http://www.stereopsis.com/flux/

Sweet program.

I stumbled upon it the other day and have found it very useful.

The contrast at night I have found to be very harsh on my eyes but with F.lux the colour is very nice and pleasant to use my laptop at night/in the dark.

also isn't the screen so glossy tht you can't use it in sunlight?

I'm always plugged into my power adapter at home. Only twice has my battery dipped past the 75% point I think...when I was using it

I have about 5 hours remaining and I just charged it completely.


No my bad, 6:34 minutes when dimming the brightness.

I haven't used this laptop outside (still need a case ) so the screen may be glossy out there; can't confirm that for sure.




No Kanishka, you're right. It is glossy in the sun and I need max. brightness to counteract that.

thanks for the software Stefanie...really cool and helpful!!

If you're looking at a MBP, be prepared for some accessories.

I just discovered "cooling mats" and/or "cooling pads".

Nice investment.

One thing I am very displeased about is that the piece I got is imperfect. This is probably just my luck of the draw but it seems to have some discoloration on the keys. Getting it examined tomorrow and I intend to leave with it replaced.

well that shud not be a problem as if it is a genuine issue then apple would replace it without hassles...

My mum was a bit worried about them opening an intact piece. Do you think that that's a reason for concern?

i guess that would be an issue only if it wasn't apple...u don't really have to worry about it...

Originally Posted by goelk

i guess that would be an issue only if it wasn't apple...u don't really have to worry about it...

***** (Needed 6 characters...)

I have an HP... its perfectly fine, no problems, runs anything i throw at it..

I do not suggest a mac because my roommate had one and wow... too many incompatibilities

My HP hard drive crashed (it was a desktop) without any real reason.
I thank God I was covered by BestBuy because HP wanted $35 before I spoke to a technician, even if said technician couldn't assist me in any way.

Recently Vista began acting up, so I cleaned it out, got my Mac, reformatted the HP and now it's a "sibling" computer

I know a LOT of friends who bought MacBooks and love them. I find they are pricey, but remember all the software that comes bundled on a mac (iLife, etc) which is great if you're into multimedia (having garageband, etc).

I have a PC, iMac, and Dell XPS laptop, and find myself using my iMac more than my PC... even though technically my PC is more powerful than the iMac. I just like Apple's operating system, it appears more stable, and having the huge iMac screen is nice. On the other hand, my Dell XPS laptop is outstanding, has good battery power, and is so thin and light it's amazing.

If I were to choose a laptop, I would pick one that is:

a) Thin (you don't want to carry around a bulky brick, especially in a backpack)
b) Light (don't get a 'desktop replacement' laptop! They are soooo heavy. Thats what I bought in highschool and it was a mistake, light is the way to go. You're carrying it around everywhere and you'll feel the strain on your back if you have a heavy laptop. Instead, go for light weight ones)
c) Affordable! Unless you are in the multimedia program (like me) or a hardcore gamer, you don't need the most powerful laptop in the world. The majority of university students will only do one of two things on their laptop while on campus: surf the Internet (facebook!), or use Microsoft Word to type up lecture notes. Thats it!
d) Brand name. In my experience, don't buy an Acer or Gateway. I know neighbours and family who have them and they are slow, overheat, and are built cheap. You get what you pay for. Go with HP, Toshiba, or Dell. PLUS, If you buy an HP, you can get a special discounted price if purchased through Audcomp computers (they have a deal with HP to give all McMaster students a special price). Also, if you buy a MacBook, they have student discount deals if you purchase as a student from the online Apple store, and usually they have a deal to get a free IPod with laptop purchases.
e) Long Lasting Battery! You're going to be having back to back classes, and nothing sucks more than your battery dying in the middle of a class and having to bust out the classic paper and pen!

i am gonna join mac this fall as first year eng. student and most prob will take software field in my second year. i m more concern abt weight, battery life, also good features... confused between dell studio xps http://configure.dell.com/dellstore/...-studio-xps-13 or macbook pro. what a best option?

also 13inch or 15 inch . which one is better for me?

Originally Posted by endearing66

also 13inch or 15 inch . which one is better for me?

Personal Preference, although I would go with 15 inch.