Gateway 400SP

[802dot11b]

does anyone have the $800 gateway notebook..

thinking about buying it but wanna know how is the battery life & is the Hardware inside any good

[Eversor]

I don't have one of the notebooks but I don't recommend buying Gateway at all. I work at a computer shop as a technician and I'd probably venture to say that %50 of all the computers we work on are Gateway models 25% laptops and 25% desktops. That's a lot of computers when your repairing around 50-100 gateways on a busy month. I recommend Dell laptops even though they might be a little more expensive (you can always go on eBay or check Dell's refurbished section as well) as a better choice. I think since I've been doing computer repair for about 3 years I've personally worked on about 10-20 Dell laptops. From experience they are a better machine. As fas as your battery power concerns it really depends on what you're going to be doing with the computer. The more apps you run at once will determine the battery power as well as if you are planning on gaming with it. If all your doing is planning on checking your email and writing some documents, spreadsheets, etc. you will be pretty well off in having more than enough to last you through most of the day. Also, almost every new laptop on the markety has a built in feature that slows the processor down as the battery wears down to minimize the amount of battery wasted. One thing to keep in mind as well is if you are planning on using this at work or at home. If so, you can always just plug it into the wall (if location permits). Or, if you're planning on using it in the car pick up a car adapter for it which will help a GREAT deal. Hope I helped. Peace.

[802dot11b]

thanks for telling me that dude....
i would have had a $800.00 crapper on my hand..

is =acer= any good....
i saw one @ compusa for like $1,100

[Louie]

Ach Dell and Gateway both suck, though so does Acer. The only two laptops I ever really use are the IBM T40's and X31's which are sweet but expensive and I have a few Compaq Evo laptops at my office. I would never buy another Toshiba, Dell, or Gateway based on my past experience with them.

[Eversor]

802dot11b

No problem man. Another user also said that IBM laptops are good as well but I have found that the batteries on them need to be replaced quite often (instead of every 2-3 years it's 1-2 years). Now keep in mind this is my *personal* experience but all-in-all IBM does make a pretty nice laptop but they are kinda pricey. As far as Acer goes I don't recommend them at all. If you were looking at one around $1,100 then *I* would go the Dell route. Also, Compaq doesn't make a shabby machine and they have excellent tech support for hardware, with software they just want you to run the restore disk and delete everything on your HD. Or if you want to be a big spender go to www.alienware.com and configure one up custom style or go to:

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPL....1.1.0.0.0.1.0

and check out an iBook. The prices aren't that far off from your current price range (some starting at $999.99). I configured one just by adding another 128 MB of RAM (only added $50 to the price) and it will make a damn fine machine. Keep in mind that the 800mhz processor in the iBook is a pretty nice option considering they outperform a Intel or AMD based processor of the same speed by a GREAT margin. They kick serious ass and are stable as hell and they have almost everything you will need that a Windows based PC could do. Also, they look cool which doesn't matter but hey you got an iBook.