Here's a new thread for everyone! If you are thinking of buying something new - a car, MP3 player, camera, computer etc you can post here and ask if anyone already has it, what it's like, and if there are any problems with it etc before you actually spend your hard earned money! I know there's tons of info available on the internet, but there is something nicer about information that comes from friends, somehow.

So, I am looking for a new camera and I quite like the look of the Canon Powershot S3 IS. I've looked around online and at tons of reviews, but I want to hear from anyone who actually has one whether or not it's ok.

Great thread vik,
sorry don't know any thing about powershot,

however would like advise, can anyopne advise me what pen and tablet to buy ?

(Nice thread Vik!)

I've been recommended to get the Wacom Graphire4 (http://www.wacom.com/graphire/) on countless occassions. The "4" relates to the size of the tablet. Likewise there's a Graphire6 too.

See here (http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/97833) for more specs

And here (http://shopping.kelkoo.co.uk/ctl/do/search?siteSearchQuery=wacom+graphire4&fromform=true) for prices.

Hopefully I'll be getting one of these in the next few weeks =)

(And that S3 IS camera looks great Vik, but I'm no expert)

Does anybody have any experience with the HTC pocket pcs? I'm looking into buying an HTC TyTN (a.k.a. O2 Trion and Qtek 9600, depends where you buy it, but the product is made by HTC). I've read great pro consumer reports, but there's nothing like first hand user experience to rate a product.

Any other recommendations on pocket pcs that work on gsm networks?

Wacom are the industry standard jewels - really can't go wrong with them. I know Ozzette had some issues with her pen, but they replaced it for her. Personally, I use an ACECAD Flair.

http://www.rm.com/_RMVirtual/Media/Images/autocadflairusbb.jpg (http://www.rm.com/Secondary/Products/Product.asp?cref=PD61344)

Cost me about $80 AUD - at today's exchange rate that's about £32.83 GBP

I really like it. I t hasn't improved my drawing any - but it's better than using a mouse.

Vik - dunno - I was a big fan of Canon's SLR cameras, but as far as digital goes Kodak is punching out some really great stuff at the moment for really low prices - IF you are not a technophile or camera nut. The advantages of their EasyShare system are great, as you can recharge, transfer pics to your computer and even print direct from the camera.

Recommend getting as high a Megapixel as you can afford, with as high an OPTICAL ZOOM as you can get - Digital Zoom isn't usually worth a pinch of sh♥t in a thunderstorm (or any other time).

(Nice thread Vik!)

I've been recommended to get the Wacom Graphire4 (http://www.wacom.com/graphire/) on countless occassions. The "4" relates to the size of the tablet. Likewise there's a Graphire6 too.


Wacom are the industry standard jewels - really can't go wrong with them. I know Ozzette had some issues with her pen, but they replaced it for her. Personally, I use an ACECAD Flair.
Cost me about $80 AUD - at today's exchange rate that's about £32.83 GBP
I really like it. I t hasn't improved my drawing any - but it's better than using a mouse.
Cheers guys, I didn't realize that they worth that cheap.:razz:
I do recall ozzette having problems with hers, glad they sorted it out,
I will get 1 soon, but was hoping it would improve my drawing skills.
After nearly 2 years I feel I'm almost ready to moved out of the uk easy rooms:embarrassed:

I had a good look at the Kodak EasyShare Z612 - it actually looked quite nice and I was going to buy it - 12x zoom, 6 MP - and image stabilization which is important for me - not too much noise etc. And the price is very nice! The thing that put me off (apart from the fact that whenever I asked any experts they turned their nose up at the name 'Kodak') is that there is no internal battery, which means everytime you charge the camera, you end up resetting the date, time, any preferences etc.

I'm using a Z740 at the moment - 5Mp 10x Optical and (ugh 3 x digital) zoom. It takes the standard Kodak digital rechargeable battery and if you're not in a position to recharge - most department stores and camera shops will sell you a non-rechargeable to get by on.

Experts are just that - experts - they all have their own preferences and biases - just something to ponder - Kodak have been building cameras a lot longer than anyone else has.

Cheers guys, I didn't realize that they worth that cheap.:razz:
I do recall ozzette having problems with hers, glad they sorted it out,
I will get 1 soon, but was hoping it would improve my drawing skills.
After nearly 2 years I feel I'm almost ready to moved out of the uk easy rooms:embarrassed:

Let me state my case first: I can't draw.

