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Post by June Scarlet on Feb 3, 2020 19:48:40 GMT -5
Any and everything related to Technology! From recommendations, to sharing tips, asking for help, and everything in between and beyond. Now gathered into one place for your convenience!
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Post by June Scarlet on Feb 3, 2020 20:10:47 GMT -5
I've been thinking about replacing my laptop, and I've got several thoughts about it, and it'd be nice to gather it all in one place. First off, Twillie has a Surface Book, which she can draw on, which appeals to me. So does Elcie. Secondly, apparently Toshiba no longer makes laptops?? This laptop and my last one were both Toshiba. So even if I just get a regular laptop, I have to start from scratch on research because I can't just get another Toshiba. Third, maybe I don't want a new laptop at all. My current laptop still works, maybe I want to supplement it instead. I could get a tablet, or a drawing tablet with a screen. Ginz ❤ has a Huion Kamvas I think she likes. I also looked at Wacom, to remind myself just how expensive Cintiq is, and I found something new call Wacom One, which looks like a direct competitor to Ginz's drawing tablet, at least price-wise. I think what I'm going to have to do is go to a electronics store and test some things out. Get a feel for what I like, and what I don't. I have a feeling I won't be able to get something with everything: for example, I might have to give up a cd/dvd player if I get a tablet. But man, I don't know I can afford something that has all the features. It seems like the laptops that double as tablets you can use a pen on are rather expensive in general. I don't even have a feel for whether I'd be okay with a 13 inch screen, or if I should stick with my 15 inch like I have. So yeah, a lot of thoughts, and I'll probably have more thoughts about this soon.
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Post by Ginz ❤ on Feb 3, 2020 23:47:01 GMT -5
June Scarlet - I am indeed very happy with my Huion! I personally like how small and light the one I have is, but they do have a couple bigger versions, so that's nice! I love how it feels to draw on it! Although I have no point of comparison when it comes to drawing directly on a screen. But still, no real complaints! The only thing that's a little inconvenient for me is that I like always having my tablet set up and ready at my desk, and often when I turn it on, I find myself having to unplug it and plug it in again for it to respond and work correctly. I should honestly keep it unplugged and just plug it when I'm gonna use it, to avoid that problem, but... I had my old Wacom Bamboo plugged in and ready to go at all times, and old habits die hard. XD; (I also wonder if it's because I had to get an adapter, because my silly iMac only has USB and USB-C ports, and I needed HDMI for the tablet... but then again, who knows) Anyway, around the time I bought mine, having an iPad Pro and an Apple Pencil and drawing on Procreate was becoming The Thing every online artist seemed to be moving towards, and I feel like that's just become more and more popular since... and to be honest, I've wondered if I should have gotten that instead, because it looks awesome, and portability and being able to do digital art anywhere seems like a big plus! However, I'm the sort of person who gets anxious about other people looking over my shoulder while I draw, so would I have even taken it anywhere other than my bed? Am I just being blinded by awesome Procreate art by awesome artists who would create equally awesome art in any program and with any tablet? Probably. But I figured I'd mention it as something to consider!
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Post by June Scarlet on Feb 12, 2020 19:28:42 GMT -5
Went to an electronics store today, and got to test out a bunch of different laptops. The good news is that there's a lot of laptops designed to draw on the screens. Many of them require a Wacom Bamboo pen. So I tested them in Paint 3D, because that's the program they have on demo laptops. And I found that the Microsoft Surface Book handled vastly better than any other laptop for drawing. I also found I prefer drawing on the 13.5 inch display over the 15 inch display, which gets a little awkward to handle as a tablet. It doesn't have a cd/dvd player, and it also gets a bit pricey. But it handles very nicely. There's also other smaller details to think about, like what sized hard drive I want. Currently I have a Terrabyte, and that's overkill because I'm only using 214GB of it. I was thinking the 500-something GB, but the Surface that's at least a bit more in my price range is 256GB. I feel like that's cutting it a bit close, but I could maybe do it. I guess I could start using the cloud, too, for storage. I don't know, it's very convenient to have everything in one place on one hard drive. And this laptop is supposed to last a long time. Still a lot to think about. *** Ginz ❤ I usually don't keep my tablet plugged in, so I wouldn't have that problem anyway. Forgot to look at apple products, but I'm not sure I want to get into them anyway. It costs a lot more to develop for iOS than Windows or Android. Because in addition to art, I also program. I'm gonna need like five different devices at this rate.
