Confused About New Notebook

[LaoPo]

To begin with: I'm a 'digibete' and not an experienced computer-nerd !

Next to my PC, my wife and I need a Notebook for travelling (Europe, Thailand, China etc.) and the question is, which one is the best ?

Money is not so important and my view goes to the Apple Notebook 17" but a lot of my friends tell me...DON'T DO IT because it is not compatible enough with Windows (XP professional).

We use the PC/Notebook for emails, lots of photos, study, internet; need also Chinese language configuration etc.

We do NOT need it for graphic design or other complicated issues.

I am so confused and would like to have your opninion on this decision...

All comments welcome.

Thanks!

LaoPo

[rcm]

To begin with: I'm a 'digibete' and not an experienced computer-nerd !

Next to my PC, my wife and I need a Notebook for travelling (Europe, Thailand, China etc.) and the question is, which one is the best ?

Money is not so important and my view goes to the Apple Notebook 17" but a lot of my friends tell me...DON'T DO IT because it is not compatible enough with Windows (XP professional).

We use the PC/Notebook for emails, lots of photos, study, internet; need also Chinese language configuration etc.

We do NOT need it for graphic design or other complicated issues.

I am so confused and would like to have your opninion on this decision...

All comments welcome.

Thanks!

LaoPo

Hi there,

I would go for a Windows Laptop as it is easy to use. (altough i personally prefer Linux but you might have compatibility "headaches" )

rcm

[Carmine6]

To begin with: I'm a 'digibete' and not an experienced computer-nerd !

Next to my PC, my wife and I need a Notebook for travelling (Europe, Thailand, China etc.) and the question is, which one is the best ?

Money is not so important and my view goes to the Apple Notebook 17" but a lot of my friends tell me...DON'T DO IT because it is not compatible enough with Windows (XP professional).

We use the PC/Notebook for emails, lots of photos, study, internet; need also Chinese language configuration etc.

We do NOT need it for graphic design or other complicated issues.

I am so confused and would like to have your opninion on this decision...

All comments welcome.

Thanks!

LaoPo

If that's all you're doing, I don't think there are compatibility issues, but I also think you can get a great regular notebook for the price of an Apple notebook. It's also a different operating system, so it won't look and feel the same as your PC. So, unless you fiddle around with it a lot before you leave, you may end up wanting to try to do something you do at home, and not knowing how to do it on a Mac. Lots of people do think they are easier to use however.

Make sure the software for your camera is Mac compatible, as well as any other special software you have.

[simcity]

i suggest you go for a compatible window note book , if you have any problems many more people will be able to help !

[Nickkbh]

Go for the Mac.

Easy to use,and easy to set up for email and internet.

And,they are the coolest looking laptops out there.

+ the new ones are really fast.

They are not in Thailand yet though,but should be soon.

[backflip]

April 1st, no fooln', is the 30th anniversary of Apple, and it is rumored that SJ will introduce several new portable products.

[roblin]

April 1st, no fooln', is the 30th anniversary of Apple, and it is rumored that SJ will introduce several new portable products.

i bought i acer 8204wlmi for 97900baht i pantip plaza. i need winxp for poker. otherwise i would go for the intel macbook pro. if you want pc, i recommend 8204wlmi...

things is happening in the computer world. if you can i recommend you to wait until christmas for shopping. intel meron, windows vista(with EFI support) and osx 10.5 leopard should be for sale by then and will make a 17" macbook pro very nice.

if you want to buy a 17" powerbook now, wait a few weeks, i am quite sure a intel inside one with iSight, frontrow etc will be released soon.

