Laptop Recommendations

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ddman

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For those who have laptops they use for school and everything else, what would you recommend to a incoming dental student.
And those who are planning on getting a new laptop for the fall, what would you recommend?
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I know there were some dental threads that mentioned students using the type of laptops that can be used as writing tablets. One brand was the Thinkpad from IBM. On the other hand, I have also heard those who say that if the school allows you to use a MAC, go with that. I am not sure which is better.
 
For those who have a tablet, are they helpful? Do you take notes on the screen?
They sound really cool to me, but I am not sure how much I would actually use the touch screen.
 
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Why is IBM Thinkpad better than Dell inspiron?
I was thinking about Dell inspiron E1405, and now i'm comparing with
Thinkpad R61. Which one is better?
 
I have had a Compaq Presario V2000 for over a year and a half now and it runs great.

If you get a PC do a clean install of the operating system as soon as its out of the box. It will clear out all of the needless pre-installed programs that causes your computer to run inefficiently.

As for the tablet, those that I know who own one have had problems with the screen. The smudges and dirt that collects leaves the screen vulnerable to scratches. If you go for a tablet, be sure to get the insurance plan and screen protectors to prolong its life.
 
If your school has no preference between mac's and windows, get mac. You can have dual os's and mac is more stable and less of a resource hog... not to mention the security benefits of using the MAC OS.
 
IBM thinkpad is no longer IBM thinkpad....
IBM sold its thinkpad brand to someother company (forgot name)
now they are called (forgot name) Thinkpad

theyr still sweet machines, I would never settle for anything less than a thinkpad. Not trying to smash dell but when it comes to the little red-dot mouse the thinkpads have, its unbeatable.

as far as tablets go, they are SWEEEEET, but I only say that because I am a computer geek, as far as practicality goes, theyr ... not so "great".
If you want something to help you take notes in class, get one of those bad-a$$ voice recorders that record voices and when you insert it into your PC, it converts the voices into a word document

Heres a link to one that I ALMOST bought
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2522407&CatId=2472
 
Lenovo ThinkPad
 
jim85213 said:
Do you know of any notebook manufacturers that build these into their systems? That would be a very marketable product for students.
Click to expand...

Well, from what I was told.... Microsoft office gives you the option of converting voice into word.doc
BUT this mainly depends on how powerful your Microphone is....

That sony voicerecorder that I posted up, is a sweet thing becuase its soooo much smaller than a Laptop, doesn't generate any heat, and if the batteries run out, just swap them inside lectures.
VS a laptop, if the battery runs out, you gotta plug it up, and deal with all the wires and crab.
 
What about an HP?
I have been looking at their tablet - HP tx1000z
And two other models - dv2000 and dv6000 series.
Has anyone heard good or bad things about them?
 
whatever laptop you get... MAKE SURE you try it out and use it before you buy it....

Play with the mouse style, the keyboard, and everything else, try to get one that doens't over heat to the point of making it uncomfortable putting it on your lap.... and make sure you invest in a 3-5 year warranty esspecially if your clumpsy like me, I drop my laptops atleast once every 2 months :)
 
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brand name doesnt mean a thing, its all about the specs of the laptop. In all reality if you are using a laptop for nottaking it doesnt matter what you use itll all do the same thing.
 
I will be getting a MacBook one the new intel Santa Rosa chips come with them. I would advise waiting until you can get one with the new intel chips. The chips were officially released this week so it will be a few more until they are in the computers on the shelves.
 
i would wait on the whole computer issue, because its my understanding certain schools want certain computers that work with whatever system they have going on...
 
Thinkpad T61 has been released.(Santa Rosa platform). I expect that Apple will release the same platform model in this summer.

If you want to enjoy Vista 64bit edition, go with Thinkpad T61p or R61p. You can expect 64bit Leopard(OS X 10.5) in Oct too.

Although Lenova is a Chinese company, Thinkpad line is reliable. Oh, by the way, Macbook/Macbook pro is manufactured by Chinese or Taiwanese company(Aztek?) too.

I think Thinkpad line is more reliable than Macbook. (I'm using Thinkpad X31 manufactured in May 2003, China. No problem for 4 yrs. This was the first IBM model made in China. Later the company was sold to Lenovo.)

However, if you prefer more stable OS than stable hardware, Macbook is a good option.

