Good-Looking, Cheap Laptop

[intense.ego]

A friend of mine was considering purchasing a laptop. She has very little computer knowledge and is going to use the computer primarily for internet, ligh word processing, downloading and watching videos, and itunes, so doesn't really need a power horse. What is important to her is looks. She likes the looks of the Macbook and most Vaio laptops, but I don't think she would need a laptop that expensive, if she could get one as good looking and as good performance-wise (for her needs) for a lot cheaper.

Do you have any recommendations? Linux support is not at all necessary for her. She will probably use either the OS it comes with (vista probably) or XP. Also, she is in no hurry so suggestions in the US or the UK are both welcome (she will be travelling to the US eventually, so she could buy a laptop there if the price is right, though she would prefer the UK of course because of returns, etc.).

One more thing I forgot, it should have a 14.1 or 15.4 inch screen (or in between if there are any). It should have wifi support, but that is practically a given.

[kerry_s]

that's a tough question. she should go to a computer store and just play with the different brands.
the list:
1. looks of course
2. size & weight, sounds like she's a mobile kind of person.
3. feel it, important, check how hot it is, look for easy access to the componets(ram, hd, cd, etc...)
4. try and get modular, meaning like the drives can easily be swapped out, look at ibm, you can just pull the cd out and replace it easy. the cd is usually the first part to go, you want to be able to fix it easy and at a low cost.
5. look it up on line, use the name of the laptop with the keyword problem " name problem ".
6. any purchase is a roll of the dice, sometimes you win, sometimes you crap out.
:lolflag:

also you want at least 1ghz+ cpu & 1gig ram, that should future proof it for at least the the next 3 years or more.

[intense.ego]

I found the IdeaPad Y510, while doing some research, and it seems to fit the bill for me. But keep the suggestions coming guys, in case she doesn't like mine.

[cardinals_fan]

Any Thinkpad. The Ideapads are pretty decent too.

[madjr]

Dell inspirons work well

[MeTylerDurden]

Start with a price range, then the must haves.. and then take a look at scratch or refurbished etc.. you can usually save a few hundred

[Presto123]

I honestly have no qualms with purchasing from BestBuy. They have Vista pre-installed, so, make sure she gets one with at least 2 gig's memory. Sadly, I remember XP running very smoothly on 1 gig ram. If she does not get one with 2 gig's...recommend Ubuntu (or recommend it anyway when she gets annoyed @ Vista).

The point here is that you can find a DECENT laptop like the one I have here for $500 (thats roughly 250 English pounds). All I did to enjoy it was to add another gig of ram (1gig to 2 gig) and it runs Vista fairly well.

Edit: It's a Compaq Presario C500 by the way.

[Robux the great]

I have a toshiba A200

It's a great bit of kit and I am very pleased with it,

Regards

Rob

[gn2]

Asus laptops usually look nice and are well made: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/143899

Or an Acer Aspire One netbook.....?