Travel Technology - Ultrabook Recommendation?

As you see from my other thread... I am having laptop problems.

In addition, it is a huge 17" monitor laptop (which I love) but is a pain for travel.

I am toying with the idea of replacing it with an Ultrabook.... but they are darn expensive.

Anyone have one that they would recommend? Know of any great deals?

It would become my new home/travel laptop...

Thanks,

William

My 15.6" HP laptop was dying and I was toying with the idea of getting an Ultrabook, but in the end could not justify the added cost. I ended up going with a Toshiba 14", i5-2430, 6 GB, 620 GB HD, DVD for $600 off amazon. It is much lighter and easier to carry than the 15.6" was. Even seems lighter than my work issued 14" Dell with almost the exact same specs. Even though it is a couple pounds heaver than an ultrabook, I like still having multiple USB ports, HDMI out, wired ethernet, etc. I could live without the DVD player, but those seem pretty much standard still at the 14+ sizes.

If you are coming from a 17" machine, check out the 14" ones. They may fell "ultra" enough to you at a much better price point.

One thing to consider is that many/most ultrabooks (and some netbooks) do not have a normal VGA port, so if you are likely to be giving presentations on strange moniitors or projectors you will need to remember to bring a special adaptor (often supplied with the ultrabook) - just one more accessory to lose in my opinion.

The only Ultrabook with VGA that I know about is the Toshiba Portege.

retrak makes a retractable uhdmi cable with an included hdmi>vga tip. so you don't have to worry about vga


i currently use the samsung series 9. its great and i have no complaints

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc0yeDwd1tg&feature=plcp

I've also been looking for one and the Asus Zenbooks seem to have good specs. My local computer shop has already offered the Acer ones refurbed at a great price.

I keep hearing to hold off if you can until the fall, as once the new windows comes out and everybody starts making touch screens and hybrid tablets / ultra's that the current stock of ultrabooks price should drop.

No clue if it will happen or not, or if they will just let stock dry up first.

There are some recomendations in this thread, like the HP DM1Z for example

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-technology/1303802-there-fast-netbook.html

I don't think it's quite thin enough to be an ultrabook, but my Toshiba Protoge works well and is much lighter than my 15.6" Asus. I like that it has VGA, HDMI, and an eSata/USB combo port. It has decent battery life and a fast processor. No SSD, but no $900 price tag either.

You really want to wait until the Intel Ivy Bridge chips are in the machines before buying a new computer. It's only going to be another month or two.

The biggest problem you will face with ultrabooks is that almost all of them have 13.3" screens. Going down from 17" will be tough.

I have been using a Dell Adamo with a 13" screen and, while it is fine for light computing, the screen is just too small.

Samsung is coming out with a 15" Series 9 ultrabook style machine and I am looking at getting one of those once they put a Ivy Bridge chip in it.

Keep in mind that the reason most ultrabooks are so expensive is because they have SSD hard drives. While the drives are costly, the performance benefits are enormous. I'll never go back to a rotating platter hard drive for my primary drive. It is well worth the money.

I don't think it's quite thin enough to be an ultrabook, but my Toshiba Protoge works well and is much lighter than my 15.6" Asus. I like that it has VGA, HDMI, and an eSata/USB combo port. It has decent battery life and a fast processor. No SSD, but no $900 price tag either.

I went down from a 15.6 HP Elitebook weighing over 3kg to a 13.3 Portege weighing around 1.5kg, including the internal DVD drive. I am not going back :).

Among our collection of travel devices, my favorite is still the Dell Latitude D430 at 3.5 lbs. with a 6 cell battery, good for up to 3 hours + the weight of the charger (spare ones are cheap, keep one at home, one in the car & one in the backpack on the go) It's small & I can actually use it sitting back in "Y" section on a flight, LOL.

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/dell-latitude-d430-core/4507-3121_7-32490396.html

12" wide screen (WXGA) sturdy & durable, it's definitely not the newest, fastest & hottest - but it get the job done, has variety of ports & mate with the docking stand (with a 22" flat panel) easily - was designed to run XP. And, I stop carrying the standalone Dell exclusive DVD portable drive - as I can catch up with videos on the iPad2.

