Travel Technology - Notebook w/ Numeric Keypad ???

Hey folks, anyone have any advice on a notebook with numeric keypad built in? I love my old Sony PCG-NV190's which had the ten key pad slide out the side, but it's old and outdated and slow. But I am an Accountant and I need the ability to crunch numbers on the fly. I just can't seem to use an external keypad, doesn't work on planes or airports and it's a pain on my desk. Just don't like it. I tried some other laptops and I just can't seem to get away from not having a ten key pad.

As such, I've looked around and see the HP dv8000, the HP nx9420, the Toshiba M65-S809, and the Gateway M685-E.

I got a little problem with HP's from past history so I am shying away from those; however the dang HP dv8000 I can customize into a nice rig. I just got a huge huge problem with HP.

So anyone got any good suggestions???

Anyone have any experience with Gateway M685-E? I never used a Gateway. Only have used HP, Sony, Dell, and Toshiba in the past.

Thanks....

You mentioned one Gateway, but another one I found is the nx860:
http://www.gateway.com/products/gconfig/prodhmseries.asp?seg=hm&gcseries=nx860&clv=LNav
Also the Fujitsu N6410 has one:
http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=N6410
Hope this helps!

Num Lock does a bit of the trick, although the buttons are not aligned as in the case of a proper keypad.

Num Lock does a bit of the trick, although the buttons are not aligned as in the case of a proper keypad.

Yeah I know but it just doesn't work for me. Appreciate the note and I'm not trying to be a jerk here but I'm like really old school, trained and schooled on the old 10 and 12 key machines and such. It took me years to get used to a laptop keyboard instead of a desktop keyboard so imagine how I do with the mis-aligned 10 keys on the keyboard :mad: . Especially when half the time I am using a 10 key machine, and the other half I'm on a computer, I just can't use the keyboard and num lock.

You mentioned one Gateway, but another one I found is the nx860: Also the Fujitsu N6410 has one:Hope this helps!

Thanks, I have no experience with Fujitsu or Gateway. Any opinons of them, either machine or the general companies?

I have the HP ZD7000 (yes a bit older). Haven't had any problems except some memory issues which have been cleared out by simply upgrading the ram.

One annoying aspect about this notebook is that the fans can never seem to turn off because this notebook heats up like crazy.

Regardless, this hp isn't bad and it runs fine even though I dropped it a couple of times. I find the casing to be much more durable than my former dell.

Oh yes, I do know what you mean about the 10 key. I can't seem to ever use a non standard 10 key.

One annoying aspect about this notebook is that the fans can never seem to turn off because this notebook heats up like crazy.


Yeah I know what you mean. I run a notebook cooling fan under my laptops 90% of the time. I use my laptop in an area that is 80-90 degree weather around the clock every day of the year with a daily average of 83% salt air humidity. I've had more laptops go to death from corrosion then anything else. And I use them in AirCon, but just even transporting them around they get eaten up.

But how is your experience with HP? I had a terrible experience with HP cust service in the past. So I'm gun shy about going back to them.