Hi!

This post is designed to help you with the hardware aspects of your laptop buying decision:

General:
I recommend purchasing your computer (or TV, etc.) via the internet. You may be able to get a better deal before/after Christmas if a company needs to clear our their inventory at a big box store, but in general, the internet has better pricing and MUCH more knowledgeable customer service employees.


There are lots of internet places to shop from. When I first started buying laptops, I did a TON of research and looked all over the internet. Now, I simplify things by almost exclusively shopping at tigerdirect.com. They have a huge range of new and refurbished computers, and excellent customer service.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/

For around $400 you can get a new laptop. For about $600/700 you can get a better new laptop, or a great refurbished laptop. If you spend about $1K you can get an AWESOME laptop, unless you want the latest, high-intensity, graphically capable computer for the latest video games...then you can spend up to $3500. I shop in the $650-$1000 range, and normally buy a refurbished computer.

If you get a refurbished computer, you may still be able to get XP. If you get a new laptop, you should get Vista, with a free upgrade to Windows 7, or W7. W7 is by far the best OS EVER put out by Microsoft, and it is WAY better than Vista. If you have Vista on an existing computer, I strongly recommend upgrading to W7. W7 actually uses LESS resources than Vista!

New/Refurbished/Used:
New is the most expensive, and I don't think they are usually worth the money (for laptops). Your chances of having it not run, or components fail, are higher than on a refurbished computer.


Refurbished is what I recommend for most users. You spend less money, your depreciation is not so bad, and your computer WILL WORK!!! You get a manufacturer's warranty, and they test and ensure that every piece of hardware on your system is working...if it does not they replace it before selling it to you. We have had 2 hard drive failures in total (out of about 15 that we have had), and both were on machines that we bought new.


Used is cheapest, so it is the cheapest. It has the highest chance of breaking down. No warranty. I don't recommend this, unless you buy it from someone you know who can help you learn how to use the system and/or you know the condition of the machine. I sold my last laptop to a buddy for about $100, and he has used it for at least a year. Sometimes, he gets frustrated because it is slow...wonder why?


Brands:
Apple is the best, and the most expensive, for what you get. I only recommend Apples for people who will pay a lot more for ease of use, or for those with special applications (graphic artists, etc.). For a typical pilot, who uses their laptop utilitarianly, and to surf the internet, I do not think it is worth the money.

Dell USED to be the best, and last I checked they are middle of the pack. They are almost as expensive as Apple, and the parts are ONLY available from Dell, and are more expensive than generic parts. We used to have all Dells, when they were #1 and definitely better than the other PCs, but less $ than Macs. Now, I do not think they are worth the money.

Sony/Toshiba laptops are more expensive. I do not think they are worth the money. The Toshiba "Satellite" series IS very highly rated, however. They are both quite popular.

Intel chips are more expensive, and very over-rated. We do not buy any Intel chips any more. AMD makes chips that are just as good, and they are all less expensive than a comparable Intel chip.

Recommendation for MOST users:
A refurbished laptop with an AMD processor chip. Any PC will do, but avoid Toshiba/Sony/Dell. You will probably find an HP, Compaq, Gateway, Acer, or some other generic brand, will give you the best value in a chassis. In a refurbished computer, I don't care what brand the chassis is.

Different Sizes of Laptops:
Netbooks and small laptops: I don't buy them, as my laptop is my ONLY computer, and I am gone so much, I want a bigger screen to watch movies on, a full-size keyboard, etc. They cost more as their components have to be crammed into a small chassis.
15.4' screen: The standard size, and good for all-around use. The least expensive chassis.
17-19' laptops: These are great if you watch a lot of movies, play video games, etc. They are MUCH bigger and heavier, and it is harder to fit them in your luggage and lug them around. These bigger screens cost more than 15.4' screens.
I currently have a 15.4', and will probably get a 17' screen next time, as the prices have come down, and I am away from home more and relying on my laptop even more than in the past.

What to look for, in order of importance:
Processor Type/Speed
RAM
Hard Drive Size: Buy a bigger one than you think you need.
Type/RAM of Video Processor: Integrated video ram is not as good, as it will use the ram from the system, thus reducing the ram your system has to use for other applications. Most of laptop video processors use an integrated video chip, to save $.
Wireless capability: 802.11n is the newest and fastest. You want to get at least 802.11g built-in, which should be standard.


Compare the above stats, and look at the price and the size/weight of your laptop. Pick the size that is right for you, and what you feel is the best configuration for the amount of money that you are willing to spend.

You may find that you are pleasantly surprised, and can get a better computer than you thought, for less money than you anticipated. Or, you may find that if you spend a little bit more money than you originally planned, get a WAY better computer.

Note:
I bought my current laptop from tigerdirect.com about 2 1/2 years ago, refurbished, so it was 6 mos-1 year old, already. I spent about $700 and it had a 100 MB hard drive and 1 GB ram, running XP. I recently spend less than $150 to boost the RAM to 2 GB, and thoroughly clean the interior/exterior. I have had no issues with this computer (Emachines/Gateway chassis).

I was considering upgrading this laptop with a bigger hard drive, and then buying Vista and Windows 7 to upgrade it, and keep it another year or so. But, with all the traveling I do and the abuse the chassis has taken, the age of this laptop, and the cost and to upgrade the HD and OS, I decided to save the money and buy another refurbished laptop in about 6 mos, when W7 is widely available in refurbished computers. I don't want to buy a Vista computer, and then pay more money to upgrade to W7.

Good luck!
cliff
NBO

PS-The Software post is next.

Hi!

