Up - Home - - Comments
Our business is fully mobile, so we use laptop computers. In comparison to desktop machines, laptops are more expensive to buy, and more difficult to service.
They also use much less power, so they are a perfect solution for rural computer users on solar power. In full sun with only 96 watts of panels on our landcruiser, we can easily run the laptops, the phones and the fridge.
We are currently carrying 2 laptops, a Compaq and a Sony. Our Dell served us well, but eventually sucumbed to the ravages of time. The Highlander we once had is thankfully long gone. All were purchased new, and all have had problems.
The Compaq is an nx9040, which we purchased at the end of 2004 to replace the Dell. The specs are amazing for the price (mobile Celeron 1400, 256Mb, 30G, CD-RW/DVD). In addition to the modem and network card, it has a good complement of ports (serial, parallel, USB 2, s-video, Firewire). It has both CD and floppy in simultaneously. It even has an infra-red port, so it works with our printer without a wire.
The software complement is well rounded, and the full version of Windows XP Professional is even customised for Australia. Although the BIOS is very limited, the touchpad software supports continuing edge motion. Overall, while it doesn't quite have the polish of the Dell, it is well ahead of the Sony.
The keyboard is a little unresponsive, missing the occasional keystroke. The BIOS power management regularly powered down the hard disk causing unwanted interuptions to normal operation, but flashing the BIOS cured that problem.
After about six months, it died completely. At a random point during startup the screen became a series of bright pastel lines, all disk activity ceased, and there was no response to any keyboard action. Before we reached a point where it could be repaired, it began to function normally, so now we have a machine which is at best, completely unreliable.
The Sony is a Vaio PCGFXA10, which we purchased early in 2003 to replace the Highlander. The specs are surprisingly good for the price (originally, mobile Athalon 1400, 256Mb, 30G, CD-RW/DVD, now 512Mb). In addition to the modem and network card, it has a good complement of ports (serial, parallel, USB, s-video, Firewire). It even has both CD and floppy in simultaneously. Surprisingly, it does not have an infra-red port, so it won't talk to our printer without a wire.
It comes with a recovery CD, rather than a full set of software. This may be fine for the average user, but it's a real annoyance for those who like the flexibility to change things around. Its software is a little less refined than the DELL, lacking the kind of helpful extra features you only really notice when they're not there (like continuing motion at the edge of the touchpad, and comprehensive BIOS settings). They don't even bother to customise the Windows regional settings to Australian.
We bought the Sony to replace the Highlander lemon. Two days after delivery, the CD/DVD combo drive failed. The repair turnaround was two weeks, and on return one of the 5 available DVD region changes had been used.
The Sony call centre is a labyrinth of automated menus, and people who like to transfer you elsewhere. The only service centre who will accept laptops for repair is in Sydney. Perhaps the only saving grace is the fact that they pay to transport it back and forward.
We bought the DELL early in 2001 by mail order - you can't go and see one in a shop. The specifications for the DELL (Inspiron 4000) are great (originally, P3M, 800Mhz, 128M, 10G, CD-RW, now 512M, 30G). The look and feel of the machine are excellent - you can tell that it is a quality product. It has two integrated mice (we prefer the touchpad, and disable the stick). The keyboard layout and feel are also excellent. Even the free carry case is well constructed.
The packaging is unfortunately a little flimsy.
Over time, the screen rubs on the keyboard/mice, leaving damage marks on the screen.
The damaged area seems more susceptible to "stuck pixels" that glow indefinitely.
It also runs HOT.
On a winter day it's a great lap warmer, but in summer a newspaper is essential insulation!
The floppy and CD use the same bay, so you have to make do with one or the other.
It has had warranty repair four times. The motherboard has been replaced 3 times. The memory has been replaced twice. The CPU has been replaced once.
We believe that the CPU was the only fault. The diagnosis was difficult, and we're not surprised that they didn't get it right the first time. We are a little disappointed that it took four attempts to find the real fault. We began suggesting a CPU replacement on the second call. On the fourth call, a new CPU went in. One of those occasions where "Intel Inside" is detrimental. The only real problem since then has been Windows crashing, but everyone expects that.
Despite these problems, we are still willing to recommend DELL. They provide an on-site warranty, and they have serviced our machine promptly no matter where in the bush we were. (The turn-around times are a bit disappointing, but anyone in the bush knows that things take longer than city folk expect.)
They have stood by their product, and made sure it works. We appreciate that.
We bought our Highlander in late 2001 from Ecom Computers. The warranty service is provided by PC Club. (Both are in Sydney.) The spec's for the Highlander were low-end (AMD K6-2, 450Mz, 128Mb, 10G), but so was the price. The quality is no match for the DELL, but at barely over 1/3rd of the price, you have to expect that.
The Highlander was unfortunately a lemon, not fit for the intended purpose. In the time we had it, five separate components failed, one of them twice! With freight times, and very tardy service turnarounds, it was unavailable to us for lengthy periods.
PC Club freely admit that most of our problems are a direct result of faulty manufacture. Unfortunately, that did not translate into any appropriate efforts to solve the problems. The only options they offered were an upgrade (at a hefty additional cost), or a refund of about 1/4 the purchase price. Even the Department of Fair Trading were unable to get them to improve their offer. Ecom talk extensively about what they'd like to offer, but effectively just endorsed the PC Club stance.
The actual hardware components that failed were: the CD ROM, a total system failure, screen failure (twice), floppy disc, and the power supply. In addition, there are a couple of significant design faults. One of the screen mode transitions fails under Linux so we couldn't run a graphical login, and the IR port fails on all but the simplest print jobs.
The "return to Sydney" requirement on warranty is difficult for our mobile business (and the freight companies don't make it any easier). The cost in freight and phone calls represent 10% of the original cost of the machine. There is also the cost of lost work, and the inconvenience of being without the machine for extended periods.
The component quality, build quality, repairs, and support are all substandard, and we could not recommend PC Club, Ecom Computers, or Highlander products under any circumstance. (Highlander products are also sold under the Sotec brand.)
In the end we took the case to the Consumer Tenancy and Trader Tribunal. The decision came as no surprise to us, and we were awarded 85% of our money back.