Looking for a small laptop

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Patrick Cox
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p.1 #1 · Looking for a small laptop

I am looking for a reasonably price small laptop computer. (less than $1,000.) My primary use would be to download and backup files to a couple of small hardrives. I would also like the ability to read email, surf the web, etc. and maybe do some light photo editing. I am thinking maybe 8- 10 inch or so diagonal screen.

Thanks if you have any experience with this or recommendations.

Pat

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 02:19 AM

Forrest Egan
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p.1 #2 · Looking for a small laptop

I'm not sure about all current offerings...but when I bought my ThinkPad X41 almost two years ago I paid MORE for it because it was smaller (12") than if I had gotten something more typical size (14-15"). I got mine through an employee discount program and paid over $1,500 for it.

e.g. the VAIO® TZ Series (11" screen) starts at $2,000

Are you wanting something NEW or USED?

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 03:05 AM

Patrick Cox
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p.1 #3 · Looking for a small laptop

Forrest Egan wrote:

I'm not sure about all current offerings...but when I bought my ThinkPad X41 almost two years ago I paid MORE for it because it was smaller (12") than if I had gotten something more typical size (14-15"). I got mine through an employee discount program and paid over $1,500 for it.

e.g. the VAIO® TZ Series (11" screen) starts at $2,000

Are you wanting something NEW or USED?

Thanks Forrest. I guess I would prefer new. I was really curious if anyone had come out with a scaled down laptop. Even if it had a bit less functionality, I could handle that, but my main need is to download files and then make a backup while travelling. I could sacrifice photoshop if necessary but I would like a bit more than a photo viewer if possible - mainly because I would want to have two copies of my files at all times and that would mean two photo viewers.

Thanks again.

Pat

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 04:15 AM

GCasey
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p.1 #4 · Looking for a small laptop

I've used a scaled-down Toshiba for similar purposes for 3 1/2 years and like it. Initial cost was about $850. It has the Celeron processor, and I've wished several times for the Pentium. They have several levels and sizes. Get at least 100 Gg hard drive and 1 Mg of RAM, more if you use Photoshop. Dell offers a variety of models as well.
George

Edited by GCasey on Nov 13, 2007 at 09:45 PM GMT

Edited by GCasey on Nov 15, 2007 at 02:59 AM GMT

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 04:34 AM

dcains
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p.1 #5 · Looking for a small laptop

What you're asking for is a subnotebook. A buddy of mine has a Fujitsu that's pretty slick. Try a google search for "subnotebook" and you'll likely find a few interesting possibilites. I'm waiting for the rumored Apple, perhaps this Spring.

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 04:41 AM

Marc Kurth
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p.1 #6 · Looking for a small laptop

I'm a fan of Averatec for sub sized notebooks at around $800 for a 10" or 12"

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 05:08 AM

henryng
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p.1 #7 · Looking for a small laptop

I think MacBook 13" 2.0 GHz is your best bet.....$1099 + tax. Otherwise, you need to look for something used.

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 05:08 AM

invalid2
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p.1 #8 · Looking for a small laptop

Patrick Cox wrote:
Forrest Egan wrote:
cut

Thanks Forrest. I guess I would prefer new. I was really curious if anyone had come out with a scaled down laptop. Even if it had a bit less functionality, I could handle that, but my main need is to download files and then make a backup while travelling. I could sacrifice photoshop if necessary but I would like a bit more than a photo viewer if possible - mainly because I would want to have two copies of my files at all times and that would mean two photo viewers.

Thanks again.

Pat

If you are looking for small, you can get a sony vgn-ux490 for $2500 or so.
If you want low cost, you can get something large (14-15" diagonal) or you might consider:

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 05:22 AM

Scott T
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p.1 #9 · Looking for a small laptop

not a true laptop, but not expensive at $400, and interesting..i would guess you could hook up an external hard drive to it? ASUS Link

I just bought a used IBM/Lenovo X40 for a little more...nice.

Lenovo has specials, so check around...here's 10% off here

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 06:11 AM

invalid2
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p.1 #10 · Looking for a small laptop

Why do you say "not a true laptop"?

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 10:54 AM

Forrest Egan
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p.1 #11 · Looking for a small laptop

Scott T wrote:
I just bought a used IBM/Lenovo X40 for a little more...nice.

I've been using the X41 for the past two years...very portable.

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 10:58 AM

Patrick Cox
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p.1 #12 · Looking for a small laptop

Thanks all! This gives me some good ideas.

Pat

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 12:22 PM

Jack M
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p.1 #13 · Looking for a small laptop

Another vote for Averatec. I've been traveling with mine for 2 years with no problems. I do not run Photoshop on it but it does handle Capture One and Photo Mechanic fine. I started out looking for the 10-12 inch models but ended up with a 14 inch wide screen due to a deal I couldn't pass up. Not the most durable contruction and battery life isn't the greatest, but with a little care and a good case it travels just fine.

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 12:42 PM

Patrick Cox
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p.1 #14 · Looking for a small laptop

Marc Kurth wrote:
I'm a fan of Averatec for sub sized notebooks at around $800 for a 10" or 12"

Thanks for your input. However I can't find anyplace that sells them. I was looking at the Averatec 1000 or 1100 but am not sure what they cost.

Pat

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 01:30 PM

Hammy
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p.1 #15 · Looking for a small laptop

I just picked up a Fujitsu U810 a few weeks ago.