With that in mind, I didn't want to spend large sums on a tablet but I did feel more comfortable using a pen rather than a mouse when it came to drawing my stickmen... so I got a Volito. It's made by Wacom but it doesn't have as many features as a normal Wacom tablet, like high resolution or rotation, but if you're mostly going to draw on iSketch, then it will do fine! (Plus it's less than half the cost of a standard Wacom of the same size; they have them on Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wacom-Volito-Tablet-Windows-only/dp/B0009H7XAY/ref=pd_ka_1/202-3235275-7815867?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1174306026&sr=8-1).)

Let me state my case first: I can't draw.



'tis true... Your drawings are a pile of crap :razz:

/me flies off giggling....

'tis true... Your drawings are a pile of crap :razz:

* TempusFugit;73117 flies off giggling....

/me sobs :cry:

I bought my tablet off of ebay for $70 it works well and i haven't encountered any problems yet.. i dont know what brand it is but its 12x6 and it works very well

The PlayStation 3 is being released in the UK tomorrow*. Retail prices are VERY high - Just over £400!!

It seems we're quite slow in receiving the goods over here in the UK.

It would be interesting to see if that kind of money is worth it (which it definitely isn't). Has anyone got one? (In America?)

I for one, won't be getting one. Not yet anyway :smile:

* Subject to further delays

I don't own one, but my brother in law does. I t ' s f r e a k i n g a m a z i n g. Best thing i've ever seen or played with. Try gran turismo 5, can't do without that one if owning a PS.

He also has an xbox360, and it doesn't quite compare in functionality, but it's good to play Ghost recon advanced warfighter.

When I do get one, It'll only be because I want to play GT5 and the latest installment of Tekken, and also the new Metal Gear....

After these games though.... I probably won't play it that much.
Hmmm, maybe I won't get one after all..... :sad:

Thanks for the advice BM - I plumped for the Kodak because of it! I decided I was being silly, getting carried away with names, and decided to save some money instead.

I'll let you know how it is when it arrives :)

Kodak is a very well made brand of camera, i know loads of people that have all different kinds of kodaks, im sure you made a great choice vik.

OK now I would like some CAMERA advice (if anyone has any). I want to buy a reasonably priced slimline digital camera. I want something that I can shove in my pocket when I go out for a few beers or to a function where I don't need my good camera and tripod.

Seems that most of them have 3x Optical Zoom and they range from 5 Megapixies right throught to 8 Megapixies.

Any suggestions? Make and Model with comments so I can go look.

Does anybody have any experience with the HTC pocket pcs? I'm looking into buying an HTC TyTN (a.k.a. O2 Trion and Qtek 9600, depends where you buy it, but the product is made by HTC). I've read great pro consumer reports, but there's nothing like first hand user experience to rate a product.

Any other recommendations on pocket pcs that work on gsm networks?

I have an HTC Charmer. Its pretty low spec for a pocket PC (and somehow t-mobile have managed to disable WiFi SDio...) but its the best damn phone doodad I've ever had. Its a PPC, its a phone, its a mobile internet browser, its an MP3 player, its a movie player, its a camera, its a SatNav, its a games machine (PPC and emulators). Its just pretty damn great.

Can you tell I like it? Had it over a year and not even thinking about changing it. Used to change my phone every few weeks. heh

BM - The Canon SD700 IS Digital ELPH (IXUS 800) has a good review, along with a fairly hefty price tag. It's one of the better silver snappers - it has image stabilisation which is great. It's got 6 MP, 4x optical zoom - a little bit of noise at low ISOs but seems most cameras have that problem. Good little all round camera and works pretty well on auto setting, apparently. Just a bit costly. ~200 GBP

There's a few Panasonics out there which also have IS (yes, I am a big fan of Image Stabilization on digital cameras) The DMC-FX9 has some nice reviews, medium/high priced, 6MP 3x zoom as you'd expect, and a good battery life. There is no optical viewfinder, don't know if that would be a problem. ~180 GBP

The Panasonic DMC-FX10 has the very important feature or being available in pink, yay! It's new out this year, so not many reviews available. I think it's priced a little lower than the FX9, but honestly, I can't find it anywhere but American sites, so maybe it's not available for the rest of the world yet.

