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Let me add another. Over my tenure of 12+ years here as Tech Coordinator, I can think of four desktops and one printer that took an unauthorized walk out the door (stolen) to never return. The count on purloined laptops is around 13, with a few more unaccounted for. On Feb 2, 2007, at 8:41 PM, Eric Hall wrote: > Contrary to Ray's experience we are finding that the portable labs are > now > used MORE than many of our desktops. Clearly the lifespan of a > notebook is > lower for a variety of reasons, but we have not found that they > require any > more support time. We are on year 4 with a dozen Compaq Evo notebooks - > first year without warranties. Both Compaq and HP "business class" > machines > come with 3-year warranty, and we chipped in a little bit for > accidental > damage. Body count on 14 machines for the duration of the warranty > period > was 1 motherboard, 1 trackpad and 2 HD, which were replaced/repaired > immediately. No accidents (knock knock). In my mind a low-cost warranty > spread over a 3-year payment is worthwhile if only to get prompt > service and > repair parts. For us it would be hard to pay for unexpected expensive > repairs (motherboard, LCD, etc.) and I don't want machines out of > circulation waiting for parts or $$ to buy them. > > As for batteries, we are just now starting to replace them after 3 > years - > they get replaced when they can no longer last for two class periods > (90 > min). Many still have 75% of original battery life (which was about 4 > hours), but some of those were sitting on desks constantly plugged in > for > the first couple of years and it took a year or more before the cart > really > got heavily used. I have purchased Total Micro batteries through CDWG, > and > they are OEM (HP branded) at a good price. So far so good, and also > great > service direct from the manufacturer (we had one DOA). > > One thing we have done is to make sure that batteries are properly > "conditioned" when we get them and occasionally during the year. > Anybody > want to take a shot at whether or not this really makes a difference? > > > Eric Hall > Technology Coordinator > Waterbury/Duxbury Schools > Washington West Supervisory Union > Waterbury, VT > (802) 244-6100 > > > > > > >> *********************** >> Your mail has been scanned by InterScan VirusWall. >> ***********-*********** >> >> >> been out sick, here are some grouped replies >> I am not sure that 'cart' laptop are necessarily more work than >> desktops. >> And I would never question the #s that Tommy has rolled on costs >> (Tom, just >> support costs or total everything costs?) but here are some thoughts >> ... >> >> They to tend to be slower, and locked up (slow to get to) but they >> also tend >> to be used less. I think there is a correlation between volume of use >> and >> failure (software or hardware) so, given that laptops are used less, >> I have >> seen that they break down less, and otherwise have less maintenance. >> I have >> also on occasion been able to take a laptop with me to work on (on >> another >> project, home, into a meeting) not so easy with a 50# tower. The >> laptops are >> generally also treated better, and have better supervision, so kids >> try and >> destroy them less. >> >> I can fit a laptop cart in my office, I can then work on all 16 of >> them in >> that >> space. Having them all in proximity saves time with maintenance. I >> would not >> try to stuff 16 desktops in here! >> >> Another way I have saved time it to drag the laptops to a standalone >> lab. >> While the standalones are rebooting or scanning, etc. Boot up the >> laptops. >> Helps soak up some of that idle time. >> >> We have gateways that are 5 years old, some HPs that are 4 and 3. >> Each of >> them still get 95% of their original battery life. >> >> Battery on my 1 year old bottom of the line dell laptop is maybe 66% >> of >> original runtime. >> >> Extended warranties are useless unless you need them. Catch 22, so we >> skip >> them and hope to avoid the lemons. >> >> We have had 2 laptops dropped from waist height and survive 100%. No >> other >> known/reported issues here ... >> >>> lifespan vs. flexibility >> laptops are by their nature compromised machines and will not last as >> long as >> a same cost desktop. Slower proc. less RAM to start with. >> >> Some of our teachers LOVE taking their laptops home, others leave them >> chained to their desk, batteries out for months at a time ... >> >> I love our wireless printer ... >> >> 200 computers 400 students 80 faculty k-12, k6 sixteen laptop cart, >> 7-12 >> fourteen laptop cart. >> >> 1 FTE me, official title is tech & integration support. 30% of my >> time is >> earmarked for integration. I do servers, desktops, firewall, >> filtering, email >> virus/spam, buyer, hoarder/disposer of junk, dealer of ink. Heavy on >> the >> doing- >> more-with-less lately and a choking dose of find a cheaper solution >> ... >> >> Hope all are well. >> >> > > Tommy J. Walz Technology Coordinator Barre Supervisory Union