Laptops

I'm not sure if Nova has a laptop requirement, but I'm getting one anyway as a graduation present. What kind are you getting for next year or what kind do you currently have? The one I'm getting is a nice looking Gateway, 60 GB hard drive with some nice accessories (DVD drive, also comes with a CD/DVD burner I believe.)

I have a friend that is a 2L at Nova and she said you pretty much need a laptop though it's not a requirement. I think I am asking for one for my birthday. Do you know what kind you are looking at? I am sick of my Dell (it is four years old) and was thinking of a Sony Vaio.

Parents are getting me a Gateway notebook with a Pentium 4 processor, 60 GB hard drive, and a ton of software loaded on as a graduation present. One of those HSN deals that they liked, I'm not going to complain since I don't have to pay for it.

Morsi- any particular problems with the Dell you have, or is it just that you want a new computer?

It's just too old and I busted the floppy. Except for one "blue screen" incident when I was a junior (a little over three years ago, it's been great). The only other complaints I have are what most people have about their older laptops, battery life and weight. But Dell offers great service. I was on the phone with them at 2AM for about two hours when my laptop wouldn't boot.

I don't know if anyone else was at the admitted students event last month, but my tour guide warned us to avoid Macs since both the school's wireless network and exam software isn't compatible with the Mac OS.

Word is macs are not a good idea. I overheard one of the guides telling that to a girl who was at admitted students day.

You can get a Macbook Pro which has an Intel chip and will run XP natively, however, they run about $2,000.00.

I am getting my first laptop ever for law school and don't know what to go for either.

Looks like there are two main processors to consider, a Centrino M or something, and a Dual Core something-or-other.

I'm pretty impressed with the Sony Vaio's and they are supposedly pretty able to handle abuse. I want good battery life, but there are outlets at the desk, so that's not something that is absolutely mandatory. I've also heard that the IMB/Lenovo thinkpads are pretty much rock-solid.

Again, this is a little late, but Macs are probably not the way to go. The exam software doesn't work on them, and while you might be able to use a PC for the exam, they are first come, first serve, and you don't want to be stuck handwriting a final if you don't have to.

I have a Dell Latitude D810, and I have no complaints. It's a year old, long battery life, and it works just fine. It doesn't really matter what you get, though I recommend something with a bigger screen, because you will be staring at it for hours a day. It doesn't matter though, what kind you go with, just get something that you like and that you are comfortable with.

I think its pretty much a given that laptops now have wireless cards, but if it doesn't come standard, get it. Also the exam software requires that you have a floppy drive, but I bought an external drive for about $40, though I think you can get them cheaper, I was in a rush.

Is anyone buying the Dell recommended laptops that they have on the VU law page? They seem expensive but they come with 3-years of on-site tech support at school.

I was going to go ahead and get a Vaio FJ I think, but parents told me to hold off. Might get some of it paid for by them come my birthday in August. I'll say that all the law students I know who just graduated said to get at least a 3 year warranty as the odds of something breaking are pretty high. So whatever you get, get a warranty.

Did anyone get anything yet, other than Matt?

How are Macs not compatible with the wireless network? I mean, I'm NOT a computer wiz, but isn't a wireless signal just that: a signal. How is the Mac OS involved in this process at all? That's kind of like saying a certain text-based plain Website won't work on a Mac browser.

Anywho, as you probably have figured, I just recently bought a Mac. Yes, it does suck that I can't run ExamSoft, but I do have an old laptop that I will be able to use on exam days. However, what system requirements are needed to run ExamSoft? Does the computer have to be connected to the Internet to run ExamSoft? Is Mac's BootCamp compatible with ExamSoft? Any / all answers are greatly appreciated!

Probably not the best idea but who knows. I am sure you will figure something out and get by.

Probably not the best idea but who knows. I am sure you will figure something out and get by.

Actually, on the website it says that as of 2006-07 they are now supporting macs. So go nuts.

What are all the guys on here going to carry their laptop in?

Good question - I think it'd be a bit cumbersome to carry around a laptop bag along with all of my books. There seems to be laptop book bags, but I wonder how heavy that would get (and the strain it would put on one's back).