GJW
Flashlight Enthusiast
I just bought a Toshiba Satellite and the one thing I'm not impressed with is the speakers.
Very quiet and tinny.
Other than that it's very nice.
Very quiet and tinny.
Other than that it's very nice.
Laptop
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Darell
Flashaholic
[ QUOTE ]
GJW said:
I just bought a Toshiba Satellite and the one thing I'm not impressed with is the speakers.
Very quiet and tinny.
Other than that it's very nice.
[/ QUOTE ]Well, that's a great review in my book then. Don't really need the speakers for much more than "hey, you have more mail!" Of course with the widescreen and all, I SHOULD be watching more movies.
Odd about the widescreen in laptops... the ONLY advantage I see is for watching DVDs. Other than that, it is an inconvenience. In fact, my flat panel in the office spends most of its time rotated to the "tall" position vs the "wide" position. I don't need width for surfing, that's for sure!
GJW said:
I just bought a Toshiba Satellite and the one thing I'm not impressed with is the speakers.
Very quiet and tinny.
Other than that it's very nice.
[/ QUOTE ]Well, that's a great review in my book then. Don't really need the speakers for much more than "hey, you have more mail!" Of course with the widescreen and all, I SHOULD be watching more movies.
Odd about the widescreen in laptops... the ONLY advantage I see is for watching DVDs. Other than that, it is an inconvenience. In fact, my flat panel in the office spends most of its time rotated to the "tall" position vs the "wide" position. I don't need width for surfing, that's for sure!
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Darell said:
Sadly, the 1394 port is almost definitely NOT 800 (called 1394b, I believe). I'd use USB2.0 before 1394a (400).
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Actually in real life, especially on an external hard drive, Firewire is still faster. Firewire is an endurance runner, starts at 400 and keeps up at 400. USB 2.0 is a sprinter. Starts at 480 but the longer the transmission (File copy, etc) the slower it gets.
Nice page with pretty graphs and all
Darell said:
Sadly, the 1394 port is almost definitely NOT 800 (called 1394b, I believe). I'd use USB2.0 before 1394a (400).
[/ QUOTE ]
Actually in real life, especially on an external hard drive, Firewire is still faster. Firewire is an endurance runner, starts at 400 and keeps up at 400. USB 2.0 is a sprinter. Starts at 480 but the longer the transmission (File copy, etc) the slower it gets.
Nice page with pretty graphs and all
My current laptop has a serial port, most of your "business" lines still do because you still have the network guys who may need to plug serial into a router/switch/firewall/unix box (one of the reasons I wanted on in mine). Almost anylaptop currently selling will meet your specs, for example just about all have a usb2.0 port, some of the big heavy ones have more than one. Something to think about also or go external with the DVD writer, USB or firewire. I do this to 1: save cost on the laptop as buying those accessories from the maker is more $, 2: share one cd or dvd burner bewteen the laptop(s) and desktops (s), 3: the ability to upgrade the cd or dvd or whatever drive as the technology improves and not have to wait until replacing the laptop or not have to replace a perfectly good drive if/when I replace a laptop.
Darell
Flashaholic
[ QUOTE ]
Saaby said:
Actually in real life, especially on an external hard drive, Firewire is still faster. Firewire is an endurance runner, starts at 400 and keeps up at 400. USB 2.0 is a sprinter. Starts at 480 but the longer the transmission (File copy, etc) the slower it gets.
[/ QUOTE ]Well, look at that. Ya learn something new every day. I guess I can go to sleep now. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Saaby said:
Actually in real life, especially on an external hard drive, Firewire is still faster. Firewire is an endurance runner, starts at 400 and keeps up at 400. USB 2.0 is a sprinter. Starts at 480 but the longer the transmission (File copy, etc) the slower it gets.
[/ QUOTE ]Well, look at that. Ya learn something new every day. I guess I can go to sleep now. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Darell
Flashaholic
Good point Eugene. I already have an external 2.5G HD which is why I wanted the firewire port. I'd like to have a writer built in for convenience when on the road. I can always add a faster/better one externally later if needed. I'm liking the Toshiba more and more.
Stefan
Enlightened
Something to keep in mind, Darell. If you are travelling and needing the spare power of the batteries (in which I am assuming its not plugged in while travelling) then having an extra moving part in the unit will further drain the power quickly, whether you use it or not. A good idea would be to look possibly into the Intel Centrino lineup, as they are optimized for longer battery life (like 4-6 hours vs. 2 hours).
