laptops for med schl

[acidhouse303]

hi, maybe this is a stupid question but is having a laptop totally necessary for med school- how often do you use it at the brary? i mean i have a 17'' sony viao its sleek n gorgeous but big..but i am thinking of getting a 12'' powerbook bc i love apple and also bc its light and portable. do you think its worth it? ibook or powerbook? thing is, if i buy it soon i can get all this free software for it from my job so that would save me a buttload of cash. most med schl campus are wireless right?

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[shiraz84]

It depends on the school. Some require laptops, some don't. It is generally a good idea to have a laptop, though, if you plan to study in the library a lot. Also, it could be good for taking notes in class. Check with your school and its current students to see how much they use it.

 

[Sprite]

I'm not entering medical school yet, but I can certainly vouch for getting a 12" Powerbook. The last thing you want is a virus/spyware/hacker to break your system while you're cramming for board exams. Apple's tech support also (generally) has an excellent tech support department: nearly half of the computer science students here at Berkeley took up a Powerbook.

 

[masterMood]

if i were you, i'd get the 12 inch ibook? Why?

The 12 inch powerbook although very nice aesthetically, the features it possesses are not worth it for the 500 dollar markup.

The 12 inch ibook also has some advantages over the powerbook (besides the cost). 1) The construction of the ibook is top notch compared to the powerbook. The iBook is made of a plastic polycarbonate plastic, which is a lot more stronger then the aluminumones. The powerbooks (since the entire case is one big heat sink), the bottom of the 12 inch powerbooks have one flaw in that they start to warp at the bottom of the laptop, and dent easily.
2) Since the wireless antennae is embedded right behind the lcd screen whereas the powerbook is inside the laptop, the iBook has a much longer and stronger reception for wireless.
3) when you buy your laptop, make sure you get the free apple ipod, and the free printer rebate through apple cram and jam (buy yoru computer through education on the website)

if you have any more questions im me.

 

[mustangsally65]

I've owned both a 12" iBook and a 12" PowerBook. Both have been great. I had the iBook first, and then upgraded to a PowerBook about a year ago.

Go with what you want. The PowerBook is a tiny bit lighter than the iBook, but I think the iBook has better protection and construction. The PowerBook tends to get a bit more warm than the iBook does. Both look great, both function great, so if you need a lot of hard drive space and memory, go for the PowerBook, or if you want to save some money, get the iBook.

I'd recommend either one to anyone looking for a great portable laptop. And the wireless works great.

 

[sigepwelker]

I would save your money and keep your money and use your sony. If you need to use your computer at the library it's not that big of a deal to take a bigger laptop. And almost nobody takes notes in class. Trust me there won't be enough space and it's a hassle you don't need. I have a Dell 600m. The wireless antenna kinda sucks, but I haven't had any problems with it. If your vaio works use it, just make sure your wireless works right.

 

[AxlxA]

I think taking notes in class is done best on pen and paper. I'm sure u'll be drawing some pathways or organ systems so paper is best. I tried using laptop to take notes in my science classes such as neuroanatomy(mcb 163 with Whiner, class and professor were beasts!!!). Laptop is useless in taking science notes but now if u want to study in the library with online notes, then that'll be great. I have a 12" cheapy lappy.

 

[ShyRem]

How about a tablet PC, like the Motion M1400? That way you can both type notes and draw pathways and stuff. And if the notes are available on powerpoint, you can add notes directly onto the slides with the tablet PC.

 

[Its_MurDAH]

how bout a virtual reality headset and a joystick?

Invest in some loose leaf and a ballpoint.

Done.

 

[markboonya]

I think taking notes in class is done best on pen and paper. I'm sure u'll be drawing some pathways or organ systems so paper is best. I tried using laptop to take notes in my science classes such as neuroanatomy(mcb 163 with Whiner, class and professor were beasts!!!). Laptop is useless in taking science notes but now if u want to study in the library with online notes, then that'll be great. I have a 12" cheapy lappy.

you mean giant beast. i am stuck with the $200 "deluxe" rat atlas now.

 

[acidhouse303]

i can only take notes on pen n paper i wasnt planning on using laptop to take notes. and the viao is too big and heavy and i dont wanna carry it around. thanks for all your advice though guys. im going down to soho to look at the ibook this wknd

 

[masterMood]

you're gonna love the ibook

 

[gdk]

for some reason this reminds me of the story of the NASA engineers that were told that the astronauts needed a pen to be able to write in space, and not rely on gravity feed ink. so teams of engineers spent months designing a new pen, using compressed air, and after millions of dollars they developed a pen that could write in zero gravity, or even underwater. it was a great achievement.

faced with the same problem, russian cosmonauts decided to use a pencil.

(ok, so i worked in the aerospace field for over 10 years so i can tell this joke).

anyway, i always liked taking notes on paper, so i could draw arrows, underline stuff, etc. i could always draw faster by hand.

