(laptops) Winbook, Dell, or Gateway?

[Triumph]

Looking for some opinions on laptops. I'm interested in the Winbook, but it seems like there is hardly any information about them online. Are these laptops reputable/reliable? Well I've pretty much decided I want a medium weight laptop (5-6 pounds), and some processing power, so I've narrowed it down to these three:
Winbook:
Winbook X4
X4 Specs (pdf)
Dell:
Dell Latitude C640
Gateway:
Gateway 450L

The prices are pretty close (plus I'm not paying for it) so that isn't a concern. And the general computing specs are the same, this is what I'd spec them out to
P4-2 ghz
512 mb PC2100
40 gig HD
8x DVD/24x CD-RW
14.1 screen XGA or SXGA where available

So they all seem pretty similar, but what are the benefits/drawbacks of each? I like the Dell because it is the lightest, I like the Winbook because it is the thinnest (1 inch), and I like the Gateway because it is silver (Dell makes boring looking laptops) Gimme some feedback! Thanks.

 

[ProviaFan]

Sorry, no personal experience, but a friend of mine has a Winbook model that has never given him any reliability problems in the past year (it's an older Pentium III model). I personally would choose Dell, and definitely not Gateway (sorry, just a personal thing from bad experiences in the past with their hardware, plus their tech support used to suck - don't know if it still does).

 

[MonkeyK]

Triumph.
I took a look at the Winbook, the only glaring problem is that it's port replicator is limited in that it will not connect you to your monitor or speakers.

You may also want to consider IBM notebooks , they are generally considered the most reliable. And if you want style, take a look at the sony notebooks on SonyStyle.com

-Mike

 

[corkyg]

I have had two WinBooks and now a Gateway Solo 9300cx. The WinBook XL was a good machine built by Twinhead, but it had, and still has, a hinge problem. The XL2, also built by Twinhead has the hinge problem as well. Both of these machines are still in service - they got farmed out to my sons. I travelled with them all over, and they gave satisfactory service. I only needed tech support once about 5 years ago, and it was OK. There is a WinBook user's forum which is chock full of info.

WinBook

I got the Gateway the summer of 2000, and can honestly say, it is the best machine I have ever had. It came with Win98SE, and a free upgrade to ME. I later upped it to XP Pro - and it has been flawless. It is the only computer I have ever had that has never crashed or even hiccupped in the time I have had it. It has features that no other notebook has. Both the DVD and floppy drive are modular. My floppy module is an LS-120 drive, and I can replace it with a second HDD when I need to. I use that capability to always have a full back up HDD that is a duplicate of the main drive. Swapping them is easy. Tech support from Gateway is something I can't comment on - I've never used it nor had a need to.

Dell makes an outstanding product as well - and is propably the clear favorite on this forum. IBM is also excellent. But I love my 15.6-in screen and the 750 MHx mobile PIII is very adequate. I travel a lot with it - it is my communications link as well as my digital photography "darkroom."

 

[Bovinicus]

The general consensus from people about laptops usually seems to be that IBM knows their stuff. However, IBM laptops come at a premium. I have heard mostly bad things about Gateway laptops. I know nothing of Winbooks. Dell usually gets a thumbs up from most people too. I have never had any experience with Dell laptops; I have had experience with their desktops, however, and they seem to be quality machines.

 

[Triumph]

Originally posted by: MonkeyK
Triumph.
I took a look at the Winbook, the only glaring problem is that it's port replicator is limited in that it will not connect you to your monitor or speakers.

hmmm, what do you mean? it has a 15 pin connector for video, and a S/P Dif connection for audio. those are standard. unless i'm confused about something...

Also, I really dislike the Viaos. I dunno if they're still like that, but I tried doing a fresh install on one of their ultra lights (and not a very good ultralight at that), and the damn thing was so freakin' proprietary that I couldn't even get a DOS prompt. I could do absolutely nothing to it. I have an extreme distaste for proprietary computers, and try to avoid them at all cost; although of course laptops by nature are very proprietary. But to the point that the hardware exherts extreme control over the software, like that Viao? Gimme a break.

 

[amdskip]

I like dells and gateways.

 

[eplebnista]

Dell.

 

[Triumph]

You know, I might just have to get a Dell, based on principles: They're the only one with an adequate website. I can customize anything on the Dell. My impression of the Winbook website:

CLICK HERE TO CUSTOMIZE!!!!
(only available option) Wireless Lan

If I want a 2 ghz, I have to get a 15" screen. If I want a 14" screen, I'm limited to 512 RAM. If I want 1024 meg, I have to get the 2.2 ghz and 15" screen. I like the size and style of the Winbooks, but if they're not going to even let me buy the laptop that I want to buy, then it looks like I'm going to go for the Dell.

 

[Super6]

I've had good luck with my Dell.

Super6

 

[Triumph]

Well, after looking around, it seems like the IBM T series is the only one that really meets all of my requirements. And I'm not paying for it anyway, so screw the price!

 

[MonkeyK]

The T-series is nice. I have a T22 for work and love it.


-Mike

 

[JwLeonhart]

I have a DELL Inspiron 7500 and it is nothing but 1000 problems. God awful, had a tech guy come out here to fix it about 100 times and I shi* you not. I also had a Compaq but they had bad battery life problems which is ever worse. Personally I would get a laptop with an AMD processor but it's all up to you. Good luck.