Casio also have a kind of IS equivalent called anti-shake. One of their cameras with this feature is the EX-Z700 - an extra MP for a lower price. Good reviews - seems fine. ~150 GBP

If IS isn't your thing, I'd just go for the Canon IXUS 60 (Canon PowerShot SD600). We have had the IXUS 40 for a few years now, and it's a lovely little holiday snapper. Ours has 3.9 effective MP and that's just plenty - we often blow pics up and the image quality has never been compromised even with just under 4MP, so with 6 you're laughing, unless you want to blow up tiny portions of a picture. ~160 GBP

Even cheaper, with the same stats, is the Casio Exilim EX-Z60. Also has great reviews. Anti-shake. ~ 130 GBP

Samsung Digimax i6 also has this anti-shake thing, great reviews and the stars you'd expect. It's the cheapest decent one I have found... but it's butt ugly. Nice and small, though. ~120 GBP.


So, there you go - 7 good cameras to choose from, all with great reviews. All are ultra compact and fairly light so Mrs. Bad wont complain too much when you ask her to carry it in her handbag (pfff shove it in your pocket, yeah right :P) If you're not bringing a tripod, I really would go for IS. I haven't tested this anti-shake thing yet, it'd be worth playing around with one of those casios in a shop I think, to see how effective it is. It's certainly the cheaper option.


For tons of reviews and full lists of specs, see http://www.dpreview.com/ although beware, for some reason they call optical zoom, digital zoom!

Just a quickie....

Does anyone know of some good parental controls to prevent their children from going to places where they shouldn't be on the internet? Also, I am looking specifically at tracking emails and maybe even shadowing their internet activities.

Does anyone know of some good parental controls to prevent their children from going to places where they shouldn't be on the internet? Also, I am looking specifically at tracking emails and maybe even shadowing their internet activities.

There's tons of online nanny services. Here's a list of the most popular ones. Cyber sitter seems to be the best, but net nanny has better features i think, and is about 5 bucks cheaper. All of them include email and site tracking, not sure about proxies though, but they feature website blocking, so you can just block proxy sites. Check the product descriptions and see which one you like best. They all cost $30-40.


http://www.solidoak.com/ (cyber sitter)
http://www.netnanny.com/
http://www.cyberpatrol.com/
http://www.softforyou.com/

Just a quickie....

Does anyone know of some good parental controls to prevent their children from going to places where they shouldn't be on the internet? Also, I am looking specifically at tracking emails and maybe even shadowing their internet activities.
you can always try hovering around your kids:twisted:

There's tons of online nanny services. Here's a list of the most popular ones. Cyber sitter seems to be the best, but net nanny has better features i think, and is about 5 bucks cheaper. All of them include email and site tracking, not sure about proxies though, but they feature website blocking, so you can just block proxy sites. Check the product descriptions and see which one you like best. They all cost $30-40.


http://www.solidoak.com/ (cyber sitter)
http://www.netnanny.com/
http://www.cyberpatrol.com/
http://www.softforyou.com/

Aww.. thank's 2.0!! :biggrin: Cyberpatrol looks pretty good :biggrin:

((hugs))

This may seem like a silly question but i know nothing about computers so here goes........

I'm looking to buy one of those USB flash drive thingies so i can save stuff on it and carry it around with me.
How big should i get it if i want to store loads of photos on it? Would 1GB be enough for say.....100 photos?

I saw this one for a tenner: Clicky (http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/STTS3/3-/2561610/Sony_USM_D_Plus_Micro_Vault_1GB_USB_Flash_Memory_D rive_With_Virtual_Expander_Up_To_3GB/Product.html)

Any help would be much appreciated! :biggrin:

This (http://web.forret.com/tools/megapixel.asp?width=2048&height=480) is a handy online tool for calculating the size of photos.

You can input the resolution of your intended pics and get an idea of the size they will take up.

Also, I personally have given up on USB drives in favour of flash cards. Most PCs I see nowadays have an SD slot, and you can get a teensy little 2GB card for £9.99 here (http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/912163/Secure_Digital_2GB_from_Play_com/Product.html)

This may seem like a silly question but i know nothing about computers so here goes........

I'm looking to buy one of those USB flash drive thingies so i can save stuff on it and carry it around with me.
How big should i get it if i want to store loads of photos on it? Would 1GB be enough for say.....100 photos?