Darell
Flashaholic
[ QUOTE ]
Stefan said:
Something to keep in mind, Darell. If you are travelling and needing the spare power of the batteries (in which I am assuming its not plugged in while travelling) then having an extra moving part in the unit will further drain the power quickly, whether you use it or not. A good idea would be to look possibly into the Intel Centrino lineup, as they are optimized for longer battery life (like 4-6 hours vs. 2 hours).
[/ QUOTE ]Yeah... I actually AM pluged in most time, though extended battery life would be a big bonus. And I agree that the processor is the one that's gonna make or break runtime.
I was just discussing with a friend that battery technology has given us much more power in smaller packages... but the machines get hungrier at the same rate of battery improvement - so runtime has remained pretty stable for laptops.
Stefan said:
Something to keep in mind, Darell. If you are travelling and needing the spare power of the batteries (in which I am assuming its not plugged in while travelling) then having an extra moving part in the unit will further drain the power quickly, whether you use it or not. A good idea would be to look possibly into the Intel Centrino lineup, as they are optimized for longer battery life (like 4-6 hours vs. 2 hours).
[/ QUOTE ]Yeah... I actually AM pluged in most time, though extended battery life would be a big bonus. And I agree that the processor is the one that's gonna make or break runtime.
I was just discussing with a friend that battery technology has given us much more power in smaller packages... but the machines get hungrier at the same rate of battery improvement - so runtime has remained pretty stable for laptops.
Just a random questions... does the processor take more power than the LCD screen set to normal brightness?
-Mike
-Mike
Stefan
Enlightened
In a way, yes. Some laptops have "speedstep technology" that when they are running off batteries they slow the CPU down. For instance my 1 GHz laptop when running off of just batteries runs at 600 MHz. Its not just the speed of the CPU that uses more power, but all the fan(s) inside the unit for cooling the components down.
Mr Ted Bear
Flashlight Enthusiast
The Sony TR3 is a Centrino processor, AND it makes a huge difference on runtime; 5-6 hours easily... closer to 7+ working with spreadsheets, word processor or internet access. Accessing hard drive or cd rom is what cuts into runttime
When I bcamame commission for my daughters basketball league, I had no clue that I would be answering 30+ emails daily. Because of this work load, I went ahead and got a wireless card so I could respond in between sales calls etc (got tired of sitting in Starbucks). Now way I could handle the job trying to do it once I got home at night.
Which brings me to the wireless 802.11g which is built in. For a long time, 802.11b was the standard. Both have similar range (line of sight) but the difference is best explained by an example... I can not use 802.11b in my backyard patio because I lose 80% of the "packets" going through my home. Starting with 11 mbs less 80% leaves 2.2 mbs which is useless. However, with 802.11g we start at 54 mbs less the same 80% leaves +/- 10.8 mbs which is adequate for internet and email.
I bought the Sony because of form factor only. The included software, which is supposed to be fully integrated, is "not 100%", and the included softwares are not premium titles.
Buy a Centrino machine if battery life is important to you. There's better software out there that integrate easily, so this shouldn't be an issue.
When I bcamame commission for my daughters basketball league, I had no clue that I would be answering 30+ emails daily. Because of this work load, I went ahead and got a wireless card so I could respond in between sales calls etc (got tired of sitting in Starbucks). Now way I could handle the job trying to do it once I got home at night.
Which brings me to the wireless 802.11g which is built in. For a long time, 802.11b was the standard. Both have similar range (line of sight) but the difference is best explained by an example... I can not use 802.11b in my backyard patio because I lose 80% of the "packets" going through my home. Starting with 11 mbs less 80% leaves 2.2 mbs which is useless. However, with 802.11g we start at 54 mbs less the same 80% leaves +/- 10.8 mbs which is adequate for internet and email.
I bought the Sony because of form factor only. The included software, which is supposed to be fully integrated, is "not 100%", and the included softwares are not premium titles.
Buy a Centrino machine if battery life is important to you. There's better software out there that integrate easily, so this shouldn't be an issue.
Darell
Flashaholic
Good info, Jeff. I wonder how long until SAABY tells us what type of car that is. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
So there's the Intel M processors out as well - aimed at battery life. What's the downside of these power thrifty chips beyond price? Performance issues? My guess is that your small screen aids battery life as well.
So there's the Intel M processors out as well - aimed at battery life. What's the downside of these power thrifty chips beyond price? Performance issues? My guess is that your small screen aids battery life as well.
James S
Flashlight Enthusiast
The screen uses a lot of power. I can add 30+ minutes of runtime just by dimming it down a notch or 2. It really does make that much a difference.
