12-29-2009
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#31 (permalink) | |
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party machine
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Minneapolis-St. Paul
Posts: 3,561
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Quote:
 She was trying to stay under $500. The MacBooks all use Core2Duo processors and run upwards from $999. Being a Texas gal she could get something of that caliber from the home state guys (Dell) for a lot less through their oulet store. Besides, she's got the mental capability to operate a non-Mac PC. Jimmy Last edited by JimmyMN; 12-29-2009 at 08:37 AM.. |
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12-29-2009
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#32 (permalink) | |
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aņejo
 Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 12,275
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Quote:
i love my apple, would be very reluctant to go back to pc find a used 12 in g4 powerbook and be happy for years with no problems 
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12-29-2009
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#34 (permalink) | |
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character encapsulator
  Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Texas
Posts: 32,808
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Quote:
I know it doesn't have a dual processor, but bumping up to that doubled the price... although this one caught my eye... I mean, who doesn't want a Ferrari? FRYS.com*|*Acer although I just re-read and that ferrari mentions an AMD processor versus Intel... so is the first one I posted powerful enough, processorwise? or how would Dell compare for price? It's mostly just for internet use so i can wander if i want... thanks! (vanessa, we did the same thing last night at Best Buy!) |
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12-29-2009
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#35 (permalink) |
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aņejo
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,911
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I have a Asus EEE PC series. Paid 249.99 at Best buy. Love it, fits in a small pocket of my backpack. I use it mainly for travel and sitting on the couch surfing in the evenings. We have a business and cannot travel without a computer. I have Micro Office on it, put on by using an external DVD player. Then I have data on a Transcend 4 gig jump drive. Took it to Canada in Sept for a week and all worked well. Will be using it in Mexico for 2 months. Built in cab and micro for using Skype which I do at least once a week to talk to friend in Canada. One of the best decisions I made buying this for travel. So lightweight!
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12-29-2009
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#37 (permalink) |
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Travel Insurance Tester
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: The Joisey Shore
Posts: 17,489
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I have an Acer netbook, running Windows XP. I only use it for travel and man, I really enjoy not lugging a full size laptop around. I LOVE it. I wouldn't ever use it for home use though, too small - I'd go blind typing on those tiny keys!
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12-29-2009
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#38 (permalink) | |
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character encapsulator
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Texas
Posts: 32,808
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12-29-2009
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#39 (permalink) |
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reposado
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Posts: 1,010
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We just got a Samsung N130 with 10.1" non-glossy screen and 6-cell battery. We use it for web surfing and checking email.
Works great so far. I like the non-glossy screen since we use it mostly in a bright living room and reflections from the windows would be quite annoying. Not so keen on the Windows 7 Starter operating system (it's very limited in functionality), but it has not been a big problem so far. We can do what we bought the netbook for and that's what counts. I'm very happy with our purchase
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12-29-2009
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#40 (permalink) | |
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party machine
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Minneapolis-St. Paul
Posts: 3,561
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Quote:
Did a search at Dell's Outlet Store for their Latitude E4300... only went 4 pages deep and the cheapest for this more advanced model was $689. BUT, it's a Core2Duo, 4GB RAM-DDR3, 7200rpm hard drive, has a DVD Writer, Built-in webcam and microphone, slightly smaller than the Acer and a full 3yr warranty included. That one's a race horse!! They have less expensive models (Inspiron) on closeout but most of their cost leaders come with only a 1yr warranty. My main reason for buying higher end business class Dell Latitude laptops is that in 3 years when the unit is out of warranty, there will be a plethora of quality new/used parts out there (cheap) to repair it. The Latitudes are popular for business leasing and after 2yrs of minimal use, they're sold off to liquidators. Some are resold complete (usually with a year warranty) or parted out... when a model reaches a certain point in it's lifecycle, Dell starts liquidating it's inventory of new parts that were stashed for warranty purposes. Most laptops being sold today should easily suffice for 6 years, especially the more powerful ones. As for Acer... they're not popular with business. For that reason, you won't see mass quantities of them produced like the business models from Dell or IBM (Lenova). Acer caters to the home consumer who wants a little more splash. And, when they break, you'll be hard pressed to find replacement parts because the shelf life for all models is extremely short. If you don't buy the product protection, when they break, you pitch them and buy a new one, just like a cell phone. Locally, I buy Dell laptops from a lease liquidator. They give me free reign to go through their inventory and pick out the golden ones. I especially look for models with minimal wear on the base and keyboards... many of them spend most of their life tucked in a tote. I even check the service tags to see how much warranty remains. Guess I'd take a quality used laptop over a new netbook any day of the week. Plus it's good for the environment and it means a few dollars that don't make the trip to China. Jimmy |
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12-29-2009
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#41 (permalink) | ||
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Travel Insurance Tester
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: The Joisey Shore
Posts: 17,489
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Quote:
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12-29-2009
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#42 (permalink) |
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aņejo
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Delaware
Posts: 10,422
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I picked up an ASUS T6600 With Intel Core Duo for $625 at Best Buy about a month ago. I really like it. Way better than the HP crap I had previously.
But, that is over the $500 budget you set (my math skills are amazing aren't they! ).
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12-29-2009
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#43 (permalink) | |
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character encapsulator
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Texas
Posts: 32,808
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Quote:
you and thor both!  i got a big christmas gift and i only wanted to spend half on the computer... how slow is slow? how fast is fast? page loading? i won't have much loaded on it as i only plan to do online things like fb, banking, email checking... no word processing, i don't skype (gah, i can barely stand to talk on the phone, much less have someone staring at me!) or watch movies or do music... apparently i'm barely alive.... 
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12-29-2009
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#44 (permalink) |
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aņejo
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Missouri-North of KC
Posts: 3,626
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We have a macbook and love it. For travel, we just got a Gateway netbook. I chose it because it had the things I wanted (big memory, long battery life and web cam) for the cheapest price, $350. I'm very happy with it!
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12-29-2009
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#45 (permalink) |
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aņejo
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Cologne, Germany
Posts: 9,871
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SKM, my netbook (1 MB RAM working memory) is fast enough. I surf the internet with it when I am travelling and load my pictures on it when I travel. But sometimes when I am in front of the TV I am too lazy to get up and go the 7 steps to my PC to check my mails so I just sit with the netbook in my lap. So the 500 USD should be enough for what you are looking for.
What you should check though is that the screen of whatever you decide on is not mirroring. THAT is something really annoying. |
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