It's been running 32 bits Win7 and Office 2010 (both Ultimates) with Media Center running as needed, so it's pretty cool - on 2GB DD2 memory with a 150GB 7200 rpm HDD (thinking about SSD) plus add-on USB WiFi dongle - it's much faster than my newer 15" Dell laptop running Vista (it stayed in a living room corner, mostly ...)

It's a comprimise but even with the smaller screen (going from 17" to 12" is tough - better than a 10" screen, still) - its performance is on par with most lower tier netbook out there - and, without investing in loads of accessories to get the most out of it (if I could only find an VGA to HDMI solution)

I am thinking about a macbook air when they come out with the new models in the next month of so with ivy bridge.....and yes, I would run as a windows machine for work

I love my Samsung computer.

The Series 9 is drool worthy. 13 inch Refurbs are out there for about $800 or so. The Series 7 is very nice as well, tad bigger and not quite as drool worthy.

If it was my money, it would be the new Series 9 15 inch...
Frehsly reviewed here: http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/09/15-inch-samsung-series-9-review-2012/

Among our collection of travel devices, my favorite is still the Dell Latitude D430

Wow, that's a pretty old bit of kit and, honestly, I never really got on with mine. The more modern E4200 is a much better ultra portable IMHO, a lot more powerful and a lot lighter too at just 2.0 lbs (1.0Kg). I love mine as it is properly tiny but is still a proper notebook with a backlit keyboard, VGA port, removable battery and standard Dell E-dock connectivity but even so, neither of these diminutive notebooks are technically ultrabooks.

Interestingly, Dell have recently realised an Ultrabook, the XPS13 (http://www.dell.com/uk/p/xps-13-l321x/pd) which has been pretty well reviewed (http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/06/dell-xps-13-review/). I had a look at one the other day and I have to admit, it is a pretty sexy bit of kit, the carbon shell being a particularly satisfying detail.

I am thinking about a macbook air when they come out with the new models in the next month of so with ivy bridge.....and yes, I would run as a windows machine for work

I think the Macbook Air is still the king of the ultrabook category. I bought a 13" MBA (my first Mac) last September switching from an ultraportable Thinkpad. The hardware is so slick and the multi-touch gestures make a huge difference in everyday tasks (especially web browsing.) The PC ultrabooks aren't really that much cheaper either when you spec them comparably. You pay an Apple premium but you are getting a better experience and significantly higher resale value which evens things out. Now if you're comparing the Macbook Air to a $500-600 PC that's a completely different scenario.

The PC ultrabooks aren't really that much cheaper either when you spec them comparably. You pay an Apple premium but you are getting a better experience and significantly higher resale value which evens things out.

That's a hugely valid point, I have countless PCs and notebooks scattered around the house thanks to my job but when it comes to spending my own money, I tend to buy Apple products due to their incredibly solid resale values. In the long run it just makes more financial sense. Plus, of course, they are oh so shiny. :D

Anyone have insight into the HP Folio? I need a new laptop, I've been happy with the last couple of HPs that I had.

I need it to be compatible with my work laptop, which is an HP. I may often travel with both my work HP and my new personal laptop.

I think the Macbook Air is still the king of the ultrabook category. I bought a 13" MBA (my first Mac) last September switching from an ultraportable Thinkpad. The hardware is so slick and the multi-touch gestures make a huge difference in everyday tasks (especially web browsing.) The PC ultrabooks aren't really that much cheaper either when you spec them comparably. You pay an Apple premium but you are getting a better experience and significantly higher resale value which evens things out. Now if you're comparing the Macbook Air to a $500-600 PC that's a completely different scenario.

There are other factors you have to consider:

Are you going to run a Mac OS or Windows?

If Windows, you have to buy a full retail copy. Not cheap.

Going to run Mac OS?

You have to learn an all new operating system. Most things are different and you have unlearn most things you know from Windows.

