Thread revisited: Laptop recommendations

[EdwardK]

Hello everyone,

I have search through the SF forums and decided to revisit/update the thread started by Prof. Wizard on laptop recommendations. BTW: I like the descriptions then by Merc and Buck on Compaq laptops :wink:
Since I have not owned a laptop for more than 6 years (it was a Texas Instrument laptop), I have been out of the loop on which laptop to get. One of the main reasons I want a laptop is the portability (I will be moving between sites/hospitals/labs, and I might want to use it to download digtal camera files when I go on extended trips).
Question 1: would you recommend a Pentium-M (Centrino) over a mobile Pentium 4 laptop?
Question 2: which other brands would you recommend besides the big names like Dell, IBM and Toshiba? I am leaning more to the big name brands mainly for technical support although I have read reports from other Aussie forums that the Dell Call Centre, to quote a poster, "has gone to the dogs"
I have got other questions and comments but these are the 2 main questions to get the topic going

Thanks in advance for all your help and advise.

Cheers,
Edward

 

[ddrueding]

[quote="EdwardK"
Question 1: would you recommend a Pentium-M (Centrino) over a mobile Pentium 4 laptop?[/quote]

Yes. I wouldn't take anything else besides a Pentum-M, though the rest of the Centrino platform is nothing special.

 

[Mercutio]

IBM

My current laptop is a T40.

1. Centrino all the way. They run cooler. They use less power. My 1.6GHz P4m seems faster than the 2.2 and 2.4GHz Celerons other folks in my office have. Plus, 802.11b.
Using the wireless connection seems to drain battery life. I get around 3 hours out of one battery or 2 hours if I run WLAN.
2. IBM has two laptops that are comfortably light: The X-series, weighing in at around 1.5kg, and the T-series, which is a little over 2kg with one battery.
Normally I'm an ultra-light fetishist - my two previous laptops have been the technical predecessors to the current X-models.
3. IBM has a joy-nipple. Do not discount the fun of using the word "joy-nipple" in posts on SF.
4. Great keyboard, too.

There's another thread around here somewhere about why I like IBM.


As far as "off brand" models I've only dealt with a few in recent memory. I played with a Sager that didn't seem too awful.

 

[mubs]

Personally, I'd take a very serious look at Athlon XP-M based systems besides the Pentium-M machines. The faster grades of the P-M machines seem to be terribly expensive.

Watch out for maddeningly high resolutions on small size LCDs. The real problem in buying a laptop is finding the right combination of processor/speed, display, and spindle options acceptable to you.

 

[e_dawg]

Good point, mubs. 1400x1050 is becoming more common on 14-15" displays, which is just too small unless you have very good eyes.

mubs also makes a good point about deciding how many spindles you want onboard. I wanted a very small & light notebook and knew I wouldn't normally need an optical or floppy drive, so I only looked at single spindle notebooks. I got a 3.75 lb Sony Vaio ultrathin. If portability is your main goal, single spindle notebooks are hard to beat when it comes to size and weight.

Merc makes a good point about Centrino processors (although let's be sure to call it a P-M or Pentium-M, not P4m), which is important if you want something small and light with good battery life. With a P4 or P4m, you will be sucking down enough power to require a massive heavy battery to get respectable battery life.

As far as brands, I would have to agree that IBM consistenly has some of the best built notebooks on the market (despite the fact that I cannot personally vouch for them as I have not had good experiences with them). Nevertheless, I do have to admit that they are well-designed and usually feel like they're better built in many ways, and are usually top performers.

Acer TravelMate and Fujitsu Lifebook (P series if you want ultra compact) are two other brands I might suggest.

 

[EdwardK]

Thanks for all your help and advise guys. Please keep pumping out more advise and recommendations

Unfortunately we don't get that much Athlon XP-M laptops downunder. That pretty limits me to intel :roll: Will now look at laptops with Pentium-M chips. I have not thought of Fujitsu but is now searching for any Aussie shops that sells them. My work colleague bought an Acer laptop and it has been giving her grieve ever since. So I think I might steer away from Acer at this moement.

