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[john tv]

OK guys, I need a laptop. Bad. Anyone got any recommendations for where I should buy one?

My main concerns are functionality (wi-fi? usb 2.0?), design (gotta look good), weight (gotta be light), and size (I want it to be small, but I need the screen to be able to display at least 1280 x 1024, or whatever the equivalent of that would be in widescreen [yes, it must be widescreen]). Oh, and duh, price. Cheaper is always better, obviously.

Games aren't really a priority, though it would be nice if I could play WoW I suppose...

Vaios are pretty big here in Japan but I always hear people joking about their poor quality. Anyone have any opinions either way? Dell is another obvious choice though before I go with them I'd like to see what else is out there and what you guys recommend.

Any help would be awesome!

 

[.hacked]

I have one of these:

Sony VAIO® Notebook PC (VGN-S360)

It is light, neat looking, CDR/DVD rom, ATI 9700 graphics and has USB 2.0 and wi-fi. 13.3" widescreen crystal clear LCD that max res is 1280 x 800.

I love it, plays WOW on med settings.

Downsides:
Playing games eats battery
Sony proprietary memory upgrade


You can get it most anywhere for $1500-1600 after MIR.

 

[gigapower]

You can't go wrong with the 15" Apple PowerBook. It plays WoW just fine.

 

[Great King Bowser]

Dell laptops come recommended from me. Got a Dell Inspiron 8600 and love it. Bought it last September for just under £1000.

1.7ghz Centrino Pentium-M
15.4" WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
1024mb RAM (Upgraded from 2x256mb)
128mb ATI Radeon 9600 Pro Turbo
80gb 5400rpm HDD
Intel Pro wireless 2200BG Wireless Card

EDIT - Will play most games at decent quality. Was just playing Freedom Force vs The Third Reich at native 1680x1050 at highest quality settings and it was nice and smooth. Most hihger graphic intensive games I run at around 1024x768 with mid to high settings.

 

[tetsuoxb]

OK guys, I need a laptop. Bad. Anyone got any recommendations for where I should buy one?

My main concerns are functionality (wi-fi? usb 2.0?), design (gotta look good), weight (gotta be light), and size (I want it to be small, but I need the screen to be able to display at least 1280 x 1024, or whatever the equivalent of that would be in widescreen [yes, it must be widescreen]). Oh, and duh, price. Cheaper is always better, obviously.

Games aren't really a priority, though it would be nice if I could play WoW I suppose...

Vaios are pretty big here in Japan but I always hear people joking about their poor quality. Anyone have any opinions either way? Dell is another obvious choice though before I go with them I'd like to see what else is out there and what you guys recommend.

Any help would be awesome!

John, since I have a general idea that you are doing this to be able to work outside the house, I would recommend you take a trip to Yodobashi or Akiba and literally start picking up laptops.

I would go with a list of specific features you want (processor speed, ram, HD, etc) and then get some hands on time with laptops that meet your spec. Pick them up. (if it doesnt have a battery, ask to hold one that does) Look at the quality of the screen. See if you can comfortably type on the keyboard.

It is good to ask for recommendations here, but you got recommened a VAIO which you are already leaning against, and a really heavy dell. A 15" Powerbook would be nice, but the 12" is orders of magnitude more portable, and then you have the whole migration to MacOS X to deal with. Ive played with some really nice Japan only Fujitsu's and Sharps that are awesome.

I really want a 12" Powerbook, but with the G5 4-6 months away, I'm not going to pay Apple's full retail price for something that is about to radically change.

 

[.hacked]

It is good to ask for recommendations here, but you got recommened a VAIO which you are already leaning against, and a really heavy dell. A 15" Powerbook would be nice, but the 12" is orders of magnitude more portable, and then you have the whole migration to MacOS X to deal with. Ive played with some really nice Japan only Fujitsu's and Sharps that are awesome.

well excuses us for trying to help.

 

[tetsuoxb]

well excuses us for trying to help.

Sorry you took offense, wasn't meant to be taken that way.

I am sure John would like your opinions on the VAIO build quality.

 

[.hacked]

I am just kidding

 

[Hurricane_Chris]

I recommend you look at:

1. Vaio Type S (13.3")
2. Vaio Type T (10.6")
3. Toshiba M200 Tablet PC (12") -- I forgot Japanese model name.
4. Powerbook (12") -- although non-Windows and no PCMCIA slot may be an issue for you (It's out for me because I don't wanna buy a USB AirH, I want to use PCMCIA becuase I can share it with my PDA)
5. I heard the Sharp Japanese 10.6" and 12" line was also pretty nice
6 And finally the 10.6" Panasonic Let's NOte is really rad if you don't need an optical drive, so small so lightweight.

I tested 1-4 and last years model Let's node with similar specs. Performance wise I would ranke them:
1. Toshiba M200
2. Powerbook 12"
3. Type S
4. Type T
5. Let's Note.

If you want more details I can send you a more detailed mail later, or in person later.

