[ale] [Slightly OT] Laptop Recommendations/Warnings

[Richard Faulkner]

I've never been a fan of IBM machines (worked on them for too many
years) and was even less fan when Legend computers took over.  We had
IBM/Lenovo back at XM and they were basically junk.  We switched to HP
for desktops and kept up use of Acer (then Gateway) for laptops.  I
still have an Acer Travelmate that is getting rather old but still is a
great little machine.  Front panel 1394, plenty of USB, SD, PCMCIA,
large screen 2GB running dual-core 2GHz CPU.  It even supports KVM which
I easily got running.  

I've maintained Compaq (their okay) and Alienware (terrible machines)
and had more choice words for IBM than I care to repeat.  Guess I'd vote
for Acer based on my experience -- but keep in mind that I haven't
played in that sandbox (maintaining laptops for company use in the
field) for a couple of years.  No doubt much has changed.

Rich in Lilburn


-----Original Message-----
From: George Allen <glallen01 at gmail.com>
Reply-to: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts <ale at ale.org>
To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts <ale at ale.org>
Subject: Re: [ale] [Slightly OT] Laptop Recommendations/Warnings
Date: Sat, 14 May 2011 18:27:45 -0400


I've been a loyal Thinkpad user for years, but I'm starting to have
2nd thoughts after my first Lenovo Thinkpad, a T500. It has started
having stuck keys which I've never seen on the IBM branded ones, and
the battery has about 1hour life now also. I haven't considered which
brand I would switch too, since I've always really liked Thinkpads. My
work computer is a Dell E6410, which is a decent box.

On Thu, May 12, 2011 at 8:23 PM, JD <jdp at algoloma.com> wrote:
> On 05/12/2011 07:27 PM, David Tomaschik wrote:
>> All,
>>
>> I'm beginning to think about my next laptop -- my 2007-era System76 is
>> down to under 1 hour battery life, and the screen occasionally
>> flickers.  Ideally, I'm hoping to get away at the ~$700 price point,
>> but it's looking like that's impossible for what I'm looking for.  My
>> desires are:
>>
>> - Battery life for conferences (6+ hours would be ideal, 4+ is a must)
>> - 4GB+ RAM
>> - Full size keyboard
>> - 13-15" screen
>> - HDMI/VGA out
>> - Core i3/i5
>> - eSATA would be nice, but not a must
>>
>> Recommendations or models/brands to avoid are appreciated.
>>
>
> I have ZERO idea about battery life, but Dell has 38% off coupons for
> new systems sometimes.
>
> XPS 15
> Latitude E5540
> Inspiron 1558
> HP Envy, but I never found it for less than $1200 after all the coupons.
>
> Get the 9 cell battery, but I doubt you'll get 5 hours.
>
> Anyway, after you find the model and config you like, start watching
> slickdeals for that 38% off coupon. It comes up about every 4 months.
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