tipmsh@rigel.uucp (21482-Michael S Boyden(3622)m000) (07/18/90)
Does anyone know anything about the Bondwell 286 laptop that DAK is advertising? It's supposed to be: 286, 12MHz, zero-wait state 20 Meg, 25ms hard drive 1.44 Meg floppy 1 Meg RAM 8.5 lbs Price: $1299 In addition, DAK's bundling a mouse and $3000s worth of software with it. What's the catch? Is anyone using one of these? If so, do you like it? What's its weaknesses? Mike Boyden Bell Corporate Research, Morristown, NJ
aland@infmx.UUCP (Colonel Panic) (07/26/90)
In article <59@towernet.UUCP> tipmsh@rigel.uucp (21482-Michael S Boyden(3622)m000) writes: > >Does anyone know anything about the Bondwell 286 laptop that DAK is >advertising? It's supposed to be: > ... >What's the catch? Is anyone using one of these? If so, do you like it? >What's its weaknesses? Well, the basic catch is that you have to wait for ever. Mine's been on order since May 20. I'm still waiting... The worst part is: every time I call them, I'm told that it will ship "within the next 3 days, for sure." This has been going on for weeks. At the outset, I got a letter saying it was backordered but that it "WILL SHIP WITHIN 30 DAYS." That was 9 weeks ago... -- Alan Denney # Informix # aland@informix.com # {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland "These tests will have no effect on your grades. They will merely determine your future social status and financial success, if any."
v118hj3d@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Anthony M Petro) (07/27/90)
In article <4885@infmx.UUCP>, aland@infmx.UUCP (Colonel Panic) writes... >In article <59@towernet.UUCP> tipmsh@rigel.uucp (21482-Michael S Boyden(3622)m000) writes: >> >>Does anyone know anything about the Bondwell 286 laptop that DAK is >>advertising? It's supposed to be: >> ... >>What's the catch? Is anyone using one of these? If so, do you like it? >>What's its weaknesses? > >Well, the basic catch is that you have to wait for ever. >Mine's been on order since May 20. I'm still waiting... > >The worst part is: every time I call them, I'm told that it will ship >"within the next 3 days, for sure." This has been going on for weeks. >At the outset, I got a letter saying it was backordered but that it >"WILL SHIP WITHIN 30 DAYS." That was 9 weeks ago... > >-- >Alan Denney # Informix # aland@informix.com # {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland > > "These tests will have no effect on your grades. They will merely > determine your future social status and financial success, if any." i ordered mine exactly one week before this poor chap, but i got mine around june 20th or so, putting the wait at slightly longer than five weeks. i did order the 40MB version; i don't know if this had a bearing on the relative speed (or lack thereof) of my shipment. i also ordered the pocket modem; for $130 i figured it was a good deal. eats batteries, but the PS is small. for those who doubt, there are no other catches. the display is tolerable as long as you've some kind of light source upwards of a flashlight. as i don't compute in the dark, i'm satisfied. speed is quite respectable. all the goodies that come with it (i.e. software) are for real, although some of them are to be registered through DAK, which probably has a lot to do with whatever deal they have... quattro pro is quite useful especially with the supplied mouse; i prefer it much to lotus 2.2. wordstar i'm trying to sell, as i've got wordperfect 5.1 which i prefer. the other stuff, such as pc usa, gem desktop set, is nifty. great freebies, even if not something you'd spend real money for. i get about 90 minutes of use out of a charge with the drive running more or less continuously; quattro demands overly access virtually constantly, hence the heavy access. weight is not bad at all, about eight pounds... i carry it with a manual or two, maybe a text- or notebook, in a backpack. something over the shoulder might be handier if you carry it a LOT; i haven't seen the carrying case DAK sells. a typical scenario of me and the bondwell would include me working on a quattro, wp, personal financing or other project while i'm waiting for a bus, sitting on a picnic table watching my budget-strained university build new malls on campus, or riding the greyhound home because i have a laptop and not a car. then the beast would come with me to the office to print to a ljetIII or a paintjetXL or whatever. very very handy tool. i highlt recommend despite the wait, if they've any more to sell. std disclaimer since i'm a student assistant here and wouldn't want to lose my pizza money: "my views in no way represent those of anyone at the State University of New York at Buffalo except perhaps those of my girlfriend, though not of late." anthony m. petro "beethoven" UB Medical School V118HJ3D@UBVMSD.BITNET Office of Information Systems OISTONY@MEDNET.BITNET petro@sun.acsu.buffalo.edu ..!uunet!acsu.buffalo.edu!petro
