Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with notebook

Help me _____ with this notebook.

hermitosis — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:50:43 -0800

Creative (and hopefully Tarot card-related) uses for this new notebook I found? Each page basically looks like this. What a great notebook -- and cheap, so I could get more if I find a good use for them.

I spend a large amount of time studying, designing, reading, and writing about Tarot cards. I bought this notebook because I figured I could do... something with it, but now I guess I'm not really sure what.

Non-Tarot suggestions are helpful also, I suppose. (But the rectangles are the perfect shape!)

What lightweight but powerful laptop should I buy?

bkudria — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:36:10 -0800

Which light-weight yet powerful laptop should I buy? I like the Sony Vaio Z, followed by the MB Air and the Thinkpad X200. Am I missing any models? I'm looking to replace my current work laptop - I use it for web development, so I need to be able to run Apache, MySQL, PHP, and some other stuff. I also use Chrome pretty heavily, and of course I watch a DVD every now and then, play music, etc. I don't run an office suite or play any games.

I carry my laptop to and from work every day, and my current HP is pretty heavy, so I am looking to buy the lightest laptop possible that still has a real CPU (e.g. no Atom, ULV, etc). I don't want anything at all resembling a "netbook". What I'm not considering at the moment is price - I'm happy to pay extra for a nicer, lighter, laptop.

At the moment, the best option I could find is the Sony VAIO Z-series. It weighs 3.3 pounds, not the lightest on my list, but it has a nice CPU (a T9900 @ 3.06 GHz). The MB Air is 0.3lbs lighter, but the CPU clocks in at 2.13 GHz and as expected does slightly worse in benchmarks. The Z also has a higher-res screen. I use an additional external monitor, but it is a nice extra. The Lenovo Thinkpad X200 and X200s are lighter even than the MB Air, but have even smaller screens and slower CPUs.

(Note: I am aware of the Z's in-BIOS VT block. I have no problems with patching the BIOS to work around this. I don't consider it a downside.)

Additional details: I plan on running Linux, so gross Linux incompatibilities are a no-go, but I think I can handle anything merely pedestrian. Also, I plan on swapping out the HDD with an SSD some point in the future, so if that has any bearing on anything, I'd love to know. I'm still in the research phase for that.

In short: I want a light yet powerful high-quality workhorse laptop. The VAIO Z looks to be a good balance.

My question: Am I missing anything in my analysis? Do any of these laptops have any glaring flaws? Are there any other models that have solid build quality and similar or better specs?

Thanks!

Did she imagine this book?

BusyBusyBusy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:44:18 -0800

[Obscure book filter] Anyone remember a book about a grandfather hired to make a notebook to teach someone's daughter about the world, but he secretly makes two copies? My sister remembers a book from her childhood. A grandfather is hired to make a notebook or book or computer (she can't remember) for a little girl to teach her about the world. He makes an extra copy to give to his granddaughter.

I know this is vague, but we've tried looking on Google and can't find anything. She insists it exists.

Any ideas?

What Bay Area stores carry the Dell Adamo?

Susan PG — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:32:58 -0800

Where can I see a Dell Adamo (not the new XPS, but the one that was released last year) in person, in the San Francisco Bay Area? Frys doesn't seem to carry it, and I don't know who else would. I'm considering buying one, and want to handle it and check out the keyboard, weight, etc., in person, before making a decision. Thanks for any help you can provide :-)

Looking for the perfect laptop for traveling

Afroblanco — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:31:20 -0800

Looking for the perfect laptop for traveling. Priorities are durability, lightness, and battery life, in that order. Performance is not too important, but it must run Windows 7 like a champ. Willing to consider netbooks. Can spend up to $2000, but obviously I would like to spend no more than I absolutely have to.