For me lighter, smaller, and packed with features the most important thing for me. The Toshiba is cool because it's really customizeable and they don't rape you on the upgrade prices on their web page. Now if you order from the US store you get a 10% discount.

 

[guess]

I recommend you look at:
1. Vaio Type S (13.3")

I have had a Vaio S for about 6 months. No problems with it yet.

But:
The battery is not secure in its slot.
The fan can get really loud. (when using the ac adapter)
There are plastic covers over the ethernet/firewire/usb slots. I'm affraid I am going to break them off.

Other then that I think it is a great system.

 

[john tv]

OK, first of all, thanks for the great feedback so far. This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for.

One note: I have zero interest in a Mac. I will be getting a PC laptop for sure, so Powerbooks are out of the question.

Now, about the Dell -- Bowser, the specs look pretty awesome but how about the size and weight? Is it clunky and/or heavy?

I have to admit, living in Japan has made me into something of a consumer whore, so I'm feeling tempted to buy a Vaio. But I'm a little worried about it falling apart on the 366th day, if you know what I mean. Are these just silly myths or are they really made like shit?

.hacked -- that looks really nice though the Dell's higher resolution is tempting. With the kind of work I do, I often have 20 things open at once, and many of them take up the full width of the screen, so more is definitely better. How about weight? Is it heavy? And what kind of warranty did it come with?

tets -- I agree, looking around is a great idea and I've been doing just that. I've got a good amount of points built up at Bic, too, so if I end up going with a Japanese model, I can probably get a little discount there.

 

[.hacked]

.hacked -- that looks really nice though the Dell's higher resolution is tempting. With the kind of work I do, I often have 20 things open at once, and many of them take up the full width of the screen, so more is definitely better. How about weight? Is it heavy? And what kind of warranty did it come with?

My Vaio weighs in at just under 4lbs, don't know about the warranty because I spent a bit extra and got the extended one from CircuitCity.

I do believe you can get a Vaio with a bigger screen but I wanted a smaller lighter Laptop because I already have on order a big heavy one for gaming.

 

[StrikerObi]

OK guys, I need a laptop. Bad. Anyone got any recommendations for where I should buy one?

My main concerns are functionality (wi-fi? usb 2.0?), design (gotta look good), weight (gotta be light), and size (I want it to be small, but I need the screen to be able to display at least 1280 x 1024, or whatever the equivalent of that would be in widescreen [yes, it must be widescreen]). Oh, and duh, price. Cheaper is always better, obviously.

Games aren't really a priority, though it would be nice if I could play WoW I suppose...

Vaios are pretty big here in Japan but I always hear people joking about their poor quality. Anyone have any opinions either way? Dell is another obvious choice though before I go with them I'd like to see what else is out there and what you guys recommend.

Any help would be awesome!

You've basically described a 15" Apple Powerbook. Minus the fact that it'll set you back around $2000, this is the computer you have described. It comes with built in wi-fi and USB 2.0 (as well as FireWire 400 and 800). It weighs in at 5.6 pounds. It's 15" diagonal across the wide screen display. It displays up to 1280x854. Also, it looks fucking awesome compared to every other laptop ever.

You said games aren't a priority but you would like to play WoW. A Powerbook can do this.

They're also rock solid stable. The OS is way stable. Once you make "the switch" and get used to it, OS X is killer. The new models include drop sensors to shut the hard drive off if it dedects the laptop accelerating or shaking.

Edit: the 15" and 17" models also include PCMCIA ports. They also aren't SUPER thick like some other laptops. My friend (Meier actually) has a Dell laptop and it's really nice, but the damn thing is twice as thick as my Powerbook.

 

[cubicle47b]

You can up the resolution on the Dell 8600 for $50 or $75. I'm running 1680x1050. It's a little under 8 lbs., so I'd say it's a bit big and clunky.

 

[Pochacco]

Dude, get a Lenovo ThinkPad.

 

[Great King Bowser]

The 8600 is reasonably big. But it's not a massive compromise for what's under the hood. A smidge over 3kg isn't overly-heavy either, asI'm currently resting it on my lap using it on the couch, so that's not a problem.

A quick google finds these dimensions:
Dimensions (W x D x H)-- 14.1 in x 10.8 in x 1.4 in
7.3lbs

Make of that as you will.

On the aesthetics side, it's not a bad looker. You're either gonna love or hate the blue trim. I personally quite like it, but have read a few complaints from people over at notebookforums.com (which I recommend you take a look at before buying a laptop for user comments) who don't like it so much.

At the moment the back of the LCD is silver, but I just ordered a Graphite Swirl snap on cover off ebay for £16 which should arrive tomorrow, which I personally think looks rather snazzy and is going to be an improvement over the plain silver.

 

[john tv]

(white noise)

I said, I'm not interested in a Mac. I'm buying a PC. The point of saying that was so nobody would waste any time / energy / bandwidth trying to sell me on a Mac. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

Buy what I recently bought myself