If you were going to get a laptop.....what would it be?

[DagmarK]

I am curious...

I am thinking about getting a laptop. I have this dinosaur of a desktop that I got less than 3 years ago! It was probably obsolete when I got it. 1 Pentium, 100 gig hard drive, 75 mghtz, 64 MB ram. A real DOG! I can't get streaming anything. (The only high tech thing I can watch on the internet are FLASH files....after much time downloading).

I was told my computer was fully upgradable .....sheesh....yeah.....change out all the hardware, I suppose it is. So I have a tower, big woo!

And I am sick of having this bulky PC ....and want to go with a laptop. I may have some business uses in the future where a mobile laptop would be ideal.

When I look at what is out there.....I can't figure out what is state of the art, CURRENT technology.

1. What are pentiums up to now? 4 pent?
2. What is a good size of computer for video streaming?
3. I want to watch DVDs on my computer if I find myself on a plane for a LONG time.
4. I want to download VIDEO streams and listen to the internet radio.

5. AND WORSE......there is no DSL in my neighborhood. So we are stuck with dial-up. And the phone lines are so old.....that my current 56K modem has never gone over 33 bps...... Does this issue make MOOT any attempt to get a screaming new laptop?

6. Is there a pronounced difference in the tech ability of a desktop PC vs. a laptop?

7. AND.....I started out with APPLE in 1993. I loved it, but because of compatibility issues in work stuff.....I conceded and went PC and "bill gates." UGH. Is this still an issue today? Because, frankly, I believe that Bill Gates has CREATED the insecurity in the internet market with ALL his software on purpose -- that he sat there years ago saying.....HMMMMMMM, everyone will be connected, we should really work it so we can keep tabs on our customers so that we can make sure we are 3 steps ahead of them, and make sure they have to stay reliant ON MS technology! And alas, the computer world is so horribly insecure to the point that the backdoor to voter fraud is through MS Access. Great, just great. And I hate to reward the bastard!

Lots of issues......pick one, or all......I would love to hear your thoughts.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. ashton kutcher or orlando bloom

OH, you mean a COMPUTER LAPTOP!
:smoke:

[SoCalDem]

2. I bought a Dell something or other..

It's still in the box, because it has so many "things" that I have no clue how to attach to it.. I also bought a regular pc at the same time, and am using it.. but the laptop sits there, still unopened.. It will be obsolete by the time I fire it up and use it..

I guess I will take it with me when we visit our son & his wife for Thankgiving.. Maybe he can show me how to use it :)

[Blue_Chill]

3. alienware

High-Performance Chassis
Pentium® 4 @ 2.8GHz
512MB DDR SDRAM
ATI Mobility RADEON 9000
15.0" inch UXGA LCD Screen
60GB 7200 RPM with 8MB Cache

Price: $2,672.00

[DagmarK]

4. Oh, that's a good idea.....look at what the most expensive ones have!

Cause $2800 is wayyyyyyyy out of price range.

But it tells me the specs for the best.....

But...what the heck is this? ATI Mobility RADEON 9000

[twilight]

5. I have this one now

and I've had it for 3 mos. Not a single problem. You open the box and press the on button (after hooking up the AC adaptor) and it starts right up. You don't have to do anything but install an antivirus! :)

Its the best puter I've owned yet and I have 4 of them now!!

http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=-840&storeId=1&langId=-1&dualCurrId=73&productId=8581941&categoryId=2072540

Best of luck!

twilight

[DagmarK]

6. Oh, I ALSO want to burn CDs, dammit!

LOL

[chimpymustgo]

7. I-Book. I just got one. It does EVERYTHING.

nt

[chimpymustgo]

8. I-Book. I just got one. It does EVERYTHING.

nt

[DagmarK]

13. You can say that again.......

ooops, you did say it again! LOL

(I know.....DU sometimes thinks some posts are soooooo great..it posts twice)

[twilight]

9. this one has a DVD/CDRW on it

and also the software pre-installed to burn CDs with. You don't have to buy one thing! And also, it is a mobile laptop as well.

