LibreOffice. It can read and write Office docs and I've found, for me, it does everything office does.

I use Office mostly for the Outlook client. It's the best solution I've found for getting all of my email accounts in one place. Does LibreOffice have a mail client?


The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

I've got Microsoft 365 myself.

Is it the "business" version? 

I actually don't know. Didn't realize there were two versions.

OK. Just checked. I have the personal edition. It doesn't look like the business edition is meant for individuals.

I'd be using it for work so it would have to synch with the version work colleagues are using. 

I'm pretty sure the personal version will give you the compatibility you need. If you're just concerned with document compatibility, personal should be fine.

Here's a discussion about them

https://www.acecloudhosting.com/blog/office-365-home-vs-business/


drummerboy said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

I've got Microsoft 365 myself.

Is it the "business" version? 

I actually don't know. Didn't realize there were two versions.

OK. Just checked. I have the personal edition. It doesn't look like the business edition is meant for individuals.

I'd be using it for work so it would have to synch with the version work colleagues are using. 

I'm pretty sure the personal version will give you the compatibility you need. If you're just concerned with document compatibility, personal should be fine.

Here's a discussion about them

https://www.acecloudhosting.com/blog/office-365-home-vs-business/

Thanks for that link. The dealbreaker is TEAMS. According to that analysis, the home license edition dodesn't support TEAMS and I need TEAMS (even thought it sucks). 


The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

I've got Microsoft 365 myself.

Is it the "business" version? 

I actually don't know. Didn't realize there were two versions.

OK. Just checked. I have the personal edition. It doesn't look like the business edition is meant for individuals.

I'd be using it for work so it would have to synch with the version work colleagues are using. 

I'm pretty sure the personal version will give you the compatibility you need. If you're just concerned with document compatibility, personal should be fine.

Here's a discussion about them

https://www.acecloudhosting.com/blog/office-365-home-vs-business/

Thanks for that link. The dealbreaker is TEAMS. According to that analysis, the home license edition dodesn't support TEAMS and I need TEAMS (even thought it sucks). 

Yeah, my son has to use TEAMS for work and he's constantly complaining about it.

You might be able to get TEAMS for free though.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/meetings-apps



The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

drummerboy said:

I've got Microsoft 365 myself.

Is it the "business" version? 

I actually don't know. Didn't realize there were two versions.

OK. Just checked. I have the personal edition. It doesn't look like the business edition is meant for individuals.

I'd be using it for work so it would have to synch with the version work colleagues are using. 

I'm pretty sure the personal version will give you the compatibility you need. If you're just concerned with document compatibility, personal should be fine.

Here's a discussion about them

https://www.acecloudhosting.com/blog/office-365-home-vs-business/

Thanks for that link. The dealbreaker is TEAMS. According to that analysis, the home license edition dodesn't support TEAMS and I need TEAMS (even thought it sucks). 

Check with your corporate tech folks to see if your company will provide you with the compatible software for your new pc.


Bought the thing this week.  Arrives tomorrow. Thanks to all. Your input was very helpful indeed. This community came through for me. 


In too late, but this is In today's NYT Wirecutter review.   


dave said:

In too late, but this is In today's NYT Wirecutter review.   

I saw that article appeared, but I didn't have the heart to open it after making my selection. 

I was disappointed when the PC arrived that it didn't have an HDMI port for my external monitor. I could swear that the description included an HDMI port. Ah, well, I've ordered an USB adapter. 


The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

dave said:

In too late, but this is In today's NYT Wirecutter review.   

I saw that article appeared, but I didn't have the heart to open it after making my selection. 

I was disappointed when the PC arrived that it didn't have an HDMI port for my external monitor. I could swear that the description included an HDMI port. Ah, well, I've ordered an USB adapter. 

what model did you end up getting.

Yeah, I would figure any laptop would have an hdmi port, or better, these days.


drummerboy said:. 

what model did you end up getting.

Yeah, I would figure any laptop would have an hdmi port, or better, these days.

I got a Lenovo Idea Pad. So far, I like it, but I've put a request on my local FB group to find someone to help me configure it. (I've had a corporate Help Desk available to me in the past. Not no mo'.)  Some issues: 

As I said, it came without an HDMI port. I've since gone back and looked at the listing again and it does NOT say HDMI port so that was my oversight. The thing is too skinny to have an HDMI port. 

So, I bought an admittedly cheap adapter to connect the monitor to the laptop via a USB port. That Chinese adapter is giving me trouble. The drivers that show up when I plug 'er in are not the drivers listed on the badly written User Guide. I can install a driver, it looks like the right one, and it works, but it fails once I walk away from the computer and I have to reinstall the driver and reboot. This is my biggest issue. I may have to return this adapter and buy a better one. This also may have something to do with "Microsoft S mode" which I shut off and can't seem to turn back on. 

The laptop monitor looks awful: bright and hard to read. I tried Brightness but it doesn't really help. 

As I've had a work laptop for a number of years, I've been using my iPad for Facebook and personal Yahoo email, and both look and perform awfully on the desktop. I need some help configuring them, so they look more like they do on my iPad. For example, even though I click "Stay Signed In" on the Yahoo email, I have to log in every time.  And Facebook on the laptop has horrific content panels on the left and right side that I'd love to get rid of. 

I use Google Contacts and Calendar. They show up and synch beautifully on my phone and iPad. I'd like to get them on the new laptop. I can't seem to synch them. 

I'll keep posting here if and when I get some help. 


Could it have a display port?  Let us know what model you got.


That's not a hdmi port?


It also says in the details that it has HDMI out: 

  • 2 USB 3.0 Ports / 1 USB 2.0 Port / 1 HDMI Out

jamie said:

That's not a hdmi port?

Well, **** me, it is! It looked like another USB port!

And the picture on the monitor is so much better via the HDMI port than the adapter. 


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