I think I will have to get a laptop with an optical drive in it. This is mainly due to colleagues/students who will hand me a CD to have a look at. I will have to put up with the extra weight when lugging the laptop around.

I am now looking at IBM Australia web-site. Does anyone know what is the difference between the T40 and T41?

Thanks again for all your help and advise.

Cheers,
Edward

 

[e_dawg]

Perhaps you might try asking Eric, aka EBB/LOST6200 on SR about his Fujitsu notebook. At least I think he has a Fujitsu...

 

[sechs]

FOR THE LOVE OF [fill in name of diety]! CENTRINO IS NOT A PROCESSOR!

I will continue to pound until all of Intel's bogus marketing is out of your heads.

Back to the subject....

I would go with an IBM myself. I have several friends who work for Big Blue, and they all have laptops worth having.

And speaking of which, the notebook market has neatly divded itself into three parts: desktop replacements, laptops, and things that are too small to type on.

You need to figure out what segment(s) for which you are heading, as there is a bewildering array of possibilities.

 

[e_dawg]

Centrino may not be the name of an Intel processor, but to qualify as a Centrino notebook, it must meet certain criteria that speak to mobility and connectivity. One of them involves the CPU. Currently, the P-M CPU is deemed as the CPU worthy of meeting the Centrino standards of power consumption and thus battery life and mobility. So, to speak of the Centrino processor, that is just another way of referring to the P-M, is it not?

 

[ddrueding]

So, to speak of the Centrino processor, that is just another way of referring to the P-M, is it not?

Almost. There are laptops out there that use the Pentium-M and not the Centrino chipset (I think). At the very least there are laptops out there that use the Pentium-M, and the chipset the Centrino is based on, but a better WiFi card (or none at all). The 802.11b WiFi which is part of the Centrino package, is not what everyone wants these days. I'm not saying it's not what they'll end up with, or that the alternatives are much faster in real-world envoroments, but everyone wants "g".

If I were in the market for a laptop, I would want 3 things:

Pentium-M (any speed really)
ATI 9200 Mobile (or whatever they're calling the 9200 mobile version)
A really cheap hard drive (for replacement with a 7200RPM model)

I haven't found a reasonable laptop with one of the speed-demon hard drives yet.

If I could afford an IBM that fit these criteria, I would get that. After that I would get a Dell Lattitude (the Inspirons are much worse IMHO), and after that whoever's cheaper. Those are the laptops I've had good/bad experineces with.

Disclaimer: Still drunk

 

[Tannin]

As I see it, we have three choices and three choices only.

(1) Toshiba Satellite A10 series.

* Typical specs: Celeron 2.4, DVD-CDRW, 40GB, 14 inch 1024 x 768, whatever chipset Intel use for stock-standard Celeron/P4 notebooks. (You can vary this with P4 CPU, DVD burner, different hard drive, 15 inch screen, and so on.)

* Battery lasts about 2 - 3 hours on my Celly 2000.

* Three year factory warranty extension readily available and costs about $270.

* Very reasonably priced for a name-brand notebook. We retail them for $2250 including Logitech optical USB mouse, 512MB RAM, carry case, XP Pro, and the 3 year warranty.

* Sold about a dozen now, maybe a couple more. Had one DOA, no other problems at all.

* The downside. Yucky blue colour. No serial port. Only two USB ports. No "on" LED on the charger. (What would it cost them? 10c?) Stupid hard drive mounting tray that means you have to use Blu-Tack to fit a non-Toshibe HDD upgrade. (Ugly, but 100% effective, so who cares?) The usual horribly slow service from Ingram Micro. Must try Dicker Data instead - they are supposed to be good, but don't have a Melbourne office.