Non-fiction books that resemble notebooks

wannalol — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:44:40 -0800

I am looking for a certain type of non-fiction book. These books are very often instructional with the words handwritten (or typed with a font that imitates handwriting) and the illustrations hand-drawn giving the book the appearance of a photocopied notebook. Two examples of this type of book are Getting Started in Electronics by Forrest M. Mims III (example page) and Complete Guide to Fishing Skills by Tony Whieldon (example page). I love these books for their aesthetical quality rather than the subject matter per se so welcome suggestions that cover any topic.

Stolen macbook - hard drive data safe?

shivohum — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:58:54 -0800

Someone stole my 2009 macbook pro. I doubt they can guess my password. Given that, how likely is it that they can access my hard drive's data (I didn't do anything special beyond the default to encrypt it or anything)? Can my Applecare plan transfer to a new laptop? Anything else I can do to help destroy the value of the computer? I don't need any advice about police reports, etc. - but Apple-specific advice welcome.

Help me buy a netbook, camera, and bike.

LSK — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 12:18:04 -0800

Help me buy a netbook, a low-end digital camera, and a bike. These are all admittedly disjunct requests, but I'm looking to get these at around the same time when I make the excursion to the local mall (Iowa City isn't so great when it comes to these, but I'd rather buy this sort of item in person.)

Netbook: I'd like to get a small and sturdy netbook. It doesn't need to have an amazing amount of storage; battery life and sturdiness are the high priorities. I'm looking to spend no more than $400, and preferably far less, before taxes. What brands/models do you recommend, and is there anything else I should know?

Camera: I'm not looking for anything much, just a digital device to take photos with. The only photo-taking feature I'd make a decision on is the ability to set exposure length, which I know some cameras don't have. Again, though, sturdiness is the top priority.

Bike: It's probably harder to recommend bikes over the internet, but I'd like to know what to even look for in a bike. I'm looking to use it to make both short excursions and to travel between Iowa City and Chicago when classes are out of session. I used to own a bike, and can still ride one competently, but I can't remember what features it had.

Looking for an attractive laptop sleeve.

ishotjr — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 10:18:47 -0800

Seeking recommendations for durable and attractive laptop jackets (the kind that you leave on when the laptop is in use). I have a Dell Inspiron laptop, 14.1" screen, about 1.5" thick, 13" wide, and 10" deep, and am looking for a laptop jacket that I can leave on the computer when it's in use. The Shoreline ones are the first kind I saw of this type, but I'm interested in something a little more interesting-looking than their offerings, if anything like this exists. Shoreline used to have other colors of neoprene sleeves, I thought, but I can't seem to find any I like anymore. Of course, protectiveness is my #1 priority, as well as decent heat dispersion ability. Going too big to be safe isn't really an option, because something too big won't be able to stay on the laptop via the elastic corner straps.

The main constraint I've found with the "cool" laptop jackets is that most of them (such as the Isis Dei ones I saw mentioned in a previous thread) are designed for slimmer Mac laptops, and certainly not for laptops with the extended battery in the back I contacted Isis Dei, since I liked some of their options, but they basically said their products are designed for Macs, and they can't guarantee that any of their stuff will fit a computer like mine. Since I don't want to waste time with having to return stuff by mail, I decided to pass on their products. I haven't really found anything else similar. Maybe us PC users are just too boring and lame with our thick computers to get the cool goodies like Mac users. ;-)

Does anyone with a similar laptop have a jacket that they really like that is under $40? Suggestions for retail stores in Austin, TX that sell a variety of laptop jackets (including ones to fit PCs) are also appreciated since I can't seem to find any myself. If I can't find anything interesting-looking, I'm not averse to getting a plain one, but I wanted to check with the Hive to see if you savvy folks knew of anything more fun.
Note: I have definitely read all the previous AskMe threads on similar topics, and spent way too long googling various search terms (including "laptop sleeve," "laptop jacket," "laptop sleeve" "while in use," etc.).

Cooking Diary?

