Notebooks

[ShiftZZ]

Any thoughts as to which ones I should avoid?

TIA

ShiftZZ

 

[hilldweller]

Any thoughts as to which ones I should avoid?
ShiftZZ

Small ones ?

There seems to be a fad for little netbooks. I think that's daft unless you need something small enough to take on a pushbike. Small screen. No DVD. Low performance.

15.4" widescreen is the most common size and gives you more screen to read. Widescreen is wrong for everything except pictures but that is yet another fad. Most things you READ are tall and thin.

So take 15.4" and £300 as a starting target for a good laptop. At least 150G hard drive, 2G RAM with the best possible processor speed.

If you are not to bothered about size 17" screens give you an even bigger picture. Now very affordable.

 

[Linda and Steph]

Any thoughts as to which ones I should avoid?

TIA

ShiftZZ

Those little reporter ones that are bound at the top with a wire spring. I find that the pages don't look nice when you tear them out and the spring stretches. Also, the bits of paper left after removing the page can leave a mess.

 

[Pikey Pete]

Yes. Anything that isn't a Mac.

Pete:Cool:

 

[JJ]

I have a small screen laptop, light as a slightly fat feather and it has dvd reader/writer. Battery lasts ages and ages...faster than a Sprinter or at least it will be when I've got rid of Vista (see below)

However, back to the question... I would avoid any notebook with Vista on it. One gig of ram used up straight away just to operate the operating system. (Ok, not "straight away" nothing on Vista works "straight away"...)

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[JJ]

Here, Here Pete, I'm with you on the Macs. PCs forever...

 

[camcondor]

Why on earth should anyone be told to "avoid Macs?" - hardly sensible advice when no-one has bothered to ask Shiftzz what he wants the laptop for in the first place or what his budget may be!! Funny how those dispensing such "advice" generally prove to have little or no experience of Macs in the first place!!!

Macs and PC laptops are both capable machines - purchase of a Mac often determined by the intended use- although they are significantly more expensive and difficult to upgrade other than adding RAM. However the Macs OS is a lot more stable than any version of Windows I've ever used, and the machines themselves are beautifully built and icons of design. PC laptops are a whole lot less expensive, but you do get the aggravation of having to use a Microsoft operating system unless you are a PC guru running Linux of one flavour or another instead.

XPs final incarnation is reasonably stable, if very unexciting, but a move of the PC community to Vista is inevitable and Vista has now settled down since its ropey start, with lots of fixes and updates. Its not true that new, high spec laptops run any slower on Vista than on XP- my brand new Dell is very fast on Vista. If you try to run Vista on a budget laptop, you may well pay the price in speed. The major brands are all reasonably ok - there are some good deals at present on the High street and the net. Whatever you buy, try to use a credit card instead of cash, in order to get the protection it offers, in these uncertain times, who knows which retailer will be next to go belly-up?

Avoid the "mini laptops", they are low spec frustrating little machines. I'd stick with a big brand name like Dell, Acer, Samsung (my last laptop, a Samsung, ran well for 6 years, but it was a top-of-range and spec when I bought it) - motto: buy the best spec, good brand name you can afford, with all the extras you want and more. No such thing as "too much memory" or a hard drive that is "too big".

Happy hunting, let us know how you get on.

Laurie

 

[Pikey Pete]

Why on earth should anyone be told to "avoid Macs?" - hardly sensible advice when no-one has bothered to ask Shiftzz what he wants the laptop for in the first place or what his budget may be!! Funny how those dispensing such "advice" generally prove to have little or no experience of Macs in the first place!!!

Macs and PC laptops are both capable machines - purchase of a Mac often determined by the intended use- although they are significantly more expensive and difficult to upgrade other than adding RAM. However the Macs OS is a lot more stable than any version of Windows I've ever used, and the machines themselves are beautifully built and icons of design. PC laptops are a whole lot less expensive, but you do get the aggravation of having to use a Microsoft operating system unless you are a PC guru running Linux of one flavour or another instead.