Would highly recommend it and you get IBMs 1 year warranty which is excellent btw ... :)

:dem:

P.S. Stay away from Dell, only heard horror stories about them recently!!!

[chimpymustgo]

10. I-Book. I just got one. It does EVERYTHING.

nt

[Ready4Change]

11. Yep, lots of issues.

First: Your home connection is your biggest bottleneck. Trying to stream much video over 56k will be frustrating, at best. Doesn't matter how fast your machine is, you'll still be sucking data out of the same, small, straw.

Second: Almost any new machine you'd buy today, desktop or laptop, will be a big improvement over your current machine. You've got no worries there. They'll all stream most video you can grab from the web fine, and internet radio is even easier.

Third: I've found laptops with DVD drives to be surprisingly good single person movie viewers. Get a set of earphones for privacy and better sound. And you might want an extra charged battery for inflight viewing, as watching movies uses up battery power fast. You don't want to miss the very ending of a movie, after all.

Fourth: Mac vs PC. I've been able to transfer data back and forth without much worries. More troublesome is the availability of programs I want for one platform or another. Most noticable, for me, is many games I can play on the PC, but not on the Mac. Frustrating. However, I get use out of both platforms, so this issue is not a show stopper. Since you've used Macs before you know better what they are like than a pure PC user.

Fifth: Desktop vs Laptop. Desktops will always be faster than laptops, and provide more speed for less dollars. However, todays machines have so much more power compared to the work we expect of them, that the perceptible difference between a desktop and a laptop is often non-existant. Plus, there are some laptops for about $1,000 now that are really great machines. I'd say now is a great time to get a laptop. I think the iBooks are a great buy right now, and so are the low end HP notebooks. Both are available with DVD/CDRW drives, too.

(edit: the CDRW means you can burn CD's with them, too.)

Lastly: If you get a laptop I highly, 100% recommend getting a wireless network card. (Airport, if you get a Mac.) More and more hotels, restaurants and other public venues are providing wireless access. It's gonna get pretty cool here pretty soon.

Go for it, and have fun.

[DagmarK]

16. VERY imformative, thanks!

Yes, you are right...I NEVER want to miss the end of a movie! SHEESH.

Good advice on the wireless/airport stuff.......will heed it!


Yes, I have used the APPLE..and I loved it......but in 95 I had to go PC cause I was doing a lot of contract word processing work for attorneys. Sheesh. What I remember about Apple, after I had to go PC, was...the point and click on the PC was sooooo sloppy and hit and miss. Apple just seemed soooooo exact in the way everything clicked and worked together. Hard to explain. Kind of the difference between driving a car with tight steering and a boat that is all loosey goosey.

[Ready4Change]

22. I hear you.

I'm originally a PC user. I just got my first Mac recently, and it's OS is "more together." (12" iBook)

However, I'm using OSX, and many of my Mac using friends say that it's a bit more loosy-goosy than previous Mac OS's. So, if you get a new Mac I guess it's possible it might seem a bit watered down? Maybe not. (OSX is perty looking.)

[DagmarK]

12. shoot...look at the diff in viruses for apple vs. microsoft

(Oh, I figured out what the Radeon stuff was.....video quality basically)

Back to viruses:

only 45 known viruses (compared with well over 50,000 for Windows); built-in Firewall; not vulnerable to IIS DDoS attacks

[Ready4Change]

17. Yep, that's one of the areas Mac's have an advantage over PCs.

Since there are fewer Macs, it's less "profitable" for a hacker to code a virus to infect Macs.

Then again, you can find software for a PC in a grocery store now. You need to seek out specialty stores for Mac-ware nowadays.

There's pluses and minuses to both camps. I can't really recommend one over the other.

