Device for Personal Admin
Discussion
Hello
I like to be organised, know what is going on etc however have been really slacking off with all my personal admin. I also currently live with my parents, and I'm very aware that when I move it (likely within the next 12 months) it will only get worse, as there is obviously all the house admin. As such I'm looking for a device which I can do all that with (including saving documents, making reminders of when the boiler needs serviced etc). Plus the usual research into weird and wonderful nerdy facts I like to do. It wouldn't be strenuous work, my phone could probably do it all, but I also now buy technology which is far better than I need it to be. When purchasing a phone that did "what I had to do" a number of years back I bought a Samsung Galaxy J4+ which I only kept for 2 years as it was hideously slow from about 6 months onwards (whatever I did to try and make it faster). That was replaced with the current Pixel 5 which is still working fine after 2 years and I have no desire to replace it. My idea behind technology now is to buy something overpowered for what I use it for, so it last for many many years as I'm not straining it in any way.
I'm currently thinking along the lines of a Microsoft Surface Go 3, with the i3 processor 8GB ram etc. Would come in at around £693.99. So let's say I have a budget of £700 for it, and it isn't to be a desktop computer. A laptop would be considered, but still has to "boot up" in seconds (like a Surface) and be a touch screen when I want it to be.
Any suggestions from the masses of people who know a lot more about technology than me?
I like to be organised, know what is going on etc however have been really slacking off with all my personal admin. I also currently live with my parents, and I'm very aware that when I move it (likely within the next 12 months) it will only get worse, as there is obviously all the house admin. As such I'm looking for a device which I can do all that with (including saving documents, making reminders of when the boiler needs serviced etc). Plus the usual research into weird and wonderful nerdy facts I like to do. It wouldn't be strenuous work, my phone could probably do it all, but I also now buy technology which is far better than I need it to be. When purchasing a phone that did "what I had to do" a number of years back I bought a Samsung Galaxy J4+ which I only kept for 2 years as it was hideously slow from about 6 months onwards (whatever I did to try and make it faster). That was replaced with the current Pixel 5 which is still working fine after 2 years and I have no desire to replace it. My idea behind technology now is to buy something overpowered for what I use it for, so it last for many many years as I'm not straining it in any way.
I'm currently thinking along the lines of a Microsoft Surface Go 3, with the i3 processor 8GB ram etc. Would come in at around £693.99. So let's say I have a budget of £700 for it, and it isn't to be a desktop computer. A laptop would be considered, but still has to "boot up" in seconds (like a Surface) and be a touch screen when I want it to be.
Any suggestions from the masses of people who know a lot more about technology than me?
donkmeister said:
Pixel Tablet - this will also give you an excuse to invest in some home automation gear when you move.
Add a bluetooth keyboard if you want something easier for typing (I find screen tapping is horrible for any prolonged or serious usage and move to my desktop for such things).
Oh, was not aware that was a thing. That's very tempting, would really come into its own when I move out. I would like to think it would be easy to sync with my phone, being the same company and operating system 🤔. The Microsoft Office however, are the apps on Android the full shabang or just a basic system?Add a bluetooth keyboard if you want something easier for typing (I find screen tapping is horrible for any prolonged or serious usage and move to my desktop for such things).
the-photographer said:
Tempting, and a very good deal. Just learnt of a new website as well, so thank you!Shermanator said:
A laptop would be considered, but still has to "boot up" in seconds (like a Surface) and be a touch screen when I want it to be.
Keep in mind there's nothing magic about a Surface - it's a reasonable spec laptop with a detachable keyboard and the brains built into the screen. Personally I'd get a cheapish (say £450) windows laptop, they're easier to type on on your lap than a Surface is and a depressing amount of "personal admin" involves data entry/review.As well as the hardware the selected software is crucial.
I use a Surface Pro and a Pixel phone with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft OneNote with OneDrive for cloud storage..
For me Outlook has the best calendar and I often send emails to myself which for crucial tasks can remain unread until dealt with.
In OneNote I have around 30 Notebooks across many subjects and each notebook breaks down into sections and pages.
All of the above is fully accessible using my computer or mobile and even more importantly is fully searchable with backup and full version history.
Everything syncs and it is somewhat surreal to type into a phone and see the words appear instantly on a computer screen
No doubt Google provides a similar platform.
I use a Surface Pro and a Pixel phone with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft OneNote with OneDrive for cloud storage..
For me Outlook has the best calendar and I often send emails to myself which for crucial tasks can remain unread until dealt with.
In OneNote I have around 30 Notebooks across many subjects and each notebook breaks down into sections and pages.
All of the above is fully accessible using my computer or mobile and even more importantly is fully searchable with backup and full version history.
Everything syncs and it is somewhat surreal to type into a phone and see the words appear instantly on a computer screen
No doubt Google provides a similar platform.
I'd personally just got for a mid range laptop, making sure it has a Solid State Drive (do they even sell laptops without them now?), Windows 11 and a decent amount of RAM and it should fil your needs for years.
I have a Lenovo Ideapad which I bought in 2017 and the only thing i've done with it is swap out the hard drive for a SSD and it is still very fast both on boot up ad general day to day tasks, swapping the Hard drive out was a revelation in terms of the speed.
I have a Lenovo Ideapad which I bought in 2017 and the only thing i've done with it is swap out the hard drive for a SSD and it is still very fast both on boot up ad general day to day tasks, swapping the Hard drive out was a revelation in terms of the speed.
If you're not good at sorting things when they arrive, and you don't sound like the sort to have a good backup strategy either, I wouldn't bother.
Use Gmail and Google calendar. Just make sure everything you get is emailed to yourself. The Google search of your Gmail account will find anything in the future.
Put what you remember to in the calendar, and then run a large calendar widget on your phone home screen so what's coming up is always visible.
Use Gmail and Google calendar. Just make sure everything you get is emailed to yourself. The Google search of your Gmail account will find anything in the future.
Put what you remember to in the calendar, and then run a large calendar widget on your phone home screen so what's coming up is always visible.
Shermanator said:
dudleybloke said:
Filofax.
Doesn't help with spreadsheets of spend and bills thoughhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Filofax-A5-Expense-Sheets...
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