Laptop (and bag) for Bschool...

BTW,..


Before you buy guys your laptops, try to check out the forum in

https://www.notebookreviews.com

There is a "bargain" section there.
The people there post a lot of coupons and discounted notebooks.
It may help.

Be careful with that machine, it does get pretty uncomfortably hot after 5~6 hours of consistent use. Too bad Lenovo didn't incorporate the swivel screen function into the T-60/61 series.

Well, it depends on the following:

1) Whether I'm actually riding or not. I won't be riding that much during the winter. I may rent (or borrow) a car every now and then if needed. There's a company in the area that offers hourly car rentals.

2) Whether it's just cold or actually freezing. If there's ice on the roads, it's very dangerous. If there's no ice, then cautious riding should suffice.

Overall (in average) motorcycles are more dangerous than "cages" (cars in m'cycle slang). But ridden responsibly, with proper gear (full face helmet, gloves, jacket and pants with armor, boots), etc., they can be quite safe.

L.

So what you are saying is riding with a half shell , jeans and a sleeveless shirt is not advisable? Guess I need to reconsider my gear next time I go riding!

I put in an order for a T61 last week. The X series looked really enticing, but I decided to go with the T61 because I wanted a larger, higher resolution screen, built-in optical drive and the new Santa Rosa chip set. I also liked it because one of the key new features was an improved roll-cage for the screen. I envision substantial abuse for my laptop over the next two years. It's not like you just take it to work and then take it home. You have to haul it around to a bunch of classes and group meetings every day, taking it out and packing it each time. I think durability will be a key factor and I really think Thinkpads are the leader in durability.

It's supposed to ship on 6/1. I'm looking forward to it.

What's the specs, where did you order from, and for how much?

I'm been given a T-series, but I'm debating whether I should get the X-series instead. Basically it is having to pay more for the mobility...

I ordered mine as follows:

2.0 GHz processor T7300
14.1" WXGA+ (1440x900)
1GB Ram (I'm adding another 1GB myself)
80GB HD
Intel Turbo Memory 1GB
DVD Multiwriter
PC Card/Express Card (you actually have a choice to substitute smart card or memory card reader)
7 Cell Battery
Bluetooth
802.11 ABGN
Fingerprint reader
Vista Business
2 year next business day warranty

Total $1311.91 + tax = $1427.57
I ordered direct from Lenovo. I'm also getting a $45 rebate through fatwallet. It will be nice when I move to Charlottesville where the tax is only 4% I believe (as opposed to 8.75% here). Not in time for this though.

If you want maximum portability then the X series is the way to go. I like the optical drive so I can watch movies, and perhaps play games if the occasion allows. I think the higher resolution will be nice for working on spreadsheets and things like that.

I ended up getting the X60. Did get the docking station with an optical drive to go along with it though. Total cost was around $1650. In the end, mobility won the battle.

The World's Thinnest Notebook

https://www.businessweek.com/technology/ ... topStories

That design looks pretty cool but I actually shied away from ultra-thin notebooks because I was concerned about durability. I liked the Sony SZ a lot, but after checking it out closely, I concluded that it might not be able to take the required beating. Sony also has a business laptop line, but those models are more or less the same size and wight of Lenovo & HP models.

Not sure if it's been mentioned already, but if you're looking to buy a laptop for school, and you'd like to include the cost of the laptop in your total budget (which is what your fed financial aid is based on), I think you have to get it after July 1.

So if you buy a computer for school after July 1, you can appeal the standard budget that the school sets for everyone, and usually increase your budget to include the cost of the computer. Which could mean more fin aid.

Not sure if it's like that for every school though.

At HBS it's more or less the same, though I think the deadline is January 1st rather than July 1st. Students can send the receipts to the Fin Aid office and get an increase in loans.

L.

Pelihu, was this on sale? I'm looking for the same model with similar specs but when i try to customize, I get a price of a couple of $100 more...

Hi EconGirl. Yes, that was the Memorial Day sale. I checked and apparently their Father's Day sale was not as good. I believe there will likely be more sales later this summer. Mine has not been shipped yet. They've had some delay with parts or something, so it's supposed to ship in another 2-3 weeks.

I got myself a Lenovo X60 tablet on the memorial weekend (decent deal). Love the machine - nice build, and you never realize how nice it feels to use a tablet until you actually use it. Besides, Vista handwriting recognition is surprisingly good. I can write in my handwriting and it pretty much gets everything right. The screen's great too (I got the SXGA+).

Never mind what others say, I actually like the Vista look. I upgraded my memory from 1 GB to 2 GB by buying a 1 GB module from Newegg for just 39$ (instead of plonking nearly 125 on Lenovo web site! what a rip-off).

If anyone wants to know more about the tablet, drop me a note or post here. The only thing I miss is a DVD burner -- but it's not all that important to me, so I'm getting an external drive.

thanks! you got a good deal. I can get a similar price through Penn but I can't costumize it so I'd have to give up on some features (like a DVD burner, WXGA+).

MIT actually included $5000 for a computer in the budget and you don't have to show a receipt. And if you want to order from the school, you can customize it to suit your needs.