(2) IBM:

* Very nice products, but no longer competitive on price. Essentially, you can have a same-spec notebook as the Toshiba for the same price but without the ability to burn a CD-ROM.

* Three-year warranty available, but only if you beg on bended knees and fill out Form 127AJ-9PX in triplicate and it happens to be Tuesday. The price of the warranty varies from reasonable to utterly stupid, and it typically takes an hour on the telephone to organise. I just don't bother anymore.

(3) Fujitsu:

* Small but impressive-looking range of Pentium III-based products (what you guys call "Centrino") which seem to offer close to Toshiba performance with double the battery life. Pricing about the same as IBM, or a little better. Not fantastic, but in the ballpark.

* Never used to have a 3 year warranty option, till I spoke to the Fujitsu rep a coupe of months ago and hey presto! Same price for a long warranty as Toshiba. I can sell that. Or, just maybe, buy one for myself.

* Untried. I've never even seen one, let alone owned one. But I always liked the company.

Others:

There are no others. If they are not willing to offer a three-year warranty on a product that is, for all intents and purposes, non-repairable (because a main board - the part that almost always fails because it's pretty much the only part - costs four figures), then they have no faith in their own product and I won't even consider buying one.

 

[Tea]

I sort of have my eye on the Toshiba P-20.

17 inch screen! Wow! Also a P-4 2800, and 60 or 80 GB of hard drive. But it's that screen that I really want.

 

[Tannin]

Yeah. A very attractive prospect. But they are over $4000, Tea. I can't afford it. Sorry. Maybe next year.

PS: I forgot to say that the Toshibas don't have a PS/2 port or proper BIOS either. Put that in the minus column too.

PPS: I should have said before, in my first post, I simply don't care at all about the size and weight issue. As long as I can carry it with one hand, it's a non-issue.

But just for the record, and completely off the top of my head, here are my priorities so far as notebooks go.

1: Warranty.
2: Estimated reliability.
3: Value for money.
4: Picture quality. (Never mind the size of the res, how sharp is it?
5: The ability to back the thing up. (i.e., CDRW or similar)
6: Battery life.
7: Decent keyboard. (It's a notebook, right? There is no such thing as a decent notebook keyboard. But I often wish. The Toshibas are pretty good as notebooks go. Silly layout though.)
8: Hard drive capacity. (Speed is nice, but battery life is nicer.)
9: CPU horsepower. Not really an issue. Notebooks are always slow, so who cares?
10: Wireless NIC. Don't give a rat's fart. Unless wireless can offer me 50 to 100Mb/sec, I'm not interested.

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

I've officially given up on IBM notebooks, and so has my brother.

Toshiba Satellite P-25.

 

[Fushigi]

If I could afford an IBM that fit these criteria, I would get that. After that I would get a Dell Lattitude (the Inspirons are much worse IMHO), and after that whoever's cheaper. Those are the laptops I've had good/bad experineces with.

Disclaimer: Still drunk

Not drunk, but I will also endorse the Latitude lineup over the Inspirons. Globally, including Oz, my employer buys hundreds, if not over a thousand, notebooks a year. Inspirons were far too unreliable. We only buy Latitudes.

My P4M-base 8400 has 1GB RAM , 40GB drive (slow .. will try to convince the boss to let me upgrade sometime this year), GeForce4 440 graphics, 15" 1600x1200 UXGA, AV in/out including digital audio out, firewire, serial/parallel/keyboard/VGA, 2 USB 1, 24x?x20x16 CDR/CDRW/CD/DVD, FDD, 10/100 NIC & 56K modem, 2 PC Card slots, and a docking station. It's basically loaded and weighs in around 8 pounds. It's also about a month shy of being 2 years old and is still very sufficient for my needs. The battery still goes 3ish hours if I don't have the Folding client running.

I should note our standard laptop isn't quite so beefy. It's normally a 6xx w/o internal bays. Centrino. But my boss let me spec my own machine so naturally I loaded it up.