[I AM SPARTACUS]

14. Dell Latitude - slim, powerful, upgradable, and relatively cheap

Have taken mine - literally - into some of the world's most inhospitable places and it's still zooming along...

About 1500$, add 200 to upgrade from CD-RW to CD-RW+DVD...

check out http://www.mrnotebook.com - Dell-trained techies who recondition chassis from the ground-up and have great prices...

[DagmarK]

28. Not to be too catty......I abhor Mr. Dell personally!

Ack!

[cprise]

15. Sounds like you would love an iBook

Take a look-
http://www.apple.com/ibook/

[schrodinger_I]

19. or a Titanium Powerbook

I love mine. I even bought an extra battery for my regular flights to LA. I have never had to change batteries and watch movies the whole way there. Plus the screen is nice.... Go Apple!

[Ready4Change]

21. iBooks are great. I'd say hold off on getting a 15" Titanium for a bit.

I think the 15" Titanium Powerbooks are due for an update. The 12" and 17" PowerBooks can handle Airport Extreme and have Bluetooth built in. The 15"s can only handle straight Airport, and are only "BlueTooth Optional." I suspect they'll be brought up to speed soon.

I love the iBooks. If you want EXTREMELY small, light and portable the 12" is great. But the 14.1" screen is easier to read, and it's not that much heavier. (I find myself squinting at the 12" at times.)

In all flavours get at least the Combo drive and you'll be able to watch movies and burn CDs.

[alfredo]

18. I have been a Mac user since

the late 80's. I would go with an iBook. You have top notch hardware and the MacOSX is bulletproof. If you need MS software, Office comes for OSX. You can even put virtual PC on it and run Windows alongside OSX.

If you want to watch movies, the long battery life will be a selling point. the consumer software included, iMovie, iPhoto, iChat, iDVD, and iTunes is heads and shoulders above what you will find in Windows.

Other good points, Apple trusts its customers. You don't have to jump through a bunch of hoops just to get the machine to allow you to use it.

In all my years I have only experienced one virus and my anti virus software caught it and sent it to Levenworth.

the tight integration of hardware and software is a big plus. there is plenty software for the Mac, much of it is freeware or shareware. Because of the monopoly and aggressive practices of MS, you will not see a lot of Mac software on the shelves. Also, because of its small marketshare, you will not see a lot of shovelware. Low quality software does not survive in the Mac market.


You will take a performance hit while running on battery. Processor speed mean very little if the rest of the machine can't handle the output. Processor speed mean nothing if it sucks so much power that they had to detune it so it wouldn't burn you, and drain the battery quickly.

[DagmarK]

27. ain't that the truth!

"Other good points, Apple trusts its customers. You don't have to jump through a bunch of hoops just to get the machine to allow you to use it."

I HATE MS/PCs for that very reason. They think I am a numbskull!

The question of the year in the office is: "how do I make this thing STOP doing this! I don't want OUTLINE and everything all indented!" The bain of the bull-pit office gal's existence! LOL

I don't see myself wanting to get a lot of software. I have been using the same programs for a decade: wordprocessing and speadsheets! The expansion I want is for the internet. I don't play computer games -- and never want to.

My ONLY fear is that I will find myself in a situation where I have a file in mac os.....and I have to get it readable and usable (without a bunch of hidden snags in the conversion programming) for a PC user. Meaning, I have to be able to use excel and ms word.

It sounds like Mac/MS office has come a long way since 1996????

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. MSOffice files

Back in the Stone Age (1993), when I first began doing translation work free-lance, I had to get a speical PC<->Mac conversion program in order to exchange files with clients.

However, ever since Office 97/98, the programs are nearly 100% compatible. I haven't upgraded to OSX yet (I'll do it when I get my next computer), but I'm using Office 2001, and I bet some of my clients don't even know that I'm working on Macs (an iMac and an iBook, both vintage 2000). I can open their files, and they can open mine, as long as I remember to encode them properly before they go out over the Internet. (Internet Exporer gives you that option.)

