Last Saturday, before my Monday from hell, I went shopping to see what my retail options might be for a new laptop. One goal was to stop by the Gateway store and check out the laptop I was thinking of getting. Turns out, they’ve closed the store. I ended up at CompUSA instead, and after talking with a very helpful salesman, I was introduced to the Compaq Presario r3120us. My impression of Compaq computers thus far has been so-so. They’re sort of like a Ford Taurus – nice sedans, but not terribly exciting. However, I was impressed by what is in this laptop, and the price was comparable to the Gateway I was looking at. This one has a few more advantages, such as a 15.4″ WXGA screen. I ended up coming back the next day and buying the last one they had in stock.
I really wanted to write this entry while connected on a Wi-Fi network. Unfortunately, I’ve tried it in two places so far without any luck. I think that I need to change a setting to connect with the wireless LAN in the library, and it’s possible that the server was acting funky at Common Grounds. A bit of a let-down, but I’ll get it figured out.
I am pleased at the speed of my dialup connection on this computer. It’s almost as fast as the network at the university! Well, for browsing, anyway. Downloading takes a bit longer. I’m probably going to try out the CD-RW this weekend by making a mix CD for a friend. If I have time, I may even watch a DVD.