I need suggestions about laptops

Try newegg.com for some laptops. tigerdirect.com also has some too. Both have lower price ranges and some decent models at those lower ranges. Especially if nothing excessive is needed. I'll have to post more tomorrow Annie, I've run out of mental steam. If you want to know what caused it, think of the last thread of mine you responded to, and then look at my newest discussion. Don't worry, it was long overdue and I'm fine.

Consider refurbished or second hand laptops. Generally people just throw away, to get the 'latest', a good place to look would be ebay.

the first question you should be asking yourself is what are they going to be using the laptops for? it could be for some simple reasons. based on these reasons you could go ahead and make your purchase. since your kids are in the fifth and sixth grade then they won't need any expensive laptops. i recommend dell they got some great deals there. which are affordable. an d i believe that one laptop would be enough for them they could share.

First you need to establish what your grandkids need the laptops for. Most people's computer usage falls into several categories; office type programmes, i.e. word processing, spread sheets, etc. Surfing and email, games and finally music, photos and videos. Judging a laptop you need to consider various factors; cost, build quality, specifications. Don't be carried away with numbers, sometimes a lower spec machine may perform faster than a higher one, it is as much about how the components function together. Most manufactures make a variety of machines from 'home user' machines to 'business machines' and although superficially similar may differ in aspects such as type of processor, screen resolution. etc. I would recommend you buy only a machine with an intel processor, centrino, or pentium depending on the age of the machine. I would not rush out and buy a duo core machine, Windows Vista still has a lot of problems and previous Operating systems will not make full use of the technology. As to choice of manufacturer it depends on the age of the machine so now you need to consider what you want to spend and what usage the machines will get. As a minimum spec I would suggest a second hand Toshiba Satellite Pro 4600, these you should be able to pick up for about £50-60, sorry don't know US prices. They are pentium 3 and should have at least 256 memory preferably 512 and at least 40 gig disk. Running XP Pro not the home edition these will perform the first 2 categories of use well and have built in wireless, in fact I am writing this on one. They are remarkable tough machines, we mount them in off road vehicles and use them as GPS route finders and they handle the rough ride well! For about double the money go for a Compaq Evo n800c, these have a very high screen resolution better than many new machines, have good build quality, and usually come with DVD player, cd writer combination. Look for 512 mem and 40-60 gig mem. They are pentium 4s. Rather oddly they do not have built in wireless so you need a wireless card or dongle for them. For a little money more look for a HP-Compaq 7010, these are centrinos so their battery time will be better. I recommend you use the following software; XP pro, Office 2000 - 2003. Firefox and Thunderbird. AVG antivirus, Zonealarm firewall and adaware antispyware. Except the first two these can be downloaded free from the web. all the best urban

With you being in the US and me in Canada I know sometimes our products do vary. I don't know if you can get the LG there or not but that's what I have and I have had good service with it. My daughter has Acer and she has had no bad luck with it as well. Good luck.

i think you might want to check those second-hand laptops but are still in good working conditions... you can heck them online :-)

All of the suggestions you received are good, however, the first step is to talk to their parents, find out the primary use that it will be used for. With that information, go to Best Buy, or Circuit city, talk to one of their computer sales people, and they will be able to show you your different options, in price, in the operating systems, etc.

I reckon that unless they really needed it then surely their school would involve this in the School Requirement/Equiptment that the Kids needs. If they did then I am sorry. I agree with one of the others up above of my response about talking to their Parents so please do this for your sake not get the Kids what they want or supposedly want to get for Christmas.

I have owned several models of laptops, and the best experience I have with Dell. Our company is buying also exclusively Dell desktops and notebooks, and the overall experience is mostly positive. Dealing with customers, I have also found the better reliability of the Dell notebooks. The general complaint is for Dell customer service, but even there I did not have outstanding issues. So, I would definitely recommend the Dell of being the first choice of the Windows-based computers.

hi Annie.since you have not told your budget its really tough to say which one you should buy.however i will suggest you to buy from Dell.you can get the beginners laptop for children at a very low cost over there and also you can change the specification online if you want since all the specification are available.also the best part is that they give three years of international warranty of parts and labour,which i think is very much required for you since your granchildren are small.

I would definetly use Dell! They offer very low priced computers in deed. With the trend for computer technology thats improving buying second hand or from not well known retailers can be misleading if you dont know exactly what your paying for. With Dell their low end laptop range from around £349 upwards and would be more then adequate for the little ones this also includes a 12month warranty.