All your Windows programs? They won't run on a Mac so you get to buy new software.

There are large costs associated with moving an existing Windows user to a Mac.

If Windows, you have to buy a full retail copy. Not cheap.

...assuming you adhere closely to licensing agreements, and don't have an existing full retail copy you can transfer, or a full retail copy of an older version that you can upgrade (although upgrade licenses are not really that cheap, either.)

In practice, recycling an OEM license key from another machine (free, if you have one) or buying an OEM or upgrade license and using it "out of compliance" are a good bit cheaper.

All your Windows programs? They won't run on a Mac so you get to buy new software.


Or deal with emulation or virtualization, which is often cheaper

Exactly, if you are moving from a PC the chances are you already have a Windows licence you can re-use along with all your old Windows software. You can use this to setup your shiny new Mac to dual boot or if you want to run all of this from within MacOS all you need is some virtualisation software like VMware Fusion or Parallels. It doesn't have to be expensive.

As for shifting to OSX, most people find this fairly painless, even my mother (who is fairly computer illiterate) managed it without too much hassle. The average user will probably want to grab a copy of MS Office for Mac (£100) but other than that I don't think most users will have to invest a huge amount of money on new software, if you do have a ton of Windows software then use Windows/OSX dual-boot or virtualisation.

I am currently sat in my office at home and I just did a quick count, there are a total of 11 PCs in the room with me. However, I am typing this on a Mac.

The average user will probably want to grab a copy of MS Office for Mac (£100) but other than that I don't think most users will have to invest a huge amount of money on new software, if you do have a ton of Windows software then use Windows/OSX dual-boot or virtualisation.

I am currently sat in my office at home and I just did a quick count, there are a total of 11 PCs in the room with me. However, I am typing this on a Mac.

I got a MacBook Air last year, and I generally agree that it is fairly straightforward to figure out. And this coming from someone who had last used a Mac back in the late 1980s.

As to MS Office, whether for a PC or Mac... Most large companies get a deal with Microsoft, and will pass it on to their employees. I think it is $10 or something to download an official version of MS Office to a home computer, PC or Mac.

As to MS Office, whether for a PC or Mac... Most large companies get a deal with Microsoft, and will pass it on to their employees. I think it is $10 or something to download an official version of MS Office to a home computer, PC or Mac.

http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/software-assurance/home-use-program.aspx

I've been using an Acer 1830T (TimelineX) which is halfway between netbook and laptop. Stock it is less than 3lb, comes with an Intel Dual Core i5 CULV 64 bit processor, 4GB RAM and a 500GB HD.

I replaced the HD with a Ocz SSD (in my case, a 256GB one). Basically, it's pretty much similar to the Ultrabook standard and I couldn't be happier. It boots in 15 seconds or so and is very fast for my purposes (Word, browsing, Excel, PowerPoint...) and the battery life is very good. Also, no HD = quiet. All in for a little less that $1K (it could be less with a smaller SSD).

I posted the above in January. I've been happy with the above setup for over a year. In fact, so much so that I haven't been paying attention to Ultrabook specs/costs so I can't comment on that. From what I know of the spec, the above is pretty close.

I would go with Sony Vaio Z. The last model might not be quite as insane as the 2010/2011 edition (13-inch full hd, quad core, quad-ssd in raid-0, two graphic cards, gps, blue ray, all at the weight of Macbook Air), it is still a great piece of technology.

Although the price is a bit steep, as a proud owner of the 2010 model, I can say it's totally worth it :)

I would go with Sony Vaio Z. The last model might not be quite as insane as the 2010/2011 edition (13-inch full hd, quad core, quad-ssd in raid-0, two graphic cards, gps, blue ray, all at the weight of Macbook Air), it is still a great piece of technology.

Although the price is a bit steep, as a proud owner of the 2010 model, I can say it's totally worth it :)

The lack of a quad core rules it out for me, alas, but the GPU-in-the-dock technology they have is some very cool stuff.

