I'm really excited; I lucked out today and got a new computer. I'd tried to buy a Toshiba Libretto U100 over the weekend, but I had problems with my credit card -- Toshiba Canada wouldn't accept a card issued from a US bank. By the time I had figured out what the problem was, it was too late for an online purchase. So Amita June and I made the rounds of electronics stores in the Marché Central in Montreal, looking for ultraportable laptops (machines <1.5kg).
There were a lot of computers I would have gotten -- the Thinkpad X40 is nice, as is the Fujitsu Lifebook P7120. There's a Gateway and a Dell in the category, too. I didn't get much luck at first, which was kind of what I expected. The stores we went to were basic office and consumer electronics stores, and they were carrying typical desktop-replacement laptops at a minimum of 2-3kg. But I lucked out at the Best Buy, which had an open-box Toshiba Portegé R200. It's larger than the Libretto, but it was available retail and it worked.
So I've brought it home, and I'm downloading Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.06 for i386 as I type this. The Azureus download is going insanely fast -- like 300kiB/s -- I'd forgotten how efficient BitTorrent can be when there's a high seed-to-leech ratio.
Anyways, hopefully the install will go smoothly. I'm defragging the Windows side right, and I've got an external USB DVD-R/W for the new laptop, since it's so small it doesn't have an optical reader. If things boot well, I should have a good system up soon.
tags: toshiba portege r200 ultraportable laptop ubuntu bittorrent