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Post by June Scarlet on Feb 20, 2020 21:02:09 GMT -5
I did some more research and thinking, and today I bought my new laptop. It's a Microsoft Surface Book 2. I also signed up for the store's rewards program, and I'm going to use the rewards to buy the pen that goes with it. They should go through in a few weeks. It's a little frustrating to have to wait even longer to get to draw on my laptop, but the wait should be worth it.
I'm setting everything up right now, so hopefully that all goes smoothly. Thanks to everyone for their help!
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Post by Twillie on Feb 20, 2020 22:38:07 GMT -5
Congrats on the new laptop, June, that’s exciting! I hope the Surface Book is a nice fit for you, I know for me at least I’ve gotten a lot of use out of mine. But ah yeah, that does sound frustrating having to wait to draw with it x3; I guess at least it gives some extra time to adjust to the laptop itself, so by the time you get the pen you’ll be an expert
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Post by Twillie on Mar 1, 2020 17:58:46 GMT -5
I've got more of a story time than anything else, unless anyone else has had similar experience and has any advice for me in this situation xD
So there's a few keys on my laptop's keyboard that no longer work, which I've just been dealing with for the past... heck, has it been a year yet? It's been a while now, and I've just been copy-pasting the characters I need that don't work on my computer. It's super tedious, but a routine I've gotten used to at least. I have a Surface Book, which means that the keyboard is detachable, so that in theory can be replaced without getting a whole new computer. Back when I looked up replacement keyboards, though, the prices were in the hundreds of dollars, so I just quietly filed away that option. I figured I'd just tough out the inconvenience until the day I'd need a new laptop or something.
Yesterday, though, while checking something else on my laptop with my dad, I had to do my copy-paste work around in front of him, something of which I've kept from both my parents until now. When he asked why I did that and I explained, I found out that I actually have a 3 year warranty on the laptop, so today we took it in to Geek Squad to get looked at. For repairs, they'd take the computer in for some time, and maybe even replace the keyboard/computer. If I can get a new keyboard without paying all that money, then that's cool. When they gave a timeline, though, that threw another wrench into things.
Me: So how long would you have it? Person: About 3 to 4 Me: Oh okay not the worst Person: Weeks Me: WEEKS
All that time includes the shipping and figuring out what the heck to even do with the laptop, as they don't repair it onsite. For some people this may be less of a problem because they don't use their laptop for everything, but my computer is my main means of doing anything productive. Namely, that's how I'm able to make any of my comics. I can't even fathom the thought of spending another month not working on them, plus there's a number of other work I need to do on a computer (I should probably find a job sometime, after all), so the 3-4 weeks sounded completely impossible. After thinking, I figure I have a few different options:
-Just keep my laptop as is with its broken keys, presumably even when its warranty expires this summer. -Send my laptop in and hope they get it repaired/replaced sooner rather than later, and in the meanwhile create a temporary alternative setup for digital drawing and work
For the latter, thankfully I've kept some of my old drawing tablets, and my parents offered to let me use their laptops as they don't use them much during the week. I also checked about using CSP on multiple devices, and looks like I can use my purchased serial number on two devices at once. If I try to install it on a third device (aka, a potential new laptop that will replace my current one), then it'll simply guide me though uninstalling it on one of the first two so I can use it on this third. So, sounds like I can continue drawing, or at least I really hope that's the case and there won't be any hiccups that leave me stranded during that 3-4 weeks.
No matter what, though, I'm just really uncomfortable with the thought of being away from my laptop for so long, especially since that timeline isn't a guarantee, and for all I know it could take less or more time for them to do something. The Geek Squad I talked to wasn't able to give me definitive answers on what they'd do for my laptop or the length of time because, in their own words, they don't have the best communication between them and the repair center, wherever it is. All I can really do in sending it off is hope that whoever gets my laptop knows what they're doing, and that they'll be efficient with their time in getting it done.