I've had to call support exactly twice in those three years, and the machines still do nearly everything I need to have done. What is pushing me to upgrade as soon as the finances allow it are two factors:

1) Pretty soon all the major software will be easily available only for OSX, and these babies don't really have the speed or RAM to support it.
2) The new models of both desktops and laptops look so cool.
:7

The performance of my laptop is so good, and it's so convenient to be able to take my work to an air-conditioned location during this unusually hot summer, that I'm thinking of getting just a Powerbook or a high-grade iBook as a desktop replacement. (Right now, the only thing I really need my desktop model for is the Internet, because it's connected to the cable modem and has the required software installed.) I may retain my old iBook for use as a backup.

(Insert enthusiastic plug for cable modems. If you have cable TV in your community, you can probably get cable Internet. I've had it for two years, and I plan to sign up for it again after I move to Minneapolis. You will never want to go back to dial-up except in an emergency.)

So if you love Macs, you can switch back to them without fear of losing customers. With the newer versions of MSOffice, they won't even know the difference.

[tpub]

35. definitely get a titanium

if you can spend that much. They're beautiful (as well as fantastic machines).

As for OSX, now that Quark 6 is out, I think everyone's starting to change over by the end of the year.

[Lisa]

36. I still have my MacLink cables from the late 1980s!

So much easier, when Apple high-density floppy drives came along that could read PC disks.

This week my faithful 540c Powerbook finally died on me (courteously waiting until AFTER I had handed in my PhD dissertation and my teaching grades ... unlike my poor colleague, who is on the third IBM compatible of his degree). I have traded it in for a reconditioned G3 with a plug-in module which can read all my backup floppies, as well as CDs (my first ever). Only a few hundred dollars, for a backup-travelling system which should last me until the end of the decade. (I will probably be investing in a desktop Mac as my main system, next year after I start my new teaching job.)

For those who are shopping for secondhand equipment, this is a very useful consumer site. Gives helpful tips about which models are good buys, and which are hard to upgrade or have technical flaws and ought to be avoided (or at least heavily discounted).

www.lowendmac.com

[DagmarK]

39. Lisa......see how much FRIENDLIER the macs are......

waited till you had your dissertation all turned in!

Taht's Steve Jobs for ya!

And thanks for the link on lowendmac......it could come in handy! Gosh, I wish I hadn't have given my mac to my young nephew to play games on. LOL

[DagmarK]

37. Wow Lydia......thank you........

I believe you that I can interface and exchange with the WORLD if I need to!!! That was why I had to put my apple back in the box in the mid-1990s..... And I have missed the Apple world ever since!!!

Thanks!

[chenGOD]

20. I'm gonna say iBook.....

Great notebooks. They are quality machines, well built and very reasonably priced.

The poster who talked about the bottleneck with the dial-up modem is very much on the mark. One option, depending on where you live. iBooks all come with Airport built in (that's wireless); go to some of the cafes around your neck of the woods. Many places offer wireless connections and they have broadband connections.


Good luck to you whatever you decide.

[cprise]

23. Fast internet

You should look at satellite for broadband access. This looks like a good deal:

http://www.starband.com/

[DemSigns]

24. HP 5375us Laptop

Just got one at circuit city for $1100.00 open box special.
The main distinguishing feature from other name brand laptops in its price class was USB 2.0 capability with three ports, cd/cdrw/dvd drive and built in wireless 802.11b. A little heavy at 7.5 lbs.

I saw an add for HP 5400us that is probably similar.

CPU speeds and hard drive sizes are pretty outrageous on most laptops so I would look at features and connectivity more than CPU speed and hard drive size. AMD cpus are great but I would avoid Intel Celerons if possible. Other Intels are OK.

I called Dell and Gateway and shipping times were horrendous. Dell is ahomeland security devil with microsoft so I would stay away from them.

