Looking for decent compact laptop.
January 27, 2007 5:30 AM   Subscribe

This question was asked about a year ago.... I'm looking for a compact, small screen (12" or less) laptop for travel that's decently priced. Any thoughts/advise?
posted by gb77 to Computers & Internet (14 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
You should really look at the IBM x-series on eBay.

I just bought an IBM x23 on ebay -- it's an 800mhz machine with meager ram, 12" screen, 30gb drive. The construction is excellent and the machine is in good shape. Came with accessories. It will run most anything, has built in WiFi, etc.

260$, including shipping.
posted by fake at 6:51 AM on January 27, 2007


I bought a Fujitsu Lifebook P1120 (256MB RAM, ~800MHz Transmeta processor, 9" touchscreen, 40GB HDD) on eBay a few months back for about $500CDN including shipping. It's no powerhouse, but it runs Windows XP and office applications without problems, and is powerful enough to run some older games.

The biggest advantage it has is that it's only 2.2 pounds with the 'standard' battery (2.5 pounds with the extended battery), and the battery life is outstanding. I'm still using the original, 3+ year old 'standard' battery, and I easily get 3 hours of running time. A brand new extended battery has a rated runtime of 9 hours (!).
posted by gwenzel at 7:03 AM on January 27, 2007


buy a used iBook G4, they cost about 300 dollars at this point
posted by matteo at 8:11 AM on January 27, 2007


Second the IBM/Lenovo thinkpad X-series. Not the cheapest new, but they're sturdy and light.
posted by handee at 8:24 AM on January 27, 2007


the fuji P1120 has a touch screen correct? Is it usable for anything graphics wise?
posted by outsider at 9:24 AM on January 27, 2007


I have a 12" Powerbook G4, and I love it. For travel, you might find the 12" iBook is a bit more rugged and, if you're willing to accept lower specs, also quite wonderful.

I worked as a service tech at a shop that sold/serviced Lenovo/IBM laptops, and did a fair bit of work on X41s. Probably a bit pricy for you, but light, solidly-built, and very easy to work on.

Seriously, the difference between repairing an IBM/Lenovo and, say, repairing an Apple or HP is incredible. If you want to work on your own gear, the IBM/Lenovo gets points there despite the higher cost of aquisition. That said, I was working at a shop with the ability to order spares from Lenovo direct; I don't know about spares availability to an end-user.
posted by Alterscape at 10:21 AM on January 27, 2007


Outsider: Yes, the P1120 has a touch screen. I'm not sure what you mean about using it for graphics, though. I use it primarily as a readily-accessible replacement for a mouse. It's really intuitive to just tap on things on the screen with my finger (or the stylus) instead of reaching for a mouse.
posted by gwenzel at 12:40 PM on January 27, 2007


If you want to do substantial word-processing while travelling you need to consider that very small keyboards may be hard to type on, and that the wide-format screens show fewer lines of a document when it is displayed full-width than the standard-format screens do.
posted by Idcoytco at 12:51 PM on January 27, 2007


You might check this one out. It seems like a pretty good deal: http://www.spoofee.com/forums/showthread.php?p=261515
posted by Aanidaani at 5:39 PM on January 27, 2007


I'm in the market for a similar machine right now - I'm looking at HP and Toshiba's low-end machines as well as IBM's used "warehouse specials".
posted by soplerfo at 5:44 PM on January 27, 2007


Aanidaani: that's a 15.4" (big).

I've been looking at (can't justify the expense currently) this Everex which seems like a good price. Some discussion here.
posted by alexei at 7:52 PM on January 27, 2007


I have an Averatec that is 3+ yrs old and has been through hell and is still ticking. They are not the most durable, but good bang for the buck if you are half way careful.
posted by raildr at 8:22 PM on January 27, 2007


I'm thinking about the same thing for an upcoming trip to Thailand.

Maybe check Apple's website for a 12" iBook refurb?
posted by altcountryman at 8:23 PM on January 27, 2007


Another place to look is uBid - I recently found a Thinkpad x31 off-lease in absolutely perfect condition for $430, which I love dearly.
posted by dammitjim at 10:01 PM on January 28, 2007


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