If I could change what's "typical" about typical laptops ...
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n omore widescreen (Score:5, Insightful)
WTF is up with everything being "Wide" (meaning vertically challenged) screen?
Tall screens, essentially square (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Tall screens, essentially square (Score:4, Interesting)
If you want (or need) a fast scan rate, it appears that that is a limitation in desktop monitors as well. It seem as though the market is catering to folks who'd rather watch some Netflix than get back to work.
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Compared to a business user, where the average user has one computer at work to use.
My wife at her work had her second monitor rotated to Portrait mode, and it's great for displaying d
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My wife at her work had her second monitor rotated to Portrait mode, and it's great for displaying docs, she gets a full page at at time. I had done that to my computer at home, but the video driver did funny things to motion video, so I ended up giving up on that experiment.
That's what I have for my setup at work. Luckily I have a wall instead of a cubicle, so I could drill through the monitor base and secure it.
My biggest problem was closing the lid before ejecting the laptop caused problems with screen resolution with no rhyme or reason, sometimes at home, sometimes when I got back to work the next day. Ejecting before closing the lid seems to have solved the problem. But no amount of tinkering with the stupid Windows 7 features would fix it.
Having to roll my own desktop bac
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I have two monitors at work, one large widescreen (from the model number on the front, it's 23") and a normal 4:3 monitor, rotated to vertical.
I haven't had any problems with graphic drivers or wallpapers, KDE handles it nicely. The viewing angle could be better, although the screen's stand rotates the screen itself isn't really designed for sideways viewing.
My wallpaper for the vertical screen is some 16th and 17th century scans from botany and zoology books, which I found on Wikipedia.
Re:Tall screens, essentially square (Score:4, Insightful)
RGBG Pentile displays generally suck at low resolutions, but IMHO would probably be a reasonable way to get 2560x1600 16:10 resolution on a 12-14" display. At that point, the pixel density is so high, the display's physical resolution almost ceases to matter, and you can just scale your fonts as you please & treat it as a virtual 1280x800 display with zero artifacts if you like, even with a terrible scaling algorithm.
IMHO, 13.3" widescreen is the golden size for a laptop... wide enough for a full keyboard, but small enough to be usable on a plane.
Speaking of the keyboard... put the cursor keys on a T island at the lower right, with delete to the immediate right (but separated by some open space) of Backspace, make 'insert' Fn+Delete (let's be honest... does anyone actually use Insert for anything besides accidental annoyance), then fill the remaining space between Delete and the cursor keys with home, end, pgUp, and pgDn (pgUp and PgDn slightly above the cursor keys, home and end separated from both delete and PgUp/PgDn by open space. Give it two Trackpoint sticks -- one between GHB, one aligned vertically with GHB below the spacebar... both independent (one for mouse movement, one for vertical scrolling and panning). Finally, build the keyboard with low-profile keycaps above Cherry mechanical switches that are sculpted to account for the laptop's rear being angled up by tilt-out feet. I remember a few laptops from the late 80s that had mechanical-switch keyboards, and most of them actually feel better than the crap keyboards that ship with most DESKTOP PCs today.
Oh, and build a real powered USB hub into the power supply. Not just for 5v power, but a real USB hub. And make an optional second display with the same panel that latches onto the rear of the laptop's own display for storage and transportation. On a plane? latched on & stowed. Anywhere else? Unlatch, fold out the legs, pull out the USB cord, and plug it into a port on the power supply to enjoy a second display. Maybe even make a third super-deluxe model that has a second panel hinged with the main panel, so that if you're on a plane you could unlatch the external (now third) display, put it somewhre safe, then tilt up the second screen so you have a pair of 2560x1600 screens. The third display would protect the second when clamped onto it for travel.
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Multi-monitor is the solution for you (Score:2)
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Movies in 16:9 aspect are also best seen on a screen that is 16:10 or higher. You would want the seek-bar to appear below the movie , not on top of the movie, covering it.
