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Photo Forum / Digital Photography / Digital Photo / July 2005Laptop
Hi I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to upload and manage all images taken from my camera. Must be light, robust and fast and.. not too expensive. What do you use? Thanks : Hi : I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to upload [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] : : What do you use? I use a Dell. I love my Dell computers. I have had so many different kinds and even built my own for awhile, but I just love them. Good components IF you don't just buy the cheapies. You know the game, you get what you pay for. You can get a helluva good deal on permium equipment on their refurbished site. http://www1.us.dell.com/content/default.aspx?c=us&cs=22&l=en&s=dfh&DGVCode=IR not to worry, it's all guranteed and looks and acts just like new. You gan even get extended warranty if you want to spend the money. With the refurbished site, refresh often. It's a live inventory and can change in minutes if someone has selected a system and then changed their minds. Happy Hunting! Kate > I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to upload > and manage all images taken from my camera. Sony makes a tiny Vaio called the picturebook which I love. It's about the size of a book, much smaller than most laptops, and you really can take it anywhere with you. The only drawback is that I've heard that Sony's support isn't very good. You have to hope the machine doesn't break. Dell is supposed to have great support (but on the other hand, I just spent three days on the phone with Dell tech support over a broken HD - they sure blew this service call with me). -Joel ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Free 35mm lens/digicam reviews: http://www.exc.com/photography ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Joel Hoffman wrote ... > >Sony makes a tiny Vaio called the picturebook which I love. It's >about the size of a book, much smaller than most laptops, and you >really can take it anywhere with you This sounds like the one I saw and lusted after, but with the HD and RAM I needed it was about $2,500 and even stripped it was I think over $2,000, which was too much for something I use only a few times a year. But if you're traveling a lot and will use it often and are concerned about weight this baby is the best one I've seen. Bill Dell service has gone straight to hell in the last two years or so. I have purchased five or six items from them in the last two years and there has been a problem with every one in one way or another. I know this is anecdotal, but take a look at their ratings with the various rating services. Kitt > > I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to upload > > and manage all images taken from my camera. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > Free 35mm lens/digicam reviews: http://www.exc.com/photography > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > : Hi > : I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Kate http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/14/dell_answers_forum_critics/  SignatureTumbleweed email replies not necessary but to contact use; tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com Apple iBook G4 12" with a gig of ram and a 60gb drive. Fast, long battery life and light. Don't buy a Dell; they are worthless pieces of sh.t. Hi, I'm very happy with my Apple Macintosh G4 iBook (14" screen) wit airport (wireless) card. Easy to carry, relatively long battery use stylish white case. Hard to beat for the price. Best, Conra -- Conrad > Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Conrad You neglected to mention the price.... SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net On Mon, 18 Jul 2005 11:35:08 GMT, colin, eager to unload a pungent piece of his mind offerred this inside poop: "Don't buy a Dell; they are worthless pieces of sh.t." -- Colin > Apple iBook G4 12" with a gig of ram and a 60gb drive. Fast, long battery > life and light. Don't buy a Dell; they are worthless pieces of sh.t. Sounded like a decent opinion until you made a ridiculous comment about Dell. They make excellent machines -- at a price significantly below Apple's. | Sounded like a decent opinion until you made a ridiculous comment about | Dell. | | They make excellent machines -- at a price significantly below Apple's. Their price is indicative of their quality. >| Sounded like a decent opinion until you made a ridiculous comment about > | Dell. > | > | They make excellent machines -- at a price significantly below Apple's. > > Their price is indicative of their quality. Really? How many have you owned? What's your PERSONAL experience? Or are you just an Apple bigot. Tom | Really? How many have you owned? What's your PERSONAL experience? Or are | you just an Apple bigot. Unfortunately I am a veteran custodian of many Dell notebooks, both Latitudes and Inspirons, thanks to my office, who insist on buying these lumps of crap to the annoyance of myself and the other sysadmins who are forced to use them. I use the word ``custodian'' because I would never in a million years buy one with my own money. They break down constantly. Their hardware is the cheapest low-end electronics. They may be cheap but they are still vastly over-priced. As for Apple, I am no Apple bigot. I compared many notebooks before I finally decided on an iBook, and I was glad to have done so. Having said that, my choice for decent Win32 notebooks goes to the IBM Thinkpad T42 though I understand that is out of the budget of many people. Apples have their problems, however they are still a far superior product to anything that Dell ever shat onto a production line. >| Really? How many have you owned? What's your PERSONAL experience? Or >are [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > to > anything that Dell ever shat onto a production line. No notebook on the market today breaks down "constantly" as a result of it's own deficiencies. I don't care what job you have.....that's just a load of bull. It's one thing if you don't like Dell for some reason, but it's a whole other thing to hyperbolize in order to substantiate your hatred. And on one other point: I wouldn't currently recommend a Thinkpad to anyone until we are able to ascertain what Lenovo is going to do with the brand. IBM had a costly standard that drove the brand into the ground, but it sure made a substantial notebook. In the case of Lenovo, hard cost cutting isn't an impossibility, nor is it unusual when one company sells an underperforming brand to another. The only thing wrong with dell computers, notebooks or desktops, is that they sell so much disk rights to vendors for pop-up ads and offers, that the machines get unnecessarily bogged down. And the truth is that the faster speed you spend your money on the more stuff they can load on the disk. Most people don't realize their machine are capable of operating much faster and more efficiently, than how they show up at the door. In my mind every Dell, like every other consumer purchased notebook or desktop, needs a complete wipe and a fresh install of all the relevant software and drivers ***the user*** deems necessary. Do that and your machine will run like a sprinter. But don't use the makers re-install CD or icon....that will just