Laptop choice?

That really depends on what you need from a laptop. Just do do basic surfing & word processing & dvds? Gaming? Large screen & heavier vs. small screen and ultra portable? etc.

I won't get into specific brands or models, but my advice is to get an extremely portable computer, preferably one that is less than 5 lbs, closer to 3.5 lb is great. Make sure you pay attention to the battery life too, now a days, you should be getting models with 3.5 hrs minimum if not more. My girlfriend has a big ol desktop replacement, and we love it, but its not meant to be lugged around. My 12" apple ibook g3 that I have since passed on to others was perfect. Having an ibook, I didn't use it for video games or anything like that, just for business, internet, and the occasional movie on the airplane, and it was great. My friend had the 15" ibook, and he loved it, he but did envy the ultraportability of mine. The only caveat is that the small screen can be tough on your eyes if you're going to work for hours. However, I just made everything large font. In any case, try to get something smaller is what I suggest. Battery life and ultraportability over power is my advice for med school laptop.

Definitely get one with brightview....other screens are so dim

i like HP dv1000 series...brightview, widescreen, and a reallly nice computer and it was like 1/2 the price of an equal dell

if youre into burning make sure you get lightscribe...you can burn images into the tops of cd's...its pretty sweet

Get a tablet pc. You might lose some power but the gain of function is well worth it.

SteveUTexas said:

Get a tablet pc. You might lose some power but the gain of function is well worth it.

Click to expand...

I second that... I have a tablet which is around 3.5lbs, and love it to death (my girlfriend is totally jealous 'cause I spend so much time with "HER") It has ~4 hrs of battery life, and there's a software on it called "MS One Note 2003" which is the cooleset thing invented for students. All and all, if you wanna buy a laptop, buy a good one which is ultra portable (you won't have time for videogames in medical school anyway...)

Which make/model tablet PC do you guys have?

hunter1077 said:

Which laptop do you like the most?

Click to expand...

Facing forwards.

SteveUTexas said:

Get a tablet pc. You might lose some power but the gain of function is well worth it.

Click to expand...

I've had these tablets suggested to me a couple of times, I'm not quite sure how they work. Your just fold the screen 180 degrees and write on the screen? Are they just like a laptop otherwise? Can you get wireless for them, how about keyboards? Do they have DVD-CD drives? Sorry to overwhelm you, but I think that a lot of us have heard these suggested but have never seen one.

oh, and I have big hands and I am left handed, I have a hard time I am not going to crush the screen when I am writing. Is this a concern?

I used tablets at my work for a year and grew to dislike them. Of course I am more of the computer nerd who wants complete controll over his system and games. So when I bought my laptop I took off all the crap, bells and whistles, etc., and added my only what I needed. To the point, I ended up buying a toshiba M45 and love it. I can't really give a comparison, for this is the first laptop I have owned, but I will say that I am impressed with toshiba's quality. I spent time researching what I wanted, and ended up getting it for 800$ at best buy.

cliff notes:
Ownage doesn't like tablets
Great experience had with Toshiba

Edit: A word to the wise about laptops- if you don't get a $1300+ laptop you probably aren't going to have a gig of ram. XP NEEDS RAM. Mine came with 512mb and I immediately bought my own 512 sitck (40$) and installed it myself (no difficult task). People don't realize that their computers can do so much more, and faster (more like sooner) with a simple upgrade. If you feel your box is slow, check the ram. I don't run any boxes with XP on less than a gigabyte of ram. If you have plenty of ram, then you may want to clean off spyware and empty your startup list, but that's another thread.

Another vote for tablet. I use a Fujitsu T4020D for what its worth.

Trail Boss said:

I've had these tablets suggested to me a couple of times, I'm not quite sure how they work. Your just fold the screen 180 degrees and write on the screen? Are they just like a laptop otherwise? Can you get wireless for them, how about keyboards? Do they have DVD-CD drives? Sorry to overwhelm you, but I think that a lot of us have heard these suggested but have never seen one.

Click to expand...

A convertable tablet looks and works just like a regular laptop, except you also have the ability to swivel the screen around and drop it down over the top of the keyboard, screen-side up, and write on it. Wireless, DVD-CD, keyboard, everything is just like your everyday laptop.

I highly recommend a tablet, particularly for the visual learners out there. Check this thread for more details on how I use mine and some screenshots: http://drslounge.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=250036&page=2&highlight=tablet

hunter1077 said:

Which laptop do you like the most?

Click to expand...

