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#1 2009-06-30 10:48 pm
- andrewmoquin
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- From: Buffalo, NY
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New Switcher with a few questions
So I have an HP laptop that recently just went haywire. First the media card reader went out, then the webcam went out and then the wireless started acting up. I did a full system restore and everything works again except for the wireless. After all this, I'm finally saying to heck with Windows. I'm tired of downloading updates all the time and I'm tired of my computer asking me if I want to download updates, lol! A few questions:
1) How is iWork? And can you open and save Microsoft Office document?
2) I have a 120gb Zune and I don't think you can run Zune on Mac yet unless you have Windows on your Macbook. Should I go that route or would it just be all around better for me to get an iTouch and be done with it?
Tonight I am heading on over to Best Buy to get my Macbook. I'm tired of fighting with Windows, haha. I'll put pictures up tonight when I can.
-Andy
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“Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance.”
“Marriage is a three ring circus: engagement rings , wedding rings and sufferings.”
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#2 2009-06-30 11:28 pm
- gd
- you know I'll catch you; so don't think about it
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Re: New Switcher with a few questions
Yes; and it is a lot easier to use than office. You should really get a lookout for Keynote. It is a hell of a lot better than power point and arguably the best in the iWork suite.
Perhaps with third party software. I'd rather have the Touch or the iPhone. (I have the latter)
Last edited by Nefarious (2009-07-01 3:01 am)
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#3 2009-07-01 12:10 am
- sturner
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Re: New Switcher with a few questions
Office 2008 for Mac is also available. If you don't want to buy that you can buy Parallels or VMWare Fusion to run Windows, and your old Windows software. However, that does mean you will have the old Windows things that you are trying to get away from.
Or use Boot Camp. either way you still need a copy of Windows to install.
You have lots of options.
And by the way, iTunes rocks. And the iTouch does too.
I'm not dead yet.
There are 3 types of people, those who can count and those who can't.
"There are few things graven in stone, excepting your date of death."
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#4 2009-07-01 3:03 am
- Nefarious
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Re: New Switcher with a few questions
iWork is fine and I recommend it for my clients.
iPod Touch is missing the Phone and the Edge Network. It's also missing a 2-year contract. So, go for the Touch for now. (You can sell a Touch a lot easier than an iPhone, if I had to guess.)
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#5 2009-07-01 8:39 am
- sturner
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Re: New Switcher with a few questions
Nefarious wrote:
iPod Touch is missing the Phone and the Edge Network. It's also missing a 2-year contract. So, go for the Touch for now. (You can sell a Touch a lot easier than an iPhone, if I had to guess.)
As a replacement for a Zune, it is very satisfying.
I'm not dead yet.
There are 3 types of people, those who can count and those who can't.
"There are few things graven in stone, excepting your date of death."
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#6 2009-07-01 11:45 am
Re: New Switcher with a few questions
andrewmoquin wrote:
. . .
1) How is iWork? And can you open and save Microsoft Office document?
. . .
I recommend NeoOffice.
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/download.php
Computers never do what you want them to do; only what you tell them to do.
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#7 2009-07-01 1:34 pm
Re: New Switcher with a few questions
sturner wrote:
Office 2008 for Mac is also available. If you don't want to buy that you can buy Parallels or VMWare Fusion to run Windows, and your old Windows software. However, that does mean you will have the old Windows things that you are trying to get away from.
Or use Boot Camp. either way you still need a copy of Windows to install.
You have lots of options.
And by the way, iTunes rocks. And the iTouch does too.
If you just want Windows on occasion, you can also try Virtualbox as a open source option.
iMac C2D, 2.0 GHz, OS X 10.6.1, 2.5 GB Ram.
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#8 2009-07-01 1:59 pm
- sturner
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Re: New Switcher with a few questions
Oh yes I forgot that. It works nicely, just like Parallels or Fusion. It isn't recommended for gaming soutions, but it's very solid.
I'm not dead yet.
There are 3 types of people, those who can count and those who can't.
"There are few things graven in stone, excepting your date of death."
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#9 2009-07-01 2:16 pm
- Nefarious
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Re: New Switcher with a few questions
andrewmoquin wrote:
1) How is iWork? And can you open and save Microsoft Office document?
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#10 2009-07-01 2:24 pm
- sturner
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Re: New Switcher with a few questions
And if you don't want to spring for new Office software, an alternative is Sun's Open Office, which does give you a database that the Mac version of MS Office does not.
I'm not dead yet.
There are 3 types of people, those who can count and those who can't.
"There are few things graven in stone, excepting your date of death."
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#11 2009-07-02 10:37 am
- Mr. T
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Re: New Switcher with a few questions
andrewmoquin wrote:
1) How is iWork? And can you open and save Microsoft Office document?
iWork is good, but the real question is whether its good enough for your purposes. In terms of features, Office 2008 and iWork are in different leagues (there's a reason Office '08 costs several times more). I haven't tested the most recent version of iWork, but in my opinion:
• Numbers is fairly intuitive but is missing some key features, most notably regression analyses --trendlines, R^2, everything! So if you need decent stats support, look elsewhere.
• Keynote makes it almost too easy to make snazzy presentations. Of course you can do the same and more in PowerPoint, but it seems to require more effort, imo. The deal-breaker for me is PowerPoint compatibility. You can export from Keynote to ppt (not pptx), but you'll loose the snazziness that makes Keynote worthwhile. Importing ppt works less well --Text and graphics can sometimes get cut off or not line up properly. Compatibility aside, I was impressed with Keynote.
• Pages is, by far, the best tool available for making yard-sale flyers. For writing, it is perhaps somewhat more useful than TextEdit. Of all my Mac-wielding friends, I only know of one who uses Pages (and he's a hard-core Mac nut).
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