$800 Budget - Need a laptop/tablet

[goobernoodles]

I realize that $800 isn't a boatload for a tablet or a laptop for that matter, but I just need something for school.

The main things I'm looking for are:
-Good Warranty
-Portability (The smaller, the better)
-Battery Life
-Tablet?

Also - need opinions on whether or not getting a tablet would be useful for a college student.

 

[thraxes]

Well... if it has to be new, get a Dell but with that budget I would seriously be looking at used machines. You can get 14" T40s and T41s used at that price. The risk ist that the battery will not be as long lasting as it once was though - an inherent problem when buying used laptops. A new Battery will sort that out but will cost at least 100$.

just look around ebay or locally. A Thinkpad dealer close to where I live also sells used machines.

 

[Kwad Guy]

Take a look at the HP/Compaq TC1100. It's not sold by HP anymore, but you can find them used for between $800-$1100. It's a really nicely engineered table with attachable keyboard. Not the most powerful tablet around (Pentium M from 1.0 to 1.2Ghz, depending on the model), but it's plenty fast for school chores. It even has a real video card in it (not onboard video). Light, small, decent battery life, great design.

Oh, and do NOT look at the TC1000 (previous model). It looks the same, but uses the craptastic Transmeta crusoe processor. AVOID.

Kwad