small lightweight laptop that isn't going to cost an arm and a leg

woodstock

woodstock

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Since there are so many computer knowledgeable folks here, I thought I'd throw this out there.

I've never taken a laptop on vacation. It's too much of a pain to carry and since I've only got the one, if I lost it or it broke en route I'd be out EVERYTHING I have, on it.

For these couple of trips I've got coming up soon I'm toying with getting a smaller, lighter one to use only on trips. It would really just be a photo reviewer, since the LCD on the camera isn't big enough to be truly useful (everything looks great on a small screen and while you can zoom, it's a pain to do that for every photo). If I had time to review my photos in the evenings while I'm on the trip that would really reduce the workload when I got home (I take a ridiculous amount of photos).

I wouldn't use this laptop for anything but photos and wifi while on trips. It would function almost as a backup hard drive (even though I already have one of those) and I've no plans to use it as a daily laptop.

Anyone have recos on something cheap, small, lightweight (or does small and lightweight preclude cheap?)

I can get an Epson P-3000 photo viewer for 450 bucks, give or take, but that only has a 4 inch LCD screen and I figure for 450 bucks I am heading towards laptop category.

thanks!
 
ps. Best Buy has an Everex one for 600 bucks. under 4 pounds, 12 inch screen. I've never heard of them. I don't want it to quit working on me, but this is literally just meant to be a photo viewer and will only come out for trips.
 
woodstock said:
For these couple of trips I've got coming up soon I'm toying with getting a smaller, lighter one to use only on trips.
I wouldn't use this laptop for anything but photos and wifi while on trips.
Anyone have recos on something cheap, small, lightweight (or does small and lightweight preclude cheap?)
Click to expand...
Beth, I'm glad you asked this question. I shopped for a smaller laptop for my grass strip tour, and couldn't find one that was within my price range. There is only so much space and weight allowance in the Citabria and my larger laptop is a pain to take. We will be shopping for one for our flight out to California next May. The iPhone might suffice for us, but it takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r to type on it (and I get wordy sometimes).
 
I don't know much about this except that if you want it all (small, rugged, and powerful) it's gonna cost you. A used or refurbished one might fit the bill...I hear the little Macs (iBook) are pretty cool, and they're also pretty cheap.
And don't forget external keyboards... I'll bet there's one for the iPhone... you might even be able to interface that with one of those roll-up rubber keyboards, which actually work pretty well.
 
Thank you!

actually, small and lightweight is more important than rugged. I will carry it on and don't plan to run it through the ringer since it likely won't ever leave my hotel room - and even if I did, it will only have photos on it (that will still be on my memory card).

I need a big enough screen to see my photos, I'm not actually that interested in the email or other capacity although I could use it for that. This is really just for photos.
 
I have a Lenovo IBM Thinkpad Z61t. It's pretty light .. probably 4 lbs
or less. It has wireless built in and I haul it around with me. The screen
is like 13 1/2 or something like that. I don't recall what we paid for it .. seems
like around $1200. We get most of that stuff from CDW. I really like it
because it's small and light.

RT
 
Google "ultra mobile PC" and see what's out there. There are some very cool things being developed.
 
If you don't need it right away, wait a few weeks. There's a a new MacBook coming that I think will have a touch screen. And *cough* the iPhone will do a good job with email, web, and pictures and that will fit in your pocket. Look for a new version of the iPhone within 3 months.

STAY OUT OF BEST BUY!

You should talk to one of us for guidance and buy online.
 
I've got a Fujitsu Lifebook that I bought refurbished. All I use it for is checking email, down loading pictures, and posting on the internet.. :D 14.5" inch screen, very good resolution, and it weighs in under 5 lbs. I paid less then $500 for it with carrying case, spare battery and wall outlet adapter.

The only down fall is the battery life, but I've yet to see a notebook with any decent battery life.
 
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Heck bottom of the line laptops from Dell, HP, Acer, and Toshiba can all be had for around $450-550. That's getting into the realm of disposable. Any of them have more computing power than the Apollo program, which would be plenty for your purposes. You're talking 5-6 pounds.

If you want light, you'll spend a little more. HP nc2400 is 2.8 pounds and $1500.
 
