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What do you use a <computing device> for?

Discussion in 'Computers & Technology Forum' started by Don, Nov 20, 2011.

  1. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    Doing some research on a thought process I have going, regarding what device you use most, how you use it, which devices you use for what purpose, etc. Thought about doing this as a poll, but couldn't figure out how to make it answer the different devices and functions without setting up several different polls--which I may still do, depending on how many answers I get.

    First part:
    What computing device(s) do you use? (for example, desktop computer, laptop, tablet, cell phone, gaming system, GPS, other)

    What do you use a computing device for? (for example, surfing the internet, playing social games on the internet, social interaction (like Facebook), creating graphics or design, creating documents, creating business applications (spreadsheets, or full applications), simple gaming, or something else)

    If you use one device for all your computing, why?

    If you use more than one device for your computing requirements, why?

    What is lacking/missing from your computing device(s)?


    I may have more questions later. Thanks for your assistance.
     
  2. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    Desktop that runs security system I use for daytime surfing, email, study and editing.

    Netbook I use for study/coffee at fast food joints and in bedroom when company is occupying the living room. Not too often.

    Entourage Edge for few games/taking notes with Bible.

    Forgot, Kindle for reading and Axim X51 for scheduling, notes and church notes/Bible study.
     
    #2 exscentric, Nov 21, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 21, 2011
  3. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    Laptop for most of my computing needs both personal and professional.

    iPad for some different things like reading, a game, fast checking on my e-mail and online things and sometimes to watch TV.
     
  4. mcdirector

    mcdirector Active Member

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    Larger laptop for all my computing needs at home. I do have a desktop at school, but it is slow and if I can avoid using it for anything other than pulling up work I've done at home, I do. I do most of my professional work on said laptop. Word, PPT, excel. I connect to the internet to use google docs and live.com for storage. I do have some games on here that I like playing better with a bigger screen and a mouse - like Zuma. online research. I'm going to miss having a college library at my fingertips come May.

    Mini - love it for traveling or reading, but it is not efficient due to the keyboard size. Also great for surfing while sitting in the lounger which hasn't happened all that much in the last year. It also has some quirks but I think those are associated with Win 7 Starter. Games stop it up.

    I have an iPod touch and iPhone. iUsed the iPod for reading and listening and playing a few games, but now that iHave an iPhone, iUse it for all those same things. It's got Olive Tree and it's what iUsually take to church for a Bible.
     
  5. menageriekeeper

    menageriekeeper Active Member

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    1 desktop set aside for banking
    1 desktop for real work/research/etc
    netbook for surfing/reading/convenience in moving what I need from one place to another
    Iphone for phone/music/games/reading/audio books

    I don't have any holes in my comp use. Probly cause I'm married to a comp guy!
     
  6. glfredrick

    glfredrick New Member

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    I use them all, and can function with just my Blackberry, but prefer a desktop. I have 3 laptops, a nice desktop with large screen, and other devices including several smart phones (I carry two, one for me one for work).

    I do "everything" with computers, from Bible study and sermon work to my computer consulting business, to ordering on-line, to paying bills and banking, to social networking and games. Not too much of a gamer, I prefer debate instead. :laugh:

    My Blackberry has apps for almost everything, including GPS and Bible.
     
  7. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    Greatly appreciate the initial responses.

    Does everyone understand the difference between "consumption" "interaction," and "creation" when it comes to computing device use?

    For example, what do you do with your iPod? Can you create anything with it? Or do you listen to music, view ebooks, even surf the internet? How about Facebook, email, chat, Skype, or some other type of interaction?

    What about your laptop? Or your cellphone?

    Thus, what you specifically use each device for.

    This thought process is still in progress; there may be more categories than the three I listed; but there are also cross-correlating categories of "types of users" (related to the three categories I mentioned, not the stereotypical "power user" vice "casual user"); as well as the types of devices themselves (i.e., iPod is typically considered a "consumption" device). BUT, there may be someone out there who has found a way to use a device typically thought of as one category, in an entirely different category (example: thinking about the iPod, who's found a way to seriously do creative drawing or write a novel on one? (first question most people would ask is, why would you want to? But that's the eventual point of my asking these questions, and especially the last two questions.))
     
  8. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    "consumption" "interaction," and "creation"

    Consumption = ordering at Amazon
    Interaction = writing nasty emails when Amazon is too slow
    Creation = spinning the story when you find out it was operator trouble and the unit you returned to Amazon was not defective so that the blame still is with the unit.

    Actually I consume on all my units by Bible study, getting email reading books and play a few games. My wife would say I consume a lot of time as well.

    Interaction not so much other than a little via email. They send the junk mail and I delete it :) well a little interaction with family and people that email.

    Creation when I write emails though value of said creation is probably limited. Writing is my main creative process though I do power point, overlays etc. from time to time.

    I suspect I create some job security with Amazon and Ebay with all my ordering and create a storage problem in my garage at the same time.

    The fact that we all have all these gadgets has created part of the economic system here and abroad.

    All of the units create heat and contribute to global warming if you believe it exists.

    You might want to add subtraction: Takes from our real world time. Takes away from the personal touch of a real letter. Makes gambling etc. way too easy for those that do such things. And many more I would guess.
     
