E-mail

Click Here to Visit our Sponsor

What's New

In regard to this site, I know I haven't been updating it regularly but I appreciate eveyone using the Message Board, there have been some really useful posts there. I have taken down the old board for good. Please keep posting your questions there as I find it hard to answer individual e-mails. I am trying to figure out what to do with this site since I don't have the time to do my own reviews anymore. The mags are much more up-to-date now although it seems there are only 2 left that are dedicated to notebooks, Mobile Computing (which also published Portable Computing, which is no longer around) and Laptop Buyer's Guide. PC Magazine still does periodical reviews of notebooks but is not a dedicated mobile computer magazine. Even though, they are sufficient for reviews of the latest and greatest in notebooks. So, given that... I don't know what else I can do with this little corner of cyberspace.

I'll think about it for a while, but my best idea seems to be to build it more into a portal site to point you guys to the best info on the Net. I tried doing that once before with my Links Page, but as you can see, it needs some serious updating.

Hopefully next time I update this, there will be some major changes to improve it. Until then, have a safe and happy 2001.

October 7, 2000
Winbook reviews are coming... the SI-2 (with built in CD-RW) and the multimedia-packed SI!

July 31, 2000
I've updated the Buying Tips page and Erick's Laws. Not too many changes, just some updating since they really hadn't been touched in over 2 years.

June 12, 2000
Attention Nimantic Owners
I have been contacted by someone who is still pursuing legal action against Nimantics and it's CEO. If you still have a complaint with them, please let me know and I will put you in touch with this individual. Just e-mail me with "Nimantics" as the subject line. Good luck.

May 3, 2000
Okay... Phase 1 of my update is done. I put a different message board up that's easier to use (at least in my opinion). Here is the link:

Next will probably be the Links page... sorry this is taking so long!

April 20, 2000
Yeah, yeah... I know it has been a while and I apologize. I have been very busy with work so I haven't really had time to do any meaningful updates. I am planning to redo this whole site soon, new message board program (the current one has lots of bugs) and a new link page. The new link page will be dynamic so it will be easier for me to udpate. It will be pretty much the same layout but I will modify some of my older articles and maybe add some new features.

So what about notebooks? Well... I still keep track of them but it seems that I no longer have to review them anymore. When I first wrote this site, magazines took anywhere from 3 to 6 months to write a review, by that time, the notebook was already outdated. Nowadays, magazines get these notebooks before they even hit the market. So now I will probably just focus on links to other reviews and news. I will throw in articles here and there about my thoughts on new mobile technology and any other notebook-related stuff I read. Right now, I would like to stress this one bit of buying advice:

Since I have started this site, I have seen many notebook companies go out of business. Some of them were national advertisers in all the big magazines but it takes more than that to make a good company. I used to think that it would be better to save a few bucks and buy the extended warranty. But if the company is gone, who is going to service your notebook when it breaks down? And notebooks now don't cost as much as they used to... you can even get brand name models at rock-bottom prices. How? Use the auction sites and the refurb distributors. Many of the notebook companies offer their own refurbished notebooks at a discount. And even if they do cost a little more, in the long run it will be worth it. Just something I think everyone should know after all the things I have seen.

Hopefully it won't take me too long to update this next time. Happy Easter.

September 22, 1999
I think I have found the holy grail! I have been looking for a light and thin computer that has a great keyboard but doesn't give up the functionality of having built in drives (floppy/CD), well... I think I found it. Compaq recently updated their business Armada series with a very mobile notebook, the M300. What is really cool is that they created a consumer version in the Presario line, the 305. I went to 2 local computer stores to check it out and it is AWESOME. The great thing about it is like the IBM Thinkpad 570 but lower priced and even thinner! It has a media "slice" that you can attach to the bottom to give it 3-spindle (or all 3 drives in one) capability. It sells retail for $2199 but you can find it online for about $2055. I'll have more on this later but if you have a Fry's or a CompUSA near you and have been looking at the Sony VAIO Z505s, check this new Compaq out!

Oh... and due to a server mishap, the Message Board got killed. I apologize for this so please re-post any messages or questions that you had.

And I have been e-mailed and read on the comp.sys.laptops newsgroup that AMS Tech may have filed for bankruptcy. If you own that brand of notebook, you may want to call them to verify and to find out where you will be able to get warranty and repair service in the future.

August 16, 1999
Today is a sad day for me. I just found out that Transmonde has gone out of business. They had great products and even better support and service but I guess the mobile market just didn't have the margins for them to continue.

If you have a Transmonde notebook, do not worry, you can still get warranty service through their OEM, ASE Technologies.

And to the fine individuals at Transmonde, I wish you all luck in your future endeavors.

February 22, 1999
Wrote a little article for 2 WinBooks I just reviewed. Pretty much the same as the other models but with the new CPUs from AMD (a mobile K6-2) amd Intel (the Pentium II 366). Check it out in the Articles Section.

Other than that, the only other news I have is that Sony is bringing their new camera/mini-notebook to the US. You can see it at Sony's site (and pre-order it too). As I've said before, the mini-books segment is a hot niche right now and look for more to come.