Ultra small - 1.6lbs
5+ hour battery life
Touchscreen, 5.6", tablet mode
1Gb memory, 40Gb hdd
External display and docking
Networking: cable, wireless, and bluetooth

the best part for me as a remote downloader:
CF card slot
AND
SD card slot built in.

Slightly too big for pocket, but about the size of a day planner. Probably not that great for PS with 800Mhz CPU, but I have bigger boxes for that.

$999 (new)
http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=U810

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 02:35 PM

Patrick Cox
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p.1 #16 · Looking for a small laptop

Hammy wrote:
I just picked up a Fujitsu U810 a few weeks ago.

Ultra small - 1.6lbs
5+ hour battery life
Touchscreen, 5.6", tablet mode
1Gb memory, 40Gb hdd
External display and docking
Networking: cable, wireless, and bluetooth

the best part for me as a remote downloader:
CF card slot
AND
SD card slot built in.

Slightly too big for pocket, but about the size of a day planner. Probably not that great for PS with 800Mhz CPU, but I have bigger boxes for that.

$999 (new)
http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=U810

Wow, that looks great. Thanks!

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 02:44 PM

wjlapier
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p.1 #17 · Looking for a small laptop

My wife gave me here Fujitsu P2120 subnotebook after her work got her another subnotebook. The P2120 has 256MB of ram, but upgradable to 512. Harddrive is 30gb, but I've read they can be upgraded to at least 80gb. I'm using PS6 on it and even though it's only 256MB of ram it still does what I want quickly. I wouldn't use it for batch stuff, or use it with Nikon Capture. BTW, they have two USB 2.0 slots. My main reason for taking this is so I can go to a client's house and quickly show them how pics will look after some basic post. All my main editting is done on a Dell desktop.

Here is a site I found and it seems to be useful for subnotebook users:

http://www.leog.net/fujp_forum/default.asp

Ebay search for subnotebook turned up a pair of P2120s for $525 BIN.

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 04:35 PM

shoeless
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p.1 #18 · Looking for a small laptop

I also would recomend a MacBook. There is rumer of a new model coming out soon as well, in the next several months, that should be smaller than Apple's current offerings.

Another option, is the new Asus Eee Laptop. The HD is basically non-esistant, however I'm assuming you are planning on backing up to external HDs. If this is the case, this could be a good fit for you. Check out http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/upgrades/8gb-asus-eee-pc-to-get-bigger-screen-322050.php to read a bit about it. It uses flash memory for a harddrive, but is 8" -> 10", and very cheap.

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 04:51 PM

HerbChong
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p.1 #19 · Looking for a small laptop

it is quite slow and noisy when the fan runs, which is much more often than i liked. i suggest if you get one, don't use it for anything except email and file copying or viewing. i had one fully tricked out and with a fast 60GB hard drive. i had Photoshop CS on it and it was really slow. some versions of applications, especially games, won't install because the Transmeta processor doesn't emulate enough of a Pentium III instruction set for the games and graphics stuff. my video editing software refused to install even though all i planned to use it for was to do trimming of clips.

Herb....

wjlapier wrote:
My wife gave me here Fujitsu P2120 subnotebook after her work got her another subnotebook. The P2120 has 256MB of ram, but upgradable to 512. Harddrive is 30gb, but I've read they can be upgraded to at least 80gb. I'm using PS6 on it and even though it's only 256MB of ram it still does what I want quickly. I wouldn't use it for batch stuff, or use it with Nikon Capture. BTW, they have two USB 2.0 slots. My main reason for taking this is so I can go to a client's house and quickly show them how pics will look after some basic post. All my main editting is done on a Dell desktop.

Here is a site I found and it seems to be useful for subnotebook users:

http://www.leog.net/fujp_forum/default.asp

Ebay search for subnotebook turned up a pair of P2120s for $525 BIN.

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 13, 2007 at 06:02 PM

Scott T
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p.1 #20 · Looking for a small laptop

invalid2 wrote:
Why do you say "not a true laptop"?

The ASUS does not have a hard drive, which the OP wanted, and comes with Linux preloaded (does work with XP it says)...has potential with a little tinkering to be useful, but it does not have the full functionality of a laptop (nor the price) out of the box.

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 14, 2007 at 07:06 AM

invalid2
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p.1 #21 · Looking for a small laptop

invalid2 wrote:
Why do you say "not a true laptop"?

Scott T wrote:
The ASUS does not have a hard drive, which the OP wanted, and comes with Linux preloaded (does work with XP it says)...has potential with a little tinkering to be useful, but it does not have the full functionality of a laptop (nor the price) out of the box.

Thanks for your explanation. For the record, I would characterize it as a laptop (portable), but a very small one, but your point of view also makes sense.

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 14, 2007 at 08:34 AM

AJ Nadershahi
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p.1 #22 · Looking for a small laptop

The IBM/Lenovo X40 and X41 were very disappointing due to their slow performance. One reason being their use of sluggish 1.8 inch hard drive and single core processor.

The newer X60 and X61are much better machines for two reasons. First because they now use faster 2.5 inch drives. Second reason is they now use dual core processors.

Which ever type of laptop you decide on, (Mac or Windows), load it with at least 2GB ram and you won't be disappointed.

Edited on Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM

Nov 14, 2007 at 09:02 AM

nathanlake
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p.1 #23 · Looking for a small laptop

I bought an Averatec last year. I would not use it for my main machine, but it works well in the field.

http://www.averatec.com/products/portable/

Nov 14, 2007 at 09:53 PM


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