Simplify your laptop buying
Community Newsletter: Q&A: Laptop recommendation for children
- 6/20/08 12:13 PM
Find your point of compromise
by Yeoville - 5/17/08 7:02 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi, Bob,
I think you are approaching the challenge the right way: define your requirements first up.
Having defined your requirements you then need to determine what the machine requirements are for each of the applications. I would say that for word processing, spreadsheet, email, and internet research about any modern laptop can do a good job. Gaming is a lot more demanding, so you will need to find out what hardware will provide a satisfactory gaming experience for those particular games.
As portability is key you also need to consider the size of the screen vs the weight of the machine and how long the batteries last and if you can buy an extra battery.
I have a work laptop, a Compaq nx9040 with 1 Mb RAM and 40G HDD. I was not the first user, and have been using it 1.5 years. I travel interstate/internationally about once a month, but as an instructor I also run courses off-site, so the laptop does a lot of travelling in addition to the daily commute. I must admit that after walking with it for 10 minutes it starts to feel heavy. The battery lasts about 2 hrs. but I think this also depends upon what I am doing.
I mainly use Word, Excel, Powerpoint, MS Project, IE, Acrobat and InterVideoDVD and have had no problems except that the USB ports failed once.
Finally, having worked out what you want, how much are you willing to spend? For most people that is the most important point, though laptops are now much more affordable. In this week’s paper is an ad for a Compaq CD T2330 1.6G 1GB RAM 80GB HDD, 15.4” DVD RW Vista Home Premium for AUD759. Sounds good!
John
2 Different Jobs
by rfranklin - 5/17/08 8:34 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You had me up until you got to the gaming. For the mundane stuff an Asus Eee PC would do the job. Get the Linux version and your total cost would be around 300$ per unit. (Your cost may vary!) Once you say gaming the price goes up by an order of magnitude or more. Decent gaming laptops start at 3000$ and go up, (wayyyyy up), from there. For a good gaming laptop see Alienware.
a laptop made for kids
by murphy97219 - 5/17/08 8:55 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
go to laptopgiving.org
This is not exactly an answer to your question, but consider getting them a lap top made for them and real expensive. They are pretty much kid proof. Plus this benefits a worth cause and no jammy fingers on your computer!
Go practical, not high end
by rderuiter - 5/17/08 9:12 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Bob,your kids are 9 and 11. I've bought my three kids laptops for use in high school and college. They needed them to bring to class for taking notes, and for use in their study hall. I bought two the high schoolers laptops from an office supply chain store and got a pretty good deal on a low end computer (at the time better than what Costco had in stock). You can get a pretty good, functional computer, with just an OS and standard OEM utilities, for around $500. Don't get one with MS Office installed, because if you buy it off the shelf instead, you get a license for MS Home Office that covers up to three home computers (for personal and student use only). If you get it with your computer, the OEM licensing terms are usually different.
One of my sons plays World of Warcraft on his low end ($500) laptop, without issues. The biggest issue for online gaming is usually the internet connection. A wireless "N" level router can give pretty good through-put.
Before my kids needed to take their computer to school, they used our family desktop, which we outfitted as a gaming computer in the medium to high end range. A desktop costs a third to half the price of a similarly equipped laptop, are much easier to upgrade, and much less likely to be dropped or stepped-on by a 6th grader. My kids didn't need to take a computer to school before high school, and I'm not sure their schools would have even allowed it. So while laptops are sort of fashionable, they're not always the best or most practical solution to your kids' computing needs.
While the advice for most adults is buy as much computer as you can afford, when buying for young kids, I suggest buying as little as you need. Then assume your kids will be kids and, if you buy them laptops, figure on one or both of them needing to be replaced every year or two.
Lets See...
