Re: Off topic: Need cheap new laptop, any suggestions?

[David Rosenthal davidrosenthal@xxxxxxxx]

ThinkPads are not budget items, but they're as good as ever; 
designed by the people who used to design them in IBM days, 
assembled in China by Taiwanese (Lenovo doesn't trust Chinese 
workers!), great service, etc.

Best,

David


----- Original Message -----
From: J R FOX 
Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 12:32 pm
Subject: Re: Off topic: Need cheap new laptop, any suggestions?

> Just a few quick comments on the previous comments:
>
> I know someone who maintains that the only really good keyboards
> are the ones on the ThinkPads / Lenovos. (But I don't think they
> are in the budget category, and I don't know if their quality is
> still comparable with what it was in the IBM days.)
>
> Flash wrote:
> > everything else must be attached via a USB hub to the one
> > on-board USB port, or reachable via wireless LAN. So make a
> > quick inventory what external devices a new laptop must be
> > able to communicate with, and check that any prospective new
> > machine has the necessary port(s).
>
> Another factor (especially if you had only one USB connection)
> is that some USB devices won't work through a hub. External
> hard drives like the WD Passport of Seagate FreeAgent are
> examples of this; although self-powered, they must still have
> a direct connection.
>
> Bill Troop wrote:
> > I have always also bought a 3-4 year onsite service warranty.
> > That is de rigeur with any laptop, I think. Even with that,
> > you're not out of the woods.
>
> This is something that always gave me pause about laptops.
> They tend to be more fragile, more difficult and costly to
> repair, and they may not last all that long. I have a desktop
> system that has been in heavy service for 5 years now. (That's
> not such a great achievement either, but this one has not yet run
> into a significant "CPU deficit", in terms of becoming
> underpowered for what it is normally called upon to do.) I have
> the feeling that 5 years would be exceptional longevity for a
> laptop, with most of them having serious issues long before then.
>
>
> Jordan
>
>