[Hidden-tech] $400 "notebooks"?

[Maria Korolov (Trombly)]

Cynthia --

I've bought a couple of $400 laptops from Walmart. I originally bought them
because my house is full of kids, and I don't want to have a $1000 computer
at risk in the  living room - and while I'm traveling.

But I've discovered that today's $400 computer is several times better than
a $1000 computer from a couple of years ago. The processors are fast, the
hard drives are big, the WiFi is built-in, and the screens are nice and
sharp.

Maybe you don't want a $400 laptop if you're running the most high-end of
the high-end games, or editing video. But for email, wordpressing and almost
anything else they are more than enough.

The only problem I had with them is that last year they came with Windows
Vista and, this year, with Windows 7. If you're willing to live with that,
you're all set. I found Vista to be horrible enough that I actually
installed Linux instead (Ubuntu), but that came with its own problems. (I
don't want to have to type a password every time I turn it on! I'm just
using it to watch movies! Arrgh!)

Windows 7 is also causing me some problems -- not all my software is
compatible, and sometimes I'm forbidden from accessing some of my folders
(like my Programs or Documents) for some arcane security reason. But I'm
living with it.

The $400 laptops also aren't the lightest in the store -- get a netbook for
that -- but, again, still lighter than a more expensive model from a couple
of years back.

Overall, I'm very happy. I can watch movies (while more load in the
background), surf the web, write, edit photos, access all my online apps --
everything I need. They're both fast, and both reliable. Not a single glitch
with either one (other than the Windows-related hassles).

The one I bought last year was an Acer (the cheapest in the store) and the
one this year a Toshiba (again, the cheapest in the store). Both live quite
happily in the living room among the kids and pets.

- Maria

Maria Korolov (Trombly)  508-443-1130 | maria at trombly.com
Technology columnist
Securities Industry News | Insurance Networking News | Bank Technology News
Editor & publisher, Hypergrid Business (http://www.hypergridbusiness.com)



On Mon, Jun 28, 2010 at 10:08 AM, Cynthia Roderick <cynthrod at verizon.net>wrote:

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>
>  I’ll be traveling in a third-world country and don’t want to bring my
> MacBookPro.. I was thinking I’d buy one of those $400 deals for Internet,
> email, and word processing... Does anyone have experience with one of these
> devices.... Any recommendations?
> Thanks in advance,
> Cynthia Roderick
>
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