Laptops

[LAFrequentflyer]

www.powernotebooks.com

www.powernotebooks.com

You won't be disapointed...Plenty to choose from and their support / customer service is first rate....I've had one for 7 years and they still give me the support / service that a new customer would get...They also worked with microsoft directly on my behalf to help me resolve a problem with windows installation...

They have a team for sales, service (hardware/software) and tech reps at all the major manufacturers so you can get direct help not have to go thru some telephone / overseas service...


also check out www.sharkyextreme.com - best tech support site out there...getting a free account on it is well worth the time/effort...any problem you have post it and within hours you'll have detailed solution instructions...

-LA

 

[F9 Driver]

I got a 15" powerbook G4, and haven't even wanted to boot up my old Dell (in safe mode probably) to get my files off it!

I spent about a week of my life on the phone listening to "Mike" in India reading off some service card trying to get that lousy two year old Dell to think straight.

If you have a problem with a Mac you walk into your local Apple store and ask a geek in person for help. I have had only one issue that was resolved in about five minutes (without waiting in line!)

I'm a convert

 

[Wankel7]

Sony VAIO S580! Perfect balance of power, size, and features. 13.1" widescreen. If you want smaller, go with the VAIO 10" widescreen, but the keyboard is somewhat small.

I could not agree more ... I have the older S360 and had a S260 before that and love my laptop. The size and weight are the biggest deal for me. 4.2lbs cannot be beat with the features it has. And I really love the widescreen format. And considering how it has a full sized keyboard it is an amazing laptop.

One thing to consider too is how big the power pack is for the laptop. I have seen some chargers for laptops and was like you have gotta be spoofing me. Make sure the charger is a resonable size. Like the sony S models


Wankel

 

[CA1900]

Another vote for the Apple. Just amazing machines. Life without spyware, viruses, and "Floyd" doing tech support, is a good thing.

And whoever posted that Apple's warranty is 90 days is incorrect -- it's 1 year. The free telephone support is what only lasts 90 days, but honestly, you're not going to need it.


Here's a recent discussion on the topic.

And note that the really cheap Windows laptops (such as those from Dell, Averatec, etc.) make some big compromises to get the price down. They use a "shared memory" video card, which steals some of your system memory permanently, in exchange for slow video performance. They include a "lite" version of the OS called Windows XP Home -- the full version is usually $100+ more. Firewire (IEEE 1394) is extra cost. Often they charge extra to go from 90 days to a 1-year warranty. And so on... If you equip the "cheap" laptop to match the Mac's specs, it's often more expensive. Keep that in mind.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

whatever you do---don't buy an apple. you will exclude yourself from more that a few pieces of software that are PC only. the pc will do what you want. wi-fi, big hard drive, lots of memory, good graphics card and big screen, built in stereo speakers and mic ( for skype and music) and get a nice rollerbag to drag it around.

NO WAY!

I gotta diagree Fido. Its 2005 and PCs are lagging - badly.

macs are definitly faster than PCs, dollar for dollar...and FAR superior in multimedia.

My macs have Office also - it was the only extra charge...and funny it cost less than if I added it to a crapola Dell PC! - and apple does student discounts.

I have had fine Dells, they are decent throw aways...but I will never own another PC again. (just ebay'ed the last one -- good riddance!)

Dont miss the hourglass
Dont miss "drivers"
Dont miss the churning harddrives (weeding through crap)
Dont miss the 45 second startup (min)
Dont miss the Inida conversations (precious)
Dont miss the "spyware"
Dont miss the "virus protection" (dont forget to renew for $30) haha!
Dont miss "defragmenting" (WTF?)
Dont miss the "would you like to send a message to Microsoft" ...hey, yeah I would...."FU Gates".

If your needs are - getting online, making movies/dvds, music, photos and Office functions -- check out Macs -- they are much better. Everything you need comes on it.

I highly recommend a 15inch Powerbook. Check out the 30inch cinema screen to plug it into at home also.....try THAT on a PC!

signed,

another convert.

