First of all, I just want to say that, yes, I do realize how spoiled and petty this question is. I really do, but I just can't keep myself from asking.
I am up for a new computer a work, but due to budget cuts it will not have that lovely number pad on the right hand side. Petty, I know, but I use it ALL THE TIME. I was looking at a number pad that you can buy separately and connect with a USB port. Has anyone done this? Does it work well? Or does it drive you bonkers and make you want to return the laptop and just buy the one with the keypad?
Can you tell I'm really bummed by this decision? I do work for the State of Illinois, so I suppose I should just thank my lucky stars that it's just a laptop and not my job that they are cutting :-)
Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for letting me know I'm not alone! I will look into the various options.
Julie S, I'm so glad you responded. You were one of the people I thought of who might have an idea for me. I don't think I have the option of paying for an "upgrade" to a laptop with the keypad, but I will definitely ask. That thought had not occurred to me.
Momma11, I'm glad to hear you have used the extra keypad and been happy with it. My husband thought just buying that would be good enough, so it's nice to actually hear from someone who has been happy using it.
It's good to know I could buy an extra keyboard. That is a real possibility that I will consider.
I'll be using this computer for 4 years, so I really want to figure out the best way to be "happy" with it.
I have a remote 10 key and love it!!! I am a teacher and this little gem saves me so much time when entering grades!!!
I get it. My first "real" job was inputting data at a big insurance company. I had to use the 10 key for birthdate and SSN's. I was soooooo fast! I would think you could bring in a wireless keypad that has one? Good luck.
I looked at them at the computer store and that it would not actually connect to the laptop, therefor would not be in the same place all the time, it was a no go. I have a hard enough time shifting my brain from a standard keyboard to a laptop keyboard.
My work doesn't buy the full sized Dells that always have them so I paid for part of my new work machine. They only made me pay 100 which is more than a usb key pad but I would have gone insane without it so money well spent. Perhaps ask your employer.
Oh by connect to the laptop I mean clip on. I never look at my keyboard and it slows me down something awful if I don't just know where everything is.
When I am at home I have to have the keypad on my laptop, at work I have a KVM to connect my laptop to my larger monitor, and keyboard and mouse. That way I can also keep my laptop of my desk.
Tara I can assure you they make usb keypads that are wired and wireless but they don't stay put. It is just anyone who is keypad dependent is that way because you type everything by touch. That doesn't work if you can't reach down and it is just where you expect it to be.
I always used my laptop at work like a screen and had a separate full size keyboard on the keyboard tray on my desk. It connected by Bluetooth. if you have to buy it yourself you can probably get a wired one that connects by USB really inexpensively.
I also work off a laptop at work. But I use it only as my CPU and keep it docked at all times. I have two standalone monitors with an extended desktop and a full sized wireless (USB) keyboard with 10-key and a full sized mouse.
It works perfectly. If you have any questions, send me a message.
i'm totally with you. my dh bought me a nice cordless keyboard for my mac, but i can't use it. and it's the main reason i haven't just kicked the desktop the curb and gone to a laptop like the rest of the world. i need that stupid number pad!
khairete
S.
Almost all of us at work have laptops that sit behind our screens and then we have an attached separate keyboard. It's seamless. Totally get one. If hate not having the 10 key.
There are many extended keyboards available at any computer supply or office supply place, that just connect via a standard cable into the laptop. A lot of people like them because they are little longer than the standard laptop keyboard, with or without the calculator pad. When I learned to type, I learned basic touch-typing with the regular number keys, so it's not an issue for me, but if you are doing Excel documents or using add/subtract/multiply keys, and if you are used to a calculator keypad, it can be a timesaver to keep using the same layout.
Well, if it is either Win7 or Win8, you can display a full keyboard on the screen with an added function of a keypad. Look for the icon that looks like a keyboard, and voila, there it is. If it isn't readily visible, do a Google search.
This is what Edsel uses at work.
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/wireless-combo-mk52...
:)
I don't know if the 10-key pads that Julie S. refers to are available this way, but I know you can get full keyboards that connect to the computer via bluetooth.
So there are no cords, you just need to have laptop open & bluetooth on (& make sure to charge the keyboard every month or so, they don't take a lot of juice).
This would allow you to have a complete keyboard that talks to your laptop, it just wouldn't be the one "on" the laptop (which would still work, but not have the 10-key extra pad, which is -crucial- when you are used to keying in your numbers with it!!!)
Hope that helps! T. :)
Are you an administrator on your computer? We are not allowed/supposed to add hardware, but can do so if we are an administrator.
A friend of mine would attach a keyboard to her laptop so she had the ten-key available.