[Kf6vci]

http://www.theregister.co.uk published that Intel will present a new mobile CPU which is using very little power and will result in mobile devices lasting all day. so I would wait until after the CEBIT exhibition and possiblz after the price cuts scheduled for May. ** I like DELL with a 3 year warranty and an accident insurance. And I would buy directly from a manufaturer and shun all less known brands. LENOVO ("IBM Thinkpad"), DELL (they have some great X-somethign laptops) and whichever you buy, spend more and get 1 GB more RAM memory :-)

[LaoPo]

Thanks you guys for all the help and advises....it certainly doesn't make it any easier ...and......I haven't decided yet......and my wife is pushing me a little to make a decision; maybe I let her decide since she will work on the laptop most of the time...also she's much better with a computer than me

LaoPo

[simcity]

I look around not long time ago for notebook for friend , and went fo a BenQ !

no problem so far

[LaoPo]

I look around not long time ago for notebook for friend , and went fo a BenQ !

no problem so far

What is a BenQ ?

LaoPo

[Tywais]

I look around not long time ago for notebook for friend , and went fo a BenQ !

no problem so far

What is a BenQ ?

LaoPo

Another computer manufacturer, mostly low end, low cost systems. But seem to be coming to the main stream more.

http://benq.co.th/productmain.asp

[ode]

things is happening in the computer world. if you can i recommend you to wait until christmas for shopping. intel meron, windows vista(with EFI support) and osx 10.5 leopard should be for sale by then and will make a 17" macbook pro very nice.

No EFI support in Vista...

http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2151778/...ios-replacement

[tjo o tjim]

Personally, I love my Mac... as most Mac owners do. My biggest complaint with the Windows machines is that they slow down significantly over time due the cruft associated with programs you install... even before you get a virus or spyware.

The Mac will do everything you need it for. Personally, as beautiful as the 17" Power Book is, it is too large for me to travel with, or even just take with me, so I went with the 12". Make sure you hold it in person before buying so you understand just how big or small something is. Pictures don't always do justice.

Good luck!

[Plus]

Lao Po, if you don't know much about computers and don't have an Apple geek by your side 24/7 - go for Windows. If you like Apple's looks and image, go for Apple, but be prepared to invest quite some time and effort in learning how to use them.

If Windows suprises you, and it often does, you can turn to practically anybody and get some help.

[Nordlys]

Personally, as beautiful as the 17" Power Book is, it is too large for me to travel with, or even just take with me, so I went with the 12". Make sure you hold it in person before buying so you understand just how big or small something is. Pictures don't always do justice.

Right. I find even the 15" to be a bit too big and heavy to travel with. Sometimes you can't even find enough desk space in hotels with 15", but that could be because I am often staying at rather sleazy hotels. Anyway so I bought myself a 12". I use 15" at home and 12" when I have to take it out of home. You're going to have enough problem finding a computer bag that can fit 17" in Thaialnd.

I don't know about Windows but Mac OS-X is a perfect system to share one computer with someone else. Change the account (need password) and instantly it becomes another computer with different confirguration of your choice (language, etc), you'll feel like you are using another different notebook.

And BTW I'm not an apple geek and I am clueless as to how it works especially since OS-X but I have no problem using it even though I have no one around me using Mac to help me with. Being a Mac user it looks to me like it takes "geeks" to run Windows.

[Plus]

Yeah, but the look on newbies faces when they don't recognise the notebook they have just learned to use!

Windows can also have many users with all different settings, some times logged on at the same time but I don't know anyone who uses this feature.

For me the deciding factor, or actually two factors, were: using office network and using GPRS aircard, but I don't think it's relevant to Lao Po.

And one more thing - games and software. You'd have to travel far and wide to find any shop that sells anything for Mac. That might be very irritating - everyone your wife/gf knows plays this game on their Windows PC, but not you, cos you are so special and so advanced with your Mac.

We had a Zuma craze recently, everyone played it, now it's Feeding Frenzy and something else about Coral Reefs. Silly games spread by the word of mouth rather than on merits, but if you have Mac, you are excluded anyway.

[jtb]

I have been a dedicated Mac user since 1987 but, in line with what Plus has said, if you are travelling the world, you're far more likely to find someone to solve a problem on a Windows machine than a Mac. Consequently, I went over to the 'Dark Side' a couple of years ago and bought a Thinkpad. No problems and much better than all the Mac gurus would have you believe!