I saw this one for a tenner: Clicky (http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/STTS3/3-/2561610/Sony_USM_D_Plus_Micro_Vault_1GB_USB_Flash_Memory_D rive_With_Virtual_Expander_Up_To_3GB/Product.html)

Any help would be much appreciated! :biggrin:

I suppose it all depends on the quality of your camera. I have a 5 megapixie camera that takes on average pictures that are around the 1Mb size. If you increase the camera quality to 6 megapixies, 7.1 megapixies or even greater, then the the size of the files increases substantially to 2Mb and some are 4MB - I have a mate who has a new digital SLR camera that takes photos in RAW format and the picture files are in the 10Mb vicinity.

A 1Gb USB flash drive is more than adequate and the prices are screaming downhill at the moment, and they have started to drop the price of 2Gb drives as well because some smarties are selling 4Gb and 8Gb capacity flash drives.

What you need to consider is "Do I REALLY need to carry all my photos with me ALL the time?? Or can I get away with my favourites and some new ones?"

In relation to what Ches says about flash cards - it's great to have a 2Gb flash card in your camera and that should hold a swag of files, but I have gone for the option of two 1Gb SD cards and one 512Mb SD card - just on the off-chance that one of them dies.

My new laptop has a port on the side of it for SD cards and that's great - but my work computers dont, so I still use a 256Mb USB Flash Drive and transfer them that way.

Other alternatives are 1Gb micro SD card in my mobile phone that holds MP3 files and pictures and with the built in bluetooth, I can transfer files between that and the laptop. There are also a heap of really cheap and tiny USB SD card readers or even multi card readers fo those whose cameras have different flash cards.

Check these out for only $18 AUS

http://www.ise-p.com/symbol/red%20button.jpg (http://www.mittoni.com.au/flash-card-reader-c-26.html)

I'm sure there are cheaper ones around and available in UK but can't be arsed looking for them.

Thankies very much boys! My camera is 5 mega pixel and i was taking them at a very quality so taking up a lot of room. But i have since scaled them down which means more room!
I think i'll stick with 1GB for now and see how it goes. My computer doesn't have an SD slot so no point in me getting one of those.

/me huggles Ches and BM

Heyhey, I have a question for the ladies here. Boys, believe me, you don't want to continue reading.

Due to some messing around of my contraceptive pill because I want to bring my time of the month forward a week in the longterm (boys, I told you, this one's for the LADIES) I am suffering from the worst PMS I have ever had. Mood swings, depression, crying, confusion, muscle aches, anxiety etc. I don't know how to deal with it, and Mr. Vik just spends his days in fear. This PMS is constant right now cause my hormone levels are all screwy. I read that Magnesium, Vitamin B-6 and Dandelion tea (yukness) can all help with the symptoms. Does anyone here use any of those? Do they work? Does anyone have any other ideas? (Boys, if you are STILL reading this, no smart alec replies). I feel like a different, horrible person right now, like I'm losing my mind. Any advice?

Due to some messing around of my contraceptive pill because I want to bring my time of the month forward a week in the longterm (boys, I told you, this one's for the LADIES) I am suffering from the worst PMS I have ever had. Mood swings, depression, crying, confusion, muscle aches, anxiety etc. I don't know how to deal with it, and Mr. Vik just spends his days in fear. This PMS is constant right now cause my hormone levels are all screwy. I read that Magnesium, Vitamin B-6 and Dandelion tea (yukness) can all help with the symptoms. Does anyone here use any of those? Do they work? Does anyone have any other ideas? (Boys, if you are STILL reading this, no smart alec replies). I feel like a different, horrible person right now, like I'm losing my mind. Any advice?

Any advice for losing your mind? I'd consider eBay. I'm sure you can find a replacement there at a very affordable price. Not sure if it would come with a guarantee though, or unused. Eh.. that was a boyish smart alec reply. I'm sorrrrrry!

On a serious note, sorry you're feeling that way :(
/me huggles Vik tightly x
Btw, my recent one has been very similar to yours, by the sounds of it (which isn't really normal for me. It very rarely happens. But like you, I'm not on meds). I do, however, drink dandelion tea, and I know that it doesn't taste like coke (the legal kind) or any other nice tasting drink, but it does help with symptoms like these :) A few natural herbal teas do that and work for me. It's better than taking more pills to sort it out! Go the natural way, hun. Even if it doesn't taste the best. It's far better than taking pills and facing even more side effects. Eek.

I can vouch for vitamin b6 to vik with evening primrose. i used to have the worst pms ever. not now since having the kids i changed contraception, but i did use the B6 when i was younger.you have to give it at least 6 weeks to get into your system.stay off carbs choc and sweets eeek sorry, xx

Thank-you Tuppence! That's really helpful. Wow, I am going to give my local chemist some business tomorrow!

