Lenovo (and UPS) Are… Making Me Nervous

 Lenovo is making me very nervous and so is UPS.

For all the research I did while trying to decide which laptop to choose (thanks again, fam!)...

... I did none on shipping and service. I should have. I really, really should have.

You all probably have read about how excited, grateful, and blessed I felt when my family offered to replace my dying laptop. I chose the Lenovo Yoga 9i (and we will discuss the name situation later...). As soon as I made the order and hit Enter, I had that familiar anxiety. Did I choose the right laptop? Is it really a good laptop? Should I go and read some more reviews? Is it too late to cancel?

I didn't cancel. Instead, I started watching UPS tracking like it was life. After a few days, I noticed that there barely was any tracking. The package went from Mainland China to Korea and... just sat there. 

At this point - because I like feeding my anxiety and not starving it - I started searching online for problems with Lenovo and UPS. I expected to see a few examples and gripes because that would be normal for anything, right? No, no, no. People, there are forums and communities full of this as a specific topic of discussion! What?

Now I am seriously worried and let my anxiety go on a binge. I am mainly worrying about what I have done with so much of my family's money. By the end of the day, I think I broke out in hives - or I'm allergic to the new fabric softener I'm using...

For the next 6 days, the package toured every part of Mainland China before it finally made it to Korea. Then it sat some more. I was originally told it would be delivered on the 23rd. That wasn't going to happen with it sitting in Korea on the 22nd. I called UPS first (a lady there promised to look into things and call me back - btw, she did not).  Then I called to complain to Lenovo and they promised to look into it. They did and UPS gave them some spiel involving an irritating but reasonable explanation. They assured Lenovo (if I can trust what Lenovo said) that it should be here by the 25th. 

On the 25th, the package was not being delivered. It wasn't even on its way out of Korea. I contacted Lenovo again - via chat. I was told that they would contact UPS. They did and then they assured me that I should have the package on or before the 30th. And that's where I am as I type this.

Okay. I had to make myself just breathe. A delivery on the 30th would be great - if I can rely on that. But I have treatments and other appointments coming up. Since I need to be here to sign for the package, that could be a problem. I'm not skipping stuff for my health just because UPS can't get it together.

- A bit of an update - I checked tracking as I was writing this post and, finally, the package has departed Korea for Anchorage.

I wanted to see if the Twitter UPS contact could make sense of that:

Huh?

a bot named Vanessa?

Keep in mind that I really like all the UPS drivers I deal with. They are all pretty awesome. Everyone in my building has some kind of driving limitation so we get a lot of visits from the guys in brown. But this is not about the drivers. This is all about getting the package to the drivers. 

scary truth!

~sigh~

So now I am sitting here, already having some kind of random virus, and worrying about whether I made a mistake in choosing a Lenovo. I had to make myself stop looking into their customer service because there are just too many horror stories out there.

Let me not forget to tell you how confusing I find all the Lenovo Yoga names. When I look up "Yoga 9i", I might get the 2-in-1 (that I'm getting), a slim model, a dual-screen model, or... I can't remember the other one. 

Also, the whole "brands within the brand" is super-weird to me. This is what you get to choose from among the laptops on the Lenovo site:

Shouldn't they all just be Lenovos? By the way, I don't see the Flex model on this list.  What's that about?

Just about every time I searched for "Yoga", I got hits on different types - Slim, Book, etc. And, I loved the idea of the dual-screened Yoga Book (but not the size, price, or reviews when compared to the Yoga 9i (gen 8). I learned to always check for reviews on the one I'm getting by using the "9i gen 8" to the search. (This site explains some of the differences to me.)

Anyway, that finishes my Lenovo-UPS rant. For now.  

I will be back to finish this saga when (if) it ends. In the meantime, be careful shopping Lenovo online. I am reading lots of comments that say it's better to order in a store or via Amazon.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: By the way, it seems that the best way to get in touch with UPS for help is via their Twitter (through messaging) - unless your shipment is coming from outside the U.S., then you have to make calls and pray.

**Coming Review** Lenovo Yoga 9i 14" 8th Gen (and discounts!)

 (Go to the bottom of this post to learn more about discounts via LifeMart. I'd never heard of it until recently, but... it's a money-saver.)

The Lenovo saga continues.

Because I have an amazing family and because my current laptop keeps dying on me, I have a Yoga 9i coming.

When I was trying out the Flex 7i (refurbs), I did dream of the Yoga laptop. There was no way I could swing it. It's too pricey for me and I thought of it purely as a dream machine. When I posted online about a super-slick dual-screen laptop I saw, my family was like, "Do you want that?"