Maia — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:04:51 -0800

Where can I buy a notebook/journal intended to let me record the meals I cook? I'm looking for not only something to hold recipes, but something where I could also put the date and my opinion of the recipe. In essence, it'd be like a cooking diary. Does such a thing exist?

Will a 13.3 inch notebook screen give me eyestrain

PenDevil — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 04:46:47 -0800

Will a 13.3 inch notebook screen give me eyestrain? I've been thinking about getting a notebook and have been looking at a model with a 13.3 inch screen and a resolution of 1280x800. Considering I'll be staring at this screen for most of the day will it kill my eyes with eyestrain?

I'm not doing any graphics eye straining intensive work, I'm a Ruby developer and most of the time I'll be staring at a Vim window with some XTerms and a copy of Firefox. I am however shortsighted and wear glasses for this the whole day and at my last eye exam 2 years ago I was diagnosed with an astigmatism and had a new prescription given for that.

I have an external monitor at my home office I can use when I'm there but when I'm out at clients or just want to get out and work from the nearest coffee shop this probably won't be an option.

New laptop - help me choose!

aimeel — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:53:39 -0800

New laptop choices - Fujitsu? Sony? Dell? HP? I know what I want in a notebook, but trying to figure out which maker will best meet my needs. I'm an English and Theatre teacher soon to move to Norway and I don't think my old laptop will last much longer. Looking for a Core 2 Duo and up, a 4-500 gig hard drive, Nividia or ATI graphics, a decent amount of RAM about a 16" screen. As a teacher, I have about 60 gigs right now of documents and photos, another 60 of music, and I do a lot with music, photographs, and not a lot of gaming. (That could change she suggests unrealistically). I do a lot of work on the internet and usually don't travel around much with the laptop. If I weren't headed to Norway I'd probably get a desktop, but there it is. It would be nice to be able to help my students with editing short films on my laptop, but not vital. And oh yes, can it be a dependable machine?

Big note- I am an old school typist. I like to feel definable keys under my fingertips. And I hate the whale-snot, smear magnet surfaces of most of the laptops I saw when I went to Frys. I did like the texture of the keyboards/touchpad on Sony and Fujitsu. I know it's cosmetic, but I like a clean deck. Suggestions? And am I better off buying through Frys, Best Buy, online through ?? or manufacturer? I'll have to live with it for a long time so I want to make a good choice. And I thank the hive mind in advance - you guys are the best.

Where can a person find a tiny handy netbook around here?

amtho — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:57:13 -0800

probably-hopeless-filter: Where can I find an 8.9" netbook with a "real" HD (not solid-state) running linux in a store? I'm in Chapel Hill, willing to go to Raleigh, Durham, Hillsborough, Cary, Apex, wherever (Charlotte or Greensboro would be too far). I've checked all the obvious-to-me places. Places I've checked: Intrex (in Chapel Hill), Staples, Office Depot, Sam's Club, Target, Best Buy @ Southpoint. I've looked at web sites for other vendors. I also looked at Craigslist.

I want to try one in person, running linux, before I purchase it, so ordering online isn't going to do it for me.

I e-mailed Acer's customer support and they were unhelpful.

I do believe I want an 8.9" model; my fingers are small enough that the size is fine for typing, and this would be mainly for travel.

Help me buy a new notebook computer!

Effigy2000 — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:03:21 -0800

My desktop computer has just died so I'm thinking of finally buying a notebook to replace it. Problem is, I know very little about the notebook 'scene' and have no real idea what's good and what's not. Out of all the notebooks available from here, which one would you get? My budget is $2000 but I'd go as high as $2500 if there was a compelling reason to do so. And if there's any extra accessories I'm really going to need, let me know. Thanks!

Other good gaming laptops under $1000?

wastelands — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:14:30 -0800

Under $1000 laptop: I have my eye on a particular model; am I missing any others in my research? I'm finally replacing a Dell desktop that is truly too slow, noisy, etc. I've been doing the research and I like this model: MSI GX620-001US.

