#56: Get a New Laptop

Speaking of my credit card.... I used it yesterday to make my first major purchase.... a new laptop computer, an HP Mini 210

Why did I buy a new computer?
Well.... My old laptop is from 2006, which makes it the laptop equivalent of Methuselah, or a saber-tooth tiger or something like that. At any rate, my old Dell meets my needs in terms of general tasks: word processing, excel files, etc... but it's slow as molasses when it comes to surfing the web, not to mention the gamut of other problems that afflict computers of a certain age (rheumatoid arthritis, etc...). Since surfing the web is pretty much the only thing  I do on my computer these days, I figured it was probably time for an upgrade. Plus, with Italia looming, I was guessing that I wouldn't enjoy lugging around close to 25 pounds of laptop just so I could check email while I was there. I have to admit, I was initially seduced by the prospect of  the iPad 2; but then I came to my senses, thought about the criteria I was looking for in a new machine, and made a more sensible purchase. So, what went into the decision?

My Criteria:

• Webcam: I think my Dell was made in the last year that built in webcams didn't come standard in all laptops. And would like to occasionally see my friends and family while I am in Italy
• Portability: As I mentioned before, I didn't want to be lugging around 15 pounds of laptop while I'm gone.
• Price: I'm not made of money (I'm told that I'm made primarily of water and carbon). Even though I intended to (and did) purchase my new computer with my credit card, I am going to have to pay this thing off eventually, so I was looking for something inexpensive.
• SD Card Port: A mere matter of convenience, but finding the USB cord to my camera is a pain in the ass. Being able to put the SD card directly into the machine makes things a hell of a lot easier for blogging and things of that nature.
• Quality: I prefer when my final purchase doesn't run like shit and fall apart as soon as I get out of the store 

With these criteria in mind, I set about seeing what was available and weighing my options.

Stuff I Looked At :

• iPad 2: While the iPad certainly is stylish and seductive (and now has the camera for video chatting), it also is fairly pricey and only comes with 16GB in its base model. And it doesn't have an SD card slot. Basically, I realized the iPad only did about half of the stuff I wanted and still cost an arm and a leg. No thanks.
• Dell Inspiron Duo: This is a pretty gee whiz piece of machinery, bridging the gap between tablet and netbook with a rotating screen. It has the full capabilities of your average netbook, with the convenience of a tablet when you want it. Definitely an interesting possibility. The down side, you never know how extremely new products like this are going to pan out, and it seemed to run slow in the reviews I saw. When it came down to it, the price tag and lack of SD Card slot conspired to turn me against it.
• Dell Inspiron Mini 10
• HP Mini 210

The Dell and the HP netbooks are essentially interchangeable in most respects; the processors, RAM, size, weight, battery life, and price are all comparable. Both met all of my criteria. In the end, the HP won out because the screen looked a little bit nicer and the keyboard was easier to type on (my sausage fingers make typing on these little laptops problematic at times). It's been a fine purchase so far, but I'm sure that I'll be ranting about it if it turns to shit at some point in the near future.

Thanks again for reading

-Nick