A friend recommended the ZenBook as well... but they are very expensive... I might just have to get over the cost if I really want an Ultrabook! sigh

I've also been looking for one and the Asus Zenbooks seem to have good specs. My local computer shop has already offered the Acer ones refurbed at a great price.

So, do you know if the new systems will be out in June? I need to buy something by end of June.

You really want to wait until the Intel Ivy Bridge chips are in the machines before buying a new computer. It's only going to be another month or two.

The biggest problem you will face with ultrabooks is that almost all of them have 13.3" screens. Going down from 17" will be tough.

I have been using a Dell Adamo with a 13" screen and, while it is fine for light computing, the screen is just too small.

Samsung is coming out with a 15" Series 9 ultrabook style machine and I am looking at getting one of those once they put a Ivy Bridge chip in it.

Keep in mind that the reason most ultrabooks are so expensive is because they have SSD hard drives. While the drives are costly, the performance benefits are enormous. I'll never go back to a rotating platter hard drive for my primary drive. It is well worth the money.

So, do you know if the new systems will be out in June? I need to buy something by end of June.

Looking that way. They were announced this week and Lenovo said delivery in June.

So, do you know if the new systems will be out in June? I need to buy something by end of June.

Just got a 15" Samsung Series 9 evaluation machine in. Like the 13.3" it is a very nice machine; the size delta over the 13" machines is suprising small, but the extra 1.6" of screen at 1600x900 is really useful.

So far the only significant complaints have centered on the trackpad, it is large and some of our testers complained that it picked up stray gestures from their typing hands too easily.

Viewing angles are perfectly adequate for a personal machine, but demos might be a problem though the screen is quite bright for a standard display.

Battery life seems very good so far, 7-8 hours of real use.

I use the 11.6 inch samsung series 9 notebook and i love it

Anyone have insight into the HP Folio? I need a new laptop, I've been happy with the last couple of HPs that I had.

I need it to be compatible with my work laptop, which is an HP. I may often travel with both my work HP and my new personal laptop.

I replaced my Elitebook with a Folio a couple of months ago. I only use it for travel and I like it. Very light, boots up in 35 seconds, 9.5 hours advertised battery life although I've never had it unlplugged that long. I'm fine with the 13" screen which isn't much smaller than my Elitebook's 14" screen. Overall I've been very pleased with it. I think it's ideal for travel. Another nice thing is if your using your notebook as a phone it has a single input for the speaker and microphone instead of two seperate plugs so you can use a cell phone wired headset. Only negative is if you need a lot of disk space. I have 120GB on mine. Not sure if they are offering more drive space at this time.

Have a 2nd Generation MBA 13" + Ipad3 and both these machines combined are still much lighter than my colleague's crappy Acer.

To date, no other company has a better "service" than apple. You can walk into any store and get immediate help

Thanks for all the advice. As I said earlier, I am not interested in a Mac product at all....

Leaning towards not doing an Ultrabook, just get a very powerful laptop... and might even keep the 17" monitor... tough to give that up. Oh well... :)

Thanks for all the advice. As I said earlier, I am not interested in a Mac product at all....

Leaning towards not doing an Ultrabook, just get a very powerful laptop... and might even keep the 17" monitor... tough to give that up. Oh well... :)

Still no public release specs on the Lenovo T430u, and unlike the other 3rd-gen-Core-i-capable Thinkpads, this one won't likely be announced until July at the earliest. Still, it and some comparable-generation machines are probably your best bets.

Thanks for all the advice. As I said earlier, I am not interested in a Mac product at all....

Leaning towards not doing an Ultrabook, just get a very powerful laptop... and might even keep the 17" monitor... tough to give that up. Oh well... :)

My vote is still for a Samsung Series 9. Very drool-worthy, and have the upside of not being a mac.

Still no public release specs on the Lenovo T430u, and unlike the other 3rd-gen-Core-i-capable Thinkpads, this one won't likely be announced until July at the earliest. Still, it and some comparable-generation machines are probably your best bets.

Their website says available Fall of 2012. I expect with that kind of lead time they may not have any specs on it yet, and may be waiting to see what others come up with. Though they do nave a video of it on the site.

