Need a light weight lap top

[Jennie@ifish]

Any ideas?

I don't need anything fancy or wham dammy.... Just something that can run multiple applications, and that is lightweight and travel worthy.

Dell?

How much should I expect to spend?

I'd like at least a 14 inch screen, as my vision isn't the greatest.

Jen

[Corkie Monster]

My fiancé has an Apple Power book G-4, it's very light, slim, and packs a powerful punch! The only problem she's had with this laptop is where the power cord plugs into the laptop, it's a delicate connection and she's broken 3 of them at $80 a pop. Starting price for this laptop is about $1,500.00

CM

[jet]

In the Oregonian this morning I saw a no frills Compac laptop with a 14" screen. It only has 256 ram and Should be upgraded.It had a DVD but no burner. I am going to go look at them as I am on my 3rd Dell 600/610 and most of my company is on at least their 2nd, mostly harddrive failures. Peronal back-up for work, no frill is may be the best way to go. The best part is it was only $399.

pm me for retailer

Jet~~~

[Under Water]

My fiancé has an Apple Power book G-4, it's very light, slim, and packs a powerful punch! The only problem she's had with this laptop is where the power cord plugs into the laptop, it's a delicate connection and she's broken 3 of them at $80 a pop. Starting price for this laptop is about $1,500.00

CM

I'll 2nd what CM said. This year though the Power Pro has a power connection called Magsafe which uses a magnet to connect and will disconnect if someone trips over it or whatever, fixing the problem mentioned above. Also, it's 4x faster than the last MacBook. Starts at $1999, check it out here: http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/ (No I don't work for apple :tongue

Another option (what I have) is a IBM ThinkPad T42 with Centrino...very light, thin and fast...sweet wireless built in too.

Uw

[Drachir]

Jenny,
We just bought a Dell XPS M-140. It is Awesome, very light weight, and a cooling fan that keeps it cool on your lap. I would highly recommend taking a look. It has all the bells and whistles, a 14.1" screen, and we did the upgrade on the screen resolution (WXGA True-Life), very clear and brilliant. :grin:

I just checked Dell's site, and priced out same system we have: $1056. That is w/ 1gb free ram upgrade, free next day shipping, and free DVD burner. Great Buy!! :grin:

[Zodiac-Fisherman]

Jennie.

You need the new Macbook Pro. I can get a college students discount for you!

[jimh]

One vote for HP. The have a lot of models to choose from either online at the HPShopping site or at local stores like Staples or Office Depot.

[SteelheadBum2]

Jennie the Apple Power book G-4, it's very light, slim, and powerful

[Just_learning]

Costco has some good ones at great prices.

[wthr4d]

Jennie if it were a desktop Id say Dell all the way but their laptops are GARBAGE! the cases are made from the flimsiest of plastics!! check here apple has a refubished store that has great prices. Get a G4 ibook or with 14" or bigger screen itll do it all for you out of the box.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/We...0.3.1.1.0?92,56

Paul

[PayDay]

We bought a new Dell for our daughter in December. It has a nice 14 inch screen and 512mb memory, Microsoft Office, and a dvd for just under $900. She's real happy with it down at school. Our other Dell laptop is a larger screen model that's a little heavy for carrying around, but it's been a troublefree workhorse for a little over a year.

[wthr4d]

its not Dell's reliability or functionality that I question, its the DURABILITY. When I worked on campus at LBCC is the student computer forum I saw LOTS of Dell laptops come in and they were breaking apart from being carried around. I dont know about you but if your laptop cant handle travel what good is it?

I reccomend the apples because they are powerhorses and they have either a sturdy thick plastic case or something nearly unheard of in PC's an ALUMINUM case.