Thank-you Tuppence! That's really helpful. Wow, I am going to give my local chemist some business tomorrow!

lol. Good luck, hun. I hope your problems get sorted :)

SERIOUS REPLY 1

Evening Primrose Oil - Mrs Bad gets the MCD pretty bad and that seems to work for her. Either that or loads of alcohol. Above all stay away from your significant male member of the opposiite sex.

SERIOUS REPLY 2

Blokes - If your significant female member of the opposite sex is suffering MCD and the Evening Primrose Oil isn't working, find something to do in the garage or shed, this could be sitting reading a newspaper and listening to the footy on the radio, but should involve making the occasional banging, crashing or hammering noise.

Mrs. 2.0 can't take contraception... thyroid issues, hormonal contraceptives could damage her thyroid permanently. But she does something every so often, especially when we don't want her period in the middle of a weekend getaway and such.... I've seen this work about 3 out of 4 times, thus i cannot say it's 100% effective (i'm yet to find research on it too), but she fast forwards her period to 2 to 4 days after finishing ovulation by ingesting copious amounts of cinnamon tea. She boils the cinnamon bark.

Again, i have no peer-reviewed papers about it, but maybe it does something.

Mrs. 2.0 can't take contraception... thyroid issues, hormonal contraceptives could damage her thyroid permanently. But she does something every so often, especially when we don't want her period in the middle of a weekend getaway and such.... I've seen this work about 3 out of 4 times, thus i cannot say it's 100% effective (i'm yet to find research on it too), but she fast forwards her period to 2 to 4 days after finishing ovulation by ingesting copious amounts of cinnamon tea. She boils the cinnamon bark.

Again, i have no peer-reviewed papers about it, but maybe it does something.

Wow, that sounds interesting! I wonder why that is. Can I just ask what made her do this? Like, did she hear of it or was it just a random experiment? That's quite funky, if that is what makes it work :) Gotta love the effectiveness of natural spices.

Awww, try to stay away from caffeine, including coffee and chocolate (yes, chocolate!).Also I'm not sure if it works while on the pill but next time you need to hurry up your period, boil half a cup of red onions in three cups of water til it's reduced to one cup and add a teaspoon of honey. Then take a nice long bath and it should come 24-48 hours later. And yes, it's strange but it works!
I've never heard of dandelion tea but some of my friends use raspberry tea and that seems to work for them.Good luck:smile:

Hmmm lots of teas and infusions suggested... perhaps just hot water might be the thing... lol. But i agree with nerdy, gotta love the frequency of how often herbs actually work better.


Tip for those that get colds a lot. Eat garlic and/or ginger root, be in in teas, alone or in food. And eat it in decent amounts, not just for spice. Both contain potent plant antivirals, and being plant virii a touch more kickass in structure and complexity, influenza is no match against those antivirals.

Thanks to everyone for your advice. Actually, realising there IS a way to feel better has made me feel a bit better :P

I can vouch for 2.0's garlic tip, it's very effective.

No more coffee and chocolate? It's at the stage where that doesn't even bother me anymore.

lol @ Bad - so that's what he's been doing!

Nerdy, I tried selling my mind on ebay months ago, but unfortunately it was defefective and they sent it back :(

/me trundles off to brew up a quick garlic, dandelion, primrose and raspberry cuppa. Yuumm...

Nerdy, I tried selling my mind on ebay months ago, but unfortunately it was defefective and they sent it back :(


/me lost his ming somewhere between canada and venezuela. If anybody finds it on ebay, would you kindly let him know?

* Vik;81759 trundles off to brew up a quick garlic, dandelion, primrose and raspberry cuppa. Yuumm...

Did you actually do that? That sounds gross! I've actually had a dandelion, primrose and raspberry tea (there was something else in it, too.. but I can't remember what. Maybe it was Earle grey...) But not with gralic. Ew :P

* 2.0;81780 lost his ming somewhere between canada and venezuela. If anybody finds it on ebay, would you kindly let him know?

It got washed away in Niagra falls.. :razz: :twisted:

Yes.. ha ha... wait for it... oh my... it was BRAINWASHED!!!! MUHAHAHA

And no, I didn't really do that :P I haven't got any tea yet, will buy it tomorrow.

Yes.. ha ha... wait for it... oh my... it was BRAINWASHED!!!! MUHAHAHA

Haha! Thank you, hun... I now have coffee on my keyboard :twisted:

And no, I didn't really do that :P I haven't got any tea yet, will buy it tomorrow.