Have a 2nd Generation MBA 13" + Ipad3 and both these machines combined are still much lighter than my colleague's crappy Acer.

To date, no other company has a better "service" than apple. You can walk into any store and get immediate help

Very true, really no other mfgr has that kind of retail service presence, but for about the price of AppleCare, Lenovo and HP (and I would imagine Dell, etc) business class machine users can purchase an on-site warranty that will have your machine repaired or replaced pretty much anywhere in the 1st world the next business day. For anyone outside of a major urban area that's a pretty big difference. Really like the Airs, but in our experience machines with significant problems are sometimes replaced on the spot at the AppleStore and sometimes sent in for service.

Also fair to note that the higher tier business class machines that compete with Apple pretty much all come with three year warranties standard, AppleCare adds a couple of hundred bucks to the price delta.

I would go with Sony Vaio Z. The last model might not be quite as insane as the 2010/2011 edition (13-inch full hd, quad core, quad-ssd in raid-0, two graphic cards, gps, blue ray, all at the weight of Macbook Air), it is still a great piece of technology.

Although the price is a bit steep, as a proud owner of the 2010 model, I can say it's totally worth it :)

I second that. It is a bit expensive but otherwise it is the best laptop on the market in my opinion. I have a 2010 model with Intel I7, 6GB RAM, 256 GB solid-state drive, hybrid graphics system, DVD reader & burner; the battery life is more than 7 hours.

Have a 2nd Generation MBA 13" + Ipad3 and both these machines combined are still much lighter than my colleague's crappy Acer.

To date, no other company has a better "service" than apple. You can walk into any store and get immediate help

I went from an Asus 17" laptop to a MacBook Pro 15"-2010 (waiting for the new MacBook SSD refresh before updating it.

I now mainly carry my MBA-13"(I call it my iPad Pro) and new iPad. AirDisplay helps quite a bit with an additional screen. (I'm a little accustomed to dual screens, since my work desktop is a Mac Pro with 2 cinema displays, one older gen and one new LED)

You can't really go wrong with Apple. It's outlasted plenty of my "PC powerhouses" e.g. My 17" Asus has had it's hinges fall apart and plastic body chipped away.

If you can hold out for a month or so, I would say wait for the new MacBooks which are said to be dropping their optical drives for longer battery life and and SSD drives. Once you go SSD everything else seems to crawl at a snail's pace.

Bootcamp works wonders if you're still resistant to OSX

Just bought 4 Dell XPS13 Ultrabooks. Surprisingly not too much bloatware - just removed the face recognition rubbish, McAfee and disabled a few Adobe startup entries.

4 happy Directors. The speed to boot from a cold start is really good, not much over 10 seconds. From sleep to on is a second or 2.

Good battery life as well.

Oh - and 1.3kgs!

Just got a 15" Samsung Series 9 evaluation machine in. Like the 13.3" it is a very nice machine; the size delta over the 13" machines is suprising small, but the extra 1.6" of screen at 1600x900 is really useful.

So far the only significant complaints have centered on the trackpad, it is large and some of our testers complained that it picked up stray gestures from their typing hands too easily.

Viewing angles are perfectly adequate for a personal machine, but demos might be a problem though the screen is quite bright for a standard display.

Battery life seems very good so far, 7-8 hours of real use.

The 13" Samsung Series 9 also has the same trackpad problem. The screen size is more than adequate at 1600x900 and the keyboard size is fine as well. It is the perfect laptop for traveling.

FYI... Amazon has the ASUS UX31 for $855 plus a $100 gift card for free...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B005SY32Q2

There is a link under the "Special Offers" section that allows you to add both to the cart.

FYI... Amazon has the ASUS UX31 for $855 plus a $100 gift card for free...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B005SY32Q2

There is a link under the "Special Offers" section that allows you to add both to the cart.

Good warranty is included with this. Free one year accident damage too. I don't know of any other brand that included this strong a protection plan at no cost.
I would like to see one with a back lit key board though. That's a deal breaker for me.