 

[gbiz]

for some reason this reminds me of the story of the NASA engineers that were told that the astronauts needed a pen to be able to write in space, and not rely on gravity feed ink. so teams of engineers spent months designing a new pen, using compressed air, and after millions of dollars they developed a pen that could write in zero gravity, or even underwater. it was a great achievement.

faced with the same problem, russian cosmonauts decided to use a pencil.

(ok, so i worked in the aerospace field for over 10 years so i can tell this joke).

anyway, i always liked taking notes on paper, so i could draw arrows, underline stuff, etc. i could always draw faster by hand.

You do know that this story is sort of an urban legend? First off, the pencil part... they couldnt use pencils b/c of the sensitive equipment, and fears that the lead in the pencil, which produces debri when writing, would affect the equipment. Write with a pencil, youll see.

Second, it wasnt a NASA engineer, nor was it NASA sponsored. This was all done by an ambitious person, who spent his own money. He did do it because of the need for a pen in space, but it was never contracted by NASA nor the government. He eventually did sell his pens to NASA, at a huge loss to himself. He did indeed spend over a million dollars, which was a lot more money at the time then it is today.

You can find this story on snopes.com. Its a great site, and youll find a lot of things youve heard before were urban legends. Television is a great spreader of them, Seinfeld had this one. Good Morning Mr Cotter had the one about Castro trying out for MLB. Etc.

Moral, dont believe everything youve heard.

 

[sigepwelker]

You do know that this story is sort of an urban legend? First off, the pencil part... they couldnt use pencils b/c of the sensitive equipment, and fears that the lead in the pencil, which produces debri when writing, would affect the equipment. Write with a pencil, youll see.

Second, it wasnt a NASA engineer, nor was it NASA sponsored. This was all done by an ambitious person, who spent his own money. He did do it because of the need for a pen in space, but it was never contracted by NASA nor the government. He eventually did sell his pens to NASA, at a huge loss to himself. He did indeed spend over a million dollars, which was a lot more money at the time then it is today.

You can find this story on snopes.com. Its a great site, and youll find a lot of things youve heard before were urban legends. Television is a great spreader of them, Seinfeld had this one. Good Morning Mr Cotter had the one about Castro trying out for MLB. Etc.

Moral, dont believe everything youve heard.

And chickens don't actually cross the road and there never was actually a case of the pope, a rabbi, and a prostitute ever walking into a bar together.

 

[Avalanche21]

You do know that this story is sort of an urban legend? First off, the pencil part... they couldnt use pencils b/c of the sensitive equipment, and fears that the lead in the pencil, which produces debri when writing, would affect the equipment. Write with a pencil, youll see.

Second, it wasnt a NASA engineer, nor was it NASA sponsored. This was all done by an ambitious person, who spent his own money. He did do it because of the need for a pen in space, but it was never contracted by NASA nor the government. He eventually did sell his pens to NASA, at a huge loss to himself. He did indeed spend over a million dollars, which was a lot more money at the time then it is today.

You can find this story on snopes.com. Its a great site, and youll find a lot of things youve heard before were urban legends. Television is a great spreader of them, Seinfeld had this one. Good Morning Mr Cotter had the one about Castro trying out for MLB. Etc.

Moral, dont believe everything youve heard.

Isn't that why he/she said it was a joke?

(ok, so i worked in the aerospace field for over 10 years so i can tell this joke).

 

[C.P. Jones]

Isn't that why he/she said it was a joke?

yea, haha, i was thinking the same thing

 

[Doc7]

I would wait on the apple. I heard that they are in the middle of switching to intel processors and that in 6-9 months they will come out with cheaper, faster powerbooks. So if you can get by with what you have now, it might be worth waiting for the new ones.

 

[acidhouse303]

I would wait on the apple. I heard that they are in the middle of switching to intel processors and that in 6-9 months they will come out with cheaper, faster powerbooks. So if you can get by with what you have now, it might be worth waiting for the new ones.

intel isnt making the chips for the new apples until 2006. thats a long wait
how much do you guys use your laptops now in the library and how essential is it in medical school? i could just bring my viao but id never bring it anywhere with me bc its too heavy but maybe its ridiculous to have a laptop that you cant carry around with you ,right?

if i get 12'' i book it has good wireless, its lightweight and you can get a free ipod mini and free printer. however, i already have a 40gb ipod and a printer and dont need 2 of them so i dunno what to do. having a free mini would be fine bc i can just use it for working out.

i guess i could just see how much i need it in school (then i can get it shipped to boston i/o nyc and drag it there) but then i wont be able to get all the free software shiet from my job... ugh pain in the a$$

 

[boonguh]

if you're looking for a small notebook with an awesome wireless card, check out the ibm x40. It's a bit pricey and ugly (IBM is no-nonsense about looks), but its durable, efficient, and super light..

and.. of course IBM is known for their Legendary keyboard.. it feels awesome..

 

[CalH22a]

I'm actually in the same situation. I have a pretty large and heavy laptop to replace my desktop. I'm looking to buy a not so nice but very portable laptop. I think the Dell 700m might be a good buy. Dell might not necessarily have the nicest laptops, but they have pretty frequent deals, such as $750 off $1500. So if you're looking for a decent laptop at a very reasonable price, check out Dell.