laptop recommendations

[CitationLover]

as i'm about to embark into the 121 world my wife has given me the go ahead to upgrade my laptop.

i'm looking in the $1500-$2000 (cheaper would be nice) range.

sony?
apple?
dell?

any recommendations? i'd like to have a cd/rw, 32mb graphics, and 40gb hd.

 

[flx757]

Whatever you do, get something that is not a "desktop replacement" type laptop, but one that is truly portable. If you wind up with a 9-10 lb (including AC adaptor and case) laptop to lug around, you'll soon be sorry.

Any of those manufacturers you mentioned are good, but go with something truly portable. My personal recommendation is the Fujitsu P500oD. Also, PC World agrees, for what that's worth. You can get more info on it here.

Other highly rated lightweight portables are the Sony Vaio and IBM T40.

Check out www.cnet.com or www.pcworld.com for reviews, ratings and recommendations.

 

[banned username 2]

Whatever you do, get something that is not a "desktop replacement" type laptop, but one that is truly portable. If you wind up with a 9-10 lb (including AC adaptor and case) laptop to lug around, you'll soon be sorry.

I agree with this, mine is a bit heavy...

Get a Dell... can't go wrong...

 

[414Flyer]

There are also some cheaper notebook computers out too that are around 4 lbs. Yeah a 9 lbs setup that could double for your desktop, almost defeats the purpose of being portable like that.
I have a celeron 1300 notebook, 30 gig HD, plays DVDs, built in modem and network card that I used a lot over the summer. Thinking about selling mine actually.

 

[CA1900]

And if jumping platforms is a possibility, take a hard look at Apple's new line of iBook portables. They just released a new line based on the powerful G4 processor (formerly only in their higher-end laptops), and they're quite a bang for the buck.

Price ranges from $1099 to $1499 depending on screen size, processor speed, and other options. It's compact, under 5 pounds, includes 10/100Base-T Ethernet, FireWire (iEEE 1394) and USB 2.0, slot-loading DVD/CD-RW Combo drive, modem, slots for internal wireless card & Bluetooth modules, and more. The new OS version is really impressive.


Take a look; they're killer machines:

http://www.apple.com/ibook/

 

[VFR on Top]

Look for a Pentium M setup (not Pentium 4M, just Pentium M). A 1.6 GHz Pentium M is equivalent in performance to a 2.4 GHz Pentium 4, but the battery will last a couple hours longer. The Pentium M is part of the Intel Centrino combo which includes built-in wireless networking capability.

There's another dark secret to the laptop world: there are only like 2 or 3 manufacturers of laptop computers; the remarketers like Dell, HP, etc, go shopping with these folks and pick what they'd like to sell under their brand. In other words, there's not a ton of difference under the hood.

Gateway actually has a sweet portable system in its 200X; it's a 1.4 GHz Pentium M (roughly equivalent to a 2.2 GHz P4), 256 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive, CD-RW/DVD drive, 14.1" screen with a 64 MB video card, comes with Windows XP Pro, is less than an inch thick, under 5 lbs., and is only $1500. Great system, I'm probably going to pick up one myself.

http://www.gateway.com/home/prod/hm_200x_proddetail.shtml

 

[huncowboy]

Whatever you do, get something that is not a "desktop replacement" type laptop, but one that is truly portable. If you wind up with a 9-10 lb (including AC adaptor and case) laptop to lug around, you'll soon be sorry.

Very true. My Inspiron 8600 with a carry case, with one extra keyboard and with an additional mouse weights 17lbs!!! The battery lasts about 2 hours when I browse the web with it. Not on issue for me as I like performance over anything else but I am also no airline pilot (yet ) ... I probably would be cussing if I had to carry this around like you guys do.

Anyways I recommend Dell. The smallest Inspiron is the 300m and is only some 3lbs and you can get a lighter case too. But if weight is not important, their top of the line Inspiron 8600 is within your price range and they always have some specials. One week they give something free, next week something else, again next week they just give $300 instant off.

Before getting mine I compared most laptops and except one (Sager - the company who manufactures the Area 51 laptops and sells them for less), Dell offered the best value/performance.

 

[CitationLover]

ca1900,

can the apples run ibm software or does it strcitly require apple software? im a bit nervous about jumping ship, but i've heard wonderful things about them.

also, can you wear a small headset/earpiece (eg telex 850) in the 1900 or is it too loud for them? it looks like i might be going into one.

 

[CA1900]

can the apples run ibm software or does it strcitly require apple software? im a bit nervous about jumping ship, but i've heard wonderful things about them.

It's an entirely different OS running different hardware, so unfortunately yes, you'll have to run different software. Many manufacturers offer "side-grades" to their products on other platforms at the same price as version upgrades, so it might be worth checking into that. The machines also include a nice variety of software to start with, which you can read about at the aforementioned web site.

That said, if there are a few programs that you want to keep running that aren't available on the Apple side, there's a product called Virtual PC that will let you use them. It's not exceptionally fast (and don't even think of using it for games), but it works well and will let you run Windows under emulation.

Microsoft just acquired the product from Connectix. You can get more info on it here:

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/virtualpc/virtualpc.aspx?pid=virtualpc

Of course, if you don't need those programs on the road, you can always just keep your PC handy for the times you DO need to run them. That's what I do, but honestly I haven't fired the thing up since last year; it's pretty much a printer stand at this point.

also, can you wear a small headset/earpiece (eg telex 850) in the 1900 or is it too loud for them? it looks like i might be going into one.

Short answer is no, probably not. I know one guy who uses a small telex ANR headset (not sure which model), and he says he always has to squeeze it to his head to understand the radio. It's just too loud of an airplane. Here's what I'm using, and it's truly like the propellers aren't even there:

http://www.anrheadsets.com/products20-3g.html


It's a terrific airplane to fly; a whole lot of fun for the pilot. Not particularly passenger friendly, but I think you'll enjoy it. If there were ever a plane with "too much power" (yeah, right), this is it.

Hope that helps.

 

[CitationLover]

thanks for the info....i think i'll be an ibm-traitor....

ive got the bose which it sounds like would work best in the 1900, however they were not as light as i thought they would be, and they chew up 9v batteries like candy. they battery-less telex 850 sounded intriguing.