Laptop of Choice (and/or Practicality) ...

[Darksat]

Re: Laptop of Choice (and/or Practicality) ...

Im running an Asus W3000N
Been going strong for 2 years now.
Looking to get one of those new HP tablets though.

[ciph3r]

Re: Laptop of Choice (and/or Practicality) ...

Go old skool for great unix/linux compatability.

I have run my Dell C840 for ages now and it runs every linux/unix distro on the net. It has resonable power @ 2Ghz and provides space for internal wireless express cards, as well as a 2GB memory limit. PLUS they can be had on ebay for less than 300 bucks!

Only draw back.. is it weighs about a ton!

[Vyrus]

Re: Laptop of Choice (and/or Practicality) ...

yea i hear a lot of people use there job laptops as good testing grounds but, seeing as how i don't have a fancy jobs that buys me toys like that... not an option <_<

[bpitt]

Re: Laptop of Choice (and/or Practicality) ...

So are acer's okay now? Last one I owned (SEVERAL years ago) was shit. I'm currently using a Dell Latitude D610, not by choice, but it's what my employer has 'issued' me. I did have a Thinkpad, wasn't too bad. Before, a Panasonic Toughbook, now that thing rocked!!! I still got it, but it's too old now to be useful save for small linux distro's. It currently has Windows 95 on it. With 64mb ram, I ain't got much use for it.

[DaKahuna]

Re: Laptop of Choice (and/or Practicality) ...

That is most certainly not a step up.

Just goes to prove, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

[Vyrus]

Re: Laptop of Choice (and/or Practicality) ...

well so far i can at least say this thread has helped educate me on what NOT to buy ;)

i was looking at the 13.3 inch Ferrari acer's today and cried. if i could only find something like that only with less hd space and cpu power, perhaps i could afford it ;)... and afford to mod it <_<

[Chris]

Re: Laptop of Choice (and/or Practicality) ...

Otherwise though, I am content with my dell until I can step up to a macbook next year. Damn the car payments and mortgage!!!

That is most certainly not a step up.

[JohnnyCornholer]

Re: Laptop of Choice (and/or Practicality) ...

I got a Dell Inspiron 6000 for right about 65% retail about a year ago and have had few problems with it. Until I went off like an excitable kid on christmas day that can't wait to open his present and installed vista. Man what a pain that has been. Otherwise though, I am content with my dell until I can step up to a macbook next year. Damn the car payments and mortgage!!!

[[Syntax]]

Re: Laptop of Choice (and/or Practicality) ...

My only other comment on this matter is to avoid CompUSA if they have them where your from. Don't buy a warranty either, unless you want to be without your laptop repeatedly.

I was without my laptop 3 months, I paid over 250 for the warranty, they said after 3 repairs it would be replaced, it was not. When I bought the warranty they told me if I wanted a replacement I could get one but it would void the warranty. That was also a lie, the manager straight out ignored me in his office and started making phone calls. Regional and District managers failed to return calls on the basis that "they are traveling every day". Tech support line laughed and said "Ive worked here 4 years and never seen anyone get a product replaced, we always repair it".

Plus from the looks of their repairs they rush them, and they re-use parts other people have sent in as broken. they craacked my screen hinges, scratched up the back of the screen, and my eject button on pcmcia no longer works. I finally just quit sending it in. Everything functions now, but its no where near the condition it was in when I started sending it to them.

The store manager said that neither the company or store was responsible for what sales people tell the customer. If they lie to make a sell, give wrong information, the store isn't liable. Unless you have proof of what they said. I volunteered a witness, they laughed.

[Vyrus]

Laptops, a practical solution...

well as im sure this question has been asked countless times on the boards and without a doubt ended in quite a bit of thickening in the fucktard hall...

im looking for suggestions on a laptop, now hopefully my requirements for said laptop will keep this thread a bit more interesting than its predecessors .

1) small (preferably 13.3 inches wide)
2) as much battery life as i can get in the lightest possible package
3) amd turion x2

now those are the normal specs, here is the hopeful kicker i hope to find...

