Buying electronics - a clueless women's guide?!!

[SagMaria]

Okay, I have saved up to buy a digital camera and a laptop. Are there any really great websites that do unbiased reviews on electronic appliances such as computers, tvs, cameras, etc.? Like the positives and negatives of each item, the features, what to buy to get the most for your $$$. I am clueless when it comes to all this stuff, I want to get the most for my money and I don't want to be ripped off when I walk into London Drugs or wherever I'm going to buy my electronics. Thanks all!!

 

[sexypuma]

well, i really like cnet.com . I have referred to thet website in the past and i haven't been disappointed.

 

[Shimmer]

pcworld is good too.

 

[Chic 2k6]

im with Shimmer for PC World. Mom got me a fab computer from PC World for a great deal, so lookout for package deals as they come with printers, antivirus software etc...

Avoid Staples though, I got a laptop from there in 2005 and it only lasted a year before it went wrong with the battery and it was being taken care of really well, the gurantee was 2+ years so idk what happened there.

 

[SELFstyled]

Try epinions.com too! There are reviews and you could do price comparisions from the site.

 

[Beauty Mark]

I use cnet.com myself. I think Consumer Reports does decent reviews, as well.

Before I would purchase something, I would test it out in the store. Not necessarily buy it there (you probably can buy it cheaper online), but see if you like the product. For instance, there were some negative reviews about my digital camera, but the issues other people had with the control sizes aren't an issue for me, because I have small hands. In other words, what's acceptable or unacceptable to someone else may be opposed to what you think.

 

[SagMaria]

Cool, thanks for the help ... I'm actually looking into that waterproof digi camera and the Apple IBook.... any input?

 

[Beauty Mark]

iBooks are now Macbooks, unless you want an older model. Macbooks only come in glossy screens, which is a problem if you do true color printing stuff. Macbook Pros are much more money, but they come in either screen type (glossy or matte) and have better specs than a Macbook.

I don't know what you use your computer for, but a Mac has downsides. I'm a Mac user myself, but there are some negatives, like lack of games or they come out later than the PC release, a little harder to find someone to help you with your computer if you have problems, certain programs are only available for Windows. You can run Windows now, but you have to buy it, too.

I would also wait until Apple release the new version of OSX.

 

[SagMaria]

Well I don't use my PC for games or the like so I think the Macbook would be a good choice for me... How much do Macbook Pros go for? Also what is OSX? Thanks!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beauty Mark iBooks are now Macbooks, unless you want an older model. Macbooks only come in glossy screens, which is a problem if you do true color printing stuff. Macbook Pros are much more money, but they come in either screen type (glossy or matte) and have better specs than a Macbook. I don't know what you use your computer for, but a Mac has downsides. I'm a Mac user myself, but there are some negatives, like lack of games or they come out later than the PC release, a little harder to find someone to help you with your computer if you have problems, certain programs are only available for Windows. You can run Windows now, but you have to buy it, too. I would also wait until Apple release the new version of OSX.

 

[Beauty Mark]

Macbook Pros are at least or around $2000. They're the higher-end, hence "Pro", laptop Mac.

OSX is Operating System X (Ten in Roman numerals). That's the current name of the series of OSs. You may know them by their "cat" names, ie. Tiger. The newest OS may be really cool or may be a bunch of stuff you don't care about. The last release introduced the widget feature, which is awesome for me, because I can instantly check several RSS things, the weather. I also have a Magic 8-ball widget. They're essentially little programs.

I think the release is sometime this spring, but I haven't seen a release date.