Recommendations on which brand and models to get for a new laptop/notebook?

Hello.

I am helping someone to find a new laptop/notebook that can be played
with and bought from a local retail store (e.g., Best Buy, Circuit City,
Costco) whose laptop/notebook got stolen earlier today.

He is basically looking for a light and small laptop/notebook. It needs
to be a PC with Windows (XP please?), MS Office (2003 is fine), lots of
USB ports, a DVD+CD burner, fast (not for games), watching videos,
listening to music, and portable (travels a lot around the world). It
would be nice to have external security in case it gets stolen.

He used to have a Toshiba P15-S... notebook/laptop that was too heavy
(Windows Media Center 2004 with TV tuner devices that he never uses),
big, and hot (can be in hot weathers like 80+ degrees(F))!). He just
want something lighter and smaller now for travelling. Before that, he
had a small and light Toshiba Satellite Pro 2655XDVD (Windows 98 SE) or
something which was nice for him.

I will keeping track of
http://www.salescircular.com/ca/computer/laptpp.shtml and
http://www.salescircular.com/ca/computer/btolpp.shtml starting next
week after he returns from his trip (where he lost his old one).

Thank you in advance.
--
"We are anthill men upon an anthill world." --Ray Bradbury
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phillip (Ant) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
( )

ANTant@zimage.com wrote:
>>> He is basically looking for a light and small laptop/notebook. It needs
>>> to be a PC with Windows (XP please?), MS Office (2003 is fine), lots of
>>> USB ports, a DVD+CD burner, fast (not for games), watching videos,
>>> listening to music, and portable (travels a lot around the world). It
>>> would be nice to have external security in case it gets stolen.
>> $400 will buy an ASUS Eee that meets these specs except:
>> 1. (Debian) Linux OS: WinXP costs extra.
>> 2. Open Office suite instead of MS Office (functionally
>> equivalent in all practical respects)
>> 3. DVD player/writer must be external, attached via USB.
>>
>> The screen is only about 7 inches wide but excellent quality,
>> the unit weighs less than 500g. and fits into a pocket. (It has
>> 4Gb RAM instead of a hard drive.)
>
> I forgot to mention price isn't an issue. The DVD burner drive needs to
> be internal since he doesn't want to carry everything externally except
> his mouse, power brick and cable(s), and portable printer.

Go shopping already.

<ANTant@zimage.com> wrote in message
news:4856ff3d$0$5701$4c368faf@roadrunner.com...

> He is basically looking for a light and small laptop/notebook. It needs
> to be a PC with Windows (XP please?), MS Office (2003 is fine), lots of
> USB ports, a DVD+CD burner, fast (not for games), watching videos,
> listening to music, and portable (travels a lot around the world). It
> would be nice to have external security in case it gets stolen.

$400 will buy an ASUS Eee that meets these specs except:
1. (Debian) Linux OS: WinXP costs extra.
2. Open Office suite instead of MS Office (functionally
equivalent in all practical respects)
3. DVD player/writer must be external, attached via USB.

The screen is only about 7 inches wide but excellent quality,
the unit weighs less than 500g. and fits into a pocket. (It has
4Gb RAM instead of a hard drive.)

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

>> He is basically looking for a light and small laptop/notebook. It needs
>> to be a PC with Windows (XP please?), MS Office (2003 is fine), lots of
>> USB ports, a DVD+CD burner, fast (not for games), watching videos,
>> listening to music, and portable (travels a lot around the world). It
>> would be nice to have external security in case it gets stolen.
>
> $400 will buy an ASUS Eee that meets these specs except:
> 1. (Debian) Linux OS: WinXP costs extra.
> 2. Open Office suite instead of MS Office (functionally
> equivalent in all practical respects)
> 3. DVD player/writer must be external, attached via USB.
>
> The screen is only about 7 inches wide but excellent quality,
> the unit weighs less than 500g. and fits into a pocket. (It has
> 4Gb RAM instead of a hard drive.)

I forgot to mention price isn't an issue. The DVD burner drive needs to
be internal since he doesn't want to carry everything externally except
his mouse, power brick and cable(s), and portable printer.
--
"We are anthill men upon an anthill world." --Ray Bradbury
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Phillip (Ant) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
( )