Hi all, it's now been 2 and a half weeks since i got my new 17 inch powerbook and I thought I'd give a more through review.
Screen:
I'd liek to start off by saying how much i love this screen. Real-estate wise it's perfect for me, since I can work on a research project and type at the same time without have to switch screens. IT's also very nice for watching movies, be it in full screen mode, or mid-mode when I'm working on something else. Working on this bad boy for a 6 hours stint is no issue whatsoever, as i've done it a few times suffering maybe from a foot falling asleep or some such. I will admit that I was at work the other night and my co-worker had her laptop there, and I looked at that screen. When comparing the 2, hers was brighter, even when I turned mine all the way up, thoug hI normally only keep it at about 50% brightness, and it looked more vibrant. I did have a complaint with it though, but i'll get to that in the next session.
Weight:
AS to the weight issue, I've read on the forums that people say weight might be an issue, well I don't seem to think it is. I've carried this computer on campus for about a week and a half now, and had no troubles. I've also taken it with me to work, as well use it all around the house. Currently I'm using my backpack and the crappy little bag they put it in when you first get the powerbook for toting around, but that'll change a little later today when my new Timbuk2 mssenger XL bag arrives (which I'll review later I'm sure) Earlier I mentioned that I had one major issue with my friends computer at work. the thing was a 15 inch screen (non-widescreen) and about twice as thick as my laptop, and possibly even a little heavier! For me it's a compromise I'm willing to have when I can get a 17inch screen at the same weight of a 15. This brings me to the next area.
Design:
Some people say they don't like the design on the 17incher, that it's just too large for a laptop. Im' not relaly sure what to say here as everyone has there own view, but from mine I love it. Nice area for a hand rest, and who couldn't love how thin this computer is? To me it just has an overall well made/slick feel.
Productivity:
Well I'd like to say that at first I was using this powerbook with 512Megs of RAM. I was pleased with the performance, but could feel the macchine getting hiccupped some times. So I did the only thing I thought logical, and bought another gig of ram
. Now I don't feel like the machine is hanging at any point, and i keep a bunch open at the same time. Usually a minimum of stickies, itunes, adium, puzzle pirates, and safari. Th eprocessor has been plenty fast for all I'e wanted to do so far, and I'll be looking at pushing it once I have some more time to mess around with garageband 2.
Miscelaneous:
Here i'd like to bring up a couple things. First the heat. I'd read around the forums that the heat could be uncomfortable and even hot in some of the powerbooks. For me the heat isn't bad, you know it's there, of that there is no doubt, but it's more like an electric blanket on your lap. Like an electric blanket if using in your lap for an extensive time it can get much warmer, but never to where I would say ow when touching it with my bare hand. I'd also like to point out in this section noise. Prior to this computer i had the windtunnel dual 867 powermac, and man this thing is friggin quiet. The only time I notice much noise from it is when there's a dvd or cd in the computer when it's started up, or when first being inserted. Or if you've got a dvd playing but the drive is at an angle. Then it makes a little noise every so often as the dvd spins around. Also i'd like to say that the new trackpad ability is awesome! It took me a few days to get used to using it, but now that I've got the hang of it, I could be happier. It's just very effective at what it does, and I don't think using it at the apple store really gives the useage justice.
I don't know what I've left out, but if anyone is curious i'm more, than I'm happy to reply. Overall I'd give this computer a 9 out of 10. Only docking it for being too damn sexy, and my not wanting to leave it anywhere. Well, that and for it not being quite as vibrant as other laptops.
Screen:
I'd liek to start off by saying how much i love this screen. Real-estate wise it's perfect for me, since I can work on a research project and type at the same time without have to switch screens. IT's also very nice for watching movies, be it in full screen mode, or mid-mode when I'm working on something else. Working on this bad boy for a 6 hours stint is no issue whatsoever, as i've done it a few times suffering maybe from a foot falling asleep or some such. I will admit that I was at work the other night and my co-worker had her laptop there, and I looked at that screen. When comparing the 2, hers was brighter, even when I turned mine all the way up, thoug hI normally only keep it at about 50% brightness, and it looked more vibrant. I did have a complaint with it though, but i'll get to that in the next session.
Weight:
AS to the weight issue, I've read on the forums that people say weight might be an issue, well I don't seem to think it is. I've carried this computer on campus for about a week and a half now, and had no troubles. I've also taken it with me to work, as well use it all around the house. Currently I'm using my backpack and the crappy little bag they put it in when you first get the powerbook for toting around, but that'll change a little later today when my new Timbuk2 mssenger XL bag arrives (which I'll review later I'm sure) Earlier I mentioned that I had one major issue with my friends computer at work. the thing was a 15 inch screen (non-widescreen) and about twice as thick as my laptop, and possibly even a little heavier! For me it's a compromise I'm willing to have when I can get a 17inch screen at the same weight of a 15. This brings me to the next area.
Design:
Some people say they don't like the design on the 17incher, that it's just too large for a laptop. Im' not relaly sure what to say here as everyone has there own view, but from mine I love it. Nice area for a hand rest, and who couldn't love how thin this computer is? To me it just has an overall well made/slick feel.
Productivity:
Well I'd like to say that at first I was using this powerbook with 512Megs of RAM. I was pleased with the performance, but could feel the macchine getting hiccupped some times. So I did the only thing I thought logical, and bought another gig of ram
. Now I don't feel like the machine is hanging at any point, and i keep a bunch open at the same time. Usually a minimum of stickies, itunes, adium, puzzle pirates, and safari. Th eprocessor has been plenty fast for all I'e wanted to do so far, and I'll be looking at pushing it once I have some more time to mess around with garageband 2.Miscelaneous:
Here i'd like to bring up a couple things. First the heat. I'd read around the forums that the heat could be uncomfortable and even hot in some of the powerbooks. For me the heat isn't bad, you know it's there, of that there is no doubt, but it's more like an electric blanket on your lap. Like an electric blanket if using in your lap for an extensive time it can get much warmer, but never to where I would say ow when touching it with my bare hand. I'd also like to point out in this section noise. Prior to this computer i had the windtunnel dual 867 powermac, and man this thing is friggin quiet. The only time I notice much noise from it is when there's a dvd or cd in the computer when it's started up, or when first being inserted. Or if you've got a dvd playing but the drive is at an angle. Then it makes a little noise every so often as the dvd spins around. Also i'd like to say that the new trackpad ability is awesome! It took me a few days to get used to using it, but now that I've got the hang of it, I could be happier. It's just very effective at what it does, and I don't think using it at the apple store really gives the useage justice.
I don't know what I've left out, but if anyone is curious i'm more, than I'm happy to reply. Overall I'd give this computer a 9 out of 10. Only docking it for being too damn sexy, and my not wanting to leave it anywhere. Well, that and for it not being quite as vibrant as other laptops.