4) something cheep enough so that as soon as i get it i can take a screwdriver to it, and here is why....

in short, my first laptop had a pcmcia slot that died about a year and 2 months after i got it. so since the warranty was out (incandescently this happened to be one of the hp laptops with the bad power connectors that they ended up haveing a class action law suit over, i managed to fix that problem with a solder gun tho which is why i had no problem opening up my lappy a 2nd time), i removed the dead pcmcia slot and replaced it with 2 tnc to u.fl connectors and routed them to my internal mini pci wifi card. the reception was insane for what i spent (free since i got the connectors out of a dead router i got from a friend :D).

the laptop died for the final time around 10 months later. its been a fiew laptops since then but, its time for a new one and id like to do my mod again if possible.

so i ask, what can i get that is close enough and CHEEP enough for my needs that i can either mod easily or get so cheep that i can risk messing it up?

kind of a convoluted question i know but i figured if anybody would know... the people here would :D

[converge]

Re: Laptop of Choice ...

Inspiron 8100 running dual-batteries and a Dell Truemobile 1150 PCMCIA nic for more demanding applications.

Rock on dood. Of other point, the P7010 only has one pcmcia.. whereas my old 8100 had two (great for multipe wireless devices, or other funky configs). I was leery of this at first, but have discovered that I can get by with only one pcmcia now that more things are being built-in. .. less power consumption is a most acceptable step forward.

If I was in a situation where I worked out of a regular office, I would probably go for one of the smaller laptops with a 12" screen as long as I had access to a larger monitor at work. I can handle ultra-small type/font on my display, but I've got to have a lot of display in which to operate.

ya, and I suppose that is where I vary because I don't use the laptop for my primarily job at all. I don't think _any_ laptop could fit the bill for my job, because I frankly need no less than two monitors for bearable visible desk space.. and could really use and justify a 4 monitor system. In a perfect world I could have a docked 12" driving the 4 monitors, but alas work is cheap enough to keep me bumping along on a PIII crappaq.

[AlxRogan]

Re: Laptop of Choice ...

I'll toss in my few points here, seeing as how I use a laptop about 10 hours a day for work in a variety of environments. I'm a consultant, and my primary everyday system is my Dell Latitude D800. I use this system for day-to-day business stuff like word processing, e-mail, etc. I also use it for penetration testing, wireless assessments, and sales presentations. I carry it around in a targus laptop backpack which is usually shoved into the hard luggage on my BMW motorcycle. It (backpack holding laptop) has taken a few spills out of the saddlebag at low speed, including some 5-6 drops around loading ramps.

I got the 15.4" widescreen running at 1920x1200, internal ipw2200 b/g that does Kismet wonderfully. It only has linux installed on it and every single piece of hardware, save the TI Smartcard reader slot over the Type II PCMCIA slot, works without any tinkering or excessive measures. I can expose the orinoco-style jack for antenna connections, but I usually just use an Inspiron 8100 running dual-batteries and a Dell Truemobile 1150 PCMCIA nic for more demanding applications.

I have not had any issues with this laptop, save a completely un-announced hard drive failure (Hitachi Travelstar POS) 1 year/3 months into use. Backups and Dell Complete Care took care of that with minimal fuss. I have about 11 months left on my Complete Care contract and I'm hoping it lasts another 3 years, I love this laptop.

Most of my co-workers have chosen to go with new 17" laptop models, but like someone mentioned earlier, I have to hump this thing around _everywhere_ I go, and I can't count on even a table at some of my clients. I need standalone usability along with something that will still fit into the saddlebags along with power brick, antenna, and portfolio.

If I was in a situation where I worked out of a regular office, I would probably go for one of the smaller laptops with a 12" screen as long as I had access to a larger monitor at work. I can handle ultra-small type/font on my display, but I've got to have a lot of display in which to operate.

