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Help pick my graduation presents (laptop)
DHS Odium
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Well, I've just been informed by my mom that she's going to get me gifts for graduating college. Same deal went for my brother, he blew it all on a $2k laptop. So I have somewhere around that price range total so as to be fair.
The thing is, I'd prefer smaller items, and dont need a beefy laptop as I just bought a desktop. Besides getting a nice new monitor, I've been thinking long and hard about something close to an Eee PC.
I want a device to serve as a complement to my desktop, the same way my old iBook did when I came to college. I prefer working at a desk with a noisy tower and big keyboard, it's just how I am.
At first I was set on an Eee PC, then a Cloudbook, which apparently turned out sucking, so back to an Eee. Then I saw the Nokia Internet Tablets (N800, N810), and while the N810 is $400, the N800 is like $230 on Amazon (I'm very price conscious), and seems to do all the same things except doesnt have a physical keyboard (I would like to have one), and lacks the GPS, which I also would like, but apparently the N810's version is slow. Does anyone have any of these devices? I know people have the Eee and have heard great things, so I'm leaning towards that (and I know updated models will be out), but getting the cheaper N800 would leave more money for other things. There's also the possibility for the iPod Touch/iPhone, but it's too expensive for me, and I've been slowly backing away from Apple for awhile now. If you took a look at my desk and peripherals, you'd see a Microsoft fanboy. For the internet machine, my cap would sit around $400.
I guess this thread is just about getting some ideas thrown around about totally awesome gadgets that any geek would like. Besides a monitor (22"), I would like a portable internet device, and probably a dSLR camera.
I already own all the gaming systems, so besides having more stuff added to my backlog, I'm running out of ideas on stuff I should ask for. Anyways, it's Christmas in May, so help me out. Thanks.
The thing is, I'd prefer smaller items, and dont need a beefy laptop as I just bought a desktop. Besides getting a nice new monitor, I've been thinking long and hard about something close to an Eee PC.
I want a device to serve as a complement to my desktop, the same way my old iBook did when I came to college. I prefer working at a desk with a noisy tower and big keyboard, it's just how I am.
At first I was set on an Eee PC, then a Cloudbook, which apparently turned out sucking, so back to an Eee. Then I saw the Nokia Internet Tablets (N800, N810), and while the N810 is $400, the N800 is like $230 on Amazon (I'm very price conscious), and seems to do all the same things except doesnt have a physical keyboard (I would like to have one), and lacks the GPS, which I also would like, but apparently the N810's version is slow. Does anyone have any of these devices? I know people have the Eee and have heard great things, so I'm leaning towards that (and I know updated models will be out), but getting the cheaper N800 would leave more money for other things. There's also the possibility for the iPod Touch/iPhone, but it's too expensive for me, and I've been slowly backing away from Apple for awhile now. If you took a look at my desk and peripherals, you'd see a Microsoft fanboy. For the internet machine, my cap would sit around $400.
I guess this thread is just about getting some ideas thrown around about totally awesome gadgets that any geek would like. Besides a monitor (22"), I would like a portable internet device, and probably a dSLR camera.
I already own all the gaming systems, so besides having more stuff added to my backlog, I'm running out of ideas on stuff I should ask for. Anyways, it's Christmas in May, so help me out. Thanks.
Wii U: DHS-Odium // Live: DHS Odium // PSN: DHSOdium // Steam: dhsykes // 3DS: 0318-6615-5294
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Then put them all into a box and ship them to me
I'd also say you should get an iPhone, but I don't know if you'd need that. It's definitely an awesome device and the best cell phone for internet access, but there are other devices that do internet better. Well, and you'd have to get an AT&T plan, unless you plan on unlocking it.
As far as Eee goes, I've heard good things, but also bad things. Definitely steer away from the 7" model, its screen is just too small for internet. You keep on scrolling and scrolling and it's just not worth it. The 10" model will probably fix that, though, so you might want to keep an eye out for that one.
I've heard some great things about the new HP. I actually might get to see one tonight! I'll report back.
The universal remote is not a bad idea, I've been looking at some of the Logitech Harmony ones.
As for the iPhone, I already have AT&T, and I have been looking for a new phone, one with some smartphone capabilities, and I'll keep it in mind, again though, I'm not sure if I'd actually need that.
To clarify some things, I guess I should say some of the things I already have. One of the reasons this is a hard choice for me is I tend to buy myself the things I want, so I already have a great computer, HDTV, all the game consoles, a Zune, a camera (though it's cheap and I'd like a dSLR). I'm also a computer/device nomad, I tend to buy the cheaper alternatives and then sell them and upgrade a year down the line. I guess I'm just looking for some great things that might have slipped past my eye.
My current 'maybes' are:
-Adobe CS3 Standard from my universities computer store ($200 while I'm still a student for a week)
-dSLR camera (maybe a Pentax as I have older expensive lenses that would work)
-Nokia N800 (cheaper than the N810 and has same features, upgrades aren't worth the extra $200 to me)
-New LCD Monitor (current is 17" 1280x1024, looking into a 22" 1680x1050)
-New phone
-possibly a swank Logitech Harmony
Thanks for the suggestions so far.