With Dells, at least in the US, always buy the Gold warranty. Much better service. Unless you've a corporate contract. That's even better. A different call-in number that's answered by someone, usually with little to no hold time, who will actually take care of your problems. And they speak English. And they cross-ship parts. And they don't treat you like an idiot.

My one service event on this machine was the CDRW drive. It was an 8x burner but failed and was replaced with the 24x. The call to support went something like this: Me: "Here's my asset tag number. My CD drive fails to recognize standard and burned discs about 90% of the time. I'd run the diagnostics but I can't get the diag CD to boot." Dell: "Let's try reseating it (walks me through where the appropriate tiny screws are). ... OK, that didn't work. Let me verify your shipping address." Two days later I had a new burner.

I've dealt with Dell corporate support for other systems. It's always been a pleasant experience. Honestly, hard drive failures are the only other real issues I've had with Dell laptops. Those have mostly been TravelStars so I'd blame IBM more than Dell for those.

I also like having both a pointing stick ("joy-nipple" if you must) and a touch pad.

The way I use it: At home, it connects to the LAN via either 802.11b or 100Mb. I typically VPN into work for various things, run the Folding client, etc. At work, it's a little more souped up in the docking station. I use the internal LCD & a Dell (Sony) 21" monitor, both at 1600x1200, for a single 3200x1200 desktop, IBM Model M keyboard & Logitech MX700 rodent. The docking station came with a monitor stand, but I use that to elevate the notebook itself to better match the LCD & monitor heights. And, uh, 10Mb Ethernet as that's what we get to the desktop at the office. Which is fine since my file transfers are typically over the WAN and it's only a dual-T1.

 

[Howell]

I have spent a fair amount of time on the inside of both Dell and IBM laptops replacing failed parts. IBMs website has very detailed instructions describing how and what to dismantle to replace what needs replaced. Although it has been awhile since I've ben in a Dell, it was so intuitive I didn't need instructions.

My seat-of-the-pants evaluation on why IBMs are more sturdy: the number of screws they use. This is also why you need instructions.

 

[Mercutio]

If you're doing authoritzed work on IBM laptops, you should be replacing the screws completely every time you take 'em out. In one of those great little IBM touches, their laptop screws are nylon-coated to ensure a tight fit.

 

[Howell]

Yeah mostly with the IBMs its out of warranty "parts consolidation". And yeah that is a nice IBM touch. If thought about mimicing that with Loctite "thread locker".

 

[Mercutio]

The bookkeeper in my office has a P25-S607, Tea. I'm really not impressed by it at all.

I've stated in the past that I'm not a fan of Toshiba-anything. They seem to be very cheaply made even in comparison to Compaq, let alone IBM notebooks.

But the standard Toshiba knocks apply: I can knock keys off the keyboard with almost no pressure - in fact I've been enlisted about five different times to put 'em back on for her. The widescreen LCD has a casing that actually "leaks" light - the edges of the screen glow in a darkened room, and of course there's the highly idiosyncratic placement of keys on a keyboard that could be 100% full-size given the dimensions of its display.

The laptop in question is a simian behemoth: operating weight for a P25 is 4.5kg, and it's really quite bulky, too, misshapen due its 16x9 screen. Most laptops I don't mind picking up by the front with the lid open. Not the P25! Its rear-end is definitely heavier and a little off-balance.

Is it fast? It's fast enough. Faster than my T40, maybe (I'm hard pressed to tell the difference between a P-m 1.6GHz and a 2.8GHz P4m). It's also way, WAY, WAY hotter on the bottom, and surprisingly loud, too.

Battery life is... not good. I realize you're looking at the P20 and not the P25, but really, is 90 minutes too much to ask for? So you can finish watching a DVD on that 17" screen? Maybe if you could add a second battery...

Also, no joy-nipple. Trackpads suck brine-shrimp through a straw.

