Laptops netbooks tablets - a discussion

[acm]

.

[Undisputedtruth]

@acm,

From what I recall, AMD is aiming their processors at the lower end of laptop market. So paying silly money for an overspecced computer sounds like a bargain. The long battery life is really is the deal killer as you don't have to lug about the power supply brick, thus saving carrying extra weight.

Tomshardware and Corsairs have produced articles giving the case for using 8GB RAM in systems. No doubt, SSDs also give a HUGE performance boost to systems.

Anyway, acm, I've already specced my next computer, now waiting for the parts to be released on the open market.

I don't think PR will go for the AMD Llanos in any case. Mainly because not a lot of people knows about it.

[mockney piers]

Long battery life, light, quick start up. Just get yourself something like this.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004HZG2O2/ref=asc_df_B004HZG2O23449594/?tag=pgelec-13-305-21&creative=22110&creativeASIN=B004HZG2O2&linkCode=asn

Samsung ?239

It really doesn't sound like PR is going to be playing Crysis 2 or do video editing, so why bother with anything more expensive/heavier/more powerful/flashier?

[*Bob*]

mockney piers Wrote:

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> Long battery life, light, quick start up. Just get

> yourself something like this.

We have the the previous incarnation (the N130) for use as a pottering machine. The best feature is a matte screen.. woo! The keyboard is also a decent size and feel (considering how small it is) and I can confirm that you can do email and internet and everything. Well, ok, you can do email and internet. It is light though.. and feels surprisingly well-built.

Downsides: half-sized netbook screen = severe neck-crane for anything other than short spells of usage. Battery life soon drops-off. Built-in speaker sucks. Takes an age to wake from sleep, which I now see is essential for a pick-up and use occasional device. Massively glitchy in about a million other highly irritating ways - but as this is the first (and last) non-Mac I buy I don't know if this is Windows or the machine itself.

Cost ?189 though. I mean.. what can you expect?!

[mockney piers]

I guess I shouldn't trust reviews.

It just seemed to me that if email and internet is all you want then aim low. But probably wise to buy a which guide or something beforehand to get a good model (i randomly plucked that one from a 'best cheap netbooks' list).

Mind you my iphone had a 6 hour battery life after about 6 months of use, so clearly Apple hasn't necessarily got the hang of things either. iPad is still pretty good after almost a year though, but it doesn't get especially heavy use.

CAn you pick up iPad 1s cheap, they're good at email, they're ooookayyyy at internet.

[*Bob*]

During the last electrical storm I wrapped the little Samsung in copper wire and stood on the roof waving it at the sky shouting 'take me, Lord' - but unfortunately it was spared.

Peanut & Monkeys though, really.

Do other PCs do things like lose their preferences, change settings of their own accord and freeze-up and crash on a regular basis when performing simple tasks? Or is it just mine? I have no idea.

[mockney piers]

They can do, I never seem to suffer these issues, but I do tend to go for higher spec machines, uninstall crap that I don't need and regularly kill processes from startup, studiously avoid any sort of malware, annoying plugins, toolbars etc.

I'm not a PC, neither am I an apple fanboy or booboy, I enjoyed my iphone until it first committed battery suicide, then committed functionality suicide when the iOS4 upgrade came out. But my iPad is a real guilty pleasure and it wasn't until the missus' 14 year old cousin came to stay a couple of weekends ago and hogged it permanently that I realised how dependent I've become on it for quickly checking emails and having a quick peruse of the usual sites when I get in from work, and how I resented having to boot up my PC.

I will say that in my 4 years of working with Macs as a Quark chappie that I found they crashed randomly at least 4 times a day, maybe they're better now but it did rather put me off (in fact the missus' macbook did so too though it was a work one and she treated it with less respect than she would a mangy cur, so it was hardly surprising).

[PeckhamRose]

I am so grateful for your time and references and ideas.

Pink was a JOKE!!!!!!!!

Because I spend a lot of time on my laptop I do want something bigger than a notebook but lighter than what I have, and I accept tablets (as someone who has to take 6 tablets a day, having one to carry round with me all the time is quite amusing...) may not be appropriate either.

I am checking out acm's references and will think on.

I DO, however, need bluetooth facility which my current laptop has, and I need its ability to be able to connect via my BT Internet connection, and thereafter when away from home, through BT Fon when available.

[*Bob*]

Here is the exact Samsung "we" bought.

Note the colour.

[Loz]

mockney piers Wrote:

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> (i randomly plucked that one from a 'best cheap netbooks' list).

I refer you to the 'netbooks are crap' comments from acm and me earlier...

[PeckhamRose]

Yes it does look rather small.

I have contact lenses prescription of +10.75! Don't make it worse!

[PeckhamRose]

Thinking further, I am wondering if I want the same but better (ie a faster better Toshiba laptop) because that is what I am used to, or do I need to be made aware of "excellent/better but different" (ie tablet).