Things I like about it / criteria:

It's within my $1000 budget

Decent graphics card so I can use it as a gaming system

Has a fairly trim/thin body

Plain/not overly colorful or curvy body. I love those Lenovo laptops for the same reason; they're minimalist and not flashy. (I don't think Lenovo has gaming capable lappies, though, at least not in my price range.)

Decent reputation/reviews overall. Second-best rating on NewEgg.

15.4" screen size is perfect for me. I need to fit it side-by-side on a table at home that holds a big monitor (I'll be using both displays at once with VGA out) as well as have enough useable screen space for doing stuff like Ableton Live on the go.

I've looked at Dells. They're thicker and more expensive than the MSI on a specs basis. Buuut... they do have that nice LED backlighting.

I took a serious look at Apple stuff. That aluminum unibody is hot. But paying an extra $150 for a even refurb 13" screen model, and getting used to new UI and programs (I'm used to Windows)... meh.

Are there any stores and/or particular laptop models that I'm overlooking that fit my criteria?

I've heard Sager notebooks can be good, I and found I could get a $900 model that has a bigger battery but slower processor compared to the MSI. But there aren't a ton of reviews out there on Sagers, so that plus the slower CPU makes me want to pass.

Love the idea of Google Notebook, but not the lack of ownership.

barc0001 — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:29:49 -0800

With Google Notebook no longer being actively developed, I am looking for something similar to run on one of my own servers. Anyone know of a similar app I can install to get a similar experience? I find myself using Google Notebook a lot, and want to be proactive in case I log in one fine day and see a message saying that Google Notebook's shutting down in X days and get all your crap off it or lose it.

I found a previous AskMe from over a year and a half ago where someone was looking for much the same thing, and wondered if there had been any newer developments that anyone might be able to point me at. I run many Linux boxes, so anything that runs in a *NIX environment is preferred.

Pixels not included.

_dario — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:02:44 -0800

I'm at my wits' end trying to find a suitable LCD monitor to use as a secondary screen for an oldish Toshiba laptop. I have an laptop, a Toshiba Satellite A30 with an intel 82852-GM graphic chipset. I would like to buy an external monitor to use it (mainly) to watch movies. My size and price requirements direct me towards a 22" flat panel, so I looked into the market for those. Speakers are not a requirement since the audio output from the laptop is hooked to a hi-fi system, and the input port should be the classic VGA.

First disappointment: I saw an LG panel that looked great, (WG2234, apparently not marketed in the US) but - turns out - the laptop is not able to drive the panel with its native resolution (1680x1050). A little research on forums pointed out that there are many laptops with that same problem - apparently all those that have that graphics chipset which - besides Toshiba - was used by Dell, Acer and others.

A possible solution that was presented would be to download a developer kit from Intel and compile a custom driver for the resolution/frequency of that specific monitor. I don't want to do that, since success is apparently not guaranteed and I'd need the monitor anyway to make tests, etc., with a sizeable chance (I think) to damage it or void the warranty by feeding it the wrong res/freq values.

Browsing the list of resolutions the graphics card is capable of, turns out that no 16:10 resolutions are supported, while 16:9 resolutions as 1920 x 1080 are, so I turned my search into 16:9 screens, such as this Samsung 2233SN (apparently marketed as SW in the US), which looks good and has the right resolution.

Second disappointment: I had the monitor ordered from the store and took my laptop to check if everything matched, just to be sure. Despite numerous attempts by me and the guys at the store, there was no way to have the laptop and the monitor hook up correctly: even when the laptop resolution on the secondary desktop was 1920x1080, the monitor would have two black lateral bands, and all icons and such would be horizontally compressed, so in the end I had to leave it at the store.

My only hunch is that the 1920x1080 res. from the laptop is actually a lower resolution, which is then supposed to be stretched to a 16:9 factor by the display, but other than that, at this point I'm out of ideas. Can you suggest alternative models or - preferred - a way to have the (Samsung) monitor work as expected?

