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I need a new business notebook - suggestions?

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by REMIX, Sep 10, 2006.

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  1. REMIX

    REMIX Two Time F1 World Champ

    May 25, 2005
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    Jacksonville & Sarasota
    #1 REMIX, Sep 10, 2006
    Been reading reviews on everything lately because I want to move on from my old Gateway 400SD4. I'm thinking of going with an ultraportable with a 12.1" screen.

    Most of the mags love the Lenovo (Thinkpad) X60s. Seems like most are seeing 8+ hrs of battery life on this model and it weighs something like 3 lbs. I don't know if I can live with the little red pointer device, though, since I'm used to a trackpad. Anyone have or used this specific model?

    What about Dell? Their D620 seems like a decent machine.

    I tend to use my notebook at my office desk most often, followed by using it on the couch at home and giving boardroom presentations. I need light, durable, small with excellent battery life. I would prefer something that has Bluetooth and EV-DO compatability, if possible.

    Both spec out at around $2200. Lenovo has the extended warranty with next day onsite repair ($243) and shock-mounted drives. They both have the options of 100gb 7200rpm SATA HDs and 2+gb of ram. Dell has the Core Duo 2 as an option, Lenovo just the Core Duo.

    Used for: commercial real estate. I use ACT!, Word, Excel, some Photoshop CS2 and Acrobat on a daily basis. The machine I have now is killing me! And yes, I have a full desktop at home I use.

    RMX
     
  2. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

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    #2 Doody, Sep 10, 2006
    Passed on IBM/Lenovo last time I cycled and have regretted it since. Will go with Lenovo next time - with the next-day on-site repair stuff.

    Doody
     
  3. REMIX

    REMIX Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #3 REMIX, Sep 10, 2006
    Other then for OSR, what else do you like about Lenovo?

    RMX
     
  4. jordanair45

    jordanair45 Formula Junior

    Feb 6, 2006
    929
    #4 jordanair45, Sep 10, 2006
    IBM/Lenovo is the way to go. They are reliable, great customer support, the hard drive will survive through a fire. If you are going to have personal information on it, then the security and reliablilty of Lenovo does not get better.
     
  5. otaku

    otaku Formula 3

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    #5 otaku, Sep 10, 2006
    For business I recommend IBM. Conservative styling. Top notch build quality, great warranty/service
     
  6. REMIX

    REMIX Two Time F1 World Champ

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    #6 REMIX, Sep 10, 2006
    How tough do you think it will be for me to go from a (approx) 15" screen to a 12.1"? I assume the smaller form factor of the IBM/Lenovo will make such a small screen seem more "normal"?

    RMX
     
  7. lateralus

    lateralus Karting

    Sep 6, 2005
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    #7 lateralus, Sep 10, 2006
    I think it may take you a while to get used to the 12 inch screen, especially stepping down from a 15" (widescreen?). I would suggest heading over to your local staples/office depot, as I believe they are both authorized lenovo dealers and may have some models that you can inspect.

    I was also recently looking for a new laptop, and also looking to step down from a 15" widescreen Dell. I considered Lenovo and Apple, and the Lenovo 14" seemed like the perfect size (Z60t?) but at the time they only had the Centrino chips and the duo core chips had already been out for a while. I ended up picking up a macbook pro and love it, but had I decided to stick with a PC laptop I definitely would have gone with lenovo. Hope this helps.
     
  8. homestar

    homestar Rookie

    Sep 10, 2006
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    #8 homestar, Sep 10, 2006
    I've seen lenovos mentioned a few times here and as an IT consultant I will fully stand behind them. The average lifespan of an averagely used laptop is about 2 years. I've seen IBM/Lenovos 4-5 years and still kicking.
     
  9. CAS

    CAS F1 Rookie

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    #9 CAS, Sep 10, 2006
    IBM/Lenovo great choice, but look at Fujitsu as well. Just picked up a Lifebook S7110 with some options and absolutely love it. Fantastic machine, looks great, and the customer support is awesome.
     
  10. PAP 348

    PAP 348 Ten Time F1 World Champ
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    #10 PAP 348, Sep 10, 2006
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  11. Townshend

    Townshend F1 Veteran
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    #11 Townshend, Sep 11, 2006
    I use the Dell D600. If you look around you can pick up a used one for $500 with a warranty. I got mine for $500 with about 2 years left on their next business day warranty. The machine has run great and is a Centrino which is perfect as it has built-in wifi (802.11b) and is better on battery life. I get over 4 hours on a single charge with mine. If you want to spend a little more to get a new one, the D620 which you mentioned is a newer model of the D600 which should be equally as good.
     
  12. Townshend

    Townshend F1 Veteran
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    #12 Townshend, Sep 11, 2006
    BTW, every laptop will have EV-DO capability with a PCMCIA card.
     
  13. DMC

    DMC Formula 3

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    #13 DMC, Sep 11, 2006
    Another vote for Lenovo. By far, the best business laptop.

    Dell Latitudes aren't bad, either.

    The Acer Ferrari is actually a really nice laptop, but overkill unless you need the 64-bit chipset.
     
  14. RossoCorsaItaly

    RossoCorsaItaly F1 Rookie
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    #14 RossoCorsaItaly, Sep 11, 2006
    They're actually not that bad, we usually have some in stock, fun computers and get alot of comments.
     

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