Computer Questions

[Lando]

mac is also definitely an option too. the only thing with that is that apple is notoriously diificult to deal with, and despite popular opinion, sometimes stuff actually does go wrong with macs. we at staples have actually stopped carrying macs in canada, because of the grief apple's given us.

that sucks that apple's been bad to staples, but to average customers their customer support and sales have always been top notch, if anything they're the lease difficult to deal with. We've dealt directly with apple, purchasing through them, not through resellers and our company has had to deal with them for 8 years now and we've never had even one complaint with the many macs we've purchased or with the customer service.

we've had to do purchases for other people's editing suites and post production companies too and they'd swear by apple's support and the failure rate of around 10-15 machines over the years has been 0%

[Random Name]

I need some advice on laptops. I need a new one; after being used like a desktop the last 3 years, my dell inspiron is crapping out on me. i was looking at a dell xps to replace it, but a bunch of people since have warned me against buying from dell. So i guess my question is what do people recommend for a lightweight laptop that has lots of memory space for all the pictures and music and crap i keep on my computer, is durable enough for me to lug around, and is capable of running a game or two?

I love, really really love, my LG.
Hp's and Sony's are good machines but you pay for branding in some cases, and they pump their machines full of their own software (which just really is more or less inconvenient sometimes) No Toshiba's.
I like my LG. Macs are good but don't get the air one unless you research it and see all the stuff they don't have first.
I like my LG.

[beautiful liar]

a bunch of people since have warned me against buying from dell.

if it's only buying from dell that you've been cautioned about, and not actually buying a dell, claire, you should know that dell's selling their computers in retail stores now. staples has some models, and i know walmart definitely does (though you can't get extended warranties through them, which i strongly recommend you get), and i think futureshop does as well, though their service is supposed to suck because they're on commission.

if i was buying a laptop, i would get an hp, because they're nicer, you've got a lot of variety to choose from, and stuff tends to go wrong with them less often. mac is also definitely an option too. the only thing with that is that apple is notoriously diificult to deal with, and despite popular opinion, sometimes stuff actually does go wrong with macs. we at staples have actually stopped carrying macs in canada, because of the grief apple's given us.

if you're going to be getting it later on in the year, i'm not going to recommend a specific model. just make sure you get one with a dual core processor, 2 gb of ram or more, and a decent videocard - nvidia or ati.

good advice, thank you. i don't think that it was so much buying from dell as buying a dell that people were warning me against. my little sister works at staples, so maybe when i get home i should go in and peruse their selection.

and i don't know much about LGs, Sarah, because i haven't really seen many people with them, so i'll check out what they have to offer.

no toshibas? my "computer-savvy" friend recommended toshiba - what do you know that i don't?

[Kicker774]

IBM/Lenovos may not be as flashy as a Dell/HP but I can tell you they run like tanks.

Dells - I've had to replace a 20+ video cards in them. I'm not sure if the engineers were just seriously abusing them (This was at Honda Research & Development so top notch stuff running here)

You don't need an XPS for "a game or two"
A fully featured Lattitude will do fine. Perhaps one of their Precision lines.

I wouldn't go with the Vostro line since their more of a 'Value' line and they may have cheaped out on some parts.

I never had any problems with Dells support and never dealt with India.


HP
HP's are a solid choice as well but I have seen my fair share of AC jack issues.

This is where the little pin that plugs into the back of your laptop tot he power cord breaks off or becomes loose. In some cases you no longer have power. In worse cases that loose connection casuses a power arc and catches your lap on fire.

Speaking of fires that whole laptop battey fire issue with Dell? It can happen with any battery. Dells just got the most press.

HP support is not my favorite.
Exponetially long menus. Long wait times. Poor service from Indian reps.

I had numerous issues covered under warranty on a $3,000 color laser printer. The local techs were cool about it and fixed the issues I had. But when that warranty expired HP wouldn't give me the time of day on the phone even if I listed the multiple service calls on it.

Poor Customer Service.


IBM/Lenovo

As I've said these things are tnaks and built very well to last.

Issues I've seen with IBMs:
Letters on keys wear out after a few years
The little red mouse nub wears out or can pop out
HD failure after 3-4 years (Average life span of a laptop HD)

These are easy to service. No extra usesless plastic pieces to snap together that will jsut break if you try to take them apart like a Dell. Take out a handfull of screws, pop off the cover and everything is there for you.


Sony

I havn't seen these in the business world too much mainly because of their unjustified price tag. They are some of the flashiest notebooks in some instances but you don't want to pay for flash and pizzaz. Pay for something that works.


Toshiba

Again I havn't not seen a lot of Toshibas in the work world. They havn't made a name for themselves as they have in the past and seem to kinda be faiding IMO.


Macs

50% more pricier than a similarly equipped PC. Closed architecture meaning only Mac can fix your Mac (Under warranty). There is not a big market for Apple laptop parts. You probably have to buy straight form Apple or eBay.

They are comming in strides since swtiching over to Intel architecture giving them better windows support. But I can't tell you just how well windows runs on a Mac.

More flash and pizzaz happening here as well and no right mouse clicks will really mess with you when working with an Apple.

I can not for the life of me use any word processor on a Mac. Highlight Right Cli ... crap ... how to I copy?? Ok all the way up to the Edit menu then copy, back down to where I need to insert it at, back up to Edit and Paste. God did that piss me off.


