kennymester

Well I just had my graduation party and I'm great full that I am able to put aside around 1800-1900 for a new laptop. The problem is that I have no idea what I should go with. Here are my choices.

Sony TZ with 1.2ghz Intel

Macbook Air

HP Mininote

Asus 1000 Eee

MSI Wind

I'm looking for something thin, lightweight, and has long battery life. The Sony is at the top of my list because it has a dual core cpu and a DVD drive all with a 11.1in screen and 10 hours of battery life. The only thing is that it is 1800 bucks. I'm just not sure how fast the others are compared to it. I like the macbook air too, but the price is a little much as well and it doesn't have a removable battery.

What do you guys think? If possible explain your reasoning for your choice.

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TheNix

Only one i can comment on is the Sony which i've used (using the Mac Air for a couple mins doesnt count) and it was amazing really for the size.
It was running Vista which bogged it down a bit (bit too much for that processor?) but size, quality, screen just set the benchmark.
Sony microlaptops are hellishly expensive, but they do pack the features.
You could also look into the Asus U2E , that is probably my personal preference in ultramobile laptops, seems pretty good and i love the looks.

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=528

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kennymester

That Asus is nice, but its more expensive than the Sony and has a lower cpu clock rate.

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kennymester

Anyone else have some insight?

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TheNix

I apologise, i was talking about the TZ not the TX afterall! Too similar model names!

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kennymester

No the fault is mine, I meant the TZ.

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TheNix

From what i gather, the Atom powered laptops will not be really powerful, afterall the chips are pretty lightweight, the Air has the best processor but worst features of all (only the initial "Ooh") as its thin, and the TZ is the full daddy. Light, ok processor, lots of features, lovely workmanship, and its simply superb. Am i jealous of my mate who's got it? You betcha.

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Dronac

I would go for the Air if you don't need a cd drive. I run both Vista and OS X on my Macbook and in my opinion, OS X is a "lighter" OS and more mobile suited (Although its HDD footprint is huge). I say this because it generally doesnt get bogged down over time, thus requiring less OS matnience, and you don't need to run antivirus, which is usually a resource hog. The biggest advantages of the Air is the keyboard, I find the key spacing to be an amazing feature, and it can jump back from sleep mode in about 5 seconds. My windows laptop experiences put coming out of hibernation at significantly longer.

OrphanShadow

The HP Mininote is ok. I own it and I run Ubuntu 8.04 on it.

The problems lie in the fact that its chrome9 video chip and C7-M processor just dont cut it. Even on ubuntu I notice lag (probably down to the fact I use compiz effects...which kill it).

Its battery life is abysmal as well if you get a 3-cell model. From a full charge I get roughly 1 hour and 45 minutes...:/

The 6-Cell will net you much more battery life, but In all fairness its not the best ultra mobile.

I would suggest the asus eeepc 1000. I cant reall comment on any of the other choices, but every eee ive used has good performance and battery.

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kennymester

I'll have to wait until some brick and mortar stores get the 1000's in so I can see them. Best Buy had the 700 in, but that screen on that thing is way too small for me plus in order to see the whole desktop you have to scroll the screen up and down.

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