I finally have a job that will allow me o purchase a new laptop. so let me first give you the run down of what I am looking to do with it, and then what is important to me. then with any luck you guys can help me find the perfect fit.
things I will be doing:
1.) writing code in various formats (Java, C#, Autoit, HTML, PHP, jscript, and so on), I don't need to use a heavy environment, I like eclipse, but I also use notepad++ from time to time.
2.) Web browsing. I would need the laptop to handle flash admirably, it doesn't need to decode full HD videos in real time. but playing either 480p or 720p streams would be nice. netflix would be great, but not a necessity.
3.) listening to music streamed via google music.
4.) connecting to a number of networks (VPN) and remote desktop.
things I will not be doing:
1.) watching DVDs
2.) Editing video
3.) storing music and large files locally
4.) gaming (aside from the odd flash game)
things that are important to me:
1.) chassis build quality, I am going to need this to last me a good while, upwards of 2-3 years of heavy use.
2.) comfortable keyboard, it doesn't need to be full sized (although that would be nice) just something that isn't cramped.
3.) screen pixel density, screen size isn't terribly important, something portable <15.4" but nothing smaller than 10" and vertical pixels are precious, the more the merrier, 720 vertical pixels is a minimum.
4.) a hardware configuration that won't give me fits of rage when I install a new distro of linux (which I like to do about every month, just to check out new distros and the like)
5.) upgradeable components, it would be nice if it wasn't too hard to swap out HDD or RAM.
things that don't matter to me:
1.) who made what is inside, green team, red team, intel, AMD, Microsoft, apple, Hp, samsung, dell, none of it matters, so long as I get the build quality.
2.) color / color choices
3.) warranty (chances are i will void it anyway)
4.) where i get it, so long as it works. ebay, craigslist, bestbuy, newegg, tigerdirect, cheap is king.
I would like to handle a similar model in person before I purchase, so it would be nice if someone like bestbuy did carry something similar (same manufacturer, same model line) so I could verify the build quality. I do plan to carry it around quite a bit, so it would be nice if it was fairly portable and had a decent battery. but I will probably have it near an outlet 70%-80% of the time. it doesn't need to be new, and it doesn't have to be fancy. I just want quality.
finally my budget... DRUMROLL....
MAX : $400 (USD)
PRIME : under $300
