(update) SOTEC Laptop / notebook: 1.2ghz Celeron, 256mb/20gb/12.1"/ 4.4lbs w CD-RW/DVD = $950 - 15% + tax - $50 rebate

[emonkey]

Originally posted by: jrichrds

Originally posted by: daye
Is there anyway for this to go wireless without a PC card slot?

Woa, no PC Card slot you say? I didn't think to check...thought it'd have at least one Type II slot. In that case, the only way you'd be going wireless is through a USB adapter. And those aren't the handiest thing in the world for portability as it's a separate unit.

You misunderstood. He didnt say it has no PC Card slot. It has 1. He is asking for an alternative to using the PC Card slot so he can use the PC Card slot for another device.

 

[jrichrds]

Oh darn, now I don't have a reason not to blow $800 on a laptop again.

 

[emonkey]

Did anyone get this? I am waiting on mine so i'm preparing my rebate stuff. That gif file is almost unreadable. Anyone know where to get a batter copy? OD says they dont have a copy... :|

Office Depot Rebate

 

[daye]

Anyone got this? Waiting. The 'status' of order on OD site looks strange. What is your 'status'? Also the amount charged is not right on mine.

 

[wrkalot]

I bought one of these on Saturday. After bringing it home I had a hard time getting my CISCO wireless card in the slot. I finally managed to get the wireless card in and working. I decided to try out the dvd and the player. The dvd player was making a scraping noise while it was playing, tried another dvd and everything was ok. I decided to return this unit to the store before I ruined my dvd's. Put in the 1st restore disk and everything was fine, the 2nd disk failed to read. After re-copying the 2nd restore cd, I got the Sotec back to factory software. I packed it back up and took it back to Office Depot. My experience with the Sotec wasn't so great and if this was broken who the heck knows what tech support is like. Besk of luck!

 

[ringzero]

So did anyone buy this? I'm still waiting on a dell laptop i got, but they take their sweet time. I'm curious on other peoples opinions.

anyone know if Office Depot has a restocking fee?

 

[daye]

This is even strange. I thought OD has policy of no return/exchange of laptops.

Originally posted by: wrkalot
I bought one of these on Saturday. After bringing it home I had a hard time getting my CISCO wireless card in the slot. I finally managed to get the wireless card in and working. I decided to try out the dvd and the player. The dvd player was making a scraping noise while it was playing, tried another dvd and everything was ok. I decided to return this unit to the store before I ruined my dvd's. Put in the 1st restore disk and everything was fine, the 2nd disk failed to read. After re-copying the 2nd restore cd, I got the Sotec back to factory software. I packed it back up and took it back to Office Depot. My experience with the Sotec wasn't so great and if this was broken who the heck knows what tech support is like. Besk of luck!

 

[wrkalot]

Yes, Office Depot does have an exchange only policy for notebooks, But as a fiend of mine who is a OD manager says they never follow their rules. He has taken back notebooks that are nearly a year old. They took back the Sotec I bought no questions asked.

 

[xp1800]

I bought this laptop and have been using it for 2 days now.

I had the same problem about the cisco wirless card as the previous guy, i had to remove the stickers to get it to just fit.

I've burned a few CD's with no problems but haven't tried the DVD drive yet.

So far everything is good and I like it alot.

 

[KennKaniff]

xp...do you play any games? if you do what games and how do they run on this lappy?

 

[Ziptar]

Nice Deal, If I didn't already pickup a Compaq 906US from Staples on Friday for $649, I would be on this one. The specs are almost identical, Although the 906US is a Mobile XP 1500+ and 256MB DDR and ATI RADEON IGP. However the Sotec is lighter and thinner than the Compaq.

It's really nice to see all these cheap Laptop Deals lately, gives me hope for cheap tablet PCs in the not too distant future. :-D

 

[xp1800]

i play counter-strike, but didn't have a chance to load it up, will report on quality once i get it installed

 

[daye]

It looks very nice. DVD is a little noise, but okay. Haven't tried CDRW yet. The keyboard is terrible. Some keys have their own mind, so that an opened window can be seen floating around on its own. It's impossible to do a single click. Once you touch the button, you get at least 2 clicks, or more.

 

[airduct]

man, these sound awful... might have to go w/ c400 or ibm's x series.

