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Your Opinions on ASUS laptops? [WARNING: other brands mentioned too ;)]

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  • #76
    Originally posted by StarG View Post
    I am quite happy with my recent acquisition: Sony VAIO Z17 which I bought at SIN T3.
    Nicely sized, good performance and more than enough HD space.
    Much nicer processor than the TT, but about a pound heavier. Tough choices. I THINK I can hold out until January's MacWorld, where the MacAir should be changed again (titanium bottom and perhaps some extras as Sony is now kicking their A$$).
    HUGE AL

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    • #77
      Originally posted by HUGE AL View Post
      So which one did you opt for?
      I originally wanted one of the new MacBooks as I don't need what's found in the MacBook Pro, i.e. higher speed (I basically just use IE, Word/Excel and Winamp), graphics performance (no gaming here), FireWire (no devices) and an ExpressCard slot (again, nothing).

      The current MacBook Air seems anaemic and a bit too much of a compromise, i.e. the slow processor (although probably suitable for what I do), small hard disk (more of a problem nowadays given the increased usage of digital cameras), the lack of a built-in DVD drive (I get documents at work in this format) and - my biggest bugbear - a battery which can't be swapped out.

      And I don't particularly have any strong need for the small size of the MacBook Air. I've been lugging around for the past couple of years my work laptop (a Sony 17" 2GHz VAIO) which has been road tested over about 150 flights and I find it a bit too heavy to be comfortable.

      So in the end I went for a MacBook Pro for the 15" screen (which I hope will be an acceptable compromise between my current 17" and the MacBook's 13") but, for future proofing (so I tell myself ), maxxed out the specs offered by Apple to the 2.8Ghz 4G; 7200-rpm 320G hard disk model.

      I'm looking forward to being able to run MacOS X and Windows application side by side! The best of both worlds hopefully.

      (Not everyone agrees. My brother takes the view that I've overpaid for a MacBook Pro compared to a cheap HP (say) with the only advantages being the ability to run MacOS X (without a hack) and an Apple logo stuck on the front!)

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      • #78
        jhm, do you really need the IE and Windows? Other than Visio, I haven't found much of a need for MS's OS. And Firefox + Safari run much cleaner.
        HUGE AL

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        • #79
          Frankly I find with parallel computing going more or less 'mainstream' through the use of software like Parallels, the ability to run Mac / Windows programs direct from OSX is very compelling.

          There has also been a fair volume of consumers who install Boot Camp and essentially run Windows on their Macbook / Pros. Performance-wise, it might surprise some to see that Apple's products run Windows faster than the majority of mainstream PC producers ala HP, Dell, Lenovo etc.

          I'm waiting for the next iteration of Apple's Macbook Pro officially with their Snow Leopard OS (which I understand is being pushed forward for a launch in 1H '09) before I jump and 'switch'. I anticipate that I'll still be using Windows on a Mac for the majority of the time, or at least using software like Parallels if I need to use Windows software for work purposes in order to enjoy the superior Mac OS. Apple has far outpaced Windows in the OS innovation department and Vista just ain't delivering. I'm not confident that Windows 7 will deliver either.

          Oh, and Sonys are sexy coz of their Blu-Ray drive, but really - on a screen that teensy-tiny, I fail to see the point as even plugging it into my 27" LCD will undoubtedly cause Blu-Ray movies to lag and delivery choppy playback.

          Just my 2 cents.

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          • #80
            Originally posted by Kyo View Post
            Performance-wise, it might surprise some to see that Apple's products run Windows faster than the majority of mainstream PC producers ala HP, Dell, Lenovo etc.
            This is very true. I have the eight core running in my office with dual SAS drives configured in a RAID1 with 8GB of RAM. I would have to slow the machine down to run Windows as it's too much power.

            Originally posted by Kyo View Post
            I'm waiting for the next iteration of Apple's Macbook Pro officially with their Snow Leopard OS (which I understand is being pushed forward for a launch in 1H '09) before I jump and 'switch'.
            Kyo, see here:

            http://www.macrumors.com/2008/11/18/...ue-in-q1-2009/

            Originally posted by Kyo View Post
            Oh, and Sonys are sexy coz of their Blu-Ray drive, but really - on a screen that teensy-tiny, I fail to see the point as even plugging it into my 27" LCD will undoubtedly cause Blu-Ray movies to lag and delivery choppy playback.
            Hey, those screens are MUCH larger than the iPod/iPhone ones that I see so many people using. hahahaha

            I don't think the movies would lag if you utilized the HDMI output.
            HUGE AL

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            • #81
              Originally posted by HUGE AL View Post
              Hey, those screens are MUCH larger than the iPod/iPhone ones that I see so many people using. hahahaha

              I don't think the movies would lag if you utilized the HDMI output.
              Eight-core! Beast!

              I follow Macrumors almost daily - prefer Appleinsider also to fill in the gaps.

