Does anyone have any recommendations for a laptop for less than £450. The laptop is used to run a small business from but doesn't need to be a world beater. I would say this is the list of factors:
1. The keyboard is all important. It will be used for extensive typing and must be good. The user has a heavy preference for a more traditional type of keyboard with bevelled edges on each key rather than the Apple style keyboard where each is a standalone little square.
2. The laptop should be well put together so that it will last 3+ years of daily hauling around. It should be of a standard size - is that 15"?
3. Specification. It doesn't need to run anything hefty at all just Word, Excel, the internet, a bit of accounting software and images (storage not processing) but a nice fast computer is a pleasure to use in comparison with something struggling.
4. Nothing too crazy - it has to fit into a Windows enviroment with boring things to connect to it.
Any deals spotted? Any recommendations appreciated.
I bought an acer aspire off amazon for £300
By far and away the best spec for the money. Screen is 17.something" which IME is more usefull unless you intend to do a lot of work on trains/planes.
The only hole is the lack of a graphics card which limits it in terms of games nothing more complicated than Civ3 (which I'd forgoten how good it is!).
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For work, get a keyboard and mouse, for the £10 they cost they're invaluable. And a platform to mount it on at about monitor height. I've got an old monitor, keyboard and mouse setup in the spare room so when I'm home I just plug it in and use it as a PC.
Whilst I totally agree with you about the monitor and keyboard setup the prospective owner does not and wishes to use the laptop keyboard since working conditions are restricted and double as living space.
A few mates have picked up one of these : [url= http://www.saveonlaptops.co.uk/product/id/1087835 ]Clicky[/url] and liked them.
[url= http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF06b/321957-321957-3329744-3848802-3848802-4247533-5050996.html ]HP laptop[/url]
Very good spec for the money.
Thanks for those both, spec and price looks good. Pictures aren't all that clear but I think they both have the square individual keys rather than continuous bevelled keyboards but that seems to the (Apple) style that most manufacturers are selling now.