Try Before Your Buy
Laptop
There may still be a few of you out there who are
apprehensive of purchasing a laptop computer either because
of cost or lack of knowledge. But with today's laptop
computer being more affordable and the technology making
them easier to use, you need not be. In just a minimal
amount of time, with the all the new user-friendly prompts,
one could become another computer geek. There is even a
computer laptop rental option for those who don't want to
spend the money until they have tried to navigate around a
computer on their own. Being a grandmother, with my children
and grandchildren living and traveling to various parts of
the world, I found it necessary to overcome my fear.
The hardest part of my introduction to the laptop computer
was to learn how to hook up and manipulate an external
mouse, punch a few buttons on the keyboard, and basically,
to just turn the machine on. It's hard for some folks to
believe, but the computers of this generation almost run
themselves! Read on to discover for yourself just how little
computer knowledge most of these machines actually require.
Even being completely new to the computer I was able to use
it without even knowing what the mouse was for or how to use
it. I went the computer laptop rental route prior to the
purchase a computer. I found one that was set up to operate
on voice command. Voice command software allows users to
tell a computer what to do and the computer responds by
fulfilling the user's commands. Although it's pretty new and
still under development, voice directed technology has
already infiltrated consumer service related systems.
Have you ever paid a bill by phone? Instead of speaking to a
human being, chances are that you spoke to a computer that
not only responded to what you said and followed the
commands that you gave it, it also asked you for more
information such as your full name or credit card number. In
this case, a person (such as myself) operated a computer
without even knowing it!
Does the computer novice still need more incentive to sit
down with a laptop computer without knowing how to use one?
Imagine a computer that is set up to operate on touch
command. Actually, one does not have to imagine, it is
already available and has been for several years. Touch
command software allows users to literally touch objects on
a monitor with their finger to tell the computer what to do.
Known as "kiosks," these programs are already in use world
wide at ATM machines, employment centers, and in health
monitoring systems. Most people have used the ones at
department stores when checking out wedding or baby gift
registries. Neither a mouse or a keyboard is required. A
computer user only needs to touch various boxes on a screen
to input information onto the computer. The programming
behind such technology is extensive and advanced, but to the
end user, it makes the use of a laptop computer less
intimidating and just plain easy. With a little research you
may find a computer laptop rental available with this
technology.
These illustrations are just a couple of example of how far
computer technology has grown, and how far we have pushed
"user-friendliness" to its limit. So much of today's
software is designed to accommodate the new laptop computer
user. Anyone can get connected to the Internet wirelessly,
send an email message, and download an MP3 file within the
first few hours of purchasing a personal PC or possibly
using a computer laptop rental. Don't be afraid to take the
plunge, even a grandmother like me is able to go online,
access her e-mail and print photos!
by Mary Swanson
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