Uh, yes. Duh. Right? 

But wanting and needing are not the same. And I told them that I would much prefer the 2-in-1 style that I've gotten used to. I mean, dual-screen laptops are very James Bond-ish but my life is not. 

For me, I need something I can use during long appointments at the clinic and for those days when I am stuck in bed feeling like crap. And the 2-in-1 style suits that. I can use it as a notebook when I'm in bed or I can tent it to fit the tiny tables attached to the infusion chairs, and I can use it in almost any part of my apartment. My laptop is my life. I use it to track reminders and calendar notes and, yes, I blog with it.

Blogging is the one thing I do that keeps my mood up and gets me through my sick days. So, would I like to have that fancy dual-screen setup? I'd have loved to have it when I was busy working and dealing with a normal life - and could buy it for myself. But, for now, I have to be realistic.

What I asked for: the Yoga 7i. What I'm getting: the 9i with more RAM and more storage. How blessed am I? 

As I wait for the laptop - and, as I write this, it will be 5 weeks of waiting! - I couldn't help but read some more reviews. And this is where I got frustrated.

When searching for reviews of "Lenovo Yoga 9i", I had to weed through reviews that had nothing to do with the Yoga 9i 2-in-1. There were reviews for the dual-screen Yoga; the slim Yoga; and, Yoga of earlier generations. I mistyped a couple of times and got results for Yoda and for (Hindu) Yoga.

Finally, I found several reviews that applied. Okay. New frustration and a new rant:

Why do so many reviewers try to compare Windows to Mac? Almost every review I saw tried comparing the Yoga to the Macbook. Why? I am not a Mac user. Mac and Windows are two different systems. It's as if I was looking for reviews of hiking trails (that will never happen!) and got comparisons of that with frontage roads.

If reviewers are going to do comparisons, they should stick to comparing Windows machines against Windows machines. Since I was looking at 2-in-1 setups, maybe even just compare those types of setups.

One of my brothers is a Mac-head (?) and I respect that. However, I have always been a Windows user. I'm not interested in switching operating systems. I don't care how fast, pretty, smooth, all-wonderful, blah-blah-blah the Mac is. I just don't care.

Okay. Rant over.

From reading several reviews and watching a ton of videos, I learned that the Yoga 9i is/has...:

• The best keyboard ever (or else it's not the greatest)
• A super display - even with just the 2k version (or, nope, get the 4k!)
• An amazing speaker system (but maybe kind of "tinny")
• A genius-designed speaker setup (but still doesn't sound quite as good as the Mac.
• A beautiful-looking laptop (but not as beautiful or thin or light-weight as the Mac)
• Great hinges that are sturdy and just stiff enough (or might break if you look at them)
• (Unlike the great and wonderful Mac) a stylus. (But the Mac is still a superior machine.)
• 2 nice color choices (but not as many color choices as the Mac has)
• "Benchmarks" are better than most laptops (even the Mac in some areas! But we won't focus too much on that...)
• Is a wonderful machine that is perfect for most users (you know, the ones that don't have a Mac.)
• A good touchscreen (but a bit too "slick".) And a stylus that writes as smoothly as a regular pen. Of course, until Mac comes out with these features, they are not all that important! LOL.

Windows or Mac?

Overall, I think this is going to be the perfect machine for me. The only things I can tell for now that I might not love:

• There are not a lot of ports. I never paid much attention until now but my Dell has enough ports that I can plug in my wireless mouse and my printer at the same time, and charge some other devices. Though to be fair, there are a couple of ports (or whatever) on the Dell that I have never used. I have no need for HDMI or card readers. I barely know what they are.
• Lenovo's support. I tried my hardest to find the model I wanted on Amazon. Especially because the family is paying for the machine, I could afford to get one of those amazing 4-year Asurion warranties. With Lenovo, I got the 1-year Accidental Damage coverage and the basic 1-year courier or carry-in warranty.
• I have no idea how good or bad Lenovo support is. I do know that I've heard some "iffy" things.

That's about it though for any negatives. Right now.

Some of the negatives that reviewers pointed out don't bother me. A lot of pros and cons about any laptop depends on the user preferences. For instance, some reviewers weren't in love with the pen/stylus but that's not unusual. I love the stylus for my Dell but one of my nieces tried it out once and declared that it was "kind of weird". She's a Windows user but has never used a stylus. It can be weird until you t used to it.

A couple of reviewers liked the graphics for everyday use but don't think they are great for gamers. So what? The most gaming I do is a bit of Solitaire and Farmville. What I do like the graphics for is watching Netflix or YouTube. I'm not over here freaking out on Fortnight (or whatever it's called).