get you back to the same pre-loaded disk the machine showed up as. | In my mind every Dell, like every other consumer purchased notebook or | desktop, needs a complete wipe and a fresh install of all the relevant | software and drivers ***the user*** deems necessary. Do that and your | machine will run like a sprinter. But don't use the makers re-install CD or | icon....that will just get you back to the same pre-loaded disk the machine | showed up as. That's a great point. One should /always/ perform a fresh install from scratch, of any new computer. That goes for Apples as well as anyone else. I posted my original comment before seeing the rest of the thread to this point. I'm not sure what I'll buy next, but I know it won't be another Dell. Again, I know this isn't conclusive, but it sure is indicative and is in line with my personal experience. If you need more, just do a Google on 'dell customer service'. It's pretty scary, considering the number of boxes they have out there: http://news.com.com/2100-1042-5162141.html http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1867.html http://shopping.yahoo.com/merchrating/user_rv.html?merchant_id=1003452 http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2004Feb/gee20040223023954.htm >| Sounded like a decent opinion until you made a ridiculous comment about > | Dell. > | > | They make excellent machines -- at a price significantly below Apple's. > > Their price is indicative of their quality. Don't buy anything but Latitude. Everyone sells crap. Dells crap is called Inspiron. >>| Sounded like a decent opinion until you made a ridiculous comment about >> | Dell. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Don't buy anything but Latitude. Everyone sells crap. Dells crap is called > Inspiron. Really? My Inspiron 9300 is a darned impressive machine. 17" Wide screen. Amazing. I'll ask you too. What is your personal experience with Inspirons? You do know that the vast majority of the Latitudes are the same as an identical Inspiron but with a different label? Tom | Really? My Inspiron 9300 is a darned impressive machine. 17" Wide screen. | Amazing. | | I'll ask you too. What is your personal experience with Inspirons? You do | know that the vast majority of the Latitudes are the same as an identical | Inspiron but with a different label? Of course, because you own one Inspiron you are an expert on all things Dell. How remiss of me not to realise this. >>>| Sounded like a decent opinion until you made a ridiculous comment about >>> | Dell. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > do know that the vast majority of the Latitudes are the same as an > identical Inspiron but with a different label? Hey, I just ordered a 9300 for someone because they had to have all the media whiz-bangs. The others in this group are getting the Lat D810's. I'll know for sure in a couple weeks when it gets here how it matches up. My problem with the Inspires has been users bring them to me after they've been through hell and back, pieces missing and you can't get parts as easily as the Lats, and 90% of the ones I've had to work with are Celeron's. But they didn't have the 17" and subwoofer on the Latitude so we're going to try one. If we don't like it, of course, we have 15 days to send it back. Dell has been great for us. > Hey, I just ordered a 9300 for someone because they had to have all the > media whiz-bangs. The others in this group are getting the Lat D810's. I'll > know for sure in a couple weeks when it gets here how it matches up. Like the rest of Dell's offering, garbage. Where I work, we switched from Thinkpads (and IBM) to Dell and the D810's and 610's are nothing short of garbage. Lots of DOA, dead hard drives, and they don't hold up well at all. Considering I've seen 3 year old Thinkpads that are still running perfectly, the Dell lack of quality is amazing. > as the Lats, and 90% of the ones I've had to work with are Celeron's. But My condolences. Nothing worse than a Dell. And a Dell De-Celeron, that's ready for the junk pile out of the box. > one. If we don't like it, of course, we have 15 days to send it back. Dell > has been great for us. Do yourself a favor and send 'em all back. Dell isn't worth the cardboard they come in. > Apple iBook G4 12" with a gig of ram and a 60gb drive. Fast, long battery > life and light. Don't buy a Dell; they are worthless pieces of sh.t. Sigh. Why do Apple owners always have to trash other people's computers? Lack of confidence, defensiveness, realization of error? SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net > > Apple iBook G4 12" with a gig of ram and a 60gb drive. Fast, long battery > > life and light. Don't buy a Dell; they are worthless pieces of sh.t. > > > Sigh. Why do Apple owners always have to trash other people's > computers? Lack of confidence, defensiveness, realization of error? I wouldn't call Dells pieces of sh.t. They're probably the best of the name brand PCs. But I'll stick with my Macs just the same. >>> Apple iBook G4 12" with a gig of ram and a 60gb drive. Fast, long battery >>> life and light. Don't buy a Dell; they are worthless pieces of sh.t. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I wouldn't call Dells pieces of sh.t. They're probably the best of the > name brand PCs. But I'll stick with my Macs just the same. Moving customer support 'offshore' was a SERIOUS error, and Dell is paying for it in perception problems. I would hope they will correct this error, but this seems to be the trend. They have gone from number one is PC support to merely an 'also ran'. Pretty sad. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net > Moving customer support 'offshore' was a SERIOUS error, and Dell is > paying for it in perception problems. I would hope they will correct > this error, but this seems to be the trend. They have gone from number > one is PC support to merely an 'also ran'. Pretty sad. One of the things my employer does is operate a call center for some rather large corporations. The techs always joke about answering the phone with a Mideast accent. >>>Apple iBook G4 12" with a gig of ram and a 60gb drive. Fast, long battery >>>life and light. Don't buy a Dell; they are worthless pieces of sh.t. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I wouldn't call Dells pieces of sh.t. They're probably the best of the > name brand PCs. But I'll stick with my Macs just the same. Cause I'm a PC tech by trade and the Dells are not (nor have ever been) worth the cardboard box they come in. Truly garbage all throughout. I've only been using Macs for 3 years and have not liked Dell forever. You do better with either a teir-2 vendor or a local custom built machine. > Cause I'm a PC tech by trade and the Dells are not (nor have ever been) > worth the cardboard box they come in. Truly garbage all throughout. > > I've only been using Macs for 3 years and have not liked Dell forever. > > You do better with either a teir-2 vendor or a local custom built machine. Granted, you're best off with a quality generic PC, but there's so much crap out there (like e-Machines, for example) and little mom & pop shops often use low quality components. > > Cause I'm a PC tech by trade and the Dells are not (nor have ever been) > > worth the cardboard box they come in. Truly garbage all throughout. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > crap out there (like e-Machines, for example) and little mom & pop > shops often use low quality components. www.newegg.com There is no good reason NOT to build your own PC... unless you're Mr. Electro and everything you touch gets voltage. Signaturehttp://www.pbase.com/bcbaird [] > There is no good reason NOT to build your own PC... unless you're Mr. > Electro and everything you touch gets voltage. .. or you want a guarantee. David >>>Cause I'm a PC tech by trade and the Dells are not (nor have ever been) >>>worth the cardboard box they come in. Truly garbage all throughout. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > There is no good reason NOT to build your own PC... unless you're Mr. > Electro and everything you touch gets voltage. Sure there are many reasons. First, you may just not have the technical, or mechanical, apptitude for such things. Second, you may just not WANT to do it. Third, you might not want to be stuck with a doorstop if you can't make it work. I gave up building my own electronic things about 25 years ago. It was fun up to a point, but after I almost went blind soldering the tiny connections on a frequency counter, it suddenly wasn't fun any more. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net > Granted, you're best off with a quality generic PC, but there's so much > crap out there (like e-Machines, for example) and little mom & pop > shops often use low quality components. Apparently you've never seen the inside of a Dell.... 1) Barely adequate power supply 2) Generic Intel motherboard with low performance (see various benchmarks) 3) Generic video cards that are quite slower than others with the same chips 4) Bastardized ATX case so you're stuck going to them for power supplies and other items. No thanks, you'd be better off with a local store outfitted with PCChips stuff. > > Granted, you're best off with a quality generic PC, but there's so much > > crap out there (like e-Machines, for example) and little mom & pop [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > 4) Bastardized ATX case so you're stuck going to them for power supplies > and other items. Oh, I've seen my share of Dells and all the other brands out there. Gee...where's Packard Bell? :-) > Sigh. Why do Apple owners always have to trash other people's > computers? Lack of confidence, defensiveness, realization of error? They don't; that is certainly not all of us do. The reason some folks trash another's choice in camera, O/S, car, house, religion, etc. etc. may include any of the above---- or a host of other reasons, rational and irrational. Tolerate the intolerable?? The interesting question to me is why do you need to cast aspersions on a group based on the actions of a few? -- John McWilliams We used to be troubled by multiple personalities, but we're O.K. now.... >> Sigh. Why do Apple owners always have to trash other people's >> computers? Lack of confidence, defensiveness, realization of error? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > The interesting question to me is why do you need to cast aspersions on > a group based on the actions of a few? Did he really? There's an implied word preceding "Apple owners", and Ron might well have meant it to be "some". The interesting question to me is why you assumed that he meant it to be "all". :) > >> Sigh. Why do Apple owners always have to trash other people's > >> computers? Lack of confidence, defensiveness, realization of error? [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Did he really? Yes,..... the troll did. > There's an implied word preceding "Apple owners", > and Ron might well have meant it to be "some". Implications mean jack squat. >The interesting > question to me is why you assumed that he meant it to be "all". :) Because he said "always" which equates it to all Apple users in the context as read. SignatureWould thou choose to meet a rat eating dragon, or a dragon, eating rat? The answer of: I am somewhere in the middle. >>>> Sigh. Why do Apple owners always have to trash other people's >>>> computers? Lack of confidence, defensiveness, realization of [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Because he said "always" which equates it to all Apple users > in the context as read. Such "Aspersions" (great word!) are like passed gas: in polite company they go ignored and the party continues. SignatureFrank ess > Such "Aspersions" (great word!) are like passed gas: in polite company > they go ignored and the party continues. How right you are. SignatureWould thou choose to meet a rat eating dragon, or a dragon, eating rat? The answer of: I am somewhere in the middle. >> Did he really? > > Yes,..... the troll did. Ron is a regular participant and not a troll. Whether you are one or not is yet to be determined. >> There's an implied word preceding "Apple owners", >> and Ron might well have meant it to be "some". > > Implications mean jack squat. To those incapable of comprehending English at a much higher level than "See Jack run. Run, Jack, run." >> The interesting >> question to me is why you assumed that he meant it to be "all". :) > > Because he said "always" which equates it to all Apple users > in the context as read. Nonsense. "all" and "always" have different meanings despite similarities in spelling. How would your logic work if he happened to have said "Why do Apple owners never . . ."? I already gave you the words to try inserting. Since you evidently didn't I'll do it for you: > Sigh. Why do SOME Apple owners always have to trash other people's" Note that the word "always" applies only to "SOME" Apple owners. That you think the work "always" can only allow the word "ALL" to be the implied meaning implies something else. Namely, that you are indeed an Apple owner, since according to surveys I've read (not recently, probably more than 15 years ago) Apple owners tend to have better graphic than linguistic capabilities. Please note that this applies to SOME, not ALL Apple owners. :) > Would thou choose to meet a rat eating dragon, or > a dragon, eating rat? The answer of: I am somewhere > in the middle. Is that a dragon eating LGED, who in turn is chomping on a rat? Or could it be that LGED is a rat in drag? <g> > >> Did he really? > > > > Yes,..... the troll did. > > Ron is a regular participant and not a troll. Whether you are one > or not is yet to be determined. I have no doubts you and he are on good terms. > > >> There's an implied word preceding "Apple owners", [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > the words to try inserting. Since you evidently didn't I'll do it > for you: Nonsense is correct, I have no time for your childish games. Now into the kill file where you belong. SignatureWould thou choose to meet a rat eating dragon, or a dragon, eating rat? The answer of: I am somewhere in the middle. > Nonsense is correct, I have no time for your childish games. > Now into the kill file where you belong. Thus spake the Little Green Eyed Dragon. No gamester he. Nooo. >>>> Did he really? >>> [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > Nonsense is correct, I have no time for your childish games. > Now into the kill file where you belong. Do you killfile everyone who disagrees (even politely) with you? In that case, I would be honored to join your list. