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Affordable laptop recommendations: budget £350-£450

spanglechick said:
oh god - so tempted by the transformer - was just saying to grinder yesterday that i was hoping to avoid buying a laptop until tablets had advanced enough to basically just be the transformer with MS office... gah...
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I am seriously looking at buying one to replace my Lenovo laptop for everyday uses.

The cheapo Nexus tablet has convinced me that Android is good enough for just about everything I need to do on a laptop, and after using the thing for a couple of days there is no way I'm going back to a non-touchscreen laptop (or buying a large tablet without a integrated keyboard).
 
would it be the prime you'd go for? also when you say there's a new one out soon, and hence a price drop - what kind of timescale?
 
spanglechick said:
would it be the prime you'd go for? also when you say there's a new one out soon, and hence a price drop - what kind of timescale?
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There's a new HD one that is due any time now - like in the next week or two - but it looks like it's going to be pricey (poss as high as £590). There's currently two models available - the older but higher quality Transformer Prime for around £475 and the more recent, hugely affordable T300 which is very similar but not quite as shiny. It's a great buy at £390.

I think the Prime may fall in price after the HD is released, so I may go for that - or if I get a bit of cash in, I may go for the HD.

The HD one does look tempting though:
As a 10-inch device, it's not exactly massive -- it's roughly the same size as an average netbook. That means it's well sized for sliding into a tiny bag and will fit easily onto a small train table or into your carry-on luggage if you want to use it on a long flight. The tablet itself is only around 8mm thick, which is slimmer than the iPad. With the keyboard attached, it's around 18mm -- still very slender.

The keyboard layout on the dock hasn't been changed, which is great, as I found the Prime surprisingly comfortable to type on. You'll normally find keyboards this size on netbooks and they're often extremely awkward, requiring you to squash your fingers in to hit the right keys. The Prime was a big improvement over a netbook and the Infinity offers a similarly comfortable experience.....

Conclusion
The Asus Transformer Infinity takes the best aspects of last year's Prime -- the power, the handy keyboard dock and the screen -- and supercharges them. This is the most powerful Android tablet around. The high-definition display makes movies and YouTube clips look great and the Android Ice Cream Sandwich interface -- while not the most up to date -- is very accessible for experienced Android users and novices alike.
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yield said:
What's your budget?

Lenovo keyboards don't have a numberpad.
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my Lenovo ThinkPad edge does have a number pad to the right of the enter like a traditional keyboard.
er_photo_158626_52.jpg
 
Hello thread! I'm starting uni next week and as the law of sod would have it, my MacBook was pronounced dead yesterday (fair enough, it's six years old). So I need a replacement asap and can't decide - not helped by the fact that i'm tech spec illiterate!

Happy to spend a bit more than the thread title. I don't have any strong feelings either way re Mac/PC but did like that my MacBook didn't need any anti virus software and lasted six years. Then again I don't know that other PCs don't last as long - but from what I've seen of other people's purchases, going cheap seems to be a false economy.

Truth is I know nothing because I've had the same machine for six years! Help and recommendations much appreciated :)
 
Spanglechick: I bought the Asus Transformer for just £399 and it is ruddy brilliant. I doubt very much if I'll be taking my laptop out again for some time, if ever.
 
Rebelda said:
Hello thread! I'm starting uni next week and as the law of sod would have it, my MacBook was pronounced dead yesterday (fair enough, it's six years old). So I need a replacement asap and can't decide - not helped by the fact that i'm tech spec illiterate!

Happy to spend a bit more than the thread title. I don't have any strong feelings either way re Mac/PC but did like that my MacBook didn't need any anti virus software and lasted six years. Then again I don't know that other PCs don't last as long - but from what I've seen of other people's purchases, going cheap seems to be a false economy.

Truth is I know nothing because I've had the same machine for six years! Help and recommendations much appreciated :)
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Any preference re: size of screen? What programs do you need to run?

If you were happy with your MacBook then you may as well get another one, but there are loads of rather fab alternatives.
 
No preference re size, other than nothing notebook tiny. No gaming, just word processing, browsing, music, photos and a fair bit of iplayer.

If i'm honest I didn't love the Mac software. But will I have to buy loads of expensive anti virus kit on top of the price of a PC? Also The Man in PC world was telling me anything other than a Mac would only last 3 years. I took everything he said with a box of Maldon's finest however. Is he right?

Please excuse slow, poor quality typing. Am on my diddy Samsung. Love Swype but this is infuriating!
 
Rebelda said:
No preference re size, other than nothing notebook tiny. No gaming, just word processing, browsing, music, photos and a fair bit of iplayer.

If i'm honest I didn't love the Mac software. But will I have to buy loads of expensive anti virus kit on top of the price of a PC? Also The Man in PC world was telling me anything other than a Mac would only last 3 years. I took everything he said with a box of Maldon's finest however. Is he right?

Please excuse slow, poor quality typing. Am on my diddy Samsung. Love Swype but this is infuriating!
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No you don't have to buy expensive antivirus...there are plenty of decent free versions, I use avast, but others will work just as well.