I will be back with a Celeron review soon!

January 25, 1999
The new mobile Intel processors are out. There are the faster PIIs - a 333 and a 366, the mobile Celerons - a 266 and a 300, and get this... new versions of the 266 and 300. New versions? That's what I said -- apparently, they have used "on-die cache technology" on the new mobile processors and decided to put that into the 266 and 300 line. What is "on-die cache technology"? Basically, instead of having the L2 cache separate from the CPU, they have integrated it onto the chip making it faster, operating at CPU speed rather than bus speed. The cache is not as big (256k compared to 512k) but the increase in speed makes up for the decrease in size (and then some). This is the same technology they used on the new Celerons (but only with 128k of memory). To read more about this, check out Intel's mobile PII and mobile Celeron articles.

So who has them? Well so far, almost every vendor has the new PIIs, but on Intel's site, only Compaq has announced a Celeron notebook. But many of the vendors will have Celerons available shortly. In fact, I am probably getting a review one from Transmonde sometime this week.

Sone other interesting things about the new CPUs, is that they've added more power saving functions and the chips are smaller and lighter than previous generations CPUs. This means that they perform better than the other PIIs while using less power and the packaging allows them to be placed in thinner and lighter notebooks! One power-saving function I read about is something called Quick Start. It enables the CPU to power down during idle operations but speeds back up almost instantly. This will be significant savings for most people who have idle times during regular usage.

Once more news comes up I'll update this site. For now, to get the latest and read on the current offerings of vendors, check out C|Net's article.

January 14, 1999
Happy New Year! A little late but at least I mean it! Anyways, new CPUs are coming out -- AMD just announced their mobile K6-2 CPUs and even Toshiba will start using them. This will help drive down the prices of notebooks as Intel and AMD battle at the lower price points. Speaking of Intel, they are also releasing new CPUs -- 2 new Pentium II at 333 and 366 speeds (codename Dixon) and 3 mobile Celerons (266, 300 and 333). The Celerons are pegged to compete in the lower priced segment against AMD. The Intel CPUs will be out January 25 and the AMD CPUs just released on January 13.

Dell just entered the ultraportable market with their new Latitude LT. It's a nice machine, but you should know that this is very similar to another notebook, let's just say it looks pretty "sharp".

That is it for now, I should have 2 reviews coming up on notebooks with the upcoming CPUs and in a couple of days I will have an article about a notebook accessory that is REALLY COOL!

Oh... and I'm planning to update my links pages, it seems that other site tend to change the locations of their pages more often than I can keep track of. And please use the Message Board for any questions as it is easier for me to answer them and also so other people can either read them or help me answer them (hint hint).

December 3, 1998
My Message Board is finally up. I decided to go with a simple one from Matt's Scripts but if it gets too congested, I may switch to a little more feature-rich board.

Lilla has updated her Dell Inspiron 7000 Notes.

And the Mining Co. has finally got a replacement guide for me, check out his site, he's got some great links built up.

December 1, 1998
Finally, the Winbook XL2 full review article is finished. Check it out on my articles page. I really recommend this machine if you are looking for a nice all-in-one notebook.

I played with a Thinkpad I-series today at CompUSA... real nice laptop actually. If you really only want an IBM, you should look into this notebook, great features and a great price. For more info, check out their website.

Also fiddled around more with the ultralights, the Sony 505 and the Toshiba Portege 3015. These 2 are really amazing computers. And speaking of which, to see the latest and greatest of the superslims... check out the Japanese models (why do they always get them first?) at either Dynamism.com or Japanese Palmtops Direct. The ones that catch my eye are the Sony PCG-1 and the Panasonic CF-33, which have built-in digital cameras. Another nice one is the new Panasonic S-51, an ultralight PII notebook. I played with the PCG-1 at Comdex and it is one of those "ooh-ahh" gadgets. And if you haven't had a chance, check out EPBrown's editorial on the top 3 thin notebooks that are out in the US right now -- the Sharp Actius, the Sony 505 and the Toshiba Portege 3010/15.

My message board will be up in a couple of days. Most of your questions should go there as it can be answered by not only myself but other people who know a lot more about this stuff than I do. I'll let you all know once it is active.

And for some bad news, EPS Technologies is out of business, like Nimantics, they just disappeared overnight. If you have one of their notebooks and need service, you may want to contact Chicony. Unfortunately, I just checked their website (www.chicony.com) and it has been replaced with some e-mail address list page. If I can get more info, I will pass it along.

November 24, 1998
Sorry... been really busy, the WinBook XL2 review is almost done. I just picked up the 99 ZD Benchmarks disks at Comdex last week so I wanted to run them on it since the 98 versions have problems with Win98 and/or Explorer 4.0.

Speaking of Comdex, it was pretty good, with a lot of thin and mini-notebooks garnering the attention. I will go into it more in an upcoming article. In addition to the WinBook review, I will post a review of a really COOL accessory that every notebook owner should get. It's practical, useful and great for a number of uses. I'm working to see if I can get you readers a deal on it but nothing is guaranteed.

