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Found this slower than my Acer One. Also felt Lenovo one to be better than this.

What were your other options and how much will this cost?

Edit: 29k? Great then

Acer has a 14inch with i3, 320GB, 3GB,etc WIn & Home for 34k (exc tax) ) no graphics card though)

I need some, actually a lot of help here. What I currently have is three desktops, one at the office, another at the warehouse and the third at home.
What I intend to do is get all my data on one machine instead of having to mail stuff back and forth from one location to another, especially between the ones at office and the warehouse.

Hence the laptop decision, and the desktops could be backup machines whenever any in the office are malfunctioning. While I have this sorted, the market is loaded with choicesand I'm not very familiar with processors etc. My primrary use is a lot of Outlook, MS office and surfing besides the very occasional gaming.


Following is what our IT guy has forwarded to me, but I'm not really sure about Lenovo's backup, and from my brother's experience HP service is nothing to write home about. I have been suggested the Dell Studio 14 and could do with some reviews of the same, and which would be an ideal processor to choose for my needs.
Budget: Ideally 40K, and could stretch to the 50K for something good.

Description
Lenovo G450-2949 B9Q Rs. 35,250/-
Core 2 Duo 2.2 GHz
3 GB DDR3 RAM
320 GB HDD
DVD Writer
14” LED Display
Bluetooth, card Reader,
Camera, Wifi,
Face Recogniser,
1 Key Recovery
Window’s 7 Home Premium

HP TouchSmart tx2-1005AU Notebook PC (NJ105PA) Rs.61,000/-
Windows Vista® Home Premium
AMD Turion™ X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-72
2.10 GHz
3072 MB
320 GB
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support
4-cell Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery
1.963 kg
22.4 cm(W) x 30.6 cm(D) x 3.26 cm (min H) / 3.87 cm (max H)
802.11a/b/g/n WLAN

HP/Compaq = bad battery life.

Lenovo looks good but I would suggest Acer one for now. You get the latest processor and with Win 7 & better specs than you quoted for Lenovo for 34k. Add 3-4k extra and you get a 512MB dedicated graphics card too.

The Dell machines are a good choice too. For just under 50k you can get a Studio 15 with an i3-350M processor and an entry level 1 GB Radeon 5470 card with the rest being similar to what's quoted above. Their service is above par as well.

Thanks for the rather quick response JK.
I spoke to FR and short while ago, and even he thinks well of the Acer machines. How well are these built though, and after sales service?

Secondly, I just got off the phone with a Dell authorised dealer and here is what he had to offer:
Dell Inspiron 14
4 GB Ram
500 GB HD
I3 processor
Windows Home Basic
15 months Mcafe
12 months warranty even covering physical damage
Loaded with all the other regular stuff such as DVD, Webcam, etc

Price: Rs. 38,000

Same as above with 3GB ram & 320 GB HD, Rs. 36,000

The dealer also mentioned that the main difference between the Studio and the Inspiron series in my regard could only be the dedicated graphics card which he doubts should hamper any of my tasks, true?

Any inputs on the battery life for the Dell Inspiron machines?
Extended 24 months warranty for Rs. 6,850 (I'm guessing worth it?)

manson.

@ manson,
i wouldadvise you to avoid the hp tx1000 series. the swivel screen gets loose and its very annoying. the screen moves back and forth when placed under a fan. i had my screen changed twice while it was in warranty.
moreover, you will never need the touchscreen and the lightscribe. iall 3 years of my ownership, i used lightscribe only once to check how it works. i am telling you this from experience as i have a now non-working tx1003au
and also the amd processors gets heated. there is a known GPU problem with the series.
all in all just stay away from it..please:

Great. Besides I was anyways apprehensive about HP due to their laid back after sales service.
So its between Acer & Dell for me. Build quality, battery life, anyone?

manson.

HP service is not that bad i guess. whenever there is any little problem, they simply replace the parts, hardly any questions asked.. but there are problems quite often.

Guys, need ur help / suggestion / advice on this one :

I have a DELL INSPIRON 1525 which i bought in Aug 2008. Now, since last week, the battery is not charging at all and i have to run the laptop only on AC mains.

