matt@gol.com (Matthew Endo) wrote:
> What is your purpose for the notebook?  Portability?

Yep. I'd much rather get a desktop. I'd have a bigger screen,  bigger
and faster HD, etc, and it would still be cheaper. But I want to use
it both at university and home. In principle I could buy a desktop and
leave it in the lab, but the internet connection here sucks.

It doesn't have to be specially small or light, though, as I live
quite close to the campus.

> If you want a cheapo notebook, go for the Sotec, just 
> don't come crying when it breaks.

No way, if it breaks I'll become another Matthew Outland. :-)

> Reliability?  IBMs are tough, but you pay a premium for them. 

Yeah, I thought about it, but I'm not sure I'm willing to sell my
organs to pay for it.
NEC feels like a good compromise.

> I'm debating whether to get the Panasonic ultralight, an IBM 
> Thinkpad, or a Sony Vaio.  
> Sony was at the top of my list in the past but their
> proprietary junk still irks me, like their Memory Stick, etc.

But there are adapters for that kind of thing, no?

> What is your budget?  That will at least get the discussion
> started in the right direction.

Hmm, about $200,000, but actually I didn't start with a fixed budget
(at first I thought I wouldn't spend more than 160,000). I decided on
the few "non-standard" things I wanted, like the screen and memory,
etc, and now I'm comparing the prices. If I decide the cheapo brands
are not worth the risk, I might wait more one month so that I can
spend a little more.

Thanks

Rafael Caetano