Laptop needed

[Steve Towers]

I'd like to get a no frills laptop to take to Lincoln. Nothing special, just something to connect to internet, email, etc. Anyone have a used one that fits the bill? On the other hand, it would be nice to be able play back videos of my runs.

[James Yom]

How much were you looking to spend Steve? I have a Sony Vaio laptop that I've been thinking about selling so I can get an uber-light one (I do a LOT of traveling). It has a 13.3 inch screen (same size as Mac books, the perfect size for a laptop IMO), it's a Sony, so it's built pretty well, most of the important bells and whistles, and I took awesome care of it. Lemme know if you're interested.

James

[Steve Towers]

I really know zip about laptops so I don't know what sorts of goodies $150-$200 might buy, but I think I'm in that dollar area. Certainly less would be better. ;)

[Mako Koiwai]

But you typically need Power to play back videos, smoothly .. so you can't have it all for $200 ;)

[Jeff Shyu]

But you typically need Power to play back videos, smoothly .. so you can't have it all for $200 ;)

if you want to play video, you'll need more than a netbook / tablet type.. they generally don't have the processing power for it.

if you forgo that though, you can do the internet / email with any of the tablet or netbooks out there. tablets are good to browse and play around with, but kinda annoying if you are actually conducting any business via email (typing on a tablet is not going to be nearly as efficient as a netbook).

[Mako Koiwai]

chx Craig's list ... there are probably some great used deals out there. If you find something, then perhaps chx back here with the product name/description and hopefully one of our IT types will help pass judgement.

[Jayson Woodruff]

Netbooks are nice and compact, but you pay for that compactness with a small screen (which either has small font, or not much text can fit on it) and an uncomfortable keyboard. Low end full size laptops have gotten near the prices of low end netbooks. This is what I bought my dad since he uses bifocals and has stumpy fingers.

Micro Center often has inexpensive stuff. I consider it to be like a Fry's light, smaller store, not quite as annoying.

Used computers get left behind quicking in their "specifications", but often come with the common softwear you'd have to pay for (or live without) on a new cheap computer.

http://www.microcenter.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Jay W

[James Yom]

I really know zip about laptops so I don't know what sorts of goodies $150-$200 might buy, but I think I'm in that dollar area. Certainly less would be better. ;)

Well, if you're interested, here are the specs Steve:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VGN-C140G-La ... B000J45EX0

Like the guys are saying here, you get what you pay for. This is a mid-grade laptop from Sony (their SZ units were much lighter, but around $2000-$2500!!!), and it's Sony, so it's built pretty well. It'll play up to 720P videos on either the battery or AC power, and will play 1080P on AC power (the processor reduces it's performance slightly when on battery to reduce battery consumption). It's in awesome condition, so if you're interested, PM me and we can talk price.

[Max Hayter]

Well, if you're interested, here are the specs Steve:

Is the 80GB of North Korean porn included in the price?

[Jeff Shyu]

Well, if you're interested, here are the specs Steve:

Is the 80GB of North Korean porn included in the price?

[Will Kalman]

No Sony!

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/0 ... ators.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There are likely a few other examples, but I’ve boiled it down to a top 7 list .....

- Sony DMCA delayed disclosure of Sony BMG rootkit vulnerability
- Sony threatens Aibo hobbyists for creating software that enables Sony’s Aibo robot dog to dance
- Sony sues Connectix and Bleem to block software that allows gamers to play their PlayStation games on PCs
- Sony attacks PlayStation “Mod Chips” and enforces a system of “region coding”
- Sony sued Gamemasters, distributor of the Game Enhancer peripheral device, which allowed owners of a U.S. PlayStation console to play games purchased in Japan and other countries
- Sony removes OtherOS option, removes Linux support
- Sony is suing makers, hackers, and tinkers for jailbreaking of the PS3 to play homebrew games

[Bill Schenker]

No Sony!

http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2011/0 ... ators.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

...

*******WARNING!******

ATTENTION ALL "NORMAL" PEOPLE AND NON-GEEKS!