What is the life span of the battery ? My usage is very limited and i dont run any graphics or applications, nor do i watch any movies, games etc. Still why have i got this problem ? Should i escalate this problem to the DELL guys ?

I read in certain blogs that DELL battery adaptors have a problem and it could be a problem in the adaptor rather than the failure of the battery. could that be possible, if so, how can i make that out ?

Could you guys suggest how i should proceed to rectify this problem in my laptop ?

a) Buy a new battery ( DELL or Compatible battery) ?
b) Check with DELL service / any other laptop service provider ?
c) Any DIY stuff to find out if the problem is with Adaptor / battery ?
d) Also i think that, a new battery could cost me around 5k.

Personally for me, spending 5k for a new battery has to be the last resort.

Hi,

If you still have some warranty period left, use that to get it changed. I have never heard of dead batteries (not discharged!) coming back to life.

Fake batteries aren't very safe. I wouldn't exactly recommend those. But if you are planning to change in the near future, you can use them as a temporary solution.

Do get your laptop inspected by Dell. Most probably its a battery problem, but do ascertain the same before taking any steps.
Cheers!

The battery on my Latitude died in 13 months and even though I have a complete cover for 3 years the battery came only with a 1 year warranty so bought anew one from Dell. 6K for a 9 cell for the Latitude.

I will be ordering this week for the following Vostro machine from Dell again

Vostro 1320
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo T6670 (2.2Ghz, 800Mhz, 2M 1 L2 Cache)
-Genuine Windows® 7 Professional with downgrade to Windows XP Professional SP3 Edition
Dell Backup and Recovery Manager
Dell Webcam Central Application
3GB (2GB + 1GB) 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM Memory
320GB SATA (7200RPM) Free Fall Sensor Hard Drive
8X DVD + /-RW Optical Drive for Black chassis
POWER DVD 8.3 FACTORY INSTALL
Cyberlink PowerDVD Software media kit
Roxio Creator v10.3 Software (Factory Install)
Mobile Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator X4500M 1 HD
Palmrest without Fingerprint Reader
Dell Wireless 1510 [802.11a/g/n (2x2)
Dell Wireless 355 Bluetooth 2.0 Mini Card for XP
Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 RJ45 socket
6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
No Case - Shipment without carrying case
65W AC Adapter
Internal English Keyboard
Microsoft(R) Works 9.0 (Does Not Include Microsoft(R) Office 2003/2007)
3 Yr Next Business Day Onsite Service
3 Years Telephone Technical Support (9am To 6pm,Monday To Friday)
Dell's Terms and Conditions apply
STD(IN) -Please Call 1800-425-8045 For DELL Technical Phone Support
International Support For Laptops
3Yr Complete Cover [This is the best bit. Any unintentional breakage the part is replaced no questions asked. CC is available only for Vostro, Latitudes and another more premium business laptop series offering from Dell]
Dell Online Backup 2GB
Vostro Handling & Insurance Charges
13.3 " WXGA (1280x800) Anti-Glare Display
LCD Bezel with Camera
Laptop Batteries Carry 1 Year Warranty Only From Invoice Date
ExpressCard Slot, (DOES NOT SUPPORT PC CARDS)

Price for above unit delivered with excise and tax is 49K

Let me know your opinion on the above configuration at that price.

Woah! This is pretty expensive.

Is there a specific reason for sticking with the Business range? You can get a much better spec'd Inspiron for a lesser price.

How is the service of Acer Laptops in India. I am planning to get one from the US.
Is it worth going for Acer or should I stick to Dell/ HP for servicability in India.

Studio even right? @ 36-38k.

Depends on the city you are in. Dell has proven itself to be good when it comes to a.s.s. .

Laptop batteries are costly, 5k or up.

I have shortlisted Inspiron 14R and 15R for my personal usage. Surprisingly 14R costs me 32900 and 15R costs me 31900 without any additionals. Am I missing something in here.

Addons interested :

1 year complete warranty
15 Months McAfee
1 usb optical mouse

Should I opt for a bag or can I buy it outside ?

Expecting to hear from you

Thanks a ton