Please do! I'm looking heavily into getting one for school later this year. I'd love to hear some forumer impressions.
As for the OP: it might be worth waiting for Dell to unveil their new sub-laptop before diving into the eeePC. Not that there's anything wrong with the eeePC, but Dell's laptop quality has gone up in the past year or so, so I can't imagine their entry into the category being too bad.
As for the iPhone idea, if I was going to drop a lot of money on a smartphone right now, it'd hands down be on the Nokia N95 8GB. It's much more expensive than the iPhone and not as slim in your pocket, but goddamn the thing does everything. 8GB storage for music and movies, 3G, GPS, 5MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics... the thing does everything.
Of course, Symbian takes a lot more time to get used to than the iPhone, but (in my humble opinion) it's worth it. Check out SEVEN Consumer Edition Beta for push email and wireless PIM synchronization from any source and Slick for an IM client.
Then again, I'm a Nokia/Symbian whore, so, take that for what you will.
or Brawl. 4854.6102.3895 Name: NU..
What tablet is it? What else have you bought from HP? They've gotten leagues better within the last two years, and especially so within the last six months. It's a bit silly to dismiss the entire company like that.
http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/productoverview.do?type=NB&pgid=Notebooks#
You can get XP on the fujitsu laptops.
I'm a fairly big fan of them and their battery life. I know of one other laptop that I can recommend
http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/pdet.to?seg=HHO&poid=411172&in_merch=1
Inexpensive and light but ships with vista. The one big negative on this laptop is that they want you to unplug the battery while its plugged into the wall. If that plug falls out, you are hosed then.
I guess it depends on how important speed and support for stuff like flash is to you VS size. If you want speed and support the Eee PC 900 looks dang sweet for a tiny laptop but it won't fit in your pocket.
On the mini-laptop note, anything larger than 10" is too big. So, while the new Dell is light, it's physically too large. I'm actually okay with the 7" screen (though I've never seen one in person), though I do wish it had a higher resolution. The Fujitsus are nice, and I considered them a few years ago, but they are too expensive for what I need. My cap for a portable internet device/ultralight laptop is about $500.
That's also the same price I'm looking for a dSLR in, slim pickins, I know. I've been looking at this: http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-K100D-Digital-Camera-Reduction/dp/B000SKQOSY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1209250450&sr=8-2
It fits my price range and I already have lenses I can use with it. I'm not a professional photographer by any means, but I do really like taking pictures and always wanted to learn how to use my film SLR, so I figure with my old lenses I can still do everything manually but not have to worry about a film roll.
As to my stance on an HP, I won't touch their products, period. The only computer company I hated more was Compaq, and those two demons joined to form ultimate evil. My tablet is an HP Pavilion tx1305us, it's absolutely terrible. I got it for free from work, and in a few weeks it's mine to keep. Literally, the second I completely own it, it's going on craigslist.
Again, I appreciate all the suggestions. I am slowly forming a list of things I'd be proud to own. Thanks.
It's a bit silly to form your opinion of an entire company on that one (extremely) shitty product. A crappy Turion with 1GB and 64-bit Vista? No wonder you fucking hated it. If could be any company and it would have sucked. You're blaming the wrong thing here, but whatever.
I'd go with the iPhone then. I got one a couple of weeks ago and I couldn't be happier with it. Only annoying downside is the battery time when using internet-y applications on it like Safari and mail and YouTube. I need to do a full recharge about every other day. The keyboard, on the other hand, is magnificent. The word-detection is absolutely spot on.
But yeah, you might want to wait for the 3G iPhone, it'll be out in a few months.
Well, if you have a 7" screen with 1024x768 (or whatever the resolution is for widescreen), it'd get pretty unreadable. My colleague has an Eee 7" and while it's very impressive for the first 10 minutes, once you actually get to work with it, the screen definitely becomes a problem. I think that's why Asus is bumping it up to 10". Gizmodo actually summed up the other complaints my colleague had pretty well here. Other than the size, they're not dealbreakers, so a 10" Eee looks to be fine for you.
May I ask why more than 10" is too big? Just curious. My personal limit for a laptop is 13" cause that way I can pretty much fit it in any bag that has room for A4-sized paper/books.
I don't want to get into a whole thing here, but this laptop isn't the only HP device I've used. The shitty specs aren't even at fault (I also upgraded the RAM), HP's build quality sucks, and they have ugly designs (IMO), their customer service is also terrible. Including this laptop, things that I've owned in the past, including my parents devices, and friends devices which I've helped set up and fix, I have used/worked on up to and probably over 15 HP devices from the mid 90's to current things today. Not ONE of them were worth the space they took up. HP is a shit brand, and even if they get better, at this point, solely on principle, I don't think I'll touch anything else from them until the day I die (I'm 22, so hopefully this will be a long time away). There is nothing you can personally say or do that would get me to consider an HP. Absolutely nothing. Call me biased or ignorant, I don't care. Desktops, Laptops, PDAs, Printers, Camera, all of them are shit. /endrant. I don't want to sound like an ass or get on your case, if you are happy with your HP products, great. Keep recommending them to friends and family. Just know, I won't consider it.
