I guess it's horses for courses -- my experience with Toshiba machines is that I swear never to touch one with a barge pole. On the other hand, I've also had abysmal reliability out of Dell and HP machines. Incidentally, I wouldn't per se rule a Mac out. Other than it's beyond the stated price range, I'd say quite the opposite. One of the things I like with Mac OS is precisely that it's easy to navigate between lots of things open at once, and the Retina display is excellent for working with text documents for extended periods of time. Overall performance also seems much slicker than PC's I've used (admittedly this may be because of the solid-state disk, and I haven't used a PC with a solid-state disk so far). I also migrated one of my Windows machines to it with Parallels, and the Windows installation actually runs faster on the Mac than on the original PC. I admit that it was a fairly expensive machine (one of the new Mac Book Pros) so it's not really a fair comparison.I love computers with a passion.

I regularly use three different computers for my translation work, whilst I know many only use one. Why use more than one? Well, this article will help to explain the different choices I have made, and where and why these are helpful to me in my profession. I love each of my computers dearly. As such, they all have names, which also helps when referring to each one to my geeky friends. The names all follow a pattern of beginning with the letters “Al-“, because my first ever computer was given the name I would have been given had I been born a boy – Albert. I will start with the most common (perhaps recommended?) initial set up: a relatively modern but not flashy laptop computer, then work through why my team has expanded and for what reason, summarised in handy bullet point pros and cons. However, before I get started, I would like to contribute some general considerations when buying a computer: Alexander is a good budget to mid-range laptop, the Asus x50N, and about 3 years old.

He was a real bargain at the time, and received rave reviews – he has a nice 2 GB RAM and a 1.6 GHz dual core CPU (central processing unit, or ‘chip’).Wedding Dress Belts Suppliers I have Alexander set up semi-permanently downstairs on a chair in front of the TV, where I use him for general browsing, blogging, invoicing and generally dull but simple tasks that can be done in front of the TV. Best Furniture Store DfwI also take him away with me over Christmas and New Year, when I will be on the road for a longer period of time and may need something that is faster, capable of a little image editing, as well as appreciating a larger screen and keyboard.Baby Born Bath And Working Shower Why a laptop is great: Why a laptop is not so great:

Alex is a beast of a machine. I built him myself about a year ago, choosing parts carefully on a variety of criteria – compatibility with future upgrades (future-proof), performance, ethics and, of course, price. Alex has a very speedy 3.4GHz quad-core CPU*, on a good Asus motherboard, with a speedy 2 x 2GB (4GB) of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM taking up 2 of the 4 slots, as well as a decent 1GB ATI-based graphics card. He is more than one needs for day-to-day translations. He is, however, invaluable for a variety of more complex situations. Unlike a laptop or netbook, Alex can handle anything, literally anything I or my clients choose to throw at him. Nothing is too complex. Whilst a huge translation memory file may start to slow some computers, not Alex. For him, huge marketing files on Photoshop are also a breeze. The advantage of having built him myself is that I know exactly how he functions – and any minor quirks are easy to fix. Having built him myself, I also saved a lot of money for comparatively little effort.

Alex also has a nice full-size keyboard, wireless mouse, beautiful high-quality monitor, and a comfortable desk. I am faster and more comfortable working on Alex, because I am not slowed by my computer, nor do I have to spend time working out why something is not working – he always is working. From a business perspective, I specialise in IT, so having modern hardware that enables me to keep up with the latest developments is vital. Imagine the professional advantage of knowing how similar software to that described in whatever software manual I am translating actually functions? Furthermore, the experience of building him myself certainly adds to my insight when translating texts on hardware and technology. Of course, Alex came with quite a price tag. One I probably would have been more loathe to spend if I were not specialised in IT, or not able to cut a lot off by building him myself. Not everyone needs an Alex. As such, I would refer you back to my initial tip – consider what you will use the computer for.

For me, however, he is an invaluable member of my team. * CPUs with 6 cores are now out, but perhaps not always as fast. These are probably better suited to graphical rendering and some translation-related tasks, which, of course, we translators sometimes have to do. Why a powerful desktop is great: Why a powerful desktop is less great: My pride and joy, at just one month old, is “Algernon”. Algernon is a prime example of international shopping around – his model, a slinky Asus Eee PC 1015PW, is not available in the UK. It appears to be a regionalised version of the 1015P, but with some other differences, too, including a unique (and beautiful) metallic dark purple brushed plaster affect (and so, smudge and scratch resistant) casing. He was perhaps more expensive than the very cheap Samsung model you can see on offer everywhere right now, that has similar-ish specifications (although poorer build quality and some other differences). A special note on what your netbook brand says about you

First off, we should consider the most unique thing about a netbook. No, not its small size, its longer battery life, its unique mobility, no… But its unique position as a statement piece for geeks and translators (and geeky translators, like myself) anywhere we go and might get one out – from conferences, to cafes, to meet-ups, to the train or even the local park. Unlike Alex or Alexander, lots of potential clients, clients and colleagues will get to meet Algernon. When they see Algernon, with his beautiful purple finish and German keyboard, they may well remember him. It creates a positive, stylish impression – that I care about my technology, and I care about what the slightest details associated with my work will say about me. I also chose the brand Asus over Samsung for a reason. As a geek, my choice of brand also says a bit about how well I know my field. Asus has served me well and is known to produce good, stable motherboards and some of the best in netbook technology.

If I were walking around with just any brand (which, by comparison, Samsung is), then this is not saying much about my knowledge nor how much I care about the reliability of my tools, and therefore, my services. Asus, to me, represents a little geek cred. Similarly, my choice of brand and its reputation also says a bit about how much I care about that brand’s ethics. I trade partly on my personal values, and have an ethical policy proudly published on my website. In a recent issue of the Ethical Consumer, Samsung (along with Toshiba and a couple of others), scored terribly – allegedly associated with abuse of worker rights, even work-related cancer and environmental destruction. Do I want my name associated with that? Whilst Asus were not top-rated, they were among the best (and none were that good). With the above two analyses in mind, I figured that Asus was a brand I could trust and feel comfortable with having associated with my own ‘brand’ – quality technology and among the better brands where ethics are concerned.

Back to netbooks in general Algernon is, of course, wonderfully functional. To help him in this, I also upgraded his RAM from the 1GB he came with to a nice, speedy 2GB. Whilst not vital, I would certainly recommend it. The RAM came in at around 20 EUR, and is a very simple upgrade that anyone could perform at home. This certainly helps him cope with my habit of keeping excessive numbers of windows on my browser (Chrome, for the record, it is faster on Java-based pages, which often includes online dictionaries). I use Algernon all the time – for short breaks away, for meetings, for conferences and even for trips over to friends’ when I think I might need a computer. At only 1.3kg, it does not break my back. I have even been able use Algernon and mobile broadband to carry out some emergency proofreading in the passenger seat of a big white van! Why a netbook is great: Why a netbook is not so great:As the above should have made clear, each computer I own serves a different purpose.