Impulse buy - a laptop computer.
Any ideas on the best place (shops or online) to buy a laptop ??
I've been told that Trony is the place to go.

I just need something more or less "normal" - nothing too spiffy.

Thanks for any ideas

I found that chain stores does not carry a wide selection.
I recently discovered a website I found really cheap and that carries multiple brands, processors, size,...

Here's the link Wireshop

It could well be worth you having a look at the dell website. Just bought a laptop from them myself and picked up a deal that I haven't seen anywhere else come close to.

The deal I got has expired I think, but they have always got various offers running.

Dave

www.dickenstranslations.com

My favorites are Toshiba and Gateway. I am a Computer tech by trade and Gateway has been almost trouble free. Of the over 400 I have put on desks, we only had 2 failures. Dell is still rated the best.

quote:

Gateway

I had a Gateway computer many moons ago which was great. Now to find them in Italy is the problem.
I will have a look around and if I can't find anything I guess I will buy a Dell.

Thanks for all your help and ideas.

quote:

Originally posted by kellytree:

quote:

Gateway

I had a Gateway computer many moons ago which was great. Now to find them in Italy is the problem.
I will have a look around and if I can't find anything I guess I will buy a Dell.

Thanks for all your help and ideas.

Question: On the Dell site I can add a wireless router ---- I only have dial-up at my house as nothing else is available in the area ( I could connect via cell phone if I wanted to) ...
Do I need a wireless router?

Do I need a docking station?

I think the router would need dial-up capabilities. I'd be surprised if it did. It's possible to run wireless off dial-up but you'd find the speed even slower than your usual dial-up.

How do you do this Graeme? I'm stuck with dial up, and being unleashed from the phone jack would be great.
Thanks!

You're a Mac chap so it shouldn't be a problem. I'm pretty sure the Airport Extreme (not Airport Express) base station still carries dial-up capability. If you've got an Airport card installed in the Mac, you would connect wirelessly via Airport to the base station which has become, effectively, your dial-up modem. I'll look into it.

EDIT. Mmmm. It's looking like the brand new Airport Extreme no longer has dial-up capability. I'll keep checking. Anyway, if it doesn't, you could probably lay your hands on the model before via eBay or similar. I might even have an older model lying around here somewhere.

Thanks Graeme.
My MacBook has a built in Airport card. I've only used it once, at the base library. Worked like a champ, no configuration necessary. What a difference from Windows!

Okay. The latest Airport Extreme doesn't have dial-up capability any more. Apparently Apple figured not enough people are stuck with dial-up these days to bother. Bustards. Apparently you can pick up the earlier model, refurbished, online. It's definitely the answer to your problem. Google and see what you come up with. In the meantime, I'll see if I haven't tossed out my old one.

Graeme, is the old model you're talking about the round one? I see newer ones that are more squarish.

Yep. The one you'd need is the spaceship shape, white in colour:



The even earlier models were a graphite colour.

Thanks. I bid on one at ebay- soon I may be peripatetic computing.

Goodoh. Keep us posted.

Sorry if this is obvious Kellytree but an Italian key board differs from an English one. So if that matters check what you are buying.

quote:

Originally posted by Graeme:
Goodoh. Keep us posted.

Ok, got the Airport Extreme in the mail today and it's working fine. At first my computer couldn't locate it, but luckily it came with a printed manual (Leopard doesn't like the CD that came with it- kept spitting it out). Turns out I needed to reset back to factory configuration because the prior owner's config was loaded. After that the computer linked to it but it wouldn't dial out. I checked the log and it was failing for not getting a dial-tone. I changed the modem configuration to ignore dial-tone and it's working like a champ.

Thanks for the info on this Graeme- after 10 years wishing there was a wireless dial up modem- I'm feeling giddy!

You won't know yourself. They can be a bit flaky at times but worth it. The CD wouldn't have been Leopard compatible. Not even Tiger compatible. If you get any interference with the wireless connection, look around for any 2.4GHz phones and the like.