Notebook suggestions

[ambasta]

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
800 to 1200 USD

2) What size notebook would you prefer?
14" screen - 15" screen

3) Where will you buying this notebook? You can select the flag of your country as an indicator.
India

4) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?

a. Like: IBM, Lenovo Thinkpad
b. Dislike: Acer

5) Would you consider laptops that are refurbished/redistributed?
Yes

6) What are the primary tasks will you be performing with this notebook?
Server Side Programming, Enterprise Application Development, Media, Browsing

7) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places, leaving it on your desk or both?
Both but mostly desk

8) Will you be playing games on your notebook? If so, please state which games or types of games?
Nope

9) How many hours of battery life do you need?
3-4 hours is desirable

10) Would you prefer to see the notebooks you're considering before purchasing it or buying a notebook on-line without seeing it is OK?
Bonus but not necessary

11) What OS do you prefer? Windows (XP or Vista or Windows 7), Mac OS, Linux, etc.
No

Screen Specifics
Standard Resolutions: WXGA, HD, 720p
Actual resolutions: 1366x768 or higher

13) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
Matte compulsory

Build Quality and Design
I prefer Think pad quality for the build having used the same for the last 4 years. [ R51]

14) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
No

15) When are you buying this laptop?
Asap

16) How long do you want this laptop to last?
5 years

Notebook Components

17) How much hard drive space do you need; 80GB to 640GB? Do you want a SSD drive?
Don't care

18) Do you need an optical drive? If yes, a CDRW/DVD-ROM, DVD Burner or Blu-Ray drive?
DVD+-RW is sufficient


The most important aspect for the laptop is the build quality and reliability. I would rather not go for a laptop with issues like overheating or poor quality chassis. It would also be desirable to have a decent space for palm rest near the touchpad. Trackpoint will be a bonus but not mandatory. Keyboard should be equally comfortable since I'll be spending a lot of my time writing code on it.

[hawk1410]

Thinkpad would be a great option but i don't think you can get one in India for a 1000$

[ambasta]

What would be my options if I get one shipped via US. Any idea on the shipping/customs?

Also, I am open to other options like Asus etc

[hawk1410]

Shipping and Customs are pretty high, i inquired about getting the M17x R3 in my sig imported but the final costs came pretty high. I did inquire on price by HIDevolution.com. They had a listing on EBay for a brand new M17x R3 that cost 2500$ and with shipping and customs to India it came to about Rs 1,60,000. That was through Ebay Global Easy Buy, which i think is much cheaper than you having to import personally. You could try Ebay GEB for a Thinkpad. It would be cheaper than it costs in India. Your best bet would be to get it through someone you know. Do you have someday in USA who is close to you and will be making a trip to India in the next few months, then you can ask them to buy the laptop for you and get it along and you can pay therm when they get here.

[ambasta]

So thinkpad is my only option?? What if I was buying a laptop in US?

[hawk1410]

You could look at Dell Precision or Lattitude and HP EliteBook also. But Thinkpad is simply the best in terms of reliability and quality. But the Dell and HP do have better screens.