Question:
Sony TZ or Samsung Q40
I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts on my choice here. The laptop will initially be used for a long backpacking trip for a) photo storage/review and b) programming work. After that it will be my travelling laptop only used when away from home office.
The way I see it is the differences are:
Sony :
2GB ram (making Vista usable)
100GB Hard drive (important for photo/video storage)
Integrated DVD player (nice for movies, burn photos etc)
Samsung :
Sim card slot for mobile phone based internet
Compact flash card slot (I use canon SLR canons so this is useful)
But then the kicker is the price difference.
Samsung : £1,164.71
http://www.dealsmashers.com/Laptops-...ml?ref=9f567r2
Sony : £1,799
https://www.sonystyle.co.uk/SonyStyl...0000002BC29B71
I realise the £1,399 is a fairer comparison with the Samsung, but then I can see little advantages of the Sony (less Ram, same HD) - it is only maxing those out that matches the value of the Samsung (sim card, compact flash).
Any thoughts?
Answer:
Re: Sony TZ or Samsung Q40
The Sony TZ is a very nice package provided your eyes can handle the small and very high resolution display. The Q40 will be easier on the eyes, but if your eyes are young this may not be an issue.
Another notebook in this size and price range is the Asus U1F.
And would the Sony G11 be of interest?
John
Answer:
Re: Sony TZ or Samsung Q40
Thanks,
Eyesight is pretty good and never had a problem with high resolution displays, in fact because I am programming having high resolution is a good selling point for me.
The Asus dosen't appear to hold any major advantages of the Samsung, slightly bigger hard drive but lacking the phone modem / compact flash slot which are big selling points to me.
I checked out the G11, not sure what the advantage over the other sony.
I guess I am leaning towards the sony, but for the price think it should have the mobile modem in built. Given that I will need a pcmcia card for both modem and for compact flash, this is quite an increase in bulk / things to bring.
Answer:
Re: Sony TZ or Samsung Q40
IN case you haven't seen, Trusted Reviews recently looked at both the Q40 and the TZ. The same person did the reviews so there should be a good basis for comparison and help you make your decision.
The Q40 gets 10/10 for value (when compared with the TZ).
John
PS: Perhaps we should not overlook the Dell Latitude D420. These have come down in price.
Answer:
Re: Sony TZ or Samsung Q40
Thanks John,
I think I am moving away from the Sony, the price dosen't seem to support the features. It's either going to be the Q40 or perhaps the Toshiba R500. They say they have a HSDPA version coming out in Q4, just annoying I need it for start of August :(
Answer:
Re: Sony TZ or Samsung Q40
You may want to check out the Dell M1330 when it officially appears (next week). It is not as light as the Q40 but does have a built-in optical drive. It's quite possible that HSDPA will be an option.
John
Answer:
Re: Sony TZ or Samsung Q40
Wow, that does look nice. Might definitely be an opton; at least I have a few to choose from - it wastn't long ago it was a sony or a sony in this weight range.
Answer:
Re: Sony TZ or Samsung Q40
I took a tr3 on an extended backpacking trip in Asia a couple of years ago - I would not underestiamte the value of a built-in optical drive for that use. It was critical at times
It served as a convinient way to back up photos/video to ship home and to watch dvd (bought cheap off the street) for nights when you just want to relax. It also allows you to install/reinstall software if anything goes wrong and the last thing you want is to carry an external drive in your pack.
My TR3 just broke (to be fair I dropped it and this time the screen ahd enough - though the rest of the computer runs fine) and I am looking for a replacement and leaning towards the tz myself.
Answer:
Re: Sony TZ or Samsung Q40
How about a Dell Inspiron XPS M1330? Have you considered that? It will cost as much as the Sony, most likely, but it will have features to match. It has got all of the features you listed the Sony as having, including a bigger hard drive, and also offers the mobile boradband which you talk about as an option. It will not have a compact flash slot however, but other than that it seems to meet your needs perfectly.
Answer:
Re: Sony TZ or Samsung Q40
you may want to think about how robust your laptop is going to be. backpacking is is a tough business for any ultraportable, and slimlines such as TZ or Q40 may be a bit too tender (think about either of them being squeezed between other stuff in your bag!)