An apple is definately more 'pc'.

happy puting

[Ready4Change]

25. No DSL. Any Cable Internet access?

I'd been waiting for DSL to become available. Cable Internet had been available for a long while, but I'd been holding off as I'd heard of problems with it. Finally I caved in and got Cable internet.

Man, I should have done that LONG ago. It's as fast as I would have expected from DSL, and I've had NO interruptions or slowdowns in service. It's good stuff.

DSL still isn't available here. I no longer care.

Satellite can be a good option if you're in a rural area that isn't likely to get DSL or Cable internet anytime soon.

[frylock]

26. toshiba satellite..

affordable, reliable, incredible performance, top-shelf customer support. You can get one with a P4@2Ghz, 256 DDR, 32 MB onboard video RAM, DVD/CDRW. Plus, they come with a beautiful metallic blue case. I've had a Satellite for 3 years now, and never had a problem. I use this computer out in the field all the time, and it has never had any failures. Toshiba has always been one of the top ranked mobile computers on the market.

[DagmarK]

29. You know, I actually own a Toshiba Satellite...from 1997......

Bought a backpack CD for it.

It was like the lowest end one at the time...T-100 or something. SLOWWWWWWWWWWW

Maybe I should take it down to the 'puter shop and see if they can do anything with it. I never upgraded it for Y2k.....so not sure if it would blow up if I turned it on. LOL

Maybe I could just spice that one up? hmmmmm.

[dpbrown]

31. iBook

Apple is so far ahead of Microsoft right now it's not even funny.

Apple has the best laptops, the best MP3 player, the best video camera, the best presentation software, the best, well, everything.

Meanwhile, Microsoft was forced to admit today that their "trustworthy computing" campaign was a crock, because Windows has (another) huge security hole in it that lets remote users get control of your computer.

Plus, Microsoft is an adjudicated monopolist.

Plus, MSNBC put Michael Savage Weiner on the air.

Plus, Microsoft is part of the black box vote stealing system.

Plus, Apple CEO Steve Jobs only gives money to Democrats.

Definitely, get an iBook.

Start here:
http://www.apple.com/switch/

Dan Brown
Saint Paul, Minnesota

[chimpymustgo]

32. Excellent into, dpbrown. Steve Jobs supports the Dems - yay.

All your points well taken.

[DagmarK]

41. I know......I just abhor Bill Gates.....

and I think their security HOLES were planned from day one. For the life of me, I don't know why the entire WORLD doesn't sue his ass for everything from identity and credit card number theft to the costs associated with having your ENTIRE network hijacked and trashed to the general feeling that everytime you get on the internet -- even with your firewall and with your anti-hacking software and your virus detection software -- that you are still NOT SAFE!

And MS just got a contract to supply the computers to Homeland Security! Does that constitute an oxymoron somehow?

Yeah.....APPLE.....it's the the way to go!

[thermodynamic]

33. I'd go Toshiba, but avoid the Celeron at all costs!

They're one of the few brands I'd look at because they use Nvidia based video components, which would be compatible with Linux.

Also, go for an AMD Athlon XP CPU or Intel Pentium 4 Mobile. Do not use Celerons, they are pure junk for what you want to do, though I can't help you much with the modem quandry except that the fastest computer won't make a difference; the modem is still the bottleneck where the system waits for it to get its work done first.

Besides, I thought Al Gore invented the internet! :evilgrin: (sorry, that was baaaad...) But you're right, Billy Boy does what he can to ensure people are locked to his idea of a standard. Which is unfortunate for everybody else.

Also, if it has Windows XP on it, get 256MB of RAM. That will suffice, but get 512MB if you can afford it - XP will run even better with that much.

[myomy]

34. I’ve had only Mac since the early 90’s. Can’t imagine anything else,

easy to use and the new OS X is amazingly fast and stable...Not to mention Al Gore is a new Board member at Apple.