XPs final incarnation is reasonably stable, if very unexciting, but a move of the PC community to Vista is inevitable and Vista has now settled down since its ropey start, with lots of fixes and updates. Its not true that new, high spec laptops run any slower on Vista than on XP- my brand new Dell is very fast on Vista. If you try to run Vista on a budget laptop, you may well pay the price in speed. The major brands are all reasonably ok - there are some good deals at present on the High street and the net. Whatever you buy, try to use a credit card instead of cash, in order to get the protection it offers, in these uncertain times, who knows which retailer will be next to go belly-up?

Avoid the "mini laptops", they are low spec frustrating little machines. I'd stick with a big brand name like Dell, Acer, Samsung (my last laptop, a Samsung, ran well for 6 years, but it was a top-of-range and spec when I bought it) - motto: buy the best spec, good brand name you can afford, with all the extras you want and more. No such thing as "too much memory" or a hard drive that is "too big".

Happy hunting, let us know how you get on.

Laurie

Do you guy's actually read the posts before you reply ?
The Question was "Which should I AVOID"
My answer was "Anything that ISN'T a Mac"

Pete:Cool:

 

[tofo]

personally i would avoid a sony badge
just took sons 3 week old sony back
wouldnt listen mum n dad
lost its reason to live
and changed it for a dell
which is the same as my laptop
come to that i avoid sony products
never get past 13 months for me

 

[camcondor]

Do you guy's actually read the posts before you reply ?
The Question was "Which should I AVOID"
My answer was "Anything that ISN'T a Mac"

Pete:Cool:

As it happens, it wasn't your post I was referring to, but one which followed shortly thereafter...

As for brands, none are perfect - all are subject to problems, hence buying on credit card from a biggish retailer (not that that means they will stay in business, but the credit card purchase will protect you if something goes wrong with the laptop and the retailer has vanished).

Laurie

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[Pikey Pete]

Here, Here Pete, I'm with you on the Macs. PCs forever...

At the risk of being pedantic.
If you mean this post, which is a deliberate or otherwise, misrepresentation of what I had previously said then I think my point stands.

Pete:Cool:

 

[ShiftZZ]

Thanks all...

I have a Dell Inspiron 9400 with a 17" screeen and 2 Gig, great machine, but big. What I am looking for is something that I can use on a flight, small, powerfull and loads of battery life, I am maily looking to use it for e-mail etc.
Also to use it for Familty tree research.

Regards

ShiftZZ

 

[scotjimland]

Thanks all...

I have a Dell Inspiron 9400 with a 17" screeen and 2 Gig, great machine, but big. What I am looking for is something that I can use on a flight, small, powerfull and loads of battery life, I am maily looking to use it for e-mail etc.
Also to use it for Familty tree research.

Regards

ShiftZZ

Hi

I bought a Sony Vaio VGN-TZ21WN/B , ultra light, long battery life , I bought it for it's portability, my other lappy is a 17" Mac power book, far too big and heavy to go looking for free Wifi ... you may want to read the review here.

Link Removed


Mine did suffer a hard drive failure but was repaired under warranty by Sony, it was collected on a Monday and returned same week Friday.. so no complaints about Sony service.. they phoned me to see if the repair was to my satisfaction..

 

[camcondor]

At the risk of being pedantic.
If you mean this post, which is a deliberate or otherwise, misrepresentation of what I had previously said then I think my point stands.

Pete:Cool:

So does mine. Equally:Cool:

 

[PeteH]

Laptops

Hi

The Magazine "Computer Shopper" ran a 10page reveiw of Laptops October 08 and may still be available with a price range from £200 (Asus PC701) to £1370 and all stages in between.

The recomendation(s) :-

Mini Laptops = Advent 4211 (around £280)

15.4" screens DEL XPS M 1530 (around £899)

"widsreen" "Heavy weights" Acer Aspire 8290-6AG32Bn (£847)

They reviewed 19 In all

The Review could still be available on line, Google "Computer shopper"


Pete

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[JJ]

I apologise to Pete and Laurie for misreading Pete's advice. Typical of me... sorry.

True, I am no technical expert but I have (and still do) work on both Macs and PCs for the past five years. I get on much better with the PCs than the Macs (but maybe that is cos I am slow to learn!) In the production office we have an ongoing (light hearted) banter war between the Mac lovers and the PC guys. Hence my "PC rules" post. I should have added a I suppose...

