a computer that wont break my back

I'm in the market for a new lappy but unlike most people here, its not power I'm looking for.
My priorities are the weight and battery life, and my upper limit is $2000.

I'm going to need it for typical office apps: word, excel, etc. I will also use it to show presentations, basically power point presentations with pictures but very little video.

I first looked at the centrinos, but maybe a transmeta chip will better suit my needs, or maybe that new chip from VIA that they said would be put into lappys (although I haven't seen any yet).

 

[firtol88]

http://www.dynamism.com/index.shtml

 

which of those is at or below 2k?

 

[firtol88]

missed that... these are all ulta lights.
To me anything under 8.5lbs is managable but not everyone agrees. What do you consider "back breaking"? Do you want an optical drive? Are you sure that your CPU power needs will not change? For the presentations will you use a projector or hook up to a TV?



http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=2059153&storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1

http://catalog.us.dell.com/CS1/cs1page2.aspx?br=3&c=us&cs=04&fm=10513&kc=6W300&l=en&s=bsd

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_ATOSearch-Start;sid=idzi3jDNz6TinQ98CJLo1X_CRqlmm1qJqJg=?CategoryName=cpu_RefurbishedTR&Dept=cpu&Series=PCGTR%20Series&FET=BSTOCK&ComType=N&CMP=ToBeDetermined

 

lets just leave it at as light as I can get. I do want an optical drive, even if it is external. If my needs change, they wont change by much, what do you think I would need more power for? I do most of my heavy duty work on a desktop so I don't think it will be an issue, although some leeway (sp?) would be nice. For the whole projector thing, don't all laptops have vga outs? Its more important to have a vga out but an rca or svideo out would be a welcome addition.

Those are really nice, about how fast a centrino would I need?

A friend of mine recommended I look at some transmeta computers, what do you think of them?

 

[Pandaren]

I'm going to need it for typical office apps: word, excel, etc. I will also use it to show presentations, basically power point presentations with pictures but very little video

A 1.30 GHz Pentium M system would be more than enough for this. I'd go with a low end ThinkPad T40 (4.9 pounds fully loaded with optical bay and battery). It's got the VGA out but none of the fancier video outs.

 

[ItsPat]

I got one of these Link Its super light and definatelly quick enough for MS Office. I run 2k3 it runs fast and smooth. Battery lasts about 4 and a half hours. It's a little more expensive but definatelly worth it. Comes with 3 year international warranty.

 

[dnuggett]

A friend of mine recommended I look at some transmeta computers, what do you think of them?

I would avoid them, especially since you can get a proc that is far superior and stay under your budget.

 

[Frightcrawler]

i recommend the dell latitude line. nearly all of them will suit your needs, because you didnt state you would be doing any gaming on it anyway.
also, the price isnt that bad and the build quality is good.
Dell Latitude