[number9]

38. Marilyn Monroe

you got so many great responses that I thought I could sneak this one in.

[Character Assassin]

40. The obvious choice: Micron

If you're interested, my company wholesales computer hardware, and we are a Platinum Micron (now MPC, actually) reseller. Private DU mail me, and I'll give you a code to get into our online database, where you can make your own decisions.

[Kellanved]

42. iBook

As performance is largely irrelevant in a notebook i would pick up an iBook. They're not that expensive, offer a superior Operating System and a great look'n feel.

Because of the "burn in" issue I wouldn't recommend a Dell and Sony spares are IMHO too expensive, so it's IBM for a PC notebook.

[confusionisnext]

43. G5 Titanium

but since they won't come out by the start of the school year, I'll have to settle with a G4. I used to hate Macs because they always froze, but my desktop G4 with OS X is the perfect machine. I can make slides on Illustrator, run scientific apps with X11, and stream Radio France International at the same time. And it has NEVER crashed!

[DagmarK]

44. Well, I want to go APPLE..but price won't allow me; ltr to Steve Jobs

**So I am writing a letter to Steve Jobs...... here's a draft...

Dear Steve:

I am writing to you about a marketing dilemma that I think Apple has – whether it recognizes it or not.

I love Apple computers. In 1996, I cried when I boxed up the Apple computer I had purchased in 1993 after I had finally paid off the bank loan I had to take out to get it. I was working out of my home doing simple legal research for attorneys and was forced to buy a PC so that my files were compatible with theirs. That was 1996, and I understand that compatibility with the PC has expanded to make that issue obsolete.

With that, I am thrilled to be shopping for an Apple computer. I have abhorred the Microsoft platform since day one. But I have a dilemma. It’s a money dilemma. There is no way that I can afford the Apple computer, accessories and software to maintain my current level of technology need. The only choice I have is to (a) go with a technologically inferior Apple with the belief that I will have another $500-$1000 to expand it later; or (b) go with one of the top-selling PC packages that will include every accessory available today plus MS Office software and just wait another five years when I can justify buying a new computer and hope that Apple has expanded its packages to give lower-middle income people an opportunity to get state-of-the-art technology from the get-go.

I am not suggesting that Apple isn’t worth every dime – but the prices shut out a huge portion of the sales market. And if we want to have the audio, video and wireless technology that is available today in either platform, we are forced to go with the PC package. To go with Apple based on my ability to pay, I would have to go with the low-end ibook – that neither comes with a Combo CD/RW drive and is merely AirPort ready instead of built in. I can choose these technology options for the equivalent cost of OfficeX, which is crucial for my business practices. But that would make the computer worthless in terms of my work.

It is a dilemma because I know – everyone knows – that Apple technology is far superior. But if a customer is forced to get much less technologically-speaking because of cost, then has the consumer gotten something they just love? I would always feel terrible about my purchase.

So, here I sit – not wanting to hit the internet to seek out a PC package that will make my jaw drop because I know that I will easily find some package that will include a printer or a webcam or an mp3 player or a cd burner and include all sorts of software. (The ibook doesn’t really come with a working person’s applications other than Quickbooks.) And the PC package is going to run me less than a $1000 – and I have no doubt that it will have great speed and a tons of memory as well without shagging me for another $300 to get it.

And that just bums me out that I can’t be an Apple person simply because I can’t buy the low-end hardware in these modern technology times when no matter what I buy – it will be surpassed within a year or less. I just wonder how many potential Apple customers are out there who can’t break into your market no matter how much they want to? And I wonder if perhaps Apple is targeting the $80,000+ a year professional for its products? (But, guess what, all those people earning that kind of money who need high tech products? Their jobs are being sent to India…..so that market is going to dry up.)

I don’t know…..I’m bummed. I don’t think there’s any solution to the problem, but I felt compelled to express this to you.