You'd have to know the theme song to really get it...
You’ll understand the title in just a moment…
For the last few months my laptop has been in bad shape. Such bad shape I’ve been using a backup laptop. ((Trust me, the back up laptop is nothing to brag about.)) Something on my laptop’s motherboard went bad and killed the battery. ((You see, the motherboard – it went bad. It was one bad mother… Oh, forget it.)) ((The photo does not belong to me and is probably the property of MGM.)) I could still use it – but I had to keep it plugged in all the time. If I needed to move it, I had to shut it down all the way, move it, then boot it up – since it had no battery life at all.
Well, Dell’s kick ass incredible customer service took care of me – once again. I can’t thank these guys enough for going above and beyond. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, my next laptop is going to be a Dell. Thanks to Lionel my laptop is sporting a totally brand-spanking new motherboard and power cord. I’ve also just slapped in a totally new battery as well.
If you are highly concerned about cost, portability, battery life and not as concerned about optical drives ((DVD/CD drives)) , screen size, or keyboard size you probably want a netbook. It will probably run you between $300 – $500. ((Photo courtesy of Ciccio Pizzettaro))
If cost-be-damned you just must have absolutely everything, well, then get yourself a high end laptop. ((Scroll to the bottom for my pic k.)) The sky’s the limit with a computer like this. You can configure an Alienware laptop that will make Deep Thought hide its processor in shame for $5,000.00 or so.
If you are concerned about cost but just cannot sacrifice optical drives, screen size, or keyboard size, you probably want a basic laptop. A basic laptop is all about compromises. You get the hardware you need from a desktop, but without the thin, light, elegant, and portable design. These laptops typically weigh between 6 and 8 pounds and cost between $600 and $1000 or so.
There are so many nearly indistinguishable computers in this category, there is no real point in suggesting a particular laptop. Just about every manufacturer has several choices for basic laptops.
Cost is probably the single biggest deciding factor. The good news is that your laptop can probably be repaired. Sight unseen, it will probably cost you between $200.00 and $500.00 including parts and labor. A new laptop will cost you roughly $500.00 for a bare bones machine, $1,250.00 for a nice machine, and $2,500.00 and up for a ridiculously powerful machine.
Lifetime
For most people a computer has a 3 year timeline of usefulness. After that something about the computer will be too outdated to be of use beyond basic usage. If your computer is more than 3 years old, you’ve had a good run. Replace the poor thing.
Time & Need
If you need a computer for your business, every hour without your computer means you’re losing money. If you don’t need it for your business, you’ve got more time to decide. Your time is important and your downtime is even more important.
Formula
Here’s my totally unscientific and completely quantifiable formula for determining with nearly totally complete guesstimate-approximation of whether you should repair or replace your laptop. First, let’s assume a constant – the amount you would spend on a new laptop and set that equal to the original purchase price of your current broken laptop. The formula is as follows:
As the man said, “you can’t always get what you want.” Here’s what I need from a cell phone:
Multiple numbers per contact
Multiple alarms
Scheduling events
Text messaging
Ability to jot down notes
A battery with 4 hours of talk time and a few days of standby time
My current phone can do all that. The battery life is failing, reception is spotty, and its been dropped more times than I was as a baby. Here’s what I want out of a new phone:
Contacts and calendar that can synch with my laptop
Bluetooth support and file access (to transfer files wirelessly)
A web browser that works as well as IE7 or FF2 (Namely: proper HTML rendering, CSS rendering, cookies, and javascript support)
I know the LG Dare can handle #1 and #2, but I’m dubious about its support for #3.
I know the iPhone can handle #3 fairly well, but am dubious about its support for #1 and #2.