P.S. I'm not Chinese-_-
 
Everyone has their own preferences but I love my Macbooks (switched over beginning of this year). Though its not completely perfect, I can assure you that I'm never going to switch back to Windows.

Yes, the quad-core is out ( MacPro starting at $3997 for 8-core).

Unfortunately there are a few software in certain courses that require Windows but this is fine since Macs can now run Windows via Bootcamp or Parallels.

I have switched about 4 friends to Macs, soon 6 (my sister and my gf).

As suggested by a few, I'd wait for Santa Rosa to come out but if you need it now, buy it now.

The other notebooks I was considering at the time were the Lenovo X60s and Macbook Pro.
 
I use my computer strictly for school work and midget porn, what is the best laptop that suits my needs?
 
avoid hewlett packard they have major problems with their hardware... apple macbooks (regular) have been known to have some defects as well... especially in their batteries.... dell is always a sure bet... e1405/1505.... sony's are always good as well.... if you have the $$$ to fork over.... apple macbook pro is the definite buy.... the fastest most comprehensive system in one sleek silver casing.... i personally own a dell e1405........ no problems at alll with this system.... i never have problems with dells.... good luck with your laptop search
 
The battery issues with the Macbooks have already been resolved. The issues were when the Macbooks had the Core Duo but switched over to Core 2Duo last year.

One may hear issues about Macbooks but be sure to pay attention to which part. If it is hard-drive failure, its the manufacturer's fault (Toshiba, etc), not Apple. If it is RAM, its the manufacturer's fault (Hynix, etc), not Apple.

Many have had mixed feelings about Dell. Some excellent, others poor. Those who switched over to Macs actually had Dell notebooks which had caused many problems.

Of the two Macbooks I've owned, no issues at all. I've owned Toshiba, Gateway and Sony and the Macs have been the most reliable.
 
I thought dells were the ticket until my last one bombed. Don't know where to turn now.
 
I don't know a single person with a Dell laptop (including myself) that HASN'T had a problem with the hard drive crashing at least once... my advice: don't go with Dell
 
Sony Vaio's are awesome. They have the best looking screens (way better than Dell), and a wide variety of sizes and configurations. They are also sleekly designed, like macs, which matters to some people but not to everyone.
 
I am getting a MacBook this week. Right now you can get a free ipod nano (if you buy before mid-sept) and a free printer (if you buy before july 23rd). I am going to upgrade the memory on it and also get the apple care protection plan. I will also get 2008 Office for Mac when it comes out in the second half of 2007, hopefully that is very, very soon.
 
Seems like no one mentioned Fujitsu Lifebook T4220. I've been using it in my histo class last couple weeks, and we go through about 50 ppt slides a day. It's a lifesaver since histo really requires color pictures, so printing the lectures out to write on them is out of the question.
My laptop/tablet is good for everything except speakers and gaming.
It's an active tablet, so you can write really fast.
2GHz dualcore, 1gb Sdram, 80GB memory 3-4hr battery life.. I really recommend it, and I believe it'll do me well when dental school fully starts.
About 1800 on Newegg.
 
Personally I say don't get something more than you need. It used to be that when you bought a computer they'd be out of date within a year. Lately it seems that most computers are way more advanced than the programs that are typically being used on it. If you are planning on doing movie editing or doing some serious gaming go for some real nice one, but if the programs you'll be using don't require fantastic performance by something average for $1000 less.

I bought a toshiba M115-S3094 last year for $600 new and its worked fine for me. It does wireless internet, lets me do Word documents, stores my music and pictures, and even lets me play occasional games. I really don't need anything more. Why buy something more than i need?

Maybe someone would know better than I whether the programs the D-Schools have you use require high specs, but if they don't I say go conveniant/cheap.

If you're looking for great deals though there are a couple forums dedicated to finding the best deals (thats where i found my lapppy). Just google 'slickdeals' or 'fatwallet.'
 
keibee82 said:
Why is IBM Thinkpad better than Dell inspiron?
I was thinking about Dell inspiron E1405, and now i'm comparing with
Thinkpad R61. Which one is better?
Click to expand...

i would look at the dell latitude over the inspiron. it's a business laptop, thus more compact.

jb!:)
 
my latitude d800 lasted me almost 5 years and is still more advanced than the min requirements for every program. i'm upgrading to a macbook now.
 
Everyone who has a macbook loves their macbook. Why is this a discussion?
 
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