A lot of reviews kvetched about no "on-board" storage for the pen. (One guy actually used the term "on-board" like he's a Navy specialist.) Maybe if my Dell had "on-board" storage for the pen I'd feel let down but... I know how to carry my pen in my case or purse or whatever without losing it. And I lose my glasses while they are on my head! People, just tuck your pen in your shirt or purse or something. (By the way, the sides of the Dell are magnetized to hold the pen but... weak magnets!)

By the way, I didn't realize this until after the laptop was on order but it comes with a sleeve. Not that exciting for me but, hey you pen-losers, there is a spot for the pen on the sleeve. So there you go.

When the ordering was all done and I was thanking my family for the laptop, my Mac-using brother said that I could have spent a bit more and gotten the James Bond dual-screen one - or maybe even a Mac, I just laughed. I'm happy-to-pieces with this Yoga. Let's not forget that I could be rocking a refurbed $300 machine. Instead, I have something that I absolutely don't even deserve. So I have zero complaints. Even the Mac-loving brother admits that, if he did use Windows, he'd choose a Lenovo.

Since my family sprung for this lovely machine, I truly realize that, with gifts. it really is the thought. Just the idea that I am so loved in this crazy clan of ours is my biggest "forever-gift". My family is always there for emotional support and they put up with my depression and anxiety without conditions. If that is all they ever did for me, that would be more than enough.

So.

When I get the new laptop, you know that I will review the crap out of it!

Peace

--Free

DISCOUNTS

I don't want to forget to mention that there were coupons involved in this purchase. I wanted to save my family every nickel I could. 

When you get ready to buy anything - travel, products, services - be sure to know that my Medicare (UHC) gives access to LifeMart. It's available in several ways, apparently. Do some searching and ask around. Perhaps you have a credit card or insurance or something that will grant free access to LifeMart?

Via Lifemart, I got a coupon there that saved around $250. Then the salesman found another coupon that saved around $45. Every bit adds up. So, please, please, please, check for any coupons you can find. When you can, ask the salesman for any other savings that may be available.

Teachers, students, and seniors can get discounts for many purchases - as can former and current military personnel.

All told the coupons and benefits saved us around $322. That's dang near the price of the refurbed laptop I tried out.

Shop around and shop wisely!

**REVIEW** Dell Inspiron 15" 2-in-1 Laptop

 Well, it's only been about 10 days since I was crying over the 14-inch Inspiron. Ten days without a computer felt like a year in time-out. That whole "saga" of the computer hunt just got worse. I don't even want to revisit it so I will just tell you that this finally arrived:

I am happy with this 15.5-inch device but I gotta tell ya... the keyboard is not much bigger than on the 14-inch laptop. The thing is, I discovered that, although the Dell keyboards look so tiny compared to the Asus, they are almost the same. When I overlay the Dell keyboard cover, the only reason the Asus seems so much bigger is because of the numeric keypad. The other keys are about the same size. Weird.

This is the keyboard on the 14-inch device that I returned:

And this is the size of the Asus keyboard cover compared to the 15-inch device I am keeping (and using at the moment).

And this is what my fairly small hands look like on the keyboard for the 15-inch device:

The best way to compare the keyboards (Asus vs this 15 5000) is to show the keyboard covers for each:

I think I got way too obsessed with the keyboard issue... Still, I am happy that I got this computer. I call her Dot. Yes, I named her. Shut up.

I will quickly go over the positives and negatives that I've decided on after using Dot for the past almost-30 hours (at the time I am typing this).

The Good:

• The build of the laptop is thin and lightweight. My 
• This keyboard was made for typing. I freaking love the tension and spring of the keys. There's none of the cheap, loose feeling of some keyboards. The Asus keyboard wasn't horrible but the Dell keyboard is amazing. And it's backlit. Hallelujah. 
• Another thing about the keyboard is that it doesn't have the slick texture of the Asus. There is a slightly rough-but-buffed matte feel to the keys and I don't think that the letters will rub off like they eventually did on the Asus.
• There is a wide palm-rest area that I really like. It makes typing so much more comfortable. This feature helps me forgive one of the negatives I'll soon mention.