Hear is a test for your laptop at home...open the lid and turn it on. look at the pretty screen all lit up and gently push on the backside of it. if you see a blemish from the liquid crystal being disrupted, your laptop is being damaged EVERY time something come in contact with the top of it.

you wont see that in three other latops...the powerbook($1000), the ibook($900) and the fujitsu latops ($1200 and up)

paul

[The Chub]

Jennie if it were a desktop Id say Dell all the way but their laptops are GARBAGE! the cases are made from the flimsiest of plastics!! check here apple has a refubished store that has great prices. Get a G4 ibook or with 14" or bigger screen itll do it all for you out of the box.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/We...0.3.1.1.0?92,56

Paul

My Dell has a mixture of metal and plastic in the case, also it is sturdier then the Toshiba I used to own. Do you even know what you're talking about

Toshiba's are very nice, and they are light also. I like my Dell but the Toshiba I had could pick up wireless signals better. The screen is better on the Dell, and so is the keyboard. I use mine in my Truck for business, and it doesn't get the best of treatment but it hums along just fine.

[Jennie@ifish]

I would love to go Mac, but I can't afford all new software, so that's out.

:depressed:

Dell laptops are garbage? Really?

[Jennie@ifish]

I've had really good luck with Toshibas.

[chinHOOKed]

Jen,
I have a dell Inspiron 700M laptop. 12.1 inch plasma screen,
lots of horsepower to run multiple apps. Small size is excellent without giving up to much in keyboard size. A little pricey at $1700.00 but it works great.

GDE

[The Chub]

Dell laptops are garbage? Really?

No

[Jennie@ifish]

chinHooked, send it on over! That sounds perfect! What a generous man!



I know... I've been eyeing the refurbished ones on the site.

I'm thinking about getting a scratch and dent one, but I sure wonder where it's scratched and dented!

What do you think about refurbs?

Jen

[The Chub]

As far as Apple, yes they are nice but you are looking at some serious coin for a decent one.

[chinHOOKed]

Usually the refabs come with new warranty. Might be a way to save some coin.


GDE

[wthr4d]

CHUB- Lets not get personal, I said nothing about or towards you personnaly. I do know what Im talking about I worked at a community college in their computer lab. I saw hundreds of new students every year and lots of cheap Dell laptops that were falling apart at the seams by the end of the year. their faults were in the most expensive parts and the most needed parts.

I said nothing about toshiba and know very little about them for that very reason.

Apple computers come with programs that are the equivalent of M/S Office and web browser as part of the O/S

lastly Jennie, if you are having trouble with your sight I wouldnt reccomend less than a 14" screen.

Paul

[FireCat]

This is the one I got my wife Jennie being a flight attendant they are very picky on the weight of items they have to carry around. SHE LOVES THIS THING. I wont say its the best because there are many out there that would fit your bill depending on how much money you want to spend.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...e&n=541966

[Queeg]

I bought some Fujitsu "Lifebooks" at work, they seem pretty solid and the guys that use them like them OK.

The thing I discovered while shopping is that the way you save weight on a laptop is by making the battery smaller. So there is a trade-off between weight and battery time.

[Mtn Man]

I also have agree with everybody on Dell. We use them extensivly at work, they are reliable and with the right battery configuration we get about 6 hrs on a battery charge. But the main reason we use them is the warranty, they will replace it when you drop it. Not if you drop it, but WHEN you drop it.
Make sure you get the new Centrino chipset and enough accessories to begin with. We have a number of docking stations at work and they make life much easier.
If you do get a Dell try and get one from the small business department, I have heard they use better components in them :whazzup:

Alan

[wthr4d]

Jennie - I have the Fujitsu and it is nice but not very light. battery life leaves a little to be desired and also when you shut them off they dont goall the way off so they will drain your battery. there are ways around that that makes it a nice machine. dont get me wrong I like it.

I would say that the Sony's are nice machines if they are in you price range the one fire dog suggested looks like a nice one. they have them at costco if you want a hands on testing session.

Paul

[Drachir]

Dell laptops are great, and ours is wonderful. We have many friends with Dell Laptops, and they all love them.

[The Chub]

CHUB- Lets not get personal, I said nothing about or towards you personnaly. I do know what Im talking about I worked at a community college in their computer lab. I saw hundreds of new students every year and lots of cheap Dell laptops that were falling apart at the seams by the end of the year. their faults were in the most expensive parts and the most needed parts.

