pretty in pink...laptop that is

April 30, 2007 9:57 PM

My wife wants a pink laptop. Not just a pink laptop, but a really lightweight pink laptop (preferably 3-4 lbs or less). I've gone crazy googling for it and there doesn't seem to be such a beast. I seem to remember seeing pink Sony Vaios at the local Sony store (I could've sworn it was the TX series) but the only color for TX's on the Sony site is Sienna. Close but not quite. The Sony C series has a pink model, but it's on the heavier side. It doesn't have to be super-fast or anything, just fast enough for Outlook, web browsing, etc. Does such a computer exist currently?
posted by edjusted to computers & internet (27 comments total)

DIY!

The Pink Hello Kitty Laptop, or PHKL.
posted by SlyBevel at 10:03 PM on April 30, 2007

These guys custom-paint computers.
posted by mdonley at 10:06 PM on April 30, 2007 [2 favorites]

Panasonic W5. All the cool stuff is in Japan.
posted by the jam at 10:07 PM on April 30, 2007

Looks like the best option here is to find the laptop of your choice, and then send it in to be painted. Here's a review from someone who used a painting service.

Personally, I recommend Dells, specifically for the warranty of the gods. Just be sure to get CompleteCare.
posted by effugas at 10:08 PM on April 30, 2007

Also from Dynamism, the lighter Panasonic R6.
posted by Joleta at 10:11 PM on April 30, 2007

Sony Vaio VGN-C290
posted by jjbb at 10:15 PM on April 30, 2007

sorry, I didn't read your post thoroughly...
posted by jjbb at 10:17 PM on April 30, 2007

No. No Dells. I don't know how to help you with the pink laptop, your best bet is probably to get one painted, but Jesus, don't get a Dell. Unless they've done some ridiculous redesigning in the past couple of years, they're heavy, boxy, overheating monsters. The hard drives go bad, the heat sinks are designed terribly . . . Ugh. I have an Inspiron 5100 and it just sucks. A friend of mine does computer repair at our university and Dell laptops are in there All. The. Time.
posted by schroedinger at 10:24 PM on April 30, 2007

Don't get a Dell laptop.
posted by Sufi at 10:27 PM on April 30, 2007

A friend of mine does computer repair at our university and Dell laptops are in there All. The. Time.

I don't like Dell laptops, but this is mostly likely self-selected, because most universities have "recommended" brands and setups for incoming students. Chances are that your friend's university recommends Dell laptops to the students there, which means you're more likely to see Dells there than anything else.
posted by Mikey-San at 10:33 PM on April 30, 2007

Yes...the hello kitty laptop: gaaa...I think I'd go crazy if I had to look at that thing every day!

Yes, all the cool stuff is in Japan. Or even in England. I found a Philips (Philips?!) for sale and a soon-to-be-available Samsung.

I'll have to look into the paint job option. That seems promising.

How about the pink Sony Vaio? Was I just dreaming that they had a ultra-portable in pink?
posted by edjusted at 10:45 PM on April 30, 2007

I can't imagine a better laptop to do in pink, for a lady friend, then a macbook. You'll pay for it, but any custom paint job that is done well won't be cheap.
posted by rsanheim at 11:05 PM on April 30, 2007

ibuypower.com sells pink laptops... not sure about size and weight. But the one I linked to is listed as "slim line"
posted by magikker at 12:55 AM on May 1, 2007

I'd go this route: http://www.schtickers.com/

I like pink but I would definitely not buy a pink laptop nor paint one. Seems about a good idea as a yellow car -- "It looked good on the lot... but right now I want to punch its face in."
posted by loiseau at 4:50 AM on May 1, 2007 [1 favorite]

borked
posted by chuckdarwin at 5:03 AM on May 1, 2007

You may have seen a Vaio FJ series somewhere; I have one in a color that is much pinker in person than it looked online, and it's pretty light. I'd guess around 4 pounds. Doesn't look like they're seling the FJ series anymore, though. For whatever it's worth, I believe they called the color "raspberry" on the site. So should you find a Vaio that's raspberry, and looks a nice sort of reddish on the screen? Yeah, that's going to be pink if you actually get one. Dark reddy-pink outside, light lavendery-pink inside.
posted by Stacey at 5:26 AM on May 1, 2007

More UMPC-wise, the Pepper Pad 3 comes in pink.
posted by chuma at 5:28 AM on May 1, 2007 [2 favorites]

This is couple of years old, but:

"The newly designed Averatec AV4265-EH1 ($1,200 street) has good looks to go along with its attractive price. The vivid 13.3-inch widescreen, very totable 4.6-pound frame, 80GB hard drive, and average performance make the AV4265-EH1 the ideal notebook for college-bound students or anyone on a budget who puts a premium on portability but doesn't want to sacrifice features. The AV4265-EH1 puts more emphasis on style than its gray-clad predecessors, such as the AV3270-EE1. The latest systems are sleek and covered in a white enamel-like coating. Averatec also announced a variety of color cover options also known as skins including Caribbean Green, Blazing Orange, Alpine White, Venus Red, and Tickle Me Pink. The color models will be available later this year on Averatec's Web site."
posted by RandlePatrickMcMurphy at 6:09 AM on May 1, 2007

Dynamism has expensive, fast, tiny, pink laptops.

On the subject of Dell, the rule of thumb is "D-series Latitude solid, Inspiron and older Latitude crap." An off-lease D600 is a fantastic deal, especially with the high-res display. But it's not pink.
posted by mendel at 6:15 AM on May 1, 2007

Notwithstanding personal preferences, Dell does sell notebook skins, including this pink one.
posted by grateful at 6:46 AM on May 1, 2007

I'd second the Mac + skin recommendation. I've bought from decalgirl.com before, their stuff is good. Plus, if you ever go to sell the laptop, you can take a skin off -- not so sure about the paint!
posted by bitter-girl.com at 8:03 AM on May 1, 2007

Can you afford it? Nope. Can you even get it in the US? Possibly not. Is it pretty? Gosh yes...if you like pink leather. (It's also slender. And it comes with it's own pink leather mouse...)
posted by anaelith at 8:14 AM on May 1, 2007

Chiming into to say: I do a lot of travel and field work. Dells break often. IBMs (Thinkpads) and Panasonics (Toughbooks) don't. I've dropped a T20 Thinkpad onto cement from a hight of 5' picked it up and turned it on.
posted by bonehead at 8:45 AM on May 1, 2007

Ditto on cautioning against Dells. Clunky, poorly made. Love my Thinkpad.
posted by radioamy at 1:29 PM on May 1, 2007

Although I think personally that a pink 13" MacBook would be adorable, lightweight, and all-around awesome.
posted by radioamy at 1:30 PM on May 1, 2007

Man, the custom color painting is expensive! We'll have to go check out the Sony store again and take a better look at the FJ. Thanks for all the great leads!
posted by edjusted at 9:40 AM on May 2, 2007

Many local retail stores sell these cheap little stick on wraps for computers now days that work rather well and allow you to make it look however you want.
posted by the_binary_blues at 8:42 AM on May 17, 2007