If you don't want to sweat your laptop after you buy it. I mean if you just want to use it and not have to worry about anti-virus, firewall etc. then go out and get the biggest Apple iBook you can afford. I made the switch about 8 years ago and I've ever only experienced one problem and it was all my fault. I know there are serious Apple haters out there, but if you are not a tech geek and just want the most reliable "no sweat" product out there I would recommend an iBook. But I'm not a tech geek and I'm sure theres probably better products for the money but if you are looking to this BBS for an opinion then you probably need to make the switch to Apple anyway.
That's good advice. You could skip the whole xp vs Vista thing. You don't need killer specs for OSX to run well. Mac laptops are quality machines. The macbooks start around $1100 I think. On a different note, I thought Lenovo kept up the same great quality control that IBM did when they were making the same windows laptops out there? has the quality dropped so much?
I've had it on this laptop since it came out, and short of a couple driver issues at launch(since rectified) it has been zero problems. People who have problems are normally tryin to use hardware that hasnt had drivers written for them...alot of companies are not even considering writing Vista drivers for older hardware and either not updating their software or are charging for new versions, so if you are still running old hardware or old applications that wont update you for free, dont bother. It is VERY resource hungry in its default configuration. 1G RAM minimum (im running 2G DDR2) you can set it so that it doesnt need as much, but that turns off most of the major "features" of the OS...the interface. IT still has a few things which are nice to have...improved security and intergrated search for example, but the Glass interface sucks all sorts of RAM.
the highly anticipated update (yea right...) after scouring the internets for hours for 14 inch laptops not made by acer, i have narrowed down to 2 choices. 1) this HP ==> http://shop2.outpost.com/{neZJb2dl...90167#detailed 2) or a dell inspiron 1420. both have 1 gig RAM. (i plan on upgrading it to 2 on my own later - thanks to everyone who responded in the vista thread) these were the only two 14 inches in that rough price range (under 800). the HP is $700 with much better specs on it (160 gig HD plus DVD burner, webcam). however, the screen is described as (1280X800) WXGA High-Definition BrightView Widescreen. the dell inspiron, after i chose my configurations, is 1440X900, 80 gig HD and no DVD burner for roughly $770 after a friend's employee discount. while the specs are better on the HP, screen resolution is a HUGE deal to me. i can't stand looking at giant sized icons/windows etc. so can someone tell me if there is a significant difference between 1440X900 and 1280X800? perhaps a screenshot would be greatly appreciated. i checked out bestbuy and they didnt have any with 1440X900 so i wasn't able to compare. thanks alot for the help.
Cab, There is a little difference between the two, but at 14" it will probably not make that much difference visually. What you need to try to find out is the refresh speed, how many milliseconds does it take to update the LCD. That will give you additional info on the quality of screen. Personally, I have always liked Dell.....but have heard good things about HP as well. Good luck. DD
why doesn't it make much difference on the 14? every laptop/desktop i've owned up till this point has had a drastic difference in each resolution level, so i assumed the same between these two....? thanks DD.
Good thread, I'm also in the market for a new laptop. I want a big screen and long battery life. That's about it. I spend most of my time surfing the net or in the Office Suite programs, so I figure anything on the market can easily accommodate that.
i haven't had any vista-related problems, but i've also heard lots of people with vista issues. off-topic: is the brand name that significant of a factor? like, dell vs. hp vs. toshiba
Why the hate for Acer? I have had one for over a year now and haven't had any problems. Same goes for a couple friends of mine who bought their laptops around the same time as I did. To the person complaining about the boot time with the Vista loaded Acer, try upgrading your ram to atleast 1 gig. Vista with 512mb? No thanks.