Re:Tall screens, essentially square (Score:4, Interesting)
I agree. I want the highest possible screen.
I expect this problem will self-correct in a few years... a lot of people seem to be adopting Apple's new "tallscreen" video standard for home video recording.
Re:Tall screens, essentially square (Score:4, Insightful)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt9zSfinwFA [youtube.com]
Re:n omore widescreen (Score:4, Insightful)
I have no problem with widescreen if there's a decent resolution. It makes putting two pages of document up (or two documents up) easier. I'm pretty satisfied with battery life, speed, and so on, but the screen resolutions seem stuck. I'm hoping that we'll see a good step up from 1920 resolutions this year when the Haswell notebooks arrive.
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I have no problem with widescreen if there's a decent resolution.
Yes, but there isn't. Monitors have less vertical pixels today than five years ago.
Re:n omore widescreen (Score:4, Interesting)
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The problem with high resolution displays is that they use a lot of power. The retina MacBooks have 96Wh batteries to get good life and so are very heavy. For comparison similar laptops have around 45Wh batttery packs for a similar run time.
For now I'd rather have a 1600x900 screen. Less power so the laptop is much lighter, and a higher effective resolution compared to a "retina" display running at 200% zoom. Give it a few years until higher resolution and lower power consumption is available and I'll take
no more widescreen, unless more vertical pixels (Score:5, Insightful)
Better screens in general (Score:2, Insightful)
Both in terms of glare reduction/brightness and decent resolution. As far as I know, a laptop is stuck with the screen it comes with and there are no easy workarounds that are intended to be portable.
The screen in particular because much of the other stuff on the poll is ridiculously easy to fix or workaround, even on existing hardware. This is because you can get spare batteries (or just use the adapter) and exernalize file storage, and things like half-decent wireless computer mice are ridiculously cheap.
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The ipad doesn't have a 2048*1536 screen. It has a 1536*2048.... Hey, wait a minute. I never noticed that! Neat.
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The ipad doesn't have a 2048*1536 screen. It has a 1536*2048.... Hey, wait a minute. I never noticed that! Neat.
I guess you were holding it wrong!
(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Maybe not daylight readable... (Score:5, Insightful)
...but certainly NOT mirror-reflective. Matte screen with higher brightness please!
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Am I missing something? The only matte displays I can find anymore are Lenovo T-series and a few specific Dells. It's just weird.
Re:Maybe not daylight readable... (Score:4, Insightful)
If you tweak the angle so that the bright spot is no longer on the screen, the light source has little to no effect on the picture.
Which, more often than not, means that you have to fold the laptop completely and be done with it. In broad sunshine a washed-out matte screen is definitely more readable than an equivalent glossy screen that is reduced to a perfect mirror.
Glossy screens are completely crap. Their sole purpose of existence is to look nice in the shop to attract "oh-shiny!"-users.
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YMMV is indeed true. I find I don't have a problem so much with the black level causing eye strain, but those moments when the screen is very dark and my eyes automatically focus to twice the the focal length to see my own reflection, and then back again when the screen brightens up, that really tires my eyes out. Must have a word with my boss about that, this reflective iMac screen has got to go...
I would also argue that there is a certain amount of marketing bias behind the majority of laptop screens bein
Re:Maybe not daylight readable... (Score:5, Insightful)
There is only one reason for glass screen on mobile devices: they are easier to clean and finger grease is not as visible. Other than that, they are inferior in every aspect.
Display Resolution (Score:4, Insightful)
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Agreed. I have an external panel permanently plugged in. Yes, it's a 16:10, but there again it is set vertically so I get 900x1440 (hey, I'm cheap) hence have something I can use for document editing... it was either that or fall back to ol' reliable Fujitsu tablet at 768x1024, but that's only a 500 Celeron with 256MB RAM and Windows ME...
Re:Display Resolution (Score:4, Informative)
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Turn your laptop sideways and rotate the screen via the video driver controls.
