Road Warriors/I.T. Consultants..Advice please..

[TechnoTrix'd]

After many years with a large international Health Services I.T. provider, I have cut the proverbial “lifeline” and am going out on my own. Nothing like shaking it up a little at 40...

So, what, in each of your opinions, is the best all around laptop? Looking for functionality, reliability, portability, or just all of the "ilities"...

I personally like IBM products (e.g. Thinkpads), but I don't want to limit myself if another maker really is an all around better machine. I have found a nice looking Dell, an Inspiron 700 series, that is kind of a 3/4 sized laptop, and would seem to be a good traveling device. 4.1 pounds, latest Intel M chip, built-in wireless, DVD/RW, etc…

Oh, and let's put the cabash on any Apple product's right now. I agree 100% that it is a superior machine and all that. But I am in need of a bread-n-butter Microsoft based O/S platform. Boring, buggy and slower, but non-the-less, the industry standard...

My primary focus will be Project Management and accessing various secure corporate networks, from both intranet and internet (VPN) access points. I will also need to be 100% wireless, without the use of external cards or plug-in's.

I do realize that I will need XP professional, and a boatload of virus blockers, firewalls, and the like.

I may also need to install a .Net developer’s platform or other MS based editor tools to assist in some of the consulting work. And a full Office suite is a requirement, as Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint will be absolute necessities.

So, any stories based on you personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, and I would like to try and keep the initial investment below 2g if possible.

I thank each of you in advance for any and all help with this.


TechnoTrix'd.....

[my99vdub]

Hi -

No real suggestions for ya but Go For It!
I had the lifeline cut by one of the big P&C companies this summer and have been trying to gather some of the MS certifications (things I don't think will be outsourced too soon before I am on the streets again).
Anyways, I just went to one of the Microsoft Launch events this week and they gave away the latest Visual Studio 2005 & SQL Server 2005 - I have LOTS to learn coming off mainframe world!
Let us know how things go for you, I am always interested in hearing about people's new adventures! (I'd rather I did this when I was closer to 40 than now - leaning very close to the big 5-0)

Beth

[dgoldbe2]

The Thinkpad is the best machine out there for a work laptop.

Barring that, go for a Compaq. For some reason, despite Compaq and HP being one and the same, the Compaq branded laptops are better than the HP branded laptops.

Toshiba is the next best. Especially their rugged line. If you drop it, it will park the heads, and try to prevent them from crashing into the disk before it hits the ground.

Those are my recommendations in order.