12" laptops vs. full size laptops

I have the little Sony Vaio with the 12" screen (16:9). I find that I like it a lot better than my Dell notebook that has a 15" screen. In fact, now that I have been using the Sony for a while, the Dell seems pretty massive in comparison.

As for the keyboard, it is full sized and I type on it quite a bit on the road. I have written very long papers on it and the keyboard is more than enough; however, I do have slender fingers. If you have larger fingers you might want to try it before you purchase.

Finally, the battery life is great. On the lowest power setting with the extended battery I can get about 6 hours out of it. My Dell has dual batteries and it only runs for about 4 hours.

 

I bought the Fujitsu Lifebook and it's great! I dumpd the 8 pound Dell boat anchor.

 

No way! I actually never even gave it a thought. It's great also when you get stuck on a coach seat on travel. Small and lightweight. Make sure you get an Earthlink wireless card. Unlimited usage is $89 a month and you get the internet everywhere you get a Verizon signal.

 

I have a 15" powerbook (5.4lbs, titanium) which is great and not too big with it's 16:10 aspect screen.

The iBook (12") is a great machine, but I find the resolution limitation to be too much for my work.

Get the little guy, they're doing amazing things these days.

 

I run 1280x768 on my Vaio.

 

I went with the 12" Toshiba, with the extended battery I get 8hrs or so. Also 1024x768 I think. Works great and wouldn't go back.

 

Just bought an Inspiron 700m
Great machine to use and the keyboard is great for typing.
My resolution is 1200x800 so i can easily fit two fchat windows side by side.
Just make sure you get the 8cell battery!

 

I use a 12" PowerBook.

Screen resolution is 1024x768. And is plenty readable. The small size of the screen is actually convenient in meetings, on airplanes, etc.

But when I'm at home or office, I hook up to the larger screen that is there... an 18" running 1280x1024... positioned behind and visually above my laptop screen... configured such that its one really tall screen... the net result being FAR more screen space than you'd have with your 15" where you'd use it most... and you can buy that second screen with the money you save with the smaller laptop.

The keyboard on the 12" PB is full-sized and great... I use it even when at the office... though I could use an external keyboard if I wanted to.

 

Go 12. You'll love it.

 

I also use a Apple Powerbook 12" for travel. It works great, with a full size keyboard. In the office I use a 17" Powerbook.

(We just got the first 30" flatscreens in. We had to wait three months, but the new screens are fantastic, they are huge)

 

In law school you'll haul your laptop everywhere and the weight adds up - especially with a few 6-8 lb textbooks.

I bought the 12" Powerbook, and am totally pleased. Just get a Fellowes gel-pad in front of it and a regular mouse when you're going to type/surf for long periods. I did get some carpal last year that has subsided (including in my thumbs from the touchpad button that has a lot of 'click').

Also, if you only have a one-shoulder leather attache, get a regular backpack. Carrying 20+lbs off only one shoulder for 1hr+ every day was giving me serious mid-back pain. I went and got a backpack last month and things are great now - the pain is gone and I don't dread walking to school.

 

This is the tank I use, an HP ZD7140. Makes a traditional desktop transportable, but bag and all, an easy 10 lbs. I love the machine and take advantage of all of the crazy features, like the easy to use media reader. It's powerful enough to do all my wonky database stuff and I am still far too excited about the size of the screen--can work on two documents/programs at once.

If it were for me personally, I'd buy the 12" Powerbook. Plus, the next home computer is definitely a Mac.