OK, I want a laptop

[JeffInNYC]

I want the portability a laptop offers and also Im tired of all the freaking wires with my desktop.

So I want a laptop and could use some recommendations....I hear Dell is pretty good.  All I use are Excel and Word and play some video games and play MP3s and surf the net....I want superquick speed internet!

Anyone have a link to a good laptop I should consider?  Thanks.

[jordan]

My vote goes to the Mac PowerBook G4 - I love mine and crave it everyday 

[JeffInNYC]

No Mac's lol

[jordan]

You don't know what you're missing - it's all good because I can remain in the elite crowd 

[Eldon]

Hello Jeff, it is Eldon. The first thing that came to mind for a laptop whn I read your thread was a DELL they've got the notebooks!

www.dell.com

[JeffInNYC]

Hi Eldon.  Thanks! Is there any notebook in particular you like?
By the way, it is Jeff. 

[Eldon]

Jeff, they don't make the Lattitudes anymore, go with the Inspiron.

[lydgate]

I bought an entry-level Compaq notebook a year ago for around $600 (after rebate), very happy with it. My model is the Presario M2000; I think a similar one available now is the Presario V5000T.

Jay

[Bartro]

If you've got the bucks this is a nice "portable solution".

http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m2010?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

[JeffInNYC]

Hi Bartro...looks nice but doesnt even come with MS Office.  Also, I dont really have the bucks...well I do but Id rather spend the bucks on other things.  But I do think Dell is probably the way to go.  So many options Id need help configuring this crap!

[Bartro]

There are many things to consider.  If you don't like wires you'll probably want wireless networking built in.  You still have to contend with the battery and charger.  Some of the notebooks use a power brick, others do not.  The ones without are nice because you don't have that transformer "brick" to haul around.  If you're just using it for internetting, word processing and simple games you can select an inexpensive model.  If you like to burn cd's or dvd's  you have to make sure those come with the unit.  Some of them are external, cost extra and more wires.  You might want to check what the replacement battery costs also.  Some are quite expensive and they rarely last more than a year with average use.  A service agreement is a good idea with a laptop because they rarely can be fixed by anyone but the manufacturer.

[David_CA]

Jeff, they don't make the Lattitudes anymore, go with the Inspiron.

Sure they do!  Where did you hear that? 

Latitudes are the only notebooks we use at work.  I have a D610... I think the newest version is the D620 and is a bit faster.  It's not a wide screen, it doesn't even have a 15+" screen.  It's got a 14" screen, is light weight, and is easy to find accessories for.  The light weight and compact size are what I like about it the best.  The Latitudes are Dell's 'Business Class' notebooks and are supposedly built better than Inspirons.  Good luck!

David

[frenchpat]

three words:

Get A Mac

you won't look back,

Pat

(who is made to use both windows and macs in his professional environment)

[JeffInNYC]

heres all that Dell has....I dont see any latitudes.  Which one do I get? Decisions decisions.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/notebooks?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

[otherplaces]

As someone who works professionally with pc's I would suggest a Mac.  iBook or MacBookPro, or even some of the older PowerBooks or old iBooks. 

I love my iBook.

And I'll tell you why.  This may not always be the case, but it will be for at least the next 3-5 years (maybe longer as Apple wants to stay on top of this).  SPYWARE!!!  I clean this stuff up all the time off of pc's and it's a nightmare.  I've had my iBook two years w/o anti-virus software, w/o anti-spyware software and I've never had a problem.  It's my own personal experiment which has gone extremely well for me.

Aside from having a computer that works w/o trouble, macs are beautifully designed and integrated.  From physical to hardware to software it is one unit and a pleasure to use.

My 3 cents.

brian

[lydgate]

The specs of the B130 are roughly what I have; and they're more than good enough for my basic computing needs, which are identical to the ones you mention with the exception of the video games. Super-cheap too! Obviously, the E1405 would be one step up; the only advantage over B130 would be gaming (well, it's lighter too). Jay

[JeffInNYC]

Thanks Jay I will look into it.

And I hear so much about macs and how great they are.  But if theyre so great, how come its not the standard out there?  Im confused.

[lydgate]

They are pretty great. Very stylsh. But also more expensive. I did consider getting a Mac; but, after 16 years of using a PC I'm just too lazy or set in my ways to try something new (even if it is supposed to be more "user-friendly").

[Bartro]

Why aren't there many macs?  I think macs are very nice.  They are beautiful machines and quite trouble free.  They do cost a bit more and the selection of software is more limited.  These is not necessarily a bad thing.  So many companies make software for the IBM compatibles and they don't all do it well.  Most problems on IBM computers are caused by poorly written software. 

