Well, i'm looking for a laptop that works with x86(windows based or linux..)
i hope it's powerful enough to run like desktop, audio compressing, laboratorial data analysis, stable hardware support......
further hardware support for audio compressing and listening....


Well, i wish its specification can catch up with powerbook's...
and i wish it can have a touch screen.....

does anyone know which company is working on these kinds of high performance laptops?

because i don't think i've seen any one of them is powerful enough to compete with powerbook...

ibm. I wouldn't buy anything else (if I had the money...).

Second on the IBM.
Dell was good in the past but had some rough years.
I am not sure if they resolved the issues.

I used to have IBM at the top of my list, but after the recent sale overseas, I wonder if their quality is going to take a dive, even if only temporary.

Therefore, that fear takes my #2 choice of Toshiba and moves them up to the top.

But the Powerbook is soooo sweeet. Just a different banana (or Apple) altogether...

Hardware support for audio compression? I wasn't aware of any laptops that came with hardware encoders for MP3, FLAC, etc? What exactly do you mean?

If you want a touch screen, look for "Tablet PCs", specifically "convertibles" that have a touch screen and can be used as a normal laptop.

If you want a PowerBook, get a PowerBook. I really enjoy my iBook. However, what are you talking about powerful enough to compete? Most Wintel laptops are faster than 2 Ghz and feature comparable graphics, audio, and networking. Several come with a DVD burner and a scrolling trackpad. What PB-specific feature do you need?

Well....
i can't say exactly.....

audio compression hardware support i think is like more advance audio card for recording and compressing....
maybe i just say a individualized sound card........
at least 24-bit i think.....196 khz..

i know that apple uses software simulates audio...

but i'm thinking about using hardware to play audio and record the wave...

If you do not know what you want, and cannot pose the questions, just how do you expect anyone to offer up answers?? This is just a waste of bandwidth.

sorry, i apologize....

let me make myself clear...


i want to find a windows based laptop....
though it's not as stable as unix-based laptop like linux laptops or apple laptops, most of the scientific programs, foobar2000, and codecs are primarily written for windows users...

but since my object is experimenting existing codecs and ways to obtain more free space but at the same time still have lossless audio source....
it'll be better to have a good sound card which the audio can be produced by hardware instead of software...


and most improtantly i want the computer has mobility...which is the laptop i'm looking forward...


is it clear enough??

sorry for blurring my object..

Could you please back-up your statement.
Especially Linux and other free *nixes often only provide poor support for typical laptop hardware.
I don't see what makes an IBM Notebook running WinXP less stable than an Apple Powerbook.

okay...maybe an IBM notebook running winxp won't be less stable than an apple powerbook, but i don't think you will agree windows xp is more secure than *nixes...
And from my experiences on my friends' ibm notebooks, though they were running windows xp..the average times of crashing down is higher then apple ones..
but these things can be solved...
since windows is the most popular operating system for now, and most of the scientific program suite are designed for windows users...
i think i need to get a windows based laptop...

let me make my question really simple...

Are there any windows laptop which have a good sound card in side for audio experimenting and listening?

is this sufficient?

If you want the best performance compared to desktop, the best bet seems to be one of the athlon64 models. SInce they appeal to gamers, some even have replaceable graphics cards.

As to scientific applications, the vast majority I have used run on Unix. Lots of them require more memory than you can address on a 32 bit OS/hardware, and may need to run a while without rebooting.

edit: wrt laptops, I put some value on portability, not just speed. For me the sweet spot is the IBM 14 inch T- series, running about 4.5 pounds. Lighter still is X series, down to about 2.5 pounds, but slower with smaller screen and no CD drive.

The above mentioned Athlon 64's are likely to be 8 pounds.. maybe more, as are models with Pentium 4. Lighter ones have Pentium M (or other brand mobile processor such as Transmeta & AMD)

IBM for sure.

I've seen two new Dell laptop's recently that seem to be very good quality. IBM is another excellent brand.

I've got a Dell laptop (Inspiron 5100) and I've been pretty happy with it. It may look a bit bland, not have as many flashy buttons or LEDs as most other laptops, but all I really want is a power button, trackpad, and keyboard. What matters most is what's inside.

Everything (except maybe the modem) is supported in Linux straight out of the box so that is good. Only thing to watch out for is the SigmaTel sound cards. The windows drivers that Dell provides are utter rubbish since they give out this hissing sound even when playing silence. I had to switch to using the generic Intel AC97 drivers that came with XP which reduced the problem and I realised that only when I noticed Linux identifying the card as an Intel AC97. So avoid SigmaTel sound cards.

I worked (two years ago) as computer technician in a School; in the Technology department, in the area of HelpDesk support. I fixed many machines, but, my favourites were the Dell computers. Excellent quality and excellent service (the part of Dell with the spare parts)

I "solved" this by using headphones with a volume control. The SigmaTel only hisses at very low amplification. Turning down the volume with the volume control and increasing it on the laptop made all hissing go away.

Dell regularly updates drivers, so be sure to have the latest ones, too.

Consider an external USB soundcard. I use this for work...

Unfortunately, there is no 'hardware' volume control on my Dell. Pressing the fn keys and up/down volume only changes the windows volume control.

When I say" turning down with the volume control" I mean the one on the headphones. Then adjust the windows volume control up.