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net > Do you killfile everyone who disagrees (even politely) with you? In > that case, I would be honored to join your list. Actually I try to be rather tolerant,....I did not like his tone :) SignatureWould thou choose to meet a rat eating dragon, or a dragon, eating rat? The answer of: I am somewhere in the middle. >> Do you killfile everyone who disagrees (even politely) with you? In >> that case, I would be honored to join your list. > > Actually I try to be rather tolerant,....I did not like his tone :) In case you haven't yet activated the KF, the tone you objected to was from this: > Did he really? There's an implied word preceding "Apple owners", > and Ron might well have meant it to be "some". The interesting > question to me is why you assumed that he meant it to be "all". :) You find that more objectionable than your "Implications mean jack squat." knee-jerk response? My oh my. What is this world coming to. I thought dragons had thicker skin than that. >>>>Sigh. Why do Apple owners always have to trash other people's >>>>computers? Lack of confidence, defensiveness, realization of error? [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Because he said "always" which equates it to all Apple users > in the context as read. Mainly because when push comes to shove, every Apple owner I have ever known ends by trashing the PC. There may be exceptions, but I have yet to meet one. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net > Mainly because when push comes to shove, every Apple owner I have ever > known ends by trashing the PC. There may be exceptions, but I have yet > to meet one. Biggest complaint, I have are the endless security patches Microsoft send to my website server. I have no problem with PC computers otherwise. Anything running Windows I'll opt out from running on the Net. SignatureWould thou choose to meet a rat eating dragon, or a dragon, eating rat? The answer of: I am somewhere in the middle. >>Mainly because when push comes to shove, every Apple owner I have ever >>known ends by trashing the PC. There may be exceptions, but I have yet [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > otherwise. Anything running Windows I'll opt out from running on the > Net. Well, I have 3 Windows computers on the net, and have never had a problem with any of them. Most of the problems people have are either bad operating habits, or laziness, or ignorance. Those can get you into trouble on any computer. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net > > Biggest complaint, I have are the endless security patches Microsoft > > send to my website server. I have no problem with PC computers [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > bad operating habits, or laziness, or ignorance. Those can get you into > trouble on any computer. Well I've been using Apple computers for 20 years -7 on the net, so I feel reasonably comfortable using the computer system. SignatureWould thou choose to meet a rat eating dragon, or a dragon, eating rat? The answer of: I am somewhere in the middle. >> Sigh. Why do Apple owners always have to trash other people's >> computers? Lack of confidence, defensiveness, realization of error? [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > The interesting question to me is why do you need to cast aspersions on > a group based on the actions of a few? Not a few, the majority, in my experience, going back to 1976. I have found most Apple products to be well made, and engineered (with some exceptions, like the Apple III), but substantially higher in price than other brands. It seems most Mac owners are a bit on the overprotective side, and rather than extoling the virtures of their choice, denigrate the competition, usually in abysmal ignorance, and embarrass themselves. And, yes, some PC owners do the same. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net >>> Sigh. Why do Apple owners always have to trash other people's >>> computers? Lack of confidence, defensiveness, realization of error? [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > competition, usually in abysmal ignorance, and embarrass themselves. > And, yes, some PC owners do the same. Thanks for the modification and clarification. AFAIK, I haven't embarrassed self or others in platform 'discussions'.... still am interested in answer to my last question. And, could it be that you are rather on the lookout for Mac users who conform to your conceptions? Almost rhetorical, that, but it *is* a question! SignatureJohn McWilliams >Jack writes ... > >I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to >upload and manage all images taken from my camera. Decide how big a screen you need (15.4", 13.3", 10.6" or ?), decide what you need for RAM and HD space, and decide how much weight you want to carry and if you need wireless and how long a battery life you need, then go from there. >Must be light, robust and fast and.. not too expensive. Unfortunately "not too expensive" is mutually exclusive with "light ... and fast", I've found. >What do you use? I use my laptop for flipping thru RAW files and doing a first level cull, then writing them off on a Nixvue via USB for 2nd level backup, doing the real work at home on a desktop. I need 1 GB of RAM and 80 GB of hard drive for this, I feel, since I'm keeping track of files for two people (wife) and sometimes need to cull fast between sessions. What I REALLY wanted was a small Sony Vaio with 10.6" screen and very light weight, but it cost more than double what I wanted to spend. What I ended up with was a $999 (after multiple rebates) HP from Fry's with a 15.4" screen, poor battery life, 1 GB RAM and 80 GB HD, but it's almost triple the weight of the Sony and feels pretty flimsy. So far so good (after a year and several trips) but I still wish I had the Sony :) Bill > >Jack writes ... >> [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > far so good (after a year and several trips) but I still wish I had the > Sony :) I have a Dell D800 monster for serious editing and a Sony Vaio for light travel. But the Sony does not have a internal CD/DVD drive which can be a problem at times. I find the small screen a little too limiting for serious editing but I can sort photos OK. I'm really surprised it's lasted so long - we've had it since 2001 and knock on wood - we've only recently upgraded the hard drive from 20GB to 80GB and added RAM - no problems. It's fantastic for wireless in the house teeny-tiny. > Hi > I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to upload > and manage all images taken from my camera. > > Must be light, robust and fast and.. not too expensive. How small a screen can you live with? Not too expensive and fast/robust do not go hand in hand. > Hi > I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to upload [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > What do you use? I have a Medion PC bought on a supermarket (Coop in Norway) that does everything I want. It has internal card reader for CF/SD/XD cards, Pentium M 1.7ghz CPU, wireless, 512mb RAM, 80MB harddisk, DVD burner, about 4 hours battery time etc. It also came with a TV tuner and a carrying case. I was about to buy a Dell 6000 or similar, but I am quite happy with my cheap brand and I bring it along everywhere. SignatureJan Otto >Hi >I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to upload [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Thanks