Good afternoon. I've got several for you, as I am a single mom, and full-time student who has recently been in your shoes. First, you are correct, Windows 7 is pretty much the standard, and while there may be a small learning curve, particularly if you're still comfy with XP, it works magnificently. There are new features that make it much more intuitive, and faster. Secondly, a spacious keyboard is a must. Touch them before buying. Make sure your hands are comfortable and have room to breathe so to speak. Some laptops have this tiny little mouse thingy right in the center of the keyboard,usually around the g and h keys. I have found this to be a terrible thing indeed, because one bumps it inadvertently, and it tends to wreak much havoc on my work, I mean one's work. Office 2007 will soon be replaced by office 2010, and while different, is, like Windows 7, intuitive, and learnable if you give yourself the patience and time to do it without pressure. The biggest thing I can say is that if you're starting school in the fall, give yourself a good 6 weeks to play with the laptop before school starts. That way, by the time you have your first class, you and your laptop are already best friends. I would be glad to answer any spacific questions you may have, on or off list, so please feel free to write. Warmly, Melissa
-----Original Message----- From: jaws-users-list-boun...@jaws-users.com [mailto:jaws-users-list-boun...@jaws-users.com] On Behalf Of Jean Menzies Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2010 4:11 PM To: Jaws Users List Subject: [JAWS-Users] laptops and OS Hello all, I don't have time to read many messages, so apologize if this has been covered or is of common knowledge. I am in the market for a laptop computer. I've never owned a laptop and don't know what to look for or avoid as a blind user. I will have to upgrade Jaws as I'm back on version 8. I'm thinking that most laptops now are sold with Windows 2007 operating system. How does Jaws work with that? Of course, it would be whatever current version Jaws is at, version 11 I think. Also, I would then have to make the leap to Office 2007 from Office 2003. I may have to use Office 2007 including PowerPoint, Excel, IE, and Word in school next fall. I'll know that for sure later this week, but I would expect that they will not be using my favourite 2003 stuff. Anyway, any pointers on upgrading would be appreciated. Thanks. Jean "Hear no evil speak no evil and you'll never be invited to a party." --Oscar Wilde For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
