Laptop Search
 

I am in the market for a new laptop for my home/personal use.

For the past three years, I've had a Sony desktop replacement which has been great, but it's outlived it's usefulness. I purchased it during my last year in law school and had slightly different priorities for what I wanted out of a laptop then.

I am looking to replace my current machine with a smaller laptop that weighs less but still has some of the same capabilities. Basically, I would use the laptop to watch DVDs on the plane, work from home or hotel rooms (when not travelling with my work computer) and organize my mp3s and photos. I'd also like to make sure it has built-in wifi capabilities, as I'm tired of carrying my wifi card around!

I have been looking at the Sony TR series (specifically a TR2 or TR3) after doing a search in this forum and really like them. The size and other specifications seem to be exactly what I'm looking for. But it seems they are now phasing them out in favor of the T series.

It would be nice to pick up a TR at the new lower prices, but is there any particular reason why the T series (probably a T150 or T160) would be a better choice?

Are there any other comparable brands/models that I should look at in my search?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

If you're happy with Sony, then stick with them. The new S series laptops are great.

1.7 Centrino/60 GB
13.3 Widescreen
The keyboards are very close to full-size
Radeon Graphics chip
DVD/CD-RW and If you build to order, DVD-+RW is an option
4.2 lbs

Never have considered Sony due to perceived / reported service issues with them. After being a diehard Dell and then Toshiba user for 10 years, I bought an IBM T41 this spring for law school and work use (I finally tossed the Toshiba P4-2.8ghz a few days ago after it went through its' 6th hard drive in 18 months...Toshiba replaced 4 of them free, but I got tired of the poor reliability...very tired).

The T41's been absolutely great...nice and light, a great performer and the built in wireless is flawless..great signal capture compared to my other laptops. Turning off the wireless and CD in flight give me over 4 hours of battery use. They also have an "airbag" feature that "parks" the hard drive when the machine senses that it's being moved (or dropped) while in use. Typical 10-15% off student discounts apply on IBM's as well as the other major brands.

I'm about to buy a T42 in a few weeks, as I really like the flexibility of having two laptops. Only service issue on the T41 was that one of the keys popped off after about a month's use...I called IBM, and they expressed out another keyboard, which I received the next day. So, FWIW, I can't recommend a Thinkpad highly enough...they're worth the stretch of a few extra bucks.

I've owned Toshibas, HPs, Dells, and IBMs - and I highly recommend the Thinkpad. Just got a new T42 about a month ago and I'm just happier than a speckled puppy. They just put a lot more thought into their product, and I've never had a problem with them falling apart. Great battery life. Lightweight. Durable. You can find faster laptops for less, but I don't think you can find better laptops at all.

I have helped a lot of friends with their Sonys and I would say STAND CLEAR! Too proprietary all around. A real pain in the @!% every time I come across one. My HP was good, but that was before they merged with Compaq. I don't have a very high opinion of the Compaqs. My Toshiba was good until it started falling apart - and the battery life sucked among other things. I will never buy another Dell EVER again. Two laptops and seven screens.

I use Dell laptops at work, and bought my own ThinkPad T41 for personal use.

The ThinkPad is much better than the Dell laptop (and I've used several Dells). In my opinion, the IBM ThinkPad T-series laptops are the best out there.

Using the Sony S18GP now. Great laptop and since I'm using a Sony Digital Camera as well, everything works hand in hand.

Several years ago, I convinced my employer to go with the Sony ultra thin laptops, to the tune of 12 at $2k a piece.

That decision haunted me for the next three years.

Problem after problem and the worst customer service I have ever seen. They acted like they were geared to Walkmans not laptops for business, two- three week services on warranty problems.

I just went the other way. For home use, I buy only used laptops.

For my own use, I just got an IBM T21 for $430.00 Using it right now. My wife and daughter are using Dell refurbs and have been for three years without incident.

Perfect for what I do at home, although I am not a gamer so I don't need all the whistles.