If all that you are doing is downloading from your camera's cards, then maybe one of the iPod-type units would work well. Nikon, Iomega, Epson, MAC, and many others make them in size up to about 80GB. Most seem to have 3" +/- monitors. If you want to also do a bit of Web-surfing, or e-mail, you could add a Blackberry, or Trio and have a phone too. A Trio with T-Mobile will even get you an international account, though the call time charges can be a bit rough. If you also want to edit the pics, then you start getting into problems with screen size/rez and the size of the box. For Photoshop, I use a 17" laptop, but always end up shipping the image to one of my workstations for any output. I'd like a smaller unit, but really miss having dual, hi-rez, 21" monitors. Seventeen inches was as small as I was willing to go. Hunt >>Hi >>I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to upload [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > I'd like a smaller unit, but really miss having dual, hi-rez, 21" monitors. > Seventeen inches was as small as I was willing to go. I'd go for a Macintosh laptop, cost $800-3000. My three year+ old G-3 ($900 then) is fine for field work, even though it's not got USBII. I plan to upgrade within the year to a fast G-4, but still don't plan to do any serious editing on it. -- John McWilliams >>> Hi >>> I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > plan to upgrade within the year to a fast G-4, but still don't plan to > do any serious editing on it. I have found my HP laptop (1.4 Ghz, 512 meg, 60GB HD 15 inch LCD screen) to be quite adequate for my needs. Battery life could be better, but it charges fast, and my needs for battery operation are light. Speed is adequate for running Photoshop Elements. Price, about $950 about a year ago. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net >> I'd go for a Macintosh laptop, cost $800-3000. My three year+ old G-3 >> ($900 then) is fine for field work, even though it's not got USBII. I [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >adequate for running Photoshop Elements. Price, about $950 about a >year ago. If it does what you want it to do, that's a lot in its favor! :-) Have you looked into a newer battery? My last laptop (an OLD HP) badly needed a new battery (the original was dead; the laptop wouldn't run more than 10 minutes unplugged),and a new, higher capacity battery was very reasonable (a little under $100), and did wonders for it. SignatureBill Funk replace "g" with "a" funktionality.blogspot.com >>>I'd go for a Macintosh laptop, cost $800-3000. My three year+ old G-3 >>>($900 then) is fine for field work, even though it's not got USBII. I [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > more than 10 minutes unplugged),and a new, higher capacity battery was > very reasonable (a little under $100), and did wonders for it. The battery lasts between 2 and 3 hours, which is about par for that type of laptop, and my power settings. I have it on line power 90% of the time, and also have a 95 watt inverter for the car which will allow use and recharging at the same time without even warming up the inverter. Sure, I wish the battery lasted 10 hours, but then I probably wouldn't want to carry it around, either. Grin. Since the laptop isn't quite a year old (oct. 2004), I don't think it should need a new battery yet. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net >>>> Hi >>>> I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] > light. Speed is adequate for running Photoshop Elements. Price, > about $950 about a year ago. Does it have a CF card slot? The current similars I have seen are five-in-one equipped, but the CF is not one of them. SignatureFrank ess >>>>> Hi >>>>> I'm looking for the ideal Laptop to take on location to allow me to [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > Does it have a CF card slot? The current similars I have seen are > five-in-one equipped, but the CF is not one of them. No CF card slot, but there is a PC Card slot, and I have a USB card reader (6 in 1) that works fine with it. The only negative aspect I have found is that it weighs in at 6.5 lbs. It seems one can have light, or inexpensive, not both. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net <snip> >>> I have found my HP laptop (1.4 Ghz, 512 meg, 60GB HD 15 inch LCD >>> screen) to be quite adequate for my needs. Battery life could be [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > lbs. > It seems one can have light, or inexpensive, not both. Thanks, Ron. There's an HP at Costco that looks similar to the one you mention (Pentium M725A 1.6Ghz, 400MHz FSB & 2MB L2 cache, 1G, 80GB, DVD +/- RW) and I hear there is a $150.00-off coupon out there, making it a $999.99 proposition after August 1st. For those in a bigger hurry, check overstock.com. There are hundreds (well - many, many) of refurb laptops from about $400 on up. HP, IBM, Dell I saw. They are not real big on specifications, but every item I have from Overstock has been a good value and just as stated in their offerings. SignatureFrank ess I'd go with the iBook. I have one, and I absolutely adore it. The reason apple people are so, uh...agressive in pushing apple products is simply a love for the brand. We see people buying Dell laptops and just feel like they don't know what they're missing. I've steered a number of coworkers and friends towards Apple and none of them regret it. The Good: -The iBook will come with iPhoto, which handles RAW photos now and has some basic editing capabilities. The ability to natively work with RAW is great. -5 hour battery life -Ability to work with two displays (with Screen Spanning Doctor) -Relatively small and light for the $1000 price point -No need to worry about getting a virus (ok, very _little_ reason to worry about it) -Spectacular software packaged with the computer. You're getting a very complete suite of programs that blow away the stuff packaged with a Dell. -OS 10.4 is absolutely awesome. This is one area where apple is, in my mind, unquestionably better. I cry a little bit when I'm at work in front of an XP box. The built-in search feature is one of those things that once you've used, you can't figure out how you got along without it. Same thing for Expose. -Nearly instant wake from sleep. My machine only gets turned off once a month or so. I can tell you when the last OS upgrade came out because that's the only time it goes down. The Bad: -The machine isn't going to be as fast as new Dell with anything other than their slowest processor. You'll get used to it. It's not slow feeling in day-to-day stuff, but you do lose something on the just-chew-through-this-data front. Generally I'll download all my RAW files and feed them into capture one pro, do the adjustments, and have it process the files overnight. -Fewer pieces of good commercial software. All the creative stuff is available, but there are going to be fewer games and business software packages. -The file browser, Finder, just isn't as nice as windows' Explorer. -The display on the iBook doesn't seem to be as bright and crisp as a vaio or a powerbook's display. It's very usuable, but I'm not terribly blown away by it. -One button trackpad. Gross. You can use iScroll2 to get two-fingered scrolling and a right-click like feature, but I still wish I had a right