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Looking for a portable.. (like 12 inch PowerBook)

post #1 of 30
7/18/04 at 12:04am
Thread Starter 
Hi,

Could you please help me out.

Right now I'm looking to purchase a portable computer for school, and I have a few things that I would like in mind. I don't really need a great video card as I will be using it for typing (90% of time), music, and DVD's.

Looks/Chassis = this is quite important to me I would like something that looks good and has a aluminum chassis
Weight = around 5 pounds or less
Processor = quite fast as I would like to have it throughout University
Price = under $3000 Canadian would be nice
CD/RW/DVD = neccessary
Video Card = doesn't matter

If you could give me some suggestions that would be great, as of right now I'm looking at the Apple 12 PowerBook.
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post #2 of 30
7/18/04 at 12:10am
I just don't get people sometimes....

Are you looking at a powerbook because you like Apple? Or do you just like how it looks? There's big differences between windows and mac. Apples and oranges.

Some suggestions though would be
an asus notebook
sony s series

can't think off the top of my head at the moment...

ps. if you want a pc based notebook, stop looking at apples stuff cause nothing is as nice in this microsofted based word.
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post #3 of 30
7/18/04 at 12:16am
Yeah, I'd go for a sony...either S series or z1 series...they look good..and they are actually good computers...
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post #4 of 30
7/18/04 at 12:18am
i could suggest an Averatec with the following features for about $1000 USD
2000+ Athlon-XP
512mb ram
40gb 5400rpm hd
Intel Xtreme 2 Graphics
CD-RW/DVD
12.1" XGA screen

(keyboard takes getting used to though). It is a good bang for the buck. Unless, you painfuly want a 2.0 dothan that is.
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post #5 of 30
7/18/04 at 12:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Halpern
I will be using it for typing (90% of time), music, and DVD's.
I'm not an Apple guy, but the 12" Powerbook or iBook will be fine for your uses.

On the PC side, you might look at:

Asus M5N
Sony TR series
Fujitsu P5020, P7010 or S6210
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post #6 of 30
7/18/04 at 12:49am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by abf
i could suggest an Averatec with the following features for about $1000 USD
2000+ Athlon-XP
512mb ram
40gb 5400rpm hd
Intel Xtreme 2 Graphics
CD-RW/DVD
12.1" XGA screen

(keyboard takes getting used to though). It is a good bang for the buck. Unless, you painfuly want a 2.0 dothan that is.
Interesting, do you know how long the battery life is for this notebook?

Also what do you mean the keyboard takes getting used to? It's layout, or is it not a great keyboard? I ask because that is the main thing I will be doing lol.
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post #7 of 30
7/18/04 at 12:51am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bloke
I'm not an Apple guy, but the 12" Powerbook or iBook will be fine for your uses.

On the PC side, you might look at:

Asus M5N
Sony TR series
Fujitsu P5020, P7010 or S6210
Thank you I will be sure to check out those notebooks. I just used the PowerBook more as an example as I like everything about it but am not really an apple guy and the price is quite high for what it has.

Also I will stay away from Sony as there warranty is terrible but they do have some nice looking notebooks.
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post #8 of 30
7/18/04 at 12:58am
The averatec may not be a great choice for you. for 2 reasons:
1)battery life is about 2-3, 4 hours tops.
2)the keyboard for typing is just fine, its the Del and Fn keys that are out of place, the space bar is about 2/3 the standard length and the arrow keys aren't big.

other than that it is a good lappy. of course, if you can spend more, by all means grab a Centrino counterpart. XP or XP-M just don't deliver.
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post #9 of 30
7/18/04 at 1:01am
Thread Starter 
hmm thanks I'm looking for a laptop that gets atleast 4 hours with just a typing application (2.5 would be nice if using the DVD player etc. )
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post #10 of 30
7/18/04 at 1:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Halpern
hmm thanks I'm looking for a laptop that gets atleast 4 hours with just a typing application (2.5 would be nice if using the DVD player etc. )
Well, those Fujitsus may be your best bet then. They have great battery life to start with and they all have an option to have a 2nd battery in the optical bay, not to mention they have great screens. The Asus doesn't have the best battery life with the standard battery anyway.

