new laptop

[natty23]

I'm lookign to buy a new laptop and don't really have a clue where to start, or what i'm looking for.

at the moment i have a Packard Bell igo. I want something better than this, but i don't want to pay a fortune.

Any tips on what to look for? and where i am likely to get a good deal (internet or which stores?)

Cheers

[fo3nix]

do you want to go the apple mac route, or the windows or GNU/Linux route?

my bets are windows XP, right? In which case, take a look at dell:

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/category.aspx /notebooks?c=uk&cs=ukdhs1&l=en&s=dhs

[bloodycheap]

dont buy dell.

[fo3nix]

well that was a constructive comment...

why shouldn't he buy dell?

I know many, many people, schools and colleges that use dell, and none of them have ever had any problems with them. for windows-based products, they are the best (i believe).

[bloodycheap]

American brand, indian call centres, shipped from Ireland, no contribution to the Uk economy. Not to mention their �50 delivery charge that usually doesn't turn up when it's meant to.

[bloodycheap]

Visit http://www.hjackson.org/blog/archives/2005/03/welsh_west ern_s.html
for more info.

[fo3nix]

you realise that most computer industry manufacturers are american brands? apple, dell, microsoft, HP, etc.

sure, the indian call centres are a bad deal. but you'll find many companies now have indian call centres. and i've not known someone with a dell to have to call their call centres anyway. shipping from ireland is no bad thing is it? and if you buy the computer with a good deal, their delivery charge is usuall waived. and they tend to double RAM for free, things like that. also, the three people I know that have dells all received their machine when they expected to.

[bloodycheap]

Buy British or from a British company...........not American s**t

[bloodycheap]

FO3NIX....... Surely your not so nieve to believe that Dell computers do not go faulty or are indestructable. You know a few people who have them (as opposed to the millions of Dell pc equipment on the market). I would certainly hope the few people you know have not contacted the Indian call centre, probably wouldn't understand them anyway.

[fo3nix]

I am indeed not that nieve no. But I've heard a lot more good about Dell than bad. You don't become a world leader in computer manufacturing by making bad products.

I believe you should buy the best computer about at the time. Regardless of whether it's designed by people in the UK, US, China, or Taiwan.

You say you should buy British or things built in Britain; care to give an example of a British product you'd recommend?

[natty23]

so whats the general consensus surrounding Dell?

[fo3nix]

well it seems that some love them, some hate them. I like them; I know far more people that like dell than dislike.

[bloodycheap]

I agree there is very little manufactured in the UK but at least if you're going to buy a foreign pc or laptop then buy it through a British company otherwise we will all be up the creek without a paddle. China, India and the USA are going to take over the world of technology.

[bloodycheap]

Natty23..........Sorry for turning your post into a PRO / ANTI Dell argument. Buy a good BRITISH pc magazine and read the reviews.

[doddsredoubt]

Yes natty23 I had a IBM computer as my wife used to work for them a long time ago,could not upgrade it from Windows Millenium to XP so I asked around also my cousin who knows about computers and they all recomended Dell and yes I am happy with Dell .