ArmpitOfDeath
07-17-2008, 11:37 PM
Here's a question I have of the Tekzilla crew as well as all of you out there.
I'm looking to replace the Macbook Air with something else.
I'm sure this will turn the Apple Fanbois purple with rage but I just don't appreciate Apple's concentration on style to the detriment of many other things which I take for granted in a premium notebook, such as reliability and business-grade build quality. Not only is the machine somewhat compromised to start with - which I was more or less prepared for, but I've had various issues with both of mine which Apple couldn't seem to solve. Good for Starbucks posing, not so good as a genuine travelling / working companion. This is all too typical for Apple as of late and I'm tiring of it.
I'd like to replace the Air for a machine from a manufacturer who understands proper product engineering and real quality as well as design and superficial attention to detail. Unfortunately, the former/latter seem to be incompatible opposites for some reason - while I rate upper-end Sony and Lenovo machines highly for engineering and quality for example, their laptops leave something to be desired in terms of style.
Currently the one and only machine on the shortlist is the Voodoo Envy 133 but I'm concerned about real-life runtime, since they quote a pretty short 3.75 hours - if they're like anyone else I'll probably not see anything much beyond 2.5, which will be a problem even with replaceable batteries. And I'd like to see a shortlist of more than one.
Specwise I'd like something around the Envy as a minimum, and something around the rangetopping Sony SZ as a best case. Weight must be below 3.3lb / 1.5Kg and unlike the forthcoming Sony Z-series for example, the machine must feature quite overt styling / design elements like the Air / Envy, assisted ideally by custom colour options.
Pricewise, I'd like to keep it to under $10,000. I believe that covers the vast majority of notebooks out there, while keeping out the Swarovski-sprinkled monstrosities.
Recommendations would be appreciated.
I'm looking to replace the Macbook Air with something else.
I'm sure this will turn the Apple Fanbois purple with rage but I just don't appreciate Apple's concentration on style to the detriment of many other things which I take for granted in a premium notebook, such as reliability and business-grade build quality. Not only is the machine somewhat compromised to start with - which I was more or less prepared for, but I've had various issues with both of mine which Apple couldn't seem to solve. Good for Starbucks posing, not so good as a genuine travelling / working companion. This is all too typical for Apple as of late and I'm tiring of it.
I'd like to replace the Air for a machine from a manufacturer who understands proper product engineering and real quality as well as design and superficial attention to detail. Unfortunately, the former/latter seem to be incompatible opposites for some reason - while I rate upper-end Sony and Lenovo machines highly for engineering and quality for example, their laptops leave something to be desired in terms of style.
Currently the one and only machine on the shortlist is the Voodoo Envy 133 but I'm concerned about real-life runtime, since they quote a pretty short 3.75 hours - if they're like anyone else I'll probably not see anything much beyond 2.5, which will be a problem even with replaceable batteries. And I'd like to see a shortlist of more than one.
Specwise I'd like something around the Envy as a minimum, and something around the rangetopping Sony SZ as a best case. Weight must be below 3.3lb / 1.5Kg and unlike the forthcoming Sony Z-series for example, the machine must feature quite overt styling / design elements like the Air / Envy, assisted ideally by custom colour options.
Pricewise, I'd like to keep it to under $10,000. I believe that covers the vast majority of notebooks out there, while keeping out the Swarovski-sprinkled monstrosities.
Recommendations would be appreciated.