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[history_grrrl]

I know there are other threads on laptop replacement, but there's something specific I'd like more information about.

My laptop (Dell Latitude) finally died over the weekend. We had 6 1/2 very satisfying years together, so I'm okay with it. I used it in a desktop-like setup at home and occasionally took it on the road. But it was heavier than I would have liked.

My uni has one of those exclusive arrangements with Dell, so I'm looking at various Dell options for replacement. I see a couple of lightweight possibilities in the E-series (I'm steering clear of Inspiron, based on what I've seen on other threads). But when I did a sample customization online for one of these, increasing the memory, the end product included a 6-cell battery (the standard is 3-cell). I need to watch for this sort of thing because it's my understanding that this will add weight; am I right about this? And is there anything else that will add weight that I should know about? I want to avoid ending up with something that's noticeably heavier than I think it will be.

For some reason, our IT people seem unable to help me with this issue. I suppose if I played the "disability card," they might take notice?

Thanks!

[_touchedbyanoodle_]

The Dell website has a "click to chat" option as well as contact numbers. I'd contact them directly with these questions.

If you do contact them, I'm very curious to know if they were helpful.

[infopri]

If you're going to be relying on the battery much, you need the six-cell.  In fact, I found the six-cell to be insufficient and was planning to get a nine-cell this time around (I regretted not getting it last time) when I found that the "slice" battery is now available, and it brings a hugely significant increase to battery life.

So, as it does with all things concerning laptop weight, it comes down to the question of whether it's worth it to you.  It's a trade-off.  Do you want your laptop to weigh less, or do you want to be able to use it for a longer period of time?  Because that's the choice you're making.  When you think about it in those terms, the decision becomes much easier.

[burnie]

Check out the XPS too.   I have a 13" and even with a super battery, the computer is small and light enough to live in my shoulder bag.   In fact, I think the charger is almost as heavy as the laptop...at least it feels like it.  Fortunately it's a six hour battery so I don't often need to have the charger with me.

[history_grrrl]

Good point, infopri. I think the weight may be more important; it's a medical thing, but also when I'm traveling, I will almost always be working on the laptop in a place with outlets (archives, libraries, etc.).

[tee_bee]

Given university IT and purchasing policies, this comment may not be very helpful, but I bought a Mac Air for reasons similar to yours, h'grrrl. If you hate the Mac OS, you can install Parallels and Windows and keep going with windows programs (and, with the new OSX Lion, you have every reason to hate the Vista of Mac OSs....). The downside, of course, is that the Mac Air is remarkably expensive, but it's oh so portable, near-instant on, long battery life. It's so easy to tote that it really has boosted my productivity because I can do a quick 30 minutes of work because I don't, as with my Win machines, have to wait forever for bootup.

Also, Intel has introduce a specification for a new type of "ultrabook," which will be thin and light like the Air, and likely cheaper; few of these have hit the market, however. Dell's product looks promising: a 13" XPS 13, details at http://www.dell.com/content/topics/topic.aspx/us/segments/dhs/xps13_teaser?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&ref=hbn2

They say it will come out in February--it might be worth holding out. Word is it "starts" at <$1000, although the machine you want may be closer to $1700 when all is said and done. If I didn't have an air, I'd be all over this Dell machine.

[pigou]

The Air does boot up nearly instantly because it has a SSD (solid-state disk). This is something I'd no longer compromise on. In fact, I replaced my desktop's harddrive with an SSD and it was like having an entirely new computer in terms of performance improvement. I *strongly* recommend picking a laptop that comes with an SSD or at the very least allows you to put in an SSD of your own.

While you might always work in locations with access to a power outlet, remember that the charger is often rather heavy, too. It's one more (bulky) thing you have to carry around. A slightly heavier laptop could be preferable if you don't spend more than 5-6 hours in the library, so that you can leave the charger at home.

Not having a DVD player will also cut down on the weight (and usually the thickness). As long as you have access to a desktop (from which you can stream DVDs to your laptop), there's usually no reason to have a player on your laptop as well.

[hegemony]

My MacAir weighs 2.2 pounds.

[larryc]

Netbooks are lightweight, have great battery life and all the power a historian needs. If the smaller keyboards are a problem, there are 11.6" netbooks that have roughly the same weight and form factor as a Macbook Air but cost less than half as much: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_1?rh=n%3A172282%2Ck%3A11.6%22+netbook%2Cn%3A!493964%2Cn%3A541966%2Cn%3A1232596011&bbn=541966&keywords=11.6%22+netbook&ie=UTF8&qid=1327780626&rnid=541966

There is also a new category of "ultrabooks" that are PC equivalents of the Macbook Air, (including price). Search for ultrabook and you will find some lovely, pricey machines.

[tee_bee]

The Air does boot up nearly instantly because it has a SSD (solid-state disk). This is something I'd no longer compromise on. In fact, I replaced my desktop's harddrive with an SSD and it was like having an entirely new computer in terms of performance improvement. I *strongly* recommend picking a laptop that comes with an SSD or at the very least allows you to put in an SSD of your own.

The instant bootup is a life-changer. I can go from working, to laptop closed, to working again on my air in seconds. Not having to weigh whether it's worth it to fire up the machine to do 10 minutes of email (after three minutes of boot time) is really great. Sure, yeah, Win7 and hibernation exists, but is flaky.

I've barely used the external DVD drive--I rent movies from iTunes or stream from Netflix, and with the App Store, everything I want to install is pretty much a download. This is becoming more true of my Win7 PC too--last night, I downloaded and installed Microsoft Flight Simulator X directly from MSFT. It was huge, and took a long time even on my fast internet connection at home (45 mbps), so this may not be everyone's cup of tea yet. But the optical drive may be going the way of the floppy pretty soon.