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...and learn to touch-type with one hand on a sideways keyboard... OK.
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"learn" ? You can't do that already?
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Or you could, you know, get a keyboard tray and external keyboard and mouse. That at least would work at your desk and not cost a lot of money.
Re:Display Resolution (Score:4, Insightful)
... at that point, what's the purpose in having a laptop?
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Turn your laptop sideways and rotate the screen via the video driver controls.
Tried that. Doesn't work.
Most content-based programs are not designed for less than 1024 pixels of horizontal resolution, so you're condemned to do a lot of horizontal scrolling. Or making all your content tiny.
Even worse, most laptop screens are TFT displays built to be seen from a slightly downward angle. If you look at it any other way, there will be color shifts. In particular, if you look at it sideways, then each eye will see a different color and your visual cortex gets to have fun seeing different t
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1366x768 is not usable for any kind of serious work
I agree. Usually, to code, I reduce the resolution to ~1152x768 to please my eyes...
Re:Display Resolution (Score:5, Informative)
I agree. Usually, to code, I reduce the resolution to ~1152x768 to please my eyes...
This is a joke, right? You realize that Windows has had DPI scaling functions for years? (And even if you're using an OS without DPI scaling, you'll get much better results by increasing the font size in your code editor rather than running the panel out of spec.)
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One you get used to the idea that you can simultaneously display multiple source code windows, documentation pages, debuggers and other IDE components on a huge monitor, it's difficult to go back to something as cramped as 1366*768.
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Go to newegg, and search for laptops wiht 1920x1200 or greater resolution, and a screen size less than 17" (which is what many people on this thread have said they had in the past)....
cheapest one: $1549 for Apple MBPr 13.3".
total count: 12 (MBPr's or Toughbooks)
Change lower limit of resolution to 1920x1080...
cheapest one: $799 (Dell Inspiron 15R special edition)
total count: 51
Remove the resolution requirement, and there are 776. So, when the title says "typical", I think they're referring to the 93%, not t
drivers (Score:5, Insightful)
Use only hardware with functional open source drivers.
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Or maybe I am just a regular user who does not want bugs in proprietary drivers to crash his system.
I'd Go With Lighter Weight (Score:5, Interesting)
After using a Samsung Chromebook for my casual evening browsing habits for a few months I find myself loving the light weight. A 3 pound laptop is something I can keep in my lap all evening comfortably, without wishing I had a desk to throw the thing on to give my legs a break.
No Windows OS (Score:5, Interesting)
The #1 most important thing I consider when purchasing a laptop is that it doesn't come bundled with Windows. Luckily these days there are numerous options to purchase from vendors that bundle Linux, if you aren't interested in a Mac. But when I hear "typical" I think Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc. While these vendors sometimes have non-Windows offerings available, it would be nice if this extended to their entire product line. Personally, I would and have paid more for laptops that come without OS.
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You are missing two important points.
The large number of computers sold with Windows is the primary reason for so much hardware and software only supporting Windows, and that is a hindrance for adoption of open source operating systems, even when they are better suited for the task than Windows. Obviously this Anonymous Coward would like that to end. Eve
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That is entirely a matter of attitude. A shift in the balance among operating systems can change that attitude. Why do you say it is stupid to spend money trying to change an attitude, you do not like?
If that is true, then agreeing to those license terms in the first place was gambling your business on a guess about the development of a different market th
What do I really want? (Score:5, Interesting)
Faster boot times. Sure, with SSD I can boot to the Win7 desktop in about 30 seconds, but now that I'm used to that, it's an eternity (My nexus 10 takes over a minute, though...)
Instant on without being pre booted.
Partly facetious, partly serious.
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Why reboot at all? Just use the sleep feature in your laptop.
Re:What do I really want? (Score:4, Informative)
Memory fragmentation was an issue in the early 90's. Nowadays laptops are equipped with CPUs with a builitin MMU and are running an OS that won't work without MMU. On such an architecture memory fragmentation is not a problem.
