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Subject:Re: What notebook did you buy? From:Barry Campbell <barry -dot- campbell -at- gmail -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Mon, 11 Apr 2005 14:24:14 -0400
On Apr 11, 2005 1:46 PM, Amanda_Abelove -at- toyota -dot- com
> I need to get a new notebook. It will be my only computer, with backups
> to CDs. I will be running the usual techwriting software. I'd really
> like to hear from anyone who bought their own laptop to use as a
> contractor as to what laptop they bought and how it is working out. Right
> now I am contemplating the Dells.
Amanda,
Just bought a new laptop last month for professional use.
After evaluating what was on offer, I found a good price on an HP
Pavilion dv1100 series. (The model numbers will vary slightly
depending on where you buy, but my dv1130 came in at about $1100 after
rebate.)
I have long been a fan of HP because of their generally good tech
support and high quality standards, and have HP/Compaq desktop
equipment at home and at work. A client of my company has a contract
with Dell for their corporate laptops, and based on second- and
third-hand information there have apparently been some quality
problems; I do not know the details, so take that with a very large
grain of salt.
Anyway, the HP I bought is a true "desktop replacement" machine that
had everything I was looking for - wide, bright screen; 512MB RAM
(expandable to 2GB), 60GB HD, DVD+RW burner, built-in wireless, etc.
Although it is Celeron-based, it has more than enough horsepower to
run Office 2003, Acrobat 7, Paint Shop Pro, Visio, and the whole suite
of other "standard tech-writer tools" and seems quite sturdy - I'm
happy with it. Battery life is only fair; in real-world use I get a
couple of hours of heavy activity off of a charge, but 99% of the time
I am plugged into AC power, so this really isn't an issue.
(It is designated as a "home entertainment notebook" rather than a
"professional" notebook due to the wide screen and the nice built-in
speakers, along with a bunch of home theater stuff, so my MP3s sound
really good, but that's just a happy side effect. It's a very capable
machine, attractively priced.)
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