Why I’m ready for a new notebook
Summary
Topics
This week represents an interesting confluence of events. For at least a couple of years, I've considered replacing my old clunker of a notebook, a 366 MHz IBM ThinkPad 570. Even our IT department has told me that it's time to retire the system before the hard drive or the display suffers a catastrophic failure.
I've stuck by this system for so long for the simple reason that it fits like a glove. A 366 MHz processor may be slow by today's standards for notebook computers, but it's fast enough. Running Windows 2000 with several applications open simultaneously, the system's performance rarely stands in the way of my productivity. More often than not, the network is my number one productivity killer. Given my deep familiarity with this system's behavior and settings, the thought of upgrading terrifies me.
But now more than ever, I feel compelled to make the leap. It's not the 1.6 GHz speed of Intel's new Pentium M-class processors that is pushing me to give up on my 570. Nor is it the Centrino platform, with its combination of Intel parts. In our reviews, there's no clear evidence that using a Wi-Fi network adapter other than Intel's matters one way or the other.
The dealmaker for me is battery life. In particular, the seven hours of elapsed time that the IBM ThinkPad T40 turned in, with the rest of the test systems averaging four to five hours. This new class of notebooks makes the two hours I'm getting out of my current system look paltry. Over the years, I made some compromises to stay in the three-pound range with a larger TFT display, but having to shut down the computer to change the battery during a long trip (which the 570 makes me do) is a feature I can live without.
But before I tell my IT department that I'm ready to take the plunge, there are still two wild cards keeping me from placing my bet just yet. First are the TabletPCs. I haven't been kind to them in my reviews, but based on what I've seen, Microsoft's forthcoming OneNote application is appealing. OneNote is particularly adept at adding structure to what is otherwise unstructured information, especially those little bits and pieces of data that float around on sticky notes and the backs of business cards. The combination of TabletPC hardware and OneNote software could be a factor in my choice of system.
Of the TabletPCs I've seen, I found the no-compromise notebook/tablet hybrid from Toshiba and the Transmeta-based unit that can switch from notebook to pure slate from Hewlett-Packard the most compelling. If this combination of hardware and software prove to fulfill their potential, TabletPC could be the right choice.
The second wild card is Apple's new 12-inch PowerBook G4. The company first offered to send me the 17-inch version but I wasn't about to lug that behemoth around.
The 802.11g-equipped PowerBook ($1,799 base price, $2,347 for the configuration shipped to me) arrived last week and, needless to say, it was the center of attention over the weekend. The PowerBook is packed with features and its industrial design is far superior to other notebooks. The keyboard is the best I've felt on a notebook. That's right. Move over ThinkPad, which has been the keyboard ruler supreme.
This system oozes multimedia as though it were in its DNA. It only took a few hours for this PowerBook to seduce me into my first DVD-burning project ever. (Although it's only 1.18 inches tall, it has a DVD-burning CD-RW drive.) . No Windows system I've ever owned brought out the fun in computing the way this one has.
While you can burn a few DVDs and rip some CDs, the true measure of the PowerBook will be if it satisfies my business needs and does it better and/or cheaper than Windows-based alternatives.
At this point, I have narrowed my choice to the three options. As I move closer to a decision, I will keep you posted on my progress. And if you're ready for a new notebook, take a look at our Pentium-M reviews.
Are you preparing for your next notebook purchase? Has something caught your eye already? Share your thoughts with your fellow readers using ZDNet's TalkBack below or write to me at david.berlind@cnet.com.
Talkback - Tell Us What You Think
The best of ZDNet, delivered
ZDNet Newsletters
Get the best of ZDNet delivered straight to your inbox