              Am using the Dell 2707WFP (faster response times than the 2709, no less)... too bad it doesn't sport the HDMI connector. Am thinking of getting the 3008 (from Australia, since the exchange rate is favourable) but not entirely convinced that the mini-DVI on the new Apple products will be able to drive that monster. (that's also why the Macbook Pro would be the minimum I'd want since the GPU should be capable of handling it)

              Nice to see other tech fans on the board.

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              • #82
                If you want to connect a new Mac Book or Mac Book Pro to an external display, note that these new Macs have (as Apple are required to include by the movie studios etc) restrictions meaning that only certain approved projectors/external displays can be connected if you want to view certain protected content:

                http://www.tuaw.com/2008/11/19/macbo...itten-by-hdcp/

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                • #83
                  Will the MODs pls consider locking/merging or changing the thread title. IMHO It's gone way OT Thank you.

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                  • #84
                    Originally posted by HUGE AL View Post
                    jhm, do you really need the IE and Windows? Other than Visio, I haven't found much of a need for MS's OS. And Firefox + Safari run much cleaner.
                    My problem is that I need to run the following applications:

                    1 Microsoft Word .

                    From everything I've read, Office 2008 for Mac sucks really badly (crashes, slowness, missing features, installation problems etc) - Microsoft obviously pushed it out of the door in a half baked form.

                    The previous version, Office 2004 for Mac is more stable but it's Power PC only (and would have to run on Intel under Rosetta) and from my own experience (running it on my iMac G5 a few years ago) it's also slow and unstable compared to the PC version. I've had a number of times when after some heavy drafting but before saving the application locks up or bombs out! (This was the main reason for me switching back from the iMac to a PC laptop for home use.)

                    I also don't think I can use any of the Office compatible software out there, e.g. OpenOffice. Although I haven't checked in the last few years, all of the non-Microsoft word processors which claim Word compatibility don't in fact render the fairly large and complex documents I have to work with properly, e.g. the clause numbering or other formatting becomes screwed up.

                    2 DeltaView

                    The standard in the legal world for comparing documents, i.e. taking documents 1 and 2 and generating from that a mark-up of the two documents showing the changes (insertions underlined; deletions struck out; moved text highlighted; etc). Other alternatives (e.g. the built-in document comparison function in Office) are basic so they don't recognise, for example, text which has merely been moved.

                    3 Sabre and Amadeus

                    Both these applications are web browser based and AFAIK use Java. However, they're only certified for certain configurations, e.g. I rang up Amadeus with a problem (which luckily I managed to solve eventually) only to be told that it isn't certified under Windows XP service pack 2 and to uninstall that first before getting any further support!

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                    • #85
                      jhm, DeltaView may be the only one that you would need to run on Windows. As for Word, I've had no problems with the 2008 Mac Office Suite -- in fact, it's much better.

                      The other two are simply a browsing thing. I thought Firefox handled them both without issue...
                      HUGE AL

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                      • #86
                        Originally posted by HUGE AL View Post
                        As for Word, I've had no problems with the 2008 Mac Office Suite -- in fact, it's much better.

                        The other two are simply a browsing thing. I thought Firefox handled them both without issue...
                        Thanks, HUGE AL. On the strength of your recommendation , I've just bought a copy of Office 2008 (from the US - where it's currently heavily discounted - as the UK prices are more than double). I will give Sabre and Amadeus a try on Firefox.

                        Can anyone advise me on the practicalities of using a MacBook on SQ or any other airline ? In particular, I seem to remember reading somewhere that the power drawn may be too high for the seat power supply ? Apple's MagSafe adapter for the MacBook Pro is rated at 85W. I'm aware that they also sell an airline adapter (which doesn't charge the battery) but that has an Empower plug (and, AFAIK, SQ doesn't use that - BA do but only in F and not J).

                        Can I simply use a normal MagSafe adapter and remove the battery to prevent charging (i.e. decrease the power drawn) (but the disadvantage of this is that it causes the performance to drop sharply) ?

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                        • #87
                          Originally posted by jhm View Post
                          t that has an Empower plug (and, AFAIK, SQ doesn't use that - BA do but only in F and not J).
                          Erm, I was on SQ327/328 (772's) and no normal uk plug would fit in the seat power socket in J. The socket was marked up as "Empower"

                          So I'd be prepared with both if in doubt. Chap across the row was using a MBP, though he must have had the airline/empower plug thing going on.
                          If God had really intended men to fly, he'd make it easier to get to the airport.

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                          • #88
                            Originally posted by Javaman View Post
                            Erm, I was on SQ327/328 (772's) and no normal uk plug would fit in the seat power socket in J. The socket was marked up as "Empower"
                            Thanks, Javaman. It is Empower for SQ as well. Reading up, it seems I have two choices:

                            (i) Apple's MagSafe Airline Adapter cable which will power the laptop from an Empower socket but won't charge the battery; or

                            (ii) a MagSafe cable plus Kensington/iGo adapter from Mikegyver which will power the laptop from an Empower socket and charge the battery.

                            The above are DC-DC conversions which are fine but using a inverter with an Empower plug plus the standard Apple MacBook power adapter (i.e. DC --> AC --> DC) won't work because the multiple conversions result in too much power being loss.

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