[B5JMS] So, I'm thinking about buying a lap-top

[b5jms at cs.columbia.edu]

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From: PsicopJeffG at hotmail.com (Jeffrey Gustafson)
Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 05:12:47 +0000 (UTC)
Lines: 40

[REPOST - I think the original (9/14) got lost in the crash]

So, I'm thinking about buying a lap-top.

I've never owned one before, and all the computers I have ever owned
have sucked.  Plus, I'm really not that computer literate.

So, I saw this ad for an HP notebook, with, if approoved, no payments
for 12 months, and when payments start, just 41 dollars a month. 
Obviously, price cannot be the only consideration, but it is a major
factor in my potential purchase.  Gettin on with it, here are the
specs on the computer they are offering...

Its the Hewlitt-Packard dv1000 Series PC.  It uses Windows XP Home,
and a 1.6 GHz Intel Pentium M 725 processor.  It uses an eighty gig
hard drive with "512MB DDR SDRAM (1x512MB)" (?) memory.  It has a
fourteen inch (ahem) WXGA (1280x768) screen, a DVD/CD-RW drive, and
some other standard stuff.  Plus a free printer I'll likely never use.
 A major plus, though, is that it's got built-in WiFi capability - a
big deal for a cash-strapped New Yorker who can probably find
thousands of places to get high-speed internet access for free (thus,
amongst other things, the desire for a laptop).

The price is $1374.00, with free shipping, and anywhere between $50
and $150 in rebates.

Is this too expensive?  Should I try a different brand?  Should I go
to an actual store?  Ditch the idea alltogether?  What about Apple? 
And does this dress make me look fat?

You lovely, talented, tech-savvy folks have always been knowledgable
on such whatsits, so any help will be rewarded with a thank-you
up-front.

      -The Jeff

Sheridan:"So how did you find out all of this?"
Bester:"I'm a telepath.  Work it out." <*>



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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com (Jms at B5)
Date: Mon, 20 Sep 2004 05:47:32 +0000 (UTC)
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I've always told everyone the same thing: if you want to get a solid computer
with no hassles, solid tech support, that will keep going until the sun goes
nova...go Dell.

I've been buying nothing but Dells (with a few exceptions I'll note in a
moment) since 1992, and in all that time, I've had only ONE problem with one
system, where the floppy disk wouldn't recognize itself.  They had a guy out
the next day, popped in a new one, that was it.  

I do go through them for upgrades and because I just beat the shit ouf of my
computers, but never because of any problem with the system itself.  They also
have some of the best prices on the market.

The only exceptions were a Sony laptop I got just to try it (sucked), and a
Fujitsu laptop I bought because I wanted something ultra-light (mostly sucked).
 It's been my experience that Sony desktops are okay, but the laptops are just
awful.  

Dell laptops have been a bit on the bulky side, but they're trimming them back
a lot lately.  So if I were to suggest one, I'd recommend a Dell.  I've
suggested them to other friends, and in every case it's worked out to their
benefit.

 jms

(jmsatb5 at aol.com)
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permission to reprint specifically denied to SFX Magazine 
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