I said nothing about toshiba and know very little about them for that very reason.

Apple computers come with programs that are the equivalent of M/S Office and web browser as part of the O/S

lastly Jennie, if you are having trouble with your sight I wouldnt reccomend less than a 14" screen.

Paul

You replied like you were the end all authority on Dell, and I replied to point out your mistakes. The key words in your post are "cheap", and "students". Sure, a 400 dollar dell is not going to be the best quality, but you get what you pay for. When I was in college, in my computer lab, Sony was the best thing going. I currently drive an Inspirion 6000 Media Edition. I just wish the wireless card picked up a signal better.

[wthr4d]

You questioned my authority to speak on the subject which I included in the original post and the reply. I stated "Cheap" and yes it was a "college" so the people ther were "students". Jennie stated she was looking for a budget laptop, and now in this post you agree with me that if you buy a cheap Dell you will get what you pay for, Garbage. The laptops I was refering to were not $400 either they were anywhere from $600-$900- cheap for a laptop.

and dont try to tell me your dell 6000 media edition cost under $1000.

TO ALL READING- I mearly offered an opinion, on the brand, based on my past experience with multiple laptops of one brand. I am not a computer professional, nor an authority on the broad subject of laptop computers. I can mearly speak from my own experience.**never thought Id have to give a disclaimer when offering advice and opinion. After all in the words of the all know "chub" you get what you pay for.

Paul

[Gus Orviston]

Hear is a test for your laptop at home...open the lid and turn it on. look at the pretty screen all lit up and gently push on the backside of it. if you see a blemish from the liquid crystal being disrupted, your laptop is being damaged EVERY time something come in contact with the top of it.

Not true that this causes a failure, the sky is NOT falling.. the blemish that come through is just a flex of the LCD panel which is not that dangerous.. it isn't wearing out the panel. what is dangerous is when the deflection of the plastic is so great that the glass breaks. And it isn't that MACs won't flex,, they will, and depending on NB design each one has a different deflection. Target is usually about 20 lbs - with an air gap of 1.5mm.

Jennie, if you are looking for a good NB the Tosh 3500 series is a portable tablet which functions just as NB, but offers the input option of a pen.. kind of cool and fun to draw on.

What are you thinking is light.. normal mobility NB are 5 pounds +/- a few ounces. And battery life should be at least 3 1/2 hours,, but 4 is obtainable.

gus

[The Chub]

and dont try to tell me your dell 6000 media edition cost under $1000

$685 to be exact

It's not what you know, it's who you know

There are a few gentlemen on Craigslist that sell new Dell's in the box for pretty nice prices. The warranty's are transferable, and the boxes have never been opened. My father and I have purchased a few of these and are happy with our purchase.

Sorry for being so brash.

[PayDay]

The model we got in December was a 600m. The screen and keyboard on the 700m seemed a little small, and the 600 was still plenty light to be portable and fit in the carry cases we had. We're happy, and the price was around $900 with a few extras.

[wthr4d]

hey jennie sounds like chub has deal for you. I know Ive never seen it that cheap before. those are some good friends!

chub- no harm done.

paul

[Corkie Monster]

Jennie if it were a desktop Id say Dell all the way but their laptops are GARBAGE! the cases are made from the flimsiest of plastics!! check here apple has a refubished store that has great prices. Get a G4 ibook or with 14" or bigger screen itll do it all for you out of the box.

its not Dell's reliability or functionality that I question, its the DURABILITY. When I worked on campus at LBCC is the student computer forum I saw LOTS of Dell laptops come in and they were breaking apart from being carried around. I dont know about you but if your laptop cant handle travel what good is it?

I've had my Dell 5100 Inspiron for 3 years now, no problems here. It's traveled with me lot's and it's taken some hard hit's from falling off the table. Still works fine. Sounds like there were alot of college students their laptops. The only problem I've had was overheating, I bought a can of air and blew out a huge cloud of dust from the intake, works perfectly now!

CM