Laptops You Have Loved
Writers please chime in on my next writing laptop
You gotta write?
I gotta write.
I gotta type. You understand that.
Freedom. It’s important.
Haven’t you ever had airport laptop envy? When you’re in line for your $37 burrito and you spy that minimalist business traveler who is going to town on a simple small laptop perfectly paired with their matching black or silver Bose headphones? They display silky smooth function and style. I too wanna whip out a simple laptop and be able to type away effortlessly.
My goal was a small travel laptop. A laptop that would fit nicely on my lap! I imagined typing my ideas and thoughts on a boat or in the car or on an airplane. My target was a laptop complete with a full keyboard, but sized for travel.
I do not want a touchscreen because that’s like an iPad thing to me. Valuable for fun and art yes, but not for me seeking a machine to type on. We gotta type!
So, awhile back, I purchased the perfect sized highly rated Dell 13" XPS, but the touchpad NEVER worked well and I have suffered for awhile with it. Today I’m using it with a external trackball that is massive; bigger than an elephant. She’s a beauty; I call her The Salty Mermaid. Though she is lugging around a wrecking ball sized anchor, that trackball mouse.
I think because Salty Mermaid was BOTH a touchscreen and touchpad the machine was always confused. I’d prefer a machine that does not have a touchscreen function.
Regardless, Salty Mermaid’s touchpad was also always super unfriendly and with every click it was like jamming your fingers into a brick wall. I play guitar and my steel strings are kinder. The laptop is 13" and the mouse, is like half that size. What the heck happened to my small airplane tray sized solution?
You’re an expert. I need your help. I need a small functional PC solution. Something you love to type on. Please tell me.
Mac? I’d prefer a PC. OH Yes Mac lovers, I have thought of that. The touchpad of a MacBook is a dream. The Mac touchpad feels like memory foam clouds and delicious marshmallows made of coconut whipped cream. I use a Mac for music (I’m self-learning Logic Pro if you want to help me I’m all ears), and that is a possibility, but I prefer to write in Word. Yep I know I can Office on the Mac but I’d still prefer a PC for writing.
I gotta write.
You gotta write.
Freedom is important.
You understand that.
Everytime I grapple that functional-yet-monster anchor sized trackball I wonder, “How the f*** is this a small laptop solution?” It’s like driving a motorcycle that requires a truck. It’s like grabbing a pen to write a note that requires a refrigerator sized inkwell. It’s like…(Writers, mad-lib up a line, go ahead!)
Truth be told, the Salty Mermaid LOVES to be docked. She swims effortlessly like a swan when docked, but again, schlepping around a docking station is not a compact solution. She is a laptop I’ve loved, but she does not want to leave the beach.
I’ve sailed off course and I’ve strayed from my original typing freedom goal. Is there a 13 inch-ish laptop out there that will want to leave the shore?
Help me writers, help me find a small mobile laptop to love. With gratitude in advance.
Thanks to Selma who introduced me to Illumination. Read her freedom thoughts here: