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Laptop Recommendation.

  • 04-10-2018 3:07pm
    #1
    mickmac76
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 400 ✭✭


    Hi all


    I'm looking to buy a new laptop but with the needs I have I don't know what to get or how much to spend. Posting here to see what people think I should get.



    I currently have motor neuron disease and am looking for a laptop that I can use with it. Due to my hands having no movement in them I plan to connect an eye gaze device such as this one here to the laptop. Because of this I won't be using the keyboard or trackpad on the laptop.



    I also need to attach the laptop to a wheelchair so I'd like to keep the weight of it as low as possible but I think a 14 inch screen or a little more would be a nice size. Because it's attached to a wheelchair or sitting on a tabletop attached to it a heavy or bulky laptop wouldn't be practical.



    From a hardware and software point of view the recommendation is for a i5 Intel processor with a at least 8gb of ram. My current desktop pc has a 3.5ghz i5 processor and 16gb of ram and it has no problem handling a similar eye gaze system. The software I use with it to control the eye gaze is only available on Windows software so any apple laptops are out of the question.



    At some point in the future (probably about a year but definitely within the next two years )I will need the laptop to replace my speech as I have noticed my voice levels fading a little bit and I expect it to get worse. To do this I will use the eye gaze sensor to type out what I want to say onto an onscreen keyboard. An app on the laptop will then speak out what ever I input.



    I currently use a desktop computer but will need the laptop at some point in the near future when I go to respite centres for a week or two and also at hospital appointments to communicate with people when my voice fades and makes communication difficult for me. Apart from the communication I would plan to use the laptop a lot while in respite for Internet browsing and Netflix. I wouldn't be playing games or anything like that but I do need the laptop to be very reliable when in use or I would be lost without it. A good screen with good resolution would be an advantage as I'd use it an awful lot while in hospital or in a care home. Because of the circumstances of my condition I would like a long lasting battery as practical for the unlikely event that I can't power the laptop from a mains switch.



    Budget wise I'd like to keep the cost below €1500 but around €1200 would be fine. I'd need the laptop to last for a good 5 years or so.



    Given these needs could anyone recommend a nice reliable laptop for me.



    Mick.


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