DDGuy

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....I have researched a lot of electronics but never a laptop. It was always given by our employers (for me and my wife) but now the wifey is quitting to set up a much less hectic life (She intends to give some freelance trainings on technologies/ topics close to her). So she now needs a laptop for herself. Typical usage - lots of powerpoint, mails, internet, chat...some songs, some movies...she wants it to be not very heavy....and of course it shouldn't cost a bomb. Needless to say, being a typical female, looks are important to her too (So no Acer, no Dell !!)

We seem to have narrowed it down to these three-

HP

(HP looks nice but has an AMD CPU, which I have no idea about)

Sony

(Sony looks OK too, has host of multi-media s/w, slightly smaller screen though)

Lenavo IdeaPad

(Not so good looking but seems like an all-rounder)

All three are more of less priced same (around 40-42K INR, which is almost 900-950 USD.) and will come with Vista Home Premium

I know that they are all kinda outdated models, in terms of CPU but a Core 2 Duo CPU will push our budget by 20%.

So any suggestions? brand wise...spec wise?

Another pain in the butt is going to be Vista that comes with new laptops. Neither of us use it even in office and it will be a royal mess. Will my collection of various XP-Compatible S/W even run on that? (My biggest need if of course MS-Office. We use 2003 version still in office. Will it even install on Vista??)

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elfoozo

Vista runs like crap on dated "Vista capable" hardware that we've seen customers with here. 7200 RPM drives help a little but I'm not impressed.
Hope she is very very patient.

BackdoorJesus

Look for an XP option, most manufacturers still offer one.

AFIK, Office 2003 will run on Vista if you find yourselves stuck with it.

As far as models go, I have one of these:



...which is a Lenovo Thinkpad X61 Tablet laptop and I really like it a lot - it is fast, really small, light and has nice power & features.

There is also a standard X61 that is not a tablet (I don't use the tablet features much myself really) which is a little cheaper.

May be a little out of your budget range though, and I am sure it won't appeal to your wife's "aesthetic" needs since it only comes in basic black...

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Ryan

you can't beat a mac for looks... you can do all of those things she wants to do on a macbook of some sort

I'm curious why dell's are instantly avoided because of looks... have you seen the xps series? I'm quite a fan of the looks, and they come in multiple colors.

What is your budget, here? What screen size does she want? 12.1, 13.3, 14.1, 15.5, 17...?? that makes a HUGE difference in everything.

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licupssy

I don't think you'll have a problem with Office 2003. I've run the Vista advisor on my computer and it had no software problem with my version of Office which is Office 97 Professional. If you have a present computer with XP and Office 2003 on it you might try running the Vista Advisor to see if it has a problem with it.

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midnight_devilx

Ryan, I agree. The XPS is one of the better looking CPU's on the market. But Dell has such a bad rep, of course you only hear the negative feedback of companies. My dad works for them, so I back them pretty well.

I, however, work for Apple. I must say that a MacBook 13" with 2.4 GHz processor, 250GB HDD, 2GB memory (or 4GB, for an additional $200) and DVD/CD burner will suffice her needs. Perhaps not aesthetically, but there are many cases for it that can "change" the color. Aside from that you can purchase iWork 08, which is compatible with all Microsoft Office programs (word, excel, power point, etc) and does a whole lot more, because it uses that graphics card to its full potential, unlike Microsoft. Did I mention they are inter-changeable? Also, you can now run Windows (XP or Vista) on a Mac.

So you can get it all for:



Now, I know you are on a budget, so I'm sure it will be a "no," but it's worth looking into There's also a promo going on right now.


ha, I sound like I'm trying to sell. I'M NOT!! I don't even do sales.

DDGuy

Thanks for the replies so far......

No MacBook for her....that's for sure..

