Talk to me about laptops!

[tiff211]

I am buying a laptop for my home business. I have been looking for awhile now but there is so much info, it's intimidating. Tell me everything about your laptop, features, software, sceen size, memory. Tell me what I need to know as I shop for one. I know I would like to be able to access the internet, check emails, watch movies, and I don't know enough to say what else I want or need. Help!!!!

 

[MouseWorshipin]

I have a Toshiba Satellite. I got it about a year and a half ago. I don't have any idea what the features are, but it does all the things you said you wanted to be able to do.

I think I'm little help, except for a bump.

 

[DVC Sadie]

I also have a Toshiba Satellite so it has wifi built in.I surf the net, can watch dvd etc. It is a M45-S265 and has an intel Pentium processor,512MB,DDR SDRAM,100 GB. It has microsoft windows xp home. This is all I need. I play some games on it and of course dis. I think you can get them now for about 1200.00 but maybe lower.

My dh has a super duper HP laptop that is also wifi but he has all the bells and whistles and has all the gaming stuff built in. It is too heavy for me to use on a daily basis so I don't like it but the screen is great for both gaming and watching DVDs. He spent a lot more money on the HP than my Toshiba.

If you want I will measure them both for you.The HP screen is definately bigger.

 

[diznygirl]

I have a 12" Apple Powerbook. Before that I had the 12" iBook. I like the small size - makes it easy to tote around anywhere. And I would highly recommend a wireless internet connection. What good is a laptop if you are stuck to a desk?

 

[meagan9848]

My advise: Go with Apple.

I made the switch from PC to mac just under a year ago, and I will never, ever buy another PC. The mac framework is much more secure than any PC, even with the best anti-virus software. My first mac was the 14" iBook. I loved that. It got great battery life (about 5 hours), and was relitively fast as far as laptops are concerned, though the powerbooks (and new macbook pro) do run faster than the ibook. The new opperating system also has a cool feature called "Dashboard" which is customizabe to your needs...you install small programs called widgets which are all free. For example, I have a sudoku widget, hotel finder, wikipedia, and of course a WDW trip countdown! There are litterally thousands of these programs.

In February I was convinced enough with the Mac that I bought the new iMac desktop, which is absolutely wonderful. It even has a remote to listen to music/watch movies/look at pictures from across the room. When I got the desktop I gave my mom the laptop, and she was able to adjust to the Mac system within I would say a week? I've also convinced a few friends to buy Macs and they too have no regrets.

Also, a little trick if you are even going to look into a Mac...go to the store and ask if they have anything open box. I got my desktop for $799, ($500 LESS THAN RETAIL!!!!). The open box computers put though a rigerous test, and then Apple allows you to buy the SAME warranty for open box as new machines.

I hope that helps you and that you will seriously consider a Mac, they really are excellent machines.

 

[Makdyn]

I have a sony vega s ### (can not remember the numbers.) It has a 15.4 wide screen. and that is about all I can remember. I have not used it in almost a year. Not sure why but it has been collecting dust.

 

[almacdonald]

I just bought a basic laptop from Dell and I am very happy with it. First thing you want to do is choose a processor type. Assuming you're not looking for a mac, the most popular processors are Intel and Athlon. Intel makes a few different types of processors. Celerons are the low end, budget processors and their power reflects their price. Pentium or P4 processors are way more powerful but drain a laptop's battery fairly quickly. Pentium M processors are moderate speed and more battery friendly. The Centrino processors are built for mobility and extended battery life. The processor my computer had is a Core Duo or 2 processors in 1 computer.

Next most important (in my opinion anyway) is to look at memory, or RAM. To run windows XP, you need a MINIMUM of 256MB but this will run very slowly. 512MB is the smallest amount of RAM i would reccomend though I personally would hold out for 1024MB (aka 1GB). If you see something like 1024 MB, 2DIMM that means that there are 2 512MB pieces in the computer. This is important if you want to upgrade later.

The hard drive size should depend on what you're storing on your computer. For most people 60GB will be more hard drive space than they'll ever need. But, if you're a file pack-rat a larger hard drive could be nice. Just for a bit of a reference, 1GB is about 500-800 digital camera pictures (depending on resolution) or around 250 mp3's.

If you want to be able to watch DVDs make sure your computer has at least a DVD-rom. If you would like to burn to DVD for storage or back up for example. Look for a DVD burner.

As for screen size, that's a personal preference. Some people like a larger screen and will choose a 17" screen but that makes the computer heavier and less portable. In my experience a 15.4" screen is one of the most comon sizes though if portability is an issue they do come small and thus lighter. Think about whether portability is important to you and whether a couple of pounds would sway your decision either way.

Pretty much all computers now days come with an internal wireless network card which allows you to connect (through a wireless router which you may have to purchase if you do not already have one,) to the internet. They will generally also have a modem for when you have no choice other than dial up.

As for software, an operating system (windows XP) likely be included with the system. It is pricey to purchase separatly if you purchase a laptop that doesn't come with XP pre-loaded. Most laptops will come with some trial version of an anti-virus which lasts approx 90 days. Look into buying the full version. Most computers are not sold with the Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint...) That will be extra. Some brands are sold with Microsoft Works, a word processing software, but it is not what most people are accustomed to using.

Just keep in mind, you will pay slightly more for a laptop than a desktop equivalent. Hopefully this info will help you. If you have anymore questions i'd be happy to try to help. Good luck!

 

[mainewmn]

I have an XPS from Dell and I LOVE, DS just got the brand new MacBook Pro and he swears by it. Mine cost $1000 his cost $3000. I guess you need to determine what it is you want and go from there.

 

[HOGFAN]

17 inch monitor, full keyboard with number pad. super nice. was a christmas gift from dh. Toshiba I think he paid about $1,400

 

[MoniqueU]

I have a broken dell that breaks at least every 12 days and costs 449 to fix and then gets sent back in for the same problem. Some people love dell but when they go bad they go very very very bad. I also have a broken sharp but their customer service was actually in english and they were helpful, I think I just overused that puppy. I have two highly worked working gateways with the basic bells and whistles. DVD recorder, brightscreen not sure the memory or the processor but enough for me. I will soon be looking for something to replace the POS dell I have been complaining about for so long. I will be free from DELL HELL!!!!

 

[makinorlando]

I have an HP laptop for personal use that I love. It is two years old, and I have had no problems with it until recently, and that was with the power outlet, not the major componenets of the computer. I use it "hard" it is moved around the house, as it is wireless, it travels in the car, and for awhile was used to watch DVDs (until I got a mini DVD player for the car).

I also just received for business an IBM Thinkpad. It is very lightweight and so far I really like it. I also use this on my wireless network at home.

 

[Davids-Coco]

I am a PC world person, but I would say go with an apple. Make sure you get one of the new ones with the intel chips. You can run Windows on it if you want to. But their internal stuff is just so much better! (And this is my husband's advice, and he works for intel!)

 

[MoniqueU]

Beware though that you can't get into certain yahoo chat rooms with apples. And there are certain programs it just won't run..Otherwise I would get an apple if it would guarantee to run all the programs I want it to run.