Oh good. You had me worried there :P But now I'm wondering what that combination would taste like.. (I would try it, you know. I do weird things like that. o_o) And I'm glad you're gonna go with the teas. I'm not a tea drinker, but I drink herbal teas just for their natural benefits. I'm not too fond of meds, so given the opportunity, I try to avoid them when I can.

It got washed away in Niagra falls.. :razz: :twisted:

OH NO! My ming!

I'm gonna miss my little chinese friend.

OH NO! My ming!

I'm gonna miss my little chinese friend.

It's Ok - I saw him on the telly doing a cooking show.

http://www.ming.com/newsite/MingHeadMed.jpg

:eek:

Am I the only one who doens't understand that?!

Ohhh, I never even noticed that first typo!

/me claps Tasha's powers of observance

It's Ok - I saw him on the telly doing a cooking show.

He used to make the best dumplings in the world. I'm so happy he's made a career out of that.

WTFLOLROFLMFAO @ typos.

/me lets out a barely audible titter XD

Does anyone know anything about HP laptops? I'm thinking of buying this (http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Processor&v1=AMD&series_name=tx1000z_series) tablet pc but with the optional 2ghz AMD, 1gb nvidia vga card and 2gb ram. I just need an overall opinion on HP computers, if anybody knows at all.
Thanks.

EDIT:
I have an HTC Charmer. Its pretty low spec for a pocket PC (and somehow t-mobile have managed to disable WiFi SDio...) but its the best damn phone doodad I've ever had. Its a PPC, its a phone, its a mobile internet browser, its an MP3 player, its a movie player, its a camera, its a SatNav, its a games machine (PPC and emulators). Its just pretty damn great.

Can you tell I like it? Had it over a year and not even thinking about changing it. Used to change my phone every few weeks. heh

I just noticed you posted this, what an idiot. I didn't buy it in the end, it was a bit too expensive. But thanks for confirming the HTC thingies are nice to own.

I am serious about the computer though, wife's getting serious on her freelancing and she's using the G4 a lot, thus leaving me with my old jabba-the-hutt PC and i wanna have something portable i can play good games with.

Brighter has an HP you might want to ask her when she gets back

I have an hp and it's still going strong after alot of use in two years. I have alot of complaints about how quickly the battery's deteriorated but I've been told that's my own fault. Apart from that, I'd recommend it any day :smile:

2.0 typed ming instead of mind..
& ming is all chinesey..
So BM got a picture of a chinese person.

o_O
That's how I saw it anyway. :eek:

WD tasha but he's not just A Chinese person he's Ming Tsai from the TV cooking show Simply Ming.

Does anyone know anything about HP laptops? I'm thinking of buying this (http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Processor&v1=AMD&series_name=tx1000z_series) tablet pc but with the optional 2ghz AMD, 1gb nvidia vga card and 2gb ram. I just need an overall opinion on HP computers, if anybody knows at all.
Thanks.

EDIT:


I just noticed you posted this, what an idiot. I didn't buy it in the end, it was a bit too expensive. But thanks for confirming the HTC thingies are nice to own.

I am serious about the computer though, wife's getting serious on her freelancing and she's using the G4 a lot, thus leaving me with my old jabba-the-hutt PC and i wanna have something portable i can play good games with.

HP is reasonably good product - they bought out Compaq and took some good ideas.

If you are looking at the smaller size laptops with a 12.1" screen like that one you linked to, then the Dell XPS M1210 (http://www1.ap.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xps_m1210?c=au&cs=audhs1&l=en&s=dhs) is pretty bloody good - that's the one I have.

Although I have to say - it is small but I wanted a LAPTOP and not a desktop replacement or Plasma Screen TV, which is what some of the bigger notebooks seem to be heading towards.

I went for the amped up graphics card as well as 2Gb RAM and the built in bluetooth module (invaluable for sending ringtones as well as exchanging pictures and sound files between it and my Motorola V6Maxx). I also packaged it with a wireless router so BM Jnr can play Counterstrike on the main desktop while I access MSN Messenger, my emails and files (and of course the forum and iSketch) from the bedroom or living room or even in the garage when necessary:biggrin:.

/me hugs her HP

2.0 you know I have beat the bajeebies out of this poor HP and still is going strong. I love it!