 

[dabandermac]

whatever you do---don't buy an apple. you will exclude yourself from more that a few pieces of software that are PC only. the pc will do what you want. wi-fi, big hard drive, lots of memory, good graphics card and big screen, built in stereo speakers and mic ( for skype and music) and get a nice rollerbag to drag it around.

WRONG. my powerbook came with VirtualPC which lets you "emulate" the windows OS for software that isn't compatible. Nowadays, as apple is becoming ever more popular the software is becoming far more compatible. I consider myself a heavy computer user and I haven't come across a program that won't run on my mac.

As another said, I will never have to talk to "Lloyd" again :smash:

 

[Annie]

I have three friends, all very sophisticated computer users, none of them would own a DELL again! I have had my SONY VAIO for five years now and love it! The only problem I have ever had is with the vulnerability that comes with using Internet Explorer. I fixed that with good security and by using OPERA as my server and mail service--it is great. My husband uses a MACINTOSH and he loves his-loads it up with sooo much stuff and still never a problem. Apple products are user friendly, so they are not difficult to learn. I am looking at a smaller SONY and would highly recommend the 13 or 15" models.

 

[stall022]

IBM and Toshiba would have to be on the top of my list. i've had a Toshiba, a compaq and a vaio. i've had the Toshiba for 10 year and it still works great. the compaq is the biggest waste of money i ever spent. the mother board fried after about 6 months and now the screen is breaking off the case because of the weak plastic parts. i currently have a vaio which has been a great computer altho the model i have is alittle heavy but build very tough out of solid plastic and tough hinges. if your into serious on the road gaming then Alienware is probably the best out there.

 

[Swaayze]

Very happy with the Acer thin and light I bought in `99 and used 'til a couple of months ago. Now I have a refurb Averatec thin and light that I got for about $800 that is great (PentM, 80GB, 512k, DVD+-RW, 802.11g/b integrated, about 4.5# w/ a nice 12.1" screen. It's a 3300 series.). So far very happy with the value but the keyboard is a little small and uncomfy so I wouldn't get one of these for excessive typing.

 

[Pyle It]

Panasonic!!!!!!

I have the Panasonic Toughbook and love it. It last for about 3-4 hours unplugged and is rediculously overbuilt. fast (1.8 celeron and 1.2 gigs RAM) and has built in wireless. 80gb harddrive cd-dvd burners and no worries about durability. hope this helps.

 

[OUPilot]

Apple 12 Inch Ibook. No popups, spyware, or crap. Just a great laptop that works when you want it to. Virtual PC will run windows stuff...slowly though. You need to already own a windows install disc to install after virtual pc.

 

[puddlejumper]

Check out NotebookForums.com for a good discussion on gaming and general use laptops. I personally really like my Built on ASUS Z71V. It's considered a whitebook, assembled by a company in Charlotte, NC, Integrated Systems Technologies. The latest by ASUS is the Z70VA. 6.5 lbs, 15.4" widescreen, 128 MB dedicated video with bluetooth. They're not cheap, but for around $1700, you can play any of the new games like BF2 and FEAR. The Dell XPS is supposedly pretty good too, but I think they are 17" That would be a bit much to carry around all the time. My 15.4" isn't too bad. I looked at some Sony VAIOs, but the whitebooks get you more bang for the buck and obviously, they are very customizable. The big thing for playing games is to have a dedicated GPU (video card) and 1Gig of RAM. My co-worker plays BF1942 on his 32M integrated video Gateway that he got for $750, but BF2 won't even load up on his machine. We tie the 2 laptops together and fly around in helicopters in BF1942 while we're on the road. It's a blast, and an excellent way to kill time!

 

[puddlejumper]

Here's a link for the reseller I mentioned above: http://www.istnc.com/ Rick, the owner, is a great guy and has lots of positive feedback on reseller rating sites and on e-bay. They're running some holiday specials now. He used to work with USAir in Charlotte, mention that you're a referral from a pilot website and you may get even better, more personalized service.

-PJ

 

[puddlejumper]

thanks for the advice. What type of tech support comes with one of those laptops?