I will say the price is right. $2000 US seems reasonable enough.

I paid $2300 for my T40. I got a 3-year warranty and dual battery capability for the money. I know I could've gotten something roughly the same from Dell for maybe $1800 but frankly the combination of light + fast + made by IBM makes it worth the extra cash.

 

[Mercutio]

Personally, I'd take a very serious look at Athlon XP-M based systems besides the Pentium-M machines. The faster grades of the P-M machines seem to be terribly expensive.

The bigger problem I have with Athlon-based notebooks is that I haven't found a really respectable vendor making them. From what I've found, you've pretty much got to deal with Compaq/HP/emachines or else fall off the edge of the world with some no-name company (Avaratec? Jetta?).

Of the three I mentioned, I'd choose emachines, but man, that's like picking which arm you want torn off and fed to you.

 

[sechs]

I know a couple people with Toshiba laptops. The machines are cheap, and you can tell.

I'd rather get a Dell, and I sure as hell do not want to get a Dell notebook.

 

[Buck]

I don't remember the thread that Prof Wizzard started where Mercutio and I said something negative about Compaq.

 

[The JoJo]

After using a few Dell's and IBM's and after administering some HP and Toshiba laptops, I would still go for the IBM. I'm using a T40 at the moment and like it a lot. Just the robust feel of the laptop is so different compared to the others.

The rest, i.e. the decision, depends on your budget thought. I haven't compared laptop prices in a long while.

 

[Mercutio]

I don't remember the thread that Prof Wizzard started where Mercutio and I said something negative about Compaq.

You said a good many negative things about Compaq, my friend.

 

[Buck]

You said a good many negative things about Compaq, my friend.

Ah, there we go. A nice bit work I might add.

 

[e_dawg]

Indeed, I also have very little love for Toshibas. A couple of my friends swear by them completely, but in both cases, they were older Toshibas (1996-98). One was a Satellite, one was a Tecra. Me thinks they don't make 'em like they used to -- especially the consumer oriented Satellites (much like how Dell has the Inspiron consumer line and the Latitude business line).

In '98, another friend of mine bought a Toshiba Satellite P-200 MMX. About $200 cheaper than the equivalently spec'd IBM ThinkPad myself and another friend bought. On paper, the Toshiba seemed like a better deal. But when you used them both side by side, there was no comparison. The Toshiba felt cheap -- its keyboard flexing with every keystroke, its LCD panel was dim and fuzzy, and its joystick was infuriatingly difficult to control. The IBM felt like it was built like a tank; the superior keyboard and joystick feel alone was worth the price difference, let alone the superior screen and performance.

Ultimately, however, our two ThinkPads were not quite as successful in the long run as the Toshiba. Both of ours were plagued by unreliability -- my friend's suffered from the horrible motherboard failure situation Tannin described, in addition to other problems. Mine suffered a broken display, floppy, and CD-ROM. The kicker was that I rarely moved my ThinkPad. It sat at my desk 95% of the time.

In 2001, I was searching for a new ultracompact notebook. I pretty much narrowed it down to the Sony Vaio Z-505 slimline and the equivalently spec'd Toshiba Portege of the time. The price was about the same, and the Toshiba was a bit smaller. The reason I got the Sony was because I thought the Toshiba screen was just too small for that resolution (I hate small text), the Sony had a built-in RJ-45 Ethernet port so I wouldn't have to bother with a dongle, and while I normally prefer joysticks to trackpads, the Toshiba's joystick was so maddeningly hard to control that I found the Sony's trackpad easier to use.

So far, the Sony has been by far the best laptop I've used (infernal pre-installed Windows ME torture/operating system notwithstanding). Only problem is that Sonys are ridiculously difficult to service. I spent two days researching and another day actually taking apart the damn thing to upgrade my hard drive, fearing all the while that I would crack one of the many plastic pieces I had to pry off (and I did manage to snap one inconsequential piece after it was all said and done). I have a small plastic container with all the plastic bits from the Sony sitting in it. I was afraid to snap all those plastic pieces in place lest I wanted to upgrade the hard drive again (which I am considering with the local availability of the 7k60).