I suppose this could refer to many aspects of our lives: partners, environments! I hope this thread could be useful for all of us to hear opinions on different choices. I shall also go to John Lewis as mentioned above. They must realise that people go there for advice then buy on line somewhere else. I did that with my washing machine and even their on line price was a lot more expensive than where I got it from eventually. "Never Knowingly Undersold" is so not true, because I told them I was getting it cheaper elsewhere and they did not care!

[PeckhamRose]

acm, your recommended sounds like a better version of what I now have but one still has to buy Office professional which I believe comes in at something like ?250.

Yikes!

I bought my current Toshiba reconditioned laptop about 8 years ago with it already loaded - for ?400 total and with bluetooth.

[mockney piers]

You went to a shop for advice then bought on line?

I'd consider that immoral!

My wife tried that when we took over an hour of the chaps time in a great pram/baby accessory shop in Peckham then surreptitiously demanded I check online prices for the product on my phone.

I gave her the hardest Paddington stare I could muster before handing my payment card over to the chap. AS it happened he chucked in loads of little extras without us even asking as he'd taken a broody style shine to the mocklet and has given really good after sale service, something you never get from online.

In fact some things i don't buy online because of the hassle factor when things go wrong. I'd rather go to richer sounds for a telly say. The previous time I bought a telly online I had a phone call the next day and the guy asked for 45 quid for delivery.

I pointed out that it was free, and he said the extra 45 quid would make sure the telly would be on the van coming to SE London in the next few days. I pointed out that now I know there's one coming in the next few days that why shouldn't it be on there anyway, so he said 'yeah but you wouldn't want anyone dropping it or anything would you'.

Long story short he realised he fucked up and my telly was with me free of charge the next day, but lets say afters sales support is non existent and I won't be doing cheapestbargainytypewebsite.com ever again.

I did buy my PC from dell online because the reputable companies doing direct online sales are usually pretty good.

Anyhow, as usual, I digress....

[PeckhamRose]

I did tell John Lewis what I was doing and gave them the opportunity to match the proven price I was buying on line. I reminded them of their Never Knowingly Undersold. They still refused. So their loss.

[*Bob*]

'Never knowingly undersold' doesn't mean 'price match'.

In fact JL specifically states it does not match online prices.

As one of the few large shops that actually still sees fit to provide a decent customer experience, going to them, getting free advice then buying online is actually pretty miserable and would be everybody else's loss if everybody did it and the stores closed down. Innit.

[PeckhamRose]

I would feel ashamed and feel pretty small.

But I don't earn much money and can't afford those morals.

And nobody dies.

I'll sleep tonight.

I shall never, however, ever be seen shopping at Primark.

Promise.

[*Bob*]

But every time you get free advice from John Lewis but then buy online.. somewhere, a cute puppy dies.

Think about it.

[mockney piers]

"But I don't earn much money and can't afford those morals"

You can either research something yourself or do what you're doing here, ask the advice of disinterested parties.

Why go to John Lewis and kill puppies?

[PeckhamRose]

I am a cat person. And not those fecking MEERCATS either.

Anyway, back to that laptop. Can't work out if any come with Office or do I always have to pay an extra ?250 or so for it to be added on.

[mockney piers]

You'll have to pay for office.

Try and avoid those trial versions. Get a clean PC then get a teacher to buy it for you, it'll come in about 40 quid.

I don't mind a bit of petty fraud committed against Microsoft you see, they do plenty well enough out of their software without having to charge us poor minkies a fortune.

Personally I just use open office, it's free, does the job fine and doesn't ship with masses of useless bloat.

http://www.openoffice.org/

[ianr]

> Anyhow, so the question is for this thread is, who has what. Why did you choose that?

For Office I use Office 97, mainly for Excel with scripting, and occasional use of Word for letters. I think it was passed on to me by a relative when they replaced it with whatever was the next version.

[*Bob*]

PeckhamRose Wrote:

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> Anyway, back to that laptop. Can't work out if any

> come with Office or do I always have to pay an

> extra ?250 or so for it to be added on.

Just nick it off the internet?

[Undisputedtruth]

mockney piers Wrote:

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> You'll have to pay for office.

> Try and avoid those trial versions. Get a clean PC

> then get a teacher to buy it for you, it'll come

> in about 40 quid.

>

> I don't mind a bit of petty fraud committed

> against Microsoft you see, they do plenty well

> enough out of their software without having to

> charge us poor minkies a fortune.

>

> Personally I just use open office, it's free, does

> the job fine and doesn't ship with masses of

> useless bloat.

> http://www.openoffice.org/

Home users can also buy the sames student & teachers Office suite. There are lots of good quality freeware on the internet internet so no need to hand over hard earned cash to MS.

i hope you don't suffer buyer's remorse in relation to the laptop, PR.

[ianr]

M$ software licences are I believe, in EU law, transferrable between machines. How practicable that is probably depends on your ability to access and use the source and installation files. The availability of these would be, for me at least, an absolutely necessary condition before I bought any packaged system with pre-installed software. (I've so far survived without ever doing so.)