Outstanding choice BM, and i do have certain feelings for dell, as i've had a dell inspiron 3500 with a 200mhz processor, 128mb ram and a 2gb hard drive as backup since 1996... lol.

Optional:
256MB NVIDIA® GeForceTM Go 7400 with TurboCache Graphics Card.
Requires 9-cell extended battery for optimal battery life

see now that's what i'm looking for, a decent geforce card. I recentely burned out a 128mb xfx vga card on a desktop, it wasn't any good.

But i'm leaning towards that particular HP one mainly because of price (+$1500 for dell vs ~$1300n for HP).

I know Dell is kinda reliable (well, not according to my brother, who used to work at dell), and not knowing what HP was all about i was wondering. I'll take brighter's word though.

I heard HP somehow jumped in bed with compaq, and i must say that all my experiences with compaq ammount to me concluding they're steaming piles or crap. But that's my experience, maybe other people have had good experiences with compaq. Hopefully HP's association with compaq hasn't infected HP with compaq's lack of quality assurance at their factories...

Any other suggestions?

my Dell is very slow... i dont really like it at all.. its an inspiron b130 and i just bought it because of school.. ive called dell a couple of times with some problems and they didnt help me out much..

my Dell is very slow... i dont really like it at all.. its an inspiron b130 and i just bought it because of school.. ive called dell a couple of times with some problems and they didnt help me out much..

You probably called the service centre in Kanata, a suburb of Ottawa in Canada. That's where calls were redirected to after they closed the trieste centre in Delhi in India and moved their operation to canada after many many complaints from users. Trieste handled all calls from S. America and N. America. Europe calls went to Ireland. Not sure where everybody else went.

My brother worked at the kanata trieste, which later was called convergis (a contractor for phone services, from tech support to phone surveying). My brother used to complain about misleading advertising and people thinking they'd get full tech service with their warranty but Dell's warranty only covers hardware (something that if anything goes wrong you'd have to ship it back to dell anyway). So 10% of calls were told to ship their computer, ther other 90% had software problems and in the end they'd have to pay $50 extra to get software tech support. The manual didn't allow him to help users, his job used to be to tell people they had to ship if it was hardware, pay if it was software rofl. He hated it.

im buying a new computer for school, and i dont know what kind i want yet, but i want something with a lot of hard drive space and that will go faster than i can

im buying a new computer for school, and i dont know what kind i want yet, but i want something with a lot of hard drive space and that will go faster than i can

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaac!
Oh sorry.. we've already had this discussion. :embarrassed:

lol, last month someone on isketch came on with Dell in their name. And kissed me. You have no idea how much joy it brought to me to say, "I'm sorry, I'm a mac. I don't swing that way ;)" to them :P

Have fun browsing the macs. :D

im buying a new computer for school, and i dont know what kind i want yet, but i want something with a lot of hard drive space and that will go faster than i can

Anything without vista is a good start

without vista huh?

whats wrong with vista?

without vista huh?

whats wrong with vista?

The short question would be what's right with vista :twisted:

The short question would be what's right with vista :twisted:

but the real question is whats wrong with it...

I wasn't going to touch Vista with a 10 foot barge pole... they haven't ironed out windows XP yet lol

whats wrong with vista :sad:

i just want a straight answer :sad:

Anything without vista is a good start

maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaac :razz:
whats wrong with vista :sad:

It's a poopoohead. :twisted:

i just want a straight answer :sad:

You can't get a straighter answer than that ;)

but the real question is whats wrong with it...

Pretty much everything. It's a pile of poop that doesn't work

Vista has more bugs than your back garden :/

Mr. Vik has Vista on his new comp (provided by his company so he didn't get a choice) and he hasn't had a problem with it so far. I think one of the biggest problems with it is that people assume it will be crap, lol. Oh, which reminds me of a joke of sorts - Microsoft Works - Oxymoron or Programme? lol. Anyways I used my google-fu and found some of the problems for you.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2104022,00.asp

http://chris.pirillo.com/2006/05/28/65-more-windows-vista-mistakes/

http://www.crn.com/software/197006899


So there ya go, but as I said, Mr. Vik has had no probs so far :)

I've heard there are alot of compatability issues with alot of programmes, is that not true then Vik?

Well, that's mostly the content of the links I provided. In the first one, some solutions are also given.

im buying a new computer for school, and i dont know what kind i want yet, but i want something with a lot of hard drive space and that will go faster than i can

Seeing that Vista is as good as Win Me, maybe a step back like we did 8 years ago is in order? I switched my windows Me pooter to 98 until win 2000 came out just a few months later.

