A couple of months ago, I noticed that the laptop I bought in 2021 was beginning to sit unevenly on my desk. Uh, oh, I thought, the battery may be going bad. I’d had this happen before, and that laptop lasted for a year or so. This time, my laptop worked perfectly, so I didn’t feel any sense of urgency to replace it. I hate setting up new computers, and I really wanted to put off any decisions until I finish my work-in-progress.
But in mid-March, the casing of the laptop split open. One side gaped about an eighth of an inch—plenty of space for dust and crumbs to get inside.
I would have to do something.
My last three laptops have been HP Spectres, and I have loved them all. They were light in pounds and heavy in capabilities. Paired with an external keyboard, mouse, and monitor, they were great workhorses in my home office. Without peripherals when I took them to libraries and coffee shops, they were portable and still offered full functionality. I took them everywhere.
But HP no longer makes the Spectre laptop. I did some quick research on best small laptops. My husband has a Microsoft Surface that I like. Lenovo machines have always been good. But in the end, I bought HP’s replacement for the Spectre—an HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 inch 2-in-1 Laptop. It’s about the same size as the Spectre, with a touchscreen and all the capability I’m used to. As an author, the one thing I splurge on is my laptop.
I almost bought the OmniBook on Amazon—which would have been the first time I’d purchased a computer on Amazon. But HP offered $500 off the OmniBook on its website for the same configuration that Amazon had, making HP cheaper than Amazon, if you can believe it. The only downside was that I would have to wait for it to ship from China, whereas Amazon could get it to me in a day or two.
For $500 I opted to wait.
The OmniBook arrived on March 31, and I’ve been working to set it up ever since.
I’ve written many times before about how much I detest setting up new computers. (See here, here, and here.) The process this time has been pretty much the same. I got spoiled when I bought my last tablet (replacing one Samsung with another) and phone (replacing one Google Pixel phone with another), because those data transfers were all handled seamlessly. Not so with laptops.
The new OmniBook came pre-loaded with Microsoft Office 365, so I merely had to sign into my Microsoft account to get that working. But other programs I use regularly had to be downloaded and installed, such as Scrivener, Aeon Timeline, and Quicken. There are probably programs I use rarely that I won’t discover missing on the new OmniBook for months.
Most of my data was stored on Microsoft’s OneCloud, so I could get to it. But I like to have my writing files (and many other crucial files) available on my local device, so I’ve had to make sure to load them and get them syncing with OneCloud. So far, I don’t think I’ve lost anything, but I’ll keep my old cracked HP Spectre around just to be sure.
Now, after two weeks, I think I’m functional. Mostly. Though I still don’t have the Windows Taskbar and QuickAccess list set up the way I’m used to. I spend more time than I should looking for files.
Another complication is that the new OmniBook doesn’t have a USB-A port, and my old external keyboard and mouse don’t work well through my multi-port hub. When I complained about this to my husband, he started researching new peripherals, and for my birthday I received a very nice Logitech keyboard and mouse that can connect via Bluetooth to up to three devices. So far, they’re only connected to the OmniBook, but I’ll explore how to set them up with my phone and tablet as well. The new mouse is quiet and smooth. The new keyboard has a pleasant touch and a comfortable palm rest.
So that’s my 2025 laptop story. But my other devices are aging as well.
In the middle of this laptop turmoil, my Aura picture frame quit working. It’s loaded with hundreds of pictures of Granddaughter #1. Granddaughter #2 will be here soon, so I MUST have a functioning digital picture frame.
I tried doing a factory reset on the Aura. I tried all the other repair steps suggested on the Aura website. Nothing. So I contacted their customer service. They very kindly sent me a new power cord, which did the trick. I won’t need a new Aura frame yet, and by replacing the power cord for free, they generated lots of customer goodwill for when I do opt for a new frame.
My husband’s desktop does funny things when it boots up. I’m his tech support, so I’ll have to keep an eye on it. It’s about the same age as my 2021 HP Spectre. It may need replacing within the year, though in my experience desktops tend to last longer than laptops, and he has his Surface laptop for emergencies.
My Samsung tablet is on its last legs. I almost bought a Pixel Tablet when they were on sale recently. Much as I’d like to upgrade my tablet so I don’t have to delete apps and files all the time to give it some breathing room, I couldn’t deal with another device set-up at the same time as the OmniBook. So replacing my tablet is on the back burner.
My Pixel 8 phone should have another year in it, but who knows? My husband is already complaining his phone’s battery life isn’t good.
All I really want from my electronic devices is that they work. All the time. Without hiccups. But apparently, that is too much to ask. AI is becoming as smart as humans. Can it learn to replace the devices it runs on before they break?
What are your current technology woes?