click. -Fewer keyboard shortcuts, I think. I'm a big keyboard fan, and this is one area where apple continues to piss me off. When all is said and done, I think I've spent less on my iBook than I would have on a PC laptop. Figure $1000 for the 12" ibook, plus another hundred or so for 512-1024mb of ram (OS X needs _a lot_ of RAM). Get the applecare, too. In the long run, you'll very likely save time and money with apple products. They hold their value longer, so if you're upgrading every couple of years you'll not _completey_ lose your shirt when you sell it on ebay. As someone else said, if you're still set on a windows machine, I'd _strongly_ suggest one of the IBM Thinkpads. Those things are built like tanks and when you remove it from the package the first time you'll get a nice wiff of high-class electronics smell. I love that. > The Bad: > -The machine isn't going to be as fast as new Dell with anything other > than their slowest processor. You'll get used to it. I'm no fan of Apple products, but to be fair, while the new Dells might be faster, due to the way Windows likes to save literally millions of bits of every imaginable kind of data (often encrypted or obfuscated) in its registry, given enough time, those Dells may bog down and become slower and less responsive than the iBooks. Many Windows owners learn that if their machines become excessively slow, the cure is to format the hard drive and reinstall Windows. >> The Bad: >> -The machine isn't going to be as fast as new Dell with anything other [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Many Windows owners learn that if their machines become excessively > slow, the cure is to format the hard drive and reinstall Windows. I like Apple products, they are good solid machines. In my case, sometime ago I went PC because my business needs industry specific software and frankly that vendor area simply doesn't do much with Apple OS. I use a Timberline product and they see no need or reason to create software for Apple. But I do understand why people who use Apple find anything else just a bit perplexing. On the other hand I am now sold on PC's for reasons that have more to do with business than anything else, but it is a need I have and Dell has always provided me with extremely good solid notebook machines.I recently moved to a 6000 and am quite impressed. I am currently using it on the office network (where I keep my photo archives) and using it for all my photo editing tasks. It is a charm for this use and when I travel it will be an extremely good tool to have on photo trips. All that said, I think anyone anywhere who buys a PC from any of the major suppliers needs to do a reformat immediately upon receipt of the machine, and then a fresh install of the OS as well as any required drivers. To use them as an example: Dell, machines are capable of so much more speed but Dell sells disk rights to so many vendors that the day your machine is delivered it is already stuffed full of programs, startup items and registry entries that it has no chance of performing to the levels it's hardware would otherwise allow. Clean that baby up, put on what **you** need and desire, and not only will the machine runs faster but your program and program functions will run cleaner. >>>The Bad: >>>-The machine isn't going to be as fast as new Dell with anything other [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > the machine runs faster but your program and program functions will run > cleaner. One of the first things I do with a new computer is clean it of stuff I neither want, nor need. But formatting and reinstalling is going a bit too far for me. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net > One of the first things I do with a new computer is clean it of stuff I > neither want, nor need. But formatting and reinstalling is going a bit > too far for me. I find it much easier to do than hunt through the registry, even with some of the fine reg-edit products out there these days. It provides a complete clean. And with the speed of today's notebooks it's done in 1/10 the time it used to take only 3 or 4 years ago. A few hours with my new notebook(s) and I have as clean and dedicated machine as I can get. And few hours is not, in my estimation, to far to good to have a speedy, streamlined, clean slate. You simply cannot get there by removing, deleting and editing. There is always something left behind to muck up the party. **That** is part and parcel of running any Windows version. >>One of the first things I do with a new computer is clean it of stuff I >>neither want, nor need. But formatting and reinstalling is going a bit [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > always something left behind to muck up the party. **That** is part and > parcel of running any Windows version. It is true that the method is 'better', IF you are willing to spend the time, and the headaches. I regard changing computers as right up there with moving to a new house, or getting a divorce. Neither of which I ever plan to do. Still, someday, I WILL have to get a new computer, and I expect the process to take some WEEKS before it is as 'homey' as my old one. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net <snip> >> Clean that baby up, put on what **you** need and desire, and not >> only will the machine runs faster but your program and program [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > a > bit too far for me. Kind of strange: my last two new computers (Sony, both) each went all wonky within the first few days they were in use here. Required formatting and re-installing, which I took as an occasion to make them as slim as possible. Neither has missed a beat since (four and two years), and they still run quick. SignatureFrank ess > <snip> > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > possible. Neither has missed a beat since (four and two years), and they > still run quick. On the PC/Win format this is the only way to get the computer back to it's equiped speed.....the speed you paid for. Simply uninstalling items one doesn't want does not clean the computer back to a fresh, skinny disk and registry. It irritates the crap out of me to know that people pay for 2 gigs of ram and a P-M 770 at 2.13ghz...etc. etc., just to have Dell and other makers muck it up with pop-up/start-up offers and web connections to supplement their revenue stream. It isn't right and the only way to cure completely it is to reformat. This has been my habit since 98SE, and I have had superb reliability and performance from my notebooks. > Clean that baby up, put on what **you** need and desire, and not only will > the machine runs faster but your program and program functions will run > cleaner. Once upon a time you could not only buy the OS from Microsoft, but the computer vendor would give you essentially a generic Windows install disk, with another disk or two containing drivers specific for the computer. Now you frequently not only get the OS on a CD that includes all of the "junk" you mentioned, but it's not a real "install" disk, but a much less useful "recovery" disk. And it may not work if you've changed any hardware such as disk controller, hard drive, video card, etc. Microsoft may ask "Where do you want to go today?" (if you remember that old ad campaign), but we know who's really in the driver's seat. :) >> Clean that