How long a computer lasts is like asking how long a bit of string is...they dont magically stop working after 3 years.
 
Global Stoner said:
No you don't have to buy expensive antivirus...there are plenty of decent free versions, I use avast, but others will work just as well.

How long a computer lasts is like asking how long a bit of string is...they dont magically stop working after 3 years.
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Thanks :)

And yes, I appreciate that it's not an exact science and that my Mac lasted so long because it had relatively gentle use. But figures aside, is the gist of what he was saying true, our was he just trying to
 
Hmmm...well Macs are better built then very cheap computers, but just because you buy a PC doesn't mean you have to go bargain basement and even if you do, it depends how you look after it.
 
I did like the Sony I had a look at, but here's where I come unstuck: I'm sure I was being lured by the pretty shiny aspect :oops: it's a valid desire for sure, but I'm guessing other brands do the same or better for less money.

I'm so indecisive, I think I need someone to tell me what to buy :D I will have a look at Lenovo..
 
Rebelda said:
No preference re size, other than nothing notebook tiny. No gaming, just word processing, browsing, music, photos and a fair bit of iplayer.
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If you're not keen on the Mac software, the I would suggest you look at some alternatives to see how you like them.

By the sound of things, you don't really need a particularly powerful laptop, but is portability an issue?

Viruses are pretty much a non issue these days, and you can decent free software anyway (banks usually offer full packages for free too).

How much would you like to pay?
 
editor said:
If you're not keen on the Mac software, the I would suggest you look at some alternatives to see how you like them.

By the sound of things, you don't really need a particularly powerful laptop, but is portability an issue?

Viruses are pretty much a non issue these days, and you can decent free software anyway (banks usually offer full packages for free too).

How much would you like to pay?
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I think it will mostly be at home, but I would like to be able to take it to uni with me if I ever get the childcare to spend some time in the library (Birkbeck library is brilliant!). To add to that, I would be travelling by bike. I'd like to spend not more than £500.
 
Rebelda said:
I did like the Sony I had a look at, but here's where I come unstuck: I'm sure I was being lured by the pretty shiny aspect :oops: it's a valid desire for sure, but I'm guessing other brands do the same or better for less money.

I'm so indecisive, I think I need someone to tell me what to buy :D I will have a look at Lenovo..
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I'd never buy Sony for their record of treating customers like shit (and being a bit overpriced for that shininess)
 
editor said:
Spanglechick: I bought the Asus Transformer for just £399 and it is ruddy brilliant. I doubt very much if I'll be taking my laptop out again for some time, if ever.
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ooh - this is the previous top of the range model that's now been superseded and become cheaper is it? where did you buy from?
 
Rebelda said:
I think it will mostly be at home, but I would like to be able to take it to uni with me if I ever get the childcare to spend some time in the library (Birkbeck library is brilliant!). To add to that, I would be travelling by bike. I'd like to spend not more than £500.
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I'd suggest a trip down to PC World (or similar) and have a play with some of the machines there. The Acer Aspire 5750G and Lenovo G570 might be worth considering.

You may also want try out a wildcard and give the Asus Transformer a go too as it's small, light, fast and does all the basics in some style - and has a massive battery life too. Only downside is that the iPlayer app is only average at the moment - there's an upgrade coming soon apparently.
 
editor said:
I'd suggest a trip down to PC World (or similar) and have a play with some of the machines there. The Acer Aspire 5750G and Lenovo G570 might be worth considering.

You may also want try out a wildcard and give the Asus Transformer a go too as it's small, light, fast and does all the basics in some style - and has a massive battery life too. Only downside is that the iPlayer app is only average at the moment - there's an upgrade coming soon apparently.
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That and it's not a computer...great as a second device, but not sure I'd want one as a main machine.
 
editor said:
Yep - it's the Asus Transformer Prime. I got it on Amazon for £399 with free P&P.

It's dropped down a few more quid in a some other places now too -cheapest I can see is £387 - a bargain!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-EeePad...1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1349303572&sr=1-1
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Awesome - have ordered one, and even paid extra to have it delivered to work before lunch on friday, so I can take it away and play with it at the weekend when i'm at my sister's. Thanks, Ed. Really appreciated your input (as before, with camera stuff, actually).
 
spanglechick said:
Awesome - have ordered one, and even paid extra to have it delivered to work before lunch on friday, so I can take it away and play with it at the weekend when i'm at my sister's. Thanks, Ed. Really appreciated your input (as before, with camera stuff, actually).
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I hope it does the job for you! Once you get used to having a laptop with a touchscreen I think it will be very hard to go back to one without one.

Some things to look out for when you get it: the device comes in two parts (kybd/screen). To fit the screen on to the keyboard, you need to remove two small rubber seals on the tablet (you can the bloke doing it at 04:40 in this video). Mine took some effort to get out!

The manual advises charging the unit for 8 hours before use - something I found very frustrating!

Give me a call if you get stuck!
 
Rebelda said:
In layman's terms what is the difference between a Lenovo thinkpad and an ideapad?
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Thinkpads are aimed more at the business community, and as such are more robust, with business features and are - generally - easier to repair.
 
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