Laptops / TVs etc
May 5th 2008, 3:52 am
#31
Riding on silver wings
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 10,543
Re: Laptops / TVs etc
The ASUS are interesting -- bit like the new Mac Air-whatsit. You can have them loaded with Linux or XP-lite. I think we are going to see a trend for these types of machines where the computer and OS are not really important since they are primarily web-access devices.
One of my pet hates with Windows machines is removing the crapware they preload on the system. It can take hours with a brand new machine to pull it all off. Was reading a blog from a guy with a new VAIO saying how he thought Vista was a pile of crap until he pulled all this off. Several hours later and it was actually running as fast as his old XP.
One of my pet hates with Windows machines is removing the crapware they preload on the system. It can take hours with a brand new machine to pull it all off. Was reading a blog from a guy with a new VAIO saying how he thought Vista was a pile of crap until he pulled all this off. Several hours later and it was actually running as fast as his old XP.
May 5th 2008, 4:00 am
#32
Septicity
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 23,762
Re: Laptops / TVs etc
Yep -- Dell are offering Ubuntu pre-loaded for the desktop market. Of course, a lot of hardware folks have been offering servers pre-loaded. But I think Dell is the first mainstream supplier to try the desktop market.
May 5th 2008, 4:36 am
#33
Peace onion
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: Denver
Posts: 5,686
Re: Laptops / TVs etc
I wouldn't buy a warranty from a place like Best Buy or Circuit City because I wouldn't buy a laptop from them in the first place. Generic stuff with very little choice. Go to the manufacturer's website and build/customize your machine there.
If you don't have to use computers for a living and can get away with just a basic laptop (with Firefox!) then just go to www.dell.com. Dells aren't bad
And I concur with whoever said IBM Thinkpads are bombproof. I had a T43p and wish I still had it (lost it when I got laid off.) I was so impressed I bought a T61 which is now made by Lenovo. Quality not quite as high, but still in different class to the competition. A big thing for me is the industry leading keyboard and ergonomics. Plus it's very quiet. And cool. And built like an Abrams tank.
Last edited by Octang Frye; May 5th 2008 at 4:49 am.
May 5th 2008, 4:44 am
#34
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 16,266
Re: Laptops / TVs etc
The base California Sales tax is 7.25%, but localities are allowed to add to it. In most of Los Angeles County, except for Avalon [Catalina Island] and Inglewood, it is 8.25%. In Alameda County [East San Francisco Bay], it is 8.75% while the City and County of San Francisco it is 8.50%.
[p.s. -- I went to law school in San Francisco and practiced law there for two years. San Francisco is the only combined city/county in California. It is common practice on legal pleadings to head the thing: California Superior Court, xxxxx County. Those of us practicing in the City would take umbrage to captions of "San Francisco County" when it should be "San Francisco City and County." Actually, I was more old fashioned: I would use "In The Superior Court of the State of California, In and for the City and County of San Francisco." But I've since changed to the more abbreviated captions].
May 5th 2008, 4:47 am
#35
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 16,266
Re: Laptops / TVs etc
i also second/third whatever... Frys Electronics (www.outpost.com)... they have the worst staff on the planet... however it is an electronics mecca... my dad used to spend hours upon hours in their just getting his geek on... probably didn't help that i lived/worked only 500 yards from the woodland hills one.
In Orange County, there is the one in Fountain Valley. BTW, they run full page ads every day in the Los Angeles Times on the back of the Sports Section. It looks like you can get a basic Compaq or HP laptop for not too much money -- there was one for $399.00!
May 5th 2008, 4:49 am
#36
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 16,266
Re: Laptops / TVs etc
My experience with computers, including laptops, is that if they are going to screw up, they will do it in the first 90 days.
May 5th 2008, 4:55 am
#38
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 3,338
Re: Laptops / TVs etc
The ASUS are interesting -- bit like the new Mac Air-whatsit. You can have them loaded with Linux or XP-lite. I think we are going to see a trend for these types of machines where the computer and OS are not really important since they are primarily web-access devices.
One of my pet hates with Windows machines is removing the crapware they preload on the system. It can take hours with a brand new machine to pull it all off. Was reading a blog from a guy with a new VAIO saying how he thought Vista was a pile of crap until he pulled all this off. Several hours later and it was actually running as fast as his old XP.
