Basically the laptops I've been ordering from Toshiba (Terca s2's) have been disc for the new line of s3's which are about $450 more than we want to spend. thought I'd see if any of you have had some good experiences with laptops with the following features

1) Ability to go above 1024x768 resolution
2) Bluetooth a high desired option. I've heard about usb blue tooth connectors which I might go for so this isn't required
3) Solid case. This is going to be lug around to job sites but taken care of for the most part. Not for an installer or anything.
4) Nice video card. Sometimes presentations need to shown which intel ingrated graphics proc's won't cut it hehe.

Thanks for any laptops you've found like this. I'm doing my own research but thought I'd see if any of you have found a good line you like around $1000-1200

1/30/2006 8:41:53 AM

overall I'm pretty happy with my Dell D610. The only part that sucks about it is that it feels a little less sturdy than my T41 IBM but its got a radeon x300 in it.

1/30/2006 9:17:03 AM

Raige, are you planning on getting any warranties/service plans on these things? The warranties will cost you a hunk of change by itself, nevermind the laptop configuration itself.

1/31/2006 5:34:48 AM

this shouldn't even be a thread. just go to lenovo's site and sort by price to see the laptops around 1k.

then buy the one you like.

/problem

1/31/2006 7:40:17 AM

Yes the warranties are not included in the costs of the laptops. I know my number is low but it's a goal to aim for as I managed to get a Toshiba Terca S2 with all the bells and whistles for $1079. Unfortunately the line is now at S3 and I'm not willing to take the chance of buying hardware off ebay or places like that.

Newegg and the actual Manufacturer and local dealers/resellers are what I'm looking for. Also this isn't a large purchase or it wouldn't be an issue. It's 1 laptop at a time when needed. What I'm looking for is something in that price range that's equivalent to the options I posted.

There's a huge difference when someone actually uses the laptop than what you hear about it. For instance... there was this awesome ACER laptop that had 6 egg review etc... but the one thing they didn't say, and wasn't on ACER's website, nor anywhere in the specs was that the display resolution could not be changed from 1024x768.

I'm hoping to find personal experiences from a user or technical point of view. If it costs us $400 more for a far better laptop I'm fine making that decision. I'm just trying to gather as much info before I start recommending a line for us.

1/31/2006 7:49:47 AM

Our current pricemark is $1000-$1200 without warranty. Our limit is $1500 without warranty as that's where the Terca s3 is and since I already have one and it's performance is incredible... it's not worth it for me to chance it with another.

I want to avoid Dell from a sturdiness standpoint. The keyboards tend to fall apart, though the warranty covers this it's a hassle I'd like to avoid.

1/31/2006 7:51:42 AM

maybe you need to not pound the keys so hard when you type?

I like the lenovo idea, but I would try to find a bargain on a dell, because my personal experience with them has been positive.

1/31/2006 9:32:53 AM

If you're worried about keyboards, definitely go IBM/Lenovo. The keyboards are sealed and sit inside of a tray so that spills do not get to the electronics underneath. Also, if you ever work in dark conditions, the keyboard light does come in handy.

You shouldn't have worry about eBay as long as you only buy new laptops from reputable sellers. However, you can get an R51 for around $700 through IBM EPP.

1/31/2006 9:43:29 AM

it's going to be hard to get quality laptops at $1000 each. I would recommend hardware leasing. that's how most businesses do it. btw, the cheap new lenovo lines aren't the same ibm quality as the older lines that have been around.

1/31/2006 10:48:24 AM

What cheap new Lenovo lines? AFAIK, the only new model that's been brought out under the Lenovo name is the Z-series, which are the widescreen ones with black/silver cases. I wouldn't imagine those are particularly cheap (though I can't say I've checked). Unless they redesigned the R series?

1/31/2006 1:43:00 PM