So, you could go with XP professional SP2, it works fine.

Seeing that Vista is as good as Win Me, maybe a step back like we did 8 years ago is in order? I switched my windows Me pooter to 98 until win 2000 came out just a few months later.

So, you could go with XP professional SP2, it works fine.

I think im going to go with MsNerdinators advice and go for a mac.. try something different, and i've heard that they're very dependable

Mac's are weird :eek: And you do realise that she gets commision everytime she talks about it...man she must be rich!

Mac's are weird :eek: And you do realise that she gets commision everytime she talks about it...man she must be rich!

lol @ commission! (did I spell that right? two s's look wrong..)
And I get a larger commission when I stretch out the word. maaaaaaaaaaac.. :razz:

Mac's aren't weird :(
They do work very differently to regular PCs and Windows layouts, but they're well worth the hassle in getting used to using it. I love my baby. :D

Anything without vista is a good start

without vista huh?

whats wrong with vista?

I saw this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80sWifG40B0&mode=related&search=) and just had to post it. :razz:

I saw this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80sWifG40B0&mode=related&search=) and just had to post it. :razz:

/flirt Mac Man

/me swoons.

Ok. That said. I have Win Vista on my other computer =P I've had no problems. It often actually just amuses me because it's like Windows, macafied. Anyway =P XP is still great! Havent had any security check everything problems, like on this ad. Still plan to buy a macbook though, so lol... Not sure what THAT tells you about my love for windows programing ;)!

/flirt Mac Man

/me <3 Mac Man

/flirt Mac Man

/flirt Mac Man

* b...;93399 <3 Mac Man

lol, I think I've come up with a Christmas present for you ;)

Okay, I shouldn't bash Vista since I haven't used it. But I've had Windows XP (both eds). Err.. what else.. Windows 2000andsomething..
And it all gave me a great deal of stress, especially when it came to projects for college. :(

I've screwed around with all windows versions. Ooh yes, ever since 3.11. I'm not going to bash windows because i'm extremely proficient at it. But i learned how to use a mac faster. Still the no games deal truly sucks. I wanna be able to play BF2 or lost planet dammit!

Max Rox! XD

/me does Mac-dance with Nerdi and b.

My PC lineage went XT-10Mhz, 486-33, 486-66, P-133, P2-300, Athlon-800, AthlonXP-1400 laptop, P4-3GHz... so I certainly know their ins and outs. Then early last year I grabbed a Mac Mini Core Duo 1.66GHz as an experimental foray. Holy mackerel, rox ya sox off! Couldn't get me to go back now.

Since then the Mini's been re-jiggered to my LCD TV as a media centre, and am now screaming along with a Core 2 Duo 17" MacBook Pro. Phwoar! :twisted:

If only the powermac G5 wasn't quite as expensive... i swear i'd marry it, just becase it has a nice pair... of xeon processors. And the RAM! It's bliss in a silvery metal box.

...the powermac G5... has a nice pair of xeon processors.
Erm, that's a bit of a contradiction in itself :D

The G5 was the IBM processor in the last of the "power" Macs before they switched to Intel Xeons. But yes, everything else you said stands... 8 processor cores... 16GB RAM... faaaaaaaaa--! That's some serious grunt.

Erm, that's a bit of a contradiction in itself :D

The G5 was the IBM processor in the last of the "power" Macs before they switched to Intel Xeons. But yes, everything else you said stands... 8 processor cores... 16GB RAM... faaaaaaaaa--! That's some serious grunt.

Yeah i know, but they still call it a powermac g5 don't they? Semantics really, but i bet that thing is a monster.

At work we have 2 workstations, i think they're dell dimension xps thingies. They are almost like that G5 i want, 2 duo core processors, about 10gb of ram, and that one's awesome, i can't begin to imagine what the g5 is like.

but they still call it a powermac g5 don't they?
They certainly do not! :twisted: They can't very well call it a G5 when it doesn't have a G5 in it any more, and more to the point, a new CPU from a competing manufacturer. It's now the "Mac Pro". :D

They certainly do not! :twisted: They can't very well call it a G5 when it doesn't have a G5 in it any more, and more to the point, a new CPU from a competing manufacturer. It's now the "Mac Pro". :D
Ah i have been educated!
Thank you for your wisdom master...

/me is a puny grasshopper. :razz: