Thinking of a new laptop..

[TooNice]

I've been thinking of getting a laptop. I have a desktop at home that can run all my games and such, but frankly I think it'll be useful to be able to carry my work to the library and such. So far, I've narrowed to 3:
Acer Ferrari 3200 (£1300 approx):
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=62007
Its catches the eye.. But I am still not sure if its in a good way. Spec wise its reasonable, not bleeding edge, but very respectable. Weight wise, its not light, but I *think* its sits under 3kg - which is reasonable. Not cheap, but there is much more expensive.

Fujitsu-Siemen Amilo A 1630 (£1100 approx):
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=79780
Absolute desktop replacement. I've never seen an A64 3700+ on a laptop, and the rest of the component is pretty cutting edge for a laptop (just misses the Mobility 9800 Pro or something like that). Heavy though, it nears 4kg. But its also the cheapest of the bunch. Pretty impeccable feature wise on paper.

Sony Vaio X505VP (£1750 approx):
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=63063
Paying more for less has never been so attractive (to me anyway). I've always associated Sony laptops to being thin and light, and this is the reason why.. On first sight, the spec aren't impressive. The screen is as small as some of the laptops 10 years ago. But.. 800g!! And thin as the diameter of a pound coins!!

The thing though, is that once I buy a laptop, I am most likely going to be using it for about 3 years. I don't know if I'll be playing much games, certainly not with the Sony one.. But I am wondering, will the Sony one be even capable of dealing with future office applications and such? Or heck, even current OS/Office applications.. 1.1Ghz seems pretty slow by today's standard.. Any thought/comment?

[Marcos]

I thought the X505 was only available on import , but it is easily the most impressive laptop around.

The way i use laptops, i get a powerhouse desktop for the home, and have something lightweight/portable but still fairly potent for carrying and light work/internet.

Because chances are if im going portable i wont be playing games or encoding video. So you have to think, are you really going to carry a 4KG beast that only lasts an hour on battery? Ive seen of the new mid-size laptops (12"-14") run for up to 6 hours which is great.

If i were you i'd just get one with enough power but also portable (the X505 seems just too small to be useful for work).

[TooNice]

Whats the next best thing among portable? Is there something thats, say, 1.5kg (twice the X505, but much lighter than most) with slightly more modern spec?

[Marcos]

Yeah, thats around what i shoot for 1.2kg-2kg. I currently have a 2kg machine, but as it is 2 years old, things have moved on a bit. You can now buy a 2kg Sony Vaio with a built in optical drive and 13.3" widescreen (1280x800), and plenty of power. I find my machine portable, although i would prefer 1.5kg (look at the sony T series). If you walk all the way to work then you should be looking at lightweight units, but if you drive, then 2kg is fine.

I dont know about other brands as i usually just buy used sony vaios at ebay, but you should get more bang for buck with toshiba, dell, or ibm. But then you'd be giving up some style

Have a look at the www.sonystyle.co.uk site and they should showcase some of the nice new ones. Although im not sure if i would actually buy a sony new, i think i'll stick to ebay as they come pre-tested. I hear sony's repairs and customer support is pants

[shamus21]

Yeah, thats around what i shoot for 1.2kg-2kg. I currently have a 2kg machine, but as it is 2 years old, things have moved on a bit. You can now buy a 2kg Sony Vaio with a built in optical drive and 13.3" widescreen (1280x800), and plenty of power. I find my machine portable, although i would prefer 1.5kg (look at the sony T series). If you walk all the way to work then you should be looking at lightweight units, but if you drive, then 2kg is fine.

I dont know about other brands as i usually just buy used sony vaios at ebay, but you should get more bang for buck with toshiba, dell, or ibm. But then you'd be giving up some style

Have a look at the www.sonystyle.co.uk site and they should showcase some of the nice new ones. Although im not sure if i would actually buy a sony new, i think i'll stick to ebay as they come pre-tested. I hear sony's repairs and customer support is pants

Yes it is and they charge way over the top

[Marcos]

I was just looking at the 'simply' christmas catalogue, found a great sony deal:

http://www.simply.co.uk/productinfor..._XPP/index.htm

Good spec for the price i thought, 14" is manageable at 2.3kg. I'd probably seriously consider it if i was buying right now, but i wont be buying until next summer. Prices should be great by then

[Marcos]

Woah! what the crap:

http://www.simply.co.uk/productinformation/99539/WW/SONY_VAIO_B1VP_Centrino_PM_725_1.6GHz_14.1_XGA_512MB_40GB_DVDC_CD-RW_WLAN_bg_XPP_+_FREE_40GB_VAIO_POCKET_(AP1L)/index.htm

What an awesome deal, same laptop + vaio pocket 40GB for the same price sold out for a good reason

[TooNice]

Whats a Vaio pocket?
Sony T series.. I'll need to look a bit more into that.

I've decided not to go for the X505, on the basis of the cost. I find that aspect more offputting than the spec (as long as it does office, I am fine - less distraction isn't a bad thing ). And its all in the R&D (its great they spend it there, but I just don't want to be the one paying for the inovation ). Once competition shows up (I don't think it'll go unoticed), the price should go down.. Not to mention there should be more choices. If they can squeeze 11.3" or better yet 12.1" at under 1kg.. I'd be extremely interested

I also find it interesting how Toshiba, IBM and "bang for buck" is placed in the same sentence. Back when I had my last laptop (486 DX2 - so ages ago), a Toshiba laptop was the most expensive laptop you could get.... with the exception of IBM.

Edit:

Umm, the S2VP is under 2kg with 13.3" screen (quite workable with). Maybe thats what you are refering to?

[Marcos]

Argh, i cant believe this, i wrote 2 posts with links yesterday and now they are lost, cant remember what i put in them.

But have a look at www.simply.co.uk and look at their notebook prices, they were ok when i checked. Also www.ebuyer.co.uk and www.dabs.com

Sony's S2VP seems a fair price and spec