Hi Everyone,
I'm doing some travelling next year and I was looking to get a laptop. The requirements I have are:
Thank you for any suggestions you can offer! :)
I'd prefer a laptop for the keyboard quality, the tablet keyboards I've used in the past have been poor. Have you had any good experiences with tablet keyboards? If so, what would you recommend?
I have a Bluetooth keyboard that I take along but I find that swiping is good enough for composing email.
Thank you for your help, I have a lot to consider
Are you going to have regular WiFi? If so, consider a Chromebook if those are your conditions.
I will usually have wifi, but not always. What are the advantages/disadvantages of a chromebook?
Chromebooks are usually maintenance free as they just run Chrome browser in Linux. They are light weight, usually have long battery life, CPU is usually under-powered (just fast enough for websites / webapps) and often quite cheap especially with upcoming Black Friday sale. If what you need to do is mostly done inside a browser, then Chromebook would be a good choice. Many Chromebooks are designed for the education sector so quite sturdy as well.
However if you have specific desktop programs you need to run, then Chromebooks won't be very useful. Most good Chromebook offers are on Amazon so no local warranty either.
Thank you guys, I'm not too keen on a chromebook, but appreciate your input :)
After travelling for 6 months I'd recommend an iPad, does the job perfectly and if you ever need a computer theres a internet cafes everywhere. Advantage of an iPad is obviously its small and light so easy to carry around in comparison to a laptop.
Thank you, I will do some research into it, I might be leaning towards a tablet as they should get more bang for my buck :)
ASUS E200HA
Intel Atom Quad Core Z8350 CPU, 2GB Memory, 32GB eMMC Storage, 11.6" HD (1366x768) Display, Micro HDMI, 1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0, Windows 10 Home
12+ hours battery. Get a 64GB or 32GB microSD for extra storage as 32GB given is tiny.
$259 + Postage
https://www.computeralliance.com.au/asus-e200ha-fd0010t-11.6…
980 grams
Thanks Blah, I will have a look into this option. It's either something like this or a tablet if I can get a good keyboard setup.
If you are going for a tablet. Stick with the same eco system as your phone. Ie If you use an Iphone get a Ipad. If you use an Android phone seriously consider Samsung Galaxy TabS2
I have a Lenovo with very similar specs to that and use it for travel.
It's great. The advantage over an ipad is that you can type on it, you can also plug in a camera and put photos on it. You can also alter them with paint and The Gimp or whatever.
The disadvantage over an ipad is that they are a bit heavier and the battery life isn't as good.
You could also get an HDMI cable and use the laptop on a TV to watch things.
I also take a Kindle to read with. The battery life on them is superb and they are great for travelling.
Thank you for that perspective, it gives me even more to think about! :)
Get a Lenovo in the upcoming OzBargain 10 sale or a cheap Surface
Thanks Savas, do you know when the OzBargain 10 sale is going to be on?
Terrific, thanks Savas!
I've got this one and it should meet all your criteria and well below budget
http://www.officeworks.com.au/shop/officeworks/p/hp-stream-1…
With just 2 Gig RAM, low res screen and a dual core celeron? It would need to be ~ 1/2 the price of a Pendo tablet + 10 target bluetooth keyboard to make up for the lack of a touch screen…
Except it runs Windows 10 so you shouldn't be comparing it to a budget android tab. I run Acrobat, Office and Chrome on it without a hitch.
First point, who mentioned Android, although for what the OP wants:
"Will be mainly used for emailing and web browsing"
a chromebook would be quite capable especially if he had Android apps already as most of those are now useable on ChromeOS.
What your suggestion would * not* be good for would be having multiple tabs open, especially if they were video or graphic heavy, such as most web pages. The machine I use for YourTube and showing two bus timetables on a second monitor has similar specs, and needs to be run in incognito mode to stop it buffering often after a short period of constant use - that was after upping it to 2 Gig, at 1 Gig it would lock up and take up to 15 minutes to even close a browser window as it desperately tried to juggle swap, video and a sliver of free memory when hit with a particularly heavy bit of Flash ad or graphics.
Email and office I can believe, as long as you don't want publisher.
Just in is this one:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/276109
If the OP is unfortunate enough to need to use assistive technologies, at least Microsoft are generous enough to let them update to Win 10 for free still, though they have stopped desperately begging us too…
@terrys: Sorry, I didn't realise Pendo was making Windows Tabs now…are they any good?
I'm not sure what device you are using but the HP seems to cope pretty well with multiple tabs and apps open at the same time. I've never had to use your incognito trick to get it to work! I don't use publisher but can't imagine the OP will be using it either. The screen is a bit naf but they all are at this price point. The keyboard and trackpad are nice and the speakers are loud. It's compact, light and lasts 8 hours plus on a single charge which is perfect for travelling.
chrome book(s) are pretty basic but will do 99% of what your after for around $200 (they had an offer last week that worked out to that for the HP Stream 11-r008tu )
http://www.harveynorman.com.au/computers-tablets/computers/l…
Why not a tablet? They are usually lighter than laptops.