  9. NaasPreacher (C4K)

    NaasPreacher (C4K) Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like me, without the iPod touch. I agree with the point about Windows 7 Starter. Makes my Acer netbook a bit quirky, but sure is convenient.

    iLove my iPhone though :)
     
  10. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    My new term: BOL (bust out laughing)
     
  11. HeDied4U

    HeDied4U Well-Known Member
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    My wife and I have a desktop, 2 laptops (well one netbook and one full sized laptop) and an HP Tablet pc is on the way.

    We do our budget and other financial record keeping on the desktop. I also do a lot of my (amateur) writing on the desktop.

    Most of our general web surfing is done on the full sized laptop, and the netbook is pretty much just a back up hard drive nowadays.

    The HP Tablet that is coming soon will be used for streaming movies and music.
     
  12. glfredrick

    glfredrick New Member

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    I do all three with all of my devices. I prefer to create on my desktop, and if I'm mobile, via my laptop, but I can do it on any device I use and have.

    The reason I prefer my desktop to the others, especially for creation, is the rather large and stocked hard drive I carry there. I have over 2000 volumes installed on my desktop, most theological in nature, which makes creation of sermons and professional papers more friendly. I can do similar with the laptop (and have over 1000 of the volumes installed there), but I like a full-sized keyboard and my BIG X HUGE monitor. Yes, I can plug the laptop into that same monitor and keyboard (and often do) I like the way my hand-built desktop runs. It just outperforms the laptop, and while my Blackberry Storm II is a beast of a smart phone, it is rather limited and slow for data entry compared to the other equipment I use.

    What do I do? In any typical week, I will write somewhere above 30 pages of text, all researched and documented. I will probably respond to 50+ forum posts (and in the heat of a big debate that will inflate to 100+). I read 10+ blogs and a good number of news agencies. I never take anything presented to me as a "headline" as posted, but prefer to check the raw or back story, plus investigate whom is saying what to discern if it is spun or truthful. I find 75+% a spin these days no matter which side is saying it. I also edit and format doctoral dissertations and in the past 5 years have printed over 200,000 sheets of work that I have handled for my clients.

    My large moitor allows me to have a side-by-side view of what I am working on without having to reduce the writing window or the research windows that I am using. I can just flip back and forth. VERY difficult to do likewise on the laptop and virtually impossible on the Blackberry, but in a pinch, they both work. Yes, I have written sermons (and delivered them) from my smart phone, but that is not preferable, mostly for the text size and the difficulty in typing rapidly with a touch screen. I like to type as fast as I think, so slowing down that much just gets frustrating.
     
  13. menageriekeeper

    menageriekeeper Active Member

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    Consumption: I have a neat app on my Iphone that scans barcodes and tracks prices that I use quite often.

    I pay bills and bank on desktop 1.

    Desktop 2 is used for ebay, amazon, paperbackswap, Itunes/apple and a few other places I order from regular.

    I rarely order from the netbook or the Iphone.

    Interaction:

    Desktop 2 and the netbook for e'mail, facebook and the BB.

    Creation:

    Desktop 1, because it has a floppy drive still is used for digitizing and embroidery work, this will be shifted off pretty soon to Desktop 3 (which is faster but also as a floppy) Desktop 3 isn't set up yet so I'm not sure what else will be done on it.

    Desktop 2 is used for research and writing, gathering homeschool stuff. I do some of this on the netbook as well, but less since I can't print from it.

    Ebooks/audio/video:

    Mostly the Iphone and the netbook are used for this, though desktop 2 is the base for Itunes (no itunes on the netbook).

    I use my Iphone a lot for listening to music and audio books. (I have an audible account)

    I use the netbook and the Iphone for reading ebooks depending on where I am.
     
  14. Don

    Don Well-Known Member
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    This is fantastic stuff--although, I'm probably the only one that sees it that way.

    Granted, there's only a very small sampling here, but I'm surprised at the number of people who are indicating they do secure transaction type things (i.e., banking) on a separate computer, rather than, say, a separate profile on the same computer but with different security settings. I believe I understand why, especially in those cases where the separate computer is used for home-based business or work-related (and therefore requires different tax reporting). But if there are other reasons, I'm curious to hear what they are.

    Is anyone familiar with what Motorola is doing with their smartphone lapdock?
     
  15. exscentric

    exscentric Well-Known Member
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    "Is anyone familiar with what Motorola is doing with their smartphone lapdock? "

    Nope, didn't even know they had a dock for my lap :) With Onstar tracking you whether you are a customer or not I would not want to even guess what Motorola is doing :-(
     
  16. mcdirector

    mcdirector Active Member

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    I have seen Motorola's lapdock. If it works like they say it will, I'd be interested next time I need a phone, but nothing ever seems to quit at the same time ;)
     
  17. menageriekeeper

    menageriekeeper Active Member

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    Why do I bank on a seperate machine? Because it drastically cuts down on my chances of running into a nasty virus/trojan/worm out that embeds without my knowledge. It's bad enough when I get one on a machine that doesn't hold my financial history, without having to worry if the thing collected my banking passwords etc.

    I use an older slower machine that wasn't being used much anymore because there are better machines in the house.
     
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