Laptop recommendation (websurfing/Flash coding/Python/C++/etc)

[CausticDuality]

I'd like a nice laptop for coding -- something light and portable (easy to carry). It doesn't need uber-graphics capabilities for gaming or anything. I have a desktop computer for that.

But are there any decently cheap, long-lasting laptops with good battery life that'd fit the bill?

 

[Dessert Tears]

What screen size? I'm completely sold on 11.6" for portability, but 1366x768 is on the small side for actual use. Eclipse runs fine on my SU4100, but I haven't done much coding.

 

[God Mode]

Decently cheap, durable with a good battery (meaning extended time away from an outlet), light and portable for coding which makes a 1080p screen important.

What is your max budget?

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

ThinkPad X130e. It delivers seven even hours of battery life, is under 4 pounds, is built like a tank, has an excellent keyboard, a low price, etc.

I'd recommend the Intel instead of the AMD version because it has a lot more processing power, which is what you want for coding and general usage.

 

[I4AT]

You just missed a few good deals this past week, Dell had an Inspiron 11z i3 330UM for $300 and Staples had an Aspire AO722 C-60 for $250.

I bought a used AO722 on Ebay for $205. I picked it up for basic browsing and web development and I'm happy with it. If you plan on doing any compiling on the laptop itself you might want something with a little more power.

11.6" 1366x768 is the perfect form factor for me, but I also do a lot of browsing on a 480x320 Palm Pre so I'm not very demanding. I undervolted the C-60 and downclocked it a bit to 1ghz (stock is 1.33ghz Turbo) and I get 6 hours of battery life with Wi-Fi on, not sure how much the previous owner had taxed the battery either.

From what I've read the Inspiron 11z has a battery life of about 4 hours. The C-60 is roughly on par with Atom, a tiny bit faster in some cases. I watch 720p videos on Youtube pretty often so I went with an AMD Fusion netbook. If you're ok with 480p streaming video and plan on doing all your compiling on a desktop you might even be fine with an Atom based netbook, some of which can get 9+ hours on a single charge.

Other options are E-350 netbooks (slightly faster than a C-60) like the Lenovo x120e and HP DM1. Personally, I would never spend more than $350 on a laptop, I don't understand why some people are willing to drop a grand or more on something that ages so quickly, but different strokes I guess.

A few things I don't like about my AO722 are god awful viewing angles and not the best keyboard layout. Home and End are Fn keys, for coding that's a bit of an annoyance. I'm not sure why so many tablets come with IPS screens, some in the $200 range, but only a few high end laptops have them. I'd be willing to pay a little more for a netbook with an IPS screen.

 

[Dessert Tears]

A few things I don't like about my AO722 are god awful viewing angles and not the best keyboard layout. Home and End are Fn keys, for coding that's a bit of an annoyance.

I got two AO722s in the Target deal last year and used one of them for a month. I traded it for my older Gateway EC1458u (rebadged Acer 1810TZ), which I had given to a family member a year before. I was pretty happy with the AO722's C-60, especially for the price, but I noticed occasional slowness that started to bother me. On the other hand, the C-60 has smoother Flash video than the SU4100/4500MHD, both out-of-the-box and after a little tuning. In my opinion, dropping down to C-60 or Atom has too much of a performance penalty.

I agree on the keyboard layout, I noticed the Home/End problem within an hour of coding.

 

[beginner99]

I have an x220. But if you want to do real work (coding) 1366x768 is just very limiting and if you go any higher on resolution at laptop sizes 13" or below you need a thick wallet and hawk eyes.

Also get something with a matte screen if you plan on coding on the road like in a train or elsewhere with uncontrollable light conditions.