by nortin - 5/17/08 9:15 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Ok You have a couple of options given their age.(CNET Reviews if applicable will be posted)
MacBook Air
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/apple-macbook-air-80gb/4505-3121_7-32818756.html?tag=prod.txt.1
Asus Eee PC
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/asus-eee-pc-900/4505-3121_7-33016827.html?tag=prod.txt.2
HP MiniNote PC
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-2133-mini-note/4505-3121_7-32912224.html?tag=prod.txt.1
MacBook
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/apple-macbook-13-inch/4505-3121_7-31884384.html?tag=prod.txt.2
MacBook (black)
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/apple-macbook-black-core/4505-3121_7-32737068.html?tag=prod.txt.3
Lenovo x300
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-x300/4505-3121_7-32864938.html?tag=prod.txt.1
MacBook Air
A nice light computer with an award winning operating system that keeps getting better. a little on the expensive side, especially with the SSD. Has bootcamp so you can run OS X and Windows.(1800 80g,3100 64g ssd)
Asus Eee PC
A laptop maybe for the kids. it has Windows XP on a 30gb HDD and is MUCH cheaper! 550 for the new 900 model
HP Mini note
A very thin small notebook that runs Suse Linux but can upgrade to Vista Basic Premium or Business FULL SIZE KBD. about same as Eee
Lenovo x300
The Competitor to the MBA. Crammed loads of things in to this one and runs Vista Premium.
MacBook
Slightly thicker than MBA but same thing with a few more ports
MacBook (black)
same as above except for black color and a few upgrades
Couple of suggestions
by daqqad - 5/17/08 9:18 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You are being delusional for a couple of reasons. First of all, NOTHING can survive the beating of 9 and 11 year old. Humans have yet to invent something that can. Dell, however, offers accidental damage protection for not a lot of money which means they will replace the computer for any reason. Second, gaming laptops are not cheap and very heavy. You're probably looking at 8lbs+ and $2K+. Unless you consider $4K a reasonable monthly payment for new laptop, get the accidental damage protection.
If your experience is with Dell laptops...
by ralphclark - 5/17/08 1:32 PM In reply to: Couple of suggestions by daqqad...then it's no wonder you would think that. They're cheaply made and it shows. But the Thinkpad T series will stand up to much more punishment, with its titanium lid, steel reinforced hinges and high impact composite body. I gave one to my 11 year old daughter two years ago; since then it's seen constant use by her, her brother, our toddler and my wife as well. The only visible sign of all this wear and tear is where the decals have rubbed off the metal "Intel inside" badge on the palmrest. But the rest of it is still immaculate.
Tough laptops
by mo.davies - 5/17/08 9:43 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
To be used by a young boy, a laptop has to be "soldier-proof". It WILL be dropped, thrown, used as a step and otherwise tested up to, and beyond destruction.
In the UK, IBM used to market a series of "tough PC" Laptops, called, I believe, Toughbooks. They probably also do so in the US of A, try the modern spelling and look for Tuffbooks, or similar distortions of the words. Certain other companies specialise in toughened, metal or even Kevlar bodied Laptops for heavy duty industrial use. The armour plating carried a premium, however.
To run all the applications named, with the exception of gaming, a low-specification 486 or even 386 would be adequate. To run games, however........ Just buy the fastest Laptop with the most memory, and highest specification display that you can afford. That might be just sufficient for a few months, before the next game comes out!
I always ensured that my children had better specification PC's than I did, that way, they did not mess mine up.
Mo.
Bob and Laptop for children
by jw1ls5n0129 - 5/17/08 10:07 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
hell Bob , as to your question there is not an answer as far as age goes . your children could be 5 years old but with the brains of a 12
year old .so I would put it down to the mentality of the child ,and
look at things like are they distructive ? or have you got children that will look after a laptop and things in the computer world are changing all the time so you have to make your mind up for advice on this comes down to the person that will be buying the laptops . its not a lot of help but, the best I could give you . all the best John
I would buy a Mac, every time
by pwallace63 - 5/17/08 10:25 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My granddaughter, 14, has had one for two years. It has been perfect for her needs (primarily what you stated, minus the gaming). My 11 yo grandson has a Mac pc and loves it for gaming. The Mac laptop was purchased through Ebay and is just the right size for a teenaged lap.
Peg
Ergonomics for kids
by sterghe - 5/17/08 10:34 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hello, Bob,
As a parent of two tech-savvy teens and a computer instructor, I'll actually applaud your choice to get laptops for your kids. Good move. 
Do keep in mind the importance of ergonomics, especially since the kind of injuries caused by lousy posture and positioning of kids at keyboards may not show up for a long time, so, "I'm fine, Dad!" is meaningless. I'd get both kids separate full-size keyboards and mice to use at home, at least, and kid-sized computer desks. Ideally, look for desks where you can adjust the height of the keyboard trays(either by design or just by repositioning screws in wood), and get good desk chairs with adjustable heights. Your kids may need places to rest their feet, too, to stay properly positioned. This doesn't have to be expensive, btw--tossing a sturdy cardboard box or a block under the desk may be fine for this purpose. Also, watch their positioning and posture when they use their laptops, and make sure both kids know what "ergonomics" means and why it's important. Especially on the road, and especially while gaming--which can get intense, encouraging players to hunch ever closer to the screen--it's all too easy to start in on habits that will lead to real physical agony and possible surgery years later.
