Best laptops +/- 13 inches screen

[gammaray]

i'm looking to buy a new laptop, but i don't really follow that industry.

any recommendations?

i don't want lenovo or other asian crappy brand names.

i need it to run simple softwares for the job mostly.

so integrated video card, cd/dvd reader, a jack for Ethernet.

i like the HP dv3 but maybe there are better choices,

Thank you.

 

[CurseTheSky]

i don't want lenovo or other asian crappy brand names.

So that leaves you with what... Apple, Dell, Gateway, and HP? None of which (MAYBE Apple?) are likely to be assembled in the US anyway?

Lenovo is one of the more respected laptop manufacturers out there. I'd say they beat the pants off of HP and Dell in customer satisfaction with no questions asked.

Just about every brand makes both good and bad units. Don't limit yourself to a few brands because "all of the Asian brands are crappy."

 

[ghost recon88]

The real question is, what's your budget?

 

[gammaray]

So that leaves you with what... Apple, Dell, Gateway, and HP? None of which (MAYBE Apple?) are likely to be assembled in the US anyway?

Lenovo is one of the more respected laptop manufacturers out there. I'd say they beat the pants off of HP and Dell in customer satisfaction with no questions asked.

Just about every brand makes both good and bad units. Don't limit yourself to a few brands because "all of the Asian brands are crappy."

Do you even realize your post doesn't help me at all in picking a 13" laptop?

if i wanna buy a Ford, don't tell me to buy a Toyota...

 

[gammaray]

The real question is, what's your budget?

up to 1000$

 

[Decembermouse]

So that leaves you with what... Apple, Dell, Gateway, and HP? None of which (MAYBE Apple?) are likely to be assembled in the US anyway?

If the suffix on the laptop model number (i.e. DV4229US) is US, then it was assembled in the U.S. If it's NR or something else, it's another country. Although, they're put together the same way anywhere. Any plant is gonna have its good techs and bad techs :\

Lenovo is a good brand, yes. A year or so ago is the last time I really looked at them and wasn't impressed by the casing. It seemed a poor use of space, and cheap flimsy plastic. I'm sure they've upgraded it since then, plus these were $500 machines with Pentium Dual Cores...

 

[CurseTheSky]

Do you even realize your post doesn't help me at all in picking a 13" laptop?

if i wanna buy a Ford, don't tell me to buy a Toyota...

Yes, I fully realize that. I also find it sickening that people can be so blind as to call an entire segment of the laptop market "other asian crappy brand names," especially considering there are both good and bad products from every laptop manufacturer (just like automobiles).

For example, the ASUS UL30A series fits your needs almost perfectly. It has astounding battery life, good build quality, 13.3" screen, integrated graphics, a low-power dual core Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of memory, 500GB hard drive, ethernet, Wireless G/N, HDMI / VGA out, etc. The only thing it doesn't have is a CD / DVD drive, and an external should work just fine (otherwise, the 14" model does come with an optical drive). They can also be had for just over $700 with the right deal.

However, ASUS is a Taiwanese company IIRC, so it falls into the category of "other asian crappy brand names." Therefore you won't consider it, and you'll miss out.

Look into the Dell Studio XPS 13 or Studio 14z. I haven't tried one myself, but I've heard decent things about them. Stay away from Inspirons.

 

[maniac5999]

HP DV3? find one on display somewhere (Best Buy is a good bet) try the touchpad, It's massively glossy and sticky. I really liked the laptop otherwise, but the touchpad was a dealbreaker