One of my pet hates with Windows machines is removing the crapware they preload on the system. It can take hours with a brand new machine to pull it all off. Was reading a blog from a guy with a new VAIO saying how he thought Vista was a pile of crap until he pulled all this off. Several hours later and it was actually running as fast as his old XP.
May 5th 2008, 4:59 am
#39
Riding on silver wings
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 10,543
Re: Laptops / TVs etc
I actually prefer clean installs myself. I can't stand bloatware. So if I have access to an install disc and pertinent drivers I'll go from there.
May 5th 2008, 5:00 am
#40
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 16,266
Re: Laptops / TVs etc
Laptops are something I would not advise anyone to buy an extended warranty on. With the notable exception of IBM / Lenovo ThinkPads (which seem to last forever) almost all current laptops have a useful life of not much more than 2 years. The first year is covered by the manufacturer's warranty and if it dies sometime in the second year you just buy the replacement a little bit early. (btw I have been using laptop computers for 20 years now so I am not exactly new to this game ...)
I happen to agree. When I go on personal travel I take my old ThinkPad 600. Its trade in value is now $0. I had upgraded the HD on my last TP, an R-31 [it is now my wife's desktop -- with a docking station for $15.00 from e-bay!]. After migrating everything to the new drive, I was curious to see if the old 20 gig drive would work in place of the HUGE 4-gig drive in the 600. Not only did it work just fine, but after running the recovery utility to factory condition, I had an XP machine. Microsoft let me upgrade it to SP2 with no problem and did not ask me for the $$ I was willing to pay. BTW, AlohaBob PC Relocator has been bought out by you-know-who. It will not work with anything with IE 7.] With a PII-266, it is pretty slow, but I has worked all over Europe. And it is 10 years old!
May 5th 2008, 5:05 am
#41
Riding on silver wings
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 10,543
Re: Laptops / TVs etc
Hi:
I happen to agree. When I go on personal travel I take my old ThinkPad 600. Its trade in value is now $0. I had upgraded the HD on my last TP, an R-31 [it is now my wife's desktop -- with a docking station for $15.00 from e-bay!]. After migrating everything to the new drive, I was curious to see if the old 20 gig drive would work in place of the HUGE 4-gig drive in the 600. Not only did it work just fine, but after running the recovery utility to factory condition, I had an XP machine. Microsoft let me upgrade it to SP2 with no problem and did not ask me for the $$ I was willing to pay. BTW, AlohaBob PC Relocator has been bought out by you-know-who. It will not work with anything with IE 7.] With a PII-266, it is pretty slow, but I has worked all over Europe. And it is 10 years old!
I happen to agree. When I go on personal travel I take my old ThinkPad 600. Its trade in value is now $0. I had upgraded the HD on my last TP, an R-31 [it is now my wife's desktop -- with a docking station for $15.00 from e-bay!]. After migrating everything to the new drive, I was curious to see if the old 20 gig drive would work in place of the HUGE 4-gig drive in the 600. Not only did it work just fine, but after running the recovery utility to factory condition, I had an XP machine. Microsoft let me upgrade it to SP2 with no problem and did not ask me for the $$ I was willing to pay. BTW, AlohaBob PC Relocator has been bought out by you-know-who. It will not work with anything with IE 7.] With a PII-266, it is pretty slow, but I has worked all over Europe. And it is 10 years old!
May 5th 2008, 6:06 am
#42
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 16,266
Re: Laptops / TVs etc
It happened twice -- one of which was that ThinkPad 600 -- I really can't say what went bad, on power-up it would make all the appropriate noises but nothing came up -- not even the BIOS diagnostic menu. This was after a week. I was sent a new one, no questions asked with a RDMA for sending the old one back. The other one was with a Dell which I bought for younger daughter while attending UC Santa Cruz. Sound card dropped dead [which to a college student is a disaster] 60 days into warranty. Same thing, I was sent a new one with a RDMA -- made a trip north with my copy of AlohaBob and cable, visited her and left her with a new computer and sent the old one back.
Back in the desktop days before 2000, I had three various machines go south within the first 20 days.
My original Palm Pilot had the screen go bad within a month -- exchanged under warranty.
The person who said they go for middle of the road models I think had it right. I've always felt that buying an older model gets you a better price and the teething problems have been fixed.
BTW, the TP I bought last December came with XP Pro. I did not want Vista.
