25 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
25 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Recommendations on Laptop for this...

by TiffanyLambert
19 replies
Hey Warriors!

I want a thrifty (read me: cheap) laptop of whatever for this purpose...any recommendations?

I want to sit in Starbucks after I drop my kids off at school until the zoo opens (so I can walk and lose weight) so I'll have about 2.5 hours to work (if that matters for battery life) and all I'll need to do is be able to use FireFox to blog, use Facebook, write in Word Docs, and maybe watch videos if I'm reviewing products.

I guess it needs some sort of wifi built in? I don't know anything about this stuff...whatever it takes to sit in starbucks and be able to get online. lol

Barebones - I won't be saving anything other than a word doc (and a video file if I have to download if it's not streamed) - no gaming, no video creation...

What should I get?
tiff
#laptop #recommendations
  • Profile picture of the author Tom B
    Banned
    Tiff, I don't recommend revising your "Female Orgasm" books at Starbucks.

    Almost all computers come with a built in wifi. So anything you get at Best Buy or other computer stores should work for you.

    I would just make sure it was a laptop and NOT a netbook.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2388498].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Marc Quarles
    Hi Tiffany,

    Not sure why Thomas would recommend against a netbook - that's exactly what I would recommend if price is an issue and performance isn't. They are very low-cost (under $300) and will do all the things you mentioned. They have good battery life, and are very light and portable. They will almost all have built-in wifi.

    They run some flavor of Windows, so installing and running Office, Firefox, and your other primary apps won't be a problem.

    The downside is they have small screens, but if you can live with that, a netbook would be perfect.

    All the major manufacturers have netbook models (Gateway, Dell, HP, etc) so it's just a matter of choosing the company you like best.


    Have fun!
    Marc
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2388517].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author mywebwork
    Hi Tiffany

    Since December my new best friend has been my ASUS Esee PC Netbook, and I think it fits all your qualifications:

    1 - It's cheap - I got mine with a nice Targus Netbook Bag for less than 400 dollars in December, it's even cheaper now.

    2 - It has great battery life - even using it on batteries every day since I got it I still get over 8 hours on a charge.

    3 - It has WiFi and Bluetooth built in

    4 - It's lightweight - I carry this thing everywhere

    5 - The size is great - although it's small the keyboard is actually 92% of the size of a full one. And if you ever use it on a train or a plane you'll appreciate the size, I use to use a 17 inch notebook on planes and it was pretty awkward to say the least.

    It's not my main machine but as my travelling companion it can't be beat.

    Bill
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2388519].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author FleeceHEAD
    I don't see why you wouldn't want a netbook in this situation, assuming you will have a "main computer" at home too. Netbooks are light, will fit in your purse, can run web broswers and word docs with absolute ease, and much less expensive. Video and games are not the best on netbooks but the newer ones can handle video a lot better than the first gen models from 2-3 years ago. Buy a nice HP netbook, install Open Office on it, and go out and enjoy your day. If you only have 1 computer a laptop will make more sense, but if this is just your whimsical "i want to be a free woman out on the mean streets Kennedale, Texas" I can't see why a netbook would not be your perfect solution.
    Signature

    Hello <name>, welcome to my horrible marketing email.

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2388531].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Peter Mai
    Pretty much any laptop in stores nowadays can handle what you need and i'm pretty sure they all come with built in wifi these days. If you don't mind a small screen then the suggestion by mywebwork is fantastic, its small, compact and easy to take around anywhere with you. If you prefer a bigger screen then look for about a 15" or 17" screen laptop.

    So just to conclude pretty much any laptop in stores now will suit your needs, you don't need anything expensive or fancy, just one that you find is a decent price that suits your budget.
    Signature
    Moolah'd - Building the World's First Online Business Eco-System
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2388542].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MassiveMarketer
    I would recommend an Acer or Toshiba laptop. Could be the one that isn't top of the line. Personally, I would prefer a laptop than netbook simply because it's just too small to do the things you wanted to do.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2388576].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Peter Mai
      Originally Posted by MassiveMarketer View Post

      I would recommend an Acer or Toshiba laptop. Could be the one that isn't top of the line. Personally, I would prefer a laptop than netbook simply because it's just too small to do the things you wanted to do.
      True. I personally am not a very big fan of netbooks either because of the small screen size. My personal favorite are toshiba's. Never had a problem with them and they are very reliable and durable, not to say the other brands aren't but toshiba would be the top pick for me.
      Signature
      Moolah'd - Building the World's First Online Business Eco-System
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2388596].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author zerofill
      Cheap and tough...I use lenovo laptops...
      Last time I bought one was this one: Newegg.com - lenovo G530-444623U NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core T3400(2.16GHz) 15.4" Wide XGA 2GB Memory 160GB HDD 5400rpm Dual layer DVD Burner Intel GMA 4500M

      Which was about a year ago...I bought it and another 2GB of memory all for $415...