[LaoPo]

I have been a dedicated Mac user since 1987 but, in line with what Plus has said, if you are travelling the world, you're far more likely to find someone to solve a problem on a Windows machine than a Mac. Consequently, I went over to the 'Dark Side' a couple of years ago and bought a Thinkpad. No problems and much better than all the Mac gurus would have you believe!

Interesting answers guys. Thanks a lot, but it doesn't make it any easier for me so far...

And: jtb...also interesting about your remark about the IBM (I suppose) Thinkpad.

Why would you buy a IBM Thinkpad, instead any other brand? (what about screensize?)

LaoPo

Edited March 17, 2006 by LaoPo

[Youbloodybeauty]

LaoPo,

I travel a lot and had probably less idea of what to get then you!

This was my first notebook and I know from checking out friends notebooks the bigger screens are bad for travel, they were ###### heavy. I had looked at the little Sony notebooks but they are expensive.

Did heaps of research on the small notebooks and found Dell had a 12". I went to a local Dell place and found it had a fantastic screen. It really looks as good as the Sony's. I ended up getting the Dell Inspiron 710m. In was about 52000 baht which is way cheaper then the Sony. The Dell Inspiron 710m actually has some Sony parts in it.

Don't know where you live but I looked up the Thai Dell site and they don't have the 710m model on the site but they do have the Dell Latitude X1 which is very similar to the 710m but is lighter and more expensive!

710m - 1.9 kg

X1 - 1.14 kg

Thai:

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/c...c=th&l=en&s=lca

Oz:

http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/c...c=au&l=en&s=dhs

The X1 costs a fair bit more than the 710m. I can't see the price on the Thai Dell site but on the Oz site it's about 75000 baht.

I never use my desktop anymore, I always use the notebook, the 12" screen is really sharp. I can carry it in a small backback anywhere and it doesn't worry me too much, nothing would be better but when traveling I need the notebook for work. It has been around a lot now and haven't had a problem with it.

One point about these notebooks, they are NOT suitable for gamers due to the graphics. If you are a gamer you will have to compromise on weight and get a bigger notebook.

You can find more info here on Dells including user reviews:

http://www.notebookforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=71

If you go up one level on that forum, you'll find all other brands.

YBB

Edit:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_Latitude_X1/4...7-31345338.html

Edited March 17, 2006 by Youbloodybeauty

[LaoPo]

YBBeauty..thanks a lot for your post.

I will study it over the weekend!

LaoPo

[tjo o tjim]

The Thinkpads were always good, solid machines, and there is nothing really wrong with them.

I use a Dell for work, and apple for personal stuff. As computers go, the mac can do a good job of insulating you from the little intracacies of a computer, unless you REALLY want to get into it and open the terminal window. I find many things to be simple rather than easy with a mac, but generally don't find that to be at the cost of productivity. (There is one exception- can't do everything without the mouse, which I sometimes prefer. Another is the lower pixels per inch of the display.)

Macs aren't for everyone. Games is the most common stumbling block.

The Dell, on the other hand, is a top-end machine with unexplained and unexpected performance/reliability issues. It does the job, just without the same level of detail that I feel I get with my mac.

Just held one of the new Mac Book Pros an hour ago, and it looks like a great machine, and not bad value.

One last fact for you- macs last longer than any PCs I have seen. The IBM (Lenovo, technically) is solid, as are the Panasonic Tough Books. The Fujitsu computers are svelt. Sonys LOOK good. Toshiba and Compaq I wouldn't recommend at all.

Good luck!

[jtb]

And: jtb...also interesting about your remark about the IBM (I suppose) Thinkpad.

Why would you buy a IBM Thinkpad, instead any other brand? (what about screensize?)

LaoPo[/color]

Chosen as a consequence of advice from well-informed source, plus there was a good deal available at the time! Dell also have a good reputation and may well be cheaper than IBM now. Good luck!