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I need to get a laptop in addition to my desktop computer for doing presentations/demos and general academic use--carrying it around all day every day in a backpack while cycling/walking a few miles. I'm still undecided. I am torn between a model from Sony's TX series--unfortunately I do not know exactly which one this is--which is on clearance for $1500, and a model from HP that is $900.
Sony TX series advantages:
Sony TX series disadvantages:
HP model advantages:
HP model disadvantages:
So, have you bought a similar laptop to either of these, and carried it around with you all day, and liked it/disliked it? How much use did you get out of it?
I think I would go with the TX if I weren't worried about being bothered by the small keyboard & screen and a little about adequate battery life.
Sony TX series advantages:
- Very light (2-3 pounds). I had a previous laptop which was destroyed in an accident a year ago, which I am now replacing, and this older laptop was too heavy (7.5 lbs).
- Very small. The previous laptop was too large. In combination with its weight, this meant that I didn't get a lot of mobile use out of it and just used it as a desktop most of the time. Combined with my books and papers it was too much strain and often I just didn't have any remaining backpack space to take it with me since it was 1.8 inches thick. In contrast, I would automatically be able to take the TX with me without even thinking about its weight or bulk, which could mean I would get more use out of it.
- The touchpad has a good feel
- It has a carbon fiber case which will make it more accident-resistant
Sony TX series disadvantages:
- only 512MB ram. I have a habit of keeping a lot of browser tabs and applications open (~20-30 tabs, ~20-30 applications though many are just consoles or text editors) and noticed a little while ago that I was using 1.2 GB of virtual memory in addition to the 512MB of ram on my desktop. This slows things down, sometimes painfully.
- Slower. I don't know that this would be a big problem since I think the way I use computers memory is usually the bottleneck, not speed. I don't play performance-intensive games.
- price = $1500
- The small keyboard and screen could be uncomfortable and cause me to use it less. This is one area where I am really seeking advice--do you get used to a small keyboard?
- Shorter battery life (4-9 hrs). But I think it should be enough to last me through a school day without plugging it in.
HP model advantages:
- 1024MB ram.
- price = $800
- larger keyboard and screen, could be more comfortable
- Longer battery life (upgradeable to 16 hours)
HP model disadvantages:
- larger and heavier (5.4 lbs). If it turns out to be uncomfortably heavy and I find it more convenient to leave it behind, then it is almost worthless.
- The keyboard is of a type that tends to lose keys, judging from the missing keys on store demonstration models and the fact that it is identical to my old laptop's keyboard which lost 4 or 5 keys before the laptop was destroyed.
- Might damage more easily
So, have you bought a similar laptop to either of these, and carried it around with you all day, and liked it/disliked it? How much use did you get out of it?
I think I would go with the TX if I weren't worried about being bothered by the small keyboard & screen and a little about adequate battery life.
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