My name is Donna and I'm a PC

Thursday night I bought a new laptop, and I suppose this could be considered my first. I'm a PC girl. Have been since 1992 when I first started using them. Back in 2006, a friend was thinking of buying her first ever computer and asked if I would help her choose. Of course, she'd asked everyone else she talked to as well. One day she came to me with the decision to buy a Mac laptop and ask that I go with her to help pick which one. I knew nothing about Mac's but was happy to go along. I'd heard Mac's were the industry standard for anyone who did graphic design—which I dabble in, along with the web design that pays for my writing habit—so I didn't mind getting a closer look. The trip to the brilliant glass Michigan Ave. Apple store resulted in a $3000 impulse buy of a MacBook Pro.

I hated that machine from day one. Over the past four years, I've realized I probably had a lemon since many of my friends have Mac's and absolutely swear by them. I had not one day of peace or operating smoothness with that laptop. Keyboard keys popped off and the track pad went berserk within two months of the purchase. The five hour battery NEVER lasted more than three, even after replacing it TWICE. The disc drive went out one month after the 3-year extended warranty. Upgrading to Snow Leopard so CLEAR mobile internet would work made the entire Adobe Suite inoperable. These things happen, however, in my opinion, they SHOULDN'T happen with a $3000 piece of machinery which is touted as the best.

There was not one single document created on that machine that was opened on a PC and stayed in the same format it was created—little boxes where all the apostrophe's or quotations were supposed to be. Many out there may say it was more likely operator error and I tend to agree. However, no matter how many times this operator attempted to work it out, it didn't happen.

It's probably fairly clear now why I say that the new Toshiba Portege can be considered my first laptop. I am ecstatic with it. I downsized from a huge 17” screen to a mere 13”, which I can actually carry around all day without back and knee damage. It has all the power required to run the graphics and web authoring software. It has an 8 hour battery that I'm currently testing. So far, we're at four hours. It has built-in WiMax, so when CLEAR has 4g everywhere, I'm all ready to go. Right now, I'm in the woods of central Wisconsin using my CLEAR 4gPlus which operates on 3g when 4g isn't available. It's coming though, and me and my new, first real laptop are set.

My name is Donna and I'm a HAPPY PC!!!