I'm gonna go contrarian on this one and suggest just buying a handful of high-capacity flash cards for your camera and sort the pics at home. Definitely the cheapest and lightest solution.

Even 500 bucks isn't worth the lugging hassle or worry if it gets stolen or breaks on the road. You should be enjoying your vacation!


-Rich
 
Right now I am typing on an Averatec AV1050-EB1. That's what the label which I have never removed tells me. It's got a 10.6" screen and is 3.6 lbs. It also has an 80 GB hard drive with built-in wireless, a CD writer/DVD player and came with Windows XP Pro. I've been very happy with it. It was an impulse buy for me from (don't yell at me) Best Buy about 2 years ago. I travel with it all the time and it gets quite a bit of abuse. I have dropped it (in its soft case) a number of times and it has also ridden a few times in the unpressurized section of the airplane up to 41,000'. I'm not sure if they make these things any more. The one I bought was the last one they had and I think I paid about $1000 at the time. I can't say how their service is because I've never has to contact them. Their website isn't all that helpful about how to buy one. I was a little concerned about buying a brand I have never heard of, but it has worked out OK for me so far. For me, it was all about whatever I chose being small and light. http://www.averatec.com/products/portable/featherlight/1000Series.asp

The main comment I have had from some people who have tried to type on it is that the keyboard is a little smaller than normal so it's probably not a good choice if you have big hands.
 
Well, I need to update your requirement list a little. And I'm afraid I have to disagree with Rich on this; you don't want to keep waiting until you get home before going through the pictures, because we want to see them soon after they're taken!

You need either a memory card slot (SD, IIRC) or a USB and external memory card reader. You don't care about battery life, since you can leave it plugged in at the hotel. You do need networking, preferably both wireless and wired, along with a browser, because we're tired of having to wait until you get back from vacation until we see your pictures! Don't forget to include the weight of the charger when you're considering units, though you could conceivably leave the battery behind.


I've used Dell, Toshiba, IBM, Acer, and Winbook. For what you're looking for, anything should work. Don't worry about brands, because it's more of a disposable item to you.

I haven't been keeping up with the field enough to make recommendations.
 
hey, thank you everyone! great suggestions. I do have a BUNCH of memory already - a couple of 4 gig cards, I think I even have an 8 gig one for the SLR. My little camera - I have a few 1 gig cards.

Grant, thanks, glad you like my photos - I guess I should send you the latest link (so far there are only 42 photos on it, from Colorado - still working on it).
 
MicroCenter.com has been selling refurbished Acer, HP and Compaq laptops from $400 up. Their retail stores is my only local source.
 
woodstock said:
Thank you!

actually, small and lightweight is more important than rugged. I will carry it on and don't plan to run it through the ringer since it likely won't ever leave my hotel room - and even if I did, it will only have photos on it (that will still be on my memory card).
Click to expand...

Elizabeth- if you leave it in a hotel room, pack it in your suitcase/carryon or put it into a drawer when leaving the room- although the hotel staff may be honest, I've seen that some staff open several rooms at once for cleaning. Anyone walking down the hall can grab it while the staff is cleaning another room. If you take it commercial, tape a business card to it- the TSA moves stuff to help move the line a little, and many laptops look alike.
 
Ken Ibold said:
Yup, only twice the price of a comparable Toshiba or HP or Dell or ...

Whadda bah-gain!!
Click to expand...

Add $79 for anti-virus suite - and you'll still be owned by a guy in Russia. Then add $39-$79 each for photo software, web software, music authoring software, movie editing software, DVD burning software...

Then value the time you spend fixing it at $20 an hour.

Then tell me which is the bah-gain.

For referenece: I just helped a buddy who had a fairly simple problem with his Windows (98) PC. I spent more time fixing his system in one evening than I have on my 2 Macs in 3 years.
 
Yep. An operating system that's nine years old.

Hell, that's old enough that it predates Mac's Linux kernel...
 
SCCutler said:
Yep. An operating system that's nine years old.

Hell, that's old enough that it predates Mac's Linux kernel...
Click to expand...

If it had been XP, it would have taken longer to fix, or would have been unfixable. The Russian spammers aren't running bots on 98.

I pretty much talked him into getting a Mac Mini or iMac. At least, he'll image the hard drive with Acronis True Image. We had to search for an old version that would work on 98. $12.
 