And, if you didn't notice, I'm starting to use those advertising banners. I apologize if they bother you but it will help keep this site updated more regularly. If they are really a problem, please let me know.

November 2, 1998
I have a First Glance review article of the WinBook XL2 up in my Articles section. Lilla has also update her Dell Inspiron 7000 Notes.

Also, today a couple of notebook companies announced new products:

• Toshiba announced 3 models, one being a new slim and light mini-book, the Portege 3010 which you may know as the Dynabook.
• Dell added a new model to their Inspiron series, the 3500, a thin and light model much like their Latitude CP series.

October 22, 1998
Check out my FAQ on the new WinBook XL2 in my Articles section.

October 18, 1998
I've been gone for a week and in that time I see that WinBook has come out with a new notebook, the XL-2. While everyone is drooling over the new Dell Inspiron 7000, this new offering from Ohio looks to be a "contender". Not only is it also "all-in-one" (or "3-spindle") and uses the same AGP video chipset, but it also is only 1.5" thick and weighs about 7 pounds! You all know that the Dell is a hefty unit so this one is pretty amazing when you compare the two. It may not have a 15.1" screen option, but I think the 14.1" one is good enough. Not only that but it has both DVD and LS-120 as the drives, while Dell only offers the 1.44MB as the floppy. As you can tell I'm a little enthusiastic about this machine because someone finally came out with a "big screen all-in-one unit that is thin and light" (which I have been praying to the notebook gods for). I don't know if I will be able to get a review unit but I have some questions in to my contact at WinBook and when I get the answers I'll post them here. You can also read more about the new XL-2 in their news release.

In other "thin and light" news, Quantex has released a new line, the T-series. It's very much like the HP Omnibook 4100/Dell Latitude CPi/Solis notebook and should be since they are using the same OEM. What's good is that they are offering the newer 300mhz model with an advanced sound/video integrated chipset from NeoMagic and higher RAM capacity (128/256MB vs. 96MB). I also believe there is a DVD option but I don't know if Quantex will offer it.

And EPBrown has an EXCELLENT review of the Sony 505G subnotebook on his website. The URL is www.enteract.com/~epbrown/sony505.html.

Oh... and I know other parts of this site are still lacking (namely the message board, chat and article sections), but I will try to get them up as soon as possible. And with Comdex only a month away, my free time is drying up. Thanks for being patient.

October 8, 1998
Lilla Slater has put up an excellent FAQ on the new Dell Inspiron 7000 on the comp.sys.laptops newsgroup, I have added it here to the site if you would like to see it:
Lilla's Dell Inspiron 7000 notes

September 16, 1998
PCMag has a review of some 300mhz machines, including the new Dell Inspiron 7000, which has been getting a lot of attention on the comp.sys.laptops newsgroup. You can do a search on DejaNews for 'Inspiron 7000' to see all the posts about it.

September 9, 1998
Intel released the 300mhz Pentium II mobile CPU today, and plenty of vendors announced products that uses it. Read about it at Intel's mobile site and for the full story, at C|Net's News.Com site.

August 25, 1998
Just some news about new thin notebooks coming out at C|Net and another article about dropping prices on notebooks.

Gateway updated their Solo line with a new 5150 that is thin, light and pretty inexpensive. You should also check out Toshiba's new Portege 7000, it's pretty awesome. And yes... my NEC Versa SX and HP Omnibook 4100 reviews will be up soon, sorry for the delay.

August 5, 1998
300 mhz Pentium II notebooks will be out on September 9. You can read more about it at C|Net. Also, Toshiba and some others are coming out with sub-$2000 PII notebooks, both C|Net and TechWeb have articles about it. My NEC Versa SX and HP 4100 reviews will be forthcoming and the links are almost done.

July 29, 1998
Still building, I had to finish up my last articles for the Mining Co., one was a review of the WinBook Xli, and the other was a review of the Transmonde XL.

I'm almost done with my link pages, just need to finish the PC-Card ones and the Upgrades link. My first article will be a review of the new NEC Versa SX, a thin and light notebook.

July 22, 1998
Changed the color scheme a little, I'm about 1/3 the way through finishing all the Links categories so please bear with me. Two new notebook reviews should be coming online soon too!

July 21, 1998
If you haven't noticed, I've started my redesign of this site. I had been planning this for months but due to my busy schedule, I was not able to get around to it until now. I have more time to focus on this site and have also tried to make the layout a little better. In addition to the creating an Articles section, I've also expanded on the Links section quite a bit. Hopefully, my updates will be more regular than it has been in the past. Like I said on the main page, my old site is still up if you want to view it.

Please excuse any of the blank pages or dead links, I am trying hard to finish every section of site, but I wanted to give you a feeling of what to expect. They should all be done in a week or so. I hope you enjoy your visit to the new and improved Notebook Buyer's Homepage!

February 1997 to July 1998
All this stuff (how this site got started, early reviews and miscellaneous information) can be found on my old site on the Timeline page.