I’ve used and owned Toshiba, Sony and Dells.
I like the Sony Viao, primarily because the keyboard is almost as good as using an external keypad. The model I had was also relatively light. If I was after a nice compact portable laptop then I’d be happy to purchase one. I’d shop around though, as I think that you pay a bit of a mark up for the brand name.
I’ve not had a problem with Toshiba’s, though I have to say I know prefer Dells. I wouldn’t touch a Dell a few years back, but they are now my prefered brand.
It’s their all in package I like…you pick your laptop, choose the spec, memory, graphics card, hard disk size etc. They also have a good warranty/service package if you are prepared to pay a little up front. Lets face it, our equipment is part of our business so its worth being covered.
I currently own a Dell Inspiron 9300. It has a 17″ screen, and great sound for music. I wanted power and a larger screen and so I compromised on the weight. It’s on the heavy side, but I still take it away when I need to without any issues.
If money wasn’t an object I’d go for a Dell XPS M170
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At the end of the day, technology is increasing so rapidly, that what’s great now will be outdated in 12 months. My only recommendation would be to ensure you pack it with as much memory as it can hold. I’m running on 1Gb but would like to up it to 2 Gb at some stage.
Buddy