New laptop, advice appreciated!

colm-ccfc84

I'm going to America next week and I am considering upgrading my laptop while there. Here are some details:

Budget: Apporx $1000

Size: Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen

I am going to buy in America.

Brands: Not too bothered.

Tasks: Surfing the internet, word processing, excel, watching TV & films online, instant messaging, photo editing, listening to music

Travelling: I will be travelling a lot and walking everyday with the laptop in my bag.

Games: Won't be playing games.

Battery: More than 2 hours, as much as I can get really.

Buying online: I don't mind buying online.

Operating system: I don't really mind. Probably prefer windows to mac, have always used windows. Not an issue.

Screen: Widescreen. I'm not so sure on the technicalities and intricacies. Probably go for glossy.

Looks: Yes the looks and style are very important to me.

Buying: In the next couple of weeks and hoping to last a few years.

Hard drive: 120gb maybe

Optical drive: CD/DVD RW


I don't think I have any other requirements. I am a college student so I carry my laptop a lot. I watch a lot of TV shows, listen to music, instant messaging and doing college work. A good battery life is desirable. Also light weight and style.

Considering an iMac or a Dell. But any recommendations or adivce/info would be appreciated.

bren50c

i got a dell xps m1330 recently. very happy with it.
its 13", lightweight and you can get good battery life if you get it with the 9 cell battery. (if weight is more important than battery, you could get integrated graphics and 4/6 cell battery). nice bright screen. plenty of reviews online for you to look into it more.

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3826

colm-ccfc84

Cheers for the reply! Looks a good laptop. But with a starting price of almost $1500, I think it is a bit more than I am willing to spend!

bren50c

you sure you're looking at the right one? i just looked at the US site there and it starts at $999.

For $1,199 you'd get the lighter led screen and 2 gigs of ram which I'd think you'd need.

I was looking for a small laptop myself aswell. Looked at a macbook but they were just too pricey for me, for what you get. And dell coupon vouchers are all over the web so you could get more off that price. I'm sure others will have some suggestions too. Good luck anyway.

colm-ccfc84

Oh maybe I was. I was sure I was looking at the model you were talking about. I'll check again, cheers! Re the imac, little bit expensive, which might influence my decision! I don't want to spend a crazy amount, for what I need it for.

domania

This is the sort of thing you'd want for around $600 with a 17 inch screen if you want it for watching movies etc.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3514456&CatId=2511

Have a look around there website to get an idea of a laptop you'd want. They have loads of 15.4 inch ones at a cheaper price if you'd rather.