I moved all Raible Designs' computer equipment to its new HQ tonight. Boy do I need to get a flat panel monitor - those 19" behemoths are ridiculous. The nice thing is, since we got our internet service hooked up last week, all I had to do was hook up my wireless network and turn on Mini-Me, and voila - connected. Smooth transitions are nice.
Expected delivery date: August 8th
- 3.06GHz Intel Pentium 4 Processor w/ HT
- 512MB PC2700 333MHz DDR RAM SODIMM
- 512MB PC2700 333MHz DDR RAM SODIMM
- 60GB 7200rpm Ultra ATA Hard Disk Drive (Hitachi 7K60)
- Toshiba SD-R6012 1X DVD-R/W Drive w/ DVD Recording Software
- ATI Radeon 9000 Mobility 64MB (w/ TV Out)
- Built-in 3D Sound System w/ 5.1 Channel S/PDIF
- Integrated V.92 56K Fax/Data Modem
- Integrated Realtek RTL8139C Fast Ethernet Controller & 802.11b Wireless
LAN
- Aviator ZX7 in Silver and Graphite
- 17" WXGA WIDESCREEN High Contrast Active Matrix LCD Display
- Internal Bluetooth Module
- Internal Subwoofer Speaker Module
- MS Windows XP Professional SP1 CD & Manual Pre-Installed & Configured
- 3Year 24/7 Toll-Free Tech Support Platinum Service & Lifetime Support
- Guaranteed shipment within 10 days of order
#1 reason to switch back? Speed, and lots of it. ;0)
As I mentioned a couple days ago, I'm looking to purchase a new laptop. Why? Because I might get a contract that requires me to provide my own machine. It's happened before, and on this contract my machine sucked when I started. Sure I could use my slow-as-molasses Powerbook (667 MHz, 1 GB RAM), but I'd rather buy a Windows laptop. Besides, it's not about the machine's productivity as much as my productivity on it. I'm faster on Windows, so I should buy a Windows machine to pack to client sites. Mini-Me (the Powerbook) will be adopted by Julie, where I'm sure it will be in good hands. I still plan on using it a fair amount, but she's been known to tell me "Keep your damn hands off my computer!" ;-)
So, to do some more research on the Alienware Area-51m and the Hibersonic Aviator ZX7, I sent each company an e-mail. The e-mail was pretty simple, and I just switched the order of things for each company:
I'm looking to purchase a new laptop and right now I'm down to making a
decision between your 51m (http://alienware.com/system_pages/area-51m.aspx)
and Hypersonic's ZX7 (http://hypersonic-pc.com/ZX7). Can you tell me why
I should buy your product over Hypersonic's?
About 10 hours later (a little slow, don't you think), I received the first reply - from Hypersonic.
Fair enough, Hypersonic has a Customer Satisfaction rating of 7.79, but less than 20 reviews in the last 6 months. Alienware, on the other hand, has a 7.78 Customer Satisfaction Rating. So they're very close there. However, on the lifetime rating, Alienware is 7.63 (275 reviews) and Hypersonic is 9.17 (48 reviews). When I first started this comparison, I liked the Alienware machine better because it has 802.11g and because I've heard of the company before. I'd never heard of Hypersonic, but the ZX7 did have built-in bluetooth, a 17" monitor and a (supposedly) kick ass sound system. I don't travel, and if I do, it's usually for pleasure and I can always take Mini-Me.
So I replied to the Hypersonic e-mail above.
And I recieved a reply 6 1/2 hours later:
All good answers to my questions. So I'm feeling pretty good about Hypersonic at this point, and still haven't heard from Alienware. And then I got a response from them, almost 30 hours after I sent my original e-mail. It took about 4 sentences for me to realize they were just sending me a standard form-letter, filled with arrogance.
In the end, both still sound good, but I like the Bluetooth, 17" screen and sound system on the Hypersonic. I decided last night that I should probably buy this now, instead of waiting for a new contract. I want one too bad to pass up the opportunity (and it's a business write-off). At the new house, Raible Designs' HQ will be in the basement, so we'll be relying on our 802.11b network to surf the web, check e-mail, etc. from upstairs. I moved to two computers years ago because Julie and I would fight over one. It's bound to happen again unless we have two wireless laptops. How's that for justification?! I'm saving our marriage!