I'm need sure about all resellers, but with IST, I can personally attest to the availability of excellent technical support. One could e-mail the company or better yet, instant message Rick. I had a few issues when I first got the laptop and he spent quite a bit of time with me on AOL IM to resolve my issue. He was pretty sure my issue was software related, but he was very quick to honor my warranty, if I shipped the computer back to him. They would have covered shipping if it was due to faulty hardware or improper setup on assembly.

With whitebooks, the reseller is responsible for the warranty, transferring any manufacturer (ASUSTek) related claims to them. There's really no reason for an end-user to have to deal with the manufacturer. Now that I've said that, there was a problem with the Z71V batteries. After about 3 months, they would fail to charge to 100%. Some resellers took care of this issue themselves, others, like IST, referred the end-user to the manufacturer so that they could track the problem more closely. Rick reimbursed all expenses to me for having to ship the battery to ASUS, which was nice. Some resellers would absorb all expense and cross-ship replacement batteries as soon as the end-user claimed the battery was bad.

The Z70VA doesn't seem to have the battery issues of the Z71V, but there are some funky screens out there that exhibit some ghosting problems. This issue has been addressed and most resellers check for all of that before shipping.

I researched for a while when I had to replace my laptop which was stolen at a Hilton Garden Inn breakfast area near TEB 7 months ago. Homeowners insurance covered my loss, and I wound up getting what I thought was the best bang for the buck at the time. I was visiting the notebookforums and notebookreviews.com websites quite frequently, totally geeking out on my purchase. It's a lot of money, but I think it was worth it.

There isn't any outsourcing of tech support with a relatively small reseller like IST. Up to 3 year extended warranties are available, but they don't include accidental damage or replacement of a consumable, like the battery.

-PJ

 

[CDogg]

www.sagernotebook.com

 

[pilot370]

Looking to play games on a laptop, try Alienware. I have an Alienware laptop with a 3.2 ghz cpu along with 1gig of ram. 128 nvidia GO video card. Can be a little pricey when you soop the thing up but well worth it in my opinion.
Tech support has been great the onetime I needed it.

 

[yzf6]

i just picked up a toshiba at compusa - 1.5ghz 15.4" 60gig wireless etc.
$150 plus 1yr subscription to aol. so about $350 (including the aol) for a decent system.

 

[GVFlyer]

Apple PowerBook G4 15".

 

[dojetdriver]

A couple questions for the MAC users. I have a chance to pick up an ibook with a G3 processor for dirt cheap at a local MAC store that sells used/refurbed MAC's.

What are the shortcomings of the G3 vs.the G4? I only intend to use the computer for internet/email, playing music and video, and occsionally downloading various "training materials", ect.

I've heard that the MAC processor is more efficient than a PC type, is 256k enough on a MAC or is 512 necessary?

Also, it the unit didn't come with wireless capability installed, can you put in a network card in to an external slot like a windows machines to get wireless?

Thanks for any answers.

 

[sweptback]

A couple questions for the MAC users. I have a chance to pick up an ibook with a G3 processor for dirt cheap at a local MAC store that sells used/refurbed MAC's.

What are the shortcomings of the G3 vs.the G4? I only intend to use the computer for internet/email, playing music and video, and occsionally downloading various "training materials", ect.

I've heard that the MAC processor is more efficient than a PC type, is 256k enough on a MAC or is 512 necessary?

Also, it the unit didn't come with wireless capability installed, can you put in a network card in to an external slot like a windows machines to get wireless?

Thanks for any answers.

You could probably get by with it, but a G3 is a pretty old chip and the rest of the computer would probably be pretty limited. We're talking probably 10-20gb disk, 256mb RAM, etc. The no wireless would be a pain... you could buy a card off ebay but that's just more money you'd have to put into it. I'd recommend against it.

If you're dead-set on buying a used Apple, wait for the Intel systems to come out. The prices on the PPC machines will probably plummet, and while it'll be an older machine, it will still run all the software for at least 2 years during the transition. Would be a pretty safe bet IMO.