I started the thread "caveman days of laptops"-its an on going saga!
Here's what I came up with before I bought a H.P.dv1648 and consulted this forum {you can also search this forum nder laptops}

1}Smaller is probably better so keep screen no larger then 14" and weight below 5.4lbs.

2)At least 1 G.B. of RAM and at least 60 m.b. on your hard drive
{ MyH.P.has 1G B. RAM / 100 g.b. on hard drive. CD/DVD burrner and I didnt expect the camera and microphone with accidental damagefor 2 years and spyware and antivirus added it cost slightly over $1600. At this price I did some gymnastics to currently wait for a $200. rebate. So far Im happy with this H.P.

3) stay away from Sempron and Celeron processors, they use too much power.

4) First laptop I ever had was the 12' Ibook but it wasnt always totally compatible . But I didnt have to worry about warranty, spyware or antivirus.

5)Toshiba has been one of the leaders in this field since day one. With Sony kind of walking in overnight attempting to dominate (warning: I hear certain parts are only sony compatible. Sony is costly.

6) Here's my attempt at a balanced appraisal of Dell, probably the least expensive with a 4 year warranty.

1)Their president supports Bush who is bleeding this country and hurting our superpower status if we still have it.
2)While many are unemployed Dell outsources American jobs to India.
3)Customer service can be a nightmare at Dell because at a perilous time you may get someone in India who doesnot speak clear english.
4) If anything goes wrong like parts you MUST call Dell or search Dell on the internet , there is no Dell store like an Apple store.
5) Not sure but I hear that Dell uses refurbished parts.
6) If you do buy Dell I hear youmust buy the best line they have the buisness line or "latitude" which is costly.
7)With Dell you may wait 2 weeks for them to build your computer- when you want immediate gratification.

I hear H.P.s customer service is very good.

SteveUTexas said:

Get a tablet pc. You might lose some power but the gain of function is well worth it.

Click to expand...

Are tablet pc's more fragile than other models? I wonder about that because it only has one hinge instead of two.

I've got a widescreen Dell and it is slow, noisy, heavy, etc. It also can't fit into the padded computer slot of my backpack very well. My boyfriend has a nice small new apple that is lightweight, fast, and has a long battery life. I hated apples because the one I had during college (2000-2004) had no disk drive and no cd-burning capacity, which was a cheat since I couldn't get information off of the thing, but I've come back around to thinking that apples really are worth it. I'd like to be able to actually carry my computer around, and have it be nice and quiet.

OwnageMobile said:

I used tablets at my work for a year and grew to dislike them. Of course I am more of the computer nerd who wants complete controll over his system and games. So when I bought my laptop I took off all the crap, bells and whistles, etc., and added my only what I needed. To the point, I ended up buying a toshiba M45 and love it. I can't really give a comparison, for this is the first laptop I have owned, but I will say that I am impressed with toshiba's quality. I spent time researching what I wanted, and ended up getting it for 800$ at best buy.

cliff notes:
Ownage doesn't like tablets
Great experience had with Toshiba

Edit: A word to the wise about laptops- if you don't get a $1300+ laptop you probably aren't going to have a gig of ram. XP NEEDS RAM. Mine came with 512mb and I immediately bought my own 512 sitck (40$) and installed it myself (no difficult task). People don't realize that their computers can do so much more, and faster (more like sooner) with a simple upgrade. If you feel your box is slow, check the ram. I don't run any boxes with XP on less than a gigabyte of ram. If you have plenty of ram, then you may want to clean off spyware and empty your startup list, but that's another thread.

Click to expand...

How do you check the ram?

Cinnameg said:

How do you check the ram?

Click to expand...

Start Menu --> right-click "My Computer" --> select "Properties"

Should be listed on the tab that pops up.

If you intend to take it to class a lot then go no bigger than a 15 inch screen. I am a big guy and my laptop (a lattidue d800) kind of drags me down after a while and takes up a lot of room for stuff. I have also had quite a few problems with it..but that is another story. Tablets can be neat and there are different types. They are generally a bit on the expensive side thoug so if money is a concern that may not be a best option. Most of the stat requirements they gave for computers works well. 60 gigs, 512 min ram, preferably a gig, wireless, longer battery life the better. (nothing is worse than looking for an outlet sometimes) I started out as a huge computer game guy but the more I get into my education the more I realize one really doesn't NEED a lot of that stuff. If you are willing to make the jump apple ibook is one of the more affordable portables out there and now programs and stuff really aren't an issue. The macbook pros and stuff are nice but pretty expensive..not to mention that the case gets REALLY hot AND you have to treat like it were a small baby..so if you are hard on computers (like me) it isn't a good call. Just try to be realistic with what you need. Find a laptop with a nice keyboard (especially if it isn't a tablet) and something that you feel will be able to run anything for about 4 to 5 years from now comfortably..which macs can usually do a LITTLE longer than windows..and if you like linux then all is goldent on like a laptop from 1998.

