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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:14:48 PM EDT
[#1]
I'd vote for the PowerBook if OS X meets your needs. If you're unaware, they're updating their portables (now called the MacBook Pro) so you'll probably want to wait a little bit if you go that route. (So far, only the 15-inch model has been updated.) Also, they're in the process of switching to Intel chips, which has a list of consequences. Again, if you're unaware, google it to make sure that doesn't cause you trouble. (For example, if you need Photoshop, existing versions will work but its performance will suffer on Intel versus the previous processor architecture.) I am a big fan of OS X, which makes me gravitate towards Apple hardware, but I would love a machine that dual-boots Windows, also. I've also had trouble-free Dell portables, but I like the cleaner design of Apple hardware without a lot of legacy ports, etc. Good luck with your purchase either way.
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:15:57 PM EDT
[#2]
Thats not even a choice. Get the Apple. 100 times the laptop that any PC laptop is.
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:16:52 PM EDT
[#3]
Dell or Toshiba.
I think I would pic a Toshiba over Dell though. |
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:17:49 PM EDT
[#4]
i just bought a dell 140m. it's bigger than what you've described, but i am happy with it. it has a 14.1" screen and weighs 5lbs. it's every bit of what i would want in a laptop. plus it has media center built in and i can use it like a Tivo
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:18:10 PM EDT
[#5]
Im a Dell laptop tech. Trust me. Avoid.
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:18:37 PM EDT
[#6]
Have you checked out the Sony TX models? They are the best ultra portable laptops.
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:19:12 PM EDT
[#7]
Samsung q30
  2lbs |
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:19:43 PM EDT
[#8]
unless they break. Good luck getting it fixed. |
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:21:27 PM EDT
[#9]
Looks like the 12" powerbook only burns single layer dvds while the dell burns dual layer.
-foxxz |
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:22:37 PM EDT
[#10]
But it has OSX. The Dell can cure cancer, AIDS, and the ebola virus all at once, and it still wouldnt have anything on OSX. |
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:24:31 PM EDT
[#11]
According to their website their notebooks are not avalible in the US -Foxxz |
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:26:15 PM EDT
[#12]
I went looking for a laptop a couple months back and went with a Sony. Their monitors are by far the clearest on the market. I've been very happy with mine.
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:26:47 PM EDT
[#13]
They are all over ebay |
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:26:58 PM EDT
[#14]
tag for powerbook info
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:27:13 PM EDT
[#15]
False. Not even close. |
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Posted: 3/7/2006 6:28:45 PM EDT
[#16]
 People oooh and ahhh at the display on my Sony TR series notebook. |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 6:01:10 AM EDT
[#17]
Bump
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Posted: 3/8/2006 10:43:53 AM EDT
[#18]
I am also in the market for a laptop.
So, tag. Eric The(Cheesy)Hun 
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Posted: 3/8/2006 10:49:58 AM EDT
[#19]
My son has a Dell Inspiron 9100. Seems to work well, but you need to clean the cooling fan ports once every few months.
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Posted: 3/8/2006 11:32:15 AM EDT
[#20]
No doubt about it, get the powerbook.
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Posted: 3/8/2006 11:39:40 AM EDT
[#21]
Can you dual boot windows on the mac notebooks yet?
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Posted: 3/8/2006 11:40:09 AM EDT
[#22]
IBM is the only way to go!
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Posted: 3/8/2006 11:46:09 AM EDT
[#23]
Here is one for you www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=262513
I just bought its bigger brother and I am quite impressed with asus's build quality. |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 11:50:06 AM EDT
[#24]
AFAIK, not yet, but there is a prize for whoever gets it to work. I dunno why you would want to though, OSX > All |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 11:50:11 AM EDT
[#25]
Just make sure it "braces for impact".
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Posted: 3/8/2006 12:13:03 PM EDT
[#26]
-A lot of what are considered to be the "best" PC laptops bar-none are only available in Japan. There are grey-market importer channels to order them through, but you can run into problems with warranty repairs (should you ever need a repair). Also the manuals and default languages are set to Japanese. I've had a couple people say that the upper-level Panasonic laptops are supposed to be the best of all--but none of these models are sold in the US. ~ |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 12:28:02 PM EDT
[#27]
No, Windows XP is not compatible with EFI (think a new generation of BIOS), which the new Intel-bassed Macs utilize. Windows Vista will support EFI. However, plenty of hackers are trying hard to get XP to dual boot now, but it hasn't happened yet. |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 2:41:20 PM EDT
[#28]
Just bought a new laptop, an HP dv 4000-got it for $800 after rebates.
