Retirement present: wi-fi laptop

but WHICH ONE?

[vkaryl]

and of course the kicker is that my husband (provider of the above-mentioned retirement present) really does NOT want to pay megabucks for it (since he sees no use in computers of ANY sort.... and isn't it nice of him to "indulge me"?)

Ideas? Point me in the right direction? No-don't-buys? I admit I have a HORRENDOUS bias AGAINST HP/Compaq....

[Mpegmaster]

You can go in with the New Toshiba laptops..they seem to be reliable and going at a good price with lots of features :)

You could also go in with a SONY VIAO ;)

Neat looking laptops and good warranty on them

[vkaryl]

Thanks for your response. I had just started looking online, at Dell, and thought they were a bit high in price. Then I had someone at work tell me the e-machines were the best, though I think the desktops leave a LOT to be desired!

So I figured I'd just ask the pros.... I'll take a look at your recommendations, and thanks again!

[willybfriendly]

Look at a Sony in person. Awesome display, but spendy.

I had a Toshiba that I was pretty pleased with.

WBF

[drbrain]

12" iBook

Lightweight, beautiful screen, comfortable keyboard, has apps that all work together *beautifully*.

Its the perfect companion for a computer-hater.

[vkaryl]

drbrain: I don't do macs....

I MIGHT eventually have to get a used mac for "looking" at websites. I don't think I want one as my only laptop....

Besides, I don't hate computers. In fact, I'm machine-centric in the extreme.

[drbrain]

vkaryl: Right, I mean to change your husband's mind :)

And you do want one for your primary machine, you just don't know it yet :)

[vkaryl]

drbrain: Oh. I see! Light thickens....

Hmm. WHY do I want one as my only machine? In other words, here's your opportunity to convince a pc-person (since 1984...)

[drbrain]

Well, I talked my gf into getting a Mac after doing some for-fun programming at OMNI group, a Mac development house. I didn't get a full-on Mac experience, but they felt more solid than any PC I've touched. (Physically, as well as the OS.)

Now that she has it, I steal it from her for my use as much as possible. This really, really surprised me, since I've never really been a GUI fan at all. I haven't yet had the money to buy myself my own yet :(

Everything in the Mac just works together well. Microsoft promotes an "integrated is better" philosophy to the world, and Apple does it right (it will be a big win for everybody if MS can figure out how to do it like Apple). All the core applications are separate, but they work together in a way that seems to be purely magical. (Oh, and you can install MS Office on it too, should you need it.)

If the machine is primarily for you, you probably want to go with a PowerBook. The PowerBook is slightly more powerful, slightly lighter, and much, much cooler looking.

You get Apache installed and ready to use for free with any Mac, what better tool for a webmaster! And it works seamlessly with Windows over a network, so you can share files easily.

[digitalv]

Dude, you're getting a Dell.

[vkaryl]

digitalv: dude, I can guarantee you I am NOT getting a Dell. They are priced far higher for the same stuff you get with Toshiba.... much LESS emachines (which I've done a bit of search and research on just this evening, and while the desktops suck, apparently the laptops are pretty darn good) or Toshiba. Sonys look REALLY good, but they seem to be pricier than Dell....

I think I'm gonna have to go "play" at the new-in-town BestBuy.... it's pretty hard to get decent pricing locally, but BB is probably the place to start.

[Alternatively, there's wallyworld, or Staples.... and that's about it other than small dealers (we charge you the EARTH - are we worth it? Are you KIDDING?), Radio Shack (give me a break....), or the one local "ahem" guy (he's the one who chops the boxed models into bits and sells the bits....) Alternatively? Hrmm. There IS no alternative.... *sigh*]

[bill]

vkaryl, Sony machines have a bad reputation in Japan for their VAIO series. They're expensive, easy to break, but cool looking. They've got a new series out now that seems to be breaking the mold (according to the trade news). I don't know if they're out in the States yet, but their ultralight series is impressive to behold in the showroom. It's feather light, thin, and not too small to type on. This new unit is so portable that I'm actually thing about dumping my powerhouse Dell laptop for it.

...the only thing is I can't remember the model name...just saw it yesterday...grrr

[digitalv]

If the cost is an issue, have you thought about looking on eBay or uBid? You can often find people selling refurbished laptops at a fraction of what they cost new, and they come with the same manufacturer's warranty as the new ones.

I've purchased two refurbished laptops off of ubid, one Dell and one Compaq, and have never had any problems with either of them. Both retailed at around $2,000 at the time and I picked them up for around $700 including shipping. If it's FACTORY refurbished (the manufacturer did the repair, not a third party) you get the exact same warranty as you would if you bought a new one, which is usually one or 3 years.

[figment88]

I think the Fujitsu S series does a really good job of combining price, features, and style.

[PhraSEOlogy]

Then I had someone at work tell me the e-machines were the best

For price/performance I think the emachines wi-fi laptops are good. I bought two for my office and both are fast and reliable. They have pretty nice displays too on the m5116.

[vkaryl]

Thanks to all of you for some good places to start. I have a used IBM ThinkPad 380E (1997) for which I paid $250 in 2001. It's worked fine, even though it's fair useless on battery (even with a new battery @ $100!) and I like it pretty well. I just haven't seen anything decent in price out of IBM. And since not only does the antique not have wi-fi, I'm not even sure it has a network card of any sort - haven't looked.

So that's the reason for asking for info. Just haven't any knowledge on this to fall back on.

I really appreciate all the information!