Creaphis

I ended up buying the laptop I linked in the OP.

hex11 said:

I bought a used Thinkpad with 15" widescreen and don't like carrying it around much. Should have got a smaller machine... bigger than a netbook, but smaller than this.

I did choose a 15" over a 17" to cut down on some excess bulk.

ArmouredBlood said:

You'd think laptops are great for going around town and having something to do while waiting for class/lunch break/appointments/etc, but after my college years commuting, I don't really see a difference between what I'd be doing on my laptop and I see others doing with a smartphone (I do not own one), besides doom mapping and adding 3+lbs to my backpack. If you really want to play a game, you'd be at home, in your computer area/living room, not setting up near to someone doing something completely irritating.

I'm not sure I'll worry about dragging this thing to classes when I go back to school - there's just something special about taking notes on paper like our primitive ancestors did - but I'd sooner take notes and write essays on a laptop than on a smartphone. I'll never use this thing just to kill a few minutes at a time, and I'd never use a smartphone for that either, because there's nothing I can do in five minutes that doesn't leave me feeling drained. Worthwhile activities take longer. I see myself setting this thing up where I have the space and time to read, write or watch something all the way through, and next to a friend's computer when he wants to play something. The freedom of mobility will be a relief even if I don't end up taking advantage of it all that often.

Technician said:

I use a Mac. I'm not one of you programing/mod nerds; I use my computer like one drives a civic.

Same here, but if I got a Civic after paying for a Mercedes Benz I think I'd be disappointed, wouldn't you? The only way I know of to get a Mac for a fair price is from your friendly neighbourhood black market.

I'm technologically inept and I find Macs and iThings in general utterly confusing.

For example, I got an iphone 3gs last year. I wanted to put a custom ringtone on it.

With my previous mobile phone from 2000, all I had to do is connect it to my computer with an USB cable, and drag and drop the music file I wanted to use.

With the iphone, apparently I need to install specific software (itunes) that will always run in the background and use resources unless I do complicated (for me) computer trickery to get it to stop. Opening that particular piece of software greets me with a bunch of random categories plastered everywhere about stuff I don't want/need, complete with unintuitive names. When I finally find out I'm supposed to click on the name of my device or somesuch, there's no simple "transfer files" option. Instead, I have to go through some kind of "synchronise" option; which of course I can't get to work, no matter how hard I pray for the immortal soul of Steve Jobs.

How is this easier or accessible?!

Rhetorical question. I know there's people who find "RT @SuperCoolKid34 LOOOOOOOL~~~ #YOLO #JustinBieber" to be easier to read than "heh, that's funny" or even a simple lol. And there's also the whole reading from bottom to top prevalent in every popular site ever. Obviously, everyone else is weird and I'm the only sane person alive.

go go gadget car analogy