This was supposed to be the future …
I have been obsessed with laptops lately. Every time I think I have found the new best thing I soon discover some fault and find something better. This chain of compulsion and discovery has resulted in some ideas regarding almost every computer company out there.
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I have specifically been obsessed with sub-notebooks and thin laptops. I compare everything I see to my current setup:
Gateway 11.6 ” / Intel SU3500 single core 1.4 cpu / 3 gigs ram / 80 gig intel ssd / 3 pounds / less than 1 inch thick / 5:30 battery life
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I think at this point I have explored many options leaving me with some constraints.
Constraint # 1 - Screen less than 13 ” in size. Past 13” I feel the the base size of the laptop is too large. 11 ” - 12.1” is preferred.
Constraint #2 - Good keyboard. Preferably 100 % of full size. Typically any laptop 11.6” or bigger will have a full sized screen.
Constraint #3 - Thinner than my current machine.
Constraint #4 - Equal or better battery life than my current machine.
Constraint #5 - The lighter the better. (current machine is 3 pounds)
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That said, here are the options from the various pc makers out there.
Asus
- Asus EEE laptop line (atom cpus)
- Asus U20A
3 pounds - The problem here is that none of the computers they make are really smaller than my current machine. Same size / same weight = Taking a pass
(side note: the 13” inch asus with a reported 12 hours of battery life is a very nice and interesting machine)
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Acer
- Aspire One
- Timeline X (1830T)
Again none of these units are smaller or lighter than my current unit which is not surprising as my current laptop is pretty much an 1810t. The new timeline x is really fast with a low voltage i3 cpu but for what I do (web/office) not worth the price of $650.
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Dell
- Adamo XPS
3 pounds - Too pricey! Funky design, that I think would be awkward to use while laying on a couch with the laptop actually on my lap. The extreme thinness (the worlds thinnest) is offset by the larger base size produced by making a longer and thinner laptop (they basically stretched out this machine). Battery life is also pretty poor. No vga out is a bummer.
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Apple
The mac book air is meh.
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Toshiba
Portégé A600
2.4 pounds ! Fast 9400 intel dual core low voltage cpu.
Sadly, with a price tag of $1600 its hard to justify over my current machine just to save 1 pound.
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Sony
- Vaio X
Then there is the vaio x. The world’s second thinnest machine. Just taller than the vga port as you can see above. The world’s lightest laptop at 1.5 pounds.
Sadly this comes at a price… $1300 and an Atom cpu. Now, this is the fastest atom cpu ever released at 2.0 ghz but it is still an atom.
The keyboard is also only 90 % of full size. The larger battery for it gives this unit 10 plus hours but then makes the laptop almost 2.5 pounds and makes it thicker. A smaller battery is available that makes this unit only 2 pounds but gives it 5/6 hours of battery time. This laptop also has the smallest screen at 11.1”
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I left out a bunch of cheaper atom machines from different companies but they are all pretty much the same.
I feel that my current machine has just enough cpu power for what I do and going lower seems risky (ala atom cpu). Also, most laptops also don’t provide much better battery life than I current have. It is proving really hard to justify replacing my year old $450 dollar gateway laptop.
As it stands now, I am watching ebay for a deal on the vaio x but a $1000 dollar netbook is still just a netbook even if it is the lighest and one of the thinnest laptops ever created. If anything the vaio x is more of a status symbol then anything.
Hopefully this info was interesting and useful to some other people out there. Thoughts and comments are welcome as always.
Posted at 3:35 PM (1 month ago) | Link | Comments (View)
