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Trinityheart8891

Trinityheart8891

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2007
Messages
286
Location
Northern VT
hey guys

just looking at buying a laptop tomorrow, looking at a netbook, as my old computer is randomly rebooting on me, and I'd like something small and portable, all I really do on a computer is internet stuff and music, and maybe some word processing type stuff, does anyone here have any advice/experience? I'm looking at an HP as it seems to have really good reviews, and HP is usually a pretty good product

any ideas?

thanks
 
Just asked my computer guru Hubster and he says that if you want a really great laptop and don't mind paying a little more, get a Dell. They run about $500-600. A basic model is fine for your needs. If you want something a little less expensive, he says Compaqs are good--about $399 at Best Buy. I'm typing this as he's talking.

Best of luck as you find that laptop!
Debi (debster913)

P.S. How are you doing since that ablation?
 
IF you are interested in the HP netbooks, the best price I have seen is on QVC and I think right now they are on easypay
 
I have a Dell Inspiron 700...had it for 6 years and I love it very much ... perfect music and sound EXCEPT that for the last three years the charger keeps falling off no matter what trick my hubby does to keep it!! Our son had the same problem with his Dell's charger too and battery was changed several times by Dell during the first year!

So, NO DELL for me when I buy a new one!
 
I'm typing this on an Asus eee 10in which you can get from Amazon for $350 w/ free shipping. I've found it's super-portability to be invaluable for several hospital trips since I got it a couple months ago (my hospital has wifi). It's about the size of a hardcover book. The battery will give you 5-6 hrs use. I have 4 other laptops, all Dell, and I looked at their Mini 9, but the Asus has a better battery and is considerably cheaper. Cheaper is what I wanted just in case something happens to it -- I don't feel comfortable hauling around something that would be expensive to replace. Check it out on Amazon.
 
I have to say Dell. Not that I know anything about them, but my daughter works for them, so I'm pregidous.
 
My 3 kids all took Dell laptops to college. Inspirons, the last two (the first was in 2001, so who knows the model!! All 3 have had the **** beat out of them and are "still ticking". The oldest son has replaced his because he could afford to. The middle son, an art grad, would love an apple, but can't afford one yet and puts a lot of his stuff on an external hard drive which allows the laptop to continue to run beautifully. The daughter has a kazillion photos on hers (the newest, she's youngest) and tons of music. She loves it. Runs great after 4 years (she graduates in May).

Best wishes.

Marguerite
 
A certain someone got me a Dell Inspiron 1721. It's nice. Personally, if I could afford one, I'd get a Toshiba like Tbone has. I keep telling him that it's such a shame that it's so ugly and nonfunctional compared to mine. :D

Next time he's over, I'll take a picture of it in action. The thing is absolute eye candy.
 
I got a new Dell laptop (1525) in January and had my computer geek nephew set it up for me. It has a webcam, and I'd love to have the time to learn how to use it.
I've flown with it -- bought a TSA-approved computer bag by Targus and love using it. Just unzip the middle zipper that goes all around the bag, lay it flat on the conveyer belt and it goes through security without having to take the computer out.

A friend has a Lenovo netbook in addition to her laptop. The netbook has Windows XP; her laptop has Vista. She has a broadband gizmo; she says it works pretty well -- except where there's free wi-fi.
 
Trinityheart8891 said:
hey guys

just looking at buying a laptop tomorrow, looking at a netbook, as my old computer is randomly rebooting on me, and I'd like something small and portable, all I really do on a computer is internet stuff and music, and maybe some word processing type stuff, does anyone here have any advice/experience? I'm looking at an HP as it seems to have really good reviews, and HP is usually a pretty good product

any ideas?

thanks
Click to expand...

Our daughter went traveling around Europe last fall so we bought her an Acer Aspire 1 netbook so we could keep in touch. Back then there wasn't as much choice as there is now. She used it for e-mail, webcam, music, storing her pictures and keeping up with "Gossip girl". (I copied some episodes and sent it on a memory stick for xmas). She had no problems and it was small enough and light enough to fit in her backpack.

One thing to check when buying a netbook is the keyboard. Make sure you can type comfortably as the keys are often smaller. I would make sure you buy a bigger battery than what normally comes with the computer. We upgraded to the 6 cell battery for our daughter's and that gave her 5-6 hours of battery life. Very important when traveling and the ability to recharge is limited.

Also, keep in mind that netbooks aren't as powerful as regular laptops and they will be slower.

I don't know much about the HP netbook but as you say the reviews are good.
 
I have a toshiba and it's really a good one and I like it, but used a Dell at Son's house this weekend and like his better because the keyboard isn't totally flat from one key to the next. the keys are shaped, making it easier for me to type. get what you want and like as you're gonna have it a long time. if you get a notebook, they might not have a lot of storage and so you might want to get an external drive (they are great) or one of those little pop in things for storage of pics, docs, etc.
 
