Laptop which one for travel
 

New job - going to NRT, SIN, BKK, all of North America and Mexico - 100 nights per year. Which laptop would you go with given a $2600 budget. I have the IBM Thinkpad now and like the portability. However, I want to shop around. Looking for power connection in the air.

Business applications mostly
Movies
No gaming

I have a MacBook Pro 17in and I find that the screen is generally too large for air travel, as well as the power requirements often exceed those allowed by the inseat power system.

I need the machine for my media needs, but if I were in your shoes I would probably go for a compact machine such as the Sony Vaio TX Series . It has an 11in screen and is extremely small but powerfull. I have a couple friends who have this machine and love it for travel.

I just bought one, in a fit of wild abandon. It's amazingly cute. It's also surprisingly loaded, for such a small machine - DVD-R drive, 80GB hard drive, 512MB RAM, WinXP Pro. 80% keyboard that takes a little getting used to but is quite usable. My only real problem with it is that I'm addicted to the IBM TrackPoint and don't really know how to use a touchpad, but I'll figure that out.

Now I just have to find a teeny-tiny laptop sleeve to carry it in.

MacBook 13" is great for the size factor.
The 15" MacBook pro is even nicer!

You can't go wrong with a Thinkpad. I've used them for over 10 years and have been in the IT decision tree for specifying them for my employers during the same 10 years. I have never had once regretted the decision personally or professionally. As the new higher powered machines keep coming out, you will want to make sure that whatever you select will stay below the seat-power limit of (in most cases) 75W.

ScottC's experience with Thinkpads is that they are all possessed by Satan so YMMV, as they say.

If you need something windows based, I think IBM Thinkpad is the best.

If you are flexible, go with the Mac. Better Operating System and
excellent design over all.

Over the years I've owned 2 thinkpads. If the HP that I'm using now wasn't such a great deal I would have bought another thinkpad.


I am a big fan of the way it handles being tossed around. I caried my first thinkpad (a Subnotebook) in a cheap shoulder bag every day on the NYC subway and it lasted 4 years before I upgraded.


Look for the lightest, smallest and longest battery life you can find in your budget. Check with your company also to see if they have an EEP program. That could save you 10%-20% alone. That with a easily searched for coupon could make for a great road warrior notebook.

I second the sony tx recommendation.
Truly amazing piece of technology, you have to see it to believe it!

dupe post

... til it stops working the time you look at it too hard.

Sony's look great in print ads and sitting on desks, but don't stand up to use of real-life rigor.

^ Thinkpads. Check out buy.com or costcentral.com for deals.

Oh, don't tell me that!

I have a Thinkpad T series and I love it, especially the keyboard feel.

The 14.1" screen on the T series is a little too big when sitting in economy (except E+ on UA of course). I have been pushing for an X series next, which is a little smaller.

As others have said, watch out for the 75W Empower limit. I have a Targus cord so I can plug into it when available.

I have a (now old) Vaio VGN-T250 and absolutely love it. It barely weighs anything and has great batter life. I know the newer versions are even better. Just my two cents....

I have to agree with the Thinkpad sentiment. I have owned (or used for work) several brands and found the Thinkpads to be bulletproof. The worst I've used were almost certainly Dells.

I like the dell 700m, its very light and convenient, but I wont bet my money on
it.

I agree.. Thinkpads are amazing.^ I've had 3 of them since 2001, and the first
one I ever had has been dropped, walked over.. kicked over and over again
and its still ticking.. (just a few broken corners and its falling apart)
but its functionally perfect!