Buying a Notebook/Laptop

I need a notebook or laptop, just for doing admin stuff away from the baying crowd in my office.

Any suggestions for a good brand or model at a cheap price, and the best place to get said item?

Cheers!

And I am also looking for a laptop for the wife as a Christmas present. She needs much the same thing really, a top that can simply manage the simple things such as Microsoft office, MSN and viewing pictures for editing proofing purposes. She is a small person so it shouldn’t be too big, around 2.0kg or less, preferably. And of course she likes more of a feminin style, if there is such a thing. My budget is around 20,000-ish.
Thanks in advance if anyone has any suggestions.

[quote=“Stray Dog”]I need a notebook or laptop, just for doing admin stuff away from the baying crowd in my office.

Any suggestions for a good brand or model at a cheap price, and the best place to get said item?

Cheers![/quote]My old desktop is on its last legs, and when it finally dies I’m going to get a MacBook. They’re not the cheapest notebooks by any means, but they’re well made and when you actually compare like for like, they are just a little more expensive than other notebooks.

The big thing for me is the OS and software. I’m fed up of Windows. XP has been a lot better than previous versions, but it’s still a huge, bloated, virus-prone, annoying thing. And I really don’t want to get Vista – tons more bloat for a few fancy 3D graphics and a lot of annoying “security warnings”.

Macs work well right out of the box. Changing languages is no problem. Yesterday the guy at the Mac shop showed me it – 10 seconds and its done. Then I noticed that the date was still in Chinese. Another ten seconds and that was changed too. The built-in software is pretty good, and you can get Microsoft Office for Mac. (If I ever need to run Windows and Windows programs on it, there are a couple of options for doing this too).

Not trying to sell you on Macs. Just telling you why I’m going to get one.

Actually, you’ve reminded me that a couple of friends were raviung about Mac notebooks a while ago. Hmmm … I’l have to think about that.

So, where to get a good deal, and any models come recommended?

http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/index.php/id;717136901

This was useful for me, the tech idiot.

[quote=“Stray Dog”]Actually, you’ve reminded me that a couple of friends were raviung about Mac notebooks a while ago. Hmmm … I’l have to think about that.

So, where to get a good deal, and any models come recommended?[/quote]There isn’t much variation in the price of the Macbooks themselves, I think. But there is probably some leeway when you buy other stuff at the same time, such as extra RAM (recommended), or a monitor plug adaptor (useful because you can set up a bigger monitor and use it instead of the Macbook screen, or in addition to it either mirroring the same stuff, or as a continuation of the desktop so it’s as if you’ve got a very big screen).

Every Nova has an Apple shop, and there are also other Apple shops. Do a search - there’s some good information. IIRC the Apple shop on Roosevelt Road was recommended for good service.

[quote=“joesax”][quote=“Stray Dog”]Actually, you’ve reminded me that a couple of friends were raviung about Mac notebooks a while ago. Hmmm … I’l have to think about that.

So, where to get a good deal, and any models come recommended?[/quote]There isn’t much variation in the price of the Macbooks themselves, I think. But there is probably some leeway when you buy other stuff at the same time, such as extra RAM (recommended), or a monitor plug adaptor (useful because you can set up a bigger monitor and use it instead of the Macbook screen, or in addition to it either mirroring the same stuff, or as a continuation of the desktop so it’s as if you’ve got a very big screen).

Every Nova has an Apple shop, and there are also other Apple shops. Do a search - there’s some good information. IIRC the Apple shop on Roosevelt Road was recommended for good service.[/quote]

I bought my iMac at the Apple store on Bade Lu. I was able to get a RAM upgrade for really cheap and done on the spot.