Comments on: Data Mining

By: Computer: Check! | Lives of Wander

Computer: Check! | Lives of Wander — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:02:38 +0000

[...] We previously posted about trying to find a good travel laptop ever since we decided we were definitely going to take one. We wanted something that was small, light, durable, had great battery life, enough inputs to help us around the world. Oh, and cheap. Well, I think we’ve found what we’ve been looking for. It is actually a laptop we did not even consider in our first roundup (due to it not even being announced at the time and all). [...]

By: Matthew

Matthew — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:13:57 +0000

iPhoto seems to be one of those Apple creations that lack that expected user-friendly interface, along with other shortcomings Jeff mentions. I unsold myself on iPhoto after running into issues with importation of the 5,000 or so photos I had on CD and other computers. Apple seems quite attached to the platform, but I’d very much like to see an overhaul or another option, such as Jeff’s wish for an Apple version of Picasa.

As much as I’m a sales person for Apple, I basically use my laptop as a desktop and, therefore, expect my next purchase to be a desktop. Having done some traveling with the iBook G4(and it shows because of it), I can vouch for it’s viability as a travel companion. I’ve done nothing like the traveling you guys have planned, so I’m out of place to really comment much more on that aspect.

I would be quite interested in what the MacBook upgrades bring. In streamlining from IBook/Powerbook to simply MacBook, I think Apple has overlooked some niches in the market. Many people are satisfying such cravings through the refurb/upgrade/customize route Bryan describes.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:38:46 +0000

Sorry guys, long day. Thanks for all the thoughts and comments though. There’s a lot of Mac lovers around here, and I get it. I’m a big fan of my work computer, it does great things. Its reasonably priced, powerful, elegant, and seems pretty durable. It is, however, less photo capable as far as I’m concerned with no built in SD slot (we have a little adapter also Bryan, but like you said, its another thing to carry around and if you lose it, as I am prone to doing, no pictures) and no Picasa on mac. iPhoto is just not very good, I don’t like its organization, its waste of space, and how unintuitive it is to edit/crop/export pictures. I know some people like it, but I’m not one of them. Picasa, on the other hand, is magic. But so far, no mac version, though I hear they’re working on it. Maybe all of these problems will be answered in this rumored Macbook upgrade (thanks for the link, Bryan!), we can get an SD slot included and some Picasa. If those things come true, I think I’m sold on a Macbook. An Air would be sweet, but until I get my hands on one myself, I’m still concerned about durability. Anyway, thanks for the input everybody. We’ll definitely update you with a final decision when we finally pick something up. Probably not till June, though, I’d like to see what Steve Jobs will come up with for us.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:52:23 +0000

Ruthie asked me to write about our new macbook… Ruthie and I bought a refurbished black macbook (the 2.2GHz) for $1,050. Which was a much better deal at the time than getting the upgraded model with the newer 2.4 GHz models. I also bought the 3 year extended warranty for it. It looked and acted brand new when we got it. I also upgraded the hard drive to a 320Gb western digital scorpio drive for $160, and upgraded the memory from 1Gb to 4Gb for $100. Apple changes three times that to upgrade the memory to 4Gb at the time of purchase. Both the hard drive and memory are very easy to install. Thats what we did. Great computer, and it’ll last us years with those upgrades I did.

As a side note, I know it’s another thing to carry around, but we have a little USB drive that you can put your SD card in that works well and was only $7.

If you decide on a refurbished mac, check their online store early in the morning. They restock the refurbs overnight.

One other side note. If you decide on a mac and wait until mid June, there is most likely going to be a major upgrade for the macbooks http://www.macrumors.com/.

Good luck!

By: Ruth

Ruth — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:44:10 +0000

While my knowledge of SD ports and the like is lacking, we recently purchased a 13″ Macbook and are delighted with it. It is lightweight (compared to my old Dell laptop) and user-friendly. We have taken it on some trips and plan on bringing it to Spain in the fall. Bryan did some magic upgrading to increase the memory and whatnot, but you’ll have to ask him about that one. He says it was really easy.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:37:06 +0000

Shit, I got all wrapped up in Apple talk and I missed my other point.

You say Theresa wants to get organized. Color me shocked. Shocked I say.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:35:54 +0000

“If you go the Windows route”…. you are a moron. Because you are family, I can say that about you.

I’d go Apple, and I’d go Air, and I’d do it without worrying about the cost. Air is that good.

But if you want to go with something less expensive, I’d go with the standard 12″ MacBook(13.3″ diagonal widescreen) and be done with it. Wait, I want to say that, but…

I honestly think Apple skimps on “standard” models but gives it good on “upgraded” models. In other words, I think your assessment of “regular” Macs is right on target. As an owner of the last model of the Ibook G4 (12″), I’m both entitled and authorized to say so. The financial jump from MacBook to MacBook Pro is sizable; Air would be your better option. Powerbook was the best line, but alas….

Although a fan of Mac (a big, big fan), I’m not sure the Macbook, Air, Macbook Pro trinity offers you an option with strong offerings in both durability and performance all with a decent price. You either bite the bullet for Air, or look elsewhere. But elsewhere leads you back to Windows…

-M

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:58:43 +0000

Of the numerous ports & gadgets on my laptop, only 3 were ever really used when I traveled. 1) SD port, 2) DVD burner, 3) USB port. Everything else just took up space. I even brought an ethernet cable for back up…never used it. Like Visa, wi-fi is everywhere you want to be.

The MacBook Air seems ideal for traveling with it’s weight/size, but the regular MacBook seems a bit more practical since all the important pieces are already attached. Plus, Apple stuff just seems to work better overall. One thing to check is compatibility with your iPod…if you have a windows configured iPod, I’m not sure if it’ll be compatible with a Mac (oddly enough) or if it can be reconfigured. When I was looking at a Mac, I recall the Apple folks saying mine would not work.

If you go the windows route, definitely check out HP’s line up. Solid quality/durability in my experience. Much better than numerous Dell’s I’ve had for business. I went with the 14″ Pavilion dv2000 with 65GB, core solo, dvd burner, 3 USBs, 1 firewire, 1 expansion port, 1 s-video, 1 modem port, 1 ethernet port and a removable remote for the DVD player. Didn’t need half of that stuff, but it came with it, all for around $750 at Best Buy. I believe the current model is around $650-$750. Does everything I could want it to, not too big, not too heavy, and it’s standing up to significant use. I’d prefer a Mac, but couldn’t beat the price. Hope it helps.

By: Erin

Erin — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 03:36:01 +0000

Check out Gary’s blog at http://www.everything-everywhere.com - he’s been traveling for a year and blogs almost every day. He has a section on his blog about his gear, which includes his laptop. I’m sure he’d be very willing to answer questions on technology too.