laptops?

[Rhys]

Anybody seen any hot deals for a laptop with +/- DVDRW and 512mb ram?

[Rex914]

Specify the form factor and/or the screen size. It's like asking for an X MP camera and X amount of zoom without specifying what kind of camera you want. It could be an ultracompact, compact, prosumer, or even a DSLR. :)

[Rhys]

Specify the form factor and/or the screen size. It's like asking for an X MP camera and X amount of zoom without specifying what kind of camera you want. It could be an ultracompact, compact, prosumer, or even a DSLR. :)

Well, i am open on other issues but those are my fixed requisites. Ideally, no O/S supplied. Preferably 10 - 12 inch screen. Preferably lightweight. Preferably long battery life. Preferably built in CF socket but PCMCA is OK. Don't want a FDD. Would prefer 40gb HDD but I'm flexible. If it had DVD RW then 10GB could work quite well.

[George Riehm]

Well, i am open on other issues but those are my fixed requisites. Ideally, no O/S supplied. Preferably 10 - 12 inch screen. Preferably lightweight. Preferably long battery life. Preferably built in CF socket but PCMCA is OK. Don't want a FDD. Would prefer 40gb HDD but I'm flexible. If it had DVD RW then 10GB could work quite well.

There are several on-line stores offering Athalon 1800+ to 2600+ made by Twin Head (and marketed under many names including Sharp, Avertec, and ECS) in Taiwan. I have one of the Twin-Head 12" ultra lights (3.8 pounds) from a few years ago that has been a workhourse, and at 850MHz is still "real world" faster than my IBM T41. I use a USB external drive. It has 3 USB ports as well.

I think I've sent these sites to you before, but just in case:

http://www.geeks.com/products.asp?cat=NBB

http://www.surpluscomputers.com/store/main.aspx?p=CATEGORYBody&c=LT

I have purchased a lot of stuff from both of these guys and they are excellent.

[Rex914]

Well, i am open on other issues but those are my fixed requisites. Ideally, no O/S supplied. Preferably 10 - 12 inch screen. Preferably lightweight. Preferably long battery life. Preferably built in CF socket but PCMCA is OK. Don't want a FDD. Would prefer 40gb HDD but I'm flexible. If it had DVD RW then 10GB could work quite well.

Those are pretty restraining constraints because smaller laptops tend to be more expensive - with the exception of Averatec which George has recommended. They offer several 12" laptops for below $1000 ($1000 is the "minimum" I'd spend - below that point, the feature drop off is rather steep). I will tell you right up front that you can get better specs and a larger laptop for the same price or less if you so desire.

Check http://www.averatec.com and see which model works for you. BTW, 40GB is the bare minimum size for a laptop HD right now. The general standard is 60 GB.

Don't bother with pre-installed RAM. It's the easiest thing to install on your own, and you can end up getting 1 GB RAM for LESS (sometimes half) the price of ordering 512 from the manufacturer. If at all possible, opt for a 256 MB choice and buy a 512 or 1 GB stick on your own for $50 or $100 respectively.

[George Riehm]

Those are pretty restraining constraints because smaller laptops tend to be more expensive - with the exception of Averatec which George has recommended. They offer several 12" laptops for below $1000 ($1000 is the "minimum" I'd spend - below that point, the feature drop off is rather steep). I will tell you right up front that you can get better specs and a larger laptop for the same price or less if you so desire.

Check http://www.averatec.com and see which model works for you. BTW, 40GB is the bare minimum size for a laptop HD right now. The general standard is 60 GB.

Don't bother with pre-installed RAM. It's the easiest thing to install on your own, and you can end up getting 1 GB RAM for LESS (sometimes half) the price of ordering 512 from the manufacturer. If at all possible, opt for a 256 MB choice and buy a 512 or 1 GB stick on your own for $50 or $100 respectively.

The thing I really like about Twin-Head laptops (including Avertec) is that all of the commonly needed I/O's are easy to get to, including 3 USB ports, and most have a real volume control on the front of the computer. Additionally they run normal Phoenix or AMI Bios instead of the dead-head administrator crap.

I would trade my IBM 41 for a 6100 in a nanosecond if work would let me. I have used IBM, HP, and Sony Vaio, and they are all crap compared to my Twin-head (and it's 4 years old!).

[Rhys]

I've never heard of Avaratec. I've heard of Acer though and that Acer aren't very good. How's Avaratec for spares/parts?

