After 3 1/2 years of dedicated service my trusty Dell Inspiron finally died on me. At first I thought it was memory or the hard drive, but a quick trip to Dell's out of warranty service center quickly revealed that the systemboard was shot. To replace it would take a significant sum of money, and even after the investment, I'd have an old machine. So, I'm in the market for a new one.

I am an accountant, and I use the notebook when I visit clients. In my office I have a desk top, and an extra network connection so that I can plug my notebook in and logon to the office network. I need a full size screen (at least 15") and I want a full powered, robust machine. I don't care about the weight as I drive to my clients, and battery life isn't much of an issue because I can always plug in at the clients office. I need to be able to handle complex spreadsheets, tax software, audit software and accounting software. I'm not big on graphics, but I do want the screen to paint fast and to be crystal clear and in focus. I want about a gig of memory and a fast pentium. (Or Pentium M, or centrino if some would explain what it is). I need a CD or DVD drive, but not necessarily a burner.

I can't seem to find what I want at Dell (at a reasonable price of about $1,500). I have been using one of my colleagues IBM Thinkpad G41 this week and I like it, but I'm wondering if there is any others that I should look at.

What do you recommend?

 

I'm a software engineer, so computers are the tools of my trade. In notebooks, Macs are head and shoulders above the competition. I recommend you drop by the nearest Apple store and at least take a look at what's available in the Macintosh line.

 

I'm quite happy with the IBM Thinkpad T40 that I've got. Good battery life on the road, decent processor, wireless networking built in, relatively rugged.

If weight was an issue, you could also take a look at the X31. 2 pounds less do make a difference if you have to lug it around the whole time.

 

17" PowerBook. Just got a speed bump last week.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebO...1.0.1.0.0.0.1.0



Don't think we'll ever have another desktop again. Love this thing

 

Warren, lig

I run an awful lot of Windows software, will I be able to run this on the Mac? For example, I have to run Peachtree Accounting, Quickbooks, UltraTax and etc. But, for the most part, my clients, whose files I upload, are running the windows versions of these programs. Converting the files is a major pain. How do you work around this? Almost all of my clients and my office is running Windows.

Ulrich,

How is the T series different from the G series? As I said, I'm using a borrowed G41. I've never wanted an IBM, but frankly, I've been impressed with this machine.

 

My work laptop is a Thinkpad. Solid - but uninspiring. Kind of like the Malibu Maxx.

There are programs that allow you to run Windows and Windows software on your Mac.

http://www.apple.com/business/mac_pc/applications.html

They used to be very slow running in Windows simulation but the new Macs are speedy - can't say for sure how it would work for your application - but it might be worth a shot.

These are some of the accounting applications available for the Mac. I have zero firsthand knowledge of the sw though.

http://www.apple.com/business/basics...ngfinance.html

 

First, for general purpose office work, Microsoft Office is available for the Mac. The files are 100% compatible with the Windows versions these days, so no translation is required. You will also have no trouble networking and file sharing with the Windows machines on your office network.

Most of my professional tools are either available for both platforms, or have close enough equivalents that I can work in a compatible way without too much fuss. I don't know what this is like in the accounting world. Most software that has a Mac version will have file compatibility between the Mac and Windows versions, but I know a lot of accounting software is Windows only. I agree translating files is a pain.

For one contract where I absolutely had to have 100% Windows compatibility, I ran Virtual PC. It worked great; it allowed me to load any Windows only software (including Windows itself) and run it natively. Because it runs in emulation (the Mac runs software to pretend it's a Pentium machine), it wasn't ultrafast, but my guess is it would be okay, especially considering that real mobile Pentiums aren't all that fast, either.

 

Rob,

I did quite a bit of research before Christmas, looking for a lightweight unit, which is not exactly what you need. However, Toshiba seemed to score well with the guys at PC Magazine. They seem to be a good value for the price.

 

I've been typing away on my Sony Vaio laptop at home for a couple of years now. I like it, but the competition has probably changed since I bought it.

 

I love my Sony Viao, it has a built in loading dock. Its still about the same size of a normal laptop when its on the loading dock. It was nice to leave all my cables plugged in (network, printer, mouse, 17inch monitor, normal keyboard) and be able to unlock it and take it on my way to class or where ever. I got mine two years ago, still going strong. I highly sugguest the Viao line, but just know they tend to be on the expensive side, but definately worth it.