Since my warranty will expire this year, so if I want to get this keyboard fixed at any point now is probably the time, I decided to schedule another appointment on Tuesday for Geek Squad to take my computer in, and I'll put my trust in them figuring things out. I'll do my best to make the drawing tablet setup work, and in the meanwhile now I'm trying to think of anything else I'll need from my current laptop that I can get off of it before it's gone for.... maybe a month or more. Can't say it's the most ideal scenario for me, but.... if it means potentially getting a new keyboard? I dunno.
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Post by June Scarlet on Mar 2, 2020 20:23:52 GMT -5
Twillie Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that it will take so long (maybe), but yeah, it's probably for the best to get it over with. If you have an external hard drive, you could back up your files to it before sending it off. Or you can send them to the cloud, you get a terabyte of cloud storage with the Microsoft office suite. I happened to already have an external hard drive, so that's what I used to transfer my files over with. I used Windows 7 backup and restore, because it transfers more files, but the windows 10 default version works better if you want to access files without loading them all onto a new computer. This might also be a good time to give traditional art some time. Not necessarily for the comics, but for sketches and the like, might make for a nice break from the tablet/borrowed laptop set up. And yeah, I discovered that about CSP too! It's on my current and previous laptop now. And you don't even have to access the oldest computer it's on to move it to a third computer, you just transfer it to another computer from the new computer. Very handy. I almost wonder, if it's just the keyboard, could you send that without the latpop. But you need the keyboard to charge the screen, so it wouldn't be very helpful to keep that part. Well, here's to a speedy recovery of your keyboard!
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Post by Twillie on Mar 2, 2020 21:27:25 GMT -5
June Scarlet Thankfully I already got a cloud storage where I save all my stuff anyway, so I can still access all of my art stuff in the meantime on a different computer! (although I've also considered getting an external hard drive as like a backup to my backup, but that's for another time x3) And yeah, I may end up doing some more traditional art in the meantime, at least when I'm in a mood to sketch and don't have a laptop to pull out as easily. I'm wondering actually if having a computer that's not constantly within my reach will help me be more productive, as I can't take for granted my computer time as much. Yeah, I'm glad that it sounds like an easy enough process! That was my biggest worry honestly, if this would somehow mess up my subscription with CSP, but sounds like adjusting will be a smoother process than I thought :3 Unfortunately, it'll have to be the whole computer indeed. Along with it needing both pieces to keep charged, the Geek Squad guy said that they could do as little as try and fix the trouble keys to full on replace my whole laptop. So for all I know, I could get an entirely new laptop out of this xD; But yes, no matter what I hope that it doesn't take a whole month at least! Thanks for the well wishes :3
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Post by Ian Wolf-Park on Mar 2, 2020 23:12:22 GMT -5
Twillie- Ah yes, I know that feeling all too well. My old Toshiba laptop had the same issue, and it was a real pain in the neck trying to type, as that time, I was in university and needed it for various school projects. I think it was still under warrenty (1 year), so I had the entire keyboard replaced
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Post by June Scarlet on Mar 9, 2020 21:26:57 GMT -5
I got my new surface pen today! And it was 35% off, which is a pretty nice deal. For some reason, it was only the black pen that was so much off, and it was only on the website; they had to do a price match to get that price in store. And because it cost less than I budgeted for, and because I got more rewards cash than I planned on, I got to buy a couple other things, and I have even more to spend. I got a DVD (Frozen II) and a better antenna for my tv, which was missing like half the free stations. New antenna works much better. But not my new surface pen! I used it in Clip Studio Paint, but something seemed off, until I realized it had no pressure sensitivity. But it did in Paint 3D, the art program I tested in the store with. I knew Twillie uses CSP, so it had to work. But it wasn't working in ArtRage Studio either. After trying a restart, and looking through several google search links, I found the correct helpful link: www.reddit.com/r/ClipStudio/comments/6tfzu7/clip_studio_paint_on_surface_pro_2017/I... don't quite understand what it means, because they just said to do it, but it worked. ArtRage Studio had a similar setting which did the trick as well. I'd be curious as to what that setting is doing exactly, but I'm not complaining, it worked. So yeah, I'm all ready to start on my new art adventure!