I don't believe that screen size is an indication of performance and have had three of the smallest Sony laptops (two on XP and this one on Vista.) The hardware has been faultless and the small size and weight coupled with long battery life and portability has made them ideal for my van life.

Vista wouldn't drive my Vodafone dongle... I had to go to a Vodfone tech in Faro to sort it. (maybe Vodafone's fault not Vista?) and under Vista my email typing is really slow in Gmail (maybe Gmail's fault not Vista) and my Canon printer didn't work under Vista (maybe Canon's fault not Vista) but all of them were/are fine working with machines using XP.

Oh yes and my Sony VGN-TZ31VN came with a Sony disc to downgrade back from Vista to XP.

Why in the world did they go to the trouble and expense to do that now?

 

[scotjimland]

Oh yes and my Sony VGN-TZ31VN came with a Sony disc to downgrade back from Vista to XP.

Why in the world did they go to the trouble and expense to do that now?

The 'business' world has never adopted Vista, it's doubtful they ever will, preferring to use XP and wait until Microsoft introduce the successor to Vista .. therefore many business users will prefer XP and having the option to downgrade is an attractive feature ..

I now get on fine with Vista, since the last service pack it has become much more stable ..

 

[hilldweller]

What I am looking for is something that I can use on a flight, small, powerfull and loads of battery life

People always do this ! Give the spec out after the thread has almost died.

Sony - Toshiba.

Both do astoundingly sexy magnificent little computers.

 

[camcondor]

I apologise to Pete and Laurie for misreading Pete's advice. Typical of me... sorry.

True, I am no technical expert but I have (and still do) work on both Macs and PCs for the past five years. I get on much better with the PCs than the Macs (but maybe that is cos I am slow to learn!) In the production office we have an ongoing (light hearted) banter war between the Mac lovers and the PC guys. Hence my "PC rules" post. I should have added a I suppose...

I don't believe that screen size is an indication of performance and have had three of the smallest Sony laptops (two on XP and this one on Vista.) The hardware has been faultless and the small size and weight coupled with long battery life and portability has made them ideal for my van life.

Vista wouldn't drive my Vodafone dongle... I had to go to a Vodfone tech in Faro to sort it. (maybe Vodafone's fault not Vista?) and under Vista my email typing is really slow in Gmail (maybe Gmail's fault not Vista) and my Canon printer didn't work under Vista (maybe Canon's fault not Vista) but all of them were/are fine working with machines using XP.

Oh yes and my Sony VGN-TZ31VN came with a Sony disc to downgrade back from Vista to XP.

Why in the world did they go to the trouble and expense to do that now?

I think Vista was generally incompatible with everything when it first launched many people found to their cost that printers, scanners etc simply wouldn't work under Vista and the makers had "no plans" to upgrade their drivers. That rapidly led to discontented users asking for a return to XP or at least a choice when buying a new PC.....hence the choice of OS in your case, I think. Also, as Scotjim says, most businesses including huge corporates like the NHS, have certainly not adopted Vista - they have stuck with Server 2000 or XP and will prob do so until its long since no longer supported!!!!

Vista is much more stable now after many, many bug fixes and updates - for instance, my dongle installed easily, so far drivers for other devices have not been an issue, but I daresay an older printer or scanner certainly would be. Trouble is, life goes on, inexorably, and Microsoft will not support XP for ever and ever - we will all have to move on at some stage.

As for Macs, well, lets just say working on Mac hardware is challenging to say the least, particularly laptops - and few "generic" cheap bits available - its all really pricey original Apple stuff. If you haven't specifically been trained on Mac repairs, it is really really difficult to work on the laptops and a bit of a pain, it must be said - but the laptops are design icons, incredibly good looking, quality builds and do their job with such style that many are willing to pay the premium - same old story, you can travel in a C-Reg Panda worth £50 or a Pagani Zonda worth nearly a million quid, each one can get you to your destination!!!! In between those two lies the happy medium for drivers and the same kind of comparison applies to computer users!!!! £2500= massive spec gamers laptop or top-of-range Mac, £200=budget PC laptop. Even cheaper on ebay are the used laptops, if you know your stuff and buy sensibly you can get very good buys around £100.


Laurie