Small laptops

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G

Gavin Harris

  • #1
    Hi,

    I'm looking for a small laptop that isn't too pricey. I'm not after power or performance, as I'll simply be using it on the road to demonstrate websites and show pdf files, as well as write Word documents and check emails etc.

    My main criteria is that it is small and light, as I want to be able to easily carry it about with me. Also, long battery life is important.

    I did once see a Sony that was about half the size of a normal laptop, but a bit of research showed it to be about £1,500! But it was ideal!

    Any suggestions?
     
    neildigital

    neildigital

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    Apr 30, 2007
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  • #6
    I use a company call PCAgain, Nick. 01494 460600
    Mention Me Neil at Niche.
    Current offer:
    Acer 5720 Gemstone+Case only £269
    These are returned and refurbished models, I have purchased around 70-80 for my company now, and only have the odd one with problems, but if there has been a problem he has replaced immediately.

    Neil
     
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    Paul Kelly ICHYB

    Paul Kelly ICHYB

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  • #8
    EeePC, used with Openoffice, Thunderbird and Mozilla.

    You'll get this compact baby for unde £200. It is designed just what you want - daily use, all the basiscs, nothing spectacular
     
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    L

    leemason

  • #10
    consultant said:
    EeePC, used with Openoffice, Thunderbird and Mozilla.

    You'll get this compact baby for unde £200. It is designed just what you want - daily use, all the basiscs, nothing spectacular
    Click to expand...

    I would second that. The EeePC is by Asustech and is an excellent machine. Go for the 4GB version as it's but more useable space. As consultant says it's around £200.00 and has excellent build quality. If does not have a hard disk (everything runs from ROM or Flash memory. It does have 3 USB ports (so you could run an external HDD or USB memory stick) and supports an SD-Slot so you can use SD-Memory for expansion.

    It weights in at less than 1KG and has a 7" screen. It runs Linux but can read/write MS-Office documents with Open Office and has loads of other built in applications (too many to mention).
     
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    awebapart.com

    awebapart.com

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  • #12
    DanMartin said:
    Elonex is about to launch a £99 laptop.
    Click to expand...
    Wow, that is interesting news - I haven't heard much about Elonex for years, good for them.

    I was also going to mention the Asus Eee PC, but you might find that the problem with all of these very small laptops it that they wont be ideal for showing off websites, even if they've got the width in pixel resolution, they wont have a lot of height in pixel resolution (Eee PC is 800x480), and the keyboard might feel cramped if you are doing a lot of typing (since it isn't much larger than a dvd case). So you might be better off avoiding sub-notebooks altogether.
     
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    A

    Avril Morrison

  • #16
    I have a Sony Vaio, with an 11" screen. It's a couple of years old now, and cost £1000. I love it. It is light, I can take it anywhere and the screen is fantastic, even in bright sunlight. Maybe a bit more than you need though?
     
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    wolfluecker

    wolfluecker

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    Aug 9, 2006
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  • #17
    awebapart.com said:
    you might find that the problem with all of these very small laptops it that they wont be ideal for showing off websites, even if they've got the width in pixel resolution, they wont have a lot of height in pixel resolution (Eee PC is 800x480)
    Click to expand...

    I agree, if you're doing sales meetings and want to show off sites, a sub-notebook is not ideal.

    Macbooks are great and look good, but if you want a Windows machine* there are other options too. The Toshiba Portege R500 is around a grand but ridiculously light and has a nice 12" screen. They used to make the R100, which was light as a feather - maybe you can pick up a 2nd hand one?

    I've also heard good things about Samsungs - the Q45 is only £600 and quite light too.

    Wolf.

    * yes, I know, you can run VMWare or Parallels on Mac natively...
     
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    G

    Gavin Harris

  • #18
    Thanks,

    I should have added that I currently have a Dell laptop that I currently use for client meetings, which is fine, but I've started to take the train more than drive now to free up that time to do something more productive than hold a steering wheel (can't afford a personal driver just yet!!), so I'm basically looking for something I can easily carry on the train and sort out emails/write proposals. The Dell is just soooo heavy to lug about, especially with the monster sized power supply! The 4gb Eee PC looks perfect - and very smart in white too! Perfect price too.