Macs are not impervious to viruses, adware and spyware.  The hackers and  crooks that put out this stuff don't bother to mess with Macs much because there aren't enough of them to really cause a great problem.  If I recall Apple Computer has about 2% of computer sales worldwide.

Early on IBM let the patents go on a lot of their work.  Apple has not.  This has allowed just about any company that wants to make IBM compatible computers, parts and software.

[David_CA]

heres all that Dell has....I dont see any latitudes.  Which one do I get? Decisions decisions.

http://www.dell.com/content/products/compare.aspx/notebooks?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs&~ck=mn

http://www.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx/notebooks?c=us&cs=555&l=en&s=biz

Dell considers these 'business class' notebooks.  When you go to dell.com, click on notebooks, then something like 'small and medium businesses'

Macs are nice, but for mainstream pc users, I don't think I'd suggest one.  They don't seem a whole lot more stable than a good pc running Windows 2000 or XP.

David

[David_CA]

One other thing... my partner bought an Inspiron B130.  It's nice, and I like it, but there's one problem with it.  It doesn't have a PCMCIA/ PC Card slot.  It may not be an issue for many people, but we have a GPS card that won't fit, memory card (SD and Compact Flash) adapters that can't be used with it, and a few more.  It has a 'PC Express', which is faster, but has no use for us.

David

[GSOgymrat]

I've had excellent luck with Toshiba laptops.

[Miss Philicia]

My G5 iMac rocks.  Also own an iBook but it's rather outdated now (G3!).  Oh, and for all the Mac-o-philes here stay tuned on Monday for the keynote announcements at Apple's  Worldwide Developers Conference.  They will most likely preview new products as well as a sneak peek at the next version of OS-X "Leopard" which I think will be released at the beginning of 2007.

I may start saving money to get a new Mac Mini so I can mess around with new Intel chip, and use it as a media center for my television.

[marie1dz]

Hello,

I would suggest if you get a laptop to make sure the power port is not attached to the mother board.  I bought a Fujitsu Notebook and the power port was attached to the mother board and when the power cord began to short circuit when I plugged in my laptop they told me I would have to replace the mother board completely for roughly $1500.

I ended up buying a Dell laptop Inspiron 2200 and again same problem with the power port, but this time before I bought it I made sure I got the one where the port was not built into the motherboard. Luckily, I got a three year warranty with it so it was fixed, but either way it is much cheaper to repair if it is not built in .   I have read these problems are very common with laptops, especially if you move it around a lot instead of leaving it in the same location all the times.

good luck.   

[belgium]

new macbook here, can run winshit and osx flawlessly
but one warning!!!  ONCE BITTEN, FOREVER SMITTEN
there is no alternative that comes close to a mac

[Alain]

.

[lydgate]

Oy, all you Mac fanatics!

Let the poor boy be. He wants a nice cheap IBM-based laptop. You are going to harass him out of health and happiness. Oh have some pity!

Jay
(who's been attacked, slyly and openly, by Apple proselytizers for over a decade now; and valiantly resisted them all)

[joemutt]

If I buy a Mac note book can I download from my PC which is with Windows?
(I cannot change my PC because it's in a chain of PC's)
(I'm completely compu unsavvy but I played with my friends Apple and I liked that : clean, simple and easy)

[JeffInNYC]

They say once you go Mac, you never go back.

[lydgate]

Let's not dilute the original with a convenient marketing rhyme. 

[jkinatl2]

My relationship with my iBook has been very intimate.

Very. Intimate.

[frenchpat]

If I buy a Mac note book can I download from my PC which is with Windows?
(I cannot change my PC because it's in a chain of PC's)
(I'm completely compu unsavvy but I played with my friends Apple and I liked that : clean, simple and easy)

Macs and PC's can coexist on the same network; If you use word on your PC you can do the same on a mac; your word files saved on mac can be read on PC and vice versa.
Nowadays most of the compatibility problems there used to be do not exist anymore.

Pat

[Lwood]

I recently played around with one of the latest Mac laptops in the Apple store at the mall,  Three Words :
"Built In Webcam"   nuff said ?
 Although I believe the new HP laptops have them too, Im sure they alll will soon.

[Miss Philicia]

Apple just put up a "sneak peak" of their next version of OS-X "Leopard" revealed today at the WWDC in San Francisco (make sure you see the "Start Leopard Sneak Peek" in the bottom right to take the animated tour):

http://www.apple.com/macosx/leopard/

It should be released in Spring 2007.

[Lwood]

Ive also noticed that the hot setup for computer security is the 'Fingerprint scanner'
OK, now we all know how tempting the office Xerox machine is for ummm, 'creativity'...
and that finger shaped scanner is more than just a little suggestive..

Just Sayin™