Am interested in buying a notebook...

1. ..Would like to use it with my nursing instructor job (put my PP lectures on it, etc). Want the latest and biggest, would like CD-rewrite and DVD. Any suggestions / ideas on the best deal? Also, any pitfalls---brands, websites, or stores I should avoid? Any you would recommend??
   Thank you for any and all advice!!:kiss
2. 

   About VickyRN

   Joined: Mar '01; Posts: 12,037; Likes: 6,467
   Nurse Educator; from US
   Specialty: 16 year(s) of experience in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds

   8 Comments

   Topic Closed
3. 
   Nov 30, '02

   Joined: Jan '01; Posts: 3,354; Likes: 62

   I'm writing this on a Dell Inspiron 8200 that I bought about 4 months ago and I'm pretty happy with it so far. (I'm not entirely happy with Windows XP, but that's another thread.) I have the CDRW/DVD feature but to be honest, I've haven't used it much yet. I basically bought this not so much to tote it around with me, because it's definitely not the smallest or lightest laptop on the market-- but as a convenient, portable space-efficient substitute for a desktop computer, which I simply don't have room for. So I went for most of the bells and whistles.
   
   If you like Dell products but really wanted a laptop to carry back and forth to work, I'd go for the Latitude model--they're lighter and a bit more streamlined, designed more for business.
   
   Another thing--Dell offers 10 - 15% discounts to many different organizations. My brother the cop, my brother the commercial airline pilot, and my friend the 2nd-grade teacher all get discounts through their employers. I bought mine through the pilot brother. So it's worth asking family and friends. Makes it a bit more affordable. Plus they're always offering free upgrade deals.
   
   (I swear I don't work for Dell. I just researched this a lot before I finally bought it, and asked a lot of people whose opinions I trusted.)
4. 
   Nov 30, '02

   Occupation: LPNII Clinical Research Coordinator Joined: Oct '02; Posts: 132; Likes: 2

   I have a Dell Inspiron as well...however, I'm on the other end of the spectrum with a 2500....I ordered it last Feb. on line and am very pleased with it's performance and delivery time(10 days) as well as I was able to pick and choose what I wanted included with it. It has the CD and windows xp, etc...I did not own a computer before this so I can't attest to anything other than I am very happy with it!!
5. 
   Nov 30, '02

   Occupation: Critical Care Joined: Aug '00; Posts: 2,629; Likes: 20

   I have a Dell Latitude, I bought mine from e-bay for $450.00 and have been really happy with it. My hubby has a compact presario which we also bought from e-bay for under $500.00, I like my mouse pad better I guess I am just used to it. I am far from a computer wizard but I would suggest you go to a computer store, talk to someone and find out what you want then go home and look on e-bay or yahoo auctions for a better deal. Good luck.
6. 
   Nov 30, '02

   Joined: May '02; Posts: 726; Likes: 17

   dell inspiron 4000 here and i LOVE my computer. don't have the dvd or cdrw but this computer and technical support have been awesome. i have recommended to all my friends to buy dell. they may cost a little more than some brands but to me the technical support in itself has been well worth the cost.
7. 
   Dec 1, '02

   Joined: Jul '02; Posts: 3,872; Likes: 18

   Dude, get a Dell...
   
   Kristy
8. 
   Dec 1, '02

   Occupation: Nurse Educator Specialty: 16 year(s) of experience in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds ; From: US ; Joined: Mar '01; Posts: 12,037; Likes: 6,467

   Thanks for the advice !!!
9. 
   Dec 1, '02

   Occupation: allnurses Asst Community Manager, APRN Specialty: 25 year(s) of experience in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU ; From: US ; Joined: Apr '00; Posts: 53,369; Likes: 26,207

   I have an HP Pavilion ze1210 which I bought a month ago for school. I'm doing online ADN/BSN/MSN and the desktop at home is too slow. So far, so good.
10. 
    Dec 1, '02

    Occupation: Enroute to nursing career Joined: Sep '02; Posts: 124

    I own a Dell Latitude. It has been excellent for the 4 years that I have had it. If I were going to buy another laptop, then I would definitely purchase a Dell.
    
    A recommendation I would like to make is that, if you plan to carry the computer between locations, then you should buy an extended warranty and/or service contract. The AC adaptor and the mouse port get a lot of wear. The same is true of the drive ports if you swap frequently.
    
    
    By the way, do any of you know if Dell still includes a compressed image on the hard drive? I assume they continue to include this feature. You will love it in the event you ever have to re-image the computer. Just a few minutes after you start the procedure the computer is back to the same state as when you first took it out of the box.

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