I would go to notebookreview.com and read the reviews and you can really get a feel for what is out there and what suits your needs. That website seemed to help me puzzle thru all the new technology. I went from a pentium III to Windows XP, now I'm burning DVD's and using wireless internet. When I had to call india two days later-I accidently enabled norton firewall-the tech seemed to have a good grasp of american english, and we were able to fix my problem. To echo a lot of people here--avoid Dell, my sister works for them and she uses Toshiba. |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 4:42:01 PM EDT
[#29]
I know what EFI is. I am just saying that there is a $10,000 prize for anyone who gets windows to work on one of the new intel macs, and as far as I know, no one has claimed the prize. |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 5:19:33 PM EDT
[#30]
I think I am going to get the powerbook 12" G4 and dualboot OSX and Linux on it. Now all I have to do is cut that touchpad button in two
 -Foxxz |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 5:30:13 PM EDT
[#31]
I read an article this morning in the latest Information Week magazine about laptops... Dual Core laptops are just starting to hit the main stream and they are already going to be outdated this fall when Intel releases their new 64-bit architecture called "Merom". They expect 35-40% improvement in performance and up to a 40% reduction in power consumption. Non-Merom Dual Cores will drop in price when they Meroms come out.
You can find the article on Information Week's web site here: http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=181501698 |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 5:36:31 PM EDT
[#32]
I just bought a new Dell myself...
 Looks like it's had GREAT reviews, and was a bargain at $3498.  www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=443777 www.alamopc.org/pcalamode/reviews/archive1/rev158.htm Dell Latitude 133 LM by Joe Brazell, Alamo PC I have been a Dell Latitude XPi user for well over one year now but I recently had the opportunity to try out Dell's entry into the multimedia notebook computers with the Latitude LM series. The machine that we received had 24MB RAM, 1.3GB hard disk, 6X CD-ROM, 3.5" floppy and a 133 MHZ Pentium processor. The LCD screen was a 12.1" diagonal active matrix screen with 1MB video RAM and built in MPEG decompression. It also included a built-in Sound Blaster compatible sound card that uses the ESS 1688 chipset. Since our company does not support Windows 95, it was installed with DOS 6.22 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11. It also boasted a built-in infra-red COM port. System price as configured $3,498 from Dell. The first thing that I noticed was that the computer was just slightly larger than the Latitude XPi series that I was used to using and weighed slightly more (about 7 lbs.). The computer still fit in my normal carrying case although it was a little tighter fit. The CD-ROM and floppy drive are removable and only one can be installed inside the case at one time. If you need to use both at the same time, the floppy can be connected externally to the system through the parallel port and a cable that is included with the system. When I started up the system I was impressed with the quality of the screen and the sound system. I ran several of the Video for Windows files and some Quicktime movies. The results were very good and I had fun playing around with the system. I ran into my first disappointments when I began to connect it to our network through the PCMCIA Ethernet cards. The system uses the Phoenix Card Socket Services and I spent a while trying different configurations to get more available conventional memory. Before loading the necessary drivers only 33K of upper memory was available to load any drivers in upper memory. I talked with Dell through their 800 number and spent some time trying to get more memory for DOS programs and Windows to run in. After talking to them, I spent some more time talking to Phoenix Card Services technical support to make sure that I was loading only the drivers that I needed. The final result and recommendation was that the system was not really designed to be connected to a network using DOS and Windows. We were still able to get it up and running but it had less than 400K of conventional memory available. This greatly reduced the ability to run multiple programs simultaneously under Windows. Shortly after this, we decided that we could not live with this configuration and decided to install Windows NT 4.0. I was able to install NT very quickly and with only a few little tricks. NT did not recognize the video driver or sound system automatically so NT installed it with the generic 640x480 16 color VGA driver and no sound card. After the install was complete, I went into the monitor settings in the control panel and changed the driver to the NeoMagic 128 drivers included on the NT CDROM. Note: at this time there were no certified drivers specifically for this system available. After copying the drivers to my hard disk, NT reported that it was unable to install the driver. However, after rebooting, the driver worked fine and I was able to then set the display to 800x600 256 color. It also worked well with the 1024x768 256 on an external monitor. There is also no NT 4.0 specific driver for the ESS Sound system built into the computer, but I was able to install the Sound Blaster drivers with the interrupts, etc. that are used by the ESS system. These interrupts are not the ones normally used by a Sound Blaster system but the drivers worked well and I had my sound running well in a couple of minutes. With this setup it has been more than satisfactory but I am anxious for the true video and sound drivers to be released which should be soon. I know that Dell now has a Latitude XPi CD system that is more interchangeable with their original Latitude series and as I understand it has both the 3.5" floppy and CDROM installed internally. For someone that is using a Dell Latitude XPi and wants something they can interchange with the Latitude XPi CD system may be the better option for them. For those just looking to buy a good multimedia notebook that they could use for making presentations the Latitude LM deserves serious consideration. Joe Brazell is an economics engineer for Ultramar Diamond Shamrock with a background in computers and database management. He is also the SIG leader for the Microsoft Access SIG. |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 5:39:41 PM EDT
[#33]
I hate that one button bullshit. |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 5:42:58 PM EDT
[#34]
outstanding |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 6:06:18 PM EDT
[#35]
Let me put my 2 cents in on this one. I have a Toshiba 2.8Ghz Satellite laptop. I also have Windows Vista on it. The very latest build. 500MB+ SDRAM etc. I know a fair amount about computers. After tweaking Vista for three days I have learned this: We are screwed. This dog will take every bit of power to just equal what XP does now. If you remember how you had to baby your 386 to keep it going well congratulations, the bad old days are back. Vista is clearly made to make MS money. That's it.