The CPU on this powerbook can run at a slower speed on battery if you like, but I don't generally run it that way. This battery is just shy of a year old now and I still get 3:30 or better out of it on a full charge. Better if I dim the screen and slow the processor and let the drive go to sleep. Unfortunately most of what I do when I'm working out requires that I save and compile all the time so that doesn't get to happen.
The downside of the thrifty intel chips is the speed. Get some extra processor time, but take longer to do things /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Really, it depends on how you use the machine. For very intensive tasks you can definitely tell you're not on a desktop machine when using a centrino.
I get an hour less runtime than you can get out of one of those, but this is a "Desktop Replacement" for me and I'll take the processor speed above an extra hour of runtime.
It's so much a tossup of how you use it. You're doing the right thing by asking around to find out what the different parts and pieces mean to how you use it.
The CPU on this powerbook can run at a slower speed on battery if you like, but I don't generally run it that way. This battery is just shy of a year old now and I still get 3:30 or better out of it on a full charge. Better if I dim the screen and slow the processor and let the drive go to sleep. Unfortunately most of what I do when I'm working out requires that I save and compile all the time so that doesn't get to happen.
The downside of the thrifty intel chips is the speed. Get some extra processor time, but take longer to do things /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif Really, it depends on how you use the machine. For very intensive tasks you can definitely tell you're not on a desktop machine when using a centrino.
I get an hour less runtime than you can get out of one of those, but this is a "Desktop Replacement" for me and I'll take the processor speed above an extra hour of runtime.
It's so much a tossup of how you use it. You're doing the right thing by asking around to find out what the different parts and pieces mean to how you use it.
Something to think about. Unless you play games you don't need the fastest processor. Get a bit slower system and put the $ into more ram, then you will spend less time hitting the hard disk and it will help out on battery life even more. My wife's laptop is a 2.4GHz and mine is 1GHz but with twice the ram and my system is so much faster than hers. Also note Centrino isn't a processor, it is a technology which is a combination of processor, chipset and wireless chip. Its more like a certification, i.e. if you use combinations of these parts then its centrino certified.
All "Centrino" means is a Pentium "M" chip plus Intels wireless chipset, which is 802.11b I believe, which makes me wonder why Jeff had to add a wireless card to his Laptop. Centrino is supposed to mean "Wireless built in." I can see the little logo right on his laptop.
If you got a Centrino laptop that didn't have wireless built in you got gypped, I'd be eMailing Sony.
If you got a Centrino laptop that didn't have wireless built in you got gypped, I'd be eMailing Sony.
B@rt
Flashaholic
[ QUOTE ]
Saaby said:
...which makes me wonder why Jeff had to add a wireless card to his Laptop...
[/ QUOTE ]
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I went ahead and got a wireless card so I could respond in between sales calls etc (got tired of sitting in Starbucks).
[/ QUOTE ]
A cell-phone card? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Saaby said:
...which makes me wonder why Jeff had to add a wireless card to his Laptop...
[/ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I went ahead and got a wireless card so I could respond in between sales calls etc (got tired of sitting in Starbucks).
[/ QUOTE ]
A cell-phone card? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Darell
Flashaholic
[ QUOTE ]
Saaby said:
All "Centrino" means is a Pentium "M" chip plus Intels wireless chipset, which is 802.11b I believe, which makes me wonder why Jeff had to add a wireless card to his Laptop.
[/ QUOTE ]Well, he did explain that he wanted 'g' - that might have something to do with it, if Centrino means 'b' only.
Saaby said:
All "Centrino" means is a Pentium "M" chip plus Intels wireless chipset, which is 802.11b I believe, which makes me wonder why Jeff had to add a wireless card to his Laptop.
[/ QUOTE ]Well, he did explain that he wanted 'g' - that might have something to do with it, if Centrino means 'b' only.
[ QUOTE ]
GJW said:
I just bought a Toshiba Satellite and the one thing I'm not impressed with is the speakers.
Very quiet and tinny.
Other than that it's very nice.
[/ QUOTE ]
Don't expect loud speaker in a toshiba. It's in their culture. Japanese are generally a quiet people.
But I can't say the same for sony.
GJW said:
I just bought a Toshiba Satellite and the one thing I'm not impressed with is the speakers.
Very quiet and tinny.
Other than that it's very nice.
[/ QUOTE ]
Don't expect loud speaker in a toshiba. It's in their culture. Japanese are generally a quiet people.
But I can't say the same for sony.
