These laptops work well, although second semester is too early to know if it is just because they are new or that they really do function better. They have a 6-hour battery life, as opposed to the 3-hour (and shrinking) battery life of the upperclassmen’s Toshibas. Also, the new laptops’ batteries are made of Li-ion 20. This is not only recyclable, but the battery life is less affected by charging! So plug in and unplug at will, sisters, and watch the jealous faces of the upperclassmen with 5-minute battery life.

     On the other hand, the laptops make for cramped typing. Girls who typed extensively before high school found the switch to miniscule keyboards difficult, and using a normal keyboard is strange ( but I found myself right at home with the small keys, never having used a computer often).

     Another aspect that brings plenty of criticism from students, frustrated freshmen and smirking juniors alike, is the bulkyexternal disc drive. Without it, how is a girl to listen to her favorite CDs, or watch movies while trying to remain awake during class? Not only is it bulky, but also conspicuous and easy to misplace. Whereas the old computers have an internal drive (which was probably never appreciated until this year), which makes watching a movie as simple as inserting the disk.

     So compactness comes with a price.

     All and all, these laptops are as good as were expected. Although the small size and external disc drive might outweigh the positive aspects of this computer for some students, I find the extended battery life and guarantee of its longevity more useful. This computer shows that Ursuline is moving ever increasingly towards a more efficient laptop.

     These laptops work well, although second semester is too early to know if it is just because they are new or that they really do function better. They have a 6-hour battery life, as opposed to the 3-hour (and shrinking) battery life of the upperclassmen’s Toshibas. Also, the new laptops’ batteries are made of Li-ion 20. This is not only recyclable, but the battery life is less affected by charging! So plug in and unplug at will, sisters, and watch the jealous faces of the upperclassmen with 5-minute battery life.

     On the other hand, the laptops make for cramped typing. Girls who typed extensively before high school found the switch to miniscule keyboards difficult, and using a normal keyboard is strange ( but I found myself right at home with the small keys, never having used a computer often).

     Another aspect that brings plenty of criticism from students, frustrated freshmen and smirking juniors alike, is the bulkyexternal disc drive. Without it, how is a girl to listen to her favorite CDs, or watch movies while trying to remain awake during class? Not only is it bulky, but also conspicuous and easy to misplace. Whereas the old computers have an internal drive (which was probably never appreciated until this year), which makes watching a movie as simple as inserting the disk.

     So compactness comes with a price.

     All and all, these laptops are as good as were expected. Although the small size and external disc drive might outweigh the positive aspects of this computer for some students, I find the extended battery life and guarantee of its longevity more useful. This computer shows that Ursuline is moving ever increasingly towards a more efficient laptop.