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Basic modern laptops should come with... (Score:5, Informative)
touch screens! I mean, come on! If I want a touch screen these days I am either stuck with something with 64GB user storage (I mean, that's a TINY portion of my music collection, and fuck all room for other such niceties as being able to stretch my mixing arms!) or I'm paying double the odds on other specifications (500GB hard drive and 6GB RAM is fine for most things, as is a 15" short screen). I can't help but feel just a little bit ripped off.
Re:Basic modern laptops should come with... (Score:5, Insightful)
Upgradabilty (Score:5, Insightful)
Not soldering everything together would get my vote. The option to include a discrete graphics card or better processor at some point after purchase would be very welcome. I have a desktop I keep up to date and use a broken down second hand dell for any work that requires mobility (meetings, class etc) because I see no point in investing in a piece of kit I can't improve later on.
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I maintain a stack of Dell Latitudes and Inspirons for precisely that reason - for the most part, their components are completely interchangeable. The lowest spec machines find homes on my walls as digital picture frames (currently 4 Pentium IIs), the high spec gear (we're only talking 2.0, 1.8, 1.6 and 1.2 P4's) gets various uses from clustering to field work.
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imagination is such a wonderful thing.
What happens to the old computer?
I send it to a specialist recycler for "refurbishment and reuse in Subsaharan Africa". It ends up in open landfill in China, giving kids and dogs cancer. No thanks.
I refuse to take an active role in the utterly wasteful and frankly dangerous throwaway economy, and reiterate my promise to myself to use what I have until it STOPS WORKING.
Better Off-the-shelf Heat Dissipation (Score:4, Interesting)
SSD (Score:2)
They 'FIX' the one thing that ALWAYS sucks in a laptop, the slow-ass laptop drives that manufacturers use to save cash.
Battery! Battery! Battery! (Score:5, Informative)
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RAM! (Score:2)
Most cap at 8 or 16g. Way too little for graphic intensive applications.
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Agreed. I've got 12GB of RAM in my laptop, and I've never hit the swapfile, even though I use some very intensive programs.
I would toss the whole Laptop paradigm (Score:2)
A stylish wearable using 'cloud' functionality for processsing and storage, with haptic and voice input, and visual / voice output with beyond retina image quality that is projected into both eyes in a maskable area while using optical comparison to detect the ability of my eye to see it (avoiding bifocals, etc..) and projecting what Is actually in front of me based on eye position so I don't fall on my butt.
Make them cheaper (Score:2)
I'd make them cheaper
Graphics performance anyone? (Score:2, Interesting)
It is really hard for me to find a decent laptop because it is so rare that they come with a GPU worth using. My current laptop is using hybrid crossfire between an AMD A8 with a 6620G a dedicated 6750M. I got it about a year ago and I can't find anything comparable on the market today. HP doesn't make them anymore, nor anything like them. It is even getting harder and harder to find a laptop with an APU or worth while dedicated card.
easier to hold in one hand (Score:2)
Maybe put a handle or some other ergonomic feature so that it's possible to hold the laptop in one hand while typing with the other.
None of the above (Score:5, Interesting)
Maybe not everyone has the same experience, but I like my current laptop (2009 MacBook Pro) just fine. As a computer service manager, the two things I'd LIKE to see are improved resistance to accidental liquid damage, and better service access. Neither is likely to happen; in the last few years I've no improvement in the former and a dramatic decrease in the latter. Current models are essentially unrepairable.
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I like mine just fine, too, although it is a SchtinkPad W520 . . . 32GB RAM, and a 512GB SSD.
Of course, the best thing I like about it . . . somebody else paid for it! An ancient Roman was asked:
"Which wine do your prefer to drink?"
Answer:
"Wine, that another has paid for."
Just replace wine with laptop. Oh, and drink with use.
Display resolution (Score:5, Insightful)
This applies everywhere, to desktop monitors as well.