The preceding link is a nerd link to a nerd site. You have been warned!

[Kurt Rahn]

*******WARNING!******

ATTENTION ALL "NORMAL" PEOPLE AND NON-GEEKS!

The preceding link is a nerd link to a nerd site. You have been warned!

ROTFLMAO

[Steve Towers]

Good stuff! But, back to (sorta) my original post. What's the minimum requirement for decent video playback? Is it about system ram, video card, combination?? I posted the low dollars thinking only about simple internet and email. I'm ok with more $$ for more usability. Not used for work, no high end graphics requirements. Recreational use only.

[James Yom]

Well, if you're interested, here are the specs Steve:

Is the 80GB of North Korean porn included in the price?

If by North Korea porn, you are referring to pictures of bacon, steaks, ice cream, and any other kind of real food that is not available in North Korea, then yes, I have LOTS of North Korean Porn.

Unfortunately Max, there is no gay porn on my laptop, so it will be of no interest to you

[Jeff Shyu]

Unfortunately Max, there is no gay porn on my laptop, so it will be of no interest to you

what about farm animals? max is an equal opportunity lover, i hear.

[James Yom]

Good stuff! But, back to (sorta) my original post. What's the minimum requirement for decent video playback? Is it about system ram, video card, combination?? I posted the low dollars thinking only about simple internet and email. I'm ok with more $$ for more usability. Not used for work, no high end graphics requirements. Recreational use only.

Well, if the laptop has it's own standalone graphics card, it usually will have it's own memory dedicated to video usage. Unfortunately, only the high end laptops came with standalone graphics cards. But usually you only need those kind of graphics cards when playing video games that require a decent frames-per-second speed. Intel's integrated video card is dependant on system memory and processor power since it uses those components to render video, and this is when you don't want a crappy laptop. Anything with Core 2 Duo (Celerons and Core Duos suck IMO) and 1 gig of memory (like mine!)should work with almost any video out there.

[James Yom]

Unfortunately Max, there is no gay porn on my laptop, so it will be of no interest to you

what about farm animals? max is an equal opportunity lover, i hear.

Unfortunately, Max also likes his animal porn to be gay, so that's a no-go as well.

[Will Kalman]

A distinction needs to be made between SD and HD video. Almost any computer made in the last 5+ years will play SD video fine. HD is another matter and will require something made in the last couple years. Lower-end modern laptops might be able to play HD, it depends on what graphics hardware they have and it can vary widely on the low-end.

[Jeff Shyu]

when you're talking about 'viewing video', are we talking about viewing other people's video via youtube?

or your own video?

are you looking to combine your video with your datalog?

[Steve Towers]

when you're talking about 'viewing video', are we talking about viewing other people's video via youtube?
or your own video? Are you looking to combine your video with your datalog?
Jeff Shyu

Just replaying my own in-car videos on site. Drift Innovation camera currently set at 720p (can be set to 1080p) No data logging (yet).

[Mako Koiwai]

That's HD ... the DRIFT will do Standard Def, but I hate the loss of resolution going to SD, ie. fuzzy cones in the distance.

[James Yom]

when you're talking about 'viewing video', are we talking about viewing other people's video via youtube?
or your own video? Are you looking to combine your video with your datalog?
Jeff Shyu

Just replaying my own in-car videos on site. Drift Innovation camera currently set at 720p (can be set to 1080p) No data logging (yet).

That should work just fine. I have videos taken from Greg Peng's HD GoPro at 1080P that plays fine on my laptop. You do have to remember that these laptop screens are small, so max resolution is 1280x800, as are the Macbooks, so taking video in 720P would be perfect to use for laptops.

[Steve Towers]

Thanks for all the replies. I've decided to go ahead and buy a new one. I'll try to sort it out this week.

[Jeff Shyu]

Thanks for all the replies. I've decided to go ahead and buy a new one. I'll try to sort it out this week.

if you give us a budget you have in mind, we may be able to help you out in finding some options. there's ALWAYS some sort of sale going on with laptops.