Finding a 14" +/- Maroon/Burgundy notebook

rmhsinc — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:09:02 -0800

Help me achieve "life time hero status" by locating and purchasing a new Gateway TC7307u notebook or similar maroon/burgundy notebook. Our Goddaughter is graduating from college in early May and we are getting her a new laptop to replace the tired machine she received when graduating from H.S. I have been assured life time "Hero Status" if we can find one that meets her specifications and is maroon or burgundy. The new Gateway TC7307u meets and exceeds her hopes.
I have searched every where and can not find a retail seller who is handling them yet. They were announced in early Feb--I have searched all the retailers they identify--Amazon, Best Buy, Tiger,Comp USA, Office Depot/Max, etc. I wrote both Gateway and Best Buy and received canned responses with a link to their web sites. I checked E-Bay. I was able to find them in Shanghai for $600.00 more than USA initial selling price Help me locate one or get an actual retail release date

I am open to other computers--basics; Maroon/Burgundy, 2MB + Ram, 5 lbs. +/- a few ounces, 13-14" screen, 160 G + HD. I want to keep it under $900. Please do not suggest going just a bit and getting a ?????. I dearly love her but at $900 I am already a bit over. She is a journalist and will be using it for word processing, email, misc videos, occasional movies and surfing. If I give up on the maroon/burgundy it is a snap so I need your help finding the right color. I have determined the Gateway M series which is burgundy is to heavy. It is a fall back if all else fails.

I haz a Macbook, now what?

nmaster64 — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:56:36 -0800

Got a new Macbook, but not sure where to go from here... So I just purchased a new Macbook, as I'm planning to go into iPhone application development soon. However, I am completely new to Macs. It's really strange, because for years I've always had a sort of filter on my brain to ignore any stories and articles I see about Mac stuff (and jeez is there a ton of it), and now all of a sudden I start to care. So after years of blocking out all of the Mac stuff on Digg, Lifehacker, and other tech sites and whatnot, I feel I'm kind of behind. I was wondering if anybody had some suggestions for things to look at for helping me get started with it, learn some of the helpful tips and tricks, and point me to some of the great free software available for it. Thanks for any help.

(Also, if it's helpful for any reason, I own a XP desktop and Vista laptop as well. I'm just finishing up my degree in Computer Science, so I'm pretty tech-savvy, just not-so-much with Macs.)

Kyokuto Dot Notebooks?

judith — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:47:28 -0800

Anyone know where I can get a stash of Kyokuto Expedient Notebooks, DOT 5mm space? They are apparently made in China and I've only ever found them at Kinokuniya stores, but the San Francisco store told me last night that they are no longer going to be carrying them, which caused me a mild panic attack. The internet mostly points me back to this Askme thread, which is delightful, but does not solve my problem. Help me, clever and resourceful Mefites!

Seeking a larger version of Moleskin "Large" Squared notebook

drinkspiller — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 07:49:45 -0800

Seeking a larger version of Moleskin "Large" Squared notebook (http://bit.ly/47KBT). Does a different brand with a similar style exist?

Make my mac a speed demon!

wongcorgi — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:47:40 -0800

Performance tuning OS X, how/where to start? I just picked up an Macbook Air and have read a lot of stories about beach balling, and poor performance in general. I did get the faster CPU and SSD model but I'd like to squeeze as much as I can out of it.

Are there any guides to help tweak OS X for maximum performance? Such as anything like Service Control manager for Windows, and the associated guides (ie. Black Viper's).

I've done a lot of tweaking on the windows side and wouldn't mind killing non essential stuff like printing, bonjour, ipod , etc..

Is this the command to list running services (i found this for 10.3)...?