[converge]

Re: Laptop of Choice ...

ah well, still love it more than any other i've owned and it gets me comments every single time when i have it out somewhere... "oh my god, where did you get that? what kind of laptop is that??"

ya, that's the weird thing because I've had nothing but the same reaction from everyone, including many tech nerds at the workplace. It's not like notebooks of this size are impossible to find .. there are just few renditions of them because public majority believes bigger is better in _all_ cases screen. *shrug*

converge, have you had any damage issues besides the screen problem that you described? these little guys look like they'd be weak and flimsy but i put mine through absolute hell and it is 100&#37; fine.

That's a negative. I'm not exactly easy on mine either and its held up really well (for those that don't know me, I'm not exactly a small lanky dood and could carry an 8088 w/ UPS on my back if I wanted).

I haven't ruled out physical bump as a cause of the screen issue.. but its definitely not an issue with the LCD itself.. its the connection at the hinge.. maybe something getting pinched for the backlight? .. because picture is clearly still there if you squint or light it yourself. I started taking it apart at work a couple months ago but hit a point where I couldn't figure out how to separate the base plastic to continue... should look into trying that again, because resolving that one issue would save me 90% of my discomfort with the unit.

just the little plastic covers that sit overtop of the screen hinges on the sides are now slightly loose and jiggle a bit if you tap on them... but underneath, the hinges themselves are still 100% fine and sturdy.

I have the typical keypad in the LCD issue, that I suspect comes from toting the unit around while leaving it running. The LCD itself collects a lot more dust than other notebooks I've owned, but thats not so bad and probably testament to lack of household cleaning/dusting practices. Plastic over the hinges jiggle, but like yours.. actual hinges are solid. That's it .. and I've been abusing this one for nearly two years now.

The only real design annoyance I've run into (aside from lack of type-II mouse) is that the power button is located on top in an easily press-able area ... that doesn't get covered/protected when you close the lid. Had to disable its functionality so that the unit doesn't turn off _every_ time I travel it around; even then, if it hits a spot in the bag where it stays depressed it will turn off.. or if off by default (because its difficult for me to travel it with the screen issue) it can turn on and drain the battery. Then again, its probably not an issue for most folks.. but I don't segregate the unit in travel and try my best to _never_ turn it off ;)

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: Laptop of Choice ...

unless you need gads of logical desk space (large graphics/video work) or unless you use the box as a desktop that you move once in a while .. small == teh roolz

that's exactly the same conclusion i finally came to after owning a few large laptops. i had a dell inspiron (7000 series, back in the days when they were tanks... both in strength as well as size and weight) and a refurbished 17" sucker. big, bright screens, etc... but then i asked myself "why the hell am i toting these around? i have a workstation at home that's more than servicable... i only use the laptop when i'm out somewhere"

made the same purchase you did quite a while back... Fujitsu 7010. i even had mine stolen and opted to just get the same thing again some years later (through Fuji's online eBay old systems store) because it's so perfect.

tiny, tiny size and weight but with an optical drive and very good battery life. the S-video TV-out is a nice feature, too, i must say. my original had the DVD-R, but the new (post-theft) model only has the combo drive.

ah well, still love it more than any other i've owned and it gets me comments every single time when i have it out somewhere... "oh my god, where did you get that? what kind of laptop is that??"

converge, have you had any damage issues besides the screen problem that you described? these little guys look like they'd be weak and flimsy but i put mine through absolute hell and it is 100&#37; fine. just the little plastic covers that sit overtop of the screen hinges on the sides are now slightly loose and jiggle a bit if you tap on them... but underneath, the hinges themselves are still 100% fine and sturdy.

[converge]

Re: Laptop of Choice ...

Ya, and for some the 710m keyboard/mouse/chassis might not be an issue like it is for me.. just something I noted starkly while searching for my preference.

..and definitely, .. my thought is that unless you need gads of logical desk space (large graphics/video work) or unless you use the box as a desktop that you move once in a while .. small == teh roolz I don't think I could go much smaller than my 12", but could thinner/lighter/morebatteries is still an option for improvement in future tech.