 

[Mercutio]

Weird. I have a Sony Z505 disassembled on the desk right next to my keyboard. I'm not a Sony fan, either, but I'll give it credit: It's nice and light, and despite its age it still has a good battery.

 

[e_dawg]

Did you have fun prying off all those plastic pieces?

 

[e_dawg]

... especially the clips covering the display panel hinge and the ones surrounding the speakers?

 

[Mercutio]

I'm not sure I'm going to get the speaker and hinge covers back together correctly. Not a big deal. The person who gave it to me was going to throw it away. It has a bad hard disk - 2.5" drives aren't something I keep in spare.

But it boots off a 1GB microdrive in a PCMCIA adaptor.

 

[e_dawg]

Drop in a 7k60 and a 256 MB SO-DIMM and it performs well enough for most uses. A 3.75 lb magnesium beauty. My only complaints are that the battery life is fairly short and the fan is quite noisy.

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

I don't remember the thread that Prof Wizzard started where Mercutio and I said something negative about Compaq.

Probably 70% of the Compaq notebooks aren't worth messing with, but there definitely has been a few good ones sprinkled along the timeline -- sorta.

One of the better ones I used for a bit was a "portable workstation" model (I believe it was called). The damned thing had poor battery-power time even with two batteries loaded, so you had to basically keep it tethered to wall power, but yowza!, the thing was absolutely a barn burner at just about everything! Come to find out, it was really a "desktop" computer schtuffed inside a notebook shell using a 2½-inch notebook drive -- meaning it had a regular desktop 478-pin Pentium 4 processor in it. I also believe that model would allow up to 2 GB or RAM installed.

Indeed, I also have very little love for Toshibas...

You speak of the cheap ones, not the Satellite P-25; better than a Dell. But then again, every single notebook computer in existence sucks.

Overall, notebooks have dropped in price a LOT during the past 5 years, but have only gotten slightly better in build quality during the past 5 years. They also go obsolete so fast it's pathetic. Unless someone really REALLY needs a notebook computer, they should be avoided like the plague, because they still have a long way to go as far as quality goes.

I also like having both a pointing stick...

Unless IBM has finally gotten around to lowering it, that loverly pencil eraser thingee can also wear a hole right into the screen over time.

 

[Mercutio]

I stick a piece of felt betwee my keyboard and my screen when I close the lid. I've done that for every laptop I've had and, surprise, none of my old ones have nipplemarks.

 

[EdwardK]

Wow :excl: Great to have all these responses. Thanks very much for all your advise and help. Really appreciate all your help.

Firstly, this weekend, I am going to a few shops and hopefully "play" around with some laptops and look at the screens.

I think I am going to stick with the big name brands such as IBM, Toshiba, Dell, Fujitsu and NEC - mainly for warranty and technical support. I would have liked to buy a Toshiba P-20 (we have not yet got the P-25 downunder) but it might be too heavy for me to lug around. My hospital has a contract with an Australian company which we buy locally-put together computers. Recently this company decided to sell their own branded laptops. I had a play around with their demo unit laptop today and it is an absolutely piece of junk! Since I can not get a Dell through my hospital system, I will not be able to get Dell corporate support. This makes me more inclined towards IBM or Toshiba.

Computer Generated Baby: is it possible for you to tell me why you and your brother has given up on IBM laptops? The reason is that I placed in order laptops to have a look at: IBM, then Toshiba, then Dell, then Fujitsu.

...Unless someone really REALLY needs a notebook computer, they should be avoided like the plague, because they still have a long way to go as far as quality goes.

