Buying a Laptop

bigmck said:

... Is the only difference in a Notebook and a Netbook the size of the screen and keyboard? Also what about these phones that access the internet? My phone only lets you talk, old fashioned. If I got one of these fancy new ones to surf, are they pretty user friendly for the internet?

A netbook would be perfect to stave off internet withdrawal while in the hospital (provided you have access to the 'net) but don't plan on heavy duty game play. It's true that they don't come with optical drives, I bought an external USB DVD drive for use with my netbook and now wish I hadn't as I haven't used it for a long time. A thumb drive, the internet or my home network offer me plenty of ways to get around the need for an optical drive.

I prefer surfing the web on my netbook rather than my smartphone. I have a Droid X smartphone which has one of the largest screens and I find it cumbersome to surf the web on it as it requires way too much panning and zooming in/out. As mentioned by someone else, the smartphone is great for quick info lookups but I wouldn't want to use it as my sole access to the internet.

If the hospital doesn't have wifi, you could use a prepaid, cellular based "air card" but I would check with the hospital regarding that because oftentimes they want you to turn your cellphone off in hospitals.

bigmck said:

I need some of your collective wisdom. -- I have always thought about buying a laptop, but never could convince myself that I would use it enough. I will be having a heart bypass in a few weeks and will spend about a week in the hospital. There is no way I can be without the internet for a week. I guess I am in the market for a laptop with little money and no knowledge of buying one. Probably $300 would be my limit. I could use some suggestions and places to buy one. Do local shops build laptops like they do PC's or not? Would it be cheaper to have one built or buy one like a Dell or someother name? I am only going to use it for surfing the web and MS Word or Excel. Any ideas you could pass along would be appreciated. Thanks,

bigmck,
Sorry to hear about your upcoming surgery.
For the first few days you are not going to feel like surfing the web and playing with Excel and Word.

Not sure if $2-300.00 is worth buying something for what little use while in the hospital for 7 days. I would call the hospital and see what, if any, set up they have for patients who are there for your procedure.
Take care my friend and get well soon.
THW

bigmck said:

I need some of your collective wisdom. -- I have always thought about buying a laptop, but never could convince myself that I would use it enough. I will be having a heart bypass in a few weeks and will spend about a week in the hospital. There is no way I can be without the internet for a week. I guess I am in the market for a laptop with little money and no knowledge of buying one. Probably $300 would be my limit. I could use some suggestions and places to buy one. Do local shops build laptops like they do PC's or not? Would it be cheaper to have one built or buy one like a Dell or someother name? I am only going to use it for surfing the web and MS Word or Excel. Any ideas you could pass along would be appreciated. Thanks,

I hope all goes well with your surgery. Maybe go to rent a center and rent a notebook or a netbook and take it back after you get out of the hospital. Just a thought.
Jerry

z3r010 said:

bigmck said:

I appreciate your help. That is a lot more info than I had. I know quite a bit about PC's, but laptops very little. I now have to make sure my hospital has a wifi. Thanks,

When I was in for my Heart attack/stent there was no WiFi so I used a prepay 3g dongle, it may be worth considering to ensure you get a connection.

That is one thing that I don't know, if my hospital has wifi. What is the prepay 3g dongle? Is this a laptop that accesses the cell towers with a prepaid account? === I thought I would pretty up on the tech stuff, I just never had gotten into the phones. Man there is so much I don't know about that area.

here is an example:

Sprint’s 3G/4G Mobile Broadband Connection plan is priced at $59.99 per month for unlimited use on the Sprint 4G Network and 5 GB of data on the Sprint 3G Network (price plans exclude surcharges and taxes).

More: Sierra Wireless 3G/4G dongle launches on Sprint

I have been looking around on the web. I realized my original $200 will only get me a "Fred Flintstone Computer". I found one for $310 refurbished. Tell me what you think about it. Dual Core Dell Latitude Laptop CDRW/DVD WiFi New Win 7! - eBay (item 200587802413 end time Mar-18-11 16:03:18 PDT) Thanks,

One word..................NO!
Look at Staples, Office Depot, Sam's and Costco!
Call and see if they have refurbished models. I know Sam's and Costco do!

The Howling Wolves said:

One word..................NO!
Look at Staples, Office Depot, Sam's and Costco!
Call and see if they have refurbished models. I know Sam's and Costco do!

+1, too many people got fake Windows licenses etc. No way would I buy a laptop from Ebay.

Buy this instead. At $142 you have some fun. B&H is a reputable company. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=REG&A=details