I'm typing this on a 1920x1080 laptop screen (17") with another 22" monitor of the same resolution plugged in. These are considered "high-end" for a laptop, and "mainstream" for a monitor.
Sometime this month Samsung is launching a *phone* with that resolution. In a 5" screen. It's commonplace for tablets, enough that the higher-end ones go even higher. And yet laptop manufacturers can't seem to make a 15" screen above 1366x768, judging by most of them.
I remember having a 1024x768 screen back in 1997. Do you seriously mean to tell me we haven't been able to improve monitors beside making them thinner and adding more pixels to the sides?
* I am of the opinion that 16:10 is a superior resolution to 16:9. It works fine for editing, both full-screen and two side-by-side apps. It works fine for gaming. It plays 16:9 movies with minimal fuss. And it even works fairly well in portrait mode, though not as well as 3:4. If it weren't for the fact that it's usually 50% more expensive for a 10% increase in size, I'd use them exclusively.
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Are you concerned about seeing jaggies, or do you want more space for your windows?
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Both.
I realize with the really high pixel densities, you basically have to double the size of everything, but you get more readable fonts and a generally nicer look (also, less jaggies in games and whatnot). But I also want to be able to fit more stuff onto the screen at one time.
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Jaggies, bragging rights, and the the magic word "1080p" is why cell phones have been getting more resolution lately
But given the strange popularity of "full frame" modes in real operating systems, I'm not sure that "real estate" is of concern to OS developers.
Stickers (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd start with removing all those dumb Windows and Intel stickers.
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I'd buy a mac.
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Yes, because an unremovable glowing Apple logo is better than a bunch of stickers that can be easily removed with some goo-gone.
Volume control (Score:5, Interesting)
An Ergonomic Keyboard Would Be Nice (Score:2)
....or at least a non-cramped keyboard for someone with larger hands than a child.
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Standard upgradeable form factor parts (Score:3, Interesting)
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Laptop OEMs have been fighting this kind of thing for years because it eats into their bottom line. Apple seems to be the worst offender: Their "Retina" MacBook Pros offer locked multipliers, no mini-pcie bays, a proprietary flash storage interface and non-upgradable memory. Unfortunately, it's "in" to be like Apple and other OEMs are starting to follow suit.
simple (Score:3)
Really seamless integration with my other devices (Score:2)
I'd like to be able to use my tablet/phone/e-reader/whatever as external displays. I'd like to be able to whip out a small device like a cell phone, do some browsing, and then decide-- hey, I need a screen and keyboard to continue my work-- and switch terminals. I'd like to be able think of your devices as constituent parts of your my own network, and not as discrete computers.
Almost Nothing (Score:2)
It really depends on your use case. Since the question was what I would change, my answer is nothing at all. I've probably had more than 20 "portables" over the years ranging from a suitcase-sized NEC with a gas plasma display to a Toshiba smaller than modern-day tablets. But the Apple Air (13") I have right now is completely perfect for what I want it for. Weighs almost nothing, has a wonderful display, the 128GB SSD is lots as I store most of my data in the cloud, battery life is pretty much all day l
Cooling (Score:2)
Better cooling!
This would positively impact overall reliability and lifespan.
I have had too many laptops die a premature death because of cooling issues. I would really like to see this change.
Standards (Score:3)
video adapters that work with linux (Score:3)
I bought my current laptop because it shipped with Ubuntu. I actually run Lubuntu (which I can't brag about enough), but it virtually guaranteed that I wouldn't have video compatibility issues. My last laptop (from the same manufacturer) had an ATI card that I could never get to perform well (with at least three different distros).
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IIRC most Intel-based laptops are compatible -- the 4+ laptops I've tried on various distros have all done fine, though KDE 4 reports they're unable to blur the background on transparent windows/decorations. (To be fair, the ATI Radeon HD 4225 netbook I used for a while didn't give me trouble, either.)