So when you choose what laptop to buy keep the near future in mind. Vista is coming, and she's a pig. |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 6:09:54 PM EDT
[#36]
You have an early, non-production version of Vista. You do not know what you are talking about. Besides, its a good thing to require high-end hardware for new operating systems. It should be illegal to use a computer more than 5 years old anyways. |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 8:17:27 PM EDT
[#37]
You need to stick more memory in it. XP can be a slug with just 512 of memory, drop a gig or two in there and see how it runs. |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 8:27:41 PM EDT
[#38]
Aaaaarrrrrrgggghhhhh!!!! Frickin' great! Where the hell were you when I was asking this? My Dell Question |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 8:32:39 PM EDT
[#39]
I work on a dozen student laptopts a day probably 7 are in for actual problems. We have over 2000 student s with varying laptops. Mostly HP, IBM and Dell. There are also Toshiba, Sony, Acer, Asus and Panasonic. We have Apple users too, about 50 of them. For some odd reason they are in the tech center quite abit. Actually I would say about 4 or 5 come in a day for problems. I dont work on them. We leave that up to our resident Apple cult member. She LOVES Macs and every problem she just blows off like its just an odd fluke.
To me, having over 2000 laptops and 7-12 with problems a day vs, 50 MAcs and 4-5 a day it seems a little weird seeing as how our resident wrok Apple Cultie gloats about them. I am sure Apple has a good use, I just dont see why folks get so fanatical about them. If it suits your need and you feel comfortable with a Mac, then go for it. Just politely refuse the Kool Aid when they try to make you drink it . Just kidding (or watch the reaction to that statement)I dont remember but she said one model Mac laptop was a real POS. I will ask her which ones come in the most so I wouls at least try to ster you clear of that particular model. I am sure some here will say thats impossible and that Apple does not make anything bad, but considering how cultlike and fanatical my co-worker is and even she now admits one particular model is a turd. Everyone makes a turd model. Everyone makes a gold model. Personally I am really impressed with the Panasonic Toughbooks. If you have the $ then I would say go for it. |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 8:34:47 PM EDT
[#40]
Well, all companies are going to have a certain amount of problems with their products, if he has worked as a tech for many of the other laptop companies maybe I would take more into what he has to say. Personally ANUS laptops are top notch if I must say so myself! |
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Posted: 3/8/2006 8:36:04 PM EDT
[#41]
  
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Posted: 3/8/2006 8:40:04 PM EDT
[#42]
Gateway or Toshiba.
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Posted: 3/9/2006 8:21:30 AM EDT
[#43]
I was answering Red_Beard's question and explaining why it does not work. All this is reiterated from my first post. I just quoted you, because you were the last to respond. And, yes, no one has claimed the prize yet. |
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Posted: 3/9/2006 8:50:20 AM EDT
[#44]
Here an ANUS that is now competing with the apple
usa.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=5&l2=64&l3=0&model=976&modelmenu=1 -Foxxz |
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Posted: 3/9/2006 9:39:59 AM EDT
[#45]
gotcha 
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Posted: 3/9/2006 11:12:30 AM EDT
[#46]
Hmm im likeing these asus laptops. heres one they are just releasing
www.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=5&l2=75&l3=0&model=1011&modelmenu=1 -Foxxz |
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Posted: 3/9/2006 11:45:02 AM EDT
[#47]
Hells bells you dont know what your talking about. 50% of people do nothing but surf the internet ,look at email and maybe run a office application. All of this can be done on 400mhz /128 ram and WIN 2000. |
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Posted: 3/9/2006 12:15:19 PM EDT
[#48]
I wish someone would get it working, though. I'd have to think that'd be good for sales and for those of us that use both. |
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Posted: 3/9/2006 1:36:17 PM EDT
[#49]
How are Averatec's rated these days? I got a great deal on one almost 2 years ago and use it every day. At the time, it was rated a "best buy" by the 'zines. And it was at $900.00 for a 1.1/512. They seem to have gone up in price though. Mine runs great.
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Posted: 3/9/2006 2:31:03 PM EDT
[#50]
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh Vista Schmista. Screw dat. Stick with XP or 2K SP4 until you absolutely have to have the next latest and greatest microcrap. Nothing like bleeding edge crap that 98% of the user base just doesn't need except for the glitzy marketing. And on that note of marketing, Microsoft Redesigns the Ipod... http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=43...=microsoft+ipod |
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