Get a mac! I'd take Mike's advice and wait for the new Macbook...like he said there's a new one due here in the next month or so...right before the holidays.

My dad is a pro photographer. He wanted a way to be able to take pictures and view them larger than his little LCD on his 20D. I plugged in his camera, opened up ImageViewer (comes with all macs...imagine that) and it automatically recognized the camera and had the drivers. With one button I could not only take pictures FROM the macbook, but with one button I could get the pictures of the CF card and preview them. I even went so far as setting up an Automator script, so with literally one click, my pictures come off my camera and open up to a full 14" screen.
 
Look at the Samsung Q1 Tablet PC - I think I got one at CDW for $800ish. Has wifi and bluetooth built in with CF card and a couple of USB ports. I actually bought it to try as a prototype for my fire prevention guys to do electronic inspections. As an experiment I have a blue tooth GPS receiver and running Flightsoft Vista on it for moving map. Works well - but doesn't have the battery life (after abusing the tablet for a while) for longer than about 2 hour flight.

As far as THE BEST LAPTOP out there - Panasonic Toughbook. I use a semi-rugged CF-74 special ordered with XP (cause vista is _ _ _ _). I have owned Toshibas, HP's, Compaqs, Lenovos and nothing has ever come close to the reliability of the toughbook.
 
Another option Elizabeth is a Smart Phone , i have the Verizon VX6700, it's a Cell Phone and Pocket PC all in one. I've used it to search the internet and it works well
Dave G
 
Microcenter.com is showing three HP laptops for $400. You folks know HP puts out good stuff. All I do is just control the cookie access and use Google's popup blocker and I have no problems on ANY of my machines. I run registry tools and keep it clean and organized. Once a year, I'll reload the OS but during that time I'm careful of what I download to them and what sites I go to. Never a problem!

So frankly, for one to say a Mac is the only solution to avoid all those problems seems pretty bogus to me. :P
 
MAC vs PC... You know we're all tired of it. With ANY computing, it's being smart about what you're doing. Sure, spammers target PCs but think about the reality, probably 90% of the home and business PCs run some version of WINDOWS. If I were screwing around writing virii, I'd be doing it on the most common platform and the one shipped from the manufacturer with the locks turned off. Even the basic locks are turned off (java; javascripts).
So, I don't care if it is a MAC or a PC; linux, windows, or os X. Find a device that does the job and if used in accordance with the applicable federal regulations, and not misused, isn't painted in china with lead based paint, kept out of the mouth because of potential choking hazard, and safe computing practices are maintained, then your results may vary.
Frankly, lenovas, which were/are IBMs until they bailed out of the PC market, are pretty good and the weight can get as low as 4 pounds. Handy, user friendly, and a good deal at PC Connections.
 
Thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies! I think Ken and Grant hit it on the head with the "disposable" comment which for this purpose is what I'm looking for. If I can get a laptop for 400-500 bucks, it's comparable to an actual photo viewer which is all I need in this case. The wifi and any word processing are all bonus. I'd likely just use Google freeware for the word processing.
 
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And there's a MicroCenter in Vienna.....

My experiences at MicroCenter have been positive, compared to other stores.
 
wsuffa said:
And there's a MicroCenter in Vienna.....

My experiences at MicroCenter have been positive, compared to other stores.
Click to expand...
There are two MicroCenter stores in the Atlanta area, one in Marietta that has been here for nearly two decades and another that opened five years ago. There were six CompUSA stores scattered around, including the south side. Companies I dealt with on the soothed still went to Marietta to MicroCenter.

Unlike the young, barely out of high school types at CompUSA, MicroCenter has mature, experienced folks doing sales and consultation from home systems to small business networks. I've had only a couple issues with items I've bought over the years and both were resolved to my satisfaction.

CompUSA shut down the Atlanta stores and another hundred or so across the country due to poor management of a privately-held chain. MicroCenter is still going strong as ever.
 
I don't know about small & lightweight, but apparently WalMart tomorrow (11/2) is having an in-store special of an Acer Celeron-M based 1GB laptop for $348. Of course their site is down right now, so I can't provide the cite. :( Doesn't sound like the speediest machine, but at that price, who cares? The question, of course, is how large/heavy it is. Probably a 14" screen, but that wouldn't be a problem.
 
