Question

For Dave Herring of Northwestern Financial, it

seems that moving to a tablet would be an easy decision. However, there are many options of lightweight

devices (even laptops) that are viable options to tablets. Here is a letter from Dave that explains his

typical workday. Use this information to help Dave sort through the computer possibilities.

..........

Hello!

I am very excited to have your help. I am working on a committee to help my employer understand

how some of the new mobile devices can help us in our daily routines. Here is what I normally do on a

regular day.

8:00 AM - Go to Cracker Barrel and for an 8:30 conference call and a 9:30 meeting with a potential

client.

8:30 AM - Engage in the conference call. During the call I sort through papers in my brief case and

log into my laptop to find some forms online.

9:30 AM - Meet with my potential client. I show some paperwork as well as some illustrations on my

personal iPad.

10:30 - Drive back to the office (one hour drive) in Birmingham, AL

11:30 - Lunch

12:30 - Sort through my notes from the conference call and type them into my computer

2:00 - Begin building models for my potential client based on the notes I took during our meeting.

Create both paper files and electronic folders.

3:00 - Catch up on email and other client information.

4:00 - Head home and use my personal phone to answer calls from my clients and return text

messages.

As you can see, I juggle appointments, locations, data, paper files, creation of presentations and

documents, electronic client files, and various forms of communication. I have purchased an iPad for

my personal use, but my employer is not comfortable with this. They called it BYOD or something like

that.

I need you to help me research the various options for laptops and determine what would best suit my

needs to handle all that is listed above.

Will you build me a table that describes the various options and how well it will help our committee

understand what is possible?

Thanks!

Dave

Answer 1

Please leave a like, Thank you.

I think you need a laptop with the following essential features to ensure smooth functioning while reading about the problem you face:

1. Storage: A major part of your job is done electronically, ensuring that a massive amount of data is stored on your desktop. Therefore, HDD capacity must be the first requirement when deciding to buy a laptop. Anything from 500 GB and 1 TB or higher will work (1 TB or higher, indeed, but because of price limitations you might be forced to compromise)

2. Processor and RAM: After several months of use, laptops run at low speed. That is because of heavy use, too much room, etc. This is likely. It doesn't actually involve heavy use of the computer, but storing large quantities of data are part of that process. 16 GB RAM or more is a good choice

3. Battery Backup: Much of your day is on, so having a laptop with a good battery backup is important.

4. Budget: The amount you are willing to spend is certainly not the least. There are plenty of excellent laptops in the expensive range and a reduction in the budget may also reduce the requirements.

The following table shows laptops that I think are appropriate for daily use. I have included laptops within different price ranges because you stated nothing about your budget. Hope it helps.

Dell Inspiron 15,3000 (£ 499 on the official Dell website) if on a tight budget.

10th Generation Intel ® CoreTM i5-1035G1.

Cpu (6 MB Cache, up to 3.6 GHz).

8 GB RAM.

256 GB Solid State Drive.

15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Non-touch Screen LED backlit.

1. Dell Inspiron 15 5000 (£548/£618)

10th Generation Intel ® CoreTM i5-1035G1 Cpu (6 MB Cache, up to 3.6 GHz)

8 GB RAM 256 GB Solid State Drive

15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Non-Touch Screen

It is portable and therefore more comfortable than other laptops

2. Google PixelBook (£800 for 128GB)

OS: Chrome operating system.

Intel Core i5/i7 Processor.

RAM: Either 8 GB or 16 GB.

Capacity: 128 GB, 256 GB.

3. Asus ZenBook (starting at £899)

Processor Intel Core i5 8265U.

Full HD 14 inch monitor.

RAM 8 GB.

SSD 512 GB.

Windows 10 Pro.