YES, TOO MUCH. For anyone who wants to give advice ~ what I want a computer for is to wordprocess (obviously), surf the web on mobile broadband (obviously) ~ and to be able to handle photos, audio files (e.g. a voice recording of me blabbering on) and video recordings in high quality from camera/camcorder/whatever. All I want to do is store this stuff safely on CDs or DVDs (or Blurays ~ as if!) or in the case of photos ~ as print-outs or on memory sticks.But from what I can discern, "Windows 7 Home Premium" will do all this. There's a Wordpad facility that has been called Word Lite (and I don't need advanced wordprocessing features ~ my stuff is simple paragraphs, one after the other. No columns or tables or varying type faces or sizes) what I do need is a British English dictionary. I get slightly peeved at being told that to "honour a traveller's cheque" ought to be "honOring a traveLer's cheCK"..!
Photos/etc go through Windows media centre. Is all this right?
I looked at those beautific Apple book things. Ya know ~ the ultraskinny laptops. They are said to be the size and thickness of a copy of Tatler magazine (and no other!) ~ do you like the way I made it look ultra-widescreen? They're not really that glamorous... 
Before I knew anything about the competition, this is what I thought I wanted... But they only have 2gb RAM ~ which is OK but not huge ~ and no DVD/CD drive, though the ones without them are configured to take a portable plug-in DVD. And Macs cost £700! That's more than $1000US. I have found numerous "ultra portable laptops" (ie not ridiulously tiny but very light) ones that can beat this at 2/3 the price so sorry Apple ~ not good enough. 
I looked at everything: desktop, all-in-one, laptop, notebook, powerbook, Blackberry (well they do surf the web, though I wouldn't have a hope in hell of inputting on those minuscule keys...), Apple Tablet or whatever it's called (no!). I can't live with a massive desktop ~ it has to be portable because unless you own your own home and have a laptop safe, when is a laptop ever safe? At least they can be placed inconspicuously or hidden more easily than a giant bells-and-whistles home PC. Some of the huge desktops were lovely and if I actually had a proper home I might even consider one. In about 20 years' time...). 
If anybody has any more sensible advice (and all the advice I got was sensible) I would very much like to hear it. Remember I want to do wordprocessing, internet and media.I know on which fronts I am willing to make sacrifices for cost or practicality, but I won't say them here, because I'm interested to hear others' viewpoints...
I hope this technotrauma comes to an end soon as it is doing my head in. Whoever thought chosing something that is meant to be your technological best friend could ever be so thorny? Yukk!
My head is full of noise... I have to go!