Cinnameg said:

Are tablet pc's more fragile than other models? I wonder about that because it only has one hinge instead of two.

Click to expand...

I've heard stories about the central hinge being a problem for some people. I've personally not had a problem, but I also made a point to check the hinge construction on my model before I bought it.

Handle said:

Start Menu --> right-click "My Computer" --> select "Properties"

Should be listed on the tab that pops up.

Click to expand...

It says 256 MB. So that's really low? I'm a complete dolt when it comes to computers (ok, so not using them, but manipulating/programming/adding to them) . . . how do I get more ram?

Cinnameg said:

It says 256 MB. So that's really low? I'm a complete dolt when it comes to computers (ok, so not using them, but manipulating/programming/adding to them) . . . how do I get more ram?

Click to expand...

Yeah, that's pretty low. You can buy "sticks" of RAM from Best Buy/ CompUSA/etc. Installation varies with model, but it is usually pretty simple. Check the manual that came with your computer or look up an online guide for help with that; once you've got the machine open it is just a matter of popping the stick into place and then closing it back up again. Alternatively, those places will be happy to install it for you, but for a price.

You might also want to see how many RAM slots your machine has (should also be in the material that came with your computer or somewhere online). If you only have one slot, you're going to have to remove the current 256 so you'll want something fairly substantial. If you have two slots, you can grab another stick and add it to the 256 you already have.

Its been a while since I did did much messing around with hardware so if anyone is able to correct/update any of this please do

Handle said:

Yeah, that's pretty low. You can buy "sticks" of RAM from Best Buy/ CompUSA/etc. Installation varies with model, but it is usually pretty simple. Check the manual that came with your computer or look up an online guide for help with that; once you've got the machine open it is just a matter of popping the stick into place and then closing it back up again. Alternatively, those places will be happy to install it for you, but for a price.

You might also want to see how many RAM slots your machine has (should also be in the material that came with your computer or somewhere online). If you only have one slot, you're going to have to remove the current 256 so you'll want something fairly substantial. If you have two slots, you can grab another stick and add it to the 256 you already have.

Its been a while since I did did much messing around with hardware so if anyone is able to correct/update any of this please do

Click to expand...

Thank you! Maybe I'll just take the laptop in to Best Buy and say "up the RAM, gentlemen!"

Cinnameg said:

Thank you! Maybe I'll just take the laptop in to Best Buy and say "up the RAM, gentlemen!"

Click to expand...

Dont take it to Best Buy...they will overcharge you like crazy...
"$60 just to open the computer"

take it to a local computer guy or do it yourself...its not hard

hunter1077 said:

Which laptop do you like the most?

Click to expand...

then intel ibook replacements are rumored to be released tomorrow (here). they will be dubbed the 'macbook' and should represent a good combination of style, portability, performance and price. i will purchasing one for med school to replace my 4 yr old titanium powerbook.

I just bought a 12" powerbook...I love it.

I'm buying a Mac Book (The Intel iBook) when those are released to take to Mercer w/ me next year.

jwsmiths said:

I'm buying a Mac Book (The Intel iBook) when those are released to take to Mercer w/ me next year.

Click to expand...

Lucky you. Check the Apple website, they're out.

EvolutionKills said:

Lucky you. Check the Apple website, they're out.

Click to expand...

Im waiting till August to purchase my Mac (intel based). I am not sure whether I am going to go for a MB or the MBP. I would like to have dedicated graphics, but ultra portability seems important... I am not sure at this point, but I am hoping that both the MB and the MBP both will have the merom chips (Core Duo 2) in them by August.

adiddas125 said:

Im waiting till August to purchase my Mac (intel based). I am not sure whether I am going to go for a MB or the MBP. I would like to have dedicated graphics, but ultra portability seems important... I am not sure at this point, but I am hoping that both the MB and the MBP both will have the merom chips (Core Duo 2) in them by August.

Click to expand...

yep me too

I bought a dell 6400 a couple weeks ago. 1.66 core duo, 1gig 533ram, 15.4 truewhatever screen, and it has the intel 950 graphics engine. The total price was $846.

