Laptop or Notebook?

[redcogs]

The need to replace current desktop with a modern alternative arises.

i'm completely ignorant on what represents best buy, lap or notetop. my requirements are not high, no games so a massive screen with hyper speed processors isnt necessary, just surfing, emails, overthrowing the state by letter etc.

Someone please tell me what to purchase with a £500 max budget. It must be reliable and have windows.

 

[redcogs]

Of course, it would be just as valuable for someone to tell me what not to buy!

Thanks.

 

[simon_brooke]

It must be reliable and have windows.

There's your problem, then, right there.

No such beast exists.

 

[Carwash]

It must be reliable and have windows.

You ask the impossible. I suppose you want the moon on a stick, as well!

 

[numbnuts]

Novatech

 

[redcogs]

Tried (and failed) to get my ed around linux

So i'm just being pragmatic in wanting windows - still hate the Gates empire but it seems to be the only show on the road if you are not a complete anorak.

Some advice out there surely?

 

[redcogs]

Novatech? Available at pc world or some such?

 

[redcogs]

i see - Novatech's a shop.

i want to be told what item to buy, the shop being incidental.

 

[MajorMantra]

I thought "notebook" was just American for "laptop". Netbooks are something else however. Are you asking about laptop vs. desktop?

Matthew

 

[redcogs]

I thought "notebook" was just American for "laptop". Netbooks are something else however. Are you asking about laptop vs. desktop?

Matthew

i think so Matthew. i thought a notebook was a small laptop.

 

[Carwash]

I thought "notebook" was just American for "laptop". Netbooks are something else however. Are you asking about laptop vs. desktop?

It's a continuum, but in general notebooks tend to be larger than laptops. Some companies selling notebooks (e.g. Apple) specifically *don't* call them laptops to avoid giving the impression that they are intended for use on the lap: they give off sufficient heat that you might risk burnt thighs after periods of prolonged use. My MBP warns against exactly this in the fine print.

 

[Carwash]

i think so Matthew. i thought a notebook was a small laptop.

Let's agree on the fact that you want a *portable*, and move on, eh?

 

[MajorMantra]

It's a continuum, but in general notebooks tend to be larger than laptops.

If you say so. I've seen the terms used interchangeably with the US being biased towards "notebook".

My Dell Inspiron 1520 gets called both online for example.

Matthew

 

[CopperBrompton]

Originally, when most laptops were quite chunky, notebooks referred to laptops that were lighter and slimmer than usual. These days, the two terms are interchangeable.

Netbooks were originally very low-spec machines (very limited RAM, tiny hard drive/solid-state drive, very low screen resolution) running Linux. They were designed to be good enough for undemanding things like email and web-browsing.

These days, the line between a low-end laptop and a high-end netbook has become very blurred indeed. For example, the much-recommended Samsung NC10 and eee 1000H have 1Gb RAM, 160Gb hard drive, 1024x768 screens and run Windows XP - which is the same spec you might find in a lower-end standard laptop. However, netbooks have Atom processors, which are quite
weedy compared to Intel chips.

For your needs, a netbook would be fine. If you want Windows, then the Samsung NC10 is probably the best bet, at around £300.

However, bear in mind that all laptops and netbooks are manufactured by exploiting the downtrodden masses and ruthlessly marketed by evil capitalist corporations. For these reasons, you may wish instead to consider an abacus.

Ben

 

[redcogs]

Will an abacus allow me to email you with an appropriately offensive expletive?