baby up, put on what **you** need and desire, and not only >> will [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > to go today?" (if you remember that old ad campaign), but we know > who's really in the driver's seat. :) You don't need to buy the OS again. In my experience they have always sent a Windows CD and a Dell re-install CD (sometimes each are also present on the harddrive). The only thing I need is the Win CD and it never ever has any of the Dell specific drivers or vendor offers on it. Those are always on the Dell re-install CD. I took possession of a 6000 just a few weeks ago and once again it came with a full WinXPPro CD as well as a separate Dell re-install disk, along with my Office disk. Anyway, I get the drivers off their website....just punch in your Service Tag, and they have a list of the drivers for your specific machine as you optioned it (speaking of shitty customer service). I could do the same with my IBM Thinkpads as well, before they sold the division. And I know Compaq and HP offer(ed) the same capabilities. It's just too easy of a way to get all the speed and capability you paid for. Because the reality is that the more speed you buy, the more crap the computer maker can place on your machine before you ever hit the "on" button. It could be considered a pain to some, but the fact is that our notebook prices would be significantly higher if these manufacturers didn't exploit this particular revenue source. Personally a few hours to enable my inexpensive machine to be as capable as possible is a small effort to bear. > You don't need to buy the OS again. In my experience they have always sent a > Windows CD and a Dell re-install CD (sometimes each are also present on the > harddrive). The only thing I need is the Win CD and it never ever has any of > the Dell specific drivers or vendor offers on it. Those are always on the > Dell re-install CD. Thanks, that's nice to know. I'll have to consider them in the future. The last time I dealt with Dell I believe that they all came with regular install CDs, not the re-install stuff. But this was quite some time ago so I don't recall if they came with DOS and Win 3.11 or with Win95. > It could be considered a pain to some, but the fact is that our notebook > prices would be significantly higher if these manufacturers didn't exploit > this particular revenue source. Personally a few hours to enable my > inexpensive machine to be as capable as possible is a small effort to bear. Several years later I helped someone setup a half dozen Compaq computers. They were the most inexpensive ones in their lineup and one was almost DOA. It worked once or twice for only a few minutes and then would no longer boot up properly. I discovered then that it it only came with the re-install disks, with all of the garbage software, such as AOL, Compuserve 2000, etc.. Checking around, I discovered that this was fairly common practice at the time (about 1997 IIRC). I'd gladly have paid a reasonable premium to have a junk free Windows regular install disk. I'd consider $50 to $100 to be a reasonable amount to upgrade from a mere junk CD to Le Grande Junque de Redmond. :) >> You don't need to buy the OS again. In my experience they have always >> sent a [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > was quite some time ago so I don't recall if they came with DOS and > Win 3.11 or with Win95. I suspect it matters what level of computer you buy. I don't buy the top of the line, but I also don't buy the bargain basement either. I imagine they have a little more Latitude (for give the pun) to include full Win disks and re-install disks with the higher costing notebooks than they do the loss-leaders. Of course, I don't have billions like Mr. Dell does, so it's clear I do not share his business acumen :^) The above is but a guess on my part. >>> You don't need to buy the OS again. In my experience they have always >>> sent a [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Of course, I don't have billions like Mr. Dell does, so it's clear I do > not share his business acumen :^) The above is but a guess on my part. For awhile now, you've had to call Dell (preferably during your return period) to get OpSys media...it seems most makers are saving a few pennies there hoping people won't insist on media. >>> The Bad: >>> -The machine isn't going to be as fast as new Dell with anything other [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] >the machine runs faster but your program and program functions will run >cleaner. That is so easily solved by simply going to Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs and pulling the trigger on what you don't want that a format is not a good suggestion. Doing so will leave remnants in the Registry, but a modern system won't be slowed down by that, and there are many registry cleaners that will work well. Windows 9x is so Twentieth Century. It's really time to upgrade. SignatureBill Funk replace "g" with "a" funktionality.blogspot.com >>Clean that baby up, put on what **you** need and desire, and not only will >>the machine runs faster but your program and program functions will run [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Add or Remove Programs and pulling the trigger on what you don't want > that a format is not a good suggestion. Add/Remove is a joke. It won't remove registry entries, fonts or drivers. And it won't clean up system files and random.dll. In fact, it is really a rather weak way to remove even programs, but that is what XP offers as a best in-OS option. > Doing so will leave remnants in the Registry, but a modern system > won't be slowed down by that, Sure it will, and it will grow slower and slower as the entries grow in number and size, and begin to conflict as a result. And then your system suffers from the numerous windows errors that you never see, but that the OS is designed to recognize and remedy in the background.....all the time slowing your system down even more. Not to mention the freezes. > and there are many registry cleaners > that will work well. No there aren't. That you would say that indicates you don't understand the registry at any level which would suppose you could have any relevant opinion on this subject. > Windows 9x is so Twentieth Century. It's really time to upgrade. If you won't take the time to read, I won't take the time to indicate (again) that which you didn't comprehend. >>Doing so will leave remnants in the Registry, but a modern system >>won't be slowed down by that, A modern system should not even have a "registry". But then again, that's been the bane of Windows since '95. > A modern system should not even have a "registry". But then again, > that's been the bane of Windows since '95. Windows 3.11 had a registry, possibly Win 3.1 as well. But if you need a Birth of Bane date, yeah, probably August 1995. >>A modern system should not even have a "registry". But then again, >>that's been the bane of Windows since '95. > > Windows 3.11 had a registry, possibly Win 3.1 as well. But if you > need a Birth of Bane date, yeah, probably August 1995. No it didn't. It had win.ini and system.ini and various .ini files. But no registry to speak of. The registry was born with NT 3.1 and came with Win 95 as a new "feature" >> Windows 3.11 had a registry, possibly Win 3.1 as well. But if you >> need a Birth of Bane date, yeah, probably August 1995. > No it didn't. It had win.ini and system.ini and various .ini files. > But no registry to speak of. The registry was born with NT 3.1 and came > with Win 95 as a new "feature" Of course it had those .ini files, but it also had a registry. Fairly limited compared to what would follow with Win95, but a registry nonetheless. Back then (pre Win95) there were a couple of Windows zealots in a tech. forum of a national BBS network the couldn't stop talking about the wonders of the registry even though it probably wasn't used for much. It sounds reasonable that the registry might have been initially designed for NT, but somebody at Microsoft evidently wanted to adapt it to Win 3.1x. And I'm sure that you're aware that even Win95 used the same win.ini, system.ini and config.sys used by DOS. That allowed Win95 users to use their old DOS device drivers (odd CD device drivers being an example) when there wasn't yet a 16-bit version developed for Win95. > Of course it had those .ini files, but it also had a registry. Windows 3.0 and 3.1 and 3.11 for Workgroups most certainly did not have a registry. All it had were INI files and that's about it. Please cite some references to the registry in Win 3.x > Windows zealots in a tech. forum of a national BBS network the > couldn't stop talking about the wonders of the registry even though > it probably wasn't used for much. It sounds reasonable that the That was probably with the introduction of Win95. I remember the registry as being the best thing since sliced bread. Too bad it turned out to be the worst thing ever invented. > registry might have been initially designed for NT, but somebody at > Microsoft evidently wanted to adapt it to Win 3.1x. And I'm sure > that you're aware that even Win95 used the same win.ini, system.ini > and config.sys used by DOS. That allowed Win95 users to use their > old DOS device drivers (odd CD device drivers being an example) when > there wasn't yet a 16-bit version developed for Win95. Yes, I know all about win.ini and system.ini. They lived on through Win98 and finally died with WinME. >> Of course it had those .ini files, but it also had a registry. > Windows 3.0 and 3.1 and 3.11 for Workgroups most certainly did not have > a registry. All it had were INI files and that's about it. Please cite > some references to the registry in Win 3.x Windows 3.0 did not have a registry and I'm pretty sure that 3.1 didn't either. But one of the Win3.11 versions did have it. I have no references to cite other than my memory of BBS messages, and I doubt that I have them saved anywhere. > > Windows zealots in a tech. forum of a national BBS network the > > couldn't stop talking about the wonders of the registry even though > > it probably wasn't used for much. It sounds reasonable that the > That was probably with the introduction of Win95. I remember the > registry as being the best thing since sliced bread. Too bad it turned > out to be the worst thing ever invented. No it wasn't. Just because you weren't aware of it doesn't mean it didn't exist. The time frame I'm talking about predated the introduction of Win95 by a year or more. As I said, it was a very limited implementation. I never much cared for the registry, but you lose points for saying that it's the worst thing ever invented. That's a pretty stupid thing to say, but by no means the stupidest statement ever made. Want to try for number three? >> Of course it had those .ini files, but it also had a registry. > Windows 3.0 and 3.1 and 3.11 for Workgroups most certainly did not have [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > Yes, I know all about win.ini and system.ini. They lived on through > Win98 and finally died with WinME. The registry is a good idea, poorly implemented. Putting all the OS parameters and settings in a single location is not a bad idea, but including all the application settings into the same file is not such a great idea. It wouldn't be nearly as bad if programs were required to do a proper uninstall, removing ALL their registry entries when uninstalled. So much 'litter' remains in the registry when a program is uninstalled that the thing grows cumbersome, and inefficient in quite a short time. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net >>>Doing so will leave remnants in the Registry, but a modern system >>>won't be slowed down by that, > > A modern system should not even have a "registry". But then again, that's > been the bane of Windows since '95. Wrong attribution (or..I didn't write that)....but I like your assertion that a modern system shouldn't need registry :^) > Wrong attribution (or..I didn't write that)....but I like your assertion > that a modern system shouldn't need registry :^) Thanks! Must have been a little too anxious with the snipping. And when you install software, do yourself a favor and make sure you run a few google searches on it to make sure it's not installing spyware. >>The Bad: >>-The machine isn't going to be as fast as new Dell with anything other [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Many Windows owners learn that if their machines become excessively > slow, the cure is to format the hard drive and reinstall Windows. I am sure that one can manage to bog down even a Mac if he neglects to do regular maintenance operations. Keeping things clean can be a tedious chore, but it is part of owning a computer. You could be like my friend, who never washes or cleans out her car... Not a good thing. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net > I am sure that one can manage to bog down even a Mac if he neglects to > do regular maintenance operations. > Keeping things clean can be a tedious chore, but it is part of owning a > computer. You could be like my friend, who never washes or cleans out > her car... Not a good thing. Could be. But do Apples have an ever-increasing registry, that keeps track of so many things that you do and type, in almost all programs? This isn't a case of *me* failing to keep the computer clean. It's due to Windows wanting to be a packrat, and it is unwilling to let me know what it's doing, what and where it's saving all of that data, and not giving me a decent option to remove any of it. Registry cleaning tools are minimally effective at this. My old DOS computers were like finely tuned cars, freshly lubed and highly responsive. And they stayed that way. My Windows computers start nice and shiny, but before long someone or something always seems to have replaced its precious bodily fluids with sludge. :( Apple computers keep everything in a nice, legible directory ~/Library, so you can at least go through and clean it out periodically. A lot of it is user preferences in nice xml files. I generally don't see much performance gain when I reinstall the OS for whatever reason. >>I am sure that one can manage to bog down even a Mac if he neglects to >>do regular maintenance operations. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > start nice and shiny, but before long someone or something always > seems to have replaced its precious bodily fluids with sludge. :( I am afraid you can't blame Windows for sloppy install/uninstall processes. There is a convenient mechanism for CLEAN unistalls, vendors just don't bother. SignatureRon Hunter rphunter@charter.net |
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