New laptop/portable for school

starmanbrand

So, I'm going to grad school in the fall (MTAX at Cal Poly SLO). I'm also giving my current portable, an Eee PC 1005HA, to my grandpa so he can use it for basic internettings.

This leaves me with a convenient excuse to buy something new!

I don't need something too crazy, but I do want it to be windows 8 compatible and office 2010 compatible. My biggest complaint with my Eee was using the touchpad unless I wanted to carry a mouse around so I think I may want to get something with a touchscreen/keyboardstand. The things I liked best about the Eee were the incredible (8 hours initially, down to five or six now) hour battery life and the size. I personally think its dumb to carry around some 15in+ display that gets a couple hours of battery life.

Price range would be between 300-800, but I could go higher if I believe in the product. Really bummed that the Dell Inspiron Duo is so terrible because that would be perfect for me if the tech could back up the design.

Pure Din

Personally I think ThinkPads are great work computers, but with some caveats. I have a ThinkPad T410 (2 years old) which is comfortable to use, has a good battery life, and I really like the comfort of the touchpad (multitouch, has buttons both above and below it, plus a nub to use as well). HOWEVER the speakers broke sometime last year and were terrible even when they did work, and I've had to open it up and reseat the video connection. I'd buy it again as a work computer, but I'd get the warranty just in case.

Djeet

For a workable general purpose computer (not optimized for gaming, rendering, or otherwise heavy graphical work) I've found the best price/performance ratio to be refurb machines from OEM business (not home) models. Though in provisioning these systems no one has really put a premium on size and battery life over performance and durability, and I do extend the warranty out to 3 years.

Anything you could buy now with an Intel processor will do Win8 (when it comes out) and office. Win8 won't be as taxing as Win7.

If you want 5-8 hours of battery life you'll be wanting to look at netbooks, ultrabooks, or anything with a smaller screen (13"or smaller) and a ULV processor. As a rule, the higher the TDP (Thermal Design Power) the worse the battery life. You can increase working time on battery power by ordering a higher capacity battery or for some systems a battery sheet, though this is usually a $100-200 accessory and only available on niche systems.

Wezoin

iPad + smart cover + wireless keyboard (if you really need it, or just use the keyboard for at home, on screen keyboard isn't too bad)

Thats probably about the best arrangement along the lines of the Dell Inspiron Duo. Roll the cover into a stand (I personally prefer the less steep incline, but may be personal choice.)

starmanbrand

Man, that new thinkpad convertible is pretty boss. Also lead me to videos of the Lenovo Yoga and elitebook 2760p. anythoughts on the EB?

Djeet

How long can you wait? Win8 is to drop Late Q3 early Q4. I expect a lot of OEMs to be readying a bunch of tablets/ultrabooks timed for the launch and the holiday season afterwards, which should provide you a lot more options for smaller long battery life machines.

Straygatsby

I'm a big fan of the Dell Mini 10. Runs anything net or general productivity just fine, very inexpensive, and I average upwards of 8 hours of battery life, sometimes more. It is a traditional netbook, so be ready for for the wee keyboard and clunky mouse experience.

I bought mine almost a year ago (if not longer) for just under 300, so I imagine they are either comparable now, or they'll have a similar line with Win8 in mind by the end of the year.