So there you go.
Laptops in 500 words .. or possbly more.

[Lando]

Macs all have right click capability. It's the official apple mouse that's a piece of garbage. they always break down and yes, they're only single button so they are crap, that's the one thing i've always had a problem with over the years, whether it was the wiring in the mouse or scroll wheel or anything, they've always sucked. However, right clicking works the same as windows or other OS's. With a laptop, if you're using a touch pad you can set it to have a right click option, or you can attach a two button mouse to have a right click. I've always used a microsoft or other brand two button mouse on my macs. If you're too stubborn and have to use a one button mouse though, you have to hold a key, like the control key basically then click and that functions as a right click. it's still simple, but way more annoying than just using a two button mouse.

Also, they ran tests on call for help tv/the lab with leo laporte and windows actually ran better on the macs than they did on the PCs they were testing out. That doesn't mean that would always be the case, but that was the results of their testing.

[laurel]

havEn't

[xjsb125]

I own a Toshiba laptop and have been very satisfied with it. It's 3 years old, so it is a bit on the heavy side, but absolutely no performance issues with it. It can handle all my audio and video editing just fine. I believe Robbo owns or owned one as well.

[Dr. Hobo]

i have one
its umm old tho
i forget how old
it was also cheap
it shows
the fan currently needs to be replaced.. the power cord has been replaced once (before i came here no less) and is already falling apart.. ie. 1.5 years later

other than that.. it works

imo, if you're going to spend the money, the macs would be a good route but definitely do your homework.

also, i wouldnt put as much stock into HD space at this point in time given the costs of externals is as low as it is.

[Dr. Hobo]

claire!!!!!!

this is copy/pasted for you:

Wrapping A PC into A Mac

Something stopped me dead in my tracks while I was wandering around last week's Interactive Content Exchange in Toronto: Spore, a hotly anticipated Windows game from Sims creator Will Wright, running on an iMac.

I had read that the wildly inventive game from Electronic Arts - you create creatures and then guide their evolution from single-celled organisms into space-roving civilizations - was heading to Apple's line of computers, but seeing is believing in the game world.

For years, popular PC games had to be laboriously translated (or "ported") to Apple machines, if they made the trip at all. EA, however, is planning to release the Mac version of Spore simultaneously with the PC game this fall, and if that happens, some of the credit goes to an Ontario-based company called TransGaming Technologies.

TransGaming has pioneered a program called Cider, which, as company president Vikas Gupta puts it, is a "wrapper" that allows the software code of a PC game to interact with the Mac operating system.

You don't need to buy or boot up Windows, though you do need one of Apple's relatively new Intel-based machines and a half-decent graphics card to get the full experience.

Cider helped EA bring six high-profile PC games to the Mac late last year, and TransGaming has set up a new website, GameTreeOnline.com, to further rebuild what was once - back in my Apple IIe days - a vibrant playing community.

GameTree provides a Mac access point to another online software repository, GameTap.com, and that site is currently home to an excellent four-part series on the past, present and future of Mac gaming. With titles such as Spore heading more quickly to Apple computers, that future is looking good.

[beautiful liar]

ooo, thanks sand

[Dr. Hobo]

anytime

ps thats from an article on the globe and mails website

[Random Name]

Toshiba's are heavy and not built well. I found at Staps that we had more of them come in than any other computer, but thats not some official stat, that was just my experience.
They have a huge issue with overheating. They often burn off their serial number and basically buying one you will automatically need a chillmat. They are good laptops but they are subject to failure because of how they are put together. And Robbo had that exact experience as his overheated and he needed to upgrade, I think.

[Dr. Hobo]

i need to buy a chillmat for mine heh
apparently the fan i need for mine costs 40 bucks (supposedly.. i dont think i entirely understood what the guy said given he wasnt speaking english)

mind you im in a country where things made here for north america actually seem to cost more than they do there so that means nothing really

[beautiful liar]

Toshiba's are heavy and not built well. I found at Staps that we had more of them come in than any other computer, but thats not some official stat, that was just my experience.
They have a huge issue with overheating. They often burn off their serial number and basically buying one you will automatically need a chillmat. They are good laptops but they are subject to failure because of how they are put together. And Robbo had that exact experience as his overheated and he needed to upgrade, I think.

Well that sounds like something I don't want to risk. So I'll steer away from Toshibas, I think. Thanks Sarah!

[Kicker774]

I'd recomend a chillmats for any laptop.

Heat + Laptops = Fire
I've seen the pictures.

Always use your laptop in a well ventalted area. Not on your lap, not on your bed, not on your living room carpet. Keep your laptop on a flat surface and keep it clean of dust and dirt and it will live a lone and happy 4-5 years.

[laurel]

poor computer. all alone for such a long time...

[Dr. Hobo]

i think im either dreaming this or on crack but chllmats over thurr do come with pass-thru usb ports right?! RIGHT?!

[Random Name]

yeah some do

[Dr. Hobo]

yeah i found some.. haha
i forgot i posted in here about that thanks tho hort sarah

[Lando]

Claire and anyone else interested might like to read this. It's not overly informative, but it provides you with some interesting details.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/ ... 206881.htm