Small laptop or tablet recommendation?

[JLMannin]

Not for me, but for a co-worker. I told him I would consult my group of experts and get back to him :)

This would be the mobile computer for his wife who travels A LOT.

Here are the requirements:

Needs to be small - the lighter, the better
High performance as possible (I know there is a trade-off in performance when going small)
Needs to be a PC
Needs to be rugged and durable
Can be either a laptop or a tablet
Cost is not an object

Please discuss, and Thank You.

[cameraman]

Define high performance. Number crunching or video performance?

I wouldn't go below 13" because I'd go nuts trying to use excel on anything smaller.

How about a Fujitsu Lifebook T5010
Windows 7 Pro
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9600 (2.8 GHz, 6 MB L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB)
Dual Digitizer
13.3" WXGA LED backlit display with webcam
Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD
4 GB DDR3 1066 SDRAM memory (Dual Channel; 2 GB + 2 GB)
160 GB (7200 rpm) hard drive
Modular Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD Writer
Intel Wi-Fi Link 5300AGN (802.11a/b/g/draft-n) and Bluetooth w/ Intel vPro Technology
for about $2350

The only real downside to this one is the graphics. It isn't up to 3D games or BluRay video. You will be hard pressed to find a small screen that has a powerful video card.

[JLMannin]

Define high performance. Number crunching or video performance?


Number crunching and Powerpoint

[nissan gtp]

Sony z-series Vaio or Macbook Pro

wait a few days or weeks, with CES, everybody is announcing new systems, and Intel's new I5 and I7 chips are starting to ship

[KLang]

If cost is no object check out the higher end Macbook Air. Add VMWare Fusion and a Windows partition and you can run any Windows apps.

[cameraman]

If cost is no object check out the higher end Macbook Air. Add VMWare Fusion and a Windows partition and you can run any Windows apps.

Meh, I've got data analysis packages that bring Parallels 5 to its knees. If you are going to really crunch some numbers use a bootcamp partition and boot into XP Pro. Bootcamp does not officially support Windows 7 yet although Apple claims support will arrive soon. Parallels can access the bootcamp partition so you can run the partition either way.

Booted into XP pro my MacBook Pro is one of the fastest windows notebooks I've ever seen. But a 17" one does not fit the small & light requirement.

[nissan gtp]

If cost is no object check out the higher end Macbook Air. Add VMWare Fusion and a Windows partition and you can run any Windows apps.

it's light and sexy, but not a great performance system

[JLMannin]

This notebook/tablet will be supported by a corporate IT department, so Macs and dual boot systems are out of scope.

Remember, must be lightweight, so no 17" laptops.

[KLang]

it's light and sexy, but not a great performance system

I don't know about that, Dual Core 2.13GHz and solid state drive isn't too bad for it's size. I do take back my suggestion though, 2 GB memory isn't enough to run a Windows partition.

Doesn't matter anyway, no Macs allowed.

[KLang]

This (http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=notebooks&a1=Category&v1=ENVY&series_name=ENVY15_series&jumpid=in_R329_prodexp/hhoslp/psg/notebooks/ENVY/ENVY15_series) Envy 15 from HP should be a screamer with an i5 processor. :cool: On sale too.

[cameraman]

One of the folks here has an i7 Envy 15. I used it for a while & it isn't very good.

It runs hot and the fans are stupidly loud. It is rare that you can't hear the fans running. The battery life is terrible, less than 2 hours. It comes with a spare 9 cell but that is just more to carry and the charger takes the term power "brick" rather too literally. It doesn't have an optical drive, who wants to carry an external burner?
The display wasn't great, a lot of glare and not very bright. It has an extra vertical row of keys on both sides of the keyboard which really mess with my ability to touch type and coming from years on a MacBook Pro I hated the touch pad's layout. My thumb kept moving the cursor. It drove me nuts.

Yeah it is extremely fast & has a *****oad of RAM but that's about all it had going for it.

[oddlycalm]

One of the folks here has an i7 Envy 15. I used it for a while & it isn't very good.

It runs hot and the fans are stupidly loud. It is rare that you can't hear the fans running. The battery life is terrible, less than 2 hours.

Yeah, the i7 core is drawing roughly twice the power (and dissipating twice the heat) of a core duo which has it's consequences. The bottleneck is always the storage subsystem regardless so having the latest and greatest CPU is meh. An SSD is the best way to get a big bump in everyday use. Beyond that a decent video chip, an efficient CPU and LED back lighting on the display.

I'd probably get a MacBook Air w/ SSD and just load Win7 on it if it was a corporate IT situation and I needed this type of machine.

oc

[JLMannin]

Define high performance. Number crunching or video performance?

I wouldn't go below 13" because I'd go nuts trying to use excel on anything smaller.

How about a Fujitsu Lifebook T5010
Windows 7 Pro
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9600 (2.8 GHz, 6 MB L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB)
Dual Digitizer
13.3" WXGA LED backlit display with webcam
Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD
4 GB DDR3 1066 SDRAM memory (Dual Channel; 2 GB + 2 GB)
160 GB (7200 rpm) hard drive
Modular Dual-Layer Multi-Format DVD Writer
Intel Wi-Fi Link 5300AGN (802.11a/b/g/draft-n) and Bluetooth w/ Intel vPro Technology
for about $2350

The only real downside to this one is the graphics. It isn't up to 3D games or BluRay video. You will be hard pressed to find a small screen that has a powerful video card.

How does the Fujitsu tablet stack up to an HP 2730p elitebook?