lap top recommendation?

On 10/13/2010 1:14 PM, Joan F (MI) wrote:
I always buy on line, more variety available and you can search for
bargains. I just bought this Tecra a couple of months ago for $800, they
usually run about $1400. I really didn't need another laptop but was a bit
unhappy with the one I had, had found out that I don't like the numpad on a
laptop, it throws the rest of the keyboard off center making it more
difficult to automatically position your hands and it was quite heavy. This
also had a silver keyboard and I wanted a light colored one, easier to see
in dim light. I wanted to stick with XP (this also has a CD with 7 so I can
upgrade if I ever want to) so every once in a while I would check out what
Tiger Direct had in that category. I saw this one and jumped on it, good
thing as they were gone the next day. I love it, light and fast and pretty,
too.

Figure I have over a month to fool around as present is for Christmas
and her birthday which is following week. She's not a heavy user and I
may even buy AMD processor. Of late, I had been buying on line at
Amazon and there is a function in Firefox that gives comparative prices.
My normal routine is to find what I like in the store, look at it, and
then buy on line.

I was happy with old GW, ordering on line, and then at their store when
they had them.

On 10/13/2010 8:14 AM, Frank wrote:
On 10/13/2010 3:19 AM, BillW50 wrote:
On 10/7/2010 9:51 PM, Ben Myers wrote:
All I can say is that Dell and Lenovo are generally well-designed, with
service manuals freely available, and spare parts in abundance.

HP and Toshiba totally suck to repair. Intricate over-complicated
assembly. Hard to find spare parts. HP has some service manuals
available, Toshiba none.

I have no experience working with Fujitsu and Panasonic laptops, not
enough with Acer-eGateMachines to form an opinion.

Finally, every brand name has its share of lemons. Witness the recent
settlement of the nVidia class action lawsuit identifying HP, Dell and
Apple models of laptops for recall and repair... Ben Myers

To add even more confusion, 2009 Consumer Reports ranked Toshiba as the
most reliable. While Dell and Lenovo were dead last. I personally prefer
Gateways (have four of them) or Asus (also have four of them) myself.


I had previously read Ben's comments on Toshiba and was prejudiced
against them but a friend has one and is happy with it and I checked lap
tops at Best Buy yesterday and clerk was high on them saying they had
less problems than other brands.

As someone that only buys a new computer every few years, it is
frustrating to always have to make yourself current as to what is going
on with a market that rapidly changes.

Now I'm confused where to buy, on line or local.

If you buy a Toshiba, cross your fingers or pray to your favorite diety
that it will not require service for any reason except for the routine
ones like memory upgrades. Also, figure out early on how to keep the
air vents clear of dust and dirt. Toshibas often suffer from clogged
air vents that cause overheating, not good for the long haul.

Store clerks will tell you anything to get you to buy, especially if
they are on commission... Ben Myers

On 10/13/2010 1:31 PM, Ben Myers wrote:
On 10/13/2010 8:14 AM, Frank wrote:
I had previously read Ben's comments on Toshiba and was prejudiced
against them but a friend has one and is happy with it and I checked lap
tops at Best Buy yesterday and clerk was high on them saying they had
less problems than other brands.

Store clerks will tell you anything to get you to buy, especially if
they are on commission... Ben Myers

Best Buy clerks work on commission? I really don't know, thus why I am
asking.

I got curious and Googled it. And it seems they don't, but they do
usually have to make a quota. Hmm... I guess the threat of being fired
would normally be a pretty good motivator too without the extra pay.

--
Bill
Gateway MX6124 ('06 era) 1 of 3 - Windows XP SP2

On 10/13/2010 9:13 PM, BillW50 wrote:
On 10/13/2010 1:31 PM, Ben Myers wrote:
On 10/13/2010 8:14 AM, Frank wrote:
I had previously read Ben's comments on Toshiba and was prejudiced
against them but a friend has one and is happy with it and I checked lap
tops at Best Buy yesterday and clerk was high on them saying they had
less problems than other brands.

Store clerks will tell you anything to get you to buy, especially if
they are on commission... Ben Myers

Best Buy clerks work on commission? I really don't know, thus why I am
asking.

I got curious and Googled it. And it seems they don't, but they do
usually have to make a quota. Hmm... I guess the threat of being fired
would normally be a pretty good motivator too without the extra pay.


Quota. Commission. What's the diff? I said "if" about the commission,
being uncertain of the facts myself. There is a difference when the
paychecks are done, but not in employee motivation... Ben