Quote:
Up to 7.5 hours with standard high-capacity main lithium ion battery

Up to 11 hours with standard high-capacity main battery plus Modular Bay battery
LeoG's Fujitsu Forum

P series at Portable One
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post #11 of 30
7/18/04 at 1:47am
you can't beat 11 hours. Doesn't matter how hard you try. Of course there is one option. It is sub-$900USD. Dell Inspiron 1150 with a Celeron 2.4 or (i think) 2.4 P4. So it is not the *greatest* system, and ok, it is a dell. and most importantly it does weigh you down (8lbs and not even a DRT). but the huge battery lasts up to 6+ hours on a single charge.
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post #12 of 30
7/18/04 at 2:12am
If your worrying about it breaking from a hardware defect within a certain time frame, buy online with a warranty from a reputable company like proportable. If you worried that you might break it then buy from best buy, circuit city comp usa, ect.. and spend extra for a warranty.
As someone who used to fix computers and notebooks, believe me when I tell you that the probrability of a piece of hardware failing in a laptop is far and few. Most things that happen is the users fault, which the the company will not cover.
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post #13 of 30
7/18/04 at 3:10am
Sorry, but you are dead wrong.
Things that are the "user's fault" are absolutely covered, provided you get "accidental damage" protection, which is offered by HP, IBM, Dell and many other companies. It you get this protection, anything is covered except for "intentional damage" and theft. Also, if you intentionally ran over your laptop with a car, all you have to do is say it was an accident when you call. Accidents will happen!!
Andrew
Austin, TX

Quote:
Originally Posted by neocontra
...As someone who used to fix computers and notebooks, believe me when I tell you that the probrability of a piece of hardware failing in a laptop is far and few. Most things that happen is the users fault, which the the company will not cover.
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post #14 of 30
7/18/04 at 3:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aamsel
Sorry, but you are dead wrong.
Things that are the "user's fault" are absolutely covered, provided you get "accidental damage" protection, which is offered by HP, IBM, Dell and many other companies. It you get this protection, anything is covered except for "intentional damage" and theft. Also, if you intentionally ran over your laptop with a car, all you have to do is say it was an accident when you call. Accidents will happen!!
Andrew
Austin, TX
right, that's exactly what i just said (or was trying to say)..If he doesn't get an extended warranty and something happens he's SOL.

I'll say it again so u can understand me.

If he doesn't opt for the ADDITIONAL insurance, and something happens outside of his manufacturer warranty,that he caused directly or indirectly, he is screwed.
It does not mean that he can just "accidently drop" his laptop, then go and say, "Hi, I dropped my laptop and now it doesn't work. Can you replace or fix it for me?" They'd tell you yeah right get lost with that....
Sure, you could LIE. But certain things they will figure out..Then you just wasted your time, their time, and the money you paid out for your insurance.
If you think you can run over your laptop and say you dropped it by accident and it will be covered then good for you. Where can I get this type of insurance?
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post #15 of 30
7/18/04 at 4:03am
Well, Dell Complete Care for one.
You would absolutely be covered. As I said, you can fire a pistol shot through your notebook, or back over it with your car. The key is, you must state that it was accidental. If you call and say "I got pissed and put a bullet through my Latitude" or "I decided to run over my notebook" then, no, you would not be covered, and if you had given them your service tag, it would be documented.
As I said, it must not be intentional, and won't cover theft.
Other than that, YOU ARE COVERED.
My son spilled a Coke in his Latitude a year or so ago...replaced. They only asked one question...."What happened". I told them he spilled a Coke in it, and there were no further questions. As I said, were someone to pour a Coke into their Dell intentionally, they would have to have the forsight to say that it was an accident when they call it in.
That's it.

Andrew
Austin, TX
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post #16 of 30
7/18/04 at 6:41am
You could also look at the Dell 300m or the new Alienware Sentia.
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post #17 of 30
7/18/04 at 9:46am
Don't forget the Asus S5N, pretty much the same as the other 12 inch Asus but with an external CDRW/DVD drive. This is the one I'll be getting for school. Less than 3 pounds with the standard battery and the extended battery should give at least 6-8 hours.
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post #18 of 30
7/18/04 at 10:20am
The Sony S-150 looks great, I saw it for the first time yesterday and really liked it.
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post #19 of 30
7/18/04 at 11:57am
Actually, according to various articles and a discussion in the Dell forum, Dell should be releasing a new 12.1" widescreen any day now (to replace the 300m/X300/D400). This one might be worth looking at, if it's really coming out within the next few weeks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bamboozler
Don't forget the Asus S5N, pretty much the same as the other 12 inch Asus but with an external CDRW/DVD drive.
I think he's specifically looking for an internal DVD drive, or I would have also suggested this one.
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post #20 of 30
7/18/04 at 1:11pm
Check out Twinhead's 12" with internal dvd at http://usa.twinhead.com/PRO/N23PB/
aluminum alloy body, internal dvd/cdrw, 4-hour battery, not an ultralight but in between, great functionality but still small. I don't like the external DVD drives, so I don't buy the ultralights.

Dell has decent 12" laptops, too. The others (sony, fujitsu, AW) tend to be higher priced.
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