I was just looking at the new small apple laptops for $1099 and I think I would rather have one of those.

Mine is the fastest I've ever used, only downside is the graphics engine won't run new games for more than about three minutes before it crashes. I'm not much of a gamer, so it will work. If I had to carry it everywhere I would go smaller for sure.

I use a pathetic 7 yr old laptop in medical school. Pentium two 366 mhz cpu! That's old. But it works though and saved me lots of money. All I got to do is stream video lectures and surf the web. Todays computers are overkill.

Handle said:

Another vote for tablet. I use a Fujitsu T4020D for what its worth. A convertable tablet looks and works just like a regular laptop...

Click to expand...

Yeah, I think tablets would be really useful to jot stuff down on. I played with one in Best Buy the other day, and I was really impressed by it. Anyone else care to share their tablet experiences? I'm thinking about getting an IBM Thinkpad tablet. You know, when Thinkpads first came out, they were so named because they were all tablets.

Rogue Synapse said:

Yeah, I think tablets would be really useful to jot stuff down on. I played with one in Best Buy the other day, and I was really impressed by it. Anyone else care to share their tablet experiences? I'm thinking about getting an IBM Thinkpad tablet. You know, when Thinkpads first came out, they were so named because they were all tablets.

Click to expand...

I was thinking about a thinkpad, but not a tablet. I hear they are great for durability (aren't going to be fried after 4 years use). Anyone here have any experiences with a thinkpad?

adiddas125 said:

Im waiting till August to purchase my Mac (intel based). I am not sure whether I am going to go for a MB or the MBP. I would like to have dedicated graphics, but ultra portability seems important... I am not sure at this point, but I am hoping that both the MB and the MBP both will have the merom chips (Core Duo 2) in them by August.

Click to expand...

im going to go ahead a wait as well, but i think the most likely scenario will be meroms in the mbp and they will keep conroes in the mb with a speed bump to 2.16 in the top level mb and 2.0 in the entry level. i dont play games or edit video so i dont think integrated graphics will have any impact on my use. what i was really hoping is that once the initial rush is over, they will drop the $150 premium on the black ones.

glp said:

im going to go ahead a wait as well, but i think the most likely scenario will be meroms in the mbp and they will keep conroes in the mb with a speed bump to 2.16 in the top level mb and 2.0 in the entry level.

Click to expand...

Huh?

dbhvt said:

I was thinking about a thinkpad, but not a tablet. I hear they are great for durability (aren't going to be fried after 4 years use). Anyone here have any experiences with a thinkpad?

Click to expand...

I used to have a thinkpad. Problems are: If you accidentally set a start up password, there is no way to get around it, you have to throw out the whole thing. They are fragile. The one I used had loose lcd cable problems so the screen would go white sometimes but this could have been fixed with the new models. Thinkpads are also way too expensive (double the price of a dell usually). They fry too just like the other brands. Basically, when you buy a laptop, expect it to last 5 years. If you are lucky, they will last 10 years if you replace the battery and the hard drive. SO DON'T spent 2k on a laptop since it will only last you 5 years. Dell has laptops for less than $500 so don't waste your money.

yanky5 said:

I used to have a thinkpad. Problems are: If you accidentally set a start up password, there is no way to get around it, you have to throw out the whole thing. They are fragile. The one I used had loose lcd cable problems so the screen would go white sometimes but this could have been fixed with the new models. Thinkpads are also way too expensive (double the price of a dell usually). They fry too just like the other brands. Basically, when you buy a laptop, expect it to last 5 years. If you are lucky, they will last 10 years if you replace the battery and the hard drive. SO DON'T spent 2k on a laptop since it will only last you 5 years. Dell has laptops for less than $500 so don't waste your money.

Click to expand...

The only reason I was thinking about buying one is a friend might be able to get me a massive discount. But it will still be more expensive than the rest. I don't want to lay out any extra cash, though, if they aren't really any better on the durability end. What model thinkpad did you have? I was looking at the t43.

Right now I'm using a Gateway Tablet, and I would say to anyone thinking about buying a Tablet, DO NOT BUY FROM GATEWAY!!!

First of all, the model I have is extremely heavy. I think it's heavier than my older laptop that is five years old. It's not particularly stable either--I have programs shut down all the time. Worst of all, it overheats power cords which eventually leads to the power cord not working...which itself obviously leads to the battery dying and then I'm without my laptop. It had to burn up three cords before Gateway said to send it back so they could take a look at it. And you know what? They wanted me to pay the $50 for shipping! After threatening them that I would never buy another Gateway product in my life time, they finally agreed to pay the shipping.