[Rex914]

The thing I really like about Twin-Head laptops (including Avertec) is that all of the commonly needed I/O's are easy to get to, including 3 USB ports, and most have a real volume control on the front of the computer. Additionally they run normal Phoenix or AMI Bios instead of the dead-head administrator crap.

I would trade my IBM 41 for a 6100 in a nanosecond if work would let me. I have used IBM, HP, and Sony Vaio, and they are all crap compared to my Twin-head (and it's 4 years old!).

That's very odd, and I have to differ from you here. What models do you own that prompt this? There are some awful models that any company makes among its better selections. It's a widely held notion that the IBM T series has the highest user satisfaction rate. I don't particularly like it myself (really bland, industrial look), but that thing's built like a tank. We also own several Sony's and have only seen good of them. Compaq (which is now owned by HP) delivered a very sturdy laptop to me that's still running strong after over 4 years (It's the one I'm using right now).

That said, Averatec's a good value, and the laptops are reasonably built. They are relatively new to the arena, which is why some people haven't heard of them yet.

[Bob Yarbrough]

Hate to rain on the parade but I had TWO of the 12" models and after they both dumped all my files and programs I returned for credit.

I liked the size and weight but when you call tech support...as I did many times ...and get "reformat your computer" as a standard answer to almost any question...

Sorry to vent but different people have different experiences. I bought a Fujitsu 13.3" S2000 series with AMD chip and have been happy.

[Nick]

I'll share my experience with laptops; I worked with a Dell Inspiron 2650 in '02 and thought that it was an absolute piece of trash as many things on it failed, including but not limited to the HDD and LCD.

Prior to that I had ( and have ) an IBM 600X; I think I bought it sometime in May '00 and for nearly 4k. Ultra-expensive and the first IBM machine that I ever used. I find it a little surprising but while newer machines have fallen apart around me this little thing keeps on going. I'll back Rex914 on his statement regarding IBM build quality - it's the laptop equivalent of an M1A1 ;) It slipped out of my hands two years ago and that resulted in an HDD replacement. It didn't even fail; I simply worried that it might do so after such a bounce and took measures.

But since IBM isn't really an option for you anyway, I'll suggest the Fujitsu Lifebook P7000D.

10.6 in display, Celeron M 1GHZ, 512MB, 40GB HDD, Modular Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD Writer and some other goodies comes to a total of $1649. I'm not sure what your price range is and forgive me if you've mentioned it and I missed out. I had several positive experiences with Fujitsu Lifebooks and...Protege, I think.

Anyway, happy hunting!

[Rhys]

My wife's a Dell user. I had an IBM 760EL which gave nothing but trouble until I finally threw it in the dustbin, not prepared to spend one more penny on fixing it.

I like the look of the Fujitsu lifebooks. I liked the look of the Sharp Acturus, last year but my experience of Sharp products has been the same as my experience of Casio - stuff that'll fall apart within weeks and manufacturers that don't care.

It looks like the likely candidates are Fujitsu, Dell, Siemens, HP or Apple. If I could get a secondhand laptop, put a new disk drive in and be certain that the flappers and batteries were easily replacable then that'd be another route.

[Coltess]

... certain that the flappers and batteries were easily replacable then that'd be another route.
What are "flappers"?

[Rex914]

My wife's a Dell user. I had an IBM 760EL which gave nothing but trouble until I finally threw it in the dustbin, not prepared to spend one more penny on fixing it.

I like the look of the Fujitsu lifebooks. I liked the look of the Sharp Acturus, last year but my experience of Sharp products has been the same as my experience of Casio - stuff that'll fall apart within weeks and manufacturers that don't care.

It looks like the likely candidates are Fujitsu, Dell, Siemens, HP or Apple. If I could get a secondhand laptop, put a new disk drive in and be certain that the flappers and batteries were easily replacable then that'd be another route.

Fujitsu notebooks are very well built from my experience, and they have some of the best quality screen's around, a good consideration since I'm assuming that you'll partially use this for photographic purposes. The good part of Fujitsu is that they specialize in smaller notebooks. Browse their website and see which one you like. The P series is particularly popular. Be sure to pick one that says "Crystal View" on it.

[ljalter]

Hi there!

You can try www.notebookforums.com for more suggestions. Dell runs some really good coupons pretty regularly. If you have time to wait, I am sure you can find a deal on a Dell model that might be right for you.

HTH!