 

[daye]

Let me try to read the address for the MIR. Please post back your corrections. This thing requires team work.

SOTEC 3120X $50 Rebate
Offer #2617
PO. Box 42935
Nesa, 85274-2935

 

[daye]

The 800 number for the Rebate inquiry does not work. 1-800-280-2899. It asks for an 'access code' to be connected. This deal is really, really fishy.

Just called Sotec, the guy also couldn't get through. Then he sugggested the offer number could be used as the 'access number'. I tried, and went through. However, it turned out that it's just a business number for a compnay. They are not rebate center at all.

What is SOTEC doing????

 

[emonkey]

Got mine. For me, this is perfect. I really do like it and for this price i recommend it to anyone that understands that a laptop should be light enough to carry around and NOT be a desktop in a bag.

Pros:
- Extremely affordable for an ultralight
- Onboard DVD / CDRW
- Quiet
- Magnesium Case instead of plastic

Cons:
- Sotec? Popular in Japan but who knows how they?ll do here
- Keyboard: Keyboard Picture
Whoever designed this thing in Japan obviously doesn?t understand how keyboards should look. The backspace, insert, delete and arrows layout are pretty odd. I am constantly hitting ?end? instead of backspace and ?del? instead of the right arrow. ?PrtSc?, ?Scroll Lock?, ?Num Lock? and ?Pause Break? all get their own dedicated buttons on top while ?F11? ?F12? ?Pg Up? ?Pg Dn? are forced to requiring holding down the ?Fn? in order to work. Pretty ridiculous.

Verdict:
I like it alot but due to the company behind it then i recommend buying the extended warranty. With the 10% coupon then the warranty only added $105 for 2 years. (Item 237919)

 

[emonkey]

Originally posted by: daye
Let me try to read the address for the MIR. Please post back your corrections. This thing requires team work.

A few corrections for you daye:

Rebate Address
SOTEC 3120X $50 Rebate
Offer #2617
PO. Box 42935
Mesa, AZ 85274-2935

Rebate Phone Number
800.280.2859

It is tough to read that horrible gif they give you but i managed to zoom in far enough that i can read it. That 800 number is valid so the deal wont be as shady as you think. (hopefully)

So how do you like the laptop?

 

[daye]

emonkey, thanks for the corrections.

Bad experience calling their CS. They had to get my name and telephone number before they answer the Rebate question. ("Sir, I can help you with the rebate form after I get your telephone number") They she said she did not know about the rebate. So she lied just to get my phone number?

Going to try my luck at OD this Sunday to see whether they allow a return.

Originally posted by: emonkey

Originally posted by: daye
Let me try to read the address for the MIR. Please post back your corrections. This thing requires team work.

A few corrections for you daye:

Rebate Address
SOTEC 3120X $50 Rebate
Offer #2617
PO. Box 42935
Mesa, AZ 85274-2935

Rebate Phone Number
800.280.2859

It is tough to read that horrible gif they give you but i managed to zoom in far enough that i can read it. That 800 number is valid so the deal wont be as shady as you think. (hopefully)

So how do you like the laptop?

 

[coolVariable]

So how do you like the laptop?
How did it perform under counterstrike.
I really like the form-factor and the magnesium case ... too bad it doesn't have any IEEE-1394 ports or I would be all over this deal.

 

[emonkey]

I put a small review of it on comp.sys.laptops. A guy there posted it on his site so take a look here if you want.

Reviews: Sotec Notebooks

 

[daye]

No problem to fit in a Belkin PC wireless card. However, after about 1 hour usage, the card is so hot that network connection was lost. Not sure whether it's the Belkin PC card (my first wireless card), or the Sotec laptop that generate these amount of heat. Take the card out for a minute, and the problem is solved. This can be repeated.

Edit:
After getting an exchange, I tend to believe this is a problem of the Belkin PC card.

 

[daye]

Just got an exchange from the local OD. Still the same problem with mouse key (single click->double click with delay). It's a brandnew one, so this could be a common problem of this model.

 

[KennKaniff]

xp1800 ...did you get a chance to run counterstrike yet?

 

[vec]

For anyone that is interested I just saw one at Sam's Club in Gardena, CA at lunch today.