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Post by Twillie on Mar 9, 2020 21:37:31 GMT -5
Ahhh yeah, the Set to [Tablet PC] setting, I remember that one. On the occasion that pen pressure would act up for me in CSP, I'd usually just switch between that and its alternate setting, restart my computer, and things seemed to work out from there. Couldn't tell you why or what it means, but it works I guess xD
Congrats on the new pen, and for getting it much cheaper than you expected! Always a bonus when that works out =D
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Post by Twillie on Mar 14, 2020 15:54:25 GMT -5
I got my laptop back a couple days ago and didn't have to wait four weeks for it \o/
Or rather, I got a laptop back, not so much my old one. The "repairs" they did for me was basically just replace the unit with a new one xD I knew that was a possibility, although I was lowkey kinda hoping they'd just replace the keyboard and keep the original computer itself, just in the event that I forgot to back up any files that weren't on my cloud. But ah well, I can't really complain about a new computer at no cost xD
It wasn't until I got back home with the computer, though, that I noticed that it didn't have a pen with it. I have a Surface Book, a 2-1 PC tablet where you can draw on the screen, and you have to buy the Surface pen separately from the laptop. I remember when I turned my laptop in for repairs that I gave my pen to them as well, but apparently when signing all the papers, there was one part where it said the only accessory turned in with the computer was the charger. So, they took the pen with my laptop but did not return it or provide another when giving me my new computer.
I found out the reasoning behind my lack of pen via phone call, plus with the papers I signed, I felt like there was little I could do. I told my parents, though, and my dad was just like "We'll call them back," and once on the phone, goes into immediate "Can I talk to the manager" mode xD; The process was actually a lot more painless than I was dreading, and the manager was just like "Lemme check some paperwork real fast, and we can get you your pen back." What ended up happening is they gave me a new pen, which is easier than trying to dig up wherever my old one got lost between there and the repairs facility, wherever that may be.
I'm just glad to be able to draw as I regularly do again, plus I can use my whole keyboard now! I don't need to cp all my x's and 1's anymore \o/
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Post by Liou on Apr 7, 2020 16:22:52 GMT -5
Heeey! Headsets! Hi my headphones/microphone headset has had the "sound only on the side that's connected to the wire" issue for a long time, and I don't use it often but I am starting to get tired of this! My local nearby shops are all out of headphones as everyone is figuring out how to work from home so I'm planning to order some. I won't order from the biggest worldwide retail chain of doom, but from a french retail chain, which orders worldwide but at least has a store in my town, so, guess I'll be supporting my local evil.
So I need to find external headphones, not earbuds!, on a sturdy enough headset, with a microphone attached, if possible a microphone that can bend 180° (my current one is 90° so I can only have it on one side of my head to talk) but! I do not want one of those Gamey Gaming Gamer Headsets with neon red or blue pixelly flame patterns or anything like that.
My current headphones connect to PC via USB, which I found reassuring when I got them as it was during the "no more headphone jacks??" panic. My current laptop does have a headphone jack, though. But how endangered is the headphone jack? Which is safer to invest in, jack- or USB-connected? (Bluetooth is NOT an option. Do not want.)
There are far too many options to browse on my local retailer so as much as I loathe to stick to known brands, I did browse the big famous electronic brands just to go from 100 pages to 20 or so.
tl;dr: know any good headphone brands to recommend?
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Post by Celestial on Apr 8, 2020 6:30:07 GMT -5
Liou I've been using Sennheiser for a few years now. I've gone through two headphone pairs with them over the last half a decade and they usually last a good few years. My current pair is about 2-4 years old and still pretty good. Excellent sound quality, comfortable, all that good jazz. Don't have a microphone but I am sure for a bit more money, you can find one that has one from that brand. They are attached via a headphone jack, and I personally prefer that. Much more secure, even if the headphone jack is become less fashionable (tbh, I believe that's only for the crap computers anyway. >>). I'd go for a headphone jack. Very sturdy (I've put them through a lot of abuse and they still work) and are over-ear. Price-wise, mine were about £30. This is without microphone, like I said, but if you shop around, hopefully you can find something with what you want from that brand for a reasonable price.
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