Sony Vaio Laptops?

[Andy A.]

Im just going to shortly plug Hewlitt packard/Compaq notebooks.

The one I'm on now is an AMD based system with comparable specs to what is being kicked around, and cost me just a bit over $1000 before rebates. The only problem I have had was with the power adapter plug coming loose from the MB, which I was able to fix my self and I hear has since been resolved on new models. It even has a serial port, a rare thing on notebooks, which I have found beyond useful in dealing with microcontrollers. USB converters are a poor substitue for classic 1980's tech.

My battery life is about and 1 hour to 1.5 hours on this battery, which is getting a little tired. But then, the display, processor and optical drive are all very beefy and I see it as a fair trade. Same for wieght and shear size. She's big, but powerful. If you want to work on graphics and video, you can't get a large or bright enough display. Keep that in mind.

I could go on about my system, but I would suggest that you at least take a look at HP.

-Andy A.

[Dick Linn]

Our company has several Sony laptops, and I inherited one. It is HEAVY, though it has a nice display. I did hear that our in-house support people said "No more SONY's!". Apparently repairs or parts are a hassle, so I'd check into this aspect of ownership. Wish I could provide more solid info.

[fox46]

All I can say is I love my Hewlett Packard pavillion ze5185 . I bought it a year ago to replace my desktop, and it has far surpassed all my expectations and needs. 2.4Ghz, 512MB ram, 60Gig hard drive, CD burner, DVD, 64MB video card, 15" SXGA screen, and all the goodies. And best of all, the keyboard, power button, and touchpad are all backlit with blue LEDs! Our team has been using it to do all the animations, autodesk, and programming, and it has never crapped out....yet.