Ken Ibold said:
Yup, only twice the price of a comparable Toshiba or HP or Dell or ...

Whadda bah-gain!!
Click to expand...

This, from the same guy who's constantly complaining about how crappy his Dell laptops are? :confused: :dunno:

FWIW, if you're gonna go PC, I agree with the Lenovo recommendation. Don't have one myself, but they used to be IBM (whose hard drives were the best and still are even with the Hitachi nameplate on 'em), and I've heard lots of good (and can't recall any bad) comments about them. I still think you'd be very pleased with the MacBook.
 
I just priced out a nice new Macbook Pro. It came in at just shy of $3000, even with my educational discount! (Yes, I know you're talking about the Macbook for her, but it still is almost three times as expensive as the photo viewer she's comparing this against!).

BTW, I see that their spec sheet now lists 2.6GHz models, but they don't come up for sale online!
 
gprellwitz said:
I just priced out a nice new Macbook Pro. It came in at just shy of $3000, even with my educational discount! (Yes, I know you're talking about the Macbook for her, but it still is almost three times as expensive as the photo viewer she's comparing this against!).

BTW, I see that their spec sheet now lists 2.6GHz models, but they don't come up for sale online!
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Grant,

I got so sick of hearing that old "Macs are more exoensive" myth a few years ago that I started going to dell.com every time I bought a new Mac so I could configure the equivalent Dell and compare the price.

Dell has not been cheaper yet. :no:

You do get what you pay for. Things that are options on Windows PC's are standard on Macs. The Apple-only software is worth the difference in and of itself. So is the lack of headaches. But you get all the options too.

Beth wants a glorified photo viewer. But, I can easily see her graduating from iPhoto to Aperture, or getting into video with iMovie or who knows what. IMHO, $500 for a crap PC is an invitation to a headache party, whereas $949 for the MacBook could lead to much greater things. If nothing else, I bet it'll last much longer as a photo viewer.
 
gprellwitz said:
I don't know about small & lightweight, but apparently WalMart tomorrow (11/2) is having an in-store special of an Acer Celeron-M based 1GB laptop for $348. Of course their site is down right now, so I can't provide the cite. :( Doesn't sound like the speediest machine, but at that price, who cares? The question, of course, is how large/heavy it is. Probably a 14" screen, but that wouldn't be a problem.
Click to expand...

hey Grant

I got your message and pinged your cell this AM. I will call you later. any idea how heavy it is? thank you for the info!
 
woodstock said:
Since there are so many computer knowledgeable folks here, I thought I'd throw this out there.

I've never taken a laptop on vacation. It's too much of a pain to carry and since I've only got the one, if I lost it or it broke en route I'd be out EVERYTHING I have, on it.

I wouldn't use this laptop for anything but photos and wifi while on trips. It would function almost as a backup hard drive (even though I already have one of those) and I've no plans to use it as a daily laptop.

thanks!
Click to expand...


Well, I have the Lenovo X-61 with the daylight viewable touch screen, and I really like it, especially the screen for photos, the brightness and contrast is excellent for working pictures, it retails as I bought it for $3200 and I got it off ebay for just under $2000 shipped. It's a nice small tablet, but it sounds like more than you need or are looking for. For what you want, I'd seriously be considering one of the Samsung Q-1 series. Nice 7" screen, small and light, you can use one of those roll up keyboards, and the whole rig will fit in a purse or side pocket of a camera case and weighs next to nothing.
 
I recommend the Lenovo T-60. It's really an amazing laptop and has some features that I couldn't live without. The laptop detects when you are working real hard on something. After awhile it decides that you need a break so it'll warn you like this:

crap.jpg


It also likes to mix things up a bit. It's other methods of warning consist of just freezing solid or switching to 386 slow mode.
 
jesse said:
I recommend the Lenovo T-60. It's really an amazing laptop and has some features that I couldn't live without. The laptop detects when you are working real hard on something. After awhile it decides that you need a break so it'll warn you like this:

It also likes to mix things up a bit. It's other methods of warning consist of just freezing solid or switching to 386 slow mode.
Click to expand...

:P Jesse, you never heard about the critical need detector? PCs have come with that since my first ones in 1982!

In those days we didn't have blue screens. Didn't have blue or any other color.
 
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