Tick tock, tick tock, who's afraid of an old dead clock

[summer_skin]

I did a lot of looking last night at some sites and looked for reviews and compared prices on laptops. At this point I'm really looking for price over flair because I'm keeping my desk top for anything big. I want a laptop for convenience, really. I think I'll get myself to bed earlier with a laptop. If that makes ANY sense at all, LOL.

Anyway. I fiddled around on Dell (which I wouldn't normally look at in the least but they still have XP available until June 18th!) and came up with three computers here. They're all the same, basically, and creation goes from bottom to top so each time I went through it I made it cheaper.

I don't know anything about laptops. Nothing. I know brand names are better than no names with laptops and that they're easier to drop. That's about it.

Future Shop has refurbished computers here. sockherder has had good luck with HP in the past so I was leaning toward one of those but they all have vista and they're refurbished so I don't know exactly what that means. I mean, I get it, but I don't know what sort of quality or shape they're going to be in.

I know Dell does refurbished, as well, but I can't seem to find anything like that on the Canadian site.

Time is sort of of the essence here, as the date on those prices for the Dell computers expires June 12th and they stop carrying XP on the 18th.

Can you share with me your laptop make and models, your laptop stories, your experiences with different brands and, if you know anything about them, if the ones I've linked above are half decent? I don't need it to hack into the Canadian government security system (hahahahahahaha) but I'd like something that in six months I'm not going to throw against a wall in frustration. Although, really, one could argue that that's ANY computer, so...

And now... work. :P

[ETA] 8 hours and all the comments later I should have thrown in that I refuse to go Acer. I have heard good things only from people who sell them and my roomie had one for about a year and a half now, and it's already spazzed out on her twice. I work on Macs all day through my job and I'm not fussed over them. I don't think they're any better than a PC and I'm speaking as a graphic designer, likely the ONLY one who will ever say that. And I know Gateway is the debil.

Comments

[cleverthylacine]

Apples are very expensive and the software is all proprietary and hard to hack and this is why I like ThinkPads.

[redina]

I work on a Mac, and sorry to say, not that impressed. I appreciate a different platform and the different software but there isn't necessarily a 'better'; it still comes down to good components and making sure stuff, including software, is compatible. I've built two vidding PC rigs and both are nice because I chose good components.

As to the Thinkpad being 'dull' looking, Macbooks are monochromatic too. I like how one person described a Thinkpad as "Johnny Cash 'I mean business' black". {chuckle} Though, I'll also agree the new logo does remind me of Playskool. {g} Some had a limited edition titanium lid, adding to the sturdy feel... but also the weight. Then I also use the Ultrabay DVD slot to swap out extra battery pack or extra hard drive, which also adds to the weight. :-)

While hacking, I've heard rumblings Apple is thinking about releasing a PC version of their OS (they already do 'Boot Camp' and the likes to load up Windows), but Leopard is one of the more easier to hack for PCs. There's even a Thinkpad/OS-X forum thread (not including the OSX86 project by Insanelymac):
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewforum.php?f=32

And series... I've heard the R-series was intended to draw in more folk by being economical, though, the R61 is a close sibling of the popular T61 line. Folk generally like the T-series but they also have the heftier pricetag.