<p>yes, you can. Even on base models.</p>
<p>What do you plan on using your laptop for? Do you want something really portable, possibly a tablet that you can write on to take notes, or do you want to have something "normal" that's better with graphics?</p>
<p>The Ibooks and Powerbooks with the Superdrive burn DVDs.</p>
<p>Nana, are you aware of how big the screen is on a T350? It's 10''. You don't want that for college.</p>
<p>your right. i think 15'' is better. krazykow: hopefully everything from notes to music to chatting</p>
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Or should i just go for the mac?
[/quote]
Get the Mac. Then laugh at your roomies when their PCs running Windows crawl with spyware. :)</p>
<p>:) I just ordered myself a 14.1" screen from Dell. Happy that I finally have something ordered for a good price. Sony has better quality, but worse prices.</p>
<p>I'll have you know that I have 0 spyware\adware problems. You just need to take care of your computer... Windows XP can be optomized to run on low ram such as 128 - 256mb. If you remove the graphical stuff. That said, this is not windows xp. It is Mac OS which has different operating requirements. For web surfing, email, and word processing it is fine although macs tend to be a tad bit overpriced for what they are capable of. If you are going to be doing something more than the forementioned, then 512mb ram is recommended.</p>
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I just ordered myself a 14.1" screen from Dell. Happy that I finally have something ordered for a good price. Sony has better quality, but worse prices.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Um Sony isn't better quality. The only thing different that makes it so expensive is the tag 'Sony.' ou can get much better deals on another brand laptop such as dell, hp\compaq, and toshiba.</p>
<p>It's my understanding that Sony has much better screens than other companies, but I don't really support paying $500 more for a better screen.</p>
<p>the screens arent really better, they are simply brighter panels.</p>
<p>Brigher (or higher color temp) does not mean better at all. They always make monitors as bright as possible so that when they are on the shelves, you will pick it over the competition but the best quality usually comes when you turn it down to normal levels. The same applies to color temperature. 65000K is the proper whitepoint for almost all applications but monitors default to 93000K because the whites look brighter on the shelves (but everything looks overly cooled and blue).</p>
<p>The Sony Vaio and LCD flat panel screens use "X-Brite" technology which has a native resolution of 1280 x 1024. The screens use a patented 3M anti-glare coating and an enhanced backlight system to give the Sony that "bright" and "sharp" look.</p>
<p>Also remember on the Vaio: to save on battery life, you'll probably decrease the screen brightness...</p>
<p>Nothing about that description makes it sound like anything but a gimick.</p>
<p>I'm not saying that they are bad screens, its just that they are no better than say a samsung panel with "magicbright". Many companies use samsung panels or other high quality panels and simply dont advertise the feature because its not really worth it (pay licensing or make up a new name for the feature). Almost all screens have some sort of anti-glare coating and most of them are patented...</p>
<p>I mean, the apple panels in their laptops are fricking amazing (samsung panels) but they feel no need to advertise the extra features or even the fact that its a samsung panel. Hell, the last reviews I read (of 19 inch desktop LCDs) required the brightness to be turned DOWN to accurately reproduce colors and be comfortable for text reading.</p>
<p>I'm assuming that we shouldn't expect any updates for the Ibook or Powerbook in July correct? I know the switch to an Intel Chip will not be fully complete until 2007, but is it safe to assume that major updates will not occur this month or any time soon?</p>
<p>I'm trying to wait until the last moment before school starts to buy an Ibook.</p>
<p>"looking for a REALLY good one, that would be fast and not prone to all sorts of viruses, spamware, etc"</p>
<p>Nana, your computer (hardware) will not determine how many viruses (software) you get.</p>
<p>Okay honestly you should stop worrying about the update. Just buy what is avaialble now. There's no sense in it. It's like buying a car for example. There will always be a better version right after you buy yours.</p>
<p>True, you should just take care of your computer. If you do, you will have 0 spy/adware problems. I haven't had problems with that in a long time. Using Adaware and Spybot S&D will wipe out mostly anything and using a more secure browser such as firefox helps too.</p>
<p>The quality of a 'good' laptop is perspective. If you want a portable powerhouse then you're going to want a Pentium M 2ghz, 1gb ram, a geforce go 6800 gfx etc and it will most likely cost a lot. For generals use, something 4-6lbs will be fine. You won't regret adding a little more weight for better specs. A Pentium M 1.5-1.6ghz with 512mb ram and decent internal graphics will be plenty for general word processing, web surfing etc. You'll want at least 60gb hard drive with at least 5400rpm. It's really hard to say what a good laptop would be.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Okay honestly you should stop worrying about the update. Just buy what is avaialble now. There's no sense in it. It's like buying a car for example. There will always be a better version right after you buy yours.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm not worried about the switch from PPC to Intel Chip--that will only be completely accomplished by 2007. I am buying an Ibook in the coming weeks regardless. I have already resolved that issue. What I was curious was whether minor upgrades to the existing PPC Ibooks would take place perhaps in the coming weeks. If so, wouldnt you find it advisable to wait until that update? It sounds like common sense to me.</p>
<p>To use your car analogy, hypothetically speaking, would you buy a 2005 version for the same price as an upgraded 2006 version that was coming out in a matter of weeks?</p>
<p>there is always a new version coming out and the prices are always the same.</p>
<p>the question is do you need it now? Sure there may be a new car coming out soon but the car that is out now is still better than the current car (or not having a car) so you just have to bite the bullet and buy it.</p>
<p>I work in a car dealership, hell we still sell old versions when the new ones are in stock, some people simply dont care (or realize that its not really how NEW the car is but how old it is in terms of milage and use that matters).</p>
<p>That is the thing I do not need it now as in this very second. School starts August 24. And yes a new one is always coming out; however, I am inquiring as to whether an upgraded Ibook is scheduled to be released some time between now and early August. I would rather get the newest one available before school starts. Is that impractical? </p>
<p>Think of it as waiting a few weeks because you know a sweeter item is on the horizon for the same price, and that you are attempting to get more for your money rather than trying to quelch your fear of experiencing a "buyer's remorse".</p>
<p>Anyway, thanks for your--ottothecow and fevoldj2--input</p>
<p>I would strongly discourage people from buying Sony Vaio laptops. I got one and it broke on me after one week. Looking online, they have tons of complaints from people with the same problem. Also, they tend to overheat and the XBRITE screen is only helpful if you're using it in bright sunlight. In normal lighting, it reflects too much. In general, vaios are prone to internal hardware problems and their support is bad.</p>