Computers

[Tyrone Slothrop]

My Sony Vaio laptop crashed on my wife the other night and is now totally inert. Any suggestions?

[mmm3587]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
My Sony Vaio laptop crashed on my wife the other night and is now totally inert. Any suggestions?

Won't boot or do anything? Does it show lights or any signs of life? Hard power it by holding down the power button. Try working without with battery.

[Alex_de_Large]

Originally posted by mmm3587
Won't boot or do anything? Does it show lights or any signs of life? Hard power it by holding down the power button. Try working without with battery.

if you have no signs of life, the internal power supply could be fried, which will definitely require service. Bummer...

[pony_trekker]

OK, I wanna buy a lap top. I am looking to spend as little as possible and to get one that is as light as possible. Will basically be used to get email at home (while the family is on the main PC) and to get email and do word processing on the road.

Any suggestions? Apple decent choice?

[baltassoc]

Originally posted by pony_trekker
OK, I wanna buy a lap top. I am looking to spend as little as possible and to get one that is as light as possible. Will basically be used to get email at home (while the family is on the main PC) and to get email and do word processing on the road.

Any suggestions? Apple decent choice?

The 12" iBook probably satisfies the "light as possible" criteria, and now that I check, maybe even the "cheap as possible." $999 ain't bad.

You can get WinTel notebooks $3-400 cheaper, but they're going to weigh at least 1lb more and be clunkier.

If you're looking for something with a slightly bigger screen, and can deal with a little more weight (6-6.5 lbs), you can get a pretty screaming WinTel for around the same price, or even cheaper.

At work I've recently been given a Dell 600M that's pretty light and powerful. It's a bit bigger (14 in. screen) but a very good screen size to power to weight to price ratio. Some people love Dell laptops for reliability, some people curse them; I haven't used mine enough to know yet.

I will never buy another Compaq laptop again, however.

Ty's recent problem aside, I've got a friend with a tiny little Sony Vaio laptop that he loves. They tend to be pricy, though, unless you can find one that's a model old from someplace like Overstock.com.

Finally, I've recently discovered Woot.com. They sell overstock electronics (including occassionally laptops). Their gimmick is that they sell one item per day, starting at midnight central time, and when they run out, they run out. Great prices, though.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by pony_trekker
Apple decent choice?

Absolutely. I believe the ibook comes with wireless built in (still need a base station).

It's a great little machine, compact, fast, sweet to look at. And basically no effort to set up.

Although it might make the man around the house irrelevant to your wife.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by pony_trekker
OK, I wanna buy a lap top. I am looking to spend as little as possible and to get one that is as light as possible. Will basically be used to get email at home (while the family is on the main PC) and to get email and do word processing on the road.

Any suggestions? Apple decent choice?

I can vouch for both the Mac G4 PowerBook 15" (first choice) and the Dell 600m (only when Windows is essential).

[Flinty_McFlint]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
My Sony Vaio laptop crashed on my wife the other night and is now totally inert. Any suggestions?

Dude, a little concern for you wife might be in order, you cold bastard.

[Alex_de_Large]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
I can vouch for both the Mac G4 PowerBook 15" (first choice) and the Dell 600m (only when Windows is essential).

I have a 15" powerbook, and I love it, but small and light it is not. A 12" powerbook would bee better in that regard. I have a Dell 600m ffrom work, and it's the best Windows machine I've ever used. That said, if given the choice, I would ALWAYS buy Apple over a windows machine.

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
(only when Windows is essential).

example, please.

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)
example, please.

Sorry. I make it a point to avoid posting about religious disputes.

[mmm3587]

The current iBooks are just phenomenal. I haven't owned a Mac since my PowerPC 8100, and, if I needed a small laptop, I would still buy a Mac if I weren't so wedded to WinTel through work and play.

[baltassoc]

I sed
At work I've recently been given a Dell 600M

then AG said
I can vouch for ... the Dell 600m

then...

Originally posted by Alex_de_Large
I have a Dell 600m ffrom work, and it's the best Windows machine I've ever used.

Dell must be cranking these out like crazy. They are a pretty good mix of features. I know my organization bought several hundred.

[Alex_de_Large]

Originally posted by baltassoc Dell must be cranking these out like crazy. They are a pretty good mix of features. I know my organization bought several hundred.

They're a pretty nice machine. I also have a d400 (12' screen, single spindle) which is tiny and perfect for mobility. Guts are pretty much the same as the 600m.

[ilikenewsocks]

Originally posted by baltassoc
I will never buy another Compaq laptop again, however.

How long ago was your bad experience? After the HP merger?

I really like the looks of the Compaq V2030 (14" widescreen, about 5 pounds). It's a bit less expensive than the extremely similar HP DV1040. The major drawback is the price -- it runs about $1200, and I can get a Toshiba with a bigger screen that weighs a bit more for about $250 less. Can't decide.

I've heard mixed reviews of the Dell laptops, but every once in a while they certainly run kickass discount offers.

ILNS