lewis@jackson.cs.unc.edu (jeff lewis) (07/29/90)
Just to add in my $1299 worth, I'd also like to say it's a pretty nice machine. I ordered on May 16th (the 20mb model) and it showed up on July 26 (10 weeks). It's fairly sturdy and the fit and finish are good. The keyboard is very usable and relatively clicky. Speedwise it seems a bit faster than my CompuAdd 12mhz desktop, which is probably because the hard disk is a bit faster (25 ms vs 40 ms). The hard disk is also nice and quiet. I spent the last few days running various things on it and have had only one compatibility problem with a game called Welltris. I'm not sure that it had anything to do with the computer, though, because I believe the version I was trying to run on it was looking for an EGA and there's only a CGA. Other than that I've been running various text and graphics based programs with no problems, such as XTreePro, WordPerfect 5.1, Tetris, PC-Cache, Turbo Pascal 5.0, and a couple of TSR's. I've been running PC-Cache with the 384k of Extended memory and it works great. Turbo Pascal built a 7k line program I have faster than it does on my desktop. On the down side, the screen is mediocre and needs fairly strong, even lighting to be reasonable. If I was planning on my laptop being my main machine, I would definitely want a better screen. The other down side is the battery life. So far the best I've gotten out of a full charge (which takes 8-10 hours with the machine off) is about 75 minutes, and this is with the power saving features on and relatively light hard disk usage. Without any power saving features running I didn't even get an hour out of it. If your purpose is extended unplugged computing, I wouldn't think this is the machine for you. As far as the software goes, FastLynx, the file transfer program, is very useful, and I imagine I'll look at Quattro at some point, but the rest is pretty much going to sit around until I end up with a week to kill to see if any of it is worthwhile enough to supplant the programs I'm already using. Or to occupy any of my precious hard disk space. One nice little surprise was the inclusion by DAK of a several hundred page manual which describes basic computer setup and operation, as well as how to get started with each of the freebie programs they've included. Just for some perspective, the best price I've seen on a Bondwell anywhere else was $1695 (40mb version), which DAK sells (along with all the marginally useful goodies) for $1450. And PC Magazine has a review of it in their March 13 issue, pg. 197. I'll be happy to answer any other questions anyone might have. At least about the Bondwell . . . - -- ---- -------- ---------------- -------------------------------- jeff lewis@cs.unc.edu - -- ---- -------- ---------------- --------------------------------
aland@infmx.UUCP (Colonel Panic) (08/04/90)
Well, guess what -- it finally arrived! two months later...
and, I'm still waiting for the case for an indeterminate period...
I'm using it right now, dialed up from a hotel.
So far, I'm fairly impressed -- it's on the high side of what I
expected. The screen is marginal, though better than a T1000, but
it's livable. When you consider that it's similar in features
(except for screen quality) to a T1200XE but half the price, it's
not bad at all.
Unless my memory is completely shot, there are obvious firmware
differences between the DAK B310 and the regular model. There
are far more diagnostic messages upon powerup, which makes me think
that maybe this is a B310 Plus with a 310 screen. If so, perhaps
the 310 Plus screen is plug-compatible and at some point I could replace
the installed screen with the backlit one.
One other thing that really annoyed me about DAK was that the "pocket
modem" that they advertised alongside the unit DOESN'T FIT IT right
out of the box -- it's a DB25 connector, whereas both serial ports
are DB9s. Trying to find an adapter in Seattle is no fun at all...
On that subject: I'm still looking for recommendations for pocket
modems, preferably 2400 baud (MNP5 a plus), line powered, DB9
connector, etc. If I can find a decent one, I'll send this one back.
--
Alan Denney # Informix # aland@informix.com # {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland
"The driver says, 'One more cup of coffee and I'll be all right...'
