recomend me a laptop for my 16YO neice

[Mark]

she needs something for her school work and general internet usage, she does some small youtube video stuff as well.

i'm not sure what brands/models that cost less than say $600 that would be rugged enough for a teenager LOL

nothing really beasty for games though.

and should we get an extended warrenty ?

and what would be the cheapest way to get her a copy of word ?

does microsoft office come with that ?

thanks.......... i am headed off to dell's site now

[Lefty]

Dell has the 14z for 479 google dealnews for the link

[Mark]

Dell has the 14z for 479 google dealnews for the link

thanks lefty, i am passing those links on to her parents

[YARDofSTUF]

Ya Dell would be my stop as well.

I'd grab the cheapest i3 they have, upgrade to the home and student office package from starter and add a carrying case.

Stuck 50/50 on whether to recommend an extended warranty or save the money, guess it would depend on her track record with stuff.

[idavid4attdsl]

Ironically, around here check wal-mart. I saw a nice clearanced netbook go for $240 around here. It was a brand new acer with win7 start and intel core i5. Last year in the wal-mart in wood river, IL there was all kinds of laptops and desktops that hit the clearance shelves. All of them perfectly brand new in a box.

Now for me, if I was looking for one that could be fixed with replacement parts and such. I have had excellent luck with IBM thinkpads. Repair parts are easy to come by, and they have a forums all to their own called thinkpads.com.

[nightowl]

Ironically, around here check wal-mart. I saw a nice clearanced netbook go for $240 around here. It was a brand new acer with win7 start and intel core i5. Last year in the wal-mart in wood river, IL there was all kinds of laptops and desktops that hit the clearance shelves. All of them perfectly brand new in a box.

Now for me, if I was looking for one that could be fixed with replacement parts and such. I have had excellent luck with IBM thinkpads. Repair parts are easy to come by, and they have a forums all to their own called thinkpads.com.

I second the think pads...they are very tough. dont look pretty but they get the job done. plus they have the best keyboard I find! If you do get one stay away from the AMD laptops...they usually have overheating problems after 3-5 years.

Lenovo: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Lenovo+-...&skuId=4826131

toshiba: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Toshiba+...&skuId=4868066

[Ken]

I usually recommend at least checking with Lenovo (They bought out the IBM Thinkpads)
http://outlet.lenovo.com/

The outlet site sells lappy's that were typically out on a 1 year lease to the big corps and are factory recertified and have a full 1 year warranty. They go through inventory like mad and usually have a great selection. If they don't have the exact model that you want, wait an hour and check back! And I must add that Lenovo customer service is awesome...

[YeOldeStonecat]

I had to get another laptop last year...was shopping on a budget and in a hurry..so couldn't spend my time looking for off-lease factory refurb Thinkpads like I usually do. So I picked up Lenovo's new entry level Thinkpad, the "Edge"...420S model. Pretty good unit. Fixed resolution is a drawback for some, not me. 6 hundge bucks...i5, 8 gigs, performs well.

Still has good Thinkpad durability....wife 'n I got in a good arguement a month ago, I got her really pissed off at something...she picked up the laptop (it was running) and threw it across the room, it's corner stuck into the wall like a throwing star into cardboard...and then it fell to the ground. You can't really see any damage on it, still runs fine.

In the past...I've had great luck with factory reconditioned Thinkpads from outlets like above..or on eBay (certain outlets on eBay). My prior Thinkpad was a high end T60p model, was about 2,300 bucks new...I got it for 680 bucks....brand new, never used...never got taken out of the box....2.5 of the 3 year warranty still intact.

[Philip]

I'd get her a 12-13.3" notebook, something that's light and has a decent processor. I bought my wife an ASUS UL20FT-B1 12.1" last year (they had a $100 off mfr rebate) and she's been very happy with it.