[OldFriend]

Thank you. I have a BIG monitor on my desktop and I love it. It's just that our home office is down some steep steps and I'd like to have the ability to use the computer on the main level of our house.

Daughter has a Sony Vaio full sized lap top and it's not too bad on my eyes but the price is a bit much right now.

The last thing I want to do is make a mistake.

You've been a big help, much appreciated.

[MichiganConservative]

t's just that our home office is down some steep steps and I'd like to have the ability to use the computer on the main level of our house.

Then maybe you want a laptop (or the Mini) and a couple of docking stations or monitor/keyboard setups, so you can just grab the computer and move it around as needed. If that's the case, even the smaller sub-notebooks would probably do what you want and be lighter to carry around.

[daviddennis]

As others have said, a subnotebook would be tiny and have tiny type that might be difficult to read. Even at 44 I'm starting to find tiny type a bit of a strain.

The subnotebook is also likely to be quite expensive. I think they will be competing in the same price range as the VAIO.

The best balance of size and weight in your situation would probably be a Macbook. It would be small enough for you to carry up and down stairs and the display is outstandingly clear. Since you generally have it closer to you than you would an iMac or other desktop it would probably be a lot easier to deal with.

If you're worried about monitor size, you might want to buy a 19" LCD monitor to hook up to it when needed. They are only about $250 nowadays and the type size is pretty big. A LCD monitor is small enough to stick pretty much anywhere - it's wide but not deep like the older CRT monitors.

I think just being unburdened from the tiresome problems associated with virii and spyware would be a good enough reason to switch to Mac. It's also a more aesthetically appealing experience.

As another person recommended, visit an Apple Retail store and check it out. It's a very welcoming place and people are very knowledgeable about the machines.

Hope that helps.

D

[6SJ7]

It's just that our home office is down some steep steps and I'd like to have the ability to use the computer on the main level of our house.

I know you mentioned being on dial-up. If you can get it, you might consider DSL, such as offered by Verizon (or something similar if Verizon is not in your area). Prices on DSL are in some cases less than dial-up. DSL also frees up the phone and the DSL provider usually includes a combination DSL modem/router/WiFi box in the package. With Wifi, you can easily have multiple computers in the house connected at the same time and you can move them to any room. Just a thought.