If I were going to do it over again, I would get one that has a detachable slate screen...that would add a lot of portability and would make writing a LOT easier.

XP Tablet Edition does come with some neat stuff. It has an awesome flash card program (that's how I know autonomic pharmacology!) and a few other things that are pretty useful for students. It is great for pathology, because a lot of times professors will point out on their power point what the photomicrograph is showing, but they don't always draw an arrow to it in the picture...so later you're not always sure what you're looking for if it's a subtle detail. So with my tablet, I just circle what they're talking about and make a note either on top of the image or in the margin of the presentation and that makes studying a LOT easier.

And for those of you who like to re-write your notes as you study, it will save you a lot of paper...and you won't lose your notes, either.

JUST DON'T BUY FROM GATEWAY!

glp said:

im going to go ahead a wait as well, but i think the most likely scenario will be meroms in the mbp and they will keep conroes in the mb with a speed bump to 2.16 in the top level mb and 2.0 in the entry level. i dont play games or edit video so i dont think integrated graphics will have any impact on my use. what i was really hoping is that once the initial rush is over, they will drop the $150 premium on the black ones.

Click to expand...

That's pretty much my line of thinking.

I would only buy the MBP if they make it more substantial of an upgrade over the MB. Right now, the only major difference is the amount of RAM factory installed (which I'll upgrade anyways), and the graphics card, which doesn't affect my use. If the MBP has a substantially better processor I'd consider it, but right now the MB is a much better bang for my buck.

ND2005 said:

That's pretty much my line of thinking.

I would only buy the MBP if they make it more substantial of an upgrade over the MB. Right now, the only major difference is the amount of RAM factory installed (which I'll upgrade anyways), and the graphics card, which doesn't affect my use. If the MBP has a substantially better processor I'd consider it, but right now the MB is a much better bang for my buck.

Click to expand...

Just a word of advice to those thinking about getting any of the new MacBooks. Wait till they have this whole issue of getting super hot figured out. Apparently they are getting so warm that you can't put them on your lap, including a warning from Apple that says not to do it otherwise it may result in burns. Its also a problem because the processors go into heat protect and drop from 1.8 to 1.6 GHz when they get to hot. So, I would wait to see how they figure this out, then get one.

Since I use my home computer for most of my computer needs, I just got a cheap Dell laptop for school use. I made sure it had wireless and that pretty much suited me. I got it off eBay refurbished for about $600 and it has suited me quite well over the past year.

Several of my classmates have tablets. They used them quite a bit in anatomy during class, which is when I think it is most useful first year. Drawing structures and relationships and highlighting areas on slides/photos. Yet, I didn't have one and managed to do just fine. Depends on your study habits. I find that if I have a computer in front of me, I spend more time randomnly on the internet than actually paying attention to what I'm doing.

yanky5 said:

I used to have a thinkpad. Problems are: If you accidentally set a start up password, there is no way to get around it, you have to throw out the whole thing. They are fragile. The one I used had loose lcd cable problems so the screen would go white sometimes but this could have been fixed with the new models. Thinkpads are also way too expensive (double the price of a dell usually). They fry too just like the other brands. Basically, when you buy a laptop, expect it to last 5 years. If you are lucky, they will last 10 years if you replace the battery and the hard drive. SO DON'T spent 2k on a laptop since it will only last you 5 years. Dell has laptops for less than $500 so don't waste your money.

Click to expand...

Hmm, I got the T22 IBM thinkpad for college and it's lasted me almost 5 years...should I be counting down to its demise? The whirring sounds have increased and it seems slow lately...

I'm definitely getting a new laptop for med school, but I'm not sure if I should go for another Thinkpad. I *kinda* wanna get a Mac, but I'm afraid I'm not technologically savvy or adventurous enough for it. Mac users, did you find that Mac technical support on campus was very limited? Did you have problems getting access to the school network? I just remember a couple of my friends in college had macs, and they trouble connecting to the campus network...not sure why.

Although I don't have a Mac, I talked to the computer people at my school about getting one. Our IT people are great about fixing our PC's or laptops free of charge and usually within a few hours. But they basically said that Macs are very stable, but if I got one and something did go wrong, there would be no way they could fix it. So unless you go to a larger school where they offer Mac support, you might think twice.

I have a Toshiba Satellite, and it has not given me much trouble. The only trouble is that it heats up pretty fast. Other than that, it's pretty good. Compares to a Sony Vaio, but a hell of alot cheaper.

