Help me decide on a new laptop!

[wmw999 2,589]

It's time. 2 keys on my 9-year-old Dell (bought used 7 years ago) don't work at all, and a third one works intermittently. The case feels kind of loose because some of the joints are broken. So before it dies, I need a new one.

It's my primary computer, and it's a tool -- I don't play high-res games, or watch bunches of youtube, or download movies, etc. I read and write email, do excel stuff, store some (but not a lot of) pictures, write documents, and postwhore on dz.com. But I expect it to last a long, long time, and not be a pain in the ass. We have a netbook for downstairs, and generally don't travel with the laptop unless we need MS Office. I do want MS Office, preferably free (of course).

And I think I'm the last person in America who likes a Trackpoint (the little stick).

My tendency is towards Lenovo. They're not sexy, but seem to be very durable. I've heard bad things about HP lately, and I don't think I want a Mac, although a couple of friends spent a noticeable amount of time trying to talk me into one recently.

I prefer to understand things, but that's getting harder and harder with computers these days, probably because it's a tool for me, rather than a toy.

Anyway -- suggestions? Let's assume that budget is anything up to about $2000, but if it tends towards the top, it'd darn well better make waffles or something.

So -- suggestions? thanks

Wendy P.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[NWFlyer 2]

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They're not sexy, but seem to be very durable.

Yep. A little more spendy but they're pretty bulletproof - I've had 'em for work before and like them a lot.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[JohnRich 4]

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2 keys on my 9-year-old Dell (bought used 7 years ago) don't work at all, and a third one works intermittently.

You can buy just a new keyboard, you know.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp;jsessionid=BE9048E963F31686CF567522C2A679EE.bbolsp-app05-21?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=2507039668875735736&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=keyboard&sc=abComputerSP&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=Computers&ks=960

I did that about a year ago. My computer's keyboard died, and was replaced. Although the store clerk had to take me to little-visited dark corner of the showroom, and knock the dust off of them. Then the monitor died, and was replaced. But that hard drive just keeps on ticking.

Although I am jealous of the folks with the 400+ Gig hard drives...

[Calvin19 0]

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I don't think I want a Mac

-SPACE-

[DrewEckhardt 0]

Not a Dell.

Although I bought "next business day" on-site service it's been two business days both times I've needed warranty repairs.

[theonlyski 8]

http://www.panasonic.com/business/Toughbook/toughbook-products.asp

They are not too shabby computers, and almost bulletproof... literally

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
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[Gawain 0]

Assuming you can spend some money, I highly, highly, highly recommend the following (in order):

1. Fujitsu LifeBook T5010 - It's powerful, has a great dual-digitizer touch screen, convertible tablet. It's an excellent business tool, and you will find use for it in all sorts of ways, especially with MS OneNote (which comes with it).

2. Lenovo ThinkPad T400s - Also powerful, has a touch screen, not a convertible tablet. Also an excellent business tool.

Of these two, I own the former, the Fujitsu is an extremely high-quality machine. I absolutely love it. It's versatility has increased my productivity greatly. If there is one CON, it's price. These two machines are expensive. Worth the money in my opinion.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[jcd11235 0]

Apple and Lenovo tend to top the lists for customer satisfaction (both product and support).

I love my Mac, but if there's another manufacturer that has consistently impressed me with their laptop offerings, it is Lenovo. They offer a lot of features and are very well built (i.e., very durable and abuse tolerant) Last I heard, the TrackPoint was still an option on Lenovo keyboards, but I haven't checked for almost a year.

Whatever you get, if you want it to be relevant for several years (a tough feat for any tech tool/toy), make sure it has 802.11n, gigabit ethernet, Bluetooth (for wireless syncing with mobile phones, among other uses, and preferably an ExpressCard slot (for future expansion options for things like USB 3). FireWire 800 (aka IEEE 1394b) and eSATA are nice features, too, but not necessarily essential, unless you use an external hard drive often (USB 2.0 tends to offer painfully slow transfer speeds).

I wouldn't pay extra for Blu-Ray unless a) you plan to use the laptop to watch a lot of HD movies and b) the laptop has at least 1080 lines of vertical resolution. External hard drives and large flash drives are cheap (and getting cheaper) and offer superior transfer speeds (especially true with external hard drives connected via eSATA, FireWire, or a gigabit network connection).

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