This is rather comfy

• There is a fingerprint scanner that I wasn't sure I would like. Uh, I don't like it - I LOVE it, bigtime. It is so nice to be able to unlock the computer (and some of my apps and programs) just with a touch. Yes, I am too lazy and too forgetful to deal with passwords when I don't have to.
• The graphics (?) are pretty sweet. And when I say 'graphics', I'm talking about the still-picture quality and the quality of videos. I had read some reviews that bad-mouthed this function. Though I now have a television, I use my computer to watch a lot of videos and movies. I was kind of worried that I was going to go blind watching muddy-looking shows. Nope. The screen is just as vibrant as the Asus. And I have not yet explored the Dell Cinema features. Also, I have not played with the settings for brightness, color, etc. It's just not that big of a deal to me. I am more interested in sound and that leads me to...
• I didn't understand what "narrow borders" meant until I saw this screen. This laptop makes the most of the surface for display. (Did that sentence make sense?) When you have a less than 17-inch laptop, you want to get as much screen size out of it as you can.

• The sound quality is awesome. My old Toshiba had great sound but, after using the Asus for the past few years, I forgot how nice it is to listen to music and hear all the various nuances of the bass and treble and vocals. The sound is also better when looking at movies and shows.  For the first time in forever, I got to enjoy some jazz and classical yesterday. I'm not crazy about jazz unless the sound quality is great.
• The overall aesthetics are nice. I mean, that may not be the most important thing in choosing a device but it doesn't hurt. Everything about the layout of this laptop looks clean and uncluttered. It looks sleek and businesslike. (I did like the charcoal grey of the 14-inch device but this platinum-colored one is not bad.) Again, this is where the palm-rest comes into play. It adds so much to the overall sleek, clean look of this laptop.
• It runs very quietly. I don't hear a lot of fan noise like I did with the Asus.
• It stays cool. As soon as I got it set up, I used it for about 3 straight hours to pay bills, catch up on email, etc. It never got even a little bit warm. If the fan was keeping it cool, I couldn't hear it working. I am still thinking of getting a cooling lap fan for it. This one is small enough that I can sit with it on my lap more easily than I could with the Asus or the Toshiba. I don't want to run the risk of burning it out.
• I like that Dell has a lot of Dell contact and Device Helps built right in. I am pretty much linked right into my Dell support and protections contacts. That's nice because I don't have to go looking all over the web for help and info when something goes wrong. It's me, folks, so something is bound to go wrong at some point.
• And, of course, this is a 2-in-1 so that means I can use it as a tablet or as a laptop. A lot of people don't care about this feature in a device because they rarely use it. I do. This is of the things I loved about the Asus. I can fold this back and go right into Tablet Mode. I can tent it and prop it v-shaped to watch videos will I am cooking. I often use this to watch shows while I am cooking or cleaning because I can prop it on the counter and out of the way of water and other hazards. Because I can't remember even basic recipes sometimes (even my own recipes), I almost always use Tablet Mode to read recipes or watch a demonstration of a recipe.

In full tablet mode,
laying flat

In half-tablet mode
the way I use in the kitchen

• Finally, the 5000 series supports the use of an active pen. I got my laptop on a special promotion and was given a pen for free after I had to contact customer services about something. Not all of the 2-in-1 models support active pens and not all pens are created equal. By the way, this pen is very smooth and I love the thick nib. It holds very much like a regular pen or pencil.

• With the active pen feature, I get access to Windows Workspace and Windows Ink. Good thing too because, with the new Windows Edge Browser, all the functions for writing on webpages are gone. I'd have to uninstall the new Edge and reinstall the old Edge to get that back. 

The Not-So-Good:

I had to scratch my complaints about the keyboard once I realized Dell's is not really much smaller than Asus. That's easy to see because the Asus cover almost worked for the Dell keyboard. And you've heard me raving my love for the keys on the Dell.

The one gripe I have is more of a personal, I'm-weird-like-this kind of thing. I am having to get used to all new shortcuts and using the top row of numbers keys. Remember that the keyboard layout is different and so not all the keys are where I'm used to. Yeah, so that's just me.

And that's pretty much it (so far) for anything less than positive. Seriously, once I got over the smaller keyboard and the missing numeric keypad, I was fine.  I find it kind of funny that while the keyboard looks so small next to the Asus, the screen really is just about the same size.

 Here's something kind of off-subject. I am kind of in love with the new Edge browser. I have long been a Chrome-only gal but Google is really starting to bug me. I've had a lot of problems with Chrome and Chrome extensions for a minute now. I really only meant to use Edge to see what all the fuss is about. Let me tell you, Edge looks so much like Chrome that I can't tell that I'm not using Chrome. I never thought I would be so enamored of a Microsoft browser but... here I am. I am using it right now.

So, that's my take on this Inspiron device. I am sure that I will have to update this more than once as time goes by. For now, I am happy.

Peace
--Free

NOTE: When I say 15.6, I am talking about the viewable area of the screens. The computers are listed as being 14-inch or 15-inch. Sorry about any confusion.