      They may not be the prettiest laptops but they are fast and pretty tough...

      I don't spend much on laptops either...because I usually put at least 2k into just the towers when I build them...nothing replaces a desktop for me. But that laptop has been great for coding, and photoshop, open office etc...

      Just don't buy any with the old celeron processors they keep trying to get rid of in a lot of the cheapo laptop deals...

      The old IBM thinkpads I believe are what became Lenevo... and the thinkpads were always tough to beat up to.

      Looks like you just missed this deal: Newegg.com - lenovo G550(2958-9PU) NoteBook Intel Pentium dual-core T4500(2.30GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory DDR3 1066 250GB HDD 5400rpm DVD±R/RW Intel GMA 4500M
      Signature
      Serp Shaker
      The IM World Will Be Shaken to the Core!
      Join my list at: IMCool.Biz
      New Podcast --> podcast.imcool.biz
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2388627].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author bretski
      Originally Posted by MassiveMarketer View Post

      I would recommend an Acer or Toshiba laptop. Could be the one that isn't top of the line. Personally, I would prefer a laptop than netbook simply because it's just too small to do the things you wanted to do.
      Sorry...I wouldn't recommend either of these brands. HP or IBM with HP being my preference. I have picked up cheap HP/ Compaq laptops off of Ebay for a couple of hundred bucks that already had Office installed. End of lifecycle laptops with XP Pro on them that companies swap out can be found pretty cheap these days as folks transition to Vista or Windows 7.

      Just my 2 kopecks
      Signature
      ***Affordable Quality Content Written For You!***
      Experience Content Writer - PM Bretski!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2391551].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author rainyclayday
        I've been using a Toshiba laptop for 2-1/2 years with no problems. Still runs great.

        I also would recommend Lenovo....great computers.

        As far as netbooks, my son uses a netbook all the time, carries it around all over, and the only issue is the small screen. So a netbook would work fine for you I think. But honestly, laptops are so cheap nowadays, I'd probably just pick up a lappie somewhere like Walmart and call it a day.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2391765].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Valerie V
          I did all my research online for a netbook and ultimately chose the
          Toshiba nb305.
          I looked at asus and had some good recommendations on it, but
          I just liked the look and feel of the Toshiba more, plus I've have an old toshiba laptop
          for years and it's still plugging along, no problems, so I have confidence in the brand.

          Anyway, love the Toshiba netbook - so easy to carry around - and I can live with
          windows 7 starter for my purposes, but will likely upgrade to 2GB of memory.

          Oh, and I actually bought it at Best Buy. Their price was higher, but I asked if
          they would price match with Amazon and they said "sure". (I had iphone in hand with
          current price showing from amazon).

          -Val
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2392086].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author BeauJustin
    Acer's New line of Aspires start at around $500. They sport a 350
    gig hard drive 4 gigs of ram, and the I3 Quad Core processor series.
    It has 17" monitor, HDMI out, and a blu-ray dvd player, as well as
    just about every type of input and card reader imagineable.

    It comes loaded with Windows 7. I can do relatively high end 3d
    and video work on it with virtually no latency. At $500 you can't beat
    it, and it's available at Staples, Walmart, and Office Depot for certain.

    P.S.
    If you can't tell, I LOVE mine. :-)
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2389123].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author AlphaWarrior
    Tiffany, FWIW, I would stay away from Best Buy. They double team and triple team up against customers to try to get them to buy more computer than needed and to buy the service agreement. Then they want to charge you to take off some software and they open the box before you take it home. I wouldn't send my worst enemy to Best Buy. My wife and I had a really, really bad experience there.

    Check out WalMart and Office Depot. I have had good buying experiences at both. Plus, since it is back to school time, you may find a sale.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2391519].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author InternetM39482
    You can also go for Dell.

    I have a couple of Dell XPS 16 and they absolutely rock. They don't rock more than the macs though.

    While Dell XPS might not be required for what you want, a DELL netbook should suffice.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2391532].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Lisa Gergets
    Check out refurbished units too, Tiffany! They can save you a bunch!
    Signature
    Sign up to be notified when Success on Demand goes live, and receive a FREE mindmap that you can follow to create and launch your OWN IM PRODUCTS!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2391533].message }}

Trending Topics