Tech recs for the following specs
October 24, 2019 4:56 PM Subscribe
I am on the lookout for two separate tech recommendations: the perfect GPS app for an anxious driver and a new computer. Snowflakes inside.
1. GPS: I currently use Waze. It works well enough except for 2 pain points: 1) it often takes me through neighborhoods to avoid traffic and then spits me out onto a busy thoroughfare with an unprotected left turn. I would like to avoid this whenever possible. 2) In an ideal world, I would like a GPS system that takes me the same way every day UNLESS traffic is really, really bad. I'm not interested in saving 1 minute by driving an extra 3 miles all over hell, but I am willing to do that to save >15 minutes. Is there an app that will let you program these types of specifications in?
2) Laptop: I have always used iOS at home and Windows at work, and am somewhat more comfortable with iOS, though would be willing to switch for the right device. I am going to need a new personal computer in the next 6-12 months. I currently use my laptop for Netflix, word processing, email, and browsing the internet. I will be taking 1-2 college courses per semester for the next couple years, and I am somewhat intrigued by the students I see in my current class who use a stylus on their tablet/laptops to write notes directly onto the PowerPoint slides they've downloaded. I do freelance editing in Word, so screen size/ability to switch between 2 documents with ease is somewhat important.
Tech savvy MeFites, what do you recommend?
1. GPS: I currently use Waze. It works well enough except for 2 pain points: 1) it often takes me through neighborhoods to avoid traffic and then spits me out onto a busy thoroughfare with an unprotected left turn. I would like to avoid this whenever possible. 2) In an ideal world, I would like a GPS system that takes me the same way every day UNLESS traffic is really, really bad. I'm not interested in saving 1 minute by driving an extra 3 miles all over hell, but I am willing to do that to save >15 minutes. Is there an app that will let you program these types of specifications in?
2) Laptop: I have always used iOS at home and Windows at work, and am somewhat more comfortable with iOS, though would be willing to switch for the right device. I am going to need a new personal computer in the next 6-12 months. I currently use my laptop for Netflix, word processing, email, and browsing the internet. I will be taking 1-2 college courses per semester for the next couple years, and I am somewhat intrigued by the students I see in my current class who use a stylus on their tablet/laptops to write notes directly onto the PowerPoint slides they've downloaded. I do freelance editing in Word, so screen size/ability to switch between 2 documents with ease is somewhat important.
Tech savvy MeFites, what do you recommend?
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2. Your tech specs are such that pretty much any laptop or tablet will meet your needs, and it is really more about your personal preference and workflow. Many colleges lend tech devices at the library, maybe see if yours has a selection of tablets and touchscreen laptops so you can try them out? If not, I used to work in a big-box electronic retailer, and we had a 15-day no question return policy, so you can buy a device and try it out for 2 weeks to make sure it works for you before fully committing. I have a "2-in-1" laptop so that the keyboard can be rotated all the way around to turn the computer into a (bulky) tablet that is ideal for reading and annotating PDFs, so I would suggest looking into that.
posted by Rock Steady at 5:03 AM on October 25, 2019 [1 favorite]