OK, probably most people will agree with all that. And, there are people here better qualified than I to recommend specific equipment in terms of the laptops themselves. But since I'm already tossing my opinion into the mix, I might as well answer the rest; take it for what it's worth.
I'd get Macs for both kids if your budget allows it, mostly because of the sturdier architecture. I'd also get Microsoft Office, so the kids can learn to use it now, when it's easy--knowing how to throw together a quick PowerPoint or create a Word template is going to put them lightyears ahead when it's time for high school. Microsoft Office is found in most schools and many business settings, so it's more useful to have it as your "native language" than to start out using something else, imho ... although if it's not an option, I'd probably go all the way in the other direction and use Google Docs for free.
I'd also start now with good internet safety habits--teaching the kids to check their own antivirus and antispyware programs to be sure everything's updating as it should, avoiding sites likely to be "buggy", not putting your real name or any of your numbers online as a kid, not posting anything anywhere you don't want to see come back to you in the most undesirable context imaginable in the future, etc.
Hope this helps ...
Sterghe
Go For Dell or Sony
by dthehunter - 5/17/08 10:40 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Usually you can get a good priced laptop for "kids" from Dell and Sony. They also come with decent graphics processors so that your kids can play Runescape or what ever they wish. Now granted they are not going to be pure powerhouses and be top of the line but still they are good for want you want them for. Also i would recommend a small screen because usually the bigger the screen the bigger the hole in your wallet.
How often is the travel and what is the travel for?
by AudraMi - 5/17/08 11:28 AM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Before I answer your question I wonder how often do you travel? Second, is the travel for leisure? If your travel is for leisure have you considered unleashing them from this form of technology for the engagement and enjoyment of the trip? Just a question, if it is because you the parent must travel frequently and take them with then make the investment that is needed and in your budget range. You will have to determine the specs required by the game if this is the priority for purchase.
If it is not the priority for purchase then any entry level machine can and will work for their Internet Surfing, Web Browsing, and light document processing. You will have to consider what type of Internet Service provider you will use for wireless connectivity and possibly the purchase of cards for each user or enabled machines. If you don't do this then you will have to know your current providers hot spots and your ability to connect. These are my thoughts.
Peace & Productivity,
Audra
Doctoral Candidate in Instructional Technology
Don't go smaller than a laptop with a 12" screen
by aka_tripleB - 5/17/08 3:30 PM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You can go larger if you want to, but keep in mind the weight of the laptop so your kids will be able to carry it around. This means that you won't be able to go with the XO or Eee PC that are cheap. They, however, lack a key component that could prove crucial on long trips. You will want to have a DVD-rom drive, and because of the ubiquity of DVD burners, you will probably end up with one. With prices as low as they are, you probably will not mind.
From what I gathered from the Runestone website, the game is just complex Java code. So any laptop should have no problem running the game. All computers run Java fine. So when you are comparing different laptop, you just need to find one that can handle Vista. Stay away from Celeron processors. They may have a fast speed, but don't have any power to back it up. Via processors are better, but I won't go for that either. Stay with Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD X2, they will be your best bet at having a decent machine for what you want to do with it. Vista Home Premium requires a minimum of 1024MB (1GB) of RAM. Go for at least 2GB of RAM. Laptop graphics cards share RAM from the system taking at least 32MB (usually 128MB now).
The other requirements don't affect the performance of the system much and are usually just a matter of preference (Hard drive storage or if you want to upgrade to Draft-N wireless network interface card "NIC") I do suggest ordering the laptop directly from the manufacturer so you have more of a choice for a laptop and so you don't have to settle for what stores tell you that you want.
You can get the full get the full list of specifications on Microsoft's website:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/systemrequirements.mspx
Construction grade
by EBF284 - 5/17/08 4:48 PM In reply to: Laptop recommendation for children by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well, what about a construction notebook (meaning the notebooks they use on the construction sites). I have one my self and just love how no matter how meny times I have dropped it, it has not even been damaged once! Also seeing how you travel alot, it might be a good idea. They can sometimes be a little pricey but they do come with all the nessary features you need (or as you discribed in the letter). Good Luck!
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