notebooks

I hate cord clutter. But when I travel (like I'm doing right now), I'm stuck with it, what with all the power cords I have to stuff into my carry-on.

My laptop's AC adapter is among the worst offenders (two cords!), which is why I'm thinking very seriously about this: ZipKord has the Retractable Universal Laptop Combo-Charger for $20, plus a very reasonable $3.75 for shipping. Regular price: $79.99.

This travel-friendly kit consists of two retractable cords -- one for AC outlets, one for in-dash cigarette lighters -- and a set of 11 tips. … Read more

Don't like Windows 8? Too bad: You're stuck with it, at least if you're shopping for a new PC.

Ah, but if you're willing to go the refurb route, you can still find one running the comfortable old shoe that is Windows 7.

To wit: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Secondipity has the refurbished HP Pavilion dv6-7027NR laptop for $339.99 shipped. And as an added bonus, Secondipity will donate a portion of the purchase to the charity DonorsChoose.org.

This is a 14-inch laptop with an Intel Core-i5 processor, 6GB of RAM, … Read more

An ultrabook ultraportable PC priced at $549 must be considered, especially if it's a convertible -- a system with both a keyboard and a touch screen, the latter able to swing a full 360 degrees into tablet mode.

And I'd say no convertible has received more press than the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga, which was rightly celebrated for its slick design -- if not its operating system.

Update: I tweaked the headline to reflect that the Yoga isn't technically an ultrabook, which is Intel's designation for a system with a particular set of specs.

For a limited … Read more

Remember that Lenovo IdeaPad U310 I wrote about a couple weeks ago? Let's talk.

I bought one. It's really, really nice, though battery life proved disappointing. And I found zero value in having a touch screen. In fact, I suspect that battery life would have been better with a non-touch-screen version (as indicated by both CNET and PC World in their reviews of that model).

If you concur, Newegg has the Lenovo IdeaPad U310 13.3-inch ultrabook for $549.99 shipped -- $50 less than I paid for the touch-screen version. And it gets better: You also get … Read more

Regular readers know that I just popped for a Lenovo IdeaPad U310 ultrabook, and I'll admit to having some buyer's remorse. The design is gorgeous, and it's a decent performer, but the touch screen adds no value (for me, anyway), and battery life is abysmal (around 3 hours).

Consequently, I may end up returning it, so I continue to look for other thin, light, and affordable systems. Like this one: Acer, by way of eBay, has the refurbished Aspire S3-951-6646 13.3-inch ultrabook for $529.99 shipped. It originally sold for $899.99.

The Aspire is an … Read more

My hunt for a new laptop continues. I definitely want an ultrabook, even if it means paying a premium for a thinner, lighter design, but I'd really like to keep the price under $600. Given that most ultrabooks start at $700, I'm having to marshal all my cheapskate powers.

The latest candidate: Newegg has the Lenovo IdeaPad U310 13.3-inch touch-screen ultrabook (model 59365302) for $599.99 shipped, along with a $50 Newegg gift card.

Staples is also selling the U310 for $599.99 shipped, but you'll probably be on the hook for sales tax. Plus, no … Read more

So many deals, so little time!

1. Mo' terabytes, mo' savings. If your PC doubles as a media center, especially one that pulls DVR duty, you can't have too much storage. Likewise, if you work with a lot of video, you can't have too much storage.

While supplies last, TigerDirect has the Western Digital Elements 3TB USB hard drive for $99.99, plus $3.80 for shipping. That's after redeeming a $20 mail-in rebate (PDF), which makes this the least expensive 3TB external drive I've ever seen.

It's a USB 2.0 drive, alas, but … Read more

My hunt for a new laptop continues. I want an ultrabook, something thin and light, but I certainly don't want to pay upward of $1,000 for it.

Last week I almost popped for the Vizio CT14-A4, which at $599 seemed too good to be true, but couldn't get past all the negative reviews of the keyboard. (It's still available at that price, FYI.)

Today I'm eyeballing another surprisingly good deal from the Microsoft Store: the HP Spectre XT 13 ultrabook for $699 shipped (plus sales tax where applicable). It normally sells for $999.99.

Although … Read more

Quick update on the refurbished Apple EarPods deal I wrote about last week. Ordered: March 14. Arrived: March 18. Condition: indistinguishable from new. If you're interested, they're still available, though now priced a buck higher at $14.99 shipped.

In other news, I've decided life is too short -- and my eyes are too old -- to waste on an 11.6-inch screen, which is why I'm officially in the market for a new laptop. My HP Pavilion dm1z has served me fairly well, but it's just too small.

On the other hand, I don'… Read more