[Couga]

So this isn't really chip related, but I wanted to get someone else's take on this.

History:
I am looking for a bare bones laptop. Don't need it for anything other than downloading P*'s to play in my upcomming season of weekly tournaments (Right now our desktop is in my bedroom because my old computer room was transformed into my son's room a year and a half ago). I want a laptop so I can play the tournaments downstairs so I don't bother the wife who goes to bed before the tournaments end. The one kicker is I need it to be able to support wireless technology, which isn't tough to find. So an HP Omnibook 900 will fit the bill.

Problem:
So onto eBay I go. I search for Omnibook 900 and get a few hits. I bid on this one.

HP Omnibook 900 VERY FAST P3 Wireless Net Wi-Fi LIGHT - (eBay item 110198816309 end time Dec-03-07 18:30:00 PST)

Look at the bidding history. Most of the bids are by people with zero or one feedback. Are these just shills? If so it is frustrating because the computer isn't worth more than $100 shipped really. It seems that most of the auctions for notebooks even higher end show this same sort of bidding/feedback pattern.

Anyway just wanted to vent a little bit and see what you all thought.

- Couga

Any suggestions on where to find what I am looking for other than eBay?

[JoseRijo]

Most of the bids are coming from a single person, 479edgar51. His last three bids mean he keeps upping his maximum bid. I think he's *very* interested in this laptop.

There doesn't seem to be anything nefarious about this auction.

[99%evil]

i'd like to hear as well, I'm going to be buying a laptop for basic crap, so I'd like to know people's thoughts on this and other units they are selling.

A lot of stuff is a la carte, power cord is an extra $20, dvd drives and all that are upgrades...so you'll probably spend another $50 to get some basic crap for it.

[Scoutens]

Ebay is a tough market for inexpensive decent laptops. Have you tried the Dell Outlet or any of the other manufacturer's outlets? Also, Tiger Direct has some decent deals especially around the holidays. You're going to probably pay around $300 for the "bottom level" but, at least you know you're getting a factory refurbished computer.

[SandmanDC]

Visit TigerDirect.com
They usually have a great varity of laptops that are refurbs with warranty.
You will have a wide range to chose from. Just sort price from low to high.
I have always been happy with my purchases there.

[jojong]

You might want to check out local used computer stores or repair shops. I know a repair shop around me that sells old laptops for pretty cheap.

[hachkc]

Can you actually run Win2k with 128mb of memory? Also, what's the resolution? For 1 table, you probably wouldn't have any problem but if you wanted to play 2-3 tables, it might be a problem.

Personally, I think its a waste of money. I think you can get much better equipment for around $300 or so.