    I'll use that for "on the road" and stick to my Dell for client meetings.

    Thanks for your help.
     
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    sabian1982

    sabian1982

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  • #19
    Carl-CSNM said:
    I got an Asus EeePC just after Christmas, I can't get to grips with it the screen and keyboard are too small. If anyone wants to buy it drop me a PM ;)

    I'd avoid Acer laptops mine has literally fell apart.

    Sony Vaio's are supposed to be very good, a UKBF member has an offer on an ultra portable one:
    http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=58029
    Click to expand...

    Thats unfortunate - Computer Shopper magazine have given it glowing reviews since its launch.. granted its a bit limited but for just over £200 its not to be sniffed at... there recent review of uk web hosts however was rather worrying to say the least. :(
     
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    R16MEDIA

    R16MEDIA

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    Jan 21, 2008
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  • #22
    EeePC is a great little piece of kit and defiantly good enough for doing simple word processing etc.

    I use linux based one but putting xp and word 2007 on it works fine if thats what you want.

    Being a mac user I would also recommend a macbook.

    and I live and die by my macbook pro ;)
     
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    W

    WebDeveloper

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    Feb 24, 2008
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    West Midlands
  • #23
    Hi Gavin,

    I very recently did quite a bit of investigation into such a beast with my requirements being that it had to be light < 2KG, powerful enough to run most of my normal apps without being irritatingly slow and had to have a decent > 4 hr battery life.

    I immediately discounted the EEE. It looks a useful tool but the battery life apparently isn't too great, the screen is *tiny* and - whilst I've absolutely no issues with the Linux OS - I needed WinXP/Vista so I could run Photoshop etc.

    Ditto the Macbook Air, for price, first-of-range fear and the lack of hardware upgrade options (again zero zealotry on the OS front, I know I could use bootcamp easily).

    My short-list became:

    Dell M1330. Good price, good spec, confidence in the supplier, looks good and from the reviews I can see that it would be a capable machine.

    Sony Vaio TZ 21xx or 31xx. I've had two (top end) Vaios and they were both superb, though very pricey. Also have built in 3G options which is very compelling.

    Lenovo Thinkpad X61. Small, excellent spec, good battery life and a great heritage. Downside being that it only comes with the 'nipple' instead of the trackpad and the screen resolution by default isn't great at 1024 x 768.

    FWIW I went with the X61 and it's being delivered tomorrow :) I went for the tablet PC version too so I get the best of both worlds and I managed to find one with the higher spec screen (1400 x 1050).

    I went this route as my current laptop is a Thinkpad (Z60) it is easily the best one I've ever owned; the build quality is superb and it Just Works. If it wasn't for the fact that it weighs a ton then I wouldn't be needing a replacement. I need to be able to have it in my bag every day and not break my shoulder.

    If you can wait a while then you may want to hold off until the Thinkpad x300 is launched. Sounds like they spent the last 2 years designing the ultimate road warrior's tool. it should be out in the next few weeks but won't be cheap due to the solid state HDD.
     
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    Paul Kelly ICHYB

    Paul Kelly ICHYB

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    • Jan 21, 2008
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  • #26
    Aldi have a laptop promo at the moment
     
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    G

    Gavin Harris

  • #36
    R16MEDIA said:
    EeePC is a great little piece of kit and defiantly good enough for doing simple word processing etc.
    Click to expand...

    It's exactly what I'm looking for - it's the smallest and cheapest option, and for just replying to a few emails and writing a few proposals looks ideal. It feels like "one step up from a Blackberry" which I've avoided as it just seems too small to write any lengthy text on!

    My final question, with the EeePC and the default Linux installation, it seems like everything I'll need is there straight out of the box which is great, except for my Nokia connection suite and drivers for me phone.

    How easy is it going to be to install that? I've never used Linux before...

    I might end up putting XP on it, but it's an additional cost and the i'm quite interested to use the Linux OS!
     
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