I have a dell latitude on windows 2000 (1GHz P3, 256Mb ram) from about 5 years ago when I started college. I've burned through 2 hard drives (one fried because of a password issue/some weird alignment of the stars, the other just kind of stopped working from abuse), a keyboard (don't try to clean crumbs out from under the keys, probably where the second hard drive was damaged) and a hinge (wore out after 3 years). For me their service plan was worth every penny.

My parents have 2 dells at home and (6 and 3 yrs old respectively) and my bro has had a laptop for 3yrs as an engineering student and has no complaints except that his online gaming is a little bit laggy sometimes. Regardless of Michael Dell's political views, they do give you decently reliable hardware with the occasional rediculous sale. They're offering about 400 bucks off of any latitude laptop between now and may 24th, if that spurs anyone's interest. Where else can you get a dual core intel system for about 800 bucks?

I'm thinking of relegating the dell to my law student girlfriend and upgrading to a dual core intel of some sort so that I can seamlessly stream the red sox and pats games while in yankee territory...er...I mean classroom video of lectures while I review for exams. yeah, that's it...studying for exams

edit: on a side note, do any of the guys out there remember that study from a couple years ago that said that using a laptop on your lap decreases your sperm count? Personally, I've been paranoid ever since and would never buy a mac book pro for that reason...

I got a 12" iBook G4 when I started med school, and it is just the neatest little gadget I've ever owned. I think I can pretty safely say that I will never buy a PC again (mostly 'cause I can steal my boyfriend's machine when I want to play games ). The things I like about it are: long battery life (5 hours or so with classroom-type use), it's small, it's light, yet the keyboard is a normal size; it never crashes and it charges quickly. Oh, and its power adapter is also small. It doesn't give me any grief. It doesn't crash. It connects to the wireless network effortlessly. It doesn't hang. It doesn't have any of the problems my old Windows machine used to have. I don't need spyware or virus protection. I can run absolutely everything I need or want to for school/entertainment purposes. And I got it for $900something with my educational discount.

I would recommend that no matter what you get, you get at LEAST a gig of RAM, especially if your histo and path profs have a penchant for creating monstrous powerpoints with zillions of big images. I started out with 512, and my poor mac was soooo slow.

But yeah, it's up to you. Plenty of people in my class have PCs; though it's certain that they spent more time in the IT office getting help with them. One person in my class has a tablet PC, and she had a great time labelling slides in radiology. I was kinda jealous of that. . .but I think it does have some other issues that she's not too happy with.

Computer ****** here needs to ask a few questions...
I'm looking for a basic laptop, not a tablet, light weight (under 5.5 lbs), speedy with good battery life. Getting either a Thinkpad, Dell Latitude, or Sony Vasio.

1.) What is LAN?

2.) Definitely get a laptop with Centrino Duo Mobile Technology...just because it'll be compatible with the new Vista version of Windows coming out?

I'm looking at the Thinkpad X60 series, and they have the Intel® Core Duo processor T2300 1.66GHz. Can someone just tell me whether the 1.66GHz will be a fast processor?

3.) I had a T22 IBM Thinkpad and the battery life sucked because I always left the battery in when I had the laptop hooked in, and apparently that caused the battery to...over-charge? or over-drain?
Anyway, with these newer laptops, should I take the battery out whenever I have my laptop hooked up to prolong battery life? My poor T22 has a battery life of less than half an hour. I don't want this situation to repeat itself with my next laptop.

4.) I've never had wireless before, so I confused by the difference in wireless specs. The Thinkpad X60 has Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG. Another laptop I'm considering is the Dell Latitude D410 which also has Intel® Pro/Wireless 3945 but with WiFi 802.1a/g. What is the WiFi and is it essential?

5.) Anyone have experience with the Dell Latitude D410, ThinkpadX60, or any of the Sony models? I liked the Sonys a lot and they seem very light weight, but I hear they're overpriced?

6.) Anything else I should be looking at?

Muchos gracias

FaytlND said:

Just a word of advice to those thinking about getting any of the new MacBooks. Wait till they have this whole issue of getting super hot figured out. Apparently they are getting so warm that you can't put them on your lap, including a warning from Apple that says not to do it otherwise it may result in burns. Its also a problem because the processors go into heat protect and drop from 1.8 to 1.6 GHz when they get to hot. So, I would wait to see how they figure this out, then get one.

Click to expand...

The issue has been resolved. Time to get a MacBooke!