'Pop a Bennie, another Bennie'..." - The Bobs, "Bus Plunge"kraus@motcid (David Kraus) (08/07/90)
>>>>> On 4 Aug 90 08:11:41 GMT, aland@infmx.UUCP (Colonel Panic) said:
ad> One other thing that really annoyed me about DAK was that the "pocket
ad> modem" that they advertised alongside the unit DOESN'T FIT IT right
ad> out of the box -- it's a DB25 connector, whereas both serial ports
ad> are DB9s. Trying to find an adapter in Seattle is no fun at all...
Strange, I got my modem a few days ago, and they sent along a DB9-DB25
pigtail. (Still waiting for the machine, of course.) Give them a call,
they probably forgot to throw one in, as it was packaged separately.
ad> On that subject: I'm still looking for recommendations for pocket
ad> modems, preferably 2400 baud (MNP5 a plus), line powered, DB9
ad> connector, etc. If I can find a decent one, I'll send this one back.
This one isn't bad, from what little I've played with it. Just got it
plugged in to my desktop yesterday, and it seems to be a lot quieter (less
line noise) than my internal Prentice (which is as old as the hills
anyway). I like it, thus far. We'll see how long batteries last, tho...
--
Dave Kraus UUCP: ...!uunet!motcid!kraus
Motorola Cellular Infrastructure Division FidoNet: 115/777.11
Disclaimer: I didn't say anything.
Quote: "Dont' turn on the flashing lights. It's illegal, I think"stark@sbstark (Eugene Stark) (08/07/90)
My Bondwell 310 from DAK also just arrived (ordered on May 22). I am quite happy with it -- no unpleasant surprises at all. Quite a large amount of the software they sent seems like it will be useful. Also, I am very impressed by the book they sent describing installation and use of all the software they sent. Most companies wouldn't have bothered, I think. It is true that the 2400baud pocket modem doesn't fit right out of the box, but for $9.99 I picked up a standard IBM/Hayes modem cable, and it works fine. All in all, a good deal. - Gene Stark
aland@infmx.UUCP (Colonel Panic) (08/09/90)
In article <4334@grape2.UUCP> kraus@motcid (David Kraus) writes: >This one isn't bad, from what little I've played with it. Just got it >plugged in to my desktop yesterday, and it seems to be a lot quieter (less >line noise) than my internal Prentice (which is as old as the hills >anyway). I like it, thus far. We'll see how long batteries last, tho... >Dave Kraus The new (?) Stowaway pocket modem sounds promising, though pricey ($295 list). Still, I think it'd be worth it in the long run. What I don't understand is why the DAK version covers up the LEDs. Regarding battery life: I've already burned out the 9V that came with it after a couple of hours. With the LEDs covered, you get no low battery warning... -- Alan Denney # Informix # aland@informix.com # {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland "These tests will have no effect on your grades. They will merely determine your future social status and financial success, if any."
kraus@motcid (David Kraus) (08/10/90)
>>>>> On 9 Aug 90 06:51:26 GMT, aland@infmx.UUCP (Colonel Panic) said:
ad> The new (?) Stowaway pocket modem sounds promising, though pricey
ad> ($295 list). Still, I think it'd be worth it in the long run.
ad> What I don't understand is why the DAK version covers up the LEDs.
What do you mean by 'covers them up?' There is some sort of translucent
plastic strip over the LEDs, but I can see them fine through it. I was
wondering the same thing, until I turned it on and saw the power and high
speed lights come on. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if different
batches that DAK gets are slightly different, due to the nature of their
business...
ad> Regarding battery life: I've already burned out the 9V that came with
ad> it after a couple of hours. With the LEDs covered, you get no low
ad> battery warning...
I've heard this (I think) somewhere else, as far as short battery life. It
wouldn't surprise me. I'm not planning on using the thing on batteries too
often anyway, but it's nice to have Just In Case.... Regarding the low battery
warning light - see above, although I obviously haven't experienced it yet...
--
Dave Kraus UUCP: ...!uunet!motcid!kraus
Motorola Cellular Infrastructure Division FidoNet: 115/777.11
Disclaimer: I didn't say anything.
Quote: "Dont' turn on the flashing lights. It's illegal, I think"