I Need A Mobile PC
I desperately need a mobile PC. Why is that so? Since the start of the 2nd semester, I have been thinking of having a mobile PC with me aside from the age-old Pentium 4 desktop (but with Hyper-Threading Technology, mind you) we have at home, I need something I can bring for me to type codes, make papers, edit photos or videos, and somewhat kill my boredom while I'm in UPMin.
With my current roster of major subjects (i.e. CMSC128 - Software Engineering, CMSC 130 - Logic Circuits [the one I'm repeating now], and CMSC 142 - Algorithm Design) with a dash of extra subjects (JAP 11 - Elementary Japanese 2, and ENG 10 - Writing Scientific Papers), I thought this will be a very demanding semester for me. Imagine - writing documentations, coding systems, simulating circuits, testing algorithms, memorizing grammars and formulating topics - that's a load of tasks I have to do every now and then.
Aside from that, as I am currently with Himati, the official student publication, I have to do the necessary jobs - shooting videos, making pictures, editing them, communicate with the staff, and, recently, develop a system for them (in connection with my Software Engineering class). I need to have something to work my tasks hands-on (although my parents don't usually approve with what I'm doing).
As the year ends, I was already hoping that I would get a mobile PC - whether it will be a laptop/notebook, or a mini-laptop/netbook. I was already hoping that, by God's grace, my parents will have enough budget to provide me a mobile PC before I will start my undergraduate Special Problem, a version of the Thesis for our course.
My second aunt offered me to have their Acer Aspire 5532 series laptop (as seen above), with an Intel Pentium P6000 processor, which was bought by my another distant aunt from Saudi Arabia for about PHP 35,000 (about SAR 3,000) (including Shipping & Handling). If this was bought in the Philippines, this would price about PHP 42,000 to PHP 44,000.
My mom had second thought having that laptop because it is quite expensive. My mom wanted to buy a laptop lower that Php 30,000.
But recently, that aunt of mine offered me to have the laptop for an installment.
But I don't know if it will be working for us.
The Acer model is a rare find here in the Philippines, considering laptops with numeric keypads such as this model are very, very hard to find. And with the very decent specs such as the higher (and current) Pentium processor (which can compete with a Core Duo), and the Intel HD graphics that comes with it, I would like to have this exquisite model.
Another option: Have a Neo B4103 N laptop. I have seen quite an interest in this Filipino-branded laptop brand and their unique line of mobile computers. (which is quite in cahoots with Filipino-branded cellphone brands my|phone and Cherry Mobile)
The very affordable laptop with the Intel Core i3 processor is actually what I wanted to have until now. It has the Hyper-Threading Technology, Intel HD graphics, Bluetooth, and a 320 GB hard drive (the Acer model only had 250 GB). It's a good find, actually.
But reading bad reviews of Neo laptops from many bloggers, which say Neo laptops get too hot under certain conditions, casings get damaged from time to time, very mediocre battery life and the support they get is far from sufficient, I'm having double thoughts about having a Neo.
But with the price lower than Php 30,000, I want to have it.
The last, desperate, yet better option: Have a netbook. Yeah, yeah, these lilliputians are said to be weak when it comes to "intense" computing tasks. But, hey, I'm a computing enthusiast, and I want to develop programs fit for the computers of the lowest specs, like netbooks and legacy PCs.
But what netbook?
There have been a lot of great reviews of this model. They say from its very durable and beautiful construction, the anti-reflective screen, the 10-12 hour battery life, to the functionalities you get like the HyperSpace InstantOn technology which lets you connect to the Internet without waiting for Windows to boot, this Intel Atom N450 model is said to be the best buy to have.
The price seems to be reasonable - for just about Php 23,000, I want to have this beauty.
I don't know with you. But I need to have a mobile PC. I am desperate.
KENNETH