Not to take over this thread, but I'm also in the market for a portable for my graduating daughter to take to college. Perhaps my question will help Trinity as well. I'm looking at the Dell Studio 15 or the MacBook. The Dell starts out cheaper, but I'm not sure which upgrades are necessary, and it can get pretty expensive.
 
Don't mean to shout Lisa, but get a MACBOOK!!!!!!
Their light and you don't have to install any programs.....it comes already installed. All you have to do is register with Apple. Within 5 minutes your up and running and the best thing is .....you don't have to worry about viruses.

How can you tell I have a MacBook my son has the MacBook Pro.
 
Oh yea, you can down load a version of Microsoft Word and Excel that is compatible with Apple - it works great.
I'd say spend the extra $$$ and you won't be sorry. The Mac Book will last her for years.
 
Lisa in Katy said:
Not to take over this thread, but I'm also in the market for a portable for my graduating daughter to take to college. Perhaps my question will help Trinity as well. I'm looking at the Dell Studio 15 or the MacBook. The Dell starts out cheaper, but I'm not sure which upgrades are necessary, and it can get pretty expensive.
Click to expand...

Lisa, Alot of the colleges have discount programs with certain computer compainies, you should check out the college's rec and if they belong to a program. I know my niece and Justin both graduated from HS the same year and MY parent got them both laptops, My Neice got a Dell and Justin got an Apple thru the college discount program. I know there is a place at the Apple site with the info, wait I'll just get the link, http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/education_routing?mco=MTIxODk0Nw
 
I made the change to apple a couple of years ago and would never go back. They are more expensive but so much worth it. I would suggest looking for a well maintained used one if the price tag is too much. Most of the early macbooks are still way better than the cheap new PCs. However, you need to watch out for things like Craigslist, many sellers are trying to sell them for way more than they are worth, even if they do keep their resale value.

So look around for what you want and try things out and read reviews. However, I would strongly suggest an Apple.
 
Lisa in Katy said:
Not to take over this thread, but I'm also in the market for a portable for my graduating daughter to take to college. Perhaps my question will help Trinity as well. I'm looking at the Dell Studio 15 or the MacBook. The Dell starts out cheaper, but I'm not sure which upgrades are necessary, and it can get pretty expensive.
Click to expand...

Lisa:

My nephew (Ph.D. candidate in computer engineering at University of Texas at Dallas) gave me the following info when I was looking for my latest laptop. What I have is much more powerful that my husband's Dell Inspiron 1525, which we bought off the shelf at a Best Buy; I ordered mine online.

I can also e-mail him what he would recommend for a college freshman. Seems like my older laptop has a WXGA (?) screen; don't think my newest one does. My nephew seemed to think the WXGA (or whatever) was a better screen.

"Here is a summary of the specs you should look for...
100+GB hard drive at 7200RPM (5400RPM is slower and acceptable but not
desirable)
2 or more GB of DDR2 (RAM/SDRAM) Memory (If the option is there ~$50 is
worth having it in 1 DIMM stick)
Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz or higher
Graphics card shouldn't be a concern for your usage
Display/screen. Most of the time is is worth paying up to $50 for screen
quality (not size) upgrades to get a better picture.
DVD+-RW drive
Battery is your choice. I'll warn you though... The going trend in small
and light laptops is to offer two battery options. The smaller battery
fits in the laptop and offers a few hours of life. The larger battery
typically doubles the lifetime but the battery is usually designed to
protrude from the laptop by 1-2" from the back or underneath. This of
course adds extra weight and can make the laptop bulkier."
 
I have a Macbook after 20 years of PC's. LOVE IT! But they aren't cheap, but not overly expensive. You don't have the virus issues you have with a PC. It's a bit of a learning curve to go from PC to Mac, but that's because it's easier to operate, you just have to learn that most operations can be done with one or 2 keystrokes. My son still has the Macbook he got as a sophomore in college, so it's 6 years old. He keeps looking for a reason to replace it, but it still runs perfectly. He did upgrade the memory and the operating system to Leopard, but that's it.
 
Karlynn said:
I have a Macbook after 20 years of PC's. LOVE IT! But they aren't cheap, but not overly expensive. You don't have the virus issues you have with a PC. It's a bit of a learning curve to go from PC to Mac, but that's because it's easier to operate, you just have to learn that most operations can be done with one or 2 keystrokes. My son still has the Macbook he got as a sophomore in college, so it's 6 years old. He keeps looking for a reason to replace it, but it still runs perfectly. He did upgrade the memory and the operating system to Leopard, but that's it.
Click to expand...


TWENTY years BOY you MUST be old lol, did you get one of the first pcs?
Justin has a mac book and mac computer, I've tried to use it a couple times, but since i am computer impaired, didn't have much luck.
 
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