I wouldn't, as you know, have read ultrarunner's post if you hadn't quoted it. But he has a point, I very nearly bought the OH an ipad 2 for her birthday last month, but a bit of research taught me that the .3 is due in the spring and is rumoured to be a significant improvement.

She got a kindle instead for the meantime.

Always useful. Doesn't take much to look at timelines....

http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/

Yes, that's one of the sites I consulted last month.

As it says, the new one's supposed to have 4X the screen resolution.

Edit: And given what David Hockney's been doing with ipad2,

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat...w-on-ipad.html

That'll be quite impressive.

I love my Asus, it's never let me down

There is always the Dell ruggedised XFR

Some idea of budget would help (did I miss it?). My HP core i7 Elite book works well for basically what you describe, and hasnt had any issues, plus 3D CAD and a bunch of other things, but thankfully work paid for it.Its rated 5.6 on the vista "Windows Experience Index", which is pretty high, limited by the hard drive speed. It handles huge spread sheets and databases without any perceptible strain and multi-tasks without bother. Its not the smallest bit of kit on the block, but has a number pad on the keyboard which is a positive for me. the keyboard feel is excellent, and unlike some Ive seen the trackpad is very good too. Our IT folks have lost faith in Dell after some issues, and HP is working well for them so far.

Id go for the best processor you can for any serious number crunching or data apps, not really a Mac strength for those paying with their own money IMO.

Depending on budget, Mac would be best. I personally would skip Dell, their after sales service is rubbish. After Mac I would suggest Sony Vaio range (thats what I have, its my best friend ).

I'm up in the air about what to buy.
I'm typing this on my HP Pavilion desktop and I don't think I will go the HP route again since my CD drive packed up when it was almost new and HP wouldn't give any service or they will at a price. On top of that there is the news that they may get out of the hardware side of the computer business. Pity because they were the top of their game 20 years ago.
So I don't know whether I want a Kindle Fire, an Acer notebook or should I hold out to the spring when there is speculation that Apple will drop their price or come out with a competitively priced model.
I need something to use around the house to connect to the modem (highwire) especially when I'm upstairs. I'm currently using my iPhone but it is too small a screen. Also it would be nice to have a small compact notebook for the occasional trip. I talked to someone, actually a few people, and they love their Acer's. I love their price at around $200 or a little less.
Someone just mentioned on here that they may buy a Amazon Kindle Fire Pad to tide them over until Apple's new iPad in the spring. I like that idea so I may follow suit.

http://beta.msnbc.msn.com/streams/te...ntries/8803787

+1

I got an ipad 2 for MY birthday, last month - I'd have sooner had a Kindle! I have bought myself the new little Kindle for Christmas, plus the wrapping paper and the OH will wrap it up. I like the ipad, it's a fun 'toy' but I just can't be faffed with poking at the letters to send an e-mail. My laptop is practically steam driven, but I love it's big clunky keyboard - size matters!

I use a Dell Inspiron mini. We have one, in addition to our desktops, and I'm about to get another, so we both have one when travelling. We both need a keyboard, so tablets would not be useful.

However, I accept what people on this thread say about poor service from Dell. I don't like Windows. I load all our computers with Ubuntu, a Linux OS. That gets round the service problems with Dell. Hardware problems with Dell computers are rare, because they are built well. For software problems with Ubuntu, we use the support forums.

I agree with this post in so many ways.

Ordered the Kindle Fire for meself too after playing with one...I like the petitness of it, the functionality, and price. I just wish it had a camera, but that was not a deal breaker

Found an online coupon that gave me 15% off the amazon price

Hi - I've worked in IT and particularly for outsourcers/resellers for over 15 years. Here's my experience:

Dell = mass produced kit using the cheapest parts at the time of build hence what appears to be a good deal. We have received shipments of the same laptop model and several of them had different components i.e same model but different manufacturer on motherboards, memory etc.

Acer / HP / Toshiba = Pretty much same as above. I actually worked for an Acer/HP reseller for several years. They arent any better or worse than the others mainstream brands.

Asus = Very good. Can take a lot of heat if your doing video work. Dont hear many complaints.

Lenovo = Old IBM designs i.e thinkpads but basically does what it says on the tin. They are now part of General Atlantic and not IBM as people seem to think.

Apple = Expensive for a PC in a white box, they even get malware/viruses these days.

Sony = Excellent but expensive. We used to sell these to the British Olympic Association and various other companies. The only time they came back was when they had been dropped.

The newer contender the laptop marker is 'Samsung' though I'm not sure if they ship to Canada yet. Speaking to my ex-colleagues in the UK they are very highly rated.

Hope this helps...

PS. Shop around - Best Buy & Future Shop are the same shop (think Dixons & Curry's), Canada Computers are good and so are Costco & Sear's when the right offers are available. Avoid MDG at all costs.

Lenovo makes a hell of a business laptop in the Thinkpad. Great keypad and rugged as hell.