Well, I am beginning to realize that buying an under powered CPU is not a good idea after all and thus we may have to stretch our budget. We went around some shops yesterdays and she seems sold on Vista looks (as long as her brother's company provides her a MS-Office installation:-)). So a Core 2 Duo with Visa Home Premium is what we are now looking for.

Looked at Dell's new Studio line, apart from the old Jane looks, I liked the configurability part of it. Below is my wish list configuration


R540704 - Dell Studio 15 Laptop

1 47,377.00 47,377.00


Keyboard Dell(TM) Backlit Keyboard with Touchpad (English) 1


Base System Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T8100 1


2.1GHz, 3MB Cache, 800 MHz FSB


Operating System Genuine Windows Vista(R) Home Premium 32 bit SP1 Edition (English) 1


Display 15.4 " Widescreen WXGA CCFL (1280X800) TFT Display with TrueLife(TM) w/ Camera 1


Integrated 2.0 Mega Pixel Web Cam


Color Kits Spring Green Colour with Black U-Trim 1


Memory 3GB (1 X 2 GB + 1 X 1 GB) 667MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM 1


Hard Drives 250GB SATA Hard Drive 1


Internal Optical Drive Internal 8X DVD + /-RW Combination Drive with dual layer write capabilities 1


Video Card 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3450 1


Wireless Network Solution Dell Wireless 1397 802.11b/g Half Mini Card 1


Audio Solution Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy ADVANCED HD Audio Software 1


Bluetooth Module Dell(TM) Wireless 370 Bluetooth Module 1


Carry Case No Case


Shipment Box with No Case


Adapter 90W AC Adapter 1


Dell Accessories Dell Bluetooth Wireless Headset 1


Software Microsoft(R) Works 9.0 (Does Not Include Microsoft(R) Office 2003/2007 Software) 1


Integrated Fast Ethernet 10/100/1000 1


8-in-1 media card reader 1


Dell(TM) Travel Remote Control 1


Noise Isolation Ear Buds





Total


Total Amount After Tax
Rs 55,362.10

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Ryan

looks pretty good

I just bought a dell xps m1330 on thursday. mine's a 2.6ghz core 2 duo with 4gb ram and a 128mb 8400 GS card in it and the 9-cell battery. I'm giving up a precision m2300 (14 inch) that is 2.2ghz w/ 4gb ram and a 512mb gfx card (I wanted the portability).

I've purchased over $25k from Dell this year to date. My rep likes me

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Waldo

im looking to but keeping my budget under 600 fun stuff

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both my car and my bike can ride on the rear wheel[s]
"Remember one thing, no matter how pretty she is, someone, somewhere, is tired of HER SHIT"

Ryan

i have a budget laptop I keep around for just doing email / web surfing, etc

it's an old 1.6ghz core 2 duo with a 100gb hard drive and 1 gb of ram that I bought for $150

for remote desktop sessions, you can't beat it

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DDGuy

Dell India is giving me some 6% discount on the config above, so will go ahead and place the order soon.....now only we can agree on the color (whosoever thought that we will have color as a point of discussion for a freakin laptop but females...sigh!)

My wife's choice


My choice for her
More subtle with a feminine enough pink trim


The kids are on her corner so I might as well go green :-)

Would be interesting to see what do you folks think? specially the ladies in the house...

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licupssy

I'm a fanatic on buying things in green but not too hot on this shade of green. If she was into pink she probably want it in Flimingo Pink. The midnight blue be my choice but my wife probably go for the ruby red. The graphite grey makes me think of an old office building bathroom.

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I solemnly swear that I am up to no good! ~~~SWTWC

Ryan

puke green ftl

Pink is nice and girly, and it's a small enough amount of pink to not be obnoxious

I say buy the pink one and surprise her with it and say "oops I didn't realize you wanted the green one" when it shows up

then tell her you're hungry and point in the direction of the kitchen without saying another word

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DDGuy

Its funny how a much younger ryan dislikes a new age color while our good old licu feels that grey seems too old!!!
Oh the times we live in.....

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