To the iPhone, I didn't realize they came down to $400, so I am considering it.
For the size of a laptop, actually 13" is my limit for a regular laptop. I'm not really looking for a regular laptop though (I'd probably get a MacBook if I was), I'm looking for an ultralight, something tiny in both weight and dimensions. I don't really need a beefy laptop, when I say I'm interested in an internet machine, that's literally all I want - all it could have is a web browser and I'd probably be fine with it. That's the reason I'm leaning towards the Nokia N8**. I want the option to get a laptop in the future and not have to worry about getting rid of whatever device I'm about to buy, and still have a valid use for it.
At the same time, the iPhone would negate the purpose of the Nokia tablet, but the Eee PC would still have purpose. Those two together though take up $800 of my budget. Adding in about $250 for a monitor and $500 for a camera though and I still have some to spare.
Is there any store that has the Eee on display? I'm in Florida, I've checked BestBuys website, and while they sell it, they don't have them in store. I haven't found one store where I can see and use one, maybe a specialty shop?
I have a nokia 770 the predecessor to the N800 and I have fairly mixed feelings about it. My main complaint is that it crashes like buggery, and apparently the N800 has the better hardware and OS to stop that. Typing on it is kinda slow, even a short message board reply is a bit of a chore. It's still fine for putting in passwords and using search engines etc.
On the plus side, what it does, it does very well. It fits in the pocket, and it's perfect for when you're sitting at a bus stop, or in a lecture and you just want to check a few of your book marked sites or watch a video (there's a couple of really good media converters that you just drag on the video file you want and it makes the right encode for your device). The screen is nice and just the right size for most websites. It handles internet radio very well, and the speaker is just about loud enough for a small room.
I'm going to again suggest a Nokia E or N series phone instead of the iPhone. Just because.
The browser may not be as slick (and screen as high resolution) but there's a ton of cool stuff you can do with Symbian phones these days.
or Brawl. 4854.6102.3895 Name: NU..
Where would you purchase these phones at, and do they take SIM cards and work on AT&Ts network?
At the moment I'm interested in a Windows Mobile device, for the Vista syncing and slideshow goodness, however, I used to have a Palm 750wx with WM5, and it was utter shit. Is this a terrible idea?
While my experience with syncing Symbian phones is limited to OSX (works like a goddamned dream), I'd assume it would work just as well to a Windows source. Although these days the only reason I sync to my computer is for my contacts... all my personal and work email and calendars are synced OTA in realtime thanks to SEVEN Consumer Edition (it can sync contacts as well, I just choose not to).
Purchase any Nokia E or N series phone unlocked and you can pop any SIM card into it and it'll work. Just make sure it's quad-band although most of them are these days. My E61 is an unlocked Finnish version and I've used it all around the world. I have SIM cards from the US (AT&T and T-mobile), Hong Kong, England and Israel.
As for where to buy them, Ebay is actually a fair source for new, unlocked cell phones. My last two phones were both from HK sellers on Ebay, and that's where I'll be going when it's time to upgrade the E61. Of course, I refuse to ever purchase a phone from a US carrier, so I'm on my own there.
or Brawl. 4854.6102.3895 Name: NU..
Windows Mobile is generally speaking very decent, though my former HTC S710 would not sync with Windows Vista for the life of me. At one point, I just gave up. In its defense: it was a great phone with a very nice keyboard. A colleague of mine has the TyTn II (keyboard+touchscreen) and it's a pretty sweet phone too.
Still doesn't compare to my iPhone though, especially when it comes to internet browsing. I know it's not hugely packed on features, but there's one thing that makes it so good for me: it's just so much 'fun' to use. It's kinda the same thing with my MacBook, in that it doesn't do anything special or anything compared to Windows pc's, but it's just so incredibly well designed.
Oh, I'll be the first to admit that Symbian is a mess of menus within menus within menus within menus within menus. It's just once you get used to that it's extremely powerful and can do much more than the iPhone can. I also agree that the iPhone is the better device for browsing the internet: the two device on my person at all times are my phone and my iPod touch. When I have a choice, I use the iPod touch to browse.
I'm reserving final judgment on the iPhone's true capabilities for a while after the App Store is released to see what sort of stuff becomes available. Until then, I still suggest Symbian phones for people who want a smartphone that can do just about anything.
or Brawl. 4854.6102.3895 Name: NU..
Though yeah, if I were you I'd wait a bit too. It's all coming in June, so it's only a couple of months.
The only thing left now is a mini-laptop or other portable device, and I'm thinking of just waiting a little bit as it seems my choices will either broaden or become better options in a month or two.