This post is designed to help you with the software aspects of your computer buying decision:

PC/MAC:
PCs, both new and refurbished, come with a lot of “free” software that is mostly trial stuff you can use for a while, and then you have to pay for it or it stops working. I typically delete all of this crap, and only keep the Operating System (OS). The newest PCs now have Windows 7, which is excellent, and by far the best OS that Microsoft has ever put out.
Oh, and just so you know, I am NOT a fan of MS, and basically ONLY use their OS. I use alternative software to MS for virtually all applications except for my OS. If a free OS comes out that is better than W7, I will switch to an all non-MS computer.

Macs are the best, and the most expensive. Macs typically don't have the “free” crap and the software it comes with is better. Snow Leopard, the new MAC OS is supposed to be great, and I am sure that it is better than W7, as Macs are better than PCs (and more expensive...see my hardware post above). If you want to run LogBookPro you need some time of windows emulation software.

Our family has all PC computers, because we think it is a better value, and because my personal CEO needs a PC, as her work software is designed for PC, and she is only authorized to use her work software on a hardware/software platform set up that is acceptable to her employer.

Utility Software You Need for Your PC:
With a PC, you will want to delete the files and programs you no longer need, so that they don't slow down your computer.
Spyware is a big problem, and you need to have more than one spyware program, as these malignant programs are so prolific.
An UPDATED antivirus program is a necessity. Many people buy an antivirus program, but then don't pay to update it after the initial subscription expires, so it is then useless.

All of the above programs can be found for free (as well as many other software programs). I recommend cnet.com as a great resource for downloading programs, and for a good one-stop source for computers and technology information.
http://download.cnet.com/windows/
http://www.cnet.com/

How All Our Computers are Set Up:
(all of this software is free-I donate, but you don't have to)

ccleaner: http://www.ccleaner.com/
Run daily or so to keep you computer cleaned up.
It also does a great job of showing you what programs are installed, and makes it easy to delete them (this is easier than going to your control panel to add/delete software).
http://download.cnet.com/ccleaner/?tag=mncol;lst

spybot: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html
This is spyware, and I run it usually about once/week

adaware: http://www.lavasoft.com/single/trialpay.php
This is also spyware, and I usually run it about once/week

super antispyware: http://www.superantispyware.com/download.html
Spyware, and this one can be set to scan automatically if you want-I do it manually...once/week or so.

avira antivir personal: http://www.free-av.com/en/download/1...antivirus.html
Antivirus: You can set this to run automatically. I do it manually, about once/week. This software is very highly rated, and is a LOT better than almost all of the antivirus software that you have to pay for.

Mike Lin's Startup Control Panel: http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml
This program shows you what programs are automatically started when you turn your computer on. You don't need all of them: It slows down your startup and uses RAM. For example, you don't need Quicktime or Acrobat to run on startup. They will open when you need them.
I believe W7 has this software built-in, so it may not be needed if you are running W7.

Everyday Software (all of the below is also free):
After deleting all the “free” crap you don't need, I would start with Google Pack, and download the software that you want that is contained in Google Pack. This free program will automatically update all of the programs that you have chosen. All of the software in Google Pack is free.
http://pack.google.com/intl/en/about.html?hl=en&gl=us
http://pack.google.com/intl/en/pack_installer.html

Next, I would download OpenOffice.org:
OpenOffice.org takes the place of Microsoft Office, and it is free. It is published by Sun Microsystems, and includes a program that does the same thing as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access, to name a few. It will read and create documents that are are made/will be used by Office users. It's about the best thing since sliced bread, and cheaper.
This is what Wikipedia says:
“OpenOffice.org is an open-source software project upon which Sun's StarOffice is based. The initial code was provided by Sun Microsystems, based on the Star Office package by German company, Star Division, which it had previously acquired. Sun has provided much of the labour for its development since. Its components include Writer, Impress, Math, Draw, Calc, and Base. Releases are available for Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, Mac OS X and Solaris.”
I even once took a new (used) computer that had a complete MS Office software package on it, deleted it, and used OpenOffice instead.
http://www.openoffice.org/

Picasa (by Google, and part of Google Pack):
This program helps you organize and edit your photos. I HIGHLY recommend this program, if you do any digital photography. This program should recognize your digital camera, and easily let you download your photos, so you don't need to install the software that came with your digital camera, thus saving hard drive space, ram, complexity, etc.
(see Google Pack, above, for website)

AVS DVD Player:
Excellent DVD player.
http://www.topshareware.com/AVS-DVD-Player-download-48480.htm

GOM Media Player:
I have three other players for video files, as there are LOTS of formats.
Note: The new Windows Media Player with W7 is supposed to be very good, so maybe that will work better to play all the video files available than GOM/KM media players, etc. I doubt it.
http://download.cnet.com/GOM-Media-Player/3000-13632_4-10551786.html

KM Media Player:
Another good media player.
http://download.cnet.com/The-KMPlayer/3000-13632_4-10659939.html

AVS Media Player:
I use this one the most.
http://www.avs4you.com/AVS-Media-Player.aspx

Paid-for Software:
LogBookPro. This is expensive, and the best e-logbook
http://www.nc-software.com/Default.aspx

PDFill Editor: This inexpensive program lets me EDIT and save the various .pdf application documents that airlines don't all you to edit and save.
http://download.cnet.com/PDFill-PDF-Editor/3000-6675_4-10295757.html

There are TONS of other free (and paid) software available for all types of uses. I have only included the basics for you to get started. I recommend cnet.com, as I stated before, for researching and downloading most software.

For music, I recommend iTunes and amazon.com. Amazon has lots of mp3 music available, for less $ than iTunes, and a software program to automatically download the files and convert them to an iTunes-useable format. Also, as with computers, I recommend buying refurbished iPods, as they will always work. The only iPod failures we have ever had were with with new iPods.

If you need more help, or details, let me know.


Good luck!
cliff
NBO