The awards season is in full swing. We've got awards for bad movies (The Razzies) and genuinely wretched writing (the Bulwer-Lytton awards). In fact, any minute now, I expect to hear "and the award for Best Plea Bargain by a Politician goes to..."
On a more positive note, and in the spirit of the awards season, I've asked you, dear readers, to nominate your favorite notebooks for inclusion in this newsletter. But rather than single out one particular portable for an award, I've excerpted the comments you e-mailed to me, explaining why you like your notebook. And so, without further ado, here are your picks for the best notebooks.
Oh, one last thing worth mentioning: All of the readers quoted below assured me they have no personal or professional relationship with the company whose product they praise
Apple's portable earns high marks for both substance and style. Richard Due of Huntingtown, Maryland, left the Windows world when he bought his first iBook in 2001.
"It changed my computing life," Richard writes. "I had become timid when using my Wintel machines, trying not to upset their delicate balance of stability. With the iBooks, I just throw anything and everything at them."
Richard, who owns two iBooks, loves the preloaded Apple software (such as iMovie and iDVD) and has never had a problem with either notebook.
Tom Rusch of Sherman Oaks, California, recently purchased his second iBook. In Tom's opinion, Apple's consumer portables offer the best value among notebooks. Though he's had some technical issues, he's found Apple's tech support to be "superb." As someone who works without an IT department, solid tech support "is of great importance" to him.
Visit our Product Finder for the latest prices on Apple's iBook G4.
Dell's ultraportable is Coal City, Illinois-based John Hawkinson's pick for best notebook.
"The 700m is compact and light, yet it has many features of a desktop replacement," he writes. "For example, it has great screen quality, good battery life, a built-in DVD burner, and a fast-enough processor." The only drawback, John writes, is the "scaled-down keyboard" that could make typing for "large-fingered" people difficult.
Dell offers the 700m for sale on its Web site. However, the newer Inspiron 710m recently earned the number-five slot on our Top 5 Ultraportable Laptops chart. The notebook earned a rating of "good" in our review. Go to Dell's Web site for pricing.
Alan Kay of Scottsdale, Arizona, loves the ThinkPad T43's "gorgeous" style, "great" performance, and "tough-as-nails" reliability. Having previously owned and loved the ThinkPad T30 and T20 models, Alan is an avowed "ThinkPad bigot."
The ThinkPad T43 earned a rating of "very good" in our review; our Product Finder has current pricing.
Martin Ryder of Auckland, New Zealand, and Bob Schuchman of San Diego both wrote to report they are longtime Toshiba owners who are devoted to the brand.
Martin has owned Toshiba notebooks since 1990. Each one has been used "intensively" for several years, "with minimal hassles." When a problem did arise, Toshiba was "unfailingly helpful and prompt in getting me back on the road," Martin writes.
Meanwhile, Bob is using his sixth Toshiba notebook since 1996 and has been "very satisfied" with all of them. Bob praises the "combination of features, design, usability, and quality of support" he's experienced with Toshiba portables.
Among current Toshiba notebooks, the Tecra A5-S416 recently landed in the number-five slot on our Top 5 All-Purpose Laptops chart. The A5-S416 earned a rating of "good" in our review. You can get the latest prices from our Product Finder.
Regretting you didn't pipe up about your notebook? It's not too late to send me an e-mail. Tell me why you love your notebook, and please include the notebook name and model ("HP Pavilion dv1000," for example).
Mobile Computing News, Reviews, & TipsUnlike earlier Palm devices, the new Treo 700w Smartphone is based on the Windows Mobile operating system (version 5). Currently available from Verizon Wireless, the Treo has a lot going for it--including the ability to jump onto Verizon's high-speed EvDO data network.
The Treo 700w goes for $500; it's $400 if you agree to a two-year voice plan of $40 per month or more, plus Verizon's $50-per-month unlimited data plan.
The HP Compaq nc6140 includes an embedded chip that lets you connect to the Verizon Wireless EvDO broadband network in the U.S.
Dell and Lenovo Group have previously released cellular-network-enabled notebooks, so there's a trend afoot. And it's a welcome one, given how challenging connecting to Wi-Fi networks can be on the go.
The nc6140 starts at $1400 and is available at HP's site. For more details, read "HP Readies EvDO Notebook."
I don't know about you, but I thought the e-book--a dedicated gadget for reading electronic books--was dead and buried. But Sony has other ideas.
The company is releasing the Sony Reader, a book-size device that stores hundreds of volumes. The Reader displays one page at a time on a screen that is free of the glare and flicker that makes prolonged reading on electronic devices uncomfortable, says
Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it. However, I regret that I'm unable to respond to tech-support questions, due to the volume of e-mail I receive.
James A. Martin