"/sbin/service --list",

Help me understand Li-ion laptop batteries.

iamisaid — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:13:38 -0800

I'm about to purchase an aftermarket Li-ion laptop battery on eBay. However, I'm quite confused about the differences in specs for mAh and number of battery cells. Which is more important and how are they related? This is for a Lenovo 3000 V100 laptop, which from what I gather has a notoriously bad factory battery. At the moment the factory battery won't hold any charge whatsoever.

On eBay, there's a couple of pages worth of third-party replacement batteries. However, I'm really confused by the differences between them.

There are batteries listed that are both 6-cell and 8-cell, as well as some that don't mention the number of cells. On the Lenovo site, they sell a 6-cell and a 3-cell. To my way of thinking, the more cells, the longer the battery life. And that's always the case, right?

However, the mAh rating is what really throws me off. Some of the 6-cell batteries are listed as 4400 mAh, while other 6-cells are 4600 mAh. But the 8-cell batteries also show 4600 mAh.

So is the mAh rating as important as the number of cells? How exactly are the two specs related?

I've googled this a bit, but can't find an adequate explanation.

UbuntuFilter: Help me find a well-organized note-taking or notebook program.

nayten — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:07:26 -0800

UbuntuFilter: Help me find a well-organized note-taking or notebook program. I like taking notes. A lot. For a number of topics. And the good ol' text editor and file folders combo doesn't cut it anymore.

Here's what I envision: I make a notebook for a new topic I'm interested. Say, Movies. When I make this Movies notebook, I'll have a tab on the left side of my program window that has a tab for it, along with my other notebooks (maybe classes I take at college, Music, Beers, and the variety of other things that I like).

When I click this tab, maybe a little dropdown list will come out with the different entry titles on it. Say, Back to the Future filming locations, Movies Staring Keanu Reeves, and Grammy Award Winners. I click the title I'm interested in, and on the right side of the window the text is quickly loaded, I can edit it on the fly, and make a new entry or jump around to others if I like.

Does anything like this currently exist? I'm flexible on the asthetics of the thing-- I just want an efficient way to store information on the numerous topics I'm interested in, and hope to save some bookmarking/Documents folder space with it.

Other options that would be a plus: tagging, image functionality, maybe a to-do list, and printing of notebooks.

One cheap laptop with everything, please.

lunasol — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 09:10:34 -0800

Cheap, lightweight(ish) PC laptop with an optical drive? Or should I just spring for a MacBook? Yes, this is another cheap laptop question. And it might be that what I'm looking for is unreasonable. But here goes:

I need a new laptop. A small one. I don't want to spend more than $600. Normally I would just buy a MacBook, because I prefer OSX to Windows, but the budget is pretty tight and so I'm exploring my other options.

I was all set to buy a netbook (an eee PC 1000 or Samsung NC10), until I realized that they don't have optical drives, which is important to me (I like to watch DVDs on my laptop). Boo.

Other than that, I'm your standard Word/Excel/internet/mp3 computer user. Nothing fancy.

So here's what I'm looking for:

- Under 6 lbs
- Screen under 14"
- Optical drive
- at least: 120 GB Hard drive
- Under $600 (under $500 would be even better - I really don't want to go any higher unless it's a Mac)
- Long battery life would be nice but is not essential.
- No Dells, unless I can be persuaded their machines and support have improved drastically since 2004, when I had a disastrous Dell experience.

I've been stalking fatwallet, slickdeals, etc etc and I have found lots of computers with some of these things under this price point: Netbooks that are small and light but have no optical drive, larger notebooks with all the bells and whistles but weighing closer to 10 lbs. The closest thing I've found (from this question) is this HP dv5t, but it's a bit big for my purposes.

If it turns out it's impossible to find a small, light, fully-functional notebook for under $600, I will just suck it up and buy the MacBook, but if it's possible to save some money, that would be great!

And if you want to say, "it sounds like you really want a Mac," you're right, but $1000 is pretty steep on my current budget.