Thats what I told my work colleagues as well and that is why I had not had a laptop for more than 6 years. Unfortunately, it is now time for me to bite the bullet and get a laptop. The other altenative for me is to carry removable media from one place to another. Then I have to wait until I get back to my desk/office before I can view the contents of these removable media. This is just not time- and effort-efficient.

Thanks again for all your help and advise. Please keep em' coming

Cheers,
Edward

 

[Computer Generated Baby]

Computer Generated Baby: is it possible for you to tell me why you and your brother has given up on IBM laptops?

As fast as the HIGHER END notebook computer world changes, it may not even apply anymore. But, my brother (especially) has sworn off IBM notebooks for good only because he invested a lot of money in the costly IBMs and they didn't return as much for their cost as the Toshibas he also did during those times. He kept buying those IBM ThinkPads (1996~99) because there really weren't any other notebooks around then that you could stuff a lot of RAM into that were ALSO reasonably portable.

I mentioned the IBM "pencil eraser" earlier. Every one of the 4 (or 5) IBM notebooks he had over time suffered LCD damage (wear and eventual rupture) from the pointing stick. He says that he never roughhoused them around, but the LCD screens would sooner or later get damaged severely enough that you could not see anything for a centimeter around the slowly-growing "blip" on the screen, requiring a semi-regular replacement ($$$) in LCD screens. From what I knew, he definitely kept them in the padded leather bag when traveling.

The "LCD screen problem" was the generally the worst of it, but I recall that he had 2 different models that also began suffering "the gremlins," as in locking up out of the blue. They were maybe just over 2 years old. Thinking the RAM was flakey, he replaced the RAM on one of those to no avail.

But the one he had that I will remember the most was one with a ruptured LCD (from pointer) that still worked, but the keyboard had started to get worse. It was the last remaining IBM he had. At 4 years old, it had been retired to a GPS computer, but the keyboard just simply became unusable. All the rest of his old IBMs were gone, so no spare parts, and he wasn't going to buy another keyboard for it. He also had his semi-retired small-ish SLOW cheap-o (ummm.... Canon, I believe) onboard the sailboat that was the heir-apparant for the gloroius job as GPS and wireless E-mail computer. The GPS PCMCIA card was moved over to the other notebook. Maybe 5 minutes later, that IBM ThinkPad was sitting at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in the Santa Barbara Channel.

 

[ddrueding]

I loved my old Sony Vaio Z505. While commuting on the BART, I'd be standing with my elbow looked around a pole, the laptop open in one hand while typing in the other. The ricochet modem made it about 4.5lbs, nut I could still maintain that position for the 40-minute trip to Berkeley.

IIRC, I made my first SR post while going though Oakland @ 45mph

 

[Fushigi]

I also like having both a pointing stick...

Unless IBM has finally gotten around to lowering it, that loverly pencil eraser thingee can also wear a hole right into the screen over time.

I've got a Dell, and the track point is flush with the keyboard. No marks on the screen after nearly 2 years and it's still perfectly usable.

 

[Fushigi]

Unfortunately, it is now time for me to bite the bullet and get a laptop. The other altenative for me is to carry removable media from one place to another. Then I have to wait until I get back to my desk/office before I can view the contents of these removable media. This is just not time- and effort-efficient.

What exactly do you need to view while mobile? Since you mention removable media, would a PDA (with SD card, for instance) suffice?

 

[DrunkenBastard]

I also like having both a pointing stick...

Unless IBM has finally gotten around to lowering it, that loverly pencil eraser thingee can also wear a hole right into the screen over time.

I've got a Dell, and the track point is flush with the keyboard. No marks on the screen after nearly 2 years and it's still perfectly usable.

My InsipRon 8200 left a mark on the screen fron the "joy-nipple" (tm Merc), until I took the rubber cover off. Also some of the keys leave an oily residue on the screen, it wipes off OK. The keyboard prob needs to be screwed down more.

 

[Buck]

Well look who woke up.