You might also give your system a try under non-Ubuntu distros like SimplyMepis (my favorite), OpenSUSE, or Fedora. I've heard of a lot of people that ran into hardware compatibility issues under Ubuntu-base
Detest Laptops (Score:3)
I understand the convenience of a Laptop and at it's core it is very functional, but in my vision of the world, a laptop is an extension of the paradigm of tethering people.
Before you bitch at me for this, read me out. This thought line is from a work perspective. When companies started sending people home with pagers and putting people on-call 24/7, they were being paid extra for going above and beyond. But companies saw a way to sell extra hours to the work force through "convenience".
Pager: You can just call the number (sometimes work) if you receive a page and help resolve an issue with a quick discussion rather than drive into work and get overtime pay.
Cell Phone: Can page you and you can be anywhere when you call the number back, or can be called directly, again quick discussion rather than drive into work and get overtime pay.
Laptops: Once you have a reason to, you can quickly connect with work and fix an issue and not have to drive into work and get overtime pay, and you can conveniently work from home if you need to for an emergency.
Smart Phones: You can work and talk at the same time and improve the amount feedback, oh and it's small so you can take it with you where ever you go.
Each of these devices over time have become more and more invasive on the personal / private time away from work. Work has tethered you and you are their lap-dog all in the name of convenience.
Then when people used the convenience to benefit themselves, companies generally say, oh no, you are abusing the convenience.....
So I detest the Laptops because I see it as a long line of convenience tools that just tether you more.
When the end of the work day comes, I put the laptop away secured at work and walk away. My time away from work is my time away from technology and I try to enjoy the rest of the world.
Yes, I can always turn off the phone, or close the laptop, but there is nothing better than hearing, "we couldn't reach you" for true freedom.
Based on my above ramblings, I might be in need of a vacation . ;)
The Software! (Score:3)
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tough ask, the Toughbook's bulk is part and parcel of its ruggedness. I kinda like it.
(I have a CF-M34 (WITH A TOUCHSCREEN!!) and a CF-28, both still in service)
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that can last 6 hours with low-power settings and no wifi enabled,
What's the point of that?
Cut the cords. Both of them.
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Be careful what you wish for.
My laptop is currently idling at 40C, and hits maybe 70C under gaming load (that's with an i7 and a 660M, a combined TDP of 95W). I've never actually put it under a synthetic "full load". But it keeps the temps low by being an absolutely *massive* system. Weighs about four or five kg (that's "ten pounds", my fellow Americans). Or in /. terms, about a third the weight of the old IBM Portable PC, and about 20% less than the PC Convertible.
Oh, and when I'm gaming, the fans spit out
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If only Vertu made laptops!
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Fan noise is not a problem for you?
Re:Battery, for sure. (Score:4)
Radio Shack TRS-80.
I'm serious.
- instant on
- six WEEKS battery life, using COTS (AA) batteries! You can leave it on 24/7 and still get over a week!
- DOS command interpreter
- built-in apps including BASIC interpreter and word processor
- 80 column built-in screen with locking tilt as an option
- built in 300 baud modem
- flash storage built in, optional microdrive/microcassette bay (works with 1.8" drives shucked from USB pods! I shit ye not! I have mine working with a 4GB drive (although I can only access a 32MB partition, boo!))
- full travel keyboard
If you want something a little more... useful... the Atari Portfolio might be right up your street; it's (apparently) fully MS-DOS compatible, it's smaller (about the size of a VHS cassette when closed, or about half the size of a netbook) though it did suffer the problem of short battery life.
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You'd rather have a 16:10 (or 8:5 if you prefer) display and 1680x1050 than a 16:9 display at 1920x1080? Really? You'd willfully sacrafice a small amount of vertical resolution and a considerable amount of horizontal resolution just to avoid a display "optimized for media consuption"?
You, sir or madame, are an idiot. I'd really like to see higher resolutions in laptops, but I'm perfectly fine with wide aspect ratios. More vertical pixels would be nice, too, but I already have moved most things that use of s