[Rtech]

hey guys,

Thanks for all your input! Its been a big help. Well, I didn't buy the notebook yet because the price drops have yet to take place. The adjusted prices should be out by next week.

Now, after a lot of research and comparing brands and prices, I've narrowed my selection down to the final 4. They all have a Centrino 1.5, 40GB HDD, 256 min ram and a combo drive, so I'll just list out each of their exclusive traits.
Here they are:
1. Dell Inspiron 600m: Rs.81,500/-
14" screen,bluetooth, Floppy drive, 1 yr warranty covers even accidental breakage! However, they charge a whopping Rs.9000/- PER YEAR for additional warranty cover! And, I'm not too fond of the plasticy feel to this one. But, it does have the best spec for the price IF you exclude the extra warranty.

2. Compaq *V1040; Rs.79,000/-
Bluetooth, SD/MMC card slot, 15" screen. This one has pretty much everything BUT is a bit heavy and also looks shabby (atleast the demo piece i saw). Again, only 1 year warranty with an additional Rs.10,000 for a further 2 years.

3. IBM Thinkpad R50: Rs.86,500/-
Now this is one laptop on which I could only find positive reviews everywhere! It has been picked as best choice by a variety of websites. Unlike Rehaan, I actually like the matt black finish of the IBM. Its something that you know will last and you won't get sick of looking at (IMO). The build quality is in a different league. It has a 15" screen and come with a 3 year warranty. BUT, it is a little large (same as the Compaq) and it doesn't have a serial port (not sure how important that is). No bluetooth either, but I won't really miss that for now I think. As you may have guessed, this is at the top of the pack for me as of now. Damn, almost forgot, its got IBM's HD protection system too. !

Now for the dark horse of the group:
4. Samsung X05 Ultra: Rs.85,000/-
14" screen, no Irda, no bluetooth, no serial or pararell port. BUT, just take a look at one and you'll know what I'm talking about! Its so bloody light! Less than 2kg! It really looks amazing too. Comes with a 3 year warranty, 2 battery packs (3 cell & 6 cell) and the few reviews I could find were nothing but positive. However, i wonder if I'll miss the serial port and the Irda?

Well, there you have it. At the top of the list is the IBM followed reaaaally closely by the Samsung. A distant third is the Compaq and I'm really not keen on the Dell.

The question is, should I sacrifice connectors and irda (on the samsung) for size and weight?

Now to wait for the price drops and see which one is the best deal. The head says IBM but the heart want the X05!

Rtech